You are Genesis

Most of us read Genesis, even the origin story of humanity, and automatically imagine Adam, Eve, and their children as specific individuals. What if I told you that literalism may not be the only intention of this story?

There are as many ways to translate the Bible as there are people in the world. We're all reading the books from our own perspectives, experiences, cultures, and in our own languages. However, it's important to remember that the Bible is made up of several forms of literature, including poetry, wisdom works, parables, history, war stories, and of course origin tales. We should know the writers' intentions for each book and what literature traditions influenced them.

Since creation stories in many cultures were very symbolic, it'd be in keeping with this tradition that the beginning of Genesis would be much the same. This is about people who show up as our first humans: Adam, Eve, Cain, Able, and Seth.

Adam's name is Enosh in Hebrew, which means simply man or mankind. Eve's name is Chavah, which means breath or living. Together, they are humanity and the ability of creation and birth.

There is plenty of Biblical evidence that they were real individuals. Genesis delves into the beginnings of the genealogical tree naming a hundred "begats" and the age of each person when they died. It's not unreasonable, however, to entertain the possibility that, although these may have been real individuals, they also performed the double function of symbolizing humanity.

Adam and Eve have parallels in the New Testament. Jesus is referred to as the last Adam in 1 Corinthians 15:45.

The Scriptures tell us, "The first man, Adam, became a living person." But the last Adam--that is, Christ--is a life-giving Spirit.

Wives, and Eve as the first wife, are referred to as the Church in Ephesians 5:32.

In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. For we are members of His body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church.

Consider this:

And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him. And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken. - Genesis 2:22

It states that Eve came from Adam's rib because the church comes from Jesus. When it states that Eve was bone of Adam's bone and flesh of his flesh, that's because the church is the body of Christ. Eve was the mother of all living, spiritual alive, but her childbirth is painful because it's a difficult process to be reborn in Christ.

Finally, in Revelations 12, the woman clothed with the sun is just like Eve.

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days...

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. - Revelations 12:1-17

Eve was cursed with painful childbirth, and she gave birth to the twelve Israelite nations, some who fell from grace. The dragon is reminiscent of the serpent in the garden, and the male child the woman gives birth to is a clear parallel to Jesus who will rule all nations. Obviously, that child was brought back up to heaven for awhile. Yet, the woman (the church) is still pursued by evil (the dragon), but God has protected us. The offspring of the church is all of the Children of God.

Adam and Eve were the original groom and bride. Jesus referred to the church as a bride or virgin/maiden waiting upon His return eagerly (Matthew 25). Even Revelations refers to the woman clothed with the sun and a star crown, which draws several parallels with Eve and the church.

Onward to their children, Cain, Able, and Seth. There's a lot to unpack with all this, most of which we won't be doing today.

Cain in Hebrew is Kayan, which means acquired or possession. Able is Hebhel, which means breath or vanity. Seth is Sheyt, which stands for compensation. Cain's parents acquired him from God, Able was a new life (breath), and Seth was their compensation for what they lost. Some sources state Cain was preoccupied with possessing and acquiring, which very much may be true, but I've found nothing to substantiate it to my satisfaction.

Cain was raised to carry on Adam's livelihood, agriculture, but Able became a herder. We typically assume the first time God handed down rules or ways to worship Him was with Moses, but there's signs to indicate that's just not true. Cain and Able made offerings of grains and lamb, respectively, which indicates some sort of communication about sacrifices. It's abundantly clear that God spoke with them regularly because when God speaks to Cain before and after Able's death, he isn't terrified like most people are in later Bible stories. In fact, he's quite sarcastic with Him.

And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I do not know!” he answered. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” - Genesis 4:9

So, we have reason to believe God gave them specific instructions, and Cain didn't follow them.

This is my own take on the subject of their symbolism. When his gift was rejected, we know his fury became out of hand.

