Genesis 1:2 tells us that the earth was a place of devastation—a dark place full of ruin, misery and death!
Whoa! Just a minute. Didn’t God create the earth? He couldn’t have created such an evil place. Look again…
When God began to create heaven and earth—the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water—God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3. The King James Version describes it like this-
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was (הָיָה [hāyâ] meaning to become exist or happen) without form (תֹּהו [tōhû] meaning to lie waste, vain, vanity, confusion, without form, wilderness, empty place, waste), and void (בֹּהו [bōhû] meaning to be empty, an undistinguishable ruin, emptiness, void; and darkness (חשֶׁך [ḥōshek] meaning the dark, literal darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
The Hebrew language paints a picture of that last statement as a command. Light… Be. Up to this point, the hōshek enveloped the planet, but at God’s command it was dispelled by a luminescence that was not the natural light produced by the sun, moon or stars. It was אוֹר (ʾôr), which refers to lights, clarity, brightness, lightning etc including things like happiness. When God saw that it was good, He divided the light from the darkness. The word used is בָּדַל (bādal) and some of its meanings speak about severing, or making a distinct demarcation line of separation between things.
I am one of the people who subscribe to the notion that there was a pre-creation era—a time when what we know as earth previously existed, but became dark, ruined and devastated. Isaiah 14:12-17 speaks about a being called Lucifer. It describes his pride and how the world was made to be a wilderness. Ezekiel 28:11-19 talks about a being I believe was Lucifer. Revelation 12:7-10 reveals his expulsion from Heaven and Jesus stated that He saw it happen in Luke 10:18.
I suggest to you that Lucifer fell to earth after being banished from Heaven with the angels who sided with him and this is when the darkness ruin and devastation happened.
When God created the man, He gave blessed them. Clearly, His intention is to bless us and He gave a command. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:28.
This command embraced the aspects of fruitfulness. Adam was to multiply and cover the earth, starting from the garden. He was to subdue the earth and take dominion. Look at the meanings of the words subdue and dominion for a moment, courtesy of Webster’s dictionary.
The word subdue is a verb, meaning overcome, arrest, to conquer and bring into subjection, to vanquish and to bring under control especially by an exertion of the will.
If the earth as such was perfect, Adam had no need to conquer a thing. What therefore did he have to subdue?
To replenish is to fill with persons or animals, yet God had just created the animals that were to reproduce as He commanded. To replenish is to fill with inspiration or power and to nourish. It is to fill something or build something up again. If the earth in its original form had been in a state of perfection, there would be no need for such things. Something was wrong with the planet and God implemented His plan to fix it.
And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2:8.
The garden mentioned is ‏גַּן‎ (gan). It describes a fenced garden. Such derivatives of the word as ‏גָּנַן‎ (gānan) speak about defending it, to put a shield about it and to protect it. The idea is to cover over and thus shield from danger.
A gan or gannâ referred to a garden or a plot of ground protected by a wall or a hedge.
Adam was much more than a mere caretaker of a garden. As God’s representative, given total control or authority, he was placed inside the garden to guard and protect it! From what?
Another derivative is māgēn, which is a shield, buckler and defense. It refers to an object that provides covering and protection to the body during warfare. God is always the one who protects (gānan) his people. He is often called the shield (māgēn) of Israel and everyone who walks uprightly and puts their trust in Him. See Genesis 15:1; Deuteronomy 33:29; Psalm 115:10; Proverbs 2:7; Proverbs 30:5.
This is the setting in which the First Adam was placed.
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Genesis 2:15.
It would appear that God created Adam outside the garden then placed him inside. He was to tend the garden and keep it. The act of keeping is interesting. Taken form the word ‏שָׁמַר (shāmar) it means to keep, guard, observe, watch over, save and preserve. One meaning is watchman and it speaks about the act of hedging about as with a thorny hedge. Adam was there to guard and protect the place as well as tending it.
Before we continue, please ask the question, from what or from whom was he protecting the garden?
 

