Understand where we came from

IT IS always more rewarding to share our experiences with people who love us than to experience life’s events alone. God continually gives, shares and loves. God enjoys having a large family that He can share His experiences and love with; just as many parents enjoy sharing the events of their life with their children. 4

Before God created the Earth, He enjoyed living in Heaven with a very large number of holy angels. The highest-ranking angel that God created, and the one He entrusted with the most responsibility, was named Lucifer. Sadly, Lucifer became proud of the incredible abilities that God had created him with. Lucifer ended up becoming so proud and selfish that he felt he knew how to run the government of Heaven better than God. 5

The rebellion of Lucifer progressed to the point that he began to share his doubts with the other angels regarding God’s way of governing His kingdom. Lucifer became the first created being in the universe to sin against God – to do things that were in opposition to God’s perfect moral law. The example of Lucifer’s sin spread to many of the angels in heaven who listened to Lucifer instead of trusting their Creator. We can be confident that because God has been merciful throughout eternity, He extended His mercy to Lucifer and the angels who had decided to join his rebellion and gave them the opportunity to repent and turn away from their pride and selfishness – but many of them refused. God was left with the only option of removing the cause of sin from Heaven, so He and the remaining loyal angels physically removed Lucifer and his followers from Heaven. 6

Sadly, one-third of the angels were deceived and ended up believing and following Lucifer instead of God. These angels were permanently removed from Heaven because they chose to trust a new rebellious leader instead of trusting the One that had created them and loved them. The first sin began in Heaven and ended up separating God from a very large number of His close friends. 7

Following this heart-breaking event in Heaven, God created a new place called “Earth.” On this planet, He would first create a beautiful variety of plants and animals. Then, as the final, special event of His creation, He would create two human beings that would have His character traits and a similar appearance. Over six 24-hour periods, God created the following:

Day 1:

Daytime and nighttime.

Day 2:

Our atmosphere.

Day 3:

The sea and dry land.

Grass, seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees.

Day 4:

The Sun to give us light during the day and the Moon to give us light at night. The Sun and the Moon would also determine our various seasons and provide us with the ability to measure days and years.

The stars.

Day 5:

All the animals that live in the sea and in the air.

Day 6:

All the animals that live on dry land.

Two human beings. God created a male human being named “Adam” and a female human being named “Eve.” God instructed them to have children and fill the Earth with their family. He also gave them complete authority over all the created animals. Originally, He provided Adam and Eve with fruits, nuts, and grains to eat from seed-bearing plants and trees; and each of the animals ate plants. 8

God created Earth with everything humans would need to live an enjoyable, peaceful life. Everything that He made was very good. In the original perfect environment on Earth, there was no such thing as death, disease, war, pain, sickness, or selfishness. On the day following the sixth day of creation, God set aside a special day called the “Sabbath” to help us to remember and be thankful for God’s power and ability to create life. The beautiful flowers, lakes, birds and friendly animals that still exist on our planet are a reminder of the love and care our heavenly Father has for each one of us. God is so powerful that He can speak anything into existence. At His word, the tiny structures that make up all of Earth’s elements, obey His command. And yet the subjects of His kingdom are motivated to serve Him by the power of love, not by the power of force. He desires a willing obedience from each one of His subjects that is motivated by love and gratitude. 9

4 - Return

“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” Genesis 2:18

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” I John 4:7

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.” Psalms 127:3-4

“The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.” Proverbs 23:24-25

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“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. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 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. 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.” Ezekiel 28:14-17

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14

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“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” I John 3:8

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:7-9

“And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” Luke 10:18

“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalms 100:5

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“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.” Revelation 12:4

8 - Return

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 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. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 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. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 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. 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. And the evening and the morning were the third day. 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: and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 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. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 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. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 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. 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. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 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. 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. 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. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 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. 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. 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.” Genesis 1:1-30

9 - Return

“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.” Genesis 1:31

“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” Genesis 2:2-3

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” Psalm 33:6-9

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15