Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of these...

I went out this week with others from the church to look for homeless individuals. There were sack lunches to be handed out, and the locations were in the old district of town, across the tracks.

I witnessed a number of things, and I would like to tell you a few things about the homeless and about what God is doing with this outreach.

First, let me relate several encounters that we shared as we traveled about looking in alleys, around parks and abandoned buildings.

I never took notice before, but there are a large number of people who live in abandoned places. There was an elderly gentleman who was sitting in a chair on the porch of a condemned house. There were no windows, doors or facilities in that house. It was filled with refuse of various sorts, and clearly could not be maintained.

The man on the porch responded to the offer of a lunch negatively. He thanked us for the offer, but explained that he had enough money to buy food. He was still sitting in that chair, and said that this was once his home, but his retirement did not afford him the money to pay the bills and keep up the house. He still existed there, but with nothing we would consider “livable”. He did nothing wrong. He accomplished the steps our society considers acceptable, but was left in his old age in this condition because there was not enough money.

Next there was a shed or an old abandoned mechanics barn. On the outside was a sign that said “no drugs allowed”. There were five people living in this shed, and had banded together to prevent the drug traffickers from enticing them into that addictive process. I suppose they understood the need for mutual support in so dangerous an enterprise. I wonder how long it will last for them. We stopped and handed out lunches, and a woman asked “are you from a church?”. I responded that yes, we were, we just wanted to help folks out. She replied “well you made a hundred and one today!”.

As I ponder the life they lived and how they might have come to be homeless I remembered my own past. I was homeless for a time. I managed, by the Grace of God, to get back into mainstream society, but it was a rare case indeed. I had had the Holy Ghost and a lot of Biblical training to help me make choices that turned things around for me. These people do not necessarily have that advantage. I had prayer, and some people praying for me. There was a connection made for me when I could not help myself. This is the necessary ingredient needed to change the lives of those who are for one reason or another trapped in the darkness of the world. The chains that bind them are as real as air, and as easily palpable.

When God began to talk with me about this, I began to respond to God's influence in my heart with questions. I wondered how I could make any difference that mattered in these lives, other than to pray for them. What I did not realize was that God had prepared me well for this burden. He made me to know that it was the face-to-face contact that would make a difference. That there was a need for friendliness and trust before the goal could be realized.

I have spent a little time thinking about this. For those who do not understand, let me outline a few things for you to think about.

There are two basic ideas we have to embrace before we proceed to understand the situation of homelessness:
It could happen to any of us
The homeless are just like you and I.

There are people with advanced degrees, those who have had high paying jobs, and many who have, through no action of their own, found themselves stuck on the street. The main reasons people must exist this way are:

Some are illegal immigrants.
Some are veterans.
Some are people who found out a low-paying job doesn’t come close to paying for rent, electricity, food, and medicine.
Some have been rejected by family

The Bible speaks plainly about homelessness:

“And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.
Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with
thee.” (Leviticus 25:35-36 ).

“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” (Isaiah 58:6-8,9-10).

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
(Matthew 25:34-40).

Some important details:

With a tent and fifteen dollars, a homeless man can have shelter and food for the day, without the requirement of checking into a shelter, meeting its regulations about substance abuse and a curfew.
In any case, he will not find a job, a car, an apartment or health insurance this way. An abandoned building is also just as useful to him.

Homeless people who have worked in the past may be able to receive Social Security or even disability. If you combine this with the income from a full time, minimum-wage job, most could not afford the cheapest rent, electricity, and food.

There are a number who simply cannot work for a list of reasons that are larger than the following list, but are all still a reality:

because of physical disabilities.
because of mental illnesses.
because They are lacking in people skills and have a severe lack of coping ability.

They are fugitives from society, the society that we represent. They certainly will be uncomfortable with the idea of attending church at first. Many will simply say no to any involvement from a church on an ongoing arrangement. They want to stay where they are. They are often in the clutches of darkness (most likely all of them are, in some fashion or another).

We want to gain a foothold in that community by showing them that the establishment is not after them through us; that we are there to help and not exploit them. Until this presence is established, they will not respond well to the idea that we want them to change. I cannot change them if I tried, anyway. We need God to do a spiritual work in them.

God may be presented to these folks in a slightly different way. It must be shown to them that God has not abandoned them, and that He is able to heal them spiritually. Until that spiritual healing begins, they have almost zero chance of finding a better life or trying to integrate back into mainstream society. Remember, many of these are the people which cannot enter the established missions for help, either.

A spiritual outreach to help these people will take significant time. It will take dedication and resources.

The homeless are also aware of the fallacy of self-interest and self gratification. We must accomplish the goal of harvest in the forgotten fields, rather than just satisfy our own convictions about helping the homeless.

If you have a moment to pray for us in this effort, we will all benefit from it.

Amalek

Deut. 25:17-19
Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;
How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.
Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.


This is the story of a people that represent a particular type of human mindset. This is the story of those who do not fear God.

Amalek was a tribe that attacked Israel soon after they left the banks of the Red Sea. The Red Sea crossing was the greatest miracle that the Hebrew people (and any other people) had seen. All the tribes of people in the area knew that there was a greater than human power (or powers) in charge of things, and a great power suddenly appeared to be on the side of the Jews.

