Starting position of mankind

I think the first chapters of the Bible are exceptional and beautiful. We read how God created the heavens and the earth and how the creation became more and more attractive. First, the earth was made, but it was still desolate, empty, and dark. No life was possible, and the earth didn't have a shape. Then God decided to make the earth and heaven beautiful. He started on the first day with the light, and new elements were added every day. On the second day, an area was assigned for the sea and sky. Then, on the third day, borders were set for the sea, making the land appear. Every day, God worked on His creation, and the creation became more and more beautiful and orderly. The plants, trees, sun, moon, stars, fish, birds, and animals were created on the third, fourth, and fifth day, respectively. It was a beautiful creation, and the angels rejoiced over God's work of creation (Job 38:7). God made something wonderful, and today, we still recognize much of God's work of creation.

I think God's creation is extraordinary. God is a Creator who created everything: countless planets, stars, animals, trees, and people. Yet not one is the same. Look at human beings, for example. Each person has their own fingerprint, unique eyes, and characteristics. God created everybody individually, with your characteristics and character. No one on earth is like you. It was God's plan to create you, and your uniqueness was important to God that you were not a copy of somebody else. God is a God of greatness and a God of detail. God has everything in His hand, and at the same time, He knows how many hairs you have on your head. God is in control of everything, and it takes no effort on His part as Ruler and King of this world to control everything. Yet God devised a particular plan, and you are part of it.

For What Purpose Are We Created?

A common question is, "Why am I alive?" or "What is the purpose of my existence?" According to science, it is pure coincidence that you exist, and you are "just" a link between your parents and your children. According to the Bible, it is not by chance that you exist. We read that God created you and that you are unique. You were created for a reason and a purpose. Some purposes are very personal, such as starting an orphanage in Brazil, taking care of the homeless in America, or translating the Bible for people who don't have one yet. Other goals God has set aside for His children include conforming to the Lord Jesus (Christlikeness) through the power of the Holy Spirit and living with God.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)

You were created for general and unique purposes. The general purpose we find in the Bible—which is the Word of God. Our unique purposes are received from the Holy Spirit. In Genesis 1 and 2, we read that God created the earth and the heavens. On the sixth day, God worked on His most beautiful creation, man. God had made everything look nice, but He wanted to make one more kind. Man was to become the most beautiful of all creation. Man had to become more attractive than the animals, the trees, the plants, and the stars. It had to be the crown of creation. Therefore, God decided to make man in His image and likeness. As a result, we possess similar feelings and characteristics of God!  Unfortunately, in recent times, we haven’t always dealt well with our free will, emotions, and characteristics, but at the beginning of creation, man was created to perfection.

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness (...) So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

We are created in the image of God. God is perfect, knows no sin, and is righteous. The created man was also perfect, knew no sin, and was righteous. God first created two human beings: Adam and Eve. They were the image of God. After the Fall, this image was distorted by the wrong things we all do. Yet, we are still compared to the image of God (Genesis 9:6) and instructed to become more and more like Him in our walk and actions (Colossians 3:10). When man was created, God blessed him with the following.

(...) let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth! (...) Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth! (Genesis 1:26-28)

God's first blessing on man is the superiority and rulership over creation. Man wasn't made to be enslaved but to rule and treat creation well. God had blessed us to be rulers.

The word "dominion" comes from the Hebrew word "rāḏâ" meaning "to rule," "reign," "take," "triumph," or "ruler." To rule means to have power over something or to be the leader of something. Man had received the power and authority to rule over all creation. Often, the word "dominion" is used negatively. We compare this word to dictators and people who impose their will and have no regard for others. This isn’t how God’s blessing should be. We should never use terror and fear to dominate people or collect money. We were created to ensure that everything in the creation runs smoothly and is maintained. In fact, God gave the following task in chapter 2 of the book of Genesis.

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. (Genesis 2:15)

God created the Garden of Eden. This was a large garden where He placed the first man, Adam. Later, Eve joined him. Adam and Eve got the authority to rule over the garden, which meant tilling and maintaining it. Adam and Eve ruled and walked with God through this garden.

Why did God create us? God created us to rule over creation and have a living relationship with Him to discover His greatness, faithfulness, and love. God did not create us to be slaves to creation, in which we must labor to make ends meet

God’s opponent

We read that God created humans, animals, trees, and heavenly bodies. In addition to these, God created another kind of beings: the angels.

For by Him (Jesus) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16) (Also check Psalm 148 and Nehemiah 9:6.)

