In this Bible Study Sunday, we continue our series on dispensational truth. We review last week’s foundation—what “dispensation” means biblically—and move into the Edenic dispensation (innocence), tracing creation, Lucifer’s fall, the recreation in Genesis 1, and Adam’s role as king with both spiritual and physical crowns. We explore how man was made in God’s image, the tri-part nature of man (body, soul, spirit), what changed at the fall, and why apparent “contradictions” reconcile when we rightly divide Scripture. I walk through the tree of life across Genesis and Revelation, obedience as the condition for life in Eden, and how history is a struggle over lost crowns and kingdoms, from Adam to Noah to Abraham, up to Israel and the church. We also tackle the classic problem of evil with a step-by-step reasoning of God’s love, human choice, and responsibility. Finally, I preview the next lesson on the dispensation of conscience and extend an invitation to seek restoration of God’s image through Jesus Christ.
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(00:04:06) Live from Asylum Studios: Welcome to Bible Study Sunday
(00:05:40) What is Dispensational Truth? Rightly Dividing the Word
(00:07:45) Ages and Changes: God’s Dealings Across Dispensations
(00:13:17) Creation, Lucifer’s Pride, and the Earth in Chaos
(00:16:59) Recreation and the Prince of the Power of the Air
(00:18:02) Adam Crowned King: Made in the Image of God
(00:20:56) Body, Soul, and Spirit: Man as a Trichotomy
(00:27:09) Before and After the Fall: Souls, Flesh, and Paradise
(00:31:36) Dispensation of Innocence: Adam’s Crowns and Dominion
(00:34:09) In Adam’s Image: Loss of the Divine Image and Its Effects
(00:39:36) Salvation in Eden: Obedience and the Tree of Life
(00:45:41) Guarded Gates: Cherubim and the Way to the Tree of Life
(00:47:31) From Genesis to Revelation: The Tree of Life in Eternity
(00:55:39) Is the Tree of Life a Person? The True Vine and the Branch
(00:57:40) The Lost Crowns: Kingdom of God vs. Kingdom of Heaven
(00:59:42) History as a Battle for the Physical Crown
(01:02:48) From Noah to Abraham: Covenants, Israel, and Conflict
(01:06:50) Can We Blame God? A Reasoned Walk Through the Fall
(01:12:47) Perfect Love and Human Choice: Why God Allowed Evil
(01:17:17) Judgment and Consequences: From Image Lost to Image Restored
(01:18:03) Next Week: From Innocence to Conscience
(01:19:58) Call to Salvation: Restoring the Image Through Jesus
(01:21:03) Closing Prayer and Final Remarks
- Wayne Rankin
- Rosanna Rankin
- Carolina Jimenez
[00:01:07]
Unknown:
My fans, I have arrived. Thank you. Melting your mouth. They look so cheery. We're an M and M. There's no point in wondering where your portraits are. Tasty, smooth, creamy. I'd say that's a wrap.
[00:04:07] Unknown:
Transmitting live from the asylum studios deep in the bowels of Southwest Texas. It's the Joe Rouge Show. The show where we talk about anything and everything. Where nothing is sacred, nothing is watered down, and nothing is PC.
[00:04:27] Unknown:
All right. Hey, folks. This is Joe Roos, and it is great to be with you once again as we open up and study the precious word of God, your King James Bible. And you know folks, as always, whenever and wherever you find yourself listening to us or watching us, it's always my prayer that you also find yourself in the grace and in the mercy of our Lord and savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And of course, we are transmitting to you live once again at the asylum studios from the pimple on the backside of Texas, the beautiful city of Eagle Pass.
Welcome to Bible Study Sunday on the Joe Ruse show. Alright. Folks, hope you guys had had a great weekend. It's been an interesting weekend to say the least here, at the asylum, but, we're looking forward to today's bible study and then we're looking forward to getting into the rest of the week. We're gonna have a packed week for you folks. Looking forward to getting into it. Now last week, we started this study on dispensational truth. And what dispensational truth is is basically it's a study of the dispensations or the times that are set forth in your bible.
And last week we examined what the word dispensation means from a biblical viewpoint, and we found, in four distinct places that the word is used in the bible in in every case, its context deals with a period of time. So we can see that when Paul said, which is, of course, our text, study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the truth, is is certainly applicable because there are more than There really There are more divisions in the bible than just the old testament and the new testament. And that's why Paul told Timothy to learn how to rightly divide the word of truth.
And you know something, it's not as complicated as a lot of people think. It's simply a matter of studying to show yourself approved. And as more people do that, as more people will do that, the divisions or the dispensations become rather obvious. Now, some dispensations are obvious to even the casual observer of your Bible. Even the casual observer knows that the tribulation is a different dispensation. Isn't that right? Just, you know, almost anyone knows that the tribulation is a future dispensation, and you know, if you if you have someone that studies a little bit more, they know that the millennium is a future dispensation, and and and perhaps he knows that from, maybe he knows that from the time of Moses up until Christ was a dispensation of the law.
But that's about as much as most people realize or or understand when it comes to dispensational truth. But of of course, the the fact of the matter is there there are more dispensations than just the ones I mentioned in your bible. And we're gonna examine each one of them, because we find that as we study these, things change. Things change as far as god's dealing with man from age to age. We find that in some ages, god doesn't speak. You know, there was a four hundred year period from Malachi to Matthew where god didn't say a word to anybody. Nothing.
On other occasions, God says a great deal. So so there's really there there really is truly a lot to learn about this. So now you might be asking yourself, well, why are we studying this in the first place? Well, it's a good question. It's important for us to study it. As you study it, a lot of information unfolds, and that information will help you understand your Bible, and reconcile those, you know, so called contradictions that people say are in your bible. Folks, there aren't any contradictions in your bible. There there just aren't any. And I have dealt with people over the years that that told me that there were, and I, you know, basically, I have is just a very simple approach when it comes to dealing with folks like that. I find the nearest bible, and I put it in their hands, and I say, okay show me.
Show me one. And you know something when you do that, and in all the times I have done that, I have yet to find anyone that was able to do it. But yet they're quick to tell you that the Bible is full of contradictions, and they still haven't been able to produce one. As a matter of fact, I know where a lot more of these quote unquote contradictions are than the critics do, But of course, they're not contradictions, because there's reconciliation. And the reconciliation is offered if the Bible itself the reconciliation is offered in the Bible itself if you will study to show yourself approved. Alright. Now, of course, before we get started into the into the full into the full study here tonight, this afternoon, I'm gonna ask you to do us a do us a favor. Head over to our website, joeroos.com.
That's joeroos.com, And when you get over there, head over to our contact section, open up that little web form, and send us over a message. Let us know whatever's on your heart, whatever's on your mind, any questions, comments, cares, or concerns that you might have. If you have any ideas for guests or a particular subject you'd like to talk about, don't forget this particular subject we're talking about today was requested by the audience. So, that's why we're studying it. Alright. I had something else in mind that I wanted to do, but I put it out there and this is what you guys picked, so that's why we're studying. Alright. Now, you could always, if you don't wanna use the web form, you can always email me directly at [email protected].
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Alright. Now as we said last week, and this is just a very I'm gonna do a very, very brief review here. Alright? And we studied last week that the Earth in its original form, original creation, Genesis one one. Alright. We we studied that. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the Earth. We found out by examining various scriptures that it was a perfect creation. And we also discovered that, the individual who ruled over this creation, under the auspices of God, in in other words, God gave him the position of being a king.
God does that often. You say then, if god is the omnipotent, potentate of the universe, how can anyone else be king? Well, god allowed Saul to be a king. God allowed David to be a king. God allowed Solomon and Jeroboam to be kings. You see? God allows folks to be kings, and he allowed Lucifer to be a king. And he was a king, essentially over over two kingdoms. He was the king over a spiritual kingdom, in the respect that there were spiritual beings in his dominion. And how do I know that there were spiritual beings? Well, I know that because of Job chapter one and Job chapter two, when they were called, the sons of God.
That's how I know that there were spiritual beings. I also know that he was king over a physical kingdom. And later when you get over to the book of Matthew, that's this particular kingdom is referred to as the kingdom of heaven. Alright? That's a physical kingdom. So he was the king over a two dimensional kingdom, a spiritual kingdom, and a physical kingdom. And his physical kingdom was on the earth, but there was a time, perhaps in in in the dim dark past, and, you know, and we said last week, folks, I have no idea how long ago it was. Maybe it was 6,000 years ago, maybe it was 8,000 years ago, maybe it was 10 or or 4,000,000.
I don't know. And honestly, it's really not that important as far as I'm concerned. But somewhere somewhere back yonder, Satan, Lucifer. Isaiah 14, you read about, in Ezekiel chapter 28. He lifted up his voice and his pride against God, and he said, I will ascend above the most high. Five times he said, I will, and you find that over in Isaiah 14. That's why in your bible, the number five is the number of death. It indicates the number of death, and it's interesting. It really is. I mean, and that's even carried over into modern day society. You know, in the in the military, the US Navy distress number is five. In Genesis chapter five in verse five, you have the first natural death recorded. Adam died.
Now, that's probably just a coincidence, you know? Don't get too excited about your Bible folks, you might become some kind of a fanatic or something. Alright? Someone might even say you're weird. Weirdo, you're weird. Well, in the midst of this elevation of pride, there came a demotion, and a rather serious one, to be honest. And and the earth was thrust into a condition of chaos. Lucifer's kingdom was in the same identical position. Alright? Well, Satan lost his crown. And, we read over in Genesis chapter one and and verse three, and and and on through the rest of the chapter about a recreation. And last week we examined why we know it was a recreation.
Alright? And and folks, those are biblical reasons, you know, not necessarily scientific reasons, but they're biblical reasons. And if science agrees with the Bible, then amen for science. If science disagrees with the Bible, then science is wrong. It's just as simple as that. Now, what we read about is a recreation. We know that Satan was deposed, but then he's entitled the prince of the power of the air, And that's why on the second day of of recreation, God, you know, when God created the firmament, the atmosphere that we have, where the constellations, the stars, the galaxies abide, God could not say that that day was good.
Remember, we talked about that. In every other day of recreation, the statement is made in the book of Genesis, and God saw that it was good, and God saw that it was good. But see, God didn't say that right here. Do you know why? Because that's where Satan lives. That's where Satan lives. He's the prince of the power of the air. That's why. So, we move from a from a creation to a chaotic condition because of pride, and then to a recreation. And and and do you know what God did at the end of that recreation? On the sixth day, he created a new king.
And do you know who that new king is? Well, his name is Adam. Adam, God made him a king, which we'll see in a little while. The Bible teaches us that man was created in God's image. Now turn with me over to the book of Genesis chapter one. Genesis is the first book in your Bible, so Genesis chapter one. Let me take a look at something here. We're gonna go to verse, verse 27. Genesis chapter one verse 27. If I can find it. There it is. Genesis chapter you know what? Let's let's let's go verse 26. Alright? Verse, verse 26. And God said, let us make man in our image.
Alright. Now now notice us is a plural pronoun. Alright. I don't think God was speaking to the angels either. Alright. Let us make man in our image after our likeness. So do you know who God spoke to? God the father, God the son, and God the holy spirit. The trinity. The Trinity. There's always been a Trinity. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and every other, and every and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So, the first thing that we notice is that man was given an image, and that image was of God.
So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. So man was created in the image of God. Alright? Well, what is the image of God? As you examine the word of God, you're gonna find out that the image of God is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, he is the image of God. An image is something that has physical substance to it. Jesus Christ is God made manifest in the flesh, the Bible tells us. Amen? Now Adam was so Christ like. Alright. Now now now understand what I'm saying here. Adam was so Christ like that Jesus Christ is referred to in first Corinthians 15 as the second Adam.
The second Adam, that's what the Holy Spirit calls him in that chapter. The second Adam. Alright. Well, how was he Christ like? He would he was Christ like in the respect that he was made in God's image. Alright, and he was a trichotomy. He was a trichotomy. He was three parts. That's what trichotomy means. He was three parts. He had a body, and the body of course was the dust from whence God made him. The body is referred to as dust on a number of occasions. For example, in, Psalm one nineteen twenty five, it says, my soul cleaveth unto the dust. Quicken thou me according to thy word.
Now, the body goes back to the dust. Right? At the funeral service you go to, praise the Lord. You know, there there's hope and there's comfort when we bury a Christian, but, you know, because what's before us is not the real individual. What we have before us here is an empty shell. The empty shell goes back to the dust from whence it came, but that's not the real person. That's not the real person. It's simply a tabernacle. Alright? Yet, this tabernacle is pictured in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, our flesh is different from his flesh. Right? Because we we identify with what Paul said when he said, you know, for in me, for I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.
Alright. So the flesh. Now the soul is the real individual in the sense that it it is the, the I am. The real you is housed in the soul. Alright. Now, do you ever think about that? God said, I am that I am. It corresponds with with with with with the father and type. It it constitutes the image with which no man hath seen nor can see. Now, if you know about the Bible, you can find all kinds of contradictions. Here's one. Alright? Here's one of them. The Bible says, no man have seen God at any time. This is a popular one, a lot of a lot of people kinda point this one out. The Bible says, no man have seen God at any time, yet Jesus said, I and the father are one.
