Genesis 2:15:-17: Lecture II. "The Short and Long term Effect the "Fall" in the Garden of Eden had on Adam, Eve, and the Human race in General"            

"And the Lord 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." 

            When man fell in the Garden of Eden, the effects of that fall was extremely devastating not only for Adam and Eve, but according to Romans 5:12, all of man mankind and the ecological world as well. The fall of man in the garden  even affected God to this extent:  Before the fall of Adam in the garden, God rested on the 7th day after all of his creative activity. Since the fall, God has constantly been at "redemption" work (not surprising to Him), and has not rested since. Adam and Eve's  fall, not only brought about sin and put man at odds with  "Holy" God, but man has since been put at odds with the rest of God’s creation. God handed down judgment and punishment to everyone involved, including the serpent that was used by Satan to bring emity between God and man.
God executed his judgment on everyone involved in Genesis 3:14- 19:

So the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this,"Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals!You will crawl on your bellyand you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." 

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." 

To Adam, HE 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. It will produce thorns and thistles for you,and you will eat the plants of the field. 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." 
            From that moment on, the whole human race" before the plan of salvation was put into motion, has been completely at odds with God, his creator and with all of creation. The Bible says, Adam's disobedience in the garden literlly caused all of creation to groan for redemption. The fowl of the air, the beast of the field, and the creeping things both on and in the earth even the fish of the seas and the natural environment all were affected by the fall that occurred in the Garden of Eden. 

            Now, from a long term perspective, Romans chapter 5:12  gave us the status report for all of creation as a result of sin. The Apostle  Paul reminded us that death reign, the ecology system was upset, paradise was lost, and man (Adam) passed sin upon the whole human race. Paul, the Apostle tells us in Romans 3: 23  "All of us have sinned and come short of God’s glory". All of mankind became sinners in the eyes of God because of what happened in the garden and over the course of time in executing a "future judgment upon this earth,  God will renovate the earth’s surface again and eradicate sin and all it touched from the face of the earth. The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 3:10:
 "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up".

When Adam and Eve feel prey to disobedience and sin in the garden, the overall effect of what they did affected  the world in 5 clear and distinct ways:

Spiritually: the relationship that man enjoyed in communion with God in the garden before the fall no longer existed. Adam changed mmediately! His eyes were open and instantly, he did 3 acts to prove this: First, he reconized his nakedness. Second, he sewed fig leaves together to "cover up" and third, he hid (or tried) to hide from the presence of God the instant he heard God's voice. All of us every since then became "spiritually" separated from God. The reason for this was Adam and Eve had their children after the fall. This means that every one of them were not made in the image and likeness of God, but rather, the image and likeness of a "fallen Adam". 
            Throughout the Bible, man has shown all of the character traits of the fall. Jesus said that man would get worse and worse.. Using  the Apostle Paul in both 1 Timothy 3 and 2 Timothy 3, God  gives an "end time" list of the kinds of perilous behaviors that are regularly exhibited by people who are living out the effect of unconfessed and unrepentance due to SIN : 
1 Tim 4:1-4
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth."
2 Tim 3:1-9
 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,having a form of godliness but denying its power." Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth — men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

Psychologically, man’s mind (heart) as the Bible in Genesis 6:5-8; and  11-13  revealed since the fall, man's heart and mind was now constantly bent on doing that which was evil (without Jesus Christ).  The Bible revealed the Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. It was so bad, that  the Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth — men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air, for I am grieved that I have made them." But because  Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord, God didn't totally destroy all of mankind . 
            Even the animal kingdom became psychotic and now many species of animals who were once docile since then became predators and since then began to attack and kill their own and other species of animals, even man.
Geological and climaticly: There were massive changes in both the geological and the ecological systems.  The first time it ever rained on the earth, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights.   Even after God renovated the earth in Genesis 6, (the flood) man continued to sin. Constantly, God sought to reconcile with every generation of the human race since Noah's descendants, sending prophets, judges, even kings, one named David he labled: "A man after my own heart but ultimately to limited avail".  God would in his anger toward the sin and gross abominations of the people cause cataclysmic changes that effected the infrastructure of the earth's surface. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, formed volcanoes and volcanic eruptions, tidal waves tsumanies. Every now and then, there are mud slides due to torrential rain periods. All of these calamities over time have caused dramatic, even cataclysmic changes topographically,climatically as well as atmospherically This is reflected in many of the present and still changing conditions of the present  earth. (global warming)

Physically, man, animals and environment became victims of all kinds of viral infections, as well as other air-blown infections, (from chemical warfare), pestilences, violent rain and wind storms (tornadoes, typhoons, hurricanes, etc.) earthquakes, massive flooding, mud and rock slides.  These devastating life changing catastophies and the constant historic warring between various nations of men and women have left in their violent wakes massive deaths in both the human plant and animal world. Not only this, due not to just these pestilence and diseases, but in bringing the separation spiritually from God to the psychological change in man’s mindset. 

Solution    God's solution to the fall of Adam was to send a "Messiah, a Savior" that would reverse the curse upon Adam through the salvation. What did the Messiah do?

The Nelson's Bible Illustrrated Dictionary gives us this insight on the "Messiah"
            He is the "one anointed" by God and empowered by God's Spirit to deliver His people and establish His kingdom. The Jews believed the Messiah would be the king of the Jews, a political leader who would defeat their enemies and bring in a golden era of peace and prosperity. From the Christian perspective, the term "Messiah" refers to Jesus' role as a spiritual deliverer, setting His people free from sin and death. As the Saviour, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ secures to the sinner a personal interest in the work of redemption. Salvation is redemption made effectual to the individual by the power of the Holy Spirit. Salvation negatively delivers us from three things: (1) the penalty, (2) the power, (3) the presence of sin. Positively it includes the inheritance of glory, bliss, and life eternal in and with God our Saviour.

Conclusion: The effects of what Adam and Eve's sin affected everything, but God gave us the greatest solution to the ongoing saga and plight of man and nature: Jesus Christ! 

