Well,
it's now "Good Bye Eden" and "Hello Cruel World"!
(Somehow I can really relate to that and I suspect many
of you can too.)
Eve is about to give birth to fraternal twins.
That isn't commonly taught in the story books of churchianity,
but it is recorded in the Word of God.
Genesis 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
It would appear, without further examination,
that the result of this conception produced her first
born, Cain.
But such is not the case. Adam was not the father of Cain.
You will find that Cain is not even listed in Adam's genealogy in chapter five of Genesis.
Why?
Because his father was the devil, that old serpent, Satan himself.
There was a conception that took place in the fig grove,
at the seduction of Eve (before Adam knew Eve as in Gen.
4:1).
It was declared in verse sixteen of chapter three!
The next verse documents that Eve had twins.
[2] And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Look it up for yourself.
In other words, Eve continued in labor and bare Cain's brother Abel.
If you are not familiar with "fraternal twins" you can surf the web and learn a great deal.
Start with http://www.twinsfoundation.com .
Basically, there are two types of
twins. 1) Maternal twins, usually called identical twins, are produced
from the same conception in which a single ovum splits into two groups
of cells soon after fertilization. 2) Fraternal twins are produced from
two separate conceptions, i.e. they develop from two separate ova which
are each fertilized before implanting in the uterus. While it is true that
fraternal twins "usually" have the same father, it is not at all uncommon
for them to each have a separate father. Such is the case with Cain and
Abel. They were both Eve's sons, but they both were not Adam's, only
Abel was.
Once again, remember that in Gen 3:15 God said
that He would enmity between Satan's seed (offspring)
and Eve's seed (offspring).
That enmity produced the first murder!
Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
The place and the offering would have been appointed as well.
Notice that Cain did not bring a sacrificial offering, for there is no blood shed.
We also know from the Book of Jude that his offering was
merely a "religious act",
for his way was that of natural religion, not the way
God had appointed.
Cain's heart was not in the right place,
and he was not being honest, as we shall document in
verse seven.
Keep in mind that our Father knows the hearts and minds
of Cain and Abel
(and you and me as well).
Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
they go the road of Cain, rush into Balaam's error for
what it brings them,
and perish in Korah's rebellion."
In other words, Cain's offering was self-serving.
[4] And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
What a great attitude!
[5] But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Cain brings some "fruit of the ground"
(it doesn't say of the first fruits, or of the fat thereof,
or the best of the best)
and presents it to the LORD, figuring he's done his duty
to the letter of the law.
That should be acceptable and good enough to find favor with the LORD.
How would the Lord know, anyway, that he just grabbed
some produce off the pile,
in a "rush" as we just read in Jude
11?
So the LORD, knowing what is in Cain's heart,
doesn't buy this religious routine of just plopping a
few extra brussels sprouts in the offering plate.
Does Cain then examine himself and his motives to see
the error of his ways,
in order that he might repent and change his attitude?
No way!
His name means "possession" and he is out to "get", not give.
So he performs another religious act and gets PO'd (a
slang contraction for angry) at the LORD
for not believing his "insincerity" and not accepting
his inappropriate, non-sacrificial offering.
There is nothing new under the sun.
Many people to this day wonder why God doesn't bless them.
Perhaps they haven't read Matthew
22:37 Jesus said unto him,
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind."
(Not just Sunday morning by
bringing a few extra tokens and throwing them in the offering plate.)
[6] And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Dr. Moffat (Moffat Bible) best translates this verse:[7] If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
Gen. 4:7 If your heart is honest, you would surely look bright? If you are sullen, sin is lying in wait for you, eager to be at you - yet you ought to master it.
If he would just be honest, God would accept his offering.
But he would not, for there was no honesty in him,
because "his father", the father of lies, was in him.
[8] And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And he did!
The N.E.B. translates this verse, "Cain said to his brother
Abel, 'Let us go into the open country.'
While they were there, Cain attacked his brother Abel
and murdered him."
This is the first murder recorded in the Bible.
Later, Cain's descendents would plot the murder of Jesus Christ.
Let's pick it up in John chapter 8 where the religious
leaders,
the descendents of Cain, with murder in their hearts,
are trying to convince Christ that they are of the good
seed, the seed of Abraham.
They are boldly, without shamefulness, directly lying to Messiah, as there is no honesty in them either.
John 8:39-40 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
[40] But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
These "religious" leaders are running around telling folks
that they are God's chosen people (which they are not),
and all the while they are plotting to murder Jesus Christ,
the Son of God!
Christ identifies their sireship.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
It is also recorded in the first epistle of John that Cain was "of" (meaning offspring of) that wicked one.
Plain
and simply,
like
it or not,
believe
it or not,
Cain
was Satan's son, not Adam's.
1 John 3:12Not as Cain,who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
Let's return to Genesis where the LORD is inquiring
of Cain as to the whereabouts of his brother.
Genesis 4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
Cain was dishonest again!
This time he lied directly to our Father and followed
that lie with a sarcastic,
smart aleck question, "Am I my brother's keeper?"
You just can't trust an habitual liar!
[10] And He said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
[11] And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;[12] When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
[13] And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.[14] Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
In fact we will discover that he goes into the land of Nod and takes a wife.
Where in the world did she come from?
Answer!
She was from the sixth day creation.
See pamphlet #7001
Cain also knew that his actions would get him in trouble and even get him killed.
So God will place a "mark" upon him.
In our next study we will learn what that "mark" was?
Do you know?
To study the 1st. 11 chapters of Genesis word for word: (live link to) All 11 chapters in one complete study