Acknowledgment

My utmost gratitude goes to the almighty for granting me the grace, wisdom,
and strength to complete this work. I am indebted to Brother Gbile Akanni,
Bishop David Oyedepo, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, and Pastor Segun Olulowo.
The anointed messages of these ministers of the gospel helped to sharpen my
inspirational instinct. I cannot but also acknowledge my intellectual
indebtedness to Engineer Taiwo Areola and many of my colleagues. Special
thanks to Barrister Dorothy Edeoghon, whose professional contribution helped
to flavor the fourth chapter.

Other people deserving recognition are three discerning reviewers, anointed

men of God, who read various parts of the manuscript. Their suggestions and
criticism helped to improve the final draft of this book significantly. Pastor
Jackson Bent, Pastor Kayode Olulowo, and Dr. Kenneth Okocha share in the
credit, but I exonerate him from the blame. The author reserves the latter for
himself.

Pastor John Omotayo is a talented editor who gracefully combines firmness

with flexibility and determination with understanding. The birth of this book is
an eloquent testimony of his encouragement, skill, and forbearance.

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Dedication

I dedicate this book to all the redeemed of the Lord. The redeemed includes the
believers and those who are not yet believers, but God foreknew and
predestined for salvation.

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Foreword

The mystery of redemption that our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished on the
cross of Calvary is the epitome of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness for the
fallen man and the entire creation. Before redemption, humankind was under
the bondage of corruption through sin. The redemption plan which God made
before the foundation of the world was Trinity's trap to destroy the devil. But
we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden [wisdom], which God
predestined before the ages to our glory; [the wisdom] which none of the rulers
of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have
crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8 - NAS).

In a divinely inspired and lucid way, Dr. Kunle Olulowo brings to the fore one
of the benefits of redemption, giving of the law. This benefit makes us
understand that God’s covenant and subsequent promises of blessings to
Abraham and his seed have become fulfilled in Christ. For the Law was given
through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ (John 1:17-
NAS). Our Lord Jesus Christ brought the love of God to humanity and love
which manifest through grace is the fulfillment of all the laws. He further
maintains that as many as would accept Jesus Christ would also become entitled
to covenant blessings that God encapsulated in the death and resurrection of
Christ.

We can only access the Kingdom of God by keys, and having the right
knowledge is what guarantees that freedom. "I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven, and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven, and whatever you shall lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven"
(Mathew 16:19 - NAS). You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you
free. Possessing an explicit understanding of the benefits of redemption
incapacitates the devil’s activities in your life. As you read this book, I pray that
the impact and the anointing of God upon this book will set you free.

- Dr. Kenneth Okocha.

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Contents

Acknowledgment 1
Dedication 2
Foreword 3

Introduction 7-8

Chapter 1: From Creation to the fall of Man

The Five-Fold Mandate 9-13

Satan - The Tempter 13-15
The Test of Man 15-16
Consequences of the fall of Man 16-18
Mercy in the Courtroom of Justice 18-19

Chapter 2: What Redemption Means

Why We Need Redemption 20-21

The Process of Redemption 21-22
The Pre-Abraham Epoch 23-24
The Call of Abraham 24-26
Christ and the Cross 26-29
The People for Redemption 30
The Period of Redemption 30-31
How We Can Become Redeemed 31-32

Chapter 3: Giving of the Law

Conceptual Clarification of the Law 115-119

How the Law Benefited the Nation of Israel 119-120
The Law of God is synonymous with God’s Wisdom 120-121
The Definition of Wisdom 121-123
The Wisdom of God upon Joseph 123-125
The Wisdom of God in the Life of Solomon 125-127
The Wisdom of God in the Life of Daniel 127-129
A New Law through Redemption 129-130
How the new Law Benefit Christians 130-131
General Benefits of Wisdom 131-135
Think It, Say It, and Do It 135

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Chapter 4: Resolution between What Is and What Ought to Be

The Contradiction between What Is and What Ought to Be 190-191

Balancing the Scripture 191-193
The Elements of Time and Process in God’s Purpose 193-195
Understanding God’s Timing 195-196
Various Beginnings and Endings Created by God 196-198
Understanding God’s Process Way or Methodology 198-204
What You Know Determines What You Get 204-205
Millennium: The End of Redemption 205-208
The Final Obstacle 209-210

Conclusion 211-212

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 Introduction

God created human beings as rational and spiritual beings so that they could
understand things both mentally and intuitively. However, we discover that on
average, people easily identify with anything that appeals to their intellect or
anything reasonable. They readily accept and often embrace something they can
process in their mental faculties. On the other hand, most people will reject
anything that has to do with intuition or feeling. Most philosophers and sages
have argued that we should reject as being true anything that we cannot explain
by reason. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for
they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are
spiritually appraised (1 Corinthians 2:14 - NAS). One explanation we may
adduce to this is that reasoning is very common to human beings while intuition
is not.

God also made man in his image and placed within him an organ through which
he could discern spiritual things. However, the human spirit, the organ of God’s
knowledge within the human soul, departed from the man when man sinned.
Since that departure, man could not know God by his reason but can only know
about God. It will take the spirit of God to re-illuminate the heart of man for
him to begin to see and know God as he did before the fall. A redeemed man
can now see God in such a way that even the most un-illuminated acute thinker
cannot imitate.

Man’s reason is an excellent instrument and of extensive use within its realm.
Notwithstanding, it is not an organ through which man can know God. The
spiritual matter or divine truth can only be received by spiritual revelation
because God’s thoughts and man’s thoughts belong to a different realm of
existence. While God’s opinions belong to the spiritual realms, man’s opinions
belong to the intellectual or soul’s domain. Moreover, whereas the spirit can
embrace the intellect, the human mind can never comprehend the Spirit. The
natural man can neither receive nor know the things of the spirit of God because
they appear foolish to him.

Chapters 3 and 9 of the books of Romans revealed that there are 9 benefits of
redemption which include being entrusted with the oracles of God, the adoption
as sons, the glory, and the covenants. Others are the giving of the Law, the
service of God, the promises, the fathers, and the Christ according to the flesh.
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great
in every respect; first of all, they were entrusted with the oracles of God
(Romans 3:1-2 - NAS). For I could wish that I myself were accursed,
[separated] from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to

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the flesh, who are Israelites, to who belongs the adoption as sons and the glory
and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the [temple] service and the
promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the
flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen (Romans 9:3-5 - NAS).

Giving of the law is the fifth in the series of books that are aimed at unraveling
the mystery of godliness or redemption to discern its effects and benefits on
humanity. However, we do not make any pretense to have exhausted the
mystery of this particular benefit because, without controversy, great is the
mystery of godliness. We are drawing our competence from the scriptures that
say we, as Christians, have the privilege to know the secret of the kingdom of
heaven and also have the same mind as Christ. And He answered and said to
them, "To you, it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven, but to them, it has not been granted" (Mathew 13:11 - NAS). For who
has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the
mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16 - NAS).

We believe that as we continuously sharpen our minds by the word of God, our
intellect is practically getting transformed. Consequently, we can get to a level
where we begin to comprehend the mentality of the Creator and access his
depth through divine insights into divine mysteries. This book revolves around
one of the benefits of redemption namely; giving of the law. Therefore, it is
necessary to clarify the concepts known as redemption and giving of the law.
Accordingly, we dedicate the first chapter to the trend of events from the pre-
creation epoch to the fall of man to have a clear conceptual understanding of
redemption. The second chapter is aimed at addressing some fundamental
questions on redemption and also serves as the premise we base the third
chapter regarding the benefit of redemption in view, giving of the law. The final
chapter is assigned the task of resolving the seemingly inherent contradictions
between WHAT IS’ and ‘WHAT OUGHT TO BE’ before we conclude.

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 Chapter 1: From Creation to the Fall of Man

The Five-Fold Mandate

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning, was
the word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God. He was at the
beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him,
nothing came into being that has come into being (John 1:1-3 - NAS). We need
to note that God created different realms of existence, the spiritual and the
physical. The sequence to this event was the series of things that God created.
God created light out of the darkness and separated the day from the night; he
also created the dry land and the seas, the plants, animals, and all the living
creatures. Furthermore, God created the sun, the moon, the stars, and the
galaxies before he finally created man.

In the case of other creatures, God only gave the command ‘Let there be,’ and
they came into existence, but the creation of man took a significant turn. God’s
Word (God the Son) created all other creatures. However, we observe that it
took the entire Godhead-in-Council to create man. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit were all actively involved in man’s creation. Then God
said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them
rule over the fish of the sea, birds of the sky, cattle, and every creeping thing
that creeps on the earth" (Genesis 1:26 -NAS). Then the LORD God formed
man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and
man became a living being (Genesis 2:7 - NAS). For instance, God spoke to the
waters to bring up the fishes and he also spoke to the land to bring up the plants.
However, to create man, God spoke to himself (the Triune God). Accordingly,
just as a fish cannot survive outside water or a plant outside soil, man cannot
survive without God because man came from God.

We realize that man is fundamentally different from other living creatures in

that he has the breath of life, otherwise known as the Spirit. Man has a spirit, a
soul, and a body while other living creatures only have a soul and a body. With
his mind, man could relate with God in the spiritual realm while his body could
only connect with the physical (material) domain. The soul serves as the
medium of interaction between his spirit and his body. It also serves as an
exchange or central processing unit where information received from the
spiritual realm gets interpreted before being relayed to the physical sphere and
vice versa. The spirit of a man is the real man; this is the part of man that can
sense or perceive God and interact with the spiritual realm. The body of man is
mere dust and can only relate to the physical world.

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Before the human flesh can understand his spiritual experience, the soul must
interpret it for him. However, the spirit and the soul were formerly united before
the fall of man. After the fall, the word of God had to separate the two of them
so that the Spirit could depart from man. For the word of God is living and
active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division
of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and
intentions of the heart (Hebrew 4:12 - NAS). We shall throw more light on it in
Chapter 2.

We earlier mentioned that God created two domains, heaven, and the h. God
reigned in the heavenly realm and gave man the mandate to reign or exercise
dominion on the earth. Dominion means sovereignty or supreme authority. As
the maxim goes, ‘to whom we give much, we expect much more.’ We need to
appreciate the gravity of the power that God committed to man to realize what
God expected from a man. Authority is different from power because it is
derived from and exercised on behalf of a higher authority. Accordingly, power
is the ultimate source of authority. Thus, for man to exercise dominion over all
the creatures, he must be submitted to God from whom his power is derived.
Once God has spoken; twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God
(Psalm 62:11 - NAS).

The responsibility of exercising dominion over the whole earth is so enormous

that except man depends on the maker, the task may not be accomplishable. The
creator is the only one who knows the use and purpose of every creature, man
does not, and when the use of a thing is not known, abuse is imminent.
Therefore, if a man will not regularly consult with God to clear his doubts, he
may mess up everything. It follows that nobody can exercise authority except
the person who first subjects himself to power and be perfectly obedient.
Against the backdrop of this assertion, we opine that God could not have
committed dominion to man’s hand straight away. God had first to test man to
confirm his loyalty to God’s authority. Accordingly, God’s mandate for man to
have dominion over the whole earth was implemented in five stages. The stages
are fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over all
the earth. And God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and
multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and
the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth"
(Genesis 1:28 - NAS).

For a man to be able to have dominion over the whole earth, he must have
completed and fulfilled four mandates preceding dominion. That means he must
have been fruitful, multiplied, replenished the planet, and subdued the earth.
What then are the meanings of these five mandates? According to Webster’s
dictionary, to be fruitful means to be fertile; to be productive in abundance, or to

9
be able to reproduce oneself. The term to multiply implies to increase in
number, quantity, and intensity while to replenish means to fill again or to get a
new supply of something. To subdue means to control, discipline, or bring into
subjection, to make less intense, or to reduce the veracity of something. To have
dominion means to have sovereignty or supreme authority over someone or
something.

We opine that the two people God created lacked the number, skill, mastery,
and wherewithal to accomplice the first four stages of the mandate. Hence, they
were incurably incompetent to bear sovereign rule over the whole earth
immediately. God had to carve out prototype earth, the Garden of Eden to
enable them to accomplish the five-fold mandates. And the LORD God planted
a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had
formed. And out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is
pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the garden, and
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:8-9 - NAS). The garden's
size was commensurate to their level of competence so that they could
experiment with their five-fold mandate over it.

God gave a commandment for the earth to bring forth grass. Then God said,
"Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, [and] fruit trees bearing
fruit after their kind, with seed in them, on the earth"; and it was so (Genesis
1:11 - NAS). However, we later discover that the commandment was suspended
for two reasons, namely: there was no rain yet, and there was not a man to
cultivate the ground. This was the account of the heavens and the earth when
they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven. Now
no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet
sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth; and there was no
man to cultivate the ground (Genesis 2:4-5 – NAS). However, the second reason
is more pertinent to our discussion. When the bible said there was not a man to
cultivate the ground, it was referring to the adequate number that will be
sufficient to dominate the earth. If God did not suspend the commandment for
the earth to produce grass, the whole earth would have become a thick forest
and man would have ended up being dominated by the creatures instead of
dominating them.

We can substantiate this claim by referring to another situation when God had
to suspend his promise for criteria similar to those earlier mentioned. God
explicitly promised the children of Israel that he would drive out the whole
inhabitants of Canaan and give their land to the Israelites as an inheritance.
After forty years of long and eventful journey in the wilderness, they got to the
Promised Land. In the desert, the whole generation of fighters or warriors

10
wasted away, and the age bracket that entered the Promised Land was few and
also inexperienced in the arts of war.

God refused to drive out the whole inhabitant of Canaan at once for two
reasons. The first reason is that he needed the inhabitants of the land to teach the
Israelites War. Now, these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel by
them ([that is], all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only so
that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not
experienced it formerly) (Judges 3:1-2 - NAS). The second reason is that God
needed to prevent the beast from multiplying rapidly and consuming the
Israelites. I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may
not become desolate, and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. I
will drive them out before you little by little until you become fruitful and take
possession of the land (Exodus 23:29-30 - NAS).

God had to suspend his promise to the Israelites to drive out the whole
inhabitant of Canaan at once because they could not occupy the entire land at
once. Besides, they could not replenish and subdue the Promised Land because
of their few populations. If God had not executed his promise in stages, the
children of Israel could have become dominated by wild animals instead of
them dominating the Promised Land.

Apart from those four prerequisites preceding dominion, man must satisfy
another condition before he would be able to positively and effectively exercise
control on the whole earth. He must also subject himself to God's authority.
Until a man has been tested and confirmed loyal, it could be dangerous for God
to trust him with dominion because the man would abuse it. The complex and
delicate nature of the earth system demands that man always consults with the
creator for instructions on how to operate them. Since man had not yet mastered
the uses and effects of the earth system, he may mess up the whole system or
operate them to his destruction.

The word authority means the right and power to command and get obeyed.
Accordingly, we can conclude that the rights and power God gave to man to
control and get followed on the planet earth flows from God. Therefore, for this
flow to continue, man must be continuously connected to the source of his
authority and must be subservient to God’s power. Man must also be tested,
proved worthy, and loyal before the right to exercise dominion on the whole
earth can be fully conceded to him. The bible says that a critical criterion for
stewardship is trustworthiness. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards
that one be found trustworthy (1 Corinthians 4:2 - NAS).

Jesus Christ applauded the faith of the centurion because he understood that a
man that is not under authority could not exercise power appropriately. "For I,
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too, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one,
'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do
this!' and he does [it]" (Mathew 8:9 - NAS). Also, man would not be able to
avenge all disobedience within his domain until his obedience is complete. [We
are] destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised against the knowledge
of God, and [we are] taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is
complete (2 Corinthians 10:5-6 - NAS).

Within the confines of the proto-type earth, the Garden of Eden, man became
productive in the sense that he was able to keep and dress the garden. God then
brought some creatures to Adam so that he could name them. God endorsed
whatever name Adam called all the living creatures, thereby attesting to man’s
innovativeness. And out of the ground, the LORD God formed every beast of
the field and every bird of the sky, and brought [them] to the man to see what he
would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its
name (Genesis 2:19 - NAS). God became highly impressed with man's
achievements so far.