The angels were created before the earth (Job 38:7). Angels, like humans, have free will. Many angels serve, praise, and worship God. They have made a choice to serve God, and therefore, they are ministering spirits who help God in various ways (Hebrews 1:14). A minority of angels have made the decision not to serve God. The leader of this group is the devil. In the Bible, he is also called Satan, Lucifer, the evil one, the old serpent, or the dragon. For the purposes of this book, it is crucial to know who he is since the devil has also established a Kingdom. We will come back to this Kingdom in Part 3 of this book.

Let us begin with the origin of the devil. The text below contains a prophecy about the king of Tyre. The pride and conceit of this king are compared to that of the devil. Some portions of this text cannot speak of a man but only of the devil.   

You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 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 emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. 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. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. (Ezekiel 28:12-15)

If I asked a thousand Christians, "Describe the devil," I don't think anyone would give this as a description. When the devil was created, he epitomized perfection, wisdom, and beauty and could make harmonious music. He was a perfect angel of God and covered with stunning gems. The devil was allowed to walk freely in all areas. For example, he was allowed to enter the Garden of Eden and the mountain of God. This mountain is in heaven (Isaiah 14:13). The devil was one of the most powerful angels, and God created him for a significant reason. He had free access to God, yet he was a ministering spirit of God. God stood above him, and God made him. Even though he was one of the most powerful angels, God is enthroned above him, and God ruled. When the devil was created, he was perfect in all his ways. One day, iniquity was found in him. So, what exactly did the devil do?

For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north. (Isaiah 14:13)

The devil was a high-ranking angel but desired more honor and praise. He wanted to make his throne equal to God's throne. He wanted to be worshiped like God. Jealousy filled the devil's heart, and, as a result, he began to sin. This sin caused several consequences. Some are still in the future, and some have already happened. The consequences are:

• The devil is cast down into the grave. This is hell, and it will happen in the future. (Isaiah 14:9-11 and Revelation 20:1-3 & 10)
• The devil is banished from the mountain of God and is no longer allowed to come to God. I believe this has already happened (Ezekiel 28:14). The devil is still present in the heavenlies, but no longer with God.
• The devil lost his beauty and his perfection. This has already happened.

When we mention the devil, two things are essential to know. The first is that our Lord Jesus defeated the devil. Jesus defeated him on the cross of Calvary. He put the devil and his followers to shame on the cross and triumphed over them.

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:15)

The Lord Jesus holds all power and authority, and He rules from heaven today (Matthew 28:18 and Hebrews 8:1). A child of God shouldn’t fear the devil and his power because he is protected by the Lord Jesus and has received authority from the Lord Jesus over the devil and his henchmen. We will return to this later.

The second is that the devil still has the power to devour people on Earth. The devil still has a Kingdom on earth. This Kingdom is in decline, and when Jesus returns, this Kingdom will disappear, and the devil will be cast into the abyss and later into hell. The only thing the devil can do is fight it like a powerless rebel. He is defeated, and this has yet to be finalized. Some of the things the devil can do today to people who aren’t firmly grounded in the Lord Jesus are:

• Proclaim lies. (John 8:44)
• Blaspheme God and people.
• Devouring people/killing people. (1 Peter 5:8)

It is important not to overestimate the devil but also not to underestimate him. In Christ, we have overcome him and don’t need to fear him. But don’t fall for his lies, blasphemies, and divisions, and live close to God.

God's Plan Disrupted

Before we discuss this paragraph, I want to caution you that it is intense. Studying the situation of the Fall is essential, and it doesn't give much hope. If we have accepted Jesus into our lives, this paragraph no longer applies to us. Jesus restored us from these things.

God's plan was for Him to have a living relationship with people and for people to rule or be king over creation. God is the supreme King, and He shared (some of) His power with men. The devil was envious of this plan and wanted to sabotage it. The devil had no power to kill or hurt man because man was still without sin and, therefore, without guilt. The only thing the devil could do was spread lies about God and hope that man would believe them. What had happened to Adam and Eve?

God created the Garden of Eden and placed Adam and Eve there. Adam and Eve were the leaders of this garden, and all the animals were subject to them. God told them to take care of the garden and blessed them with the fruit of all the trees in the garden. They were allowed to eat freely at no cost. Yet God had introduced one small restriction. God wants people to obey Him, but at the same time, God doesn't want us to be obligated to obey Him. Like the angels, God had given man a personal choice—free will. Man could choose to (dis)obey God. And God commanded, "You may freely eat from all trees; but not of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17). God's blessing was upon man as long as man didn't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If he did, he was cut off from God and would die. God did not mean that his body would immediately drop dead. If Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they could still live for centuries. God meant that their spirit would die, and they could no longer walk with God. At the same time, this disobedience meant that God's blessing left man, and man came under the curse.

