John 1:9 "That was the true Light, which lighted every man that comes into the world." Now that’s what it says, and we can’t argue with that, we can comprehend it. It requires the inspiration of revelation of Genesis chapters 1-4, covered in another writing. We know it’s hard for many to comprehend, how some soul out in the outback of Australia, who we think has never heard the Gospel - yet the Scripture says, he has received enough Light that he can escape condemnation. And again we always have to use Romans chapter 1, and verse 20, which we saw before this verse in John several years ago, we wondered how Paul could write, even by inspiration, something like this. When we think there are billions who have never heard, and if they’ve never heard, how can they be responsible? Well, that’s not what the Bible teaches. That’s what humans think, and even a lot of us are prone to think that if people have never heard, then how can they be responsible. They're responsible because man was created in the image and likeness of God the Spirit, in other words man is spiritual and receptive as such by his very nature though he's in a bestial condition or state of being, separated from his creator by sin and death. The fallen bestial nature of the fallen angels. But death of the bestial nature can work for man to reverse the first process. And that is what the true Gospel is all about, as it is very good news.
Romans 1:20 "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world (even before Adam was created) are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, (in other words the stars, the sun, and the moon and even nature itself reveals God's nature and endless life.... etc.) even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they (multitudes of the human race that we think have never heard and the angelic host) are without excuse:" Now those are awesome words aren’t they? And these people are going to come before the Great White Throne without a word of argument. They are suddenly going to know that they deserve the doom that is coming because they’ve rejected the Light that was given. Now then, we’re going to look at this whole idea of death that we alluded, that we’d be looking at how Christ not only will become King of Kings, but He’s going to put everything in the secular world under His feet, but He’s also going to defeat our arch enemy, death. And the only way you can defeat death is with death! Now for that study let’s go back to Genesis chapter 2, and verse 17. Here the Lord is talking to Adam and He says:
Genesis 2:17 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it, for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die." (death, the separation of God's presences) Now the moment that Adam an angelic being just placed into an earth suit ate, what entered the world? Death! Sin and Death became part and parcel of the human experience as well as all of nature. Because of the eating of the fruit mans understanding and sight was changed from spiritually divine realm to that of blindness to spiritual truths and the nature or likeness of the bestial nature, to self-centered. Everything is now facing death. Before we go any farther we should look at Genesis chapter 4 for in it we find that God was with man until shortly after Cain slue Abel. All that went before was considered to be the laying of the foundation of the world. And we can see this in verse 14 and 26 as within it are two ancient words used both in our Bibles say the same word, earth or world. In verse 26 we see that after Cain was cast from the presence of God or as stated the face of God that all man began to worship of the LORD. But each has a different meaning and purpose. Now let’s look at the next one still in the Old Testament in Ezekiel chapter 18. We’re just going to see from Scripture that this is not just a one time statement, but rather it’s one of the very fundamental truths that we have to face. Let’s drop in at verse 4, and this is a verse we guess that throws a curve at a lot of people because of the very first statement. Well of course every soul that’s ever lived is God’s because the soul, or mans spirit (as man started as a divine being an angel Genesis 1:26-27) comes from God, and they are God’s, but it’s going to be up to His Sovereignty to determine whether they spend eternity with Him, or are separated from Him (as they, man, remains spiritually asleep, the seed requires illumination to bring forth life). But that doesn’t take away the fact of the first part of this verse.
Ezekiel 18:4 "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: (now here comes that crowning statement) the soul that sins, it shall die." (or remain asleep, separated from God, there is no quickening of mans spirit within him to new life in God, when the natural or bestial mans flesh dies he as an angel passes through the join his fallen counter parts in hells fire) See, there’s no escaping death. The whole human race is headed for death. Now first and foremost we look at physical death. We’re all, unless the Lord comes in our lifetime, going to die physically, sleep, but there’s two areas of life and death that we have to deal with, and that is the spiritual, as well as the physical. Now we saw in John chapter 5, how that Jesus spoke of a resurrection of those who were spiritually alive, by virtue of their faith, and on the other hand, those who would be physically dead, and the two of course we always have to keep separate. So now we want to bring us all the way up to John’s gospel chapter 12, because this is one of the fundamental truths of Scripture, that the only way we can overcome sin or death, is with death or by death. So this is why Christ had to die and is part of the secret marriage that was hid in God.
Since everything in Scripture speaks of death being overcome with death, or we cannot have life until we have death, and we always use the plant kingdom for an example, because we’re all acquainted with gardening, or agriculture of some sort. But if we plant a seed in the moist warm soil, what happens to that original seed? It dies, then outside husk decays! Anyone that has ever been in biology knows that. That seed dies! Now out of that death process, what happens next? New life, and reproduction! Before something can have new life, something has to die.(John12:24 tells us that)
Now here is the way the Lord Jesus Himself put it in John chapter 12, and verse 23, and of course this is the time when certain Gentiles (who had no doubt heard all about Jesus’ earthly ministry, and all the miracles, signs, and wonders that He had performed, and they’re curiosity was exercised) approach Andrew and Philip, and then they go in and tell Jesus that there are Greeks that want to see Him. Now verse 23.
John 12:23 "Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, (remember this is the great feast of Passover and people are already gathering around the temple area, so His crucifixion is only a matter of hours but a greater thing is about to be revealed) that the Son of man should be glorified. 24. Verily, verily, I say to you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit."
Now the whole concept of nature is based on that very concept. This is the meaning of "and greater things shall you do because I go to the Father", Jesus as man was limited by time and distance but as a Spirit there is no such obstacles. Now spiritually, let’s look at it from Paul’s point of view, so let’s go to Romans chapter 3 for a minute where you’ll find that as a result of spiritual death of man, brought about by Adam’s fall, this is the result.
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