The Great Experiment - A Theory
by C, W, Andreasen
What I present here is just a theory. I do not claim it is fact, it is up to the reader to decide.
A few assumptions will be made:
The first is that “time” has little meaning because Einstein proved mathematically that time is part of creation and is all interconnected with the rest of the universe. Time is not a constant and does not move at the same rate everywhere in the universe. This has all been proven and is fact. (see Time and Creation)
God created the universe. (Gen 1:1)
The mortal mind cannot comprehend the concept of existence without time nor something without beginning or end.
God is outside of time, and outside of the universe itself, because He ‘was’ before the universe was created. God created the universe into being, from nothing, because in the beginning there would be nothing until God spoke it into existence. Rember the so-called “Big Bng” is the moment of creation. We mortals cannot understand anything outside of our universe.
There is God and everything was created by Him. All beings have been given the power of choice, none are ‘ROBOTS’.
The Bible mentions “War in Heaven”. To have a war means the beings must be able to choose to rebel and choose sides (Rev 12:7)
God created the Earth to be perfect for his new creation of Adam. There was no sin and Adam walked with God, then God created the Woman. We have no way of knowing how long Adam lived in the garden [of Eden], but we do know he died at the age of 930 years and most of that time was outside of the Garden of Eden. Adam,s first son was Abel but he was murdered by Cain, the second son, and Cain was banished, so Genealogy starts from Adam and goes through Seth.
God is righteous and demonstrates this characteristic always.
Now for the story, or theory if you wish:
Before the universe was created, what we call ‘Heaven’, existed. It was filled with a host of beings, all with the power of choice. One of the Angels, Lucifer got very proud of himself and even began to think of himself as more powerful than God (the Father). He sowed dissension and started a rebellion and made War with God. There was war in Heaven. We know God the Father won and cast out Lucifer and a third of the angels. The Bible tells us this is so.
At this point God has proven he is more powerful than Satan. All of the ‘Angels’ see and acknowledge God is more powerful than Lucifer, but it does not settle the issue of what way is better. Remember these beings have a choice. God does not ever take the stand of , no, “because I said so!” He wants willing followers who follow Him because His way is just, it is best.
To provide this proof, God created a perfect Earth and a perfect man, Adam. We have no way of
knowing how long Adam lived in the garden, but he walked and talked with God, his creator for at least 100 years.
After a time God decided Adam needed a help-mate and he created Eve, to keep Adam happy and for him to have a helpmate. One thing God did not do is ban Satan from the garden. Satan (Lucifer) poisoned the mind of Eve and the sin spread though her, causing Adam to sin. Sin on Earth was born and Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, and not allowed to return (like Lucifer was cast out of heaven ). An interesting side note here is that apparently as long as they could eat the fruit from the good tree, they were immortal. Because of sin, they were cut off from the tree and became mortal. (1)
After being cast from the garden, Adam and Eve started having children, but all descendants
forevermore carried what I will call the (just a name to give it, it passes through the man,
and this is why Jesus had to be born of a virgin, no man to pass the sin gene, Jesus was without sin, without an Earthly father).
The perfect world became corrupted, and at one point God was sorry he created the world, and sent the great flood to reset to Noah and his family to restart humanity (but sin remained). As our history confirms sin in this world has cause endless wars and evil things. Satan is busy trying to corrupt everything God has created. God does provide a way out, because he loves us, his creation, designed to fellowship with Him, but it is our choice. God the Father even sent His own Son to die for our sins.
In the Bible book of Job we see Satan approached God and mocking Job saying that Job only followed God because of all of the blessings and things he had been given, so to prove Satan wrong, God allowed Satan to take away everything Job had, just short of his life. Satan finally had to admit defeat and God restored Job with even greater blessings, family, and property. God PROVED Satan was wrong.
As the world moves on and population fills the world, sin continues to destroy us. God keeps sending warnings, and we have Jesus, and His word, but mankind still ignores or rejects God’s love. There will be a time when even ‘nature’ turns against the world, great Earthquakes, asteroids hitting the Earth, and much much more suffering. At a time where if He delayed any longer, nobody would survive, Jesus returns and takes his followers (the Rapture, the 7th trumpet). Things get even worse until a great battle takes place and Satan (along with the “Anti-Christ”) loses and is locked up for 1000 years. With the tempter removed and an Earthly government established with Jesus as the head, the world is restored, sin is forgotten, the world again fills with people. Everything has been restored and life is good. The effects of sin have been reversed, the Earth is healed.
