The Origin of Sin

Would it surprise you to learn that Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden was not the first occurrence of sin? Sin was already in the universe before Adam and Eve were created!

What is sin? Collins Concise Dictionary defines sin as: 1. (a) Transgression of God’s known will or any principle or law regarded as embodying this. (b) The condition of estrangement from God arising from such transgressions. 2. Any serious offence, as against a religious or moral principle. 3. Any offence against a principle or standard.

To put it bluntly, sin is disobedience against God in any shape or form!  All sin is against God! When we sin against our fellow men, we are sinning also against God.

So having established that sin is against God, who made the first act of disobedience against God?

Satan, the Devil is the originator of sin!

The Scriptures again give us the details. Isaiah 14:12-15 tell us about Lucifer (Satan). (12)  “How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  How are you cut down to the ground. You who weakened the nations! ( 13)  For you have said in your heart: (14) ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I also will sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest side of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ (15) Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depth of the Pit.”

Ezekiel 28:12-15 states, (12) “...’You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. (13) You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering; the sardius, topaz and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emeralds and gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. (14) You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. (15) You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you’.”

Lucifer, the anointed cherub of God committed the first sin against God. Ezekiel 28:17 gives us the beginning of his downfall. “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendour...” Lucifer, the anointed cherub became Satan, the Devil. In his pride and disobedience he caused other angelic beings to sin and follow him.

2 Peter 2:4 states, “...God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgement.”

Jude verse 6 tells us, “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgement of the great day.”

Now it is apparent that not all of Satan’s minions are in Hell at this present time. God in His sovereignty has allowed this.

It is Satan using the serpent in the Garden of Eden who beguiles Eve into sinning.

Genesis 3:4-6, “Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruits and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”

See Satan’s lie, “You will not surely die...” Adam and Eve died!

Romans 6:36 states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Sin, disobedience against God brings judgement; whether you are a human being or an angelic being.

Matthew 25:41 tells us about, “...the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

In Revelation 20:15 we find that, “...anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Is your name written in the Book of Life?

Romans 10:9, 10 states, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Jon Peasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version]

The Origin of Languages

Ever wondered about the origin of languages? The Scriptures give us the answer! Ever wondered about how the different nations came about? The Scriptures have the answers!

Does it seem strange to you that the answers are recorded in God’s holy Bible? Why should it be strange? God is an eternal God; He knows the end from the beginning!

In my blog Noah’s Ark – Fact or Fable? We considered the universal flood that God sent as judgement on the wicked, evil people of Noah’s generation. Noah and his three sons, his wife and his sons’ wives were all saved through the ark God ordered Noah to build. God started again with Noah and his family.

Genesis 9:1 tells us. “So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth’.”  Genesis 10:3 states, “Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.”

The rest of Chapter 10 gives us a long list of their descendants. In verse 32 the chapter ends with these words, “These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided after the flood.”

The nations of the Earth are divided according to their descendancy from Noah’s sons – Shem – Ham – Japheth. Broadly speaking, the Israelis are descendants of Shem, the African nations and parts of the Middle East are descendants of Ham and the remainder are descendants of Japheth.

Genesis chapter 11 gives us the answer to the origin of languages. Let’s have a look at verses 1 to 9.

1  “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.

2  And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there.

3  Then they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and bake them thoroughly.’ They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.

4  And they said, ‘Come let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’

5  But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

6  And the Lord said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.’

7  ‘Come let Us go down and confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’

8  So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the all the earth, and they ceased building the city.

9  Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.” 

    Let’s pause for a moment to consider what has been before us.

    Noah’s family spoke the same language.

§    This language was the universal language.

§    Their descendants spoke the universal language.

§    Their desire was to build a city and a tower reaching up into the heavens.

T  They wanted to stay together so they would not be scattered over the face of the earth.

    There is no thought of God and His purposes in their minds. God’s judgement upon them is to confuse their language. All of a sudden they could not communicate with everybody else! This is the beginning of distinctive languages and nationalities.

The building work ceased and God scattered them abroad. The very thing they desired not to happen occurred! The legacy of that time remains with us today. Look at the United Nations meetings. How many interpreters are required to translate when a delegate gets up to speak? Nations are suspicious of each other. How many problems occur in the World today due to language difficulties?

There is one positive in all this mess. Since God created all the languages; He understands every individual’s speech no matter where they come from.This means that whoever you are, no matter what language you speak, God understands you! 

John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

 2 Corinthians 6:2 states, “For He says...Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.” Not yesterday – it is too late. Not tomorrow – you may never see it.

Today – now is the accepted time!

Noah believed God, built an ark and saved himself and his family. Do you believe God? Do you believe the Lord Jesus Christ can save you? Then do something about it!

Jon Peasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version]

Israel - Salvation from the Great Tribulation

In my last blog Israel – The Time of Jacob’s Trouble we looked at the time of ‘great tribulation’ the Israelis will pass through in the end times. We considered the Jewish Anti-Christ who will rule Israel at this time; how he will cause the Israelis to worship ‘the image to the beast’. Thus, he makes the nation of Israel into idol worshippers.

