Paradise had that climate advertisers always try to get us to buy tickets for. Warm gentle breezes, perfect weather, and lovely surrounds and scenery. Nothing that could harm us. Not even the common cold.

Actually, the Paradise that God the Creator of the Universe gave us humans, was much better and safer than just a tropical holiday. And God meant us to have it forever, with none of the ageing or dying we know now. Each day God came down in the cool of evenings to walk with the first man, Adam.

Everything was taken care of. There was even no need to kill for food. The plants in Paradise grew every kind of thing that we could ever need to eat.

Man was given the job of looking after this beautiful place.

And it was very beautiful. When He had created the Earth, God had placed a covering of water vapour above the atmosphere (as are above some other planets in the solar system today). We understand that by night this special water vapour caused the stars to be magnified and look fantastic. During the day, the ultraviolet rays of the sun were completely filtered out—no cancers or things like that! And the whole planet was kept warm all over with light and heat from the sun being spread around the globe more evenly by the water covering. So there were no storms and winters as we know them now.

It didn’t even rain as it does today. The Lord God caused a vapour to rise each morning from the ground, and water the Earth. In Paradise there were also two trees, the fruit of one gave a knowledge of good and evil, the fruit of the other — the Tree of Life — gave eternal life.

So What Happened?

 Man Did The One Thing That God Had Told Us Not To.

When Satan tempted Eve, she chose to eat fruit from the Tree of knowing good and evil.

Adam, chose to follow Eve and also ate the same fruit.

God had — Commanded the man, saying:–

“From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”

And so it happened. God also threw mankind out of Paradise.

Men were to work hard for food, and woman would have pain in giving birth, and were given their husbands to rule over them. Sickness and disease started. The ages we could then live to also started to decrease, from an initial hundreds of years each, to about 120 and then to the current seventy or so.

Weeds and other nuisance and prickly plants started to grow.

We were also blocked from getting to the Tree of Life. For God did not want us to live eternally as sinners.  

It is all known as 'The Curse'.

As mankind multiplied and spread out to fill the whole Earth of those days, so too his (now) evil nature increased. Made originally perfect, we had become evil and sinners, and were getting worse and worse. Filling the Earth with corruption and violence. Eventually God had enough, and judged the Earth, flooding it in the days of a man called Noah.

That flood (which went higher than all the mountains of those times), destroyed just about every trace of Paradise, along with everyone who hadn't believed God's warnings —and failed to go into Noah’s Ark. God had told Noah, a clean living and God loving man, to make a large boat — the Ark,  to float above the flood.

In the Ark, God would save both any one who believed His warnings through Noah, and members of each animal family that God had caused to come to the Ark for safety. With “The Flood”, everything about the Earth changed. The protecting layer of water that was above the atmosphere, had come down in the deluge of rain. Now UV radiation could get through.   The Continents were soon to split up and move apart. Ice caps were to form. And the kind of weather we know today came about. Climates were to change and winters started.

Diseases took greater effect. And the delicate balances in nature were destroyed.

Life was much, much, harder.

Amazingly, mankind did not learn. Told after the flood to spread out over the whole Earth, the descendants of Noah chose instead to settle in what is now modern Iraq. In the area that was to become Babylon—where Saddam Hussein was actually trying to rebuild Babylon before the USA led invasion!(Jer 50:39-40).

There the Tower of Babel was first built. Man reckoned he was going to reach up into the heavens without God’s help, in disobedience to what our ancestors had actually been told to do. God came down and stopped the building project.

To stop man uniting against Him again, God also confused the then one and only spoken language, bringing in the ethnic differences and many language families we see today. Then God scattered mankind across the face of the Earth.  Shortly afterwards, or during the flood, continental drift appears to have taken place. Man, in the then new differing races, was now thoroughly split up. And with continental drift, and the ice sheets that covered whole areas for a time, many of the animal families were also separated.

It is recorded that the Earth was divided during the life of a man called Peleg.

". . Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber.
 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.  . ." (Gen 10:25)

Some of the descendants of Joktan live in Yemen to this day.

For each one of us at some time in our life, young or old, has chosen to sin against what God has put in our consciences.

None of us can claim innocence. We’ve all inherited the ability to know the difference between right and wrong, the knowledge of good and evil. And each has decided to do wrong. Just like Adam and Eve, not one of us is now worthy of being with God, or in His Paradise.

For as great as His love is, God’s truth must also stand, and He had said that the person who sins shall die.

No amount of trying to do good things down here on Earth can get rid of the sins we’ve already done, or make any difference to God who is in Heaven.

The Angel announced that they were going to have a child and that his name was to be John. Zacharias didn’t believe this at first, and was consequently struck dumb for a season by the Angel. Not being able to talk, he had to make signs and write things down.  Just as the Lord had spoken through His angel, so Elizabeth did conceive to her husband.