 The Apostle Paul gives us a fitting conclusion to this saga:
Rom 5:12-21
            Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.     
             But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 
            Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. 

            The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 Lecture: 1   "Jesus in the Present Church Age,  "

            The Bible  reveals to us that the minisrty of Jesus intelled that he operated in each of them from 3 distinct "intrinsic" positions of divine authority.The three positions or "offices" occupied by Christ are that of (1) Prophet, (2) Priest, and (3) King. Each office shows us in many ways the many aspects Jesus and gives us greater insight about God.  It's because of Jesus that we can get a better glimps of God. The one complaint the "rebellious" group of the children of Israel (not the whole group) that God had to destroy in the time of Moses was : "We want a God that we can see!"  Jesus said in John 14:9b-11 (KJV): "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father..... the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake" 
            Lets take a closer look at each of the 3 offices that Jesus holds based on Biblical perdiction (one he has vacated and one he currently occupies) Let us first draw a comparision between each of them and then, we will draw a contrast of  His ministry in each of these offices. To do this it requires that we look at Jesus from history, the present and the future. the reason we will take this approach is he served in one of these offices already and has vacated it. He now serves in the second office and will soon vacate it. The third office is yet in the future  and after he serves in it, this will culminate him handing  over the Millenial kingdom to God the father that God will be all and in all.
A. Jesus: God's Great Prophet and Procurator
            Prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, He was operated in the office of Prophet. The position of the prophetic office started from the beginning of creation and it extended “time-wise” up to His actual crucifixion on the cross at Golgotha. This means that even before Jesus was born in the flesh in the manger, He was already our "Divine Prophet". Jesus' reference to calling Himself as a prophet in John 12:49-50 rests upon this standard of faithfully repeating God's word to man. Every called prophet of God in the Old Testament spoke of him prophetically and through symbology. through Him and in some cases their lives were a “type” of the “Christ” that was to come in the flesh. In Deuteronomy 18:18-20. Moses said God told him: "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account". 
             In Matthew 21:11, when Jesus came to Jerusalem, the people saw him as a prophet. Listen to what they said: "This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." In Matthew 16:13-14, when Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, "Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets". So you can clearly see that many people who lived during the time of Jesus' earthly ministry saw him as "a prophet". Sadly, during the "Passion week", that time that began on "Palm Sunday" and culminated on "Crucifixion Friday" , by "Maudy Thursday", many of the same people did an about face in support when they cried out "Hosanna" and started crying out "crucify him"!
             From the beginning, Jesus was more than "God's Great Prophet. Jesus was also our “creator” and the creator of everything. Not only that, but the Bible said in John 1:14 that Jesus was the “Word” that was made flesh and dwelled among us.                  
B. Jesus: Our Great High Priest
            At this present time in life’s timeline, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is now operating in his office of "High Priest". He has been our High Priest ever since His crucifixion on Calvary, burial in Joseph of Arimethea's "new tomb", resurrection from the grave  and ascension into heaven. The late deacon Stephen, one of the first 7 men chosen to this church office  from the  time of Acts 6, tells us the whereabouts of our high priest as he is about to be dragged both to death row and a quick execution. Stephen saw both the "Glory of God" and Jesus in Acts 7:55-56  "standing at the right hand of God the Father. You might ask Why is Jesus our Great High Priest?  There are several reasons:
1.    As our great High Priest, Jesus makes constant intercessions for us. 
            He mediates and advocates for all of his believers.  In order to truly fulfill his role as our intercessor, he had to become like us in every way without sin. He became like us according to Hebrews 2:17: that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest. That is to sa that  Jesus would be merciful toward us; that He would show love and compassion and interceed  in our behalf. That he might know how to pity us in our infirmities and trials though "human identification", by having a nature like our own.
(2) Jesus became our great high priest that he might be "faithful;" that is, perform with fidelity all the functions pertaining to the office of high priest.             
            It was necessary that Jesus become a man; that he should experience infirmity as people do, to experience and go through trials of life.  As a man, he would go through everything all men go through except man's sins, in order that he could feel in "real time" the necessity of having someone of true "fidelity" in the office of high priest. Because of the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the whole  Human Race is a race of sinners and sufferers. The whole race was exposed to the wrath of God. Sin was and is in our very bloodline. All had sinned and come short of the Glory of God and everybodywas destined to everlasting judgment and punishment. As God's day of vengeance and final judgment hung over the whole race and drew nearer. "everything and I do mean everything depended on the actions and fidelity of the Great High Priest", the second office that Jesus undertook. If he were faithful to this office, all would be safe; if he were unfaithful, all would be lost. It was imperative that Jesus became a man to fully embrace the feelings, fears, anxieties and dangers of man that he should become one of the race and be identified with them, so that he might be qualified to perform with faithfulness the great trust committed to him.
            The Lord Jesus became in the "Christian Dispensation what the Jewish high priest was in Old Testament times. Jesus far surpassed in character and in actions of every the Jewish high priest, and in every  respects the office of  the Jewish high priest was designed to typify the Redeemer. Jesus brought about reconciliation not by the shedding of blood from bullocks, rams, goats, or pigeons.  He did it by offering himself in death as a sacrifice. Jesus thus became our t "propitiation" for our sins. Jesus, the Son of God became a man, that he might so fully enter into the feelings of the people as to be faithful, and that he might be qualified as a high priest to perform the great work of rendering God propitious in regard to sins.
C.  Jesus:" King" of kings and "Lord" of lords
             In the future, Jesus will “step” into His final role as the King He was prophesized to be. This will take place when the church is “raptured” from the face of the earth. He will remain in this final role until He surrenders the kingdom to God the Father in order that God not only may be “all”, but also “in all”. Now a couple of questions to ponder: What if the Jews and Gentiles living during the earthly life of Jesus had accepted him? What if when he came to his own, they had received him, how would that have altered modern and future history? Hmm.....Before you answer

