Genesis 3: 24 After he (God) drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Since the time of the fall of man, the time when the way back was blocked by a Cherubim with a flaming sword, mankind has frantically tried its way back to immortality, way back to have communion with God, way back through its own merits. The tower of Babel is a striking reminder of man's attempt to reach the heavens, and his inability to do that. Well, after our failed attempt to build a skyscraper that reaches the heavens, we've tried the philosophical route of the Greeks - to reach enlightenment through wisdom, we've tried the devotion route of polytheism - to appease and put off the flaming sword through gifts and rituals, we've tried putting 'good deeds' in the weighing scale to try and balance out the bad deeds and earn our access to the way back. We fall on our faces each time!
When the wise, the devoted, and the societally good man couldn't find the way, it is surprising to know that a runaway cheater - Jacob had the first glimpse of the way back to God and that too in a dream.
Genesis 28:12, 13 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.
How awesome! Someone's finally found the gate of heaven! In the dream, Jacob was promised that through him and his Offspring, all the peoples of the earth will be blessed. Centuries later, in the generation of this man was born the Christ, the Son of God, the Son of man who tells his disciples that He is the stairway between heaven and earth.
John 1: 51 He (Jesus) then added, "Very truly I tell you, you will see 'heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Later on, just before His arrest and trial, Jesus comforts his disciples that He is going to the Father, to prepare a place for them (all who believe in Him), and will come back to take them to where He is. Let us read the conversation.
John 14: 3-7 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
We humans have been attempting to climb up using our own strength, to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Suddenly, when we were offered access, the Way to God, naturally we were skeptical. Jesus expected the disciples to believe him because of (i) their knowledge of Him through their personal relationship with Him (v9,11), (ii) the evidence of His Works (v11), (iii) the fulfillment of His prophetic words (v29).
Yet, there still is this question, how can we KNOW?
John 14: 16, 17, 20 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
Just as Jesus promised, the disciples received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. It is no surprise then, that these people were often called the followers of 'the Way' in the book of Acts. In the Bible, I see no other way for having assurance than the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Even those who desire to walk in the Way, who walk by faith and not by sight, tend to wander to the right or to the left. At that time, it is only the voice of the Spirit that can guide them saying,
Isaiah 30:21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Link to the previous article: How will I know that You'll do this for me? Link to the next article: How can we know that You are the One?
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