In my blog Armageddon – Could it impact on you? We saw that the king of the South [Egypt] attacks the Anti-Christ; provoking the king of the North [Syria and her allies] to also attack the nation of Israel. The king of the North conquers the nation and passes on to Egypt.

This is the time of ‘Jacob’s trouble’ in Israel when “...two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third will be left in it.” (Zechariah 13:8).

The Lord Jesus Christ foretold this time of tribulation in Matthew 24:15-21, “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

Let’s return to Zechariah for his prophecy about this time in Israel. Zechariah 14:1, 2 tell us, “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil shall be divided in your midst. For I will Gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.”

Israel is in extreme peril! There is no possible way any human intervention can save the nation! Only God can save them out of this terrible situation. Zechariah 14:3 states, “Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.” 

 Matthew24:27 tells us, “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the Son of Man be.” The Lord Jesus Christ will suddenly appear as quickly as a flash of lightning.

Let’s read on in Matthew 24:29, 30, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Let’s pick up the time sequence from Zechariah 14:4, 5, “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with you.”

Jerusalem will be saved by a great miracle; a huge earthquake will occur when the Lord Jesus Christ stands on the Mount of Olives. A huge valley will be formed for the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea to flee to safety.

Zechariah 14:12, 13 give us the judgement on the invading nations. “...Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths. It shall come to pass in that day that a great panic from the Lord will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbour, and raise his hand against his neighbour’s hand.”

Revelation 19:19-21 tell us, “And I saw the beast [ruler of the revived Roman Empire], the kings of the earth and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured and with him the false prophet [Anti-Christ] who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. All the birds were filled with their flesh.”

From verse 16 of Revelation 19 we see that the One who sits on the horse is ‘KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS’. The Israelis will be saved by their true Messiah; the One whom they crucified on a cross at Calvary; on the outskirts of ancient Jerusalem. In that day they will learn that this great Saviour is indeed Jesus of Nazareth; the One who was crucified, died, was buried and rose again triumphant. They will learn that He is the King of the Jews – the true King of Israel!

Zechariah 12:10, 11 state, “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem...”  Verses 12 to 14 show us that the whole land of Israel will mourn for their Messiah; when they will acknowledge they crucified their true King and He it is who saved them from total destruction.

Let’s close this blog with some verses from Romans 11:33-36.

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out. ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counsellor? Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him? For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

Jon Peasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version]

Israel - The Time of Jacob's Trouble

Jeremiah 30:7 tells us, “Alas for the day is great, so there is none like it; it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.” The time of Jacob’s trouble corresponds to the events leading up to Armageddon. It is the time of ‘great tribulation’ spoken of by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:21, 22, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh should be saved; but for the elects sake those days will be shortened.”

Jacob, otherwise known as Israel is of course the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. His twelve sons became the heads of their own tribes. In Jeremiah chapter 30, Jacob the man, becomes the symbol of the nation of Israel. ‘Jacob’s trouble’ is the nation of Israel’s trouble.

In my blog ‘Armageddon – Could it impact on you?’ the Ruler of Israel at this time is the same Ruler of Israel who rules Israel in the time of ‘Jacob’s trouble’. This very same Ruler of Israel is the ‘two horned beast’ of Revelation 13:11; mentioned in my blog ‘Revelation 13 – The Beast from the Sea and the Beast from the Earth’.

He is also the ‘lawless one’ mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, 9, “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.”

In Matthew 24:15, 16 the Lord Jesus Christ foretelling the events to come says, “Therefore when you see the ‘the abomination of desolation’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place...then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” Daniel in Daniel 11:31 foretold of the time when Antiochus Epiphanes in about 167 BC captured Jerusalem and set up an image to the pagan god Zeus. This came to pass, as did the desecration of God’s altar, when he ordered unclean animals (pigs) to be offered on it.

Daniel’s prophecy actually had a dual purpose. The events that occurred in 167 BC had already come and gone. The Lord Jesus is therefore speaking of a future event when another ‘abomination of desolation’ occurs. Daniel 11:31 tells us, “...then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.”  We know this happened in 167 BC. It will happen again! Next time it occurs it will be ‘the image of the beast’ spoken of in Revelation 13:15.

How does this occur? 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4 give us the necessary information, “...for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing that he is God.”

The Jewish Anti-Christ is ‘the man of sin, the son of perdition’. He deceives the nation of Israel into believing he is their Messiah. If he tells them to worship the ‘image of the beast’; they will do it. He will cause the sacrifices to God to cease. He will cause the Israelis to sin by worshipping ‘the image of the beast’.

From the information before us we can deduce that there will be a Jewish temple in operation on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. There will be animal sacrifices offered to God again. The coming Anti-Christ will sit in this temple as God; and he will cause the sacrifices to cease. He will cause the Israelis to worship an idol, ‘the image to the beast’.

This idolatry by Israel will bring about the terrible time of ‘Jacob’s trouble’, the ‘great tribulation’. Let us not underestimate the seriousness of this situation.

Matthew 24:22 states, “...unless those days are shortened, no flesh would be saved...” In other words, unless God shortens the length of the tribulation period, all the Israelis would perish. God has to intervene to save the nation; by the personal appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ to save them.

Next blog we will look at what the Scriptures reveal about this marvellous salvation of the nation of Israel.

Jon Peasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version]