Each of the tribes of people in range of this event worshiped idols. They attributed natural power to various things and so worshiped those things rather than living in the natural order of the environment and understanding that there was a single God in charge of the universe. These people were not atheistic at all, merely ignorant and superstitious.

Some idols had supernatural powers attributed to them, but miracles were attributed to them which were actually natural disasters or good fortune. When these people saw the acts of God clearly in favor of the survival of the Jews, they feared this God and refused to attack the weak and defenseless fledgling Nation of Israel.

The type of person who has a belief in supernatural power of any kind is not an atheist. He can attribute his position to good karma, a rabbit’s foot or whatever. He is not unbelieving, but believes anything. This is the person who will not castigate the beliefs of others just because they are different to their own system of understanding. Most people fall into this category of thinking. Paul the Apostle met some of these at Mars hill in Greece.

However, there is an increasing occurrence of disbelief in our population such that anything that can manipulate the environment is humanistic or natural but not supernatural. They do not believe in anything at all except random mechanical (statistical) chance. This is the way of the people the Bible refers to as Amalek.

The Amelakites were not fearful of the God of Israel. They snuck up on those trailing behind the crowd and attacked them. They were not worried that the God of Israel was going to smash them for the effort; they did not believe in any god at all. They were the nation of Atheists.
The Amelakites were to be destroyed by God’s commandment, and it was to be done as soon as Israel had established a nation in Canaan and in a state of “rest”. But the Amelakites did not hear that commandment. They also did not seem to observe the life giving miracles of God helping the Nation of Israel in the desert places.

The issue that began with the Amelakites attack in the wilderness was the disarming of the fear of God for the rest of the enemies of Israel. This created difficulties for Israel and God did not want Israel destroyed by war in the wilderness, but to be established in Canaan first.

This seems to be such a stringent point of view of God against a nation that simply ignored Him. Really, Amalek was guilty of only discounting the power of the Almighty. Why did God order them completely annihilated?

The purpose of this command is not so much for the people of Israel, or even the other tribes about Israel, as much as it is for us today. It is to instruct us and help us survive in the society we are presently in; this modern society that is beginning to be just like the ancient society of Amalek. A society that is almost completely humanistic.

Saul was the first king of Israel. The prophet Samuel told Saul that God wanted all the Amelakites killed, including the livestock; but Saul did not destroy all of them. He was killed in battle by an Amelakite soldier later in his life.

Much later in history, near the end of the Babylonian era of the Jews there was an incident at the palace. A Jewish scribe by the name of Mordecai was about to be hanged for treason against the crown.

Haman, an Agagite (Amelakite family of kings and princes), arrived in Babylon to secretly devise a way to destroy the Israelites who remained there after the captivity. Only by the sacrificial efforts of those who know God did the Nation of Israel survive the disobedience of one man, Saul of long ago.

We must not find ourselves guilty of allowing the Amelakite mindset in our thinking.

We do not need a rabbit’s foot or to knock on wood. We really do not need to wish upon a star or upon blowing out candles on a cake.

These are all going to discount our faith in God for the little things. For the water that helps us live each day, rather than just the great big miracles.

God wants to show us in our daily life that He is strong. The big stuff shows a doubting or ignorant world, but the daily miracles of God build our faith. Do not let Amelakite thinking destroy that.

Remember that Moses held his hands up while Israel repelled the attack of the Amelakites. When Moses grew weary, the Nation of Israel fell back and lost ground. So Aaron and Ben Hur held up Moses hands and sat him upon a rock until the battle was finished. The Israelites knew Moses to be the oracle of God to them, and knew that when he declared victory, they would certainly win. When that message from Moses was absent, they grew fearful and less sure of the battle and seemed about to be defeated. They did not believe that God was interested in the battle unless Moses was certain of it.

The Israelites also had a little of the Amelakite logical thinking in their minds. The ability to divide the sea was a great miracle that they could not deny, but they did not believe that God would supply the water they needed in the desert.

This was the result of the mind set of the Amelakites: rationale suggested that there would be scant water in the wilderness. This is what God wanted destroyed! This would prevent God from building the faith of Israel.

The last phrase in the scripture above is clear: do not forget to erase that which causes you to remember Amalek. We must strive to remove the thought processes that destroy our faith. When they come up in the mind, rub them out. Do not allow the thoughts to grow. Any rationalization will produce doubt. This is the poison of Amalek.

Science is destructive when taken as truth. Be aware that science is a job. Scientific models which predict the outcome of any process is the actual purpose of science; it will fail you as a rationale for the cause of events in your life. Science changes the models of probable cause as often as you change your socks. Science is not the “truth”, but to assume that it is the mindset of Amalek.

Atheism leads to rationalization of the universe which leads the innocent mind of the inexperienced non-scientist to doubt. This is the Amalek of today. Keep scientific thought where it belongs. The Christian should remove these concepts from the “true” bin to the “interesting rationale” bin in their mind.

A prayerful attention to the thoughts that run through the mind when faced with stresses in life will give you the opportunity to dismiss the rationale you use. This rationale denies God the ability to solve even your small problems.

God assures us that He is interested in even the small things: enough to eat, enough water, electricity gasoline, etc. He wanted Israel to know this after they left Egypt, and God wants us to know it, too.

