During the 18 Centuries of church history after Jesus and the apostles ministered here, professional Christians (those who get paid for it) were very pleased that most believers couldn't read and write. Those believers had no choice but to trust their preachers to connect the Biblical "dots" for them. Because you're reading this, you DO have a choice. God has made that really clear: "Thus saith the LORD; 'Cursed be the man that trusteth in man...'" That's at Jeremiah 17:5. At 2 Timothy 2:15, the apostle Paul wrote, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

          > "My people are destroyed for lack of KNOWLEDGE..." —Hosea 4:6

          God has made it really easy for us to understand that He expects each believer to get knowledge. But what knowledge? The primary purpose of this series is to help you discover the knowledge we think will be CRITICAL if you want the Bible "dots" to start connecting for you. At some point while you're discovering that knowledge, we pray that you will start gaining a really strong appetite for a lot more of it. You may also learn HOW to go about getting all the knowledge and understanding that God wants each of us to have.

          For months, now, I've been plagued by several recurring questions...questions like these:

          > Why is the typical Sunday morning sermon a "salvation" sermon? Did Jesus tell the church to 

             focus on getting people "saved?" Isn't The Great Commission^ all about making Disciples of 

             people who've already heard the Gospel message and believed it? 

                    ^ "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded 

                               you..." Jesus said that at Matthew 28:19,20 [NIV]. 

             What's the possible value of a church full of Believers? And what church do YOU know of that's

             full of Disciples?

             The Great Commission was/is NOT for career professional "ministers," but to EVERYBODY who'll

             choose to follow Jesus. But how can a person hope to fulfill The Great Commission if they don't 

             even know that the critical scriptural "dots" really DO connect? Is there anyone in the visible 

             church helping them to learn that?

          Then I got to thinking about some of the other differences between Believers and Disciples. I decided that Believers are like people who enjoy football enough to watch a game on TV occasionally. And I decided that the real football fans (the ones who can tell you the game stats from last season and the key player stats for the last five years) are more like Christian Disciples.

          > Why are most church people familiar only with what the Bible calls scriptural "milk,"^ as 

             opposed to Bible "meat?" The critical Bible "dots" will never connect for believers who're 

             presented with a new "salvation sermon" every week. Many of those who warm the church 

             pews want real answers to their Bible questions! When their preachers, for whatever reason,

             can't or won't show them how to find those answers, they'll never be able to connect the really

             important "dots." And many of them would start digging through the scriptures for those 

             answers—if they only knew how and where to dig and what to look for!

                    ^ "For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong

                               meat belongeth to them that are of full age..." —Hebrews 5:13,14

                    ^ "MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR LACK OF [righteousnes?]  [sincerity?]  [worship?]  [holiness?]

                               [faith?]  [getting "truly 'saved'?"]  [holiness?]  [hyperspirituality?]  [believing "what 'we' believe"?]  

                               [regular church attendance?]  KNOWLEDGE..." —Hosea 4:6

          > Why are so many church people attracted to smooth-talking motivational speakers—the ones 

             who pretend to be knowledgeable students of the Bible? Do those guys teach people how to 

             connect the Bible "dots?"

          > Why do so many Christians think preachers are the only ones who can connect the scriptural 

             "dots?"

          > Why do so many church people find it almost impossible to find a preacher who'll even discuss

             things in the Bible that are controversial? And why do some (not all) of their preachers even 

             become angry whenever they're asked questions about "things that just don't add up?"

          Are you a doubting Thomas? If not, have you ever been accused of it? Have you ever heard or seen something in church that didn't sound or feel quite right? If so, have you kept your questions to yourself? Have you also felt guilty about having those thoughts and feelings? If so, then we have something in common. That may be our key to learning what's true and what's new. An awful lot of "new time religion" is getting passed off as "old time religion" today.

          Some of the critical Bible facts you'll discover in this series are controversial...even of an "adult" nature. Where God's word has made it plain I'll do that, too. God did not intend for His word to be a mystery. He intended for us to understand it!

          In the next article you can learn some facts about Noah's Flood that you may NEVER learn in church...

          Some Bible scholars think Paul was referring to a subsequent, 1st-Century invasion of "the sons of God." Knowledgeable members of our Bible Research Team think Paul was speaking prophetically...about the fact that just before our Lord returns there'll be yet another expedition of the "sons of God" to Earth:

          > "And as it was in the days of Noe [Noah], so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They 

             did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe 

             entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all...Even thus shall it be in the 

             day when the Son of man is revealed." —Jesus, at Luke 17:26,27,30

          Jesus' John 3:5 statement to Nicodemus, above, may've been based on the possibility that Nicodemus knew that some of the offspring of "the sons of God" were, even then, pretending to be Jews. He probably knew that quite a few of them had even worked their way into the Jewish priesthood. I'll take you to some of the scriptures that'll confirm that for you later in this series. (Don't you miss that!)

          How important is all that to Jesus—even today? Here are two of the scriptures He told John to write about it:

          > "...[I know] the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but [are] the synagogue 

             of Satan." —Revelation 2:9, to the Smyrna church

          > "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but 

             do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have 

             loved thee." —Revelation 3:9, to the church at Philadelphia

So! at John 3:5, Jesus was making sure that Nicodemus would understand that, although the descendants of those no-belly-button guys can be Saved, the "sons of God," themselves, can NOT be Saved:

          > "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved 

             in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." —Jude 1:6

          Where and/or what was "their first estate?" Was it another planet? Maybe another dimension? Or did they, somehow, just figure out how to convert their spiritual bodies into physical bodies?

          Wherever "their first estate" was, they left it to come to this one...one group of them after another. You and I had to swim through the amniotic fluid of gestation and the breaking water of childbirth to get here. Sounds to me like those guys without belly buttons "broke in line" to get here in physical bodies...without having been "born of water." God's angels have captured and imprisoned each invading group of them—after they've mated with people with belly buttons and made babies. (Yes; God thinks you need to know this or He wouldn't have included it in His written word.)

          If you've watched any of the fascinating "Ancient Aliens" series on cable TV's History Channel (#120 on DISH), you've wondered about this. What amazes me is that really smart scientists know that their legitimate conclusions are in complete alignment with what the Bible says. A good example of that is what Ezekiel saw:

          > "And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding 

             itself, and a brightness [was] about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber^, out 

             of the midst of the fire." —Ezekiel 1:4

                    ^ Strong's H-2830 says that the KJV word, "amber," in this verse is the Hebrew word, "chashmal" —"of 

                              uncertain derivation; probably bronze or polished spectrum metal..." I don't know what "spectrum" metal 

                              is, but the Strong's definition is confirmed by several other credible resources.

You may want to read about the rest of Ezekiel's experience in that chapter. But before you do that, you should know that it was NOT a "vision," so please don't be tempted to "spiritualize" it.

          So why did God cause that flood we know as "Noah's Flood?"

             I. He was angry that Satan had, again, tried to sabotage His plan for Our Savior to be born of the 

                pure, undefiled bloodline of the man, Adam.

            II. He was angry with Satan's lieutenants, "the sons of God," for...

                A. Leaving their first estate...coming back to Earth without awaiting God's timing for them to be 

                    "born of water."

                B. Seducing the children of men into scandalous sexual escapades.

                C. Maliciously polluting the DNA of the man, Atam's, decendants.

                D. Prematurely bringing volumes of the technical and scientific knowledge – including genetic 

                    manipulation – and the supernatural abilities they had acquired during previous ages. Many 

                    scholars think those no-belly-button people either built the pyramids, etc., or supervised 

                    those who did. (We who arrived here via the birth canal were born "innocent" of all the 

knowledge that might've been gained in previous ages.)

