About Our Cover ...
NASA research scientist inspects low density wind tunnel of the Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California. In this fantastic atomic and space age, man's scientific genius is virtually exploding in every direction! Yet scientists have not "discovered" the GOD who originally made, and set in motion, the physical laws governing their scientific achievements. There is a reason WHY!
WE LIVE in an age of SKEPTICISM -- an age of doubt and disbelief! And no wonder.
Modern education has put a premium on MATERIALISM. The mere mention of "God" in the classroom provokes LAUGHTER and RIDICULE. Morality has been thrown to the wind!
IS God a myth? An invention of an ignorant, superstitious past? This question still haunts many a mind. Let's understand the TRUTH!
Today theologians and ministers, who claim to be "Christian," are promulgating the idea that God is DEAD -- or that He simply NEVER WAS!
It's time that "Christian Atheism" was exposed for the fraud that it is. Why do men want to believe God is dead?
The answer is simple. Men do not want to admit the AUTHORITY of God over their lives. They refuse to accept the Bible as God's authoritative revelation to mankind!
With a convenient theology where GOD NO LONGER EXISTS, obviously there would be no need to OBEY Him. Each man can do what is right in his own eyes. Each man can establish his OWN moral principles -- set up his OWN "set of rules" to live by. Each man thus becomes an authority unto himself! God is totally LEFT OUT of the picture!
Most of the world is IGNORANT of the REALITY OF GOD! All creation stands as a WITNESS to the existence of a great Supreme CREATOR! That Creator is ALMIGHTY GOD!
And that God INSPIRED the writing of the Bible -- His Instruction Book for mankind. There is no reason for ANYONE to remain in ignorance of God's existence today!
God is INVISIBLE SPIRIT. But man -- limited by his PHYSICAL senses and instruments -- cannot DETECT spirit. Therefore, God must SPECIALLY REVEAL Himself to mortal mankind.
Because man is aware of only the physical world around him, many have carelessly ASSUMED that spirit beings do not exist. What folly!
GOD REALLY DOES EXIST -- as we are soon going to see! Actually, spirit beings have existed longer, have far superior minds, and are incomparably more powerful than man!
Indeed man in his present form is as nothing. God says so! "All nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him LESS THAN NOTHING, and vanity" (Isa. 40:17). And they would remain so if God didn't have marvelous PLANS for mankind!
Listen to what Almighty God says to those who DOUBT His existence: "The FOOL hath said in his heart, 'There is no God' " (Ps. 14:1).
Is God unreasonable? Does He expect you to accept and believe in that which is unprovable and unreasonable?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! God says, "Come now, and let us REASON together" (Isa. 1:18). He WANTS us to have basic PROOFS. He exhorts us to "PROVE all things" (I Thes. 5:21). He knows we will not really be satisfied any other way.
The fact that God COMMANDS us to prove His existence shows that He has made ample provision to satisfy the sound and unprejudiced mind.
Yes, God has made available the MEANS by which you can KNOW HE DOES EXIST! This fact should stand SUPREME above all other knowledge in our minds.
We are at the virtual END of an age -- the 6000-year period in which God has allowed man to be his own master and the molder of his own destiny.
We're now at the very THRESHOLD of the "Day of the Lord" -- the Day of God's WRATH upon rebellious mankind! It is to be a time such as never was before, nor shall be again (Mat. 24:21).
It's TIME WE WAKE UP to the realities that confront us! For Almighty God is soon going to intervene in world affairs by great PHYSICAL signs and wonders which men will actually SEE and FEEL!
God is already beginning to uproot the "little world" we have created for ourselves! DISRUPTIONS on the earth are ALREADY BEGINNING TO OCCUR! And the prophesied "signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars" (Luke 21:25) will SOON be seen!
GOD IS BEGINNING TO INTERVENE PERSONALLY!! Here is your opportunity to KNOW THE ETERNAL GOD BEFORE THE FULL FURY OF HIS WRATH IS UNLEASHED!
Yes, God is going to take a very definite and ACTIVE part in your life from here on out! And when men SEE and FEEL the awesome power of God in action, they will finally be convinced that GOD DOES EXIST!
Just WHO, or WHAT, is God? When and how did He originate? Or has He existed forever? Where is He? What does He look like? What are His surroundings like? Does God think as we do? What great powers and wonderful attributes does He possess?
What is the HOLY SPIRIT? What is God's relationship to the Holy Spirit? And what is Christ's relationship to the "Father"?
Did God create the heavens and the earth and all we see therein? Did He formulate laws by which the universe functions? Is God sustainer and ruler of all things?
And is the Bible really God's INSPIRED Word -- can we DEPEND on it?
These, and many other questions, come to mind when the word "God" is mentioned. You will find the answers to all these questions in the following pages of this Bible Course.
GOD IS ABOUT TO REVEAL HIMSELF in a real and TANGIBLE way that will simply astound you!
And once having revealed Himself, God will give you IRREFUTABLE PROOF that all He says in the Bible is TRUE!
