When the Fullness of the Time Had Come!

Chaos - geralt (Pixabay)

by Leonard V Johnson

 

Why is there such a massive amount of terrible and even tragic news from around the world? Why is it that mankind has wars and suffering? Why does the LORD God ── the family of God, which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ ── allow wars? Why is suffering allowed? Because… as I have heard the skeptics and the atheists proudly announce: Because, if God is so powerful and merciful, He could easily stop it. He could easily keep children from dying. Yet He doesn’t! Well, there certainly is a logical reason and the truth. There is certainly a purpose that is being worked out here below ── just as the famous and renowned Sir Winston Churchill stated in a speech delivered in December 1941. Sadly, and I was pondering this just this early morning ── sadly, not too many people in this present generation know what this purpose, that is being worked out, is. Or, if they were to hear this marvelous truth, they either deny it or wave it away with their hand. Truly, the LORD God has master planned a seven-thousand-year schedule to work out this great purpose; six thousand years in which, for the most part, the LORD God has a “hands-off” policy and is “allowing” mankind to accomplish just what their heart desired, “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” They decide for themselves what they consider good and what they consider evil. As I mentioned in the previous article, “Mankind is After the God Kind!,” the LORD God fully explained to Adam and Eve their Way to lasting peace and prosperity, as well as true happiness. And not only peace throughout the world but peace within one’s own heart and mind – and innermost being. You could rid yourself of undue worry about such things as your life, or what you’re going to eat, drink, or about your body, or what you will wear. As our Lord Jesus tells us, “’ For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.’” – Matthew 6:25-34. This world could easily rid itself of abject poverty and suffering if the world actually lived according to the Law of God, the statutes, the ordinances, and the judgments. And what is gloriously astounding is that all of mankind, throughout the generations, knows God’s Law! Has read His Law! Has heard His Law! Growing up, most of us had that Law pinned to a wall in our schoolroom. The Ten Commandments! 

Now, as our Lord Jesus Christ’s first recorded words ── when the time was fulfilled, our great and awesome God sent His only begotten Son into such a world as this.

There was a period of about 400 years between the completion of God’s living word in the Old Testament and the birth of our Lord Jesus. What occurred during these troubling years?

1) The Persian Period (430-334 B.C.) – cf. Daniel 2:39a

When God’s living word ended in the Old Testament, the Persian kingdom was ruling. 

2) The Greek Period (334-323 B.C.) – cf. Daniel 2:39b

King Alexander the Great ruled and ultimately conquered the Persians, who were dominating the known world at that time. And as our history tells us, King Alexander was friendly to the Jewish people. He spread both Greek culture and established the Greek language.

3) The Ptolemaic Period (323-198 B.C.) – cf. Daniel 7:6 

Upon the untimely death of King Alexander the Great, his mighty kingdom was divided into four divisions. One of his generals, Ptolemy, took Egypt and ruled from there. And his division included the Holy Land. 

During this period of time, the Old Testament, written primarily in Hebrew, was translated into Greek. The Books of the Old Testament then became available to the Greek-speaking people. 

4) The Seleucid Period (189-166 B.C.) – cf. Daniel 11:21-30

Syria came to dominate and rule over the Holy Land. And there was one mighty and evil king that arose ── King Antiochus IV Epiphanes (“chosen of God”). He slaughtered a swine on the altar in the temple in Jerusalem and brought into the Holy of Holies his idols of worship. This caused a rise in Jewish resistance, along with the rise of the Hellenists. The Hasideans (a Jewish group during the Maccabean Revolt that took place from around 167–142 B.C.) would become known as Pharisees, and the Hellenists became known as Sadducees. 

5) The Maccabean Period (166-135 B.C.) – cf. Daniel 11:32-39. 

A Jewish patriot, Judas Maccabeus, led a revolt against the vile king Antiochus. And after conquering this enemy, he cleansed the temple and established the Jewish state, reviving a ravished people and allowing religious and civil freedom. 

6) The Hasmonean Period (135-34 B.C.) 

The Hasmoneans ── the Jewish ruling dynasty of Judea during the Hellenistic times of the Second Temple period. The Hasmonean rulers took on the Greek title basileus, “king,” and they attained regional power for several decades. 1 They were, however, not from the lineage of King David. This period was when the terms Pharisee and Sadducee were first used. And it was during this period that a rift came between the two. The Hasmonean “kings” retained their title, but would become clients of Rome after the conquest by Pompey in 63 B.C. 

7) The Roman Period (34 B.C. to A.D. 70)

Judah became a province of Syria. Herod the Great came to rule under Roman overlordship until he died in c. 4 B.C. and officially passed on the throne to his sons. They were not Jewish but Idumean. His son, Herod (“Herod the tetrarch”), was recognized as tetrarch by Caesar Augustus. He officially ruled Galilee as a client state of the Roman Empire.

So, this is the various periods from the end of the Old Testament era, leading directly to the glorious time of the birth of the Son of God. This is now the period of time when our Lord Jesus announced, “’ The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” – Mark 1:15.