If man could be that productive and innovative, he should be able to multiply

himself, and he should have no problem replenishing the earth. However, let us
see if they would be able to subdue the earth so that God could finally entrust
him with dominion over all the earth. Considering that the subjugation stage is
so close to the dominion stage and because the gifts and calling of God are
irrevocable (Romans 11:29 - NAS). God needed to test humanity quickly. The
test will ascertain whether humanity would submit to God’s authority and be
obedient to God’s command or not.

Satan - The Tempter

For us to properly understand who the tempter was, we need to have a glance at
an event that took place in heaven. The event was how Satan rebelled against
God and how God expelled him from heaven to the earth. And there was war in
heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon
and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no
longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown
down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the
whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown
down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation,
and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have
come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them
before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of

12
the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their
life even to death (Revelation. 12:7-11 - NAS).

Satan, formerly known as Lucifer, was one of the three Arch Angels that God
created. He was the Arch Angel in charge of worship; Arch-Angel Michael was
in charge of the warring angels while Arch Angel Gabriel was in charge of
communications or messages. Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king
of Tyre, and say to him, thus says the Lord God, you had the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz, and the diamond;
the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise, and the
emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, were in
you. On the day that you were created, they were prepared. You were the
anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you [there]. You were on the holy
mountain of God; you walked in the stones of fire. You were blameless in your
ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you. By
the abundance of your trade, you were internally filled with violence, and you
sinned; therefore, I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I
have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Your heart was lifted because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, that
they may see you (Ezekiel 28:12-17 - NAS).

Lucifer led some groups of angels to rebel against God and God cast him and
his cohorts into the earth after a protracted war between Michael’s group and
his group. God also sentenced the devil and his cohorts to everlasting burning in
the lake of fire and this particular divine sentence will be executed in the future.
How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You
have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! However,
you said in your heart; I will ascend to heaven. I will raise my throne above the
stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the
Highest. Nevertheless, you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the
pit (Isaiah 14:12-15 - NAS). The incident greatly influenced the fall of man as
the Bible captures it in the books of Revelation, Ezekiel, and Isaiah.

To aggravate the punishment, God placed Satan under the dominion or authority
of man. That insult was too much for Satan to swallow because he considered
himself superior to man. Satan thought to himself if I could not fulfill my initial
ambition to reign supreme in heaven, at least I should be able to reign on the
earth. Consequently, Satan began to make spirited efforts to cause the man to
rebel against God’s authority so that man could lose his influence on the planet.
By so doing, Satan could usurp man’s dominion and become the ruler on earth.

13
Accordingly, Satan, being a spirit, took up the form of a serpent, tempted man,
and caused him to disobey God’s commandment. As a result of that
disobedience, man’s glorious journey to dominion was terminated abruptly just
at the peak of success, right in the experimental stage. Since then, Satan became
the god of this world as attested to by Jesus Christ. I will not speak much more
with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in me (John
14:30 - NAS). And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are
perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the
unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:3-4 - NAS).

The incidence earlier discussed should raise some thought-provoking questions.

Why would God allow such a thing to happen to the man? If God is omniscient
(an all-knowing God), he should know the ends from the beginning and the
beginning from the end. God should have known that Satan would tempt man
and possibly prevent the temptation. Why would God do something that seems
to betray his claim to omnipotence or appear to undermine his attribute as the
only wise God? Is he not powerful enough to stop the devil, or is he not smart
enough to counter Satan’s plot to dethrone man? Yes, God is potent and wise to
foil Satan’s coup, but whatever God does is perfect and for a purpose. God
allowed Satan to tempt man for God to ascertain man’s obedience.

We want to state categorically here that although God allows Satan to tempt us,
God sets a limit for the temptation. Accordingly, Satan has no right to tempt us
beyond the limit to which God permits him. No temptation has overtaken you
but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be
tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way
of escape also, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians. 10:13 - NAS).
God knows how much we can take and will not allow us to become tempted
beyond that limit. The case of Jesus Christ and Job lends credence to this
position. Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your
power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So, Satan departed from the
presence of the LORD (Job 1:12 - NAS).

The Test of Man

Prominent among the trees planted by God in the Garden of Eden was the tree
of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The LORD God commanded
man not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil with the
attendant consequence or ultimate sanction of death for any breach thereof. It is
instructive to note here that God did not place any form of restriction on the
fruit of the tree of life because he created man to live forever. As long as man
would remain subservient under God's authority or refuse to use the power

14
which God gave him over all the earth for selfish reasons. And the LORD God
commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;
but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the
day that you eat from it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17 - NAS).

For now, we may not fully comprehend the significance of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil, otherwise known as the tree of consciousness until
we discuss the question of redemption in the next chapter. Suffice to say that the
tree can enlighten somebody. It could make one aware of right and wrong and
enable one to distinguish good from bad. Then the eyes of both of them were
opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together
and made themselves loin coverings. And they heard the sound of the LORD
God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid
from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the
LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said,
"I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked;
so, I hid" (Genesis 3:7-10 - NAS).

Before eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve were naked, and yet they were
not ashamed of their nakedness. The reason they were not ashamed was not that
nudity was not a shameful thing, but because they did not then have the
knowledge that they were naked. However, immediately after they ate the fruit,
they became conscious of their nakedness. They also became afraid and hid
because of shame. They were not only embarrassed but they were also scared
because the knowledge of evil will always provoke fear in man. Whatever a
man is ashamed of will also constitute his fear.

Consequences of the Fall of Man

We could recall that God warned the man that they would die if they disobey
his commandment. However, we discovered that man did not die in the physical
sense of it since Adam and Eve still lived several hundred years after their
disobedience. This situation suggests that it was not the body part of man that
died but the soul part of man (the real man) because the life-giving spirit of God
departed from man. Since man died, as earlier explained, man lost his ability to
communicate, relate, or interact with God. The man also became ostracized,
alienated, and disconnected from the source of his authority. The attendant
consequence is the loss of his power over the earth. Although the man had
earlier demonstrated a capacity to exercise dominion over the Garden of Eden,
he lacked the competence to so do over the entire planet. By being cut off from
God, they were cut off from the source of their enablement and divine
capability.

15
God changed into curses the blessing he earlier pronounced on them that would
have enabled them to attain dominion. God cursed the woman and the ground
for man’s sake. To the woman, He said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in
childbirth, in pain, you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for
your husband, and he shall rule over you." Then to Adam, He said, "Because
you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about
which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the
ground because of you; In toil, you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both
thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you shall eat the plants of the
field; By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Till you return to the
ground Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust, you shall
return" (Genesis 3:16-19 - NAS). The curse on the woman made the act of
multiplication and replenishment highly undesirable because it would become
accompanied by many pains and sorrows. The curse on the ground also made
the original mandate non-feasible as it means maximum effort will produce
minimum or even insignificant results. God also drove man from the Garden of
Eden to face the harsh reality of rebellion in the outside world.

Furthermore, God cursed the serpent, which represented Satan, that it shall eat
dust forever. The consequence of the curse on man was that Satan would
forever prey on the flesh of the fallen man, for man came from the soil, and he
shall return unto the dust. The curse also reveals a prophetic declaration about a
protracted war between the devil and humanity. This war will culminate in the
victory of man over the devil and the restoration of man’s lost dominion. And
the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are
you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly
shall you go, And dust shall you eat all the days of your life; and I will put
enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He
shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel" (Genesis
3:14-15 - NAS).

Another consequence of man’s fall was that man became fearful. Before his
disobedience, the man knew no fear because he was in control of everything
around him. However, since he ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good
and evil, he became aware of sin, and the thought of sin will always bring fear
to a fallen man. Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He likewise
also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him
who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who
through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives (Hebrew 2:14-15 –
NAS). The sin here refers to Satan, while good refers to God. Man was not only
afraid of the devil but also of all the things God created. Man, whose fear and
dread were supposed to be on the creatures, began to fear those creatures to the
extent of worshipping them. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity but of

16
power and love and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7 - NAS). Fear is one thing that
God must deliver man from through redemption.

Mercy in the Courtroom of Justice

We want to draw our attention to more important things that God did
immediately after the man fell that made it possible for the man to be redeemed.
The first thing was the shedding of blood, without which there would have been
no remission of sin or redemption. And according to the Law, [one may] almost
[say], all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is
no forgiveness (Hebrew 9:22 - NAS). Disobedience suddenly injected fear into
man’s makeup; they also discover that they were naked and nakedness had to be
covered immediately. Accordingly, Adam and Eve tried to cover their
nakedness with fig leaves. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they
knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made
themselves loin coverings (Genesis 3:7 - NAS). The fig leaves represented
man’s self-righteousness, which God had concluded as filthy rags. The leaves
were neither suitable nor sufficient for a man to cover his nakedness because
they will dry off or rot away, and man would go back to square one.

Instead of the fig leaves, God killed an animal and made coats of skin to clothe
Adam and Eve. And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his
wife and clothed them (Genesis 3:21 - NAS). Although the skin coats were
better covering for man’s nakedness than fig leaves, they were just an interim
arrangement that was later revealed during the dispensation of law. For it is
impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrew 10:4 -
NAS). However, God’s ultimate plan was not to cover man’s nakedness but to
completely wipe out the sin that caused the nakedness. God also planned to
adore the man with God’s righteousness, Jesus Christ. The blood of an animal
was only a shadow of the blood of the spotless Lamb of God slain from the
foundation of the earth for man’s redemption. The slain lamb eventually became
revealed during the dispensation of Grace.

The second thing God did was to drive Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden
before the man could decide to eat the fruit of the tree of life. God knew that
since man can differentiate between good and evil, he might one day decide to
eat the fruit of the tree of life and thus live forever in disobedience. Then the
LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good
and evil; and now, lest he stretches out his hand, and also take from the tree of
life, and eat, and live forever "-- therefore the LORD God sent him out from the
garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken
(Genesis 3:22-23 - NAS). A rebellious, sinful, fallen, and disobedient man
might want to live forever! If that had happened, man could never have been

17
reconciled with God because man must die to sin before he could come alive
again. Remember that Satan’s plan for man was to prevent him from ever being
able to reconcile with God by living forever in rebellion, just like himself. God
had to checkmate Satan at that point because Satan’s plan contradicted the
perfect goal of God for man.

Any plan that is inconsistent with the divine intent and purpose for our lives
remains null and void to the extent of its inconsistency. To deprive a man of
justice in the presence of the Highest, to defraud a man in his lawsuit-- Of these
things the Lord does not approve. Who is there who speaks, and it comes to
pass, unless the Lord has commanded [it] (Lamentations 3:35-37 - NAS)? This
situation confirms that the devil cannot tempt us beyond the level which God
has permitted him. Although man fell from his exalted position, we must realize
that the fall was only an episode and not the end of the drama which began
before the earth’s creation. The fall of man was not meant to be fatal according
to God’s perfect plan, who happens to be the director of this divine drama. The
play director has made us the hero, and he surely had some film tricks or hidden
plans to redeem man, his fallen hero. What are these plans?

In the previous chapter, we traced the history of events between the creation and
the fall of man and concluded that man must be redeemed to regain his lost
authority. A unique understanding of redemption would require addressing the
what, why, who, when, and how of the redemptive concept. In other words, we
need to know the definition, the reason, the context, the period, and the process
of redemption. The answers to these questions will aid our comprehension of
why being entrusted with the oracles of God is one of the benefits of
redemption.

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 Chapter 2: What Redemption Means

Why We Need Redemption

The word redemption derives from the word redeem. According to Webster’s
dictionary, to redeem means to get back full possession of, especially, by re-
paying the sum of money secured by the thing recovered. It also means to
change or convert; to fulfill a promise; to rescue from captivity by ransom; to be
free from the bondage of sin, or to save from being a total failure. Thus,
redemption means the act of redeeming, and in the theological context, it means
salvation from sin and its consequences. Using that last meaning of redemption
as a working definition, we conclude that for man to experience redemption, he
has to become liberated from sin and its consequences. In the last chapter of this
book, we will discuss the consequences of sin, prominent among which is death.
Redemption entails the impartation of a new life into man, otherwise known as
the ‘Born Again experience.’

Although our main preoccupation is with man, we need to establish that it is not
only the man that needs redemption. Man's fall created such a great
disorderliness in the creation because the scepter of authority fell into the hand
of that author of confusion, the devil. The devil caused severe damage to all the
creatures by negatively wielding the stolen dominion over them. The Bible
specifically mentioned that time, the earth, and the entire creation must be
redeemed. The redemption of man was given priority because once man is
redeemed; everything will fall into its proper perspective. Also, once man
regains dominion, he will be able to reorganize the entire creation. For the
anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of
God, for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because
of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free
from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of
God (Romans 8:19-21 - NAS).

We need redemption because God made a promise to man in the beginning that
he must have dominion over the earth. The bible is replete with relevant
scriptures that attest to God’s commitment to ensuring that man must exercise
control over the world whether the devil likes it or not. Paul, a bond-servant of
God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the
knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal
life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago (Titus 1:1-2 - NAS).
And without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as
good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of
Sarah's womb; yet, concerning the promise of God, he did not waver in
19
unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured
that what He had promised, He was able also to perform (Romans 4:19-21 -
NAS).

God is bent on protecting his integrity and reputation to fulfill his promise in the
beginning that man must reign on the earth. So shall My word be which goes
forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing
what I desire, and without succeeding [in the matter] for which I sent it (Isaiah
55:11 - NAS). "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He
should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will
He not make it good (Numbers 23:19 - NAS)? This passage explains the
mystery of predestination. God had predestined man to reign and, for the honor
of God’s majesty, man must reign.

Another reason for man to reign is that all things were created to give God
pleasure and to praise and worship God. Worthy art Thou, our Lord, and our
God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and
because of Thy will they existed, and were created (Revelation 4:11 - NAS)
Because of the fall, all man’s attempt to please God has proved abortive. Man
has also lost the ability to offer authentic praise and worship to God because
they that worship God must do so in truth and spirit. But an hour is coming, and
now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for
such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers (John 4:23 - NAS).
Therefore, for man to be able to perform his original function, his soul must be
regenerated. When a man’s spirit gets revived, he will be able to restore and
organize the whole creatures so that they can once more give God pleasure.

The Process of Redemption

Ever before God created man, he knew that man was going to fall and he had
prepared Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, as a means of redemption for man.
And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, [every one] whose name has
not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the
Lamb who has been slain (Revelation 13:8 - NAS). God earlier declared that
there would be a fierce warrior and that humanity’s dominion will be the object
of the contest. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.
(Genesis 3:15 - NAS). Consequently, Satan began to make adequate preparation
for war, scheming, and strategizing, as well as improving his tactics and
arsenals. He had all the advantages because he had gained control over the
earth, and could wield his immense power to subjugate humanity permanently.

Satan’s intelligence could, however, not match that of the omniscient, the only
wise God. Some scholars opined that since the fall of man, God had been
20
searching through the ages for a man who can perfect obedience so that God
could have a reason to redeem man. We do not share such a sentiment because
God concluded all men to have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Thus, no man could have been able to perfect obedience in the flesh. Moreover,
the bible revealed that God had one antidote for man’s sin, and that was the
lamb that got slain from the foundation of the world. The Lamb of God without
blemish must be sacrificed on the cross before the problem of sin can become
resolved.

One could attribute the long process it took God to execute his master plan for
redemption to his manifold wisdom. God, as a man of war, is a master strategist.
He had only one joker or an ace for salvation, but he decided to offer the devil
several baits through the ages. The baits were meant to serve as diversionary
tactics to confuse and baffle Satan. It was also used to drain and wear him out;
destabilize and dislocate him, and fool and destroy him. God finally came up
with the cross as his strategy for redemption. Now to Him who can establish
you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now
is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the
commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations,
[leading] to the obedience of faith (Romans 16:25-26 - NAS).

The strategy of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross looked so dumb and
stupid to Satan that it provoked his pride. Consequently, he quickly seized the
opportunity to organize his cohorts to crucify Christ. Satan did not know that
the crucifixion of Christ on the cross is the ace that God reserved for man’s
redemption. The strategy of the cross was the fatal blow that defeated the devil
and restored dominion to man. Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are
mature; wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are
passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden [wisdom],
which God predestined before the ages to our glory; [the wisdom] which none
of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians. 2:6-8 - NAS).