After a thousand years Satan is released and with a vengeance corrupts huge numbers of the world’s population and creates a 200 million army to make war against God, and then tries to march on Jerusalem but is stopped. Then we have the final battle of Armageddon where Satan is defeated and he is cast into Hell forevermore. (2)
The point of this whole history is to demonstrate (prove) why sin cannot be allowed to exist. All will know God is not only stronger, but He is righteous, and sin cannot be allowed to exist. Sin ruins everything. The perfect Earth and humanity demonstrate what happens if sin is allowed. All of creation sees the proof of what happens.
A final note
Almost every paragraph I have written could be expanded into a whole study but I tried to paint a big picture with not too much detail.
For example, the Tree of Life is mentioned only two places in the Bible, the Garden of Eden (Genesis), and the New Heaven and Earth (Revelation). In every case, those who eat the fruit are immortal and those who cannot are mortal. Eternal life appears to be dependent on eating the fruit.
Another example is “Heaven” (what we call it) before the universe was created, where God and the Host are now. “We” never go there. At the fulfillment of time it is all destroyed and the universe and the Earth are created anew. The ‘City’ descends to God’s Holy Mountain and God dwells with men {on the new Earth]. We never do go to the place we now call Heaven. Jesus never spoke of a person being “dead”, He always said they are asleep. In Dan 12:2 we are told the dead are sleeping in the dust. Jumping into the New Testament we see Jesus returns and resurrects His people. We rise to meet Him in the clouds. I do believe when we die we have no sense of time and when we rise, it is as if it was instant at the time of our death.
Other issues like why Jesus had to be born to a virgin, and why Jesus had to die for our sins, these all warrant extended study.
I could go on and on, but then nobody would read it all, so I will end it here.
(1) We find the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, and how Adam and Eve were prevented from entering the garden again (Gen 3:22). After the new Earth is created (in end times) and the new Jerusalem is lowered onto the Earth, God dwells with man and we find the Tree of Life again. It is only in the new Jerusalem and only those who can eat the fruit are immortal. The leaves are used for healing of the nations. This whole topic is a study unto itself. I think the Tree of Life is the source of the myths surrounding the so called Fountain of Youth that was sought in ancient times.
(2) We think of Hell as a place of fire and brimstone, but I think this is a metaphor so we can understand just how awful it is. Actually I believe the truth is that God creates a place exactly as Satan wants, a place with no God (Satan is god there), a place where God will not go. Only sin exist. A place where one cannot escape, totally evil and souls there will spend their eternity in suffering and anguish. God has done everything possible to keep people from going there but most chose to reject salvation.
Additional Notes:
It appears that once God creates a soul, it is never destroyed.
The Heavenly Host are spiritual beings that are eternal without the need for the “Tree if Life” which is only required by mankind. Those who dwell with God in the new Heaven get glorified new bodies. Those in Hell must be spirits who do not get new bodies.
Those who live outside of the City (New Jerusalem) are very long lived but not immortal, you can read about them in Isaiah 65:17-25.
It is interesting to note that when the “Law” was given, it does not mention eternal life, nor eternal punishment, only blessings and curse. Isaiah 65 tells of the reversal of the curse. This only applies to the twelve tribes of Israel who were under the Law. Since Isaiah places this prophecy at the time of the creation of the New Heavens and Earth, it has to be the same time as talked about in Revelation. Isaiah was writing for Israel. Technically Israel is still under law, since they rejected Jesus. Revelation was written for the followers of Christ. Same time but different (Rev 21:24). The conditions in the New Jerusalem are not universal, this is God’s city and we adopted children of God live there with out Father and Jesus, in His city on His Holy Mountain. There are 12 guarded gates and only those who have their name in the Book of Life can enter. It is my opinion that the nations outside of the City are are made up of the tribes of Israel.