So, here is the world that was prepared for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And this exact period of time didn’t just happen by mere happenstance. God’s living word tells us that our Savior was born in the “fullness of time.” Notice the Apostle Paul ── 

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.” – Galatians 4:4.

It was the fullness in the LORD God’s timing. 

We can certainly make the following observations of what was occurring in the first-century world in which God sent the Word ── 

1) Under Roman Rule – Political Unity 

The “Holy” Roman Empire was ruling the known world with absolute power. The Empire (as I briefly went over in our Part II ── Ancient Roman Empire: Charlemagne) had united both the east and west. The LORD God used this political unity for their own purpose. 

It was during this period that Caesar Augustus (27 B.C. to A.D. 14) issued a decree for a census to be conducted throughout the Roman Empire. The census, known as the Census of Quirinius in A.D. 6, came under the governance of Publius Sulpicius Quirinius, who had been appointed to oversee the newly formed province of Judea after the deposition of King Herod Archelaus. This decree caused Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem. Because, without this imperial decree, there would have been no logical reason why Joseph would have brought his pregnant wife some eighty miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. This decree from Caesar had to be carried out. So, our Lord Jesus was therefore born in Bethlehem, fulfilling this prophecy. 

Point 3 in our free online booklet “Many Convincing Proofs That Jesus Is the Christ.”    

2) The Septuagint Translation of the Word of God

God’s living word (the Old Testament) was already in all parts of the Roman Empire. One thing that would make it easier for the glorious gospel message to be spread to all the known nations was the fact that the Old Testament had been translated into the Septuagint. The Hebrew Scriptures had been translated into Greek. Again, the “fullness of time.” This truly allowed the Scriptures to be taught throughout the known world more easily.

3) World Trade Became a Reality

There was a signpost up ahead throughout the known world at that time ── Omnes viae Romam ducunt (“All roads lead to Rome”). Great highways, easy travel, and easy shipping became a reality during this period. This helped allow the greatest of good news about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to spread throughout the empire and the known world at that time.

4) Relative Peace Throughout the World 

What became known as the “Pax Romana” ── or rather, the Roman Peace, 200 years of relative peace throughout the known world and within the Roman Empire, which lasted from 27 B.C. to A.D. 180. This facilitated the ability to move about the empire and the world in relative peace, proclaiming the gospel message, without the worry of being killed or molested. 

5) Jewish Synagogues Were Throughout the Empire

There were, in fact, Jewish synagogues throughout the Roman Empire in many of the major towns. The Hebrew Scriptures were read and studied throughout various parts of the empire. Consequently, many of the people knew of the promise of the soon-coming Messiah ── cf. Isaiah 7:14; 9:6. 

6) There Was Rampant Religious Inadequacy 

There was a lot of religion throughout the known world and the empire at that point in time, but there was no light. There were the Greeks, who were lovers of wisdom, worshipping a great number of false gods and goddesses, with a vague hint of their chief god ── which they named “UNKNOWN GOD.” Again, the time was right for God to send the Word ── His begotten Son.

7) Great Moral Decline Was Rampant 

As we are told in Ecclesiastes 1:9 – “That which has been is what will be, …” At that period in time, moral decline was rampant. Men were lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers of God, disobedient to their parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, they lacked self-control, brutal, despisers of that which is good, traitors (many would sell their own mother into slavery for about 1,500 Denarii), headstrong, haughty and lovers of pleasure and not lovers of the Almighty God. Many had a form of godliness, but they would deny that an Almighty God ── especially the God of the Jews ── intervened in their life. It was a time of decadence. Indeed, it was a period in time when spiritual emptiness was at an all-time high. And as we are taught in God’s living word, what was then will be again ── cf. 2 Timothy 3:7. 

In such a world, our Savior was born. And our Lord Jesus came with an important message from God. His message is that of the Way out of all these wars and this suffering. A message of peace to a world, as we read in God’s living word, that knows no peace ── and doesn’t know the Way to lasting peace. Mankind doesn’t know the Way to lasting peace, and even when the LORD God shows it to them through their apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11), they won’t have it! And so, what does this world have? A world in which people have just merely accepted the name of JESUS, a people that have just merely accepted certain aspects of say ── Creation, or the Great Flood, or the virgin birth, or even the crucifixion of Christ, or just accepting their version of what the blood of Christ means ── rather than the real reason. Also, of course, their popular version of a resurrection of Christ on a bright Sunday morning. But the true Message of Jesus Christ they reject. A Message of obedience and salvation ── because it is the LORD God alone who knows the true and lasting Way to peace, true happiness, to prosperity, and how one may have a joyful and peaceful life.

Praise always and forever our mighty Creator God! He has made it possible for all mankind to know that Way! Why does mankind ── as a whole ── turn its back on this important message of salvation? 

So, to discover what that Way is and to find out why mankind ── as a whole ── rejects this Message, along with why they have not known it or have even heard it preached at their Sunday morning church services, I want to take you into the very books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, that have been recorded for us the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I don’t want to give you just a message about Jesus. Because you’ve surely heard a lot of that. And that is good in and of itself, but there is a message of greater importance. You need to know the glorious Message that He brought from Father God! 

