If one (1) is the loneliest number, then all we need do is add (1 + 1) and we get companionship, contribution, and cooperation. Or, we may get contrast, competition, and even conflict.
Did you realize there are hundreds of expressions found in cute clichés or astute adages that contain the number two? If so, then you already know a thing or two. And you should go ahead and offer your two cents worth. Even if others disagree with you, at least they’ll know there’s two sides to every story.
On the other hand, be sure not to wear two hats. Because there’s no way that anyone can serve two masters (that’s straight from Scripture!). If you try, it may bring you down a notch or two.
You may be one of two peas in a pod but unless you’re truly honest and sincere with others, they may think of you as a goody two shoes.
Even if you don’t have two nickels to rub together and you can’t be in two places at once, the fact remains that a bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
Hope you had a little fun with just a few of the well-known two-frs, as a lead-in to some seriously significant sets of twos in Scripture.
Above all to remember:
Before we examine the ten most prominent pairs in Scripture, let’s briefly look at the one attribute of God (he has many) that is identified in twosomes. This dual dynamic is ascribed both to God and His Son, Messiah Jesus.
First and Last / Beginning and End / Alpha & Omega
Beginning with God the Father: “This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: ‘I am the First and the Last; there is no other God’” (Isaiah 44:6).
In the final revelation of himself, Jesus said to John: “…I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave” (Revelation 1:17-18).
Then in the last chapter of Revelation, Jesus (Son of God and God the Son) proclaims: “Look, I am coming soon … I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:12-13).
First and Last and Beginning and End are two terms with the same meaning but articulated in different words for both emphasis and better understanding. First and Last express the everlasting existence of the Triune God—Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Which intriguingly conveys the concept that God is without beginning and without end. It is a statement of the Lord’s essence as found in his very name, Yahweh—I AM. Beginning and End reflect God’s eternal omnipotence in action, i.e. beginning all things and all things yielding (ending) to a New Beginning.
Alpha and Omega are dual titles that also mean first and last. The everlasting to everlasting existence of God the Father and God the Son are denoted by Alpha and Omega because the New Testament was written in Greek and they are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
Alpha is a transliteration of the Hebrew alphabet’s first letter … Aleph. And alphabet is a combination of aleph and bet, the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. As we know, the Old Testament was written in Hebrew.
Let’s look at the most significant pairs of people or events found in the two Testaments that comprise the awesome Word of God—the Bible.
(1) First & Second Creation of the Heavens and Earth
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
Did you miss that creation? Me, too! So did Adam and Eve. But they must have been astounded that everything they needed or wanted was there for them the moment they took their first breath.
However, we didn’t need to be there when, “…The Lord stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the human spirit” (Zechariah 12:1).
Every person who ever lived knows in his/her heart of hearts that God (by very definition, God is the only God) exists. Why?
Because: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world” (Psalm 19:1-4).
We who know the Lord personally have been given eternal life because we simply placed our personal trust in the substitutionary sacrifice of Messiah Jesus for our sins. Consequently, we will have the awesome privilege of watching our Great God and Savior create the next universe.
Said John of Revelation: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1-2, NASB).
This incredible extreme makeover will take place at the end of the Millennial Reign of Jesus who will graciously share his reign with born-again believers in Him.
Speaking of creation, husbands and wives, and twos, God’s marvelous plan for people (and animals) was male and female. For the two to become one and replenish the earth. Not male and male or female and female. But let’s move on.
(2) The First Adam & The Second Adam (The First Man & The Last Man)
“Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person” (Genesis 2:7).
The first reference to man is used generically of both Adam and Eve, as found in the 6th day creation of the man. “Let us make human beings (man) in our image…” (Genesis 1:26). In the Hebrew, human beings (mankind) reads, adam which is the Hebrew word for man. Therefore, the (first) “man” is called by the word that represents his name—Adam.
Then in the next verse: “…In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Verse 27).
Adam and Eve were the progenitors of everyone who has ever lived on this planet. Sadly, because they disobeyed God and suffered the penalty imposed by the Lord (death—physical separation of the body and spirit, and spiritual separation from God), their sin has infected every person born. Thus, everyone must die.
(See Eye of Prophecy article, Scripture Says Everyone Will Die / But What About the Rapture? Posted 6-23-18).
