Bearing the Image of the Man from Heaven

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Preface

My very blog post for 2020 was entitled, “Finding a Healthy Way to Deal with Sorrow,” which in essence communicated ways in which God assists His Children when we all experience death, loss and disappointments in Biblical way.

Since that writing, I had to endure disturbing, unprovoked attacks in my life that essentially is a consequence for standing one’s spiritual ground. Learning to practice and maintaining spiritual integrity within our current culture, is an on-going battle, and often-times a difficult journey.

All of these past three weeks I was moved to seek out God’s presence while reading His Holy Word, in search of answers from Him as to how to strengthen my soul as I press on doing His will.

Today’s blog post is a result of my intimate time with the Father as I offer this data to you, with the intention of revealing the major findings of my personal searching for the mind and heart of God during these challenging times.

I also wish to encourage each reader, based upon my findings, to seek after and become forever yoked to the Last Adam in order to live successfully in this evil age.

The conclusion of my findings hopefully will ignite each faithful follower of the Master, to fully permit their soul to be controlled by the Spirit of God and not the influence, pulls and traditions of this fallen world.

Returning to the Garden

The above Scripture reference Genesis 2:9 underneath the photo was what God blessed me within my communion with Him.

Within the two trees represent two Adams,

two heads [leaderships],

two paths [in which people choose to live],

two nations[ secular-humanism vs. Kingdom of Heaven],

two present, and two future fates for all human beings [as a result of their free-will choices that are made during their lives on earth].

When the first Adam acted, he acted on behalf of the people he represented-all humanity who are born of the flesh by physical birth. Moreover, when the 2nd Adam, Jesus, the Son of Man acted, He acted on behalf of His people-the spiritually redeemed human-being.

One of the very first lessons that God reminded me of in my quiet time with Him is that I am to always beware while discerning the fruits that each human being produces. Chiefly, those who are the closest to you, those whom you serve and those who are within your inner circle.

Please consider this Scripture reference:

“For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart,” (Luke 6:43-45).

The second thing that God revealed to me was that those who exist and are driven by the “knowledge of good and evil” have been conditioned by Satan to being experts in practicing his tactics of confusion, Socratic questioning, and persuasion which is empowered by fleshly ambition. See Gen. 3:1-7

Adding further clarity to the major difference of the first and Last Adam, I was led to consider 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, which reveals that the Tanakh says, Adam, the first man, become a living human being; but the last “Adam” has become a life-giving Spirit. Note, however, that the body from the Spirit did not come first, but the ordinary human one; the one from the Spirit comes afterward.

The first man is from the earth, made of dust; the second man is from heaven. People born of dust are like the man of dust, and people born from heaven are like the man from heaven; and just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, so also we will bear the image of the man from heaven.

Never before in my personal relationship in the Messiah is the need for those of us who are a faithful follower of the Last Adam to remain yoked to His Lordship over every area of our existence. This is our only true source of victory and liberation in this age!

My Reflective analysis

This current age and our generation are not ever going to improve or get better. This godless culture does not care about our loyalty and commitment to Christ Jesus, thus the warning that I am leaving in the middle portion of this blog post is that those who are Righteous, will be continuously attacked, marginalized, and vilified by God’s enemy and accuser of the Brothers and Sisters.

If Adam and Eve were attacked by Satan and his evil anti-god agenda, who are we to think that our daily coming and going is to be without his attacks. I am thankful that God is reminding us of the basic spiritual truths and realities that we often-time take for granted.

Please consider:

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, “Now have come God’s victory, power and kingship, and the authority of his Messiah; because the Accuser of our brothers, who accuses them day and night before God, has been thrown out! Revelation 12:10

Brothers and Sisters, it is time to come out from the power and influence of the failure and death sentence and curse of the first Adam. Below is a comparing and contrasting of the first and Last Adam!

Adam and Jesus: Comparing and Contrasting

• The first person [Hebrew: Adam] is a type [a foreshadowing of the future coming Messiah {Gen.3:15}], was created from the dust or ground, [Hebrew: adamh]. Roman 5:14 while The last Adam, Jesus Christ is the 2nd Adam from Heaven. 1 Cor. 15:47