Again, the LORD God has master planned a seven-thousand-year schedule to work out this great purpose. And these first six thousand years God has planned out – and will eventually come to an end. The LORD God is allowing all mankind to go their own way. Sadly, from the beginning, mankind has gone its own way, having never chosen the Way of God. Mankind ── as a whole ── even today, has not believed that God’s Way is the correct way to lasting peace and wholesome prosperity for all people. And of course, there are people, such as the Bezos, Musks, Zuckerbergs, Buffets, Pages, and the Bill Gates of the world. But in truth, they too have gone their own way, not God’s Way. Mankind has gone the way of sickness and diseases.

Mankind has gone the way of INEQUALITY ── too much for some and not enough for others. And, no, I’m not talking at all about Marxism, or Socialism, or Communism, or even Capitalism, I’m speaking about, well… Christocracy. Because in God’s kingdom, Christ Jesus is the supreme Authority. The LORD God is all about EQUALITY! ── cf. Galatians 3:28; Romans 2:11; and James 2:1. The concept of equality in the eyes of the LORD God is deeply rooted in the Holy Bible, emphasizing that all people are created equal, are loved, and are valued. But again, sadly, mankind has gone the way of wars and strife, fear, worry, and emptiness. And so here we are, and here is what we have. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ has pointed to us the Way, but it is, after being called by Father God (John 6:44), a matter of choice. We must choose. God has witnessed today against us, that He has set before us life and death (eternal death), blessing and cursing ── and He deeply desires us to choose life! ── Deuteronomy 30:19. You can have whichever way you want in your own life. And truly, this six-thousand-year plan is just about ready to dawn. The end of the age is coming soon, and God the Father will send His Son, and when He comes again, He’s not just going to point to the Way and continue allowing mankind to “go their own way”! When He comes, it will be like the description given by the Prophet Enoch, “’ Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.’” – Jude 14-15. He’s coming to sit upon the throne of His father David and to rule all nations. And it’s not to force the nations to the Way of God ── but to place within the people of the world, who do accept, a new heart and a new spirit, and placing His Spirit within them, and they will then begin to walk in His statutes, keeping His judgments and doing them ── cf. Ezekiel 36:26-27. And it will not only be to the nations of Israel, but this will occur to all people who accept God’s calling during His Millennial Reign. The LORD God is not about forcing anyone ── they do not want autonomous robots.

Sadly, most of mankind, just before He comes, will still fight against His authority and Way! They’re going to continue rejecting that Way because “the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the Law of God, nor indeed can be.” – Romans 8:7. Yes, our mind is naturally hostile against our Creator. And so, as we are shown in His living word (cf. Revelation 17:14), men shall make war against Him, but He shall overcome them, “for He is Lord of lords and King of kings”!

Yes! Our Lord Jesus Christ is the King of all kings. Who will be the “kings” in His Millennial Reign? Those who, since the beginning of mankind, have accepted God’s calling and have surrendered themselves over to the LORD God and to the Law of God, and have properly repented of their sins that they had been committing, and have, in this New Covenant era, accepted our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth as personal Savior and of His Way and have been begotten by His Spirit ── filled with the glorious Spirit of God ── and are allowing the fruits of the Spirit to grow within them, the very character of God, and who has been changed. And so, the kingdom of God, the saints of God, then resurrected immortal, born members of the family of God, with glory and with the supreme Authority, will begin co-ruling every town, city, province, country, and nation. 

Let’s begin in the Book of Mark. The life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, here. The things He taught and the customs that He kept. Notice Mark chapter 4 ── 

“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’” – Mark 4:35.

So, they left the multitude of people whom He had been speaking to using parables. He was speaking to them in parables so that they COULDN’T UNDERSTAND, lest they might be converted, yes, and their sins be forgiven. Note Mark 4:10-12. 

It’s like my having asked God the Father and our Lord Jesus in prayer night after night for months on end, if my wife could be called out of this present evil age. After much heartfelt prayers and fasting, the answer that I finally received was, “I’m not calling her at this time.” The LORD God isn’t calling everyone at this time. That’s hard to believe, isn’t it? But right there is the living words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

So, seeing the great multitude of people, He gave the command that they depart to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Now, while they were crossing the sea, there came up a great windstorm, and the waves began beating into the boat, filling the boat with water. The disciples became greatly alarmed. They became scared. So, they awoke our Lord Jesus and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Upon waking, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’  And the wind ceased, and there came a great calm. “But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’”         

Here, I am reminded of my dear sister asking me whether true Christians are to possess a weapon (such as a gun) for protection. I speak of this in the article “Veterans Day: Should Christians Join the Military?” Should a true Christian need security cameras around their house? Should a true Christian need a fallout shelter or a bomb shelter? We should have faith and trust that the LORD God will take care of us and protect us. But here they were frightened.

