|
Read Contenders FROM EDEN TO THE FLOOD
INTRODUCTION:
GOD, THE AUTHOR OF ALL LIFE, DESIRED TO SHARE HIMSELF WITH OTHERS, BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD THINKS OF A PLAN WHEREBY HE MAY DO SO. THAT PLAN WHEREIN HE COUNSELED WITH HIMSELF AS TO HOW HE WOULD DO THIS AND THE RESULTS ARE FOUND IN EPHESIANS 1:3-11. TO LEARN EXACTLY WHAT THAT PLAN OF THE ALMIGHTY’S WAS IS FOUND IN THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS OF GENESIS. HOW DID EVE BEING IN ADAM BEFORE HE WALKED ON EARTH ILLUSTRATE THE BRIDE’S POSITION IN CHRIST. THE SECOND ADAM, BEFORE THE FOUNDATION FO THE EARTH?
What does such a subject teach us? Furthermore, what can we hope to learn from such a topic? To get our setting we should turn first into the letter to the Ephesians. Actually if Ephesians Chapter 1 is looked at correctly it could easily be the Genesis of the New Testament. I only make this remark from a viewpoint of seeing it from a redemptive standpoint. Naturally the book of Genesis records the historical beginning of creation, however, long before that creation could ever take place becoming a reality, it first had to be formed in the mind of God as a blueprint of operation. And it is because of this which took place in the creator’s mind before the foundation fo the world we desire to begin our study, not from Genesis 1, rather from Ephesians 1 because it is from Ephesians 1 we see Paul’s revelation as to how all the thoughts of God began to form in his mind long before they ever took shape in Gen. 1 and 2.
PART 1
BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD
Paul begins in Eph. 1:3 by saying, “blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ; according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world.” Did you catch that statement which Paul by revelation makes! Paul says we (the true believers) were chosen in Christ not 30 minutes before we accepted Jesus Christ, but before the foundation of the world! That verse declares plainly that God did something which affected us long before the world ever saw a beginning. Yes even long before the recording of the first verse in the book of Genesis which declares “in the beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned,) created the heavens and the earth, (Amp. Gen. 1). That verse tells us what God did in the beginning, however note, Eph. 1 reaches far back into a period before the beginning of anything! Because it was from this period we are told of the things which God thought within himself before he ever laid the foundation of the earth; before laying out his plans for the various planets to travel in their orbits within this great universe and especially the one in particular which is to be his workshop called earth. What was this important something which the Eternal Spirit did before any of this came into being?
GOD COUNSELED WITH HIMSELF
Paul says before man was ever placed on this earth, God had already chosen certain ones of mankind to be in Christ! This should not be frightening because later we shall explain what it means to be chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. Before the earth or any planetary bodies ever floated in space, yes, before any of this ever began we (the true believers) had already been chosen in Christ that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. How could such a thing be possible, that before anything was ever made that was made, a certain percentage of the human race through a grace dispensation had already been chosen in Christ to be a part of him?
ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH FOREKNOWLEDGE
Beloved, it was only through God’s fore-knowledge in knowing what each individual would do having once been confronted with the ultimatum of accepting or rejecting Christ the second Adam, the Lord of Glory, that he made his choice. It was only through the Eternal Spirit’s foreknowledge he was able to predestinate anyone to be in Christ before the foundation of the world. As Eph. 1 so clearly defines the time when and if anyone was ever to be in Christ and a part of his bride through the grace dispensation it all had to take place before the foundation of the world was ever laid. Certainly this doesn’t mean God was creating one person to be saved and another to be lost - that was not the meaning of predestination at all.
Predestination is compiled from two words. It is not something to frighten anyone as so many become upon hearing the word. It simply shows before the beginning of time, God, through his foreknowledge, looking down through time as each period and generation of mankind would present itself on the face of the earth, already knew what the decision of each individual would be once having come to the knowledge of needing the Savior and Redeemer. Predestination simply means God knew how everything would end, as well as what route every man would take long before the Eternal in reality had put any of his living thoughts into a creative motion of operation. Therefore the Eternal Spirit by knowing what all men would do was able to govern his own plan in meeting the needs of lost mankind, only because he saw each man’s choice long before ever coming to this earth. Therefore, knowing each man’s choice, the Eternal Spirit had no problem in knowing what each man would do, therefore it was simply for him in his foreknowledge to place every true believe in Christ long before the beginning of the foundation of the world. It is all an act of his foreknowledge in operation from beginning to end which makes this choice of placing believers in Christ before the foundation of the world. Man has only a past and present knowledge whereby he bases his decisions, but only the Eternal God possesses a foreknowledge of all that will transpire in any part of the future. This choosing was based strictly upon man choosing or rejecting God himself. Therefore because of this great foreknowledge God does not literally wait until you do something, he knows beforehand what your choice will be and we see God from the very beginning placing certain individual’s names in his Lamb’s Book of Life.
It must be recognized that as his thoughts were in operation long before the foundation of the world he did not only see who would accept or reject his revelation of truth as it was going to be presented to each age, he did not only see mankind weeping with bitter tears of repentance, Oh, No, the Eternal God in his mind saw man as a completely finished product in the far-flung ages to come as his plan of redemption and salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ (the 2nd Adam) went into operation long before various individuals were born into this world through the physical birth. God saw it all therefore since seeing it all from the beginning to end he knew how to regulate and lay out his plan whereby he could meet man’s need. Paul, writing to the Ephesian Church shows, we were predestined according to the foreknowledge of God unto the adoption of children by and through the second Adam long before we were ever lost, helpless sinners.
ADOPTION, WHAT IS IT?
Adoption means taking us who were poor dirty wretched hell-bound sinners and placing us (who would accept him) in such a beautiful position and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who also according to Paul’s revelation to the church declared Christ to have been a second Adam. Later we shall study why it was necessary for God to lay out a plan for a second Adam to come on the earth, long after he had created a first Adam in Genesis 1 and 2. According to Paul we receive this adoption in order that we might be called sons and daughters of God and have this beautiful relationship in Christ, the second Adam, because it is according to the good pleasure of his will to do this. Note, Paul says it was something pleasing within God’s own thoughts or his own will to do this for us who were helplessly lost and undone.
THE SINGULARITY OF GOD DISPLAYED
It should be noted throughout the 1st chapter of Ephesians as well as throughout the entire letter how God is continually placed in the singularity position. The scripture stated in verse 5 “He predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good pleasure of his (own) will.” This pronoun, his, which takes on a masculine term is also a singular term indicating how only one will and mind was involved and that was his own will! Therefore certainly there could be no trinitarianism involved here in Paul’s teaching as to what happened before the foundation when God counseled with his own will! Paul nowhere indicates this counseling came about from the good will of three separate persons or three separate Gods, it was all done for the good pleasure of only one Eternal God’s will. That is to say, no one compelled, persuaded nor in any way influenced one though of this one God as he counseled with is own will before the foundation of the world. By all means, he and he alone did all that was decided to be done because all that was done was to satisfy the good pleasure of his own will!
BEFORE FOUNDATION HOW MANY PERSONS PRESENT?
This statement plainly shows us there was only one singular mind involved in this plan or blue-print for creation. Only one mind did all the choosing; it was only one will that was involved; it was only one singular mind through which all these thoughts ran before ever a world, star, moon or anything came into being. No sir you could never made a trinity of persons out of what took place here in Paul’s teaching before the foundation of the world! Everything spoken of here which happened before the foundation of the world according to Paul’s revelation is always spoken of using singular pronouns such as his and never in a plurality such as their own wills. If a plurality of persons were involved in what took place while these thoughts were going through the mind of God it would have to read according to the pleasure of their wills, they did such and such; instead it says his and he, never they or their’s. Again I repeat, if God were 3 separate persons having even the slightest possibility of having 3 separate wills within each person, Paul could never use a singular term to express how we were adopted to the pleasure of his own good will. This alone lets me know that God, being one, had only one will involved in what took place before the foundation of the world and furthermore it’s to the praise and glory of his grace (not their) because no one else was involved in it. The Eternal One was alone when he thought about all of this, wherein he made us accepted in the beloved. Imagine, as some believe, 3 separate persons seated on 3 separate thrones somewhere out there before time ever began, and you try to identify the 3 separate person by using a singular pronoun his or he when more than one will would have been involved. No Sir, the scripture declares He did it all through the counsel of his own will for his own good pleasure. It might could be said they were all referred to as he in the masculine. However, he can never be referred to in the plurality. Furthermore, it says to the praise and honor of his grace wherein he hath made us (us indicates more than one, but never he) accepted in the beloved.
REDEMPTION AND FORGIVENESS KNOWN BEFORE FOUNDATION
Approaching verse 7 we come upon a new word which was firmly placed in the Creator’s mind. A word which would greatly affect much of this thinking as he counseled with himself; a word which would come only through Jesus Christ, the second Adam — THAT WORD IS REDEMPTION! Paul declares in verse 7, our redemption comes through his blood. This verse alone shows redemption had to have been much within the mind and foreknowledge of the one Eternal God while thoughts traveled through his mind before the foundation. Furthermore, it tells us a redemption for something had to already be prepared in God’s plan before the foundation of the earth was laid. God already knew he would have to redeem something long before Adam and Eve ever fell in the garden of Eden. A plan for redemption was already worked out before the foundation of the world for fallen mankind. Redemption would have to come through the blood of another person within the human family. Within God’s mind redemption was already a finished product long before any angel, any creation or ever a man was brought into a reality! Furthermore, known unto him was every name of every individual soul who would be redeemed through that precious blood of Christ, the second Adam. It is plainly revealed in Ephesians how before the foundation of the world God already knew his first Adam would fail and it would be of a necessity to bring about a second Adam into the world to redeem the fallen creation who fell under the leadership or direction of the first Adam.
Paul continues in verse 7 by saying, there would also be forgiveness of sins through this redemption by blood according to the riches of his grace, which again shows unto us God knew sin would enter into the picture else how could he produce this second Adam who was none other than the Lord of Glory himself, 1st Cor. 15:47, for redemption!! And that the forgiveness of sins would also be granted unto mankind. The granting of this forgiveness of sins would come about according to the riches of his grace: wherein he hath abound unto us in all wisdom and prudence.
MYSTERY OF HIS WILL MADE KNOWN
I especially like this next verse, verse 9 “having made known unto us the mystery of his will,” –this verse alone destroys the theory and idea of which many are guilty of holding - that God himself is just a great big mystery and all he has done or planned out and brought into being is still only another added mystery which we are never to understand. THIS IS UNTRUE!! Paul says, for he hath made known unto us (the true revelated believer) the mystery of his will! Oh, sure, it is a mystery alright until Christ ( the Word) reveals it! The carnal mind will never understand it being at enmity against God (Rom. 8:7). That is to say the mystery of his will is absolutely nothing that can be figured out in itself, however it can be made known unto us by his spirit and thank God only a few will ever see it! There are certain things he has placed within his word whereby if you’ll be a spiritual child of God, one who is willing to grow in the knowledge and grace of our God, sooner or later it will be God’s good pleasure to show unto you or make known unto you the deep and mysterious things concerning (1) - his will, (2) - concerning his plan and purpose in all that is transpiring or for that matter has ever transpired. God is a God of majestic power, a God of all wisdom and knowledge, one who not only reigns supremely and superbly in space he is also a God of love that can reach down to such a low degree of lost mankind to lift us up out of sin and to think that all of this was already in God’s great foreknowledge according to the apostle Paul long before the first man ever arrived on earth. Yes, long before mankind ever fell, redemption for mankind was already a finished work in God’s mind. Therefore we may say we have certainly been dealt with by the marvelous grace of God through his plan of salvation which he thought of by himself long before the foundation of the world. Not only did God think of all of these things by himself, the beauty of it is God’s good pleasure to make this mystery of his will known unto his children. In other words, God will not always remain behind a certain of time playing peek-a-boo with us. Instead, it delights him through the revelation of his word to pull back that curtain of time and allow his beloved children whom he has redeemed through Christ the 2nd Adam to take a good look at what he has been doing throughout the ages of time and furthermore to give you the understanding as to how you were one of those chosen to be heir and joint-heir with Christ (the 2nd Adam the Lord of Glory) before the foundation and give you a little insight into what he has been doing, or as Paul phrased it in this manner, making known unto us the mystery of his will which he has accomplished through his own good pleasure. True, without asking anyone if he may, God does what he wants to when soever it pleases him. However it is not his will that it would always remain a secret as to what he has thought or done causing you to guess at it. No sir, he literally enjoys showing by revelation the mystery of his own will to his chosen children, Paul shows therefore the Eternal didn’t have to say to the 2nd or 3rd person of this so called trinity which was developed through the Romanism spirit, can I do it this way, or should I do it that way? Oh, No, Paul teaches no other’s will was consulted because there was no other will (or person) to be consulted. It was all done his way according to his own good pleasure which he hath purposed within himself (verse 9). Regardless how you twist Paul’s statements you could never made a trinitarian out of the Apostle Paul. Paul could see only one spirit God, one will and one good pleasure involved in everything that happened before the foundation of the world. That is why you will never find Paul teaching God was three separate persons as they did at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. Instead, Paul always referred to this God as the one Eternal Spirit and spoke of him in the singular term, him, he, his, etc.
HIS WILL, NOT THEIR WILL
Verse 10 “That in His Own Will the dispensation of the fullness of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth; even in him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the council of his own will.” Note, it is all accomplished after the counsel of whose will —NOT THEIR WILL BUT HIS OWN WILL!!! If three separate persons had been involved in all this before the foundation you would have more than one will involved! Separate wills make separate persons. However these were only thoughts originating from one will Going through that ONE ETERNAL MIND of God. These were only his thoughts as to what should and should not be done — long before a moon, star or anything found its place. If more than one individual was in on this, there would certainly have had to be more than one will involved in this counseling, therefore Paul could never have said it was done through the counsel of his own will. Instead verse 11 would have to close by saying it was all done through the counsel of their own will, not his own will — his can never show a plurality, instead it is always singular!
COUNSELING WITH SELF SHOWS ONE MIND INVOLVED
These are the things we learn by, the revelation of the Holy Spirit as we see the counsel of his own will in operation. Sure it is a mystery until it is revealed, however, Paul said it was God’s good pleasure to reveal the mystery of his will. I must emphasize this because later we will touch on some passages which feed the trinitarian mind, especially over in Genesis once God prepares to create man. Therefore, let us get certain thoughts well planted in our minds as to how things actually stood before the foundation of the world, back at the time when God was counseling with himself or his own will as to what he and he alone would do and accomplish through his own thoughts in satisfying his own will whereas all of this was done, Paul says, for his own good pleasure. Nowhere in Paul’s writings could one believe when that counseling of God’s program actually went into effect, before the foundation of the world, there could possibly have been any second or third person involved in this great plan of his as he counseled with his own will about what to do and what steps to make. Sure there was counseling going on, however, it was not with some other person, only his own will was involved. Never through the stretch of the wildest imagination could you make the first person say to the second and third person, just how do you think we should do all this; don’t you think it should be done this way? The second person remarks to the third person, what do you think about it; does it meet with your approval; do you have any suggestions; are you in full agreement it should be done in this fashion? Comical, isn’t it? Paul declared there was only ONE WILL AND ONE MIND involved throughout in all these transactions of thought when God, counseled with his own will.
WHAT IS MEANT TO COUNSEL WITH ONE’S SELF?
What does it mean to counsel with one’s own will? God, counseling with himself, was no more than you, being one individual having only one mind, deciding to build a house, therefore you counsel with yourself as to the best procedure to follow in obtaining a loan, selecting a builder, etc. However, if you counsel with your mate in deciding the various steps to take, you could not say you as one person with one will had counseled with your own will, NO SIR! Even though you might be in perfect agreement on what should be done, you did not counsel with your own will, you counseled with another’s will. Therefore, say counseling with another individual who has their own separate will which every person must possess in order to be a person, you are not counseling with your own will as Paul declares God did before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:11) Therefore in this particular scriptural sense God is only one person and note, there is only one will involved, not two other wills as there would have to be before it could be another separate individual. God’s own will which was in his own mind produced these meditations and thoughts of what he would do and it was from his own fore-knowledge or from what he knew about time, matter, substance and most of all, man himself, although none of this would be in existence for a considerable length of time. The Eternal, knowing how mankind would have to make certain choices which would bring redemption in the picture knew exactly what he had to do in linking all of this plan together and then by counseling with himself or with his own foreknowledge he must then choose and ordain certain things in certain ways to work out and unfold itself within his own gracious and glorious plan for all things. We can see before the foundation of the world was ever laid, through this vast foreknowledge the Eternal Spirit, who at this period was not even called Father or God because he was only an Eternal Spirit being, abiding alone finished and completed this plan in his mind long before anything in reality ever took shape or was produced from the thoughts in his mind.
EPH. 1 REVEALS GOD’S BLUEPRINT
What was this eternal spiritual being doing in Eph. 1 as he counseled with himself? In his mind he was drawing up a blueprint how he would lay out all of this. Now this Holy Spirit didn’t need an indelible pencil or such objects as men use who draw up blue-prints. No, because the plan he alone though of was simply well placed there in his vast unlimited mind. Every minute detail had already been thought out and settled upon as he counseled with himself long before he began anything! Nothing could, by any means, later slip up on God which he had not expected causing him to change or alter his plan once he had decided exactly which course he was going to follow as he counseled, not with other persons involving other wills, but with his own will-in his own mind the work in every intricate detail was already finished before anything ever began! Once he did blow a star into space or hang a planet on nothing (Job 26:7) placing it in its own orbit, he was merely acting out what he had already previously chosen to do from all the counseling he did with himself, out of his own predestinated will. From all of this counseling God knows what and what not to do or expect in governing the entire plan to assure that nothing will ever go amiss or astray. Nothing could possibly by some unforseen chance throw this perfect plan off course causing God to be forced into making new decisions, thus forcing him to counsel with himself again at some later time. No sir, once that period of Ephesians 1 had passed, ever how long it may have taken from that hour on, nothing would ever catch the Almighty by surprise causing him to be forced to alter any original plan that might have been intended to be used had it not been for something that had gone wrong he had not seen or counted upon once the counseling with his own will was completed. Therefore everything dove-tails into this overall plan of God whereby when it is all summed up and we see it projected from an overall picture we better understand why Paul began his Ephesian letter primarily unto the Ephesian church starting it out by revelation saying in verse 3 - we are already elected and already chosen in him (Christ the 2nd Adam - to serve him as his bride companion or wife in the millennium age to come) before the foundation of the world had ever been spoken into existence. And furthermore through that great plan of redemption we might be reconciled back to the great Eternal Spirit who long before the beginning of anything had already counseled with himself (and not with others) as he alone knew all things. Therefore it is clear everything done was not done on the advice of someone else, instead was done through the counsel and pleasure of his own will!