Revelation 13:8 shows us Jesus, "the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world". In heaven, Calvary had already occurred long before in Genesis God said "Let there be light", long before  there was a Garden of Eden and long before Genesis 1:27 when the "Triune" God council (Jehovah, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit) all said: "Let Us make man in our image and after our likeness!"  God knew that his "chosen people" would reject Jesus the first time!   John 1:10-11: "He was in the world, the world was made by him and the world knew him not. He came to his own and his own received him not".
            Jesus in John 12:13 rides into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey and those who were anxious to see him and pay true reverence (so it seems) began to throw palm branches at his feet and lay their coats and cloaks along the road's path in front of Jesus and in jubulation cries loudly: Hosanna (salvation!) Hosanna (salvation!) Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord" Blessed in the "king of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord" Pay close attention to what the chosen and those who lined the street leading into Jerusalem did: Matthew Henry's Commentary points out the following facts:
[1.]     They acknowledge our Lord Jesus to be the king of Israel, that comes" in the name of the Lord". 
             Even though he went into Jerusalem on aborrowed donkey and dressednow in poverty and disgrace, yet, contrary to the "description" their scribes had given them of  how the Messiah would appear and look, the people own Jesus to be a king. which speaks to his dignity and honour, for which we must adore Him; to his dominion and power, to which we must humblysubmit to Him. 
        The people own him to be:
 A.    A rightful king, coming in the name of the Lord (Ps 2:6), sent of God, not only as a prophet, but as a king. 
B.    The "promised and long-expected" king, Messiah, the prince, for he is king of Israel.
             According to the light they had, they proclaimed him king of Israel in the streets of Jerusalem; and, they themselves being Israelites, hereby they accepted Jesus for their king. They heartily wish well to his kingdom, which is the meaning of hosanna; let the king of Israel prosper, as when Solomon was crowned they cried, God save king Solomon, 1 Kings 1:39. In crying "Hosanna", they prayed for three things:

First, That his kingdom might come, in the light and knowledge of it, and in the power and efficacy of it. God speed the gospel plough.
Secondly, That it might conquer, and be victorious over all opposition, Rev 6:2.
Thirdly, That it might continue. Hosanna is, Let the king live for ever; though his kingdom may be disturbed, let it never be destroyed, Ps 72:17.

C.    They rolled out the red carpet of welcome into Jerusalem:
 "Jesus, we welcome you here; we are heartily glad to see you; come in you who are blessed of the Lord; let us honor you and shower you with our blessings him who meets us with his." This welcome is like that  the Psalmist proclaimed in (Ps 24:7-9), "Lift up your heads, O ye gates and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle!"....  
            Now... they did all of that until they found out that the kingdom that Jesus spoke of was not of this world. It was a kingdom of conquence and of a pure heart toward God that the throne was not a "monarchy" but a "theocracy"! It would not be run by worldly standards, nor would be rule by secular protocols. By that Friday in the same passion week, the same people who were crying Hosanna in the streets of Jerusalem now were cring: Crucify Him in the same streets...Imagine that!
That was then.........But one day, Jesus will step aside the office of the Great High Priest. and put on His "Kingship robe and come back through the clouds to set up his kingdom here on earth for 1000 years.

According to Revelation 17:14: 
"The armies of the earth led by the dragon, the antichrist and the false prophet will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings — and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."

Conclusion: Jesus is coming back not as a prophet, not as a priest but as KING! The prophet John saw him on the Isle of Patmos in a vision. In Revelation 19:11-16,  John makes the following Great announcement:
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter."a He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS".
The KING of kings is coming! I appeal" to all who don't know Jesus as their Lord and Savior or are currently in a "backslidden" state :Reconcile with our Great  Intercessor and High Priest Jesus Christ.  Paul said this to his son  in he4 ministry Timothy.
ess with contentment is great gain.
           " We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs".

But you, people of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 
            "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge youto keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,which God will bring about in his own time — God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever". In Jesus' Holy name.... Amen. 
         Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 
            Because of who Jesus is and all of the offices he graciously and rightfully hold in the total kingdom of Almighty God, every one of us should openly invite Jesus Christ  into our hearts! This means that we must praise him, and be well pleased in him. We should be highly pleased with the being and attributes of God, and his relation to us. We should be with the person and offices of the Lord Jesus, and his meditation between us and God. Faith saith, Blessed is he that cometh.

Galatians 4:4-5:    "In The Fullness Of Time"
 "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born* of a woman, born under the law.  To redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons". 

            When we talk about the “fullness of time,” we make reference to "that time" when the "Mosaic Law" would give way to our "Divine lawgiver.” God mapped out his redemption plan by first giving us his Law through Moses. God then gave us in the fulness of time the “Lawgiver” our Messiah Jesus Christ. "Dispensationally speaking", the Dispensation of Law was given to us first, then, in the course of time that God designated, that dispensation gave way to the current dispensation; the "Dispensation of Grace", commonly called the "Church Age". 
            The Bible said in Matthew 1:21:  that "God sent forth his son to deliver man from his sin". God's "predicted prophetic event" that lead up to the birth of Jesus Christ our Messiah began in the Garden of Eden with the fall of Adam and the subsequent promise (first prophecy)  made by God to Adam (Gen 3: 15) pertaining to the "seed of the woman". 
           
             It is often asked why he did not come sooner?  Why didn't man have the benefit of his incarnation and atonement immediately after the fall? Why did ti take four thousand dark and gloomy years of trials, tribulations, wars, and rumors of wars  before he came?,  While the world was waiting for hope, healing and help from the Messiah, from the Divine Deliverer, the world continued to spiral down in a sinfulled cesspool.  The people (not all, but a great number) continued to suffer and sink deeper and deeper in ignorance and idolatry. Sin continued to reign and death continued to reign along aside it. (Romans 5:12-14) 

            Obviously, God had his reasons, many of which we cannot see, immediately grasp or even comprehend. Our ways are not like His ways and certainly, our thoughts are not like His thoughts. People in their carnality searched high and low,up and down in the earth among their ranks,  looking for their blessed hope, looking for a very present help in all their times of trouble, needing a healing for their sin-sick souls, yet because it wasn't the right time, for centuries, they  suffered and died  in want, sufferring from disease,  encountering the evils of ignorance, hatred, treachery, jealousy and strife. Their salvation was in desperate need for the Messiah's incarnation.  So when the "fulness of time finally came, it was seen by God to be the best time when the whole the race would be most benefited by Jesus' coming. Despite our limited and imperfect vision, we can see the following things in regard to its being the most fit and proper time.