“And they feared exceedingly, …” wrote the Apostle Mark, in verse 41. “ … they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’”  

At this point, the majority of them had been with Him for some time. They were His disciples, yet they still didn’t seem to know that He was God manifest in flesh and blood and was dwelling amongst them. Remember, the Holy Spirit of God had not yet been sent (Acts 2:1-4). He was God who was born of a woman for the purpose of delivering a most important message to all mankind, to have it outright rejected, and then after that, when His work was completed, to give His life for all mankind ── past, present, and future. The giving of His life, which was given when He shed His precious blood ── because “life is in the blood” as we are told. And when He shed His blood, He gave His life, and the ultimate penalty for our transgressions against the LORD God is eternal death. It’s called “the second death,” from which there will not be a resurrection. But our Lord Jesus paid in our stead, so that upon the acceptance of His calling, we wouldn’t be subject to die this second death. Of course, from the beginning of man’s creation, it was “appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” – Hebrews 9:27. From this first death, there will be a resurrection from the dead for EVERYBODY WHO HAS EVER LIVED OR WILL LIVE.

So, everyone who has died ── including aborted and stillborn babies ── is going to be made alive again and will come back to physical life in a resurrection, but “each one in his own order.” – 1 Corinthians 15:23. First was our Lord Jesus Christ, the firstfruits, and then afterwards “those who are Christ’s at His coming” ── those who have the glorious Spirit of God, have been begotten of God, then, not for a thousand years afterwards, “the rest of the dead.” – Revelation 20:5. Again, it was “appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” 

And this judgment is certainly something you ought to be studying about and getting to know and understand, because every one of us has relatives and friends who have died, and glory be to the LORD God, they are coming back to physical life again in a resurrection. You should know the truth concerning this judgment and this resurrection. In that resurrection, all the dead, small and great, will be standing before the thrones of God, and books will be opened ── the books of the Holy Bible ── And another book will be opened, which is the Book of Life. And all the dead will be judged according to their works, by the things which are written in those books! – cf. Revelation 20:11-12. The glorious Book of Life is going to be opened and made available to them, and when they accept the calling of Father God and begin properly learning the Word of God, the Truth of God, and the Plan of God, they will be offered eternal life. This is the greatest good news, and sadly, many people still can’t or will not see or hear it rightly. But let us forever praise our mighty Creator God, your loved ones and friends who have died, and perhaps you believe they are lost for one reason or another, are not eternally condemned. They will come back to life once again in that resurrection and will be judged according to their works, by the very things that are written in the living word of the Eternal. And I’m not meaning that they died “saved,” or that they are saved. Now, certainly, the majority of you have been taught or heard that there is no middle ground ── that you’re either saved or lost. God’s living word DOES NOT teach this!

Believe no longer in the misunderstandings of men, the fables of men! Why is it that they outright refuse to believe the living words of the Eternal, of which they read in black and white ── or in the red-letter edition? Sadly, most people who sit on a pew in their Sunday church just accept without proof what their minister is teaching. Let’s open our minds to the glorious living truth of God and see and hear what God is truly saying and believe it. Because it’s the greatest of good news! 

So, here we have our Lord Jesus saying to them, “’ Why are you so fearful? …’” Why is it that you have such fears and worries? And of course, a person doesn’t always find themselves at sea with waves splashing over the sides of a boat, about ready to sink it. But, a great many of us do see in our lives other kinds of “waves” splashing over our lives, about ready to sink us. It might be grave temptations, or a business, or a marriage, or a child who is having difficulties in their life. Perhaps there was a death in the family that is causing you untold tremendous pain and hardship, sickness, and you’re at your wits’ end. It’s terrible to have any kind of pain and suffering that mental pain causes, the fear, the worry, a fear for the future that the very worst is going to occur. In the Book of Psalms, chapter 107, we find a most powerful hymn celebrating the LORD God’s unwavering love, devotion, and deliverance of God’s people ──

“ … Their soul melts because of trouble. 27) They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end. 28) Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses.” – Psalm 107:26, 27-28.

So, we cry out unto the LORD, and what happens?

“He calms the storm, So that its waves are still.” – verse 29.

Again, you may have a different storm than one out at sea, but we all have troubles ── and I’m speaking to every one of you. 

If you cry out to the LORD God in your trouble, they will bring you out of your distress. The storm will calm, and the “waves” will therefore stop splashing over the sides of your life. “Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven.” God will bring you to your desired haven if you will only trust and obey them. In 1st John, we read, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL He hears us. 15) And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” – 1 John 5:14-15. Why? Because we trust and obey Him. “ … because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” – 1 John 3:22. And just what is pleasing in God’s sight? Well… the things that please the LORD God, the things that are pleasing in His sight are actually the things that will make your life happy and will free you from fears and worries and will truly make your life abundantly greater and fuller ── that’s what pleases God. But we have to work at it. Because it doesn’t come from being lazy or complacent. It doesn’t come by idleness or defiance. It doesn’t come by resisting God. From the beginning, the LORD God set laws in motion, spiritually, physically, and morally.