THE ETERNAL DID NOT DESIRE TO BE ALONE
Being alone as well as being all powerful and full of all knowledge and capable of making his own decisions was not enough, he was not satisfied with just this, he was not a spiritual being who desired to always be alone, instead he was willing to share himself with something else and it is through that desire of his to share himself with something which brought about all this counseling with himself as what steps he should take in order to share himself or his life with something else which must also possess a will all of its own. Naturally as we witness time progress, the very things later to be created which would have separate wills from his own, although they would have a part of his life, would later cause rebellion; nevertheless it must be remembered none of this rebellion or what it would eventually lead to went unnoticed by him while counseling with his own will primarily deciding what steps to take and what advantage it would be to share himself with others who also must be given wills of their own.
Although Eph. 1 does not begin to tell us even a small portion of that which went through his great eternal mind as he counseled with himself, we are able to see that which was his good pleasure to reveal unto us the mysteries of his will (especially his decisions concerning redemption and what those decisions produced.) Once we have firmly established in our minds it was God’s good pleasure to share himself with something else we are ready to move on and discover what that something else was with which the Eternal first decided to share himself. Therefore we can plainly see Eph. 1 revealed to us the overall picture of the operation of that one great Eternal Spirit’s predestinated mind and how it was his own good pleasure to reveal unto us the mystery of his own will and desire to share himself with others.
PART 2
GENESIS 1 - GOD’S THOUGHTS MANIFESTED
Having this thought of what happened before the beginning of creation firmly planted in our minds, we are now prepared to approach Genesis, that book of the beginning, which shows all that God began to THINK and CREATE sometime after he had carefully thought it all out and knew where every step would lead. It is here in Gen. 1 we begin to observe God as he carefully carries out his magnificent plan, thought of by himself, and brought about to satisfy the pleasure of his own good will while counseling with himself as those meditations of his own thoughts were being fully expressed and exercised and his own decisions had reached as to what steps he should take in this plan. It is in that very first chapter of Genesis we begin to witness the results of God’s thoughts and decisions as they all take form through his spoken word, once he begins to speak things into existence. Therefore in Gen 1 and 2 we are seeing that blueprint which was earlier formed in his own mind begin to unfold and take shape. The structure of those holy thoughts shown in Eph. 1 began to come together as they take on a certain tangible form once matter, atoms and such substance have been spoken into existence.
ILLUSTRATIVE PHRASE - 1ST COR. 15
Now we are ready to watch this great plan of his begin to unfold. We can determine from Eph. 1 by the fact the word redemption as well as the blood of Christ is used before the foundation of the world that God’s mind had to be dwelling upon the two Adams, otherwise he would never have stated what he did concerning redemption for the human race. Therefore it is from Paul’s statement found in Romans 5 as well as 1st Cor. 15:21-22 where he declared all (the human race) WAS IN THIS ONE MAN ADAM.
We realize the world Adam, whether it be spelled ATOM — referring TO THE MINUTE INDIVISIBLE PARTICLES OF WHICH THE UNIVERSE IS COMPOSED or whether it be spelled ADAM — MEANING THE FIRST MAN ON EARTH — Adam means the beginning of something!
And if our natural man Adam who was first composed of dirt which is nothing more than a combination of atoms and structural substances became a living soul (1st Cor. 15:45) and is the beginning of something, this lets me know Christ who is referred to as the second Adam who was made a quickening spirit, the Lord of Glory Himself, is also the beginning of something!
The scripture declares the second Adam, the Lord of Glory, 1st Cor. 15:45 was also the beginning of something, does it now, and strictly from the standpoint of redemption we were all in him (1st Cor. 15:20-22). However from the creation standpoint we were all in the First Adam and we want to watch closely to see how all this will follow true to pattern once we touch on the Second Adam the Lord of Glory Himself.
GEN. 1:1, GOD HAD ALREADY BEGUN SHARING HIMSELF WITH OTHERS
It is here in Genesis we first see all of these perfect creative laws of God begin to go into operation to bring about all these things of which he had thought while counseling with himself. Gen. 1:2 speaks of a time period after THE BEGINNING where in God had already created the heavens and earth. However in verse 2, he looked upon what the scripture called the deep which is space itself being held together by atoms which God had before created, but something has happened! Here, in Gen. 1:1 this eternal spiritual being is called God — God means an object of worship and here in verse 1 was something to worship him! However, in that period of time before the beginning, spoken of by revelation in Eph. 1, there was nothing back there to worship him!! At a much later time referred to as the beginning where God did begin certain things (Gen. 1:1) he has already begun to share himself with others. Before Gen. 1:1 he has already created himself a great host of angelic beings (Heb. 1:6), who also are immortal spirit beings (Hebrew 1:7) like unto himself, even possessing separate wills of their own — separate from the will of the Eternal One. One scripture should be sufficient to substantiate this thought. Recall when God asked Job the question, “Where were you when the sons of God shouted for joy as I laid out the foundations of the earth, Job 38:4-7. However in Gen. 1:1 in the beginning of time he, the Eternal One, as God makes heaven and earth. Before that time God had already created his angelic host to fellowship and assist him with his creation.
EARTH, GOD’S TESTING GROUND
Earth for some reason seems to be the one planet in the universe God used for his workshop where he tests that which he purposes to use in ages to come for obedience unto his great will and purpose. We are not interested in this article about what this earth was used for before God cleared it away prior to man’s coming to be tested and tried, in Gen. 3. We have an article entitled THE TESTING AND FALL OF SATAN or WHEN TIME BEGAN showing how Satan became a murderer in another previous age. One thing is sure, when time came for man’s testing toward his desire to obey his Eternal Creator, Lucifer one of the arch angels had already become the devil having led a rebellion against Almighty God and he, along with a great host of angelic beings, had already fallen from the good grace of God — this testing and fall had to be at some previous time prior to man’s testing.
Therefore the book of Genesis is primarily interested in teaching us about that period of time which revolves strictly around the creation of man and not the creation of angelic beings who were first tested, although 14 books of the Old Testament mention those who undoubtedly were the first form of life God ever created with which to have fellowship. Henceforth, when we read in Genesis how God brought forth light and that light because day, it is not speaking of some hour or period of time in which God was testing his angelic family whom he had first created.
VERSE 2 BEGINS RESHAPING PLANET FOR ANOTHER USE
Oh, No, after verse 1 all this scripture deals strictly with the new area of time surrounding the preparation of bringing a new rulership upon the earth, that rulership is called man! We are told the light divided form the darkness because day while the darkness He referred to as night. This is the beginning of His first creative day. Preparing the planet earth for his new program affecting mankind is illustrated further by the fact God chose to use seven creative days to illustrate how this plan for mankind would require a period of time composed of no less than 6000 years in which man would be dealt with and the one day in which God rested being the seventh day, represents 1000 years of reign by God’s new creation which he called his second Adam, the Lord of Glory and his bride. The first 6000 years days would be composed of heartaches brought about by the disobedience of the first Adam. By no means are these creative days (which represents God’s dealing with man as God was preparing the earth for his new rulership called man who like the angels had also been created in the image of God; to be associated with Gen. 1:1 which plainly states in the beginning God had already perfectly prepared (formed, fashioned, created) the heavens and the earth. These following verses in Chapter 1 do not give description as to how the heavens and earth were first formed in verse 1. We won’t go into that, but God had already accomplished his purpose fully by his angelic family somewhere in verse 1. That purpose we believe the earth was first used for, as we feel the scriptures bears out, was a place to test the obedience of his angelic family, However, in verse 2 etc., it then begins speaking of reshaping this old planet earth into a different atmosphere for its new ownership to begin to rule and reign. We note this new ruler called man was first created a spiritual being possessing both the attributes of male and female and their name already called Adam. Gen. 1:27, 5:1. Adam, as they are called, is commissioned to multiply and replenish the earth long before they are placed in the earth.
Replenish or refill definitely shows before mankind was brought into being, this earth had already been used for something else, else, why would Adam be commissioned in the spirit world in the day they were created to multiply and REFILL AND REPLENISH the earth. The same commission was handed also unto Noah and his three sons after the flood when all mankind had drowned. God commissioned them to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth (Gen. 9:1)! Although every detail may not be available, this aged earth seems to serve as a testing ground for whatever headship to be in God’s program. Earth is the place used for whatever form of life God may be testing, whether it be the angelic host or mankind who was tested through the first Adam or whether it serv as the testing ground for the second Adam Christ, who is also the beginning of a new creation. (Matt. 4:1-11).
7 CREATIVE DAYS APPLY TO MAN
Therefore, in preparing things for the coming of this new ruler, man, the First Adam — God uses his first creative day to divide light from darkness; the second creative day used in this plan to divide the fragments from the waters to allow the firmament (expansion of sky etc.) to separate the waters from below, from the waters above (verse 6). For the third day’s work preparing everything for man we are told beginning with verse 10 that dry land called earth was commanded to appear and the accumulated waters on the earth to be called seas. Furthermore God said let the earth put forth tender vegetation, plants yielding seed and the fruit trees yielding fruit each according to its own kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth and it was so. And as always God saw it was good and as with each day’s work he approved it. Later, in studying Chap. 2 we find although God had spoken these things in the six creative days, it will be some time before these things actually begin appearing on the earth!
For his fourth day’s work God begins to bring in seasons, time, days years etc. For the new environment of earth he says let there be lights within the expanse of the sky to furnish light upon the earth. Therefore on the fourth creative day he made the two lights, the greater light he made to rule the day he called the sun and the lesser light to rule the night he called the moon. On this creative day was also made the stars and verse 17 says, and God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth, this finished the fourth day.
5TH CREATIVE DAY AND LIVING CREATURES
The fifth day was composed of creating living creatures to be brought forth in the waters. Furthermore, the spoken word said let birds fly over the earth in the open expansion of heaven. Also he created great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, every winged bird according to its kind. And God blessed them saying be fruitful, multiply and fill the waters of the sea. Let the fowls multiply in the earth. (Note, every command to replenish through multiplying was given in the spirit world before one thing was ever placed here on earth. And with the evening and the morning the fifth day was finished.
CREATED EVERYTHING YET PLACED NOTHING ON EARTH - GEN. 2:4-5
Now I would like to stop right here with the completion of the fifth creative day to reestablish something - it appears from all we have read in Chapter 1 (and will read) concerning plant life, living creature, man etc., that as God was speaking all of this into existence right here upon the earth and the earth became filled immediately with all of these things as their being commissioned to be fruitful and multiply etc. However, THAT IS NOT TRUE! It must be noted and will clearly be seen once God creates man in his own image and likeness on the sixth creative day according to Gen 1:26-27, that he will create him male and female and call their name Adam - WHERE? Not here upon this earth! ALL OF THIS INCLUDING SPIRIT MAN WAS SPOKEN INTO EXISTENCE SOME WHERE IN THAT SPIRIT WORLD AS ANGELS STOOD BY LONG BEFORE ANYTHING WAS EVER PLACED UPON THE EARTH.
To bear this out, we note in Moses’ writings, Gen 2:4 it says, this is the generation (or history) of the heavens and the earth when they were created in the day that the Lord God made the heavens and the earth. Now get this statement! Verse 5 clarifies it by saying — And every plant of the field before it was in the earth and every herb of the field before it grew (yet in Chapter 1 he had already created all this) (see also Gen. 2:1) and the Lord God had not (yet) caused it to rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the ground. Dropping back into Chapter 1 we see in six creative days all plant and animal life and even male and female life had already been created and CREATION IS COMPLETED. God, has even rested one day! However, AT THIS POINT NOTHING HAD BEEN PLACED IN THE EARTH AND WILL NOT BE UNTIL SOMETIME AFTER GOD RESTS ON HIS SEVENTH DAY!
Therefore, it should be noted that Gen. 1 is revealing what the Almighty’s thoughts were which now are being spoken and which he thought before time began when he was counseling with himself as recorded in Eph. 1. Here in Gen. 1 we are simply beginning to hear those thoughts begin to be spoken. All these things were first spoken into existence to be later placed upon the earth sometime after the six creative days are over!
This brings us to how man has divided the recording of Gen. 2, for it is in Gen. 2 we see God acting upon that which was spoken in Chapter 1 and placing it upon this earth, all his living thoughts in Gen. 1 as well as Eph. 1 had created or produced.
CREATION BY THE SPOKEN WORD
In Psalms 33:4-9 we are told the Word of the Lord is right and all of his work is done in faithfulness, and the planet earth is full of the loving kindness of the Lord. By the (spoken) Word of the Lord. (Naturally before the word became spoken in Gen. 1, God’s words were merely his thoughts and attributes during that unusual period of time making up Eph. 1.) By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all their hosts by the breath of his mouth; he gathers the waters of the sea as in a bottle and puts the deeps in storage places. Let all the earth fear the Lord – reverence and worship him; let all the inhabitants of the world stand and awe at him for he spoke (in Gen. 1 what his thoughts had decided upon recorded in Eph. 1) and it was done, he commanded and it stood fast. Therefore out of Psalms 33 no honest hearted person could see the working of three persons in creation, for it was through the thoughts of that One Eternal Spirit in Eph. 1 we see his thoughts becoming expressed into words of creative life once God spoke and created everything from the breath of his (one) mouth.
Therefore if any others assisted in the creation of anything we must take knowledge that not only did they have to work through his thoughts, but also they had to borrow his mouth to speak whatever had been thought!
Continuing on in line with our thought how all this in Gen. 1 had been created including man, although none of it yet was placed in the earth to begin their functions according to their reproductive laws of God which governs the growth of flesh species (let everything bear after its own kind) until sometime after those six creative days. According to Gen. 2:4 God said, these are the generations (or period of time) of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day the Lord God made the earth and the heavens and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For God had not caused it to rain on the earth. Furthermore Gen. 2:5 declares as yet there was no man to till the ground although spirit man, male as well as female, had been created in God’s image during the sixth creative day when God decided to make mankind in his own image and after his own likeness. Verse 27 says, let them have dominion and authority over the fish, birds and the beasts (all of which were tame) as well as everything that creeps upon the earth.
SPIRIT MAN CREATED AND COMMISSIONED IN SPIRIT WORLD
Man, first of all was created on that sixth creative day as a spirit being and there in the spirit world was placed over all creation and received his own commission to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion over all that God had spoken in verse 26, long before it was spoken in Gen. 2:5, there was not a man (on earth) to till the ground. Furthermore, according to verse 29 man also knew what he could and could not eat.
Sometimes these two chapters become confusing as most people want to think that a few verses in Chapter 2 only clarifies Chapter 1, NOT SO!! The confusion stems mainly because of where and how these chapter divisions are placed by men. Man himself placed those divisions for Chapters as Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 etc. Remember when Moses, as well as any writer in scripture wrote under the inspiration, they never once wrote in chapter form. NO! Instead they wrote in a continual flow of thought. Chapter headings, divisions, breaks etc., in the scripture was placed by man as late as the 12th and 15th century by Cardinal Caro and Roberts Stephens.
MOSES WROTE IN CONTINUITY OF THOUGHT
Notice if you will as Moses wrote the Book of Genesis, for instance the creation story, it is all written as a continued story. The scripture as marked off by man for Chapter 2 has broken the line of thought! When you break into Chapter 2 where these men did, they cut off Chapter 1 with the completion of the sixth day, leaving out the 7th day to begin Chapter 2. Had they permitted their break to come in between what is verse 3 - 4, allowing verses 1, 2 and 3 to be placed with Chapter 1, you would then have had the completion of the work in the six creative days as well as the rest day of God in one chapter. After all, the seventh day makes up the completion of that one week of creation. Therefore, chapter 2 would have begun as Moses’ thought had taken on a new angle. Had he been the one dividing the chapters he probably would have started Chapter 2 where verse 4 is and Chapter 2 would have produced a somewhat different slant in our thinking.
Moses no doubt would have started Chapter 2 by saying, these are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created and in the day the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Generations in verse 4 does not refer to generations as we think of them today, between 28 - 40 years, on the contrary, generations simply means whatever period of time God used in (six) creative days. Note verse 5 places emphasis on everything being made long before it was placed in earth — and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, every herb of the field before it grew. God says in verse 4, these are the generations he made these things before they were placed in the earth. Therefore all of the creation in Gen. 1 was first spoken into being there in the spirit world in their various generations before ever being placed on the earth. On the earth (after the seven creative days) there had been no rain nor was there any man to till the ground, a mist came up from the earth to water the whole face of the ground. That is true, the earth was being watered, but there was no human being called man as yet to till the ground, although long ago on the sixth creative day there had been a spirit man created according to Gen. 1:26-27. Furthermore, that spirit man had already received his commission — when he was placed in the earth he was to multiply and replenish the earth. In that generation or period of time before anything was actually placed upon this previously created earth, God had already made spirit man in his own image and, LISTEN TO THIS, had created him male and female. Gen. 5:1 states that in the day God created man in his likeness, God made he him, male and female created he them and blessed them and called their name Adam in the day they were created. This cannot be applied to Gen. 2:7 where it had previously been stated there was no man on earth to till the earth. Now watch, after this then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, WHEN? Sometime after seven creative days passed, and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life (which long ago had been created as male and female somewhere in the spirit world.)
CREATED MAN BECAME LIVING SOUL
Now for the first time man becomes a living soul (1st Cor. 15:45-49). Yet recall, he was still male and female in one body. However, as long as the two remain in one body, called man, they cannot fulfill their commission to multiply and replenish the earth, can they!