Before we can discuss Christ and the cross as God’s only plan for man’s
redemption, we need to summarize the history from the fall of man to the
coming of Christ. This narrative will enable us to comprehend God’s process of
redemption. Also, the aim is to reveal various alternative game plans that God
offered the devil and how the devil responded to them. It will further highlight
the prominent role that the Jews played in God’s plan of redemption so we can
understand how we fit into God’s redemptive scheme.

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 The Pre-Abraham Epoch

Since God told Satan that the seed of the woman should bruise his head, Satan
had been looking out for who the seed could likely be. Satan planned to hurt the
heel of the woman's seed to destroy him before the seed could bruise Satan’s
head. Eve had two children, Cain and Abel. Since Cain was evil and Abel was
good, Satan thought Abel was the seed of the woman, and he quickly inspired
Cain to kill Abel. Abel was a righteous man whose blood became shed.
However, he did not qualify as man's redeemer because his blood was crying for
vengeance instead of mercy. Moreover, Abel was the seed of Adam and not the
seed of a woman. And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the
sprinkled blood, which speaks better than [the blood] of Abel (Hebrews 12:24 -
NAS). We need a seed of the woman that comes to being without his mother
having sexual intercourse with a man and whose blood will be shed and will be
crying for the remission of the sin of man.

The next righteous man on the line was Enoch, but before Satan could organize
to destroy him, God took him away. Moreover, Enoch could not have qualified
as a redeemer because he did not shed his blood, and without the shedding of
blood, there is no remission of sin. And according to the Law, [one may] almost
[say], all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is
no forgiveness (Hebrews. 9:22 - NAS).

After Enoch, the devil so multiplied wickedness on the earth in an attempt to

frustrate God’s plan to redeem man. Satan used his fallen angels (demons) to
have sexual intercourse with the daughters of men to pollute the seeds of
women and cause a severe genetic disorder. The Nephilim were on the earth in
those days, and also afterward when the sons of God came into the daughters of
men, and they bore [children] to them. Those were the mighty men who [were]
of old, men of renown. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was
great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and
He was grieved in His heart. And the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I
have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things
and birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them" (Genesis 6:4-7 -
NAS). The man became very evil because the sons of the devil began to
multiply on the earth, perpetrating all sought of unethical and corrupt practices.

The devil must have thought that the game was all over. However, contrary to
the devil’s belief and intention, God was still able to find one righteous man
amid Noah’s corrupt generation. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the
LORD. These are [the records of] the generations of Noah. Noah was a
22
righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:8-9 -
NAS). God wiped out that generation sparing only Noah and his family and
blessed them to perpetuate divine intent and purpose. And God blessed Noah
and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. And
the fear of you and the terror of you shall be on every beast of the earth and
every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish
of the sea, into your hand they are given” (Genesis 9:1-2 - NAS). However, we
observed that, when compared with the original mandate, the blessing came
shot of one component, which is ‘dominion.’

As a result of God’s blessing, man began to multiply, but instead of

replenishing the earth, they decided to rebel against God. They tried to build a
tower so that they could stay together and not migrate over the earth. It took
divine intervention by God confusing their language and scattering them over
the whole earth to stop their contemptuous act. And they said, "Come, let us
build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top [will reach] unto heaven, and
let us make for ourselves a name; lest we are scattered abroad over the face of
the whole earth." And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which
the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people,
and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and
now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. "Come, let
us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one
another's speech." So, the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face
of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city (Genesis 11:4-8 - NAS).

After God terminated the Tower of Babel project and caused the people to
migrate to various parts of the earth, the entire world went into idolatry. Not
even a single man could be considered righteous enough to be a redeemer. At
this juncture, we could imagine Satan rejoicing and thinking that he had won the
battle. Of course, he had won that particular battle, but there were yet many
battles to fight because the war was not over.

The Call of Abraham

Unlike Abel, Enoch, and Noah, who were distinguished for righteousness in
their various generations, Abraham was an idol worshipper like any of his
contemporaries. Therefore, the call of Abraham by God was not because of his
virtue or outstanding character but rather by divine election. Abel, Enoch, and
Noah seemed to earn their righteousness, but righteousness was imparted to
Abraham. For what does the Scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it
was reckoned to him as righteousness" (Romans 4:3 - NAS). God blessed
Abraham with the ultimate aim to bless and redeem the whole of humanity
through him. Here we see a significant departure from God’s blessing in

23
Adamic and Noah’s covenants. We discover that God introduced another game
plan for redemption, yet it was another diversionary tactic as we will later see.
God wanted to start with a man to raise a race and then a people who will
eventually regain the dominion mandate over the whole earth.

The divine intent and mystery were wrapped up in a coded form in God’s
promise to Abraham that in him shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, and make your name
great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And
the one who curses you I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth
shall be blessed (Genesis 12:2-3 - NAS). Before God entrusts such a great thing
unto Abraham, he would have to test Abraham. God made a covenant with
Abraham; circumcision was the token of the agreement, and God also promised
to give him the land of Canaan as an inheritance.

Abraham was subjected to a series of tests for 25 years before God gave him the
promised son, Isaac. As if that was not enough, God tested him further by
commanding him to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. The purpose of the various
tests God administered on Abraham was to discover if Abraham could be
trusted enough not to hold on tenaciously to what God had given him. Again,
Abraham passed the test, and God found him trustworthy to handle dominion.
God then reiterated his promise to him. Then the angel of the LORD called to
Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, "By Myself, I have sworn,
declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld
your son, your only son; indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly
multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the
seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. And in your
seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my
voice" (Genesis 22:15-18 - NAS).

The next man in Abraham's lineage was Isaac, and the last man was Jacob
(Israel). They all passed their various divine tests, and the three men constitute
what the bible called the Patriarchs or the Fathers. Jacob, also known as Israel,
gave birth to twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve
people multiplied and went on a sojourn in Egypt. The LORD so increased them
that the Egyptians became envious of them and began to afflict them for four
hundred years. At the time God appointed for their deliverance, God raised
Moses and Joshua to deliver them and lead them to the land of Canaan which
God promised their fathers. Just as God tested the fathers, the Jewish race was
also tested in the wilderness for forty years before God committed the land of
Canaan into their hands.

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At this point, we need to ask ourselves what Canaan stands for. The Bible
describes Canaan explicitly as a land flowing with milk and honey. It seems as
if God shielded the land of Canaan from the harsh consequences of the curse,
just like the Garden of Eden. Consequently, the territory of Canaan represented
another archetype or prototype of Eden where God experimented with Jews to
find out their trustworthiness. God also gave them a law through Moses, but we
discover that they could not fulfill all the Laws completely. It means that man
could still not perfect obedience in the flesh and thus not competent enough to
handle dominion. Now that man has failed again, does it mean that the
redemption plan became aborted? What happened to God’s promise concerning
Abraham that all the nations of the earth shall become blessed through him? Is
God going to rub his reputation in the mud? No, God forbid, God is not a man
that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should repent; he must fulfill what
he promised (Numbers 23:19 - NAS).

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the only solution God had
prepared for man’s redemption, from the foundation of the earth. If God had
this joker all along, why did he take humanity through that long, winding, and
torturous process? The first reason was that God wants to display his
multifaceted wisdom by distracting and diverting Satan’s attention from the
master game plan, the cross. The second reason is for God to convince man that
man is incurably incompetent to redeem himself. God instituted a relationship
with the man ab initio. However, since man lost that relationship, he had been
trying to reach out to God through religion. The man thought, despite his sins if
he could work harder, he would become restored to God because he trivialized
the problem of sin. It took the giving of the law to make sin appear so terrible
that even a casual observer cannot but recognize and identify its terrible nature.

Man would have to give up his self-righteousness of trying to reach out to God
and embrace God’s method of reaching out to him, and this is the difference
between Christianity and Religion. Christianity is a way of God reaching out to
man, and Religion is a way of a man trying to reach out to God. God’s way of
reaching out to man is through a relationship mediated by Jesus Christ. On the
flip side, man connived with the Devil to establish religion. Religion started
when Enos was born. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he
called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name the LORD
(Genesis 4:26 - NAS). Man uses a religious platform to try to reach out to God
through diverse media.

Christ and the Cross

For man’s redemption to be possible, it will require somebody in the flesh who
had never sinned. Such a person will come to live in this world, perfect

25
obedience in the flesh, and pay the ultimate death penalty for sin. We earlier
established that no man on earth could meet these requirements because since
Adam fell, sin became the nature of every seed of Adam. Thus, the redeemer
could never be a seed of Abraham. On the contrary, Jesus Christ's conception
was not through a sexual relationship between a man and a woman. Therefore,
the immaculate conception of Jesus Christ through the Virgin Mary unraveled
the mystery of God’s hidden wisdom and promise to Satan about his plan to
redeem man. Accordingly, Christ was the promised seed of the woman that
would bruise Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15 - NAS). Who was this Jesus Christ,
from where did he come, and what qualified him as our redeemer? These are all
the issues we need to address.

The scripture revealed that Jesus Christ was God and creator of all things,
including man. This same God became a man, came from heaven to the earth,
and dwelt among his creature. In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. He was at the beginning with God. All
things came into being by Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being
that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And
the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There
came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. He came for a witness, that
he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. He was
not the light, but [came] that he might bear witness of the light. There was the
true light that, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the
world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as
many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,
[even] to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor the
will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten
from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-14 - NAS).

We need to emphasize that Jesus Christ was God the son, an equal member of
the Trinity (God Head). The Trinity comprised God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. He was comparable in all respect with God, the Father,
and God, the Holy Spirit. He volunteered on his own accord to become a man
so that he could become our redeemer. And by common confession great is the
mystery of godliness: He, who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the
Spirit, beheld by angels, proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the
world, and Taken up in glory (1 Timothy 3:16 - NAS).

It is crucial to emphasize that the promise of God to bless Abraham and to bless
all the nations of the earth through him became finally fulfilled in the scripture.
Jesus Christ redeemed not only the Jew but also the Gentiles. And they sang a

26
new song, saying, "Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for
Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood [men] from every
tribe and tongue and people and nation. And Thou hast made them [to be] a
kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth. And I
looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living
creatures and the elders, and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and
thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory
and blessing" (Revelation 5:9-12 - NAS). Jesus restored to the entire humanity
the authority to reign on the earth with the seven-fold benefits as its
paraphernalia: Power, Riches, Wisdom, Strength, Honor, Glory, and Blessing.

We want to also state categorically, without any fear of contradiction, that it

was not who Jesus was that qualified him as a redeemer but rather what Jesus
did. Jesus had to fulfill two conditions before he could become our redeemer.
First, Christ proved to humanity and the devil that a man can live in this world
without sin. That means Christ perfected obedience in the flesh by submitting
absolutely to God’s authority. Second, Christ paid the ultimate death penalty for
man’s sin through crucifixion on the cross. Because of the enormity of these
conditions, we could imagine God the Father having a dialogue with Jesus
Christ regarding the gravity of what he wanted to do by clarifying the
implications with him (we think like a man).

Son, you know you will have to relinquish everything God, strip yourself of
your glory, honor, riches, power, and majesty. You also have to become a man,
a servant who is lower than the angels, who were hitherto your servants. Even,
though you are my son who had neither sinned nor disobeyed me, you must
learn obedience through suffering. Furthermore, you have to face severe attacks
and persecutions from the devil if you refuse to compromise or succumb to him
as the prince of this world. Lastly, the devil would try, tempt, and deal with you
by wielding all the resources and influences in his domain against you.

Jesus Christ agreed to all the requirements and came to the world as a man and
fulfilled all those conditions required for man’s redemption. Also, he accepted
to endure pains, sorrows, depression, humiliations, and the cross because of his
great desire to see us restored to God. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud
of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin
which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the
joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such
hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose
heart (Hebrew 12:2-3 - NAS).

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Human beings despised Christ and treated him like a rag. He was affected by
the harsh conditions that sin brought into the world. He also endured the
contradiction of sinners against himself. To complicate his grief and sorrow, he
became rejected by men and even his closest disciples. Christ's mission on earth
culminated in death and not just an ordinary death but the worst and the most
painful kind of death, crucifixion on the cross. His blood was poured out as a
ransom for many. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life
for his friends (John 15:13 - NAS). At the peak of his affliction, while carrying
the sin of humanity, God, the Father forsook him because God’s eye is too pure
to behold iniquity. God could not afford to look at Jesus as at the time he was
carrying the sins of the whole world.

The cross was designed by God to defeat Satan. God used the cross to deal a
fatal blow on Satan, the usurper of man’s dominion. Through the cross, God not
only overpowered Satan but restored his damaged relationship with a man.
Jesus Christ rescued the slaves that Satan had held captive and reconciled them
to himself. The scripture describes this fantastic divine plan and a hidden
mystery in various ways. As for you also, because of the blood of [My]
covenant with you, I have set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return
to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; this very day, I am declaring
that I will restore double to you (Zechariah 9:11-12 - NAS). Now to Him
whcanto establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for
long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets,
according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all
the nations, [leading] to the obedience of faith (Romans 16:25-26 - NAS).

Finally, the cross established that if one man, Adam, could lead humankind to
ruin and destruction, it is also possible for one man, Jesus Christ, to redeem
them. The first Adam who fell was a living soul, that is a spirit and soul, while
the second Adam, Jesus Christ, was a quickening spirit, that is, the life-giving
spirit. So also, it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul; the last
Adam [became] a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45 - NAS). Through the
life-giving power of Jesus or God’s Word, the departed spirit in man came back
to life. For since by man came death by a man also came the resurrection of the
death. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1
Corinthians 15:22 - NAS). The word of God divided man’s spirit from the soul,
and man became a soulish being before Christ came to redeem man
(Hebrews 4:12 - NAS). The same word of God to Adam and Eve that they shall
surely die if they disobey him was the same word that brought them back to life
during redemption.

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 The People for Redemption

From the process of redemption, we discover that God decided to start with a
man, Abraham, to raise a race for him. The Jewish race was the race through
which Christ came; in terms of the flesh. However, this does not, in any way
connote that Jesus Christ came to save only the natural Jews because the Bible
refuted that. And [He did so] so that He might make known the riches of His
glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, [even]
us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among
Gentiles. As He also says in Hosea, "I will call those who were not my people,
'My people,' And her who was not beloved, 'beloved" (Romans 9:23-25 - NAS).
Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. But [it is] not as though
the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel, who are [descended]
from Israel (Romans 9:6 - NAS).

The concepts: ‘Jew’ and ‘Circumcision’ can no longer be used in the old
conservative sense as strictly applicable to that race of people, the fourth
generation from Abraham, with an archaic culture of physical circumcision. For
he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is
outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is
that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not
from men but God (Romans 2:28-29 - NAS). We need to understand the context
in which we shall be applying these two terms because the subsequent chapters
are going to follow this premise.

The Period of Redemption

The redemptive process will span over a period. On the one hand, the
redemption of our spirit took place when Christ was resurrected from death.
And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to
break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood
[men] from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And Thou hast made
them [to be] a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the
earth (Revelation 5:9-10 - NAS).

On the other hand, our flesh is yet to experience redemption, and as such, the
process is not complete. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers
the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this but also, we, having
the first fruits of the Spirit, even we groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for
[our] adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope, we have been
saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he
sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance, we wait eagerly
for it (Romans 8:22-25 - NAS). For us to live a balanced Christian life free from
frustration because of inherent contractions between ‘what is’ and’ 'what ought
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to be,' we need to have a conceptual understanding of redemption. We shall
have a comprehensive and down-to-earth discussion on this issue in the last
chapter.

How We Can Become Redeemed

From our working definition, to be redeemed means to be born again. Jesus

once told a ruler of the Jews, named Nicodemus that except a man becomes
born again; he cannot see the kingdom of God. In response to Jesus, Nicodemus
asked, how can a man become born when he is old? Can a man enter the second
time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered him that except a
man becomes born of water and the spirit; he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit
is spirit (John 3:1-7 - NAS). Jesus compared the experience of being born again
to a wind that one can hear its sound but cannot discern its source or direction.
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know
where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the
Spirit (John 3:8 - NAS). When Nicodemus still did not understand the
explanation, Jesus told him that to be born again means to believe in Jesus
Christ, the Son of God. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life (John 3:16 - NAS).

