Herbert W Armstrong

   There's a great deal of discussion right now in the United States about capital punishment. Is it right or wrong for the government, the state to put one criminal to death, either by some type of execution by the gas chamber in California and the electric chair in New York and other means, whatever? To understand, we need to ask and to answer, why did God put humanity on the earth in the first place? Why are we here? How did we come to be here? How did humans come to be here?

   Now, we have the theory of evolution that has been tried and, you know, the scientists have said give us sufficient knowledge and we will solve all human problems and we will eradicate all of our evils on the earth. Well, we've had knowledge, knowledge has increased knowledge doubled in the decade of the sixties. Modern science has produced a lot of knowledge but they haven't solved our troubles. And here we have a world of awesome progress and yet of appalling evils getting worse and worse every generation, and evolution certainly has not solved the problems. We haven't come up with the answer at all yet.

   What about human life? What about death? If you don't believe the Bible, you have to admit you are ignorant because science cannot give you the answer and religion doesn't understand the answer. Science doesn't know the mystery of life or the mystery of death. I have a booklet, I'm going to announce at the close of this program, Life After Death? Is there any life after death? Science can't give you the answer. They've never seen what happens at death. If anyone goes anywhere except to bury them or cremate them or whatever they do with a dead body. Science knows nothing about it. So we either agree with the Bible as the word of God Almighty, the creator who put us here on the earth. And what he reveals as to why he put us here and where we're going and why he put people to death in the flood, or we admit we're ignorant and we don't know anything about it. And we're just in a world of trouble with no hope ahead whatsoever except more and more troubles, more and more evils.

   Now, the first mention of man or mankind in the Bible of human life is in the book of Genesis, the very first book in the Bible, Genesis chapter one, verse 26 (Genesis 1:26). And it says, "And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have Dominion." God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Now, previously, God had, it says here in the first chapter of Genesis, verses 24 and 25 (Genesis 1:24-25), God has made animals, each after the animal kind, cattle, after the cattle kind, other animals after their kind like dogs, cows, chickens, elephants, whatever, each after his own kind. But now God said, let us make man after our kind. Now, going back to the first verse, the very first verse in all the Bible, the first verse in the first chapter of Genesis (Genesis 1:1), "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." In the beginning, God. Now, that was written originally by Moses many thousand years ago, even several thousand years ago and written in the Hebrew language. It wasn't written in English, there wasn't an English language then, but in the Hebrew language, he used the word "Elohim," which is translated into the English word God.

   Now, God is just an English word. But what does it mean? It came from the Hebrew word " Elohim" and " Elohim" is a uni-plural like the word family, or like the word church or like the word, well, team, a baseball team, a basketball team, whatever, more than one person. What one team, more than one person, but one family like the word church, several people, but one church, it's a uni-plural, a uni-plural. But now who is God that said, let us make man in our image. And what is God like in John 4:24 you will read that God is a spirit. God is composed of spirit. And then if you want to know a little more about God, you find him described a little better in the New Testament. In the first chapter of John John's Gospel in the New Testament chapter one verse one (John 1:1), In the beginning was the Word. I've gone over this so many times on this program in the beginning was the Word, this is so basic, it's so fundamental. You need to understand it or you must lack understanding. You don't know life, you don't know the purpose of your life. You don't know why you're here. You don't know where you're going. You don't know what it's all about. You don't know why the world is in trouble. What causes all of it? What's the cause of the things that we see all about us in the world today?

   Now, in the beginning, that's before man was created before there was any man was the Word that was written in the Greek language. And "logos" is a word that was used, "LOGOS logos," which means a spokesman Word, that's a person and the Word was with God. God is a person, another person. So now you have two persons. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Well, how could that be? You could say, well, in the beginning was John and John was with Smith and John was Smith. Well, John, you see could be Smith's father or John could be Smith's son. Smith is the family name. They're two persons, but they would be one family. And in this case, God is a family and the Word and God formed a family. The same was in the beginning with God, all things were made by him and without him was not anything made. And then in him was life in verse four (John 1:4), in him was life. He had life. He lived, the Father lived God Almighty lived and the Word you read in verse 14 (John 1:14), here was made flesh and dwelt among us and became Jesus Christ. Now they lived, how did they live? Well, they had an occupation do you know what the occupation of God is? He is creator. He is not a destroyer. He is not one who receives, who takes, who gets he is one who gives and he creates and he gives life. He has life, he has life inherent and he gives life. He is composed of spirit. John 4:24.

