Eph 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created

This was God just being Himself……creating.



God has life in Himself and He is self existent.
Zoe life is the Greek name of the life very life that sustains God.
God is uncreated and possesses Zoe life.
The life that keeps God going. The life that God is.

God is self existent and does not need anyone. He is fully complete in just Himself. He just is!!!!!

If He did not create us He would not be short of anything He needed.

God does not need anyone else other than what He is for Him to have a full satisfied life.

God does not need love / acceptance / approval from any man.

God did not need man to love him in order for Him to do something for man. He did what He did because He has a self existent life and He will act according to His nature. He created man because Love creates. What He creates He loves. He loves man because He is Love. Love is His nature and man is His creation.

God did not create man to then destroy man. God is not a destroyer. He is Creator!!!!!

God created man to be the recipient of His love. So that He could have a family!! He created man to have a relationship with man.

In the beginning God created man. He created man different to the way He created the animals. Mankind are the only species that has the ability to choose. Animals are held by their instinct. We have the capacity of choice . We cannot have the capacity for success if there is not capacity to fail. In order to know God and love Him we had to have the capacity to know Him.

He wanted to create a being who was like Him and who had the power over his own will. He wanted to create a being that would choose to love Him from their own free will and not be instincted toward Him (like an animal) but would rather have the ability to know Him and fall in love with Him by his own free will.

God knew that if mankind truly knew came to know who He is that mankind would love Him with all of his heart.

God’s purpose and plan was to create man and to love mankind with an unconditional and everlasting Love. For ever!!!!!!!!!!!

Before God created man He looked into the future and saw that Adam and Eve would fail. He saw that if He created mankind with his own free will that mankind would choose by his own will to rebel against Him. He saw what would take place and all the failings of man. God saw that man would be tempted by Satan and give away man’s God given power over to Satan and that this act would cause the birth of death. Death would come over the body and life of man.

Gen 3:19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return."

This is not what God intended. Death came into the very body of man. We can see that Adam did not have to sweat before he sinned. Adams body took on death and now one of the side effects were that he would now have to sweat. Something that he never did before.



As for the woman:-

Gen 3:16 To the woman he said,
"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you."

This shows that now the body would experience what it was not intended to……..pain!!!. This was not the desire of God.
We can see from the resultant consequence that the body that God intended for man to have has undertaken a dramatic change.
So the state of man’s body changed from how it was originally created. Sickness and disease could now attack the body. The ageing process began and the body of man began to die. The sin in man was killing man. Unrighteousness through sin had come to roost in man.

God saw that He had to somehow make man righteous for man’s sake - but He could not force the will of man. Man had sinned in the body and sin had to be paid for in the body!

God saw that if He still wanted to have mankind as a family that He Himself would have to do something to deal with the sin issue. He was certain that there was nothing mankind could do about sin left to his own devices. All man could produce was sin.
God saw that if He did not intervene further that man would die in his own sins and left to his own devices he would never be able to enjoy a relationship with God.
.
So God, in His great wisdom decided to intervene on Man’s behalf.
God purposed to come to earth at the right time. Only He knows why and when. He purposed to come as a man and pay for the sin of man in His own sinless body on behalf of mankind. Man had brought sin into the world and only a man can take sin out of the world. This is justice in action.!!!Righteousness demands that sin be paid for in the body of the sinner.

Righteousness requires that sin be totally expelled from the presence of God. Righteousness demands that man be totally righteous to participate in the blessings of God.

He would send His Son- Jesus to do for man what man could not do for himself.

Eph 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

Yes - He decided to come to earth to live as a man with the very same temptations in all areas of life. He would leave His heavenly kingdom and all of it’s splendour to rescue mankind. Only true Love could do this of His own free will.!!!

While in the body of a man He would not fall to temptation. He would be sinless and live a life of righteousness, exactly the way God required. While in the body He would fulfill all the Laws of God and express the love of the Father to all people of every tribe and nation. His Son would satisfy every law of righteousness and any requirement of God the Father. In this perfect state the Son would take upon Himself the punishment and death that was deserved by Mankind. By His death, at the hands of man, the Son would fully satisfy the wrath of a righteous God. God would now be able to treat man as though man had never sinned at all. One unrighteous man, Adam had brought sin in the body and now one righteous man had paid for that sin in the body. Man was to be redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus and put back into right standing with God.The life and sacrifice of Jesus would make everything alright!!!!