I realize most people have been taught that Chapter 2 of Genesis is a repeat of Chapter 1, simply bringing out more in detail what actually happened in Chapter 1, yet scripture will not bear this out! These are entirely two different chapters, one following the other in thought and as Moses write it he was simply writing a continuation of thought down into the second chapter. Therefore in Gen. 1 as well as Eph. 1 we have seen him counsel with his thoughts first. Those thoughts now become positive, and in that spirit world he begins to create things, while in Gen. 2 we see God acting upon all that which he spoke into existence in the spirit world, God will now act upon bringing it into the position in which he had originally created it when using six creative days. Gen. 2:7 as it is recorded since man was broken up Moses’ thought, shows sometime after those seven creative days are finished God now formed human man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life or breathed into him that which he had previously created on the sixth day consisting of both male and female attributes, called spirit man, Gen. 1:26-27!! Although man became a living soul it is still going to be much later before we will see God divide man, taking out of him all the feminine attributes which had long ago been placed in him.
Naturally the commission to multiply and replenish the earth could not take place until after the separation of the feminine attribute which was placed in spirit man and would be given a separate body then we shall see why OUT OF HIS SIDE HE TOOK EVE! The day she was separated from him and given a beautiful human body in which to live was not the beginning of her existence, BY NO MEANS!
TO WHOM WAS GOD SPEAKING ON 6TH DAY
For a moment let us turn back to the sixth creative day when God made spirit man, male and female, because it is here people get off track thinking because God stated in Gen. 1:26, let us make man in our image after our likeness, that God was actually speaking unto two other separate persons within the Godhead, namely the Son and Holy Ghost (which are actually two offices of this one Eternal God). And that he is saying unto the two other persons of the Godhead, let us make man in our image and after our likeness. However we recognize in Eph. 1, long before this time could ever elapse Paul had always spoken of God in the masculine and singular term declaring he had counseled with his own will! One thing is certain, God cannot contradict himself and Paul had clearly stated he had not counseled with anyone other than his own will, yet in Genesis we discover Moses saying, when God was ready to make man on the sixth creative day - let us make man in our image — Who is this us he refers to? Remember it is not possible for one true prophet to contradict that which another true prophet has spoken. What Moses wrote did by no means cause him to become a trinitarian nor did it cause anyone else until long after the birth of Christ to ever try and use this phrase to clinch the fact of God being three separate persons. By no means is the trinity of persons as recorded by the Council of Nicea a Jewish teaching, instead it is a gentile teaching. Some even mistakenly think it is a Bible teaching, IT IS NOT! It is strictly an unscriptural gentile explanation of what he, not the Jew, believes God to be. Yet we can’t ignore the fact God was talking to someone other than himself on that sixth creative day. Who was Moses referring to when he made the statement, let us make man in our image and after our likeness? Is Moses who is a Jew, contradicting Paul who is also a Jew? Absolutely Not!!
Let’s explore this further to see if we can find out who God is actually addressing, using a plurality phrase. Since no word of a true prophet of God can contradict another, we must catch the thought in which this particular thought is being used to convey a certain meaning unto the natural mind found in Gen. 1:26 which is in this plurality. You will have to agree with me on down the line from Moses, Paul the gentile apostle, writing in Eph. 1 is reaching farther back into a period than anything recorded in Gen. 1!! Because in Gen. 1:1 it says, in the beginning God, however Eph. 1 reaching much farther into the past than any mere beginning! It reaches back farther than even before the foundation of the world; long before God ever began to speak anything into existence in the spirit world. Eph. 1 reaches back into the era of time when he would not even rightly have been called God, because as stated, God means an object of worship and Eph. 1 is so far back before time there was not anything present to worship and adore him as God. There he was the only Eternal Spirit turning thoughts over in his mind, counseling with himself as to what he would do, how he would perform it and bring what is recorded in Gen. 1 into existence. God did everything according to his own will and his own good pleasure and never once did Paul to the Ephesian church express God in any plurality sense. And only sometime after all this counseling went on in his mind and it was settled in his mind through his own counseling what he would do, do we ever begin to see Gen. 1 even begin to come into focus as God will not begin to speak his great plan which he and he alone thought of recorded in Gen. 1, placing it into motion. Yes Moses, writing his books, chose to use the phrase US AND OUR to convey his thought in Gen. 1:26. What is this plurality phrasing all about?
INNUMERABLE HOST OF SPIRITS CALLED ANGELS
Who is God speaking unto saying they should make man in their image? He was not speaking unto two or three others – NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT – but perhaps a great innumerable host of other spirits (Heb. 12:22) called angels which he had previously created to assist him in carrying out all of his thoughts with which he had counseled. Angels are powerful (Psm. 103:20) intelligent (1st Pet. 1:12) and active (Matt. 26:63). They are ministering spirits (Heb. 1:7). Their titles indicate they are different ranks, thrones dominion and power. They wait upon God in praise, worship and service both in heaven and on earth (Heb. 1:14). Some of this host were sent to announce and welcome the Redeemer (Lk. 2:13, Heb. 1:6). Rev. 5:11-12 alone speaks of one hundred million of these worshiping in one place. Angels assigned to watch over mankind (Psm. 91:11) excel in strength (Psm. 103:20) and can fly swiftly (Dan. 11:21) and even wait to do the command and bidding of the almighty God. And since they were spirit beings, it was a spirit being God was creating in Gen. 1:26-27, giving him charge over the earth. These beings are seen in scripture accompanying God in every task he performs. Why would we think it strange for him to be discussing anything with them? Whenever we see God ready to do anything that affects mankind, angels are always present. They, along with man, are created spirit beings.
GOD BREATHES INTO DUST THAT WHICH WAS CREATED ON 6TH DAY
Watch closely in Chap. 1 God has now spoken his thoughts of Eph. 1 into existence. Chap. 2 shows God is going to act further upon that which he had previously spoken into existence, placing it into its rightful position. Recall v. 5 stated there is not a man to till the earth, therefore let us watch God as he begins to act upon what he has already created — spirit man who is still male and female. In Gen. 2:7 it says, “God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” WHAT IS GOD DOING? Some time after his seventh creative day, God took some plain ordinary dirt from the crust of the earth, formed and fashioned it, then breathed into it the breath of life and it began to walk around. Flesh man or human mankind began from just plain old ordinary dirt of the earth! “God formed MAN out of the dust of the ground,” meaning he formed the component parts of his body. We must realize that man is more than just a physical earthly tangible substance, composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which are the three major basic elements of natural creation. Carbon to give the flesh life, Hydrogen nor oxygen gives the flesh life. The life of the flesh is in the blood (Lev. 17:4), “BUT THE LIFE OF THE BLOOD IS IN THE SPIRIT”. The spirit of life dwells in the blood and if the blood is in the flesh then to fulfill the scripture, the life of all flesh is in the blood thereof, but the moment you separate the spirit from the blood you will no longer have the flesh IN A LIVING FORM, yet though it is still visible to the eye it is then in a state of readiness to return again unto the three basic elements it first was before coming out of the earth.
BREATH OF LIFE
God formed earthly man out of the dust of the earth breathing into his nostrils the BREATH OF LIFE. Breath of life, means God, who is spirit, can breath into the inner man (Called the spirit man which was made in the image of God himself). For God is spirit and man is a direct offspring of God, made in the very image of this spirit being, called God. As God BREATHED into the natural earthly vessel of clay, He actually breathed into him that inner man, but the human mind fails to see such an operation. They picture this dramatic scene as God picking up this vessel of clay. To them God is also something that is incorporated in flesh. The natural mind pictures it as some one giving ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION, breathing into man breath which goes into his lungs. That is not the picture at all found here, but to convey the thought to us there has to be some form of speech. God breathed into him (into his nostrils, the breath of life) it is true that man breathes breath into his lungs, but we must realize from this statement IT WAS far more than mere breath going into man’s lungs. For at that moment God placed within the vessel of flesh that SPIRIT MAN, those lungs started pumping air and man automatically began to breath.
As God took this piece of clay or dirt and began to fashion it into a vessel or tabernacle, look what he places into it! God breathes into this earthen vessel the breath of (spirit) life. GET THIS! This spirit life breathed into that dirt which he had fashioned was that spirit being man (male and female) that he had made back in Chap. 1:26-27. No longer is God saying, let there be such and such, because now we see him acting upon that which he had already spoken into existence.
Scripture says there wasn’t a man to till the earth therefore God took some dirt and began to form something and when he finished forming his object which he gave two arms, two legs, head, etc. he breathed into that which he had formed THAT SPIRIT BEING HE HAD ALREADY CREATED IN CHAP. 1:27. This creature, man, now became conscious of his earthly surroundings as his soul becomes active. Notice, first God took nothing and made himself some dirt or earth. Later he used that dirt and made human flesh and called him a human being or man and because man fell bringing in the death penalty, one day God will take that same corruptible flesh body and whether it be dead or alive will make something immortal out of it!
SECOND ADAM AND BRIDE
My main thought here stems from the physical or natural standpoint how we (including Eve) were all in the first Adam therefore if we were all in the first Adam, then the Bride of Christ was also in the second Adam — LONG BEFORE HE BECAME A FLESH MAN ALSO! Yes, as far as our natural existence is concerned we were in the first Adam. However along the way man got out of relationship with God and man had to be redeemed. However note, God was fully aware of all this long before there ever appeared a blade of grass or anything. God had already foresaw the day there must come a God-man who would himself be called the second Adam, who would be the Lord of Glory himself not to be a pre-generator, as was the first Adam, but instead a regenerator, a redeemer. Therefore if you can now begin to form a picture of the two Adams and their brides (wives), you will see it balance perfectly – if we were in the first Adam for our natural existence long before man was ever placed on this earth, then we were also in Christ the second Adam for our spiritual existence long before we were born again! (Eph. 1:3) Reproduction was in the first Adam while regeneration is in the second Adam, Christ. However, note whether you be lost or saved, reproduction had to all be in the first Adam, but the beautiful part of it all is — ONLY THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED CHRIST COULD POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN IN THE SECOND ADAM, therefore through predestination the Almighty knew who would and who wouldn’t accept him. He knows who is and since he knows who is, no wonder the Apostle Paul could say we were chosen in him, predestined in him’ – (Christ the Second Adam) – WHEN? BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD!! AMEN!!
GOD FORESHADOWS REDEMPTION
Let us take a closer look at this first Adam. Recall, he is the very beginning of something, isn’t he? In Gen. 2:5-6 he is one man walking around. But where is Eve? IN HIM! This is important — WHERE IS EVE, HIS BRIDE OR WIFE TO BE — IN HIM! How many lives do we have walking around? ONLY ONE! How many hearts do we have in this one vessel of clay? ONLY ONE! Notice this, Adam doesn’t act one day like a man and the next day like a woman! In him is expressed fully all the attributes of masculinity. Always remember, God didn’t begin with one thing in mind in Gen. 1:27 as he commissioned man (them) to be fruitful and multiply only to be forced later because of certain circumstances which developed in the garden to change his mind like some believe. GOD DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY! Nothing slips up on him! Some people read the book of Genesis so childish. It would appear foolish to think God made only one person and then one day suddenly realize he couldn’t leave man there all by himself saying, I had better find someone to keep him company and console him when he feels tired and weary. OH, NO! God isn’t doing any such thing. Recall where Eve has been all this time — IN ADAM! The Almighty is going to do something far more than simply produce Adam a wife, God was setting something in motion, GOD WAS FORESHADOWING HIS ENTIRE PLAN OF REDEMPTION WHICH WOULD COME THROUGH THE SECOND ADAM!
PART 3
GEN. 2, GOD ACTS UPON CREATIVE THOUGHTS
Therefore Chap. 2 shows God as he acted for the first time in creating this vessel of clay and breathing into that vessel life or the spirit man Adam who, as you recall, already had within his spirit the feminine qualities which would later become fleshly woman. I remind you, Adam in every respect was masculine. Although the two are in this one body you don’t see any femininity creeping up over the masculine character. God has now acted yet he brought only one vessel of clay into existence — THIS VESSEL HAS ONLY ONE HEART, ONE WILL AND ONE MIND. Furthermore, it can make only one decision. Man’s thought couldn’t go in a dozen different direction, acting or talking one day like man and then the next day like woman. Yet today on this earth we do see men acting like women although physically they are men. This definitely lets me know there are evil spirits getting into the picture, disrupting, distorting and perverting the entire realm of mankind. Although there lay within Adam all this time those feminine characteristics, Adam always acted and conducted himself like a man who had been made in the image of God and placed in a human vessel of clay to have earthly dominion.
Keep in mind in Gen. 1:27 Almighty God had previously addressed both of those spiritual beings (male and female) long before that spiritual being was ever placed in an earthly tabernacle! When God said, “Let them (not him) have dominion over the beasts of the fields and over the cattle and over all creeping things that are thereon —“ Oh yes, those feminine characteristics were lying right there in that spirit being man long before he ever took on his physical tabernacle.
GARDEN OF EDEN OR PARADISE
The Lord God now has himself a man, but what will he do with this creature called man; where will he place him? “And the Lord God planted a garden eastward –“ Now notice, the earth has begun to grow grass although in Gen. 2:4 there hasn’t a single blade of grass grown on earth. Nevertheless I believe in that old earth lay every little seed and all it needed was for that spoken thought of God to become active and the earth would begin to sprout blades of grass, trees etc.. Notice this garden spot which God planted eastward certainly wasn’t some little garden spot in God’s backyard consisting of a stone fence and iron gate etc.. Oh, no, this garden area, the scripture says, had a river running through it which contained four heads and those four rivers are all known to be in the middle east. Geographically, its location was some giant territory in the Middle East. Neither was the Garden of Eden surrounded by some stone gate posts and an iron picket fence. The fence placed around it was none other than God’s holy presence. Yes, this garden was more than a place in someone’s backyard, it was God’s backyard, and God walked and talked and lived in this garden.
EVERYTHING COMMISSIONED TO BEAR AFTER ITS KIND
“And the Lord God now begins to plant a garden eastward and placed the man which he had formed –“. So far the man bodily is only one singular creature. Now we notice out of the ground also made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, good for food! However recall back to Gen. 1: God’s spoken Word had already said for the earth to bring forth every kind of herb and tree after its kind, although it didn’t appear on earth momentarily, did it? Gen. 1 reveals the role of God’s spoken Word in creation however it is not until Chap. 2 do we begin to see the Spirit of God act upon what was spoken in Gen. 1. God could think and speak a thing centuries ago, however that doesn’t mean it to be accomplished momentarily. True, in the mind of God it is accomplished the moment he thought it, yet God may not act upon it until perhaps a million years later. Nevertheless, once he has spoken it, he will certainly watch over that which his word has spoken to see at whatever time he decides upon, it is performed – somewhere at some time he will bring it about. Remember, God is not involved with such a thing as time. The God who lived and spoke in yesterday is exactly the same God of today – HE IS NOT INVOLVED IN TIME. Therefore whenever the Spirit decides to act upon whatever his spoken word had declared, it would seem only as moments whenever he takes it and acts upon it. Therefore we now see it was God’s plan for the herb to bring forth more herb, for every living creature to bear after its kind, etc, (he made them male and female.) Man was also created male and female yet at this time man was still only one creature although he has received a commission to multiply. And now while these two are still one, or in the same one body, shall we say, (both male and female characteristics), it is here for the first time we hear the Lord God mention unto Adam (the two of them) anything involving the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil or the Tree of Life.
TWO TREES NOT COMMISSIONED TO BEAR AFTER THEIR KIND
A word to you who still think these two trees were some fruit bearing trees – recall, back in Gen. 1 God had mentioned nothing about the Tree of Knowledge or the Tree of Life or that they should reproduce themselves, when he said let the earth bring forth of every herb bearing seed after its kind. If they were natural fruit trees they would also have to reproduce themselves after their kind! In other words, somewhere there would have continued to be a tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. Nevertheless, as he does begin to express, act or bring forth all this, man is already well situated to begin his habitation within that Edenic environment. Now it is here we begin to hear God say to Adam, every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, you may eat of it – his physical existence or his survival would depend upon the fruit of the trees. This didn’t mean, however, man had to eat to live or he would starve. It simply reveals God in designing man had so designed him to be able to eat or consume food. I’m glad God made man to do something as well as be something. Although he did make us to eat, he never made us to become gluttons, did he? The beauty of it is God made man to be and do something, not merely to exist as a myth or to float around. In other words, it is not mind over matter (some Christian Science theory.) What an unscriptural theory! If it were like that we would all be made up of mind. That theory is, I don’t actually exist, I only think I do. WHAT NONSENSE! Perhaps that is the way many of those people think, but I believe I exist and I believe part of me is also matter.
DESIGNED TO EAT
Yes, God has stated here that man could eat of the trees which were good and pleasant to the eyes and good for food however now he speaks of two trees that stood in the midst of the garden, one called the tree of life and the other the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Again I ask yo, where was Eve? STILL IN ADAM. Eve is in this body which has only one mind and one heart. Recall as yet Adam had not sinned. Only one person is walking around. Adam receives the commission how he is to eat of only certain vegetation and herbs, Gen. 2:15-17.
A VEGETARIAN UNTIL THE FLOOD
To human mankind God had said, every tree bearing fruit is given to you for meat (meat here doesn’t mean beef, pork and such) because up until the flood man’s dietary law made him strictly a vegetarian, Gen. 1:30. Something drastic happened to man’s genetic makeup causing this law to be changed after the flood! Later we shall study what it was. Man ate no meat until after the flood, his appetite was completely content as a vegetarian, though later something happened causing him to become a meat eater also, Gen. 9:3. People today have twisted that going back to the original Eden saying see we are just not supposed to eat meat. Just remember once God changed a certain law He has a very good reason and no one has any authority to turn that law around once God sets it in motion.