          III. He was angry with all the people who had been so anxious to breed with "gods:"

                "And 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. 6And it repented the LORD that he had 

                made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." —Genesis 6:5,6

          But you may still be wondering why God didn't also want to drown Noah and his family. This is why: "...Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his generations..." —Genesis 6:9

          If you think Noah was probably NOT perfect, you'd be right: His generations were perfect. That means the family tree from Adam to Noah and his children did not include even one descendant of those guys without belly buttons. Again, Noah's family was the ONLY exception in that time that led up to Noah's flood. It was from the pure DNA line from the man, Adam, and then Noah, that Jesus descended. I'll point you to some of the scriptures that'll help you begin to understand everything you'll need to know about that later in the series. (Stay tuned!)

Okay! So let's review what the Bible teaches about what caused Noah's flood:

Œ          1. You and I were "born of water." That is to say that we have belly buttons because our moms gave birth to us. If those were natural childbirths, we were born after our moms' "water" broke. Everybody who has been "born of water" can be Saved.

        2. "The sons of God" don't have belly buttons. Because they are not "born of water" they can't be Saved. They came here from "their first estate," wherever that is, without breaking the water of the womb to be born. Their offspring CAN be Saved, but it's likely that most of them will be inclined to oppose Christianity.

        3. You and I were born "innocent." That is to say that we didn't have ANY of the advanced knowledge that "the sons of God" had. (I'll share more about that later in the series, too.)

        4. Each time "The sons of God" come to Earth they bring more of the vast knowledge they have gained. That's why scientists keep finding stuff that normal human beings can NOT have known how to build. Like their leader, Satan, they want to be worshiped as "gods." That's why they share information that God did not intend for us to have. (Gotta wonder if that's at least part of the reason why governments are so secretive about UFOs and stuff.)

          5. "The sons of God" mate with human beings and make babies. The purpose for their first known invasion was to pollute the human bloodline that would lead to Jesus. Satan sent a second known invasion of them to the land of Canaan. Their mission was to prevent the Hebrews from fulfilling their permanent inheritance of that land.

          Many of their offspring will choose NOT to follow Jesus. Those people will continue to be the enemies of Christian believers: That's partly why they will "...deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." —Jesus, at Matthew 24:9

‘          6. What caused Noah's flood was that God was really, really angry about all of the above. He was angry with those fallen angels AND with the people who were so anxious to mate ("Mate" means to have sex.) with "gods" and to worship those "gods" instead of the God who created men and angels, good and bad. Even today, we must be on guard against the strong tendency to worship angels:

"But though we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." The apostle, Paul, wrote that at Galatians 1:8.

          While it's true that angels are messengers and that God has sent angels with His messages for human beings, Paul was referring to angels with messages that are not in complete alignment with the 1st-Century Gospel message. A well-known example of that is "the new revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ to latter day saints," delivered to Joseph Smith by an angel who called himself Moroni. You may want to Google "Moroni" for some truly fascinating insight. (Joseph Smith founded the Mormon Church.)

          NOTE: The Old Testament "Angel of the Lord" is very likely the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, Himself.

          7. If you've ever wondered why some of the world's most evil people seem to be "untouchable" maybe, now, you have a good clue...

          Yep, I was afraid to ask, too...for years! And maybe I'm lucky that my sanctuary Bible students were also too timid to ask. That's because, during those years, I wouldn't have know how to answer them!  Here's the verse that appears to cause most of the confusion and embarrassment:

          > "And he [Noah] drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And 

             Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without." 

             —Genesis 9:21,22

          Many people wonder (silently) if that describes a homosexual episode for Noah's son, Ham. The straight (no pun intended) answer to that legitimate question is "No." As in so many other examples, we must use scripture to find out what this scripture is talking about. These are the scriptures that do that for us in this case:

          > "And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness..." 

             —Leviticus 20:11

          > "And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness..." 

             —Leviticus 20:20

          > "And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it [is] an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his 

             brother's nakedness..." —Leviticus 20:21

Got it?

          Here's the (still-embarrassing, but critical to know) bottom line: Noah's wife was Canaan's mother. Noah's son, Ham, was Canaan's father. Classic incest. Is there any wonder that Noah was so angry that he wanted Canaan out of his sight? (If God hadn't wanted you to know that, why do you think He would've directed Moses to put it in writing?)

          One of the reasons WHY that's so important for you to know is this: The Land of Canaan was named for its founder, Noah's illegitimate stepson/grandson. You may remember that the Land of Canaan was promised, later, to the descendants of Jacob/Israel. People often call it "the promised land." By the time Moses and the Hebrews got there to claim it, the offspring of Noah's illegitimate stepson/grandson had intermarried with descendants of recurring visits of "the sons of God." Several tribes of them had settled in that land, too. You may remember that the giant sons of Anak were among them.

          Here's an Old Testament scripture that confirms at least two visits of the "sons of God":

          > "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in 

             unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men 

             which [were] of old, men of renown..." —Genesis 6:4

          Here's a New Testament scripture that probably refers to at least one future visit of "sons of God":

          > "For this cause ought the woman to have power^ on [her] head because of the angels." 

             —1 Corinthians 11:10

             ^ Again, per Strong's G-1849, the KJV word, "power," here, is transliterated, "exousia" —"power of choice... mental 

                     power...the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege)."

Let's review the must-know facts about things that happened soon after Noah's flood:

        1.Œ Noah's son, Ham, had sex with his own mother, Noah's wife. Noah's wife got pregnant and gave birth to Ham's son and they named him Canaan. Canaan was Noah's stepson and his grandson.

          2. Noah got really angry about that...stayed angry, too! He was so angry that, when Canaan got old enough to travel, he made him leave and never come back.

          3.Ž Canaan settled in an area that was eventually named after him: "The Land of Canaan." Later, God promised that area to the offspring of Jacob/Israel. People still call it "the promised land."

          [Note: Jacob/Israel was a man. Abraham was his grandfather and Isaac was his father. You may recall that Jacob's brother, Esau, had second thoughts about selling his birthright for a bowl of hot soup. God changed Jacob's name to Israel after he wrestled the night away with "the angel of the Lord"—probably Jesus, Himself, before He was born in the flesh. You can read the last part of that story at Genesis 32. After that, Jacob/Israel's offspring were called "the children of Israel."]

          4. Several tribes of the offspring of "the sons of God" settled in Canaan, too. Some of them were Giants.

          5. Many of Canaan's offspring mated with the offspring of "the sons of God." Some of their offspring were Giants.

          So what really happened to the DINOSAURS? That's next!

          Something else the experts must not know is that Earth was not a shapeless blob of melted rocks and gooey stuff in the beginning. It wasn't void, either. It was perfect. It had all the things it would ever need to support every form of life you can think of. God made it to last forever, too. It had mountains and valleys and rivers and streams and oceans and grass and trees and every kind of animal, bird and fish and dinosaur you can think of. It had insects and spiders. (Yeah, I know. I can't figure out why He had to put all those creepy, crawly and slimy things here, either.)

         When an Old Testament scripture/prophecy is addressed to Israel, the children of Israel, the nation of Israel or the Israelites, it may or may not also apply to the "Jews." It most often does not. When an Old Testament scripture/prophecy is addressed to Judah, the children of Judah or the nation of Judah, it does not apply to Israel, the children of Israel, the nation of Israel, the Israelites or to the Church. Further, when a New Testament scripture is addressed to Israel, "the lost nation of Israel" or to "the lost tribe/tribes of Israel," it does not apply to the "Jews." Similarly, when a New Testament scripture is written to the "Jews," it does not apply to Israelites, the nation of Israel, "the lost tribe(s) of Israel" or to the Church.

         Until today's visible church understands and starts teaching the simple Bible truths contained in this article, the traditions of men will continue to cloud the original truth...and keep those critical "dots" from connecting. We pray that thie following chart will help:

NOTE: Click on the chart for much more detail.