I wonder where he was when the serpent came to the woman and enchanted her. Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:14 that he was not deceived. Eve was. If he was the watchman with such abilities, why did he permit this to happen? Why did he not forbid the snake to get in? Why did he not tell Eve not to listen?
The serpent came to Eve and started to quote the bible (perhaps I should say misquote). The devil can read it you know, but he does not have the wonderful privilege we have of receiving revelation knowledge of what God said. If he did know as much as some people say, he should have told the people to leave Jesus alone and not crucify Him!  See 1 Corinthians 2:8. He twisted what God had said to suit his own ends.
Eve listened. He appealed to her sense knowledge, but she was supposed to live out of her spirit. When she changed channels so to speak, the way we can change a TV channel, she became self conscious instead of God conscious. She should have gone to Adam and asked him. Adam should have been there and told her to have nothing to do with it. Actually he should not have permitted the snake to be there and told it get to be silent and get out of the garden. She fell for the beguiling words and ate that piece of fruit and then gave some to her husband and he also ate. I consider that an act of treason. At that point, it was as if he gave Satan the positional authority God gave him and sin came into the world.

If you look at the events carefully, you will see that the serpent offered them what they already possessed, but he did it in such a way that they reverted to self-efforts. Many cults and false religions, even some people who call themselves Christians (but are not) operate like this. They offer an alternative. They tell you that your good deeds and charitable acts, religious observances and the like will get you into God’s favour and a ticket to Heaven. The bible never teaches that at all. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ! The only means of receiving forgiveness of sin is by the shed blood of Jesus.
Adam and Eve tried to be their own god. They had previously been naked and suddenly became conscious of self and tried to fix it themselves by sewing fig leaves for a covering. We need God’s covering, but they tried to obtain that by works!

Adam’s transgression never surprised God. He does not have a Plan B. It is always God's plan! He knew from the beginning what would happen and had prepared the plan of salvation well before He created everything. According to Revelation 13:8 Jesus was already our sacrificial lamb, whilst Adam was still a lump of clay. It staggers the imagination.

We need to see in detail the consequences of what happened in the garden.
When Adam fell, he transferred allegiance. He stopped living in the spirit and stepped over into the soulish dimension and ruled by the senses. When he did that it was as if he gave Satan the title deeds to everything. This is why Satan was able to confront Jesus and offer Him an alternate way.
Then the devil took Him up to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the habitable world in a moment of time [in the twinkling of an eye]. And he said to Him, To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory (all their magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, and grace), for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will. Therefore if You will do homage to and worship me [just once], it shall all be Yours. Luke 4:5-7.
Jesus did not contradict him and say that these kingdoms were not his to give away. He could legally do that, because Adam transferred this authority to him.
The issue is not really over material possessions, but the souls of men. He is going to the pit and wants to take us with him. The Babylonian system on which we base our finances globally is designed to fail and is indeed failing, so the issue is not about things... the stuff people strive for (and God knows we need certain things)... but the minds and will of men.
When Abraham won the battle against the kings in Genesis 14, the king of Sodom came to him saying
Give me the people, and keep everything else for yourself. Genesis 14:21.
The issue is the souls of men, but God had a plan.
Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death as the result of sin, so death spread to all men, [no one being able to stop it or to escape its power] because all men sinned. [To be sure] sin was in the world before ever the Law was given, but sin is not charged to men's account where there is no law [to transgress]. Yet death held sway from Adam to Moses [the Lawgiver], even over those who did not themselves transgress [a positive command] as Adam did.
Adam was a type (prefigure) of the One Who was to come [in reverse, the former destructive, the Latter saving]. But God's free gift is not at all to be compared to the trespass [His grace is out of all proportion to the fall of man]. For if many died through one man's falling away (his lapse, his offense), much more profusely did God's grace and the free gift [that comes] through the undeserved favor of the one Man Jesus Christ abound and overflow to and for [the benefit of] many.
Nor is the free gift at all to be compared to the effect of that one [man's] sin. For the sentence [following the trespass] of one [man] brought condemnation, whereas the free gift [following] many transgressions brings justification (an act of righteousness). For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God's] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Well then, as one man's trespass [one man's false step and falling away led] to condemnation for all men, so one Man's act of righteousness [leads] to acquittal and right standing with God and life for all men. 
For just as by one man's disobedience (failing to hear, heedlessness, and carelessness) the many were constituted sinners, so by one Man's obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with Him).
But then Law came in, [only] to expand and increase the trespass [making it more apparent and exciting opposition]. But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God's unmerited favor) has surpassed it and increased the more and superabounded, So that, [just] as sin has reigned in death, [so] grace (His unearned and undeserved favor) might reign also through righteousness (right standing with God) which issues in eternal life through Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) our Lord. Romans 5:12-21.