This lesson, like all others, is extremely important to you. Have you PRAYED to God for understanding? If not, go to a private place, kneel down, and ask Him for SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING and wisdom. Ask God to HELP you grasp and APPLY the knowledge this lesson will reveal to you in the Bible.
Don't forget to WRITE OUT THE SCRIPTURES which answer the questions. This will help you greatly in REVIEWING and REMEMBERING what you have learned.
Now to begin the lesson itself!
WHO-WHAT Is God?
Nearly all of us have been reared from childhood to ASSUME that "God" is ONE INDIVIDUAL PERSON. But your Bible reveals "God" is a kingdom, or family -- composed of MORE than one divine person! Here are the facts:
1. Did "God" create the universe? Gen. 1:1. Does Gen. 1:26 reveal that God is a PLURALITY of persons? Notice the words, "GOD said, let Us ...."
COMMENT: The original Hebrew word for "God" in Gen. 1:1 and throughout the account of the creation is ELOHIM, which actually means MORE THAN ONE! It is the plural form of the Hebrew word "El," or "Eloah," which can be correctly translated as "Mighty One." The plural form, as used in your Bible, means "The Mighty ONES" -- MORE than just one person.
Elohim is a UNIPLURAL noun, such as "church," or "family," or "kingdom," which stands for a SINGLE CLASS composed of TWO OR MORE individuals. Elohim, then, means the "God KINGDOM," or "God FAMILY."
And so "God" is not merely one person -- GOD IS A FAMILY! God is A KINGDOM -- the Supreme Divine Family which CREATED and RULES the universe!
The GOSPEL JESUS BROUGHT to mankind is simply the GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD -- and that Kingdom IS God. And, incredible as it may sound, Jesus taught that humans can be born into the RULING divine FAMILY of God! But more about this later.
Now let's understand WHO are the specific individuals presently composing "Elohim" -- the God Kingdom.
2. Was the "Word" with God when "God" created the universe? John 1:1. Is the Word also "God"? Same verse. Did the Word do the ACTUAL WORK of creating all things? Verse 3. And did the Word later become a flesh and blood HUMAN BEING? Verse 14.
3. Does the Bible plainly tell us Jesus Christ created ALL the material universe -- including this earth and mankind? Eph. 3:9 and Col. 1:16-17. Then does the "Word" of John 1:1 OBVIOUSLY refer to Jesus Christ? And would the OTHER member of the God Kingdom have to be the divine Person who later became known as the "Father"? I Cor. 8:6.
COMMENT: John 1:1 and Gen. 1:1 are two accounts of the SAME event -- the original creation of the universe. They both reveal that these TWO Supreme Beings of the God Kingdom, PLANNING IN PERFECT ACCORD, created all things.
The Greek word which is translated into English as "Word," in John 1:1, is LOGOS. It literally means SPOKESMAN, or one who SPEAKS. And so everything was MADE by the SPOKESMAN, or the LOGOS, who became CHRIST!
It was the Logos of the God Family who SAID (spoke), "Let us make man in OUR image," thus executing His awesome office as the very EXECUTIVE of the God Family!
4. Notice who is greater in the God Kingdom. Did Jesus say He and His Father are "one"? John 10:30 and 17:11. But did He also admit that the Father is GREATER in authority than He? John 14:28. Notice also I Cor. 11:3.
COMMENT: Since the Father is greater in authority and since Christ -- the "Word," or Logos (John 1:1) -- made all things for the Father, then it is evident that the Father has ALWAYS been in SUPREME command in the Kingdom of God -- even BEFORE the beginning of the material creation!
The Father and Christ have been shown to constitute the Kingdom, or FAMILY of God. Now we need to understand how the "Father"-and-"Son" relationship developed between these two Supreme Beings.
1 . Did the Logos (Christ) later BECOME a flesh and blood human being? Heb. 2:9,14. Why? Same verses.
COMMENT: ALL mankind has sinned (Rom. 3:22,). And "the wages of sin is {ETERNAL} death"! (Rom. 6:23.)
The Logos became a mortal man so He could DIE to pay the death penalty for the sins of ALL mankind! For Christ's human life was more valuable than the lives of all human beings put together because He was God INCARNATE -- GOD MADE FLESH! (John 1:14.)
2. How did the Logos become a mortal man? Mat. 1:20-21. Did Jesus therefore inherit His human nature from His MORTAL mother Mary?
3. Was He BEGOTTEN of the Father by His Holy Spirit? Verse 20. Then did Jesus (the Logos) become the BEGOTTEN "Son" of God, the "Father"? And did the Father ASSUME THE TITLE of "HEAVENLY FATHER" for this miraculous begettal? Mat. 18:19, 35.
COMMENT: Jesus was begotten within His human mother Mary. But unlike all other men, He was MIRACULOUSLY begotten of GOD by the agency and power of God's SPIRIT. He thus became the "Son" of God. He called God His "Father." And so began the "FATHER"-and-"SON" relationship which is a FAMILY relationship!
