The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet #7002

The Genesis chapter 2 description of forming of the individual man Adam " 'eth-ha adham" and his help meet Eve.

No not mankind! That creation was described in chapter 1.

Genesis 2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

Have you noticed that there was no mention in chapter one, whatsoever, of a farmer, a man(" 'eth-ha adham") to till the ground and plant seeds?

[6] But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. [7] And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

[8] And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

[9] And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Parable of the cedar of Lebanon  Ezekiel 31:3-9 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. The Hebrew word for "Assyrian" used here is te'ashshur and it means "a box tree". It represents Satan, a plain old box cedar who wants to become the greatest tree of all, as we will see in a few verses. [4] The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field. Note: Waters also represent groups of people! [5] Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth. You should start to get the sense that we are not talking about actual trees. Verse 10 of this same chapter shows that this "tree" exalted himself above all the others. Let's keep reading. [6] All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. Wow! That must be some giant tree, with a shadow big enough for all great nations to dwell under! [7] Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters. [8] The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. No tree (person) in the garden of God could compare in beauty to this one. Trees = people. Again, this is not difficult at all. [9] I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him. Of course trees can't envy other trees, nor do they have the brains to know the difference between good and evil! These are characteristics of people, not trees. The trees are symbolic. Remember, trees = people. Can you now "see" that Satan is referred to as a "tree" in the garden of Eden?

Remember, aside from the trees created for food, there are other trees, two specifically trees mentioned there: 1) the tree of life, and 2) the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is ironic that no one seems to have a problem with the "tree of life" symbolizing Jesus Christ. Rev. 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. But when we say that the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil", i.e. the tree with evil knowledge, is Satan, that old serpent, the devil, they go "bonkers" and say, "No, it's an apple tree!" Really?

 Verses 10 through 14 describe the geographical location of Eden which we shall discuss in more detail when we get to chapter 6 in Genesis.

[10] And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. [11] The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; [12] And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. [13] And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. [14] And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. [15] And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

[16] And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Also eat the 'Little Book'

Jeremiah - Jeremiah 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

John - Rev 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

Ezekiel - Ezekiel 2:9 And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; Ezekiel 3:1-14 Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. [2] So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. [3] And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. [4] And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. [5] For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; [6] Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. [7] But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. [8] Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. [9] As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. [10] Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. [11] And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear. [12] Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. [13] I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. 14] So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.

[17] 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.

Let's now look in on Adam and see how he is doing.

Genesis 2:18
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

[19] And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

Once again, notice that these animals were created AFTER the man was formed whereas in chapter one the wild animals were created BEFORE mankind. These were separate events.

[20] And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. [21] And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

[22] And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

[23] And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

[24] Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

[25] And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

They had no reason to be ashamed for they had committed no sin. Neither would any husband and wife, standing before each other naked, be ashamed,unless perhaps one of them had been unfaithful!

                 Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

OK, it is now time to "grow-up" and mature in the Word of God. Who is this serpent who was more subtle, meaning wise, than any other living, created being, human or otherwise, in the garden?  ... a literal "snake" standing upright like we see in the Bible story books? Perhaps when we first begin reading the Bible and have only gotten to chapter 3 of Genesis,
we might not be quite sure who this serpent is. But if we read the whole Word of God, there can be no doubt who he is and what he looks like.

Rev. 12:9
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Rev. 20:2
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

2 Cor. 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Let's repeat Gen. 3:1.

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

[2] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

Examine the Hebrew origin of the word translated "touch", because there is about to be a seduction in the fig grove. Don't miss it! Trees are used throughout the Bible to symbolize people, including the children of God, Satan, Jesus Christ and even God the Father, who likens Himself to an "evergreen" fir tree in Hosea 14:8. So before we go any further in the Word of God we must learn to tell the difference between a "tree" and a "person", between a tree trunk and the trunk of a person's body, between tree limbs and human limbs, between the branches of a vine and the people they represent. It is in fact, with just a little observation, very easy to make these distinctions. It would serve a person well to do a study of trees in the Bible, for there are many passages where trees are used symbolically to represent people. You could start by reading the account of Nebuchadnezzar's dream in chapter four of Daniel and the interpretation thereof. It is a great example of "tree symbology". However, we will focus on identifying the "trees" in the garden of Eden.

