Moses was in the presence of God for forty days to receive the Ten Commandments. When he came down from the mountain his face was shining bright and he was not aware of that. Filled with fear, the people fled from him. This happened despite the fact that he had neither eaten or drunk anything for that period. God’s presence filled him with new strength and glory to enable him to lead the people and face all troubles.
Meaning of God’s glory revealed in the Temple – As per Jewish mystic knowledge, Kabballah, before anything was, God was and the light of His presence or glory was everywhere. Since nothing can be added to God, He being perfect, God had to retract His glory and create an empty space to create the heavens and the earth. In that empty space God sent a beam of His glory, which we know as the Son of God, and all things were created through Him, for Him and subsist in Him (Colossians 1:15-17). Because He is God and has come from God, He is the ‘image of the invisible God’. Also, in Him alone all things have life and consist. We know that ‘No one has seen God at any time’ (John 1:18). Therefore, any manifestation of God in the Old Testament and after glorification of Lord Jesus, is actually the fullness of the presence of the original ‘beam of God’s glory or His son’, who revealed God to us in and through Himself. In answer to Moses’ prayer to God’s glory, he heard the declaration of God’s description of Himself (Exodus 34:6-7). Manifest presence of God at any time or place is a revelation of His traits and at any one place and in any situation, it could be revealing a particular aspect of Him.
When God in His holiness has separated Himself from all of creation, why does He reveal Himself to anyone? Certain aspects of God are revealed to everyone, ‘since the creation of the world God’s invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made’ (Romans 1:20). Thus, the way everything is governed in the universe through established laws, which cannot be changed, a general revelation of God is available for all. This is to reveal His being to all and save them from lies spread about there being any other source of creation or evolution.
In the wilderness, Moses saw a ‘bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed’ (Exodus 3:2-5). When he went near to find the real cause of this, he heard the voice of God, ‘Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place you stand is holy ground’. This was a ‘Special Revelation’ of His glory to Moses for the particular task of going back to Egypt. Such special revelation is through miraculous manifestations, which may be physical, dreams, visions or His Word through His chosen people, now available to us in written form. His final revelation of Himself is through that Light that is His own image, His Son, Lord Jesus Christ.
God has established every created thing and it functions within certain specific rules. The ‘Law of Gravity’ ensures that everything must fall down to the earth and likewise the circle of rain, crops and other things. Moses was given the Ten Commandments to lead the people into this new life of freedom and live in a specific manner (Numbers 20:1-17). The Israelites are supposed to be ‘a holy people to the LORD your God’, for He has chosen them to be a ‘special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth’ (Deuteronomy 7:6). The task for them was to set up a separate place in the land of Canaan, by destroying all the evil practices of the residents.
God formed man from the dust of the earth and by breathing a part of Himself into that, man was created to be a living being (Genesis 2:6-7). To separate man from the rest of the earth, ‘God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed’. The dominion rights over every created thing to man were given by God to help him set up a separate and exclusive place. His daily visits were for this purpose only to guide them in His ways (Genesis 3:8). The Prophets and others were sent by God to reveal His Word and His ways for continuation of the same purpose.
The flood during Noah’s time was an act of judgement on a sinful humanity. From then the action and reward system was applicable, where obedience would be blessed and sinful disobedience bring punishment. The revelation of God’s glory to Prophet Isaiah or Moses or even Balaam, through the words spoken by his donkey, is all about the display of God’s might, power and holiness. The coming of the Son of God as Man is the final act of God to turn mankind to follow His ways. His coming was manifestation of God’s leading to forgiveness for the repentant, healing of every aspect of life and a chance for all generations, till His Second Coming, to repent and follow God’s way of righteousness.
Steps after repentance for eternal life – Saint Jude, the younger brother of our Lord, has shown the way beyond repentance. He has advised, ‘But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life’ (Jude 20-21). Faith is a gift from God (1 Corinthians 12:9) and the Holy Spirit leads us to the Saviour Lord. This is the ‘saving faith’ for accepting Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour. The second category is, the ‘Living Faith’ which leads to obedience and trust in the Word of God. This results in actions reflecting a deep relationship with God and desire to follow His will and ways. The third is the ‘Dead Faith’ which produces no fruit in the life of the believer and is ineffective for any works.
Saint Jude teaches us to build up our holy faith not belief in any heresy.
Then we are to pray in the Holy Spirit, who teaches us and prays with and for us. We are to continue in the love of God which would overflow into care and concern for others in us. With these deliberate and continuous efforts we are to focus on the mercy of our Saviour.
Apostle John has quoted the prayer of the Son of God to the Father in heaven (John 17:2). Our Lord prayed, ‘this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent’. God desires all believers to have a deep relationship with Him and this is built up through an intimate knowledge of God and His Son. The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer is the seal of God as His guarantee to fulfil His promises in the Scripture (2 Corinthians 1:22). Therefore, every believer receives the gift of eternal life, which is to be in the presence of God at baptism. On earth God is in us and hereafter He takes us to the ‘prepared and earmarked’ place in heaven to be in His presence always.
The closer we move to the Lord through study, meditation and application of the Word of God in our lives, the more is the realization and experiencing of God’s presence in us. Also, we grow from saving faith to living faith and become active in our outreach to others with the message of the Gospel and His love. Faith is like a muscle in our bodies, which due to non-use for a long time, atrophies. Our faith can also turn to dead faith, with no actions to test. God may then allow certain trials on us by the forces of evil to get us back to Him.
