Epilogue: Promise of a New Life

Chapter One cannot end on a defeatist note, that is, man’s continuous descent to hell, so I thought it best to add an epilogue that deals with hope—the coming of the great light that would set aright the dismal flight of man away from the truth. This is the content of the second chapter titled, “A New Way of Seeing,” that talks about the final covenant that God would make with man. Satan and his legions of perverted spirits, evil as they are, cannot thwart the will of God for his human likeness despite man’s fall from grace. The very good as was judged by the Supreme Being at the time of his creation had become the antithesis of everything good, becoming instead the devil’s advocate for all things evil. Yet, the flame of divine love cannot be extinguished. “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” [Isaiah 49: 15] God’s merciful love and faithfulness to the work of his hands sealed man’s fate, allowing him to triumph in spite of his terrible performance on the first test given to him in Eden. His lost paradise was only in the temporal sense, as the true and eternal one for which he was created is still open, for God cannot undo his plan for man, as that was set in his heart when man was just a thought in his mind. Paul in his Second Letter to Timothy wrote: “If we are unfaithful, he (Jesus) will remain faithful, for he cannot deny himself.” [2 Timothy 2: 13] God, perfect as he is, cannot act contrary to his essence, unlike man who can flip from ‘yes’ to ‘no’ in a flash; who can fall in love or out of love in a sec. God cannot unlove what he loves, unchanging despite man’s sinfulness. Bound to man for all eternity as he is his human image; bound to love him unconditionally as he is his love child; bound to work for the good of man, as this is what it means to be God, the wellspring of all goodness. “Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, break forth into song, you mountains. For the Lord comforts his people and shows mercy to his afflicted.” [Isaiah 49: 13] God and only He can restore man to his appointed place in creation as the heir of the heavenly realm. Only He has the power to make things right again, not as they were, but beyond better, which reduced Eden, good as it was, to a mere idea of idyllic and care-free living, reserved only for the innocent. Only He has the infinite love to bridge the great abyss that separates man from him. Only He can fix man’s broken image so that it can reflect once again the loving goodness of his Creator. But how to free man in order for him to rejoin creation as the divinely appointed steward and so resume his much-delayed journey to the realm of Absolute Truth. This is not an easy feat because sin had found a hospitable home in the heart of man, just as his spirit was bound, sold to slavery of disobedience. Man’s many afflictions, his predilection for violence that stems from his beastly instinct; his insatiable greed for wealth and power, as these are his stepping stones to god-like status; his vanity and pride, high as the heavens that will not accept limitations imposed by truth and morality, laid waste everything he set his eyes on; for man unmoored from the Truth, was the death sentence of everything good, including the natural world and its many inhabitants. What untold misery that awaited the whole of creation, including his own kind, for man had become a god to himself, knowing good and bad but only in an arbitrary and self-serving way. Creation has to be restored back to what it should be, as this miraculous restoration begins with the heart of man where evil emanates. Would it be possible to refashion the very core of his being which finds expression in three levels, body, mind and soul? Could the body’s genome be modified so as to moderate his beastly instincts and taper off his violent tendencies and sexual appetite? Could the mind which had become so adept at concocting lies be transformed to one that can only feast on the truth? Could the soul that has been so used to God-like power reject this pride-induced hubris? Could man be saved from himself who was the clutch of the devil? The Book of the Prophet Isaiah offers hope, for it is written:

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom

a light has shone

You have brought them abundant joy

and great rejoicing.

As they rejoice before you as at the harvest,

as men make merry when dividing spoils.

For the yoke that burdened them,

the yoke on their shoulder,

And the rod of their taskmaster

you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.

For every boot that trampled in battle,

every cloak rolled in blood,

will be burned as fuel for flames.

For a child is born to us, a son is given us;

upon his shoulder dominion rests.

They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,

Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.

His dominion is vast

and forever peaceful,

From David’s throne, and over his kingdom,

which he confirms and sustains

By judgment and justice,

both now and forever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this!

Isaiah 9: 1- 6

God will save his people and the Messiah will restore everything, not as it was, but as it should be-- a new order, infinitely better than what was lost. But before the Messiah comes, the prophecy of Malachi must come to pass first, for it is written: “Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me.” [Malachi 3: 1] In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah it is written:

A voice cries out:

In the desert prepare the way of the Lord!

Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!

Every valley must be filled in,

every mountain and hill shall be made low;

The rugged land shall be made plain,

the rough country, a broad valley.

Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

and all mankind shall see it together;

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 40: 3- 5

Ultimately, God’s plan for man will be realized as the Prophet Joel foretold:

Then afterwards I will pour out

my spirit upon all mankind.

Your sons and daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams,

your young men shall see visions;

Even upon the servants and the handmaids,

in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

Joel 3: 1- 2

The fruit of the tree of life in Eden, which symbolized the life-giving Spirit of the Most High, and denied from Adam and Eve because of their infidelity, taking the whole human race with them, will be poured upon mankind, as this was integral to divine plan from the start. How would God do it? It would have to be the miracle of all miracles, far surpassing his work in creating a material universe from nothing, with man as its crowning glory. But nothing is impossible with God, and so hope continues to shed light amidst the darkness.