Eating physical food, nuts and fruits, is OK. But it is bad spiritual food (bad fruit) that can kill your soul.

Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die

Don't you see that "life" is the subject in verse three? The consequence of eating "bad fruit" from a corrupt tree is "lest you die", i.e. death! You can eat all the "bread" you want, but you better partake of the "bread of life" if you want to live forever. Christ is that "bread". He is that "tree of life". If you eat of the "leaven" of the scribes and Pharisees, you'll die. It's bad bread! Beware! Here is Christ's own words:

Matthew 16:11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Matthew 16:12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Satan has now brought into question the Word of God. So Eve, in her reply, omits the word "freely" (preceding 'eat thereof'), adds the words "neither shall ye touch it", and alters the certainty "thou shalt surely die" into a contingency "lest ye die".

[4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Luke 6:43-44 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. [44] For every tree is known by his own fruit...

Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: [5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

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

There has been a seduction, the truth of which has been hidden for a long time to those who don't know their trees, to those who have allowed the deceptive stories of the traditions of men to blind their eyes, that in seeing they don't see and in hearing they don't hear.

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

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

2 Cor. 11:2-3 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

[3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

In Matthew 13, Christ spoke several parables. Do you know why He spoke in parables? Do you think it was to make things obvious to the crowd He was addressing?

Matthew 13:10-13 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

[11] He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

[12] For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. [13] Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: [25] But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. [26] But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. [27] So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? [28] He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? [29] But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Matthew 13:35-36 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Now look what happens!

[36] Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

The crowd is gone! The disciples come to Jesus, in private, and ask Him to explain the Parable of the Tares, the one we just read. Would you also like to ask Him to explain it to you? Then go for it! Here is the simple explanation, from the Lord Jesus Christ, of the Parable of the Tares, to those who have been  granted or have asked Him for eyes to see and ears to hear. Remember, this information, hidden from the foundation of the world, is not available to all. Blessed indeed is he or she that understands.

Christ's simple explanation:

Matthew 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; [38] The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

The field is the world? Wow! This really is simple. The tares are children of Satan? He has children? He has children   Don't you dare try to spiritualize this away! This is not a parable!These children (seed) are those same seed (children) in Gen 3:15. God puts enmity between his (Satan's) children and her (Eve's) children. We will be meeting the first child of Satan when we get to chapter 4 of Genesis. His name is Cain. He is not listed in Adam's genealogy in chapter five of Genesis. I wonder why not?

[39] The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

The wicked seed was sowed in the fig grove, in the garden of Eden, at the seduction of mother Eve. (Hopefully the words of Christ are not too much for you. Remember, you can always believe that snakes stand up and talk.)

[40] As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. [41] The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; [42] And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. [43] Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Who has ears to hear, let him hear. Who has not ears to hear, let him slumber. Now back to the Book of Beginnings.

Genesis 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

Don't think for one minute that God didn't know where Adam was. You'll find He never asks a question that He doesn't already know the answer to.

[10] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Adam isn't facing reality very well at all, a problem common to many. We must all learn that we can't hide from our problems and our sins. Our Father knows!

[11] And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

The defendant is being questioned by the Judge.

[12] And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Here we see one of the basic principles of "liberalism", which is simply "never, never, take responsibility for your own actions. Always blame someone else". In this case Adam points out that the "Manufacturer" of the woman is really to blame, i.e. the woman WHOM THOU GAVEST to be with me. This was not a good answer! You can't con our Father, who probably shook His head in sorrow and disappointment as He turned to the woman.

[13] And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Hey, it's not my fault! I have an excuse. The serpent seduced me. Another really bad answer! God now turns to Satan.

