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Following the wonderful creation of the world and the first man in Genesis chapters one and two, we find the Lord giving a firm warning to Adam. That stern word of advice was the following:

"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."


What I find interesting about this is the fact that the Lord gave this warning to Adam even BEFORE Eve had been created. It seems to me that, as a wise Father, the Lord was giving Adam a fair warning of the dangers to come so that he could be aware of them, and not fall prey to them. As the Apostle Paul writes in his second Epistle to the Corinthian brethren:

"Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."


This is, of course, the very same that thing we do with our biological children. In addition to teaching them what is right and what is wrong, what is acceptable behavior and what is inappropriate behavior, we also make them aware of the pitfalls and the dangers they need to watch out for. However, despite all of our warnings, as I point out in a number of other articles, we cannot walk the path of life for them. This is something which they must learn to do for themselves, with our parental guidance, and eventually, on their own once they reach adulthood.

As occurs with our biological children, the Lord will also not decide for us. We must likewise make our own decisions for ourselves. As I discuss in other articles such as "Free Will and Personal Choice", "All Are Given a Chance, But" and "Do You Want Love and Light, or Rod and Wrath?" we have been given the freedom of personal choice, as well as the ability to manifest our love for our Heavenly Father through our voluntary obedience to His Word. In the case of the Garden of Eden, Satan was apparently privy to the Lord's warning to Adam. Thus, he completely circumvented the youthful Adam, and he attacked the harmony of the Garden through Eve. If Satan had approached Adam directly, perhaps Adam would have had the sense and the strength to resist. But because Satan attacked through his beautiful wife, Adam's defense against that demonic plan was weakened, as we see by the following verse:

"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"


As most Christians -- and even non-Christians -- will know, Eve, and then Adam, in direct disobedience to the Lord's very clear commandment, did eat of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, as we see by this verse:

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."


As I mention in a few other articles such as "The Salvation of Animals: Fact or Fiction?", it seems to me that there is a strong possibility that Adam and Eve may have already had contemplated committing their sin for some time BEFORE they actually disobeyed the Lord. In other words, is it possible that their rebellion was premeditated? After all, we don't know how large the Garden of Eden was. However, we must ask ourselves why the First Pair was near the forbidden tree on that fateful day in the first place. Was it really merely a coincidence? Was it curiosity? Or is it possible that like a small child who is told "Don't touch!", they wanted to poke out a finger just one time and see if they could get away with it?

Although Adam and Eve were made by God's own hand, although they were as humanly perfect as a human pair could be, they were not gods. In a sense, they were like foolish children. Perhaps it was for this reason that it was so easy for Satan to get them to yield to their youthful pride and vanity and disobey their Heavenly Father. They knew that what they were doing was wrong. It was NOT a sin of ignorance. Not only had the Lord told Adam directly, but He had also put it in them to know. The reason why I believe this is because in his Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul writes as follows:

"Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)"


Taking the previous verse into consideration, it seems to me that just prior to their disobedience, the voice of their conscience must have been sounding an alarm in their hearts and saying "Don't do it! You know this is wrong! You were warned not to!" Yet, despite the Lord's stern warning, they hardened themselves to His Voice. This is why immediately after their act of rebellion, we are told that Adam and Eve hid themselves. Just like that small child, they knew they had done wrong, and they realized that they were in some very serious trouble with the Lord. Consider this verse:

"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden."


As the previous verse from Romans says, not only did Adam and Eve hide themselves, but they also tried to excuse themselves by shifting the blame once their sin had been discovered. Adam blamed his wife for his failure, and Eve proceeded to blame the serpent, as we see by the following two verses:

"And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat."


How much this sounds just like many people today who refuse to accept personal responsibility for their actions. With a lot of them, it seems that their thoughts are only towards committing evil. The Prophet Isaiah fully exposed the sinful condition of such wicked people when he penned the following words:

"Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths."


