A Tragedy on Planet Earth

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light." (Genesis 1:1-3). "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (1:27). "Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east; in Eden, and there He put the man He had formed." (2:8).

We understand clearly that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and that that creation was perfect. He created a perfect heaven and a perfect earth.

However, starting from verse 2, the camera of the Holy Spirit concentrates on our planet, and we begin to realize that a sad story happened there. There was a tragedy. We now have to look in other books of the Bible to discover what happened. If we put all the information that is in the Bible together, we know that after God created the heavens and the earth, Satan rebelled against God, and one third of the angels followed him. They were driven from the presence of God, all the way to our planet and our outer space.

That is what happened to the earth. Then God judged this planet and also outer space. Because of that judgment, the earth became formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. Most likely, at that time, there were living beings on the earth which also rebelled against God. Because of this judgment - like the flood, when he used the water to judge the earth-many of those beings died. And we discover that the spirits of those beings were separated from their bodies, and they became naked spirits, looking for a place to rest. For that reason there was darkness over the surface of the deep.

In the Bible we see that when our Lord was on the earth, there was a storm on the sea of Galilee, and he rebuked the sea and the wind. In some way, we perceive that there was a personality behind that storm. It is evident that there is a natural aspect of the sea and of the wind; however, there is also a supernatural aspect. If we know what happened in the early history of the earth, we can also understand what happened when our Lord was on the earth. That's why he rebuked the wind and the sea, and then the sea calmed down and the wind ceased. That means that there was something behind the wind and the sea.

If we read the Bible carefully, we see that when our Lord went to the other side of the sea of Galilee, a man was possessed by a demon, and that demon was very strong. Finally, that demon was driven out and entered two thousand pigs. It is supposed that the two thousand pigs were necessary to support that type of power. That power of darkness was in one person. So it is clear: when our Lord drove them out, the demons said: "don't torment us." They were afraid, because they were dwelling in that body and they felt comfortable. They didn't want to be tormented.

Somehow, the evil spirit has to be in a human body. The evil spirits were attached to him and then found rest. They asked the Lord: "don't torment us." But the Lord rebuked them, and they entered two thousand pigs. Finally, they all fell into the sea. That is to say, some place in the sea became the dwelling place for the evil spirits. So now we understand why in the new heavens and in the new earth there won't be any sea. The storm and the violence of the sea have something to do with the Kingdom of darkness. Yes, there is a crystal sea before the throne of God, but let us remember that it is crystal sea. The crystal sea has the beauty and majesty of the sea, but there is none of the violence and disturbance of the sea. This interference or violence comes from the world of darkness; from Satan. So now, most likely, we know the origin of those demons. (It is not that somebody dies and becomes a ghost or a demon).

God is not only the God of power but also of wisdom

When we study the Bible, that's what happened. We can see that there is a very sad history in our planet, and God judged this planet. However, here we have a problem. God created Satan. Later Satan rebelled against God. Then God judged this planet, and the earth became formless and empty and darkness was on the surface of the deep. Now, who was the trouble maker behind all this? Of course it was Satan and his followers.

But let us not forget that God is the Creator; and Satan a creature. So, why didn't God destroy Satan in the beginning? Then we wouldn't have any more problems. God could have done that, because He is the Creator, He has the power of creation. It is God who created him, and so He could also destroy him.

But don't forget that only one third of the angels rebelled against God. In this universe there are two thirds of the angels who are watching. If God chokes Satan to death, that would be a demonstration of the power of God, of God Almighty. All the angels will worship Him, saying: "You are God Almighty, the God who created, and the God who destroys." If that had happened, this universe would have been very simple. All the angels would worship God confessing that He is All-powerful.

But, brothers and sisters, is this God's only attribute? Do we only know Him as an all-powerful God? Yes, he is Almighty, but He is also all-wise. It would have been very easy for God to destroy Satan. This would only have demonstrated His power. The remaining two thirds of the angels would have said: "Oh, you are God; of course you can do that. We worship you because you are Almighty."

But our God is too great. He knew that there were two thirds of the angels who were watching. If he had done that, this universe would have been so simple, so mechanical. No, our God is too wise. He doesn't just want to demonstrate His power, but also His wisdom. He wants to teach an important lesson to all the angels. He wants the principalities, powers and authorities to know that our God is not only almighty, but also all-wise.

