From Eden to Eden
A Study of the Prophetic History and the Future of Mankind from a Biblical Perspective
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Satan does not have a permanent dwelling in heaven, but, since his fall, he has had access to the presence of God. God, in his righteousness, allows Satan to present his cause before the throne of God’s justice. Examples of this have already been mentioned: Satan’s accusation of Job before the throne of God (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7), the spirit of error that led Ahab to his death (I Kings 22:19-22) and, now and during the Tribulation, he is the accuser of God’s saints (Revelation 12:10b). But, despite his accusations, against the remnants before God’s throne, the remnants have been victorious for three reasons: the blood of Christ has been their protection against the forces of evil; the preaching of the Gospel has united them to spiritual agencies also involved in this task: the angels of God and the Holy Spirit; and, finally, they have not been afraid to risk their lives and have embarked fearlessly upon their witnessing task (12:11). Now, Satan comes to earth and, although he comes with the purpose of destroying the globe and the remnants, there is joy in heaven because it is known that his time is short. Soon, God will intervene and put a stop to all his evil deeds.
Once Satan is banished from the heavenly regions, but before he reaches the earth, he enters the abyss, where he liberates some of his demoniac forces. The abyss, as we have already studied, is the place where the unclean spirits and the demons are imprisoned. Probably, this is not the first time Satan has visited this unholy place, but now, he comes with a key (9:1) that represents a divine power granted to him. Gates of divine power have prevented the forces imprisoned there to leave this infernal place. Now, Satan has the key of the gates and uses it. When he unlocks the gates of this hideous enclosure, demoniac smoke and all the evil locked there flood out of the abyss and surround Satan, their leader. The fifth trumpet describes this horrendous scene (9:1-11).
Satan does not continue his journey directly to earth. First, he goes to hell where the spirit of the European antichrist awaits him, after his murder. He frees it. Then, he goes to the grave where the body of the antichrist is. He makes the freed spirit of the antichrist enter his lifeless body and resurrects it. Finally, he incarnates the resurrected antichrist. Now, he enters earth, triumphant, incarnated in a human being, followed by millions of unclean spirits and demons which the apostle sees as locusts that devastate the earth. Later, we will see that these satanic hordes are led by three unclean spirits, their commanders in chief (16:13).
All these actions are an infernal mimicry of what Christ did in his life, death, resurrection and ascension. Christ was God incarnate, and while on earth, He had, what we might call due to the limitations of the human language, two spiritual entities: the Logos, the word of God (John 1:1,14), the second Person of the Trinity, and a human spirit (Luke 23:46). The incarnate European antichrist will also have two spiritual entities: Satan and a human spirit. Christ died, and in death, descended to "the spirits in prison" where He preached to the antediluvian spirits (I Peter 3:18-20), freeing many of them, and leading "captivity captive" (Ephesians 4:8). This we interpret to mean that He also freed the saints in Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:19-23). Satan enters the abyss, liberates his followers and the European antichrist from hell. Christ resurrected from among the dead and ascended to heaven. Satan leaves the world of the dead to "ascend" to the Earth.
The atom is considered to be the smallest unit of any substance, that preserves its characteristics. The atom consists of a dense nucleus where a number of positive electrical charges, called protons, reside together with a number of neutral electrical charges, called neutrons. These positive electrical charges are surrounded by, more or less, the same number of negative electrical charges, called electrons. The electrons are arranged in orbits around the nucleus, in the same way that the planets orbit around the sun. The number of protons, in the nucleus, is what gives the physical and chemical characteristics to the atom and to the substance of which the atom is part. Therefore, each element always has the same number of protons, although the number of neutrons might vary. For example, an atom of hydrogen, the simplest of all atoms, has one proton, with between one to three neutrons, in the nucleus, surrounded by one electron, in orbit, around the nucleus. An atom of uranium consists of 92 protons, in the nucleus, surrounded by 92 electrons in orbits around the nucleus. One of its types has 146 neutrons in the nucleus. The protons and the neutrons are kept in the nucleus by a combination of energy forces which prevent them to disperse or to unite. The discharge of energy of an atomic bomb is the result of the release of some of these forces, allowing the nucleus of the atoms of uranium to break into two; so powerful are the forces that keep the nucleus together. When electrons are missing in the outer orbits of the atom, at which time the atom is called an ion, the atom shares these outer orbits with atoms of other elements. This sharing of electrons in the outer orbits is what forms the chemical compounds.
The negative charges, the electrons, rotate in orbits around the nucleus of the atom. These orbits are held in their places by levels of electromagnetic energy. The positive charges in the nucleus attract the electrons that rotate in the orbits, but the forces of electromagnetic energy do not allow the electrons to cave-in into the nucleus. So strong is this attraction in nature that the zig-zag of electricity in a lightning is formed by a current of electrons falling to the ground, attracted by the protons on the surface. However, the electromagnetic forces in the atoms sustain the orbits and electrons in their places and do not allow a cave-in; so powerful are these forces.
