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Truly, the God that can "shake the heavens, and the earth" must have dominion over both the heavens and the earth. In one important sense this is true, for surely God can exercise His will over everything, and everyone, whether they willingly submit to that will or not. However, if we consider carefully, we remember that human beings have been given the freedom of choice. This freedom of choice allows us to decide whether or not we choose to do His will. Thus, we have a choice, whether or not to hold Him as "king", and therefore enter His kingdom (150:3) To digress for a moment: The child does not immediately do the will of its parents. When a child comes into the world, it must first develop through certain stages, must first gain certain powers before it can do this. The child must first recognize that it has parents and that it is dependent upon its parents for its very life. Second, it must learn to understand what the will of its parents is, and must understand also that for its own growth, protection and happiness, it must follow that will. And lastly, of course, in time, it must act in accordance with its understanding. None of these come immediately, however (150:4) The human race has progressed in a similar manner. From the beginning of its development in childhood, God has been calling humanity to recognize that He is its true Father, a Father upon whom all creatures are dependent. He has lovingly and patiently, through His Prophets and Messengers, raised the call that there is a God, that He has a will for us, and that the blessings of this life and the next come from abiding by that will (150:5) Just as the infant is but dimly aware of the will of its parents, so the childhood of mankind was, in the beginning, but dimly aware of the will of God. In the early history of man, many of its peoples had little or no access to the will of God as revealed through His word. And those who did have access were not fully aware of its real import. In some cases, they even rebelled against it, and refused to follow it. Jesus Himself explained to the people how Moses bent the rules for the Israelites because of their stubbornness, although God had really wanted them to follow His pure will. Thus, mankind followed the will of God in a childlike manner, understanding a little, following the laws as a child follows rules, growing and learning over a vast span of time (150:6) Gradually, though, throughout the ages, with the progressive revelation of God's will, the human race has progressed in its knowledge of that will, and in its capacity and maturity to act on that knowledge. This vast historical process, we are told in the sacred scriptures, will eventually lead to a glorious consummation. Eventually, the eternal call to recognize God and to follow His Revelation will be heard in its fullness by humanity. At that time, we will respond as we ought to respond: as obedient sons and daughters with full knowledge of Who, what, and why we are obeying, and as sons and daughters who, therefore, will reap the fullness of Gods blessings here on earth
(150:7)
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