(1) The fullness of time was when all  prophecies centered on him, and when there could be no doubt about their fulfillment.
             It was important that such an event should be predicted in order that there might be full evidence that Jesus came from heaven; and yet in order that prophecy may be seen to have been uttered by God, it must be so far before the event as to make it impossible to have been the result of mere human conjecture.

(2) The fulness of time came when the world needed to see the "need" for a Saviour. 
            For the fulness of time to become a reality, God had to give man a fair chance  and ample opportunity over the course of time and history to try to devise  other schemes and methods for salvation that man believed woulds work. So after man had experienced much pain, suffering and futility,  they would finally be prepared and would gladly welcome God's 'only provision (Jesus) for man's salvation.. This had been done. According to God's view of "the state and status" of man, 4,000 years was "sufficient time" to show to man the futility of his feeble efforts to save himself from the "penalty" of sin and the wrath and hands of an angry Jehovah- God. 
           
All of man's  opportunities in his quest for "self redemption" was given "seemingly" under every favorable circumstance and condition..  The most profound and splendid of man's  talents of the world had been brought to bear on it, especially in Greece and Rome. Ample opportunity had been given to man to try "various religious systems"; "Religions" and "systematic beliefs" that focussed on national happiness and individual welfare; their ability and  power to meet and arrest crime; to purify men's heart; to promote public morality and to support man in his trials, even their power to conduct him to the true God, and to give him a wellfounded hope of immortality. All of man's religions and religious systems had failed; It was in the time of all of their failures that God determined that proper time for the Son of God had come.

(3) The fulness of time came at a time when the world was at peace.
             The Temple of "Janus", closed only in times of peace, was then shut, though it had been but once closed before during the Roman history. What an appropriate time for the "Prince of Peace" to come! The world was, to a great extent, under the Roman sceptre. Communication between different parts of the world was then more rapid and secure than they had been at any former period. This meant that the gospel could be more easily propagated. Second,, the Jews were scattered in almost every lands, yet still acquainted with the promises, looking for the Messiah. They furnished facilities to their own countrymen, the apostles to preach the gospel in numerous synagogues, and were qualified, if they embraced the Messiah, to become most zealous and devoted missionaries. The same language, the Greek, was, moreover, after the time of Alexander the Great, the common language of no small part of the world, or at least was spoken and understood among a considerable portion of the nations of the earth. At no period before had there been so extensive a use of the same language.

(4) The fulness of time came in the "proper time period" (About 4 or 3 bc.) to make the new system known (AD.).
             It accorded with the" B.C.nevolence of God", that it Jesus' coming would not be delayed any longer than that the world should be in a suitable state for receiving the Redeemer. When that period, therefore, had arrived, God did not delay, but sent his Son on the great work of the world's redemption.God sent forth his Son. This implies that the Son of God had an existence before his "incarnation"; ( John 16:28). Jesus once said about himself in John 8:58: "Before Abraham was, I AM!"
             The Saviour is often represented as sent into the world, and as coming forth from God, "made of a woman". In human nature;" born of a woman", implies that Jesus had another nature than that which was derived from the woman. On the supposition that he was a mere man, how unmeaning would this assertion be! How natural to ask, in what other way could he appear than to be born of a woman? Why was he particularly designated as coming into the world in this manner? How strange would it sound if it were said,. What was there special in their birth and origin that rendered such language necessary? The language implies that there were other ways in which the Saviour might have come; that there was something special in the fact that he was born of a woman; and that there was some special reason why that fact should be made prominently a matter of record. The promise was (Gen 3:15) that the Messiah should be the "seed" or the descendant of woman; and Paul probably here alludes to the fulfillment of that promise.

            Christ then was "made under the law, that is, as one of the human race, partaking of human nature. He was subject to the Law of God. As a man, he was bound by all  its requirements, and subject to all its control. This is why Jesus told the crowd in Matthew 5:17: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill". 
            He took his place under the Law that he might accomplish an important purpose for everyone else who were under it. He made himself subject to it that he might become one of them, and secure their redemption. Jesus came to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons whereby we can now cry out: "Abba Father"! Jesus came to redeem them by his death on the cross as an "atoning sacrifice" for our sins;that is all sinners that were under the Law, who had violated the Law, and who were exposed to its dreaded penalty. He took upon our sins and paid their debt in our placd hat we might receive the adoption of sons and be adopted into the family of God as the sons or the children of God. He did all of this in "the fulness of time"!

Colossians 2:18        "Beware of False Preachers and Teachers"

"Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,"

              Paul warned the Colossian church not to allow false teachers to beguile (trick) them out of their reward(s) in heaven because these false teachers were agents of Satan sent to sabbatoge the members' spiritual growth because theymade a firm committment to Christ and submitted to God the Father through Jesus and true worship of their own "free" will. In order to receive the “prize” of the mark of the “high” calling that is of God, the member(s) of the church first had to forget "those things" which were now behind them and "reach forward" toward those things God had before them. They had to commit to press toward the "mark" (goal) for the prize of the "high calling" of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13-14).  They had to commit to laying aside every weight and the sin that so easily beset them, running their Christian race to the end, regardless of the many obstacles they might face along the way. (Hebrews 12:1-2)  They had to commit to look to Jesus for guidance and assurance because He is the "Author and Finisher of our faith." 
            It is only in a life centered in Jesus Christ and not in “law” keeping that paved the way of reconciliation to God and the assurance of salvation. From this basic premise, it would have been “fool-hearty” of the church to abandon the freedom they now had in Christ only to return to “rudiments” based on the misinterpretation of God’s word and man made philosophies.  The only way to secure the prize was to hold on in the race which they then were running; but if they yielded to the philosophy of the Greeks, and the teachings of the Jews, they would be defrauded of this reward as certainly as a racer at the games would if the crown of victory should be unjustly awarded to another. In this case, too, a real injustice would be done.  Here it would be bycunning craftiness. by deception and ; in the case of the racer it would be by a wrong decision-but in either case the crown was lost. 
            Paul here wanted them to know no one could act as “an umpire” declaring you unworthy, unless you worshipped God their way. (Amplified translation)  Second, that no man could hold them hostage to any rituals and regulations that ultimately drew men away from God and the proper worship of him by promoting “self” worship and a “salvation by works” philosophy. Paul said don’t let them rob you of your reward because the members of the Colossian church:

I.      Were approached by false teachers who came in an “appearance” of voluntary humility. They had appeared to them as having a “form” of godliness in their character and conduct, but were in reality “wolves” in sheep’s clothing. Sometimes, the false teachers would use  “subtle’ approaches and gradually dissuade the church members to renounce Jesus and follow their example of pseudo-spiritual piety. Many times, these false teachers would not argue their opinions in a vehement manner, rather, they would engage in what appeared to be “constructive’ dialog in their attempt to plant “seeds” of doubt in the minds of the believers. Paul said don’t let their outward appearance fool you. He reminded them that whatever “issues were in the minds and hearts of these false teachers, they eventually revealed their true intentions.

II.      Counseled to practice the “worshipping” of angels. This wasn’t an attempt on the part of the false teachers to persuade the Colossian church to practice “angel” worship as such, rather, it was an attempt to persuade them to act in “ultra” piety way ( as “super-saints”, touted as already living perfected lives without having any flaws), in an humble submission as if they were worshipping angelic beings rather than God who created all angelic beings.  According to Barnes” Notes on the Book of Colossians, the false teachers would come to a member of the Colossian church professing a profound regard for the great mysteries of religion and the incomprehensible perfections of divinity, in an attempt to approach this subject matter in the same way the angels who once sought to find out the ins and outs of the mysteries of “heavenly” matters did in 1 Peter 1:12. The danger here lies in the fact that many of the people were being influenced and swayed by the outward appearance of piety in these false teachers, appearing to walk in holiness, as if they were angels themselves. Paul wanted them to know that God deals with the inward parts of your heart and is not persuaded by how you may look or appear to act on the outside. On the outside and in the manner that many of these false teachers publicly spoke, you would swear that they were “religiously” sound. James comes along in James 1:26 and 27 and declares if a man doesn’t keep his tongue in check or “bridles” it, his religion is steeped in vanity and is vexation of the Holy Spirit.

III.            All of these false teachers claimed to have had “special” revelations from God. They claimed God spoke to them exclusively and did not speak to or through Paul nor any other of the Apostles. They professed to had investigated and looked into “those things” that can’t be seen in the Spirit World with the naked eye, those “abstruse” questions like those about divine subsistence, the rank and file of divine order, the employment of angelic beings and the obscure plans pertaining to divine government and plans. These kinds of things and philosophies made up most of Eastern, Greek and Oriental philosophies and religious practices. These are the kind of things that would cause people to spend more time thinking “higher’ thoughts and pondering things that would hinder or replace the “simplicity” that was found in Jesus Christ. Paul said in all of their attempts to appear to have the “right” knowledge, they were in reality deceiving themselves. They were “puffed up” and steep in pride, having minds that were full of vain deceit. Paul said they were full of themselves full of carnal wisdom and not wisdom that can only come from above.

Colossians 2:16:   "Being Judged by Man"
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"

          The meaning  of this verse is: "since you have thus been delivered by Christ from the evils which surrounded you: since you have been freed from the observances of the law, let no one sit in judgment on you, or claim the right to decide for you in "Christian" matters. You are not responsible to man for your conduct, but to Christ; and no man has a right to impose that on you as a burden from which Christ has made you free of."
             Paul warned the church not to allow any man to sit in judgmnt of them requiring them to observe the rituals of the Mosaic Law. He warned them not to become entangled again with doctrines of men, and not to become burdened down again by what men singularly or represdenting any religious group or dogma may say about the way they now worshipped God and followed Jesus Christ. Christ made you free from the Law, that is you are saved by grace and not by observing the Law. Paul reminded that  they were now accountable to Christ and not to the Judaizers or any other Gnostic group..  Paul remind them that Christ is the Lord of and over their lives. They were not accountable to any religious sect that claimed to be representatives of God under any circumstances. The church's responsibility is to Jesus Christ and the adherence to the Holy Bible, not to the adherence to any man made teachings.  Paul warned against the new converts allowing any of these "haters" to impose an ordinance, neither be responsible to man for their personal conduct.  Paul’s warning pertaining to what they should observe or not to observe covered these following issues:

 I.    Don't allow the Judaizers to chastise you about what you eat or drank. The Mosaic Law teachers claimed that the Law given by Moses the Israelites in times past were just as binding now  and was irreversible. The Judaizers claimed the church was obligated not to eat anything deemed unclean by the Law. Paul explained to the church that the observance of avoiding unclean meats and drinks was a “foreshadow” of things to come through Jesus Christ. Since Jesus came, fulfilling the Law, observance was no longer necessary because we are saved by Grace. It was also because God had promised to do a “new thing” and forming the church was an integral part of God’s plan. It is God that determines what is clean and what is unclean.

II.      Don't let the false teachers decide for you what days are considered “holy” or how these days were to be celebrated. Because they were Christians and not Jews,  the "church" and not "an extention of or another  temple", the  Judaizers had no right to impose the celebration of any Jewish festival or holiday on them. Neither did they have the right to condemn the church if they didn’t observe them. The reason this is so is because Jesus himself did away with these observances when he died on the cross at Calvary, thus fulfilling the Law.

III.      Don't allow the Jews to impose the celebration of the festival of the “New Moon upon you.” According to the observance of this festival, any Hebrew who observed this festival had to offer up to God 2 bullocks, a ram, and 7 sheep, as a meat offering. This offering was to be given in addition to their daily offering they routinely made to God. Christ also did away with this festival on the cross, so there was no longer any moral obligation for anyone who followed Jesus Christ to observe this festival anymore.