Because of one man, sin entered and the judgement for sin came on man. God’s plan made it essential that another man undid the damage done. He could not rectify this Himself and He could not ask an angel to do that, because He had delegated all authority to the man in the garden. Man used that authority, by an act of his own free will, to transfer his positional status to Satan.

God expelled Adam from the garden to prevent him from eating of the other tree there. This was the tree of life. If Adam ate of that fruit in his fallen state, man would have lived forever, separated from God without any possibly restoration of any kind. God’s love and mercy thus sent Adam out of the garden and He stationed angelic guards there to prevent any return. I believe that this garden actually remains to this day and is in the area we know as modern day Iraq. See Genesis 3:22-14.
Before He did so, God provided a covering for the man and the woman who were now aware of their nakedness, both in the natural and in the spirit. See Genesis 3:21. I often ask myself the question, Where did the skins come from? Surely they were animal skins, so an animal died. Innocent blood was shed and this immediately indicates God’s plan for our redemption, namely, the shedding of blood. Without that, there is no remission for sin. See Hebrews 9:22.
The proclamation made in Genesis 3:14-15, was in essence a prophecy that was fulfilled approximately four thousand years later when Jesus, the seed of the woman, bruised the head of the serpent. One man brought sin and one man had to deal with sin, so the Son of God became the son of man so that the sons of man could become the sons of God.

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:16-17.
Adam did not literally die at that moment. He lived to be nine hundred and thirty years of age and fathered sons and daughters before passing away. The instant he sinned, his body became mortal and started to degenerate until death. His body returned to the basic elements from which it was made and this is the order of things to us today. The second you are born, your body starts to age until you pass from this world. The only thing that will prevent this is the return of Jesus, when those who are His are taken in what we all the rapture.
Paul elaborates on the rapture in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. The central part of the gospel message is this-
Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really is, for it has not changed—it is the same Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message; and it is this Good News that saves you if you still firmly believe it, unless of course you never really believed it in the first place. I passed on to you right from the first what had been told to me, that Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures said he would, and that he was buried, and that three days afterwards he arose from the grave just as the prophets foretold. He was seen by Peter and later by the rest of “the Twelve.” After that he was seen by more than five hundred Christian brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died by now. 1 Corinthians 15:1-6.
Traditions of men are often misleading. For example, the nativity story revealed in the Matthew 2:1-2 tells us that wise men from the east came to worship the child Jesus. The bible does not say that there were three wise men! There was a group of men who resented three kinds of gifts to Jesus. He needed this wealth for His future ministry, but that is another story. We are often told about twelve disciples and think that was all He had. That is also not correct. In Luke 10:1, Jesus sent seventy other disciples out o preaching assignments. This means that He had at least 82 disciples then. When He spoke about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, many of His disciples left him (see John 6:66), so Jesus had more than twelve disciples. Paul says that there were 500 more. We really do need to read the word of God properly!
Paul told us that because of original sin, this death came to all mankind. God needed a redeemer who could qualify in order to redeem mankind. This redeemer had to be a man. A man failed and a man had to undo that failure.
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God became the son of man. See Philippians 2:5-11. We can now see what happened in another Garden—the garden of Gethsemane.