Well, a lot of people saw Jesus. Amen? Well, the reconciliation comes in understanding that the in understanding the trichotomy or the trinity. Alright? Now, your soul, you haven't seen it, but I'm gonna tell you something, it's there. It's still there. You may not have seen it, but it's still there. As a matter of fact, it's so real, I wouldn't gamble with it. I wouldn't take any chances with it because, just because you haven't seen it. You know, someone who says, you know, I don't believe in anything I can't see is a fool, is a fool.
First of all, the Bible says, the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Alright. But let me ask you a few more questions. Have you ever seen electricity? Have you? I haven't. I neither have you. Of course you haven't. You say, well, that's not true. You have lights. Right? You have air is running. You have but that's not electricity. That's not electricity. You know what that is? That's the manifestation of electricity, but but that's not electricity. You know, when the air conditioners are turned on, and you know, I remember when I was back in in in in preaching in the church back in New York. When when we turned our air conditioners on, you know, some of some of the folks would get cold, and and and, you know, they would put their coats on, and then they would stand around, and they would just kinda like chatter and and and whatnot, you know. And and and they did it in such an obvious way, you know, just so that, you know, we would notice.
You know. And, and and then, of course, you know, you're hoping that that the preacher would would, would ask someone to turn it down for you. But but you don't see the electricity generating those things. You don't see it. You feel a manifestation of the electricity, but nobody has ever seen electricity. I mean, I'm sure you have some in your house, don't you? I mean, you're you're if if you're watching this or listening to this, you're using electricity of some form. Okay? So, and and of course, you know, if you have that in your home, and you're holding it in your hand, you look, you believe in it, don't you? Of course you do, sure you do. Sure you do.
You haven't seen your soul, but it's real. But it's real. Jesus said, for what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? A soul is a very, very valuable thing. Don't gamble with it. Don't gamble with it. Alright? Now, your soul is invisible, but it looks just like you. You know, John said the apostle John said over in the book of Revelation that he saw the souls of those that were beheaded for Jesus under the altar of God. Alright. Now now they were dead. Right? Their bodies were in the grave, but he knew them.
He identified them, and they were the souls according to the statement made by the holy spirit. My soul, whatever it is, whatever it looks like, cleaveth. Alright. Now in in in your old English, cleaveth means to stick, to stick to. Alright. So my soul cleaveth, that is it sticks. Alright? Genesis chapter two. It's of God that man and women cleave together, and become man and wife. Alright? You get it? Sticks together. My soul cleaveth to the dust. Man is like a tire. Look at it that way. You know, your body is the tire. The outside shell, the the outside shell is the body. The inner tube conforms to the image of the tire.
Alright? That's the soul. That's the soul. The problem with the unsaved, the unconverted, the unregenerate, the depraved man is that the soul is stuck to the flesh, and therefore the soul is held accountable for the sins of the flesh. That's why oftentimes in the old testament, the word soul and body are used synonymously. I don't know if you ever caught that. And and if you stop to think about it, it makes sense because no man in the Old Testament experienced spiritual circumcision. Alright? No man experienced the operation of God made without hands that you find over in Colossians chapter two. You know, that's the cutting away of the flesh by the operation of God. Nobody in the old testament ever experienced that. You know, that's why the old testament saints who died could not directly go to heaven, but there was a place prepared for them, and that place was called paradise.
It's where Lazarus went, Luke chapter 16. Alright. Now, you might be saying, well, there were some exceptions to that. Enoch was an exception to that, but the exception only proves the rule. Alright? Do do do you know what do you know who Enoch was a type of? Enoch was a type of people, or or the or a type of a people who will never die. He's a type of the individual in the church. He's a type of the individual who saved and knows the Lord when the rapture comes. Alright? That's what Enoch is a type of. And by the way, you know, Enoch lived in a dispensation of grace.
Alright. He didn't live under the law, he lived before the law, and God took him and he was no more. You know something, I can't wait. I can't wait. You know, Lord willing, and all things being equal, I think I think I'm gonna be an Enoch. I'm right. I mean, honestly, I'm ready to blow this deal. Man, I I I I really am. I am ready to get out of here. You know, as a matter of fact, I wouldn't mind if if I didn't get to finish the finish this bible study tonight. It wouldn't bother me a bit. I know somebody out there just said, oh, praise the Lord. Right? That would be nice, wouldn't it? That would be nice. Well, then there's the spirit.
There's a spirit. So, Adam was created in three parts, body, soul, and spirit. When Adam was created, his soul wasn't stuck to his flesh, it had a separate identity. It floated within, if if you wanna look at it that way, until until the fall. That's when his soul cleaved to his flesh. That's when his soul became glued or, or or or stuck to that to that to that wicked flesh. Remember what Paul said, for I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. In my flesh dwelleth no good thing. That's when Adam experienced total depravity. That's when Adam experienced death. That's when all of that happened.
Alright? Then the spirit. Then the spirit. As wind or or air is common to all men, first Corinthians two eleven, and is common to animals by the way. You know, the spirit was characterized as the breath of life. And look, until until you get this straight, you're gonna get confused. You're gonna get confused. Now, I was talking to somebody once, and and they were being a little, you know, little critical of the word of God, and talking about the spirit, and and so I said, you know, well, even animals have a spirit. And he said, oh, no, man. You can't say that.
You can't prove that from your bible. Well, yeah, you can. Over in Ecclesiastes chapter three, animals have spirit. It's the breath of life. It's the breath of life. But after the fall, it's a dead spirit. It's a dead spirit in the sense that it needs to be born again. God said to Adam, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it. For in the day that thou shall for for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. So he did die. That's exactly what did happen. You can count on that.
Alright. Well, let's talk a little about the innocence of man. The innocence of man. That's what we're talking about in this dispensation, this dispensation of innocence. So God created a king, and he created him in the image of God. He gave him a spiritual kingdom, in the sense that he called him a son of God. Alright. Look with me over in Luke chapter three and verse 38. Luke chapter three and verse 38. So if you're in Genesis, you're gonna go all the way back toward the end of your bible, go to your new testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, third book of your new testament, chapter three and verse number 38.
Luke three and, 38. Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. But, you know, when you get over to the book of Genesis, and you start reading about Seth, and you start reading about the line, you know, they are now the sons of Adam. And then you get over to Genesis chapter five, and it doesn't say they were made in God's image. And how many times have you heard somebody say, whether it's the liberal the liberal clergy or or theologians or or or or folks in the media, you know, how many times have you heard them say, well, you know, after all, we're all made in God's image. No, we're not.
No, we're not. Adam was made in God's image, but when he sinned, he lost that image. Now, do you know whose image you are made in? Adam's. You're made in Adam's image, not God's image. Just like Seth was in Adam's image, You and I are in Adam's image. Wherefore wherefore as by one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. God gave Adam a spiritual crown in that he was a son of God. Now, if you think about that just for a second, you focus on that, it'll it'll it'll really start to make sense to you. What did God give you when you became a son of God?
Well, he gave you a crown too. He gave you a crown. You haven't seen it yet, but don't worry, you will. You will. The Bible says in Romans chapter eight that we are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. So he gave you a kingdom also. You're a king in a spiritual sense. You're a king. But also, god gave Adam a physical crown. He gave him a crown over the kingdom of heaven, which is physical. Well, now we're not gonna examine all the reasons why now, but when we get a little further onto the series, we're gonna talk about that in in some great detail. He gave him dominion over all of the earth.
Did he not? He gave him dominion over the fowls of the air, over the fish of the sea, the beasts of the earth. He gave him dominion over everything. Alright. Now, what what man is, desperately trying to regain, and and you can see it everywhere. Everywhere you look in society, you see it everywhere. What man is trying to regain is what he lost in the fall. Man is try is is desperately trying to regain what he once had. Now just stop for a second and think about that. You know, man is trying to create the illusion that that he has dominion, doesn't he? That's why you have movements like the environmental movement. Right? Those environmental nut jobs.
You know, that's why you have TV shows like, you know, the guy that swims with the sharks, and and Tiger King, and and, you know, living out in the woods with bears, and, you know, come on grizzly bear, come follow me. And then all the little raccoons, and the wolves, and the deer, and, you know, they all just kinda tag along. Well, do do you know what this with that with that subtle little innuendo is? They're trying to recreate what man lost. That's what Adam had. You know, I mean, Adam got his feet scratched by the rough tongue of that old lion. You know?
You know, laying the garden in the cool of the evening, that old lion comes up, licks the bottom of his feet, you know, tickles him good for him, all that stuff. And then, you know, here comes the polar bear, he cuddles up next to him to keep him warm on a cool night. I mean, he had it made. He had it made. I mean, you talk think about that. He had it made, man. You know, Adam's dogs didn't even bark. That's what I call having it made, that's for sure. So he had dominion. He had dominion. Everything was under his control, and his auspices. Well, God gave this man everything that you could possibly wanna imagine.
He gave him a garden of absolute matchless delight. He gave him a he gave him a place, and he also gave him a of, he gave him a capa a capa I'll get it out. A companion of indescribable beauty. Do you know what man's trying to do? He's trying to recapture what he lost in the garden. Do you know what women are trying to do? They're trying to recapture what they lost in the garden. And do you know how I know that? I know that because the beauty aid industry makes billions of dollars a year. Billions. I mean, man. You know, Eve didn't need to put anything on her lips because it was already there naturally. You know, she didn't need to put any color on her face because it was there naturally.
She didn't need a girdle. Alright. She didn't she didn't need to dye her hair because it was it was it was just perfect the way God made it. She didn't need all the things, you you know. Do you know do you know what ladies are trying to do today? They're trying to reclaim what they lost. I mean, if you wanna make a lot of money, to be honest with you, you wanna make a lot of money, just sit down with your bible and examine all the things that man lost, and all the things he's trying to get back, and get in the market of selling that kind of merchandise, or you will make a fortune. You'll make a fortune because because because the the innate craving and desire of a man is to get back what he lost.
All man desires and longs for is that wonderful, beautiful, utopia paradise, The garden that God put man in. You know, we all try to recreate it. We do. You know, we try to recreate it in our backyards. Don't we? We all do. Well, why do we do that? You know, why do we why do we put shrubs in front of our house? Roses, and daisies, and lilies, you know, why do we do that? Why? You say, well, we're just trying to beautify the place. No. No. You're trying to recapture what we lost. That's what we're trying to do. That's exactly what we're trying to do. Man lost a great deal. He was in a marvelous state.
Absolutely, all the conditions were ideal. Well, what else did God give him? Well, he gave him crowns. He gave him crowns, and man lost those crowns. Now we're gonna Now now we've talked about, and we're gonna examine in in every dispensation. You know, one of the most important things of understanding this this series is, and and is how does man obtain salvation? That's one of the most important lessons we're gonna learn in this. Alright. How does man obtain salvation? He had a fantastic, perfect physical setting. He had a perfect mate. He had perfect conditions. He had a perfect situation. He, in the terminology of the world, had it made.
I mean, he had everything. Everything you could possibly want. I mean, how would you like to go to bed every night on a mattress of lilies and orchids? Well, that's what Adam did. How would you like to be surrounded twenty four hours a day, three hundred sixty five days a year by the fragrance of lilacs and not be allergic to them? Well, that's what Adam did. How would you like to not have to sweat by your face? Not your brow, by the way. The Bible doesn't say brow. The Bible says by the, you know, the most people misquote it. They say by the sweat of your brow. No. That's not. That's one of the most that that that's another one of those often misquoted verses in the Bible. It doesn't say by the sweat of your brow, it says by the sweat of your face.
Your face. See, God doesn't want you to get a little damp up here. You know, he doesn't want you to get, you know, he wants you to really sweat. Adam was put here as a tenderer of the garden, And apparently it was easy work. There wasn't really a whole lot for him to do, because the sweat didn't come until after the fall. After the fall. And have all the food available just for the picking, and have eternal life. Yes. You know, what Ponce de Leon was looking for when he went up and down the coast of Florida searching for the fountain of youth, and it was contained in a fruit on the tree of life, and all he had to do was go over there and pick it, whatever it was, and eat it.
Now tell me, man, in all of his efforts, isn't trying to recapture what he lost. Man is constantly trying to figure out how he could live longer. Aren't we? Men today, you know, men today, you know, they they have their bodies frozen on death, and and they get put into these frozen vaults hoping that one day, science will invent a way to get them some kind of an injection and bring them back to life. Man is constantly trying to recapture what he lost in the garden. You know, man today tried to avoid work at all cost, trying to recapture what he lost.
Men today are are creating imitation Gardens Of Eden. You know, why do you think that places like, Disney are such a popular place? Well, you say, you know, it's all the rides and interesting things that they have down there. I I don't I don't think it's that so much. I I think I think people like to go there because they have a whole bunch of people running around picking up every little piece of trash, and they keep it absolutely spotless. They go there because they have flowers, and bushes, and trees, and shrubs, and it looks so nice. It's like the proverbial paradise.