And truly, if you lack the wisdom to understand, the LORD God says to us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” – James 1:5.

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!” – Psalm 107:31.

So, have faith, and put your trust in the LORD God! Because if you had faith, my friends, you could easily rid yourself of your worries and fears; you could find the Way to the solution to all your troubles.

Sadly, and I’ve spoken of this before ── so many people don’t know what faith actually is. What is faith, anyhow? And why do most people not have enough faith? Why don’t you read and study our PDF “A Morning Bible Study ── Faith Required for Salvation.” Millions of people lack faith, and a growing number of people are having a lack of faith that there is even a Creator God. And, to a very large extent, this lack of faith is due to a lack of proper spiritual understanding, and a lack of understanding as to what faith is.

But let’s continue a little more. Mark, chapter 5, and verse 1, which we also see the Apostle Matthew speaking concerning in Matthew chapter 8. 

“When He had come to the other side, …” – this is Matthew, chapter 8. If you have your Bible in front of you, open it up, Matthew 8, and verse 28. “When He had come to the other side, …” – the other side of the Sea of Galilee. “ … to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, …” Minister Guy LaMar just spoke of this and taught on this, we recently posted it, “THINK ABOUT THIS… Demonic Nature.”   

Notice in the Apostle Mark’s account in the 5th chapter, along with the Apostle Luke’s account there in the 8th chapter, they only mention one man. “ … immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.” Luke mentions “ … there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.” So, there was more than just one demon.

And there were two men. The Apostle Mark mentions only one, because apparently one of them was worse than the other, having a whole legion of demons within him. And certain details are given by the Apostle Mark that are omitted or not mentioned by the Apostles Matthew and Luke concerning this one man. Again, Matthew mentions two men who met Him. Two men were possessed by demons “coming out of the tombs [or, as the Apostle Luke says, “from the city”], exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.” So, these two men were acting very aggressively, and they were dangerous! “And suddenly [when they had seen our Lord Jesus] they cried out, saying, ‘What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?’”    

Well… now… friends, if you just read that without any real meaning, you just go over it and that’s all you get. You read it, but you don’t really get that much. I would like to show you how great and meaningful those questions truly are. 

“And suddenly they cried out, saying, ‘What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? …’” Sadly, so many don’t get any real meaning out of this. Many don’t get any special meaning out of this. There were at that time these “great religious leaders,” the doctors of the Law. The Pharisees. One of the distinct religious groups during the Second Temple period. Did they know that Jesus was the Son of God? No. Here it was at that time, these “great religious leaders” ── even including the Sadducees ── that did not know that He was in fact the Son of God! And here comes an aggressive and dangerous man, a man who wasn’t speaking from his own mind at all, if you know the truth. And here come these demon-possessed men, saying, ‘What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?’ Now, here’s an example of how God’s living word interprets itself. And it certainly does! We read that “ … no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, …” meaning that it isn’t just one person understanding it, a “private interpretation.” Rather, it means that Scripture cannot be interpreted “privately” alone by itself but is interpreted in the light of other Scriptures that are found in various other places of God’s living word. The Prophet Isaiah speaks of this, “’ For precept [a general rule intended to regulate behavior or actions] must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.’” – Isaiah 28:10.

Let us also briefly notice another time. At another time, our Lord Jesus was speaking with His disciples, and He had asked them, “’ Who do men say that I am?’” They answered, “‘John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.’” The question highlights for us the differing perceptions of who the people of that time thought Jesus was. When He asked them, “ … ‘who do you say that I am?’” Simon Peter spoke up and answered, “’ You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” The Disciple Peter placed all the pieces together (John 1:41) and came to the realization that our Lord Jesus was not only our Messiah, but also the very Son of God Himself! When we study together John 1:41 along with Matthew 16:16-17, we better understand God’s living truth when our Lord Jesus answered Simon Peter, “’ Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’” Andrew’s witness certainly sparked Peter’s initial exposure to our Lord Jesus as the Messiah, starting off the beginning of Peter’s spiritual journey. Both accounts form a cohesive picture rather than any contradiction. 

I tell you that demon-possessed people recognized that the Apostle Paul was a true servant of the Lord Jesus, and they also recognize today ── in fact, just speaking about this via the phone with Minister Guy ── who are the true servants of our Lord Jesus. Brother Guy just mentioned that where he works, he came across a man who became faint when he was in his presence. And I have met several demon-possessed people, and the same thing happened to me ── they either became faint near me, or they began screaming at me to “leave them alone!” having not said a word to them. So, they know, but do people know that you are a true Christian ── a servant of our Lord Jesus Christ? Most do not. In fact, there’s this one certain minister who thinks I’m just the opposite. Yes, indeed. Oh, but they knew who He was.

“ … ‘Have You come here to torment us before the time?’” They know that a time is coming for their judgment. And they know that they are reserved on this Earth for a future judgment. □   

1) Wikipedia contributors. "Hasmonean dynasty." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 25 Nov. 2025. Web. 3 Dec. 2025. 