IV.      Don't allow them to impose “Sabbath” day rituals upon you. This was not to say that the Sabbath day was not holy anymore, because before the fall of man God rested on this day, blessed it and hallowed it. Since the fall of man however, God has not rested in his quest to redeem man from the penalty, power and presence of Sin. Paul was not in any way denouncing the significance of the observing “holy” days as such, but at the same time he reiterated that the Law was a “foreshadow” of better things to come through Jesus Christ. So to hold someone to a charge of keeping  “strict adherence to a Sabbath or a holy day would plunge the church back into living under the Law rather than under grace.

Colossians 2:8-10: " 1st Warning: "Beware of Philosophies,  Man-made Traditions and World Rudiments"

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:"

            In Colossians 2:8, Paul warned the Colossian Church not to let anyone corrupt them or rob them of their faith and hope in Jesus Christ. The word "spoil"  commonly means, to corrupt, to cause to decay and perish, as fruit is spoiled by keeping too long, or paper by wetting, or hay by a long rain, or crops by mildew. But the Greek word used here means to spoil in the sense of plunder, to rob, as when plunder is taken in war. The meaning is, "Take heed before anyone plunder or rob you of your faith and hope by philosophy." These false teachers sought to strip them of their faith and hope, like an invading army would rob and plunder a country of all that was valuable. Paul didn’t want this church to abandon the true path of Christianity by believing the myriads of lies and doctrinal "falsehoods"  coming from  the false teachers in this region by succumbing to these acts of "spiritual" perversion. There were 4 things the Colossian church had to be aware of.  Beware of :

I.      Becoming spoiled through vain life philosophy. There was a great influence of both Greek and Oriental Gnostic philosophy in the region. Many of these Greek and Oriental philosophies consisted much on speculations concerning the" nature" of the "divine existence". The danger to the Colossians was, that they would began to rely  on the "deductive reasoning", rather than on what they had been taught bythe Apostle Paul and their other  Christian teachers. Most opposition to Christian doctrine came from a group of religious Jews called "Judaizers", who were staunch believers in the Law of Moses and refuse to believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and the Messiah. 
            The concern of Paul centered aroundthe fact that  these false teachers who were not arguing against the existence of God, but rather they were vehemedly disputing against Jesus Christ as being the "Messiah". Not only this, but second, they were attempting to erode the whole basis of Christianity by denying the fact that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. They sought to undermine the belief in salvation by faith in Christ and tried to lead the church back to law keeping and any other doctrines that dismissed that salvation in Jesus Christ alone was all anyone needed to be saved.

II.      Becoming spoiled by vain deceit. Paul warned the church not to believe in "fallacies". Many of the religious philosophies of that day were based on "mortal speculation" rather than "divine truth". The idea was, many of the doctrines of that day were maintained by whether an idea or belief was "plausible", rather than if these doctrines were" factual" and could be proven by solid facts and sound arguments. These  false doctrines or beliefs were more than likely to mislead a person away from any "divine truth" concerning God, rather than draw them closer to the "reality of God" and everything  true concerning him and how God operates in the total affairs of a person’s life. Paul did not want the church to be led astray because of false teachings or vain philosophies. He wanted them to focus on the "spiritual matters" rather than the acquisition of material gain.

III.        Having become deceived by the “rudiments” of men". Paul, speaks to the church from “first hand” experience,  having been once deceived in his adoloscence schooling and becoming a Phrisee before his conversion experience on the Damascus Road  cautioned this church about the “prevailing man made beliefs", they faced constantly, especially those that were of  Greek and Hebrew  origin. The Jews had become so depended on the “traditions” of men to the point that they literally fashioned their lives around them. Every one of these traditions “countermanded” the “revelations” Jesus revealed to everybody who believed in what the Pharisees and Sadducees had taught for nearly 4 centuries. These religious leaders of Jesus earthly ministry days were still teaching these “doctrinal falsehoods” and claimed that they were revelations from God. The constant attacks from the Judaizers keep an ongoing focus on the keeping of the law, yet Jesus had revealed to the masses that these  religious leaders were walking in error because even though they understood the “letter” of the Law, they didn’t understand the spirit of the law.

Proverbs 6:19b.    "God Hates a Sower Of Discord"
"He that soweth discord among his brethren"

       I sure all of us have met people from every walk of life that can be classified as "drama"kings and queens. They got the name honestly because they are the kind of people who possess the type of personality that constantly causes "drama or discord" among every lives they influentially touch. It's sad to say it but the Bible reveals in many passages thoughout its content a great number of people from all walks of life who lived for the sole purpose to cause dessention between kingdoms, husband and wives,  communities, members of their church, co-workers and management. 
        Proverbs 6:14 said they are the kind of people that devises mischief. They take the time to both plot out every seed of discord and then personally sows each seed in an effort to bring to pass disharmony and disunity. Solomon in writing this proverb made it a point  to highlight  the tension they cause  in the marital relationship between men and their wives, by seducing the either marital partner into infidelity.
            The "wicked sower of discord" makes mischief between relationships and neighbors by using all "wicked means possible", not only to alienate the affections of the people in said relationships one from another, but also irritates their "loving passions" as well, causing conflict and relational detriment between the people involved. Those  guilty of  vicious tale-bearing and slandering, those guilty of carrying "ill-natured" stories, falsehoods with a slanderous pretense aggravates every thing  both that's said and done blowing coals of contention and discord. 
            Proverbs 6:12-19 gives us a catalogue of those sins which are in a special manner "odious" (foul smelling)  to God, all which are generally to be found in the children of " Belial". God hates sin; he hates every sin; God can never be reconciled to it.  Everything God hates is a sin. But there are "some sins" which he hates seemingly with a deeper passion. All 7 of them are mentioned in this passage, inclusive of those which cause personal injury on any level toward our fellow man. 
        A person who sows seeds of discord is a naughty person, wicked, and walks with a froward mouth. "Froward" means perverse, false, deceitful, depraved.  The "idea" here is the person who sows "seeds of discord" "is a person with a strong inclination toward doing evil having some warped passion or inclination to indulge in creating disharmony and disunity". "Wicked sowers" are people who who have "obstinate personalities" and "operate in perversity and are self-willed".         
        A "sower of discord" rarely listens to reason or the voice of wise persuasion, despite every effort on the part of the concerned person to induce them to do right. The "wicked sower" speaks concerning his neighbor in secret." If  any man has any good to say of another, they will be likely to say it openly; if he has any evil to say, it will more than likely to be said to someone else in secret. To speak in secret of anyone many times comes to mean that the motive behand the secret talk most of the time is to ridicule, defame or slander someone else".