Why is it that the whole world can't be that way? Why is it that there are so many ghettos and and and and dirt and filth and slime and and and disease and all the rest of it? Why? If you can create a little imitation paradise, you'll get people to come and look at it, because man has a great desire to recapture what it was that he lost. And and folks, he lost a great deal. He lost a great deal. Most importantly, he lost the gift of eternal life. Now, how did he have this gift? And, you know, we're gonna we're gonna define salvation through this entire series as the gift of eternal life.
Alright? For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Now, salvation is eternal life. Eternal life is salvation. What did Adam have to do to be saved in this age of innocence? Well, not a whole lot. Not a whole lot. And actually, he had to do two things, and that was all. Just two things. You know, he didn't have to join a church. And of and of course, you don't have to join a church in any age. He didn't have to get baptized. He didn't have to keep any, sacraments. He didn't have to obey the golden rule. He didn't have to because there was no golden rule.
He didn't have to keep the 10 commandments. Hadn't been written. All he had to do was obey God according to the information and the light that God had given him and partake of the tree of life. That's all he had to do. That's all he had to do. So salvation by obedience. Salvation by obedience. Now, what did God tell him? He said, I'm gonna put you in this garden, and I want you to take care of it. He said that there's one thing that you ought to know, and that is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thou shall not partake of it.
How do I know that the tree of life? Well, look in Genesis three. Look in Genesis three. Go back to the front of your bible, first book of your bible, third chapter. Genesis chapter three now. Adam had fallen, and God clothed him in skins of animals that had died. Alright? They were innocent, the animals. They were innocent, and their blood had been shed. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. So Adam found a temporary atonement. He found a remission. Okay? But he had lost eternal life as he had it before. Alright. Genesis chapter three and verse 22. And the Lord God said, behold, the man has become as one of us to know good and evil. And now lest he put forth his hand and also and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever.
Therefore, the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden Of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man and he placed at the east of the Garden Of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life. Alright. So what the Bible indicates here is the possibility that eternal life was extended even beyond the fall of Adam, even after he lost the crowns. If he could somehow get a hold of the tree of life. Alright? Turn with me to the book of Revelation in chapter 22.
Revelation 22, last book in your bible. Go all the way to the end. Last book. Revelation chapter 22. Last chapter, last book. Now, we read about the tree of life in the first book of our Bible, in the first chapters of that first book, and then we're gonna read about the tree of life in the last chapter of the last book of our bible. Revelation chapter 22 and verse 14. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and many enter in through the gates into the city. Alright. Now now now where is this?
Where is this? Alright. I want I'm not gonna take a lot of time because in the last study of this series, we're gonna get into where this is. But, but but where is this for our our brief purposes now? It's in eternity. Okay? Clear out on the other side of the millennium. Clear out on the other side of the great white throne judgment. Way out into eternity is where we are here in Revelation chapter 22. Alright? Now now get this, verse verse 15. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Alright? Without. Without. Do you know what the universe will someday do you know what the universe will be someday when God gets done? It's gonna be an enclosed, but ever expanding system. A closed system, but ever expanding. Do you know where death and hell are gonna be cast into? They're gonna be cast into the lake of fire. The lake Of Fire is described as outer darkness. Alright? Outer darkness where there's wailing, weeping, gnashing of teeth, and the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the whoremongers, and the murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie, are gonna be on the outside. Alright? On the outside, ever expanding.
But blessed are they that do his commandments. Alright. Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it? Do my do my commandments, Adam. Be obedient, that they may have right to the tree of life. You know, when when you look at it like this, you you kinda get the idea that the Bible goes in a circle. You almost get the idea that someday this whole thing is gonna end up exactly the way it started, and that would lead someone to believe, if they have any sense, that God is gonna finish what he purposed to do. Now what was, as we examined last week, God's original purpose and intent?
Well, that purpose we found was described over in Isaiah 45 and verse 18, as to inhabit the heavens and the earth. And do you know how God's gonna do that? Do you know he's gonna do that? Evidently doesn't occur to people about what would have happened, and and we don't really build theology on supposition. But I just want you to think with me for just just a quick moment here. What would have happened what would have happened if Adam had not fallen? If Adam had continued in the position of having the crown over the kingdom of heaven, you know, a physical crown, and if he would have been obedient to the lord, and and before the fall of man, you know, Adam was given these instructions.
Adam was told to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the faith of the earth. Can you imagine what would have taken place? I mean, just think about the multiplication tables. Here's a man who's who's who's a perfect specimen of a man. He doesn't get old because he has eternal life. He's 33 years old perpetually, and he has a wife, who is a perfect specimen of a woman. I mean, that's what all the guys are looking for. Right? That's what we're you know, forget it man, you're in the wrong age. Forget it, you are in the wrong age. I know he has perfect health. There's no such thing as cancer. There's no such thing as heart problems, disease.
No such thing as the common cold. No such thing as as, sinus infections, and headaches, and hay fever. You know? I'm convinced, honestly, so I I I am convinced God allows me to have all these problems just to keep me reminded that this old flesh of mine is just dirt. It's just dirt. Did you ever stop and think what man is trying to regain? I mean, we've all heard of vegetarians. You know, vegetarians are just an ancient word for lousy hunter. Did you ever hear did you ever hear about a fruit of a fruitarian? I think it's called a fruitarian. Do you ever stop and think what man is trying to regain?
Hey, look, you know, folks, to eat your zone. To eat your zone. You do whatever you want. Some folks think that going back, that some folks that that they're gonna get back what they lost. They're gonna get the perfect body by eating fruit. They're gonna get the perfect body just by eating vegetables, you know, because Adam ate fruit. Adam ate vegetables, you know, but you have to understand. There there there's one basic difference. One basic difference. Before before the fall, Adam was in a perfect body, and you are living in an imperfect body.
I don't care how much grapefruit you eat. A piece of good advice is this, as long as this hunk of flesh is depraved, as long as it's it's going back to the dust anyway, as long as it's eaten up with worms anyway, just, you know what, just let loose. You know, enjoy a tomahawk steak once in a while. You know, I mean, just relax. You know, suck down a couple of big macs if you want. Go ahead. You know, you might as well fall into sin, you know, you need something to pray about anyway. Right? I mean, no, don't take that literally. Alright. Don't take it literally. Don't get carried away with that. Don't someone's gonna run off and say, well, you know, Joe said, do whatever you want.
But I I think you get the idea though that that that God's going in a circle. He's going in a circle, and that's exactly what's gonna happen. All we're living in between Genesis one three and Revelation 22 is a six or maybe seven thousand year parenthesis. That's all it is. That's all it is. And do do you know do you know what seven thousand years is to God? It's just seven days. A day is a thousand years, and a thousand years is a day. Second Peter three eight. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. That's all it is.
That's all that's all it is. Nothing to it. Just that fast, that quick. You know what God's gonna do? You know what God's gonna do? He's gonna continue on with his plan, and he's gonna, and and his program to to populate the heavens, the earth, because he told Adam to to do what? To be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the face of the earth. Alright? But there was one problem. One problem. God would not allow a sinful population, a sinful humanity to pollute the heavens. So the sin problem, the sin question, the sin issue had to be dealt with before God went on with his original purpose in of populating the heavens and the earth. Did you ever read what what God said over in Isaiah chapter seven chapter nine and verse seven?
He said this. He said, of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end. Now a lot of people put that only in the context of time. You know, well, you know, his kingdom will be eternal. Well, I've got news for you. His his kingdom will be more than eternal. His kingdom will be ever expanding, ever growing. God's gonna do exactly what he purposed to do. So so we see that the whole thing the whole thing, this whole thing travels in a circle. When it ends up, salvation will be attained in the same way it was when it began. Obedience and taking part in the tree of life.
Now did it ever occur to you that that the tree of life could possibly be synonymous with a person? Did you ever think of that? Interesting thought. Right? Could the tree of life be synonymous with a person? Well, take your Bible, turn with me over to John chapter 15. John chapter 15, if you're still in Revelation, just go back toward the, beginning of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, fourth book, fifteenth chapter. John 15. I mean, did you ever really wonder what that tree of life was in the garden? Do you ever wonder what the tree of life is gonna be in Revelation 22?
Interesting questions. Is it possible that the tree of life is synonymous with a person? Let's take a look. John chapter 15 and verse one. I am the true vine. By the way, Ezekiel calls a vine a tree, by the way. I am the true vine, and my father is the husbandman. So that this is Jesus speaking. Now did you know that over in in in Zechariah, he's called the branch? Wonder if it's possible that a tree could be synonymous with a person. Jesus said this, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the father, but by me. And you say, well, I don't believe such thing to be true. Well, I know one thing.
A book is synonymous with Jesus Christ. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. You say, well they're two different things. Well, I know they're two different things. I know that you can't differentiate between the two, and I know you can differentiate between the two. They're different, but yet they're the same. Something to think about. Alright. So let's talk a little bit about the fall, and then, we'll wrap this all up for today. Alright. So now, you have Adam, as we discussed, with two crowns.
He lost his crowns. He lost his spiritual crown, consequently, that crown went back to God, and that crown then eventually went to the second Adam. And that crown was not made available again to man. That crown, that would restore man to God's image until Jesus came. And that's exactly the crown he discussed with Nicodemus when he said when he said, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. For four thousand years, man had lost the kingdom of God. Now, he had the kingdom of heaven from time to time, as we shall see, and that is that he had the physical kingdom.
And by the time Jesus comes along, and John the Baptist comes along, Israel had lost that kingdom. Remember, it was John that said, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Alright? Remember that. John said that. They lost it. They lost it. The physical kingdom was in the possession of man. The physical kingdom in in the possession of man was totally lost, and it reverted right back to Satan. Now, as you examine history, you'll discover that that all of the six thousand year history of humanity is really a battle over the crown of a physical kingdom.
And as you study your Bible, you'll discover that the the major subject in your Bible really is not salvation. You've heard me say this before. This isn't anything new. The major subject of your Bible is not salvation. I mean, praise the Lord that it's there. Thank God. You know? Thank God for it. But it deals with the subject of kingdoms. You're gonna find that that the Bible sheds more light on sociology and history than any other book on the face of this plane. You'll discover that the Bible will tell you why there are such struggles in politics, and why there is a constant struggle for world power, and dominion, and the kingdoms.
I mean, think about it. Tell me tell me why. Why is it that that, that that the Russians so desperately wanna rule the world? Why is that? Why is it that someone so desperately wants to infringe upon the rights and benefits of others and impose on them a form of government that those people don't even want? And if you don't believe that's what that's what's happening, man, you are really living in a sheltered world. Did you ever hear of Taiwan? Did you ever hear of Poland? Can you offer me a good explanation of of of why that is? Why is that? Why is it that the Romans imposed their government upon a people who didn't want it?
Why is it the Babylonians imposed their government and their way of life upon a people who didn't want it? Why did the Greeks do it? Why did the Persians and Medes do it? Why did the Egyptians do it? Why does The United States do it? Can you give me one good explanation? Well, I'm gonna tell you why. I'm gonna tell you why. For six thousand years, there's been a struggle over the physical crown. Lucifer lost it way back in Genesis one one and one two, and he was desperately trying to regain it. Hence, the temptation in the garden when he said, yea, hath God said?
It was all an effort to regain and recapture the crown. It was all an effort to regain and recapture the crown, the one that he lost when God gave him dominion over a perfect earth. In his rebellion, he lost it, and he's desperately trying to get it back. And from time to time, God has allowed him to have it. You know, by by by right of forfeit, he's gotten it back. And you know what? He possesses it right now, by right of forfeit, by the allowance of God. And he possessed it after Adam fell. After a while, God took it away from him, and he gave it to a guy named Noah.
Noah came along and God gave him this gave the same commission to Noah that he gave to Adam. He said what? He said, be fruitful, multiply, replenish the face of the earth. God gave him dominion over all the animals. You know, the animals walked into Noah's ark, and Noah was in charge. But, Noah fell into sin, just like Adam fell into sin, and consequently, he lost the crown. And God came along and said, alright, I'm gonna put the crown in the hands of a man based upon an unconditional covenant, and it's gonna be a covenant of grace. And I'm gonna give it to that man and to his seed, and it's not gonna be based upon works, but rather grace.
Do you know who that man was? That man was Abraham. Abraham. And that's why the attack on the world from this day, from that day to this day, has been upon Abraham and Abraham's seed. Tell me why. Tell me why Hitler killed 6,000,000 Jews. Tell me why millions of Jews suffered at the and died in the Spanish Inquisition. Tell me why the attack has been on the nation of Israel for so many years. Why is it that so many Arabs hate such a tiny little nation? Tell me, why is it that the majority of people in the world are antisemitic? Why are just such a why are just such such a few people relatively speaking, you know, in in the world the center of attention?