4. After His resurrection from the dead, was Christ restored to His former great power and glory as God? Rev. 3:21. Then is the Kingdom of God plainly the ruling Family of God -- composed at present of the Father and Son -- to which the God Family is in the process of adding MANY OTHER Sons of God? Rom. 8:29. Notice the words, "FIRSTBORN among MANY brethren."
COMMENT: The "Father"-and-"Son" relationship of the God Kingdom clearly began when Jesus was BEGOTTEN in His mother Mary by His heavenly Father.
1. Did the One who later became the Father take NO DIRECT part in the affairs of this world in Old Testament times? John 1:18 and 5:37.
2. But what does the New Testament say of Christ, the "Word," who WAS taking an active part then? I Cor. 10:4. Is the "Rock" one of His titles? Same verse.
3. Was this Rock called the "LORD" in Old Testament times? II Sam. 22:2-3.
COMMENT: In the King James Authorized Version of the Bible, the word "LORD" is frequently used, and usually appears in small capital letters. Wherever this word appears in CAPITAL letters, it is translated from the Hebrew word YHVH."
In writing in Hebrew, the vowels are omitted. They are supplied only in speaking the language. Thus the precise pronunciation of "YHVH" is not definitely known. Today it is commonly ASSUMED to be YAHVEH or YAHWEH.
The YHVH, when more correctly translated, implies "The ETERNAL" or the EVERLIVING ONE, rather than "Lord." This Hebrew word reveals that the LORD GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT IS THE CHRIST OF OUR DAY! Notice this further in your Bible:
4. Did David speak of this SAME Rock or LORD as his "God"? Ps. 18:1-2.
COMMENT: The word "God" actually has two meanings: the God Kingdom, or the Family of God; AND the PERSONS composing that Kingdom, or Family. Christ and the Father are ONE God -- one "ELOHIM" -- but TWO SEPARATE PERSONS!
But the Lord -- YAHVEH -- was the ACTIVE PARTNER of the One we now know as the Father, in GUIDING Old Testament Israel. He was "God" -- the divine SPOKESMAN, or "Word" of the Godhead -- in Old Testament times. And it was YAHVEH who spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden!
And so the "LORD" who SPOKE and was SEEN of men was always Jesus Christ. For NO ONE has ever seen the Father (John 1:18; 5:37).
5. Who did Christ tell Israel He was? Isa. 48:17. Is the term "Lord thy God" used here? This was the WORD -- not the Father -- who spoke. What did He tell Israel He had done, and what He would be to them in the future? Isa. 43:15.
6. Was it ALSO the Word -- Christ -- who GAVE the TEN COMMANDMENTS? Ex. 20:1-2. Also read verses 3 through 17.
COMMENT: The Hebrew word for Lord in Exodus 20 is YAHVEH. So here again it was the Logos -- who later became CHRIST -- who was doing the ACTUAL WORK of giving the Ten Commandments, for the Father had TURNED THIS WORK OVER TO HIM!
7. Did this same "Lord God" prophesy that in the future -- in the Millennium -- He would ACTIVELY gather Israel out of the nations where they had been scattered? Ezek. 11:17. And when He, as Christ the Son, has subdued all things, what will He do? I Cor. 15:28.
COMMENT: How plain it is that the divine Person of the God Family who became the Christ was the ACTIVE "LORD GOD" in Old Testament times -- REPRESENTING and ACTING on behalf of the One who became the Father!
1. To whom did Christ tell us to address our prayers? Mat. 6:9. WHERE is the One whom we address? Same verse. Did Christ make a direct statement that the Father is IN HEAVEN? Mat. 7:21.
2. Is there MORE than one heaven? Gen. 2:1. Was Paul, IN VISION, taken to the "THIRD heaven" of God's throne? II Cor. 12:1-2, 4. Did Christ go to the heaven of the Father's throne after His resurrection? Rev. 3:21. Is He still there? Same verse. And is the Father still there? Same verse.
3. How do we know the Father is NOT in one of the "heavens" close to this earth? John 3:12. Notice the words "no MAN."
COMMENT: The Bible clearly shows there are THREE "heavens." The first consists of the atmosphere surrounding this earth in which the clouds form. The second consists of the vast reaches of space beyond the earth's atmosphere.
Today's modern jet aircraft soar high above the earth in the first heaven. And manned spacecraft have but barely penetrated the second heaven. But the Father is located far beyond the second heaven, for "no MAN has ascended" to God's throne in the THIRD HEAVEN!
Notice Hebrews 4:14 in the King James Version. The expression, "into the heavens," should be properly translated from the original inspired Greek: "Having therefore a great high priest, who passed THROUGH the heavens ...." Christ passed THROUGH the visible first and second heavens to reach the heaven of God's throne -- THE THIRD HEAVEN.
4. Is God associated with "Mount Zion" and the "HEAVENLY Jerusalem"? Heb. 12:22. Does Gal. 4:26 also verify the fact that this city is the HEAVENLY Jerusalem?
