– SAVED FROM FEAR –
for Spiritistic or Animistic People
(detailed version)
NUMBERS MARK THE SAME TOPIC IN:
• Shame & Fear & Guilt & Emptiness
• English & Japanese versions
• Short and Detailed versions
1, 2, 3, etc. – are along left margin
These markers are not links
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WHAT WAS BEFORE THE BEGINNING?
In the beginning God...
These are Creator God's first words in the Bible
Genesis 1:1
Before…you brought forth the…world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psalm 90:2
In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word [Jesus Christ] was with God, and the Word [Jesus Christ] was God.
John 1:1
Has Satan existed forever?
No.
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “You [Satan] were…created.”
Ezekiel 28:12-13
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WHO IS GOD?
God is 3 Persons united as One:
(1) …the Father and
(2) …the Son [Jesus Christ] and
(3) …the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19
God is supreme in heaven, the universe and the world.
[God says:] "I, even I, am the Lord."
Isaiah 43:11
He is the boss over everyone and everything.
There is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
1 Corinthians 8:6
The Son…[that the Father] loves…is the image of the invisible God, [with] the [status of] firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. …He is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Colossians 1:13-18
[The Son] has this name… KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:16
God is Creator.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
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Through him [Jesus Christ] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life.
"To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" say the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
Isaiah 40:25-26
He is the only God.
[Creator God declares:] "Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
Isaiah 43:10
We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one.
I Corinthians 8:4
The living God…is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
1 Timothy 4:10
In other words, even those who don't believe have only one realistic option for a savior – the living God.
There has never been anyone like Creator God.
Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways.
Isaiah 64:4
O Sovereign Lord, …what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?
Deuteronomy 3:24
God is all powerful.
The Lord [says]: "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?"
With God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26
Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving.
1 Samuel 14:6
[God says:] "Apart from me there is no savior."
Isaiah 43:10-11
There is no other option in this world.
"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."
I John 3:8
Do we have any excuse for not knowing Creator God?
What may be known about God is plain to them [to all people], because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities––his [1] eternal power and [2] divine nature––have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Romans 1:19-20
How can we get to know God?
[Jesus the Son of God said:] "The Scriptures [the Bible]…testify about me."
John 5:39
If you want to know Creator God read the Bible.
You can completely trust what the Bible says.
Every word of God is flawless.
Proverbs 30:5
Your word [the Bible], O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
Psalm 119:89
[Jesus said:] "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
Mark 12:31
The Bible has 2 parts:
• Old Testament
The history of Creator God's relationship with people –
from the creation of the world to 400 years before Jesus Christ's birth.
It includes many predictions about future events –
Some were in the near future.
Some were in the distant future.
And some are yet to happen.
• New Testament
The story from just before Jesus Christ's birth to about 40 years after his return to heaven.
It includes detailed predictions about –
The ending of our world.
The coming of a new earth.
What our eternal destiny will be.
What is the purpose of the Bible?
Creator God gave us the Bible so that we could get to know him.
It is God's special message to you.
The holy Scriptures [the Bible]…are able to make you wise for salvation.
2 Timothy 3:15
God has a very special relationship to you.
Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?
Deuteronomy 32:6
God is love.
1 John 4:8
He first loved us.
1 John 4:19
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WHO IS MAN?
God gave man a very honorable, powerful status.
God said, “Let us make man in our image.” …So God created man in his own image... male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:26-27
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Of course, we are not God –
for we were created by God.
But we are similar to God in important ways:
He made us to communicate, create, and love in very sophisticated ways – far beyond animals.
Father God gave us a very special relationship with himself.
We are his offspring.
Acts 17:28
Think about how special you are in God's heart!
Look at the birds in the sky. They don't plant or harvest or gather food into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. You are more valuable than they are.
Matthew 6:26 International Standard Version
How much more valuable is a man than a sheep!
Matthew 12:12
You are far more valuable to Creator God than any animal!
God gave us authority, power and responsibility.
God said, "…Let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Genesis 1:26
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Genesis 2:15
The Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all.
Genesis 2:19-20
Adam had great authority.
Because we were created by God, we must obey him.
The Lord said, "…Keep my decrees and laws… I am the Lord.
