God's Sovereign Reign Over His Creation

By Dale Heil

There have been many good books written on the subject of God's sovereignty, but it always seems as if there are many questions left unanswered. For examples, If God is truly sovereign, why is the world in a state of spiritual confusion and darkness? Why is there sin, sickness, death, and even a devil? How d

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Vine Press
• Release date: Mar 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781954941199

Dale Heil

Dale Heil grew up on a cattle ranch near Boulder Colorado. Despite his Christian upbringing, he became disobedient and unruly in his teens and early twenties. After many confrontations with law enforcement he ended up in prison in his mid-twenties with a lengthy sentence. Remembering his upbringing he turned to the Lord and truly dedicated his life to God. After being born again, he became a serious student of God's Word and searched through the scriptures many hours each day. After a few years he began to teach bible studies to other inmates, and had a very productive ministry on the inside called "Spirit and life". Then one day God spoke to him and told him to write down everything that He had taught him over the years. He soon began to do so, and after being released from prison became the author of several books. His first book, "Spirit and Life", is named after his ministry in prison. He is also the author of, "The Making of a man of Faith", "The Threefold Cord of Giving, Prayer, and Fasting", and "God's Sovereign Reign over His Creation". He is now a cattle rancher in Meeker Colorado, teaches bible studies, and continues to write down everything that God has taught him.

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PART ONE

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY

CHAPTER 1

RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD

The subject of God’s Sovereignty has always been a very controversial subject matter, even though the Word of God speaks plainly and clearly on the subject. Scripture evidence in favor of God’s complete sovereignty over His creation is overwhelming. The Word does speak on the subject in great detail. Traditions of men that are widely taught in the church today have clouded our minds to this great truth of God’s Word. The purpose of this book is to teach, from the scriptures, what God’s Word teaches on this important subject.

First of all, to understand God’s Sovereignty, one must know what the Word says about the subject in great detail. 2 Tim. 2:15 states, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. This scripture instructs every believer to study God’s Word for the purpose of showing ourselves approved unto Him. The Greek word that is translated study in this passage of scripture is spoudazo, which means: to use speed, to make effort, to be prompt and earnest, to be diligent, to endeavor, and to labor. How few of us approach the Word of God daily with that kind of an attitude. We often get so caught up and involved in so many other things that we neglect the study of God’s Word. Sadly to say, the church as a whole does not realize the importance of God’s Word. If we did, we would not put anything above the Word of God in our lives, and would make time each and every day to study the Word for ourselves.

We often get our daily dose of God’s Word by catching a quick Christian television broadcast, or a sermon on Sunday morning, but spend little to no time studying the Word for ourselves. Church services and coming together for bible studies are vitally important and needful in our lives (Heb. 10:25), but should not take the place of our personal study time. There are many confusing or controversial passages of scripture that are for the most part neglected at most bible studies and church services. If we ourselves are not students of the Word, there is much that we will never learn.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES

The bible is like any other book in the sense that if you just read parts here and there, you will never get the full picture or meaning of what God is teaching us. There will be a lack of understanding of who God really is, and what His purposes are. How often have we talked to believers who can’t even show from scripture what they believe? More often than not, much of what they believe is not according to sound doctrine, but traditions taught by men.

Jesus told us in Matt. 4:4, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. If we do not study God’s Word from Genesis to Revelation, we will not have a good understanding of all scripture (Neh. 8:8), and will not be able to rightly divide the Word of truth. If we do not rightly divide the Word of truth, there is no way we can correctly apply it to our lives.

In much of the church today there is a limited understanding of the Old Testament scriptures, which we often neglect to study because we are no longer under that covenant. Nevertheless, the Old Testament scriptures are just as much the Word of God as the New Testament scriptures. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 states:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

In order to grow to maturity in Christ one must study God’s Word in its entirety.