Fortunately, and fabulously, God provided a remedy through the Holy Spirit’s supernatural conception of the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Son of God and the Son of Man. Jesus was fully man and fully God.
He is the Second Adam (Last Adam)
“The Scriptures tell us, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living person.’ But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven” (I Corinthians 15:45-47).
Jesus is the divine substitute (stand-in) for and Savior of humanity—that inherited sin and death from the first man, Adam. Hence, Jesus is the Last Man (meaning the only one) who was totally sinless; the only person qualified to take our place and pay the penalty for our sins. In doing so, he undid all that the first man Adam had done.
“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned…. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift… But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ… Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone” (Romans 5:12-18).
“So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life” (I Corinthians 15:21-22).
It was the ultimate two for the price of one. One once for all sacrifice (Jesus’s blood and life) to purchase: (1) Our Redemption; and our (2) Resurrection … eternal life in heaven.
Moreover, these two preeminent power points are only the beginning. Under each we could list privileges to, at the minimum, equal the number of letters (twenty-six) in the English alphabet; and probably do so in acrostic form. For example, under Redemption: Access to God’s presence directly. Under Resurrection: Abilities far beyond our mortal bodies. And so on.
(3) Birth & Rebirth of Israel
God accomplished the powerful plan of redemption through his Messiah (the Second Adam), God’s very own Son. But first things first. The ultimate Child of Promise, Messiah Jesus, would descend from the first child of promise—Isaac; son of Abraham and Sarah whom God selected to birth a specific people in a special land.
“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation … I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:1-3).
After 400+ years of bondage in Egypt, Israel became a nation. Immediately after the final and most devastating of God’s plagues against Egypt (firstborn killed) we read: “That night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth. There were about 600,000 men, plus all the women and children” (Exodus 12:37).
Some say that Israel’s nationhood began 40 years later when they finally entered the Promised Land. Either way, God accomplished his plan for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they achieved their dream of freedom to worship and serve the living God as the nation of Israel.
In whatever country you live while reading this article, even if in Israel, you might ask, “What’s that got to do with me?”
According to the living God, it has everything to do with you (and me). No Israel, no Messiah. No Messiah, no redemption from sin and no eternal life in heaven. Israel’s place in history and its destiny concerns everyone’s destiny. Not the least of which is to equally unify two peoples into one.
From the birth of Israel came the birth of Messiah. From the birth (life, death, resurrection) of Messiah Jesus came the (spiritual) rebirth of all who believe and receive him as their Savior.
“For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus… There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26 & 28).
All the way back to Moses’ time, the Lord warned Israel that the pronounced privileges afforded her as God’s chosen people (to bring the light of God’s salvation to the whole world) came with great responsibility; to love the Lord and keep his commandments given to them through the Law and Sacrificial System for atonement. Although the Lord was longsuffering towards Israel (hundreds of years’ worth of patience), his people persistently abandoned him and would not return to him. Consequently, he banished them from the Promised Land; with, however, a promise that they would one day return in great numbers.
Some 2,500 years after the Babylonian captivity and 1,900 years after their second dispersion, Israel was reborn as a sovereign nation in a single day.

Israel’s First Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (C) stands under a portrait depicting Theodore Herzl, the father of modern Zionism, as he reads Israel’s declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv May 14, 1948
“Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son. Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born. Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it?… No! I would never keep this nation from being born, says your God” (Isaiah 66:7-9).
You might again ask the question: “What’s that got to do with me?
Same answer: Everything. No rebirth of Israel, no return of Messiah to Jerusalem. No return, no hope of rescue from a world self-destructing now and even more so during the most horrific Tribulation of all time, culminating in the greatest battle of the ages … Armageddon.
Everyone who is the least bit concerned about what’s going on in today’s woeful world needs to think twice about such things. It would behoove us to pay close attention to what God himself has to say about our destiny, about eternal existence with him or apart from him. Particularly those truths and lessons that come in twos throughout history and prophetic events unfolding before our 21st century eyes.
(4) Old Covenant (Law) & New Covenant (Grace)
Why did the Lord replace the Mosaic Covenant of the Law with a New Covenant? What was wrong with the Old Covenant itself?
First, a brief answer to that second question: Nothing!