Leviticus 18:1, 5
We are under his authority.
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THE WORLD WAS PERFECT
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
Genesis 1:31
The man [Adam] and his wife [Eve] were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Genesis 2:25
Evil and death had not yet entered the world and drastically impacted it.
So, there was no:
Death.
Fear.
Shame.
Guilt.
Suffering.
BUT WHO ELSE WAS IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN?
Satan:
(It seems clear that the following passages in the Bible describe Satan.)
Where did Satan come from?
The Sovereign Lord says: “You…were created.”
Ezekiel 28:2, 15
So Satan is:
• Not even close to being equal with Creator God.
• Not eternal like Creator God.
• Not all powerful like Creator God.
• Not all-knowing like Creator God.
What was Satan's character when God created him?
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. …Every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mounts were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. …You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created.”
Ezekiel 28:12-13, 15
What was Satan's status when first created?
“You were anointed as a guardian cherub [angel], for so I [God] ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God.”
Ezekiel 28:14
Where was Satan at the beginning?
"You were in Eden, the garden of God."
Ezekiel 28:12-13, 15
So Satan was actually present in the Garden of Eden.
How did Satan change?
"You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you."
Ezekiel 28: 13
What was Satan's great evil?
“Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.”
Ezekiel 28:14
You said in your heart… “I will sit enthroned on the…utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High [God].”
Isaiah 14:13-14
The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 16:5
Why is arrogance such a great sin? Isn't it just a minor, annoying attitude?
It is what keeps us from submitting to Creator God.
Our pride elevates ourselves, or our nation, or our culture, or our religious beliefs above the God of heaven and earth.
Then what happened to Satan?
“I [God] drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub. …I threw you to the earth.”
Ezekiel 28:16-17
[Jesus said:] “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
Luke 10:14
Does Satan operate alone?
1. He has demons, evil spirits, his angels who work for him.
[Satan is] the ruler of the demons … [and of] the Dominion of Darkness.
Matthew 9:34 (New American Standard)
Colossians 1:13
God did not spare angels when they sinned.
2 Peter 2:4
Eternal fire is prepared for the devil and his angels.
Matthew 25:41
So, other angels have also fallen – not just Satan.
2. People also work for Satan.
There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies. …Some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such things come through hypocritical liars. …Such men are false apostles [church leaders], deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness [of goodness]. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
2 Peter 2:1
1 Timothy 4:1-2
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
Watch out for those who are knowingly or unknowingly doing Satan's work.
These people can be very convincing and deceptive.
So be careful . . .
. . . that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. …See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world.
Colossians 2:4, 8
And, stay completely away from people who intentionally access Satan's power!
Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:31
When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?
Isaiah 8:19
3. What about idols and other gods?
A sacrifice offered to an idol is…offered to demons.
1 Corinthians 10:19-20
Did Satan play a part in the story of Adam & Eve?
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Let's see how the story at the beginning of the Bible continues.
GOD GAVE MAN ONLY ONE RESTRICTION
In the middle of the garden were [1] the Tree of Life and [2] the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Genesis 2:9
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God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
Genesis 2:16
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The wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23
Sin is the breaking of [God's] law.
I John 3:4
Holman Christian Standard Bible
THEN SATAN TRIED TO PULL MAN AWAY FROM CREATOR GOD
[In the form of a snake] he said to the woman [Eve], "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'? …You will not surely die."
Genesis 3:1, 4
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What did Satan attack?
1. He attacked God's word:
He said… "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from ANY tree?'"
So he twisted God's command.
God had actually said:
“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, [except one] . . ."
Genesis 2:16
Then Satan implied that God was lying.
"You will not surely die."
Genesis 3:4
From the very beginning until today, one of Satan's main strategies is to attack the truth of the Bible.
If you do not believe what God says directly to you in the Bible, how can you believe in God himself.
2. Satan also attacked Creator God's character and motives.
[Satan continued:] "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Genesis 3:4-5
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He falsely implied:
• God is stingy. God doesn't want what will make you great.
• God knows that this fruit is good for you – but he doesn't want what is best for you.