We often fail to realize that the first century church did not have the New Testament, but came together daily to hear the Word which the apostles taught (Acts 2:42). We will find that they taught Jesus Christ from the Law of Moses (Torah) and the Prophets (Acts 28:23). They all taught from the Old Testament scriptures. The New Testament was written as the Old Testament scriptures were unveiled through the teaching of the Holy Ghost. Whenever we see the words it is written in the New Testament, it is a quote taken from the Old Testament scriptures.

The New Testament itself teaches us the importance of the Old Testament scriptures. Rom. 15:4 states, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." Writing to the church, the apostle Paul speaks of the Old Testament scriptures as written for our (the church) learning, patience, comfort and hope. There are many valuable things that can yet be learned from the Old Testament scriptures.

Another New Testament passage of scripture that teaches the importance of the Old Testament scriptures is found in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. The first part of this chapter speaks of all the things that befell the nation of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. 1 Cor. 10:6 states, Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. The things which were written in the Old Testament about the nation of Israel are written as examples to the church, for the purpose of keeping us from committing the same sins and making the same mistakes as they did.

We really need to see the importance of this in the church today as we are under the covenant of grace. We are not seeing the wrath of God poured out as in times past, or what will come again in the near future; but we need to understand that God still feels the same about sin as He ever did. Mal. 3:6 states, For I am the LORD, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Because we do not see sin judged outwardly in the body of Christ as severely as in the nation of Israel under the Old Covenant, many have lost sight of God’s holiness, judgment, and righteousness. We have no longer got a clear understanding of who God really is. There are things accepted in the church today, as well as in Christian households, that should reveal to us just how far we have lost sight of God. There are all kinds of sexual immorality, idolatry and murmurings; the very things that we are warned about in this chapter. How God feels about sin, and the consequences of it, are seen more clearly in the Old Testament than in the New.

1 Cor. 10:7-10 informs us of the many sins that the nation of Israel committed in the wilderness and the consequences they suffered as a result. Verse 11 then states, Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples (or types): and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. So actually, the Old Testament scriptures were written more for the church than for the nation of Israel. They were written to admonish us, as we in the church are those upon whom the ends of the world are come. The Old Testament scriptures are filled with examples, shadows, and types written to the church. The nation of Israel itself is an example, shadow, and type of the New Testament church.

WHAT ISRAEL CAN TEACH US ABOUT THE CHURCH

A careful study of the nation of Israel under the Old Covenant will help us to see what God is doing with the church under the New Covenant. 1 Cor. 10:18a states, Behold Israel after the flesh. Why would God instruct us to behold (to look at) Israel after the flesh? It’s actually quite simple. The answer is found all the way back in the book of Genesis concerning the covenant that God made with Abraham. Gen. 17:10-11, 13b states:

This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token (or sign) of the covenant betwixt me and you. And my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

The covenant that God made with the nation of Israel was a covenant that was in their flesh, shown by the outward sign of the circumcision. This covenant pertained only to the flesh, and did not deal with the spirit of the man. All the Old Testament sacrifices, washings, and cleansings pertained only to the flesh. Speaking of the Old Covenant, Hebrews 9:13 teaches us that the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctified only to the purifying of the flesh. The Old Covenant was made with a natural people, born only of the flesh (Jn. 3:6), and dealt with the people accordingly. God led them with a cloud that was seen with the natural eye. Their spiritual meat was manna, their spiritual drink was water that flowed from the rock (1 Cor. 10:3-4). All of these things was supernaturally given by God, but pertained only to the preserving of the flesh. To behold Israel after the flesh reveals that the same way God set up the nation of Israel, after the flesh, is the same way He set up the church after the Spirit.

The bible is one book with the Old and New Testaments working in harmony the one with the other. An understanding of what God did under the Old Covenant with the nation of Israel is essential to rightly divide the Word of truth.

The covenant that God made with Israel is a natural example that we can take and apply spiritually to the church. The Old Testament is filled with natural examples of spiritual things. What they did in the flesh, we do in the Spirit. An understanding of Israel, after the flesh, unveils the church in the Spirit and the operation of God upon the earth.