EVE IN ADAM WHEN COMMISSIONED WHAT NOT TO EAT
Continuing on we read, “And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till and keep it and the Lord God commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest eat freely”. See the Almighty reaffirms it to Adam! WHERE IS EVE WHILE ALL THIS IS GOING ON? STILL IN ADAM! After carefully informing Adam the trees in the garden which he could freely eat, God now turns his attention to two other trees which he calls by name, one being the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil - death was connected with this tree. “But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” RECALL, EVE IS STILL IN ADAM! How many persons walking around in that Garden at this hour? ONLY ONE PERSON! You may eat of this and that God tells Adam but the day that you eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall surely die! This lets me know every commission, all instructions were laying right there in this first Adam, the one man with only one mind and one heart in his bosom even though these feminine attributes are in him long before there were ever two separate persons in the garden. What was Adam after he was spoken into existence in Gen. 1:26? A SPIRIT BEING! However, when God acted in Chap. 2 upon what he had already created in Chap. 1, Adam became matter, something tangible. Therefore we have seen God act. God placed within Adam every law concerning plant life, animal life and yes, that of his own natural existence. Think of that! All this was in the first Adam - one creature, the Son of God, the authority of God, the knowledge of God and within him was already placed the commission to be something to this earth, God placed his creation in such a beautiful place, EDEN, to till and dress it.
EVE PREFIGURES BRIDE OF CHRIST
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; 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.” (Where is Eve — IN HIM!) I keep reminding you of this to show you it foreshadows something Great – as the second Adam (Christ) hung on the cross we (his wife) the redeemed according to Eph. 1 were in him!! Christ the second Adam was the very beginning of God’s plan for a new creation. Think of it! God’s commission to multiply and replenish the earth still lay right there in Adam’s spirit as he was being shown of what to eat or partake. That commission was already instilled in Adam although at the moment he is helpless to carry it out because – WHERE WAS EVE ALL THIS TIME? STILL IN HIM! Yet we are only able to see one person, right? Oh, beloved, there is something beautiful represented here. Watch as the second Adam, the Lord of Glory, hung on the cross, he too was the very beginning of something wasn’t he? Christ was the very expressed mind (the Word) of God (now) made flesh (John 1:11-12) but for what purpose? Not to pre-generate through birth another race of human beings, oh no! That natural law cycle of human birth or life which Almighty God had made and instilled within the first Adam while he was both male and female was still going strong when the second Adam arrived, was it not?
SECOND ADAM BRINGS NEWBIRTH – ETERNAL LIFE
Yet on Calvary hung God’s Law of love – for another purpose, for another birth – THAT OF THE NEW BIRTH (JOHN 3:3) OR REGENERATION. Christ the second Adam who was made a quickening Spirit was to be the beginning of a new creation which must come about also through a new birth. Through this second Adam, God was reconciling his lost creation of mankind back to himself by another birth! Get this, the second Adam’s wife to be (Rev. 19), this regenerated born again believer, was laying right there in him (Christ) through the foreknowledge of God all the time! (Eph. 1:3) Same as the first Adam’s wife to be was already in him!
TWO TREES IN EDEN WHAT WERE THEY?
What were these two mysterious trees found in the midst of the Garden, Gen. 2:9, where if one was eaten would bring forth death to mankind while the other would give life eternal? Without any revelation on the subject the religious world has looked upon the subject only to say, well, since it plainly says trees and since they know of no other trees than plant life automatically in their thinking they accept Gen. 2:9 to simply be two fruit-bearing trees of some kind of plant life, loaded with delicious fruit – one of which if eaten brings forth life, the other brings forth death. But what kind of fruit tree would bring forth death, then again, what kind of fruit tree do you know would bring forth life? Somehow in their minds the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil has turned out to be an apple or one of some other fruit-bearing nature. As I have stated in previous messages we will have to face the fact whatever kind of trees these two trees are in the midst of the Garden, both will have to be of like structure, that is, if one is plant life then both would have to be plant life! Therefore, if death and sin entered the human race, polluting the blood stream through the eating of some form of plant life, then redemption must also come by eating from plant life and beloved what natural fruit tree of plant life do you know can give you eternal life – There is none!!
Our Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden where he placed the man whom He had formed out of the earth. The Lord God caused every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight. The Oak, Poplar, Ash, Sycamore, Peach, Orange, Fig, Grapefruit, Date tree and all other trees that are on the earth today. In that garden was this whole thing in its original beginning, also each tree was good for food. Notice Gen. 2:9, this sentence is definitely separated from the continuity. READ THIS CAREFULLY, “The Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food” - Now that thought is ended and closes with a period.
NEW THOUGHT - watch it - here comes another thought or statement within the same sentence, “THE TREE OF LIFE ALSO IN THE MIDST OF THE GARDEN AND THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL.”
PECULIAR FRUIT
This means that in the midst of all of this natural vegetative life which was made up of many trees of all shapes and sizes, all having ability to bear fruit - right in the midst of all this, God had placed TWO OTHER TREES, is that understood? One tree was the tree of life, the other tree referred to was the tree of knowledge of good and evil - But notice carefully, BOTH OF THESE TREES STOOD IN THE MIDST OF THE GARDEN. If you are going to literalize these two trees and consider them to be of the same basic tangible substance as were all the other plant life there, such as the Oak, Chestnut, Hickory nut, Sycamore, Fir, Peach, Apple, Orange, Grapefruit, Banana and any other type of vegetative tree, ALL OF WHICH HAD TO BE THERE, FOR EDEN IS THE BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS, would it not be strange to think these two trees, (the tree of life, and the tree of good and evil, which is knowledge), which were in that original garden, were both trees of plant life? Note the peculiar fruit found on these two trees. As long as man ate from the tree of life HE COULD LIVE FOREVER. Would it not be strange to say that SOMEWHERE THERE WAS A NATURAL BASIC FOOD THAT WAS DESTINED TO GIVE man eternal life? Furthermore, if the tree of life had been a natural tree then we must also assume that this tree of knowledge which enables man to discern or to obtain knowledge of the right from wrong, good from bad, true from false, clean from unclean, this tree would have to be a fruit of the same composition of the earth, though it might be different in appearance, but the basis of its fruit would have stemmed from NATURAL VEGETATIVE LIFE, which would mean that may by EATING of some tangible fruit would obtain the KNOWLEDGE of what was good and evil. Everybody agrees that ever since the day that Adam and Eve were driven from the garden WE HAVE BEEN EATING CONTINUOUSLY OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE. Man has constantly been getting smarter, wiser and weaker. Where today do you go to receive the world’s knowledge? I fail to see any students of greater learning today going out, sitting underneath a tree composed of vegetative matter, eating from its fruits and learning all of this rotten evilness of today, do you? Yet, they are busy eating from something or other, aren’t they? We must realize that all this evil used here in this particular sense is only a by-product from an original act of someone eating of the forbidden fruit, a fruit certainly not of any type of vegetative life.
There isn’t a blade of grass, piece of herb, nor one single tree on this planet today that somewhere man has not analyzed all its potential food value, its potential chemical make-up to try to find out what can it contribute to the fleshly, physical existence to the betterment of man and yet from all their scientific research no one tree has been produced that can give ETERNAL LIFE. If these two trees were not natural trees composed of plant life for vegetative life, then what were they?
SCRIPTURAL “EATING” - WHAT IS IT?
Standing in the midst or middle of the garden stood two trees. (Gen. 2:9-3:3) (Beloved how could two carnal objects both demanding a certain amount of space be able to stand in the middle of a natural location? One could, but certainly not two!) The tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil both stood in the midst of the garden - this alone should enlighten us they were not natural trees of plant life. Thou mayest eat of the tree of life - but thou shalt not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The word eat in the original meaning has no reference to eating something with the teeth, John 6:54-57 (Study Prov. 30:20 here her act was considered eating) That is the English though the original meant - thou shalt not partake of the tree of knowledge. That base word (partake) meant to handle or to indulge in. It carries many basic meanings - thou shalt not partake of the tree of knowledge which is of good or evil, for the day that thou eatest of that forbidden fruit, thou shalt surely die! Forbidden because God had stated in His word the day you eat or partake of this thou shalt surely die! Strange as it seems the average churchgoer reading the Genesis story (Genes-is) comes to these fruit trees to be eaten, the herb line (vegetables) to be eaten, then they read concerning the tree of life and the tree of knowledge and automatically (Gen. 2:9) picture two more outstanding trees of plant life loaded with magnificent fruit, great foliage growth etc., blending all of this right in together with all the other plant life, in the garden! But recall in the very midst of the garden stood the two trees. This didn’t mean one was planted in the middle and set over here and the other one set over here both being the middle - then what could it mean?
SCRIPTURALLY - TREES DO NOT ALWAYS MEAN PLANT LIFE
God often spoke of men as trees (Isa. 61:3; Ezek. 31) and nations as forests. (See also Matt. 3:10) See every tree mentioned is not plant life! If you’re going to say that, you will have to come to a conclusion also that if transgression came by the partaking of plant life, redemption must also come by the same route - plant life! For both are spoken of as trees, one can’t be a natural plant life the other spiritual. Since there was no yardage of distance between these two trees - both could be in the middle. These two trees, one divine life and the other carnal knowledge of good and evil, were not trees of plant life at all, they were two laws governing the reproductive cycle of life!
ONLY TWO BASIC LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE
Everyone should realize there has been only two basic laws in the universe - one law is right, the other is wrong - never could there be three basic laws. Therefore you only have two choices - one is right and the other wrong
Up has always been the opposite of down, and within that God placed a law called gravitation. If you break that law of gravitation by going up you find the law of gravitation fights pulling against you and down you come. Notice you only have to break that law just once for it to work against you. In other words it won’t let you by. Furthermore we notice in God’s universal laws one always begins where the other leaves off. This will better explain how two trees could stand in the midst of the Garden. The opposite of light is dark - one takes up where the other leaves off, what is the opposite of life - death? So, always there’s only two basic laws which rule the universe - one begins where the other ends. There are only two spirits in the universe basically which are the originators of two ways of life, God’s and the devil’s. Recall only man and woman were created with instinct of choice. In this story of the beginning that choice will be pictured - as it is confronted and exercised.
See it’s just that close even with those two trees in the garden! One began where the other ended. These were not two natural trees of plant life. They were two laws - each to regulate the way of life. It was two, for remember these were two laws of the universe. Blessings leaves off where curses begin or vise versa, laws that could be lived under, affecting family life - one carried a blessing the other the curse.
Where does UP begin? WHERE DOWN LEAVES OFF. Where does clean up begin? Where dirt stops. I illustrate this to show how narrow the margin really is. Where does night end? When day begins. Exactly how close did these two trees (two laws) stand together, how many yards apart? It wasn’t yards apart, one tree simply began where the other tree stopped.
Note please, the Bible, in its own mysterious way proves exactly what these two trees were. God simply did not allow Moses to go into any great elaborate detail to explain it. That’s why I say the Arabs nor the Jewish race, both coming from the loins of Abraham, needed no explanation as to the two trees. You have only to study the writings of the Jewish historian, Josephus, who contained only an oral knowledge. Who are we Gentiles to think that almighty God has given to us such a tremendous revelation, explaining to the world that it was an apple that Eve ate, when it wasn’t even our Bible in the beginning - we are merely grafted in to the good vine. What a foolish, unwise trick Satan has played upon this Gentile religious world. To think that through our schools of learning they convey to this world that Eve at an apple or nobody knows what happened, therefore, no one has the right to probe into it. But yet everyone is aware of one thing - there was a HORRIBLE EVIL COMMITTED in the beginning, placing this world in the mess it’s in today.
HERBS ARE VEGETABLES
This message is not given for a basis of salvation understand, it will not save you but it will enable you to see that God had it so written and concealed, that within His own good time He might cause a true understanding of the scripture to be made known. Notice, God instructed Adam and Eve they could eat of all the trees of the garden, meaning that they could eat of the Orange, Apple, Peach, Pear, and the Plum trees. All these could be eaten for physical food, there also were ALL THE HERBS OF THE EARTH. The word herb, found here, does not mean Gymsin or Indian turnip, IT MEANT VEGETABLE. God did not make gymsin and Indian turnip and those things which the Indians dig up for food and later discovered these herbs contained certain medical qualities, but the herbs spoken of here ARE VEGETABLES.
Natural minds picture a beautiful tree filled with great vegetative leaves spreading its boughs over the circumference of the earth, furnishing a great amount of shade - the most beautiful, tempting fruit, hanging from its boughs, and yet man and woman are forbidden to pluck and eat. Then they picture another beautiful tree standing over there a few yard away, with its great boughs and leaves spreading, also covering a great circumference of the earth with its beautiful fruit, hanging there. Man, as he saw all of these beautiful trees, could walk up and pluck the beautiful fruit, and he could eat and enjoy its fragrance, its aroma, as his body digested it. That’s the way man wants to picture it. That is exactly the way Satan wants you to picture it, but that was not the way it happened.
THREE BASIC INTERCHANGEABLE FORMS OF LIFE
1 - PLANT LIFE,
2 - MARINE LIFE,
3 - ANIMAL LIFE
The original creation is now over and mankind is permitted to enjoy all the natural vegetative surroundings. In this garden flowed a beautiful river, in this garden was marine life (life living in the water); in this garden was plant life, (all life that derives its existence from the air); in this garden was animal life, (all life living on the land). Still today these are the three basic forms of life that exist on this planet - MARINE LIFE, PLANT LIFE, ANIMAL LIFE.
HUMAN FLESH, WHAT IS IT?
Someone may ask, What is man? Man in this fleshly makeup is part of animal life. People may argue, saying, I’m not animal. No one accused you of being an animal. Found within the veil of the flesh is an offspring of God, but the flesh itself is none other than the same carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen found within the animal kingdom. If you don’t believe it, take the cycle of the very basic elements of creation itself, take the molecule, the very air, the very substance of nature. For instance, the worm dies, whatever is composed within his little body can be absorbed into a grain of corn (Plant life). So the nutrients, the elements, once found in the form of the worm once a part of the animal kingdom has now become absorbed into the grain of corn. Through God’s laws of nature, animal life is now absorbed into plant life and the worm substance has become a grain of corn. It has merely taken on a different form of structure. Once this element was a worm, now it is a grain of corn same basic elements, only in a different stage. Watch the ear of corn being fed to a chicken and that very same element once in the worm’s body, then in a grain of corn, HAS NOW GONE INTO THE CHICKEN’S BODY. The chicken is killed and eaten by man and it is absorbed into his body. I realize I could have illustrated my point in a shorter manner by simply allowing you to have eaten the grain of corn, in the corn flakes or something, but the fact remains, that which once was a crawling worm, took on a different form in PLANT LIFE. Once it was absorbed by that living life all it was was transferred over into another living form, BUT ALL THE TIME IT IS STILL THE SAME BASIC ELEMENT OF CARBON, HYDROGEN, AND OXYGEN.
MAN - NOT PLANT LIFE NOR MARINE LIFE
Man’s flesh is not marine life. It was not ordained to receive its existence from living in water. But notice, it was an expression of, to a higher degree, animal life. It even bears a physical resemblance to certain earthly creatures, but as Paul states in Corinthians - the glory that God has placed upon it, carries a greater glory in the sense it shows a perfection, a refinement, that none within the animal kingdom shows. But that life causing man to live and exist is certainly not animal life. This life causing man’s body to exist is that very life of God himself which makes you an offspring of His, but you are unable to possess that full potential of expression of what you are UNTIL THE INNER MAN has been united with an earthly vessel of clay, (called your earthly tabernacle) when this is placed within, then and then only is the man in his whole make-up, (composition) a fully expressed CREATED SON OF GOD.
Note, God, in creating him from the earth, had used no mold but from the dust of the earth man was formed into a vessel of clay. True, man’s body does carry a certain similarity to other earthly creatures having two legs, arms, neck, eyes, nose etc., but God created it without a mold. He did not make His masterpiece by pressing mud together and smoothing it out here and there. No Sir! God is a great sculptor. He formed it out of the dust of the earth and from Himself, spoke the inner man into existence, formed a Son that was to be an offspring of Himself. In doing so, He breathed into that vessel of clay the very life that would cause this vessel of clay to become conscious that it was here upon the earth. Man became a living soul.
WHAT IS A SOUL?
The word soul here means man then became aware of the understanding he possessed. Knowledge of his five senses. He could see with his eyes, hear with his ears, feel with his hands, smell with his nose and taste with his lips and that within him he had certain natural affections. Something he wanted to love; something he wanted to do. In him he possessed a wisdom and knowledge that he was an offspring of the Creator. He had come into existence not by his own choice but because he was the product of a mastermind, an architect who was designing something through which he purposed to glorify Himself.
TREE OF LIFE
Note this, God had created one son from the dust of the earth. It was never His intention to repeat the operation although He could have. Had He desired He could have used this method for creating every offspring, but this was positively THE ONLY SON He ever intended to create, for with this one creation He also spoke a law into existence. A law that was certainly never placed within the pages of any law book but only in God’s great infinite mind. That law would be called the Tree of Eternal Life and placed in the Garden by His own presence - the very presence of Him who fills all space. This law was given purposely to Adam and Eve whereby as long as they ate of it they would not only possess Eternal Life in God but it means that every offspring that comes forth from physical loins will be another offspring of God Himself.
If these two trees in Genesis 2 were bearing natural plant life (fruit), what kind of trees were they? They are not two natural trees. But they are two Basic laws, One is called the tree of life. This tree called the tree of life, was none other than a true law by which God’s eternal presence was to be expressed in God’s creative plan, as to how He chose to reproduce Himself another son and daughter, which was to be an offspring of Himself. God’s first son had already been created by being spoken into existence.
TREE OF KNOWLEDGE
You say, now Brother Jackson, if that were true, where was this other mysterious tree? It was none other than the second law, whereby God would be saying, if they ate fruit from that tree, they would surely die. Meaning, if you break this law and eat of the fruit of that tree, not only will you receive a death penalty unto yourself, you will also receive a death penalty upon every offspring that comes forth from your loins, beginning from the day you do it until the day the God of heaven calls it all to a halt. This death penalty was to be imputed to everyone. Notice, there was nothing within the initial eating of the fruit from the forbidden tree that would ever cause the children of God to become what they are today – drunkards, murderers, perverts, robbers and everything else they have become. Note, from the original eating of the Forbidden fruit God had only said, THE DAY YOU DO EAT OF IT YOU WILL DIE. Nowhere did He ever say you will become murderers, robbers, perverts, etc.. No! He never said that. He only said, “You will die” the day you do it. Is that understood?