          It will surprise many to learn that there are now and there were then lots of people who claim(ed) to be "Jews" who are/were NOT Jews. That was so important to Jesus that, when He told John what to write in the book of Revelation, He said to include this:

          > "...[I know] the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but [are] the synagogue 

             of Satan." —Revelation 2:9, to the church at Smyrna

          > "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but 

             do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have 

             loved thee." —Revelation 3:9, to the Philadelphia church

          Smyrna and Philadelphia are the ONLY two of those "churches of Asia Minor" that Jesus can find no fault with. The one thing they have in common is that they preach against those who claim to be "Jews" but are not Jews. Please keep in mind, too, that many Bible scholars think those seven "churches of Asia Minor" did not exist when John wrote the book of Revelation. Those scholars think they represent the various divisions of today's church. I agree with them. And I also agree with them that "the gates of Hell" may already have prevailed against some of those churches. Here's a possible indicator of that: "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead." —Revelation 3:1 to the church at Sardis

          > "...I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." 

             —Jesus, at Matthew 16:18

          So! What were the differences then and what are the differences today between Hebrews, Jews, Israelites, Gentiles and the Church? The original nation of Israel was made up of the 12 families (tribes) of people who had descended from the man, Jacob/Israel. (You may recall from a previous article in this series that God changed Jacob's name to "Israel" after he had an all-night-long fight with The Angel of the Lord. His descendants came to be called "The Children of Israel.")

          All the descendants of the man, Jacob/Israel are Israelites/Hebrews, but the overwhelming majority of Israelites and Hebrews are NOT Jews. The term "Jew" is only appropriate for some of the descendants of the man, Judah. It can also apply to some of the man, Benjamin's, descendants...and to some of the descendants of the man, Levi. You may be wondering why I've emphasized the word "some," here. The following critical Bible History lesson may help you begin to understand that:

          Forty years after Moses led the Hebrews/Israelites from their slavery in Egypt, they finally moved into the land God had promised them—the land of Canaan. At some point after that – 1,020 years before Jesus was born – Saul (of the tribe of Benjamin) became their King. Twenty years later, David (of the tribe of Judah) became King. David's son, Solomon, became King 961 years before Christ. He was King of all of Israel (properly called "the nation of Israel") for 39 years. When Solomon died in 922 B.C. his son, Rehoboam took over as King of Israel. But Rehoboam wasn't nearly as smart as his dad had been. That new title went to his head! Here's what happened:

          Instead of seeking the wise counsel of his dad's closest advisors, Rehoboam decided it would be cool to consult his childhood buddies. They told him something like, "You're gonna have to get tough with'em and show'em who's boss!" So he got tough with'em and showed'em who was boss! One of those "tough" things was to raise their taxes. (Sound familiar?) Well, they didn't like that very much. What they organized, next, may've been something like one of today's political conventions. Ten of the twelve tribes of Israel seceded! Well, what they actually did was to rip the capital city of Israel away from Jerusalem and move it to Samaria! That's a few days' walk to the North. And they chose a new King of Israel: Jeroboam. (Don't know what tribe he was from.)

          Poor Rehoboam...a victim of his own youthful stupidity! He was left with being King of just two really small tribes. Those were the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Why they decided to stay with him, nobody knows; but they did. Rehoboam was the King of Judah (not Israel) for just seven years. For the next 328 years, national Judah was ruled by his descendants. And then, 587 years before Jesus was born, Babylon defeated them and captured their King (Zedekiah), who soon died in prison. For several reasons you may know about, national Israel didn't even last that long. It fell 135 years before the fall of national Judah, in 721 B.C. Its citizens were eventually scattered throughout the world.

          The "lost" 10 tribes of Israel are now known to have migrated Northwest into the British Isles (called "the end of the earth" – never "the ends of the earth" – in Bible times) and other parts of Europe. They became the dominant races in those lands—Anglo Saxon (>Isaac's sons). They were also called Caucasian, because they traveled through the Caucasian Pass between the Black and Caspian seas on their prophesied journeys. In some notable cases, they became the ruling families of those lands. There were multiple migrations of Jews, later (i.e.: genetic descendants of the man, Judah) to the same area. Historians often refer to them as "Jutes." As an example of that, the northern part of today's Denmark [>DANmark] is the Jutland Peninsula.

          Before the 19th Century almost nobody suspected all this. But we live in the 21st Century. This is often called "The Information Age." Those Bible "experts" who still don't know (and share) all this are without excuse.

          Finally, those who still lived in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. were forced into exile, too. It's said that Jerusalem became a Jewish city, again, in 1967, after having come into existence with a fanfare in 1948. Did it? Is modern "Israel" the revived Jewish Nation of prophecy? I'm in agreement with those serious Bible scholars who aren't so sure about that. (See Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 for a quick refresher.)

Now, for our review:

Œ          1.  All Jews are Israelites, but an extremely small percentage of Israelites are Jews. The Jews include some of the descendants of the man, Judah. It can also apply to some of the man, Benjamin's, descendants...and to some of the descendants of the man, Levi. Jesus is concerned that there are still many people who claim to be Jews who're not Jews.

          2.  Whether the modern nation of Israel is the prophesied restoration of "the Jewish state" remains uncertain.

Ž          3.  Traditional teaching says that Judah's King Zedekiah was the last of the prophesied line of royalty that can only come through the man, Judah. But multiple historical and Bible facts suggest that Judah's line of royalty continued and still exists today, in Great Britain – without even a short break. If you'd like to compare and begin to understand the differences between the profound, easy-to-confirm truth of this and widespread traditional teaching about it, our 5-chart Appendix #5 can be a great starting place for you.

          4.  The prophetic "seven times" punishment of the disobedient nation of Ephriam-Israel likely ended in the early 19th Century. In that era the Roman Catholic Church had begun to lose its purely evil, monopolistic grip on the Christian faith. That's also when "Anglo-Saxon expansion took place in the exact order stated to Jacob: westward first from Palestine, across Europe to the British Isles; then on west...to America..." 

—from One Man’s Destiny (1942), by C. R. Dickey

          5.  Credible historical evidence of Israel's true identity started surfacing early in the 19th Century. That evidence continues to escalate.

‘          6.  There remains little question in the minds of many Bible scholars that genetic ISRAEL is comprised, primarily, of the citizenry of Earth's "Christian nations."

’        7.  Per Romans 11:26, all Israel will be saved.

          The next article is about the strange "evolution" of the Jewish Priesthood. Don't be fooled into thinking that'll be boring: It won't. Buckle up for more surprises!

          Most of the 1st-Century Priests were NOT Aaron's descendants; so who were they? A large and growing number of Bible and historical scholars cite an ample body of very convincing evidence that they were not Hebrews, Israelites or Jews, either. Here's some of what you'll need to understand about that. Jesus was apparently speaking literally to a group of Scribes and Pharisees in the following passage:

          > "I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your 

             father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye 

             were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham...Ye do the deeds of your father. 

             Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, [even] God. Jesus 

             said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from 

             God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me...Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of 

             your father ye will do. He was a murderer^ from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, 

             because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, 

             and the father of it." —John 8:38-44

                    ^ Who was the first known murder? Wasn't that Cain? Jesus was clearly aware that those Scribes and 

                              Pharisees were Cain's direct descendants. Remember who's described throughout the Bible as "a liar, 

                              and the father of it?" That was Cain's father. Remember? (Learn much more about that in the next article.)

          Well documented is the fact that Aaron's descendants progressively succumbed to human nature (a.k.a. "the sin nature.") Their growing slothfulness – even characteristic drunkenness! – caused them, first, to start delegating their physically demanding duties to the Nethinim. Later, the Nethinim became temple officials. Here's part of the reason why:

          > "... the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, 

             they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble [in] judgment. For 

             all tables are full of vomit [and] filthiness, [so that there is] no place [clean]." —Isaiah 28:7,8

          Who were the Nethinim? This quote is loaded with some pretty high-minded words and phrases, but it may still be helpful to you:

          > "In Talmudic times the Nethinim were put on a level with bastards, and their descendants, male 

             and female, were interdicted from marriage with Israelites for all time (Yeb. ii. 4, viii. 3); this is 

             said to have been established by David (Yeb. 78b) or by Ezra (Num. R. viii.). Nethinim were 

             allowed to marry only proselytes, freedmen, bastards, and foundlings (Ḳid. viii. 3). In tables of 

             precedence they are reckoned very low, coming after bastards in Yer. Hor. iii. 5 and Yer. Yeb., 

             viii. 5. This union of sacred service and social ostracism has led to the suggestion that the 

             Nethinim were the descendants of the Kedeshot, or sacred prostitutes; and it may be pointed 

             out that in the list in Ezra ii. there is a large number of feminine forms, as well as in the extra list 

             contained in the Book of Esdras (v. 53-58). This latter list contains a reference to the 'Bene 

             Souba,' with which may be compared the 'Soba'im' of Ezek. xxiii. 42 (Hebr.). Both the Septuagint 

             and Josephus refer to the Nethinim as 'Hieroduli,' which seems to imply that they were Kedeshot..." 

