Covenant Presbyterian Church

Sunday morning Foundations Classes
God's Positioning System (GPS)

Lesson #6
--the most current lesson is always on top
followed by earlier lessons posted below in descending order-- 

Point of information, you can magnify a slide by clicking on it.
And close it by clicking on the X in the upper right corner.

 In lesson #5 we temporarily set “Where are we going?” aside to look at “Where are we?” based on Jesus words in Rev. 22:13, being the Alpha and Omega—first and last letters of the Greek alphabet—the beginning and end of all creation--the basis for our study. 

Rev 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.  NIV

Blog format switched to Power Point slides intended for Heritage lounge, because of the time and effort that went into them. Questions, comments, suggestions are always welcome. 

Not all of mankind is destined for the New Heaven and New Earth at the final resurrection (Rev. 20:7-10) facing the final judgment of all unbelievers. Jesus referred to this event as the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:29). This takes place in the void between the end of the present age & universe noted in Rev. 20:11 and the creation of the New Heaven and New Earth described in Rev. 21:1. 

21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. NIV

We are physical, unlike the angels who are spirit. Did Lucifer rebel before God decided to create Adam & Eve or did God’s creation of man lead to Lucifer’s rebellion? Something to ponder, but of course we can speculate, but we’ll never really know in this life. 

Angels were created all at once, while man procreates from generation to generation. Was Satan jealous that God gave man the gift of procreation?

We’re thinking in terms of the complexity of God’s creation down to the atom, the building blocks of all matter within the vast universe—from man to the farthest planet we have something in common—that it's all created from a careful assembly of atoms. 

Again we need to put it into perspective of God's creation. It also distinguishes the difference between angels and man. Man's physical side is formed from a collection of atoms, while angels are pure spirit. What we have in common is an immortal soul.

1 Corinthian 15:50

The bodies we have now are like the seed planted in the ground…the best is yet to come. 

(1 Cor. 15:35-38)

In the Bible “Stars” are often in reference to angels. There is such a thing as a spiritual body. Even angels are not a formless puff of smoke. They have shape and form just as we do, yet different. V41 gives reference to the different order of angels. Also we do not become angels when we die as many often give reference to.
 (1 Cor. 15-40-41).

All of the previous verses are a foreshadow of what is yet to come in our resurrected, glorified body. Again, angels were created with spiritual bodies. 

So, who are we? 

We are unique human beings, descendants of Adam and Eve.

The NIV says the same thing in fewer words. We will explore this further in our next lesson #7. I hope you are finding this study thought provoking and will join us next week. 

A place called heaven—which is where we’re going! So, where is it; what is it like?  Heaven is our next destination, but, there’s a New Heaven and New Earth yet to come. 

Yes, Heaven is our destination, immediately after death but there is yet more to come. 

God's plan is even a better Heaven and Earth, which will be a new creation more glorious than the first one in Genesis 1:1.  

There are a number of books that attempt to describe heaven; but it's like trying to describe a garden while looking through opaque curtains—we may get some insight, but it certainly falls far short of the reality. The reality is that the finite (us) can never fully imagine the infinite (God’s domain). 

God created man and placed him in a garden paradise on the earth (Gen. 1:26-27). A perfect environment with a perfect partner. Wow! The Bible also tells us Satan was cast down to earth (Rev. 12:7-9), but Scripture doesn’t tell us when. Was it before God created Adam? 

God created angels as spirit beings. He created man as a physical being. Angels, who reside at the very throne of God, were created before man, who was created to reside on earth.

Satan and his angels, were hurled from heaven to the earth. Being in the Garden of Eden to temp Eve, shows he was cast down prior to Adam’s sin. Did Satan’s fall have any impact on planet earth outside of the Garden of Eden? Or was the corruption of animals and plants due to Adam’s sin alone?

Hell is a place of eternal separation from God; a gloomy dungeon 
(2 Pet. 2:4), prepared for the devil and his angels 
(Matt 25:41). 

The sad part of the story of us, is that many openly and willfully reject God's Word--heard 24/7 on radio and TV, and consequently ignore His saving grace. More on that later in our study. Do they go to hell (for want of a better term right now) or does God have another plan for them? Is everyone's body--both saved and unsaved--resurrected? 
To be explored further in our study.
The White Throne Judgment is the final chapter of "Who are We?" "Where are We Going?"

Note: Prior to Sunday, blog may be subject to changes needed for clarification. 

END OF LESSON #6

Covenant Presbyterian Church

Sunday morning Foundations Classes
God's Positioning System (GPS)

Because He lives!   Lesson #5
--most current lesson is always on top
followed by earlier lessons posted below-- 

Our study looks at the reality of "who are we?" as Christians and "where are we going?". 