God lived in Him. For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. Colossians 2:9.
He is the only true manifestation of the Father. He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:3.
He was born of man and had a family tree. We can trace His family line right back to Adam. Matthew goes into great detail to reveal this, starting in Matthew 1:1, which says- The book of the ancestry (genealogy) of Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the son (descendant) of David, the son (descendant) of Abraham.  I suggest you look carefully into this family tree. It is most interesting.
His human conception and birth was spoken about in Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 9:6.
Luke 1:1; John 1:14 and Galatians 4:4 elaborate.
We know from Matthew 10:23; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16 that Jesus chose twelve disciples, but forget that He had a family and many friends (see Mark 3:21; Luke 12:4) and that He was a famous man! Mark 4:24, 9:31; Luke 4:37, 5:15 speak about His fame.
Scriptures also tell us that Jesus had many more than the twelve. Luke 10:1 tells us that He appointed other seventy also, so there were at least 82 disciples, but there were more yet!  When He started to speak about Calvary, mentioning His body and blood, many of His disciples left Him! See John 6:53-66. Paul says that Jesus appeared to 500 brethren after His resurrection.
We must understand the truth about Jesus and His ministry. Jesus was a popular man, accepted by all except the mainline core of religious leaders. Religious teachings have clouded the issue and hidden the truth. For example, it is said that Jesus was poor, which is error. John 12:6 and John 13:29 tell us that Judas was the treasurer and that Jesus often got him to give money to the poor. No one can do that if they are broke! We forget the gifts that the wise men that students say were possibly a couple of hundred men—not three (the bible only states that they were wise men), gave precious gifts to Him when He was born. Mary and Joseph needed that money when they fled to Egypt and as the first-born son, He would have inherited Joseph’s possessions.
Surely, people would have given to Him in His ministry. Today we call this sowing into a ministry or partnering with a ministry! You can support this ministry if you wish by clicking the l ink at te bottom of this page.
This is the Jesus who taught the people, healed the sick, raised the dead, fed thousands of people with a picnic lunch and walked on water.
Whenever He came to town, crowds gathered.
The woman with the issue of blood, blind Bartimaeus and the four men who broke the roof of someone’s house to get in (the crowd was too get to get inside) and many more all heard about Him and the bible says that He healed them all!
On many occasions, so many people surrounded him that He had to send them away, or get away from them to rest and pray.
This is the Man Jesus I am talking about—supported by numerous disciples and popular with people. As famous as a champion athlete or a movie star or hated by those who feared Him or envied Him.

We are designed to fellowship and for fellowship. We enjoy corporate relationships of many kinds whereby we receive fellowship, encouragement of many kinds and prayer support. We are to feed on God’s word by personal studies, bible study meetings and preaching, all of which is necessary as Paul describes-
Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action), So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 that we are not to live by physical bread alone, which God supplies, but by learning how to live God’s way. Look upon the bible as our handbook on life, or the user manual for living the way God designed us to live. God is a faith God. We cannot please Him without faith. See Romans 3:28; Hebrews 10:23; Hebrews 11:6; James 2:18,20,26.
It is easy when surrounded by people who love you and care for you. It is easy to attend a great meeting and get fired up and excited, yell and shout Amen brother... preach it, or express yourself in any way you want in the churches where God is welcome and others around you are doing likewise.
Other people who are hopefully like you are there and, in faith filled meetings, there can often be an atmosphere of excitement and expectation that can make it easier for you to receive your miracle. It is nice to get those nice tingly feelings and emotions, or to be slain in the spirit but what are you like afterwards? 
Iron sharpens iron and the corporate anointing can often achieve more than individuals doing their own thing and when in the sorts of  power packed meetings I and many others conduct when anything can and often does happen. You might have a need and ask for prayer and get it in the churches I know and you certainly will in my own church. In such places, you’ve got all this kind of support you need and rightly so but what do you do when church is over? What do you do when you are alone? What do you do when the convention or conference is over?
Most ministers I know that are worth anything to speak of have various support structures in place in their ministries whereby someone with a problem or a need can telephone the office and get help. For example, call your local Kenneth Copeland Ministries office and ask for the prayer team and you have got a connection there and those people will pray for you.
Never forget that ministry is not easy and it sure is not glamorous!
A preacher has to contend with all sorts of people. Ugly people with atitude. Lazy and selfish people. Complainers, murmurers, attention getters and time wasters alike all place demands on the minister, often times draining him.
There are also those who you like to have around you when you are a preacher. They are the ones who see the vision God gave you and get on side with it... if for no other reason than to get the job done. There are of course those who are with you, but only for what they can hopefully get out of you. I know what I am talking about. I've had folk come to join the ministry whose sole intention was for the ministry to give them a nice home with a Jaguar motor car in the garage. One person arranged for a test drive with the company behind my back and that caused me lots of problems!
It takes a lot of time and effort to prepare for a meeting and stand behind a pulpit somewhere. The message you hear might be great and wonderful, challenge and inspire you, but the delivery of the message that lasts an hour could take weeks of prayer and study beforehand. Many times whilst others are out there enjoying themselves, the preacher may have to put that aside for some quality time alone with God. Life is meant to be enjoyed to the full in all ways, but getting the priorities right might sometimes mean that the preacher chooses to forgo a game of golf, or take in a movie, to put the call of God first. The rewards for this are great, but at the time, it sure does not seem so.
A good preacher likes to be doing what he believes God called him to do and this is often up there on the platform in a meeting.
Most times there is a support mechanism of some kind, such as the Ministry of Helps and it is just as important as the other ministries. There are the people who meet you at the door, show you to a seat, take up the offering or distribute the emblems at communion time. There could be a good music team to lead in the praise and worship and then there are those other vital folk who are not seen, but keep the wheels on the thing. They are the ones who open the doors, switch the lights on and make sure that the preacher has a glass of water. All those sorts of things are good, valid and usually necessary and the pastor must be able to depend on them at all times. If he has to vacuum the carpet, he is not able to keep the edge on his anointing and hear clearly from the Lord and I know what I am talking about here. It is hard to be spiritual and keep focussed when folk stroll in whenever they please, sit down, do nothing, start talking (often over the top of you) and expect to be spoon fed and waited upon and then preach an anointed message