SEED FOR REPRODUCTION
Time has come to analyze these two trees or the two basic laws. Note, EACH ONE WAS TO BEAR FRUIT. Isn’t it strange that from every tree within the natural garden that bears fruit you eat so far into the fruit and WITHOUT FAIL YOU WILL ALWAYS FIND A SEED! You never eat the seed. WHAT IS THE SEED? It is the part of the fruit whereby the law of life is reproduced. Another tree lies there within that seed. When the seed is planted it will grow another tree exactly as the one that produced the fruit. The seed carries little taste. This will help you understand it is for reproduction. All fruit carries within itself the seed of reproduction.
Something now must be understood about this fruit. People will argue, fuss and stew trying to prove Eve literally ate the fruit. Other translations also say she partook of it. Keep in mind one important thing. THE PARTAKING OF IT INVOLVES A FAR GREATER MEANING THAN SOME ONE PLUCKING AN APPLE FROM A TREE AND BEGINNING TO EAT. It is true, there is a part of the fruit of an apple you do eat and enjoy. When you have eaten so far into the apple you come to the part which will reproduce. You throw the seed away.
FINDING ADAM A MATE
God is about to act again. Keep in mind, all this commission along with Eve was still in Adam. This dual nature in man does not cause him to act masculine one day and feminine the next, NO SIR. He has no split personality. He knows exactly how to conduct himself. God brings before Adam some pets to be named (yes pets, that is the relationship man had with the animal kingdom before the fall.) At the same time, the scripture says a search is being made for Adam a companion. (Now God knows where his companion is!)
Verse 18, “And the Lord God said it is not good that man should be alone, I will make him an helpmeet for him.” (Being alone then cannot fulfill his commission nor could anything from the animal kingdom) “And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field.” You may not approve of all their peculiar physical structure; we may even wonder why the Almighty saw fit to create such huge, ugly creatures. Nevertheless they pleased him and even though the fall of mankind came, through time man has still found certain uses for many of them and had not the fall occurred I am sure we would see man and the animal kingdom existing together in a much more friendly environment of fellowship than it is today (wait until we see the animal kingdom existing in the millennium reign age under the Second Adam and his wife.
Long before the inventions of those huge automotive cranes to lift giant loads, the elephants were serving as man’s crane uprooting trees, rolling logs into rivers etc., — elephants became man’s beast of burden. What else carried man for centuries of time other than the horse! (And really the horse never polluted the air.)
Therefore, regardless how one looks at it, these creatures were placed here for man’s benefit! Undoubtedly since the fall we have lost the true knowledge and purpose for which each creature was actually created.
Nevertheless once the second Adam and his new creation (his wife) filled with Eternal life and clothed in immortality takes over the new age, called the Millennium, we shall once again learn their intended position. It is before the fall we hear God saying, it is not good that man should dwell alone and so out of the ground he formed every beast, cattle etc., — the animal kingdom. Notice, he brought them all up before Adam (AND WHERE WAS EVE – IN HIM.) No, Eve wasn’t sitting over on the sideline saying to Adam, why don’t you name it something other than what you did, I don’t like that name. I have another one for it. No, Sir! WHERE IS EVE WHILE ALL THIS NAMING OF THE ANIMALS AND THE SEARCH FOR ADAM A COMPANION IS BEING MADE? STILL IN ADAM!! Adam still has only one mind and one heart, doesn’t he? “And the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to name them.”
WHY MAN CALLED ADAM
Why is he called Adam? Because he is the beginning of something. Did you know A-T-O-M is the beginning of all God’s natural matter and this man A-D-A-M is also the beginning of all physical flesh matter and in that flesh lay a law, a commission to multiply and replenish the earth as well as having dominion to rule over it. God brought all the animals before Adam to see what he would call them; and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that would be its name henceforth. Adam gave names to all cattle as well as to the fowl of the air and to every beast.
FINDING A MATE AMONG ANIMALS FOR MAN MARS REDEMPTION PICTURE
Notice if you will how God becomes more specific. We see plant life has sprung forth (male and female life is in the same stalk) however in animal life, male and female created he them, yet as far as having a physical mate Adam is here all alone, isn’t he? Now WHERE IS EVE – STILL IN HIM. Adam named all the animals but to find a companion for Adam from the animal kingdom was fruitless for the scripture says, not one could be found that could help him carry out his commission to multiply and replenish the earth – “but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him”. This lets me know God was speaking far more intimately concerning the first Adam and his mate because it is only God’s way of wording it for notice, once God acts again he will be acting in such a manner as to foreshow the very act of redemption through the second Adam. Finding a mate or wife for Adam among the animal kingdom would mar the beautiful picture of what took place with the second Adam. Therefore the fact of what God did unto Adam in finding him a mate (placing Eve in him) lets me know everything was in Adam; every genetic law. God’s perfect genetic law lay right there in Adam. His commission to multiply and replenish the earth and rule over it lay there in Adam. The commission of what he should and should not eat was laying there as well as the authority to name these animals; the authority to till the earth lay right there in Adam long before he was ever put to sleep in order for his wife to be taken from him. Yes even long before he was given a male body to live in. It was all in Adam, AND WHERE WAS ADAM — IN GOD. Beloved you can’t go any further up the line than that.
THE SLEEP OF THE FIRST ADAM
Time has arrived in God’s program where he must act again. “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come upon Adam.” Note, God is the one who administered the first anesthesia. The Almighty himself performing the surgery on the physical piece of clay. God did it all and the cost to Adam was nothing. “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam.” God put Adam into such a gentle snooze he wasn’t aware of what was going on. The first surgical operation in all the world is now being performed. It is the very first time human flesh has ever been tampered with by a surgical instrument of any description. The laser beam which is considered the most modern technique of modern surgery and is practically bloodless could not compare with this operation. Adam is being put to sleep and what did God do? He took from him one of his ribs. How often do we hear remarked concerning women — she is nothing but a rib! They may be true but where did woman come from — A BUNCH OF DIRT. Perhaps it is alright to refer to a woman as a rib in a joking way, however when people use such things in a derogatory manner this shows they are unbalanced in the word of God. Anytime man wants to look upon a woman sarcastically in this manner I will have to say, DON’T FORGET YOU AREN’T ANYTHING BUT A BUNCH OF DIRT! You let the life go out of that body and you will see how quick you return back to what you came from — THE DUST OF THE GROUND!
RIB FROM ADAM’S SIDE
Notice from where this rib came — OUT OF ADAM’S SIDE! This is important when you see what it foreshadowed. In the side is where you will find man’s ribs. Adam’s ribs were the very framework of his body. If you lost all your ribs you would collapse. Ribs are your support, they protect your heart. Your entire respiratory system is protected by your ribs. That is why ribs were placed in the body as they are, they serve as would a steel framework to a building. Take that steel framework out of the building and a puff of wind would come along and the whole structure would collapse. Therefore God took from Adam’s framework a rib to signify being a helpmeet for man. She must come from his side, for it was by his side she should stand and be a spiritual support, of comfort, consolation in every phase and walk of life that the two of them walk together, because woman came from this very vital part of man’s flesh. How true that is when so often man reaches a place in life within his natural environment when it seems everything has gone against him, who is it so often who stand there and helps support and uplift his spirit to weather the storm. Yes, she becomes a bulwark to help hold him up and help carry him through! Only within this perverted age of woman’s lib and so forth it won’t run true 100 percent but it should with any godly woman!
We realize of all the plots and perversions Satan uses today to break people to pieces somewhere a woman is usually involved. Nevertheless we say God chose this very beautiful thing and set it in a perfect beautiful type if it is allowed to run true to order that actually was what God was portraying by taking from Adam’s side a rib while Adam lay there so peacefully asleep.
God removed a rib which of course is a bone and perhaps along with this bone he also removed a little meat which was connected thereon. Once this great ETERNAL SPIRIT began to work and fashion this bone with its little portion of meat attached, it soon began to change its form and once God finished fashioning his rib he now has another which in many ways resembles the body lying there asleep. The main difference was this body bore an expression of all feminine qualities while the other body bore all resemblance of masculine qualities, yet one thing was sure, God had removed the feminine attributes from the male because the hour was nearing for God to set in motion his reproductive laws which he commanded to come forth in the spirit world within these two when he said be fruitful and multiply.
This beautiful creature who once consisted of only feminine attributes now has a mind as well as a heart of its own. Yet God never disturbed Adam’s mind nor his heart in any manner, he only removed from him a rib but oh, my, there is a lot in a rib once God is through fashioning it. This body was also flesh, exactly the same kind of flesh from which she was taken - to fulfill God’s word. Let everything bear after its kind. Furthermore it had the same number of ribs as the body from which she had been taken. The mind and heart in this body was no different from that off the other body only in the fact this body bore the image of feminine characteristics while Adam bore the masculine.
STEP 2 OF REPRODUCTION ACCOMPLISHED
God has now taken fo the first time from man another life and brought this life through his side to foreshadow the work of the second Adam who brought life from himself to share with others! What has God accomplished by placing man to sleep and taking from his life, not another male life, but instead a female life? IN doing this, God has accomplished step no. 2 in his program for man’s reproduction. In giving man his mate from the female species of his own kind he is now setting his biological commission of reproduction in line for the human race. This I remind you has not come about because of the fall, this is taking place long before a fall has begun! Why else would the mate for male be required to be a female species if his original plan to bring other life into the world and fulfill the commission of Gen. 1:26-27 was that of speaking them into existence rather than being brought forth from their bodies?
This feminine life will now be a life separate from that of the male in that it will have its own mind, own thoughts, own separate heart and furthermore will have its own free will and choice from that of the flesh of the first Adam in which she had existed all this time. God had taken flesh and bones and made himself another flesh being. From what was accomplished here (before the fall) proves in order for God to fulfill his natural biological laws of reproduction, it had always been even from the original beginning God’s intended route that life would beget life after its own kind! Biologically, no animal could be found for Adam’s mate because not only must she come from Adam to pre-figure the type of the bride of the second Adam which was already within him, but second, because his mate for reproduction must come, even before the fall, from his own kind of flesh life in order to fulfill his commission to be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth! God so designed both their bodies even before the fall whereby these biological laws were placed in the flesh of the male and female species in order to bear flesh life after its kind. If people would only look at the scripture correctly they could not help but see how these things run so beautiful in continuity. Had it been God’s original plan to have called all human life from the crust of the earth as he had done with Adam, he would certainly have chosen this procedure to have brought Eve forth and even more so the second Adam who came by virgin birth! Already he had made one vessel of flesh for the male and female attributes to live in: now he makes another vessel of clay to place the feminine attributes into. The fact the female life came from the male life proves it was God’s ordained route, life was ordained to beget life after its own kind. Only one person came from the ground and that was Adam. However, note in the species of other animal life God brought both the male and female separately but at the same time from the ground, Gen. 1:24, 2:19 – in other words, God, did not take life from the male species to form female as he had done from Adam. The first Adam was to foreshadow the second Adam the Christ before the foundation of the world his companion was in him! No doubt about it, it was God’s original plan to be done in this fashion to foreshadow that future event, and note the fact from life came the flesh of the first Adam it was in order to fulfill that scripture which said that all was in Adam — therefore flesh, even before the fall, was ordained to bring forth life out of its own life! It was of necessity that human flesh beget human flesh!
WHY SLEEP
That is why God had to put Adam to sleep to remove the life of another because in order for Christ to give life to his bride he also had to sleep the sleep of death that out of him might come forth a new beautiful creation which will be his bride! Recall from Ephesians 1 before ever a star or moon found its place this was already settled in the mind of the Eternal One that God would put Adam to sleep in order to give life to another (foreshadowing) the sleep (of death) of the second Adam! By no means had God on the spur of the moment changed his mind and decided now to take the female life from the side of the male instead of bringing her forth from the ground as he had done with them in Gen. 2:7 when both were placed in one body! Here stands this feminine creature in all her feminine charm, beauty and virtue, designed in the manner God had always intended to fulfill his commission - be fruitful and multiply! All that God had willed this feminine creature to be, she was! However, note at this point she is neither called woman nor Eve because as yet Adam has not named her.
THOUGH SEPARATED FROM ADAM, EVE RETAINS KNOWLEDGE
Soon we shall see the very purpose in which God has so fashioned her as he has taken her from Adam’s side. No longer can we refer to Eve being in Adam because this creature, from this moment forward, is a person all her own. And don’t forget for a moment the knowledge which had been instilled into Adam’s makeup, while he was both male and female, concerning being fruitful, multiplying and replenishing the earth, along with the knowledge of the tree of life and the tree of death or what is scripturally called the Tree of Knowledge, was also instilled in her makeup as well seeing she too was a part of that commission from the beginning! The knowledge they were to rule with all authority and have dominion of everything was in her as much as in Adam, though at this time the feminine creature was neither called WOMAN nor EVE. All that pre-ordained knowledge lay in the mind of both them; separating her attributes from his is by no means the beginning of this feminine character. Here she is only being granted a separate body and a separate life. By no means is their commission to multiply and replenish the earth something new to this feminine creature simply because she is transferred over into a separate body with a separate life. Her knowledge of this has been active since the sixth creative day! No longer will Adam have within him any of the feminine characteristics as before, all these have been placed into another vessel of clay likened unto his and yet where did the vessel come — FROM HIM!
WHY SHE WAS CALLED WOMAN
As Adam awakened he did not have to be introduced to this feminine creature. The male Adam (seeing both their name was Adam) did not need to be introduced to her. Adam did not need to inquire from where she came for he knew she was a part of him! Adam did not say to the feminine creature, who are you, how did you get here, what is this all about, where did you come from? No, every answer is already in the mind of Adam! Adam’s first words we hear uttered in scripture is a prophecy concerning this female creature standing before him as he says, “This is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man.” Listen to him and learn something important. Outwardly they have never met, although the moment we hear Adam speak after having awakened and the new creature taken from him and without any previous knowledge of what a father or mother was, because genetically they had never had either nor had they been either! God had been all in all to them. Adam was gazing upon a part of himself and he knew it!
REPLACING FEMALE ATTRIBUTES
Recall, God made spirit man in his spiritual image, however he created them male and female, Gen. 1:26-27, and later placed them together in one body of flesh. Notice, God nor Adam is ever referred to as she, instead it is always in the masculine. Certainly God is not a woman nor was he ever referred to as woman!
Nevertheless there are those feminine characteristics of God. Take for instance the lovely flowers of the field — a woman can usually be found tending flower gardens if she is not busy with housework. That is a woman’s nature and to the contrary man will be found with machinery etc.. If God did not have certain feminine characteristics he probably would never have created the lily, rose and other beautiful flowers. Very few men are actually interested in flowers, are they? That doesn’t mean man hates them, by no means, it simply means man’s make up does not have that deep attraction for such things as does a woman. He may agree it is a beautiful flower but it is not his nature to pamper it like a woman would. We have a masculine body and a feminine body, which incorporated a masculine and a feminine spirit. Man was not some kind of freak because he carried both characteristics. God is both characteristics, right? How else could he be addressed as El Shaddai the breasted one? That doesn’t mean you address him as mommy, no sir, yet within Him are those qualities by which He can nurture and sustain you. Scripture says He comforts like a mother. Within God also lies those masculine qualities which are always the predominate object of thought.
Most assuredly, these female attributes in Adam had come from God, for in creating man God had placed that part of himself also within Adam. However, now what do we see? God has now acted twice, his second act has been in creating woman. But why, for what purpose? To set his biological reproductive law of Gen. 1:27 in motion. On the sixth creative day God had instilled this law of life into their knowledge whereby once that law came into force it would be God’s chosen route or law of reproduction and that law was in both of them, wherein he has now created two special bodies through two separate acts for his two children. Therefore, don’t forget, what is taking place here in Gen. 2 is only to further that which God spoke on the sixth creative day, Gen. 1:26-27. God knew all along later he must separate the two (taking her out of him) in order to fulfill that commission. Truly that makes all to have been in Adam. No, God didn’t have to introduce them neither did he need to re-commission them. That is why when Adam awakened he didn’t have to wonder what was happening, HE KNEW, and furthermore he prophesied - she is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh and for this cause or reason she shall be called woman, for out of man was she taken. Note especially the balance of his prophecy continues, and may I say Adam didn’t have to read or look up instructions in some book to bring out his following statement. It simply was divine prophecy coming from the prophetic nature of the son of God. Adam was the son of God, where lay all this knowledge he had previously received and continues by saying - “for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother (Adm nor Eve had either) and shall cleave unto his wife and the twain shall be one flesh!” That beloved is how important this act of creating woman was to God’s great commission of Gen. 1:27! This prophecy shows the results would be that the two should again become one in union as their children would be born from their joint relation.
A MYSTERY CONCERNING CHRIST AND HIS BRIDE
Paul picks up this same prophecy of the first Adam in Eph. 5 as he explains how husbands should love their wives even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Taking this same prophecy Paul, pushed it a little further by saying, I speak a mystery about Christ (the second Adam) and his church (wife to be)! Therefore we note the first Adam slept the sleep of physical sleep while the Eternal Spirit God took from his life, life which he gave unto Eve, for what purpose? That the commission God had placed in both male and female attributes, to be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth, could now be carried out! Remember in the day he called their name Adam she too was a part of that great commission and through these two God would set in motion his ordained biological law to multiply and replenish the earth.
Just as he had separated the feminine life by causing male human life to be put to sleep to furnish life for her, let us take a look at Christ, the second Adam who hung on the cross as he was made to sleep the sleep of death that while his body slept, his eternal life could also be given to another. Through that sleep of death Christ gave Eternal Life unto his bride church! (Eph. 5:25) Therefore the Eternal Life which we receive from him is none other than the Holy Ghost! It is the very life of our husband to be who was willing to sleep the sleep of death for us whereby a part of his Eternal Life might be taken and given unto us through a new birth wherein we could become begotten sons and daughters of God reconciled back to the great Eternal Spirit through his regenerated plan through Christ called THE NEW BIRTH! Through that eternal Life furnished by the second Adam, the Lord of Glory, who was willing to sleep the sleep of death whereby the predestinated in the mind of God might through the new birth be given this new eternal life. Recall, this eternal life was taken from him while hanging on the cross, and his eternal life is given to his bride.