While they may be able to circumvent human laws and avoid both blame and punishment for a time, eventually, it will catch up with them. In fact, in their pride, such people may even foolishly believe that they can ignore God's Divine Laws, and get away with it as well. However, someday, they are going to have to pay the price for their disobedience and their unbelief! The Lord will simply not swallow the excuse of innocence through ignorance! We will all be held accountable to the Lord, and we will all be judged by our works in this life, as becomes evident by verses such as the following:

"If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?"


"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."


"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."


"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."


"And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:"


". . . I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."


"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."


"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."


As you may already know, the result of just that one single disobedience by Adam and Eve, was that their spiritual eyes were opened, and wicked, satanic knowledge began to flood into, pervert and influence their thoughts and judgment, as the age of innocence ended, and the long age of sin began. Consider the following verse:

"And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."


Imagine that! Adam and Eve had been naked all along. Yet it was not until they disobeyed and partook of that forbidden tree that their perspective was altered, and they embraced a distorted view of the truth. What had once been viewed as something beautiful and natural, was now seen as something shameful which was in need of covering. In his Epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul informs his readers that Satan is the god of this world, as we see by this verse:

"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


So let me ask you something. Exactly what is it that the god of this world has to offer people so that they're so willing to rebel against God? Well, based on God's standards, not much really. Yet they are the very same things which Satan offered to Jesus as well when the Lord endured forty rather stressful days in the wilderness area of the Jordan River valley. In his first Epistle, the Apostle John explains it this way:

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."


Sadly, these are the exact same things that Adam and Eve fell victim to when they submitted themselves to Satan instead of to God, by choosing to partake of the fruit of the forbidden tree. They chose disobedience over respectful obedience to the Lord. Their position of humility before the Lord was replaced by sinful pride. What had been viewed as natural, was now viewed as sinful through the eyes of lust.

Even though this was a terrible blow to God's creation and threw things off-balance, it was something which the Lord had obviously foreseen. Thus, He had no choice but to expel both Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Exactly why was this necessary? The answer is found towards the end of the third chapter of the Book of Genesis in the following verses:

"And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."


In essence, by choosing the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve had opted for the corruption of Satan over the purity which comes through obedience to God's Word. Before their tragic fall, Adam and Eve viewed everything as being good, exactly as the Lord had said it was on each of the Six Days of Creation. However, upon indulging in an act of intentional disobedience, as I said a moment ago, their thought processes and judgement became corrupted, and their perspective was reversed. The Prophet Isaiah in fact warned against this very thing when he wrote the following lines:

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"


Because Adam and Eve did not possess the Wisdom and Spiritual Discernment which God possesses, they couldn't possibly know how to properly use the new awareness they had acquired. This is the problem which has existed to this very day, as we will see shortly. In his pride, man likes to think that he knows what he is doing. He likes to be in charge of things, as well as forging ahead in his own strength and wisdom, without any help from God whatsoever. As I point out in the series called "John Lennon's 'Imagine' and Secular Humanism", this attitude is in fact a very integral part of the humanist ideology. It has now reached a point where man foolishly plays "god" with the building blocks of creation, whether it is the atom, or DNA and gene splicing. However, the more he tinkers with such forbidden knowledge, the worse the situation becomes. Thus, we totter ever closer to the brink of our own destruction.

In the case of Adam and Eve, they had already demonstrated a capacity for disobedience -- and committing evil -- through breaking the Lord's very first commandment given to Adam. So that being the case, what would prevent them from committing further acts of disobedience? Having already succumbed to Satan's first lie, what would prevent them from disobeying further by attempting to partake of the Tree of Life, and as a result, living forever?

As the previous verses from the Book of Genesis reveal, this is what the Lord had to prevent from happening at all cost. If they had partaken of the second tree as well, they would have lived forever. Not only would they have lived forever, but they would have lived forever making one mistake after another, and committing one evil after another as well, as demigods in human flesh. And who knows. Just as Satan had rebelled against the Lord, given enough time, perhaps Adam and Eve would also have eventually become so presumptuous and proud, so as to oppose the Lord Himself, and would have sought to ascend to the Throne of God, due to the corrupt and perverted perspective they acquired after their fall.