COMMENT: The heavenly Jerusalem and God the Father will finally come down to this earth after it is purified. Revelation 21 and 22 describe this wonderful event. A discussion of this marvelous occurrence will be taken up in later lessons.
5. Does God dwell in a TEMPLE on spiritual Mount Zion? Ps. 11:4. And upon what does He sit? Same verse.
COMMENT: Did you know that God's Plan is DUAL? In the third heaven exists the heavenly City of Jerusalem. Also the HEAVENLY Mount Zion, the mount on which the temple of the "Jerusalem above" is located.
Now in Palestine today exists the EARTHLY city of Jerusalem. And there has been, and is to be, an EARTHLY "Mount Zion" -- the temple mount of the earthly city of Jerusalem on which the millennial temple of God will stand (Micah 4:1-2).
The EARTHLY, temporal city and mount are plainly physical TYPES of the heavenly mount and city which are SPIRITUAL. These physical types are but a few of the many earthly REMINDERS of heavenly things so important for us to be aware of!
6. Will we be able to SEE spiritual objects when we are BORN of God -- transformed at the resurrection into spirit beings? I John 3:2.
Most people think it is impossible to know what God really looks like. But God HAS made it possible. And the description is contained in your Bible!
The Father and Christ will now become more REAL and PERSONAL to you than ever before! Here are the details:
1. Has any human being ever SEEN the Father's shape? John 5:37.
2. Was Christ with the Father before He appeared on this earth as the human Jesus? John 8:38 and 6:46. Then would Christ be in a position to DESCRIBE what the Father looks like?
3. Did Christ reveal the Father to us? John 1:18. Who did Christ say the Father looks like? John 14:9. Was Christ a mortal man when He made this statement? Does the Father therefore appear like a MAN?
COMMENT: Christ clearly indicated that the Father has the general FORM and STATURE of a mortal man!
4. What did God say at creation which further verifies the fact that He has the FORM of a man? Gen. 1:26. Did He declare that the INVISIBLE things -- including God -- can be clearly understood by the VISIBLE CREATION -- including mortal man -- which God made? Rom. 1:20.
5. But there is more to God's appearance than just His form and size. What did Christ ask the Father to do just before He was taken to be crucified? John 17:5.
COMMENT: Christ was soon going to be with the Father again. He was asking the Father to restore Him to the same GLORIFIED CONDITION which He had with the Father BEFORE He became a mortal being. He looked forward to having His former great power and GLORIFIED SPIRIT BODY restored to Him once again!
6. How do Christ's and the Father's powerful, GLORIFIED spirit bodies appear? Rev. 1:13-16. Remember that the "Son of man" specifically mentioned here is Christ (Dan. 7:13-14).
COMMENT: To be "glorified" means to have GREAT POWER and GLORY! The power which the Father and Christ have IS SO GREAT that it makes their human-appearing spirit bodies SHINE AS BRIGHT AS THE SUN IN FULL STRENGTH!
In the Bible God reveals Himself as the CREATOR of all there is -- this vast material universe, angelic beings, light, life (Rev. 4:11). Now since God created all these, then He certainly existed BEFORE they did. His time goes back BEFORE all of them.
"But WHO created God?" someone is certain to ask. This question does naturally enter our minds. Let's learn the simple answer from the Bible.
1. In Lesson 7, it was shown that the "Word," or LOGOS -- who later became Christ -- served in the office of the Father's High Priest. Christ was the One who was known as the "Lord God" by the Old Testament nations. Did He have a mother or father -- did He ever have a "beginning" when He FIRST came into existence? Heb. 7:3.
2. How long has God existed? Ps. 90:2. Will He CONTINUE to exist forever? Same verse and Rev. 4:8-10.
3. Does God promise to give ETERNAL life to the dead in Christ at the resurrection? John 5:25. Could God impart eternal life if He were NOT eternal Himself? Verse 26.
COMMENT: God is ETERNAL. GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN! Do you need a creator for a being that has always existed? Of course not!
The difficulty in understanding ETERNITY lies in our human minds. We deal in FINITE things -- dollars and cents, years, miles, acres, gallons, pounds. We measure, count and estimate in units, always arriving at a DEFINITE quantity.
But eternity is WITHOUT beginning. It is WITHOUT END! Eternity cannot be limited to a definite number of years. Even as numbers can go on forever, so does God's life into BOTH the past and the future.
Those things which have not always existed require a creator. But things which have always existed need no creator.
The material universe was created at a DEFINITE TIME in the past. Both science and scripture are firm on this point. Therefore the creation is temporal and had a creator. SINCE ALL IN EXISTENCE EXCEPT THE CREATOR IS TEMPORAL, THEN HE MUST BE ETERNAL! He could not have had a beginning of days!
GOD ALONE IS ETERNAL!