So Satan and his followers attack the 2 things that are most important:
O Lord…you have exalted above all things [1] your name and [2] your word.
Psalm 138:2
• God's name represents God's identity and character – who he truly is.
• God's word is his true message directly to you.
There is nothing in the universe more important than these 2 things.
[Jesus said:] "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
Matthew 24:35
What was the great temptation Satan presented to Eve?
Hint:
It was the same temptation that caused Satan to fall.
He had said:
I will make myself like the Most High.”
Isaiah 14:13-14
Now he said to Eve:
"You will be like God."
Genesis 3:4-5
Are we not also tempted to be the god of our own lives?
Are we not tempted to seek spiritual power independently of Creator God?
What was the proper response for Eve to have in this situation?
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.
James 4:7-8
Eve should have . . .
• Submitted to God.
• Resisted the devil.
But Satan is a very skillful deceiver.
There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44
Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then that his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness [of goodness].
2 Corinthians 11:14-15
But Satan has nothing to do with light –
actually, he rules over . . .
the dominion of darkness.
Colossians 1:13
And in this way . . .
Satan...deceives the whole world.
Revelation 12:9
(New American Standard Bible)
His motives are terribly evil, so . . .
Satan hooks people with appealing promises, then delivers the opposite.
The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
The devil…was a murderer from the beginning.
John 8:44
So what would Eve do?
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.
Genesis 3:6
Eve followed Satan's lies and rebelled against God her Father.
What was it that she wanted?
Wisdom.
Unfortunately, as we will soon see, this wisdom came at a great price.
Why did she turn to Satan to get something that only Creator God could give her?
God promises his children . . .
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5
How often are we like Eve?
Instead of turning to Creator God for help, do we turn to evil spiritual powers?
Do we think:
If I get what I need, the source doesn't matter?
Do we think:
If I get the spiritual guidance or assistance that I need, I don't care if it is evil spirits that help me?
We want something from Satan ...
But do we even consider what Satan wants of us?
Or, are we only focused on what we want to gain from the transaction?
Do you really think that the Father of Lies and all those operating with him in the Kingdom of Darkness are trying to help you?
That is one reason why the Heavenly Father forbids us to have any connection with evil spirits:
Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:31
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
We are fooled into thinking that Satan will benefit us because . . .
[Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light.
2 Corinthians 4:4
Just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's [Satan's] cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray.
2 Corinthians 11:3
Did Eve's evil decision influence anyone else to follow Satan?
She also gave some [of the fruit] to her husband [Adam], who was with her . . .
Genesis 3:6
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What would Adam do? Would he also follow Satan's deception? Or would he submit to his Heavenly Father?
. . . and he ate it.
Genesis 3:6
He also rebelled against Creator God.
This rebellion is sin:
Our sins testify against us…rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God.
Isaiah 59:12-13
This changed everything!
HOW DID ADAM & EVE REACT TO THEIR SIN?
They became afraid of Creator God.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden…, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:8
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[Adam said to God], "I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked."
Genesis 3:10
Sin makes us afraid of being exposed –
We do not want our true selves to be seen.
We want to hide ourselves from our holy Creator.
People who came after Adam have also shown the same fear of Creator God.
Much later someone said:
I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted. …Above him were seraphs [angels] calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty." …"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips…and I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."
Isaiah 6:1-3, 5
Even what we say is evil –
Even our lips are unclean.
But God is totally pure.
[God,] your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong.
Habakkuk 1:13
DO WE HAVE GOOD REASON TO BE AFRAID?
Yes – we certainly do.
Fear has to do with punishment.
I John 4:18
You [God] alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?
Psalm 76:7
Is there anything good about being afraid of Creator God?
Yes.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Proverbs 9:10
Why?
Your iniquities [sins] have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you.
Isaiah 59:2
So . . .
Be afraid of the One [Creator God] who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
Fear of God makes us take our sin seriously.
But where is the benefit in that?
The benefit is that it encourages us to be honest with God about what we've done.
When I kept silent [about my sins], my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions [sins] to the Lord."
Psalm 32:3-5
What is God's response?
And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Psalm 32:5
Look what God wants our fear of him to lead to!
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18
The fear of Creator God leads to hope!