The Covenant (agreement between God and his people) itself was impressive. After all, God himself created and then conveyed all features of that covenant to Moses, on behalf of the Jews individually and Israel nationally. You probably know the answer to the first question, but let’s read it directly from a prophetic promise in Scripture given some 600 years before the New Covenant of Grace would come … through the Mediator, Messiah Jesus.
“The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife, says the Lord.
“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord. I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts (instead of stone tablets). I will be their God and they will be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:31-33, parenthesis mine; italics to emphasize that it was the people who couldn’t and wouldn’t keep the covenant, thus a new relationship with God was necessary).
In his omniscient foreknowledge, God knew that no one (except His own Son) could keep His law without fail. Still, he gave his people ample time to prove otherwise. And He gives every person on earth the same opportunity—to demonstrate that they can satisfy his holy requirements by self-righteousness, i.e. intrinsic worth or good deeds outweighing the bad.
Have you? Can you? I certainly can’t. I have no righteousness of my own. Apart from Jesus Christ, I have no right standing with God. Messiah Jesus is my righteousness.
That’s why God sent his Son into this unrighteous world. “In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this will be its (Israel) name: ‘The Lord is our Righteousness’” (Jeremiah 33:15-16, parenthesis mine).
So, what was the purpose of the Law?
“Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise (to Abraham) to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised…. Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:19-22, parenthesis mine).
There is no conflict between God’s law and God’s grace (freely given promises); that is, unless we make (try to keep) the law as our source of redemption.
The Apostle Paul reminded all believers:
(5) First Advent & Second Advent of Messiah
They are called advents because they are extraordinary events encompassing Messiah Jesus’s arrivals or appearances. The first some 2,000 years ago, born in Bethlehem. As a teacher, he taught like no one before him or since; to prove his divinity, he performed miracles like no one before or since. But most of all Jesus came as a deliverer. Just as the Israelites were delivered (spared) from death by the blood of the Passover lambs, so Jesus came to this world as the Passover Lamb of God.
The death and burial of Messiah Jesus was the greatest sacrifice ever made by the highest price ever paid. And his resurrection sealed the deal!
“With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever” (Hebrews 9:12).
Jesus said that he came to fulfill the Law not to abolish it. He was referring to the Jewish festivals, to the requirements regarding the Temple and its instruments, and to the Levitical Sacrificial system—all of which were types or patterns of the New Covenant to come, and specifically to the mediator of that New Covenant, Messiah (Son of God). That which was replaced or cancelled in the Old Covenant is any misguided human effort to earn God’s approval by trying to keep all points of the law as a means of redemption.
“But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said…” (Hebrews 8:6-8; (then the writer quotes the prophecy of the new covenant we previously read in Jeremiah).
This same Jesus will appear again—His Second Coming. But this time as the conquering King of all kings to rescue Israel from annihilation at the hands of Antichrist and his ten-nation coalition. This time as the judge of all ungodly unbelievers remaining on the earth. This time to right all wrongs done to Israel by separating the sheep nations from the goat nations.
“His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (Isaiah 9:7).
(6) Israel—Two Exiles & Two Returns
The Lord disciplined Israel and Judah in several ways during their ongoing rebellion against him and blatant disregard of the true essence of the Mosaic Covenant. They relentlessly reduced the spirit of the Law to mere rituals. Their hearts were far from the Lord, to the point of vainly worshipping false non-existent gods. The ultimate punishment was Babylonian conquest of Judah and Jerusalem and the unthinkable destruction of Solomon’s Temple, then exile of survivors to Babylon. But only for 70 years, after which a remnant of Jews returned to Israel.
Only to be conquered again by the Romans in A.D. 70, with the rebuilt Temple destroyed and this time exiled to the four corners of the earth. And this time the reason was because they had rejected their Messiah, the very One who came to bring them the Kingdom of God on earth. A Kingdom that Jesus would have established had they believed and received him Savior and Lord.
Regrettably, God’s people didn’t learn their historical lesson: if they abandoned the Lord, He would abandon them and withdraw his protection of Israel as a nation. Consequently, they suffered even greater tragedies the second time, culminating in the horrific Holocaust.
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all her sins” (Isaiah 40:1-2, italics for emphasis). Please read Eye of Prophecy article: Double Israel’s Troubles & Double Her Blessings! Posted 8-13-16).