God purposed to redeem every one who believed that He loved them enough to do this. All man would need to have was faith and God would also give man faith. Man would choose to exercise his faith by his own will and then love God by his own will. This would result in a loving relationship just as God preplanned.

God could now give to man what man could never earn of himself. A spiritual life ….the very Zoe life that sustains God Himself. The life of God cannot live in a sinful home so God cleans out the house and makes it a temple.

By faith man would be given the very Holy Spirit of God to sustain him and keep him for eternity. God would also credit RIGHTEOUSNESS to man. God would make man as righteous as the life Jesus lived on the earth. This was to be the gift of God to man. The very own righteousness of His Son Jesus given to man. God could now adopt mankind and because of this, man can be called sons and daughters of God. Relationship!!!

God never only gave mercy (forgiveness for the punishment we deserve) but gave grace (all the ability to be and do what we cannot do on our own) as a gift as well. Not only will man not be given the punishment he so justly deserved but he was also to be given gifts as well!!!!!

Remember……. God’s purpose and plan was to create man and to love mankind with an unconditional and everlasting Love. For ever!!!!!!!!!!!

Sin came into the world through one man Adam and punishment for sin. And for sin death. Then God said that Righteousness would come through one Man Jesus Christ and forgiveness of sins.

He promised that He would tell the nations through the Israelites and their prophets exactly how He would come and what He would achieve.( read the Prophesies of the Messiah fulfilled ) Everything that He wanted to say to man He spoke through His prophets who spoke and wrote as they were led by the Holy Spirit.

God knew that his Son would die at the hands of mankind His very own creation.
God knew that His Son would be crucified, a death so terrible that no movie can begin to express the extent of it.

God says that the life of any creature is in the blood. (Lev 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.)

Blood is the only thing that can remove sin. He knew that His own Son would have to let His blood for the forgiveness of the sin of the whole of mankind.

So in the mean time (before Jesus came to earth) God allowed the blood of animals to be used as a temporary way of covering the sins of man. This system God allowed for man until the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus was done and His blood covers all sins past and present. The animal sacrifice was allowed by God for the Old Testament times. This was to change when the Messiah came and shed His blood once an dfor all for the remission of all the sins of the world. Then all animal sacrifice would cease as the ultimate price would have been paid.

Heb 9:11-14 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!


Remember……. God’s purpose and plan was to create man and to love mankind with an unconditional and everlasting Love. For ever!!!!!!!!!!!

God purposed to convey to mankind that He wanted man to be fully assured that his God was for him and not against him. God wanted man to be fully aware that God would stick with man no matter what !!! God would not create man to be destroyed. God would save man from the penalty/power and ultimately the presence of sin. God wanted man to trust Him.
God cannot lie. So God decided to do something that would make mankind certain and sure that He would be for them and not against them. He would give His word and promises to man.
To do this God instituted the system of covenants and the ritual of covenants…
Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

In the days of old when men of Israel had deep respect and love for one another they would enter into a covenant together.
A covenant is similar to the practice of Red Indians of the Americas where they cut their wrists and become “blood brothers.”

A covenant is a promise but more than a promise. More like a promise that you promise to keep. The word covenant is synonomous with the word testament. It depicts the will of a man.  A covenant is an agreement between two parties.

There are two types of covenants: conditional and unconditional. A conditional or bilateral covenant is an agreement that is binding on both parties for its fulfillment. Both parties agree to fulfill certain conditions. If either party fails to meet their responsibilities, the covenant is broken and neither party has to fulfill the expectations of the covenant. An unconditional or unilateral covenant is an agreement between two parties, but only one of the two parties has to do something. Nothing is required of the other party.

It is more than an agreement. In an agreement made by two parties if one of the parties did not keep his part then the agreement was automatically dissolved because that party had not kept his part. If a person makes a covenant then if the other party does not keep his part if you have made a covenant then you must still keep your part.

Remember……. God’s purpose and plan was to create man and to love mankind with an unconditional and everlasting Love.-For ever!!!!!!!!!!!

When the Israelites entered into a covenant they would do it this way (more or less):

The person wanting to first enter into a covenant with the other person would first ask him if he wanted to be in a covenant with him. This he would only do if he knew that person for some considerable time and trusted and loved that person very, very dearly.
When the offer was accepted the person would invite him and his whole family to his land and in the presence of all the two families he would kill his best bull. He would then cut it open like a crayfish. On the top from the head to the tail and spread it out on the ground. He would inspect the inside parts (the liver especially) for any defects. If there were no defects he would continue. If there was a slight blemish he would have to kill another and another until he found a perfect sacrifice. A blemished bull was not acceptable.