So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.' Genesis 4:3-8

Cain could be symbolic of trying to gain salvation or approval by works alone while Able is symbolic of gaining salvation through faith. They both appear, on the outside, to be good; obviously, Cain offered from "the fruit of the ground." In the same way, Jesus shames those who display themselves as holy but inside are rotten.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. - Matthew 23:27-28

Please compare to the Pharisees of Jesus' time who would rely on their own works to bring them into God's favor, believing that following the letter of the law made them superior. In jealousy of Jesus, who lived by faith and the spirit of the law, they murdered Him, also referred to as a type of shepherd. We could also see Cain as the Israelites losing their privileged place as the first born, giving the lineage of Jesus to Seth just as the gentiles were given the ability to join as Children of God. It's a strong parallel and an important lesson about all sins stemming from the heart.

Cain receives the punishment of being a wanderer (which is symbolic, too, of a lost soul). Cain is afraid of being killed due to his new reputation. This, combined with the fact he's being punished, indicates that God not only already told Adam, Eve, and their family that murder is wrong, but everyone else they would come across already knew that law too.

Notice, though, something God does when Cain expresses his fear.

But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Genesis 4:15-16

God continues to place Cain in His protection, attempting to express His love. There is a possibly that Cain could be saved. God wishes for no one to perish, not even Cain. Not even the Jews, who would have the chance to be reborn, too.

Every one of these characters is us. We are the humanity who holds promise of creativity and rebirth, we are the humanity that falls like stars from a crown, we are the humanity that is protected by God's graces and willingness to save, we are the humanity who is raised once again to live amongst God in His Kingdom back where we belong.

It's fascinating that a single Bible story could tell of our entire history, present, and future in so few words.


Sources other than Bible. Some are related to this article; some are just interesting:
http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/articles_cainandabel.html
http://evidenceforchristianity.org/could-characters-like-cain-and-abel-be-symbolic-or-presentativer/
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4480857,00.html
http://whatthebiblesays.info/AdamandEve.html
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/4-26.htm
https://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/335943/jewish/Chavah-Mother-of-All-Life.htm
Strong's Concordance
https://biblehub.com/library/bunyan/the_works_of_john_bunyan_volumes_1-3/a_discourse_upon_the_pharisee.htm
http://modeoflife.org/cain-and-abel-and-the-publican-and-the-pharisee-accounts-in-parallel/
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2954&context=auss

Why is God so Different in Old & New Testaments?

Have you ever read through the Bible and found the depiction of God very different between the Old and New Testaments? Did it make you wonder if there were two gods being spoken about or if God had changed very much through the years? Why then does the Bible claim He's unchanging?

In everything, it's important to ask questions and seek them unflinchingly, though the answers have the potential of making us uncomfortable. God gave us brains to seek Him all the better. Let's begin with the many times the Bible states God is unchanging, since this the origin of our idea about His everlasting nature.

For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. - Malachi 3:6

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. - James 1:17

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. - Hebrews 13:8

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? - Numbers 23:19

Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end. - Psalm 102:25-27

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. - Hebrews 6:17-18

Let's now consider the parts of the Bible that seem contradictory concerning God's nature.

First, some say the Old Testament God is wrathful while the New Testament God is full of love. Actually, He's both in both places. Here are verses showing a God of love in the Old Testament.

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and egracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness - Exodus 34:6

The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty (unrepentant), visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation. - Numbers 14:18

For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. - Deuteronomy 4:31

They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. - Nehemiah 9:17

Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster. - Joel 2:13

In the New Testament, He's also shown as willing to punish or even allow painful natural consequences.

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives. - Hebrews 12:6

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! - Romans 5:9

They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. - 1 Thess 1:9-10

If you read the Bible from Genesis to Revelations, you get a full picture of God and His relationship to humans. See, the Bible was written by us, through the divine spirit, so when humans felt the wrath of God, it poured out in their works. When, they were visited by blessings, that spilled into their writings.

