Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 3* PART 4 * BOOK 1

The Lie!

Genesis 2:8 –3:8

Turn back to where we left off in our last segment. We were at Adam having just eaten. And, you remember, we pointed out that Paul writes to Timothy that Adam was not deceived. He wasn’t caught in a moment of weakness as Eve was. But, he knew full well what he was doing and what the consequences would be. He had to make a choice. Is he going to eat and stay with his beautiful help meet, the woman, or is he going to refuse, lose the help meet and remain obedient to the Creator. After contemplation, the last four words of verse 6 tell us all and he did eat.

Now, in our closing remarks I said that the moment he ate a lot of things happened. Turn back with me to Romans chapter 5. The reason I try to clarify this is because several years ago, I was sitting in a service where the gentleman behind the pulpit, made the comment that he didn’t see that there was any such thing as an “original sin” or “the fall”, that our only problem was “sins” per se. I have read even since then where there are those who argue that there is no such thing as an original sin. But, the Bible says otherwise. Turn with me to Romans chapter 5 verse 12, I like to emphasize that when Paul writes it is certainly that part of the New Testament that is particularly in tune with the “Church Age”, the “Age of Grace”.

As he himself says in Romans chapter 11 verse 13 that he is the Apostle of the Gentiles. So, as Gentiles, naturally, he is the one to whom we should turn for our basic doctrines. Verse 12:

Romans 5:12a

“Wherefore, as by one man (he is referring to whom? Adam.) sin entered into the world, and death (let me use the verb, entered) by sin; (in other words, before Adam ate, nothing died. Death was an unknown entity. But, once he ate, sin came in and with sin came death.) and so death passed upon (how many?) all men,…”

ALL, Paul says in Romans chapter 3 – ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No one escapes it because we have been born of Adam. So death passed upon all men.

Romans 5:12b

“… for that all have sinned:”

Let’s define the word death. We like to use definitions as we come up through Scripture. First and foremost, let’s look at physical death because that’s what we are most acquainted with. We see it on every hand. Not only in the human race but also in the animal kingdom, the birds and so forth. But, so far as the human race is concerned, death as we understand it.What is death? I think the simplest way we can put it is that death is separation. Death = separation. In the physical then, it is a separation of the body from the soul and spirit. Death is that separation of that invisible part of us from the body.

As we contemplate this whole makeup of man and his relationship to the physical existence; his relationship to God, it is good to understand some of these things. Whenever the soul and spirit takes flight from this body, we have death.

All through Scripture, even though the preaching I have heard in all of my days, the emphasis is always upon the soul. The saving of the soul and, God is concerned about the soul. But, I have come to the conclusion that God is just as concerned about the body. You see, God is dealing with us not just in terms of the soul and the spirit but the WHOLE man. I beg people to find any place in this Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, where man has anything whatsoever of any worth in this life or in the life to come, separated from a body.

Because once we get into the eternal state, after the great resurrection day, what are we going to have? New bodies! So, God is concerned with the whole man, the body, the soul and the spirit, not just in this life, but even in the life to come.

Physical death is a separation of the body from the soul and spirit and I make the statement, I think that it is very rare and a person has to be in an awful state of pain and misery to really want death. Normally it just isn’t that way.

I have known old people, up in their nineties, who when they are healthy, they would say, Oh, I wish the Lord would come! Or I wish the Lord would take me home. I’m just so tired of sitting here in this rocking chair. But, let that old heart skip a beat and who do they call for? The doctor! Don’t they?

Sure they do. Why? Because even in the best of believers who are ready to go out and meet the Lord, there is still that awesome fear and we don’t want death. That is normal. That’s the way God made us because we don’t want to be separated – body from the soul and spirit. That’s why God has made plans that one day we ARE going to have the body reunited with the soul and the spirit.

Then there is another death that is probably more important. Spiritual death. Spiritual death is a separation. But not a separation from body and soul, but rather a separation from God. The Bible refers to that as the Second Death. That separation from God for all eternity.

In our class at Tahlequah some weeks ago, someone asked a question, if I would cover the difference between Hell and the Lake of Fire. A lot of people don’t know that there is a difference. But, we spent our whole two hour class showing from the Scripture, all the way through, how that, yes, Hell will one day end up in the Lake of Fire, but they are two distinct differences.

We all shrink from either one of these thoughts of death. A thinking individual, (now of course Satan has kept most people from that place,) but a thinking individual will naturally have that same kind of apprehension of a spiritual separation from God as we have a physical separation of body and soul. At least we should have.

It is going to be awful to be separated from God for all eternity. That’s what Hell is really going to be. It’s that separation from God, let alone all the other ramifications. But, death, sin; it all had it’s beginning the moment Adam ate in direct violence and disobedience to that revealed Word of God.

Drop down to verse 14 still in Romans 5.

Romans 5:14

“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure (or the type) of him that was to come.”

Sometime we are going to show the relationship, as Paul shows it here, that as Adam the Federal head of the human race, as Adam sinned and caused death to come upon the human race; so also, the second Adam, or the last Adam or Christ, that is what He is referred to in the New Testament. Christ is referred to as the second Adam. Christ by virtue of death was able to impart LIFE.

So even though we may look at the whole complex picture and we may say God wasn’t really fair by causing the whole human race to come under the condemnation of sin when it all was because of one man. But, the whole Sovereign act of God is that just as sure as Adam brought death and the separation from God upon the whole human race, Christ came back and restored all of that.

But, it is based on choice. It isn’t automatic. That’s universalism and we have to reject that. As man is now given full opportunity to choose, he can have salvation. It is free for the asking. Remember how many times I have said, people will say, “It’s just too simple.” And yet if it were one bit more difficult, what would they say? “It’s too hard, I can’t do that.” It is so simple and God has done that because we are all sons of Adam. So never lose sight of that.

Let’s look at one more New Testament verse. Turn over a few more pages to Ephesians. Come through the Corinthians, Galatians to Ephesians chapter 2. I usually pick out verses that are the most clearly stated. Where there is just no doubt about what God is trying to tell us in His Word. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1, where again Paul is writing to the believers. Paul always writes to believers. But he is writing to the believers at Ephesus and the surrounding Churches. And he said:

Ephesians 2:1

“And you hath he quickened, (or made alive) who were (in the past tense. What’s the next word?) dead in trespasses and sins;”

What does that mean? They were without Spiritual life. Then he goes on in verse 2.

Ephesians 2:2

“Wherein in time past ye walked (he wasn’t talking about physical death, he was talking about spiritual death, because these people are still living. So the people of verse 1 who have been made alive, who were dead, still they were walking in the flesh) according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience;”

Who are they? The children of Adam, who have disobeyed by virtue of Adam’s disobedience. Now verse 3:

Ephesians 2:3a

“Among whom also we all had our conversation (or our manner of living) in times past (here it comes again) in the lusts (desires) of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature…”

`

Naturally. You know what that means? I don’t care how sweet those little two year olds are, how quick will they sin? As one fellow I read one time last winter, he put it this way. “Just as soon as they can.” And, isn’t that true? Why do they do it? Oh, because they are children of Adam.

This is what Paul means. That we are practitioners of the things of this world. We are desiring the lusts and the pleasures of life because it comes naturally. I always have to be reminded of that popular song of generations gone by. What was it? “Doing What Comes Naturally.” Isn’t that what the human race does? They give in to their natural inclinations and they are simply doing that which comes naturally. This is exactly what Paul says here. That we were by nature – naturally:

Ephesians 2:3b

“… the children of (what?) wrath, even as others.”

We will point that out a little more clearly later. But, let’s go back to Genesis, for just a moment. Back to chapter 3 verse 7. Adam has eaten and immediately everything takes place. First and foremost, we have the proof of it in:

Genesis 3:7a

“And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked;…”

Now we have to compare. Let’s think again about chapter 2 and verse 25, so that you pick up this tremendous change that had just taken place.

There is a lot of speculation as to what that was. Some have imagined that they had some kind of an ethereal euphoria around them before sin came and that disappeared and suddenly they could see their fleshly nakedness. But whatever it was, it really doesn’t matter, what we have to understand is that in chapter 2 verse 25 they were naked.

Remember it was a warm tropical climate, they didn’t need it for warmth. They were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed. In other words, it never bothered them. They could even walk that way in the presence of God in the cool of the day with no problem. But, now as soon as they had eaten, and they had been disobedient, what does that nakedness do? Oh, it drives them with some kind of guilt and the first thing they want to do is cover it. Let’s read on.

Genesis 3:7b

“…and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

The first thing I like to ask my classes is: Does God tell them to do this? No! So, the Scripture doesn’t say that Satan suggested it, but I wouldn’t be too surprise that maybe that’s what happened. I’m not saying it did, but something prompted them to want to cover their physical nakedness. So, they took the largest leaves that they could find and they sewed the leaves together and made themselves aprons.

Now remember, God had nothing to do with this. This is what we call the “energy of the flesh”. This is man doing what HE can do. Let’s look at Proverbs, chapter 14 verse 12.