The two men would then stand inside the opened carcass, ankle deep in the blood and insides and face each other. A very messy process. They would then walk past each other and through the carcass seven times and come face to face again standing inside the carcass. They would then swop head gear. This signified the transfer of headship. They would say “If I die then you will be the head of my home and the head of my wife and the head of my children.” This they both did. Sometimes it was promised that if the one man died the other would take his wife as his own wife.

Then the procedure would be repeated until they faced each other in the carcass again. Then they would swop their belts. On their belts were their purses and their weapons. They would then say ”If anyone strikes you then they strike me. Your enemies are my enemies and my enemies are yours. Your debts are my debts and your wealth is mine. If you owe any man anything, I will pay it ..” and vice versa….
The same procedure was once again repeated and they met once more inside the carcass.

In the end they would have completely swopped everything the had on signifying that they had in fact become one another. They had in some supernatural way merged one with the other. It was as though they had become each other.

They would then move through the pieces seven times again and come face to face before one another. They would then shake hands the same way the Westerners shake hands to this day. This was where our handshaking originated. They would say ” If one of us breaks this covenant then let what happened to this bull in which we stand happen to the offender. When we meet we must always shake hands to show everyone that we have a covenant together.

Everyone present at the covenant ceremony would then all eat parts of the sacrifice and so become one with each other and the promise that was made in the blood. The covenant was treated very sincerely and was God’s way of helping His people work together and bring a unity beyond the normal into existence on the human plane.

This covenant would be in effect for ever. It would pass from father to son through generations. It was a promise in blood and could not be broken. If one man who had a covenant with his neighbour and his neighbour came across bad times and his crop was weak and he found he could not feed his family. He could approach his covenant brother who could not refuse him. The man in need could not go straight to the brothers land and take what he wanted. He had to first go to the house (tent) of his brother. He would first shake his hand to remind him that they were in a covenant together. He would then tell his brother that he needed help. His brother could not refuse because of the covenant promise and so allowed him permission take what he needed with his blessing. The brother in need could not just go to the land and take just as he pleased. Although his brother had to help him because of the covenant they had together, there was a procedure to follow. This is same for us in covenant with God. We must first come to Him in prayer and lay our requests before Him.

God encouraged this ritual to instill in man that a covenant was a thing that could not be broken on pain of death. He did this because He wanted to enter into a covenant with man. He did this because he loves mankind and wanted mankind to be truly assured that He would not leave them. He wanted man to know for sure that God loved him and would never leave or forsake him.

Jos 1:5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

And

2 Cor 1:18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

There are a few differing doctrines on covenants. We will keep it simple. The Bible is called the Old Covenant (Testament) and the New Covenant(Testament).
This means God made some covenants before Jesus came. When Jesus became man and was killed by man on the cross (as was fortold) he was not only the substitute sacrifice for the sins of man but also the covenant sacrifice between God and Jesus.

The first covenants were :-

Sometime in eternity past, before the creation of man, God the Father made a covenant of Redemption with God the Son in which they agreed to save or redeem man (hence the term redemption). The Father appointed the Son to be the one who would redeem man through His death. Passages used to support this: Heb 10:10, Jn 17:4, 18

Gen 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
It is wonderful to see God at loving work with man so early. Adam and Eve sinned and acted independent of God when they did what He told them not to eat the fruit.

Gen 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 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."

God gave them freedom to do as they liked. There was no law. Only “do not eat” from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is good to see that God never told them to do something to stay in favour with Him. Man was already in the favour of God.

There were no other laws in the garden of Eden. They could only commit sin if they failed to obey any law. They were more than likely tempted to do the one thing they were told not to do long before they had even done some of the things they were allowed to do.

They acted independent of God and then saw they were naked. They hid because they then presumed God would be mad at them and treat them the way they deserved to be treated. But God always treats man better than man deserves just because He loves them. When God finds them the first thing God does is covenant with them. He kills an animal ( the sign of covenant) and promised to feed and clothe him all his days. This was an unconditional covenant. In other words it was not up to Adam to keep but up to God.

