Before Man

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Maybe I should say, before flesh man. What happened before then? What was going on? Were we in existence? What had taken place prior to man, (flesh man), having been set up on this earth? There's a sequential order to everything. That is, if it's perfect. God is perfect, and man isn't. I guess that's why we sometimes gets the buggy before the horse. Start putting things together before reading the instructions. Doing stuff like that. But if we wanted something really bad, something we could not produce our self, what would we do? If we could bring about a situation that would produce what it was that we wanted, wouldn't we do just that? First, we'd have to come up with a plan. Maybe that's just the way it was with God. Well, the Bible says that all things are possible with God. But just supposed there was one thing that God couldn't do. Wonder what that would be. What is it, that God truly wants? Love.

Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, (loving kindness), and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

1 Pet 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity, (love), among yourselves: for charity, (love), shall cover the multitude of sins.

1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Deu 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require[1] of thee, but to fear[2] the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

[1] 7592. sha'al, shaw-al'; or sha'el, shaw-ale'; a prim. root; to inquire; by impl. to request; by extens. to demand:--ask (counsel, on), beg, borrow, lay to charge, consult, demand, desire, X earnestly, enquire, + greet, obtain leave, lend, pray, request, require, + salute, X straitly, X surely, wish.
[2] 3372. yare', yaw-ray'; a prim. root; to fear; mor. to revere; caus. to frighten:--affright, be (make) afraid, dread (-ful), (put in) fear (-ful, -fully, -ing). (be had in) reverence (-end), X see, terrible (act, -ness, thing).

1 Cor 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

God is Love and He wants to be loved. True love brings one pleasure. What did God make all things for?

Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

If we could go back in time, actually before time as we know it, to a time when there was no man. Not even an earth. Let's do that in God's word.

Prov 8:12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

Prov 8:22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

Prov 8:23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

Prov 8:24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

Prov 8:25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

Prov 8:26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest[1] part of the dust of the world.

What is the highest part of the earth? Be sure and check out the word, highest.

Hey, this is going back a long time. Before there was ever an earth? What is this highest part of the dust? Could it be man? God made man from the dust and gave to him, the highest commission of any flesh. Or maybe it's the atom. We seem to think it's pretty powerful.

1 "HIGHEST": 7218. ro'sh, roshe; from an unused root appar. mean. to shake; the head (as most easily shaken), whether lit. or fig. (in many applications, of place, time, rank, etc.):--band, beginning, captain, chapiter, chief (-est place, man, things), company, end, X every [man], excellent, first, forefront, ([be-]) head, height, (on) high (-est part, [priest]), X lead, X poor, principal, ruler, sum, top.

Prov 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth

Prov 8:28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

Prov 8:29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

Prov 8:30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

Prov 8:31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

Rejoicing always? Not since flesh man's been on earth. Too much sadness going on, right from the start. God possessed wisdom right up front. Before there was anything else. In the beginning. When was that?

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

Well, it doesn't say when, just in the beginning.

Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

Isa 57:16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.

Yeah, God made all these things before He made flesh man. I believe all souls were made, (created) before flesh man began. It did say, "souls which I have made". Not souls that I will make. I am trying to lay out the scriptures, in what I feel would be the proper sequence of things happening before flesh man. Our souls come from God. From heaven. I want to insert this next verse, which I believe proves just that.

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Now let's look in the book of Job for some things that describe a time before this earth age. Before flesh man.

Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Job 38:2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

Job 38:3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Job 38:5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Job 38:6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

Where was Job? I guess we could ask, where were we? Job had to be somewhere for God to have asked this question. The foundations of the earth? Well, we now have pictures and video from outer space, and we can see that it's just there. Held by powers, we know little, or nothing about.

Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Who are the morning stars?

Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer[1], son of the morning!

[1] 1966. heylel, hay-lale'; from H1984 (in the sense of brightness); the morning-star:--lucifer.

Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

Who are these sons of God?

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

They must be in heaven. They presented themselves before God. Anybody here done that lately? They're all happy, shouting for joy. Jesus and Satan singing together. What a time it must have been, before the fall of Satan. This had to take place before flesh man. It certainly cannot be describing any time frame of this age.

Another something that must have been prior to flesh man. At least science tells us so. I tend to agree. The dinosaur.

Job 40:15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.

Job 40:16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.

Job 40:17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.

Job 40:18 His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.

Job 40:19 He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.

Job 40:20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.

Job 40:21 He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.

Job 40:22 The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.

Job 40:23 Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.

A tail like a cedar tree? Just think about what the above verses describe. It can be none other than a dinosaur. We know that age ceased to exist for there are none alive today. The wooly mammoth is another animal that we are used to hearing about lately. Just this year (2000) they recovered a complete specimen frozen in ice from Siberia.

I would rather believe that the earth has been around millions, billions, or maybe even trillions of years, than just a mere six thousand. How much more stable that makes things, and how much more secure we can feel about God.

Another something that took place before flesh man.

Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

I believe Revelation 12:4, covers a vast period of time. (And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven), I believe took place before flesh man was on the scene. In an age prior to this one. When one third of God's children, outright followed Satan. The dragon is one of Satan's names. (And did cast them to the earth), I think took place in Genesis 6, where the sons of God came in to the daughters of men.

Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

(And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born).

I believe this was Satan, present at the birth and crucifixion of Jesus.

Ezekiel, chapter 28, describes Satan in that time, (or age), before man. His great economic system, his pride, his position's held there, and God sentencing him to death.

Ezek 28:1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

Ezek 28:2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

Ezek 28:3 Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:

(Very smart).

Ezek 28:4 With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:

Ezek 28:5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:

Not just wisdom. Great wisdom. Traffic? Hey, he's good at economics. His heart lifted up? Pride.

Ezek 28:6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;

Ezek 28:7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of
thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.

Ezek 28:8 They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.

The pit? Read Isaiah 14.

God pronouncing the death sentence on Satan.

Ezek 28:9 Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.

Ezek 28:10 Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezek 28:11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Ezek 28:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

Ezek 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

Ezek 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

Anointed cherub? This for sure tells us that we're not reading about a mere mortal man, but a supernatural being.

Ezek 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Ezek 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Multitude of his merchandise? Yeah, he's a real business man. He has it all. He offered it to Jesus when they were in the wilderness. See Matthew 4.

Ezek 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Again read Isaiah 14.

Now we read of God telling Satan just how he will be destroyed. I believe all this took place before this earth age ever began. The ole Devil must have had been very impressive, to convince one third of God's children to follow him.

Ezek 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

What came next? The destruction of that earth and heavenly age.

Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form[1], and void[2]; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

[1] 8414. tohuw, to'-hoo; from an unused root mean. to lie waste; a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; fig. a worthless thing; adv. in vain:--confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness.

[2] 922. bohuw, bo-hoo; from an unused root (mean. to be empty); a vacuity, i.e. (superficially) an undistinguishable ruin:--emptiness, void.

I don't believe that God would make something in such a state as described in the meanings of the words, (without form), and (void). Let's look at Isaiah 45:18, which states just the opposite.

Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain[1], he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

[1] 8414. tohuw, to'-hoo; from an unused root mean. to lie waste; a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; fig. a worthless thing; adv. in vain:--confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness.

God created it not a desolation, not a worthless thing, not in a state of confusion, but to be inhabited.

(1 Cor 14:33) For God is not the author of confusion[1], but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

[1] 181. akatastasia, ak-at-as-tah-see'-ah; from G182; instability, i.e. disorder:--commotion, confusion, tumult.

Does the Bible tell of God destroying that earth and heavenly age? Yes it does.

Jer 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Sound familiar?

Jer 4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.

Jer 4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

Jer 4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

Jer 4:27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

Jer 4:28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.

God did lay the whole earth desolate, in Genesis 1:2.

How much time was there between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2? I don't know. What happened next? God starts rebuilding the earth and the heavens.

Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Gen 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Gen 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

Gen 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Gen 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

Gen 1:10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Gen 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

Gen 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Gen 1:13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Gen 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

Gen 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

Gen 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

Gen 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

Gen 1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

Gen 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Gen 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

Gen 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Gen 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

Gen 1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

Gen 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

Gen 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Can you just imagine, God, in His fierce anger, smashing His creation? His children standing by, no doubt trembling in fear. Wondering what is He's going to do next. Like children today, when they do something wrong, and daddy gets mad. Please Daddy, we wont do it anymore. If we could just do it all over again, we wouldn't follow Satan. We've learned our lesson. Then what does God say? Well, we can't do it over. You kids would remember all that has gone on, what Satan did, you kids loving him instead of Me. Well Daddy, said the kids, You're super smart, You can come up with something. Something to test us. Test our love for you. Well now, (God speaking), suppose there was a way that could be done, and you kids wouldn't remember what has taken place here, then, maybe just then, we would find out just who you do love, Satan or Me. Well kids, what about this?

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Yeah, Daddy, (said the kids). That's a great idea. Let's do it. We'll show You, just how much we love You.

Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Gen 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

Gen 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Three more scriptures.

1 Cor 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Isa 64:4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

Deu 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require, (request or wish), of thee, but to fear, (be had in reverence), the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

What ever God has in store for us, throughout eternity, the thing most required from us, has to be Love. If God just said, Jack, you're going to love me, and Jill, you're not. Would that be True Love? No. How could God create True and Pure Love? Create all the souls, (His children), give them free will, sit back and wait. I think that's what He did. Things might have went well for millions, or maybe even, billions of years. What's time to God? Then something happened that would start, The Love Test. Satan wanted to be worshipped as God. Wanted to take God's place. That can be verified in Matthew chapter four. He tried to get Jesus to worship him. The Love Test is still going on. When it's all said and done, which one, will you and I love? Now I'm not saying this is the way it happened. But something had to take place. This, or something similar.

Thanks, for allowing me, to share this with you. Remember, to always, study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

In His Word,
Art Porter

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