God is a God of love, and one thing He despises is when evil is visited upon innocents. Our choices throughout history have a rolling domino effect onto others in the present and future. We may not always understand His directives, and His directives do change according to the circumstances. Yet, He has always wanted to change us for good above all. He yearns for us to change for good, and if we don't, it understandably upsets Him. It upsets Him not just that He's losing us but that we're inflicting the world and future with our evils, death, and pain.

Second, some will point to how God ordered the Israelites to kill many peoples as they moved through the lands. How could a loving God ask for us to do such a thing?

First of all, God doesn't like death. In fact, He's completely at odds with it.

Old testament:

For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! - Ezekiel 18:32

New Testament:

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9

Same God.

Evil is a cancer, spreading to kill all the healthy cells. What do we do with cancer? We remove it, but any cancer that doesn't or can't come out manually must be killed (i.e. radiation or chemo). If we don't kill it, it will KILL EVERYTHING ELSE. God would rather thousands die than for trillions, innumerable souls die.

The command was only to annihilate the inhabitants of Canaan (Deuteronomy 20) who didn't leave or choose to join Israel. You need to remember that the inhabitants were given a choice, first and emphatically, to leave their lands or join Israel. It's just that many refused. Some did though, like the prostitute spy Rahab and the entire tribe of Gibeonites!

Other enemies were not be handled the same. They were supposed to not kill their women or children as they were not part of the soldiers and had little to no power over, well, anything at the time. Yet, they couldn't be abandoned at the time or they'd all die. So, they were absorbed into the Israelites.

However, it's important to note that God told them to push the inhabitants out of the land of Canaan because He was promising it to His people so they could develop their own identity, an identity that would be supremely important in clearing a genetic pathway to the savior of the world. If they didn't get the other people out somehow, those inhabitants (who by the way were noted to be very wicked, violent, sacrificed children regularly) would influence the Israelites in turning from God. The children are innocent, though, right? Yes, they definitely are, while they were children. Those children were being raised in a horrible situation, doomed to spiritual and possibly physical death and pain. If they had the ability to join Israel, they could make that choice too. It's impossible to make warfare comfortable for people, and it's certainly not comfortable for God. So, imagine your discomfort times a million for a God who created each one of those people, loved them, and watched them suffer and die. Do you believe in a God of love? Then, you must understand that He loves those who died, and this was a last resort.

If a people were relentlessly evil, breeding needless violence, creating deformities through incest, bringing pain and death through their many means, He would always warn first and then allow natural consequences if they didn't change. Do you not think a God of love wouldn't give many chances before the last resort or that He doesn't know people's hearts better than us?

Third, some may bring up the harsh punishments Israelites were ordered to give for breaking various laws. Surely, we're no longer supposed to kill anyone who cheats, are gay, or who has premarital relations?

No, we're not. Israel was a theocracy, created in order to bring the ways of God into the forefront, to mold an entire line of genealogy, and these punishments weren't all that different from the punishments given by other nations in the same time period (example: Hammurabi's Code). Another point to make, take it as you will, is that Moses had a degree of leniency in creating punishments and rules in that theocracy, so he may have been influenced somewhat by other nations. Why do I say that?

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” - Matthew 19:3-9

Now, the laws still stand that were written in the Old Testament, but now, the punishment is eternal death (if one doesn't change their heart). That's the crux of it. Things were made plain black and white for the Israelites to fully understand the consequences of their sins. However, it was just symbolic of what was occurring spiritually. We no longer live in a theocracy, so punishments can't be the same. Moses was trusted to give out instructions, and he did so for the better of the Israelites in their time period. It was the beginning of a change. Not the fulfillment or perfection of it.

There are as many examples of His love as His wrath throughout the Bible. He is our truest Father, guiding, warning, allowing consequences, forgiving forever until we learn.

Another reason for the change in depiction of God is because the purpose of each book of the Bible is different. Some were meant to warn people of the consequences of their ways. Many times, even if it warned, it would remind them that God loves them and will keep harm away if they'll just change. The entire purpose of most of the New Testament was to spread the message of the gospel and the story of Jesus as the savior of mankind. That obviously makes the tone more one of hope and joy. As we've stated before, the word gospel literally means "good news."

