In the Garden of Eden disobedience (Genesis 3:6-7) caused humans to be separated from God. From there humanity plunged into a state of total depravity (Jeremiah 17:9; Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12–21). Our entire being—mind, body, will, and spirit—has been corrupted by the power of sin.

Sadly, humans lost what God had given them-- dominion, divine part of the image of God (righteousness and holiness), the personal relationship with God, and eternal life on this earth--death is instituted.

God gave Adam the responsibility to be fruitful and multiply, to subdue the earth and have control and dominion over it (Genesis 1:28). In essence, God handed over the title deed to this earth to Adam and Eve. The Fall, described in Genesis chapter 3, happens after humans were tempted by Satan to eat a fruit. This seems fairly innocent and does not rank on our radar of crime. However, it was a deliberate choice to disobey God which was a sin and separated them from God.

On our tiny planet many scientists theorize that a human with 37.2 billion cells in his/her body and highly developed brains came through billions of years of evolution. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Copilot describes the theory of evolution as follows:

“Humans started as simple, single-celled organisms like amoebas in primordial seas, evolving into complex, multicellular life forms over billions of years from simple bacteria to fish, then amphibians, reptiles, and eventually mammals. Each step was shaped by natural selection and environmental changes. Feels a bit sci-fi, right?”

(You will find AI’s last sentence above is exactly where reality lands. Even AI questions this manmade theory as sci-fi.)

The very first verse in the Bible is Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”. The Hebrew word for create “bara” in Genesis means to make something out of nothing. Using a faith-based literal interpretation of Genesis, 4004 BC is the most commonly cited date for the creation of the world.

A vast number of scientists, astronomers, and cosmologists believe the “Big Bang Theory” was the beginning of our universe with a current estimate of 200 billion trillion stars and planets. (They also put this theory in the context of an understandable “something”.)   Artificial Intelligence (AI) Copilot describes it as follows…

(This article provides excerpts from the book “Journey Through the Bible and Your Story” which will be available on Amazon books later in the summer.)

As mentioned in the previous article on angels, angels are created beings, subject to temptations and flaws. Angels, while given approach to God, are not perfect beings, for only God is perfect. Angels do not share in God's sovereignty and attributes. They are not omnipresent (everywhere present), omniscient (all knowing), or omnipotent (all powerful).  

Ezekial 28:14-15 describes that God placed Lucifer, a created angel, in a high position. “You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.”

(This article provides excerpts from the book “Journey Through the Bible and Your Story” which will be available on Amazon books later in the summer.)

Our culture takes angels seriously, if not accurately. A number of popular magazines have carried articles about angels including Time, Newsweek, Ladies Home Journal, Redbook and others. ABC aired a two-hour special titled “Angels: The Mysterious Messengers”. The bookstores abound with books on angels. A television series entitled “Touched by an Angel” was so popular that it lasted 9 seasons with 211 episodes. All of these illustrate our fascination with the topic of angels.

What we “truly” know about angels comes directly from the Bible. Psalms 148:2 and 148:5, state that God created angels, “Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts…Let them praise the name of the LORD! For He commanded and they were created." Angels are eternal beings; they are not mortal and do not die, unlike humans. When humans die, they do NOT become angels.

This new shoeleatherfaith.com series will use the book, “Journey Through the Bible and Your Story”, (available on Amazon books later this summer) as an introduction to major biblical characters and themes in chronological order, providing a clearer picture of history, from the world's creation to the end times. Whether you approach the Bible with strong faith or curiosity, you are invited to explore its living and powerful message—one that is essential for navigating this complex and often challenging world.

During these weekly articles we will be taking short excerpts from this book for our journey together. This journey most definitely includes your story which started many centuries before you were born and will continue through eternity.