   Now in Hebrew 7:3, we read that he was without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. Not like we, have always existed. Always your mind can't conceive of that. Neither can mine but something life had to come from life. Life cannot come from the not living. And that is the first principle of science that life cannot come from dead matter. It cannot come from the not living. Only life can impart life and life came from God. He had life and he had life to give and he created. And in Ephesians 3 and in verse 9 (Ephesians 3:9), you will read that God created all things by Jesus Christ. And the Word is the one who became Jesus Christ, a human being and dwell among us.

   Now, then again, let's go back to Genesis 1 and verse 26 (Genesis 1:26). And God said, let us you see why he said, let us make man in our image because there was God and there was the Word and they too, the Word did everything that God said, the Word became Christ And when he was Christ on earth, he said, he spoke not of himself. He said, he spoke nothing of himself. He spoke only what God told him to say and to speak. And yet he said, I and my Father are one. Let me explain that a little later, he made man and he made man in his own image or they made man in their own image. God said, let us make man in our image more than one person. There was God and the Word. But now I want you to notice in the second chapter in verse 7 in Genesis (Genesis 2:7) and God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils. The breath of life, just air in and out of your nostrils, the breath of life and man became a living soul. In other words, man made of the dust of the ground became a soul. The dust of the ground matter became a soul, soul, then is made of matter and not immortal. And man had only temporary chemical, physical life just the same as animals, the same life as animals.

   Now, let me explain one thing here. The two God and the Word were one God. God formed a man. He intended the man to reproduce. I said, Winston Churchill had said to the American Congress that there is a purpose being worked out here below, that purpose is that God is reproducing himself. He said, let us make man in our image after our likeness and all the way through the Bible, you begin to find that God is going to make man into his own children born of God until we finally become God. Our children born of us become human, just like we're human. And God's children born of God will become God just like he is God. You know, for years, I thought that would blasphemy to believe that until I saw it so many places revealed in the Bible and all through, especially in the New Testament that it's either believe it or say, I don't believe God and very few do believe God. Anyway, it's just a matter of will you believe God, you can't understand your own existence. You can't understand the world, the conditions in the world. You can't understand life as you see it on earth at the present time. If you don't believe God and you don't find it in this word, the Holy Bible, which is the revelation of God to his people. And I don't say to the world because the world cannot understand it anyway.

   Now, God created man after his own image, but he made him with temporary life like animals. Now he made a man, he intended the man to reproduce, but the man was not complete. It was like a woman make baking a cake and she hadn't put the icing on, it's not finished yet. And so God had not completed creation when he made just the man out of the dust of the ground. So he took a rib out of the man and made a wife out of him. And they too became one in the same way that the Word and God became one, they became one and the church must become one of those many people, but they must be one in harmony and agreement and cooperation and in beliefs and in the way they lived all the way through.

   Now, God formed man of the dust of the ground. Man did not have life inherent life. God is composed of spirit. Man is composed of the dust of the ground, but God offered man life. He offered him life. There were two trees in the Garden of Eden where God put the man and the woman that he had created and made. And there it was the tree of life freely offered to them. But there also was another tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they desired to take to themselves spiritual knowledge, that is the knowledge of right and wrong, which is spiritual knowledge that's not material or physical knowledge, it's spiritual, but man made the wrong choice. And so you will read in the fifth chapter of Romans and verse 12 (Romans 5:12), wherefore as by one man, that's that man Adam sin entered into the world because he disobeyed God, he disobeyed and sin is the transgression of the law and it's the law of God that he transgressed, sin, entered by one man, entered the world and death by sin. So death passed upon all men for that all have sinned. And so death passed upon all men.

