The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. (Deuteronomy 33:27)
This biblical promise of refuge is available to all those who respond to God in humility, love and obedience. God wants each one of us to respond to Him, and for this reason attempts to draw us to Himself. But we must also seek God, and then God promises that we shall find Him, if we seek with all our heart.In this tract, I will briefly show some of the various ways in which God reveals Himself to man historically through the scriptures. This is all still relevant to us as God says: I am the Lord, I change not. (Malachi 3:6)
The greatness and wisdom of God is shown by His creation of the earth, the stars and life. When men do something, they often boast about how easy it was. But, when God tells us of the creation, He says that afterwards: He rested, and was refreshed, (Exodus 31:17). If God needed rest and refreshment then God has revealed to us that His wisdom and power are not infinite. Yet his wisdom and power was sufficient to create the universe with all the galaxies of stars. Men can build a fire from the materials God has formed but God made the sun. He says of Himself: I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. (Isaiah 45:12)
Only recently have physicists learned that the universe was created in a giant explosion called the ‘big bang’. For thousands of years, scientists or philosophers may have thought the universe was always there, but only recently has the first sentence in the bible been proved right: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Everything that now is was exactly planned and created by God - either during the ‘big bang’ or after. The orderliness of the universe, that it is not a big mess, testifies of its creator: The heavens declare the glory of God. (Psalm 19:1)
We need not worry that physicists say that the universe will not last forever because our God, who is eternal, says: Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be forever. (Isaiah 51:6)
In God's account of creation in Genesis 1, the English word ‘day’, which appears in our bibles was translated from the original Hebrew word ‘yom’, which can mean a 24 hour day, but it can also mean other segments of time. Therefore Genesis 1 can be interpreted as saying that God created life on earth in six eras, each of millions or billions of years.
The fossil record shows that life has changed over time. Biologists, who falsely believe that the mention of God in any theory makes it unscientific, have proposed that evolution has occurred by random mutation and dishonest attempts have been made to demonstrate this. But the evolution by random mutation and natural selection is not mathematically possible by the laws of probability. I explain this in my article: Creation, found under the abstracts for the First Commandment on the page of abstracts: Love God, on my website. So the only logical conclusion is that life has changed but this has primarily been by the power and wisdom of God. God must have guided the evolution over billions of years. The bible explains the fossil record but godless man cannot.
The Bible says moreover, that man did not evolve, but was created from the dust. There is also more to life than just atoms and molecules. Wisdom, friendship and the knowledge of good and evil by our conscience, are faculties of the soul and spirit, which cannot be explained by the laws of physics. God created man in His own image. This is because He wanted man's friendship and worship. Because we have been created in God's image earthly relationships such as father-son, mother-son, husband-wife, friend-friend etc. are also pictures of our heavenly relationship that we can have with God our Father, husband and friend.
The fellowship and friendship God purposed to have with man is shown when God came to talk to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden: And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day . . . And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? (Genesis 3:8,9) Unfortunately, by this time they had sinned and could no longer enjoy their usual talk with God, but instead they were afraid and hid from God.
The emotional concern of God for man is shown by God's grief at the wickedness of man before the flood, recorded in Genesis 6:5,6: And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. In particular, God was grieved because the earth had become full of violence. God will not do good to those who are cruel to others. So God brought the flood, and the people who perished never had the chance to enjoy the good God would have had for them.
The anger of God is shown by the way He destroyed the homosexual towns of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone. But before He brought judgement He told Abraham, because Abraham was the friend of God. God explained to Abraham how the angels had been making a great outcry to God, complaining that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was so great, and that now God Himself was going to investigate (Genesis 18:20). God had listened to the angels rather than observe directly, because He is of purer eyes than to behold evil. After God had rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham looked and he saw dense smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace (Genesis 19:23-29). Although practicing homosexuals cannot hope to have eternal life, there may be some consolation for them in judgement as Jesus said they were better than the cruel to whom he said: it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgement than for thee. (Matthew 11:24).
Although God brings destruction when there is no other remedy, He does not enjoy doing this as He says: As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:11)
In the article: Judgement, whose abstract appears on the page entitled: Beyond the Grave, I explain that God’s punishments do not endure forever, although the memorial of it does. I also argue that only demons go to the fire. The lesser, much lesser punishment of some men, is similar to that of the law of the land punishing evil doers as a deterrent. The totality of scripture paints a picture of God's judgements which is what a decent man would expect of His God, whom He reverences and admires.
I also discuss in these articles, the rewards available to a Christian.
The power and majesty of God was shown on the day that God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses: there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount . . . And all the people saw the thunderings, and lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they removed and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, so that ye sin not. (Exodus 19:16-20, 20:18-21)
While it is good occasionally to remember God's judgements, to keep us from sinning when we are tempted, He does not want our relationship with Him to be dominated by fear and our lives to be that of bondage. Rather, He wants us to think of Him as a father and even as a husband. His fatherly care is shown in Deuteronomy 32:6,7,9-12: Is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee? Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations . . . For the Lord's portion is his people . . . He found him in a desert land, and in the waste, howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange God with him. In the same way as an eagle catches her young in the air before they learn to fly properly, God wants to help us when we flounder. Not only does He help us as a Father, but He also chastens us as a father: Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God. (Deuteronomy 8:5)
God's love for His people as of a husband for his wife is shown in Isaiah 54:5-8: thy Maker is thine husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath, I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. The reason God could make these promises was that He had previously punished His people for their sins and now they were sorry and were going to be good.