[14] And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

"Because thou hast done this..". Done what? I think we covered that. He seduced Eve. Notice that no question was asked to this "scum of the earth". Why give him the opportunity to reply with a smart aleck answer? God moves directly to the sentencing. You should be able to document by now that the  serpent" God is speaking to is Satan, the Devil himself (Rev. 12:19).  He was beautiful, charming, witty and very, very likable (Ezek. 28). He was a "tree to be desired". He was also a pervert. It is he whom our Father curses above all other living beings. He did not curse little old snakes. The statement "upon thy belly shalt thou go" is an Hebrew figure of speech. It is a statement of degradation that implies the utmost humiliation, for prostration was ever the most eloquent sign of subjection. (If you are fortunate to have a Companion Bible, it will document this for you). We have a somewhat similar saying in English, "he's lower than a snake's belly". The same statement of degradation applies to "and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life". This figure of speech is much like Psalms 72:9 which says "his enemies shall lick the dust". They will not literally get on their hands and knees and lick the ground with their tongues, but they will be so utterly defeated that no words could literally depict their overthrow and subjugation. But a picture, portrayed by a figure of speech, is worth a thousand words. If the teachers and preachers of God's Word would pay attention to the figures of speech, which are easily identified in the "fixed" languages of Hebrew and Greek, much misunderstanding and confusion could be eliminated.

Here's How Traditions are Made: If there was a verse in the New Testament that read "The Apostle Paul got in hot water", there would now be churches that would require their parishioners to do as Paul and follow his example, i.e. get into a pool or tub of water that is hot. If you looked up "water" in Strong's concordance it would say "H2O, that substance which forms lakes and rivers and seas, rain, etc.". The would-be scholars would then debate how much water you should get into, how far you should be immersed, and exactly what degree of temperature constitutes hot as opposed to warm. Thus "getting into hot water" would become a tradition of the church, despite the fact that the phrase is a figure of speech which means "The Apostle Paul got into trouble", and has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with water! For those who have an interest, the great scholar E.W. Bullinger, has a work in which he classifies the 217 figures of speech and has given some 8,000 passages of Scripture to illustrate them. Without paying close attention to "Figures of Speech", no study of the Bible can be complete. Of course if you have a Companion Bible it notes the figures of speech for each passage in the parallel columns.

The LORD God now continues with the sentencing of the guilty ones. He is still addressing Satan:

[15] And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

And so it would come to pass that Christ's heel was bruised when His feet were nailed to the cross at Calvary, but as it is recorded in Hebrew 2:14 He shall destroy Satan, whose name is "death". God has also said that He would put enmity (Webster: positive, active, and typically mutual hatred or ill will) between Satan and Eve and between HIS SEED and HER SEED. Did you notice that there is no mention of apple seeds.

[16] Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Conception? God is talking about conception and bringing forth children? What brought up that subject? What does conception have to do with apples anyway? Why didn't He say, "I will make your teeth hurt every time you bite fruit"? Hello! While we're on the subject of conception, did you know that Eve had twins?

I often say to friends and acquaintances when the opportunity presents itself, when perhaps the subject of church or the Bible comes up, "Remind me sometime and I'll tell you what really happened in the garden". It always provokes curiosity, and it seems that the interest in that type of scandal is ageless, if you know what I mean. In any event, many have been driven into studying the Word of God when the traditions of men have been exposed. The truth of the seduction in the garden, has been covered up, hidden by the cloak of the "fig" apron, and has been replaced with fairy tales about "apples" and "upright snakes".Satan has succeeded in deceiving those who read into taking the words which are written as literal "to the letter" instead of seeing the "truth" contained in that which is figurative and symbolic.He tried that "trick" on Jesus Christ Himself, when he tempted Him in the wilderness by quoting (misquoting) the Word of God, implying the literal letter (read Mat. 4:1-11). Christ didn't "buy it" and neither should you. In as much as the flower of the fig is hidden within its casing, it is the very reason that the word "fig" is still used to symbolize something that is "hidden" from view. I hesitate in saying this, but if you would like a real education about the word "fig", then go to the library or obtain an unabridged Webster's Dictionary, look up the word "fig", and read all of the various definitions. I'll quote just two of the many definitions of this "f" word from that source:

Webster's New Twentieth Century Unabridged Dictionary:A fig for; a phrase shortened from "I don't care a fig for," expressing the speakers contempt for the object or person mentioned. fig, v.t. 1. To insult with ficos or contemptuous motions of the fingers. 2. To put, as something useless, into one's head. Whether you check it out or not, know this: The traditions of men qualify as "something useless" in one's head.