November Stats ── 2025

Greetings Brethren, Co-Workers, and Friends in Christ Jesus:

It’s the beginning of another new civic month – December. We hope and pray that all our brethren, co-workers, and friends here in the United States of America had a great and wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours here was very good. You know… interestingly, there was, on my wife’s city bus the other day, a Jewish gentleman (the same one that was carrying the cardboard sign that was written, “The End is Near!”), that had announced to the whole bus of people that Thanksgiving came from the Jews. Who knew? I was always taught that it came from 1621 harvest feast that was shared together by ENGLISH colonists there at Plymouth, giving THANKS to Almighty God. The hearing of that story kinda made me think of Toula's father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, always announcing, “Give me a word, any word, and I'll show you that the root of the word is Greek!”

But anyway ── December. December's name derives from the Latin word decem (meaning 10) because it was originally the 10th month of the year in the calendar of Romulus c. 750 BC, which began in March. 

God Bless. 

November Stats – according to our website analytics (Google). Note: Our own pageviews are not tracked.

 

Location Last 30 Days

System Last 30 Days

TOP FIVE ARTICLES

Last 30 Days

(Website Analytics)

• Personal From... The Book of Acts 2:38 - Part II
• Some World News in Relation to Biblical Prophecy ── November 3, 2025
• We Stand Firm on God's Word
• Do We Have an Immortal Soul?
• An E.T. From Space?

The Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries brings you our YouTube channel's analytics for November 2025 ──

Our Total Views for November 2025 ── 46 (54 less than usual)

Total, Watch Time (hours) ── 1.6 (1.4 less than usual) 

Impressions ── 1.0k (75% less than previous 28 days)

Impressions Click-through rate ── 3.4%

Average Duration ── 2:07

Returning Viewers! (Thank You, so Much!) ── 4

Unique Viewers ── 15

Monthly Audience ── 15

TOP FIVE VIDEOS

During this duration

Last 28 Days

• World News in Relation to Biblical Prophecy ── November 14, 2025
• You Were Born to Rule! - Part 2
• Think About This... What is meant, 'days, times, season, and years'?
• Think About This... What is meant, 'Rise, Peter, kill and eat'?
• Think About This... The Nicolaitans 

Brethren, Co-workers, and friends worldwide ── thank you for your continued love, support, and interest in this online ministry that is doing the most wonderous work today - the proclaiming of the gospel message and the salvation work that our Lord Jesus Christ is doing throughout the world in this present age.

If the Spirit of God moves you to help us in proclaiming this gospel message around the world, please consider financially donating. It will greatly help reach even more people worldwide! You can donate by clicking the button at the top of page titled "Giving back" and it will take you to our donate page. God bless you! And again, in the glorious name of Jesus, we THANK YOU!

Mankind is After the God Kind!

Orion Nebula photo by SubMeet (Pixabay)

by Leonard V Johnson

A few days ago, I discovered, rather by accident, an exciting YouTube channel ── Stargaze. Realistic simulations of what it would be like to descend down to distant planets in God’s Solar System. To me it’s exciting to think about this very concept and having the ability to do this! Truly, something that is congruent with mankind’s ultimate potential!

Recently I typed up an article “We Are to be Like God!” where I took us all the way back to the Book of Genesis. In this article I will do the same. An extension of that last article ── glorious truth from Almighty God, and truth that we should always keep in the forefront of our mind.

God ── the word God here is the Hebrew word Elohim. A plural word, meaning more than one. The God family, which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. God explained to Adam, the very first man, the Way and the purpose for man and just what mankind’s ultimate MOST FANTASTIC POTENTIAL CAN BE! But sadly, Adam decided to take upon himself “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” ── deciding for himself and his progeny what is good and what is evil. His wife Eve was confronted by the Whisperer – known by the name Satan, which originated from the Hebrew word ‘ha-Satan’. In Greek diabolos, the Devil. In Latin his original name was Lucifer, which means “light bearer.” So, she was confronted by this evil one, whom God calls “the serpent,” and she didn’t do very well. She rejected the LORD God and convinced Adam as well.

In the beginning… well, not in “the” beginning, but rather, in a beginning, God placed upon the planet Earth the great archangel Lucifer, and 1/3 of the angels. They were to complete the beautification of the Earth in preparation for mankind. Sadly, it appears that very few people know that before mankind was created upon the earth, angels were occupying the Earth. But as we read in God’s living word, chapter 2 of the Book of 2nd Peter (2 Peter 2:4), these angels sinned, and God cast them down to hell – the word here being the Greek word tartaroó, meaning “a place of punishment.” Recall our Lord Jesus mentioning this very thing, saying, “’ I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.’” – Luke 10:18. So, according to God’s living word, there was at least a third of the angels that sinned. We get a sense of just what a great number of them were here on planet Earth at that time from Hebrews 12:22 ── “an innumerable company of angels.”