The devil was jealous of God and man. He wanted to sabotage this plan, so he devised a plan to break the connection between God and man. The only possibility was that Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil because that is how the connection would be broken. In the form of a serpent, the devil decided to lie to Adam and Eve and try to trick them into eating the forbidden fruit from the tree.

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman: Has God indeed said: You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  And the woman said to the serpent: We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said: You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. (Genesis 3:1-3)

The devil did what he does best: he lied. He lied to Eve, saying she shouldn't eat from all the trees. Eve said she could, and the only tree she couldn't eat from was the one in the middle of the garden because otherwise, she would die. Then, by his lies, the devil awakened a desire in Eve.

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. (Genesis 3:4-5)

The devil desired to be equal to God and like God. He tried to give this desire to Eve, and he succeeded. The devil misled and deceived Eve, and Eve obeyed the devil, not God.

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 fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)

Adam and Eve both ate the fruit. They trusted the devil instead of God. God said it wasn't good for man to eat the fruit. The devil said it was good, and their eyes would be opened. This had unpleasant consequences.

After Adam and Eve ate the fruit, their eyes opened, and they saw they were naked. This isn't about physical nakedness or the activation of sexual feelings but about missing protection and experiencing shame and emptiness. Adam and Eve experienced that something had been taken away from them so that they were no longer good, and they began to be ashamed of each other and God. This didn't stop there—this shame caused fear, and they no longer dared to face God (Genesis 3:10). Their goodness and protection had fallen away, and it was impossible to walk with God any longer. This applies not only to Adam and Eve but to every human being (Romans 5:19). Because of Adam and Eve's disobedience, it became impossible to walk with God, and because of this, we read that Adam and Eve were sent away from the Garden of Eden. The relationship between God and man was seriously disturbed. While God blessed man, man chose the curse and stepped out of the blessing (Galatians 3:10). The curse involved the following.

To the woman He (God) said: I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you. Then to Adam He said: Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying: You shall not eat of it: Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return. (Genesis 3:16-19)

The curse entailed:

- Difficult pregnancies filled with pain.

- Men dominate women.

- Soil cursed: toiling all days, and the soil brings forth thorns and thistles.

- The soil takes man back: death.

- Forever separated from God.

Man was created to rule over creation, but eventually became a curse of creation, toiling every day until death took man away to Hades. The relationship with God was lost, and the game was over. In addition, man had fallen into sin and with him all creation (Ephesians 2:1-3). Man waits until judgment is passed (John 3:18), after which eternal punishment follows.

Unfortunately, the situation is about to get worse. Man had made a choice to obey the devil and disobey God. This means that man had appointed a new king over himself: the devil.  

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. (1 John 5:19) (See also: John 12:31.)

(…) I  (Jesus) will deliver you (Paul) from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. (Acts 26:17-18)

The devil had become the leader of the world and had been given the keys of death. This means that after the death of man, the devil has dominion over the dead (Jude 1:9, Romans 6:23 and 14:9). I do want to mention that in the Old Testament, the devil needed permission from God to do certain things, as we can read in the story of Job. Later in this book, we see that through His sacrifice, the Lord Jesus took these keys back from the devil, and since Calvary, the devil no longer has any right over people, and Jesus determines the fate of people. If Jesus hadn't intervened, man had no hope, and we had no promises from God of a good life or destiny after death.

(…) that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2:12)

These consequences don't apply only to Adam and Eve. Adam left this inheritance to his descendants. All of us are descendants of Adam and automatically receive this inheritance. The inheritance is the result of the Fall and its associated curse.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12)

For if by the one man's (Adam) offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:17-19)

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22)                      

Adam's sin continues to resonate in our world. Man has sinned, and the way to God has been cut off. Man lives a life on earth, and then condemnation and judgment await. Because of Adam's disobedience, all people are classified as sinners. Everyone does wrong things, and wars, abuse of power, and terror—ruin many human lives. The world in which we live is full of pain and sorrow. Man was made to be a blessing and to rule but has become a slave to sin and darkness. As Paul exclaimed, "I wretched man, who will deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24). Fortunately, there is an answer to this question, which we will address in the coming chapters. Paul says in one verse further that Jesus Christ can redeem us from death.

In Conclusion

This book, so far, is without much hope. Man was blessed to rule and has become a curse and slave of creation. It is crucial to realize that man chose the curse. Man allowed himself to be tempted by God's opponent, the devil. Even though God knew this would happen, it wasn't God's will for this to happen. Fortunately, a gracious God wants to forgive, edify, and restore man to his rightful place. The price to redeem man from sin was a great cost to God. God the Father had to send His Son to earth, and His Son had to die on the cross. Man destroyed the way with God, but Jesus restored this way for those who believe in Him. Part 1 of this book elaborates on this.

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