It wouldn’t hurt to memorize this verse and lock it into “your computer” because this verse is so appropriate under so many circumstances. In fact, I will use it again when we get to chapter 4, when Cain comes along with his sacrifice. But, Proverbs chapter 14 verse 12, it is just a simple statement.

Proverbs 14:12

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof (that is, of the ways that man thinks are right) are the ways of death.”

They will never cut it. The one word I put on all of this is rationalization. We all like to rationalize, don’t we? I don’t care what kind of a difficult situation we are faced with, the first thing we start doing is rationalizing. How can I get around this? How can I circumvent it?

Alright, Adam and Eve were confronted with the fact the Lord, Himself, is going to come down and want to walk with them in the cool of the day. Now they have to start rationalizing. How are they going to get around this? They now realize their nakedness. So, maybe they say, if we cover our nakedness with fig leaves, if we fix ourselves some covering, God won’t really notice and we can get away with it. See? Now, that is man’s thinking even today!

When we get to chapter 4 we are going to look at Cain. Cain is going to say, “But God, I know you don’t really expect me to go over the mountain and barter with my brother Abel. Surely you will accept what I am going to put together.”

So he rationalizes. And, he thinks he can get away with it. He does which seemeth right to a man. People are doing it today. All you have to do is just ask people that you come in contact with. This is not original with me, I think it was either with Campus Crusade or one of the Youth working groups, Navigators or somebody. But instead of just asking somebody; Are you a Christian? You ask the question in this way. If you were to die tonight or tomorrow, on what basis do you think God would let you into His heaven? That is the perfect way of putting it. On what basis do you think God should let you into His heaven? My, you will start getting as many different answers as you have people to ask.

Some will say, Well I am doing the best I can. I’m keeping the Commandments. I’ve joined the church. I am a good member. I give. I’ve been baptized in water. I’m a good parent. I’m a good citizen.” See, these are all things that seemeth right unto a man. But what is the end thereof? Death.

We often think of some of the other major religions of the world and we have had some good discussions on these in our other classes. Like I said, when you have two hours we have time for those. My, we have discussed more than once. How about a good Mohammedan? In many cases they are better than some of us, morally, and all of these things. They’re religious. They practice their prayer times and everything else. They read their Koran. Are they going to make it? No. They are doing what seems right to men. But, in the eyes of a Holy God, they are far short.

Not only them, but you take all of the religions of the world, whatever it may be. I always like to make a good definition of religion. Believe it or not, the Bible never speaks of religion in a good way. There is only one place and even then it is not a strong point. Usually religion is used in a bad sense. For example, when Paul in Galatians speaks of having practiced the Jewish religion more strongly than any of his peers, how was he speaking of it? That’s all it was – it was religion. He knew nothing of a relationship with God at that time.

So, I like to look at it this way. Religion, regardless of whether it is the one we already mentioned or whether its Buddhism, or Hinduism or anything else, is man’s attempt to some how reach and merit favor with God. That’s religion.

Just like Proverbs says. Man says, well, if I do this then certainly God will be pleased. That’s what Adam and Eve thought when they sewed the fig leaves. It was an act of religion. “Surely if we cover our nakedness God will accept us.”

But you see, what we call true Christianity, I mean TRUE Christianity, a real salvation experience, is just exactly the opposite. It is God reaching down to unworthy sinful man. See the difference?

All the religions of the world are going to attempt to somehow merit favor with God. And they may be well taken, they may be good as far as they go, but, they can never merit favor with God. They have to look at it from this point of view. It’s what God has done for man. When we see that, we have the battle won.

If you will, come back to Genesis once a again. So they sewed themselves fig leaves and covered their physical nakedness. But, what area have they still not dealt with? The spiritual.They have now tried to deal with the physical, but there is no way they can restore that fellowship with the Creator. That’s broken. Sin has broken it.

Genesis 3:8

“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife (did what? Hid!) hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.”

They thought they were covered. But you see when the chips are down, what do they suddenly realize? Those apron leaves aren’t going to cut it. They are in no shape to meet God. So, what do they do? They run and they hide.

Run back to John’s gospel chapter 3, to show that the human race hasn’t changed one iota. Remembering what we just read. Even though they think that they have covered their bases, they have sewn their fig leaves, and yet when they are confronted with the Holy Creator God, they run and hide. John’s gospel chapter 3. Jesus is speaking. If you have a red letter edition, it will be in red.

John 3:19

“And this is the condemnation that light is come into the world, (of course, he was speaking of Himself) and men loved (what?) darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (Now remember what Adam and Eve did. They went and hid) 20. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, (what’s the opposite of coming to the light? They go to their darkness. See? That is still the same way today. Men will not come out of the darkness seeking the light, but they will always run and hide.) lest his deeds should be reproved.”

Now, I have one final thought and it’s time to quit. No sinner ever goes looking for God. God looks for the sinner.

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 3* PART 3 * BOOK 1

The Lie!

Genesis 2:8 – 3:8

We trust that you take your Bible and search these Scriptures with us so that we can compare Scripture with Scripture, because what I say doesn’t amount to anything. It counts for nothing. But, the only thing that counts is – what does God’s Word say? What does it REALLY say! And just as important what it does NOT say. I have found so many times where people THINK it says something that it does not say.

Alright, let’s go back to where we had to leave off last time in I John chapter 2. If you remember, we were looking at the set of circumstances that Eve had to face. I think all the Bible makes it so clear that every one of us, none of us escape it, are faced with these same set of circumstances in the area of temptation. It began in the Garden and as I am going to show you in just a few moments, the Lord Jesus, himself in His earthly ministry also faced them. He knows exactly what we are up against because He faced it Himself.

I John 2:16a

“For all that is in the world, the lust (or the desire) of the flesh,…”

That can be any of our appetites. And any one of them can get the best of us. In Eve’s case, she saw that it was good for food. We are going to see that it was the same case with the Lord Jesus. But it can be any kind of a fleshly desire that overwhelms us and we have to be aware of those, because they will trip us every time.

I John 2:16b

“…and the lust of the eyes,…”

In other words, that which looks so alluring, remember the old cliché is “all that glitters is not gold”. So you have to be aware of that. Then John goes on to say that the other great area of temptation is:

I John 2:16c

“…and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Now you see, pride is one of the biggest things that befalls the human race. Pride is probably the one thing that keeps more people from salvation than anything else. People are too proud to admit that they need anything that God has to give them. I can make it on my own. To submit to a Sovereign God and to admit that He is what I need. No thanks, is what most of the world says.

So look at them again. It’s the lust of the flesh. The lust of the eye and the pride of life. I said the Lord Jesus faced those same set of three circumstances. Go back to Matthew chapter 4. These are normally referred to as “the temptations, ” and let’s just drop down to verse 1.

Matthew 4:1-2

“Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (or tested) of the devil (or Satan). 2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward(what? Hungry!) an hungered,”

Now I had to point out to someone just yesterday that you always have to remember, and again we take these things by faith, that Jesus on the one hand was totally human, He was totally man, but, on the other hand He was totally God. So from His human side He was hungry. Absolutely, He was hungry. He had been fasting for forty days and forty nights.

Like I said in the last lesson, Satan knows just exactly where we are weak and our blind side and that’s where he will always hit us. He, Satan, knows that Jesus has been fasting and he knows that Jesus is hungry. So what’s the temptation? Here it comes in verse 3.

Matthew 4:3

“And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, (here again, he’s trying to even plant doubt in the mind of the Lord Jesus. Are you what you say you are? IF, If thou be) command that these stones be made bread.”

What is he saying? Well, IF you are all that you say you are and you are hungry, all you have to do is speak the Word and you have bread! But you see, the whole idea was, had Jesus given in to Satan, He would have lost everything that He to accomplish for our salvation. So, He answered:

Matthew 4:4

“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

What’s the lesson? There is only one way that we can defeat Satan and that is with the Word of God! This is why I am constantly encouraging people to be saturated with Word. Every day. Because how many of us can go a whole 24 hour day with nothing physically to eat? My, we get famished. Don’t we?

And yet, how many believers go week in and week out and never feed on the Word of God. Listen, we have to feed on it every day! And I know we are all in busy schedules. I don’t think anyone has one any busier than mine, but we still have to find the time and take the time to feed on the Word. Alright, we cannot live by material, physical things alone. We have to have that which is Spiritual.

Now, Satan isn’t satisfied. But you remember, he has to hit Christ in all three categories, so he comes right back in verse 5:

Matthew 4:5

“Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,”

At the very highest point there in the city of Jerusalem. Verse 6.

Matthew 4:6

“And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, (See again that taunt? IF you’re who you say you are.) cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

It’s a little harder to see this one. It isn’t quite as obvious as when He was hungry and He could make the stones bread. But, remember, we are looking at the area of temptation of the desire of the eye.

The best way I can illustrate this is, and I am sure you’ve seen pictures of it. I know I have in newspapers. You probably have experienced it if you are walking down the sidewalk of a city and the busy crowd. If all of a sudden someone stops and starts looking up, what does everyone automatically do? They stop and they start looking up. The eyes are being focused.

