~ True and
Complete Intimacy With God ~
There are a
number of fascinating parallels between the first three chapters of the Bible
(Genesis 1-3) and the last three chapters of the Bible (Revelation 20-22). In between we find 1,183 chapters which
record mankind’s struggles as well as instructions for the struggle. In this series each post looks at one of the
parallels—it is not an exhaustive
coverage of all the parallels.
The Beginning
~ “God
said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the
earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created
him; male and female He created them.
Then God blessed them, and God
said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have
dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every
living thing that moves on the earth.’
And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which
is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you
it shall be for food. Also, to every
beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on
the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food’; and
it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth
day” (Genesis 1:26-31).
The Middle
~ In our sinful environment
(since Adam and Eve sinned) we can choose to have fellowship with God and His
people. “You
also may have fellowship with us; and truly
our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full” (1
John 1:3b-4). An important fact to keep
in mind is that while God
never plays favorites we can choose to be intimate with Him (with broken
periods of intimacy because of our sin).
The End
~ “And
I [John] heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, and He will dwell with them,
and they shall be His people. God
Himself will be with them and be their God.
And God will wipe away every tear
from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former
things have passed away.’ Then He who
sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me. ‘Write, for these words
are true and faithful’” (Revelation 21:3-5).
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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