   Then again, you read in Hebrews nine and verse 27 (Hebrews 9:27), after Adam had made that decision and had rejected life and just took to himself life and took to himself, the spiritual knowledge of what is right and what is wrong then as it was appointed unto men once to die. But after that, the judgment. So God then at the foundation of the world made it appointed to men once to die. But after that, the judgment, now this life is only a physical physio, chemical temporary existence. It is not real life, but it is appointed to all men once to die and then it is going to come a resurrection and a judgment. You read about that in the 15th chapter of I Corinthians about the resurrection.

   Now, at the same time, the foundation of the world you read in Revelation 13 and eight (Revelation 13:8), that Jesus there called the Lamb of God was slain at the very beginning of the foundation of the world. In other words, it was decreed that he would be slain. It was understood between him and God that he would come be born of a human virgin Mary, that he would live on the earth without sin, that he would die to pay the penalty of man's sin in man's stead because the first man began to sin.

   Now that man and woman had a son, his name was Cain. They had a second son, his name was Abel, but they hadn't trained their children properly. And there was a Satan around who got to them while they were even infants and children growing up, put a wrong attitude, a wrong spirit in them. Cain killed his brother Abel and then lied to God about it. And so all have sinned and it's come that way on down to you and me today and the world is full of sin and sin is a transgression of the law. And God's law is love. It's the way of giving, it's the way of helping and cooperating the way of love out flowing, good outflow concern for the good and welfare of others, instead of jealousy or envy or competition, strife or vanity for your own self. And man has lived that way, transgression of the law of God ever since.

   Now, it was decreed then that Christ would come as the Lamb of God to be slain for the penalty of our sins to pay it in our stead. Now on Adam's sin, the Holy Spirit was shut off. God closed up the tree of life which was merely a symbol of the Holy Spirit. He shut off the Holy Spirit from mankind until the kingdom of God should be ordered upon the earth God was going to create his kingdom. He was going to reproduce himself. In other words, his begotten and born children becoming his great family, would become the kingdom of God and would govern and rule the whole world. And ultimately the entire universe as God is the creator and does govern and rule the entire universe.

   Now, what gospel did Jesus bring when he came? He was called the second Adam and Jesus proclaimed the gospel which you find in Mark the first chapter. And I have spoken of that time and time again on this program, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark one and verse one (Mark 1:1), the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Then it speaks about John, the Baptist preparing the way before him. And after that, John was put in prison. Verse 14 (Mark 1:14), Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel, but what gospel? Not the gospel you've been hearing my friends, but the gospel of the Kingdom of God. And that is the family of God governing the whole world, the rulership in the hands of that family, governing with the law of God. And that law is the law of love which produces peace and joy and happiness and production and everything good, everything wholesome, everything wonderful.

   After that, John was put in prison. Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God and saying the time is fulfilled because Jesus had just overcome Satan and qualified to rule in that kingdom and set up that kingdom and the Kingdom of God is at hand repent ye therefore, and believe the gospel, how can people believe a gospel that has not been preached to them? And for 1900 years from 70 A.D. on that gospel was not proclaimed to the world. It now is proclaimed and you're hearing it by my voice this second, you're seeing it proclaimed this very second and it was not proclaimed for 1900 years. They proclaimed a gospel about Christ but a message about the messenger, Christ was a messenger God sent to the earth. He was the Word, the spokesman. He came speaking the gospel. Jesus came with the gospel. They preached a gospel or a message rather about the messenger. But the gospel is the message that the messenger brought. And that was about the kingdom of God, about the coming kingdom or government or family of God into which we may be born.

   Now, this world began with Adam. This world began really with the first Adam and he chose to take to himself the knowledge of good and evil. He disobeyed God. God wanted him to take in the tree of life. God wanted him to have life inherent eternal life as God has, but he rejected it and he rebelled against God, he disobeyed and he sinned and so all have sinned. And so finally, all were sinning. Now we go to the sixth chapter of Genesis. And if you will notice now, beginning in verse one Genesis six (Genesis 6:1), this is about 1500 or so years after the creation of Adam and after the creation of man, and it came to pass when men began to multiply upon the face of the earth.

   Now, once again, humanity is multiplying. In other words, we're not growing by mere addition, but by multiplication, it's a population explosion. And that's what they were having. At that time, men began to multiply upon the earth. There was a population explosion and daughters were born unto them. And God saw verse five (Genesis 6:5), God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually and it repented the Eternal that he had made man on the earth and he was grieved, grieved in his heart.