Christ designed and created the atom and the forces which sustain the nuclei and the orbits of the atom intact. "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16). He placed these electromagnetic and electrostatic forces in their places and gave them the power to perform their functions. Scriptures state that these forces are reserved, are held, are sustained in place, "preserved (by the power) of the same Word (Christ, the word of God)" (II Peter 3:7). The word of God, Jesus Christ, was the One who in creation manifested Himself in the expression, "Let there be ..." (Genesis 1:3,6,14), and it became. That word of God, that created all creation, is what sustains in their places the structures, the laws and the stability (the equilibrium, the balances) in nature. The Apostle Paul states that all things were made by Him and subsist for Him (Hebrews 2:10). That is, all structures and laws in nature are held in place by and for Him. The electromagnetic and the electrostatic forces, and the power that holds them in their places, are part of these structures and of these laws. They perform an equilibrium that prevents the electrons of the atom to cave-in into the nuclei which attract them with overwhelming force and which would disintegrate the nuclei of the atom.
This control, this divine power, that holds in place
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About the Book
Dr. José Luis Keyes has been a teacher of biblical prophecy, Old Testament, New Testament, Church History, Theology and Hebrew for over thirty years. All these fields of knowledge are brought together in this wonderful book, From Eden to Eden, where the history and future of Gentile (non-Hebrew) mankind, the Hebrew nation and the Christian Church are interlaced upon the background of that portion of secular human history and present-day events that pertain to the biblical narrative. The book reviews, as the subtitle indicates, the history of mankind, from a biblical standpoint, covering from Adam up to the end of times: from the first Garden of Eden to the Second Eden: the New Jerusalem. It studies separately Hebrew history, Gentile history, the Christian Church’s history and the eschatological events of the end-time. From Abraham’s time on, the book centers on Europe and the Middle East. Other areas of the world are referred to as they interact with the affairs of Europe and the Middle East. A rationale is presented for this approach. The Intertestamental Period, the period between the New and Old Testament, is covered in an appendix that presents a chronology of some of the most important historical events, which occurred in those 400 years (fourth to first centuries B.C.) in the world. Twelve appendixes are presented to supplement the biblical record including, The divine purpose and the biology of human beings, written by a practicing physician; A summary of the current scientific theories concerning the creation of the universe, prehistory and the beginning of history; A summary of the establishment and structure of the European Union; A summary of positions concerning the Millennium and related events presented in the Christian literature; and other appendixes on other subjects related to the main subject of the book. The book also contains an article on four different traditions concerning the fate of the Ark of the Covenant. It also has five maps. Issues such as the end of the Dinosaur Period, the depletion of the ozone layer, the warming up of the atmosphere, Cuban santería, the structure of the atom, and others are discussed, intercalated in appropriate places of this book. The present developments in Europe and the conflicts in the Middle East, specially the struggle with the Moslem world and some of its leaders, are addressed from the biblical standpoint. The emergence, acts and interrelationships of a trilogy of antichrists: an European, a Hebrew and Moslem, are studied on the light of the books of Daniel and Revelation. The book further studies the Second Coming of Christ, the Millennium, the personality and acts of Gog, atomic energy and the end of the universe, and other related subjects of the end-time on the light of the books of Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah and Revelation. Other books have been written on this subject. The author believes, however, that the novelty of this book is its historical approach, its theological underpinnings, expressed in layman terms, and its spiritual content. The prophetical landscape of the future of all human beings: Christian, Jew and Gentile, yours included, is depicted on the canvas of the biblical books of Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah and Revelation, among others; the recent events on the Middle East giving relevancy to the narrative. Read this book and know the meaning of what is going on around you and about where you, personally, together with all mankind are heading.
About the Author
Dr. José L. Keyes has been a Disciples of Christ minister for over forty years. Since his retirement in 1991, he has served as interim minister for Hispanic congregations of his denomination, of the American Baptist denomination and of the Reformed Church in America. At the same time and until his retirement in 1990, he was assistant professor of English-as-a-Second-Language at the Hostos Community College of the City University of New York.
Presently, he is the minister of the Christ Redeemer Christian Church, in the Bronx. He teaches English Literature for the summer Upward Bound Program of John Jay College of the City University of New York. He is an adjunct professor of the New York Theological Seminary teaching Systematic Theology, Old Testament and Church History in its Certificate Program. He also teaches Systematic Theology in the Theological School of the Assemblies of God, Eastern District.
In other fields of endeavor and prior to his ordination, Dr. Keyes worked as supervisor for the Department of Social Services of the City of New York for over thirteen years. He also served as director of many musical organizations in New York City, Puerto Rico and Spain including the Puerto Rican Oratorio Society of New York, the choirs for the Puerto Rican Billy Graham and Oral Roberts crusades, the Christian Youth Jubilee Choir of New York City, the Tortosa Choir in Madrid, and the choir of the Torrejón U. S. Air Force Base in Spain.
All these fields of expertise are brought together in the writing of the book, From Eden to Eden. Its reading will broaden your perspective of the events that are occurring in the world today and will help you to prepare for the events that are to occur in the near future.