Mystery of the Ages.PDF - Blow the Trumpet

The first created man Adam, taking to himself from the forbidden tree the knowledge ofgood and evil, was at the same time rejecting God as Creator. It is certain that God hadrevealed somewhat of himself, a certain knowledge to Adam.Nevertheless Adam had cut himself off from God his Creator. Undoubtedly, someof the knowledge that God had imparted to Adam was successfully imparted from fatherto son for many generations. Jesus had called Abel, Adam's second son, "righteous Abel."He did the right thing in offering a lamb in sacrifice. Later, Enoch "walked with God."God spoke to Noah and gave him instructions for the building of the ark.After the Flood certain historic accounts imply that Shem, one of Noah's threesons, had some knowledge of the true God. But undoubtedly, as generation succeededgeneration of humanity, knowledge of God had become greatly distorted.Nimrod, as recorded in chapter 4 of this book, made a virtual god of himself.Through the succeeding generations and centuries knowledge of the true God fadedalmost completely. The ancient pagan nations made many different idols out of clay,wood, stone and other materials. Many examples of pagan idol gods have been dug up byarchaeologists and may be seen in museums today. As the apostle Paul said, theyworshipped the creation rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25).First Century A.D. ConceptComing to the New Testament, we catch a glimpse of the ignorance of any knowledgeabout God. The scholarly of the world in the first century were the Athenian intellectuals.Some of them encountered the apostle Paul in Athens."Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encounteredhim. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setterforth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. Andthey took him, and brought him unto Areopagus [atop Mars Hill], saying, May we knowwhat this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?..."Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, Iperceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld yourdevotions [objects of worship--Revised Standard Version], I found an altar with thisinscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, himdeclare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lordof heaven and earth...he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of oneblood all nations of men for to dwell on...the earth...for in him we live, and move, andhave our being..." (Acts 17:18-19, 22-26, 28).And now what of the scholarly of our Western world today? One would think, themost highly educated ought to know WHO and WHAT God is! Suppose you ask atrandom 100 university deans, "Do you believe in God?" Perhaps three or four wouldanswer, "Oh, I believe in the existence of God--as a `first cause.'" But they cannot tell youWHO or WHAT God is! They cannot tell you what God is like! God is not real to them.In other words, he is a mystery. Perhaps another six or eight of the hundred will admitthey are agnostics--they do not know "for sure" whether God exists.