GOD'S INVOLVEMENT WITH PLANET EARTH (part 1)

In the beginning He created it as part of the universe.

He created Adam and gave him the right to rule over planet earth.

Satan stole this right from Adam when he deceived Eve and caused Adam to disobey God's clear command, and eat the forbidden fruit. Adam thus removed himself from his position as "governor" of earth. Satan then became the legal ruler of planet earth, and remained as "god of this world" until Jesus, the "Second Adam" took it back from him at Calvary.

God chose Abraham to be the father of a holy nation to live on earth as a model nation before the other nations of the world. From his descendants God chose Jacob, a deceiver who God changed into a new man spiritually, and changed his name to "Israel". The descendants of Israel became a great nation under king David, after Saul their first king failed the test of obedience. God never intended for His "chosen people" to be governed by a king. After the deliverance of His people from bondage in Egypt under Moses, He settled them in the "promised land" under Joshua. After that he governed them for many years under appointed judges (governors), who He raised up from among the people. Under the rule of Samuel, the last of the judges, the people demanded a king like the other nations around them. When Samuel reported this to God that the people were rejecting him as ruler over them, God said to Samuel "they are not rejecting you, they are rejecting Me". He then directed Samuel to appoint them a king after first warning them about what a kingdom reign would be like.

David was a man after God's own heart for His people, and would probably have been His choice to follow Samuel as the next judge anyhow, so he became king after Saul. This "kingdom of Israel" continued for years as one united kingdom, until it split into two after Solomon. The Northern kingdom carried the name Israel, but the Southern kingdom named after Judah, one of Israel's sons, was definitely God's choice of the two. Both kingdoms fell to their enemies, Israel to Assyria, and Judah to Babylon, but God allowed Judah to return to the promised land under Ezra and Nehemiah.

God never allowed Israel to return to a great kingdom like they had known under the rule of David. During the rule of the kings following Solomon God continually spoke to His people through various prophets that He raised up and appointed and equipped for this task. Many of them spoke of a coming "Messiah" that would come and restore the kingdom of Israel like they had seen under David. Some of these prophets even referred to this coming Messiah as being the "Son of David", so the people were looking for a king like David had been, who would deliver them from their oppressors. However God had in mind a Spiritual Kingdom, under His Son Jesus, and not some military leader like David. The prophet Nathan had given David a word that is recorded in (2 Sam 7:5-16) that applied to his son Solomon, but also at a much later date to Jesus, who as we know was born to Joseph and Mary, who were both descendants of David. We call this type of prophetic word a "near/far" prophecy, in other words it has a double application. In this case the near application would apply to Solomon, and the far application was to Jesus. So it's no wonder the people, especially the Scribes and Pharisees, who were experts in God's word, couldn't accept and receive Jesus as their Messiah!

Not only was Jesus their promised Messiah, but He was God's "Second Adam" who would regain the rulership of planet earth from Satan. Adam was the first perfect man, created in God's image, and was the "governor" of planet earth until he lost this position by his act of disobedience. Jesus of course was the perfect man to take Adam's place, because He was the only "begotten" Son of God. He was totally God, and totally man, and thus perfectly qualified to take back the control of earth that had been stolen by Satan. This was accomplished on the cross, when He died to pay the price of mankind's sin. We know the "wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23), so the death of Jesus, the perfect man, completely satisfied the demands of our Holy God.

We know from scripture that when Jesus was baptized by his cousin John in the Jordan river, that the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, and settled on Jesus. For the next three and a half years Jesus was filled with the Spirit and did many miracles. On the cross when he "bowed His head and released his spirit", the Holy Spirit left Him and went back to heaven. If He hadn't, Jesus could not have died! After His resurrection, in the upper room with His disciples, Jesus "breathed on them" and they received the Holy Spirit who had been in Jesus for that period when He was performing His ministry on earth. Paul tells us in (Col 2:9) "For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body". That's why He told his disciples just before He was arrested that it was absolutely necessary that He go back to heaven so that the Holy Spirit could come to them.(John 16:5-15). We know from reading Acts 2 that He came and filled them with Himself. Today the Holy Spirit of God comes to every believer at the moment of salvation, when they are born into God's family. Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians that He is the down payment on our inheritance in the Kingdom of God, that is being reserved up there for us, but will be revealed some day.

When Jesus said He would build His Church, I believe He intended it to be a dwelling place, house, temple, abode etc. for the Holy Spirit on earth. He is God's "Governor" sent to this colony earth, by our King Jesus, who is in heaven at Father's side. We the Church, that He is in the process of building from His present location, are the "Governor's Mansion", if you will, that He lives in here on earth, We are the earthly abode of God, as Paul said in (2 Cor 6:14-18). Some day in our redeemed spiritual bodies, we will abide forever in the "New Jerusalem" sent down from heaven, (Rev 21)

So we see from this "big picture" that earth has always played a important part in God's plan for eternity. All we need to know He has made available to us in His Word. All we have to do is properly interpret it at face value, asking the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp