From Genesis To Revelation

From Genesis To Revelation

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Revelation 22:13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

From Genesis to Revelation, our Father in heaven, who created the heavens and the earth, is unchanging. There is no shadow of turning with Him. God has neither rejected the Jews because they broke the Old Covenant nor the Christians because they broke the New Covenant! Our God does not change from the Old Testament to the New Testament or from the New Testament to now and beyond! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

In Genesis, because of their disobedience to God, Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden.

Genesis 3:24
So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Because Adam disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because Christ obeys God, many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:19
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

To get back to the tree of life, we have to follow Christ and His example in obeying God and His commandments.

Revelation 22:14
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

From Genesis to Revelation, therein contains a divine story of God's love, grace and mercy drawing people back to dwell with Him in Eden, and back to the tree of life. To enter through the gates into the city, we have to do His commandments. Not just hearers only, but also doers of His Word!

Let us now take a brief look at the life of:

* Adam
* Noah
* Abraham
* Moses
* David
* Zacharias and Elizabeth
* Jesus

Adam was created to dwell with God, and to have close fellowship with Him. But He disobeyed and sinned against God. Because of his disobedience, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone as everyone sinned.

Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at that time. And he walked in close fellowship with God.

Genesis 6:8-9
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

Abraham was called the friend of God. He listened to God, and obeyed all His commandments, decrees, instructions and laws.

Genesis 26:4-5
4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;
5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.

James 2:23
And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.

Note that Abraham knew the commandments of God many centuries before they were given publicly in Mount Sinai through Moses. Probably passed down generation after generation from Adam.

Moses was a Hebrew by birth. But he was raised in the Egyptian palaces. When he grew up, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the momentary pleasures of sin. He believed that it was better to suffer for the sake of the Lord than to acquire the treasures of Egypt. He was looking for a greater and better reward from the Lord. And Moses met God face to face. God used him to deliver the people of Israel out of bondage and slavery in Egypt. They observed the Passover, and they crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. And through Moses, God shared His commandments and laws with His people.

Hebrews 11:24-26
24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

King David was a man after God's own heart. He would do everything that the Lord wanted him to do. He delighted and rejoiced in doing the will of God, for His commandments were written on his heart.

Acts 13:22
And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.

Psalm 40:8
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.

Zacharias and Elizabeth were blameless and righteous in God’s eyes. They were careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They were the parents of John the Baptist, who prepared the way of the Lord in His First Coming.

Luke 1:5-6
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Jesus came to earth to do the will of God, and to finish His work. He did not come to do His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him. He obeyed the Father.

John 4:34
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

John 6:38
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

Luke 22:42
saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.

Nobody can come to the Father except through Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We must follow Christ in order to get back to the Father.

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Our love and joy will be perfected if we obey His commandments, and remain in Christ faithfully!

John 15:9-14
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

Jesus has loved us in the same manner just as the Father has loved Him. Yes, with the same level and degree of agape and divine love! To remain and abide in His love, we must obey His commandments, just the way He obeys and keeps the commandments of the Father.

1 John 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

Why did God give us His commandments? Simply because He loves us. In order for us to walk with Him, we have to know what He desires. We need to agree with Him in order to abide in Him. To dwell with Him, we have to do things that are pleasing and right in His sight. His ways are higher than ours. His commandments are basically instructions to live the way He desires us to live! His commandments are perfect and delightful, and not burdensome!

He has told us these things so that we will be filled with His joy. Yes, our joy will overflow if we do accordingly to what He tells us to do! This is His commandment that we love one another in the same way that He has loved us. Yes, the same kind and level of love that He has loved us. Not just love one another but love one another with His love. His love is much greater than any other loves! For there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. This is the kind of love that Jesus is referring to! And we are His friends if we do whatever He commands us to do.

This new commandment is the same as the old one from the very beginning.

1 John 2:7
Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

The main difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is that one is written on stones, and the other is written on hearts.

Jeremiah 31:31-34
A New Covenant
31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—
32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.
33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

God will give us a new heart. He will put a new spirit in us. He will take away hearts that are hardened, stony and stubborn, and give us hearts that are tender, soft and receptive towards Him. And He will put His Holy Spirit in us so that we will follow His decrees, and be careful to do His commandments.