Jesus had the sorts of help I am talking about. He chose disciples to take over when He returned to Heaven, but He also needed their help and support in running His ministry. Judas had the ministry chequebook. Others like Mary, Martha and Lazarus sowed into His ministry and others took Him out to dinner from time to time.
When He needed to go to the other side of the ocean, He got into the boat and slept whilst the others raised the sails and steered the thing. When the 5000 were fed, He performed the miracle, but told the disciples to distribute the food after ensuring that the people were under control and seated. He didn't distribute the food or pick up the fragments afterwards. When Peter needed money to pay the temple tax, Jesus never supplied it directly, but told Peter to do something about it, get off his behind and throw in the fishing line. Those disciples, not Jesus, had to pull the nets in to get their net breaking boat sinking haul. When He raised Lazarus from the dead, He never rolled the stone away. He told others to do that. He never took the graveclothes off Lazarus, but told others to do that!
Help and support was there every step of the way in His ministry.
Although the Father gave His seal of approval, John the Baptist had to baptize Him! He needed help for that. Someone was always there to help Him! Help is always available. For Jesus, help was always available, which takes us onto something very important.

When He prayed for us as recorded in John chapter seventeen, He spoke about His unity with the Father and about the glory He had, asking in prayer that we should become one in the same manner that they were one.  I strongly recommend that you study this chapter carefully. It is amazing.
As we have preciously shared, Jesus knew His mission.
When before Pilate, He spoke of this just after His arrest. Let us see the account.
Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium (judgment hall, governor's palace). And it was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled (become ceremonially unclean), but might be fit to eat the Passover [supper]. So Pilate went out to them and said, What accusation do you bring against this Man? They retorted, If He were not an evildoer (criminal), we would not have handed Him over to you.  Pilate said to them, Take Him yourselves and judge and sentence and punish Him according to your [own] law. The Jews answered, It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.  This was to fulfill the word which Jesus had spoken to show (indicate, predict) by what manner of death He was to die. John 18:28-32.
Jesus, knowing His mission, had often spoken about His death and resurrection before this. Pilate then spoke to Jesus.
So Pilate went back again into the judgment hall and called Jesus and asked Him, Are You the King of the Jews? Jesus replied, Are you saying this of yourself [on your own initiative], or have others told you about Me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your [own] people and nation and their chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done? John 18:33-35.
This last question is very important. What had Jesus done? His testimony is found in all four gospels and is confirmed in Acts 10:38. You know that God anointed Jesus from Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Jesus went everywhere and did good things, such as healing everyone who was under the devil's power. Jesus did these things because God was with him. Please notice that God was with Him! We shall look more of this later, but come back to the meeting with Pilate. Jesus answered the question, What have you done, in this way-
Jesus answered, “My kingdom doesn't belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. My kingdom doesn't have its origin on earth.”
He knew that He was King. He knew that He came into the world for a purpose. He knew His relationship with God. He knew the Father’s voice. He was inseparable from the Father.
Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus replied, “You're correct in saying that I'm a king. I have been born and have come into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me.” John 18:36-37.
My dear friend, you too can know God. You too can have a depth of intimacy with God that transcends everything else. It can last for an eternity and it can start right here and now. You too can honestly state that you and the Father are one and that God lives in you. If you do not know this yet, then ask God into your life. I was 26 years of age when I discovered this and 42 years later, this relationship is as fresh as on day one… only better.
We have total assurance that God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). See also Joshua 1:5; Isaiah 54:10; John 13:1; John 14:18.
He who said in Matthew 28:20-
…behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be), was about to have a radical change in His life.

