Time In Between

Time in Between

2/27/16

Time in between an event until its completion is a concept that many of us realize even though we are waiting on an issue to transpire or to be completed.  The complete equation can turn into an interesting type of solution when the issue that we have done and then realized it is not of a regular nature.  We have the glorious opportunity to make choices in our lives and we continually use this gift on a moment by moment basis, some of these choices result in glorious ceremonies while others may land us behind captive doors.  But no matter the case, there is a short period of time that occurs when we do things that are good or not good for our lives until the respective consequences appear.  It is this time frame that God is going to show us about in this article and just how important this period of our lives is and what actually is going on around us.

We will once again begin our quest in the Garden of Eden and as stated many times previously, even though I have read this passage many times throughout my life I still have to gently laugh when God shows me even more information about our lives through this setting in the Bible. Genesis 3:1-8 with the main focus coming from verses 6-8.  There is a world of information that occurs within this passage and as events are unfolding a pattern is formed in the time between the law being broken and when God shows up to speak with His beloved creations.

The act of not eating the fruit of the tree of good and evil was the only law God had in place that included a punishment, at that time.  God had placed into motion a Garden that needed to be kept up and that was the “job” that Adam and Eve had been given to complete.  Yet, it was this one law that was put into place that Satan jumped upon and began his actions towards the downfall of humanity as we know it today.  The act was eventually committed and the effects of the law became personally noticeable immediately to Adam and Eve.  At that point there was no further mention of the serpent until God had gathered all of the participants that had been involved, but the interesting thing is that immediately after Adam and Eve had broken the law and until God showed up, there was a specific amount of time in between and it is this time that will be the focus in this article from God.

Immediately after Eve and Adam had eaten of the fruit of the tree, Scriptures record that their eyes were immediately opened and that they knew they were naked.  Now, if one stops and thinks about what was going on here one must believe that they should be more interested in making things right with God; wouldn’t that be the logical process?  I understand that this new “development” within the condition of their existence would be a shock to them, but here we see that the next portion of verse 7 states that they sewed fig leaves together to hide their nakedness.  Remind you that nothing about their physical bodies had changed but that their eyes had been spiritually opened in such a manner that they now knew their physical condition of creation.

This last portion of verse 7 informs us that it was evident that they did not have any inkling of trying to make things right with God first.  How many of us immediately go running to our parents when we do something that we have been told not to do? Why is that, I wonder?  It is because we had already made the choice to do things on our own no matter what the consequences might be.  ALL of us have done this at one time or another and for the majority of us, we had to serve out the consequences when our parents found out about our actions.  So the parallels to this story from the early days of human existence and of those coming from humans today have not changed one bit, we still make excuses for the choices that we make and do not utilize the time in between the rule or law being broken until the authority figures appear with further information.  This portion of verse 7 describes humanity to a “T” and should stand out like a sore thumb when wondering why we act the way we do.

The portion of Scripture “They made themselves aprons” speaks volumes of what was going through their minds at that time, and one can ascertain that God had been squelched out of their lives enough that He was not first and foremost in their daily processes.  If we take a moment or two and think about this process concerning Adam and Eve we cannot help but be forced to ask ourselves are we living in this type of frame of mind as well today?  The idea of trying to get away from the truth and law is a basic mistrust that we place within the confines of our present day lives but it is clearly visible that the origins of this choice are being demonstrated in this verse that played out so long ago.  Their ideas and selfish ways had completely engulfed their vision of what God wanted from them that they voluntarily gave up God’s standards for their own which cost them true life.

There must be so much that began to race through Adam and Eve’s minds immediately after they had broken God’s law for as soon as they did they understood that a major change had occurred in their lives.  I also find it very interesting that the one thing that is mentioned concerning this law is that both knew they were naked and then found leaves and clothed themselves. For every thought pattern this reference deals with sex and all of the issues that were not a concern or being different before the fall; it is relevant since the direct consequence of this act by Eve is specifically mentioned about her future birthing process as well.

How do we know that Adam and Eve wasted precious time after the broken law up until God came to speak with them?  It is by their comments to God when He asked them about their physical condition that gives us the answer.  They began to blame each other and the serpent for their conditions, not themselves for their actions against God.  It is almost as if this response is a natural building block of human existence for everyone has blamed something else or someone else for the actions they have committed at one time or another, and guess what, it originated from the Garden of Eden and it is a direct reflection of what occurs when time is wasted for personal gain instead of doing what is correct in the eyes of God.  At no time before Adam and Eve had their conversation with God or during their conversation with God did they ever seek repentance for their actions, only blame.  When one asks just how much infiltration Satan had into their thought processes, this verse should leave no doubt concerning the answer, for the basis of Lucifer’s rebellion shines through here.

Verse 7 shows us that the consequences of them breaking the only law of God was immediate but on the other hand it did not immediately end their life but changed it dramatically and set them up to die.  The immediate effects were noticeable and they knew that they had to change their appearance, but it took time for them to change this appearance for verse 7 is split with a semicolon and through human rationale it takes some time to find the covering, make it and then place it on their bodies.  For those of you who sew or quilt, you know that the process of sewing anything takes time and then further adjustments.  Oh, to be a fly on the tree branches for those conversations that took place between those two people, eh.