We need to explain what it means to be born of the spirit in line with God’s
promise in Genesis concerning the seed of the woman. Since the seed of man
inherited the sinful nature, Jesus Christ had to come as the seed of the woman
through Immaculate Conception. When Angel Gabriel informed Mary that she
would give birth to a child, Mary wondered how such a thing can be possible
since she had no sexual intercourse with any man. And Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered and said to her,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most-High will
overshadow you; and for that reason, the holy offspring shall be called the Son
of God" (Luke 1: 34-35). An experience similar to the birth of Christ is what
you need to be born again. You cannot fulfill God's promise as a seed of the
man but as a seed of the woman. You need to be re-born by God’s power. We
can explain redemption or salvation by the use of the acronym ‘ABC’ where
‘A’ represents acceptance, ‘B’ stands for belief, and ‘C’ stands for confession.

First, you must accept that you are a sinner because all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23 - NAS). Second, you must believe in
Jesus Christ as your savior to receive him as your redeemer. But as many as
received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, [even] to
those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor the will of the

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flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13 - NAS). Remember that
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3: 16 - NAS).
Third, you must confess your sins and also confess Jesus Christ as your Lord
and savior. But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in
your heart "-- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you
confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes,
resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth, he confesses, resulting in
salvation (Romans 10:8-19 - NAS). If you have done these three things, then
you are redeemed by the Lord and can benefit from our subsequent discussions.

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 Chapter 3: Giving of the Law

Conceptual Clarification of the Law

We shall expound on the giving of the law, as an index of the benefits of

redemption. However, we need to first conceptualize the law applicable to this
discussion. According to Webster’s dictionary, the term Law means a custom or
practice recognized as binding by a community, especially as a result of having
been so decreed by the governing authority. Law is also the whole body of such
customs or practices considered as a branch of knowledge. It is the profession of
interpreting or enforcing such customs or traditions. It is a relationship between
cause and effect, or a statement of what occurs in nature, as found by
observation and experiment to be real. Definitions of law also include the law of
gravitation, the law of supply and demand in a discipline or moral code. It is a
practice accepted as correct; a rule; or the doctrine contained in the Pentateuch.

There are some common denominators among the various definitions of law.
The common grounds include the fact that law emanates from a superior
authority; it is instructive and meant for guidance; its breach always attracts a
sanction, and the law is profitable for those who keep it. Accordingly, we can
define the law that God gave the Israelites as a rule of conduct given to man by
God to help man to know what he ought to do and what he ought not to do.
God's law spelled out benefits and consequences so that man can enjoy the
benefits of keeping the law and avoid the consequences of breaching it. God
inspires all Scripture and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped
for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17 - NAS). The Law of God is a kind of
doctrine meant to reproof, correct, and instruct man in right living. Just as the
law of a nation enables its citizens to serve the country well, the ultimate aim of
God's law is to equip a man adequately for the service of God.

The following questions readily come to mind. Why does God have to give the
law? What necessitated the giving of the law? When precisely did the law come
into existence? What were the mode of operation and the legal status of the
epoch preceding the giving of the law? What exactly was the import of the law?
What benefits are derivable from the law? Has God given any other law apart
from the law given ab initio? If God gave another law, what is the relationship
between the former law and the latter law? When did the second law come into
existence and through what process? To what extent has the second law
modified the old law? What are the legal components of the latter law in terms
of sanctions and benefits?

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The answer to most of the questions cannot be explicit to us without going back
to Genesis, the book of the beginning because the beginning or inception of a
concept always unravels many mysteries surrounding that concept. Then God
said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them
rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and the cattle and all the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Genesis 1:26 -
NAS). Since the law was given to man by God, man became the subject of the
law. Thus, a brief excursion to the beginning of man has become imperative for
us to be able to answer most of the questions.

The first encounter man had with the law of God was right at creation, where
God commanded him not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil. God also spelled out the sanction for the breach of that commandment
as being death. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any
tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall
surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17 - NAS). We extensively dealt with the reason God
had to give that commandment to man. To refresh our memory, we earlier
submitted that God’s command was a test of obedience to ascertain whether
man would submit to God’s authority or not. We also maintained that man
could not exercise dominion over all the earth until he subjugates himself to
God’s sovereignty. Man’s power to control the planet emanated from God, the
highest authority, the one who is higher than the highest.

God gave the man a commandment to order his affair, provide him with
authoritative instruction on what to do without permitting any form of
derogation, and prevent him from having an alternative or a choice. God wanted
man to know only the good and the right things, and to be ignorant of the evil
and the wrong things. God’s commandment forbade Adam and Eve from eating
the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil so that man would not get
exposed to evil and wrong deeds. Before the fall, man knew only God, the only
good and righteous one, and was not aware of the presence of Satan, the evil
and the sinful one. However, man transgressed God’s commandment and faced
the eternal consequence of death. Man’s conscience, which was hitherto
inactive, came alive, and man became a conscientious being. The man came
under the governance of his conscience through his ability to discern between
right (good) and wrong (evil).

Even though man knew the difference between good and evil, he has no ability
in himself to do good or evil. He could no longer choose to do good because he
got disconnected from God, the source of good. On the other hand, his exposure
to Satan the source of evil puts a compulsion on him to always choose to do evil
because nature abhors a vacuum. That was what the prophet Jeremiah

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discovered that made him plead with God to take cognizance of the situation
and circumstances under which he committed the offense. Jeremiah further
requested that God should not deal with him in anger because the way of a man
is not in himself. I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself; nor is it
in a man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O LORD, but with justice;
Not with Thine anger, lest Thou bring me to nothing (Jeremiah 10:23-24 -
NAS). King Solomon also understood this, and he submitted that Man's steps
are [ordained] by the LORD, how then can man understand his way (Proverbs
20:24 - NAS)? The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps
(Proverbs 16:9 - NAS).

Apostle Paul painted a vivid picture to illustrate this phenomenon. I know that
all God’s commands are spiritual, but l am not; is not this also your experience?
Yet I am full of myself after I have stayed for a long time in King’s prison.
What I do not understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act
another, doing things I despise. So, if I cannot be trusted to figure out what is
best for me and then do it, it becomes evident that God’s command is necessary,
but I need something more. I know the law but still cannot keep it, and if the
power of sin within me keeps overtaking my best intention, I need help. Then I
realize that I do not have what it takes, I have the will to do something, but I
cannot do it, I decide to do good, but I do not do it, I choose not to do evil, but
then I still do it. If my decisions such as they are do not result in actions, then
something has gone wrong deep within me and gets a better part of me every
time. It happens so regularly that it is predictable. The moment I decide to do
good, sin is there to trip me up. I choose to like God’s commands, but it is pretty
apparent that not all of me enjoy t delight, part of me covertly rebels, and when
I least expected, t ithey take charge. I have tried everything, and nothing helps,
and at the end of my wit, is there no one who can do anything for me? Is not
that the real question? The answer thank God, is that Jesus Christ came and
died, he acted to set things right in both lives of contradictions where I want to
serve God with all my heart and mind, but I am pulled by the influence of sins
to do something different (Romans 7:14-25). There is, therefore, now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death (Romans 8:1-2 -
NAS).

Among other things, Paul submitted that we needed a command to be able to

carry out our desire. He equally maintained that we needed something more
practical and resourceful than God’s commandment. He concluded that the new
law which Christ instituted by his coming, death, and resurrection is the
solution. The new law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the
old law of sin and death. Pertinently, once a new law on a particular matter is
enacted and ratified, the old law becomes automatically repealed and ceased to

34
be applicable on that matter. Any provision of the previous law that is
inconsistent with the new law becomes null and void to the extent of its
inconsistency.

After man violated God’s commandment, it became clear that God’s

commandment cannot help man to be what God wanted him to become.
Consequently, man needed something less strict than a commandment. The man
lived strictly under the control of his conscience and had a compelling tendency
to do evil during the era proceeding the fall. The cases of Cain and Lamech lend
credence to this position. And Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah,
listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, give heed to my speech, For I have
killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me; If Cain is avenged
sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold" (Genesis 4:23-24 - NAS).

It was not until the birth of Enos that man began to make a shift towards good
works by instituting religion because man began trying to reach out to God. And
to Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then [men]
began to call upon the name of the LORD (Genesis 4:26 - NAS). Despite that
shift towards religion, evil still had an overwhelming preponderance over man.
The influence of evil over man got to its peak during Noah’s generation when
God concluded that man was incapable of doing good. Then the LORD saw that
the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the
thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5 - NAS).

God observed that every imagination of the thought of man’s heart was only
continually evil. Therefore, he decided to wipe them off by a flood, saving only
Noah and his household. It is instructive to note that for God to be fair to those
destroyed in Noah’s generation; he allowed them to enjoy the grace of God. In
which also He went and made proclamaproclaimedts [now] in prison, who once
were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah,
during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were
brought safely through [the] water (1 Peter 3:19-20 - NAS). Jesus Christ went to
preach to them in hell immediately after he was resurrected to offer them
salvation through the gospel of grace.

The situation became worst after the flood because the whole of humanity went
into idolatry, and there was not a single man that could be said to be righteous.
God had to select one of the idolaters, Abraham, out of his country and from
among his people to set him apart and, through him, raise a people for himself
to serve him. As we have earlier established, God would have to give these
selected people his law to furnish them to serve him adequately.

The Israelites were the fourth generation of people from Abraham. While in the
wilderness, God gave the Israelites his law through his servant Moses. The law
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comprised three parts, namely: the commandments, the statutes, and the
ordinances. Remember the Law of Moses My servant, [even the] statutes and
ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel (Malachi 4:4 -
NAS). The commandments prescribe a compulsive rule of conduct between
men and God. The judgments prescribe a flexible rule of conduct between and
among men. The ordinances or statutes mandate a practice of religious
ceremonies or rites that is not a sacrament to guide man in his service towards
God.

For instance, the commandment says that you shall not kill without any
exception while the judgments provided an exemption to that rule in a situation
where a man kills without prior intention to kill. He who strikes a man so that
he dies shall surely be put to death. "But if he did not lie in wait [for him], but
God let [him] fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may
flee.” If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, to kill him
craftily, you are to take him [even] from my altar, that he may die
(Exodus 21:12- 14 - NAS).

How the Law Benefited the Nation of Israel

The law that God gave the Israelites spelled out God’s acceptable way of living
otherwise known as right living or righteousness. Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a disgrace to [any] people (Proverbs 14:34 - NAS). As long as the
Israelites were living right by obeying the law of God, they got exalted far
above every other nation in the world. They were the envy of those nations who
lacked the law of God that could have guided them in the right doing.

Although Israel is a tiny nation when compared with other countries of the
world, it became so rich, powerful, influential, and prominent among the comity
of nations. Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being
careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD
your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. "And all these
blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you will obey the LORD
your God.” Blessed [shall] you [be] in the city, and blessed [shall] you [be] in
the country. "Blessed [shall be] the offspring of your body and the produce of
your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the
young of your flock. And the LORD shall make you the head and not the tail,
and you only shall be above, and you shall not be underneath, if you will listen
to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to
observe [them] carefully (Deuteronomy 28:1-13 - NAS).

It is, however, necessary to strike a balance that the Israelites could only enjoy
those benefits if they kept the Lord’s commandment. Whenever they failed to
follow God’s law, they became even worse than those nations that exercised
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themselves in wickedness or evil living. But it shall come about, if you will not
obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His
statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses shall come upon
you and overtake you. "Cursed [shall] you [be] in the city, and cursed [shall]
you [be] in the country.” Cursed [shall be] your basket and your kneading bowl.
… In the morning you shall say, 'Would that it was evening!' And at evening
you shall say, 'Would that it was morning!' because of the dread of your heart
which you dread and for the sight of your eyes which you shall see. "And the
LORD will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way about which I spoke to
you, 'You will never see it again!' And there you shall offer yourselves for sale
to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer
(Deuteronomy 28:15- 68 - NAS). Just as righteousness exalted Israelites as a
nation, wickedness humiliated them because they became a reproach among the
comity of nations. The Israelites became so downtrodden and oppressed that
they could no longer hold their heads up.

The consequences of not keeping the law were even more frightful and dreadful
than what other heathen nations that had not the law of God experienced. The
Bible says that a slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act
accordingly shall receive many lashes. But the one who did not know [it], and
committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. And from everyone
who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted
much, of him, they will ask all the more (Luke 12:47-48 - NAS). God’s curse
was more pronounced on the Israelites than on the Gentiles. The reason is that
God revealed his will to them through his law, whereas he did not give it to the
Gentiles.

The Law of God is synonymous with God’s Wisdom

We have highlighted the benefits of God’s law to the nation of Israel as a

corporate body. We also need to understand how it benefited an Israelite as a
private individual. We can then begin to appreciate the benefits of God’s law in
a practical and personal way. To this effect, we shall be considering three
personalities in the Old Testament, two of whom were regularly and
consistently addicted to keeping the law of God even in the lands of captivity.
We also observe that these three characters had a common attribute because
they all exhibited the wisdom of God at an unprecedented level. The wisdom of
God distinguished them from all other men in their generations by enthroning
them. The wisdom of God also procured favor, honor riches, wealth, power,
sound health majesty, glory, fame, and longevity for them.

The unusual display of the wisdom of the three Israelites compelled us to

conclude that the principal benefit of God’s law is its ability to impart God’s

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wisdom to whoever obeys it. Therefore, everyone who hears these words of
Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house
upon the rock (Mathew 7:24 - NAS). So overwhelming is this benefit that it
integrates all other benefits into itself. The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring
the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making smart the simple
(Psalm 19:7 - NAS). King David maintained that a simple person could become
wise by keeping God’s law.

David also submitted that he became more knowledgeable than his enemies and
his teachers because God’s law instructed him. Oh, how I love Thy law! It is my
meditation all day. Thy commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for
they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers, For Thy
testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged because I have
observed Thy precepts (Psalm 119:97-100 - NAS). Apostle Paul also informed
Timothy that the scripture could make him wise. From childhood, you have
known the sacred writings which can give you the wisdom that leads to
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15 - NAS).
Against these backgrounds, we submit without any fear of contradiction that
God’s law is synonymous with God’s wisdom.

The Definition of Wisdom

The Webster dictionary defines wisdom as the quality of being wise. To be wise
means having the ability to make the right decision by applying intelligent
thought to a wide range of experience and knowledge, with prudence; (of a
decision, judgment, or action) resulting from the use of this ability; (Possessing
vast knowledge and intelligence). However, to simplify these grandiose
definitions, we define wisdom as the right application of knowledge. The
existence of wisdom indicates the availability of expertise because you cannot
apply what you do not possess. Wise men store up knowledge, but with the
mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand (Proverbs 10:14 - NAS). For the report of
your obedience has reached to all; therefore, I am rejoicing over you, but I want
you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil (Romans 16:19 -
NAS). Intelligence is a product of expertise and can either be good or evil,
depending on the type of skill.

We have sound wisdom which emanates as a result of using the excellent

knowledge that comes from God. Also, evil wisdom is a derivative of the
application of harmful expertise that comes from Satan. At this juncture, we
need to refer again to the book of the beginning, Genesis. Before the fall, man
had only the knowledge of good that comes from God, and whenever they
applied them, they produced sound wisdom. However, Satan tempted man to eat
the forbidden fruit by assuring them that it will make them wise. After eating

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the forbidden fruit, man became ostracized from God and automatically from
the right knowledge. Consequently, man became connected to Satan and
became conscious of the embodiment of all evil experiences. Since then, man’s
wisdom became perverted and corrupted because their only source of
knowledge was evil. The application of evil knowledge will generally produce
the desired result, which is sinister wisdom.

We can categorize wisdom into God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom (worldly
sense). The Bible describes God as the only wise God because he is omniscient.
God is also the author and the source of all knowledge. I form the light, and
create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things
(Isaiah 45:7 - NAS). Devil's knowledge initially came from God; however,
Satan corrupted this knowledge because of his pride. The Bible also compared
and contrasted God’s wisdom with man’s wisdom. For indeed Jews ask for
signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a
stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is
stronger than men (1 Corinthians 1:22-25 - NAS). The conclusion is that even
the foolishness of God, that is, the ‘negative biases of God’s wisdom is wiser
than the wisdom of man.

