The only image of God that existed in the beginning was Adam — and it was God who formed that image and breathed life into the clay form. After Adam’s sin spoiled that image, mankind further degraded it by portraying it in idolatrous forms of hand-carved and sculpted humans, birds, animals and reptiles.
But idolatry did not stop there: it introduced degenerate practices that revealed the rebellion of those who practiced it against the Creator (Romans 1:18-25). A new image of God on earth was needed. A “second man” who would be the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-47).
In God’s appointed time, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary the virgin and Jesus was conceived. Nine months later, the Son of God was born into the world. Thirty years later, Satan tried hard to tempt Jesus to rebel as the first Adam had, but Jesus did not succumb and returned from the wilderness “in the power of the Holy Spirit”.
After revealing the true image of God in himself — “He that has seen me has seen the Father” — Jesus laid down his life to redeem the sinful human race. He was “the last Adam.
God had never stopped loving humanity. Jesus Christ rose from the dead to become “the firstborn of a new creation” — one that would do the same works that Jesus had done during his ministry.
Those who have been regenerated by the Spirit of God have been forgiven because of Christ’s death, and have been created anew in God’s image. This is the only image God permits of Himself on Planet Earth. You too can be renewed, if you’re willing to ask God to forgive your sins and Jesus to be your Saviour and Lord. And why wouldn’t you lose your old life in the “first Adam” to gain a new one in the “last Adam” — Jesus Christ!
Those who refuse to acknowledge the last Adam plan to create yet another Adam — a Third Adam — a digital one composed of advanced AI and humanity. Technical knowledge integrated with human feelings. This planned Third Adam will be able to traverse the vast distances of our universe because its humanity will go into a suspended, drip-fed sleep while its android side attends to minimal functions in the earth-guided spacecraft. (This so-called Third Adam might well be a product of the already developed android Antichrist — but I digress.)
Spiritually speaking, Christians are already in transit to “a new heaven and a new earth in which dwells righteousness, holiness, good standing with God) and never-ending fellowship with both the Father and the Son! I’ll not be looking back as I ascend , knowing that I, my loved ones, and countless millions more who are rising to meet the Lord in the clouds will soon after return to rule with him over the nations.
But wait — that’s not all! A thousand years later, the earthly Kingdom of Jesus Christ will be subsumed into the Kingdom of God and us as well. But that’s another story, one that’s beyond that revealed in the Bible. It’s “need to know” and you and I don’t.