It seems to never fail . . . that is, the more often I read through The Bible the more things I find that I've never noticed before. And I often wonder if God intentionally does that to me or if my attention span and memory are really that bad?
Recently I found it interesting that there have been 3 paths to live forever recorded in The Bible.
The Tree of Life.
Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—" therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:22-24 ESV)
Man was sent out of the garden for two apparent reasons: First, his trespass of God's will by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil resulting in man's intimacy with sin. Second, to separate him from the ability to physically live forever by eating from the Tree of Life.
The Ride of a Lifetime.
And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (2 Kings 2:11 ESV)
I've always said I'd like to pass on quietly while sleeping . . . but being as I'm a big fan of going fast and motorcycles, if I could swing this I'd be in. There is one other account of man not tasting death and that is of Enoch.
Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:23-24 ESV)
The widely held belief is that these faithful servants were spared deaths touch by God's deep love for their devotion.
Christ. The Single Solution.
"Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." ~ Jesus (John 14:1-3 ESV)
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." ~ Jesus (John 14:6 ESV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 ESV)
So I still wonder.
Does God intentionally reveal himself to me a morsel at a time through devotion, reading, and thoughtfulness? Or are my attention span and memory that bad?
In either case, both of which I think are true, I love what the author of Acts says about the Bereans:
"they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." (Acts 17:11 ESV)
Pray for each other; that we could all be so diligent and eager in our pursuit of Him.
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