 How are we to treat a person that sows discord among the brethren?
        [Deuteromony  13:13 implies that we are to treat them as a "worthless individual". Their lives paint a portriats of the kind of people who is not to be trusted, whose very" looks, mannerisms and gestures" warns us against  communing with them. The reasons are many, but for one, their speech is torturous and crafty. It's hard to put any credence in anything they might say. The winking of their eyes  to you signals that the victim is already snared. Their gestures with the feet and hands are half in deceit, and half in mockery as they try to convince you that what they are saying about the other person (s) is true. 
            God compared them to the children of  Belial (Satan) . They are "wicked people", that make a trade of doing evil, especially with their evil speaking, for they walk and work their designed mayhem with a "froward mouth" (v. 12), by lying and speaking perverseness, and standing a direct opposition to God and their fellow man. The "wicked sower" will say  anything and do  everything "artfully" and with an evil  design.  They have the "subtlety" of the serpent (Devil), waiting and plotting, seizing the right moment to carrying on their evil projects with shrewedness, using their eyes,  feet, and motions with their fingers. They express their malice and jealousy even when they dares not speak out  publicly. (some of them that is) Sometimes, they will employ others who are either just as perverse or someone in" innocence and unsuspecting"  to carry  out their sinister plot.  
            Those about them, whom he makes use of as many of  the tools of their wickedness, usually have to wait for the "wicked sower" to give a signal,  understanding the "ill meaning" behind  a wink of the eye, a stomp of the feet, the suttle motion of the fingers. The "wicked sower" has ways of concealing what they do, so that they may not be suspected. They are cunning. They have  a language of their own. which an honest person is not acquainted with, nor desires to be associated with.  They sow evil seeds out of spite  and with ill will in design. It's not done so much because of ambition or because of covetousness in their heart, but moreso out of pure malice and  frowardness. The aim's not so much to enrich and advance themself as to do an ill turn to those about him. They continually devising one mischief or other, purely for mischief-sake—a  pure trait of the Devil himself, man of Belial indeed! 
        
King Solomon, the man that God filled with wisdom for heaven offers a sure fire remedy for anybody who needs to transformed from a life filled with wickedness to a life of holiness in the Lord Jesus Christ:  In Prov 4:19-27, Solomon makes the following appeal:
            The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Jesus made the following life changing appeals: "Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." "You have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. "According to his abundant mercy he has begotten us again unto a lively hope." "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides for ever." "Wherefore, laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby." "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." "The Lord tries the righteous: but the wicked his soul hates."

From the book entitled: " The Call to the Unconverted" , Author Richard Baxter wrote the following witness appeal:

Men and Brethren,
"            The eternal God, that made you for a life everlasting, and has redeemed you by his only Son when you had lost it and yourselves, being mindful of you in your sin and misery, hath indited the gospel, and sealed it by his Spirit, and commanded his ministers to preach it to the world, that pardon being freely offered you, and heaven been set before you he might call you off from your fleshly pleasures, and from following after this deceitful world, and acquaint you with the life that you were created and redeemed for, before you are dead and past remedy. He sends you not prophets or apostles that receive their message by immediate revelation; but yet he calls you by his ordinary ministers, who are commissioned by him to preach the same gospel which Christ and his apostles first delivered. 
            The Lord sees how you forget him and your latter end, and how light you make of everlasting things, as men that understand not what they have to do or suffer. He sees how bold you are in sin, and how fearless of his threatenings, and how careless of your souls, and how the works of infidels are in your lives, while the belief of Christians is in your mouths. He sees the dreadful day at hand, when your sorrows will begin, and you must lament all this with fruitless cries in torment and desperation; and then the remembrance of your folly will tear your hearts, if true conversion now prevent it not.             
            In compassion of your sinful miserable souls the Lord, that better knows your case than you can know it, has made it our duty to speak to you in his name, 2 Cor 5:19, and to tell you plainly of your sin and misery, and what will be your end, and how sad a change you will shortly see, if yet you go on a little longer. Having bought you at so dear a rate as the blood of his Son Jesus Christ, and made you so free and general a promise of pardon, and grace, and everlasting glory, he commands us to tender all this to you as the gift of God, and to entreat you to consider of the necessity and worth of what he offers. He sees and pities you, while you are drowned in worldly cares and pleasures, and eagerly following childish toys, and wasting that short and precious time for a thing of nought, in which you should make ready for an everlasting life. 
            And therefore he has commanded us to call after you, and tell you how you lose your labour, and are about to lose your souls, and to tell you what greater and better things you might certainly have if you would hearken to his Call'.

Proverbs 6:19a:     "God Hates a False Witness"
A false witness that speaketh lies....

