Hot Seat that Ends
This is definitely the ‘hot seat’ one should avoid. This ‘hot seat’ does not have a good outcome. This ‘hot seat’ ends in a judgment of punishment that has eternal consequences.
Let’s look at Hebrews 10:27, “But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” God is at the origin of this fiery indignation that devours. The principle here is identical to the meaning of God breathes in Genesis 2:7. This particular situation is referencing His enemies however. Think of the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the violent pagan nations who sacrificed their own children in the fire or upon their pagan altars, etc. – these are instances of God’s fore-warnings where judgment was breathed upon them.
The Lake of Fire spoken of in Revelation 2:11,21:8 and 2 Peter 2:6, describes the time when the heavens, earth, and the ungodly will be burned up and melt with fervent heat. This will be the last time God will use fire as a form of judgment that devours. The devouring fire is reserved for the wicked as judgment resulting in the second death and it includes the destruction of Satan and his evil angels. This is the lake of fire that destroys for everlasting. Upon the heels of this event the heavens and earth pass away and a new heaven and earth are created. Let’s break this down a little bit more.
This will be the fate of those that remain in rebellion against God. When will this occur? This will take place after the 1,000 years the saints are with Christ in heaven (this millennium begins upon Christ’s second advent when he comes to get the righteous both dead and living). At the close of the heavenly millennium the following occurs:
- Jesus and the saints return to Earth. Jesus brings the city of God, the New Jerusalem with him which will be his dwelling place on Earth. He will be our God and we will be his people.
- the unrighteous dead are resurrected – remember, the unrighteous dead at His second coming remained in the grave and the unrighteous living died by the ‘brightness of his coming (2 Thess. 2:8)
- the resurrected unrighteous see God, delivers their sentence for rebellion and they are devoured by fire (lake of fire) along with the devil and his angels, and in the process the current heaven and earth will be destroyed. Sin and death will be swallowed up and will no longer have victory, it will be gone – done away with. At this point, He creates a new heaven and a new earth upon which is where the New Jerusalem will reside. As we progress forward each one of these Biblical claims will be studied in detail.
For further study on the second advent and the thousand year millennium, see posts titled: Nine Facts About Jesus Second Coming, and The Millennium.
When God Breathes
What is essential to realize is that when God breathes, it is an active gesture on His part to accomplish His goals. That’s the whole meaning of the first part of Gen. 2:7; He formed man. See post titled: Four Lessons from the Potters House, Keshia McKenzie, Jamaica. He has a purpose, and when God breathed into the first man’s nostrils, He set that whole purpose in motion. God’s purpose was to bring to life a personal relationship with and for mankind to have a social relationship with one another. God’s purpose did not intend that death would reign only abundant life. It was not until Adam and Eve chose their own course, that sin and its consequence of death entered into the world. Adam and Eve were fully informed, but yielded to their own desires.
God hand-crafted that first man and woman, showing the intimate relationship He has with His ultimate creation, humankind. He sought a relationship with us and gave rulership over this creation to mankind within the confines of His government. He governed us in love and wanted us to have the same love for one another, and to enjoy the pure and holy worship of God.
When God breathes, He can raise and lower the temperature (so to speak) as it is needed, as He sees fit, to form collectively and individually those that follow the Lamb where ever He goes as well as those who do not follow the Him.
Pentecost
Another aspect and parallel to God breathing physical life into the first man is what Christ did following His resurrection in John 20:22. And when he (Christ) had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive you the Holy Ghost”. Emphasis added. More will be forthcoming on the Holy Spirit in the future, watch for those posts.
In the Old Testament, YAHVEH God breathed physical life into the first man. In the New Testament, the same YAHVEH God breathed spiritual life on His disciples. Both the Old and New Testaments complement each other. They represent the whole Word of God.
Nostrils
God breathed into his nostrils. Now that we’re getting into the meaning of Biblical Hebrew, maybe you won’t be surprised to learn that it does not explicitly say nostrils. There’s another Hebrew word for nostrils. Job 41:20, Out of his nostrils (H5156) goes smoke, as out of a seething pot or cauldron.
In Genesis 2:7, the original language uses H639, aph.
H599
אַףʼaphaf;from H599 (אָנַף); properly, the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire:
KJV– anger(-gry),+before, countenance, face,+forebearing, forehead,+(long-) suffering, nose, nostril, snout,⨯worthy, wrath.
H599
אָנַףʼânaphaw-naf’;a primitive root; to breathe hard, i.e. be enraged:
KJV– be angry (displeased).
Modern Hebrew uses this word for nose. The Biblical Hebrew in Gen. 2:7 is in the singular, whereas nostrils would have to be in the plural. That said, look at the next verse in Genesis, which uses H639 is used. Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of your face (H639) shall you eat bread, till you return to the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and to dust shall you return.”
H, the same word for nostrils is translated face. Genesis 2:7 could just as well be translated God breathed on his face, which parallels what the same YAHVEH did, some 4000 years later in John 20:22, when He breathed on His disciples. We refer to this event as PENTECOST.
God breathed is the initial step when Yahveh formed humankind. Then came that living soul who was the result of breathing life into the dust man. The living soul was made as an “image bearer” of God, endowed with a mind (intellect, feelings). This is the chasm between humans and animals that God placed.
Hebrew Resources: Mr. Kneller