Restoration: The Soul of Man Through the Ages
God’s Plans for Restoration of the Soul of Man
From the death of the soul of man to the First Advent of Jesus Christ, nothing much changed concerning the restoration of the soul of man. Let us divide this quantum of time into slices; from Adam to Noah; from after the flood to the death of Abraham; from after Abraham died to the death of Moses; from the death of Moses to the birth of Jesus Christ. I shall utilize these epochs to analyze how God has dealt with the soul of man. These quantum of times are personal and mainly for convenience to assist my analysis of the activities of God concerning the restoration of the soul of man.
Activities Concerning Restoration of the Soul of man From Adam to Noah
From the fall of Adam, the death of the living soul of man, to the end of the flood nothing happened specifically concerning the restoration of the soul of man. However, one event is significant because of the principle involved. The salvation of eight souls by water while the remainder of the world is destroyed. The Lord promised never to destroy all souls by water ever again, Genesis 9:8 – 16.
The Lord saved eight souls by water; Noah, his wife, his three sons and their three wives, Genesis 8:15 – 16; 1 Peter 3:20;2 Peter 2:5. Generally, this is a type of how God shall save the soul of man in the future by water.
Significantly, the Lord continues to view man as a soul. However, He is gradually introducing the concept that man also HAS a soul.
Every Epoch Witnessed a Move of God Stirring the Soul of Man Closer to Restoration
After the Flood to the Death of Abraham
The significance of Abram to the restoration of the dead soul of man is monumental. Noah lived after the flood three hundred fifty years, Genesis 9:28. Then in fullness of time Abram was born, Genesis 11:26. Abram ushered in a change in man’s relationship with the Lord God, which will affect the soul of man until the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
Abram by obeying the Lord God changed his own life and the lives of his family members. They received character changes accompanied by name changes for Abram became Abraham and his wife, Sarai became Sarah, Genesis 11:29; Genesis 17:5 – 6; 15 – 16.
Abraham by obedience influenced our lives, our relationship with God by influencing the state of the soul of man. Abraham BELIEVED God’s words and obeyed them whole-heartedly even against great odds. The Lord God accepted Abraham’s obedience and FAITH in Him for his righteousness. This too is a type because it mirrors how the salvation of the soul of man will occur in the future.
By Abraham’s obedience and faith in God his soul stirred and so too did all souls of humanity. The soul of man starts to come back to life through Abraham the Father of Faith. Faith is a crucial factor in the salvation of the soul of man, Hebrews 10:38-39.
Abraham died never seeing the promise of God, for He covenanted with him to ”be a father of many nations”, Genesis 17:4. The life of Abraham marked the start of long journey through the ages, every epoch witnessing a move of God stirring the souls of men closer to life and restoration.
Although Abraham never saw the promise of God, the Lord credits him for his obedience and faith by establishing a defined method to restore the soul of man through Abraham, that is by faith. He died but God’s promise was passed to his son, Isaac, Genesis 25:8.
The Lord Continued His Mission Towards Restoration of the Soul of Man
After Abraham Died to the Death of Moses
From the death of Abraham until the birth of Moses, the Lord continued to see and to refer to man as a soul. For example,
- “All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six;And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten,” Genesis 46:26 – 27
Additionally, the Lord continues, at interval, to provide more information concerning the state of the soul of man. Despite man no longer being a living soul and functioning as a living soul the Lord through the ages continues to inform us of the progression of the state of the soul of man towards restoration.
The first reference to the soul of man as a component of man occurs when Rachel, the wife of Abraham’s grandson Jacob, died during child’s birth, Genesis 35:18. Although the soul and the spirit of man were separated, at this point, no mention is made of the separation even now. Instead, the spirit and the soul of man are bundled together as one, the departing soul. Interesting to note that no mention is made of “the spirit” of (Adam) man at his creation because the focus was on the living soul of man.
During this epoch, the Lord acted in several instances as He continued on His mission towards the restoration of the soul of man. Important among these actions are repeat actions demonstrating the importance of the saving of the soul of man by water. The importance of water in the restoration of the soul of man demonstrated twice in this epoch; first, the saving of the soul of Moses by water, then the saving of the souls of the nation of Israel by water as they crossed the Red Sea. This too is a type of salvation to come.
The Lord God Provides More Information Regarding Restoration & the Soul of Man as a Component of Man
Other actions of the Lord during this dispensation concerning the restoration of the soul of man to life include providing more information regarding the definition of the soul of man as a component of man. Although the Lord still regards man as a soul, He provides additional information to show that He has separated the living soul into components, body, soul and spirit.
This separation the Lord presented to the Children of Israel through the various Commandments, Statutes and Judgments. For instance, the Lord introduced the role of blood “to make atonement for” the “souls” of men, Exodus 30:15 – 16. This is important because it demonstrates God sees man with a soul. On the other hand, this foreshadows the importance of “blood” in the process towards the restoration of the soul of man.
In closing, to recap, the Lord has a plan for the restoration of the soul of man. In every age God demonstrates His intentions to restore the soul of man to its “living soul” state. The Lord injects this information at intervals as time progresses towards fulfillment. The Lord has repeatedly revealed components of this plan, these include; water, obedience, faith and blood. Truly, Abraham is a Father of Many Nations; because of his pioneering faith, Believers receive restoration of their souls through Jesus Christ. Join me as I continue to explore the restoration of the soul of man through the ages.
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