1. God has already shown us that He has a body (Rev. 1:13-16). But what does God say He is COMPOSED of? John 4:24.
COMMENT: Now we see one of the great DIFFERENCES between God and man. God is composed of invisible spirit. Man is but mortal flesh and blood -- composed of the earth (I Cor. 15:47)
Let's notice another great difference between God and man.
2. What is God's characteristic ATTITUDE? Ps. 99:9.
COMMENT: The word "holy" means PURE OF HEART or free from sin. Since God is composed of SPIRIT and has this holy attitude, it is correct to call God a "Holy Spirit." God is the very PERSONIFICATION of THE Holy Spirit.
3. Is there anyone who is as Holy as God? I Sam. 2:2.
COMMENT: Since BOTH the Father and Christ constitute God -- the Family of God -- both INDIVIDUALLY have the Holy Spirit. The HOLY SPIRIT is the ONE harmonious, perfect HOLY ATTITUDE OF MIND which is shared by both Father and Son. This spirit or attitude of mind is called The Holy Spirit! There is but ONE PERFECT Spirit! (Eph. 4:4.)
1. Is God's Spirit also the Spirit of GREAT POWER? Gen. 1:1-3 and Jer. 32:17.
COMMENT: It was by the Spirit of God that God originally created and later RE-fashioned our earth, as shown in the first chapter of Genesis.
The Holy Spirit is the very POWER of God! It EXPRESSES the unified creative will of the God Family. It TRANSFORMED spirit energy from God into the material world we see about us (Heb. 11:3).
The Holy Spirit OF God may be compared to a TOOL or MACHINE. A tool serves man in making things. The Holy Spirit serves this same purpose for God. But spirit is capable of infinite work -- never running down because of dissipation or friction. And God's divine Spirit fills the universe. (Ps. 139:7; Jer. 23:24). How clear it is that the Holy Spirit is NOT a THIRD PERSON of the Godhead as taught by the pagan "trinity" idea!
When we speak of the Holy Spirit, many cannot understand what it is because spiritual qualities and entities seem so unreal to most people. And no wonder. Spiritual things are INVISIBLE, not discerned by the physical senses. They must be REVEALED in writing in the BIBLE!
Only the Bible makes clear the nature of the Holy Spirit. Man is matter. God is invisible spirit. And spirit, unlike mortal man, is ETERNAL (I Cor. 15:53).
2. How did God utilize His Spirit of power to fashion His various creations? Ps. 148:5. Notice the word "commanded." Read also verses 1-4; Ps. 33:8-9 and Gen. 1:2-3.
COMMENT: Christ -- the Logos, or "Word (John 1:1) -- "SPAKE AND IT WAS DONE." He is the One who said, "Let there be light" -- and the Spirit of God, moving over the face of the waters PERFORMED the command, and "there was light" -- INSTANTLY! The Holy Spirit is a miracle-working power!
3. Is this method still being used in New Testament times -- HOW did Christ "make" enough bread and fish out of "five loaves and two fishes" to feed five thousand people? Mat. 14:15-21. Did He merely SPEAK WORDS to God? Verse 19. What does God say to those who do not think He can create things this way? Isa. 55:8-9.
COMMENT: When God originally created the earth and the heavens, NO MATTER existed. He willed that spirit ENERGY from Himself be TRANSFORMED into physical energy and matter.
But when Christ spoke, the Father could have produced the food in two ways: either by transforming spirit ENERGY into NEW bread and fish, or by transforming the ALREADY EXISTING food material into ADDITIONAL bread and fish. On another occasion, Christ was also able to still the waves of a roaring sea by the spirit energy which the Father supplied (Mat. 8:23-27).
God WILLS and SPEAKS His will, and HIS SPIRIT ACTS on any and all things He has created. All nature obeys His will! We do not understand, and God does not reveal, the exact mechanism. But He does reveal enough of the GENERAL PROCESS. And we do have historical and scientific PROOF that all nature is obedient to Him. Christ's miracles are also PROOFS of this.
4. Does God also use His Spirit of power to SUSTAIN and RULE His vast heavenly and earthly creation? Nehemiah 9:6; Heb. 1:2-3 and Ps. 66:7.
COMMENT: God sits at the controls of the entire universe -- He rules and sustains everything by the POWER of His Holy Spirit!
5. Exactly what does God sustain by His power -- did He set in motion specific PHYSICAL LAWS by which the material creation functions? Jer. 33:25. Does the sun figuratively OBEY God? Job 38:12 and Ps. 104:19. How does the earth APPEAR to be suspended? Job 26:7.
COMMENT: The dictionary defines the word "sustain" as "to hold suspended, to support, to keep alive, to keep from ruin."
God's creation would literally "fly apart," were it not for the LAWS He set in motion to govern its functioning. And God SUSTAINS the laws governing His creation -- whether on earth or in the heavens above, whether living or lifeless -- by the POWER of HIS SPIRIT!
Thus you might say the creation functions AUTOMATICALLY -- much like a modern space age computer which has been PRE-programmed to perform specific operations. God's Spirit is the ENERGIZING force which keeps the laws of the universe operating, just as electrical current energizes and operates a computer.