             —http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11451-nethinim; citing Jacobs, The Nethinim, in 

             Studies in Biblical Archœology, pp. 104-22

          Well before Jesus walked here, the NETHINIM were almost certainly absorbed into the priesthood and very likely made up at least a part of the Pharisees and other priests. Per Nehemiah 11:21, the Nethinim organized themselves into a kind of guild under with their own leaders, something like today's trade unions. With that, they gained power...enough that they gradually "blended" into the ranks of the Levites and the Aaronic priests.

          The Old Testament SCRIBES were of a group known as the Kenites. They were the descendants of Cain, the first murderer, the biological son of Satan. That will come as quite a shock to many readers, I know. But it's true. You'll learn a lot more about that in the next article.

          First mentioned at Genesis 15:19, the Kenites lived alongside the Amelikites during Saul's time as king (1 Samuel 15:6). Saul spared them because they had shown kindness to the Hebrews who traveled from Egypt to Jerusalem with Ezra and Nehemiah, to rebuild the temple. Some clans of the Kenites were known for their skills in the rare art of metallurgy. They are often called "the gypsies and tinkerers of the old Oriental world." The Aramaic word, "qeni" means "smith."

          Satan is said to have been the most nearly perfect angel that God created. Given that, what characteristics might one expect to observe in Satan's descendants? Some clans of them were regarded for their exceptional intelligence and for their devotion to scholarly pursuits. They became the SCRIBES. Families of them resided in the Judean city of Jabez (1 Chronicles 2:55). They were called "Tirathites" because they were learned and ingenious. They were called "Shimeathites" because they kept the sacred songs and the doctrines of the law of God alive. They were called "Suchathites" because they dwelt not in cities, but in tents. They rejected worldly things, preferring to concentrate on their endless studying and learning. That was in addition to their "day job" of recording and making never-ending hand-written copies of the scriptures.

          Imagine that—even in Old Testament times! Satan's offspring had full charge of the recording and copying of the sacred texts! Taking into account what you now know about the ever-growing alcoholism and laziness of the Levites and the Aaronic Priests, how likely is it in your mind that the Kenite Scribes would NOT also have eventually dominated the Priesthood? Jesus knew who they were. Shouldn't those seek to know Him know that, too? (See Revelation 2:9 and 3:9.)

          This YouTube video, "Marking the Sons of Cain," part 4, makes a strong case for the notion that the Nethinim and the Kenites are BOTH descendants of Cain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsuxZfSCAU4. Hope you'll watch it!

          But what about the HIGH PRIESTS? Were they Kennite-Nethinim, too? Aaron, the older brother of Moses, was the first High Priest [Exodus 28:1–3]. His descendants were the priests in Israel before the nation of Israel broke away from the nation of Judah. After that split, they were priests in the southern nation Judah, where Jerusalem was the capital city. (The capital city of the northern nation of Israel was Samaria.)

          You may remember learning about Caiaphas, the 1st-Century High Priest who presided over the Sanhedrin's mock trial of Jesus. His predecessor was a fellow named Annas. Neither Caiaphas nor Annas was descended from Aaron (or even Levi) as required, per Exodus 29:9b;30:30. Instead, they were political appointees of the Roman governor at Jerusalem. That was in complete defiance of the Biblically exclusive Aaronic priesthood. Caiaphas succeeded Annas, his father-in-law, as High Priest about 12 years before Jesus's crucifixion. He reigned until 36 A.D. So when and how did the political appointment of High Priests start?

          Syrian ruler, Antiochus IV, started replacing the High Priests with men of his own choosing about 175 years before Christ. When Herod came to power 37 years before the birth of Jesus, he also appointed anyone he pleased to that office. It was, in fact, a much-coveted office: Those who won those appointments were typically from wealthy aristocratic families. The competition was often fierce. There were bribes. Caiaphas was an aristocrat long before he gained such enormous power and prestige.

          Were they Kennite-Nethinim? Nobody knows for sure, but they certainly weren't qualified to be High Priests...or even low priests, for that matter. And here's something worth noting: The Jews get a really bad rap for causing Jesus' crucifixion, but the priests were the guilty ones. They weren't Jews!

Let's review:          

        1.Œ  Only the descendants of Aaron were qualified to be PRIESTS. Only the descendants of Levi were qualified to be SCRIBES and tabernacle/temple attendants.



        2.  The Nethinim (That word is plural.) soon took over the duties of the Levite SCRIBES and attendants of the tabernacle ...and, later, the temple. That was partly because most of the Levite scribes and tabernacle/temple attendants had become lazy, drunken bums. The Aaronic Priests were guilty of such behavior, too! That made it really easy for the Kenites to gradually infiltrate the PRIESTHOOD.

Ž

        3.  There is an abundance of evidence to support the conclusion that both the Nethinim and the Kennites were the direct descendants of Cain and his biological father, Satan.



        4.  The Nethinim and the Kennites also exhibit(ed) the traits of exceptional intelligence that we might expect from people who are/were the direct descendants of the most nearly-perfect angel that God ever created.



        5.  Long before the time of Jesus' ministry, here, the office of HIGH PRIEST was given to wealthy political appointees; not to descendants of Aaron, as required by God's law. There was a lot of corruption surrounding the 1st-Century temple at Jerusalem.

          Next, we'll answer the burning question, "What really happened in the Garden of Eden?"

          > "As also in all [his] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to 

             be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as [they do] also the other 

             scriptures, unto their own destruction." —2 Peter 3:16

          More than likely, you've been taught that God created just one human being on Day 6. The scriptures actually make it clear that He created at least two people (male and female) on Day 6. Lots of credible Bible scholars are convinced that He created all the primary races of people, then...at least one breeding pair for each race.

          You may've heard that the first people were vegans or vegetarians but, per Genesis 1:29,30, they ate both plants and animal flesh. It will be important for you to understand that these people were not farmers, as some people would have you believe: They were hunter-gathers. Here are two scriptures to confirm that the Day-6 creation was NOT of just one man:

          > "So God created man^ in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female 

             created he them [plural]." —Genesis 1:27

                   ^ Originally transliterated "adm."] Defined as "...mankind, human being(s)...;" i.e.: "adam" (small "a"). It's 

                             the generic word for mankind—not a man's name or even a proper noun.

          > "But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female." —Jesus, at Mark 10:6

          At least one group of these Day 6 people had established a thriving civilization in the vicinity of the land of Nod (to the East of Eden) by the time Cain got there after God kicked him out of Eden. That's where Cain found his wives and then fathered a long, long line of descendants—the Kenites. You read about some of them in the last article. You may recall that they had thoroughly infiltrated the Jewish priesthood by the time of Jesus and the apostles.

Here's the Genesis account of that event:

          > "...the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and [there was] not a man to till 

             the ground." —Genesis 2:5

          > "And the LORD God formed man^ [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the 

             breath of life; and man^ became a living soul."—Genesis 2:7

                    ^ Clearly, God created "THE man, Adam" (originally transliterated, "ath-e·adm"), a single male human, at 

                              some point after his day of rest. That man's assignment was NOT to generally manage the planet or to 

                              hunt and gather, but to take care of a specific garden.

                    ^ Keep in mind that the people – i.e.: the generic "adm" – that God created on Day 6 were clearly not alone, 

                              but that THE man, "ath-e·adm," was initially alone.

.