Yes, this is a very complicated case. However, God knows how to deal with His enemy. And one day the whole universe will confess that God is not only a God of all power, but also a God of all wisdom. Now, how do we know this? Let us read Ephesians 3:9: "... and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery which for ages past was kept hidden in God who created all things; His intent was that now through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms...."

The rulers and authorities inthe heaveanly places are angels; they are the two thirds of the angels who didn't follow Satan. They need to learn a lesson. God wants to teach them a very important lesson: that they should not just worship God as God Almighty. God wants to make known to them the manifold wisdom of God. That's why we have chapter 2 of Genesis. The reason is very simple; it is God's purpose.

Although the universe is disintegrated, originally it was one, full of God's glory. However, in his rebellion, the enemy of God tried to disintegrate the universe. In the beginning it was one, there was harmony; the will of God was done everywhere in the universe. However, because of the rebellion, part of creation did not listen to God. When they were subject to God's rule, the universe was one. However, it became scattered. The whole universe began to disintegrate. But God was still in control.

There was another power that tried to divide the universe; it tried to turn the universe into pieces. Originally everything was so beautiful, with so much harmony; it was one. Today the enemy of God wants to frustrate God's will, and so now the other two thirds of the angels want to see how God can turn all things into one once again. Now we understand why the Bible speaks of the summing up of all things in the universe into Christ. You need a center of authority to put all things in order and to make them one.

That Kingdom of darkness, sooner or later, will be put under Him and finally the universe will become one. If we want to understand Ephesians, it is very easy to say: summing up all things in Christ. We have to know the story, and with the background of this story we will be able to appreciate what Paul says in Ephesians. Since this tragedy happened, all the angels are hoping to see what God will do next. If God had choked the enemy of God to death, they would say: "Oh, of course, you can do that." But, brothers and sisters, more than that, if we wait and see, we will discover how God will deal with His enemy and how finally the whole universe will become one.

We sometimes think that the enemy of God is so powerful: there is darkness everywhere. And for that reason, throughout its history, the church has gone through persecution. From the very beginning, Satan was a murderer, and that spirit has entered into mankind. There are terrorists, murderers, diseases, pain, suffering and curses everywhere. God was never the author of these things. It all came from the enemy. Sometimes we feel as if the enemy is so powerful. Actually he tried to tear the whole universe apart. So now the whole universe is now waiting to know how God will deal with this situation.

Now God will reveal His purpose. That's why we have Genesis 1. With that background, we begin to see what God will do. Think about it. "Darkness was over the surface of the deep." The whole planet was surrounded by sea, and the sea was so deep that the light could not penetrate in. For that reason there was darkness and evil spirits everywhere.

God had something in His mind. If we continue reading, we will see what was in His mind. He knows how to deal with the enemy, and we begin to see that according to that wisdom, finally, step by step, God will work out His plan.

Now, let us observe something important. If you take a map of the universe, we can see that there is only darkness around our planet and its outer space. The universe is very big, but if we look at the map of the universe we discover that the heavens declare God's glory. If we have spiritual eyes, we discover some dark spots in the universe. The Bible calls the place where Satan rules, "the Kingdom of darkness."

In this great map, this planet, and its outer space, and probably our galaxy, are very dark. It is as if God had lost His territory. Somehow the enemy has occupied this part of the universe. For that reason the Bible says that "the whole world lies under the evil one." Remember that when the Lord was tempted in the wilderness, Satan offered him the glory of all the Kingdoms. If our Lord had worshipped Satan, he would have given him the glory of all the kingdoms of the earth. Our Lord didn't tell him: "You are mistaken; this world doesn't belong to you." He knows that Satan is the god of this world, and that all the kingdom lies under the evil one.

What will God do then? This part of the universe is fallen, it is in darkness. But this is the wisdom of God: it is the most difficult part in the whole universe, because the whole earth is surrounded by darkness; but God is able to begin from the enemy's territory. That's why we see that the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the deep. Let us remember that even in this kingdom of darkness, in the enemy's territory, God said: "Let there be light." And there was light.

There was light in all the other parts. In the presence of God there is light; there is always light. Let us remember that this is the story of the earth, of our planet. God said to our planet: "Let there be light." And there was light. And that was the first day. This was God's rearrangement of this planet. After His judgment -we don't know how, maybe through a burning mountain- the crocodiles and the dinosaurs were destroyed, and the whole planet was cleansed. God did a clearing work, cleaning everything.