Does sin have further consequence?
Because . . .
The wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23
God's righteous decree [is] that those who do such things deserve death.
Romans 1:32
So, we are also afraid of death – not just afraid of God.
All their lives [people are]…held in slavery by their fear of death.
Hebrews 2:14-15
And who holds the power of death?
The one holding the power of death…is…the devil.
Hebrew 2:14 (Berean Literal Bible)
So, Adam & Eve were afraid to even be seen by God.
BUT, WHAT WAS GOD'S FIRST REACTION TO THEIR SIN?
But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:9
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Think how significant this is!
What did they deserve?
[God had said:] "When you eat of it you will surely die.”
Genesis 2:16
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They deserved instant death.
But what did God do in the very first pages of the 1,000+ page Bible!
God called them to himself:
“Where are you?”
What does this tell us about God's goal throughout the whole rest of the Bible?
God's passion is to bring us back into his kingdom . . .
. . . to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.
Acts 26:18
Yet, Adam's rebellious choice resulted in great disaster for himself and for all people after him.
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As descendants of Adam, we are born into a terrible state:
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Psalm 51:5
(Psalm 51:6 in the Japanese Interconfessional Version)
Our ancestor Adam, and everyone of our ancestors after him, passed on to us the sinful nature that we are born with.
Really? Is that true?
Well, think about this:
Where does your eye color and your hair color come from?
And, where does that selfish, rebellious spirit come from that is in the heart of every 2-year-old?
WHAT OTHER DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES RESULT FROM OUR INVOLVEMENT WITH SATAN?
1. We become a child of Satan.
He who does what is sinful is of [Satan] the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. …This is how we know …who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
1 John 3:8, 10
Sinning determines our identity – it makes us children of Satan.
We know that…the whole world lies in the power of the Evil One.
1 John 5:19 (English Standard Version)
No one can avoid this – because we all sin.
2. We are conquered by Sin & Death.
[Satan] holds the power of death… All their lives [people are]…held in slavery by their fear of death.
Hebrews 2:14-15
How did death spread to us today?
The sting of death is sin.
1 Corinthians 15:56
In other words, sin is the stinger that death uses to kill us.
Death makes us its victim by stinging us with sin.
Or, to put it another way:
The wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23
Sin directly causes death.
And . . .
[Satan] holds the power of death.
Hebrews 2:14
How did Satan inflict death on us?
He stung Adam & Eve with sin and they died.
So . . .
Sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.
Romans 5:12
We all choose to be stung by death's stinger –
so we all die.
Are death and evil a natural part of our world?
Absolutely not!
They are completely unnatural.
At the very beginning . . .
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
Genesis 1:31
At the beginning death and sin did not exist.
But now they are our greatest problem.
3. We are slaves –
Slaves to idols and demons:
When you did not know God, you were slaves to those [idols and demons] who by nature are not gods.
Galatians 4:8
Slaves to sin:
Jesus…[said], "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin."
John 8:34
I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
Romans 7:14
4. We are under a curse.
To Adam he [God] said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life … until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."
Genesis 3:17, 19
Later God says:
Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law [of God].
Galatians 3:13
4. We belong to Satan's Kingdom of Darkness.
[Satan is] the ruler of the kingdom of the air.
Ephesians 2:2
Satan has his throne.
Revelation 2:13
[We need to be] rescued…from the Dominion of Darkness.
Colossians 1:13
At the beginning man had been given rule over the earth.
But Satan got what rightfully belonged to man.
[Satan] is the prince of this world.
John 12:31
So thousands of years later . . .
The devil…showed…all the kingdoms of the world. And he said…, "…All their authority and splendor…has been given to me."
Luke 4:5-6
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SO WE ARE IN A TERRIBLE CONDITION.
[Being] dead in your…sins, …you follow [Satan]…the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Ephesians 2:1-2
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There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands . . .
Romans 3:10-11
There is...no one who seeks God. All have turned away.
Romans 3:11-12
What do we learn from Adam & Eve's experience?
Even if we temporarily get what we desire from Satan, or his demons, or from praying to idols or other gods, what do we get?
The result is death.
[God] the King will reply, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."
Matthew 25:41