         Here's a bonus question worth pondering: "Did God make Eve from one of Adam's rib bones, or from a chromosome rib of Adam's DNA...?"

The man, "Adam," was the first farmer. Cain, may've learned that skill from him. It was probably one of the skills that yielded success for him among the Day-6 people at Nod. The scriptures that list Cain's initial "so-and-so" begat "so-and-so" record are at Genesis 4:17-24. Interestingly, Cain and his offspring are NOT listed with the man, Adam's, "so-and-so" begat "so-and-so" story at Genesis 5:3-32. Why? You'll discover the answer to that question as you continue reading.

          Might an apple have caused Adam and Eve to notice their, umm...differences? There were trees in Eden's garden, possibly even an apple tree or two. But let's find out what kind of tree it might've been whose fruit Eve got so excited about that she could hardly wait for Adam to try it, too. And why did God forbid it? Here's a good place for us to start:

          > "And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and 

             good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of 

             good and evil."—Genesis 2:9

          Although, when reading this verse casually, most people might miss it, God made a clear distinction between literal trees – those that grow out of the ground – and two figurative "trees;" i.e.: the tree of life also and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. To confirm that those are figurative trees, see Revelation 22:2. There, you'll see that the tree of life will also be present in The New Jerusalem, of Revelation 21.

          Ezekiel knew the differences between the literal trees and the two figurative trees at Eden, too. He recorded this about the tree of knowledge of good and evil in that garden:

          > "The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and 

             the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him 

             in his beauty. I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, 

             that [were] in the garden of God, envied him...To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness 

             among the trees of Eden? Yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether 

             parts of the earth..." —Ezekiel 31:8,9,18

          Yes, God uses familiar symbols from nature to help us understand things that would otherwise be really hard to understand. In this example of the Bible's use of trees to symbolize men, Gideon's son, Jotham, rebuked the Shechemites for making Abimelech their king:

          > "The trees went forth [on a time] to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, 

             Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by 

             me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the 

             fig tree, Come thou, [and] reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my 

             sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto 

             the vine, Come thou, [and] reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, 

             which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees 

             unto the bramble, Come thou, [and] reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth 

             ye anoint me king over you, [then] come [and] put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire 

             come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon."—Judges 9:8-15

          The subject of this verse is a eunuch. (That's a castrated – or neutered – man.):

          > "... neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I [am] a dry [tree]." —Isaiah 56:3

          Isaiah wrote this about the descendants of Jacob/Israel:

          > "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for 

             mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called [trees] of 

             righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." —Isaiah 61:3

This was addressed to the descendants of Judah who lived at Jerusalem:

          > "The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, [and] of goodly fruit: with the noise of a 

             great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken. But I [was] like a 

             lamb [or] an ox [that] is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices 

             against me, [saying], Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from 

             the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered." —Jeremiah 11:16...19

Here's an interesting Old Testament conversation about "the two witnesses" of Revelation 11:

          > "Then answered I, and said unto him, What [are] these two olive trees upon the right [side] of 

             the candlestick and upon the left [side] thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What 

             [be these] two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden [oil] out of 

             themselves?"  —Zechariah 4:11-14 (See Revelation 11:3,4, immediately following this.)

And here's the companion New Testament dialog about that:

          > "And I will give [power] unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred 

             [and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks 

             standing before the God of the earth." —Revelation 11:3,4 (See Zechariah 4:11-14, which 

             immediately precedes this.)

          There is this about Adam and Eve before eating of that fruit:

          > "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." —Genesis 2:25

...and this about them after they ate of that fruit:

          > "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed 

             fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." —Genesis 3:7

          The burning question, then, is WHY were Adam and Eve suddenly excited about (and simultaneously embarrassed by) their fully exposed, uhhh...differences? Could an apple have caused that? If so, the apple must be the most effective aphrodisiac ever! (For those who may not already know, an aphrodisiac is like a love potion.) Of such is the knowledge of good and evil, you know. Forbidden fruit.

          Both the Old and New Testaments use the word, "beguiled," to describe those embarrassing events in the shadows of Eden's garden:

          > "And the LORD God said unto the woman, What [is] this [that] thou hast done? And the woman 

             said, The serpent beguiled^ me, and I did eat." —Genesis 3:13

                    ^ H-5377 at Genesis 3:13 (The quoted text below is from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible):

                              —nâsha', "to lead astray: i.e.: (mentally) to delude, or (morally) to seduce:—beguile, deceive, X greatly, 

                              X utterly." < to totally/greatly/utterly/morally seduce

          > "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled^ Eve through his subtilty, so your minds 

             should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." —Paul, at 2 Corinthians 11:3

                    ^ G-1818 at 2 Corinthians 11:3 

                              The quoted text, here, is also from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible— ěxapataō, "to seduce 

                              wholly: —beguile, deceive." < to wholly seduce

          For those who'll remain objective as they continue to study, it will become more and more apparent that Eden's tree of life was Jesus and that the tree of knowledge of good and evil (and that Serpent) was Satan. So what was the fruit that Eve was so anxious for Adam to experience, too? Perhaps you have now concluded (as have we and many, many others) that Cain was the man, Adam's, stepson. THAT is why Cain and his offspring aren't listed with Adam's descendants at Genesis 5:3-32.

They DID die that day:

          > "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the 

             night." —Psalm 90:4

          > "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand 

             years, and a thousand years as one day." —2 Peter 3:8

          I wrestled with that question for many years...even as a fully-mature adult. I even asked several of my pastors. None of their answers made sense to me. One of them even told me it was because God likes steak a lot more than He likes salad! He said that Abel presented one of the best of the animals—one that smelled and tasted really good when it was grilled over an open-pit fire. Most of the others seemed to think it was because Abel was sincere and Cain was not.

          I have concluded this: God would've kicked Cain out of the Garden of Eden even if he hadn't murdered his brother. Why? For the exact same reason that Noah forced his illegitimate stepson-grandson to get out'a Dodge! And that, alone, was why God rejected Cain's sacrifice.

          Many who read, here, that Eve had sex with Satan before she ever had sex with Adam will quickly dismiss it as false teaching. Later, though, when Satan has successfully masqueraded as Jesus Christ for awhile [2 Thessalonians 2:3,4] they'll hear it again. At that moment, they'll remember having read it here and rejected it. How and when will they hear it again? That'll be when members of God's elect, via the Holy Ghost, will publish this Gospel truth to all nations...for the express purpose of discrediting Satan's evil masquerade, to the excruciating dismay of all those who will have fallen for it^:

                    ^ "...because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall 

                               send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed 

                               not the truth..." —2 Thessalonians 2:10-12

          > "But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye 

             shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony 

             against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they shall lead 

             [you], and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye 

             premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that 

             speak, but the Holy Ghost." —Mark 13:9-11

          > "But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute [you], delivering [you] up 

             to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. 

             And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle [it] therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before 

             what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall 

             not be able to gainsay nor resist." —Luke 21:12-15

             Here, Jesus was referring to specific future point in time. It was part of His answer to the disciples' 

             question about what to expect just before His return and the end of this Second Earth Age.

          Some of today's purely malicious Bible teachers claim that the great "falling away" of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 speaks of the rapture of the church. Here's Strong's verbatim G-646 entry for the KJV, falling away: "apŏstasia, ap-os-tas-ee'-ah; fem. Of the same as 647; defection from truth (prop. the state) ['apostasy']: —falling away, forsake." Here's Strong's verbatim G-647 entry: "apŏstasiŏn, ap-os-tas'-ee-on; neut. Of a (presumed) adj. From a der. of 868; prop. something separative, i.e. (spec) divorce: —(writing of) divorcement." Here are Strong's G-868 definitions: "resist," "revolt," "desist," "desert," "withdraw" and "refrain." Do you see anything there that might even remotely IMPLY a meaning of "physical DEPARTURE"...as in a "Rapture" departure? It's evil SPIN. No wonder, though, since the origin of the rapture theories was Occult magic, in 1830: www.DYPK.org/rapture. 

