Past, present and future: the eternal now

His story

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...' (Genesis 1:26 NIV). God only shares one line of their conversation with us here. However, seeing the depths to which they went to complete their plan, it's easy to imagine the conversation that must have taken place between the Father and the Son: "Let us make man in our image," suggested the Son. "Yes, let us, but first let us look at his future," replied the Father. "O, yes. I can see it. Adam and Eve are walking hand in hand in our presence. Joy overflows, Father." "The two are happy," the Father beamed. "I enjoy being with them." "Yes, Father. They are my delight. But Father, look, the serpent..." "Aye, Son, the serpent. The deceiver has begun his work, and they have chosen to listen to him." "Oh, Father, see the selfishness enter into their hearts? Their satisfaction turns to envy. They are no longer satisfied to have everything. They want more." "Son, If only our love for these two could intervene. But we must allow them freedom of choice." "But, Father, are they capable of choosing?" "We have given them sound minds, Son, and we have made them like us. They need our fellowship as much as we need theirs. Yet this fellowship is not by force. We had to let them choose." "Oh, Father, Eve has tasted the apple, and she shares it with Adam. See, Father, now they are different. Now they have a flaw. No longer are they able to communicate with us. Oh, Father, we have lost them!" "Yes, Son, I am afraid you are right. Oh, how I love them! "Let us continue to look ahead, Son. There is little Cain. They do not realize he will grow up to murder their next child. The apple not only changed them, it changed the world. They are imperfect now, and imperfection can never produce perfect children. Now we cannot fellowship with any of them, ever." "Oh, Father, they cannot reach us, but can we not reach them?" "Son, we gave them the rules of life. They could do anything they chose, except eat of the fruit of the apple tree. We told them what would happen. They are not like us now. They are in darkness. Light cannot commune with darkness. "Yet we cannot go back on our word. But if they will turn to us, there is one way. Let us give them ten commandments and see what they will do." "Father, see what will happen? See their wickedness? But look, there is Noah. Father, I do believe he would keep our commandments if only he could, but the flaw has been passed to him -- the flaw they all inherited from Adam. They can not keep our commandments even when they try. Father, there is no hope." "Yes, you are right, Son. Let us start again -- but wait! Oh, how I love them. We will give them one more chance. We will destroy all but Noah and his family. I have talked with Noah and promised to help him." "Father, I see far ahead. I see war. I see famine. I see hurt and unhappiness everywhere. It's all because they did not follow our Plan. "Look at the end of the age, Father. I see men and women who do not even believe we are real. I see many who have turned to Lucifer for help. Yet many would come to us if only they could. They have no purpose, no future. There is no hope for them. "They all have the flaw. My heart breaks for them, Father. How I love them! Yet they have no realization of our love." "You are right, Son, and furthermore, we can never help them. We warned them punishment would come with disobedience. They continue to be deceived by Lucifer. "Oh that we could save them from the disaster toward which they are headed! I love them so. I have tried so hard to reach them. Even I cannot penetrate the flaw. They have turned against me, every one of them. They will not do the things I say, things that would help them find hope and peace. They race toward futility instead. "We have made them immortal, Son. When their bodies die, their spirits will live forever. Yet they cannot live with us. They have chosen, rather, to obey Lucifer. Way back in the garden, Eve made that choice, then Adam. "Man continues to rebel against us. He cannot see us through the flaw. We have no choice. They must go with the one whom they have chosen. "Indeed, we created the eternal flame for Lucifer and his angels. Now man has kindled my anger with his rebellion. He cannot live forever with us. We will cast all mankind into the flame with the one he has chosen to obey." "Father, wait! I cannot bear it. I see your anger with them. But behind that anger, Father, I know your magnificent love for them. Father, I want to bring them home. "Father, make me one of them. I will not be bound by the flaw. I can live the perfect life we require. While I am one of them, you can take all your wrath out on me. Father, I will be punished in their place. I can redeem them. Then they will be free from the curse, and we can change the flaw. We can give them power for conquering the evil nature in this life and we can remove it in the next. Oh, Father, I want to go help them!" "Son, how I love you. You are the best and dearest of all I have. Yet what you have proposed is the only way to save them. However, you must realize that we cannot force them to accept your redemption. Many of them will continue to follow their own evil selves, and in so doing, they will be following Lucifer, who tempted them to evil." "Aye, Father, but then they will have a choice. They will no longer be bound by the curse of Adam. They will be able to accept the freedom of Christ. We will call them one by one. We will plead with them. Those who accept our offer will be saved. "I am looking ahead now. I see the cross where I am separated from you as their curse is imputed to me. Father, I would do it for only one of them. If one lost, lonely, bewildered soul can find our love and joy through the cross, it will be worth it all. "They cannot be good enough to reach us, but I will be cursed to reach them. Then I will rise again to prove my power over death. All of them will die, but now the grave will have no victory over them. Those who turn to us can live with us forever in our love." "Son, let us come back to where we started. Shall we make man in our image? The cost to you will be a cross, a crown of thorns. But, oh, that the cross were the only price you had to pay! Son, if we choose this plan I will be forced to pour out my wrath for all the ages upon you in the hour when you need me most. Son..." "Oh, Father, it is agony to think of spending even one second of mortal time in your wrath. But my Father, I will have it no other way. As a bridegroom longs for his bride, so my heart yearns for these people. I lay down my life for them, Father. Some of them will accept our offer. I can reclaim them, Father. I can get them back! "Someday, even those who refuse my sacrifice will realize that I was their only hope, but it will be too late for them then, for the book of life will be closed. But Father, for those I bring back home, it will be worth it all!" "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27 NIV). "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NIV). He is "...the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world" (Revelation 13:8 NIV). "Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" (Revelation 7:12 NIV). To read more, click here. If you would like to talk further about how you can know God, email us. We will be glad to help.

Knowing God is provided courtesy of On Patches and Bears, CareNurse,
House of Hope, Eyes Apart, and AllergyNursing.com