We are not designed to be alone in life and especially with regard to ministry it is wise to have a companion or two. Almost everywhere I look in the bible, God has a partnership in mind. There always seems to be a Moses and Aaron; a Joshua and Caleb; David and Jonathan; a Peter and John and a Paul and Silas.
Jesus chose a band of men to follow Him and at various stages He sent them out two by two on assignments. There is power and wisdom in operating this way. It grants safety and security, stability and balance; protection and confirmation and many more benefits. One person can cover each other’s backs; see things from a different perspective and complement each other.
We are very careful in our own ministry to always have others present, even if only for appearance’s sake. There are enough scandals and gossipmongers around as it is, all seeking ways to throw mud at preachers and embarrass the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. I will not go into that any further but you know what I mean.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says-
Two people are better than one because {together} they have a good reward for their hard work. If one falls, the other can help his friend get up. But how tragic it is for the one who is {all} alone when he falls. There is no one to help him get up. Again, if two people lie down together, they can keep warm, but how can one person keep warm? Though one person may be overpowered by another, two people can resist one opponent. A triple-braided rope is not easily broken.
We also see in Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; 24:6 speak on similar lines.
Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15 talk about the necessity of having two or three witnesses in certain matters. We see more of this in Matthew 18:6; 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19. Jesus had such a witness in His own ministry and when we become believers, we can know what this means, because of the witness of the Spirit in us.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born from God. Everyone who loves the Father also loves his children. We know that we love God's children when we love God by obeying his commandments.
To love God means that we obey his commandments. Obeying his commandments isn't difficult because everyone who has been born from God has won the victory over the world. Our faith is what wins the victory over the world. Who wins the victory over the world? Isn't it the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This Son of God is Jesus Christ, who came by water and blood. He didn't come with water only, but with water and with blood. The Spirit is the one who verifies this, because the Spirit is the truth.
There are three witnesses: the Spirit, the water, and the blood. These three witnesses agree.
We accept human testimony. God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony that he has given about his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony of God in them. Those who don't believe God have made God a liar. They haven't believed the testimony that God has given about his Son. This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son.
The person who has the Son has this life. The person who doesn't have the Son of God doesn't have this life. 1 John 5:1-12.
We have concluded that Jesus was never alone. We see in part how He and the Father were intertwined as we can be intertwined with Him and we have seen how He never did anything of His own volition. He always checked things out with the Father and always had an unbroken line of communication and now, knowing that His destiny was about to be fulfilled, He assembled His disciples at Passover.
Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end. John 13:1.
They had kept Passover before, but this was different. John tells us how Jesus washed the disciple’s feet. Luke says that Jesus desired to eat the Passover with them. The Greek language describes this as a fervent, passionate longing. He had set His heart on this moment, knowing that Calvary was not far away.
They all ate the Passover and Judas departed to betray Him, just as He had said and after singing a closing hymn, Jesus led them out into the night, down the streets and out of the gate of the city into the garden.
And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. Mark 14:32.
Think for a moment about His feelings and emotions. Here is a human being who was going to His appointment with death. Hebrews 4:15 tell us that He was affected by the same feelings and emotions as we. The man needed some backup and support. He was seeking someone to help Him. The man who said that the Father always heard Him in John 11:1-42 wanted someone to stand by Him in a time of His own personal greatest need.
Pray with Me!