          So! there's to be a great "falling away" before Christ appears? Can unbelievers fall away? Then, it'll have to be misinformed and uninformed church people who're expecting Jesus to rapture them out'a here any day, now. They'll be easy prey for Satan's masquerade (More on that, too, later.)

          > "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." —Paul, at 

             1 Thessalonians 5:4

         Again, Jesus will return at "the last trump" of 1 Corinthians 15:51,52, "the trump of God" at 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and the trumpet of the seventh angel of Revelation: "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." —Revelation 11:15

          > "...Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having 

             great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."—Revelation 12:12

                    ^ "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those 

                               days shall be shortened." —Jesus, at Matthew 24:22

                    ^ "And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, 

                               whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days." —Jesus, at Mark 13:20

                    ^ "And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and 

                               their torment [was] as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man." —Revelation 9:5

                    ^ "And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power [was] to hurt 

                               men five months." —Revelation 9:10

          Many credible Bible scholars conclude from these scriptures that the time of Satan's part of The Great Tribulation (the part that will come before the pouring out of Christ's wrath) has already been shortened from three and a half years to just five months. Should "the faithful" and "the elect" fear that subsequent time of God's wrath? No. And here's why:

          > "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he 

             hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock." —Psalm 27:5

          > "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." 

             —Paul, at Romans 5:9

          > "...Jesus...delivered us from the wrath to come." —Paul, at 1 Thessalonians 1:10

          > "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." 

             —Paul,at 1 Thessalonians 5:9

          While it's true that only The Father knows the day and hour, Jesus clearly knows the precise point for His return, within His self-proclaimed 7-event final countdown. At Revelation 11:3-14, that precise timing is stated clearly: The Seventh (i.e.: LAST) Trump will sound at the 3rd Woe. That'll be exactly 3-1/2 days after the two witnesses are killed, and just after they are resurrected.

          > "And Jesus said, I AM [Sound familiar? It should.]: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on 

             the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds [correctly translated 'the CLOUD (singular);' 

             i.e.: the same cloud that guided Moses and the Hebrews by day] of heaven." 

             —Jesus, at Mark 14:62

          And someone you trust has actually convinced you that there'll be a resurrection of extra-special Christians BEFORE this last trump/trumpet of the seventh angel, the "first resurrection" of Revelation 20:6? Sorry, but there is no scripture and no collection of scriptures in the Bible to confirm such an incredible fantasy – much less support it.

          Aside from that, here's the logic: Those who follow Christ are, scripturally, in two groups—"the elect" and "the faithful." If you're one of God's elect you'll be here, on Earth, until the bitter end of The Great Tribulation. If you're among "the faithful," you are clearly a notch or two lower than "the elect" on God's scale of favorite people. (The next article, "Who're the, 'Elect' and Why Were They 'Elected'?" includes information that you must gain if you really want to understand all this.)

          If "the elect" must ENDURE TO THE END^ to OBTAIN their Salvation (See 1 Thessalonians 5:9), what reasonably intelligent person could conclude that "the faithful" will be partying up yonder somewhere, while God's favorite people must stay here to endure the most difficult times ever?

                    ^ "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." —Jesus, at Matthew 24:13 

                               (also recorded at Mark 13:13)

          Consider the thousands of Middle Eastern and North African Christians who're currently being beaten, raped, sold into sex slavery, tortured, burned alive, drowned and beheaded: Do you suppose their preachers promised them they'd get raptured out'a here before all the really bad stuff starts happening? 'Tis arrogant to presume U.S. Christians to be, somehow, superior to all those good people: "...[It is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed." —Paul, at Romans 13:11

          > "...Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, [that] I AM [i.e.: 

             'Jesus is Lord!']...; and the time draweth near [e.g.: 'He could split the eastern skies any day, 

             now!']: go ye not therefore after them [i.e.: 'Don't follow them!']." —Jesus, at Luke 21:8

          > "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? [them that 

             are] weaned from the milk, [and] drawn from the breasts. For precept [must be] upon precept, 

             precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little: 

             —Isaiah 28:9,10

          > "What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, 

             and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, 

             eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day." 

             —Paul, at Romans 11:6-8

          Most of the members of our Link1(TM) Bible Research Team (including me) had never heard it taught like this, either. It became apparent to us gradually—during our prayerful, scholarly research into the book of Genesis. Scriptures, there, led us to multiple other scriptures throughout the Bible. Each of those other scriptures further confirmed our early suspicions.

          Satan's primary objective at Eden was to pollute the DNA of Eve's offspring so that Jesus could not be born as Adam's pure-bloodline direct descendant...to yield our Salvation. You may also justly conclude that the objective of Satan's generals and lieutenants, "the sons of God," at Genesis 6, was precisely the same. Their attempt failed, too. THAT was the reason for Noah's flood—to destroy them and their offspring.

          Without such knowledge, much of the rest of God's written word won't make sense. In fact, many Bible readers (and millions of unbelievers) think that God must be really cruel and harshly prejudiced against certain races of people. They focus on the times when He told the Hebrews to kill every man, woman and child and animal when conquering a city. Maybe you've wondered about that, too. You may know that the Hebrews did NOT follow God's instructions. The result is that the offspring of RECURRING visits of "the sons of God" are still the ruthless enemies of God's people, today. (See 1 Corinthians 11:10 to confirm that "sons of God" were present during the 1st Century.) And they'll be back.

          There is much more on this topic...whenever you're seriously ready to dig for it:

          > "STUDY to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly 

             dividing the word of truth." —Paul, at 2 Timothy 2:15

          There may be opportunities to become active participants in our Link1(TM) Bible Research Team for those who're really serious about "digging" for critical Bible knowledge and understanding. If that might include you, just follow this link to learn more about how our process works: www.dypk.org/documents/Appendix%203.pdf.

Here's a quick review of the main points you'll want to internalize from this article:

Œ          1.  On Day 6, God created at least two human beings and possibly many more. They were both male and female.

        2.  The man, Adam, was the only human being that God created after His day of rest. Unlike the Day-6 people, Adam was alone at first. Then God created Eve for him—possibly from a rib of chromosome from Adam's DNA.

Ž          3.  Two of the "trees" in the Garden of Eden weren't literal "trees." The tree of life was Jesus and the tree of knowledge of good and evil (and that snake) was Satan.

        4.  Satan seduced Eve and had sexual intercourse with her. Eve enjoyed the experience so much that she persuaded Adam to try it, too. He did. Cain was the son of Satan and Eve. Abel was the son of Adam and Eve.

        5.  Many of the ruthless enemies of Christianity, today, are descendants of recurring visits of "the sons of God."

          The "experts" of both science and religion have published lots and lots of misinformation about the presumed age of our planet and about the history of mankind in the earth. We pray that the following will help to clear up some of the confusion that has resulted. Be sure to confirm it all for yourself. This is from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Chinese_history. You can find additional pertinent info at http://www.ancient.eu/china/:

          God "foreknew" the Bible people whom He predestined for good assignments and those He predestined for evil assignments. Several of the kings He sometimes used to punish the sister nations of Israel and Judah for their disobedience were predestined for evil assignments. He had observed their determination to do evil even before they were conceived. So He knew they'd be available to Him whenever He might need to leverage their evil mindsets and capabilities. Whether for good or for evil, the assignments God gave to the Bible people of destiny were for the purpose of accomplishing His perfect will on Earth. Given that, consider these four questions:

          1) If those people were predestined for their assignments (good or evil) and if that was for the purpose of accomplishing God's will, did each of them have a free will? Could they have opted out of those assignments?

          2) Where were they when God observed them to determine what their long-term mindsets and dependability were? Were they on some alien planet? Were they invisible spirits floating around in deep space or something? Or, were they "here?"

          3) If that happened long before they were "born of water," were they in other-dimensional bodies like the one Jesus got at the moment of His resurrection...like the bodies we'll all get when we're "changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye?"

          4) When did God observe them? Because if that happened before any of them were even conceived, it has to have been during an earlier time.