So again, it is for this very reason that the Lord had no choice but to oust them from the Garden, and place cherubims and a flaming sword at the entrance to protect it from their re-entering it. One thing I have sometimes wondered about is why the Lord placed the flaming sword and the cherubims on the eastern side of the Garden of Eden. Is it possible that that was the only way in which one could enter it? Were the other three sides blocked by wide rivers or tall mountains perhaps? Maybe the day will come when we will finally find out. For now though, it will remain one of many Biblical mysteries, I suppose.

But you see, the Devil wasn't about to be defeated so easily. While Adam and Eve had failed to achieve immortality through Satan's first attack, that vile, old serpent had something else up his sleeve which he was hoping would work. Only a few chapters later, we find the "sons of God" -- who were really rebellious Angelic Beings -- descending to the Earth in order to mingle with human beings, and specifically to engage in sexual intercourse with human women. Keep in mind that people were still living for hundreds and hundreds of years at this time. Almost to one thousand years of age in fact. Consider the following group of verses:

"And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."


If you are interested in learning more about this subject, please refer to some of my companion articles, such as the lengthy series called "Nephilim: The Giants of Genesis", as well as the article entitled "The Book of Enoch: Truth or Heresy?". The basic intent here seems to be that Satan was hoping to create a super race of evil beings, half-human, half-demon, who would rule the Earth, and possibly make an assault on the Throne of God. Now, had he been successful, perhaps Christ's bloodline would have never survived. So, just as God had foreseen, the wickedness and rebellion did not stop with Adam and Eve. In fact, beginning with their own children, Cain and Abel, it continued to get worse and worse, until following the rebellion by the Angels, God was forced to put down His divine foot and make a very grievous decision, as we can determine by the following group of verses:

"And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."


Thus, we arrive at the time of the great Flood which occurred in the days of the patriarch Noah. This topic is also covered in other articles such as "Noah's Ark and the Genesis Flood", and "Genesis Flood: The Urantia Book Exposed Again!". Now one thing of which we can be certain is the fact that the Lord's Word regarding Adam and Eve dying the day that they partook of the forbidden tree was indeed fulfilled. In fact, it was fulfilled in more ways than one. In one sense, through their disobedience, Adam and Eve experienced spiritual death that day. How so? Well, their rebellious act resulted in a vast spiritual gulf being created between man and his Creator. I am reminded of another gulf between Heaven and Hell which Jesus made mention of in His Parable regarding the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus, as we read in the following verse:

"And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."


I further discuss this topic in the article entitled "What is Meant by Abraham's Bosom?". In another sense, Adam and Eve also died when they were separated from the Lord's presence through their physical ouster from the Garden of Eden. Let me remind you that we are told that the Lord physically walked in the Garden of Eden, as we see by the following verse:

"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden."


Now, some Christians may believe that the previous verse is describing Adam and Eve "walking in the garden in the cool of the day." However, I tend to disagree with that view. In other words, I believe that this verse means exactly what it says. That is to say that the Lord -- meaning Jesus -- did in fact actually walk amidst the Garden, and did fellowship directly with His creations. What better way to enjoy them?

The notion that the Lord spoke to Adam and Eve from a place way off in Outer Space doesn't seem to fit in this situation. Yes, it is possible that it occurred that way. After all, we know from the Gospels that a Voice was heard from Heaven on the day that Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. Likewise, Peter, James and John heard the very same celestial Voice while they were on the summit of the Mount of Transfiguration, as Peter would mention in his second Epistle. The people also heard the Voice of the Father in John chapter twelve. Peter likewise heard a voice in Acts chapter ten. Lastly, John heard multiple voices while writing the Book of Revelation. Consider the following set of verses:

"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."


"Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only."


"And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."


"Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased."


"For he [Jesus] received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount."


"Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes."


"And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven."


"And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat. But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth. But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven."


"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."


"After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."


"And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!"


"And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not . . . And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth."


"And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them."


"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."


"And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps . . . And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."


"And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done."


"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities."


"And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:"


"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."


Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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