The scripture categorically revealed that when God’s wisdom is in operation,

the understanding of the world must become nullified and lose its effect. For it
is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the
clever I will set aside" (1 Corinthians 1:19 - NAS). The contest between Moses
and the wise men of Egypt validated this assertion. Then Pharaoh also called for
[the] wise men and [the] sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did
the same with their secret arts. Each one threw down his staff and they turned
into serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs (Exodus 9:11 - NAS).
And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the
boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians (Exodus 7:11-12 -
NAS). At a point in the contest, God demonstrated his superior wisdom but the
magicians and astrologers continued to contest until they could no longer
replicate the acts of Moses.

The Bible clearly distinguishes between the two categories of wisdom. Purity,
peace, gentleness, approachability, mercy, good fruits, impartiality, and lack of
hypocrisy characterized God’s wisdom. But the wisdom from above is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits,
unwavering, and without hypocrisy (James 3:17 - NAS). Conversely, bitterness,
envy, disorderliness, selfishness, and strife characterized man’s wisdom. But if
you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant

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and [so] lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from
above but is earthly, natural, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish
ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing (James 3:14-16 - NAS).
That your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men but the power of God, yet
we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; wisdom, however, not of
this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away (1 Corinthians 2:5-6
- NAS).

The Wisdom of God upon Joseph

Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob and the fourth generation of
Abraham. He lived in the era proceeding the giving of the law, and some virtues
were handed down to him from the patriarchs. The first encounter we had with
Joseph in the Bible was at the tender age of seventeen years. As a young man,
he pitched his tent with righteousness by exposing and reporting the evil deeds
of his brothers to his father. Consequently, his father, Jacob, had a special love
for him and that provoked both jealousy and hatred in his brothers. The hatred
got further aggravated when he told them about his dreams which indicated that
he would rule over them. Ever since then his brothers were looking for an
opportunity to get rid of him.

On a fateful day, the boy Joseph was sent by his father to go and check on their
welfare and well-being. When the brothers saw him approaching, they planned
to kill him with the hope of terminating his dream and ambition to reign over
them. However, by divine intervention, they changed their plan and sold him as
a slave to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and that was how Joseph
found himself in Egypt. The Ishmaelites later sold him to Potiphar, an officer of
Pharaoh’s army and the Captain of the Guard. These are the generations of
Jacob, Joseph, being seventeen years old; was feeding the flock with his
brethren, and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah,
his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report... and the
Midianites sold him unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s and Captain of the
Guard (Genesis 37:2-36 - NAS).

Even though the selling of Joseph to Midianites and later to Potiphar was a sad
occurrence, God turned it to his advantage by granting him favor before his
master. The wisdom of God upon Joseph provoked great success and prosperity
in all his endeavors. Potiphar was compelled to make him the General Overseer
of his household even though he was a mere slave. However, the wisdom of
God on him also made him so radiant and irresistible that his master’s wife was
so desperate to commit adultery with him. There is no one greater in this house
than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his
wife. How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God (Genesis 39:9 -

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NAS)? Notwithstanding the strong temptation, he was able to resist the
temptation by fleeing as the Bible commanded. Joseph understood through fear
for God which is the beginning of wisdom that he had to depart from evil. That
act of righteousness landed Joseph in prison, having been framed up by
Potiphar’s wife.

We also observe that even in the terrible condition of prison, the wisdom of God
still shone forth. God granted Joseph favor before the Chief Warder, and he
made him a leader over the rest of the prisoners. and the keeper of the prison
committed to Joseph‘s hand all the prisoners that were in jail, and whatsoever
they did there he was the doer of it. The Keeper of the prison looked not to
anything that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that
which he did, the Lord made it prosper (Genesis 39:9-23 - NAS). While in
prison, Joseph interpreted dreams for two of the prisoners, the king’s butler, and
the king’s baker. Chief Butler got released after three days according to
Joseph’s interpretation, but he forgot to mention anything about Joseph to
Pharaoh, thereby leaving Joseph in his ordeal.

Two years later, Chief Butler remembered Joseph when Pharaoh had some
dreams, and none of his magicians and wise men could interpret them. Chief
Butler told the King about Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams, and the king sent
for him immediately. After Joseph had interpreted the dreams for Pharaoh, he
further advised the king on what to do. Pharaoh was so impressed by his
wisdom and discretion that he concluded that there could be no one more
qualified than Joseph to handle food administration in Egypt. So, Pharaoh said
to Joseph, "Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one as discerning
and wise as you are.” You shall be over my house, and according to your
command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater
than you" (Genesis 41:39-40 - NAS). Pharaoh then gave Joseph dominion over
all the land of Egypt, thereby making him his second in command or Prime
Minister.

God's wisdom transformed a slave boy and a prisoner from the dungeon and
enthroned him as a ruler in the land of slavery. God's wisdom brought Him
power, riches, glory, honor, majesty, fame, influence, and affluence. He raises
the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make [them] sit
with princes, With the princes of His people (Psalm 113:7-8 - NAS). King
David said God has brought him out of poverty and obscurity and set him
among the princes. It is instructive to note that when God wanted to manifest
his wisdom in Egypt, the wisdom of men, magicians, and all the wise men came
to naught. He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd So that their hands cannot
attain success (Job 5:12 - NAS). Whenever God’s wisdom is in operation,
earthly wisdom must come to null.

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 The Wisdom of God in the Life of Solomon

Solomon was the son of King David born by Bathsheba, the former wife of
Uriah, one of his soldiers. And to Jesse was born David, the king. And to David
was born Solomon by her [who had been the wife] of Uriah (Mathew 1:6 -
NAS). Humanly speaking, because of the circumstances surrounding the birth
of Solomon, he was the least qualified of the sons of David to be King.
Solomon's father was an adulterer and a murderer, his mother was also an
adulterous woman. However, by the election of grace, God loved Solomon and
appointed him as King over Israel. Before David died, he assembled all the
‘who is who’ in Israel and handed over the kingdom to Solomon, his son in their
presence.

David charged Solomon to build a house for God and commanded his
lieutenants to give maximum cooperation and support to the young King
Solomon. He also repeatedly warned Solomon to know the Lord, serve him with
a perfect heart, and keep his law. My son, do not forget my teaching, but let
your heart keep my commandments; for a length of days and years of life, and
peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them
around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. So, you will find favor
and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your
heart, and do not lean on your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge
Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your eyes; Fear
the LORD and turn away from evil. (Proverbs 3:1-7 - NAS). Solomon himself
referred to his father’s instruction as sound wisdom.

In his early days as the King of Israel, Solomon became addicted to keeping
God’s law. He demonstrated this attitude through the righteous judgment he
exercised among his people. Solomon also demonstrated unalloyed and
unfettered dedication to the observance of God’s ordinances. Furthermore, he
displayed an unprecedented devotion to God’s commandment to love and
worship him alone. Solomon demonstrated his great love for God by offering a
thousand burnt offerings. His sacrifice provoked God to give him a blank
cheque to ask for whatever he needed from God. Solomon understood that
wisdom is the principal thing and requesfor wisdom and knowledge to enable
him to judge the people of God. Solomon’s request highly impressed God and
God squandered his wisdom and insight on him. In addition to wisdom, God
gave him unprecedented and matchless riches, wealth, fame, and honor.

With the wisdom of God, Solomon was able to build a magnificent house for
God and a grandiose palace for himself, and both structures were architectural
masterpieces. Also, he was able to judge his people wisely and carry out God’s
ordinances with pomp and pageantries. So, King Solomon became more

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significant than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all the
kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom
which God had put in his heart. And they brought every man his gift, articles of
silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by
year. Now Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots and 12,000
horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in
Jerusalem. And he was the ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River
even to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt. And the
king made silver [as common] as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as
plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the lowland (2 Chronicles 9:22-27 -
NAS). The Bible records that Solomon excelled over all the kings of the earth in
riches and wisdom and became a king over other kings. He was a repository of
God's wisdom, and that made him a universal consultant to all other Kings.

There was, however, a reversal in the life of Solomon, which we need to

emphasize here. At a point in Solomon's life, he departed from keeping the law
of God. He disobeyed God’s commandment, which forbids the Israelites from
marrying foreign women because they would lead them into idolatry. Now King
Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh:
Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonia, and Hittite women, from the nations
concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, "You shall not
associate with them, neither shall they associate with you, [for] they will surely
turn your heart away after their gods." Solomon held fast to these in love. And
he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his
wives turned his heart away. For it came about when Solomon was old, his
wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly
devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David, his father [had been] (1
Kings 11:1-4 - NAS). Anytime a man ceases to obey God’s law, he immediately
disconnects himself from God’s wisdom and starts to operate on man’s
wisdom.

Solomon’s departure from God’s law compelled him to experiment with folly in
an attempt to discover wisdom. So, I turned to consider wisdom, madness, and
folly, for what [will] the man [do] who will come after the king [except] what
has already been done? And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels
darkness. The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness.
And yet I know that one fate befalls them both. Then I said to myself, "As is the
fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?"
So, I said to myself, "This too is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 2:12-15 - NAS). The
same wisdom that brought fame and popularity to Solomon also attracted so
many strange women to him. Although Solomon knew that strange women
could destroy a man and had even preached it, he could not effectively apply
that knowledge.

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Solomon got exposed to both positive and negative wisdom. The contradiction
led him to exclaim in frustration that there is much grief in much wisdom and
that increase in knowledge is synonymous with an increase in sorrow. We will
like to reconcile this seeming contradiction that Solomon observed by referring
back to our previous discussion on sound wisdom and evil wisdom. On the one
hand, Solomon, as a fallen man, could differentiate between good and evil. On
the other hand, the law of God imparted in him the ability to choose to do either
good or evil. Consequently, anytime he did well, he reaped the effect of sound
wisdom, and whenever Solomon did evil, he got the consequence of sinister
wisdom.

Solomon’s frustration with wisdom reflected the perspective of a man who did
not experience redemption; his position will not hold for those of us who enjoy
it. Solomon’s departure from God’s law incapacitated him from doing well
because he became disconnected from God, who is the author of all sound
knowledge. The departure produced the unpleasant result of evil wisdom, grief,
and sorrow. For a redeemed man, the more of God’s wisdom you have, the
more joy and fulfillment you will experience. The reason for that is because the
blessing of God makes rich and adds no sorrow.

The Wisdom of God in the Life of Daniel

Daniel was one of the children of Israel that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon
carried to Babylon as captives. He was among the children of Israel selected for
specialized training by the King of Babylon to utilize them in his service.
During their training, Daniel, in obedience to God’s law, refused to defile
himself with the portion of the King’s meat and wine allocated to them and
instead chose to eat pulse and water. It is instructive to note that God’s law
specified the kind of meat and drink that the Israelites could take and those that
are forbidden. Thus, eating the King’s portion will be tantamount to defiling
himself in disobedience to God’s commandment. On the contrary, all other
heathen nations including Babylon had no regulation regarding clean and
unclean beasts. God granted him favor before the prince of the eunuchs by
approving his request to eat pulse and water.

Daniel’s unalloyed and unfettered loyalty provoked God to give him a beautiful
countenance; knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and the gifts of
interpretation of dreams and visions. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he
would not defile himself with the portion of the King's meat, nor with the wine
which he drank. Therefore, he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he
might not defile himself. When they compared his God-given wisdom with the
wisdom of man or the wisdom of this world, he excelled them ten times. And in
all matters of wisdom and understanding that the King inquired of them, he

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found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in
his entire realm. And Daniel continued even unto the first year of King Cyrus
(Daniel 1:8-21 - NAS).

After excelling far above other contestants in the King’s test, King
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and he was desperate to know the interpretation.
Consequently, the King called his magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and
Chaldeans to show him his dreams and the interpretation thereof, but none of
them could do that. They issued a joint communiqué to the King to the effect
that no one could show the King’s dream but only the gods could do that.
Moreover, the thing which the king demands are difficult, and there is no one
else who could declare it to the king except gods, whose dwelling place is not
with [mortal] flesh (Daniel 2:11 - NAS). However, through God’s wisdom,
Daniel was able to show the King his dream and interpretation.

Daniel’s ability to interpret dreams prompted Nebuchadnezzar, the King of the

greatest and the most powerful kingdom that ever existed on earth, to worship
Daniel, a mere slave boy. Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did
homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant
incense. The king answered Daniel and said, "Surely your God is a God of gods
and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries since you have been able to
reveal this mystery." Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great
gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief
prefect over all the wise men of Babylon (Daniel 2:46-48 - NAS).
Nebuchadnezzar also made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and
that made Daniel the second in command to King Nebuchadnezzar, the
Babylonian Prime Minister.

The wisdom of God upon Daniel made him rule over those who drafted the
constitutions in a place where he was not even an eligible voter. The wisdom of
God in his life brought him greatness, riches, power, honor, fame, fortune,
majesty, and prominence. It is quite revealing to note that Daniel was not made
a ruler when his wisdom was merely ten times better than the wisdom of man.
God had to confound the wisdom of man, making them of no effect before the
wisdom of God upon the life of Daniel could be appreciated. Daniel did not
ascend the throne until the Astrologers, sorcerers, magicians, and the Chaldeans
came to their wit end. Daniel never ascended the throne until their wisdom came
to naught because Daniel’s wisdom became incomparable to other forms of
wisdom.

The wisdom of God upon the life of Daniel afforded him a long life; he outlived
three Kings and continued until the first year of the fourth king, King Cyrus.
Because no man could match the frequency of his wisdom, he was ever relevant

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throughout the reign of the Babylonian empire. He also came to the political
limelight during the reign of the Mede-Persian Empire which succeeded the
erstwhile Babylonian empire. The bible says that a man's gift makes room for
him, and brings him before great men (Proverbs 18:16 - NAS). God’s wisdom
enabled Daniel to have an insight into future events, and he accurately predicted
the rise and fall of many kingdoms, as well as the end of the age. Moreover, he
left us with some important principles for good living in his book.

Daniel submitted that the knowledge of God would produce strength and the
ability to exploit. And by smooth [words] he will turn to godlessness those who
act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will
display strength and take action (Daniel 11:32 - NAS). This statement
corroborated Solomon’s assertion that: a wise man is strong, and a man of
knowledge increases power (Proverbs 24:5 - NAS). Daniel also maintained that
wisdom would make a person shine. Daniel’s assertion again substantiated
Solomon’s statement that: wisdom makes the face of a wise man shine. Who is
like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man's
wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam (Ecclesiastes 8:1 -
NAS). And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the
expanse of heaven, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars
forever and ever (Daniel 12:3 - NAS). Daniel finally prophesied that at the end
time, knowledge would increase. This prophecy can be attested to by us to
whom the end of the ages has come because we are now experiencing
information overload.

A New Law through Redemption

Before the fall, man had only the knowledge of God and, as a result, could do
‘good.’ However, because of his disconnection from God, he lost his ability to
do ‘good,’ and he had the only option of evil deeds. As an interim arrangement,
the law was introduced to impart some measure of strength in man to do ‘good.’
Although the Lord gave the law to the Israelites of old, his divine intent was to
restore the entire humanity. God's plan is for man to attain a position whereby
he will have only the knowledge of good and be able to do ‘good.’

Even with the law given to man, evil still held sway over man, because the man
was under a compunction to do evil despite his desire to do ‘good.’ That was
what Apostle Paul exclaimed about in the seventh chapter of his book to the
Romans. He described this inherent contradiction as the helplessness of law and
the inevitability of new and more effective regulation. The new law can help
humanity out of its incapacitation and compelling tendency to do evil.

Paul asserted that a woman is only bound by the law of her husband as long as
he is alive. However, once he is dead, she ceases to be bound by it to the extent
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that she can even remarry. Paul concluded by submitting that the Christians,
through redemption, have become dead to the old law. Accordingly, we have
the right to be remarried to our Lord Jesus Christ, whom God raised from the
dead. Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the
body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised
from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh,
the sinful passions, which were [aroused] by the Law, were at work in the
members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released
from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in
newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter (Romans 7:4-6 - NAS).
In other words, Jesus Christ has instituted a new law of God for us known as the
Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. Accordingly, this new law repealed the
old law known as the Law of Sin and Death and also relieved us of the
responsibility to obey the old law. The old law is no longer binding on us
because it has lost its power of condemnation over us since we are under new
management.