Equality

I recall an Old Testament story about Israel collecting manna to consume each day. This was given to the Israelites by God to feed them in the wilderness. Imagine, just step outside and scoop up enough of the stuff for the day.( Exodus 16:18)

There were a few rules, however. You can’t take it with you, and you have to give away what you don’t need. That is, it would rot overnight so you could not store up any for the future, and if you had neighbors who were unable to pick up their own, you picked up extra and gave it to them to eat for that day.

You see, nobody had ever heard of manna from heaven before. Who would have thought up this method of feeding millions except God?

What were these people thinking about when they began to complain about the food? They finally get a steady diet (probably the best regular diet these people have had since then) and then complain about the taste!

But I digress.

Where am I going with this? Equality in God’s eyes.

The Apostle Paul writes to a wealthy Corinthian church about equality:

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.
Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.
For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:
But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack. (II Corinthians 8:9-15)

The apostle is commending the church for their giving for the needs of others who lack. This is in the interest of survival and not intended to milk the wealthy to support the lazy. There were real problems facing some churches because of famine and other disastrous events that left them unable to provide the basics for living. I suppose that our modern welfare system was designed, at least initially, to function in just this way.

The reference to equality is an odd one: if you have too much of something, and I have too little of it to get by then at some point If I can give you something that you lack but I have in abundance, maybe we can both survive.

In this kind of process, no one can boast of having something that some one else has not obtained.

I like this thought. I believe it has tremendous spiritual importance.

Paul is emphasizing the example of God (He created everything that is, and still holds the patent) becoming flesh to save us. The fleshly Jesus had only a small fraction of that which this Spiritual being held before he became flesh. This is a spiritual result.

What could the destitute and starving congregation of another church have in abundance that the Corinthian church did not? They provided the Corinthian church the chance to give. What that wealthy congregation needed was to find the benefit given to them by God, by blessing those who needed their help.

And how is this spiritual?

Seek the Bible for any gift from God that is for your personal benefit only. Look for the scriptures that tell you that the Gifts of God are for you to give something to others, and compare them to those that tell of the gifts that are just for you to enjoy for yourself (if you can find any).

Every gift is from God and is to edify others. I believe that every act we may participate in under the influence of the Spirit of God is to provide to some other person a needed thing in their life. God does not promote spiritual selfishness any more than He promotes monetary selfishness.

Where then is the equality in that? Your needs will also be met. Your spiritual growth will continue. God will pour out upon you spiritual blessings you cannot contain. You need to grow; others need edification and support that the gifts of God provides them through you. Both of you will have the necessary things in your life that allow you to continue to live in the kingdom of God.

God is very smart.

Equality in the scriptures is not really about personal rights, it is often about equalizing the abundance of some with the need of others on a continuous rotating basis to keep everyone healthy in the kingdom. Those who will argue with God about the validity of this plan are those who want to be financially wealthy at the expense of helping the poor.

There is no argument even possible about the spiritual validity of this plan. All gifts come from God. He can give you an abundance to help His sheep. He can take it away.

We every one depend on Him.

If you seek to become powerful in the Spirit of God and in the kingdom, give away what you have. Give it to those who struggle, who are complacent, and who are troubled. Assist the ones who are confused or despondent. Give your gifts to edify the body of Christ.

Promote the well being of others and then watch as God loads you up with benefits that will cause you to grow ever stronger. That is equality in the kingdom of God.

The Fall of Man-a personal perspective

The Earth was created in the beginning for the habitation of two sorts of creatures. These two were different, but both were created, educated and powered by God.

One of these creatures was given complete dominion over the Earth in the stead of the other who had relinquished his intended dominion by rebellion against the Creator. This rebellion was the result of a darkness called pride and supported by self justification. The result was arrogance which then led to rebellion. Read the book of Revelations, the twelfth chapter.

The other creatures were flesh, three dimensional and immortal. The non-flesh was also immortal, but was of different form than fleshly man; they were spiritual beings.

God compensated the fleshly creatures for this spiritual ignorance and inability by communicating with them directly, His presence was felt, and His voice heard. They could commune with the Creator as easily as could the other creatures, the spiritual beings. Man did not know the absence of the Creator because the Creator had always been there. Man could not foresee ever having this Father of a spiritual nature not always around. Man visited every day with this Creator, his Father who taught of things that were only sparingly written down much later for the future to know. Man did not suffer toil of an adverse nature, he did not feel sickness and he did not have loneliness. Man did not fear death.

His only lack was the knowledge of that spiritual dimension that was within him but not apparent to him. Because it was not apparent to him, man held this spiritual ignorance at a distance and did not perceive the other spiritual beings as a result of this ignorance.God gave man complete authority over every single thing on Earth, including the other spiritual beings, even though man may not have even perceived the existence of other spiritual beings.

At some point in time, the leadership of the spiritual beings of Darkness became convinced of a plan to finally overthrow the leadership of the Creator over the Earth. This would be their kingdom; the planet and all upon it would be theirs to manipulate and turn into a kingdom of darkness. The fleshly creatures (of every type) would be their minions because of course they were the spiritual beings in a higher dimension than the fleshly creatures on the planet.