This little analogy points up the fact that God is a God of law and order (I Cor. 14:33). He CAREFULLY PLANNED and calculated His creation to operate smoothly and efficiently -- according to His INEXORABLE "laws of physics"!
Notice, too, that the assignment of God's energy to the task of maintaining the physical laws of the universe is a LONG TERM assignment, in contrast to most of the SHORT TERM assignments of performing Christ's miracles.
And so God directs His Holy Spirit in attaining His purpose. It FLOWS OUT from Him and back again -- much like current in an electrical circuit -- and is felt EVERYWHERE in good works (Ps. 139:7-11).
1. Was King Solomon the wisest man who ever lived because GOD gave him wisdom? I Kings 3:11-12; 10:24. Then is the God Kingdom ALL-wise -- the SOURCE of all true wisdom? Dan. 2:20; I Tim. 1:17 and Jas. 1:5.
2. Does the God Family have PERFECT knowledge? Job 37:14,16.
COMMENT: Since the Father and Son together constitute the ONE Kingdom of God, BOTH possess the same characteristics, or attributes. Remember, Christ said, "I and my Father are ONE" (John 10:30).
3. Does God know the SECRET of existence without dependence upon anything -- needing no food, shelter or other necessities so needful for man's existence? What is He called? Isa. 40:28.
COMMENT: The Hebrew word translated "Lord" here can also mean "The Self-Existent One."
4. Does God also know the secret of ETERNAL LIFE -- life WITHOUT END? John 5:26. Is He tireless? Isa. 40:28.
5. Is there any way by which we mortals may, OF OURSELVES, learn the secrets of God? Same verse. Also Rom. 11:33 and Ps. 145:3. To WHOM does God reveal certain secrets? Dan. 2:22; Prov. 3:32 and Ps. 25:14. Does He even reveal the FUTURE to His called ministers? Amos 3:7.
6. Is there any limit to God's understanding? Ps. 147:5
7. And has God UNLIMITED POWER? PS. 62:11 and Mat. 19:26. Does the fact that He created our earth prove this? Gen. 1:1. Did He also create all of the heavenly bodies -- the sun, moon and stars? Ps. 8:3; 104:2. Can feeble, mortal man COUNT their number? Jer. 33:22. But does God KNOW their number -- EVEN THEIR NAMES? Ps. 147:4
COMMENT: Our earth is but a tiny SPECK OF DUST compared to other gigantic heavenly bodies. Take for example our sun. It is a relatively SMALL star within our "Milky Way" galaxy. Yet, its total volume is 1,300,000 TIMES THAT OF OUR EARTH!
As for the NUMBER of stars in the universe, God says man is UTTERLY INCAPABLE of counting all of them! Using the huge 200-inch Hale telescope on Mt. Palomar in California, astronomers have been ABLE to count over 600,000 stars in the Constellation of Orion! But the following figures vividly illustrate man's LIMITATIONS.
The September, 1956 issue of "Scientific American" magazine, was a special number devoted entirely to man's knowledge of the universe. One article stated that present day telescopes have "shown the Milky Way system to be a lens-shaped collection of some ONE HUNDRED BILLION stars, with the sun out toward the rim" (page 79).
This same issue pointed out that BILLIONS OF GALAXIES are visible beyond our own -- each with about as many stars in it as the Milky Way! Radio telescopes have penetrated even further. But you can plainly see that the number of galaxies BEYOND the range of man's limited instruments would be a VERY POOR EDUCATED GUESS!
8. Can God FORETELL future events? Dan. 2:28. Why? Verses 20-21. Then can God foretell the future because He has the POWER TO MAKE what He says come to pass? Mat. 19:26.
At left, gigantic 200-inch Hale Telescope inside dome-shaped building (right), reveals a fraction of God's infinite power and glory!
Below is starry splendor of Andromeda Galaxy, nearest large system of stars comparable to our galaxy.
Above, cluster of galaxies photographed through 200-inch Hale Telescope is a minute segment of God's fathomless universe!
Below, gaseous nebula in Constellation of Orion is part of our own Milky Way system.
9. Does God have a perfect memory? Ps. 147:4; Amos 8:7 and Hos. 7:2. Does He also have perfect control over His memory -- can He COMPLETELY FORGET if He so wills? Jer. 31:34.
10. Is God TRUTHFUL? Titus 1:2. LOVING? I John 4:8. JUST? Deut. 32:4. MERCIFUL? PS. 136:4.
11. Is God capable of INSTANT COMMUNICATIONS -- can He know what is going on EVERYWHERE at all times? Jer. 23:23. What does God say He fills? Verse 24. How could God be everywhere at one time? Ps. 139:7-8. Can God, in heaven, even know what a person is thinking here on earth? Verse 2.
