What did we Inherit from Adam?

People often say we have original sin - that sin has been passed on to us from Adam and therefore everyone is born a sinner and in need of salvation.
Others, counter that it is death that has been passed on to us, not sin, by quoting this Bible verse:

Therefore, just as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through him, so death pervaded all humanity, consequently all sinned. [Romans 5 : 12 BV]

Sinning is missing the mark, the goal, the target. The goal for humanity is to have eternal life, to be in the image of the perfect human, Jesus Christ, as we were originally created (Genesis 1 : 26).

Because death has been passed on to us, we are missing the goal of eternal life. So we are sinning because of the death (the mortality) we have inherited.
Consequently, it can be said that both opinions are correct since both death and consequently sin have been passed on to us.

But thankfully this is not the end of the story. God's promise for the future is so much better than that.

All of us who are mortal as Adam became, will become immortal like Christ.
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. [1 Corinthians 15 : 22 NIV]

And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man. [1 Corinthians 15 : 49  DBH]

All this is possible because of what Jesus has done for us - he's paid the price for our sin.

And we can begin experiencing the excitement of this life (although only in a limited way while we remain in these earthly bodies) when God awakens us to His plan and gives us the faith to believe it and trust Him in it.

And that will be for everyone eventually, some in the past, some n the present and the remainder in the future so all will bear the image of Christ when God's plan is completed.

Blessings, Barry
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Published BLOG at https://barrysgracespace.blogspot.com
Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

The Failed Referendum

I was asked if I voted yes in the referendum yesterday and I answered, "I voted yes for continued equality and genuine democracy in Australia, but I had to do it by writing NO on the referendum ballot paper".
Thankfully, Australia did the same with a 60% NO result.

Some feel Australia's indigenous community has 'lost out' by this result, but I beg to differ.
Governments will now be motivated to review how the billions of dollars per year that is already being spent on indigenous affairs and why so little of it has improved the lives of those most marginalised, and then find better ways to address the disadvantages of indigenous people living in remote areas which have become increasingly exposed and highlighted this year - and that will surely help those citizens, not further disadvantage them.

To be fair, the only indigenous people suffering loss today are those elites who have lost the positions of power they were seeking by promoting the referendum and strongly supporting a successful outcome.
In the non-indigenous community, those suffering loss are the city elites, large corporations, national sporting codes and big business - those who have no appreciation of remote indigenous life or those looking to be 'on the right side of history' for social acumen applause and/or financial reward.

As I have written previously, the result yesterday has prevented us from becoming less democratic and from passing one more piece of ungodly legislation in the near future.

Blessings, Barry

VOICE Thoughts from Others

Listed are a few of the many quotes from respected and informed people who are advocating a NO vote in the VOICE referendum due in the last quarter of this year.
It's not difficult to find more of what these people say by searching for them on the internet.

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price
"This Voice will not unite us, it will divide us by race."

Janet Albrechtsen
"This country should be removing provisions in the Constitution that divide Australians by race, not adding a new, more dangerous and divisive, one to our founding document. "

Tony Abbott
“My absolute desire is that we can go forward as one equal people and that’s why I’ll be voting no. Because I absolutely reject any suggestion that there is something fundamentally wrong with this great country, Australia.”

Robert Gottliebston
'We now know the Uluru statement wants the voice body to be designed so that it “could support and promote” a treaty-making process as “a pathway to recognition of sovereignty” and “the vehicle to achieve self-determination, autonomy and self-government”'.

And this quote from a very strong Yes advocate:

Noel Pearson
"Though it has historically hurt my people more than others, racial categorisations dehumanise us all. It dehumanises us because we are each individuals, and we should be judged as individuals. We should be rewarded on our merits and assisted in our needs. Race should not matter."

Blessings, Barry

Random VOICE Thoughts

Democracy
There's really only one question to answer when you consider your vote at the VOICE referendum:
Should Australians have different rights in our democracy based on their race or the colour of their skin?
Or does a democracy promote equality for its citizens?

National Anthem
Our national anthem has recently been adjusted to include the line "We are one and free".
While this remains only an aspiration rather than a reality, we certainly will not move toward that reality with the VOICE, which creates raced-based privilege in our Constitution.

Welcome to Country
My wife welcomes me home when I return after being at work or out for a while. That warm welcome is a return to my home and wife and done regularly out of love.
But welcome to country is the welcome of a visitor to another's country, and preformed regularly to help people remember that they are indeed considered visitors.

Constitution
Whatever racism resides in our nation is not removed by adding racism to our constitution.