Diamond is the hardest natural material known and I believe is formed under extreme pressure that could be something like 2 million pounds per square inch. Renowned for its ability to reflect light and its excellent optical dispersion (the ability to disperse light), diamonds are eagerly sought out for jewellery.
Believers have a privileged position in Jesus. Isaiah says- Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Isaiah 62:3.
Remember however that to become a beautiful, precious diamond, you will have to be squeezed!
Jesus was about to be put under the most extreme pressure any human being ever faced or will ever face.
Knowing that He was about to suffer as the hands of men, as He had been telling them for years, He—a man, needed backup and support. He wanted someone to be with Him and stand beside Him in a time of great need.
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, Sit down here while I go over yonder and pray. And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to show grief and distress of mind and was deeply depressed. Then He said to them, My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and keep awake and keep watch with Me. Matthew 26:36-38.
Not long before He said that He looked eagerly forward to this as He broke the bread and distributed the wine. We call this The Last Supper. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: Luke 22:15.
Now, He is filled with trepidation. He is feeling a great weight coming upon Him. He is starting to feel the pressure mounting, increasing with each step He takes, closer and closer to the cross. He knew what was ahead, but something inside His human shell started to feel the revulsion, the horror and the weight of it all. He who knew no sin was about to become sin itself and He reacted against it. He sensed a change starting to happen and it disturbed Him.
At times like this, we often need someone to be close. Sometimes just knowing that they are nearby is sufficient. We all need someone to tell us, I am with you. I believe in you. I am here for you. He was just like us and wanted someone who was close to Him for this support, but it never came!
And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to show grief and distress of mind and was deeply depressed. Then He said to them, My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and keep awake and keep watch with Me. And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire. Matthew 26:37-39. See also Mark 14:36; John 18:11.
When He asked for the cup to be taken away from Him, He knew the implications.
The Old Testament was very clear about the significance, denoting that by the taking of the cup, Jesus would be taking upon himself the full wrath of God concerning sin. See Isaiah 51:17, 22; Jeremiah 25:15, 17, 28; 49:12; Lamentations 4:21; Ezekiel 23:31–33; Habakkuk 2:16; Zechariah 12:2.
The anticipation of what would happen if He went through this squeezed Him so much that He started to agonize in His mind, will and emotions. The pressure was mounting.
Luke says that He was in such agony (the Greek word is agōnia) that His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:44. Medical records reveal that a condition known as hematidrosis can be caused by extreme anguish or physical strain, whereby the capillary blood vessels dilate and burst, mixing sweat and blood. Such was the pressure on Him.
Little wonder that Jesus cried to God for help. Little wonder that He wanted to escape the cross.
Father… if it is possible… if there is some other way… if the sins of humanity can be removed legally by some other way, please find it and get me out of here.
God was silent.
The God who always heard Jesus’ prayer said nothing!
He had already spoken. Before the fall in Genesis, God had already spoken. He was not going to speak again on this matter as it had already been pre-determined, yet the son of Man inside the Son of God needed to willingly pay the price for our sin.
Jesus returned to those He had hoped would have been supporting Him but they were asleep.
They had failed Him. Even the two closest to Him had failed and He asked Peter, Couldn’t you even pray for an hour? One hour? He would get no answers there. He returned to the Father and prayed again. Once more, silence ruled. There was no other way, so He went back to His disciples and they were still sleeping. Mark 14:40 says that they couldn’t even give Him an answer to a simple question, Why wouldn’t you pray with Me? I said wouldn’t, not couldn’t! Think on this for a while.
Jesus was being squeezed and pressurised in a way no other human being ever could. The devil was out to get Him. The Father was not talking. The disciples had failed Him.
He turned one last time and prayed, realizing that He already knew the answer so submitted to it and went back to His disciples to wake them and yield to His fate.
Jesus’ suffering was not only on the cross. His suffering was not only when the Romans savagely scourged Him. His suffering was not when they stripped Him, spat on Him, beat Him and mocked Him. His suffering was in the Garden at Gethsemane where He was being crushed.
May I suggest that this is where the real victory lay? Calvary was the physical expression of it. In this garden He could have called on in excess of twelve legions of angels? See Matthew 26:53.
Do you know how many that is? A Roman Legion was a chosen body of soldiers divided into ten cohorts, numbering from around 4200 men to 6000 men. This means that Jesus could have called on a minimum of 54,000 angels. In 2 Kings 19:35, one angel alone slew 185,000 men. Twelve legions could therefore have been able to destroy 9,324,000,000 people. That is more then the present population of the whole planet.
Jesus submitted to the will of the Father. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. Jesus consciously and voluntarily, and obediently endured the cross, despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2).
He knew what had to be done, and the man inside Him did not want to go that way, but He yielded Himself, or put Himself in voluntary submission to the Father, which is the Real Submission I spoke about at the beginning, to achieve your salvation and my salvation.