The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. God made promises to Abraham that required nothing of Abraham. Genesis 15:18-21 describes a part of the Abrahamic Covenant, specifically dealing with the dimensions of the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants.

The actual Abrahamic Covenant is found in Genesis 12:1-3. The ceremony recorded in Genesis 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant. The only time that both parties of a covenant would pass between the pieces of animals was when the fulfillment of the covenant was dependent upon both parties keeping commitments. Concerning the significance of God alone moving between the halves of the animals, it is to be noted that it is a smoking furnace and a flaming torch, representing God, not Abraham, which passed between the pieces. Such an act, it would seem should be shared by both parties, but in this case it is doubtless to be explained by the fact that the covenant is principally a promise by God. He is the one who binds Himself. God caused a sleep to fall upon Abraham so that he would not be able to pass between the two halves of the animals. Fulfillment of the covenant fell to God alone.

Remember……. God’s purpose and plan was to create man and to love mankind with an unconditional and everlasting Love.-For ever!!!!!!!!!!!

The Mosaic Covenant is a conditional covenant made between God and the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-24). It is sometimes called the Sinai Covenant but is more often referred to as the Mosaic Covenant since Moses was God’s chosen leader of Israel at that time. The pattern of the covenant is very similar to other ancient covenants of that time because it is between a sovereign King (God) and his people or subjects (Israel). At the time of the covenant God reminded the people of their obligation to be obedient to His law (Exodus 19:5) and the people agreed to the covenant when they said; “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 19:8). This covenant would serve to set the nation of Israel apart from all other nations as God’s chosen people and was as equally binding as the unconditional covenant that God made with Abraham because it is also a blood covenant. The Mosaic Covenant is a significant covenant in both God’s redemptive history and in the history of the nation of Israel through whom God would sovereignly chose to bless the world with both His Written Word and the Living Word, Jesus Christ.

The Mosaic covenant was centered around God giving His divine law to Moses on Mount Sinai. In understanding the different covenants in the Bible and their relationship with one another it is important to understand that the Mosaic Covenant differs significantly from the Abrahamic Covenant and later biblical covenants because it is conditional in that the blessings that God promises are directly related to Israel’s obedience to the Mosaic Law. If Israel is obedient then God will bless them, but if they disobey then God will punish them. The blessings and curses that are associated with this conditional covenant are found in detail in Deuteronomy 28. The other covenants found in the Bible were unilateral covenants of promise, in which God bound Himself to do what He promised, regardless of what the recipients of the promises might do. On the other hand the Mosaic Covenant is a bilateral agreement, which specifies the obligations of both parties to the covenant.

The Mosaic Covenant is especially significant because in it God promises to make Israel “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:6) Israel was to be God’s light to the dark world around them. They were to be a separate and called out nation so that everyone around them would know that they worshiped Yahweh, the covenant keeping God. It is significant because it is here that Israel received the Mosaic Law that was to be a schoolmaster pointing the way towards the coming of Christ. (Galatians 3:24-25) The Mosaic Law would reveal to people their sinfulness and their need for a Savior and it is the Mosaic Law that Christ Himself said that He did not come to abolish but to fulfill. This is an important point because some people get confused by thinking that keeping the Law saved people in the Old Testament, but the Bible is clear that salvation has always been by faith alone and the promise of salvation by faith that God had made to Abraham as part of the Abrahamic covenant still remained in effect (Galatians 3:16-18).

It is interesting to note that God gave the people the law and the animal sacrifice to cover sins. God had foreknowledge that man would need to have some cover and therefore so handsomely provided for him.

The sacrificial system of the Mosaic Covenant did not really take away sins (Hebrews 10:1-4), it simply foreshadowed the bearing of sin by Christ, the perfect high priest Who was also the perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11-28). Therefore the Mosaic Covenant itself, with all its detailed laws, could not save people. It is not that there was any problem with the law itself, for the law is perfect and was given by a Holy God, but the law had no power to give people new life, and the people were not able to obey the law perfectly (Galatians 3:21).

The Mosaic Covenant is also referred to as the Old Covenant (2 Corinthians 3:14; Hebrews 8:6, 13) and was replaced by the New Covenant in Christ (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 8:8; 8:13; 9:15; 12:24). The New Covenant in Christ, is far better than the old Mosaic Covenant that it replaces because it fulfills the promises made in Jeremiah 31:31-34.