HIS SIDE ALSO PIERCED
His side was pierced also and from it came water, and blood after he had given up his eternal life for us. Does this not fall perfectly in line with Peter’s statement on the day of Pentecost once he begins to call forth a people to make up a bride relationship with Christ. Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, Acts 2:38! In that statement is found the presence of water, blood and spirit! That which came from the life of Christ as he slept the sleep of death was those ingredients that made up his life which might be transferred by faith unto his bride people to give them life. The Apostle John declares in 1st John 5:4-9, that Jesus the second Adam came by blood and water, not by water only but by water and blood and it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is true, for there are three that bear record in heaven, the father, the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, water and blood, and these three agree in one. Therefore is it not these three, the water, blood and spirit, which make up the life of both the physical as well as the spiritual? As Christ gave up the ghost or spirit did not a Roman soldier pierce his side and did not water and blood come from it? He was giving every ounce of his life for you.
HIS LIFE GIVEN FOR BRIDE
Giving his eternal life for the purpose of redemption and reconciliation as Paul declares to Timothy without controversy great is the mystery of godliness - then to the Corinthian church (in 2nd Cor. 5:19) he declares God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. Therefore as the second Adam hung on the cross he was none other than God’s redemptive law of love, sleeping the sleep of death whereby his own life might be taken and given unto his little beloved bride Eph. 4. Recall God wasn’t deprived to wait 1000 years later in order to know who would or would not receive his eternal life shed on that cross. No sir! He already knew who would or would not come and drink from the water of life freely and since he knew, that is why that through the revelation of his word the Apostle Paul, declares before the foundation of the world we were chosen or pre-destined in him (Christ) the revealed word made flesh becoming the second Adam.
FIRST ADAM A FIGURE OF SECOND ADAM ROM. 5:13-14
Therefore you can now see how beautiful Christ’s work at Calvary was pre-figured here once God put his first Adam to sleep and from Adam’s flesh took another flesh (his bride), who also at that hour was filled with eternal life, from Adam’s life God purchased another life, his bride.
The Eternal Spirit not only put the second Adam to sleep through the sleep of death wherein he might give eternal life, to a bride but furthermore with that flesh of the second Adam he would bear the sins and reproaches of all mankind in which you and I had suffered and received in our flesh which came through our natural or first birth. That birth which was brought about through the first parents who chose to live under the knowledge of the tree of good and evil which supplied death, physical and spiritual, to each soul born under that tree or law! Yes, within Christ’s body, he bore the sins of all reproach suffered in our flesh, whereby our flesh also as well as our spirit man might be reconciled back to God.
Continually bear in mind - this is a story of redemption, yet strange enough at this point nothing needs redeeming! Recall everything had been settled within God’s mind eons of ages ago. Christ in the mind of God was declared Savior of the world long before the world was ever made. Long before mankind ever existed, or went astray requiring a savior. Long before mankind ever existed he already had a savior. According to Eph. 1:5 all this was already in God’s mind in eon ages of the past.
Therefore we note how once the first Adam had awakened, he was fully aware of what had transpired and why this woman was there, because he said this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh etc. Adam knew well she who had been so long with him. First as only a spiritual being, that the feminine attributes were now separated and walking in a vessel all its own to fulfill that great commission which both had received while dwelling in the spirit world. With these two separate bodies the law of God has now been set in motion to carry out his commission: Be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth and furthermore have dominion over all living creatures. The two shall share equal authority while walking together through the garden.
CHAPTER 3 SATAN ACTS
In Chap. 2 we saw God acting; Chap. 3 shows Satan acting. Finally the hour of temptation has arrived and it is here from Chap. 3 we not the two trees which stood in the midst of the garden are now brought back into the picture. One of the trees was of the knowledge of good and evil, while the other was the tree of life and both trees are used to affect the choice of these two human beings toward their obedience in obeying God’s will; for recall Eve now has a mind and will all of her own as does Adam. Eve has been given a separate heart and spirit from that of Adam. Nevertheless they still both know what God’s original commission of multiplying and replenishing the earth in Gen. 1:27 was all about. It is here in Gen. 3 we see Satan, through the serpent creature acting. The temptation begins. Eve submits and the fall came. And as the fall came, we are fully aware that every child born from that day until this was born with inherited sin and disobedience in their blood stream stemming form these first two disobedient ones in the garden.
ROLE OF SERPENT
Now Gen. 3:1 begins telling us about the creature: “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD GOD had made and he said unto the woman, yea hath God said thou shalt eat of every tree of the garden and the woman said unto the serpent we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden but of the tree which is in the midst of the garden” - Eve’s statement here is directed to the tree of Knowledge, not the tree of Eternal Life. - “God has said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it least you die.” To the woman the serpent said, “ye shall not surely die.” Here he literally perverts or makes it appear unto the woman that which God had spoken was not really to be understood. As though God had not meant what He said. “For God doth know in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as God KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food (this word food here must be understood to mean good for pleasure) and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise. She took of the fruit thereof, did eat and gave also unto her husband with her and he did eat.”
SERPENT BEFORE THE FALL
Who caused this transgression? THE SERPENT. What form was he in? People have conjured up the idea the serpent was some crawling reptile, beautifully portraying all the rainbow colors, about 18 feet long. This guilty creature called the serpent, in his original physical make-up, before God cursed him had no resemblance whatsoever to a crawling reptile. As the highest order in creation, next to man, he looked like man, not a snake. The Bible declares him to have been the most subtle, the most cunning creature of all the animal creatures.
ADAM NAMES SERPENT
Seeing that the Lord God brought all of his creation before Adam to be named (Gen. 1:19) it fell Adam’s lot to name also this shrewd, fleshly, intelligent creature more subtil than any beast, capable of walking upright and carrying on intelligent conversation, – the serpent (Gen. 3:15). Why do you suppose Adam named this star figure of Gen. 3 the SERPENT? Little is known concerning this creature outside what is learned in Gen. 3 and long before the chapter ends he is cursed far above all cattle and beast of the field seeing that his bodily structure was cursed beyond recognition as to that of what he originally resembled before the fall, yet through Gen. 3:14-15 we are shown before his curse, he was successful in leaving behind something that would certainly continue his image and being - what was it? (Gen. 3:14) A SEED OF HIS LIKENESS!
WHAT THE SERPENT WAS NOT
Several confusing things have been in people’s minds concerning this creature Adam called the SERPENT. (1) The SERPENT was not the Devil nor (2) was it the Devil who spoke through his vocal chords enticing the woman. The serpent speaking in Gen. 3, carrying on that intelligent conversation with the woman, informing her that much knowledge could be gained from partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and that God had simply been holding out on her in keeping this good thing from her, was not the devil as some have believed! No Sir! Neither was the devil, who is a fallen arch angel and now captain of all evil forces, speaking through this creature’s mouth called the serpent in Gen. 3. Rev. 12:12-14 does refer to the devil at the closing of the Gentile age as the serpent, however Satan is not the serpent spoken of here who carried on such an intelligent crafty conversation and had the intimate relation with the woman. Instead this is none other than a fleshly creature (in many ways resembling man) who like all the other creatures had a knowledge of sex seeing he also had receive a mate to reproduce himself and according to Gen. 1:21-25 had been commanded along with the others to be fruitful and multiply! In creational rank this creature stood next to Adam, possessing greater ability than the other creatures God had made and no doubt had he behaved himself, not permitting himself to become inspired of Satan to look upon his boss’ wife in a manner unbecoming and not ending up in the terrible curse, losing his first position, he would no doubt have contributed much to a society filled with godliness and righteousness.
THE TALKING SERPENT
The serpent could actually talk. How many ever saw in motion pictures or zoos, the chimpanzee? Were you not struck by the expression of these little creatures with their intelligence, though they were unable to speak with their lips they spoke with their human like actions. When one is picked up they put their arms around your neck as a small child would. Now, you aren’t going to get a Zebra or lion to do that. Today they even train them to smoke cigars and ride bicycles - they have a great sense of balance. This only goes to prove intelligence is there.
I certainly am not saying man evolved from apes. NO!! What I am trying to bring out is some where in an original Garden of Eden THERE WAS AN ORIGINAL PART OF THAT ANIMAL KINGDOM THAT IS NO LONGER HERE TODAY. God cursed it by changing its appearance. When He did this He took the serpent creature and placed it on the tail end, out there among the reptile family. God stripped him completely of his original identity where man would never be able to identify him. God said serpent, “because you have done this thing Curseth art thou above all cattle and beast of the field.” (Gen. 3:14)
I can see this serpent creature, a brawny, stout, muscular creature. No, he was not a son of God but he was a created creature of the earth who possessed a great amount of intelligence. Since his intelligence far outweighed that of any of the ape family, he naturally carried a vocabulary ability to express and talk to mankind.
MAN’S HOUSE SERVANT
The Jewish historian, Josephus wrote according to Jewish teachings the SERPENT LIVED WITH ADAM AND EVE. What was his basic purpose in living with them? He was a servant. Fallen man has never through the ages lost that desire for a servant. Constantly he searches for that creature which he could somehow bring up to his present standing, school it and make a servant of it. Giving it instructions to be carried out as man wished. But he has never quite found that perfect animal who could do this. So, he reached out and made a servant slave out of his fellow man. This only goes to show a perversion in this present age because somewhere man lost that servant in the animal kingdom which could render unto him such a thing as God wanted and desired for him.
When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden it was never his original intentions for man to bend over, toil all day hoeing weeds with beads of perspiration trickling down their bodies. But after man sinned God cursed the earth. Here He cursed the animal kingdom but not in the manner He cursed the serpent creature, for nothing was ever cursed as he. Because of the curse placed upon man, the animal kingdom has had to live under the penalty of this curse also. Man now goes about selfish and evil into all parts of the world compelling others to be his slave. The stronger being master of the weaker. Why, because within himself there is something causing him to do so. Stemming from the time he once had a servant. This serpent creature was intelligent and smart but his intelligence had not been given to make him some great intellectual artistic genius, it was merely given for a communicating ability with Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve could request the serpent to do this or that and he carried out their instructions.
LUCIFER’S PLAN TO GAIN CONTROL
Lucifer who previously had control of this planet observed God’s great plan and sought opportunity to regain control fo it. (Lucifer) the devil once had power over this planet (Read the Contender Vol. 1 No. 1 for this story.) God reconciles the planet back into His plan by bringing light upon it, separates the waters from the firmament etc., putting in another garden of Eden, making man the new ruler over the earth. Satan was there scheming to take it away from the new ruler, man, Man who had been made a LITTLE LOWER than the angels (in authority and expression of power) was given an earthly body to contact his earthly dominion. No sooner had God’s new plan gone into motion for the new world, along comes the devil which only goes to show the devil had a personal reason for being in the garden, didn’t he? He was an angel, a spirit, who could not individually approach Eve. He could not walk up to Eve and start carrying on a conversation with her. No, but Satan was observing closely God’s purpose, so what does he do? The devil merely influences the very creature of this high degree of intelligence. As Satan begins to apply strong influence upon this creature, this serpent creature finds itself yielding to this evil influence of temptation. At last when this household servant had fully turned its will over the devil, Part 1 of that evil plan is put into motion. The devil now places in the serpent’s mind his master plan. The serpent being the intelligent creature that he is, and completely yielded to the devil is now ready to approach Eve.
THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN WOMAN AND SERPENT AND WHAT IT LED TO
In his physical makeup, He, the serpent, was able to approach Eve. Want to hear some of their conversation Gen. 3:1-5? First, we note the wisdom of this creature “and he said unto the woman, yea hath God said ye shall not eat of every tree in the Garden” Note, this creature is clever enough to know what God stated in the past! Sure Satan knows what God has said, however this is not Satan speaking, it’s the serpent! And we hear the woman answer him God hath said “we may eat of the fruit of the trees in the Garden (other words we may eat of all the plant life) but the tree that is in the midst of the Garden (called the tree of knowledge of good and evil) thou mayest not eat (that tree wasn’t plant life) neither shall ye touch it lest you die.” Note again we hear the serpent speaking as he is attempting to explain the scripture to Eve, just as some preachers would do today when given Acts 2:38. No doubt he would say, now wait a minute. You don’t understand what God meant by that verse. I know it sounds like it applies to all mankind when Peter brought in the phrase “it is even unto them who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call,” however, you see in Matt. 28:19 etc., perhaps I can better explain by a clipping I once read. It seems an old fellow was sitting, listening to a preacher’s sermon watering down the name of Jesus Christ water baptism and justifying himself by using Matt. 28:19, Father Son and Holy Ghost. The old man began writing a $1,000 check which made the minister all eyes until he saw the signature was titles the old man possessed rather than his name. The minister reminded the old man the bank would not honor his check even though he had the right to claim these titles which proves the authority does not lie in the scripture verse itself of Matt. 28:19, but it takes the revelation and the revelation is the name of Jesus Christ, that revealed name that redemptive name of God of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38) The preacher looking at the check expressed with regret, Sir I cannot cash this check without your name. Go on, said the old man, I feel sure you can get every bit as much out of that check as these poor people have received from your sermon this morning (NOTHING). Their explanation of what happened in the Garden is just about as clear as what happened in Matt. 28:19 when they teach Eve ate some kind of plant life and defiled herself.
The serpent feeling he had the interpretation on the word of God, tells the woman No, that is not true, you will not surely die, for to eat of this you will become very wise. Oh, how deceived people are today who listen to Satan’s voice explaining away the scriptures. God said you will; Satan says you won’t!
SERPENT INTERPRETS WORD
Listen to this foul mouth serpent explaining to Eve why to eat of this fruit. Your eyes shall be opened and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Here the serpent is trying to instill in the mind of the daughter of God there is more than one God! James 2:19. They were already familiar with good, why should they learn about evil? The truth is the serpent had gotten his point across very well to Eve. She now believes his statement far above that of God’s word. “And the woman saw that the tree was good for food (note how the Holy Spirit through Moses’ writing has concealed in symbolic language the truth because the tree spoken of here first of all is not a tree of plant life yet rather is a divine law whereby the human tree would produce itself. All of us I am sure have heard the expression “the family tree” Were it possible, you could trace back far enough on the tree you would go straight to Adam and Eve. And what are we but mere branches off that tree, are we not?) A tree to be desired to make one wise, and she took of the fruit thereof and she did eat.” Note again the word eat here does not mean she ate of plant life for as I have stated before if the transgression and fall came by eating some plant life which could be received through the mouth, redemption will also have to come by the same process! We know that our redemption, a branch off the tree of life, was not some plant life but was the Lord Jesus who was born through a virgin’s womb, bypassing the actual sex act itself yet created a perfect Gene and a perfect aegg to bring into his blood stream what is in NO other who had been born off the Adamic line where imputed sin is inherited through the blood stream, but in Christ’s bloodstream flowed eternal life minus the attributes of sin!!
WHY SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE USED THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE
But you may say since the scripture says EAT, I believe it was something they had to literally eat. Then my friend you would have been exactly in the same spot the multitude of disciples were who followed Jesus up until the point in his ministry where he stated without any explanation “if you would have life eternal you must eat of my flesh and drink of my blood else you have no eternal life within you! (John 6:51-66) What did these poor bewildered disciples say to this? This is a hard saying, who can receive it and many walked away to walk with him no more. Yes, it was over just such a statement as of eating flesh and drinking blood that confounded every disciple of Christ causing all but the twelve to forsake him. Although we do not have time, a study of the Concordance would reveal various forms of eating and hardly any referring to eating plant life. Moses used symbolic language to hide the real truth and to you who at this point have difficulty in receiving this statement even as those who had difficulty in receiving Christ’s statement were given no explanation of what he meant. Allow me to simply say that the Book of Revelations especially is a book written in pictorial language. For instance let’s refer to Rev. 17 as one example where it speaks of a seven headed beast having ten horns carrying a woman passenger on its back. Although this is what is stated no one actually expects to see such a creature walking down the road however that very thing is in progress today and one day shall become so powerful for some reason it shall fight the presence of the coming of the Lord! Now if you are going to hold on to certain phrases that Moses used to cover the truth, hiding it from the wise and prudent then you age going to have to accept that one day a seven headed, ten horned beast will literally come up out of the sea (Rev. 13) to be seen walking on land in a swampy area (Rev. 17) and have as its passenger one harlot woman who somewhere will have many little harlots (daughters) for that is exactly - what it says! We could use other chapters of Revelation to show how this pictorial language covers truth from the eyes of the wise and prudent only later to be revealed to babes and those who will learn. Take for instance Isaiah crying out concerning the one who cometh preparing a straight way of highway in the desert for the Lord, (Isa. 40:3) yet when this scripture was fulfilled it was John the Baptist who certainly built no highway in the desert yet instead built a highway through the hearts of men with a message for the Lord Jesus to come walking into the very hearts that had been prepared for his coming. On and on we could go, however I feel that should be sufficient to indicate God does use pictorial language for a purpose.
THE POWER OF SUGGESTION
Already the serpent approaches Eve, telling her all this. Actually what is the serpent doing unto Eve? He is doing nothing other than breaking down HER RESISTANCE to say no. He is slowly breaking down her power to resist his tempting suggestion. As he speaks of the pleasure this fruit will produce (Gen. 3:5-6), the devil’s purpose was this; First, getting the serpent to yield influence to him. Second, to use the serpent creature to entice Eve to have a physical relationship with him and by so doing Eve herself would break a spiritual law. On what basis had the serpent influenced Eve into this temptation? This serpent-being, only under the influence of Satan, had introduced this to Eve SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE THAT IT WAS A RELATIONSHIP THAT COULD BE ENJOYED, SOLELY FOR A BASIS OF PLEASURE. In each statement he speaks constantly of the pleasure and wisdom it will bring. The God of heaven had instigated this very physical relationship for one purpose only. It was for the propagation of a race.