The problem hindering the spiritual beings in their scheme to take over the dominion of Planet Earth was that man could not perceive them. He was only a physical being and was unable to perceive or understand the spiritual nature of the universe. These creatures were limited to that very small portion of the universe that was manifested as solid matter and a small part of the energy that was in the universe. So the only way to reach this fleshly creature was through another creature that man might somehow understand and communicate with naturally.

Of course, man had been educated about the nature of the Father and what pleased Him. God had also warned man of the danger involved in learning of things that would destroy the relationship between God and man, such as gaining the perception of the evil that existed in the spiritual realm all about him. Therefore, the Darkness required deception; a straightforward approach would not work.

One day, the darkness found a creature that could bridge the gap between the material world of man and the spiritual world of the dark spirits. This creature was clearly known to man, but had not been a vehicle for this dark spirit before, so the plan involved approaching man with guile.

One of the humans, named Eve, was in the garden one day and was near the source of that spiritual knowledge that man was warned by teh Creator to avoid. This source held the ability to allow man to perceive the spiritual nature of both the Creator (Good) and the Rebellious Darkness (Evil).

This was the moment that the Dark spirit was waiting for. The female one created from the body of the first man, Eve, was alone in the area and away from her authority and protection. The deception of the Darkness would have its best chances here. The ability to strike the woman with deception was great because she was near the forbidden source and could be made curious about what secrets it would reveal. Her guard would be down because the creature chosen to communicate with the woman was common to her, and she had dominion over it anyway, and would be unafraid.

The plan worked! She was was easily tricked in to trying the source of knowledge of good and evil without a single physical contact or direct order from the possessed creature. the Dark spirit could not be destroyed by the Creator because he did not exert dominion over Eve. He only suggested that Eve understood the rules of God incorrectly. the creature told her that she misunderstood what the Creator had said to her, so the threat was way in the future, it would not be an immediate destruction. Also, Eve did not comprehend what death was, really. She had been alive for so long that the thought of an end was difficult to grasp. Death was not common in the garden where she lived.

The Darkness knew that it had gained nothing here with this tactical victory, but that the man Adam must be the one to relinquish his dominion over the Earth. He was the key, but he would also not be the one who would respond to deceit. Man knew the Creator too well. He accepted the authority and responsibility of keeping the one rule of the Creator with great care.

The Darkness knew that the man would be manipulated by his own emotions through the woman, Eve. After she had tapped into the source of knowledge of spiritual good and evil, she would be very, very different than Adam. She would be able to understand things that Adam would not perceive. She would become afraid of the future, and unable to commune with the Creator any longer. She would seek to hide, and Adam would be alone. He would not have a companion to accompany him in the presence of the Creator, and he would not die as she would in the future. This would sway the man; at least the Darkness was hopeful.

Adam was aware of the differences in Eve; he understood what she had done. He also realized some of the consequences of her actions and soon came to the conclusion that he would be alone from this day forward; that one day she would even be gone from the face of the Earth. Adam would have little companionship because she was changed in her behavior so much that she was was out of touch with Adam's existence. They were forced apart by the sin of Eve.

Adam, could not balance his fleshly desire for this companion with the need for the Creator's presence. It seemed to him suddenly that the fleshly creature was more important to him at the moment. He did not want to lose his mate and her company. He wanted to go where she was going.

Adam was helped in this thought process by the lack of understanding of the spiritual loneliness that man naturally would have without the Creator. Adam did not perceive the powerful loss he was about to accept. He could not know that he was cursing the rest of humanity with a spiritual loss and loneliness that would rip the fabric of man's soul from the very birth of each new human. He was torn, emotionally distraught by the lack of hope in his situation and the complete failure of Eve to understand the deceit she was presented with.

Adam's world would have to change, and so he considered the changes he was faced with. Before consulting with the Creator, and afraid He would destroy Eve anyway, Adam decided to forfeit everything to keep the woman with him. He partook of the source also.Adam would take whatever punishment Eve would receive.

Satan, gloating gleefully over his success, was thinking about the weakness and lack of intelligent perception of mankind. This was going to be too easy!

When Adam partook of the knowledge of good and evil he handed over to Satan the dominion of the Earth in spiritual matters. Satan was now free to build his kingdom on Earth without the preventative authority of mankind. He was free to manipulate conditions until mankind would be his servant!

He would sway the thinking of humans and bend them to his purpose by reducing their lives to a miserable existence. He would infect them without them knowing anything about it since over time he could influence the young to ignore the wisdom of the old; and even though man was still in authority over the Earth, he was ignorant of how to maintain it. His food would kill him. His livelihood would prevent him from finding the Creator and joining forces with him somehow. Many of the beings that followed Satan in rebellion would be employed in perverting the truth of the Earth and the Creator so than mankind would be forced to forfeit his authority over the Earth because of ignorance and deceit. It might be entirely possible to cause man to forget that there ever was a Father who had created them all.

Adam and Eve were both driven form the place of their fellowship with the Creator. They were driven from the source of knowledge of good and evil. They were driven from the source of eternal life. They were suddenly aware of the spiritual nature of the universe, as they saw Angels of fire that now blocked the path to the garden where they once lived.