The old law lacks fulfillment but this weakness was eliminated from the new
law of Grace. Jesus Christ said that he had not come to destroy the law and the
prophets but to fulfill them. Jesus Christ also declared that he had brought us a
new commandment known as love (the love for God and our fellow humans)
because the law and the prophets hinge on this new law called love. There is,
therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of
death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God
[did]: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and [as an offering]
for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might
be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the
Spirit (Romans 8:1-4 - NAS). The law of love exemplifies messages that the
law and the prophets tried to pass across the ages.

How the new Law Benefits Christians

God made Jesus Christ, the giver of the new law, unto us wisdom. If the
ministration of the old law instituted unto death were glorious, the ministration
of the new law would surely be exceedingly glorious. The Israelites and the
saints of old exhibited and displayed such unprecedented and unusual
dimensions of God’s wisdom and reaped the benefits thereof. We can begin to
imagine what God has kept in stock for us to this day. But just as it is written,
"Things which eye has not seen and ear have not heard, and [which] have not
entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him." To
us God revealed [them] through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things,
even the depths of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-10 - NAS).

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The Bible also refers to wisdom as a spirit or a gift of the Holy Spirit. But by
His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and
righteousness and sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30 - NAS).
Since Christians got baptized into the Holy Spirit, they can manifest God's
wisdom because God gave the manifestation of the spirit to every man to profit
withal.

General Benefits of Wisdom

Jesus Christ has redeemed us to God and has made us kings and priests to reign
on the earth. He has also given us the spirit of wisdom so that we can effectively
reign on earth since by wisdom kings reign and princes decree justice. Wisdom
is a vital instrument to establish the kingdom of God in every area of life.
Before Jesus comes back, the church, which comprises you and me, will be so
empowered by God’s wisdom that darkness, troubles, sorrows, fear, and pains
will be under our feet. Adverse situations and circumstances will be so strange
to the body of Christ because we will overcome them by the wisdom of God.
And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the
many listeners were astonished, saying, "Where did this man [get] these things,
and what is [this] wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed
by His hands (Mark 6:2 - NAS)? Say to God, "How awesome are thy works!
Because of the greatness of thy power, thine enemies will give feigned
obedience to Thee (Psalm 66:3 - NAS). Through the greatness of God’s power
operating in our lives, our enemies shall submit themselves unto us.

The church will also become the paragon and quintessence of creation. The
answer to man’s problems will be found only in the church. Wisdom is a must
companion for the end-time church because it is the cheapest way for us to find
our placement or get strategically positioned in the end-time move of God. The
book of psalm records that it will come to a time that policy that will drive
global business, policies, and other activities shall come from Zion. And many
peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways,
and that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion and the
word of the LORD from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3 - NAS). This phenomenon
invariably implies that the highest honor shall be given to a Christian because
God himself will establish it, and he has done that through redemption. The
many-sided wisdom of God covering different areas of human endeavor will
make ordinary men like you and I ascend the throne.

In the last days, the body of Christ shall be so exalted and enthroned that all the
people in the world shall align themselves with Christians. Now it will come
about that in the last days, the mountain of the house of the LORD will be

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established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills, and
all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, "Come,
let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways, and that we may walk in His
paths." The law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2-3 - NAS). They shall inquire from us the ways of God so
that they could walk in them. The believers shall also become rulers and
lawmakers in every sphere of human endeavor.

Gone are the days when people shy away from identifying with Christianity
because the Christians were so backward and relegated to the background. It is
now fashionable to be a Christian because they are excelling and shining in
every aspect of life. These things happened because Christians were baptized
and operated in manifold wisdom of God that reduces the earthly wisdom to
foolishness. Even the devil cannot pretend not to understand what we are saying
because of the depth from where we are drawing. For I will give you utterance
and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute (Luke
21:15 - NAS). Our struggles must give way to insight, and we will no longer cry
to poverty, sickness, and demon. However, we will expose the secret behind
their operation and command them to cease because Jesus Christ paid for all.

On a personal note, you will also stop doing shadow boxing, fighting as one
beating the air, and begin to wage intelligible battles against the devil and his
cohorts. You will be able to stand in the gap for your family issues to establish
the kingdom of God, in terms of righteousness, peace, and joy, in your home.
You will also know how to guide your children to succeed in life. Furthermore,
you will know what to do to move your business forward or to be upwardly
mobile in your career.

The wisdom of God is resourceful, productive, and profitable to us. I, wisdom,

dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge [and] discretion (Proverbs 8:12 -
NAS). The Christian investors of old like Clark Maxwell and Michael Faraday
sharpened their dull minds with the wisdom of God. Consequently, their dull
minds became translated into the supernatural mind of the creator. Most
Christians are not innovative and creative because they have a sleepy brains.
They have not exercised their minds for a very long time in the wisdom of God,
yet, God has not given us a spirit of timidity but of power and love and
discipline (2 Timothy 1:7 - NAS).

God has also given us the mind of Christ so that we can reason with him. For
who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have
the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2: 16 - NAS). Until you become a thinker, you
are bound to stink. Even the foolishness of God is wiser than man, so you

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cannot be thinking less than the world and claim to be a Christian. You cannot
be a son or daughter of the only wise God and be the only stupid son or the only
foolish daughter. Otherwise, such a situation is either an eloquent testimony of
marital infidelity or an indication of a genetic disorder.

The Bible implores those Christians that think they lack the wisdom to ask from
God who will give them liberally and without upbraiding. It is their privileged
inheritance to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. God's people often
missed their benefits not because of the wickedness of the devil or the
indifference of God but for lack of knowledge. My people are destroyed for lack
of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from
being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will
forget your children (Hosea 4:6 - NAS). They will not hurt or destroy in all my
holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the
waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9 - NAS). This passage suggests that there is a
level of revelation knowledge or dimension of wisdom that you can reach so
that you will no longer suffer any loss or pain. It also implies that when the
earth is full of God’s knowledge, the knowledge of evil, which causes pain and
destruction, will disappear completely. Wisdom is profitable to direct you in all
affairs of your life.

We Christians are the light of the world; therefore, we must ensure that our light
so shines before men. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they
may see your good works, and glorify your Father, who is in heaven
(Mathew 5:16 - NAS). But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
that shines brighter and brighter until the full day (Proverbs 4:18 - NAS). Since
it takes wisdom to shine, then you need to crave more of it so that your radiance
will cause men to glorify God. And [so] we have the prophetic word [made]
surer, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place
until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19 -
NAS). Also, in the last few days, more people would patronize Christians. Thus,
says the LORD of hosts, 'in those days ten men from all the nations will grasp
the garment of a Jew saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is
with you" (Zechariah 8:23 - NAS). God will include you among people that will
lead a multitude to God’s kingdom through practical demonstration of the
creator’s mentality in every facet of your life.

Only the application or entrance of God’s knowledge or word can give light,
and only light can handle the dark area of your life. No darkness can take away
God’s word inside your heart or mind because the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness comprehended it not. A little light in your career or business
will bring you an unprecedented breakthrough. New light in your physical,
psychological, and emotional realm will establish your dream for spiritual

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health and make divine healing irrelevant to you. A little light in the area of
dominion will help you subdue all your enemies. A wise man is strong, and a
man of knowledge increases power (Proverbs 24:5 - NAS). Wisdom is better
than strength; wisdom is better than the weapons of war (Ecclesiastes 9:16-18 -
NAS). God subdued his enemies through the greatness of his power. Your
enemies will also submit themselves unto you through the greatness of your
ability that comes through God’s wisdom.

Despite all the benefits listed above, a Christian may still live a miserable life
battered and tattered by sickness, poverty, and mediocrity if he or she does not
know how to operate in God’s wisdom. Since God made Jesus Christ unto us
wisdom, it means God’s wisdom is not ours automatically, but we need to
appropriate it before we can benefit from it. There is no greatness without
preparation, and you cannot be free from frustration if you failed to prepare for
it. Daniel became great because he prepared his ways before the Lord. The fact
that God gave him knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom was not
sufficient in itself without a resolute effort on his part to appropriate them.
Daniel understood by books what God had spoken concerning Israel through
Prophet Jeremiah.

Wise men store up knowledge, but with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand
(Proverbs 10:14 - NAS). Despite the spirit of wisdom in him, he still had the
responsibility to acquire knowledge before he could apply them. Whenever
knowledge is not in existence, we cannot talk of wisdom. You need to settle
down with the word of God and every other material that will help your
understanding of it. You can locate the solution to every issue of life in the
answer book, the Bible. The Bible is full of wisdom capsules that you can use to
attack and cure every form of sickness be it physical, spiritual, emotional,
financial, psychological, material, or social. It is essential to analyze one of such
principles of wisdom that God recommended to Joshua, and you can use it as a
panacea against every failure in your life.

The first step to acquiring wisdom is that you need to develop the courage to do
God’s word because God’s word is often contrary to reason and sometimes
unpleasant to the flesh. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do
according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn
from it to the right or the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.
"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate
on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is
written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will
have success (Joshua 1:7-8 - NAS). The second step is to declare it, meditate on
it and then act it out. In other words, think it, say it, and act out or do God’s
word.

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 Think It, Say It, and Do It

The first principle that God is teaching us in (Joshua 1:7-8 - NAS) is that we
need to meditate on God’s word. As a man thinks so is, he since a man cannot
live above his mentality. If you do not think of God's word, you will surely be
vulnerable to negative thinking, and you will act them out in your life. I know
the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD,' plans for welfare and not for
calamity to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11 - NAS). It implies that
God’s word is full of positive thoughts. Second, we must declare God's words in
our hearts and mind through our mouths because out of the abundance of the
heart, the mouth speaks. Life and death lie in the power of the tongue; they that
know it shall eat the fruit thereof. If you confess that you are weak and poor,
weakness and poverty must surely plague you. The word of God says that let
the weak say I am strong, let the poor say I am rich because of what the Lord
has done for us.

Finally, you need to act out those words of God that you are declaring because
the word of God can only benefit his doer. But one who looks intently at the
perfect law, the [law] of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful
hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does (James
1:25 - NAS). Until you begin to think, say, and do the word of God, you cannot
prosper in life, and you cannot have success. The word 'goodness' qualifies the
success that comes from God, and that suggests that there is bad success. Bad
success is a success that comes and goes because it cannot stand the test of time.
Also, bad success is not enduring and it is often accompanied by sorrows and
afflictions. However, good success is enduring, ever-increasing, and always
comforting its owner.

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 Chapter 4: Resolution between What Is and What Ought to Be

From our discussion so far, we discovered that there are numerous benefits in
giving of the law that believers are entitled to through redemption. However, the
principal advantage is the ability to exercise dominion over all the earth.
Although we have been able to wield control in some areas, we must realize that
we cannot yet exercise authority over every facet of our lives. It is thus
expedient for us to resolve the seeming contradiction between ‘what’ is’ and
‘what ought to be.’ We must appreciate the difference between the benefits in
giving of the law which Jesus Christ had legally provided for us through
redemption and what we are enjoying in reality. The essence of this is for us to
know the extent to which we can enjoy the benefits and when we can enjoy the
entire benefits.

The contradiction between What Is and What Ought to Be

Apostle Paul explained the contradiction between what is and what ought to be
while referring to the eighth chapter of the book of Psalm. But one has testified
somewhere, saying, "What is man, that Thou rememberest him? Or the son of
man, that Thou art concerned about him? "Thou hast made him for a little while
lower than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, and hast
appointed him over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things in
subjection under his feet." For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing
that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.
But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels,
[namely], Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and
honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone (Hebrews
2:6-9 - NAS).

Jesus Christ is the only man who has been able to exercise total dominion over
all the earth and its elements. Among other things, he walked upon water
against the law of flotation and viscosity and ascended to heaven by defying the
law of gravity. Jesus also contradicted nature by feeding more than five
thousand people with a mere five pieces of loaves and two fish. Christ healed
various diseases supernaturally, thereby annulling most medical laws. More
importantly, Jesus raised many people from death. Since then the children share
in flesh and blood, He likewise also partook of the same, that through death He

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might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and
might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their
lives (Hebrews 2:14-15 - NAS). He also rose from the grave on the third day to
set aside the law of sin and death and activate the law of the spirit of life.

We earlier maintained that fear and shame were the two immediate
consequences of man’s disobedience. Fear came as a result of man’s awareness
of the devil through which they learn the knowledge of evil and its unpleasant
effects. Shame came about as a result of man’s sudden realization of his
nakedness. The greatest fear man had ever entertained is the fear of death, and
this had incapacitated man for so long that he could not exercise dominion as
expected of him. Man could not subject all the earthly creatures under his
bondage because he was subject to the bondage of the fear of death.

The whole essence of Christ's death on the cross was to destroy the devil that
held the power of death. Satan used the fear of death to torment and
incapacitated man from living up to his optimum capacity. However, Christ's
death liberated man from the bondage of shame by suffering the shameful death
on the cross on behalf of man. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter
of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2 - NAS).
Since Christ defeated the devil, man was liberated from shame, released from
the bondage of the fear of death, and can now exercise dominion as required of
him. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public
display of them, having triumphed over them through Him (Colossians 2:15 -
NAS). Does man exercise dominion over the entire earth; if not, what accounts
for this discrepancy?

Balancing the Scripture

According to Dr. O. C. Morgan, the whole truth does not lie in ‘it is written but
in it is written and, again, it is written.’ When Jesus was led into the wilderness
to be tempted by Satan, he did not argue or disagree with the scripture quoted
by Satan. The Word of God is a double-edged sword, and the two edges must be
complete to establish the truth. Otherwise, one side may be overemphasized to
the detriment of the other, thereby undermining the truth in both texts. The other
text must be placed over against the first to balance it. On the evidence of two
witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not
be put to death on the evidence of one witness (Deuteronomy 17:6 - NAS).

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Also, the two edges must be present just as the right wing must work with the
left to provide stability and enable a bird to fly. Most doctrinal divisions that are
prevalent among the churches are because of the stubborn insistence that truth
has only one wing whereas truth has two wings.

Either of the wings of the truth is like a fact but a fact is fundamentally different
from the truth. A fact may be detached, impersonal, cold, and inanimate while
truth has to be warm, living, practicable, and spiritual. A theological fact may
be held in mind for a lifetime without it having any positive effect on one’s
moral character. On the other hand, truth is creative, saving, transforming, and
impressionable in one’s life. The theological fact can only turn into a life-giving
reality at the point of obedience. Even the demons are better theologians than
many of us, yet they never cease to be demons because they refused to obey
God. You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe and
shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without
works is useless (James 2:19-20 - NAS)? Also, a fact is subject to change while
the truth is immutable; it is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Although redemption is designed to restore everything under man’s dominion,

we do not yet see everything placed under man. Although we see everything
placed under Jesus Christ, our redeemer, the case is different for us, the
redeemed. Our redemption is not yet complete; that is, the redemption of our
flesh. For in hope, we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for
why does one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not
see, with perseverance, we wait eagerly for it (Romans 8:18-25 - NAS). While
we are holding on to God’s promises of dominion by faith, we must exercise
patience to develop the ability to exercise absolute authority over all the earth.

We can only benefit from the work of redemption to the extent to which we
have experienced its effect. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are
not worthy of being compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the
anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of
God, for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because
of Him who subjected it, in the hope that the creation itself also will be set free
from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of
God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of
childbirth together until now. And not only this but also, we, having the first

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fruits of the Spirit, even we groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for [our]
adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

Redemption is also designed to liberate man from the bondage of the fear of
death because Christ tasted death for everyone and destroyed the devil that had
the power of death. However, the scripture that declared that ‘death is
swallowed up in victory’ cannot be fulfilled until God redeemed our body
during the millennium reign. Moreover, the destruction of the devil is still in the
future because God will incapacitate him throughout the millennium by locking
him up in the bottomless pit. After that, God will finally throw the Devil into
the lake of fire where he will face torment forever.