Satan knows this. So what he’s really telling Jesus is, if you want every eye on you, just cast yourself down from this high point in Jerusalem and let the crowds see if the angels are really going to come and help you escape and bear you up. What a spectacle that would be! You see the temptation? But, oh you see, Jesus refused even that one and His answer was – verse 7:

Matthew 4:7

“Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

He again quotes the Scripture. Satan still doesn’t give up.

Matthew 4:8a

“Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world,…”

Remember, this is the time of the Roman Empire. How far did the Roman Empire reach? From the British Isles to the Ganges River of India and everything in between. Now he is saying, “Look out over all these kingdoms. Everything that you can see and think of so far as material kingdoms are concerned, of this world, fall down and worship me and I will give them to you.”

Now there is so much I want to point out in that particular thing. Number 1: When the Scripture teaches us that Satan is the god of this world. Doesn’t this prove it? He’s got the world in his lap tonight. He IS the god of this world. He IS the one that is in control, under God of course! But he is the god of this world.

And the kingdoms were his to give! Don’t think for a minute that they weren’t. But, I often have to think, Satan just didn’t know, I don’t think, he just didn’t know that the day was coming and is still coming, it’s getting close, when, indeed, all the kingdoms of the world are going to be Christ’s. They are going to be His. He is going to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords! And He is not going to get them by virtue of kowtowing to Satan. Rather, by defeating him!

When He will return with the clouds of glory and by the rod, the Word of His mouth, He will destroy all the kingdoms of this world and set up His own kingdom! Well, all of this leads to what? The pride of life. Oh, the temptation was, “You can have it ALL, if you will just fall down and worship me.”

Matthew 4:9

“And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.”

Again verse 10:

Matthew 4:10

“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

He quoted Scripture. And, as I said a moment ago, that’s the lesson for us. When Satan attacks, we go to the Book. We go to the Word of God for our strength!

Now let’s go back to Genesis, where we left off with Eve having just eaten. And, as I mentioned, the punctuation mark after the word “eat” in verse 6 – she took of the fruit thereof and did eat. In the Hebrew the punctuation denotes a long pause. That gives time for Adam to come on the scene.

She has already eaten, as I pointed out in the last lesson, she must have been alone when Satan approached her, and caught her in that moment of weakness. She desired to have something more than she already had. Now here comes Adam, and what did he see? He saw that Eve has eaten of that forbidden tree and I think it must have just given him a momentary shock. It had to have! Let’s read on.

Genesis 3:6b

“…and gave also unto her husband with her; and (what does he do?) he did eat.”

Again turn with me to I Timothy. Like I told you when we first started this several weeks ago, we would try to use the New Testament along with the Old, just a much as we possibly can. Because, the old saying is “Whatever is in the Old Testament concealed is in the New Testament revealed.”

Remember this is Paul writing to Timothy. This is certainly an area where we don’t have to feel that this is in an age far removed. This is for us! This, in so many words, is written to us because Timothy was a believer like unto ourselves. So to Timothy in verse 13 of chapter 2, Paul writes:

I Timothy 2:13-14a

“For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14. And Adam was not deceived,…”

A lot of people don’t know that verse is in the Bible. But Adam was NOT deceived. Do you know what that means? Eve was caught in a moment of weakness. And before she knew what she had done, she had eaten. It just happened so fast. But here comes along old Adam, and he has time to stop and think. I think in that moment of shock, he backs off and he contemplates the whole situation. What has my beautiful creature wife done? And she presents the fruit to him. But the New Testament says, he was not deceived. So I think common sense tells us that since he knew the ramifications of eating of this forbidden tree, since he knew it had already happened to his lovely wife, he had to do some fast and serious thinking. He had to debate, am I going to join her? Am I going to lose fellowship with my Creator and stay with her? Or, am I going to join her in eating and lose fellowship with my Creator? I call that the typical being between a rock and a hard place!

I think Adam was there with a deliberation and a decision that would just bowl over any one of us. Because, he was not deceived. A good picture of that very same setting under Israeli law is back in Exodus chapter 21.

All this is tied together Scripturally, so we can get a full picture of all that happened. We don’t have to imagine these things. But, we can compare Scripture with Scripture and get a pretty good picture.

Exodus chapter 21, this is just after the law was given in chapter 20. We have a set of rules and regulations not concerned with the Ten Commandments, per se, but was part of the civil law. In other words, how to get along with their neighbor. And, how was an employee to get along with his boss, and so forth. Now, this is part of the law but it was not a part of the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 21:1

“Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.”

God is speaking to Moses and this is what he is supposed to pass on to the children of Israel. Verse 2:

Exodus 21:2

“If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.”

In other words, he had paid out his servitude. Verse 3:

Exodus 21:3

“If he came in by himself, (as a single man) he shall go out by himself: (alone) if he were married, (that is, when he came into servitude. He brought his wife with him.) then his wife shall go out with him.”

Exodus 21:4a

“If his master have given him a wife, (He came into servitude single, but in that period of time, that six years, he got married.) and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s,…”

This is hard for us to comprehend because we are not accustomed to servitude. But, Israel’s servitude was certainly not like the awful slavery of our bygone days. Israel’s servitude was certainly under the auspices of the law and everything was treated equably. But, yet we look at this and we say. What is equable about this? Always remember, Paul writes in Romans 15 all these things happened unto them, that is the Old Testament people, for our learning.

Now this particular circumstance, I think, God instituted because it fits so beautifully with Adam and Christ. We will tie this all together, hopefully in the next few moments. So he says,if a master has given him a wife and she has born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s.

Exodus 21:4b-5

“… and he shall go out by himself. 5. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free;”

Stop there a minute. What has this young man had to do? He has been forced with a decision, hasn’t he? If he wants his own freedom, he has to leave his wife and kids behind. If he loves his wife and kids, what will he give up on their behalf? His freedom and he will remain a servant. Got the picture?

Now verse 6. If after verse 5 where he says I will not go out because I love my wife. I love my children:

Exodus 21:6

“Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; (that is the civil authorities) he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore (pierce) his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him (not for six years, but for how long? The rest of his life.) for ever.”

That was the choice the young man had. He could take off, and take his own personal freedom and be separated from his wife and children or he could agree to be a servant or a slave the rest of his life because of his love for his wife and children.

Now do you see on what basis he had to make his decision. Alright, now I said I will tie this in with Christ as well. Turn back to the New Testament in Philippians Remember that we said that God extended His love to the human race with the idea that He expected love in return. Now we are seeing this in the attitude of this servant toward his family. He is showing his love for them by actually giving up the rest of his life’s freedom and agreeing to be a servant because of that love.

Alright, we think that is awful, when we think in terms of a human being actually agreeing to be a slave for the rest of his life because he loves his family. But, listen, the Lord Jesus did far more. Paul writes.

Philippians 2:5

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”

Remember, several weeks ago, I showed you that when we were made in the image of God we were given a mind, and that every person of the Godhead had a mind. Now here is the mind ascribed to God the Son. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:

Philippians 2:6

“Who, (speaking of Jesus) being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God:”

That sounds like a little double talk to us but if you have a margin in your Bible or a footnote, I think it will explain that all this says is that He was God, He is God and there is no doubt about it. Verse 7. Even though He was God. Even though He was the Omnipotent, Omniscient, Creator, yet:

Philippians 2:7a

“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him (self) the form of a (what?) servant,…”

Just exactly like this young Jewish man back there in Exodus. He agrees to be nothing more than a servant. For what reason? For the sake of you and I. See? So he took upon himself the form of a servant:

Philippians 2:7b

“…and was made in the likeness of men:”

It doesn’t say he was made LIKE men. He was made in the LIKENESS of men and there was a big difference. Then verse 8:

Philippians 2:8

“And being found in fashion as a man, (condescending to become a man. The very Creator God Himself. Lowering Himself, as the Scripture says in another place, a little lower than the angels. So) he humbled himself, and became obedient (not just 40 or 60 years of servitude but obedient unto what?) unto death, even the death (not just an ordinary death. Not just a quick death by execution. But His was a death that was the most awful that was ever contrived, I think, in the human race. The death) of the cross.”

Crucifixion is just beyond us. You and I in this 20^th century just can’t imagine what crucifixion was like. And yet, it was that death that Jesus was willing to suffer and go through for only one reason. Because He loved us. And that was the choice that He was given.

I always like to point out. Did He have to? No, He didn’t have to! God didn’t have to redeem us. He could have just let us go, or He could have just simply removed the human race from the earth’s experience and forgot about it.

But, oh, He did it because He loved us. Now let’s go back to Genesis chapter 3 where we find that Adam, even though he loved his Creator. I’m sure he enjoyed those moments of fellowship in the cool of every day. But, oh, whom did he really love? This beautiful help meet that God had given him!