The Lord has kept his unconditional covenant with Abraham that Israel would always be a nation whose people would inhabit and occupy (in the positive connotation of the term) the Promised Land. A prophetic promise repeated by many Old Testament prophets. Such as:
“…Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel… This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel” (Ezekiel 37:11-12).
Jews in modern-day Israel are a living testimony to the fulfillment of this and other prophecies like it.
(“I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands… They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine” Amos 9:14)
(7) God Twice Dwelling Among His People
The Lord not only divinely delivered his people from abject slavery. He not only miraculously provided for them during their 40-year wandering in the wilderness—manna from heaven; meat from out of nowhere; water from rocks; clothes and sandals that never wore out. He also dwelt among his people!
His awesome presence was in the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, guiding and protecting them. His glorious presence then entered the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle and later the magnificent Temple built by Solomon. Think about it! That’s nothing short of spectacular! The true and living God and Creator of a vast universe still too small to contain his glory, lived with men and woman and children.
“Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34-35).
Over 300 years later after the Temple was finished, we read:
“When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple. The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because of the glorious presence of the Lord filled it. When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshipped and praised the Lord saying, ‘He is good! His faithful love endures forever!’” (II Chronicles 7:1-3).
Then about 370 years later, God’s glory departed from the Temple because of Judah’s detestable sins and how they had profaned the Temple. God’s glory returned briefly when His Son, Messiah Jesus taught and healed in and near the Temple and when he triumphantly entered Temple Mount through Jerusalem’s Eastern Gate on Palm Sunday (See last week’s Eye of Prophecy article: Jerusalem’s Mysterious Eastern Gate … Making Headlines).
But it didn’t end there. As it once was, so shall it be again. Once again Messiah Jesus will ascend Temple Mount through the Eastern Gate and the very presence of God (the Son) will dwell in Jerusalem during Jesus’s Millennial Reign on Earth. Followed by God the Father’s majestic glory filling the New Jerusalem. At which time all God’s people will echo the shout heard by John:
“…Look, God’s home is now among his people. He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new! … It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End…” (Revelation 21:3-6).
Next time, God’s presence with his people will be FOREVER!
(8) Two Destructions of Babylon
Both destructions are literal. With the 2nd (still to come) also a judgment of the spiritual kingdom of darkness and false religions and humanistic philosophies birthed in Babylon, reproduced down through the ages, ending with Rome and the Roman Catholic Church. Each of Babylon’s falls are prophesied in Scripture.
In fact, every dramatic detail that pertains to God’s two-part plan for humanity is predicted in the Bible: (1) God’s chosen people inheriting and inhabiting the Promised Land in perpetuity; (2) Salvation to Jew and Gentile alike through the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua.
Nothing of any past, present, or future significance concerning the unfolding and fulfillment of these plans takes place without first being foretold.
“Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).
The destruction of the mighty Babylonian Empire was predicted more than once by Isaiah (and other prophets) some 100 years before Babylon even rose to power! And, therefore, about 170 years before Babylon came crashing down, destroyed by the Mede/Persian empire. In fact, one of these prophecies even narrows it down to the very night that Babylon fell—as later foretold and witnessed by Daniel (Chapter 5; you remember … as shown by the below pictorial).
Said Isaiah: “Look! They are preparing a great feast. They are spreading rugs for people to sit on. Everyone is eating and drinking. But quick! Grab your shields and prepare for battle. You are being attacked!” (Isaiah 21:5).
Isaiah continues: “…Then the watchman said, ‘Babylon is fallen, fallen! All the idols of Babylon lie broken on the ground!’” (Verse 9).
The second judgment of Babylon will, of course, take place in the soon to come Great Tribulation. Time/space does not permit elaboration—including documentation to demonstrate that Babylon in Revelation is an encryption for Rome—except to quote one of God’s angels shouting:
“…Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons…” (Revelation 18:2).
You may want to read the entirety of Revelation 18 that contains graphic details of this fall, primarily as punishment for her many sins and evil deeds (Verse 5). Including, but not limited to: “In your streets flowed the blood of the prophets and of God’s holy people and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world” (Revelation 18:24).
The Babylonian Empire did not kill any of God’s prophets nor were any Jews murdered in Babylon itself. This is one of several reasons why the Great City of Revelation 17 and Babylon of Revelation 18 is Rome, not ancient Babylon that had already fallen beyond recovery.