Upon the very creation of angels, God wanted them to begin developing godly righteous character. God had explained to them the Way and their purpose, the LORD God’s truth of the Way to perfect righteous character. Again, God had intended the angels to work on the beautification of the Earth. And, as I’ve spoken about before, angels were created long before even the physical universe ── before there was an Orion Nebula, or even this Solar System!

Truly, as we are told in the Book of Job, that “the morning stars sang together” at the creation of the Earth ── Job 38:4-7. Now, at that time, Earth was not complete in its beautification. And just as mankind is still not complete, because the spiritual creation of mankind is occurring in man ── at least a few from every generation at this present age. But God wanted the angels to complete the beautification of Earth, preparing it for the creation of mankind.

Now… of course we’ve been taught ── probably from childhood ── that the planet Earth was formed by… and all you need to do is type into your favorite search engine on a computer, or even cell phone, and it will supply you with this world’s most popular theory… that around some 4.6 billion years ago, “our” solar system began as a massive cloud of dust and gas known as the solar nebula. And that this nebula collapsed under its own gravity. As the nebula collapsed, it began to spin and flatten into a disk. Within this disk, particles of dust and gas began to clump together due to gravitational attraction, forming larger bodies known as planetesimals. Whether it happened like this or not isn’t what is vitally important, God’s living word is, “Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world STAND IN AWE OF HIM. 9) For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” – Psalm 33:8-9. The very first verse of the very first Book ── “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The Apostle Paul righty teaching us, “By faith we understand that the worlds [the Greek word aión, meaning “a space of time, an age.”] were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen WERE NOT MADE OF THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE VISIBLE.” – Hebrews 11:3.

Now, it should be said that God intended mankind to complete Earth’s beautification. But what has mankind done? Sadly, we have polluted everything that we’ve put our hands upon ── including now polluting the Moon, Mars, and even distant asteroids. It seems we, as a species, can’t keep our garbage to ourselves. 

We’ve polluted the atmosphere. We’ve polluted the oceans, rivers, and lakes. We’ve polluted the very soil under our feet that helps produce the food that we eat. We have, even on a molecular level, changed a great many things that the LORD God intended to be greatly beneficial to humanity. One example: seedless fruit, which the very concept is an oxymoron. Sadly, a great many people don’t realize these things, looking at it from today’s societies, and you don’t stop to think ── many of these man-altered things were never meant for mankind. 

The LORD God taking the man (here meaning mankind) and placing them in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it ── Genesis 2:15. Eventually the whole earth could have looked just as beautiful as the garden of Eden was. So, the LORD God placed over them the government of God which is based upon the Law of God ── summed up in one true emotion, godly love. The Way of loving “the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” And loving “your neighbor as yourself.” ── cf. Matthew 24:37-40. The Way of outgoing concern for others, the Way of assisting and helping others, instead of the way of get, and take, and of destruction. 

But as I said ── 1/3 of the angels sinned. Rather than building godly righteous character, they rejected serving under the Word ── and literally ascended into the upper heavenly realms, and tried to exalt their ruler above the stars of God, and to even “sit on the mount of the congregation [the Hebrew word, mow`ed, meaning the very site of the worship of God; the third heaven]” ── cf. Isaiah 14:13. But they were “brought down to Sheol” – vs. 15. Because of this, the beautification of the Earth stopped abruptly! Now, God had placed in charge over a third of the angels an anointed cherub who covered, named Lucifer, who was perfect in his ways from the very day that he was created ── till iniquity was found in him ── cf. Ezekiel 28:12 17.

Over time ── possibly billions of years ── Lucifer influenced and came to turn the third of those angels against the LORD God and against their Way. Therefore, holy and righteous godly character was never built inside any of them. Instead, they became filled with violence and pride, anger and hatred, lust, and vanity, jealousy – which can be a very dangerous emotion ── envy, the wrong type of competition, and strife and utter destruction. Lucifer’s whole character changed ── now becoming the LORD God’s adversary. 

Now, this great cherub’s original name, Hêlēl (in Hebrew #1966), Lucifer in Latin ── meaning, shining star of the dawn. One who brings light and truth, but instead brought just the opposite, resentment, bitterness, and rebellion. So, there was a great rebellion, and because of this the beautification of the Earth stopped. We see this in the very second verse of the very first Book ── “The earth became without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. …”           

Well… let’s speak a moment of decay. Because, apparently, even one of the greatest spiritual teachers of God’s living word of the 20th century didn’t fully see that decay was an original part of creation ── “The law of decay is a physical law described in mathematical manners that describes the properties of a nuclear atom in a state of decay. The radioactive decay law states that this decay is constant. For if nothing was done about this law of decay, this corruption will ultimately lead to the complete annihilation of the universe. For I refer to a little physics here, the laws of thermodynamics –

• First Law - Energy cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system.
• Second Law - Entropy – or disorder – always increases. 
• Third Law - The entropy of a system approaches a constant value as the temperature approaches heat, and eventual death. 

Understand that mankind was going to die – no matter if they were to have chosen the tree of life, or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Had they chosen the tree of life, they would still have lived out their days and died. “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” But Adam and Eve would have, after losing consciousness, “in the twinkling of an eye,” been resurrected unto eternal life! But we know of which tree they chose.