   The earth was all so corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth and behold, it was very corrupt for all flesh had corrupted his way on the earth. All flesh had corrupted his way. But Noah found favor with God because Noah was perfect in his generations. That is not spiritually but his physical generations. Noah was perfect and Noah did walk with God and God saved Noah and his family had him build an Ark. Noah preached, he preached to the world and warned them for 100 years. God did not drown the earth and the people on it until they had been warned. 100 years, Noah and his sons and Noah and his sons then entered the ark and then the flood came upon the earth.

   And so we read now in the seventh chapter of Genesis, verse 17 (Genesis 7:17), and the flood was 40 days upon the earth and the waters increased and they bear up the ark. And then verse 21 (Genesis 7:21), and all flesh died that were upon the earth. And then we pick up in verse 23 (Genesis 7:23), again and Noah and his sons only were left alive on the earth. Otherwise everybody else died. Now, God had decreed, remember that it was appointed to man once to die. And after that, the judgment, now then we turn over to the 15th chapter of the I Corinthians in the New Testament. And you here in beginning verse 22 (I Corinthians 15:22), for as in Adam, all died even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

   Christ is the second Adam who came to redeem man. God drowned men because they only had a temporary existence. Now get this my people get this point. God had only given man a temporary existence. At first, they lived over 900 years. Ultimately, God cut the span of life down to an approximate 70 years and some of us have lived a little longer than that. But that's about an average. So you only have a temporary life anyway. It's a matter of how long do you live. Now, God chose to cut the life short of that 900 years or even 70 years. And he cut the life short of all who then lived in the flood because of their wickedness. And it was bringing only violence upon the earth just as it is today.

   Jesus Christ said in our day, it would be just as it was in the days of Noah, violence filling the earth and it is today. Once again, we're in the very last days now. And this time, another judgment is coming on the earth. So God simply took away this temporary life. But as in Adam, they all died. You will notice here verse 22 as in Adam, all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Every one of them is going to be brought back to life, but every man in his own order, Christ, the firstfruits, he was resurrected over 1950 years ago, afterward they that are Christ at his coming, the dead in Christ. And those in Christ who are alive will be changed in an instant in the twinkling of an eye from mortal to immortal, from human to divine, from matter and the spirit and will be caught up to meet him in the air. But they only meet him as he's coming to the earth. And his feet will touch that same day on them out of olives and where he is there, we may be with him also. And then we'll start a new heaven and a new earth then will come the end and others, a resurrection finally, and a judgment.

   Now, in the judgment, they're all going to give account for the way they lived on this earth and they're going to be called guilty and the penalty is going to be death, but not that first death, the second death, then they're going to be notified that Jesus Christ paid that penalty in their stead. He came, lived a perfect life. He never sinned, he died and God so loved this world. He gave his only begotten Son and who will believe upon him should not perish. Those who died have not perished. They're going to be brought back in a resurrection. It appointed to them once to die. But after this, the judgment as in Adam, they died in Christ, they will all be made alive.

   Oh, I tell you, you can't understand the wisdom, the mercy of God and his ways past finding out. I just, I see that I'm out of time and I want to tell you, I'd like to send you this booklet, Life After Death? Is there life after death? And what is it? People know almost nothing about it. What does God say? What does the Bible reveal? Either you accept that or admit you're ignorant. There's no other way. Don't laugh it off. It's the only knowledge you can possibly have another thing. Why were you BORN? Another booklet? I'd like to send it to you. Why were you BORN? For what purpose? Why are you here for? Where are you going? What is the way? You need this booklet, because people just don't understand.

   And then I'll send you a year's subscription to this world's most wonderful magazine. Now, over 5,200,000 copies going out every month. The Plain Truth, you have a year's subscription. No charge, no charge whatsoever. Now, just send your request to me, Herbert W Armstrong at Pasadena, California. That's the only mail address you need. Herbert W Armstrong Pasadena, California 91123. And so until next time, this is Herbert W Armstrong, goodbye friends.