Easter Sunday marked a new chapter in American church life. Easter is the holiest day in the Christian calendar, but because of a virus, we could not gather together for worship. Many churches across the Country, were even forcibly shutdown. But, thanks to modern technology we were able to "join together" via live stream. Even our Sunday morning Foundations classes are now on line. How different will church life and life in general be going forward, due to the COVID-19 virus?  

How can something so tiny and invisible to the naked eye have such a profound impact on our lives? Our national economy has come to a virtual standstill, with businesses, restaurants, and other amenities being forced to close down, putting most Americans out of work. Some will wonder, what does this have to do with our study? It may not be the essential part of it, but it is part of the world we live in. What kind of world, or "place" does God assure us of when we leave this world? What exactly is the New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation 21:1; 2 Peters 3:13; Isaiah 65:11, 66:22? Does God just wipe out the current world & universe, and even heaven itself and start over? We will look at this further in subsequent lessons, so stick with us. 

Because of its impact on almost every aspect of people's lives, what exactly is the coronavirus? The image describes how viruses are made. Is that important for our study? NO. But it is part of the world we live in. Most of us have been shielded from such threats over the course of our life, not until now at least, regarding everyday life and activities; but God was and still is our shield. 

In the Bible's first two books, Genesis and Exodus, in addition to creation, we see how God used 10 plagues against Egypt (Ex. 9:14) to bring Israel back to Canaan, the land He promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 
Israel as a people, never would have left Goshen in Egypt if God didn't compel them to leave. From the Egyptians perspective, the plagues were seen and experienced as disastrous, but from God's perspective, they were an essential part of His plan to accomplish good. It was His plan for giving the world a Savior, which was predicated on Israel returning to Canaan, the Promised Land as His people.  


Regardless of the threat, even COVID-19, God is sovereign over all things and will use every adversity for good. The Bible tells us 365 times not to be afraid. Perhaps this virus is God's way of turning people away from life's distractions, and even a path leading to hell, to turn their minds and hearts to Him instead. 

As God's people, Romans 8:28 assures us that God "works all things together for good!" Not just some things some of the time, but all things all of the time. Should we view the coronavirus in the same way as the image showing Jesus casting out demons? Why not? The message here is that Jesus is God, and yes, He can drive out viruses as easily as He drove out demons. We definitely need to pray that a solution and a cure will be forthcoming sooner rather than later and a vaccine for future protection, similar to the annual flu shot. 

So, who are we? We are God's people, and the Bible is His book for us, yes, even the Old Testament promises to reassure and comfort us as in Isaiah 41:10 posted below. At some point the quarantine will end and life will return to some degree of normal. Just how normal and routine is still TBD.

God's message in 2 Chronicles 7:14 below, is clear. Pray, pray, pray. Only a return to God can truly heal our land.

\

The Bible is clear in many places that prayer is a vital part of being the Church. Suppose every Christian in America took 2 Chronicles 7:14 seriously. Would God heal our land? He says He would.

 

I believe it's apparent that our Nation is divided between Left and Right, Blue and Red, Progressive-Liberals and Conservatives, pro-abortion and anti-abortion, and sexual orientation debates, like no other time in our Nation's history, except maybe the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.  Yet, this day of quarantine is a unique time opportunity when we are free of life's everyday distractions even loss jobs; a time like no other that we can focus on holding our church, our pastor, our family, our neighbors, and our Nation, up in prayer. God is listening. 

So then, Who are We? 

Where are We Going?

Lets look at where we are, before we delve into where we are going. Planet earth was where God put the Garden of Eden, a perfect place created for Adam and Eve. 
Yet, it is just a speck within the greater universe.  

   Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God created man and placed him on planet earth; a small part of the solar system shown in the image; the center of which is the sun; which is actually just one of trillions of stars within the universe. Did God create the entire universe when He created man? Did He create it for man for some yet unseen purpose? Obviously, our study will not be able to answer that question. Nevertheless, we will look at what Genesis 1:1 is telling us as best we can. 

Our solar system is but a tiny part of the Milky Way galaxy, which is what we see when looking at a clear evening sky. If that isn't thought provoking regarding the full meaning of Genesis 1:1, then you haven't really thought about it. So, lets take a moment and look beyond the Milky Way galaxy. The million of stars we see from planet earth are contained within this galaxy, beyond which lies.... (next image)

The arrow in the next image points to what our Milky Way would look like within the nearest group of galaxies. The Milky Way itself is but a small part of the universe as we know it. How breathtaking is that? God didn't just create a small garden, He created a vast universe, the true scope of Genesis 1:1.

So our study will take a brief look at where we are as noted in Genesis 1:1, so lets step back for a moment and look at "where we are going" which from our perspective is beyond the scope of where we are, even beyond the entire universe as noted above. 

The Bible tells us that when death claims us, it is not the end of life, but that our soul is immediately destined for a place called heaven. I think we can all find comfort in that promise. 

END OF LESSON #5

God bless! Hope you will return for our next lesson #6. 

Earlier lessons #4, 3, 2 and 1 (three parts) follow below.