Remember, she was a prefect woman, even as he as a perfect man. And, he had been with her long enough that he wasn’t about to lose her. So what I think, more than his open rebellion against God, I don’t think Adam became viciously adamant. I don’t think Adam all of a sudden had an awful countenance that we find in Cain a little later. But, I think it was just a set of circumstances where Adam was brought to a place of choosing.

And, in this case, he had to choose between this beautiful creature, this wife that God had given him, who had already sealed her condition. And, rather than lose her and remain obedient, he knowingly, of his own free will and choice, chose to stay with Eve. So what did he do? He ate!

Nevertheless, it was in absolute violence of the Word of God. So, here is the beginning then, of the whole human dilemma. In our next lesson, we will show as soon as Adam ate, immediately, the process of death began in his physical being. The whole working of cells beginning to die faster than they are produced in the body began. For Adam, of course, it took 930 years, but nevertheless, after 930 years what happened? He died.

He wouldn’t have had to, but the moment he ate, Romans tell us that sin and death came on the human race, the moment Adam ate. On top of that, he immediately lost fellowship with his Creator. That wasn’t something that happened later, that was immediate. At the same moment, his soul; that mind, will and emotion part of him, that personality part of Adam, immediately became a sin nature. It immediately took on a sinful rebellious attitude against God. Oh, if we can just get the comprehension of this, that we are not sinners because of what we do.

I have such a hard time convincing a lot of people that, “Look you are not a sinner because you have “done this or done that” or because of what you haven’t done. We are sinners because we are children of Adam.” See? That’s why I pointed out to be the best of my ability, a few lessons ago, that we were all IN Adam and it’s by virtue of Adam’s sin that you and I are born sinners.

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 3* PART 2 *BOOK 1

The Lie!

Genesis 2:8 – 3:8

In this lesson, we will go back to Genesis chapter 2. But before we do I should review just a little bit. Remember, that on the sixth day of creation, God created Adam. He created him out of the dust of the earth. He made him in God’s own image and we, hopefully, got across that that was in the area of our invisible makeup, in our personality, which is made up of our mind, our will and our emotion and God placed that then within a body.

Always remember that Adam was perfect, and I want to emphasize that. Adam was perfect in every way! He was sinless. He was immortal. He could have lived forever. And God had created a perfect environment in which he could live. An ideal climate. No heat. No cold. All of archaeological proof shows that at one time this world did have a constant climate from pole to pole. That was the situation into which Adam was brought.

It was to have been a beautiful earth. Far more land area than what we have on the earth tonight. I was shocked, and I should have known it, but do you realize that our present planet is just about 80% water. Something between 75% and 80% of our surface is water. That only leaves about 22%-23% that is land area.

Now of that 22%-23% that is land area, how much is habitable? Again, less than half. You take the vast areas of the Sahara – uninhabitable. Even in our own western United States, many parts of the Rocky Mountain areas, practically uninhabitable. And vast areas of Siberia and all around the planet we have unimaginable square miles of planet that is uninhabitable. So it really boils down to a small percentage of the surface of our planet is fit for human livelihood.

But, before the Flood and at the time of Adam, it was practically the opposite. There was abundant vegetation. There was room for an abundant explosion of not only the human race but the animal kingdom as well. And that gives rise to the tremendous fossil beds that we have been able to find as a result of the flood, but we will come to that later. Adam is brought into a beautiful created earth.

Now then, even though, as we pointed out earlier, he was given dominion over everything on the earth. From pole to pole. From east to west. Nevertheless, God, I think, set up a special little place which we call the Garden of Eden.

It naturally, as most of you realize, was there in the Middle East. In the cradle of civilization. In that area of the Euphrates River. Now let’s pick that up then, in chapter 2 verse 8.

Genesis 2:8

“And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.”

You know, I thought of something the other day that I had never thought of before, as long as I have been teaching. And, I wonder how many of you have? Where do you suppose he actually lived with his beautiful wife? Have you ever thought of that?

Did God give them a home? Did they just lay down in some vegetation and sleep? Did they just totally eat off the trees and fruits or did they have a place where they could prepare a meal? Have you ever thought about it? I never had, but I think it is something interesting to think about. Where did they actually live?

I think most of us always just think of Adam and Eve in that beautiful garden and that was it. Well, the Bible doesn’t tell us and there are a lot of things that the Bible can’t tell us because if it told us everything we would like to know, we would have to have a truck to carry it around. But, God has seen fit to make it concise enough that we have everything we need to know and yet, in a book small enough that we can carry wherever we go.

So, God placed him in the Garden. Then verse 9.

Genesis 2:9

“And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, (Can you imagine how beautiful that place was?) and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

How many particular trees? Two. We have here the Tree of Life and someplace just a little ways away from it, I think, was the Tree of Good and Evil.

It is interesting to note, that after Adam sinned, that the Tree of Life disappears from the Scriptural account until you get to the last Book, the Book of Revelation. You remember, in our very first lesson, we pointed out that so much of what is introduced in Genesis always comes back again in Revelation.

Well, the Tree of Life is one of them. It will disappear from view after Adam and Eve leave the Garden and we won’t see it again, it won’t be mentioned again, until we get to the last chapter of the last Book of our Bible.

So, these two trees we want to take note of. The Tree of Life which, had Adam been able to partake of, he would have definitely been able to live forever. That was the idea of that tree. It would enhance eternal life. That is why it comes back on the scene then, in the last part of our Bible, in Revelation in the new heaven and the new earth. There it will definitely enhance eternity. It won’t be as it says in our English “a healing”, but it will be therapeutic. It will enhance eternal life.

Set apart from the Tree of Life, is the tree that’s the most interesting, and the one that we better learn the most of. That is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Verse 10.

Genesis 2:10a

“And a river went out of Eden to water the garden;…”

Now I have to stop a minute! Remember I made special note a lesson or two ago that with that beautiful climate, it never rained. Of course, the Bible says in verse 5 of chapter 2 that God had caused it not to rain. But, He watered it from a mist that came from beneath.

I have had someone interrupt me as we come to verse 10 and say “wait a minute Les. If there was no rain, then naturally it didn’t snow, then where did the river get the water?” Because that’s the way we are now acquainted with it. The water goes to the ocean and evaporates and comes back up over land and it rains or snows and it feeds the rivers and so it goes year in and year out.

Have you ever seen a river come from the base of a mountain? Sure you have. I know Iris and I, years ago, stopped at the foot of a mountain in the Rocky Mountains for coffee one morning. We looked behind us and sure enough right out of the base of the mountain came this little stream of water. Thirty of forty miles down the road it was a river.

So I have no problem with saying on the one hand it never rained and on the other hand I can show you that there were rivers. Let’s go on!

Genesis 2:10b

“… and from thence it was parted and became into four heads.”

We don’t have to be too concerned about the names of these rivers.

Genesis 2:11-13

“The name of the first is Pison; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12. And the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13. And the name of the second river is Gihon; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia,“

Now that gets kind of confusing, because Ethiopia, as we understand it, is clear down in Africa. But, I think that it maybe kind of settles the confusion, that before the flood the whole land mass was practically in one chunk. There was no great separation of the Continents. So this just gives us a great area of the Middle East that was involved in what we call the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 2:14

“And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.”

The fourth one is the river Euphrates, which we are acquainted with. If fact, it is in the news everyday. Because the Euphrates River goes right through Baghdad. The Euphrates River was the one on which the Tower of Babel was built. So it has been an important river scripturally, from day one. Now verse 15.

Genesis 2:15

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”

Remember, there were no weeds, no thorns or thistles and so it was a relatively mild occupation to keep that garden. Then verse 16.

Genesis 2:16

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:”

Everything there was for him to enjoy. Notice verse 17 begins with the word “But” This is one of those important three letter words in Scripture. Even though God could let him have everything he desired of any tree or any vine or any herb or anything that grew. But:

 

Genesis 2:17

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

Now the first question that comes into the average individual’s mind is, if God had everything so perfect and he has created a man that is perfect and could live forever; why in the world He put something in front of him that would make it possible for him to lose it all? It is a good question.

A few lessons ago I think I answered it, whether you realize it or not. Remember, I said that God and His creation of mankind had direct parallel with the husband and wife relationship. Do you remember that?

The whole idea of everything in God’s universe is that God wanted a creature that He could extend His love to and receive love in return. I pointed out in the husband and wife relationship, God expects and commands the husband to love the wife. Because how did God create the woman? To respond to that love.

Alright, in order for man to be put in a place of exercising that will, and to show that he really and truly loves the God that created him, God had to give him an alternative, and He did. Otherwise, he would have been a robot and God didn’t create men to be robots. He created us with that choice. That power of will. Or that will of the power of choice, would probably say it better.

He had to make something that would put man in the place of choosing. So God chose the Tree of Good and Evil for that purpose. He says to Adam, “Everything is yours to enjoy. You can live forever, but of that one tree you shall not eat for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” God made it emphatic.

Now, I have often wondered, just how much understanding Adam and Eve had of that word “die”. I don’t think that they had every really pictured anything having died. But, nevertheless, God made it so emphatic that they were not to eat of it or the consequences would be dire indeed. Keep that in mind because that is what we will be looking at when we get into chapter three.