          While it's true that some people of destiny in the Bible were predestined for evil, most of the ones we know about were given important assignments for good. Here's what God said to one Old Testament man who was predestined for good:

          > "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I 

             sanctified^ thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." —Jeremiah 1:5

                    ^ To "sanctify" a person, in this context, means to set him apart for a specific and very important assignment

                               —based entirely upon previous observation...to yield a substantial foreknowing.

          It's clear to us and to many other Bible scholars that the 1st-Century Pharisee, Saul, who became the apostle, Paul, is a really good example of New Testament people of destiny. He, too, was sanctified (the same as being predestined) for very specific assignments—before he was "born of water." Did Saul have a free will after he became Paul? That's worthy of some serious contemplation, for sure! He certainly enjoyed exercising his free will BEFORE that blinding experience on his trip to Damascus...to kill a few more Christians. But, again, could Paul have opted out of his assignment after that amazing experience? These quotations of some of Paul's words may help you discover the Bible response to those questions:

          > "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner^ of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles..." —Ephesians 3:1

          > "...therefore, the prisoner^ of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation 

             wherewith ye are called^..." —Ephesians 4:1

                    ^ Does every believer have "a calling?" This link will take you to an interesting one-page article that should 

                               help you come up with a really good answer to that question: www.dypk.org/BLOG/0104.pdf.

          > "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner^: but be 

             thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." —2 Timothy 1:8

          > "Paul, a prisoner^ of Jesus Christ, and Timothy [our] brother, unto Philemon our dearly 

             beloved, and fellowlabourer..." —Philemon 1:1

          > "Yet for love's sake I rather beseech [thee], being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a 

             prisoner^ of Jesus Christ. " —Philemon 1:9

                    ^ Strong's G-1198 is the Greek word, "desmios." Strong's definition of it is "bound, in bonds, a captive, a 

                               prisoner." The KJV translates it "prisoner" 14 times, "be in bonds" 1 time and "in bonds" 1 time.

          But exactly HOW might God have known Jeremiah and Saul/Paul and you and me before we were conceived in our mothers' wombs? And what was it about people of destiny like Jeremiah and Paul before they were even conceived that caused God to "sanctify" them...or make prisoners of them to accomplish His will during this Second Earth Age? Were all the rest of the people who have ever lived (or who will ever live) on Earth also alive here in the First Earth Age? And, if we ALL have a free will, then what's all this scriptural talk about predestination and imprisonment?

          > "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, 

             that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them 

             he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also 

             glorified. —Paul, at Romans 8:29,30

          > "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to 

             the good pleasure of his will...11In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being 

             predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his 

             own will" —Paul, at Ephesians 1:5,11

          Here's a scripture I had read many, many times...without noticing what it really says. It's Paul's introduction to the letter he wrote to the church people at Ephesus:

          > "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, AND to 

             the faithful in Christ Jesus:" —Ephesians 1:1

He was clearly addressing that letter to two (2) different groups of church people:

          1)  Much as for Paul, himself, God had predestined that first group (the saints) for specific 

               assignments. Like Paul, they may or may NOT have had the free will to opt out. If YOU are one 

               of the Elect, God knew He could count on you to complete your assignments even in the face 

               of extreme difficulty and strong opposition. He knew that about you from His observation of your 

               mindset and your behavior in that earlier time—before you were "born of water" into the flesh 

               body of this Second Earth Age. Paul addressed that in his letter to the Romans—at verse 30 

               of chapter 8, above.

          2)  God had NOT predestined that second group (the faithful) for specific assignments. For 

               whatever reason in that earlier time, they may not've demonstrated the exceptional qualities of 

               mindset and behavior that God would need from "His Elect" in this Second Earth Age. But they 

               had heard and believed the Gospel message and then decided – by their own free wills – to 

               become faithful followers of Christ.

          Critical Note: Believing in Christ and following Christ are NOT the same. Just one of them will qualify you as one of "the faithful" and get you Saved. Doubt that? "...the devils also believe and tremble." —James 2:19

          That does NOT necessarily indicate that "the faithful" were EVIL in that earlier time on Earth, though. Although they were/are Christians of the free will and not among God's Elect, their decision to follow Christ yields the same Salvation for them that God's Elect will receive...after The Judgment. But their eternal rewards may or may not be as great as the rewards God has reserved for His Elect:

          > "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall 

             reward every man according to his works." —Jesus, at Matthew 16:27

          >  "...the righteous judgment of God; 6Who will render to every man according to his deeds..." 

              —Paul, at Romans 2:6

          > "Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own 

             reward according to his own labour." —Paul, at 1 Corinthians 3:8

          > "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the 

             things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad." 

             —Paul, at 2 Corinthians 5:10

          > "Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of 

             righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." —Paul, at 2 Corinthians 11:15

          > "And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's 

              work, pass the time of your sojourning [here] in fear." —1 Peter 1:17

          > "...and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will 

             give unto every one of you according to your works." —Jesus, at Revelation 2:23

          > "...and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to 

             their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the 

             dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works." 

             —John, at Revelation 20:12,13

          >  "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his 

              work shall be." —Jesus, at Revelation 22:12

          It's true! Salvation is available to EVERYONE who has a belly button! Even if the New Testament "faithful" had been evil in that earlier time, they would've still been eligible for Salvation: At Romans 13:11 Paul wrote, "...for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed." There are some powerful implications in that. I'll address them at the end of this article...in the review section.

          > "And when he had called the people [unto him] with his disciples also, he said unto them, 

             Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." 

             —Jesus, at Mark 8:34

          > "...And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." —Jesus, at Revelation 22:17

          Those people without belly buttons were HERE during The First Earth Age—but like you and me, then, they were not in physical bodies. That's where and how they gained all the advanced technical and scientific knowledge they keep sharing with people in this Second Earth Age. You and I gained that same knowledge, then. The difference is that when you and I were "born of water" we were purposefully born WITHOUT that knowledge. Why do "the sons of God" keep sharing the knowledge they brought here with them? They do it because they covet admiration and worship as gods. And it has worked for them:

          People all over our globe have worshipped them as gods. Those people have apparently acquired a strong passion for mating with them, too. Still today, many spiritual folk are enamored with angels. Some of those people (even today) worship them. Remember Joseph Smith's collaboration with the angel, Moroni, for the new "Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Latter Day Saints?" I sometimes catch myself wondering whether Mr. Smith might ever have considered naming his Mormon church to more accurately credit the angel, Moroni...

          > "But though we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we 

             have preached unto you, let him be accursed." —Galatians 1:8

          In each instance, God has only tolerated the rebellious breaches of "the sons of God" for a limited time. Then, per Jude 1:6, they're shackled in chains and thrown into prison to await the final judgment: "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."

          Here's something to ponder:

          > "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to 

             them that believe on his name" —John 1:12

Was John saying that God has given us power to become "fallen angels?" He wasn't and this is why: The phrase, "sons of God," is used throughout the scriptures to mean "angels." The term "angel"^ has a much simpler meaning than most people think: It just means "messenger." The "sons of God"^ who've been loyal to Satan since The First Earth Age deliver the disruptive messages of Satan. The "sons of God" who've been loyal to God since The First Earth Age deliver the helpful, productive and righteous messages of God.

                    ^ The KJV word, "angel," in the Old Testament is from the Hebrew word, "mal'ak." It is Strong's H-4397, 

                               defined as a messenger or a representative.

                    ^ Per Strong's G-32, the KJV word, "angel," in the New Testament is from the Greek word, "aggelos." Strong's 

                               definition of that word is "a messenger, envoy, one who is sent..."

                    ^ The Old Testament KJV word, "sons," (as in "sons of God") is from the Hebrew word, "ben;" Strong's 

                               H-1121. The KJV translates it "son(s)" 2,978 times, "children" 1,568 times, "old" 135 times and "people" 

                               5 times.

                    ^ At John 1:12, "sons of God," is Strong's G-5043. It's from the Greek word, "teknon." The KJV renders it 

                               "child" 77 times, "son(s)" 21 times and "daughter" 1 time.