The loneliness of their existence became pronounced as they began to feel the lack of communication with their Father. They had no source of knowledge other than what they now retained. Most importantly, they had no communion with the Creator to satisfy their spiritual selves, and they felt sin-sick loneliness in their very spirit. They were alone, cast out of their home. They were out of touch with the Creator and knew a loneliness they could not comprehend. They understood perfectly the sin they had committed and the consequences were now becoming clear.

The Father was not ruthless and hateful and so left them with a promise. One day, a man would be born of woman that would redeem mankind and allow communion with the Father once again. A battle would be fought, a war waged against a little known and invisible enemy, but the Father promised victory through the pain of childbirth. It was when this information became available that they understood some of the changes that had transpired in their bodies.

Eve became pregnant, and for the first time ever, a new human life began. Adam and Eve both hoped this was the child promised by the Creator that would reconcile them back to the presence of God. They were probably disappointed when their days of life began to fade and no redemption was apparent. Their remaining days on Earth were spent educating their offspring in the knowledge of the Creator, a Father who was painfully absent, yet still there.

They followed the pattern set for them by the Father, to slay an innocent animal to remember and allow their offspring to understand what sin had cost them.

The promise seemed far away and man drifted further from the knowledge of God and the behavior that the Father desired of man. Eventually, the efforts of Darkness became accumulated and became overpowering and man became evil everywhere. The life of man was snuffed out over the whole planet with the exception of one who had information that allowed him to live a life that pleased the Father. This man, his wife and family were saved to start the human race anew.

Many years later man had once again become evil and lived far from the lifestyle that God wished for him, and a new plan developed around a particular man, Abram.

God chose Abram out of a family that did not suspect that there was one Creator, and that actually believed that other gods existed. This family was the priesthood for false gods, yet, God perceived in Abram the necessary ingredients and character needed to start the plan He had promised to Adam and Eve so many years ago.

Abram heard and responded to the Father who had revealed himself to Abram, and accepted his promise of a family greater than any other man ever alive. He was promised a land he did not posses and a people who were not in existence yet. And because of this belief, God changed Abrams name to Abraham, accepting God as his authority.

As was man's custom at the time, a covenant was struck between Abraham and God. This covenant involved the sacrifice of animals, reminiscent of Adam and Eve, and is symbolically the pattern that the Messiah of salvation who had been promised in some future time would follow.

A typical covenant sacrifice included dividing the carcass on a table top or an altar, and then proclaiming the parameters of the covenant to all parties concerned. The participants who were the main authorities on each side of the covenant would then strike the carcass with some weapon, such as a knife, or with fire to burn the sacrifice, indicating the punishment to those who would break the covenant.

in the case of this covenant, there was a difference from all others made by men, among men. Since no human could be an authority for mankind in this covenant, God covenanted in Abraham's place with Himself. This meant that God would need to supply that which would suffer the punishment if the covenant was broken, in the place of Abraham or any of his descendants. An unusual situation for any covenant known at that time.

The descendants of Abraham became a particular Nation of people, later called Israel, and that Nation brought the Word of God to mankind through Moses the lawgiver, and the prophets, and the poets of the Nation.

The prophets of that nation said that God would provide a Messiah, a Savior that would remove the sin of Man and restore him to communion with the Creator.

That Messiah which had been prophesied of came at last. From the promise given to Adam and Eve the Messiah came to return man to communion with God. To once again hear the voice of God and to receive fellowship from Him.

The Messiah lived according to the Law of Moses, but began teaching a message that caused men to awaken within their hearts a need for spiritual renewal. The understanding of God's purpose that men finally had obtained, brought about by all the trials and years of living with the Law of God, provided a knowledge of the spiritual man that enabled the Messiah to reach them with the truth about good.

Finally, the man who was born of woman came to take away the sin of the world as the sacrifice of the covenant, a, new covenant that would provide the required payment for disobedience and sin from the time of Adam and Eve.

He did not come to take away the sin from the world, but sin of the world from man. The sin of man is removed by following the method as given and followed by the Apostle Peter; the repentant heart as a submission of the will to God and the physical and mental move away from the dominion and influence of Satan, followed by baptism to wash sin away. These acts return man to the state of fellowship with the Creator. The Father can then dwell with us again, returning to us the ability to commune spiritually at any time.

Obedience to these things will produce in you a renewed spiritual state that will allow you to have fellowship with the Creator of the universe. Go ahead, He is your Father too, after all.

Why Shepherds?

The Christmas story found in Luke chapter two denotes the presence of shepherds at the birth of the Messiah. While they may have been present at some point, it is difficult to comprehend the mixture of Magi (wise ones of great authority) and shepherds at so monumental an event.

Why would shepherds be interested in such a prophetically denoted event that is clearly the type of subject relegated to scholars of Israel’s Sanhedrin, Rabbi’s and other scholarly interested parties such as the Magi?

Why would the heralding Angels appear to the shepherds rather than the princes of the people?

Unlike farmers, shepherds were often wage earners, being paid to watch the sheep of others. Shepherds also lived apart from society, being largely nomadic. It was mainly a job of solitary males without children, and new shepherds thus needed to be recruited externally. Shepherds were most often the younger sons of farming peasants who did not inherit any land. Still in other societies, each family would have a family member to shepherd its flock, often a child or youth or an elder who couldn't help much with harder work.