Blessings, Barry
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Published BLOG at https://barrysgracespace.blogspot.com
Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

Voice Leads to Treaty

As you already know, I will be voting No at the coming referendum to avoid the possibility of dividing Australia into two separate nations.

However, if you think we need a treaty between aboriginal peoples and the rest of Australians then you will need to vote yes for the Voice.
Why?
Because there can be no Australia-wide treaty without an Australia-wide Voice.
The Voice creates a legally established body to represent the aboriginal peoples which can make agreements with other bodies, including the Australian government.

I appreciate that the PM is often saying that the Voice can only offer the parliament and executive government advice, but that's not true. If you have read the full 26-page 'Uluru Statement from the Heart' (and the minutes of the dialogues which led to its creation) you will know very clearly the real purpose of the Voice.
And the PM has committed to implementing the Uluru Statement in full.

Also, if the Voice is made an equal entity in The Constitution with The Parliament, The Executive Government and the Judicature, as is proposed in this referendum, it potentially has as much authority as those other bodies.

Some people say that a treaty should have been arranged very early in the life of the colony when the British first arrived, but that could not have happened as there was no official aboriginal body with which to make a treaty.
This problem will now be solved by the creation of the Voice, an official aboriginal body created in the constitution to legally represent aboriginal peoples, that will require the government to make a treaty.

Treaties are made between two nations, so if you think we should have a treaty you are encouraging us to split and become two nations.
It will not bring us together, as advocates of the Voice are saying, but will clearly divide us into two nations, and do it with the backing and permanency of the constitution.
If this is your preference you need to vote yes in the coming referendum.

I do not wish that to happen.
So I will be voting No to avoid the establishment of this divisive and undemocratic change to our constitution.

I want us to remain one nation and for us to do better with the billions of dollars we spend each year supposedly improving the opportunities and living conditions of aboriginals who have not become as well off as those who have already benefitted from the advantages brought by the original British and subsequent multinational immigrants that make Australia the successful liberal, western democracy it has become.
(The closing the gap really needed is for the gap to be closed between the living conditions of aboriginal 'elites' and those barely existing in remote communities, for whom too few of those billions seem to be getting through.)

Blessings, Barry

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Published BLOG at https://barrysgracespace.blogspot.com
Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

WorkSpace

My aim is to discover what the Bible reveals about God and His plans for us, both on this planet and beyond, without being restricted by traditional church creeds or doctrinal positions.

As a result I have dozens of notes scattered all over my home study space on a variety of (mainly Biblical) topics. When I have re-discovered them, and collated them, and think they might be suitable for others to see, they will be posted here.

Readers are cordially invited to discuss and/or debate the thoughts and opinions in these posts with me.

Please use the "Post a Comment" link for your discussion or debate, and offer appropriate Biblical support for any different points of views that you advocate.

Although I am now in my 80's, I consider my beliefs open to refinement and possible change, especially on "end times" issues, as I continue to grow and learn.
So don't be surprised if you challenge a point of view and receive a response from me like, "I agree with you. I've changed my mind since I wrote that note - and I'll tell you why."  

Blessings, Barry

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My published BLOG can be viewed at https://barrysgracespace.blogspot.com,
and other published writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au.

 

 

Loving My Neighbour

Jesus told a parable, we usually call the story of the Good Samaritan, in which he encouraged us to see all people as our neighbours regardless of their social standing or religious alignment.

Recently during the night - whether asleep and dreaming or half-awake and day-dreaming I don't really know - I was interviewed about my attitude towards someone different to me.

Q. As a Christian, how do you handle your relations with a homosexual?
    What would you say on meeting a homosexual man?
A. I would greet him as any other new acquaintance.
    If his homosexuality became evident in our conversation, I would say something like:
    God loves you and accepts you just as you are - as do I.
    I don't think your lifestyle is what God originally intended for his creation, but that's also true of all of us for one reason or another.

Q. Does your church accept him?
A. I don't think it's a generalised church question.
    Churches are of two types:
    Exclusive - who accept only people like themselves, which is not attractive to "outsiders".
    Inclusive - who accept everyone, which may give the impression that bad behaviours are acceptable to observers who don't differentiate between the acceptance of people and acceptance of their behaviour.
    So it depends on which sort of local church you belong to.

Q. Would you befriend him?
A. Of course.
    We are fellow-travellers on the same journey to God.
    We are both people for whom Jesus died.
    We are both people for whom God no longer counts sins.

Q. How can you be sure of that?
A. The Bible tells me that Jesus provided redemption for us all.
    Check 1 John 2 : 2, Romans 3 : 23, 24 and 2 Corinthians 5 : 19.

