Heaven & Earth 1: In The Beginning Series

Heaven & Earth 1- "In the beginning"

1 "In the beginning"

1.1 Adam & Eve had commission right from the start

1.2 Perfect world when humans placed?

yes- "it was v good!" Gen 1

hints Gen 1

’darkness’ ’the deep’ chaos. Ps 29. Leviathan Is 27:1

1:28 "fill & subdue"

clear in Gen 2, 3

serpent

Eden is ’protected’. Perfect- so outside is .... imperfect

1.3 Ewen & CS Lewis lone voices?

apart from some catholic ancient traditions

now joined by: Cafe theology, Bill Johnson. Alvin Plantinga. Others!

& more as gives task for reclaiming earth

but offer this humbly and tentatively. Much divergence on this. Can’t be dogmatic

1.4 What happened?!

2 falls. First was angelic.

Rev 12:7 Satan + 1/3 of angels

over issue of worship Is 14 (Bab king)

1/3 of stars? What are stars?

Where was he cast down to? Is earth his capital city?

this was enemy occupied territory

Quote Lewis

It seems to me, therefore, a reasonable supposition, that some mighty created power had already been at work for ill on the material universe, or the solar system, or, at least, the planet Earth, before ever man came on the scene: and that when man fell, someone had, indeed, tempted him. .... If there is such a power, as I myself believe, it may well have corrupted the animal creation before man appeared. .... If it offends less, you may say that the ’life force’ is corrupted, where I say that living creatures were corrupted by an evil angelic being. We mean the same thing.... If this hypothesis is worth considering, it is also worth considering whether man, at his first coming into the world, had not already a redemptive function to perform. ... It may have been one of man’s functions to restore peace to the animal world, and if he had not joined the enemy he might have succeeded in doing so to an extent now hardly imaginable. C.S. Lewis. ’The Problem of Pain", in the chapter ’Animal Pain’. Macmillan, New York, 1948. pp122-144

1.5 incredibly important

science = theories & flawed but there WAS suffering before humankind

God didn’t cause it (’an enemy did this’ Mt 13:28)

We see God’s plan... our call right from the start

to fight against the chaos, entropy, dog-eat dog, survival of the strongest "evolutionary" tendencies through ways ’not of THIS world/kingdom"

1.6 God’s agents

God’s subversive agents! Planted into territory

to reclaim. Bring rule, KOG

Simple beings of huge authority

given keys

a species of agents, priests,

2 In the interim

2.1 problem is they made it worse

And because they didn’t SOLVE the prob by fulfilling their role- there is a sense in which it is ALL their/humankind’s fault

2.2 Fell. Cast out. OUTSIDE becomes their experience

everything falls still further

INCREASE pain in childbirth

Ground fights back

2.3 They fumble... reject... the call. Hand over the keys

slaves hand over keys to new master- the prince of this earth Jn 12:31, ruler of the Kingdom of the air (Eph 2:2), god of this age 2 Cor 4:4

but God has a plan!

2.4 next in line: Abraham & descendants

invited to be nation of priests. ’come up the mountain!’

Ex 19:6 "you will be for me a kingdom of priests"

turned it down Ex 20:19, Dt 18:16

Prophets whispered and shouted- more, Day of the Lord, coming

2.5 So you see- God’s plan has not changed or failed

3 In the ’end times’

3.1 God visits earth & the battle ensues in earnest

kingdoms in conflict

Lk 4 Satan>Jesus "I’ve got what you want- these beings and their authority/keys. GIve me what I want- worship. Attention."

Lk 4:5 "this is mine.. given to me by legal right. Worship me!"

Away from me, Satan! THe lamb has triumphed

"Jesus returns... full of the HS"- and the Kingdom is manifested everywhere. Keys are given back

3.2 God wanted a kingdom of priests (TO). Now He gets it (NT)

Ex 19:3 "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 `You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."

1PE 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.