• The first Adam was created in the image and likeness of God, Gen. 5:1-3, yet the 2nd Adam Jesus Christ is the very image of the invisible God, 2 Cor. 4:4.
• The first Adam rebelled in the Garden, putting himself in the place of God. Gen. 3:6 while the 2nd Adam Jesus Christ was God, created to save us, He puts Himself in the place of man. Phil. 2:7
• The first Adam before he fell, he did not toil nor sweat, then toil and sweat were given to him as part of his curse from God for his sin. Gen.2 while the 2nd Adam, Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, labored and toiled for sinful humanity in prayer-until sweating great drops of blood. Luke 22:44
• The first Adam was given thorns as part of his curse from God due to his sin, Gen. 3:17-18, yet the 2nd Adam, Jesus Christ wore a crown of thorns on His head thus bearing all sinful humanity as our curse. John 19:2.
• The first Adam in the Garden sinned at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Gen. 3, while the 2nd Adam Jesus Christ bore all of humanity’s sins by hanging upon a Tree (cross) Matt. 27:1-54
• The first Adam was naked and not ashamed, Gen. 2:25, while the 2nd Adam Jesus Christ was naked on the cross and bore our sins and our shame. Heb. 12:2-3
• The first Adm was looking for a companion, wife that was suitable for him, Gen. 2:18-21, while the 2nd Adam Jesus Christ has come seeking His Bride-all of the spiritual redeemed who embodies the Bride of Christ. Eph. 5:25-27
• The first Adam died because he was a guilty sinner, Gen. 3, yet the 2nd Adam Jesus Christ died for and on behalf of all guilty human sinners. John 3:16
• In an effort to create the bride for the first Adam, it was by God’s hand that opened his side. Gen. 2:21 however, to create the Bride of Christ, the 2nd Adam’s side was opened by man [a soldier], where blood/water flowed, testing to see if Jesus was alive or dead on the Cross. John 19:34
• The first Adam was a gardener, Gen. 2:15, while when Mary went to the tomb where Jesus’s body was laid, and after His resurrection, she mistook the 2nd Adam, Jesus Christ who was alive, as a gardener. John 20:15
• God placed the first Adam to sleep in order to create him a bride, Gen. 2:21, while in order to create the Bride of Christ, the 2nd Adam, Jesus Christ was put to the sleep of death. Mark 15:37
• In the Garden, God brought to the first Adam, his wife, Gen. 2:22-25, yet, God gives the spiritually reborn believers from the world to the 2nd Adam, Jesus Christ, “All that the Father gives Me will come to me.” John 6:37
• The first Adam gave his bride a commandment, “You shall not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, because on the day that you eat from it, you will die. Gen. 2:16-17, however, the 2nd Adam Jesus Christ gave His Bride, the Body of Christ a new commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:2

For as through the one man’s disobedience, the many were sinner, even so through the obedience of the One, the many will be made Righteous. Romans 5:19.

• The first Adam was tempted in Gen. 3, the Last Adam was tempted in Matthew 4.
• Adam was tempted in the Garden, the Last Adam was tempted in the desert.
• Adam had all the abundance of food in the Garden, the Last Adam fasted for 40 days.
• While the first Adam was with his wife Eve, the Last Adam was alone.
• Within the Garden, the first Adam was around tamed animals not impacted by the curse of sin, while the Last Adam was around the wild beast.
• The first Adam had all the abundance within the Garden, yet last Adam had no place to lay His head, and with very little materialism.
• Both Adams were tempted by Satan, the first Adam, once, the Last Adam was tempted three times.
• The first Adam was without any need, yet quickly gave in to Satan’s temptation and sinned, yet, Jesus, the Last Adam had very little, stood against temptation three times. Jesus just did not show us how to stand against temptation, He shows us how to do it in our weakest conditions.

The Last Adam Jesus withstood all testings, trials, and temptation by Satan and the fallen culture that He came to redeem humanity from due to His integrity to live out loud, the Word of God. It is the Last Adam’s example that those who wish to have victory in the lives can learn two very important lessons. See below.

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Some Closing Thoughts

The manner in which God has chosen to reveal my quest for an understanding of why I was permitted to experience my recent, spiritual warfare actually, like the curse that was placed on the first Adam, essentially manifested into a blessing in my life at the time of mine weakness.

By Him assisting me in revisiting the fall of humanity in the Garden, God revealed two words, if not disciplines that once mastered, will, in fact, enable any faithful follower of the Master, the ability to bear the image of the Man from Heaven.

The first word is: seek to be humble. How does this look? Humility simply means permitting the Holy Spirit of God to subject one’s will, if not the entire soul to that of Christ’s Lordship. Spiritual humility is to bring low; to reduce the power, independence, or exaltation of the self-life.

While the second word submits is to yield or give way to another. Those who now are the Bride of Christ no longer live as one did while living out one’s existence under the curse of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Not only that, but no redeemed follower of Christ is to subject themselves to the headship of the first Adam. We are to daily submit only to The Last Adam, Christ Jesus who lives within each of us as our hope of Glory.

He humbled you, allowing you to become hungry, and then fed you with man, [manna] which neither you nor your ancestors had ever known, to make you understand that a person does not live on food alone but on everything that comes from the mouth of Adonai. Deuteronomy 8:3 Complete Jewish Bible

Next, when we are under attack by the enemy, we are to Submit therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Each time The Last Adam was tempted by evil, He quoted the Holy Scriptures. Matt. 4.

Christ Jesus is the Life-changing Last Adam and our Life-giving Spiritual Manna from Heaven that now and forevermore is our very own daily portion that we are to partake as our Tree of Life in this life, and the eternal life to come. Amen.

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Smoking Hot, by By Deborah Ann

I saw it approaching me,
I knew from where it came
on the very tip of it . . .
I could even see my name.

It was smoking hot,
the flames were blazing
I knew after me
satan’s dart was aiming.

It had my faith in sight,
my trust was its goal
for satan’s always shoots . . .
directly for the soul.

As I put up my shield,
 on Jesus name I called
to help me to extinguish
this flaming, fiery ball.

So, beware my friends,
if you should see the same
one of satan’s fiery darts . . .
may too have your name!

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Additional study materials that were instrumental in assisting me to compose this blog post: Christ and Adam: Comparing and Contrasting, by Kevin Williams; Is Jesus The Second Adam? Ripple of Light Ministries, The Fatal Disobedience of Adam and the Triumphant Obedience of Christ-Desiring God, Adam, Where You At? Sermon by Dr. Tony Evans, Bible Verse for Second Adam: Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology-Online.