          Satan was the person in charge here during The First Earth Age. He was called Lucifer then...a good guy! He was also the most perfect of all the people God had ever created. Here with him were all of God's other children, but we were in other-dimensional bodies (not flesh-and-blood bodies) then. Our First-Earth-Age other-dimensional bodies were probably just like – or very similar to – the other-dimensional body Jesus got at the moment of His resurrection...like the bodies we'll get when we're "changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Here's an important reminder:

          That'll be at "the last trump" of 1 Corinthians 15:51,52, "the trump of God" at 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and the trumpet of the seventh angel of Revelation 11:15. There is no scripture and no collection of scriptures that even imply that will happen for anybody at any time before that. Still, though, the "rapture" theory that first surfaced in a well-documented April, 1830 Occult environment has gained incredible popularity among churchgoers—especially in the U.S. southeastern Bible Belt. Satan is using it to dupe misinformed, uninformed, naïve churchgoers and sympathizers with the visible church, worldwide. See 2 Timothy 4:3 for confirmation. THOSE people will be his easiest prey when he will (and the primary reason why he will be able to) successfully masquerade as Jesus Christ:

          > "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering 

             together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by 

             word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any 

             means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin 

             be revealed, the son of perdition;^ 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called 

             God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that 

             he is God." —Paul, at 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

                    ^ Yes; I know...The spiritual mentors of some readers have convinced them that the scriptural "son of 

                               perdition" is Judas. That notion came from Bible "experts" who hadn't done their homework: They 

                               weren't experts at all. Here's the link to an especially interesting, but short article that should tell you 

                               everything you'll need to know about that: www.dypk.org/BLOG/0082.pdf.

          Okay, so what's an other-dimensional body like? Jesus was able to appear and disappear and walk through walls and closed doors and such. But He was also able to eat real food and Thomas was able to see and feel Jesus' scar from the piercing of that spear into His side. So, Jesus' glorified other-dimensional body apparently looked very much like the flesh-and-blood body He lived in before His crucifixion.

          The First Earth Age was literally Heaven on Earth. "The Kingdom of God" was here! At 1 Corinthians 15:50, Paul said this about our current physical bodies: "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God..." That's why none of us had flesh-and-blood bodies in The First Earth Age and it's also why we'll all exchange these physical bodies for other-dimensional bodies at that amazing twinkling-of-an-eye moment when The Second Earth Age ends and The Third Earth Age begins. Because "The Kingdom of God" will, again, be right here on planet Earth, there'll be no need for anybody to "fly away"...to anywhere! (www.DYPK.org/blog/0070)

          At some unknown point during The First Earth Age, Lucifer's celebrity status went to his head and he got cocky! He went off on a major ego trip and started acting like the devil!

          Bible scholars are generally convinced that the following is the most complete biography of the fallen Lucifer/Satan in the entire Bible. Although it's clearly addressed to the King of Tyrus, the language of it suggests that it's something more than that—that the mindset of the King of Tyrus was an almost-duplicate of Satan's mindset:

          > "Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the 

             Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in 

             Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the 

             diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, 

             and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that 

             thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou 

             wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones 

             of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found 

             in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and 

             thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will 

             destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up 

             because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast 

             thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy 

             sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring 

             forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the 

             earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be 

             astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more." 

             —Ezekiel 28:12-19

          Per many knowledgeable Bible scholars, that scripture refers to Satan's first rebellion, when a third of God's children [That's 1/3 of us!] followed him in his campaign to "become like God." Those people who followed Satan in that mutiny wanted to be like God, too:

          > "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon [one of several 

             Bible names for Satan], having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 

             And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven..." —Revelation 12:3,4

             Here, the "stars of heaven" are people—a.k.a. "angels."

          At Numbers 24:17, there is this: "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth." Some have mistakenly thought that "Star out of Jacob" refers to King David. Objective analysis confirms that it refers to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

          Stars guide people. That's why the "seven stars" of chapters two and three of Revelation are the human leaders of the prophetic seven churches of Asia Minor. That observation is confirmed at Revelation 1:20 by this preface: "The mystery of the seven  which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels [i.e.: the leaders] of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."

          Those people without belly buttons who keep visiting us from "their first estate" are from that 1/3 of the people of The First Earth Age who joined with Satan in mutiny. You and I awaited God's timing to be "born of water" into this Second Earth Age. Whether they're motivated by an overwhelming sense of impatience or by specific assignments from Satan, those no-belly-button guys keep breaking in line!

          How long did The First Earth Age last? Nobody knows that. It's something else God has chosen to keep to Himself. What we can know is that ALL of God's children were here...but not in flesh-and-blood bodies.

Time for our final review:

Œ          1.  God has chosen NOT to tell us how long The First Earth Age lasted. If I ever get an opportunity to ask Him about that, I'll do it! You? He knew us all then. "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee..." —Jeremiah 1:5

          2.  God's "elect" are people who're predestined for specific assignments to accomplish God's will in this Second Earth Age. That's because, in The First Earth Age, they demonstrated mindsets of dedication and determination to complete their assignments even in the face of strong opposition and great difficulty. God knew He could depend on them to do that in this Second Earth Age, too. Whether they can opt out remains uncertain. But Satan (a.k.a. "the son of perdition") was a man of destiny, too. He sealed his own eternal doom when he opted out.

Ž          3.  "The faithful" are Christians who're NOT predestined for specific assignments. They're just as eligible for Salvation as the "elect" are, though. To accomplish His will, God may even use their Christ-like desire to do good works. He'll reward them for that during The Third Earth Age, when "Heaven" will again be right here!

        4.  YOU may be among the "elect" if you feel righteously compelled to keep doing something (even in the face of great difficulty and strong opposition) that can be of benefit to God's people. There's danger, though: We must avoid the "ego" snare that led to Satan's fall: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]." —Paul, at Ephesians 6:12

          Here's some great news: It's NOT necessary that your assignment be like Paul's epic assignment. Your role may impact just a few of God's people. "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." —Paul, at Galatians 6:9

          5.  Paul's critical words at Romans 13:11, "...for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed" tell us that "Salvation" for each of us will be at some point in our future! At 1 Thessalonians 5:8, he wrote this: "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." At James 2:19, there is this for those who're still convinced that simply BELIEVING in Jesus and the gospel message will get salvation for them: "...the devils also believe and tremble."

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." —Psalm 19:14

‘        6.  God would've given those people with no belly buttons a second chance, too...if they had only been patient enough to wait for His time for them to be "born of water." Jude 1:6 confirms that: "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."

’        7.  "Angels" and "Sons of God" are PEOPLE, but in other-dimensional bodies. Those bodies are probably like the one Jesus got at the moment of His magnificent resurrection. We'll exchange these physical bodies for other-dimensional bodies at that amazing twinkling-of-an-eye moment when The Second Earth Age ends and The Third Earth Age begins.

          That'll be at "the last trump" of 1 Corinthians 15:51,52, "the trump of God" at 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and the trumpet of the seventh angel of Revelation 11:15: "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."

          Because "The Kingdom of God" will, again, be right here on planet Earth, there'll be no need for anyone to "fly away" ...to anywhere!

“          8.  The enormously popular "rapture" theories were NEVER spoken of or written about until after April, 1830, in a well-documented Occult environment. They weren't written about until September, 1830, by a young mentally-disturbed preacher in London.

          Satan is using those theories to deceive naïve misinformed and uninformed churchgoers, worldwide. 2 Timothy 4:3 confirms that. THOSE people will be his easiest prey when he will (and the primary reason why he will be able to) successfully masquerade as Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 confirms that.

          Follow this link to learn all you'll need to know about that topic: www.DYPK.org/rapture.

”

        9.  God became so angry with Satan and the other 1/3 of the PEOPLE who followed him in mutiny that He destroyed EVERYTHING except the basic planet, itself. He shook it so violently that it still rotates around the sun with a 23.4° axis tilt! That was the end of The First Earth Age. We're told about the beginning of The Second Earth Age from Genesis 1:2 and forward from there.