For example, look at the making of the nation of Israel according to the flesh, and compare that to the making of the church according to the Spirit. God chose a man whom He named Abraham, and from the seed (a promised son) of this one man made the great nation of Israel. Abraham is therefore spoken of throughout scripture as the father of Israel (Gen. 17:1-7, Matt. 3:9, Jn. 8:33-39, Rom. 4:1, 11-18).

This nation began with the birth of Isaac, the son (seed) that was promised to him by God (Gen. 15:2-5, Gal. 4:23, 28). Although Abraham had a previous son, Isaac was the son of promise, and is referred to by scripture as Abraham’s only begotten son (Gen. 22:1-16). The first son was cast out, and was not be an heir with the promised child (Gen. 21:10, Gal. 4:30). Abraham’s seed was called in Isaac (Gen. 21:12, Rom. 9:7).

Isaac then had a son by the name of Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons, whose descendants make up the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. In essence, according to the flesh, the nation of Israel was made of one family.

Abraham is a picture (a type) of God, who is the Father of the church (Matt. 6:9, Jn. 1:12-13, 2 Cor. 6:17-18, Rom. 8:14-17, Gal. 4:4-8). Each member of the church has been born again of the incorruptible seed of God, which (seed) is His Word that lives and abides forever (1 Pet. 1:23). This makes God the Father of every member of the church, making the church one family, of which Israel was a type.

Isaac is a type of Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son (according to the flesh), and the Firstborn among many brethren (Jn. 1:14, 18, 3:16, 1 Jn. 4:9). As Isaac was the firstborn of Israel, Jesus was the Firstborn of the church (Acts 26:23, Rom. 8:29, 1 Cor. 15:20- 23, Col. 1:15, 18, Rev. 1:5). Isaac was also the son of promise, and is therefore a type of being born of God’s Word. Jesus Christ was the Word (Jn. 1:1, 14), and promised Savior. God’s seed is called in Jesus Christ, the Word (seed) which lives and abides forever.

Jacob was also a type of Christ. His twelve sons, whose descendants make up the nation of Israel, is a type of the twelve chosen disciples of Christ, who began to preach His Word (seed) after His ascension. We are all the offspring of the Word preached by the disciples of Christ.

Many of the Old Testament scriptures that God gave to structure the nation of Israel, and to instruct them how to live, are brought into the New Testament in reference to the church. Ex. 19:5-6 states:

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.

Compare that with 1 Pet. 2:9, which states:

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

The nation of Israel was called to be separated people from all other nations of the world. It was nation that God called out of the world shown by their deliverance from Egypt, which is a type of the world system. God commanded the nation of Israel to be a separated people from all other people on the earth. God commanded them to destroy all the inhabitants in the land of Canaan that was given to them as an inheritance (Ex. 23:31-33, Num. 33:50- 56, Deut. 7:1-7). They were instructed not to mingle with the people of the nations around them (Lev. 20:22-26, Ezra 9-10, Neh. 13). The holy seed (from Isaac) was not to be mingled with the people of other lands (Ezra 9:2).

Contrary to the way many of us in the church live our lives today, we are also called to be a separated people. Each member of the church has been called out of the world (Jn. 15:19). 2 Cor. 6:14-17 states:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

This is just one of many scriptures that command us to be a separated people, just like the nation of Israel was to be under the Old Covenant.

These are just a few of the many examples that God has given to us in His Word. God has done with the church, in the Spirit, what the nation of Israel was a type and example of in the flesh. The importance of this will become more evident as we continue on the subject of God’s Sovereignty. We will find, as God had a chosen people under the Old Covenant, the same holds true under the New Covenant. We will also examine from scripture the long ask question, Why?

CHAPTER 2

GOD, THE CREATOR AND RULER OVER ALL

As God’s Word is taught in the church today, it is