A short circuit in electrical wiring is a serious concern. It can cause overheating, damage electrical components, and even start fires. When current suddenly surges through an unintended path with little or no resistance, the consequences can be severe if the problem is not addressed promptly. Understanding what a short circuit is and what it implies is crucial for ensuring the safety and efficiency of electrical systems. By knowing how and why circuits fail, people can take proactive steps to prevent such incidents and protect their homes, workplaces, and devices.
Humanity was, in a sense, short-circuited in the Garden of Eden when the first couple ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Mixing the two—good and evil—is like short-circuiting human existence. Adam’s genealogy is depicted as a mixture of the sons of God and the sons of men. As individuals, we are divided between being sons of God and sons of men. Jesus was also divided between being the Son of Man and the Son of God. Though everyone observed Him as a Son of Man, He was the Son of God.
The important thing in life is to disregard being merely a son of man and to resolve to be a son of God at all times. Children born to a human father can either adopt the characteristics of their earthly father or incline toward the characteristics of their Heavenly Father, from whom they ultimately originate. A child born today has the privilege of choosing whether to adopt the characteristics of an earthly father or those of the Heavenly Father. The only challenge for a child who commits to adopting the Heavenly Father’s characteristics is how to relate to earthly brothers and sisters.
The first two sons of Adam, Cain and Abel, provide a telling account of what happens when such brothers coexist with incompatible characteristics. The earthly brother ended up killing his brother because their characteristics stood in stark opposition. The story of Cain and Abel sets the tone for humanity’s unlivable condition in this world. God loves those who are generally born with an inclination to obey Him and remain faithful to their conviction. Hebrews 11 highlights people with commendable faithful conviction toward God, beginning with Abel and continuing to later prophets who faced jeers and were stoned to death.
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39–40 NIV).
During the coexistence of Cain and Abel, it is easy to conclude that Cain was God’s enemy, even though he also offered a sacrifice to God like his brother. The reason God favored Abel’s offering over his brother’s lay in their hearts. Abel’s offering was unconditional, while Cain’s was conditional. Cain’s offering had a motive: to receive favor and perhaps to be viewed as better than his brother. From this attitude stems competition rather than cooperation in humanity. The story of the two brothers merely reveals the calamitous coexistence of the sons of God with the sons of men, along with the toxicity that can arise in human relationships.
If Cain had a brother with a mindset similar to his own, there would have been no murder as in the case of Abel. The two brothers with similar mindsets might have coexisted harmoniously. Cain’s idea of eliminating his brother was designed to create a congenial atmosphere rather than coexist with someone whose views differed from his. When God decided to drive Cain away from his clan to be a fugitive elsewhere, it was because God sought to discourage a murderous community among those living at that time. Otherwise, the like-minded people could coexist without problems. The next child born to Adam and Eve was Seth.
“When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth” (Genesis 5:3 NIV).
Something of special interest is highlighted in this verse. God created humanity in His own image, but Adam bears a son named Seth—not in God’s image, but in Adam’s image. From this verse alone, without even checking whether Seth had God’s characteristics, we can presume that Seth, like Cain, was a son of man, resembling his human father, Adam.
While many children were born to Seth and great-grandchildren came after his lineage, one of those great-grandchildren, Jared, bore Enoch, who is recorded as having walked with God and was taken from this life without experiencing death (Hebrews 11:5). This suggests that, like Abel, Enoch was one of the sons of God.
The record of Adam’s offspring is not detailed enough for us to know exactly who the sons of God were as opposed to the sons of men at that time. All we should keep in mind is that it is impossible for the sons of men to live in harmony with the sons of God. If the sons of men lived separately from the sons of God, there would be no friction.
The real challenge is that, among the humans with whom we live, how can one decide who the sons of God are as opposed to the sons of men? Partially, the sons of God are also sons of men, just as the sons of men are partially sons of God. One is a son of God when more inclined toward God, and a son of men when more inclined toward man (Adam).