This pattern of excuses and thought planning after God’s commands and laws were broken are continually noticed all throughout the Bible and in all such cases the consequences for these disobedient acts had very similar results, some of which had identical results.  We see Abraham sell his wife into a harem, Moses not obeying God to take specific ground, David not obeying specific wartime laws, Jonah and his experiences, Israel ignoring the child sacrifices to Moloch, the abomination of oral tradition that replaced the written laws of God when Israel was in captivity, the rejection of Jesus Christ, and the list goes on and on.  It is the identical pattern that Adam and Eve had immediately after their decision to eat of the fruit and therefore set into motion a sinful existence that we still share to this day.

Look at today and one can easy compare notes to past societies with little difficulty.  The work habits of Adam and Eve are protruding throughout our society today as if it were a deep cultural foundation and the level of name calling, excuses, back-biting and down outright lying to get ahead in any area of life is astounding today.  Our choices for governmental authorities have never been as corrupt as they are today, sure there have been evil and dirty politics in the past but nothing compared as to what is transpiring today.  Camaraderie is lost and togetherness is strictly based upon conditional supplications with those who are in like manner with the parties involved.  All of these examples are products of the time in between when God’s laws that have been broken and until He has to make a stand against our activities.  It is the utmost of importance that the results of our actions and the corresponding consequences are the aprons that pervert the true advancement of God and His Kingdom through our lives.

When the Church accepted these ways into their lives and hearts, our enemy won a huge victory, on the same physical level as he did when Adam and Eve succumbed to his tricks in the Garden of Eden.  The one perfect establishment that Christ began, not through Peter, was corrupted with perverted ideas that have grown into the entire incorporation of the world into the Church’s existence today.  Take a very close look at the priorities of the Church today and it will become clear that she is doing her best to satisfy the lusts of the world and to make for herself an apron around the holy and spiritual reproductive status of the Church. This process is a direct result and will be an identical following of Adam and Eve’s consequences of the time before the fall and after the fall with the time in between almost word for word in its playing out.

As God showed us in the “Working for God” article it is through our working habits and love for His Kingdom that determine whether or not He rules in our lives or if our enemy is allowed to take control.  Some say that the judgment that God placed upon humanity was too harsh and should not have been everlasting but in order for us to understand why this occurred we must understand the concept of the time in between as well, for it is both settings that demonstrate just what had already been injected into Adam and Eve’s lives.  The act had voluntarily been committed which meant that they already had enough time to decide whether or not to obey or to disobey.  Then, the time in between and up until God spoke to them and addressed the question, no sign of any change in heart occurred – this brings up a huge issue about the influx of the world into the Church today in which God will share soon with us – so that God had no choice but to act upon their disobedience accordingly.  It is the pattern which developed within them that set into place the conditions that we know about today, it deems strictly with choice and what we choose to believe is the truth, instead of facing the laws already established according to the highest authority.

The only way to break this cycle in our existence is to turn back to God and allow Him to completely consume our lives so that we may live according to His origins.  It is quite evident that we are living in a specific time frame of an in between time status and this nation and life as we know it are secularly dancing and parading itself around ignoring the laws of God and placing our entire world into a dire and deathly situation.  I do not claim to know the specifics about when God shall say enough, but He has all the framework in place to do so.  Mankind has physically changed many of His laws in order to justify their actions and feelings, just as King Henry VIII initiated and executed quite controllably centuries ago.  Our choices are no good for our lives unless we place God’s laws in front of our lives and use them according to His ways and not humanity’s.

There is no way that we can go back to the perfect and beautiful state that Adam and Eve squandered but we can return back into a covenant life by turning our hearts back to God.  It is God’s ultimate desire to continue His blessings upon His people because they have willingly chosen Him over the ways of the world.  But because of the blindness that we have incurred through our captivity, we are readily choosing the world instead and at some point God will appear and speak.  Also, we deep down know that we have played a horrific game with God and have ultimately forgotten the truth of which we play, for it is work that is to be done and not games as our enemy has so brilliantly directed.  It is now time we turn back to God and allow Him to restore our dominion so that we may advance His.

The ultimate question that we must honestly and openly ask ourselves is this: what are we doing with the time in between?  We as humans have fallen and this is a given and there is a short amount of time that is left before God comes to visit us.  What will be our evidence when He comes?  Will it line up with the mission that Christ gave to us or will it be solely based upon fruitless works of the flesh trying to cover our sinful existence with aprons?  This passage of Scripture defines this time in between and how it not only affected Adam and Eve’s lives but also ours today.  Identical concepts are in place today and it is of dire importance that we apply God’s eternal mission to our individual lives and to our nation immediately.  God is calling for repentance and it is our duty to first respond to this call and then spread the message of repentance to all nations.

DLB