COMMENT: Mortal man is limited by time and space. For example, radio contact between Mariner IV (which took history-making photographs of planet Mars) and earth was limited by the fact that radio waves travel at the "slow" speed of light -- 186,000 miles per second. This meant that radio commands transmitted to the space probe took approximately 12 minutes traveling time to reach it as it swung past Mars -- 134,000,000 miles from earth! And telemetric data from Mariner IV took another 12 minutes to reach earth -- a 24-MINUTE ROUND TRIP!
But because the Spirit of Almighty God is not limited by time and space, God is able to INSTANTLY KNOW what is taking place here on earth, or anywhere else in the universe! By His Spirit, God is able to even READ our very thoughts from heaven above!
12. And by His Spirit, is God able to "see" what anyone is doing from His throne in heaven -- untold millions or billions of miles away? Prov. 5:21. Does He give thought to the actions of men? Same verse. Also notice II Chron. 16:9 and Jer. 32:19.
13. Does God KNOW your general ATTITUDE? I Kings 8:39.
14. Does He HEAR the groanings of His people? Ps. 38:9. How? Rom. 8:23, 26-27.
15. Does God know the number of STEPS you take? Job 14:16 and 31:4.
16. Does God know the number of HAIRS on your head? Mat. 10:30. Does He even take note of a bird when it FALLS to the ground? Mat. 10:29, Do you think these things are impossible? What does God say? Mat. 19:26, And what did Job say of God? Job 42:2.
17. Is God capable of lightning-like travel? Mat. 24:27. Then will Christ circle the earth with the SPEED OF LIGHT at His second coming so all the world can see Him? Luke 17:24.
COMMENT: At Christ's coming, He will circle the earth with the speed of light and the righteous, now made spirit, will rise to meet Him in the air (I Thes. 4:16-17).
18. After His resurrection, did Christ explicitly forbid Mary to TOUCH Him because He had not yet ascended to the Father in heaven? John 20:17. But later that SAME DAY, did Christ allow His disciples to touch His feet? Mat. 28:9. Then did Christ travel the enormous distance to the Father's throne and back to earth in LESS THAN ONE DAY?
COMMENT: This account clearly shows that God is capable of traveling through space INCOMPARABLY FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT!
19. Let's notice a few other miraculous qualities of the God Family. After Christ was resurrected and in His spirit body, did He SUDDENLY APPEAR to His disciples? John 20:19. Then is God capable of passing through solids such as doors and walls? Same verse. (Notice that the doors were LOCKED!) What was their reaction? Luke 24:36-37. Did He also manifest Himself in a PHYSICAL BODY of flesh and bone that could be FELT? Verse 39.
20. Does the Almighty, Eternal, Creator God -- who is rightly able to evaluate -- consider that He is INCOMPREHENSIBLY FAR ABOVE man's PUNY capabilities and accomplishments? Isa. 40:17-18.
Should we be thankful that God even considers us at all? Ps. 8:3-4.
Just how does man, in his present form, really stand in COMPARISON to Almighty God? Dan. 4:35.
Incredible as it may sound, God will actually IMPART His spiritual attributes to YOU and ME!
God's great and wonderful PURPOSE for our existence is revealed in the Bible. God's plan is to create perfect SPIRITUAL CHARACTERS out of mortal mankind -- literal BORN Sons of God's Family!
Man's creation in the Garden of Eden was complete only in the PHYSICAL sense. He was created a perfect physical specimen -- but NOT a perfect SPIRITUAL creation! He was created WITHOUT the divine SPIRITUAL POWER which God has made available to all mankind -- the power to ACCOMPLISH His purpose in us!
Here's a glimpse of the spiritual creation God wants to produce in you. And here's how you CAN RECEIVE the very attributes and power of God!
1. Is God still in the PROCESS of forming and molding man as a potter works with clay? Isa. 64:8.
2. Did Job realize God was forming a SPECIAL CREATION in his life? Job 14:14-15.
COMMENT: Notice especially the latter part of Job 14:15: "THOU WILT HAVE A DESIRE TO THE WORK OF THINE HANDS." The "work" was JOB! Job knew he was merely a piece of divine WORKMANSHIP in the hands of the active Creator. Merely a piece of PLIABLE CLAY in the hands of the Master Potter!
3. Are spirit-led Christians being fashioned by God for a SPECIFIC purpose? Isa. 43:7 and Eph. 2:10.
COMMENT: The word "WE" in New Testament language refers to spirit-directed CHRISTIANS. WE, then -- if we are God's children -- are God's WORKMANSHIP. Yes, we are "created" -- NOW BEING CREATED -- UNTO GOOD WORKS -- unto a perfect SPIRITUAL CHARACTER which can perform wonderful good works.
So what God is actually creating in spirit directed humans is the SUPREME MASTERPIECE of all His works of creation! He is in the process of creating millions -- yes, BILLIONS -- of what will become PERFECT, SPIRIT-BORN SONS OF GOD'S FAMILY!
4. How readily will God GIVE us His Holy Spirit today? Luke 11:10-13. But are there PRIOR CONDITIONS to receiving it? Acts 2:38 and 5:32. These CONDITIONS are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER!