ALL PLANT, MARINE, ANIMAL RELATION - ONE PURPOSE ONLY
Part 1 - Plant Life
Notice, throughout all the animal kingdom this relationship was introduced by God for one purpose only. The purpose was for the REPRODUCTION OF ANOTHER SPECIES. None can deny this. First mating season illustrated in plant life....Isn’t it strange in the winter season the trees are bare, no leaves or bloom. Notice, for instance, among the Peach trees in spring time they begin to swell. Do you realize what that is the beginning of? It’s a sign THE SAP is rising, but the sap in this sense is THE MALE LIFE (seed) of the tree rising to cause the female life to regulate and cause new life to enter into the body of the tree. Notice again THIS MALE LIFE WHICH is merely a spirit law in plant life, MALE AND FEMALE LIFE ARE IN THE SAME STALK TOGETHER, is that understood? The sap rising is controlled by the male life. When it rises we begin to see this little bud swell, which goes to show there was a relationship of creation within the tree, and after a while when this relationship has fully climaxed itself, what do we have? You are going to have these buds swell and swell until after a while they will break forth in the prettiest little white or pink blooms you have ever seen, giving off such sweet fragrance. Do you know what this means? It is only God’s law of reproduction working in plant life. Here you see the results by the full expression of the male and female life in plant life that has fully related itself together. Watch the blooms which is a full expression of itself. After this full expression of the bloom has finished its cycle and the petals drop away losing its fragrance, it will no longer carry the Peach, Apple, or the Pear blossom perfume. We are about to witness the evidence of what has actually happened sometime before in the mating season. There is going to be the fruit from what has happened. If it’s a Peach tree you then will see a little small tiny nodule and as the days go by the little peach will start forming, right? If it’s an Apple tree a little nodule will start to form and in just a matter of weeks you will see a little tiny apple hanging there, what started it? MATING SEASON IN PLANT LIFE SOMETIME AGO. Male and female plant life had a season when it blended together for that one purpose, GOD’S MATING SEASON. Now the Eternal God wants a crop of apples or peaches, but isn’t it strange when the snow was on the ground there was no bloom, there was no swelling of the buds or any such thing - the tree was bare and dead and just as soon as those bloom petals fall off, right behind that comes the leaves growing right along with the fruit. Now that’s plant life. Take another example. The grasses - you watch blue grass grow. After a while it gets so high then you will notice shooting right out of the top of that blade a little fuzzy looking stuff, when you witness that beginning to take place, it means the male life in the plant life is mating together with the female for WHAT purpose? For PRODUCING SEED which will produce more blue grass. The same story is true of the Poplar, Sycamore and Shumate. Everything else can grow in the same forest. Isn’t it strange, none of them will voluntarily cross? Left alone to follow the creator’s pattern of mating none of that will cross-breed. None of it will cross voluntarily, however modern man has taken certain species of the citrus fruit line and because the life of each one of these trees is of a kinward spirit - they have successfully grafted into the trunk of either one, branches of other citrus fruit, whereby one lim expresses oranges, another tangerines, another grapefruits, another perhaps lime, yet as Brother Branham taught in HYBRID RELIGION all that is a product of man is scientific, biological invention. Certainly it could not be contributed to the original work of the Creator.
MARINE LIFE
Another example of no voluntary cross-breeding is the marine life which lives in water. Marine life is expressed from the giant whale to the most minute microscopic thing capable of floating in water. Recall each specie is an original of the Creator. Although there are many species of the whale family each one is an original of his own and will in no wise voluntarily cross-breed. If man were permitted to tamper with the reproductive cycle, sure you can force breed such a thing! However remember built into the natural makeup of these creatures is an instinct placed there by the creator which forbids such perversion. It’s in their natural makeup never to think of such a thing, they only motivate themselves as the Creator placed within them the capability and the instinct to be an original of themselves, therefore to the male whale God created a female whale which would be his means of reproducing another little whale. If it was the blue whale it automatically when crossed will produce another blue whale, what is it? It’s God’s perfect law of allowing each creature to bear after its very own kind to fulfill God’s spoken word. (Gen. 1:11-12-21) God declared it and that’s the way it has remained these 6000 years.
MATING IN MARINE LIFE SEASONAL
In marine and animal life God separated the sexes, placing them into two separate bodies, for instance, the whales. Both sexes of marine life live and swim in the same water, but none of them will ever cross. The male and the female whale swim side by side, but after so long a time God says it’s time for me to have some more whales. Only God himself rules these mating laws, he alone instituted them and has never changed them. Is that understood? When that mating season moves around in the ocean within marine life, every little species after its own kind according to its individual make-up obeys the desire of its creator. God has ordained that every species of its kind has a cycle of life for reproduction. That is why certain species will mate bringing forth offspring twice a year while other marine life mate and bring forth only one offspring in a year cycle of life. And you never hear of all that diabolical perversion and lust which goes on in the intelligence realm. An instinct by the Creator is placed within that female’s body and once that law is brought into motion to bring forth life then and there alone will she make a choice as to the male creature she will bring herself into union with. I hope you do not think that this message is something designed to degrade God, I ask you a simple question, if it degrades God then God did wrong by ordaining life to be brought in through this method whether it be plant life, marine life or whatever. Everything came into being through this route. It’s the divine plan of God. We might add that had it never happened as it did no one would know this evil of today. We’d only see the beautiful side of God’s purpose. Satan has changed it, dragging it down to the level it is. This he did to get at God. Satan perverted it dragging it out of the hands of God, and down into the dirt; perverting and twisting it until today still under that act for pleasure this earth is filled with Sodomites, homosexuals, adultery, fornication, and every kind of sexual sin imaginable! (for pleasure only)
GARDEN - MIDDLE EAST TESTING GROUND
This garden is composed, we shall say, of some geographical area located some where in the Middle East. No, it wasn’t some beautiful glowing garden surrounded by a lavish stone fence with a huge swinging iron gate for an entrance, opening and closing by the touch of magic enclosing a huge, clever, slimy snake hanging from a tree encouraging a nude woman to eat an apple of some tree of plant life while the husband’s back was turned as proclaimed by the religious world! Had this been so, why would the Almighty curse her female organs and revolutionize her law of reproduction? Why did he not curse her mouth and teeth if she ate something of plant life? Recall, those words of Almighty God as He places man and woman head rulers over all this dominion! To all He said, Be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth! How was this to be accomplished? Could it be accomplished at any time? NO! Already we have seen how God placed within the feminine species a law governing her reproductive cycle - that only during certain periods of time does this law activate resulting in the conception of another little creature of its kind. This holds true even today. No matter how much perversion you find within the human family you will never find it within animal life, plant life nor marine life.
PERVERTED RELATIONSHIP
Only may I say this, the worst thing that is on the earth today is this lowest perverted state WITHIN THE VERY HUMAN RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAN AND WOMAN. What in the past so disrupted the earth? It was that perverted relationship between man and woman. And again the earth has dropped to its lowest degree today. The God of Heaven looks down and sees the earth today IN THE SAME DIABOLICAL STATE OF CONDITIONS AS IT WAS JUST BEFORE THE FLOOD. The PERVERSION OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIP - God detests this. Do you understand? (Heb. 13:4) Look, God has never been pleased with a man being a drunkard, or a thief. Did you know when a nation stoops so low to sell itself to intimate human perversions of relationship, GOD WILL JUDGE THAT NATION?
LOOSE MORALS JUDGED
Brothers and sisters, in our country we have always, to a degree, had men who broke the law. They robbed banks, they kidnapped, YET God would protect the nation. But the very day that the laws of our land opened the doors of immorality, pornography, sex education in the schools and colleges, causing a looseness of sex, and has brought to the place, not the human relationship between man and woman which God instituted and sanctioned, but one for pleasure only, AFTER THE INITIAL ACT WAS COMMITTED. God’s instructions that man and woman could live in pleasure came only after the first law had been broken. This act for pleasure comes through his permissive will in his second moral law - and was added only after the fall. Remember, it could solely be carried out only between man and wife, but the devil turned it loose and threw the doors wide open telling this perverted modern world today it is perfectly all right for man and woman to live together WHETHER THEY’RE MARRIED OR NOT! THE SAME BASIC LIE HE TOLD EVE. What is the average analysis today by the modern psychiatrists? They are saying because we have such high tension in an hour; because we have people who cannot adjust themselves; because they have never been disciplined right. They don’t know right from wrong. The psychiatrists are saying well, they SHOULD live together for a period of time to see if they can adjust themselves or find themselves. It’s all right now BECAUSE TIMES ARE CHANGING, BUT GOD HAS NOT CHANGED - HE SEES THE LAW OF MORALITY differently from the psychiatrists and intellects. Yes, they will find themselves all right. It will be in torment if they don’t wise up. If you have any revelation at all you should be able to see and understand these two trees could not be trees of plant life, they are laws governing the reproductive cycle of the human female and is worded this way to throw off the wise and prudent. However God will reveal it to those who will learn. Neither is the fruit off of either tree for eating - as fruit of plant life.
LAWS GOVERNING REPRODUCTION
Listen carefully as we approach and examine these two trees. Recall both trees will have to be of a similarity, in the same essence of life. The only difference - one carries a penalty with it, the other carries a blessing. What did God say to Israel? I set before you two ways (blessings and cursings) right? Choose ye this day, so was it in the Garden of Eden, God had set before them two ways. The day that ye eat (or partake) of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you’ll die! But if you eat of the tree of life you’ll live forever. (And breed eternal life) Let’s watch it, which tree, which law - which route will they take? In order to start our thought out correctly let’s examine first this tree of life. Man and woman approaching this tree of life is God’s law regulating and ministering eternal life to offspring. It’s God’s divine way by how He had willed and purposed that in the proper season He would bring His son Adam and His daughter Eve (masculine and feminine) together just as He does in the animal kingdom, in marine life, and plant life for the sole purpose of that physical relationship by which means eternal life would be brought forth. Brought forth in the expression of a child! The prophet messenger said the woman was given to Adam to reproduce himself.
LIVING UNDER THE TREE OF LIFE WOULD AFFECT MARRIAGE LIFE
As we see Adam and Eve confronted, time had never arrived in her cycle of life permitting her to become a mother. Therefore there had been no broken relationship toward the benefits of the tree of life. (Illustrating it in this manner) The tree of life was the perfect law of God. It’s the perfect word of God, it’s the promise of God. (The day you eat of this, you can life forever) provided you choose to accept this law which governs the life cycle. Let’s watch and see which law they choose to live under. The command to multiply and replenish the earth had already gone forth - yet Eve wasn’t a mother yet. However, soon within the feminine body that law of life which was regulated by the Creator himself, would begin to be set in motion causing this woman to become mother. The time for this drew near when mating should have been under the law of the tree of life. Eternal life would have been expressed in the form of a little flesh child. It would have been under that tree of life (law) which apparently they were headed for when the serpent stepped into the picture. Under that law would have been God’s way of bringing Himself in another son or daughter possessing Eternal Life. Naturally the feminine body had been so designed by the Creator to bear life, however that season had never arrived as yet. That is why Bro. Branham could say God so designed a woman’s body and entrusted her with a sacred trust to be a mother. She had been designed to bring forth life! (Under the tree of life it would have been eternal.) Yet she is not the carrier of life in its original, only the male carries the life cell. Adam was the carrier of the life cell and under God’s perfect law (of life) they would have been brought together by the Creator and their union would recreate all the application of the benefits of this tree of life.
The partaking of the fruit is merely an act of physical relationship designed solely by the Creator Himself to bring forth another son or daughter just as you would expect within the animal kingdom among the sheep family, cow family or the deer family and remember this can only happen during certain times of the season. The result of what happens is the Creator’s divine ordained way of reproducing each creature through its mate. From that union is produced another deer, another elk, another bear, another elephant, etc.. Each of these female creatures guided by that divine law and recall within the wild animal kingdom none will cross! But always guided by a divine instinct built within them. Within the deer family, you have the elk, the moose, the deer, and the antelope. All of which are of a kinward nature. Yet all can roam within the same forest together though they will never cross. Yes, man in his modernistic, scientific perversion genetically can bring about a force breeding and produce some kind of creature but it’s a perversion of the divine. If you will allow that animal to find it’s own domain and seek it’s own kind of life, because of that law it will never cross. So beloved as we can see that divine law active in animal life of which man is the highest form, we should then be able to form a better picture of this tree of life, which is a perfect law by which God intended in the beginning to bring forth sons and daughters into the world to rule and reign over this earth. What a beautiful picture it could have been today had the 1st human couple chose to live under this law, yet had they done so we would never have known Christ as Savior who came to bring eternal life!
Watch the tree of knowledge that law man did choose to live under by free choice. God said, “But the day you partake of the TREE OF KNOWLEDGE of good and evil thou shalt surely die.” Now what was this? Adam and his wife knew what God meant.
THE THIRD PARTY - AND THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE
Always there has to be that third party involved, especially in something like this. Things were progressing nicely. God’s divine law governing the reproductive cycle within the female body was not as yet ready to begin working. Nevertheless, they had already been informed to take dominion, multiply and replenish the earth, yet the couple would need to wait on that law. No doubt Satan who was already a fallen prince, was lurking in the background watching that law. I believe the devil knew that this law somewhere is getting very close to becoming active. Lucifer wanting his chance of revenge against God for having already removed him from his position with the previous creation. God knew perfectly well what was going to happen. He saw this as He counseled with Himself (Eph. 1) Through His own will He permitted it to happen. So God certainly wasn’t taken by surprise, WAS HE? Satan didn’t slip in while God wasn’t looking, OH NO! God was watching the entire situation having already decided to allow it to happen, Eph. 1:3-11.
Standing in the background is Satan just awaiting his opportunity for revenge. Why had he never tried this before - the LAW OF LIFE HAD NOT AS YET BECOME ACTIVE WITHIN THE WOMAN’S BODY.
Settle the fact now - eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge was none other than Satan guiding the (manlike) serpent creature, influencing him to be the very instrument through which Satan could work, approaching Eve no doubt just as her physical emotions were beginning to function into season - setting in motion God’s perfect law in mating. As Satan stood in the corner watching and waiting, he saw this law getting ready to be set in motion. Time is ready for him to inspire the serpent, their household servant. Gen. 3:1.
Are you aware what transpired once she had submitted and partook of this act with the serpent? True her understanding was immediately opened, she now has obtained the new knowledge. This act could be used for pleasure outside of God’s divine purpose right? The language of the scripture is wonderful, then she saw that it was good, it was something to be desired. It was pleasant to the eye, etc. Immediately she ran to Adam because in her mind she knew originally this act was only to be carried out with Adam and that only under a divine purpose of God. However it had been introduced unto her solely for pleasure outside of that divine purpose of God. Running to Adam she presents the same relationship to him and on what basis? PLEASURE, and not for God’s divine purpose! Now the serpent introduced to Eve who in turn introduced to Adam, the use of this act (an act which had been ordained of God) strictly for a pleasure basis instead of using it for the sole purpose of producing God another son or daughter into this world full of eternal life. True, sons and daughters are still born even under this law, (of good and evil) however they are all born full of death and not eternal life as originally planned! Note what she did once she had experienced or indulged in this relation for pleasure. She now confronts her husband with her newfound knowledge and pleads with him to share the fruit with her on the same basis which fulfills the statement Bro. Brahma often used - before Adam could come to Eve where she would be his wife for that divine purpose, she was already defiled! Recall Paul taught Eve and not Adam was in the transgression. (1st Tim. 2:11-15) This would be similar to a young couple falling in love desiring to become man and wife and certainly there is nothing wrong with this, however, for them to indulge in that relationship which links them together in the eyes of God as long as they both shall live and partake of that before that legal hour, it’s fornication - they have eaten of the fruit illegally! That is Satan’s perversion and I will say this, there is nowhere in God’s law that can justify such an at in the sight of God. I care not how much they claim to love each other, once that act is committed outside God’s laws and purpose, before he binds them legally together as man and wife as long as they both shall live, it is still fornication and goes down in God’s book as fornication therefore he shall deal with it as fornication or the true act perverted. Regardless how modern religion instructs youth today, you better never forget God says thou shalt not commit adultery and Jesus says to look upon a woman to lust after her he has committed adultery in his heart already. Nothing shall ever change that!
CHOOSING BETWEEN THE TWO LAWS REVEALS MOTIVE
Try to think of this setting as one taking place in a perfect environment before any sexual act had been committed and try to think of the first young couple, not as people are today since the fall, but before the fall when eternal life dwelt in both of them. The question that is put before this young couple is in this manner – which of these two laws will you use and by what motive shall you use them in producing life through this act. The important thing God desires to determine here is their motive, for it shall be determined here that motive plays a vital part. God says, now I warn you about this one tree, using it produces death. We know had they waited on God just a little longer he would have led them unto one of these trees himself, however it would have been the tree or law of life which governed eternal life as their union would produce their offspring and this law would have granted their offspring not only eternal life but all those benefits of living under the tree of law of life. Note the placing of the two trees in the midst of the Garden comes as the first major test concerning their obedience toward his perfect will before there is any mention of children being conceived whatsoever. Therefore the tree of life held the secret of how people may obtain eternal life (through birth). While on the other hand the other tree or law of good and evil showed how people could eat from this fruit and obtain death (through birth also) And we are aware today that with each sexual act committed under that tree or law bringing conception, with it also brings forth death!!
BOTH TREES GOVERNED SEXUAL ACTIVITY
Although the tree may be a mystery in your mind, dear reader, if you can but associate what that tree in the Garden represented and was trying to produce (death) and then you see the results of the sexual act itself does produce death in each child, you should then be clearly able to see how this tree with its fruit producing death could not be a tree of natural plant life but is something in someway connected with that which is bringing forth death - the sexual relation! Yes, it is identically the same relationship, only committed under an entirely different motive than God originally purposed to be produced under the tree of life!