By our own human strengths and efforts, we cannot do His will, and fulfill what He requires us to do. But by His Holy Spirit, we can.

John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

On the first Pentecost at Mount Sinai, God gave His holy laws. But His people chose to disobey Him. Then on the Pentecost at Mount Zion, God gave us His Holy Spirit so that we are now able to obey Him, and do His commandments! That's why God sent His Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit will help and teach us everything, and will remind us of everything that Jesus have told us to do.

Matthew 5:17-20
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

We must understand the reason why Jesus had come. He did not come to abolish the laws of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, He came to accomplish and fulfill their purpose. The truth is, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s laws will disappear until their purpose is fully achieved.

One of the main purposes of the life of Christ is to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Jesus came to accomplish all that the Old Testament had foretold about Him in prophecies, and to complete all the righteousness that God required for our salvation. His birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection were foretold by the prophets of old!

Luke 4:21
And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

So if we ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, we will be called the least in the kingdom of God. But if we obey God’s laws and teach them, we will be called great in the kingdom of God. Jesus also warns us that unless our righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious laws and the Pharisees, we will never be able to enter the kingdom of heaven! Yes, we must live not under the law, but above the law! And Jesus told us what He meant by this.

In the same chapter of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continued to share about the laws of Moses. But He raised a standard that was much higher! Yes, above the righteousness of the religious leaders and the Pharisees! Above the laws of Moses! The law said this, but Jesus said something that was much higher!

Matthew 5:21-48

Murder Begins In The Heart
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’
22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

Adultery In The Heart
27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Marriage Is Sacred And Binding
31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Jesus Forbids Oaths
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’
34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.
37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Go The Second Mile
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Love Your Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

How do we live above the law? To illustrate this, we will look into handwashing. Handwashing is one of the ways to protect ourselves and our family from getting sick. There are a few steps to follow about when and how to wash hands. Suppose there is a law that requires a minimum duration of scrubbing for 20 seconds. If going above the law, we may do a few seconds more. But if under the law, we will do less than required. If lawless, we will not wash hands. If very legalistic, we will adhere strictly to the law and wash hands for exactly 20 seconds, not a second more and not a second less. If super-legalistic, we will go excessively overboard beyond the law, scrubbing for minutes or hours!

Many people are more concerned about obeying the rules of the laws and not getting caught than about understanding why the laws were given in the first place. God gave His laws and commandments to us because He loves us, and not because He wants to punish us! In understanding why each law of God was given in the first place, we will gain godly knowledge, wisdom and understanding! And we will begin to agree with Him. And we will be able to walk together with Him closer and closer as the days go by!

Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Led By The Flesh	Led By The Spirit
Under The Law	Above The Law
The Wrath Of God	The Grace Of God
Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
The Law Of Sin And Death	The Law Of The Spirit Of Life
The Works Of The Flesh Galatians 5:19-21 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.	The Fruit Of The Spirit Galatians 5:22-25 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Walk In The Flesh	Walk In The Spirit

Adam was created to have close fellowship with God. But he would not do so as he chose his own ways, and disobeyed God.

God is still giving us this free choice. To choose life or death. To choose to obey Him or not. He has given us His holy commandments. He has given us His Son Jesus to show us the Way, the Truth and the Life back to Him. He has also given us His Holy Spirit so that we will be able to do His commandments, and be holy as He is holy.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

This is the whole duty of man - to fear God and obey His commandments. For God will judge us for everything we do, including every hidden thing, good or bad.

Revelation 22:11-12
11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”
12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

Let those who are lawless continue to be lawless; let those who are evil continue to be evil; let those who are righteous continue to live righteously; and let those who are holy continue to be holy.

The Lord is coming soon, and He is bringing His reward with Him to repay all people according to their deeds.

Revelation 22:14
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

To have the right to the tree of life and to enter through the gates into the City of God, we have to do His commandments.

There is no other way to be blessed but to trust and obey.

If interested, please view this song: The Law Of The LORD

Written on 25 August 2021