In this world, living as a son of man appears more enjoyable than living as a son of God. The coexistence between the sons of God and the sons of men creates friction that may lead to dilution, making it difficult to separate the sons of God from the sons of men. Such a phenomenon characterizes sinfulness in humanity. God does not outrightly condemn those living as sons of men, as long as they live distinctly as such.
Cain had to be removed from his clan because of the sin of murder; otherwise, in his fugitive condition, he lived without associating with the sons of God, against whom he was irritated. As humanity continued to multiply, the Bible reveals that there were sons of God who were attracted to the beautiful daughters of men, whom they married. This suggests a blending of the sons of God with the sons of men, which caused God’s condemnation of humanity.
As Genesis 6:1–9 shows, this displeased God and led to the calamity that destroyed humanity at that time—all except Noah, in whom God saw goodness and in whom the hope of humanity lay. It is therefore important to maintain the truth that, in human affairs, God is mostly not interested in the blending of God’s children with the children of men. God does not interfere in the affairs of the sons of men, although He makes clear the reward that awaits them at the end.
“You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 11:9–10 NIV).
What is happening in the world can be quite depressing to an honest observer: people who outrightly show contempt toward God often appear the most blessed, especially when compared with those who appear sincere in obeying God. Nothing should be surprising, since this world is meant to be enjoyable for the children of men. The children of God are pilgrims who cannot share equal enjoyment with those of this world. This is where the real trouble lies among good people who live in this world, as the Psalmist also revealed.
“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, ‘How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?’ This is what the wicked are like—always free of care, they go on amassing wealth” (Psalm 73:1–12 NIV).
In Genesis 6:1–8, we saw that God was displeased by the sons of God being attracted to the daughters of men. This shows the most intriguing attraction to the pleasures of this world and seducing God’s children away from God. Apart from the transient promises of wealth made to the Israelites, this world offers nothing gorgeous to God’s children, who are anchored in God’s promises of eternity. They remain more joyful than the children of the world only when motivated by the promises of God’s Kingdom.
Some of them may appear to be living a miserable life and die prematurely because of their toxic coexistence with the sons of humanity. Like Abel, they have solace in that their untimely deaths hasten their heavenly rewards. Dying in that manner is a real blessing to God’s people, as such death seals their eternal life. How, then, should the children of God coexist with the children of men, given the extreme toxicity that even caused the death of our Savior, Jesus Christ?
Everyone wants to enjoy peace and happiness, even though, temporarily, in a world that does not guarantee such realities. However, true Christians are guaranteed such realities as long as they maintain their faith and hope in the future realities of God’s Kingdom and eternity. Before He left, Jesus warned His followers of the danger of blending with the sons of men while assuming to be God’s children—a prevailing danger in the last days.
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37–39 NIV).
Jesus is the answer for those choosing a life that carries safety when they are aware of the transient nature of this world. He also revealed this condition to John in the Book of Revelation as an essential warning to Christians who may not be aware of the magnitude of blending with those of this world while identifying as God’s children (Revelation 3:16–20). Indeed, we are living in the very last days, when the true children of God ought to wake up and change their lifestyles while still alive.
The commingling of the children of God with those of this world was divinely ordained as a way of testing tenacity and resolve, for the purpose of refining them. “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15 NIV). God’s Kingdom is offered to humanity as a gift, but it requires abandoning worldly pleasures, which are a counterfeit of God’s blessings. However, those who desire to enjoy in this world should be allowed to enjoy as much as they can, because this should be regarded as their only chance to enjoy a glimpse of the gift of life that all of us bask in.
Their fate is sealed together with their master, Satan, so that they will never again have the liberty of what they view as giving them a semblance of enjoyment. Matthew 25:31–46 uses the shepherd’s separation of sheep and goats as a metaphor for the final judgment, as a division between two ways of life / two spiritual conditions. The most important cognition is to know exactly where one stands. If one intends to enjoy as much as possible before the time comes, this is the time—as long as one is aware of being excluded from the blessing of eternity.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, which lays out standards for lifting Zimbabwe out of its current economic depression and into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, offering relief to those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book to be a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
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