One of the wonderful examples of ‘Eternal Life’ in the Old Testament is of Enoch, who, ‘walked with God’ (Genesis 5:24). We learn about him further, that, ‘By faith Enoch was taken away that he did not see death’ (Hebrews 11:5). And then we see the reason for this, ‘he had this testimony, that he pleased God’. Enoch lived by faith and God was well pleased with him to bypass the natural order of death as the end of life on earth. The essential task of every created thing is to please its Creator, but ‘without faith it is impossible to please Him’ (Hebrews 11:6), for, firstly, we must believe that He is and secondly, that ‘He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him’. Eternal life is about being with the One we adore, love and look up to as the source of everything bringing joy in our lives.
God created Adam and Eve, put them in the Garden of Eden ‘to tend and keep it’ (Genesis 2:15). They were created ‘in the image and likeness of God’ and to be always in His presence. Sin of direct disobedience displeased God and they lost Eternal Life by being removed from His presence and protection. Apostle Paul has warned ‘those who are in the flesh cannot please God’ (Romans 8:7-8). The reason is that a person with a carnal mind is neither obedient to God’s law nor can be, being in direct opposition. A carnal mind is focussed on the certainty of his own good works and righteousness. What was lost in the Garden of Eden, has been restored by the Son of God by paying the penalty for our sins in His death on the cross.
He came to give life and that all those who believe in Him ‘may have it more abundantly’ (John 10:10). We are called ‘believers’ because we put our trust and confidence in the truth of God and His Word. Eternal life or any other blessing cannot be received and experienced in any other way. It is not the size or the quantum of our faith but the work of God. God ‘chose us in Him (His Son) before the foundation of the World’ and we either believe or leave this truth and live accordingly.
Traits of a person at peace – Presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer fills him with His ‘power, love and self-control’ (2 Timothy 1:7). It is not about becoming a super powerful person, but inner strength to overcome the various temptations that he faces daily. Such a person learns to exercise self-control in every aspect of life from eating to the company he keeps. It is not that a believer suddenly becomes a very holy person, but he does not enjoy old ways now. With every fall he gets up with a resolve to overcome and stay strong. The inner strength from God helps in this, though at times one feels the difficulty of this. The ‘fruit of the Holy Spirit’ starts appearing in his day-to-day conduct (Galatians 5:22-23). This affects his quality of life, living to the fullest in Lord Jesus.
Eternal life is connected to going to heaven but is different. Eternal life is about faith in the Lord and the receiving of the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, while in heaven we will live with the Lord forever. Eternal life is about knowing God the Father and His Son, it is not about knowledge only but about experiential knowledge and personal experience. We are urged to ‘taste and see that the LORD is good’ (Psalm 34:8). Someone may explain anything in a wonderful way but personal experience is the only way to get an exact understanding.
Can we lose eternal life? Yes, in very rare circumstances and no, definitely never. Apostle Paul has categorically assured us that neither death nor life, angels or demonical forces of evil nor any other created thing ‘shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 8:38-39). We ourselves can count us out of the ‘Book of the Lamb’, like Judas Iscariot, one of the chosen twelve, ‘sought an opportunity to betray Him’ (Matthew 26:16). In His prayer to the Father in heaven, Lord Jesus revealed the true status of a believer, ‘I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours and You gave them to Me’ (John 17:6). Lord Jesus declared to the believers, ‘you did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you’ (John 15:16). He did not contradict the Father but further clarified the same. We are blessed to be recognised by the Creator as His own and chosen by the Saviour Lord, to be freed from the darkness and evil. God the Father sacrificed His Son, our Redeemer, to take us back into His family as His children.
King David identified the LORD God ‘my Shepherd’ and the Lord has called us His sheep, for a sheep has the tendency to follow the one ahead and is totally lost when alone. We have this promise of the Lord, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5). But we also have a responsibility with this, ‘Let your conduct be without covetousness, be content with such things as you have’.
Judas Iscariot was paid thirty pieces of silver by the Chief Priests, the price of a slave, to betray the Lord. The first reference of this amount is by Moses to teach the Israelites the value of a servant’s life (Exodus 21:32). If he/she died because of being attacked by someone’s ox, the owner of the slave was to be paid this amount as his price. The same Chief Priests who were supposed to worship Him valued the Son of God as not more valuable than a slave.
Lord Jesus has warned that ‘every sin and blasphemy’ can be forgiven, but we must be careful for, ‘the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven’ (Matthew 12: 31). Saint James has warned us to control the tongue for every word we speak has the ‘power of life and death’, and as to others, it will affect us also. Receiving, enjoying and experiencing the quality of eternal life here on earth as a present possession and even losing it is all in our own hands. We submit to the Lord to receive, live in close fellowship with Him to enjoy the benefits and betray Him through wilful and continuous disobedience!
God breathed into a model of the dust of the earth to give it life; Adam and Eve through their sin of disobedience, brought death to mankind, but Eternal Life is given by and received only from Lord Jesus through His sacrifice. This life from and in the Messiah is received in its fullness in heaven alone, but here on earth, through forgiveness of our sins and cleansing with the blood of the Saviour, we are born again in this new life. Here on earth, He is in us, blessing us in every way to live abundantly, and after our journey on earth ends, we are taken to be in His presence in heaven eternally.
