The Ultimate Context: of The Evangel of Jesus Christ, Son of God

By Lazar Sretenovic

IN A BEGINNING …


Is it possible that a Jewish prophet, seven centuries before Christ, revealed the key that unlocks the cosmic mystery of life and laid the cornerstone of Biblical theodicy?


In the peculiar work that is The Ultimate Context, Lazar Sretenovic posits a scripture-sound, universe-encasing perspective for consciousness appearing in space and time, in human form.

Offering theologically provocative insights in an exhibition of unbound thinking and an evocative language of symbols and patterns, the work presents an original interpretive paradigm, inviting the conceptually intrepid to re-examine conclusions about:

• Divine creativity principle •
• Ultimate beginning and telos of all things •
• God's essence and character •
• Origin of evil
• Free will •
• Unified 66-book Bible

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Aug 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781543771633

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 by Lazar Sretenovic.

Cover design and artwork by Paul Sretenovic. Background photo by Robert Schneider.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any

information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except

in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.TheUltimateContext.net

All Scripture quotations are in bold typeface and unless otherwise indicated are taken from the Concordant Version, Copyright © Concordant Publishing Concern. Square brackets and underlined text inside Scripture quotations are the author’s.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible®, copyright © 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version, Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Scripture quotations from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures and additional materials quoted are from the Good News Bible © 1994 published by the Bible Societies/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd UK, Good News Bible© American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992. Used with permission.

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL READERS VERSION®, NIrV® Copyright © Black over White background 1996, 1998 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Other Bible translations used:

BBE                              Bible in Basic English

KJV                              King James Version

NWT                            New World Translation

To my heavenly father,

one God, the Father, out of Whom all is ¹C⁸:⁶,

and my earthly father, Ljubisav (George) Sretenovic,

who, one way or another, never fails to inspire.

¹¹ And I perceived heaven open, and lo! a white horse. And He Who is sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness is He judging and battling. ¹² Now His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, having names written of which no one except Himself is aware, ¹³ and He is clothed in a cloak dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

¹⁴ And the armies in heaven, dressed in cambric, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. ¹⁵ And out of His mouth a sharp blade is issuing, that with it He should be smiting the nations. And He will be shepherding them with an iron club. And He is treading the wine trough of the fury of the indignation of God, the Almighty.

¹⁶ And on His cloak and on His thigh He has a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.

― Revelation 19:11-16

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Yahweh Creativity Principle

Eonian Council Covenant

Bible Evil Key

The Ultimate Context

Phase 1: Yahweh Alpha

Phase 2: Alpha Word

Phase 3: World

Phase 4: Omega Word

Phase 5: Yahweh Omega

One Theme On Jesus’ Lips

Eonian Council Covenant: Unveiled

Making Sense Out Of Job Nonsense

Some Q&A Conclusions

PREFACE

Discovering Deceit, Desire and the Novel is like

putting on a pair of glasses and seeing the world come into focus.

At its heart is an idea so simple, and yet so fundamental,

that it seems incredible that no one had articulated it before.

— Andrew Gallix¹

No, Andrew Gallix and The Guardian are not talking about The Ultimate Context, but, they may as well be:

The Ultimate Context is so fundamental.

Have you ever read a Christian book, heard a Christian sermon or engaged in a dialogue with a Christian that did not assume, implicitly or explicitly, that something went wrong in the beginning of God’s creation?

If you have, you are one of the precious few. If not, well, here is a chance to read a one-in-a-thousand Christian book.

For the world to come into a sharp focus, is it as simple as putting on a pair of glasses?

Based on a fundamental reinterpretation of the first three chapters of the Bible, The Ultimate Context suggests that there never really was any problem² in God’s atelier ― an idea so simple, and yet so fundamental.

Apart from minor editing, the book is as it was in 2016, a snapshot of my thinking then. The genesis of a thought is from one source, Yahweh Elohim, but in many a format ― hence many a gratitude.

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First of all, above all and in all to my heavenly Father Mt⁶:²⁶, Former of light and Creator of darkness, Maker of good and Creator of evil Is⁴⁵:⁷, Who has placed rejoicing in my heart Ps⁴:⁷.

Next, to my mother Branka, who in the former Yugoslavia gave birth to a boy in the midst of the twentieth century and taught him to pray before a meal, in Serbian: Isuse, hvala Ti za ovu hranu, blagoslovi je i podaj svima koji nemaju a od Tebe traže. Amin. (Jesus! Thank You for this food, bless it and give to all who do not have and ask of You. Amen.)

Ellen G White, who through her many books, together with my parents, shaped my earliest, communist ideology challenged, Christian concepts.

Australia, the Southern Cross land of the Holy Spirit.

Desmond Ford who, at the Avondale College in the seventies, introduced me to the righteousness from God that depends on faith Ph³:⁹ ESV and set the foundations for my three and one half year Seventh-Day Adventist ministry.

Watchman Nee, who through his books made me aware that two millennia ago, I [too] have been crucified with Christ Ga²:²⁰ ESV.

L. Ray Smith for an example of uncompromising love of the Bible truth. Reading Ray marks the most challenging period of my theological journey.

Thomas Talbott for his book, The Inescapable Love of God ― the most liberating event of my philosophical and theological journey.

One of a kind, micro-macro, John Carson Lennox.

Concordant Publishing Concern for reviving my reverential awe toward the Bible as the written letter Word of God pointing to the living, incarnate Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ.

Lana, Paul Porter, the Monites, Judith Devorah, Gary Amirault, Robert Bernecker, Julie Ferwerda, Gerry Beauchemin, Kym Dickman, Judith St John, Allen Sonter, Stephen Heap ― and others ― for the inspiration and/or valuable editorial input.

Yet, the biggest gratitude for their role in the shaping of the key concepts of The Ultimate Context, goes to the inner family circle ― my earthly father, my sons Paul and David and sister Bilyana.

A special expression of gratitude goes to Paul and David for gentle patience and for taking this book through its final stages. Paul, for the design of the book cover and The Ultimate Context graphics and David for empowering the publishing process.

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Finally, a reminder —

Your salvation, eternal or otherwise, does not depend on you reading this book. The Ultimate Context good news is working out in your life, in accord with the counsel of His will Ep¹:¹¹, whether you read it or not.

INTRODUCTION

My goal is simple. It is complete understanding of the universe,

why it is as it is and why it exists at all.

― Stephen William Hawking³

Wrench the above quote from its secular, scientific setting, place it into a Christian theological or philosophical context and you have the foremost reason for the existence of this book:

The Ultimate Context of the evangel of Jesus Christ, Son of God Mk¹:¹, the evangel of the untraceable riches of Jesus Christ to the nations Ep³:⁸.

At the heart of The Ultimate Context is Bible teaching that the appearance of evil on this planet is an integral part of a specific and loving plan for humanity: not an unwanted event, not a divine miscalculation, not an accident in God’s laboratory.

The good news is that the Creator of the universe intended what we are witnessing