It is interesting to note that the impression is falsely given that the people of Israel did actually obey the law. Well they never did!! They were righteous because they had sin sacrifice to cover all their sin. Because they continued in the practice of offering sacrifice for their sins (this the priests did on their behalf). God said that they were righteous. He did not pretend they were righteous but that they are righteous. There is a vast difference.

Remember……. God’s purpose and plan was to create man and to love mankind with an unconditional and everlasting Love.-For ever!!!!!!!!!!!

The Davidic Covenant refers to God’s promises to David through Nathan the prophet and is found in 2 Samuel 7 and later summarized in 1 Chronicles 17:11-14 and 2 Chronicles 6:16. This is an unconditional covenant made between God and David where God promises David and Israel that the Messiah (Jesus Christ) would come from the lineage of David and the tribe of Judah and would establish a kingdom that would endure forever (2 Samuel 7:10-13). It is unconditional because God does not place any conditions of obedience upon its fulfillment. The surety of the promises made rests solely on God’s faithfulness and do not depend at all on David or Israel’s obedience.

This covenant centers on several key promises that are made to David. 1) God reaffirms the promise of the land that He made in the first two covenants with Israel (The Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants). This promise is seen in 2 Samuel 7:10, “Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously.” 2) God promises that David’s descendent or  “seed” will succeed Him as king of Israel and that David’s throne will be established forever. This promise is seen in 2 Samuel 7:12-13, "I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

The provisions of the covenant are summarized in 2 Samuel 7:16, “And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever." The promise that David’s “house”, “kingdom” and “throne” will be established forever are significant because they show that the Messiah will come from the lineage of David and that He will establish a kingdom from which He will reign. The covenant is summarized by the words “house,” promising a dynasty in the lineage of David; “kingdom,” referring to a people who are governed by a king; “throne,” emphasizing the authority of the king’s rule; and “forever,” emphasizing the eternal and unconditional nature of this promise to David and Israel.

The new covenant is spoken about first in the book of Jeremiah. The old covenant that God had established with His people required obedience to the Old Testament Mosaic law. Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), the law required that people performed rituals and sacrifices in order to please God and remain in His grace. The prophet Jeremiah predicted that there would be a time when God would make a new covenant with the nation of Israel.

"The day will come,' says the Lord, 'when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah....But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,' says the Lord. 'I will put my law in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people" (Jeremiah 31:31,33). Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His people. The old covenant was written in stone, but the new covenant is written on our hearts, made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His own blood to atone for the sins of the world. Luke 22:20 says, "After supper, [Jesus] took another cup of wine and said, 'This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you – an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.'"

Now that we are under the new covenant, we are not bound by the law. We are now given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift, not as a reward for any of our good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9-11), we can now share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God. Hebrews 9:15 declares, “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”

The new covenant was made between God and Jesus ….not between us and God.

Gal 3:15 Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

Gal 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Is 54:8 In a surge of anger
I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness
I will have compassion on you,"
says the LORD your Redeemer.

Is 54:9 "To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.
So now I have sworn not to be angry with you,
never to rebuke you again.

Is 54:10 Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,"
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Is 54:11 "O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted,
I will build you with stones of turquoise,
your foundations with sapphires.

Is 54:12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.

Is 54:13 All your sons will be taught by the LORD,
and great will be your children's peace.

Is 54:14 In righteousness you will be established:
Tyranny will be far from you;
you will have nothing to fear.
Terror will be far removed;
it will not come near you.

Is 54:15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
whoever attacks you will surrender to you.

Is 54:16 "See, it is I who created the blacksmith
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc;

Is 54:17 no weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
and this is their vindication from me,"

WOW!!!!!!

So it is obvious that God has a plan. The plan is called the Covenant of Grace.
Since the time of the fall, God has dealt with man on the same basis throughout human history. That basis is Grace. From Adam to the end of time, salvation comes through faith.

The seal of the Holy Spirit, rather than circumcision, is now the faith community’s identifying mark (Eph 1:13-14). On the one hand, there is individuality and uniqueness among the members of Christ’s body (1 Cor 12:4-6). On the other hand, there is also a mystical unity. Indeed, “all its many parts form one body” (12) through faith in the Messiah. The believers’ union with Him is made possible through the baptizing work of the Spirit (13). Together, saved Jews and Gentiles form one body, partake of the same Spirit, and share one hope (Eph. 4:4). There is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (vv. 5-6; cf. Rom 6:3-4; Col 2:12).