God’s covenant made with Abraham is in Genesis 17:2-10. In it He says that Abraham will be the father of many nations (verse 4), that kings will be produced from his lineage (verse 6), and all the land of Canaan is an everlasting possession of Abraham and the generations that come after him. Anyone who has a nodding acquaintance with the Bible knows that this is the beginning of the Jewish people. 

    From this point on, the true and living God is the God of Israel (the Jewish nation). And God deals only with His people. This doesn’t mean that all was smooth sailing for the Israelites. The history of the Jews in the Old Testament is proof that they fluctuated from belief to disbelief, obedience to disobedience. Regardless, in II Samuel 7:8-16, God sent a message by Nathan to David. Long after David is dead, he will have a descendant who will have a kingdom that will last for ever. He goes on to tell David that his descendant will be called God’s son. 

    The prophesying of the kingdom and its’ coming king is related in I Chronicles 17 and 22, Isaiah 9:7, Ezekiel 37:21-28, and Daniel 7:13,14. It’s also spoken of by John the Baptist and others in the New Testament. It’s no secret. The Jewish people have been waiting for the king and the kingdom according to the promise of God and scripture.

    Then, something happens after Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Up until this time the message was delivered only to the Jews. John the Baptist was preaching “…the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” (Matthew 3:2) and Jesus had admonished his disciples to not go into the way of the Gentiles but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:5,6). But then Saul arrives on the scene in Acts 9 and has a conversion experience on the road to Damascus.

    Now there is the Apostle Paul (Saul of Tarsus) to the Gentiles. Gentiles are anyone of any nationality other than the Jew--not a Jew? Then you’re a gentile. Paul states in Acts 13:46, 47 that the Lord commanded him to be a light to the Gentiles. The Jews became combative toward Paul but he persevered and carried his ministry to the cities of the Gentiles. The book of Acts contains most of his journeys. The remainder are in his letters.

    Paul’s gospel that he preached can be found in I Corinthians 15:1-4. His gospel says that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day according to scriptures. For those who believe this with their hearts, they are saved. It’s pretty plain this couldn’t have been preached until after the crucifixion. So up until then, the kingdom of heaven was preached to the Jews. That’s why there is no mention of it in the four gospels. Being saved is stated again in Romans 10:9.

    Paul also speaks of a mystery revealed to him by God. Ephesians 3:1-12 tells us that the grace of God, his unwavering favor toward us, is all that we need. Once one is a believer (the through-and-through kind) it’s grace and nothing else that saves us. A little aside here, though, the truly saved have a thirst for God and are ‘pressing toward the mark’ as Paul says. There’s a relentless desire to be more for God.

    I Corinthians 12:12-27 speaks of the body of Christ and how all those who believe are members of that body. Once saved, believers become members of this body and find their place in it. The thing to remember here is that you can’t have it both ways. Synagogue worship and trying to obey 613 laws do not fit with God’s grace. Believing, or taking God at his word, is sufficient. Being a member of the body of Christ is all that is now required.

    “Your companions are like the buttons on an elevator. They will either take you up or they will take you down.” (from God’s Little Instruction Book, Honor Books, Inc., 1993)  Proverbs 13:20 says it more bluntly, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” It’s pretty good advice. Rehoboam learned this lesson the hard way.

    The story takes place in I Kings 12 and II Chronicles 10. At the end of Solomon’s reign he had been excessive and had put a heavy burden on the people. The heavy burden was a forced labor policy. Enforcing the labor policy was a matter of having ‘overseers’ use whips on the people. When the people asked Rehoboam, King Solomon’s son and successor, to have the forced labor end, he made a political mistake. Rather than listening to the advice of some moderate counselors, he listened to his younger hot-headed buddies. Rehoboam’s reply was that, instead of whips, he would use scorpions to force their labor. A ‘scorpion’ is a kind of leather pouch filled with sand and studded with metal spikes attached to the end of a whip. This sparked a rebellion and Israel split over it.

    Not only is Psalms 1 a good guide to follow in making choices, it is also a reminder of what happens to those who fail to choose their associates wisely. Verse 1 is three don’t: Avoid the ungodly, ones who have no reverence for God. Don’t keep company with those who do wrong. Sinfulness is like a virus, it spreads to others. Don’t join in with mockers. They have no concern for their fellowman. Their end is not pretty. Verse 4 states they are worthless and will be condemned at the time of judgment.

Rehoboam is an example of what not to do. The sad thing is that he had a chance to do otherwise. There were others he could have consulted. They were there. He made a choice and showed who he really was.

    Ezekiel 28:12 through 18 offers up something that probably happened right after Genesis 1:1. In that verse it says that God created heaven and earth. Sometime after that, He created the beings that inhabit heaven. Among them was Lucifer, the ‘light-bearer’ who was perfect until sin (verse 15) was found in him. 

    A close inspection of verses 13 and 14 provides some more insight. Apparently Lucifer was in Eden and was arrayed with fine stones and gold. It also says that God had appointed (“I set thee so…”) Lucifer as an anointed cherub that covereth. This would suggest that he had some kind of authority. 

    So, here is a being who was perfect--amazingly so. God had bestowed on him authority, great beauty, and wisdom. So what was it that was his undoing? It’s in verse 17. There’s no mistaking it--Lucifer was blinded by pride. This makes Lucifer not only the origin of sin but, also, the original sinner.

    Although Ezekiel opens the verses speaking of the ruler of Tyre, there is no mistaking that he immediately launches into an event that occurred in the spiritual and has made its’ way into the earthly realm. It’s obvious in verse 17 that Lucifer had possessed wisdom but perverted it. The Bible says that it was by reason of his brightness. Lucifer had ceased to love his God (creator) and had started elevating himself.

Isaiah 14:12 through 15 renders more insight into the thinking of Lucifer. In verses 13 and 14 he says “I will” five different times about what he is going to do. From this it is easy to understand how the ‘light-bearer’ became Satan, the Adversary. He conceived a lie in his heart. He took the gifts that God bestowed on him and used them in acts of defiance. God has said how he will deal with him. It’s an eternal doom that none of us want to share in.