Q. Would friendship risk condoning his lifestyle?
A. Maybe to some observers, but not to me.
    I have befriended many people whose lifestyle or behaviours I don't condone, and I am so grateful that others have done the same for me.

Q. Which text in the Bible best describes your position?
A. Jesus said I am to love my neighbour as myself. (Mark 12 : 31)

Blessings, Barry
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Published BLOG at https://barrysgracespace.blogspot.com
Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

Reconciliation Requires Acknowledgement, Apology and Forgiveness

This is my third post on the upcoming VOICE referendum.
The first (Reconciliation Requires Equality) addresses the unjust principle of giving Australians different rights in a liberal democracy based on the race of their ancestors.
The second (Reconciliation Requires Beneficial Results) briefly discusses two major undesirable consequences of passing the referendum to put the VOICE into our Constitution, together with doubt of its ability to produce its promoted benefits.

This post will discuss the current situation and how that could be improved without resorting to changing our Constitution.
Although there is nothing we can do about changing the past, we can certainly do something about the past.

Non-ATSI people can acknowledge the errors of the past, regret them and apologise for them, and show the sincerity of that apology in practical ways.

A formal apology was offered to ATSI people by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2008 for "the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians".

Some of the ways that show the sincerity of that apology are:
a. We have a National Sorry Day, officially the National Day of Healing, on May 26 each year as part of the continuing efforts towards reconciliation between ATSI and non-ATSI Australians.
b. We have a Federal Indigenous Affairs Department.
c. We have an Indigenous Affairs Minister.
d. We have 11 Members of Parliament who are Indigenous.
e. We have hundreds of Indigenous groups lobbying and advising our various governments.  
f. State and Territory governments administer services just for Indigenous people.
g. We have a television channel (NITV) just for Indigenous people.
h. The ABC and SBS always have Indigenous panel members on every talk and current affairs program that broadcasts about Indigenous issues.
i. More than $30 billion dollars of taxpayer money is spent every year on Indigenous affairs.

And although there are some ATSI people still living in shocking conditions, there are many others who live very comfortable lives and enjoy professional careers and fulfilling work, education and social opportunities in our cities and regional towns.

This is especially true of those who seem most active in the promotion of the Yes vote in the upcoming referendum on the VOICE and whose attitude towards non-ATSI peoples for providing these opportunities seems unappreciative.

So if the acknowledgement and apology is there and the evidence of its sincerity is there, what is missing?
The obvious thing missing is an appropriate response from ATSI people.

Thank you for your acknowledgement, regret and apology. We accept it and forgive you.
And thank you for the benefits so many of us have received and the efforts you are making to listen to us and help us achieve our best.

But I don't see any suggestion of such a response associated with the VOICE. Indeed, quite the opposite.

Normally people only need to say sorry once. But non-ATSI Australians are expected to say “Sorry” every year – on National Sorry Day -- demonstrating the “Sorry” is never accepted, let alone the offering of forgiveness, resulting in victim status, retribution and other demands continuing endlessly into the future.

I believe there can never be reconciliation between ATSI and non-ATSI people without acknowledgement and sincere apology for errors of the past, its acceptance and the offering of sincere forgiveness.

Jesus taught us to love God, love our neighbour as ourselves, and to forgive even our enemies, so no matter what relationship currently exists between ATSI and non-ATSI people, Jesus surely has that situation well-covered with this teaching and advice.

Here is a link to a thought-provoking article for everyone, especially Christians.
https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/religion/2023/06/five-reasons-christians-should-reject-the-voice/.
Some of the comments below the article are worth a read too.

I believe reconciliation and consequential "Closing the Gap" progress is now in the hands of our ATSI peoples - to stop the grievance war, offer forgiveness and move on together with their fellow Australians without requiring separate, additional privileges.

Blessings, Barry
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Published BLOG at https://barrysgracespace.blogspot.com
Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

Reconciliation Requires Beneficial Results

Previous Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been quoted as saying, “I think this Voice is a very, very bad idea, I think it’s wrong in principle, I think it’s potentially quite dangerous in practice.”

In my previous post (Reconciliation Requires Equality), I have addressed the unjust principle of giving Australians different rights in a liberal democracy based on the race of their ancestors.
As well, there are several undesirable consequences of passing the VOICE referendum, although I'll mention only two of them briefly in this post, together with the doubt that the VOICE will achieve its promoted benefits.
 
First, the VOICE is intended to reach into every area of Commonwealth Government policy. It will require a huge, top-heavy and expensive bureaucracy that will slow down and make more cumbersome the running of good government.