Now while she was pregnant, the same Angel (Gabriel) who had spoken to Elizabeth, spoke to her cousin Mary and said that she was to conceive from the Most High God. Mary was a virgin and not yet actually married, only “bethrothed”. She remained a virgin at this time, but did conceive by the promised miracle of God. Her husband to be, was somewhat concerned.

Not knowing how Mary could have become pregnant yet still be intact as a virgin, he decided to quietly put her out of his life before they went through with the final marriage ceremonies of those times.

However, before he did that, an Angel from the Lord God came to him in a dream and told him not  to put  Mary away, but that she was pregnant by the miracle  power of God.
It is  recorded in the official   account  (the   Bible)  like  this:—

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,

Elizabeth gave birth about six months before Mary did. And the baby was named John according to the instructions that the angel had given to Zacharias. When the boy was born, Zacharias was again able to speak.

John was full of God’s Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. He went on to live in the desert regions of Israel. During which time God prepared him to be the prophet who He had called to get Israel ready for the coming of the Messiah. For John was to call Israel to turn from their sins, to repent and be purified of heart and body, preparing to meet their Messiah.

The Magi

The Wise
Men

Men who sought to know the Wisdom of God, were in those days known as Wise Men or Magi. There were a number of such men seeking the wisdom of God at that time. They lived somewhere to the East of Israel. These people represented the best that man could come to in trying to seek God through any other philosophy or religion.

And their understanding led them to follow a star that had unexpectedly appeared in the sky, to find the One born King of the Jews. Following that star brought them to Bethlehem, in the foothills of Judea, in Israel.

Already there at that time were Mary and Joseph. They had gone to Bethlehem because the Romans had ordered a Census — a head count and registration of Israel for taxation purposes. Each person was required, to return to the town or city of their ancestors, to be marked down in the census. Mary and Joseph were both descendants of King David, and Bethlehem was the ancient ancestral city of David, King of Israel.

When they arrived, there was no room in the hotels, because of all the people that has come back for the Census. Mary was ready to give birth. All that was available was a cow shed attached to an inn. There Mary gave birth to Jesus — the name means “to save” in Hebrew. Jesus was also to be known as Christ, meaning the “Appointed One” in the Greek language.

By the time the Wise Men had arrived, Jesus had been presented as a baby in God’s Temple in Jerusalem, and Joseph and Mary had moved into a house. The Wise Men knew that Jesus was the Christ, that was why they had come to find Him.

The Magi came to bow down and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Showing moreover that the greatest of other world religions, had come to the feet of Christ, acknowledging Him as the Lord God through Whom all things were created.

(Even the first Buddha had taught that no one was to make a religion out of his teachings, but all were to look for the coming of the Messiah, that is the Christ, and then follow Him and His teachings. And now the Wise Men, the Magi, had been led to Jesus by the star of Bethlehem. Other ancient religions like Hinduism also were to expect the Messiah.)

While Himself more than just a prophet, Jesus was to be the greatest, and last main prophet from God. As God the Son, Jesus is God’s best revealing of Himself to mankind. There is never to be another like Him. Nor any prophet to replace or add to His words.

Ever since then true prophets who God raises up do not start new religions or churches, but only point us to Christ and His ways. Just as the Magi did in their day nearly 2,000 years ago now.

Even so, Joseph was to go to a different part of Israel, to a city called Nazareth. There Jesus grew up being trained by Joseph to become such a good carpenter that He was known in His home town as “the” carpenter.

Some people wonder what Jesus did with his life before He started preaching and teaching.

Training as a descent carpenter took a very long time in those days.

And they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. He went back with them, and came to Nazareth; and He continued in submission to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men."

Jesus knew that God was His Father, and that He was to be about His business. Later in life Jesus was even to talk about the glory which He had shared in God His Father’s presence before He came down to Earth.

Life continued on as normal with Jesus training as a carpenter (He didn’t go on any world trips!), until Jesus became about thirty years old.

Then His cousin John the Baptist, the son of His mother’s cousin Elizabeth, started calling for Israel to repent, to be baptised, confessing their sins; and to expect their Messiah. This was to prepare Israel for the time that Jesus would soon start doing His Heavenly Father’s work.

Around that time Jesus Himself went down to be baptised (put under water) by John in the Jordan river. Not in His case because He had done anything wrong, but just to do everything in a pleasing way to God His heavenly Father.

On that day the Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus as He stood in the waters of baptism. It is recorded that God spoke from Heaven.

A man born blind from birth who was healed, said this about Jesus:

“Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.

If this man were not from God, He could do nothing."

Jesus himself answering an inquiry from John the Baptist,

“ Now when John in prison heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples, and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?"

And Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM."

There was one greater thing that Jesus was to do, according to the prophets of God. He was to die for the sins of His people. Not just Israel, but to be Saviour for all in the whole world,  especially those who would believe in Him.