The restoration of planet Earth

Now, God wanted to do something here. That's why there was one judgment after another. Through those judgments, the enemy of God was judged, but at the same time, in the enemy's territory, God wanted to clear the whole situation; He cleansed the whole earth and began to act. That's why He said "Let there be light", and there was light. That was the first day of God's recovery, God's restoration, God's rearrangement.

Remember that in the beginning, not only the earth was surrounded by sea, but rather because of the judgments the planet was very hot. So when we come to the second day, somehow the temperature of the planet dropped. Then the waters could be separated. Today we have waters below, and waters near the heavens. That happened on the second day. We have the air, and above the air there is also water. Today, if we know a little bit of science, we know that there is water in the sky, and that's why there are clouds and rain. That's the water above. But there are also waters below, near to the surface. We have the sky between these two waters. This is the second day. Now, remember that God created everything in verse 1. The earth was already there. But unfortunately after the judgment there was darkness everywhere. God said "Let there be light." And when we come to the second day, we have the separation of the waters above and below.

When we come to the third day, the water receded, and the land was exposed. It is very clear that this was not the original creation. There was water everywhere. The earth was already there. Now the waters receded and some formed the Pacific Ocean, others the Atlantic Ocean. That happened on the third day. But now we have the land, and of course, the trees began to grow. God did not create the trees at this time; He had created them in verse 1. Everything was already there. But now that the waters receded, the land reappeared, and it was very natural for the trees and the flowers to begin to grow. It was the day third.

Now you wonder: How can the trees grow without the sun and without the moon? It is impossible. Trees grow with the light from the sun. Remember, God created the sun in verse 1. When God said: "Let there be light", in some way the sunlight began to penetrate into our planet. When we come to the third day, the temperature became cooler and cooler and the air became thinner, making it possible for that sunlight to penetrate even more.

On the third day, if one looked at the sky one would probably only see the sunlight, or moonlight as we see them now. It was just like a new born baby. In the first twenty-four hours, although the baby is in the mother's bosom, he is able to see something. When he looks at his mother, he can see the difference between light and darkness, but it is something very vague. He knows that there is somebody there, but he cannot see her very clearly. However, the mother's face is already there. But after twenty-four hours, gradually, the mother's face becomes clearer. Today we would say that the resolution of the mother became better. From that time on, the mother's face will always remain with the baby. For that reason, all we commemorate Mother's Day, because from when we were very small, we saw her face. Not many people celebrate Father's Day; the reason why they invented this was because they wanted to sell ties!

Now we can understand: on the third day, the sun was there, the moon was there. But what about the seasons, because the resolution is still not good. Even so, it could still sustain life; the trees could grow, because they had received light, albeit that the resolution of the light was not good. On the third day there was no separation between the four seasons.

When we come to the fourth day, the sun and the moon began to function fully. That is very important. So we have the fourth day and the fifth day. If we read the Bible carefully, all this is a work of restoration. It is not creation. God created everything in verse 1 of Genesis. However, after verse 2, the camera of the Holy Spirit began to focus on this planet, telling us that God would prepare this earth just as a mother prepares the cradle. When the cradle is prepared, we know that a baby has been born.

This is the story of chapter 1. God was preparing our planet. God had not only created mankind, but rather He also put him in a paradise. This is what He wanted to do, because somehow, behind that plan, God would complete His will. According to the scientists, sixty five million years ago, man did not exist; it was impossible. The bible says the same thing. Only after God judged the planet was this planet then available, and God began to carry out His plan.

Then, on the sixth day, this was creation. When we come to the human beings, to Adam's race, it is very clear that on the sixth day God created mankind. That is chapter 1. However, the focus of the Holy Spirit is not just this. In verse 1 we have the universe, like the photographer who focuses on the beautiful landscape. Then the focus passes to our planet, like the photographer who focuses on the couple. However, what the photographer wants to show is the groom and bride's beautiful faces. This is what the photographer wants to do.

Only when we come to chapter 2 do we understand why God began the restoration of this planet: because He wanted to do something in the enemy's territory. On this earth, God separated an area. Remember that all that was amid the enemy's territory. In this territory, in this part of the planet, God wanted to have heaven on earth. Before that, the heavens were in the heavens. When God put Adam in the Garden of Eden, he wanted to create heaven on earth in the enemy's territory. We would find heaven there. Starting from there, God wanted to carry out His purpose.

