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Toward the beginning, God created man and woman. In Genesis 1:28 He commands them to “be fruitful and multiply.” What was God’s intent but to see his creation spread on the earth. And in later passages in the Bible, He anticipates man continuing for thousands of generations. Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations...” It takes about 20 years to make a generation, so a thousand of such generations amounts to 20,000 years. God then presumes his commandments will be kept 20,000 years after He gave the Law to Moses. So, we still have about 14,000 years to go.
God provided living quarters along with an infrastructure in Eden for Adam and Eve, including food, to make a decent start. And in Genesis 2:15, God puts Adam in Eden to work the ground and he makes Eve fertile.
The devil, out of his hatred of God, attempts to thwart God’s good intentions. And from the time that the devil first fell to earth, he wrestles God over the soul of man. His first deed was to trick Adam and Eve into eating from the Tree of Good and Evil, something the Lord forbade them to do. Thus, Adam and Eve committed the first sin of man.
From then on, the earth was the devil’s domain, and he unleashed lightning bolts of temptation upon man, even among those who strive for righteousness, to thwart God’s good intentions. To this day, the devil tempts us to do things like destroy the earth’s ability to sustain life. Many have fallen for this temptation. There are other temptations, all designed to counter God’s wish that He keep his love for man to a thousand generations.
Anything that goes against God is evil and plays into the hands of the devil. The poet John Donne, in his poem For Whom the Bell Tolls, says “Each man’s death diminishes me.” To paraphrase him, each man’s actions of evil diminishes us. In God’s name, then, it is up to us to counter the evil that manifests itself on others and to rid the affected ones of the evil within.
A cynic may ask, ‘Where in the Bible does it say for me to rescue others from their evil pursuits?’ Good question. It stems from Jesus’ second commandment, which is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. As you yourself would strive to avoid evil, you love your neighbor by encouraging him to do the same. But if that sounds too obtuse, the following passages may help:
1 Timothy 2:1- First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
Romans 15:1- We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak...
Galatians 6:1- Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness...
God did not create us to be islands unto ourselves. Our actions affect others in ways that are good or evil. What is the goodness of God increases us and what is the evil of the devil diminishes us.
God provided living quarters along with an infrastructure in Eden for Adam and Eve, including food, to make a decent start. And in Genesis 2:15, God puts Adam in Eden to work the ground and he makes Eve fertile.
The devil, out of his hatred of God, attempts to thwart God’s good intentions. And from the time that the devil first fell to earth, he wrestles God over the soul of man. His first deed was to trick Adam and Eve into eating from the Tree of Good and Evil, something the Lord forbade them to do. Thus, Adam and Eve committed the first sin of man.
From then on, the earth was the devil’s domain, and he unleashed lightning bolts of temptation upon man, even among those who strive for righteousness, to thwart God’s good intentions. To this day, the devil tempts us to do things like destroy the earth’s ability to sustain life. Many have fallen for this temptation. There are other temptations, all designed to counter God’s wish that He keep his love for man to a thousand generations.
Anything that goes against God is evil and plays into the hands of the devil. The poet John Donne, in his poem For Whom the Bell Tolls, says “Each man’s death diminishes me.” To paraphrase him, each man’s actions of evil diminishes us. In God’s name, then, it is up to us to counter the evil that manifests itself on others and to rid the affected ones of the evil within.
A cynic may ask, ‘Where in the Bible does it say for me to rescue others from their evil pursuits?’ Good question. It stems from Jesus’ second commandment, which is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. As you yourself would strive to avoid evil, you love your neighbor by encouraging him to do the same. But if that sounds too obtuse, the following passages may help:
1 Timothy 2:1- First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
Romans 15:1- We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak...
Galatians 6:1- Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness...
God did not create us to be islands unto ourselves. Our actions affect others in ways that are good or evil. What is the goodness of God increases us and what is the evil of the devil diminishes us.