Shepherds would normally work in groups either looking after one large flock, or each bringing their own and merging their responsibilities. They would live in small cabins, often shared with their sheep and would buy food from local communities or the shepherds lived and traveled with their flocks.

Shepherding developed only in certain areas. In the lowlands and river valleys, it was far more efficient to grow grains and cereals than to allow sheep to graze, thus the raising of sheep was confined to rugged and mountainous areas.

So we have a group of socially displaced males who earn a living caring for the livestock of others and do so with so much care that they literally live with the animals. They have little outside interests available but were quite well equipped to live in the wilderness in solitude.

What kind of person is this?

The child: Responsibility often matures a young male quickly. These young men would be delegated to the role of shepherd for various reasons, no doubt, but in my personal experience responsibility will wake up the dreamer and quiet the rowdy spirit of a boy.

Seeing the destitution of a lost sheep, the painful neediness of the animal would stir up in these young fellows a driving need to protect the sheep form the outside influences that would destroy them. They might suddenly see how they were a responsibility to their families and feel the surge of desire to compensate for the drag they placed on their own family. Perhaps they were relegated to this duty as punishment or rejection.

The young man: This is the painful story of the poor. There is no inheritance, and no job opportunities in town. Very little was available to these poor landless men and so a life of solitude was about all they could hope for. This is indeed an oppressive experience that many people today suffer. Loneliness is as common as credit cards.

Hopelessness is not a modern issue but an issue that faces everyone. It does require some maturity to become aware of your own hopelessness, and this happened frequently to young men and women in the days of Christ.

The Adult male: Usually adult male shepherds had been at this job for many years. The right circumstances for becoming a shepherd left the market open for new recruits and often were filled by very young men.

The adult male has matured greatly in the wilderness and has adapted to the hardened life of the Bedouin-like lifestyle that a shepherd must lead. Hope for a fulfilling family life was gone for many of them. There was no money to speak of, no land, and no certain home. While it was not impossible for a shepherd to marry, the long absences and poor financial outlook were not conducive to happiness in family life.

Why then were these folks alerted to the presence of the Messiah?

Who had more time to ponder the meaning of prophecy, talk with God and find solace in the promises?

Who would recognize and empathize with the tender love and care of the Great Shepherd more readily than these folks?

The shepherd recognized themselves in the sheep they tended. The ones who understood the need to leave the many and search out the one that is lost because it would be destroyed; the ones who recognized the goodness of discipline and the need for changing the habits of the wayward.

The shepherd was possibly the only individual who could understand the mission of the Messiah to the poor and rejected clearly; the great hope they saw in this small newborn child would be of immense interest to them.

As we travel around town, we come in contact with several people. Are they candidates for the shepherds role? Are they rejected, poor, and lonely? If so they are the ones Jesus is still looking for.

Are any dissatisfied with modern religion that serves to build itself at the expense of a spiritual life? Do they know inside that what they have is not fulfilling the need to know God?

What will tell them that the Messiah is really here, seeking for them?

Mar 16:15,16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

There is no licensing requirement, no building requirement. Go and preach the gospel-in the wilderness, in the entire world and to every creature.

You go.

The Mystery , Part 2

What is the Mystery, then?

1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
We remember that this wisdom was founded before the creation began. This concept was brought out in the New Testament by the preaching of Paul.

1Co 1:
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Salvation of the believer is brought about by faith in the Word which must be preached. Since John points out that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, then Jesus is preached for salvation of the believer.

The law did not bring man to a point where he could know God. The law was a schoolmaster which brought us safely to the time when the Word was made flesh. Therefore, man does not know by wisdom who God really is. It is only known by the foolishness of preaching.

22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

To the Greeks this was foolish because logic does not dictate How crucifying a man could save other men. That makes no sense!

To the Jews the life of Christ was not the Messiah they hoped for. He should have been a warrior, not a simple carpenter.

24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

In the beginning, there was a division of light and darkness (Gen. 1:5). Light is used to build, to create and to save, while darkness is used to cover up, dismantle and destroy. It is simple now to see the parallel between light and dark in the creation of a savior who will allow us (the creation) to be saved from the destruction of darkness (Satan).

2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Jesus also refers to this same early relationship between the creation and the wisdom of God:

Joh 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Moses wrote the event like this:

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

The apostles were familiar with the phraseology used to denote the Messiah:

2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

1Jn 1:5-7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

This is what Gen 1:5 is talking about. This is the story of the history of the world from before the creation until the time of the New Testament Church. This is told as a story where the past the present and the future are intermingled like a child’s story so that it is presented in a seemingly jumbled way.

Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

This is a time-lapse view of that point in time where the rebellion in heaven begins because God has revealed His plan; the woman with a crown. Satan is still Lucifer and is in charge of things under the authority of God. Lucifer expects to be made the senior authority of the kingdom of God, and in fact was created with a nature to do so.

Lucifer will rebel in heaven against the plan of God which was to devise a covenant made with mankind and culminated in a sacrificial man born of woman. This one will be the one that will bring about the kingdom of God on Earth. Lucifer wishes to destroy this plan. You see, Lucifer was to be that one who ordered the day for each human on Earth. That was his mission and his territory.