So, thank God, when we come to chapter 2, we discover that God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is only a small part of this whole planet, but the will of God would be carried out starting from there, even though Satan still occupied this planet and outer space. This is what God has been doing: First He judged the planet; there were no more crocodiles, there were no more dinosaurs. Then it was possible for man to live in the cradle. The Garden of Eden was like a cradle. From there, God would fulfill His purpose. This is very important.

When God put Adam and Eve in the garden, at that time the planet was almost like it is today; the climate was similar to that of today. Why do we have civilization today? Because of the weather. Suppose that many years ago, the whole covered earth was covered in ice, and was full of crocodiles and dinosaurs, how could man live in an atmosphere like that? What does the Bible tell us? God put us in the Garden of Eden. In other words, the climate at that time was almost like the one that we have today.

Today's civilization has something to do with our weather. If we ask the scientists how old our civilization is they will tell us 6.000 years, or between 6.000 and 10.000 years. Although the earth has a long history, the history of civilization is from about 6.000 to 10.000 years. So we see how precise the word of God is. Let us remember that Adam was not a caveman, there was no civilization at that time. No, when the Bible speaks about Adam and Eve, when God created them in the Garden of Eden, the climate of our planet was similar to that of today.

If we ask the scientists how old the human civilization is, some say 6.000, others say 10.000 years. So this is just like what the bible tells us. It is very clear. God did put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. That is chapter 2. Why did God do that?

The Garden of Eden is a real place

There are many things that we still have to share. However, before concluding, allow me to tell you one more thing: The Garden of Eden is a real place on our planet. Where is the Garden of Eden? The Bible tells us that here were four rivers flowing through it. Among these four rivers, the last two are very well-known today; the first two disappeared and we don't know where they are. Nevertheless, we know two rivers: the Tigris and the Euphrates.

When we watch the news, especially the last war in the Persian Gulf, or if we look at a map of Iraq, we find that there are two rivers that flow through this land: the Tigris and the Euphrates. This land of two rivers was called Mesopotamia. It is clear then, that the Garden of Eden is a real place. We don't know where it was. However, the Bible tells us that at least four rivers flowed through that land. So, humanity's history began in the Middle East and it will end in the Middle East.

In the beginning we find the river Euphrates, and in Revelation chapter 9 and in chapter 16 we have the river Euphrates. Again we see the mirror symmetry here. In the Alpha book we have the Euphrates and in the Omega book we have the river Euphrates. Mankind's history began with the Euphrates and it will end with it. In the beginning, the Euphrates was supposed to take blessings to the whole world. That was what God had in mind; God never wanted mankind to fall. Unfortunately, Adam fell, and everything changed. The channel of blessings became a cursed channel. Therefore we now understand why we find the Euphrates in Revelation.

Now, brothers and sisters, 200 years ago we thought that China and Egypt were the oldest nations. Why? Because in China you have the Yellow River, and Egypt has the River Nile, and because of these rivers, the Chinese and the Egyptian civilizations were known to be very old. However, recent archaeological discoveries, to their surprise, confirm that the oldest civilization is not China, nor Egypt, but in the area of the river Euphrates. It is very clear. More than that, let us remember that the Garden of Eden is a real place. Unfortunately, the first two rivers disappeared; we don't know where they are. If we knew, we could know roughly where the Garden of Eden was located.

Before concluding, I would like to tell you some good news. Scientists recently discovered the first of these two rivers that were unknown. The first of these rivers is called Pishon.

Brothers and sisters, you need to study your Bible. When I look at your eyes, I have the impression that you need to work harder. We don't want to go into details, but we must at least know that there are four rivers. Do you remember the first river? If one follows its course, you will discover gold, pearls and precious stones in the land of Havilah. This is the key to knowing whether you have found the Garden of Eden or not. It is a very interesting story. We will continue with it tomorrow. However, this is only to show you that the Garden of Eden is a very real place on this planet.

Let us ask ourselves one question: why did God put Adam and Eve in that Garden? When we read Genesis and Revelation, we should be able to derive a conclusion and understand what the eternal will of God is.

The enemy truly hates the book of Genesis; he attacks this book. He says that chapter 1 is not in harmony with science. That is not true. We have to remember that this is a wonderful book. However, we must read it carefully. Our idea is not to satisfy our curiosity. There are many wonderful things here.

Our attention is focused on the eternal will of God. We are eager to reach the center of the revelation of God. Now we have to mention all these facts to give us the ground so that we may understand even better.

Copyright © AGUAS VIVAS | CHILE 2004