Tell me why is it, in the midst of all their persecution and disbursement, that they've been able to retain their national bloodline and identity. If you don't believe the Bible, you just don't have any viable explanation for what's going on in the world today. But you know, if you believe the word of God, a lot of things start to make sense. You watch the news. You see the Arab world ready to cut Israel throat. You know what I say? Not that I'm against Israel, I'm not, but I say, amen. Amen. That just to me, that just means that that the time is drawing near. You know, a lot a lot of people are critical of the Bible, but the more intellectual crowd will go all the way back to the beginning, and then they'll start to think that thing through.
They'll say, now wait a minute. If there really is such a thing as creation, and we didn't arrive here by by lady luck, chance, and time, evolution. If God really created man, and if the and if the story in the Bible is true, and man fell, and all of the woes of mankind, and the curse that are upon us today, if that's true, if that's true, then isn't it really God's fault? I mean, can't we really blame God? I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what. The great desire of man today is to blame God, and blame God for everything, every little thing.
God, why did you allow this to happen to me? And look, I'll I'll raise my hand. I've done it. Why did you allow this to happen to me? Why did you allow that to happen? We blame God for so many things. And so the the depraved heart of man wants to reach out and blame God for this. God allowed man, to fall so we can blame God. Now I I I I have something here in my notes that I wanna kinda run through with you. I because I I reasoned this whole thing out. Alright? And, I wanna kinda go over this with you because, you know, from time to time, you're gonna run into people that, you know, they have that kind of an argument, and and I wanna show you a line of reasoning, that you could that you could use that you really just really just can't be dealt with, you know, except by just a total acceptance or rejection.
So the first thing is, you know, the first question is, why did God make the heaven and the earth? Well, he made it to be inhabited. Alright? You you can you can send them over to, Isaiah 45 verse eighteen, second Peter three thirteen. You know, you know, this can it be that the Bible and unregenerate scholars, scientists, philosophers, historians have have the same plan? Think about it. If God made them and God is perfect, why did he not make them perfect? Well, he did make them perfect. You know, go back and notices go back and notice verses, three through 28, dealing with the recreation of a former creation, which was finished in verse one.
Even Satan was created perfect in Ezekiel twenty eight fifteen, not as a serpent or as a devil, but as a cherubim. Alright. Number three. If God made them perfect, why are they not perfect now? Well, because something happened between Genesis one one and Genesis one three, to to to the physical creation, and something happened between Genesis two seven and Genesis three thirteen to the spiritual creation. The first man and the first man and first woman, they fell into sin. They willfully disobeyed God. That's what happened. Alright? If if God is perfect, and loves perfection, why did he not prevent this something from happening? You get that a lot on many different things.
And the answer is this, because although the material creation was perfect, the man that God created was not perfect. He was only sinless, but not perfect. Now, you have to understand that folks, that there there's a difference between being perfect and being sinless. Alright? He hadn't been tested. Untested sinlessness. Alright? Number five. Didn't God know the result of the test before it occurred? If he's perfect, he must have known. Well, yeah. Good thinking. That's a good question. He did. Acts fifteen eighteen says that. He knew Adam would fall, and knowing this, he gave him a freedom of will and of choice so that he could or could not fall. It was his choice.
Number six, then is God not then then is not God indirectly or directly to blame for what took place in his creation at the start? Well, you know what? You want me to give you the right answer on that one? I mean, there's no point being squeamish about it. Yes. Yeah. God is to blame. God could have prevented sin from entering in, and he did not. Lamentations chapter three verse 38, Job two ten. Then isn't God responsible for Adam sin and the mess that man finds himself in now? No. No. Remember, God does not tempt any man, neither can he be tempted. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and is enticed. James chapter one verse 13.
Alright. Well then, who tempted Adam? The answer to that is a very simple answer. It's Eve. Genesis three chapter four, Genesis chapter three four four through six, first Timothy two twelve to 14. Alright. Well then, who tempted Eve? The serpent. The serpent. Second Corinthians eleven one to three. Who tempted the certain? Serpent, if it wasn't God himself. Before the serpent was a serpent, he was not a serpent, but a cherubim. And he was drawn away of his own lust and enticed to put his own will above the will of God. And you can check that in Ezekiel twenty eight ten through 17, Isaiah 42, verse 12.
Alright. Number 11. If God is eternal, and God knew the end from the beginning, he would have prevented the Lucifer of Isaiah 14 from falling to the level of a serpent. Well, that's true. That's true. God lets a lot of things fall in order to work out his original plan. You find that over in Romans chapter 11, from 11 to 32. Alright. Number 12. Then God is is not only responsible for man's sin, but the serpent's also since he allowed both to take place. Isn't that right? If I say yes, then what? Then what? Alright. Number 13. And Darwin and Marx are right. There is no God, Psalm fourteen one, because a God that is so imperfect that he's responsible for imperfection is not perfect. Alright. Let me ask you this.
Suppose God remedied the entire thing and made right what was made wrong. Has he not then cleared himself of all guilt and responsibility? Romans three four through six. Do you follow what I'm saying? Do you follow what I'm saying there? The that's the reasoning that the world uses. The bottom line of it is this, God allowed imperfection to arise or exist. A God that allowed imperfection to arise at or exist is not a perfect God. How do you deal with that? Well, I'm gonna show you how God dealt with it. Alright? Suppose God remedied the entire thing.
Suppose he he cleared himself of all responsibility and guilt in the matter. Just suppose that God did that. Alright. Now, just think with me here on this for just for a second, just think about this. If God is perfect, then love must be one of his attributes. Now, if love is an attribute, and first John says that it is, God is love, then this love must be a perfect love. Now, a perfect love cannot be a selfish love. You know, most love that mankind knows anything about is selfish in nature. You know, it's it's some kind of desire to satisfy our own selves, and satisfy our own lust, lust of the flesh and the cravings of our own heart, but that's not a perfect love.
A perfect love is entirely selfless. Remember, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. God said, I need to display and exercise my attribute of love. Because god is perfect, his love is perfect. Therefore, it's a selfless love. When god loves, he doesn't look for someone that that can give love in return that will satisfy a craving and desire for desire for him. He loves in a perfect way. I mean, what did God see in you and I that he found so attractive? Think about that. What did God see in you, or myself, that he found attractive? He looked upon my heart, and he saw that it was deceitful and desperately wicked.
You know, what does God see in miss America that's so attractive? Do you know why you find someone someone attractive? I'm gonna tell you why you find someone attractive. You find someone attractive because it's just one hunk of depraved flesh looking at another hunk of depraved flesh. That's it. Plain and simple. That's it. But you see, but but Let's go back to this. What does God see in a mystery universe? You know, what does God see in that? He doesn't see anything attractive in that. You see, God looks on the heart. So what does God see that's attractive in you?
Well, absolutely nothing if you know anything about the Bible, but you know something? God loved you anyway. God loved you in spite of it. That's a perfect love. That's a it's nondiscriminating. It's a perfect love. You know, God's color blind. You know, God doesn't see black, white, yellow, or red. God loves us all just as much. It's a perfect love. He had to have a way to exercise the perfect love, so he put that love upon a man. But in return, if man isn't gonna, you know, man is gonna be an auto man, you know, man also has to exercise that love, and so man, by the very nature of his being, has to have a choice.
And that's where the eternal trial triangle takes place. A man is given a choice. Man has a choice. He says, I'll either love God, or I'll love the devil. Oh, wait a second. I don't love the devil. I don't be so sure. Don't be so sure. Did you ever tell a lie? Do you know who the father of lies is? Did you ever hate? You know who the father of hatred is? Did you ever covet? Who's the father of covetousness? Did you ever steal? Do you know who the father of thieves is? And so God purposely allowed evil to enter into the world so that man could have a choice, thereby exercising his own free will and eliminating the auto man.
So man then has the opportunity to choose, just like you have the opportunity to choose. Alright? The judgment. Adam died spiritually immediately, exactly like God said, and then physically in due time. His death was passed on from generation to generation. His children were born in his image, not God's. He lost his spiritual crown. He lost his physical crown, and his dominion was cursed. Sin brings you think about it. Sin brings terrible consequences, doesn't it? Terrible, terrible consequences. Alright. Now next week, we're gonna begin to examine what happened to those crowns, and then we're gonna enter into a whole new dispensation.
So we've examined the the dispensation of innocence and the fall, but we're gonna be moving into the dispensation of conscience. You know, man didn't have a written book. He had to operate on the conscience that God gave him, and we're gonna find out what God held man responsible to, and, you know, for the working of the conscience of his mind. But you know, you know, there there are people today though, that that don't have a written book, but they still have a conscience. They still have a conscience. God will hold them accountable for certain things. You know, God gave you a conscience.
Now I don't know what your conscience has said to you lately, but I I know that if you don't have the assurance of eternal life and salvation, you're gonna die and go to hell without Jesus Christ. You need to trust him as your savior and Lord. You need to get your image restored. Do you know who's in the business of restoring the image? You know, as long as Adam had the image, he had eternal life. When he lost the image, he lost eternal life. Do you know who restores the image? Adam too. Jesus Christ. Churches don't restore it. Religion doesn't restore it.
Jesus restores it. That's why you will never get the satisfaction that everyone in this world is crashing around looking for until you look for Jesus. You might go to Disney World a thousand times. You might live in a proverbial paradise, but you never will have what you really want and satisfy your heart until you go back to the guy that can give you what you lost, the image of God. Remember, accept a man, be born again. He cannot see the kingdom of God. Our heavenly father, we wanna thank you for the day. Thank you, God, for your word. Thank you for your book. Lord, thank you for this study. Lord, this is a it's an incredibly important study.
The dispensation of the fall, the dispensation, the edenic dispensation. Father, we just pray today that if there's anyone listening today that needs their image restored, Lord, they would look to the Lord Jesus Christ. They would call upon him as their personal savior today. And that, Lord, that we would be able to rejoice with them in glory when that day comes and we stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the crowns that have been promised to us. Father, we thank you so much for the love, the mercy, the grace that you've poured out upon us. We thank you, lord, for your son, the lord Jesus Christ. And we ask you to bless the day ahead, bless the week ahead.
In the precious name of our savior, the lord Jesus, we do pray. Amen. Alright. Alright, folks. Don't forget. Sign up for our programming announcements email list. Just go to the website. Little window's gonna pop up. Just fill out the form. Get yourself on the mailing list. It's free, which means it don't cost you nothing. We're not gonna sell your information. We're not gonna share your information with anybody. We're not gonna send you anything that you're not interested in. We're not gonna sell you anything. We're We're just gonna send you information about upcoming shows. So get yourself on the mailing list. Stay in the know. It's the best way for us to keep in touch with everybody. Alright? Also, if you are in the Eagle Pass area and you're looking for a good King James Bible believing and Bible teaching church, why don't you consider paying us a visit over at First Baptist Church of Eagle Pass? We meet at six six four North Monroe. Our Sunday school hour starts at 10AM. Our our worship service begins at eleven. Our, Sunday evening service is at six, and our Wednesday night bible study meets at 7PM. Now, for more information about the church, just head over to church's Facebook page. Log in to Facebook, search for First Baptist Church of Eagle Pass, and when you get there, take a look around.
And, it's the only First Baptist Church in Eagle Pass, so you shouldn't have a problem finding it. Take a look around, follow the page, like the page, get to know more about the church, and then come visit. We'd love to have you. Alright. Socials, if you wanna follow us, Twix, as you see up on the screen there, at Joruus, truth social, at Joruus minds, at Joe Ruse. Get her at Joe Ruse Facebook. If you wanna follow us on Facebook, head over to Joe Ruse show. Follow our page right there. Instagram is not Joe Ruse. TikTok is Joe dot Ruse. Hope to find you all on the socials. Shout outs to our executive producing team, Wayne Rankin, Rosanna Rankin, Carolina Jimenez, Marissa Lee, and anonymous Angela. Thank you guys so much for all that you do. You're donating your time, your talent, your treasure is a blessing for us. It really helps keep things everything going here. Now if you wanna get involved in any way like this, you could do so very easily by clicking the support button and sending over a one time donation in any amount, a recurring donation in any amount. You can sign up to be one of our producers for $17.76 a month as an associate producer, $18.36 a month for a producer, and 25 a month and up for executive producer. You all get the shout outs on every show just like you heard, and included in all of our show notes. You get also included in any emails and anything that we send out. And, it's your donations that help us produce the show, that's why we call you producers. So get yourself on there. If you have the means and you're able to do it, we really, really appreciate that. And, of course, just to remind everybody that we do have a GoFundMe set up for this mortgage issue that we're dealing with.
Really don't want it to impact the shows. So if you can help us out with the donation there, we would really, really appreciate that. And just so for the records, if anybody, any donation that come in, outside of GoFundMe, it's all gonna get funneled into the escrow situation with the mortgage that we're dealing with. So, I think we still have to collect $2,800. It's a lot. So if you can help us out, we would really, really appreciate that. Alright? You can scan the QR code that was just up on the screen, or you can click the link that's in the show notes below. Also, if you wanna help us with, donation cryptos, you can do so as well on the support page. All of our wallets are available there to you. Just click on them and send it on over. We appreciate that. And, of course, if you are listening on the modern podcast apps like Podcast Guru, fountain.fm, True Fans, so on and so forth, you can very easily stream Sats to us, which is just micropayments of Bitcoin, by connecting your crypto wallet to the app and just you can send us a boost. That's great. We love that. We appreciate it. Alright. And if you wanna try out the modern apps, you can try out the modernpodcastapps.com or podcastindex.org.
