Only God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. Omnipresent is a state of being everywhere. Omniscient is a state of knowing everything. Omnipotent means being all powerful.
The will of a being which is everywhere, which knows everything (past, present or future), and which is all powerful to do anything, can never be anything short of perfect. If it is such a being which created us, his counsel ought to be heeded to with all faith. When he speaks, all of his creation ought to be still and listen. Listening and following his words would be life, and doing anything otherwise would be fatal. That is what Yahweh is, and in the beginning mankind was foolish enough to prefer his own way over God’s way of the Tree of Life!
Mankind rejecting the way of the Tree of Life
The woman, a created being, was foolish enough to listen to another created being suggesting to her that God was hiding something better from mankind. Adam, a son of God, was not deceived. He identified with his wife’s sin to save her from the wrath of God.
Mankind’s disobedience was an act of unbelief in God’s counsel. God’s counsel was perfect and man should have used it to live his life and govern the Earth. When man rejected that perfect will, God closed the way of the Tree of Life to let him fully partake of the fruit of his choice – “They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.” God “placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen.3:24).
Earth left to man’s will
With the way of the Tree of Life (God’s perfect will) closed on Earth, it only had full pre-eminence in Heaven where all spiritual beings are fully yielded to God’s will. In Revelation 2:7 John tells us of “the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the paradise of God”. Down here, the Earth was left to be ruled by man’s way. However, mankind, through the disobedient act of preferring to yield to Satan’s counsel rather than God’s, had actually passed the rulership of the world into the hands of that wicked angel! It is for this reason that Satan was able to tell the Lord Jesus that “all this power… is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it” (Luk.4:6).
With the world having actually been delivered into Satan’s hands, he has been using his wicked people to control this world. It is for this reason that “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Rom.8:22). The terrible condition of the world will only end when creation is delivered back to God’s children, for “the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” (Rom.8:19).
Fruits of the way of man’s will
From the time mankind chose to follow his own will, the fruits of the will of his flesh have been continuously evil: In the entire world “the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkness, [and] revellings” (Gal.5:19).
All who are vessels through which these evil attributes manifest shall not have any part of the eternal life which shall be given to those chosen to live forever when Evil would have been destroyed in Hell. “As I have also told you in time past” Paul reminded the Galatians, “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal.5:21). Only those who live by the will of God shall live forever. “The world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 Joh.2:17).
The way opened to the Tree of Life
About 2000 years ago, a great event happened on Earth. God prepared himself a body through which he would manifest. God would no longer be perceived like some distant supernatural being who was unaware of the difficulties people had in obeying his will. He would now be Emmanuel – “God with us” (Mat.1:23)!
God’s act of manifesting in the flesh was as though to demonstrate that if he were a human himself and someone else was God, he would still have chosen to eat of and live by the will of his creator!
The one important thing the life of Jesus demonstrated to us was walking in the perfect will of God. He could do nothing but what God revealed to him – “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (Joh.5:19).
Unlike the modern strange Gospel which enthuses people to pursue the desires of his will, the Lord Jesus taught us to pray for the restoration of the will of God to Earth – “After this manner therefore pray ye…Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Mat.6:10). Even in moments of extreme pain and agony the Lord showed us that God’s will was more important. “Father”, he prayed, “if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luk.22:42).
Unlike the “first Adam” who ate of the forbidden tree, the “last Adam” chose to eat of the will of God only. “My meat”, he said, “is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (Joh.4:34). “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” he said to the Jews who wanted to kill him (Joh.5:30).
The coming of Jesus was the opening of the way to eternal life. “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE” He said (Joh.14:6). Yes, he is the only way of Truth which gives life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Joh.3:16). In the beginning mankind had followed another way of deceit which led to death but through Christ mankind has an opportunity to repent and partake of the Tree of Life which is the source of eternal life.
Continued in Part 3