            If anyone can tell you first hand the destructive force a false witness has, Jesus can tell you. At his trial held in the darkness of the night according to  Matthew 26:60, 2 false witnesses came before the council after many came before them speaking the truth about what Jesus had done in ministry while on earth and made a false accusation against Jesus, based on a misunderstanding of a statement Jesus made concerning the destruction of the temple (his bodily death) and rebuilding it again in 3 days. (his bodily ressurection) 
            "False-witness bearing" by far is one of the "greatest mischiefs"  the wicked imagination can devise. It is the "one area" of wickedness against which there is least defence.  Many a person have spent considerable jail time, died needless and senseless deaths, been made scapegoats to crimes they didn't commit, lost jobs, homes,  status in society, investments or potential investments, and have experienced countless other tragic encounters too many to name here because they unkmnowingly became a victim of false witnessing against them.  There cannot be a greater affront to God (to whom in an oath appeal is made) nor  greater injury to the innocence of our neighbors (all whose interests in this world, even the dearest, lie open to an attack of this kind) than a person knowingly to give in a false testimony against them, no matter what their reasoning was. 
            Out of the seven things  God hates in a person, the act of  "lying" is involved in  two of them. Not only does God hate false witnessing,  you can say that  he "doubly" hates it. In the 10 Commandments, (Exodus 20:16) the 9th commandment God gave the children of Israel was: "Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor". What constitutes "false witnessing?  According to God in Exodus 20:16, false witnessing is not limited to "false oaths" designed to deprive a man of his life or of his "constitutional rights", but  "false witnessing" includes all whispering, tale-bearing, slander, and calamity; in other words, whatever lies that is deposed as  truth. It's lies, told as the truth with the sole intention to cause  injury to another in his goods, person, or character. "False witnessing" of any kind is against the spirit and letter of this Mosaic law. Suppressing the truth when known, by which a person may be defrauded of his property or his good name, or lie under injuries or disabilities which a discovery of the truth would have prevented, is also a crime against this law. He who bears a false testimony against or belies even the devil himself, comes under the curse of this law, because his testimony is false. 
            False witness is a particular manifestation of "a lying tongue" (Prov 6:17). In the King James Version of the Bible, there are "19 references" to a "false witness". According to Deuteronomy 19:16-21, If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, according to the Law, the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and  after completing their investigation, if the witness proves to be a liar by giving false testimony against the accused, then God instructed the judges and magistrates do to them as they intended to have done to the one they falsely accused. God said, It's an evil that must be purged from his people! God said when the rest of the people heard of this, they would be afraid, and never again would such an evil thing be done among them again. God was so adamant about false witnessing that he instructed the judicial system:  "Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.
            We are admonished by God to speak the truth in love and never to lie on one another. When a person is a faithful witness for Christ, they are in essence emulating Jesus christ, the faithful and true witness to who God is. There is an  inseparable union between truth and justice. and only he who breathes and utters truth makes the righteous cause clear.



　

 

Proverbs 6:18b: "Feet that be swift in running to mischief"

        The 'feet swift to mischief' expresses the eagerness and unhesitating energy of  an evil person to carry out the wickedness which their hearts devise. Even though evil thoughts arise in the godly, yet the feet of the godly person, at the promptings of Holy Spirit pricking their conscience as it were, refuses to carry out the bad suggestion of the heart (cf. Isa 59:7). 
        The "swiftness " of the feet of an evil person is an expression of the vigour and diligence in the manner in which this person hurries to carry out their evil plot against another person.  The person that possess "sin--feet" that are swift in running to mischief,  exemplify an attitude as if they fear  losing time or an oppportunity to cause someone else hurt, harm and pain. Every time (unbeknown to them) God blocks their effort to cause problems in others lives, Satan causes them to become extremely impatient which  every delay that occurs in carrying out the evil thing they wish to do. The policy and vigilance, the eagerness and industry, of sinners, in their sinful pursuits, may shame us who go about that which is good so awkwardly and so coldly. 

        The "irony" of their pursuit of evil lies in sharp contrast to the amount of real energy many Christians exemplify toward the preceipts, principles and truth rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ. It would be great if every child of God the same kind of swiftness toward the  "holy and sacred things" that God gives to his children freely as they seek to know him up close and on a more personal level. 

            Another sharp contrast between the feet that run toward mischief and the "feet" of Ephesians 6:15  that  are a part of the "whole armor" of God that are "shodded", that is,  prepared for the "Gospel of Peace". The "armored"  feet are embodies the "Fruit of the Spirit":  feet that promote  love, peace, joy, longsuffering, meekness, temperance goodness and faith.  According to the Barnes Noble Commentary of  Ephesians 6:15, "Christians were to have the principles of the gospel of peace-the peaceful and pure gospel-to facilitate them; to aid them in their marches; to make them firm in the day of conflict with their foes". "They were not to be furnished with carnal weapons, but with the peaceful gospel of the Redeemer; and, sustained by this, they were to go on in their "evangelical" march through the world. The principles of the gospel were to do for them what the greaves and iron-spiked sandals did for the soldier-to make them ready for the march, to make them firm in their foot-tread, and to be a part of their defense against their foes". Every child of God ought to have "feet" of  readiness to publish the Gospel. Romans 10:15b says: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good things, that publisheth PEACE; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation;  feet that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isa 52:7.
        
            Every Christian should consider himself on his journey from a strange land to his own country, and not only stand every moment prepared to proceed, but be every moment in actual progress toward his home. Every person that possess feet that run swift toward mischief beware! God truly hates mischevious  and evil feet. In Judges 4:17, 5:26-31 the evil Sisera's feet carried him toward his death though he tought they were carrying him to safety. In 2 Kings 9:33. Jezebel's "feet"  caused her to be thrown out of a window in the palace and trodden under a horsemen's chariot.

Job 18:5-18 gives an apt description of the ultimate  fate of  the person who lives out their life with "wicked feet" that are swift in running towared mischief:

"            The lamp of the wicked is snuffed out; the flame of his fire stops burning. The light in his tent becomes dark; the lamp beside him goes out. The vigor of his step is weakened; his own schemes throw him down. His feet thrust him into a net and he wanders into its mesh. A trap seizes him by the heel; a snare holds him fast. A noose is hidden for him on the ground; a trap lies in his path. Terrors startle him on every side and dog his every step. Calamity is hungry for him; disaster is ready for him when he falls.  It eats away parts of his skin; death's firstborn devours his limbs. He is torn from the security of his tent and marched off to the king of terrors. Fire resides in his tent; burning sulfur is scattered over his dwelling. His roots dry up below and his branches wither above. The memory of him perishes from the earth; he has no name in the land. He is driven from light into darkness and is banished from the world". God hates wicked feet!