Solomon, the son of David, by the wisdom given to him by God, had a good understanding of the dual nature of life - that there are those things which are eternal, and that there are also those things which are temporary which he says are vanity. Concerning the temporary things Solomon writes: Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity which he hath given thee under the sun . . . for that is thy portion in this life, and in the labour which thou takest under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 9:9) Some people wrongly believe that because this life is vanity we should renounce all worldly joys, but Solomon advises against this. However, because this life is vanity we should also seek those things of eternal value: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
God’s commandments are explained on my website, accessed from the pages of abstracts entitled: Love God and Love your Neighbour, where I explain the full implications of the Ten Commandments. The law of Christ is a perfection of these commandments. Where you do not know or understand God's commandments you should listen to your conscience, through which God will help you to recognise good and evil. You should also read your Bible in a translation that is as close as is practically possible to the original in order to learn, not only about God's commandments, but also about God himself. You should also go to church.
Although it may seem too difficult for us to change our ways, God is willing to help us to do this if we try and if we pray for His help. When the people of God were worshipping idols, and had become violent, and were taking bribes and stealing, God told them to stop doing wrong and to learn to do what is right. He told them to do such things as defending the cause of the fatherless. To encourage them that they could change, He said: Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18) Scarlet is a very noticeable colour, and so were their sins, yet God would help them so that their good deeds would then be what was noticed, and as obvious as the white of snow. Crimson is a dye which is very hard to be removed but God would help them to remove the stain of sin completely from their lives until they were as white as wool. God also told them that if they were not willing to change, He had no pleasure in their religious rituals. The falsity of the claim to salvation by those who have not repented is shown in my articles whose abstracts are of the page: Salvation, of my website.
When we obey God, He blesses as promised in Deuteronomy 28:1: And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee . . . However if we do not obey God, then curses come upon us. God says: But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee . . . (Deuteronomy 28:15) There are many types of blessing, including peace and joy, and there are many types of curses, including confusion. But we cannot say, just because things are going badly for someone, that they are disobedient, as we will all face difficulties and troubles in life, even if we are obedient, such as was the case for Job. Nor can we say that just because someone is prospering, that God is with them. It may be that God is not bothering to chasten them because He does not love them, because they are not His children. So while there is no direct correlation between physical and material blessings and our level of obedience, God does allow blessing to come upon us when we obey to encourage us, and He allows cursings to come upon us when we disobey to chasten us. David says of the obedient: I have been young, and now am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. (Psalm 37:25)
God also wants His people to have faith that He can save them. Before Jesus Christ came, God's chosen people were the Israelites and God's saving power to them was shown when He saved the Israelites from the Egyptians. The reason the Israelites needed to be saved was that the Egyptians had made the Israelites slaves in Egypt and were oppressing them. The Egyptians were also drowning every Israelite son as soon as he was born in an attempt to wipe out the Jews. To save His people, God brought ten plagues upon Egypt until eventually they let the Israelites leave Egypt. But after they had left, the Egyptians changed their mind and the Egyptian army pursued the Israelites and trapped them. They were hemmed in by mountains either side, the Red Sea in front and the Egyptian army behind. There seemed to be no way of escape but they were told: Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. (Exodus 14:13) God then told the Jews to move forward and He divided the waters of the Red Sea so the Israelites walked through the sea with a wall of water either side. But the Egyptians who pursued them were drowned.
In the same way that God saved the Israelites He will now save Christians. Jesus said: And fear not them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul . . . Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:28-31) So God will protect us from all evil, apart from what He allows. Eventually though, God cannot bear to be separated from us any longer and will take us to heaven to be with Him, by allowing us to die, maybe as a martyr. But we will not be afraid when we begin to die, because God will send His angels.
We must not, however, think that there are any short-cuts to heaven. We must all go through trials of some kind such as sickness or persecution. But as we go through these trials, God will be with us and the following promises are relevant to us where God likens trials to floods or fires: But now, thus says the Lord that created thee . . . O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved you. (Isaiah 43:1-4) The closeness of God's presence with us through the trials is promised in Isaiah 41:13: For I, the Lord thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
The problems and troubles of this life on earth are primarily to create in us the depth of character that is necessary for us to go to heaven. God also tests us to see whether we are worthy of heaven. If heaven is to be our reward then the trials of this life which we must endure, and the temperance in this life which we must maintain will help us to appreciate our refuge in heaven all the more.
God’s further revelation of His nature through His Son is discussed on this website in the articles whose abstracts are on the page: Christ. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God in the form of a man. As such He has extraordinary powers, which were limited when He walked on earth. Before He descended from heaven (John 6:38) He had a glorious supernatural body, which was transformed to weakness within the womb of Mary. This is discussed in the article: Eternal Incarnation. But God His Father has, for eternity, greater power than He (John 14:28). See the article: God the Father Greater. On the cross, Christ, who is the eternal emblem of God’s love, battled Satan, to set us free from Satan’s power of death (Hebrews 2:14). This is discussed in the articles: Atonement, and Our High Priest.
Website: www.elijahdigby.org