See Eye of Prophecy trilogy, Shameful Saga of the Great City … Revelation 17; Cunning Makeover of the Great City … Revelation 17; Humiliating End of the Great City … Revelation 17. Posted 5-26, 6-2, & 6-9-18.
(9) Christ & His Antithesis, Antichrist
Two men couldn’t be more diametrically different. Complete opposites. We’re talking day and night; right and wrong; good and evil; truth and lies; life and death. One is the true Messiah; the other a counterfeit imposter empowered by Satan to accomplish Satan’s original agenda—to be like the Most High God.
Yet, it will be Antichrist’s (Nero) bodily return from the Abyss (Revelation 17:7-8) that will amaze many left behind at the Rapture, mesmerizing them to the point of worship. His reappearance after nearly 2,000 years will be considered a miracle of resurrection to exceed even that of Messiah Jesus. (This and much more is covered in my second book, Out of the Abyss. Also, in most Eye of Prophecy articles assigned to the category of Antichrist)
Here, the positional power and remarkable role of Jesus Christ as the First and Last is in stark contrast to his boastful counterfeit opposite. With Antichrist (Nero … born in A.D. 37) appearing on the scene just a few years after Jesus’s First Advent and Nero’s reappearance immediately after the Rapture just seven years before Jesus’s Second Advent will take place.
Though God will permit Satan and his man of sin great power and authority for 3 ½ years, ultimately neither will succeed in their vain attempt to be the First and the Last. That honor, privilege, and power belong exclusively and eternally to our Great God and His Messiah.
(10) Antichrist Nero & His Prototype Predecessor, Antiochus IV Epiphanes
A better characterization of this perfidious pair of malicious megalomaniacs would be that of a devilish duo.
However, because time/space has expired in this week’s article, I must ask you to wait until the next post to discover more about the sordid saga of these two tyrants who are linked together in one prophetic chapter of Scripture. Including some fascinating similarities between them.
Things to Ponder
These striking sets of two encapsulate God’s panoramic plans for humanity, plus his providential power, persistence, and patience to accomplish those plans.
In these pairs, we find one or more of the following: contrast, correlation, clarification, combination, correction, and culmination.
Over all, we find the magnificent Triune God, who is the First and Last, Beginning and End, Alpha and Omega. He is the One who has begun and will bring all things full circle to the way it was in the beginning … with a supernatural new beginning to the inevitable end.
It’s like the pictures we see literally and in our mind of the before and after.
He is a God of second chances; but we must accept Messiah Jesus as Savior while we’re alive on Planet Earth. After we die it’s too late.
*Permit me to close with an excerpt from the last pages of the final chapter of my novel, O Israel. The scene takes place about a year after the Rapture. It is a conversation between two of the main characters (who have accepted Messiah Jesus as Savior) as they stand on the Mount of Olives looking down on the rebuilt Temple.
“What are you thinking?” Netanya asked.
“What you and I talked about at the hospital. About the Garden of Eden, coming full circle, restoration.”
“I remember.”
“The circle is almost closed,” Barak said. “We were made in God’s image, which means that he made us perfect. How could a perfect God create something imperfect? Through the image he gave us, he offered us the choice to live forever. But we did the only thing he told us not to do; we used the free will he gave us to choose another image. We wanted an image that made us equal to him, one that no longer needed the holiness of the perfect image, one that made him in our image. And when we disobeyed a simple command, it distorted our true image. We killed the spirit inside us, and the outside died with it. The image became twisted, unholy, ungodly.
“But God would not leave it that way. He would restore the original created image. There was only one way to do that; a great debt had to be paid to remove the awful presence of sin that had changed and condemned the image. Who could pay such a debt? It had to be someone whose image had not changed, someone who was a perfect and visible image of God. And it had to be a man, because the purchase must be with blood. Life is in the blood. So, the Son of God became the Son of Man, and he was both at the same time.
“When we believe the Son for who he is and what he did, the original image is restored … That is full circle.”
“That was beautiful,” Netanya said… “Forever begins again, but in a new way. As good as it was in the beginning, I think it will be even better at the end of the age.”
“I’d go with that,” Barak said.
The horizon hid the sun. Netanya shivered when a strong gust chilled the air. He put his arm around her.
She looked lovingly into his eyes. “As it once was, so shall it be again.” (Pages 338-339).
“And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new…’” (Revelation 21:5, NASB).