This is the place and time where Lucifer becomes the enemy of God and starts planning his attempt to build a kingdom on Earth to oppose God.
The “she” in this narrative is the plan of God, His counsel and will.

2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

The many centuries of genealogies of the Hebrew people were going to help produce that body, the body of the Messiah. The people suffered under the destruction of sin. But something would happen first. There was to be open rebellion in Heaven…

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

Lucifer becomes Satan (literally:the enemy), the deceiving one who has a plan of his own. God said that Lucifer had said in his heart that he was as powerful as God, this means that the rebellion had not become public among the angels just yet…

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

Satan is now removed from authority over the Earth, but was still able to come and go to see “what is up” in heaven, and to stand before God. Satan is now on Earth waiting for the unfolding of God’s plan in order to “nip it in the bud”, so to speak. Satan began a work on Earth with Eve and her firstborn Cain.

Satan came to Jesus immediately after Jesus began his preparations to start his ministry. Satan’s purpose was to afflict Jesus by “biting his heel”. Jesus came to “crush Satan’s head”. To crush the head means to remove the authority from someone. After his resurrection, Jesus held the keys to the grave, death and hell removing the authority of Satan from them.

Next we see the wisdom of God ascending to the throne in God’s plan for the Earth. This is now in the New Testament era when the plan of God brought forth the Messiah.

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

This is Jesus Christ. He was brought about for a specific purpose and that was to be the final sacrifice for all mankind and then ascend back into heaven. He was also to rule with a rod of iron. That is, he was born to live perfectly thus providing the basis for judgment. This phrase is used on the Old Testament to mean judgment having severe consequences.

Now back to the past:
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

Here Satan is no longer allowed to enter heaven to both see and report to God. He is permanently chained to the Earth. Job tells us that Satan came before God with the other angels. He is now no longer able to do that. Something happened to cause Satan to never return to heaven. In the future he will also be barred from heaven as God has prepared a place for him called hell.

This event took place before Jesus the Messiah was born:
9 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.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Jesus said in Luke 10:18 “…I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven”.

Jesus saw Satan barred form heaven with the third of the angels. How was that possible as this took place before the birth of Jesus Christ?

It is because Jesus is the name of God both before, and after the birth of the Messiah. The sacrificial body was the wisdom of God to reconcile man to Him, but His name has never changed. Man has called Him by several different labels, but God has always had a name. Jesus. (In Hebrew this is “Yehoshua” which means: Jehovah, The lord saves. Jehovah is derived from the phrase that means “I am” and comes from a basic root that is “the self existent one”).

So this explanation by Paul now fits: The light that was separated from darkness in Genesis 1:5 is the wisdom that God ordained before the world began to bring His power to bear on our salvation. Not only was God’s counsel to create the universe and man, but to bring salvation from the darkness already begun in heaven with Lucifer and his angelic followers. Lucifer was not able to penetrate the light, so it was not something he could plan against effectively. God had separated Lucifer from His plan that would ultimately bring salvation to mankind and defeat Lucifer. This is why there was a “mystery” of godliness.

Col 1:
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

So it is that Jesus was the actual creator, the very wisdom of God that was the flesh that God became. The story plays out even today as we sit in heavenly places because of that wisdom that began before the world was even formed. Because there was a savior promised to Adam and Eve that would one day bring about a joining of humanity to the Light that is God himself.

This strange way of bringing salvation to man may have been to prevent Satan from attacking and destroying Jesus before the right time, or it may have been to remove doubt from those who perceive the mystery, but in any case the mystery of godliness is the way that light was brought into our lives by the Messiah:

1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

We now understand clearly what John was talking about. He told this story also but with a different perspective. He talked about the salvation of man as a result of the wisdom and power of God that was evident in the face of Jesus Christ. He tells us how this came about in a more spiritual way:
John 1:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Clearly John is alluding to the fact that the wisdom of God discussed in Proverbs 8 was there from in the beginning and was also the Word of God; in fact the Word was God, the creator of the Universe. The Greek word for Word is logos and implies the thought or plan. This word “logos” would be similar to “counsel” in Hebrew.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

The implication of this statement is that counsel and wisdom were present since eternity as this is the same explanation of “when” God began. The statement is a re-iteration of Proverbs 8 where wisdom declares that he was present form the beginning.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

The Word (wisdom, counsel) is what everything was made by. The Ancient Hebrew word for “God the Creator” is Elohiym which means “God of great Power”. Jesus is the wisdom and power of God. That means that the body of Jesus is the factual representation of the all powerful God of creation.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Jesus is the light of the world and wisdom has been separated from darkness since Genesis 1:5.”…God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all”(I John 1:5).

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Satan did not understand the plan of God in any detail as God had separated him from the light. Lucifer did not know anything about what God was doing in this plan by watching events transpire. It may be that Lucifer still thinks he can win a kingdom against God’s kingdom.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ( This is referring to John the Baptist)
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

The true light is Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Of course John later wrote that God was light.

Notice that this light lighted every man that came into the world, from Adam until the mystery is ended.