We have already covered these other verses in previous lessons. How that Adam gave names to all the creatures. How in verse 21-25 God brings the man and woman together. I think we taught that in depth a few lessons ago, so now lets go down to chapter 3.

Get the picture now. Adam and Eve are living in the beautiful, beautiful part of a beautiful earth. In an ideal climate. Ideal environment. Ideal people. The ideal couple. What more could they hope for?

Well, the whole lesson here is that even though the sociologists idealistically think that if they could just set up every home with a decent income, a decent home, a decent environment, we would settle all of our social problems. It just doesn’t work that way.

This is the perfect proof of the pudding. Adam and Eve are under perfect circumstances. They couldn’t ask for anything better. Were they content? No. Let’s read on chapter 3 verse 1. I accidentally went into these first couple of verse few lessons ago but let’s look at it again.

Genesis 3:1

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. 2. And he (the serpent, used now of Satan – Lucifer) said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

Remember, I said if you were to look up in the dictionary the definitions for the word subtle? There is a list of words probably 10 to 14 of them, all describing this creature by the wordsubtle.

He was deceptive. He was sly. He was intelligent. It was all these things that Satan could use to his advantage. Satan always uses the best that he can get his hands on, and I think that was the case here. Of all the creatures that were contemporary with Adam, the serpent filled the bill more than anything else.

Indeed it was beautiful with all of its color. I said previously, I think it walked upright on two legs. In zoology many times you will still study the place where appendages were upon a reptile. I think also, and I am going to stretch the point maybe to a place where you can’t possible swallow it, but I think the serpent was capable of speaking. The reason I think so, is that Eve was not the least bit shocked when it did. She just turned right around and communicated with it.

So anyway the serpent now approaches the woman and he says “hath God said.” Now you see one of the primary approaches of Satan even today is to plant doubt. Doubt, oh it is an awful word, because you see, doubt stands in bold relief against the other main word in Scripture, and that is what? Belief! See? Belief. But, opposite is doubt and this is Satan’s big gun.

As soon as he can get a human being to doubt the Word of God, to disbelieve it, you know where he has that person? Right in his hip pocket. And on the other hand God comes back and all He asks is that we what? Don’t doubt. Believe it!

This is the whole problem with even a lot of our ecclesiastical leaders tonight. How do they approach the Word of God? Believing? NO! They approach it with doubt. They just can’t believe it happened the way God’s Word said it did.

But, God is so pleased when we believe. Remember the verse in the Book of Hebrews chapter 6? “that without faith it is (what?) impossible to please God.” It is the only way of approach to God. So when people say, “Well I can’t really believe this”, then they have no fellowship with God, they can’t have. Now verse 2.

Genesis 3:2-3

“And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst (or the middle) of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

The point made here is, did Eve fully understand what God said? Sure she did. You can’t blame God for keeping these two people unaware. They had a full understanding of what God expected of them.

Again, let’s bring it down to terminology, as long as they avoided that tree like a plague, what were they doing? They were believing. Yes, God said that we are not to touch it! But you see that this is the first thing that Satan blows away and he makes them doubt. So it wasn’t that they were ignorant of the fact. It wasn’t that God wasn’t fair with them by not explaining. They knew full well. Now verse 4.

Genesis 3:4

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:”

You know what I call that? That’s the first lie in the human experience. This is an out an out lie. Because what had God said? The day you eat thereof you shall surely die! But, Satan comes back. See why Jesus called him, what? The father of all lies. And he is still a master of it tonight. He is the perpetrator of what I call “The lie”. It will carry all the way through Scripture. “The lie.” And what is the lie? Verse 5.

Genesis 3:5

“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

Do you see what that is saying? That is the lie that is still being thrown at the human race tonight! And people are gobbling it up by the thousands. Yea, by the millions! Because how many groups, how many of the cults, say “That you will one day become god.”.

Listen, that is “The lie.” Because this is what got Eve to partake of the tree, even though she had everything! There was nothing more she could have desired in this material world. She had it all. But what thing was left. Oh, she could be like God.

I think everyone of us can remember back to when we were little. You would watch a bird fly. What automatically crossed your mind? Oh, how you wished you could fly! But you see, within the human makeup there is also that desire that if only they could have complete control of everything! If only they could be their own god. That appeals to the human mind. To be like god. To have control.

Isn’t that what the cults teach? You can be whatever you want to be. You can have whatever you want to have. Just think it within your heart and if you think it and you dwell on it long enough and you motivate yourself hard enough, you can literally become your own god. Hey, that is “The lie!”

Now, Satan presents it as you can be as god, knowing good and (what) evil. Up until now, they knew no evil. See? They knew nothing of sin. They knew nothing of death. They knew none of that. But now, Satan is making it look as if that is something to be desired.

Again bring it into our own contemporary situation. What can Satan do with the things of this world that do nothing but destroy it? Oh, he can glamorize it. He can make it look as though if you are not doing “that” you are not living. Isn’t that true? And, it will do nothing but just tear people down.

But this is all part of “The lie”, and it began right back here in the Garden of Eden. Now verse 6.

Genesis 3:6

“And when the woman saw (remember, she isn’t called Eve yet, she is only referred to as the woman) that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, (now what’s that contemplating? To be like god, see?) she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

Now, in the original Hebrew manuscripts, I read not too long ago that after the word eat there is a punctuation mark in the Hebrew that denotes a long pause. I was tickled when I read that because almost for the twenty years that I have been teaching, I have explained it as clearly as I know how that when Eve partook of this forbidden tree, that Adam wasn’t right there. She must have been at least temporarily alone, and that moments later Adam comes upon her.

And when I read this that the Hebrew text show a punctuation mark that denotes a time lapse, I said, “Well you know, I’m so glad that I have been right, because it is the only way that it makes sense.” That had Adam been right there at the time that old Satan was dealing with Eve, I think Adam would have done something to keep her from eating of the fruit, but Satan caught Eve alone for a little while and deceived her.

Again, doesn’t Satan always know when to catch us? Oh, listen, everyone of us, I don’t care how mature we are in our Christian faith, we have to be constantly on guard, because when we least expect it, that’s when Satan is going to hit us. And he will hit us from the blind side. He will take us at our weakest moment. We never get past that. It is the only thing that we can come back to the Word and realize that we have to be on guard constantly. So, I think Eve was caught at a moment when she was alone. It was a moment of weakness. And it was a time that she had no support from her other half, because he wasn’t there.

Alright, so she saw that it was pleasant to the eye. A tree to be desired to make one wise and she took thereof and ate. Let’s forget about Adam for a minute and let’s go all the way back to the New Testament. The little letter of I John chapter 2, and all I want you to see here is that we have the very same set of circumstances listed that we are to be warned of, that Eve faced at the forbidden tree.

I John 2:15-16

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,(that doesn’t necessarily mean just sexual, that means any appetite. In Eve’s case it was hunger) and the lust of the eyes, (because how did that fruit look to her? Delicious!) and the pride of life, (what was involved there? Oh, if she ate, she could be like god. She would really be somebody) is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Now in the next lesson, we are going to pick up from these three segments and we are going to show how even the Lord Jesus faced every one of them.

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 3 * PART 1 * BOOK 1

The Lie!

Genesis 2:8 – 3:8

Before we go back to Genesis, a question that keeps coming up in almost every class every week since August (1990) is, “What’s the deal in the Middle East?”

So I think I will make just a few comments on that before we go back to Genesis, if I may. The answer to that question, when I made it last August is still the same today. That is, always remember, that everything prophetically, everything biblically, everything so far as world politics is concerned, is centered on the little nation of Israel.

That’s why in almost every news report, every newspaper and every weekly news magazine, seemingly, Israel is front page news. And that’s as it should be. Because, all prophecy is centered on Israel. Especially the Middle East. So, the only way that we can look at the whole Middle East dilemma is; where does Israel come in? If you have been watching the news, Hussein has been making it clear that he cannot negotiate unless he can settle the Palestinian and the Israeli problem.

Now, what a lot of people do not understand and what a lot of Americans do not understand is that Israel is surrounded by enemies on every side. She is out numbered by about 40 to 1 and every last Arab Nation has within their governmental archives a statement to the effect that, they will not rest until Israel is obliterated.

When you stop to think who all that entails, it starts all across North Africa. It means Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt then you come into the Middle East itself and you have, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq and Iran . Everyone of those nations have already established that they will not rest until Israel is totally destroyed or driven into the sea.

How do you suppose that makes Israel feel? Well, she is threatened and consequently she sits there adamant. She has one of the best armies in the world and one of the best air forces in the world for a reason.

Even the world in general, when you watch the United Nations, whenever they come to any kind of a debate, it’s the whole world against Israel. Except on the occasions where the United States votes with her. So the consensus is very easily arrived at; why stick up for a losing cause? They are out numbered. They don’t stand a chance.