God doesn't change. Our views on Him might have throughout history. Our relationship with Him definitely have.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. - John 15:15

The Old Testament was a leading up to the reasoning of us needing a savior, our hopelessness without God. The New Testament is the fulfillment of God's plans to finally save us and the joy we have in spreading this hope. Really, the way we chose to characterize God in the Old and New Testaments have more to do with us and our reactions to God than God actually changing in any way. Of course God is more angry in the Old Testament while His people are still learning, trial and error, His ways and failing miserably. Of course God is more joyful in the new Testament as His plans have come to fruition for His people and the invitation for ALL nations to be His people was spreading in the world.

Thank God for His unchanging nature. We need that permanence in a forever changing universe.

The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. - Psalm 93:1

Has Revelations...Already Happened?

Did you know there are many interpretations on the book of Revelations and the idea of a returning Savior? Today, we're going to delve into what those theories are, and maybe you can decide which one appears to be the most accurate. However, remember with prophecies, sometimes it's impossible to know until it happens. There were prophecies in the Old Testament which shielded the full truth in order to keep the Evil One from intruding on plans (i.e. for a divine Son who would die for our sins.)

The major three views are Historicism, Preterism, and Futurism.

Historicism was the reigning translation of Revelations throughout much of the Christian church's history. It assumes the book was a prophecy being fulfilled in the present time. According to my sources, it was actually the only translation, with the exception of some Catholic scholars in the 1800's. The various churches listed were symbols of the entirety of the church body as it changed throughout history, ending with a lukewarm state that needed to recommit to Christ. Many began to have problems with interpreting the symbols as time passed, Jesus failed to return, and rationalism changed how we interpreted things.

Preterism was one split from the above method. This is the theory that Revelations was based in the past, specifically the first century. Instead of using all the symbols to point to specific events or beings, it paints with a broad surreal picture describing the fall of Jerusalem. Many using this theory will point to the several instances the New Testament says these events will happen soon with haste. Some holding onto this theory will state not everything in the book is about the fall of Jerusalem but it's also about the beginnings of the church and some important historical events.

Then, of course, there's Futurism, which states that most of Revelations is about the future. Since there's major apocalyptic events, judgement of the world, and a second coming of Jesus, all of which appears to not have happened yet, these are the arguments of those holding onto this theory. Some will even believe that the first part of the book is about the past or present, and it culminates in a prediction of the future.

The best way to read Revelations, in my humble opinion, is with a healthy mix of all three views. I think it's obvious that all of the events are future to John, the writer, and some of the events listed really did happen close to his time. For example, one of the most horrific things to happen for Jews was the destruction of their temple in 70AD by Romans. Jesus foretold this event to his disciples, and it's pretty reasonable to think John would've have mentioned it if he'd written Revelations after 70AD. Some of what he prophesized in Revelations were the "beginning of the end."

Some things are for us to know for certain, and some things are for us to know in general, and yet other things are hidden to our eyes until the time comes. I think the purpose of Revelations was to be used as both a warning and a promise. We should always be prepared to give an account of what we believe, and we should always live out of God's love. There's nothing about these prophecies that would change your everyday life. However, it's always good to be aware that there's an ending to suffering and a plan God has for us all.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

We tend to focus on the negative, scary parts of Revelations, forgetting that it's only permanently bad for those who are evil. Revelations was intended to be inspirational to Children of God. It was a promise of the joys to come.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. - 21:3-4

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” - 3:20

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. - 22:20

Sources other than the Bible:
https://readingacts.com/2014/04/09/is-revelation-about-the-past-present-or-future/
https://www.crossway.org/articles/the-book-of-revelation-is-not-just-about-the-future/
http://www.historicism.net/
https://www.preteristarchive.com/CriticalArticles/baxter-irvin_ca.html
http://stevecha.net/ask-steve-futurism-historicism-preterism/
https://www.equip.org/bible_answers/was-revelation-written-before-or-after-the-destruction-of-the-temple-in-ad-70/