Alright. Well, I think that is gonna just about do it for us for tonight. So again, folks, thank you for taking the time to be with us. Hope you had a hope you really enjoyed the lesson. I hope you got something out of it tonight. And, look forward to being with you tomorrow on tomorrow night show. Alright, folks. Don't forget. Make Texas independent again. Go podcasting. Keep a steady stride. Keep talking. God bless you. Good night. See you tomorrow. Happy
My fans, I have arrived. Thank you. Melting your mouth. They look so cheery. We're an M and M. There's no point in wondering where your portraits are. Tasty, smooth, creamy. I'd say that's a wrap.
[00:04:07] Unknown:
Transmitting live from the asylum studios deep in the bowels of Southwest Texas. It's the Joe Rouge Show. The show where we talk about anything and everything. Where nothing is sacred, nothing is watered down, and nothing is PC.
[00:04:27] Unknown:
All right. Hey, folks. This is Joe Roos, and it is great to be with you once again as we open up and study the precious word of God, your King James Bible. And you know folks, as always, whenever and wherever you find yourself listening to us or watching us, it's always my prayer that you also find yourself in the grace and in the mercy of our Lord and savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And of course, we are transmitting to you live once again at the asylum studios from the pimple on the backside of Texas, the beautiful city of Eagle Pass.
Welcome to Bible Study Sunday on the Joe Ruse show. Alright. Folks, hope you guys had had a great weekend. It's been an interesting weekend to say the least here, at the asylum, but, we're looking forward to today's bible study and then we're looking forward to getting into the rest of the week. We're gonna have a packed week for you folks. Looking forward to getting into it. Now last week, we started this study on dispensational truth. And what dispensational truth is is basically it's a study of the dispensations or the times that are set forth in your bible.
And last week we examined what the word dispensation means from a biblical viewpoint, and we found, in four distinct places that the word is used in the bible in in every case, its context deals with a period of time. So we can see that when Paul said, which is, of course, our text, study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the truth, is is certainly applicable because there are more than There really There are more divisions in the bible than just the old testament and the new testament. And that's why Paul told Timothy to learn how to rightly divide the word of truth.
And you know something, it's not as complicated as a lot of people think. It's simply a matter of studying to show yourself approved. And as more people do that, as more people will do that, the divisions or the dispensations become rather obvious. Now, some dispensations are obvious to even the casual observer of your Bible. Even the casual observer knows that the tribulation is a different dispensation. Isn't that right? Just, you know, almost anyone knows that the tribulation is a future dispensation, and you know, if you if you have someone that studies a little bit more, they know that the millennium is a future dispensation, and and and perhaps he knows that from, maybe he knows that from the time of Moses up until Christ was a dispensation of the law.
But that's about as much as most people realize or or understand when it comes to dispensational truth. But of of course, the the fact of the matter is there there are more dispensations than just the ones I mentioned in your bible. And we're gonna examine each one of them, because we find that as we study these, things change. Things change as far as god's dealing with man from age to age. We find that in some ages, god doesn't speak. You know, there was a four hundred year period from Malachi to Matthew where god didn't say a word to anybody. Nothing.
On other occasions, God says a great deal. So so there's really there there really is truly a lot to learn about this. So now you might be asking yourself, well, why are we studying this in the first place? Well, it's a good question. It's important for us to study it. As you study it, a lot of information unfolds, and that information will help you understand your Bible, and reconcile those, you know, so called contradictions that people say are in your bible. Folks, there aren't any contradictions in your bible. There there just aren't any. And I have dealt with people over the years that that told me that there were, and I, you know, basically, I have is just a very simple approach when it comes to dealing with folks like that. I find the nearest bible, and I put it in their hands, and I say, okay show me.
Show me one. And you know something when you do that, and in all the times I have done that, I have yet to find anyone that was able to do it. But yet they're quick to tell you that the Bible is full of contradictions, and they still haven't been able to produce one. As a matter of fact, I know where a lot more of these quote unquote contradictions are than the critics do, But of course, they're not contradictions, because there's reconciliation. And the reconciliation is offered if the Bible itself the reconciliation is offered in the Bible itself if you will study to show yourself approved. Alright. Now, of course, before we get started into the into the full into the full study here tonight, this afternoon, I'm gonna ask you to do us a do us a favor. Head over to our website, joeroos.com.
That's joeroos.com, And when you get over there, head over to our contact section, open up that little web form, and send us over a message. Let us know whatever's on your heart, whatever's on your mind, any questions, comments, cares, or concerns that you might have. If you have any ideas for guests or a particular subject you'd like to talk about, don't forget this particular subject we're talking about today was requested by the audience. So, that's why we're studying it. Alright. I had something else in mind that I wanted to do, but I put it out there and this is what you guys picked, so that's why we're studying. Alright. Now, you could always, if you don't wanna use the web form, you can always email me directly at [email protected].
That's [email protected]. You could also leave a comment right down there below, and, or you can find us on social media. You can let us know through the social media platforms. Alright. Now, if you wanna also help us out, you could also easily head over to our support page, and if you'd like to make a donation to the show to help keep this whole thing going, to keep this mess that we have here going, just remember, this is a value for value podcast, and all that simply means that if you have received anything of value from what we're putting out here, all we're asking is that you return that value in the form of a donation. That could be your time, your talent, or your treasure. And, of course, as always, we'll get into more of those more of that detail at the end of the show before we wrap everything up. Alright. Now, today's show is brought to you, of course, by podhome.fm.
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Alright. Now as we said last week, and this is just a very I'm gonna do a very, very brief review here. Alright? And we studied last week that the Earth in its original form, original creation, Genesis one one. Alright. We we studied that. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the Earth. We found out by examining various scriptures that it was a perfect creation. And we also discovered that, the individual who ruled over this creation, under the auspices of God, in in other words, God gave him the position of being a king.
God does that often. You say then, if god is the omnipotent, potentate of the universe, how can anyone else be king? Well, god allowed Saul to be a king. God allowed David to be a king. God allowed Solomon and Jeroboam to be kings. You see? God allows folks to be kings, and he allowed Lucifer to be a king. And he was a king, essentially over over two kingdoms. He was the king over a spiritual kingdom, in the respect that there were spiritual beings in his dominion. And how do I know that there were spiritual beings? Well, I know that because of Job chapter one and Job chapter two, when they were called, the sons of God.
That's how I know that there were spiritual beings. I also know that he was king over a physical kingdom. And later when you get over to the book of Matthew, that's this particular kingdom is referred to as the kingdom of heaven. Alright? That's a physical kingdom. So he was the king over a two dimensional kingdom, a spiritual kingdom, and a physical kingdom. And his physical kingdom was on the earth, but there was a time, perhaps in in in the dim dark past, and, you know, and we said last week, folks, I have no idea how long ago it was. Maybe it was 6,000 years ago, maybe it was 8,000 years ago, maybe it was 10 or or 4,000,000.
I don't know. And honestly, it's really not that important as far as I'm concerned. But somewhere somewhere back yonder, Satan, Lucifer. Isaiah 14, you read about, in Ezekiel chapter 28. He lifted up his voice and his pride against God, and he said, I will ascend above the most high. Five times he said, I will, and you find that over in Isaiah 14. That's why in your bible, the number five is the number of death. It indicates the number of death, and it's interesting. It really is. I mean, and that's even carried over into modern day society. You know, in the in the military, the US Navy distress number is five. In Genesis chapter five in verse five, you have the first natural death recorded. Adam died.
Now, that's probably just a coincidence, you know? Don't get too excited about your Bible folks, you might become some kind of a fanatic or something. Alright? Someone might even say you're weird. Weirdo, you're weird. Well, in the midst of this elevation of pride, there came a demotion, and a rather serious one, to be honest. And and the earth was thrust into a condition of chaos. Lucifer's kingdom was in the same identical position. Alright? Well, Satan lost his crown. And, we read over in Genesis chapter one and and verse three, and and and on through the rest of the chapter about a recreation. And last week we examined why we know it was a recreation.
Alright? And and folks, those are biblical reasons, you know, not necessarily scientific reasons, but they're biblical reasons. And if science agrees with the Bible, then amen for science. If science disagrees with the Bible, then science is wrong. It's just as simple as that. Now, what we read about is a recreation. We know that Satan was deposed, but then he's entitled the prince of the power of the air, And that's why on the second day of of recreation, God, you know, when God created the firmament, the atmosphere that we have, where the constellations, the stars, the galaxies abide, God could not say that that day was good.
Remember, we talked about that. In every other day of recreation, the statement is made in the book of Genesis, and God saw that it was good, and God saw that it was good. But see, God didn't say that right here. Do you know why? Because that's where Satan lives. That's where Satan lives. He's the prince of the power of the air. That's why. So, we move from a from a creation to a chaotic condition because of pride, and then to a recreation. And and and do you know what God did at the end of that recreation? On the sixth day, he created a new king.
And do you know who that new king is? Well, his name is Adam. Adam, God made him a king, which we'll see in a little while. The Bible teaches us that man was created in God's image. Now turn with me over to the book of Genesis chapter one. Genesis is the first book in your Bible, so Genesis chapter one. Let me take a look at something here. We're gonna go to verse, verse 27. Genesis chapter one verse 27. If I can find it. There it is. Genesis chapter you know what? Let's let's let's go verse 26. Alright? Verse, verse 26. And God said, let us make man in our image.
Alright. Now now notice us is a plural pronoun. Alright. I don't think God was speaking to the angels either. Alright. Let us make man in our image after our likeness. So do you know who God spoke to? God the father, God the son, and God the holy spirit. The trinity. The Trinity. There's always been a Trinity. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and every other, and every and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So, the first thing that we notice is that man was given an image, and that image was of God.
So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. So man was created in the image of God. Alright? Well, what is the image of God? As you examine the word of God, you're gonna find out that the image of God is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, he is the image of God. An image is something that has physical substance to it. Jesus Christ is God made manifest in the flesh, the Bible tells us. Amen? Now Adam was so Christ like. Alright. Now now now understand what I'm saying here. Adam was so Christ like that Jesus Christ is referred to in first Corinthians 15 as the second Adam.
The second Adam, that's what the Holy Spirit calls him in that chapter. The second Adam. Alright. Well, how was he Christ like? He would he was Christ like in the respect that he was made in God's image. Alright, and he was a trichotomy. He was a trichotomy. He was three parts. That's what trichotomy means. He was three parts. He had a body, and the body of course was the dust from whence God made him. The body is referred to as dust on a number of occasions. For example, in, Psalm one nineteen twenty five, it says, my soul cleaveth unto the dust. Quicken thou me according to thy word.
Now, the body goes back to the dust. Right? At the funeral service you go to, praise the Lord. You know, there there's hope and there's comfort when we bury a Christian, but, you know, because what's before us is not the real individual. What we have before us here is an empty shell. The empty shell goes back to the dust from whence it came, but that's not the real person. That's not the real person. It's simply a tabernacle. Alright? Yet, this tabernacle is pictured in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, our flesh is different from his flesh. Right? Because we we identify with what Paul said when he said, you know, for in me, for I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.
Alright. So the flesh. Now the soul is the real individual in the sense that it it is the, the I am. The real you is housed in the soul. Alright. Now, do you ever think about that? God said, I am that I am. It corresponds with with with with with the father and type. It it constitutes the image with which no man hath seen nor can see. Now, if you know about the Bible, you can find all kinds of contradictions. Here's one. Alright? Here's one of them. The Bible says, no man have seen God at any time. This is a popular one, a lot of a lot of people kinda point this one out. The Bible says, no man have seen God at any time, yet Jesus said, I and the father are one.
Well, a lot of people saw Jesus. Amen? Well, the reconciliation comes in understanding that the in understanding the trichotomy or the trinity. Alright? Now, your soul, you haven't seen it, but I'm gonna tell you something, it's there. It's still there. You may not have seen it, but it's still there. As a matter of fact, it's so real, I wouldn't gamble with it. I wouldn't take any chances with it because, just because you haven't seen it. You know, someone who says, you know, I don't believe in anything I can't see is a fool, is a fool.
First of all, the Bible says, the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Alright. But let me ask you a few more questions. Have you ever seen electricity? Have you? I haven't. I neither have you. Of course you haven't. You say, well, that's not true. You have lights. Right? You have air is running. You have but that's not electricity. That's not electricity. You know what that is? That's the manifestation of electricity, but but that's not electricity. You know, when the air conditioners are turned on, and you know, I remember when I was back in in in in preaching in the church back in New York. When when we turned our air conditioners on, you know, some of some of the folks would get cold, and and and, you know, they would put their coats on, and then they would stand around, and they would just kinda like chatter and and and whatnot, you know. And and and they did it in such an obvious way, you know, just so that, you know, we would notice.