Well, we have to always go back to the Scripture. And let’s just real quickly look at a few primary verses with regard to Israel’s future. Is she there to stay? Or is this just a temporary phenomena that a few people have made a big ado over nothing? Or is this really the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

Now I’ve made comments in my classes over the years, that probably 85-90% of Christendom (when I use the word Christendom, remember, I’m talking about any organization or denomination or whatever you want to call it, that ascribes a least a part of their belief to the Bible.) So, 90% of Christendom, and I am including all of Protestantism, the Catholic Church and any others that are in this ballpark of Christendom, are of the opinion that since Israel killed her Messiah, that God literally put Israel out of His mind and transferred all of the promises given to Israel to “the Church”.

But, you see the Bible flies in the face of that thinking. So if you will, turn with me back to II Samuel chapter 7. The only reason I am taking time to jump ahead is because it is going to be a long time before we get this far in our study coming out of Genesis and since the Middle East is in such a turmoil, I thought it might be appropriate to at least spend a few moments. I am just taking a few of the clearest references to the fact that Israel is not there by accident. Israel is there under the directive of a Sovereign God. Never forget, as I have mentioned already several times since we have begun this study on television, that God is Sovereign.

He can do whatever He wants to do! And, it is not for the human mind to question. Because the Scripture tells us that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways are higher than our ways. Consequently, we are in no position to question. Now II Samuel chapter 7, the Lord is talking to old King David, remember this is about 1000 BC. He’s talking to King David through the prophet Nathan. Drop down to verse 14.

II Samuel 7:14

“I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, (The word He, the pronoun is directly associated with Solomon, but it also includes the whole nation of Israel. Iniquity, we know that Israel has been guilty of that) I will chasten him with the rod of men, (in other words, God will use other nations to punish the nation of Israel) and with the stripes of the children of men:”

Then verse 15. One of the important words in Scripture. That little three letter word “but”! B-u-t. Even though God will have to chasten the nation of Israel betimes, and even though Israel is going to be rebellious and anything but what God would like them to be. “But” God says:

II Samuel 7:15

“But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.”

Then verse 16 shows that we are not just talking about King Solomon per se or King Saul but we are talking about the nation of Israel.

II Samuel 7:16

“And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee; thy throne shall be established for ever.”

Now, that is a promise that God has made and regardless of what Israel does God’s promises to stand. They will never be broken.

Let’s turn to another verse that might help us to understand. I’d like to take you to Jeremiah, because we are seeing this right before our very eyes, even as I speak.

Someone has been kind enough to give me a gift subscription to the Jerusalem Post. And if you really want to know what is going on the in Middle East, that’s the paper you have to read. Last week the Jerusalem Post reported that in the month of November, the past November, more Jewish immigrants came into the land of Israel out of Russia alone than came from all the rest of the world over the last several years.

In our class last night, someone had just read a week or two ago that in one day, 9,000 Jews from Russia came to Israel. Nine thousand in one day! Alright, what are we seeing? Turn to Jeremiah chapter 16.

Here’s another good example of what I mentioned a few weeks ago that when you see two or three times in short order God repeating Himself, it’s just like when we repeat something, – emphasis! You’d better take note. Jeremiah chapter 16 verse 14.

Jeremiah 16:14-15

“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt: 15. But, the LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.”

Now in order to emphasize, who is the land of the north? If you could take a horizontal type map of the globe and find the longitudinal lines in which Jerusalem is located and you can draw a perfectly straight line north to the North Pole and you will practically bisect Red Square! From Jerusalem to Moscow is absolutely due north! So when the Scripture speaks of bringing the Jewish people from out of the north country there is no doubt that it is talking about the land of Russia.

Turn over a few pages to chapter 23 verse 7. Again it is almost identical language.

Jeremiah 23:7-8

“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 8. But, the LORD liveth which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country. And from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.”

Now, that is plain English! Just plain English. We just can’t do anything with it! Now turn to chapter 31.

Jeremiah 31:8

“Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together; a great company shall return thither”

Plain English, isn’t it? And we are seeing it. Right in our own time.

Alright, another portion of Scripture, turn to Ezekiel chapter 37. We won’t take time to take this verse by verse, we will hopefully, do that sometime down the road, but in chapter 37 you have the vision that was given to Ezekiel of the dry bones. The dry bones, from which the old Negro Spiritual derived those dry bones.

As Ezekiel is shown in a vision this whole valley filled with dry bones, and he says behold they were very dry. And all that means is that they have been there for a long time. They are bleached. Now remember this is just a vision, and as he looks out over this valley of dry bones, the LORD says that he should prophecy upon them. Then you drop down to verse 7.

Ezekiel 37:7

“So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.”

I think you know the rest of the text. How he saw all of these various bones, the knee bone and the hip bone and the thigh bone and the shoulder bone. They all came together and they formed that skeleton. But, there was no muscle on them so you come on down to verse 10.

Ezekiel 37:10

“So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.”

Just get the picture of Ezekiel’s vision. He looks out over this valley just covered with bones. Very dry! They have been there for centuries and all of a sudden he sees these bones come together and skeletons appear. Flesh comes upon them. The skin comes upon them and then all of a sudden they are living.

I have heard many a sermon on these first few verses and they can apply it and make all kinds of good sermon material out of it. But, unfortunately, they don’t go on. Because you see the Bible always interprets these things for us. When you go down to verse 11:

Ezekiel 37:11a

“Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel:…”

See? There it is, just as plain as day! These bones that Ezekiel saw in this vision were just simply a picture of the house of Israel.

Ezekiel 37:11b

“…behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.”

What is the indication? Israel has been out there in the Gentile Nations, dispersed, out of her homeland for thousands of years. And it just seemed that there was no hope of them becoming a viable nation once again. But oh, listen, God hasn’t forgotten about the children of Israel. Now read on, verse 12.

Ezekiel 37:12

“Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; (whenever God speaks, we had better listen!) Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, (what were the graves? Their dwelling places in Gentiles nations. Russia, Europe, Poland, France, America. This is where the Jew is literally out of his homeland and he is in a grave so far as God is concerned, because Israel is not what God wants them to be unless they are in their promised land.) and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.”

That is something that you cannot twist. You can’t spiritualize that and say well, “This isn’t what it means.” No, it means what it says! God says, I will bring you to the land of Israel.Verse 13.

Ezekiel 37:13-14

“And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves. 14. And shall put my spirit in you and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.”

Alright, let’s go to a New Testament verse, Matthew chapter 24. Because someone may be prone to say “that’s Old Testament, that’s all done. That doesn’t have anything to do with us today.” Well, just to show that indeed, it does have something to do with us today, you go to Matthew chapter 24 verse 32. And if you have a red letter edition, it is in red. Jesus is doing the speaking. As I have emphasized so often in my teaching, if anyone has any doubt about some of the things in the Old Testament and Jesus comes back and quotes it, then you better rest assured you are on pretty solid ground that it is the Word of God.

Matthew 24:32

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:”

I think you are all aware that the fig tree in Scripture is always symbolic of the nation of Israel, but now look at verse 33.

Matthew 24:33

” So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, (in other words, when you see all these things we are seeing happening in the Middle East. Even as a good Jew was aware that when a fig tree began to sprout its leaves summer was nigh. So, we are to understand that when we see all these things coming to pass, God’s summer is nigh. His return is at hand!)know that it (His return) is near, even at the doors.”

Now this next verse is the one that I wanted to point out in particular. Verse 34.

Mathew 24:34

“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, (or be destroyed or disappear) till all these things be fulfilled.”

Now, the word generation there, comes from the Greek word “genea” from which we get generation but more apt genealogy. So what He is really saying is that this “stock”, this generation, or this breed or this nation of people, Israel, shall never pass off the scene until everything is fulfilled.

What does that tell you? God can never fulfill His overall program until He can come back and deal once again with the nation of Israel. So, whenever you hear a statement that God’s all through with Israel, don’t you believe it!

In fact, I read a comment again the other night by one of the main line denominational leaders, that the present day Jew in Israel has nothing to do with the Jew of Scripture. Oh, I don’t see how they can say something like that, but that is their privilege, of course. But, we know that the Bible is constantly pointing to the time when God will come back and will deal with His people Israel.

So, everything that is happening in the Middle East is centered on the nation of Israel. I am going to probably again, as I have said before, stick my neck out a little. But, I have said since August, that I do not expect an all out shooting war in the Middle East. They may start tomorrow, but I am not expecting it because, if indeed, a war breaks out I’m sure it’s going to be explosive over the whole Middle East. Israel will be drawn in to it and it will be awful.

But, you see that would just completely upset the end times as the Bible depicts it. Because Israel is going to be intact for the great invasion that the Bible talks about and that is when Russia with her satellite nations are still going to have to invade Israel and the Middle East. And, they can’t invade a land that has been completely blown to sunder.

So, I just don’t look for a great conflagration. I don’t look for a great holocaust in the Middle East, unless, and we don’t know, America is capable of moving in swiftly and just simply cleaning up the Iraqi mess by itself. That might be, but I don’t look for that. I think the Middle East is just going to continue to be a simmering boiling pot until these end time events that the Bible tells about will be coming on the scene.