But here, now, in verse 2 of the 1st chapter of the Book of Genesis ── planet Earth was in a state without form, and void, and utter darkness [the darkness of evil] was on the face of the deep. There was at that time just what we see on the Moon, or Mars, or Pluto ── and even Styx, a small natural satellite of Pluto. They are all lifeless and void. 

Now, might I be so bold as to ask, “Is Jupiter really a planet?” Or is Jupiter a failed star ── because Jupiter and the Sun are more alike than you know. Of course, all the experts tell us that it isn’t a failed star. And I only mention this to say, what if everything we’ve been told about the universe is wrong?

And so here we have this gas giant with a gravity approximately 2.4 times stronger than Earth’s ── which means that if you weigh 220 lbs. on Earth, you’d weigh 529 lbs. on Jupiter ── that is a vacuum cleaner for this Solar System! And God is so awesome and great that He created everything, creating all of the known planets in this Solar System, creating them all for a purpose (and most for a future purpose). 

God, with infinite Wisdom, came up with a fool-proof way of creating trillions upon trillions of beings with His very holy and righteous character that would also have the ability to create, and that was for God to reproduce themselves. And we see this in the Book of Genesis, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness; …’” – Genesis 1:26. Angels were never meant to be sons of God – Hebrews 1:5. And again, the word God here is Elohim, the One that was called the Word and the One that was called God ── “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1. Two separate beings, that have always existed and were (and are) self-existent. There was never a time when they didn’t exist. And don’t worry, our minds cannot even fathom a concept as that ── I certainly know mine can’t. They had no beginning, and they will have no end.

So, the Word would later become known as our Lord Jesus Christ, he became the Son of God. Originally, he was not the Son of God, He was coexisting with God from eternity.

So now begins ── in all its greatness, splendor, and awesomeness ── God’s Master Plan from the Beginning! The reproducing of the God kind! To reproduce themselves with the understanding of duplicating, in human beings, their own holy and righteous character so that God the Father can have trillions upon trillions of sons and daughters. And this great knowledge from the LORD God is surely almost so incredible to believe – the glorious potential for every human being past present and future. A God family so innumerable that they are spread out throughout the entirety of the vast universe! Are you able to grasp this greatest of good news? 

The very first purpose of God in man is the development of holy and righteous godly character. And a great part of that comes from the LORD God through their Spirit, but it also comes with our own decision upon being called by Father God, our own decision and by our own free will. And we must make that decision. 

So then, utter destruction and spiritual darkness was upon the planet Earth. But if you continue with verse 2 of the very first Book, that “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” So here, as the Apostle Peter, under inspiration, wrote, was the Earth, “For this they [are] willfully [ignorant]: that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6) by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.” – 2 Peter 3:5-6.

So, the Earth that then existed was flooded with water. 1

But if we turn to the Book of Psalm the 104th chapter, the 30th verse ── “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You RENEW THE FACE OF THE EARTH.”       

God begins to renew the face of the Earth. God renews the Earth after it had been placed in a state of a type of “watery grave” with spiritual darkness upon the face of the deep. Those sinning angels had been yoked to “chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.”

In six days, God renewed the face of the Earth and then created mankind upon it. Again, mankind being created in the very image and according to the likeness of God. “’Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.’” In other words, ‘Let’s make man after Us.’ God had ‘let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth according to its kind.’ Lions after its kind (and I still think – though I could be wrong – that lions are an homage to God’s mighty and powerful archangels), a calf after its kind, etc. So, there was the Word that would become our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, renewing the face of the Earth and bringing forth not only life, but light (Genesis 1:14-19). 

We learn that man was created a little lower than the angels (now there are different classifications of angels, “regular” angels (messengers) do not have wings, yet they can fly – certainly not after cherubim, that are referenced some 69 separate times ── they are uniquely different from angels and seraphim), yet, mankind was created to become much higher than even the cherubim’s – the highest order of angels. Because the day will come when those of us that have been called by Father God, and in whom ── by our own consent and choice ── has been building holy and righteous godly character, may come to judge the angels – 1st Corinthians 6:3. 

So, here was Adam, and in order to qualify to take over the throne of Satan the Devil upon the Earth, he had to outright reject Satan’s way ── first. And second, they had to accept the glorious Spirit of God and God’s government. God’s Way. A Way that is built upon law. Because you cannot have government without a basic set of laws, or a constitution of some type. Every type of government on Earth, whether local, city, county, state, or federal has some type of basic laws. And Adam had to accept the Law of God and the Way of God in order to qualify to replace Satan the Devil and to establish the government of God upon planet Earth.

But Adam ── and “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression” – 1 Timothy 2:14 did not obey the LORD God, and so came into a 6,000-year sentence for mankind. God driving them out of the garden of Eden, placing cherubim at the “east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way of the tree of life.” – Genesis 3:24. □   

1) U.S. National Science Foundation, 10 March 2020. Retrieved 1 Dec. 2025