You know. And, and and then, of course, you know, you're hoping that that the preacher would would, would ask someone to turn it down for you. But but you don't see the electricity generating those things. You don't see it. You feel a manifestation of the electricity, but nobody has ever seen electricity. I mean, I'm sure you have some in your house, don't you? I mean, you're you're if if you're watching this or listening to this, you're using electricity of some form. Okay? So, and and of course, you know, if you have that in your home, and you're holding it in your hand, you look, you believe in it, don't you? Of course you do, sure you do. Sure you do.
You haven't seen your soul, but it's real. But it's real. Jesus said, for what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? A soul is a very, very valuable thing. Don't gamble with it. Don't gamble with it. Alright? Now, your soul is invisible, but it looks just like you. You know, John said the apostle John said over in the book of Revelation that he saw the souls of those that were beheaded for Jesus under the altar of God. Alright. Now now they were dead. Right? Their bodies were in the grave, but he knew them.
He identified them, and they were the souls according to the statement made by the holy spirit. My soul, whatever it is, whatever it looks like, cleaveth. Alright. Now in in in your old English, cleaveth means to stick, to stick to. Alright. So my soul cleaveth, that is it sticks. Alright? Genesis chapter two. It's of God that man and women cleave together, and become man and wife. Alright? You get it? Sticks together. My soul cleaveth to the dust. Man is like a tire. Look at it that way. You know, your body is the tire. The outside shell, the the outside shell is the body. The inner tube conforms to the image of the tire.
Alright? That's the soul. That's the soul. The problem with the unsaved, the unconverted, the unregenerate, the depraved man is that the soul is stuck to the flesh, and therefore the soul is held accountable for the sins of the flesh. That's why oftentimes in the old testament, the word soul and body are used synonymously. I don't know if you ever caught that. And and if you stop to think about it, it makes sense because no man in the Old Testament experienced spiritual circumcision. Alright? No man experienced the operation of God made without hands that you find over in Colossians chapter two. You know, that's the cutting away of the flesh by the operation of God. Nobody in the old testament ever experienced that. You know, that's why the old testament saints who died could not directly go to heaven, but there was a place prepared for them, and that place was called paradise.
It's where Lazarus went, Luke chapter 16. Alright. Now, you might be saying, well, there were some exceptions to that. Enoch was an exception to that, but the exception only proves the rule. Alright? Do do do you know what do you know who Enoch was a type of? Enoch was a type of people, or or the or a type of a people who will never die. He's a type of the individual in the church. He's a type of the individual who saved and knows the Lord when the rapture comes. Alright? That's what Enoch is a type of. And by the way, you know, Enoch lived in a dispensation of grace.
Alright. He didn't live under the law, he lived before the law, and God took him and he was no more. You know something, I can't wait. I can't wait. You know, Lord willing, and all things being equal, I think I think I'm gonna be an Enoch. I'm right. I mean, honestly, I'm ready to blow this deal. Man, I I I I really am. I am ready to get out of here. You know, as a matter of fact, I wouldn't mind if if I didn't get to finish the finish this bible study tonight. It wouldn't bother me a bit. I know somebody out there just said, oh, praise the Lord. Right? That would be nice, wouldn't it? That would be nice. Well, then there's the spirit.
There's a spirit. So, Adam was created in three parts, body, soul, and spirit. When Adam was created, his soul wasn't stuck to his flesh, it had a separate identity. It floated within, if if you wanna look at it that way, until until the fall. That's when his soul cleaved to his flesh. That's when his soul became glued or, or or or stuck to that to that to that wicked flesh. Remember what Paul said, for I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. In my flesh dwelleth no good thing. That's when Adam experienced total depravity. That's when Adam experienced death. That's when all of that happened.
Alright? Then the spirit. Then the spirit. As wind or or air is common to all men, first Corinthians two eleven, and is common to animals by the way. You know, the spirit was characterized as the breath of life. And look, until until you get this straight, you're gonna get confused. You're gonna get confused. Now, I was talking to somebody once, and and they were being a little, you know, little critical of the word of God, and talking about the spirit, and and so I said, you know, well, even animals have a spirit. And he said, oh, no, man. You can't say that.
You can't prove that from your bible. Well, yeah, you can. Over in Ecclesiastes chapter three, animals have spirit. It's the breath of life. It's the breath of life. But after the fall, it's a dead spirit. It's a dead spirit in the sense that it needs to be born again. God said to Adam, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it. For in the day that thou shall for for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. So he did die. That's exactly what did happen. You can count on that.
Alright. Well, let's talk a little about the innocence of man. The innocence of man. That's what we're talking about in this dispensation, this dispensation of innocence. So God created a king, and he created him in the image of God. He gave him a spiritual kingdom, in the sense that he called him a son of God. Alright. Look with me over in Luke chapter three and verse 38. Luke chapter three and verse 38. So if you're in Genesis, you're gonna go all the way back toward the end of your bible, go to your new testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, third book of your new testament, chapter three and verse number 38.
Luke three and, 38. Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. But, you know, when you get over to the book of Genesis, and you start reading about Seth, and you start reading about the line, you know, they are now the sons of Adam. And then you get over to Genesis chapter five, and it doesn't say they were made in God's image. And how many times have you heard somebody say, whether it's the liberal the liberal clergy or or theologians or or or or folks in the media, you know, how many times have you heard them say, well, you know, after all, we're all made in God's image. No, we're not.
No, we're not. Adam was made in God's image, but when he sinned, he lost that image. Now, do you know whose image you are made in? Adam's. You're made in Adam's image, not God's image. Just like Seth was in Adam's image, You and I are in Adam's image. Wherefore wherefore as by one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. God gave Adam a spiritual crown in that he was a son of God. Now, if you think about that just for a second, you focus on that, it'll it'll it'll really start to make sense to you. What did God give you when you became a son of God?
Well, he gave you a crown too. He gave you a crown. You haven't seen it yet, but don't worry, you will. You will. The Bible says in Romans chapter eight that we are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. So he gave you a kingdom also. You're a king in a spiritual sense. You're a king. But also, god gave Adam a physical crown. He gave him a crown over the kingdom of heaven, which is physical. Well, now we're not gonna examine all the reasons why now, but when we get a little further onto the series, we're gonna talk about that in in some great detail. He gave him dominion over all of the earth.
Did he not? He gave him dominion over the fowls of the air, over the fish of the sea, the beasts of the earth. He gave him dominion over everything. Alright. Now, what what man is, desperately trying to regain, and and you can see it everywhere. Everywhere you look in society, you see it everywhere. What man is trying to regain is what he lost in the fall. Man is try is is desperately trying to regain what he once had. Now just stop for a second and think about that. You know, man is trying to create the illusion that that he has dominion, doesn't he? That's why you have movements like the environmental movement. Right? Those environmental nut jobs.
You know, that's why you have TV shows like, you know, the guy that swims with the sharks, and and Tiger King, and and, you know, living out in the woods with bears, and, you know, come on grizzly bear, come follow me. And then all the little raccoons, and the wolves, and the deer, and, you know, they all just kinda tag along. Well, do do you know what this with that with that subtle little innuendo is? They're trying to recreate what man lost. That's what Adam had. You know, I mean, Adam got his feet scratched by the rough tongue of that old lion. You know?
You know, laying the garden in the cool of the evening, that old lion comes up, licks the bottom of his feet, you know, tickles him good for him, all that stuff. And then, you know, here comes the polar bear, he cuddles up next to him to keep him warm on a cool night. I mean, he had it made. He had it made. I mean, you talk think about that. He had it made, man. You know, Adam's dogs didn't even bark. That's what I call having it made, that's for sure. So he had dominion. He had dominion. Everything was under his control, and his auspices. Well, God gave this man everything that you could possibly wanna imagine.
He gave him a garden of absolute matchless delight. He gave him a he gave him a place, and he also gave him a of, he gave him a capa a capa I'll get it out. A companion of indescribable beauty. Do you know what man's trying to do? He's trying to recapture what he lost in the garden. Do you know what women are trying to do? They're trying to recapture what they lost in the garden. And do you know how I know that? I know that because the beauty aid industry makes billions of dollars a year. Billions. I mean, man. You know, Eve didn't need to put anything on her lips because it was already there naturally. You know, she didn't need to put any color on her face because it was there naturally.
She didn't need a girdle. Alright. She didn't she didn't need to dye her hair because it was it was it was just perfect the way God made it. She didn't need all the things, you you know. Do you know do you know what ladies are trying to do today? They're trying to reclaim what they lost. I mean, if you wanna make a lot of money, to be honest with you, you wanna make a lot of money, just sit down with your bible and examine all the things that man lost, and all the things he's trying to get back, and get in the market of selling that kind of merchandise, or you will make a fortune. You'll make a fortune because because because the the innate craving and desire of a man is to get back what he lost.
All man desires and longs for is that wonderful, beautiful, utopia paradise, The garden that God put man in. You know, we all try to recreate it. We do. You know, we try to recreate it in our backyards. Don't we? We all do. Well, why do we do that? You know, why do we why do we put shrubs in front of our house? Roses, and daisies, and lilies, you know, why do we do that? Why? You say, well, we're just trying to beautify the place. No. No. You're trying to recapture what we lost. That's what we're trying to do. That's exactly what we're trying to do. Man lost a great deal. He was in a marvelous state.
Absolutely, all the conditions were ideal. Well, what else did God give him? Well, he gave him crowns. He gave him crowns, and man lost those crowns. Now we're gonna Now now we've talked about, and we're gonna examine in in every dispensation. You know, one of the most important things of understanding this this series is, and and is how does man obtain salvation? That's one of the most important lessons we're gonna learn in this. Alright. How does man obtain salvation? He had a fantastic, perfect physical setting. He had a perfect mate. He had perfect conditions. He had a perfect situation. He, in the terminology of the world, had it made.
I mean, he had everything. Everything you could possibly want. I mean, how would you like to go to bed every night on a mattress of lilies and orchids? Well, that's what Adam did. How would you like to be surrounded twenty four hours a day, three hundred sixty five days a year by the fragrance of lilacs and not be allergic to them? Well, that's what Adam did. How would you like to not have to sweat by your face? Not your brow, by the way. The Bible doesn't say brow. The Bible says by the, you know, the most people misquote it. They say by the sweat of your brow. No. That's not. That's one of the most that that that's another one of those often misquoted verses in the Bible. It doesn't say by the sweat of your brow, it says by the sweat of your face.
Your face. See, God doesn't want you to get a little damp up here. You know, he doesn't want you to get, you know, he wants you to really sweat. Adam was put here as a tenderer of the garden, And apparently it was easy work. There wasn't really a whole lot for him to do, because the sweat didn't come until after the fall. After the fall. And have all the food available just for the picking, and have eternal life. Yes. You know, what Ponce de Leon was looking for when he went up and down the coast of Florida searching for the fountain of youth, and it was contained in a fruit on the tree of life, and all he had to do was go over there and pick it, whatever it was, and eat it.
Now tell me, man, in all of his efforts, isn't trying to recapture what he lost. Man is constantly trying to figure out how he could live longer. Aren't we? Men today, you know, men today, you know, they they have their bodies frozen on death, and and they get put into these frozen vaults hoping that one day, science will invent a way to get them some kind of an injection and bring them back to life. Man is constantly trying to recapture what he lost in the garden. You know, man today tried to avoid work at all cost, trying to recapture what he lost.
Men today are are creating imitation Gardens Of Eden. You know, why do you think that places like, Disney are such a popular place? Well, you say, you know, it's all the rides and interesting things that they have down there. I I don't I don't think it's that so much. I I think I think people like to go there because they have a whole bunch of people running around picking up every little piece of trash, and they keep it absolutely spotless. They go there because they have flowers, and bushes, and trees, and shrubs, and it looks so nice. It's like the proverbial paradise.
Why is it that the whole world can't be that way? Why is it that there are so many ghettos and and and and dirt and filth and slime and and and disease and all the rest of it? Why? If you can create a little imitation paradise, you'll get people to come and look at it, because man has a great desire to recapture what it was that he lost. And and folks, he lost a great deal. He lost a great deal. Most importantly, he lost the gift of eternal life. Now, how did he have this gift? And, you know, we're gonna we're gonna define salvation through this entire series as the gift of eternal life.
Alright? For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Now, salvation is eternal life. Eternal life is salvation. What did Adam have to do to be saved in this age of innocence? Well, not a whole lot. Not a whole lot. And actually, he had to do two things, and that was all. Just two things. You know, he didn't have to join a church. And of and of course, you don't have to join a church in any age. He didn't have to get baptized. He didn't have to keep any, sacraments. He didn't have to obey the golden rule. He didn't have to because there was no golden rule.