So, watch Israel. That’s the key to not only the Middle East but to the whole world situation, because all of God’s Word rests on what happens to that little nation of Israel.Remember too that, there are three million Jews still in Russia. They are going to have to come back to Israel. There are about six million Jews still in America. They too are going to be going back to Israel.

Again, going back to an article in the Jerusalem Post last summer, a member of their parliament, what they call their Knesset, made the statement, that every time an American Jew comes visiting, he has the chance to show them around. He says I show them the West Bank and I tell them that some day you are going to be living there.

Of course, the Palestinians are of quite the opposite mind. But, remember, the Jews are going to have to come back to Palestine. There is no doubt about it. That little country is only about 40 miles wide and about 180 miles long, and for another eight or nine million Jews to come in, they are going to have to have every square mile they can get. So I don’t see much hope for the Palestinians being able to hang on to what they have in the present land of Israel.

And, I feel for them. Don’t think for a minute, I don’t. But, on the other hand, God is Sovereign and He is going to accomplish His designed program. As I have mentioned in my classes before, I can see a parallel, a beautiful parallel, between the Palestinians tonight and the American Indians in the 1800’s.

When the American Indians saw these thousands upon thousands of covered wagons coming out across the land. What did they know deep down inside? They are pushing us out. We are losing our land. And, we look at it, with mixed emotions. Had it not happened, we would not have the great land that we’ve got. American would have not been an influential power in prophetic happenings.

For example, if it hadn’t been for America, who would have ever stopped Hitler? He would have just literally usurped the globe. But, God had America ready. Alright, now the same way over there. As the Jews come in, I’m sure the Palestinians are gradually going to have to be pushed out. And, bad as that may seem, let’s remember that all the other nations of the Middle East are their brothers. Do they want them? No. They don’t want them, but they are going to have to take them as I see it.

Again, we can’t be dogmatic on these things, but I do know what the Bible says and that God is going to have to bring Israel back. He is going to be dealing with them on His terms even though Israel is there tonight in unbelief. She is no different spiritually than an other secular government on earth. Just because they are God’s covenant people, don’t expect them to be righteous in all of their dealings. They are there in unbelief even though there is a resurgence now in Old Testament religion, if I may use that word.

And there is definitely a push to rebuild their Temple. Again, as I have shared with some of you, since last summer the Jerusalem Post has reported, that they have everything ready for the new Temple. They have the Priesthood trained. They have the clothes all sewn and hanging on mannequins for the Priests to use. They have the red heifer, bred up and raised and they showed a picture of it out in the countryside some place in Israel. The red heifer has to be used as a cleansing and a purifying when their new Temple is built. So you see, everything is coming so fast and Israel is just sitting there. I just kind of picture them like a bunch of red wasps on their cone, and as long as no one “bugs” them, they are going to sit tight. But, oh, if anybody tries to attack them, they are going to be furious. They have to be. Wouldn’t you be if you were out numbered 40 to 1. If you knew that every nation for miles around has it within their decree that they’ll not rest until you are destroyed?

So we have to look at this from both sides, that everything that Israel does is not always in line with what we think is morally right. But, again, they are no different than any other government. They are no different than the Chinese or the Iraqis or anybody else. They are only there to attain their own end. But above it all is the Sovereign God and His Word is going to be fulfilled to the last jot and tittle.

Again, all I can say is study the Word. Be aware of things that have to come to pass and that Israel is in the center of all of it. There is no prophecy associated with the Church. All prophecy is associated with that little nation of Israel.

Study these promises on your own. I have said so often, that this is why I teach, is to get people to study the Bible. I am not trying to build a following. I’m not building an empire. I have never asked for a dime in return for my teaching time, but all I want folk to do is to learn how to study.

Read the Book. Not just to read a few verses for a devotion. But, learn to study it and compare Scripture with Scripture and the Lord will give you wisdom. As you study you have to be involved in prayer, because as we commune with God, He has promised to commune with us through His Word.

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 2* PART 4 * BOOK 1

Adam and Eve Created – The Three Circles

Genesis 1:6 – 2:7

Let’s go back to Genesis chapter 2 verse 4, where we were in the last lesson.

Genesis 2:4

“These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,”

We pointed out last time that all through chapter one, we simply had the word God.

G-o-d. But now, since the six days of creation are complete, man is on the scene and the name of Deity is introduced as the LORD God or Jehovah God.

I think it probably helps if we can break down that name Jehovah a little bit. I feel real confident that I am on the right track because several years ago my wife and I were in Israel and we ran through this whole thing with a well educated young Israeli, who was a high school principal. He had his Master’s Degree and when we laid this out before him, not on a blackboard, of course, and not with the benefit of any notes per se, he was just aghast. He said, you are right! I can’t disagree with a bit of it. But, I can’t wait now to get home and look this up in my New Testament, because what we are really doing is bringing us all the way down to the appearance of Christ Himself.

So the name Jehovah really comes from two Hebrew words, the “Jahwe” that most of you have heard and the second Hebrew term is “Havah”. Now the definition for the Hebrew Deity name “Jahwe” was the I AM.

If you remember when Moses was at the burning bush and he said, “When I go back to the children of Israel and tell them that God has sent me, they are going to ask me “What is his name? What shall I tell them.” And remember what the voice in the burning bush said “You tell the children of Israel that I AM hath sent you.” The I AM THAT I AM. Alright that was the definition of “Jahwe”. The eternal preexistent I AM.

You add to that then, the definition of “Havah” which really meant the I AM is “to be revealed”. Now that is more or less the continuing action type of verb. So the eternal preexistent I AM would be more and more and more revealed as we come on up through human history.

The contraction of Jahwe Havah then as we see it in our Old Testament becomes the name “Jehovah”. And that is what it is, it is a contraction of Jahwe Havah. Jehovah then is the I AM who is to be more and more revealed.

The extension of the Hebrew word Jehovah into the Greek is simply the name Jesus. Isn’t that simple? And the word Jesus is a further revelation of Jehovah and in the Old Testament it was Jehovah Joshua. The word Joshua mean Savior. So, Jehovah Savior is in the Greek – Jesus. We normally refer to Him as Jesus Christ. Or Jesus the Messiah.

So this is a continuing revelation of the eternal I AM. Maybe it would help us and we will be doing it again when we get to Exodus but that’s a long way down the road. So, turn with me to Exodus chapter 3. I do this just to show that now with Adam on the scene, the eternal preexistent I AM, God the Son, is going to be the one that is going to be more and more revealed as we come up through the human experience.

All you have to do is to stop and think about it for a minute. First He walked with Adam in the Garden in the cool of the day. Then in a further revelation, we see Him reveal Himself to Abraham. And, if you want to see a good example of God appearing in human form in the Old Testament, all you have to do is read Genesis chapter 18.

That is where Abraham prepared the fatted calf and prepared the meal and the I AM, the Jehovah of the Old Testament, actually sat down and partook of that meal. Then you come on up to Exodus chapter 3 and we find Him in the burning bush.

In the burning bush He doesn’t appear in human form but He appears by way of a human voice. And as Moses is standing there on that holy ground where he was told to remove his shoes, then verse 13:

Exodus 3:13a

“And Moses said unto God,…“

Now see? There’s that term again. Even though we have separated Him out of the Godhead as the Jehovah, as God the Son, yet He is still God. Which brings me to something I was shown just the other evening that’s hard to comprehend. But, on the other hand, if someone prints it we have to believe it.

It was where a national magazine took a survey of preachers and pastors across the land and I won’t take time to do all of it but some of the questions were: Do you believe in the Deity of Christ? In other words, do you believe that Jesus Christ was God? And the answer to that question was NO from 89% of the respondents. Eighty-nine percent of those preachers and pastors did not believe that Jesus was God.

Another one that they asked was “Do you believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ?” They answered NO, 99%. These things are shocking! Then they wonder why people take the time to listen to this old layman, well I think I know the reason. Because I don’t answer NO to those kinds of questions.

In chapter 3 verse 13 continue on.

Exodus 3:13b

” Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name?”

Moses had been in Egypt for 40 years. He knew the very mentality of all those Jews as well the Egyptians and all the Egyptian gods immediately came to Moses’ mind. They had a name for every one. Now the Israelis living under that kind of a society for four hundred years were now in the same boat. Moses knew that. So he said, the first thing when I get to Egypt those Israeli people are going to say, God has sent you? Well, what is his name? There’s the setting. So, Moses says in the end of verse 13 when they ask that:

Exodus 3:13c-14

“What shall I say unto them? 14. And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM; (that is always capitalized in every version that I have ever seen) and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”

Now, it is that same I AM that I have already broken down and the rest of the Old Testament will call Him Jehovah. In fact you can pick it up in chapter 6 of Exodus drop down to verse 2 and 3.

Exodus 6:2

“And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:”

Now, I said that word LORD could be interchanged with Jehovah. So he says, I am Jehovah. Now verse 3.

Exodus 6:3

“And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not know to them.”