Previous Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been quoted as saying,  “Our democracy is built on the foundation of all Australian citizens having equal civic rights – all being able to vote for, stand for and serve in either of the two chambers of our national parliament.
"A constitutionally enshrined additional representative assembly which only Indigenous Australians could vote for or serve in is inconsistent with this fundamental principle.
"It would inevitably become seen as a third chamber of parliament."
(Mr Turnbull has since changed his mind and will now vote for the VOICE.)

Second, because the VOICE is to be inserted into the Constitution as its own chapter (thereby standing on equal terms with The Parliament, The Executive and The Judiciary), the un-elected High Court will have the final say whenever the VOICE contests any decisions made by those equal others.

In addition to those undesirable outcomes, it is doubtful if the promoted benefits by Yes advocates are likely to eventuate.
The Prime Minister is consistently suggesting that passing the VOICE shows courtesy and respect to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) fellow-citizens, and will do much to repair past injustices and improve living conditions for the sizeable proportion of aborigines who live in shocking conditions.

My view is that we can do nothing about the past, and we especially can't repair a race-based past with a race-based future.

Equally, the establishment of the VOICE is unlikely to do anything for the living conditions of poorer, disadvantaged  aborigines, especially those in remote areas, although it is quite likely to benefit the ATSI elite who will comprise its membership and those employed in its bureaucracy.

My own preference would be to give recognition to ATSI people in the Constitution with a suitable preamble like "Australia is one indivisible federal commonwealth under the crown with an Indigenous heritage, a British foundation and an Immigrant character”, and continue to have parliament-appointed groups, including ATSI groups, to offer it advice as it has done for many years. (Indeed there are hundreds of these bodies currently in existence.)

This would achieve the courteous recognition of (and advice from) indigenous people without destroying our democratic principles with an influential race-based VOICE and without propelling the High Court into active law-making opportunities.

Although there are many practical issues to be faced if the VOICE referendum is passed, my decision to oppose it can be laid squarely at the feet of the principle it trashes, which completely undermines our democratic system of government and God's love for every one of his children, regardless of their ancestry or the colour of their skin.

Blessings, Barry

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Published BLOG at https://barrysgracespace.blogspot.com
Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

Reconciliation Requires Equality

I have been thinking a lot about the legislated path of "reconciliation" to be travelled between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) and non-ATSI peoples in Australia.
Although this has tragically become a political issue, I believe it is relevant to a BLOG focusing on God's extravagant grace.

As the Great Grandpa of a wonderful and growing family, I am increasingly concerned for the future that my grandchildren and great grandchildren will face in their lives in Australia after I've gone home.

There are so many looming challenges that will impact them and all those who will be living here with them. These include energy shortages, the taxes needed to repay huge government debts, responses to climate change, gender dysphoria, increasing crime rates and hostility towards Christianity.

Their faith in God's love and sovereignty will enable them to be personally victorious and at peace in the world they are inheriting, even though they can have little input into changing the actual circumstances themselves.

However there is one looming challenge into which they can make a difference - the proposed VOICE to Parliament and Executive Government referendum which many of them will be voting on before the end of the year.

The proposed VOICE is a genuine worry if it gets passed, and people who appreciate living in a free, liberal democracy should emphatically speak and vote against it.

Although there are many practical reasons why this VOICE should be opposed, my main reason is one of principle - the inequality of citizenship that the VOICE would embed into our Constitution.

It provides for one group of people, an un-elected group from just 3% of our population to have a far greater influence on our law-making and our quality of life than the remaining 97%.

As a citizen of Australia, a liberal democracy, I believe all citizens should be treated equally before the law and have equal representation to our law-making institutions.

As a Christian, I believe that God loves all groups and nations equally, and the VOICE repudiates that belief by giving one group preference over all others in Australia.

And to have that preferential treatment of one group over all others embedded as a new Chapter in our Constitution - our founding document and the final authority defining how our nation functions - is profoundly wrong.

For me, without even discussing the practical consequences, that is enough to force me to vote NO.

However, I am currently researching some of those potential outcomes just to show where we are heading if this present proposal for the VOICE is passed. 

I have asked my family to prayerfully consider the inequality created by this proposed referendum and not be persuaded to vote "Yes" just because of "the vibe" being promoted by many politicians and other influential groups, and to take advantage of the rare opportunity they have to directly influence a part of the future they will inherit.