The book of Corinthians vividly illustrates this ‘death factor.’ Now I say this,
brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the
perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised
imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this, the perishable must put on the
imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable
has put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then
will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory."
Oh death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of
death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:50-57 - NAS). Thus, a
redeemed person can still exercise fear because he is still in the flesh, although
in a limited form when compared with unbelievers. If death has not yet been
swallowed up in victory, it presupposes that God has not destroyed Satan who
had the power of death. We will discuss this issue further.

The Elements of Time and Process in God’s Purpose

The scripture reveals that God often talks about purpose in a specific form
because he is a God of plan and purpose. Everything God does is to fulfill a
particular purpose or objective. On the other hand, God does not usually talk
about the time and process of achieving his mission in a specific term because
those two elements are his exclusive preserves. There is an appointed time for
everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1 -
NAS). The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked
for the day of evil (Proverbs 16:4 - NAS). From Genesis to Revelation, we see

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God always declaring what he is going to do, but he often beclouded the time
and process of accomplishing those purposes in mystery. Man, as the
beneficiary of God’s purpose, often becomes frustrated because he lacks precise
information on the timing and procedure for the fulfillment of God’s purposes.

A lack of precise information on the timing and process for the fulfillment of
God’s purposes could be observed even right from the beginning of creation in
the book of Genesis. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the
deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters
(Genesis 1:1-2 - NAS). We also observed that there is a yawning lacuna
between verses one and two of Chapter One of Genesis. One can only bridge
this gap through a proper understanding of the concepts of time and process
from God’s perspective. We can partly attribute the mistake that Abraham made
by fathering Ishmael to a lack of precise information on the timing and
procedure for the fulfillment of God’s purposes.

Furthermore, one can tie the continual disobedient and rebellious nature of the
tribe of Israel, which culminated in the rejection of the Messiah to their
ignorance of God’s timing and process. For instance, the Jewish people knew
that Messiah would come and they had been eagerly waiting for him throughout
their generations. However, they did not know when and how he would come.
In their finite mind, they already presupposed that he would come like a mighty
conqueror to deliver them from the bondage of the Roman Empire and set up
his worldwide empire. However, when Jesus came in the humblest form and
lived most meekly, they rejected him from being their expected messiah.

God clearly declared his plan to redeem man immediately after man’s fall by
putting enmity between Satan and the woman’s seed (Genesis 3:15 - NAS).
Both man and the devil were aware of God’s purpose, which is redemption, but
none of them understood when and how redemption would take place. Also,
God promised the Israelites of old a lot of things through prophecies, and those
things seemed not to be forthcoming. Some of the Jewish began to cast all sorts
of aspersion on God’s promises. Know this first of all, that in the last days,
mockers will come with [their] mocking, following after their lusts, and saying,
"Where is the promise of His coming? For [ever] since the fathers fell asleep, all
continues just as it was from the beginning of creation" (2 Peter 3:4 - NAS).
The prophets also became victims of this ignorance because they

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misrepresented God’s purpose. Some of them even got offended because they
lacked an understanding of God’s timing and process.

For instance, God gave two different prophesies to Jeremiah at the same time,
but Jeremiah wrongly accused God of falsehood because he misconstrued them
for one single event (Jeremiah 4:3-9 - NAS). Then I said, "Ah, Lord God!
Surely, thou hast utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, 'You will
have peace;' whereas a sword touches the throat" (Jeremiah 4:10 - NAS).
Prophet Habakkuk also accused God of injustice because of the inherent
contradictions and inconsistencies he observed, which seemed to undermine
God’s claim to being a righteous judge. Therefore, the law is ignored, and
justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore, justice
comes out perverted (Habakkuk 1:4 - NAS). However, when God revealed his
timing and process of judgment to Prophet Habakkuk, he repented in dust and
ashes. LORD, I have heard the report about Thee [and] I fear. O LORD, revive
thy work amid the years, during the years, make it known; in wrath remember
mercy (Habakkuk 3.2 - NAS). He even began to plead for mercy because of the
severity of God’s punishment which he erroneously concluded was not
forthcoming.

Understanding God’s Timing

One essential thing we need to understand and embrace is the fact that man
dwells in time and mortality while God dwells in eternity and immortality.
Thus, man is limited by time and space while God is not. In the finite mind of
man, time is divided into past, present, and future while in the infinite mind of
God, all time: past, present, and future is one everlasting present. But do not let
this one [fact] escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a
thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about His
promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any
to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:8-9 - NAS). "I am the
Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to
come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8 - NAS). "Remember the former things
long past, For I am God, and there is no other; [I am] God, and there is no one
like me, Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things
which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will
accomplish all My good pleasure' (Isaiah 46: 9-10 - NAS).

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From the preceding passages, we observe that man, being limited by time, has
to start something from its beginning and work until he reaches the end. On the
other hand, God, being unlimited by time, can commence anything from the end
and then work towards its beginning. Therefore, God usually finishes a thing
before he ever starts it and that is why we prefer to refer to him as the omega
and the alpha instead of the alpha and the omega. These attributes of God
clearly explain or fill the gap we observed between the first verse and the
proceeding verses of the first book of Genesis. God declared the end of the
creation in verse one, saying, ‘In the beginning, God created the heaven and the
earth.’ God then worked for six days towards his declaration in the subsequent
verses. Unlike man whose time one can divide into one beginning and an end,
God’s timings are somehow complicated in their interaction.

Various Beginnings and Endings Created by God

God created more than one beginning and ending. Besides, each beginning
always has its end, and this ending usually has another beginning. To simplify
this categorization, we want to submit that God’s timing is in four categories,
namely; the beginning; the end of the beginning; the beginning of the end; and
the final end. God made three beginnings in the book of Genesis. Adam was the
beginning of creation and sin. And He said, "Who told you that you were naked.
Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat" (Genesis
3:11 - NAS)? Noah was the beginning of the law. And the LORD said, "I will
blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to
animals to creeping things and birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made
them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis 6:7-8 – NAS).
By faith Noah, being warned [by God] about things not yet seen, in reverence
prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the
world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith
(Hebrews 11:7 - NAS). Abraham was the beginning of redemption. And I will
bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you,
all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:3 - NAS).

The three beginnings also have their ends. Accordingly, we have three endings
for the beginnings. The flood was the end of the beginning of creation. Then
God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before me; for the earth is
filled with violence because of them, and behold, I am about to destroy them
with the earth (Genesis 6:13 - NAS). Moses was the end of the beginning of

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Law. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized
through Jesus Christ (John 1:17 - NAS). Jesus Christ was the end of the
beginning of redemption (Genesis 3:15 - NAS).

The book of Revelation also revealed that God would make three beginnings of
the final ends. These periods will correspond to the beginnings made in the
book of Genesis. Accordingly, the beginning of the final end of creation and sin
is the Holy Spirit, who came to reprove the world of sin and righteousness. And
He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness,
and judgment (John 16:8 - NAS). The beginning of the final end of the law and
grace was Jesus Christ. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to
everyone who believes (Romans 10:4 - NAS). The beginning of the final end of
redemption is the rapture. And not through the blood of goats and calves, but
His blood, He entered the holy place once and for all, having obtained eternal
redemption (Hebrews 9:12 - NAS).

The book of Revelation further revealed that God would make three final ends
the first stage of Christ’s second coming will mark the first final end, which is
the end of creation and sin. It is the first resurrection or the rapture, to be
followed immediately by the seven years of tribulation when God will judge all
unrighteousness of man (Revelation 19:1-21 - NAS). The second stage of
Christ’s second coming will mark the second final end, which is the end of the
law and grace. It will immediately follow the period of tribulation when Christ
will establish his millennium reign on the earth. During this period, Christ and
his saints will judge or rule the nations with a rod of iron. The second stage of
Christ’s second coming is also known as the judgment of the living (Revelation
20:1-6 - NAS). The end of the millennium will mark the third final and ultimate
end, which is the final end or completion of our redemption. It is the great white
throne, the final judgment, or the judgment of the dead, which will take place
immediately after the millennium reign (Revelation 20:7-15 - NAS). Then
[comes] the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father when
He has abolished all rule and all authority and power (1 Corinthians 15:24 -
NAS).

Please note that the third final end is the ultimate end that will mark the end of
the millennium or redemption. However, it will also mark the beginning of
eternity or the post-millennium era because the end of a thing is also the
beginning of another thing. During the eternity era, the present heaven and earth

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shall pass away, and new ones will replace them. And I saw a new heaven and a
new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no
longer [any] the sea. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I
heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is
among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and
God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from
their eyes; and there shall no longer be [any] death; there shall no longer be
[any] mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." And He
who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said,
"Write, for these words are faithful and true." And He said to me, "It is done. I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one
who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost (Revelation 21:1-6 -
NAS).

Understanding God’s Process Way or Methodology

Understanding God’s process, way, or methodology is a necessary prerequisite

for someone that receives God’s law to enjoy the optimal benefits of
redemption. Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a
testimony of those things which were to be spoken later (Hebrews 3:5 - NAS).
We observed that what distinguished Moses from the majority of the Israelites
is that he was conversant with the ways of the LORD while most of the
Israelites only knew God’s acts. He made known His ways to Moses, and His
acts to the sons of Israel (Psalm 103:7 - NAS). Moses succeeded in the
enormous responsibility of leading about three million people through the
wilderness prone to harsh and inclement situations and circumstances because
he understood God’s process, way, or methodology.

All the giants of faith listed in the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews had
to learn God’s way before they could secure their breakthrough. If you also
want to succeed in life as a receiver of God’s law and enjoy the benefits of
redemption optimally, you must get acquainted with God’s methodology. There
is a Godly process through which you can obtain what God freely gave you
through Christ. Trying to get them through other ways will only lead to
frustration. There is no shortcut with God because a shortcut will always lead
you to your wit’s end. Consequently, a shortcut will prolong your journey

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because when you get to your wit’s end you must go back and start again from
the beginning.

The question now is, what are God’s ways, and how does one get to know
them? The Bible gives us an insight into God’s ways. As the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than
your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9 - NAS). The methods of God are mysterious to a
natural man because he cannot by searching or reasoning find them out, but the
redeemed are empowered to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. But a
natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are
foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually
appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he is appraised by no
man. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But
we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:14-16 - NAS).

The process, way, or methodology of God is always contrary to that of man, and
they usually conflict with human intellect or the dictate of reasons. That
explains why it takes someone with the mind of Christ to reason with God. We
can cite a few examples to validate this claim. In man’s opinion, to become rich,
you need to grab, acquire, and consolidate your gains; get all you can; can all
you get, and sit on the can. However, from God’s perspective, you must give
out before you can receive or become rich. There is one who scatters, yet
increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, but [it
results] only in want (Proverbs 11:24 - NAS).

From man’s view, the way up is up because for a man to get a promotion, he
must project himself to the utmost exertion of his ability. However, from God’s
perspective, the way up is down because for a man to get a promotion, he must
humble himself and become the servant of all. Likewise, you younger people,
submit yourself to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and
be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud but gives grace to the
humble. You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you,
clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the
proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves; therefore, under the
mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time (1 Peter 5:5-6 -
NAS). He who is greater among you shall be your servant, But the greatest
among you shall be your servant (Mathew 23:11 - NAS).

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The shrewdest inventors that had ever lived created their inventions from
something that already existed. However, God created all things from nothing.
By faith, we understand that the word of God prepared the worlds so that what
is seen was not made out of things that are visible (Hebrews 11:3 - NAS). As it
is written, "A father of many nations have I made you") in the sight of Him
whom he believed, [even] God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being
that which does not exist (Romans 14:17 - NAS). God created everything from
nothing to demonstrate the riches of his glory, the excellence of his majesty, and
his unfathomable ways.

We observe that God often starts with nothing to arrive at something and from a
negative to a positive. The aim is to make it evident to all that it is the finger of
God in operation. It also ensures that all glory can abound to God, who will not
have his glory shared with anyone. For consider your calling, brethren, that
there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise,
and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong things,
and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things
that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast
before God (1 Corinthians 1:26-29 - NAS).

God works riches out of poverty, victory out of defeat, glory out of reproach,
honor out of shame, hope out of hopelessness, blessing out of the curse, joy out
of sorrow, testimony out of test or temptation, light out of darkness, and
acceptance out of rejection. God also works out promotion from demotion,
success out of failure, fame or popularity out of obscurity, strength out of
weakness, the palace out of the pit, the resurrection out of crucifixion, and life
out of death. Consequently, before you can enjoy the life of Christ, you must
have become dead to yourself. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the
flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up
for me (Galatians 2:20 - NAS).

Also, before you can enjoy the power of his resurrection, you must have taken
part in the fellowship of his suffering. If children, heirs also, heirs of God and
fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with [Him] so that we may also be
glorified with [Him] (Romans 8:17 - NAS). If we endure, we shall also reign
with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us (2 Timothy 2:12 - NAS).

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Momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far
beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:17 - NAS). Therefore, enduring
affliction is a necessary prerequisite to enjoying the power of resurrection
because there is no gain without pain.

King David said, ‘I waited patiently for the LORD, And He inclined to me and
heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry
clay; And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. And He put a
new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and
will trust in the LORD (Psalm 40:1-3 - NAS). You do not have to be afraid of
affliction, trouble, pressure, or adversaries. Also, you do not have to be ashamed
of reproaches because God specializes in working out your miracle against
those backgrounds. It is the stresses of life that etch out character in man, and
one can best discover God in crushing circumstances. Fire and hail; snow and
clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word (Psalm 148:8 - NAS). Show me a man
with unflinching trust in the Lord; then I will show you a man who has passed
through a lot of storms, pains, shame, and fiery furnace of afflictions.

The process, way, and methodology of God for redemption so much confused
Satan and his cohorts. Accordingly, in an attempt to prevent God’s redemptive
plan, they dealt themselves a fatal blow by crucifying Christ. But we speak
God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden [wisdom], which God predestined
before the ages to our glory; [the wisdom] which none of the rulers of this age
has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:7-8 - NAS). We hold the conviction that Satan
must have suffered severe brain damage from the bruise that our Lord gave him
at the resurrection. Since that encounter, Satan's actions have become
uncoordinated and confused. The host of darkness is still repeating that similar
fatal mistake in the lives of believers because they do not understand that the
life of a believer is as unpredictable as the wind. The wind blows where it
wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and
where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit (John 3:8 - NAS).

If Satan had known that all things would work together for us, he would not
have brought so many adverse situations and circumstances across our path.
Also, if Satan and his cohorts had known that God predestined us for
conformation to Christ’s image, they would have given up on us a long time
ago. They did not realize that God can readily squander all his resources on us

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because he already paid a greater price through the supreme sacrifice his son
made on our behalf. If the power of darkness had known that since God is for
us, nobody can be against us, they would have dealt with us otherwise. If the
forces of evil had known that no one could bring a charge against us as God’s
elect, they would have changed their strategy against us. Nobody can condemn
us because God has justified us, and Christ is perpetually interceding for us. If
satanic agents had known that nothing could separate us from the love of Christ,
they would have understood the futility of their efforts against us. We are more
than a conqueror through Christ who loved us, and no forces of hell can deter us
from achieving God’s purpose.

You need to check out the retinue of the things that can never separate us from
the love of God which are in Christ Jesus our Lord. You will cease your
struggling to accomplish God’s purpose for your life or the struggle to enter into
God’s rest. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation,
distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword? Just as it is written,
"For Thy sake, we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as
sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer
through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39 -
NAS).

If Satan had known that the storm, he sent into your life would be a vehicle to
transport you to your next level of glory, he would not have sent it. Our Lord
Jesus Christ once told Peter that Satan has desired to sift him like wheat.
However, he had prayed for Peter that Peter’s faith should not fail. Jesus further
instructed Peter to strengthen his brethren after he would have returned to
Christ. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded [permission] to sift you like
wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when
once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers (Luke 22:31-32 - NAS).

We observed that Jesus Christ did not pray for Peter not to fail, fall, backslide,
or get shifted by Satan but rather that his faith should not fail. This scenario
suggests that those who fall or fail can still retain their faith. The LORD
establishes the steps of a man, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he
shall not be hurled headlong; because the LORD is the One who holds his hand

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(Psalm 37:23-24 - NAS). A righteous man falls seven times and rises again, But
the wicked stumble in [time of] calamity (Proverbs 24:16 - NAS). Remember
that seven represents the order of divine perfection; that is, as many times as
you fall, you can still get restored.