COMMENT: God is creating His supreme masterpiece by two distinct steps: man, the clay material creation (Genesis 1), is only the FIRST phase of what is to become God's finished SPIRITUAL creation. For man, the CLAY MODEL, has to be fashioned and molded by EXPERIENCE and with the AID of GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT, into the finished SPIRITUAL masterpiece of all God's creation! But before the second phase of man's creation -- his spiritual growth -- begins, God the Father must FIRST BEGET us by placing His Holy Spirit WITHIN us. We are then IMPREGNATED, so to speak, by the "seed" or germ of ETERNAL life (I Pet. 1:23). It is the BEGETTAL of the life of God within our minds! We then may be compared to a newly begotten fetus in its mother's womb which BEGINS TO GROW!
5. Do we become the literal "SONS" of God the Father when He BEGETS us by His Spirit? I John 3:1 and Rom. 8:14-17.
COMMENT: SPIRIT-begotten Christians literally become the UNborn CHILDREN of God, the Father, just as an UNborn human fetus is the child of its human parents.
6. Do we PARTAKE OF THE DIVINE NATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS of God when spiritually begotten? II Peter 1:3-4.
7. What are some of the CHARACTERISTICS, or "fruits" that are made manifest in our lives IF we possess God's Spirit? Gal. 5:22-23.
8. Which is the GREATEST attribute or characteristic God transmits to us by His Holy Spirit? Is it LOVE -- "charity"? I Cor. 13:13 and John 4:16. Is this the SAME love that will enable us to "fulfill" -- to OBEY -- God's spiritual laws? Rom. 13:10 and 5:5.
9. What SPECIAL "gifts" are bestowed by the Holy Spirit? I Cor. 12:1,4-11.
COMMENT: Just imagine! These are some of the ADDITIONAL spiritual abilities God gives to those who surrender their lives to Him so they may receive His Holy Spirit! God divides these special gifts among certain ones in His Church as He wills, and for SPECIFIC purposes.
10. Does the Father promise to raise spirit begotten Christians to immortality, just as He resurrected Jesus? Rom. 8:11 and I Cor. 6:14.
11. If we are begotten by God's Spirit and grow spiritually, will we -- at the resurrection -- become as Jesus Christ is today? Ps. 17:15; Phil. 3:20-21 and I John 3:2. What TYPE of body was Jesus changed into at His resurrection? I Cor. 15:44-45.
COMMENT: If we become the spirit-begotten children of God, we will be LIKE Him when BORN of His Spirit into His divine Family! We will be given a SPIRIT body just like Christ's!
The outstanding difference between the body we now have and the one we will be given is that while the one we now have is a "natural" or MORTAL body, the one we shall receive will be a SPIRITUAL body -- COMPOSED OF SPIRIT!
12. Once made spirit, will we live FOREVER? Luke 20:35-36.
13. Will God GLORIFY us at the resurrection by giving us the same great POWER and GLORY of the God Family? Rom. 8:17 and Col. 3:4.
14. Did Jesus give us a fleeting glimpse of this FUTURE GLORIFIED CONDITION when He was "transfigured"? Mat. 17:1-2. Notice that this was a VISION they saw concerning the future (verse 9).
COMMENT: The spiritual power and glory we shall receive at the resurrection will be SO GREAT, it will make our spirit bodies shine as the sun and make our raiment DAZZLING WHITE!
GOD'S INFINITE POWER AND GLORY WILL SOON BE OURS -- IF WE HAVE HIS HOLY SPIRIT WORKING WITHIN US NOW!
God has REVEALED Himself to you in a real and tangible way. No longer does God seem like an ethereal figment of the imagination -- a mythological invention of an ignorant, superstitious past!
Through His INSPIRED Word, God told you where He resides, what He looks like, and how long He has existed. He revealed that the God Family CREATED and RULES the entire universe! You learned what part God has taken in world affairs since creation.
God also illustrated some of His awesome, but wonderful powers over His material creation. And He has even REVEALED THE GREAT PURPOSE FOR YOUR VERY EXISTENCE!
Yes, you have seen God as He REALLY IS! You don't have to GUESS any longer!
Now we need to study the IRREFUTABLE proofs of God's existence and the veracity of His inspired Word. In the lessons which will immediately follow, God will give you these proofs in the form of tangible, MATERIAL EVIDENCE that is absolutely astounding! He wants you to be THOROUGHLY CONVINCED of His existence! He WILL LEAVE NO ROOM FOR DOUBT in the sane, fair and logical mind!
In your next lesson, you will learn that God is DAILY bringing PROPHECIES to pass -- prophecies which He uttered hundreds, even THOUSANDS, of years ago! And after that, it will also be conclusively proven that our earth could NOT have "ACCIDENTALLY happened into existence."
These and MANY OTHER WONDERFUL AND EXCITING PROOFS of God's existence are in store for you in coming lessons!