But now He is. The name Jehovah has been put out in plain language. Now let’s follow that up into the New Testament when theologians will say that Jesus never claimed to be God and that they don’t believe in His Deity. You see when they say that, then they have to throw Scripture away!

Turn to John’s gospel chapter 8 Here in this portion of Scripture the Pharisees are literally testing Jesus. They are trying to drive Him into a corner. And, to them whenever He would claim to be God, it was pure blasphemy, you know that. So this is what they really wanted to hear. They wanted to hear Him say in no uncertain terms that He was the God of Abraham. Boy, then they would have every cause to put Him to death. That was as blasphemous as they thought a person could get.

So after all this conversation going on between Jesus and these religious leaders of Israel, verse 52 says:

John 8:52-53

“Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou has a devil. (or a demon) Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying he shall never taste of death. 53. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? And the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?”

You see what they are driving at? Hey, you are talking about things that only God could do. Who do you make yourself to be anyway? Look at Jesus’ answer in verse 54.

John 8:54

“Jesus answered, If I honour my self, my honour is nothing; it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:”

You talk about caustic! I think that is what we’ve got here. Look what He says to these religious leaders in verse 55.

John 8:55-56

“Yet ye have not known him; but I know him; and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you; (now that is harsh words, isn’t it? That’s coming from the Lord Jesus Himself.) but I know him, and keep his saying. 56. Your father Abraham

rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad.”

Remember, I mentioned that back in Genesis 18, the Lord actually sat down in human form and had that meal of fatted calf with Abraham and God shared His covenant with Abraham. So Abraham knew all about the coming of this Son of God, one day, to the nation of Israel.

So Jesus rightly said, Abraham saw my day and rejoiced! Now look at the response of the religious Jewish leaders in verse 57.

John 8:57

“Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?”

How long ago did Abraham live? You remember our first lesson, when we took that overview, that timeline? Abraham was about 2000 BC. And what they were aghast at was that here was Jesus only thirty some years old is claiming that He knew Abraham that has lived 2000 years before.

That’s what they were saying. You mean to tell us that you KNEW Abraham? Oh, see their unbelief! But now look at Jesus’ reply.

John 8:58

“Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you before Abraham was, I am.”

Now, isn’t that beautiful! What’s He claiming? He’s the I AM! See? He is the pre-eternal, self existent, I AM who would be more and more and more revealed.

Just follow that up. We have already seen Him revealed coming up through the Old Testament in various and sundry ways. Now He comes on the scene, born of Mary, in the flesh. Presents Himself to the nation of Israel. He goes to the cross. He is risen from the dead. And again He presents Himself to His followers for 40 days after His resurrection. Oh, it was the same one, but now He’s in that resurrected body. He’s in that body fashioned like the body we will one day have. It was a further revelation.

Then, we go on through the Scriptures and Paul begins to reveal Him as the God of all Grace. The Lord Jesus, who loved us and died for us and gave Himself for us. Oh, that’s a further revelation of the very person of Christ. His compassion, His love for us, that He actually went to the Cross in order to purchase our redemption.

Then in the Book of Revelation, and it is a misnomer to call it Revelation of St. John the Divine. It’s a revelation of Jesus Christ. And we see Him now coming in the clouds of Glory, to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You see, this constant reveling? We get more and more and more of who He is as we come on up through the Word of God.

Now, I think we are ready to move on in Genesis chapter 2 down to verse 7 where again it is just a summarization in one verse of that which took place back in chapter 1. Someone has asked the question, and I guess I had never really heard it put that way before, whether this was a different creation from the one in chapter 1. No, it’s the same one, it’s just simply a summarization.

Genesis 2:7

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

That just puts the frosting on the cake! Man was created out of the natural elements and that’s all our flesh really is. It’s just water and the elements that are taken in the ground. When we die we go back to those same elements. But, the crowning act of creation was when the LORD God breathed into that new creation, the breath of life.

You remember in the last lesson, when He made man in His own image, by giving him a mind, will and emotion. He gave him three invisible entities that were all attributes of God as well, and that was all put in when God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soul.

The word “living” is more than 70 or 80 or 90 years. This means ETERNAL. I can never emphasize it enough, that every human being is an eternal being. He is going to live in eternity someplace. This is why it behooves us to understand the plan of salvation that God has made so available and so free. That by simply believing Paul’s GOSPEL, we can live eternally in God’s presence. Whereas by rejecting Paul’s GOSPEL, by being disobedient, we are going to live forever separated from God. It is that separation from God that is by definition, the Second Death. We will be separated from God, unless we are united to Him by Faith in Paul’s Gospel.

Since I am mentioning The Gospel and I haven’t mentioned it in the first few lessons, maybe this is an appropriate time, because those of you who have been with me over the years you realize that even though we go verse by verse in the Old Testament, we are going to jump into the New Testament every chance we get.

So come with me to I Corinthians, if you will. In I Corinthians, when I make mention of The Gospel, I want everyone to take a note of it. To memorize it, if possible. And realize that The Gospel that we are responsible for believing tonight is most clearly put in I Corinthians 15, those first four verses. You cannot find another portion of Scripture where it is so simply put and so plainly put that there is no room for argument.

This is The Gospel, or as Paul says in different passages, “My Gospel” I always maintain that my classes include people from all kinds of backgrounds – denominationally. And, there may be differences, but on one point there can be no difference. I don’t care what our background, what our handle is, there is only one Gospel of salvation, and here it is laid out in I Corinthians 15. I will come back to it over and over and over as we come up even through the Old Testament as well as the New.

I Corinthians 15: 1a

“Moreover, brethren, (Paul writes) I declare unto you the gospel (He doesn’t use the article “a” gospel but “the”. There’s only one.) which I preached unto you, which also ye have received,…”

Again I have to make a point. Paul always writes to the believers. Whether it’s to the Romans or anything he wrote, he always writes to the believer. Now as he writes to the believer naturally the Word of God is going to have an effect on the unbeliever. But I think the whole idea goes back again to Romans chapter 10 where Paul again writes that how can they hear without a preacher, or a teacher or a go between. And how can they understand the Word unless some human instrument explains it to them. And then he comes to that capstone forfaith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

That’s why I teach. I hope that everyone of you will be skilled enough in the Scripture that God can use you to present this Gospel to anyone who may be searching and looking for the plan of salvation. Now let’s look at it again.

I Corinthians 15: 1-2

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received and wherein ye stand; 2. By which also ye are saved, (by that Gospel) if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.”

In other words, you have to KNOW what you believe. Faith isn’t something blind. We have to KNOW what we believe. Then here it comes, verse 3 and verse 4! You will never find the Gospel of salvation presented any simpler or in plainer language.

I Corinthians 15: 3-4

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (that is, it was prophesied in the Old Testament that He would die) 4. And that he was buried, (He was REALLY dead. He didn’t just go into a coma, he didn’t just go into some unconscious state, He died! He was dead. And that three days in the grave proved it.) and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

Now that’s The Gospel! You can’t add anything to it! You can’t take anything from it! That’s The Gospel!

Let me show you, for example, how Paul will refer to it. Come back to Romans chapter 10. We probably won’t get back to Genesis in this lesson but we’ll pick it up again in the next lesson.

Romans chapter 10 drop in at verse 9. Paul is writing to the predominately Gentile congregation at Rome and he said.

Romans 10:9

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, (here it comes now!) and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, (it doesn’t mention that He died, but you don’t rise from the dead unless you do, so that is implied. But, here he is stressing the Gospel, see? That if you will believe with all your heart that God has raised Him from the dead) thou shalt be saved.”

Can you get any plainer? Let me turn to one more. Back to I Corinthians chapter 1 verse 18. Paul writes:

I Corinthians 1:18

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; (what’s the preaching of the cross? That Christ died, was buried, and rose again. That’s it! But isn’t that what the world says? How can I believe that somebody 2000 years ago has anything to do with me today. But, oh, that’s the preaching of the cross.) but unto us which are saved (remember, we are precious few any more) it (the preaching of the cross or the preaching of the Gospel) is the power of God.”

I like to put it this way. It took greater amount of God’s power to save this old sinner than it did to create the universe. Oh, if people could just get a glimpse of this. That the very power of God has to become instrumental in our salvation. That’s why we can’t work for it, that’s why we can’t merit it. It takes the very power of God. How do we release that power? By believing the Gospel

I will never forget a lady in San Antonio looked at me one time and said “Les, you make it too simple.” You know what my answer was? I said ” If I made it any more difficult you would say that’s too hard.” That’s the human nature. But it is, it is so simple and yet it is so complex that I can teach it night after night and never exhaust it.

But it’s the power of God unto salvation, as Romans chapter 1 verse 16 puts it, to everyone that joins the Church? No. That is baptized? Takes communion? No. But to everyone that believeth. Remember, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Oh how I pray that everybody I teach would be capable of using a few of these verses that we have just shown you: I Corinthians 15: 1-4. Romans 1:16, Romans 10:10 and I Corinthians 1:18 and show others how to be saved!!