We also observed that while Peter had not yet fallen or shifted by Satan, he
could hardly stand on his own. However, after Satan dealt with him, he gained
so much strength that he could even strengthen his brethren. And He has said to
me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most
gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of
Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with
insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for
when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 - NAS). Judging from
Peter’s experience, if Satan had known that your fall would be
counterproductive to his goal, he would not have tempted you to fall. Your fall
eventually produced tremendous power and experience that will enable you to
comfort others with the same comfort which you received. If the devil had
known that your weakness would activate the utmost strength of God in you, he
would not have afflicted you with sickness, doubt, and unbelief.

Joseph declared to his brethren that they thought evil of him by selling him as a
slave to Egypt, but God meant it for good. If Joseph’s brothers had not
conspired to sell him as a slave, he would not have met Potiphar and his
adulterous wife. If Joseph had not encountered Potiphar's household, he would
not be in jail or interpret the dream of King Pharaoh’s Butler. Also, if Joseph
did not interpret Butler's dream, Butler could not introduce him to Pharaoh, who
later made him the Egyptian Prime Minister. If Joseph had not become a Prime
Minister, he would not have realized the dreams he had as a child of ruling over
his brethren and parents.

Accordingly, whatever you might have passed through or maybe passing

through right now is an opportunity for you to accomplish God’s purpose for
your life. God is only using your setbacks to set you up for prosperity because
the farther one draws back an arrow, the farther it will go when released. And
after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to
His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen [and]
establish you (1 Peter 5:10 - NAS). Many of our failures sweep us to greater
heights of success than we can ever hope for even in our wildest imaginations.

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Life is a successive unfolding of successes from failures because our highest
hopes and aspirations are often destroyed to prepare us for better things and
unveil higher ideals.

The caterpillar's failure leads to the birth of the butterfly while the passing of the
bud leads to the creation of the rose. Also, the death or destruction of the seed is
the prelude to its resurrection as wheat. The hard way of the problem may
sometimes prove safer than the slippery path of smoothness. Birds can only fly
best against the wind, and ships do not progress in calm weather when the sails
flap idly against the unstrained masts. Plants grow best at night in the darkest
hours; those preceding the dawn just as the beauty or purity of the metal gets
revealed through fire. All these situations are nature’s revelation to man that he
can only grow optimally against the background of failure, hardship, darkness,
adverse situations, and circumstances. Therefore, man’s shade of failure must
surely transform into his sunlight of success.

What You Know Determines What You Get

Your knowledge plays a very essential and inevitable role in benefiting from
redemption because you cannot derive any benefit from what you do not know.
The grace of God that brought us redemption is a function of knowledge. Grace
and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord
(2 Peter 1:2 - NAS). Moreover, all the benefits provided for us through
redemption have a connection with the knowledge of God who bestowed them
on us. Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to
life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His
glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3 - NAS).

Knowledge is what distinguishes a doctor from a nurse, an engineer from a

technician; and excellence from mediocrity. Our Lord Jesus Christ illustrates
the significance of expertise in his parable of the sewer. And the one on whom
seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and
understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold,
some sixty, and some thirty (Mathew 13:23 - NAS). The difference between a
believer who is bearing maximum yield and those with average and minimum
returns is because of what they know and understand in the word of God that
they received. The level to which you know and appropriate those things that
Christ freely gave you determines the level you can enjoy the benefits from
redemption as a receiver of God’s law.

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You can only benefit from what you know and understand. So then do not be
foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:17 - NAS). The
reason you are not enjoying most of the benefits of redemption may be due to
your lack of knowledge. By your ignorance, you have not only short-changed
yourself, but you are grieving the heart of God by frustrating his grace.
However, we need to strike a balance here that we cannot enjoy the entire
benefits of redemption now since we do not yet have absolute knowledge about
God. For now, we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in
part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known (1
Corinthians 13:12 - NAS).

The knowledge of God is not mere religious knowledge of the Bible. Light is
another word one can use to represent expertise. However, we need more than
light to be able to locate our direction in life because light without sight is as
useless as sight without light. The coming of knowledge is like the rising of the
sun, but sunlight means nothing to a blind person. To have light without sight
means blindness and to have sight without light is also the blindness of a kind.
Although the Holy Scripture is the source of moral and spiritual light, yet its
radiance is not sufficient by itself because it cannot impart sight.

Also, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Scribes had Jesus Christ, the word of
God and also the light of the world, with them for three solid years but not a
single ray of sight imparted them. Thus, you need to develop an intimate
relationship with the Holy Spirit to understand or gain insight into God’s word.
The unfolding of Thy words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple
(Psalm 119:130 - NAS). Light stands for knowledge, while sight stands for
understanding. Although the word of God is light, only the Holy Spirit can give
sight because the inward operation of the Holy Spirit is a requirement for
obtaining our inheritance.

Millennium: The End of Redemption

The millennium is just immediately after the seven years of tribulation which,
as earlier submitted, will mark the final end of the redemptive work of God.
This epoch is when our flesh, which has always prevented us from absolutely
enjoying the benefits of redemption, shall be redeemed. The knowledge of evil
which man got exposed to because of the fall shall be temporarily done away
with for one thousand years. It is the closing scene of the present dispensation
when God shall judge the wicked nations and put the evil-doers away.

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During the millennium era, much of the current order and things will get
distorted to usher in a new era. And the seventh angel sounded; and there arose
loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become [the
kingdom] of our Lord, and His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever
(Revelation 11:15 - NAS). And in the days of these kings the God of heaven
will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not
be left to other people, it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms,
and it shall stand forever (Daniel 2:44 - NAS).

As soon as the beast, the Anti-Christ, exit the earth, God will cast Satan, the
great adversary of humankind, with all his fallen angels into the bottomless pit.
With the absence of Satan, the accuser of brethren, the people of God can enjoy
the rest of God for one thousand years. For He has thus said somewhere
concerning the seventh [day], "And God rested on the seventh day from all his
works (Hebrews 4:4 - NAS). The one who has entered his rest has himself also
rested from his works, as God did from his (Hebrews 4:10 - NAS). However,
apart from the people of God, there will still be other people on the earth during
the millennium because only the armies of the nations would be destroyed after
the tribulation. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies,
assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His
army. And the beast was seized, and with him, the false prophet who performed
the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the
mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown
alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed
with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and
all the birds were filled with their flesh (Revelation 19:19-21 - NAS).

The non-believers are the people that Christ and his saints shall reign over
during the millennium. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first
resurrection; over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests
of God and Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years (Rev 20:6 -
NAS). The millennium will also mark the final end of the mystery of God,
which borders on redemption. Humanity will become restored to their initial
pristine position, whereby they will only have the knowledge of good and be
ignorant of the knowledge of evil. But in the days of the voice of the seventh
angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He
preached to His servants the prophets (Revelation 10:7 - NAS). The reason the

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man will be able to attain perfection is that Satan the evil one will be absent,
hence no temptation.

This mystery of God has permitted high handed wickedness to triumph for so
long in the world. It has allowed the wicked, led by Satan, to continue in
determined opposition to God, and to blaspheme his holy name. Also, satanic
forces have set at naught God's messages of love and mercy and trampled
godliness underfoot. Furthermore, the evil forces persecuted and killed God's
saints, as well as practiced injustice, oppression, and all manner of
abominations. Woe to those who draw iniquity with a cord of vanity and sin as
if with a cart of rope (Isaiah 5:18 - NAS). Since humanity got exposed to the
knowledge of evil, evils have been going on openly and defiantly. It has indeed
been a mystery that the holy God who hates sin with a perfect hatred should
permit sin to continue for so long. However, God is still committed to his plan
for man’s redemption.

The reason we cannot yet optimally enjoy the benefits of redemption is that we
are still conscious of the knowledge of evil. However, during the millennium,
we will enjoy every advantage that we are entitled to in redemption because
Satan, the evil one, will be imprisoned throughout that period. Consequently,
the pains and destruction that came with the knowledge of evil shall vanish
away because of the overwhelming knowledge of good. Also, we will only be
exposed to the knowledge of God that will abound everywhere. They will not
hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the
knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9 - NAS).
Furthermore, orderliness and peace shall prevail during the era. There will be no
end to the increase of [His] government or peace, on the throne of David and
over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
from then on and forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this
(Isaiah 9:7 - NAS).

Absolute holiness, which seems to be elusive to humankind now, will be a

marked feature throughout the land. "And they shall not teach again, each man
his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall
all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the
LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more"
(Jeremiah 31:34 - NAS).

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The unpleasant effect of the curse God pronounced on the earth because of
man’s disobedience has continued since the fall. Accordingly, the whole
creations have been eagerly waiting for its reversal. For we know that the whole
creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not
only this but also, we, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we groan within
ourselves, waiting eagerly for [our] adoption as sons, the redemption of our
body (Romans 8:22-23 - NAS). During the millennium, God shall lift the curse
on the earth to restore the land to its pristine beauty and productivity. Indeed,
the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her
wilderness He will make like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD;
Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody
(Isaiah 51:3 - NAS). Instead of the thorn bush, the cypress will come up; And
instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up; And it will be a memorial to the
LORD, for an everlasting sign which will not be cut off (Isaiah 55:13 - NAS).
For [there will be] peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will
yield its produce, and the heavens will give their dew, and I will cause the
remnant of these people to inherit all these [things] (Zechariah 8:12 - NAS). All
these passages are descriptive of actual physical changes in the natural world
during the millennium that will restore man to full dominion such as he enjoyed
in the Garden of Eden.

When God restores the earth to its former state of productivity, there will be
marvelous profligacy of supply. God shall restore man to a position where he
can effortlessly eat the fruit of the trees in abundant measure, thus returning to
the paradise state of things. For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to
us, And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will
be no end to the increase of [His] government or peace, on the throne of David
and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and
righteousness from then on and forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will
accomplish this (Isaiah 9:6-7 - NAS). There will also be a complete change in
the nature and habits of the animal creation. And I will make a covenant of
peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land, so that they may
live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods (Ezekiel 34:25 - NAS).

The Final Obstacle

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Just at the end of the millennial reign, Satan shall be released from his prison,
the bottomless pit, to visit humankind for the very last time. Satan will reappear
as the unrelenting and implacable enemy of God and man. He will rekindle his
diabolical mission of stirring up rebellion against God in the hearts of humanity.
He will also promote various species of wickedness or ungodliness in the world.
He is going to achieve all these by his same age-long strategy of deception
because he is the father of lies. And when the thousand years are completed,
Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations
which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them
together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore
(Revelation 20:7-8 - NAS).

It sounds very disturbing to imagine that, after such a long and glorious reign of
righteousness, under the direct auspice and personal sway of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the heart of man will still respond to the deceit of Satan. This situation
proves that fallen human nature is always vulnerable to evil. The human flesh is
ever susceptible to go astray and to sin against God because man has no ability
in himself to do either good or evil. I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in
himself; nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps (Jeremiah 10:23 - NAS).
The reason that man will be able to abstain from evil during the millennium is
that Satan, the evil one will be absent, and the good Lord will be present. In
other words, the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, which exposes man to
evil, will cease to have its effect because man will only be exposed to the
knowledge of good.

It is crucial to note that the humanities we are referring to here are the
unredeemed people and not the saints of God. The saints have been redeemed
from the fallen nature and given a glorious and incorruptible body. The new
human body can never respond to the deception of the devil to sin because it is
impossible to deceive the very elect. For false Christs and false prophets will
arise and will show great signs and wonders, to mislead, if possible, even the
elect (Mathew 24:24 - NAS). However, before the saints receive a glorified
body, they were also susceptible to the touch and appeal of sin.

God has an interim arrangement to keep his saints from the compelling evil
tendency. God has given us the Holy Spirit as the earnest of our inheritance
until our bodies experience redemption. In Him, you also, after listening to the
message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were

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sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our
inheritance, with a view to the redemption of [God's own] possession, to the
praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:13-14 - NAS). It is this Holy Spirit who
operates in us to desire and accomplishes God’s good pleasure. It is God who is
at work in you, both to will and to work for [His] good pleasure (Philippians
2:13 - NAS).

We would not have been able to do good without the Holy Spirit, inspiring both
our will and action. We need to substantiate our initial claim that man’s
redemption will only be complete when he takes up his incorruptible body. This
assertion will also validate our submission that man cannot enjoy all the benefits
of redemption while still in this current body. Some benefits of redemption are
for an appointed time, during the millennium. However, you can enjoy the
maximum benefits of redemption that are appropriate to fleshly dispensation
through a deliberate search for knowledge and understanding of the word of
God.

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 Conclusion

So far, we have attempted to highlight giving of the law as one of the benefits
that believers are entitled to in redemption. However, we are not claiming to
have exhausted every aspect of this benefit because if anyone thinks he knows
anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. For we know in part and
we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is
in part will be done away. Our discussion has revolved around the bilateral
relationship between the believers (the Israel of God) and their redeemer (Jesus
Christ). We have expounded this relationship to reveal the principle of shared
responsibly between the redeemer and the redeemed.

On the one hand, Jesus Christ has provided the benefits we are entitled to as
receivers of God’s law. Accordingly, Christ has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places, and he has given us all things that pertain to life
and godliness. On the other hand, the onus rests on the believers to know and
receive those things that Christ freely gave to us in Christ. Although God has
the overwhelming aspect of this responsibility in that he did not only provide
those benefits but also provided us with the Holy Spirit, the enablement, to
know and receive those benefits. Notwithstanding, that does not in any way
relieve man of his puny responsibility, which includes the search to know the
word of God that contains his law and the choice to apply its promises to our
situations and circumstances. God will surely take as many as nine steps toward
you, but you must take the tenth step to encounter God.

We want to encourage you that even before you came into existence, God
foreknew you. That means that God knew your past, present, and future. God
also knew your inclinations and tendencies before you begin to manifest or
exhibit them. Thus, he cannot be embarrassed, disappointed, surprised, or
overwhelmed by anything you will ever do. God also predestined you to be
conformed to the image of his son. Consequently, God had made a perpetual
decree to ensure that you become like Christ even though you may be looking
very much like the devil, presently.

Besides, God called you according to his purpose. God has called you to
become his son and serve him while you were still a sinner and serving the
devil. He also justified you so that you can serve him with a clear conscience.
Thus, even though sin may still be working in your mortal body, God has
declared you free from the penalty of sin. The law of the spirit of life in Christ

74
Jesus has made you free from the law of sin and death. Furthermore, God also
glorified you. Thus, God by His pre-determinate counsel had made you
radiantly beautiful even though you are presently a miserable earthen vessel.

At this juncture, if you have not yet given your life to Christ, we want to
encourage you to do so right now. It is clear that there is no redemption without
Christ, and the benefits in receiving God’s law are only for the redeemed
people. However, if you are already a believer, we congratulate you because it
is just a function of time and knowledge for you to receive those innumerable
benefits of redemption. You may be hard-pressed on every side but can never
get crushed. You may be bewildered but never at your wit ends. You may
become hunted down, but God never abandons you. You may always be
knocked down but can never be knocked out. Despite compelling evidence to
the contrary, God predestined you to succeed, and you must succeed. We
hereby commend you to God and the word of his grace, which can build you up
and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Redemption is an expression of God’s unfailing love and mercy to humanity. It

was designed by God, from the foundation of the world, to restore fallen man to
his pristine glory. When you rediscover the multifaceted benefits of redemption
by virtue of being the receiver of God’s law, as highlighted in this book and
fully appropriate them, they will make a glorious end in your life. Please do not
settle down for anything less than all the benefits that God had procured for you
through redemption.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adebamiji Kunle Olulowo was born on the 29th of January, 1970 and
experienced a spiritual rebirth on 15th November, 1992. He holds a Bachelor of
Science in Mathematics from the Nigerian Defence Academy. He also holds
Masters in International Law and Diplomacy, Master of Science in Strategic
Studies, and Masters of Business Administration from the University of Lagos,
University of Ibadan and National Institute of Business Management, India
respectively. Furthermore, he acquired a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy
and Administration with a specialization in Law and Public Policy from Walden
University in the United States of America. He has a personal conviction that
better is not good enough when best is attainable.

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