Jesus’ Death On A Cross

 To die for the sins of the world

More and more people were following Jesus. So it was that the jealous Jewish religious leaders conspired to have Him put to death.

They were afraid that Jesus would become so powerful that He would represent a threat to the Romans in that area, and that Rome would come and destroy their Temple to put the Jews down. There could only ever be one such Temple Area, and it had to be built in Jerusalem on a certain hill that God had appointed.
And the Jewish leaders did not want to lose their religion and perhaps the money and power they enjoyed from it. All which depended on the Temple.

Thats the human side of the story as things were to happen.

From God the Father's point of view—
                                             Jesus was to die as a “sacrificial” payment to Him for our sins.

This means that instead of us having to pay for our sins with our lives before the Judgement seat of God, God would look upon Jesus’ voluntary sacrifice of His own life, and accept it instead of our being judged and paying with our own life for our wrongs.

That is, only for any one who really believes.

God had destined that Jesus’ whole life was to lead up to this moment. Humanly speaking, it was finally a political decision to do Him in. Political it had to be, for no wrong could be found in Him at ALL! A pure and blameless, kind and gentle man.

Publicly, a choice was to be made by Israel. Once a year the Roman Governor, Pilate, would set free a prisoner at the Jewish feast of the Passover. The choice was to be made between a terrorist who had maimed and killed, and Jesus who had healed and given back life itself.

Representatives of the whole Jewish nation stood before the Roman Governor Pilate, and demanded the death of Jesus. The Jewish religious leaders stirred the crowd up and all the million or so Jewish men present howled for His death. We would have done the same if we had been there. A criminal, murderous man, was set free. Jesus, loving and innocent, was to be scourged and executed.

Jesus was taken away to be nailed to a cross and lifted up from the Earth. To die one of the most terrible deaths a human could ever face — crucifixion. As they nailed Him to the cross, He lovingly prayed,

“Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Although there was no eclipse (being a full moon) yet the sun was darkened. Dead people rose out of their graves restored to life. And the large four inch thick felt curtain hanging in front of the Holy place in the Temple, was ripped from top to bottom — from Heaven!

They pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, blood and water flowed out separately from his dead body signifying his total death.

The body was taken and put in a new tomb donated by a believer. The Roman Governor had a guard put on the tomb and his Official Seal placed on the stone which closed the tomb in.

As He had prophesied, on the third day after Jesus’ body was put in the tomb, He rose from the dead!

He appeared to many of His disciples, even having them touch him and put their hands in the holes in His hands and in his side where the spear had pierced Him. Jesus ate food with them, to show that He was not a ghost or some kind of spirit being, but a real flesh and bone human raised from the dead. With a body that now has heavenly qualities.

Then after many days having given further instructions concerning the Kingdom of God, in front of His disciples’ very own eyes, he was taken up into a cloud, and out of sight. Angels who appeared told the disciples that Jesus would come back in the same way as He had just left.

So Jesus’ followers wait for Him to come in the clouds again. To raise up from the dead (in bodies that will never die again), those who have trusted in Him with all their hearts in this life. And transform those of His believers who have not yet died, to have the same kind of perfect heavenly Paradise body.

Both the dead who are raised to life at His coming, and the rest of His followers still alive at that time will be caught up in the air, and be bodily transformed in the twinkling of an eye, and meet Jesus as He returns to the Earth.

The Lord Jesus first came as a little baby in a manger. When He returns, He comes in power to put down His enemies. Those who have trusted Him now will have nothing to fear, in fact they will rule with Him over various places.  (The full story is in the Bible.) Finally much later on, the Lord Jesus will hand everything back to His Heavenly Father, burning the Earth, the heavens and all that is in them.

Then all unbelievers (every one whose names are not found in God’s Book of Life) will be Judged and sent to the burning lake along with the Devil, and his angels. But for believers who have surrendered and lived their lives for the Lord Jesus Christ — A new Heaven and a new Earth — Paradise restored, man back with God forever.

Jesus’ death on the cross was so that your sins may be forgiven by God the Father.

Jesus Physically Rose From The Dead.

His resurrection — His being raised from the dead,   proves that God accepted the sacrifice Jesus had made on your behalf!

Only God can forgive your sins. Jesus has the authority to forgive you all of your sins. To cleanse you and make you acceptable to God. Jesus gave His body and blood so that you don’t have to loose your life at the Second Death, The Judgement.

As kind as God is, He will not have sinners in His presence, neither in Heaven nor in the restored Paradise to come. Only people who are cleansed from sin and aiming to lead a pure life for God will be part of the fantastic future God has prepared for humans. And only Jesus can do that for you.

God Loves You

 “To as many as believe, He gives the right to become children of God”

Is your name written in God’s Book of Life?

Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Emmanuel—God with us? Do you believe in your heart that He rose from the dead? Have you turned from sin and unbelief been baptised (put under water) to follow the Lord Jesus, are you trusting for the forgiveness of your sins? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit are you following The Lord Jesus and His teachings — and no one else’s? — Even if it means being persecuted, or loosing your life?

Are you going to be in Paradise, or finally into the burning lake?

Don’t miss out on God’s Paradise, because just like the people in the days of Noah and the flood, you can miss out!

It’s not about belonging to a certain church group or something, and having all your money taken off you by religious people.

That sort of stuff is just man made religion which can not help you.

The Truth is The Lord Jesus Christ. He is Reality, and the only way to God the Father.

The Lord Jesus is the only one Who can forgive your sins, and give you eternal life.

No other priest, religious organisation, or other  spiritual belief can do it for you.

It’s not about going to religious meetings, and doing their studies all the time, or keeping special man made days like Easter or Christmas, or even Sunday. None of these things can save you from God’s judgement, or perhaps even help you in knowing Him better. The main thing is believing in Jesus Christ and God the Father through Him, and being forgiven your sins.

Receive forgiveness from Jesus! Believe in and follow The Lord Jesus, and no other! Surrender your will to Jesus. Let God take charge and guide your life.

The Promise of the Father

“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them  life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He  wishes.”

Not only will Jesus raise His believers from death, He also promises to take care of them now. For those who really seek the kingdom of God, Jesus says that His Father will feed and clothe them, taking care of their every need now. Enabling them to do His will here on earth.

Their Father in Heaven will also give His Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit Himself to come and live inside the believer. Giving people the power and strength to live for God and do His will.

Just as Jesus did miracles and healings while Himself here on Earth, so He still does them today to prove the truth of this message about Him — called the gospel. So that people can know that it is not just a made up story. Such miracles and healings are often done through those of His people who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit of God, through laying hands and praying.

If you believe in, and follow the Lord Jesus, you will receive the Holy Spirit of God.  Should you do so, do not be surprised when you start to speak in a language unknown to you, when talking to God in prayer. This often happens to followers of the Lord Jesus and is described in the New Testament of the Bible.

For a believer this may happen either before or after they are baptised in water.

If you believe in Jesus then it is important to be baptised under water as Jesus was Himself — certainly not as a baby! It is written in the Bible that we should be baptised when we have decided to turn away from (and die to) our old sinful unbelieving life, be forgiven our sins, and start a brand new life for Christ.

Another thing which God’s Holy Spirit does is that He pours God’s love into a believer’s heart, and motivates them to do good things for people, and tell others about Jesus and God’s way.

The Holy Spirit  will also lead you to meet with other believers in Jesus. Avoid groups led or taught by woman, or which approve of homosexuality or other sins. Seek out people who believe, and live, what is written in the New Testament of the Bible.

You will find many new loving and pure friendships developing, and will feel drawn to pray, talk and learn about the Lord with other followers of Jesus; to contribute spiritually, practically and financially to the needs of others day by day, and to help those who do God's work.

Often, the Holy Spirit might not make these things happen in a “Churchy” type environment at all. The Holy Spirit will teach and remind you of Jesus’ ways and lead you into all truth. And you need to read the Bible.

Jesus says that He will be with His followers, not leaving us alone as orphans, but giving the Holy Spirit as a promise of His return in the clouds for every eye to see, at an exact time that is  unknown to us.  But it is soon now! Jesus and His first disciples tell us about a number of things that will happen as indicators of the general season of Jesus’ return. Increases in earthquakes, wars, rumours of wars, famines, plagues, revolutions, and the anti-Christ. Trading using 666 and more. These things are happening or readying now.

Are you ready for Jesus to come?

And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”      (Luke 23:43)

“...I was caught up into Paradise, and heard ...”
(2Corinthians 12:4)

Jesus speaking:— “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.”
(Revelations 2:7)

When God chucked Adam and Eve out of Paradise, we were blocked from eating of the Tree of Life. — Now only through Jesus Christ, you can have Eternal Life!

Get ready for God’s PARADISE,
make sure by God’s grace in Christ Jesus that you get there!

Start right now by turning form sin asking God to take your life over and lead you to know Jesus as your Lord, just talk to Him, He will hear you. Then get baptised and follow Jesus all your days, trusting God your Father to forgive your sins and look after you forever!

And get as many people as you can to know and trust the Lord Jesus as well! Knowing that God’s Holy Spirit will help you do God’s will, doing miracles, and strengthening you when you feel weak. From your heart always live for what God puts there as pleasing to Him. Loving other Christian brothers and sisters devotedly from a pure heart, caring for anyone who you find in need. Keeping yourself in God’s love, avoiding sin . .

And remember that Jesus will be with you forever!

For printing out the booklet version — please see this page:

http://paulanorman.com/pdf/paradise/

NIV1984