He didn't have to keep the 10 commandments. Hadn't been written. All he had to do was obey God according to the information and the light that God had given him and partake of the tree of life. That's all he had to do. That's all he had to do. So salvation by obedience. Salvation by obedience. Now, what did God tell him? He said, I'm gonna put you in this garden, and I want you to take care of it. He said that there's one thing that you ought to know, and that is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thou shall not partake of it.
How do I know that the tree of life? Well, look in Genesis three. Look in Genesis three. Go back to the front of your bible, first book of your bible, third chapter. Genesis chapter three now. Adam had fallen, and God clothed him in skins of animals that had died. Alright? They were innocent, the animals. They were innocent, and their blood had been shed. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. So Adam found a temporary atonement. He found a remission. Okay? But he had lost eternal life as he had it before. Alright. Genesis chapter three and verse 22. And the Lord God said, behold, the man has become as one of us to know good and evil. And now lest he put forth his hand and also and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever.
Therefore, the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden Of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man and he placed at the east of the Garden Of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life. Alright. So what the Bible indicates here is the possibility that eternal life was extended even beyond the fall of Adam, even after he lost the crowns. If he could somehow get a hold of the tree of life. Alright? Turn with me to the book of Revelation in chapter 22.
Revelation 22, last book in your bible. Go all the way to the end. Last book. Revelation chapter 22. Last chapter, last book. Now, we read about the tree of life in the first book of our Bible, in the first chapters of that first book, and then we're gonna read about the tree of life in the last chapter of the last book of our bible. Revelation chapter 22 and verse 14. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and many enter in through the gates into the city. Alright. Now now now where is this?
Where is this? Alright. I want I'm not gonna take a lot of time because in the last study of this series, we're gonna get into where this is. But, but but where is this for our our brief purposes now? It's in eternity. Okay? Clear out on the other side of the millennium. Clear out on the other side of the great white throne judgment. Way out into eternity is where we are here in Revelation chapter 22. Alright? Now now get this, verse verse 15. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Alright? Without. Without. Do you know what the universe will someday do you know what the universe will be someday when God gets done? It's gonna be an enclosed, but ever expanding system. A closed system, but ever expanding. Do you know where death and hell are gonna be cast into? They're gonna be cast into the lake of fire. The lake Of Fire is described as outer darkness. Alright? Outer darkness where there's wailing, weeping, gnashing of teeth, and the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the whoremongers, and the murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie, are gonna be on the outside. Alright? On the outside, ever expanding.
But blessed are they that do his commandments. Alright. Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it? Do my do my commandments, Adam. Be obedient, that they may have right to the tree of life. You know, when when you look at it like this, you you kinda get the idea that the Bible goes in a circle. You almost get the idea that someday this whole thing is gonna end up exactly the way it started, and that would lead someone to believe, if they have any sense, that God is gonna finish what he purposed to do. Now what was, as we examined last week, God's original purpose and intent?
Well, that purpose we found was described over in Isaiah 45 and verse 18, as to inhabit the heavens and the earth. And do you know how God's gonna do that? Do you know he's gonna do that? Evidently doesn't occur to people about what would have happened, and and we don't really build theology on supposition. But I just want you to think with me for just just a quick moment here. What would have happened what would have happened if Adam had not fallen? If Adam had continued in the position of having the crown over the kingdom of heaven, you know, a physical crown, and if he would have been obedient to the lord, and and before the fall of man, you know, Adam was given these instructions.
Adam was told to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the faith of the earth. Can you imagine what would have taken place? I mean, just think about the multiplication tables. Here's a man who's who's who's a perfect specimen of a man. He doesn't get old because he has eternal life. He's 33 years old perpetually, and he has a wife, who is a perfect specimen of a woman. I mean, that's what all the guys are looking for. Right? That's what we're you know, forget it man, you're in the wrong age. Forget it, you are in the wrong age. I know he has perfect health. There's no such thing as cancer. There's no such thing as heart problems, disease.
No such thing as the common cold. No such thing as as, sinus infections, and headaches, and hay fever. You know? I'm convinced, honestly, so I I I am convinced God allows me to have all these problems just to keep me reminded that this old flesh of mine is just dirt. It's just dirt. Did you ever stop and think what man is trying to regain? I mean, we've all heard of vegetarians. You know, vegetarians are just an ancient word for lousy hunter. Did you ever hear did you ever hear about a fruit of a fruitarian? I think it's called a fruitarian. Do you ever stop and think what man is trying to regain?
Hey, look, you know, folks, to eat your zone. To eat your zone. You do whatever you want. Some folks think that going back, that some folks that that they're gonna get back what they lost. They're gonna get the perfect body by eating fruit. They're gonna get the perfect body just by eating vegetables, you know, because Adam ate fruit. Adam ate vegetables, you know, but you have to understand. There there there's one basic difference. One basic difference. Before before the fall, Adam was in a perfect body, and you are living in an imperfect body.
I don't care how much grapefruit you eat. A piece of good advice is this, as long as this hunk of flesh is depraved, as long as it's it's going back to the dust anyway, as long as it's eaten up with worms anyway, just, you know what, just let loose. You know, enjoy a tomahawk steak once in a while. You know, I mean, just relax. You know, suck down a couple of big macs if you want. Go ahead. You know, you might as well fall into sin, you know, you need something to pray about anyway. Right? I mean, no, don't take that literally. Alright. Don't take it literally. Don't get carried away with that. Don't someone's gonna run off and say, well, you know, Joe said, do whatever you want.
But I I think you get the idea though that that that God's going in a circle. He's going in a circle, and that's exactly what's gonna happen. All we're living in between Genesis one three and Revelation 22 is a six or maybe seven thousand year parenthesis. That's all it is. That's all it is. And do do you know do you know what seven thousand years is to God? It's just seven days. A day is a thousand years, and a thousand years is a day. Second Peter three eight. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. That's all it is.
That's all that's all it is. Nothing to it. Just that fast, that quick. You know what God's gonna do? You know what God's gonna do? He's gonna continue on with his plan, and he's gonna, and and his program to to populate the heavens, the earth, because he told Adam to to do what? To be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the face of the earth. Alright? But there was one problem. One problem. God would not allow a sinful population, a sinful humanity to pollute the heavens. So the sin problem, the sin question, the sin issue had to be dealt with before God went on with his original purpose in of populating the heavens and the earth. Did you ever read what what God said over in Isaiah chapter seven chapter nine and verse seven?
He said this. He said, of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end. Now a lot of people put that only in the context of time. You know, well, you know, his kingdom will be eternal. Well, I've got news for you. His his kingdom will be more than eternal. His kingdom will be ever expanding, ever growing. God's gonna do exactly what he purposed to do. So so we see that the whole thing the whole thing, this whole thing travels in a circle. When it ends up, salvation will be attained in the same way it was when it began. Obedience and taking part in the tree of life.
Now did it ever occur to you that that the tree of life could possibly be synonymous with a person? Did you ever think of that? Interesting thought. Right? Could the tree of life be synonymous with a person? Well, take your Bible, turn with me over to John chapter 15. John chapter 15, if you're still in Revelation, just go back toward the, beginning of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, fourth book, fifteenth chapter. John 15. I mean, did you ever really wonder what that tree of life was in the garden? Do you ever wonder what the tree of life is gonna be in Revelation 22?
Interesting questions. Is it possible that the tree of life is synonymous with a person? Let's take a look. John chapter 15 and verse one. I am the true vine. By the way, Ezekiel calls a vine a tree, by the way. I am the true vine, and my father is the husbandman. So that this is Jesus speaking. Now did you know that over in in in Zechariah, he's called the branch? Wonder if it's possible that a tree could be synonymous with a person. Jesus said this, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the father, but by me. And you say, well, I don't believe such thing to be true. Well, I know one thing.
A book is synonymous with Jesus Christ. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. You say, well they're two different things. Well, I know they're two different things. I know that you can't differentiate between the two, and I know you can differentiate between the two. They're different, but yet they're the same. Something to think about. Alright. So let's talk a little bit about the fall, and then, we'll wrap this all up for today. Alright. So now, you have Adam, as we discussed, with two crowns.
He lost his crowns. He lost his spiritual crown, consequently, that crown went back to God, and that crown then eventually went to the second Adam. And that crown was not made available again to man. That crown, that would restore man to God's image until Jesus came. And that's exactly the crown he discussed with Nicodemus when he said when he said, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. For four thousand years, man had lost the kingdom of God. Now, he had the kingdom of heaven from time to time, as we shall see, and that is that he had the physical kingdom.
And by the time Jesus comes along, and John the Baptist comes along, Israel had lost that kingdom. Remember, it was John that said, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Alright? Remember that. John said that. They lost it. They lost it. The physical kingdom was in the possession of man. The physical kingdom in in the possession of man was totally lost, and it reverted right back to Satan. Now, as you examine history, you'll discover that that all of the six thousand year history of humanity is really a battle over the crown of a physical kingdom.
And as you study your Bible, you'll discover that the the major subject in your Bible really is not salvation. You've heard me say this before. This isn't anything new. The major subject of your Bible is not salvation. I mean, praise the Lord that it's there. Thank God. You know? Thank God for it. But it deals with the subject of kingdoms. You're gonna find that that the Bible sheds more light on sociology and history than any other book on the face of this plane. You'll discover that the Bible will tell you why there are such struggles in politics, and why there is a constant struggle for world power, and dominion, and the kingdoms.
I mean, think about it. Tell me tell me why. Why is it that that, that that the Russians so desperately wanna rule the world? Why is that? Why is it that someone so desperately wants to infringe upon the rights and benefits of others and impose on them a form of government that those people don't even want? And if you don't believe that's what that's what's happening, man, you are really living in a sheltered world. Did you ever hear of Taiwan? Did you ever hear of Poland? Can you offer me a good explanation of of of why that is? Why is that? Why is it that the Romans imposed their government upon a people who didn't want it?
Why is it the Babylonians imposed their government and their way of life upon a people who didn't want it? Why did the Greeks do it? Why did the Persians and Medes do it? Why did the Egyptians do it? Why does The United States do it? Can you give me one good explanation? Well, I'm gonna tell you why. I'm gonna tell you why. For six thousand years, there's been a struggle over the physical crown. Lucifer lost it way back in Genesis one one and one two, and he was desperately trying to regain it. Hence, the temptation in the garden when he said, yea, hath God said?
It was all an effort to regain and recapture the crown. It was all an effort to regain and recapture the crown, the one that he lost when God gave him dominion over a perfect earth. In his rebellion, he lost it, and he's desperately trying to get it back. And from time to time, God has allowed him to have it. You know, by by by right of forfeit, he's gotten it back. And you know what? He possesses it right now, by right of forfeit, by the allowance of God. And he possessed it after Adam fell. After a while, God took it away from him, and he gave it to a guy named Noah.
Noah came along and God gave him this gave the same commission to Noah that he gave to Adam. He said what? He said, be fruitful, multiply, replenish the face of the earth. God gave him dominion over all the animals. You know, the animals walked into Noah's ark, and Noah was in charge. But, Noah fell into sin, just like Adam fell into sin, and consequently, he lost the crown. And God came along and said, alright, I'm gonna put the crown in the hands of a man based upon an unconditional covenant, and it's gonna be a covenant of grace. And I'm gonna give it to that man and to his seed, and it's not gonna be based upon works, but rather grace.
Do you know who that man was? That man was Abraham. Abraham. And that's why the attack on the world from this day, from that day to this day, has been upon Abraham and Abraham's seed. Tell me why. Tell me why Hitler killed 6,000,000 Jews. Tell me why millions of Jews suffered at the and died in the Spanish Inquisition. Tell me why the attack has been on the nation of Israel for so many years. Why is it that so many Arabs hate such a tiny little nation? Tell me, why is it that the majority of people in the world are antisemitic? Why are just such a why are just such such a few people relatively speaking, you know, in in the world the center of attention?
Tell me why is it, in the midst of all their persecution and disbursement, that they've been able to retain their national bloodline and identity. If you don't believe the Bible, you just don't have any viable explanation for what's going on in the world today. But you know, if you believe the word of God, a lot of things start to make sense. You watch the news. You see the Arab world ready to cut Israel throat. You know what I say? Not that I'm against Israel, I'm not, but I say, amen. Amen. That just to me, that just means that that the time is drawing near. You know, a lot a lot of people are critical of the Bible, but the more intellectual crowd will go all the way back to the beginning, and then they'll start to think that thing through.
They'll say, now wait a minute. If there really is such a thing as creation, and we didn't arrive here by by lady luck, chance, and time, evolution. If God really created man, and if the and if the story in the Bible is true, and man fell, and all of the woes of mankind, and the curse that are upon us today, if that's true, if that's true, then isn't it really God's fault? I mean, can't we really blame God? I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what. The great desire of man today is to blame God, and blame God for everything, every little thing.
God, why did you allow this to happen to me? And look, I'll I'll raise my hand. I've done it. Why did you allow this to happen to me? Why did you allow that to happen? We blame God for so many things. And so the the depraved heart of man wants to reach out and blame God for this. God allowed man, to fall so we can blame God. Now I I I I have something here in my notes that I wanna kinda run through with you. I because I I reasoned this whole thing out. Alright? And, I wanna kinda go over this with you because, you know, from time to time, you're gonna run into people that, you know, they have that kind of an argument, and and I wanna show you a line of reasoning, that you could that you could use that you really just really just can't be dealt with, you know, except by just a total acceptance or rejection.