To help us understand more so the purpose of these two trees being placed in the Garden to motivate something dealing with the sexual life of this young couple let us quickly look at two things – (1) their commission – to be fruitful and multiply. (2) the prophecy of Adam concerning womanhood, yet with two things already revealed God has not instructed them as yet when this is to be accomplished! The when is going to be determined from these two trees or laws which God placed in the Garden to govern their sexual relation and attitude toward his will. One tree strictly produces only for the will and purpose of God; the other tree, route or sexual act would be for an entirely different motive - pleasure basis only! It has to be their choice which route or way they will choose to accept in carrying out this great commission and fulfilling prophecy. Which of these laws will they follow? This in itself determines why there has been no purpose in God instructing the young couple as to when the commission to be fulfilled seeing the choice of trees held the answer for all times and which law or tree benefit is going to govern and motivate their lives and the lives of their offspring, for it shall be impossible as God brings out within their curse, you cannot live under the law of one tree and reap the benefits of the other! You cannot live under the tree that produced the fruit of good and evil in pleasure and expect to reap the benefits of the tree of life for it shall be from the fruit of their union that eternal life (or death as the case was) would be transported into a bundle of flesh. Understand this clearly, either route chosen would involve sex. Therefore once God had met with the young couple after it was plainly clear under which tree or law they intend to live seeing it is now evident that another motive for the act is going to be accepted by the two dealing strictly with pleasure. God must now condition their bodies to produce that which the tree or law was to produce. Recall, their bodies were not conditioned for the law of this tree for within them dwelt eternal life and God will not permit them to live under the law of pleasure at any time they choose, using his motive selfishly - and then when the time arrived, whether before the fall it would have been once or perhaps twice a year that the woman’s time of life would have visited her whereby conception would have taken place and that offspring been filled with eternal life! NO! Since they have chosen the other law they must be conditioned to reap the benefits and drink the bitter drugs of the cup of all this law would produce.
Therefore the tree of life which governed the perfect purpose of the relation was never allowed to be brought into existence. God removed it! However, it is interesting to note, the original purpose would have been by using the normal perfect seed of man and the perfect egg of woman in producing eternal life. As God could find no perfect seed nor egg since the fall, he had to create both. Yet thank God he still allowed the child to be born from woman as all would have been full of eternal life before the fall had the young couple lived under the tree of life. The point I am making is whether it had been before or after the fall, eternal life which would have been produced from a perfect seed and a perfect egg still come through birth by woman!! And is it not strange in order for you to come in contact with eternal life, today, it is important that you also experience a new and different birth. John 3:3-4!! Unto Nicodemus Christ said, ye must be born again! HOW? By accepting him who is referred to as the branch off the tree of life and recall he was the only one the apostles would follow because he alone had the words of eternal life.
WHY FRUIT OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE IS EXPRESSED AS GOOD AND EVIL
Beloved, are you aware why the fruit of the tree of knowledge was expressed as good and evil? Lets illustrate. We are all aware there’s a divine law stating Thou shalt not steal. For the day you steal you will pay for it - now if you never steal you’re never convicted are you? Do you know there is a law of conscience that once you break one of these basic laws of God your conscience goes to work on you. Not until you break one are you bothered about it are you? Then you have the knowledge of it. It’s just going contrary to what God has said, and do just the opposite to pervert it. Stealing is to take something which doesn’t belong to you and as long as you never steal you are not bothered. My, you can sleep so good. However if you steal and you have any conscience left, you are going to be condemned (conscience - it is the knowledge that you have done something when you shouldn’t have). Because now you fully are aware of the difference between what is good, and what is evil (your eyes are opened to that fact). Remember that law carries a penalty. Knowing God only could have kept you in a state of joy and bliss, but now because you have done something you know is evil and you recognize the evil of it, your conscience bothers you. What had Adam and Eve done, they had awakened their conscience! Soon as Adam had done this both came to an understanding - we’re naked (before God). Up until their conscience had been awakened they had walked naked and were unashamed.
I don’t say this to debase woman! But how long Eve hounded and coaxed Adam we don’t know. It seems to be a secret weapon many woman can use to get their way - continuing to hound and plead until the poor man’s will is broken down. Recall Adam not being in the transgression, Adam knew exactly what he was letting himself in for once he accepted this act strictly on the pleasure basis. When he submits, Eve presents the whole affair to him and Adam knew automatically what he had done.
LOCATION OF FIG LEAVES COVER GUILT
Having no revelation from God as what to do if they ate of the tree, to cover their nakedness and guilt (the day you eat you die). What did they do? Once they both discovered themselves naked, they immediately go out in search of something to cover their nakedness and they find plant life, fig leaves to cover their nakedness and guilt. Notice please what area of the body they covered with plant life - to cover the guilt. Since they had never covered any part of their body before and certainly it wasn’t a revelation of the Holy Spirit as what to do. Why did they cover this portion of their bodies? If they ate something with their mouth why did they not cover their head, face, mouth or something in that area with these manmade fig leaves? Why did they cover nothing other than the reproductive organs of their body? That was the guilty area of the body which broke God’s law and awakened their conscience. God had desired they use the law of the tree of life in their marriage relations and received those benefits which would have been far better. However today no married couple can make the other choice. It was made for us by the first couple. We are their offspring and in Adam we all die. (Rom. 5:12-21) Having gone contrary to God’s perfect will, misusing it they are now convicted and cover that area of the body which is guilty. Their guilt was such as a young man or woman who had committed the same act outside of the complete marriage relationship. If they have any conscience at all they know they’ve done wrong!
RELATIONSHIP UNDER LAW (TREE) OF LIFE - WHAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE
Every woman bearing under the Tree of Life would have been able to bring forth an offspring for God, the Creator. It would be a joy! There would have been no sorry, no heartache, no need for hospitals. Brothers and sisters, there would never have been death, THINK OF IT! How beautiful the perfect law of God would have been. The earth would be replenished. There would have been A REGULATED LIFE here. Babies would not have been born to closely together. A perfect animal kingdom and a family of sons and daughters and these sons and daughters would be an expression of God’s own image and wisdom, not man rising against man butchering and killing etc. Every son and daughter would have been a perfect expression of God’s divine love, having his divine nature, authority, wisdom and divine knowledge. God would have overshadowed it all with his glory. How much more perfect could you want it?
Under the Tree of Life there would have been a perfect relationship. Do you know what it would have been? There would have been the law of nature that was guided by this Tree of Life, if the devil had not moved first and the Law of Eternal Life that was to be relegated by this Tree of Life would have brought Adam and Eve together in God’s mating season, there would have been expression of love solely for one purpose. It would be God in the act to reproduce Himself another son or another daughter, just as it is illustrated in the plant, marine or animal kingdom. When after the initial act was finished, Adam or Eve would have never had a physical lust that natural human beings experience today. There would have been solely that highest perfection of love expressed and in it they would have been aware this is Jehovah’s way of producing himself another offspring. When that offspring would have been born it would have been a perfect offspring of himself. It would have been another like Adam himself before the fall. It would have been a true expression of God’s nature, not as some creature out here living lower than the animals do today. He would have been another expression of God’s nature Himself. Eternal life would have dwelt in him. The death penalty would never have been there. He would never have known lust and evil things, that was God’s way to originally reproduce Himself a family of children. In so doing this it would be God’s eternal life flowing through a perfect divine law. He would bring Adam and Eve together at a particular season which would always be regulated and governed by a divine law. God would have brought Adam and Eve together and God’s purpose behind it would have been to reproduce Himself more offspring. In the sense of Adam and Eve it is also the God given true law by which they would reproduce themselves. That is why Bro. Branham could make such a wise statement saying God gave Adam a wife. For what purpose? TO REPRODUCE HIMSELF. Eve wasn’t made to be a pet, or something just to wash dishes. She was far more than that. Eve was the female creature given that feminine spirit, in order that Adam could reproduce HIMSELF ANOTHER SON AND DAUGHTER UNDER THE LAW OF THE TREE OF LIFE. THIS WAS THE LAW OF THE TREE OF LIFE. IT WAS NEVER ALLOWED TO GUIDE THE HUMAN RELATION.
FAMILY TREE
Everyone today has heard the expression TRACING YOUR FAMILY TREE. Why do we refer to it as a tree? Did you ever trace your family tree? What is meant by tracing your family tree? Actually you are tracing your genealogy. If you searched far enough you would trace it back to Adam and Eve. As we look upon this tree, we are well aware this family tree was certainly not a tree of a vegetative nature. None of us spring from vegetative matter but from a sexual act. Our tree dealt completely with offspring produced by sex. But the statement, FAMILY TREE, has grown out of an expression. The fruit of the tree of life would have also been a relationship, regulated by a reproductive law only. The eating of the Tree of Knowledge was a tree (law) of relationship also, but the seed from its fruits produced its offspring. It has been solely for enjoyment and pleasure, and the seed of it also carries the same reproductive quality. It will reproduce itself. Anyone knows marriage in God’s order will reproduce itself children. Fornication and adultery will also reproduce children.
TEACHING NECESSARY
Some will say a message of this nature should not be taught. I ask you if we are to teach the Bible, what is this story doing in the Bible if it is not to be taught? The word is to be taught! It is very strange if Adam and Eve did eat an apple, and it led them to discover they were naked, why wouldn’t apples have the same effect today? God help us. WHAT KIND OF FRUIT CAN WE EAT TO PUT CLOTHES BACK ON! Let’s get real serious for a second or two. There has never been an age on the face of the earth that has the characteristics Satan is using trying to undress the human race today. I know in history there has been other civilizations, because we see the statues in museums in pictures, in writings and so forth that those nations in their highest state of what they call civilization usually portrayed themselves in their lowest state of morality, also their pictures and statues reveal them very scantily clothed. Well, our country also has reached the highest state of intellectual learning and height of civilization, BUT IN MORALITY IT IS IN ITS LOWEST STAGE! Right now Satan wants to undress every woman that walks the street, and man isn’t any better.
ENCOURAGED TO DISROBE
Appearing in times magazine (Feb. 1969) was an article showing how the psychiatrists in California had adopted a new philosophy, all of his psychiatric patients coming to him for treatment, he is getting them to unclothe themselves, both sexes, man and woman and get in a swimming pool and his analysis is this, the patients who unclothe themselves in the presence of others QUICKEST are the persons most likely to unclothe their minds and tell the whole story, thus being helped much sooner. Just before Jesus comes, in every way possible, Satan is trying to say it’s all right TO GO NAKED. The devil has to do something to take a last stab at God, so he’s wanting to undress the world and bring it to its lowest form of MORAL STATE just before God throws him in the pit for a thousand years.
TREE OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE PLEASURE RELATION
THIS TREE OF LIFE IS THE DIVINE LAW OF GOD, and though eating of the fruit was not some eating of literal plant life but this is merely a figure of expression. Eating of the fruit or the partaking of the fruit would be Adam and Eve yielding themselves to the relationship like a true husband and wife - BUT ONLY UNDER THE EFFECTS OF THAT DIVINE LAW OF THE TREE OF LIFE. Now watch and see what is the opposite of A DIVINE LAW. IT WOULD BE A PERVERTED LAW. It is still the same act committed only under all together different influence, motivations and desires. To explain this, let’s look at it in this manner. The effects of the fall permitted man and woman to live as husbands and wives in a physical PLEASURE relationship one with another. Remember this came into affect only AFTER the true law had been broken or changed. (Your desire and cravings shall now be for your husband. Amp. Gen. 3:16) Today man lives completely under THE EFFECT OF that changed law (Tree of Knowledge) because now he has attained a knowledge of something. This would not have been so under the perfect law WHICH HE REJECTED. Now that man has attained a certain knowledge of something (the pleasure of the act) God has placed him under all the EFFECTS AND PENALTIES OF THIS PERVERTED LAW (Tree of Knowledge.) Gaining this knowledge, man and woman was still permitted to live together as husbands and wives in the pleasure relationship which NO OTHER ANIMAL CREATURE COULD LIVE IN SUCH MANNER. They also were forced to reap all the benefits of the Tree of Knowledge, such as death, misery, suffering, pain, agony etc. Remember no other creature (plant, marine, nor animal life) is permitted to live in a pleasure relation. Their’s are as original plan - seasonal reproduction. I defy anyone to say they do! If you ever did see this in animal nature you can settle it once and for all THAT ANIMAL IS A FREAK OF NATURE. God never intended animals to live in PHYSICAL PLEASURE relationship. If by some chance you could see an animal living in physical pleasure it would only go to show the devil can also pervert nature. No animal, plant or marine life will you ever see living in constant relationship of physical pleasure. Once in a while something might pop out somewhere but settle it, it is a freak of nature! It is not in continuity with the accepted standard of nature. That is why you can take (3rd) ANIMAL KINGDOM which was never given the wisdom and knowledge that man possesses, for instance a herd of wild horses - a hundred females and a dozen or so males within the herd - brother you will never see them carrying on the way man and woman do today. A female horse would kick the head off a male horse. Right! This only goes to show there is an instinct placed in that female creature that the relationship only be committed when that law of reproduction sets up in her physical feminine nature. It is only by the emotions of the animal creature as they are guided by this divine law of reproduction as that law sets in motion, then and only then will there be the completeness of the action itself.
PLANT LIFE REJECTED
Adam and Eve have done this thing. True they are companions, although, they are now condemned, guilty and ashamed to walk before God because they chose the wrong law to guide their married life. Today married couples can’t make that choice. The first couple made it for all of us, seeing we are their offspring. God hid or guarded the other law of life. Now that man has tasted of this one tree we will never be permitted to use the other tree! Knowing they were naked, they took plant life, fig leaves and sewed them together covering that guilty area of their bodies and ran and hid when they heard God arriving. Where do they hide? For the second time we see the young couple seek plant life for a covering from God. The Trees - to cover their guilt. God called for them as He walked through the garden in the cool of the day, Adam where art thou? God knew where Adam was, He wanted them to know that they had to answer Him on the basis of their own guilt. I was afraid, was Adam’s reply. I am naked (yet he had on his fig leaves). Who told you you were naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree I commanded thee not to eat asked God as the frightened young couple came out from behind the trees. Notice the very first thing God does in clothing them - he takes away their fig leaves and kills an innocent lamb in order to make them a covering. Innocent animal life had to become a substitute to cover the nakedness of His two creatures He had placed in the garden.
PLACED BEFORE TWO TREES FOR CHOICE
Beloved, this lets me know our natural, human birth was set in motion once Eve was separated from the first Adam and the two were placed before the two trees for their choice. They themselves, chose to live and bring all the human family into the world or fulfill the commission, be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth, under the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This choice led to sin, disobedience and death, causing each human born in the human family to be born with inherited sin in the bloodstream. Therefore the second Adam was God’ way for us to be reborn to be pleasing unto him, and escape that eternal death penalty.
SERPENT IN ORIGINAL - DID NOT MEAN REPTILE
Remember this, the word serpent in the original did not mean reptile. This was a name that applied exclusively to that creature who yielded itself to the devil. His physical makeup resembled that of Adam. Even his blood line could mix, but he did not have within him the wisdom, knowledge and mentality of Adam BECAUSE HE WAS NOT A SON OF GOD - he was merely the highest order in God’s animal kingdom. He had a wisdom and intellect reaching far above that of the horse, elephant, cow, dog or ape family. His intellect permitted him to carry on conversations with his friends, Adam and Eve. His intellect caused him to be able to serve as a servant. He was the only species within the animal kingdom able to carry on a vocal conversation with Adam and Eve. God fashioned him in this order that there be NO BROKEN LINK between Adam, (the highest form of life) and the lowest worm that crawls in the dust of the earth.
Adam and Eve could have said to the serpent, Creature, come here or go there and he would have obeyed . He was solely made physically, mentally and vocally to communicate and carry out Adam’s orders because he was their servant type creature. As Satan, the devil, inspired him, I see him approaching Eve to beguile her; to deceive her. He led her into deception. He took God’s own perfect statements concerning the tree of life and the tree of knowledge - twisted them and changed the meaning all the way around. In so doing, Eve who was approaching her time of life, yet the scripture doesn’t say she was. We say this because no sooner does she yield herself to Satan’s trick through the serpent creature, in committing herself to this relationship, she conceived. Eating the fruit was to attain knowledge. Knowledge of what this relationship can mean (used for pleasure.) Up until then THE KNOWLEDGE of the act had only been FOR REPRODUCTION ALONE. Now watch, when she partook of the fruit she knew that this fruit was a fruit to be desired, for she realized THE PLEASURE RELATIONSHIP OF IT! Remember Adam was not in the transgression nor was he beguiled or misled. She takes this knowledge and presents it to Adam. No doubt, Adam knew full well the penalty that was going to fall on her. He may have thought, well, you’ve gone and broken God’s law. I just as well follow. But the scripture plainly teaches Adam was not in the transgression! IT WAS THE WOMAN! (1st Tim. 2:14) In the original transgression it was only the woman who was beguiled. It was only she who was deceived. Adam was not deceived, but nevertheless, he did transgress to a degree. He too broke God’s law, but he didn’t break it ignorantly. He knew full well the penalty that was going to come upon him. We can see the sole relationship has been introduced by the devil through the serpent SOLELY TO GET THEM TO BREAK THE LAW, and to use this relationship for what purpose? FOR PLEASURE. Now then, anyone who knows when two people who are not legally looked upon by God as man and wife, if they break the moral law of God which still stands in this universe today, and if they commit this relationship outside of holy wedlock in that certain season - you know full well what to expect. REPRODUCTION immediately goes into effect. Why do we today have so much illegitimate birth? Because the devil has told the human race that intimate relationship is all right, for now times has changed, that God is dead, this and that, these moral laws are outdated, we need new ones. So the devil is telling the human race to turn loose and express yourself. Don’t forget what it is bringing into the earth. It is producing a generation of young people that does not know who mommy and daddy is. Pick up your papers. Read of the woman today who are living solely out of perfect wedlock, bringing babies into the world while many continue to live off of governmental welfare. Brother it’s breaking down the standards of morality. It’s bringing into the race of society today a concept; A generation of people that knows no longer the loyalty, the respect of God’s perfect laws of morality. God’s perfect laws of morality, as they stand today will never change. Man changes them in his own attitude and respect for them but God never changes them.
Continued
|