Blessings, Barry

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Published BLOG at https://barrysgracespace.blogspot.com
Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

The Rapture

Currently exploring if a rapture or snatching away can be seen in the Scriptures.
In the Old Testament, resurrection can easily be seen, in passages like Isaiah 26 : 19 and Daniel 12 : 1 - 3, but I haven't yet found a rapture that could be read into any passages, even if you are trying really hard to find one.
Can anyone find one for me?

The NT has many references to resurrection but my focus here is on the rapture.
Jesus gives the first hint of this when talking to Martha on the occasion of her brother Lazarus being raised  from the dead.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever has faith in me, even if he should die, shall live, and whoever lives and has faith in me most certainly does not die, throughout the age."
[John 11 : 25, 26  DBH]

Jesus is saying that at some point in time, believers who have already died will live; and believers who are still alive at that time will not die, but continue to live during the age.
Most modern translations say that those living will never die, which is ultimately true, but that is not the focus (or accurate translation) of this particular text.
Jesus is addressing those (believers) who are to be alive during the Messianic Age that Israel was yearning for.
Let's also note that Jesus gives no hint as to when this point in time will be, except that it must precede the coming, eagerly anticipated Messianic Age.

Jesus promised to return to get his disciples and has a hint of a collection, a taking, a rapture about it.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.
My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
[John 14 : 1 - 3  NIV]

Jesus also talks about a gathering of his disciples when discussing the signs to be seen at the end of the age in which they were living.

And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
[Matthew 24 : 31  NIV]

Luke's record of this discussion gives a stronger rapture hint:

I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.
Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."
[Luke 17 : 34 - 35  NIV]

Paul's letters to the first century churches also give some clear indications (and a few additional hints) about a coming rapture of believers.
The first clear indication to support a rapture is in 1 Thessalonians 4 :  13 - 18.

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Therefore encourage one another with these words.
[NIV]

The use of we in many places indicates that Paul expected to be included in the rapture.

The second clear indication is in 1 Corinthians 15 : 51 - 53.

Listen to this secret truth: we shall not all die, but when the last trumpet sounds, we shall all be changed in an instant, as quickly as the blinking of an eye. For when the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed.
For what is mortal must be changed into what is immortal; what will die must be changed into what cannot die.
[GNB]

A strong hint from Paul is included in his letter to the Philippians.

We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven.
He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.
[Philippians 3 : 20 - 21 GNB]

This hint includes the necessity of bodies being changed as in the Corinthians text.

Another hint comes from Paul's writing to the church of the Thessalonians about Christ's coming rescue mission.

All those people speak about how you received us when we visited you, and how you turned away from idols to God, to serve the true and living God and to wait for his Son to come from heaven—his Son Jesus, whom he raised from death and who rescues us from God's anger that is coming.
[1 Thessalonians 1 : 9 - 10  GNB]

This text also suggests that the rescue will occur before God's coming anger or wrath is displayed.

Summing up, it seems that a rescue operation is foretold - people of faith who have died will be resurrected, those still alive will be caught up, both groups will have their bodies dramatically changed, and all this will happen before God's anger is displayed and before the Messianic kingdom age, probably in the life time of that generation.

An interesting follow-up can be found throughout the Book of Revelation. That book contains a revealing of Jesus Christ in events that were shortly to take place after the writing of the book.  However, this is a huge topic that needs an essay or two of its own a bit later.

Blessings, Barry

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Published BLOG at https://barrysgracespace.blogspot.com
Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

The Big Picture

Most of the posts on the GraceSpace BLOG focus on God's plan to redeem and reconcile us all to Himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus almost 2000 years ago.

Even though Jesus' death cancelled sin and His resurrection abolished death, there was a third spectacular event that is also important  - Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection.

This third event introduces us to the wider view of God's plan.

If we remember that God created the original heaven and earth

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
[Genesis 1 : 1  NIV]

giving mankind a mandate to rule

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.
[Genesis 1 : 27, 28  NIV]

and eventually that there will be a new heaven and earth

Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, ...
[Revelation 21 : 1  NIV]

giving saints a mandate to rule

Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
[Revelation 20 : 6  NIV]

we can see that God's plan of redemption and reconciliation is not an end in itself, but an essential digression from the main theme, fitting as a bridge between the original and the new heaven and earth.

As important as that rescue operation is, it's only a (necessary) step in God achieving His original goal of bringing heaven and earth into submission and allowing His people to reign with Him.

This has always been God’s plan. This is the big picture - the eternal plan of God.

Blessings, Barry

PS - We are currently living in the age when He is raising up His people to reign with Him over heaven and earth.

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My published BLOG can be viewed at https://barrysgracespace.blogspot.com, and other published writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au.