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

The Messiah certainly came in to the world, as this was the culmination of the wisdom of God. This was the pathway that God ordained before the world was made to redeem mankind to Him. Of course many have rejected the Messiah including his own people, the Hebrews. Since it was the power of God that created the universe and the world, it becomes clear that Jesus is truly the power of God. That is, the name (authority) of God is Jesus.

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

We cannot of ourselves create a right spirit or clean heart within us. We cannot complete any act that will gain us a place in the kingdom of God. It is the power of God that is the name Jesus that allows man to enter into the kingdom of God. To become a Son of God is to be one who has the power of God in him.

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

There is no sacrifice (even a human one) that can redeem even one man except that Messiah that is the power of God. It is not our will that allows us to be saved, nor is there any will on Earth that can allow us to be saved except that one will (present from the beginning) that wanted us to be redeemed. The one will that created a plan for us.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

According to John, Jesus (the Word made flesh) was the very template from which all things were made. He is the express will and wisdom and power of God to create and also to save. He is also the express image of God. When we get to heaven, Jesus is what we will see, and not another.

The Glory of God here is the strength and power of God. In the Old Testament, glory was often the way the defensive armor and strength of God was represented. In this instance, Jesus is the power of God to save, that which holds all power in heaven and in Earth.

When will it be finished?
Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

The Mystery will end because Satan will be disposed of. There is no need for salvation after this point in time.

If the mystery will have an ending, does that mean that Jesus will have an ending? No. Jesus is the name of the Almighty, for there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. He will continue for eternity.

Jesus will never end, but the purpose of wisdom will end. The need for great ability to save will be over after time ends forever and we are forever with Jesus, reconciled unto him for eternity.

The Psalms declares that the salvation that came from God is eternal and will never be abolished. Therefore the power of God to save will never end for those who have been redeemed.

The Mystery of the Wisdom and Power of God

Part One

Wisdom: skills or abilities to perform a physical action. To be a skilled worker that can accomplish a goal.

Power: firm strength

Rom 16:25,26
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

The preaching of Paul the Apostle dealt with many topics over a large amount of time. In matters related to the doctrine of Jesus Christ, that preaching followed a revelation of a mystery. This mystery was secret, and had been so since before the earth was created. According to Paul this mystery was made manifest to all nations for the obedience of faith. It will be instructive to understand this mystery.

Mystery: anything that arouses curiosity because it is unexplained, inexplicable, or secret.

Throughout the ages, only certain people knew about this mystery. The secrecy was important to allow certain events to transpire according to God’s will. Specifically, had all men understood this mystery, Jesus would never had been crucified.

1Corinthians 2:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.


Glory: a) strength of God manifested in our physical universe b) To be heavy with honor, to be respected.

Who can Understand this mystery?

There is a qualification that allows you to understand what this mystery is all about. It is a secret kept from man in general; even the spiritual world is ignorant of its true meaning. But for some, it is crystal clear. It is important to know how to acquire this qualification.

Psa 25:14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
Pro 3:32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
Froward: to depart from, to turn aside.

It looks like the qualification is righteousness. You cannot be walking far from the tenets of God and understand the secret mysteries of God. He speaks this secret to certain people who are able to understand.

Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

The prophets of the Old Testament were aware of this mystery. Each one knew the purpose and the particulars of Gods mystery, but they were unable to speak it out.

In fact, the Disciples of the New Testament were excited because the Devils were subject unto them, but Jesus told them, you should be more excited because your names are written in Heaven, for the Prophets longed to see what your eyes see…”

Jesus continued to discuss the mystery with His disciples until they understood. At one point Jesus was condemning the cities where His miracles were accomplished because they did not repent. His disciples, on the other hand, were clearly interested in understanding all this:

Mat 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
The disciples were curious about the method of teaching Jesus chose to use because it was hard for the people to understand what underlying meaning they were to glean from the discussion:
Mat 13:
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Even Jesus held this mystery close and revealed it only to His chosen ones. This mystery is a hidden wisdom. We must understand this wisdom to understand the mystery that has been secret from the foundation of the world.

Where is wisdom found?

The ancient discussion of Job reveals that the location of wisdom was always a secret. Job also reveals that knowing the secret mystery was not brought about by anything the Earth could offer, but was a spiritually discerned thing. Even the spiritual world was unaware of the true meaning of the mystery:
Job 28:12-23
But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.
It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

It seems that God is the only one with this knowledge. There was a very important reason that this should be so.

What is the purpose of Wisdom?
Pro 3:19,20
The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established
the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

Isa 46:9,10
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God,
and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are
not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
This wisdom was the principle factor in creation. This particular skill or ability to create and utilize power was apparent before the creation. It also seems to have been controlled by the counsel of God. God designed and orchestrated everything we now see in order to bring about His will. All things are created so that they function according to this counsel of God:

When did wisdom come about?
Pro 8:
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.


So wisdom was around before God created anything at all. In addition, when God did create, wisdom was "rejoicing" in the accomplishment. This is a way of saying that God saw His creation and to Him it was "good". It also implies that this wisdom was specifically about creating and sustaining the habitable part of the Earth, where men were to live.

In the next part, the purpose of this mystery and the wisdom of God are outlined. There is an underlying reason for this mysterious and secret process that is the will of God, and the Apostles used this mystery to great advantage.