So the first thing is, you know, the first question is, why did God make the heaven and the earth? Well, he made it to be inhabited. Alright? You you can you can send them over to, Isaiah 45 verse eighteen, second Peter three thirteen. You know, you know, this can it be that the Bible and unregenerate scholars, scientists, philosophers, historians have have the same plan? Think about it. If God made them and God is perfect, why did he not make them perfect? Well, he did make them perfect. You know, go back and notices go back and notice verses, three through 28, dealing with the recreation of a former creation, which was finished in verse one.
Even Satan was created perfect in Ezekiel twenty eight fifteen, not as a serpent or as a devil, but as a cherubim. Alright. Number three. If God made them perfect, why are they not perfect now? Well, because something happened between Genesis one one and Genesis one three, to to to the physical creation, and something happened between Genesis two seven and Genesis three thirteen to the spiritual creation. The first man and the first man and first woman, they fell into sin. They willfully disobeyed God. That's what happened. Alright? If if God is perfect, and loves perfection, why did he not prevent this something from happening? You get that a lot on many different things.
And the answer is this, because although the material creation was perfect, the man that God created was not perfect. He was only sinless, but not perfect. Now, you have to understand that folks, that there there's a difference between being perfect and being sinless. Alright? He hadn't been tested. Untested sinlessness. Alright? Number five. Didn't God know the result of the test before it occurred? If he's perfect, he must have known. Well, yeah. Good thinking. That's a good question. He did. Acts fifteen eighteen says that. He knew Adam would fall, and knowing this, he gave him a freedom of will and of choice so that he could or could not fall. It was his choice.
Number six, then is God not then then is not God indirectly or directly to blame for what took place in his creation at the start? Well, you know what? You want me to give you the right answer on that one? I mean, there's no point being squeamish about it. Yes. Yeah. God is to blame. God could have prevented sin from entering in, and he did not. Lamentations chapter three verse 38, Job two ten. Then isn't God responsible for Adam sin and the mess that man finds himself in now? No. No. Remember, God does not tempt any man, neither can he be tempted. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and is enticed. James chapter one verse 13.
Alright. Well then, who tempted Adam? The answer to that is a very simple answer. It's Eve. Genesis three chapter four, Genesis chapter three four four through six, first Timothy two twelve to 14. Alright. Well then, who tempted Eve? The serpent. The serpent. Second Corinthians eleven one to three. Who tempted the certain? Serpent, if it wasn't God himself. Before the serpent was a serpent, he was not a serpent, but a cherubim. And he was drawn away of his own lust and enticed to put his own will above the will of God. And you can check that in Ezekiel twenty eight ten through 17, Isaiah 42, verse 12.
Alright. Number 11. If God is eternal, and God knew the end from the beginning, he would have prevented the Lucifer of Isaiah 14 from falling to the level of a serpent. Well, that's true. That's true. God lets a lot of things fall in order to work out his original plan. You find that over in Romans chapter 11, from 11 to 32. Alright. Number 12. Then God is is not only responsible for man's sin, but the serpent's also since he allowed both to take place. Isn't that right? If I say yes, then what? Then what? Alright. Number 13. And Darwin and Marx are right. There is no God, Psalm fourteen one, because a God that is so imperfect that he's responsible for imperfection is not perfect. Alright. Let me ask you this.
Suppose God remedied the entire thing and made right what was made wrong. Has he not then cleared himself of all guilt and responsibility? Romans three four through six. Do you follow what I'm saying? Do you follow what I'm saying there? The that's the reasoning that the world uses. The bottom line of it is this, God allowed imperfection to arise or exist. A God that allowed imperfection to arise at or exist is not a perfect God. How do you deal with that? Well, I'm gonna show you how God dealt with it. Alright? Suppose God remedied the entire thing.
Suppose he he cleared himself of all responsibility and guilt in the matter. Just suppose that God did that. Alright. Now, just think with me here on this for just for a second, just think about this. If God is perfect, then love must be one of his attributes. Now, if love is an attribute, and first John says that it is, God is love, then this love must be a perfect love. Now, a perfect love cannot be a selfish love. You know, most love that mankind knows anything about is selfish in nature. You know, it's it's some kind of desire to satisfy our own selves, and satisfy our own lust, lust of the flesh and the cravings of our own heart, but that's not a perfect love.
A perfect love is entirely selfless. Remember, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. God said, I need to display and exercise my attribute of love. Because god is perfect, his love is perfect. Therefore, it's a selfless love. When god loves, he doesn't look for someone that that can give love in return that will satisfy a craving and desire for desire for him. He loves in a perfect way. I mean, what did God see in you and I that he found so attractive? Think about that. What did God see in you, or myself, that he found attractive? He looked upon my heart, and he saw that it was deceitful and desperately wicked.
You know, what does God see in miss America that's so attractive? Do you know why you find someone someone attractive? I'm gonna tell you why you find someone attractive. You find someone attractive because it's just one hunk of depraved flesh looking at another hunk of depraved flesh. That's it. Plain and simple. That's it. But you see, but but Let's go back to this. What does God see in a mystery universe? You know, what does God see in that? He doesn't see anything attractive in that. You see, God looks on the heart. So what does God see that's attractive in you?
Well, absolutely nothing if you know anything about the Bible, but you know something? God loved you anyway. God loved you in spite of it. That's a perfect love. That's a it's nondiscriminating. It's a perfect love. You know, God's color blind. You know, God doesn't see black, white, yellow, or red. God loves us all just as much. It's a perfect love. He had to have a way to exercise the perfect love, so he put that love upon a man. But in return, if man isn't gonna, you know, man is gonna be an auto man, you know, man also has to exercise that love, and so man, by the very nature of his being, has to have a choice.
And that's where the eternal trial triangle takes place. A man is given a choice. Man has a choice. He says, I'll either love God, or I'll love the devil. Oh, wait a second. I don't love the devil. I don't be so sure. Don't be so sure. Did you ever tell a lie? Do you know who the father of lies is? Did you ever hate? You know who the father of hatred is? Did you ever covet? Who's the father of covetousness? Did you ever steal? Do you know who the father of thieves is? And so God purposely allowed evil to enter into the world so that man could have a choice, thereby exercising his own free will and eliminating the auto man.
So man then has the opportunity to choose, just like you have the opportunity to choose. Alright? The judgment. Adam died spiritually immediately, exactly like God said, and then physically in due time. His death was passed on from generation to generation. His children were born in his image, not God's. He lost his spiritual crown. He lost his physical crown, and his dominion was cursed. Sin brings you think about it. Sin brings terrible consequences, doesn't it? Terrible, terrible consequences. Alright. Now next week, we're gonna begin to examine what happened to those crowns, and then we're gonna enter into a whole new dispensation.
So we've examined the the dispensation of innocence and the fall, but we're gonna be moving into the dispensation of conscience. You know, man didn't have a written book. He had to operate on the conscience that God gave him, and we're gonna find out what God held man responsible to, and, you know, for the working of the conscience of his mind. But you know, you know, there there are people today though, that that don't have a written book, but they still have a conscience. They still have a conscience. God will hold them accountable for certain things. You know, God gave you a conscience.
Now I don't know what your conscience has said to you lately, but I I know that if you don't have the assurance of eternal life and salvation, you're gonna die and go to hell without Jesus Christ. You need to trust him as your savior and Lord. You need to get your image restored. Do you know who's in the business of restoring the image? You know, as long as Adam had the image, he had eternal life. When he lost the image, he lost eternal life. Do you know who restores the image? Adam too. Jesus Christ. Churches don't restore it. Religion doesn't restore it.
Jesus restores it. That's why you will never get the satisfaction that everyone in this world is crashing around looking for until you look for Jesus. You might go to Disney World a thousand times. You might live in a proverbial paradise, but you never will have what you really want and satisfy your heart until you go back to the guy that can give you what you lost, the image of God. Remember, accept a man, be born again. He cannot see the kingdom of God. Our heavenly father, we wanna thank you for the day. Thank you, God, for your word. Thank you for your book. Lord, thank you for this study. Lord, this is a it's an incredibly important study.
The dispensation of the fall, the dispensation, the edenic dispensation. Father, we just pray today that if there's anyone listening today that needs their image restored, Lord, they would look to the Lord Jesus Christ. They would call upon him as their personal savior today. And that, Lord, that we would be able to rejoice with them in glory when that day comes and we stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the crowns that have been promised to us. Father, we thank you so much for the love, the mercy, the grace that you've poured out upon us. We thank you, lord, for your son, the lord Jesus Christ. And we ask you to bless the day ahead, bless the week ahead.
In the precious name of our savior, the lord Jesus, we do pray. Amen. Alright. Alright, folks. Don't forget. Sign up for our programming announcements email list. Just go to the website. Little window's gonna pop up. Just fill out the form. Get yourself on the mailing list. It's free, which means it don't cost you nothing. We're not gonna sell your information. We're not gonna share your information with anybody. We're not gonna send you anything that you're not interested in. We're not gonna sell you anything. We're We're just gonna send you information about upcoming shows. So get yourself on the mailing list. Stay in the know. It's the best way for us to keep in touch with everybody. Alright? Also, if you are in the Eagle Pass area and you're looking for a good King James Bible believing and Bible teaching church, why don't you consider paying us a visit over at First Baptist Church of Eagle Pass? We meet at six six four North Monroe. Our Sunday school hour starts at 10AM. Our our worship service begins at eleven. Our, Sunday evening service is at six, and our Wednesday night bible study meets at 7PM. Now, for more information about the church, just head over to church's Facebook page. Log in to Facebook, search for First Baptist Church of Eagle Pass, and when you get there, take a look around.
And, it's the only First Baptist Church in Eagle Pass, so you shouldn't have a problem finding it. Take a look around, follow the page, like the page, get to know more about the church, and then come visit. We'd love to have you. Alright. Socials, if you wanna follow us, Twix, as you see up on the screen there, at Joruus, truth social, at Joruus minds, at Joe Ruse. Get her at Joe Ruse Facebook. If you wanna follow us on Facebook, head over to Joe Ruse show. Follow our page right there. Instagram is not Joe Ruse. TikTok is Joe dot Ruse. Hope to find you all on the socials. Shout outs to our executive producing team, Wayne Rankin, Rosanna Rankin, Carolina Jimenez, Marissa Lee, and anonymous Angela. Thank you guys so much for all that you do. You're donating your time, your talent, your treasure is a blessing for us. It really helps keep things everything going here. Now if you wanna get involved in any way like this, you could do so very easily by clicking the support button and sending over a one time donation in any amount, a recurring donation in any amount. You can sign up to be one of our producers for $17.76 a month as an associate producer, $18.36 a month for a producer, and 25 a month and up for executive producer. You all get the shout outs on every show just like you heard, and included in all of our show notes. You get also included in any emails and anything that we send out. And, it's your donations that help us produce the show, that's why we call you producers. So get yourself on there. If you have the means and you're able to do it, we really, really appreciate that. And, of course, just to remind everybody that we do have a GoFundMe set up for this mortgage issue that we're dealing with.
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Alright. Well, I think that is gonna just about do it for us for tonight. So again, folks, thank you for taking the time to be with us. Hope you had a hope you really enjoyed the lesson. I hope you got something out of it tonight. And, look forward to being with you tomorrow on tomorrow night show. Alright, folks. Don't forget. Make Texas independent again. Go podcasting. Keep a steady stride. Keep talking. God bless you. Good night. See you tomorrow. Happy
Live from Asylum Studios: Welcome to Bible Study Sunday
What is Dispensational Truth? Rightly Dividing the Word
Ages and Changes: God’s Dealings Across Dispensations
Creation, Lucifer’s Pride, and the Earth in Chaos
Recreation and the Prince of the Power of the Air
Adam Crowned King: Made in the Image of God
Body, Soul, and Spirit: Man as a Trichotomy
Before and After the Fall: Souls, Flesh, and Paradise
Dispensation of Innocence: Adam’s Crowns and Dominion
In Adam’s Image: Loss of the Divine Image and Its Effects
Salvation in Eden: Obedience and the Tree of Life
Guarded Gates: Cherubim and the Way to the Tree of Life
From Genesis to Revelation: The Tree of Life in Eternity
Is the Tree of Life a Person? The True Vine and the Branch
The Lost Crowns: Kingdom of God vs. Kingdom of Heaven
History as a Battle for the Physical Crown
From Noah to Abraham: Covenants, Israel, and Conflict
Can We Blame God? A Reasoned Walk Through the Fall
Perfect Love and Human Choice: Why God Allowed Evil
Judgment and Consequences: From Image Lost to Image Restored
Next Week: From Innocence to Conscience
Call to Salvation: Restoring the Image Through Jesus
Closing Prayer and Final Remarks