Enough said. We now return to the garden of Eden. Our Father has been "spelling out" the consequences earned from man's first sin. Adam has fallen from grace. Here's what he's got coming:

Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

I know this is the 21st century. But like it or not, Adam was placed in authority and God held him responsible for allowing this carnal event to transpire. Worse yet, he not only permitted it to happen, he participated as well, the exact circumstances of which I will leave to your own speculation and imagination, trusting that you will use good common sense and wisdom. Sometimes those who are "street wise" have an advantage in understanding the realities of the flesh man.

[18] Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

Hey, it's time to plant wheat and corn for food, pal, and don't forget to pull the weeds or they will choke out the crop.

[19] In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

You had it made right there in the garden of Eden, Adam. Perfect utopia. But you blew it! Dad's no longer going to provide everything for you "on a silver platter". Go find out what it is like to have to work for a living. Then of course, you're going to die, son!

                   Genesis 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

Obviously, Eve is no more the mother of all the different races than she is of Adam. Remember, our Father created the races on the sixth day and Eve was not formed until the eighth day The name "Eve" means life-giving in the Hebrew tongue. Now, it has just been pronounced in verse 19 that man shall die. But our Father, in His infinite love for His children, had already prepared a way in which we could "live". It is called the plan of salvation. That plan provided that it would be through this woman, EVE (and her offspring), that the only Way to life, the Messiah and Savior, Jesus Christ, should be born. This is the primary reason that Satan wanted to destroy the woman, to destroy the plan of God, to prevent the Messiah from being born, and instead, have his own born. That's why he was there, in the garden. Plain and simply then, all people, all races, will either eventually accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, or they will no longer have life. They'll be gone! Therefore Eve IS the mother of all living in that she IS the mother (grand) of Christ and all of us who live for eternity through Him.

Adam and Eve now needed a covering, because of sin.

[Genesis 3:1] Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Adam and Eve now needed a covering, because of sin. We all need a covering, because of sin! Here we see animals being used (sacrificed) to provide that covering. This beginning of "blood sacrifice" would continue down through the ages until the supreme sacrifice, of that unblemished Lamb of God, paid the price on the cross, to provide our covering once and for all. And guess what? Because He did pay the price, we now get to wear the gospel armour (Eph. 6) as full protection from that fiery dart-throwing serpent.

[22] And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

Man had become as one of whom? As one of the Elohim, God and the host, i.e. God and His sons, the angels. They certainly knew the difference between good and evil from the "world that then was" which God destroyed at judgment. That's why we have the plan of salvation, of restoration.

[23] Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

Start plowing, Adam! It is for that purpose you were created, i.e. to "till the ground". God will eventually use this man's descendants to cultivate civilization, the real purpose for which he was created, using His "sword", as both the plow and the seed.  It was to be the destiny of the race of eth' ha Adam. History documents it thoroughly. God's Word is true!

[24] So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

That Way, the path to eternal life through that "tree of life", would now be withheld until Jesus Christ, the Messiah walked the earth. And in due time, right on time, as was first prophesied in Gen. 3:15, He did come and walk among men!  It was God's most precious gift to His children. How can we not pour out our hearts in love to Him when we see how much He loves us? Do you see?  But they are "next up" in chapter four of this incredibly fascinating Book of Genesis. What a thriller it is! Cain and Abel were both Eve's sons, but they both were not Adam's, only Abel was. 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.

As it is written, Adam did know his wife and she did conceive (the object, conception, defines the action of the verb, to know, which means the same as "horizontal cha-cha"). 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.

                 Genesis 4:2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was
                 a tiller of the ground.

The word "again" is translated from the Hebrew word yacaph, which means "to continue to do a thing". Look it up for yourself. In other words, Eve continued in labor and bare Cain's brother Abel. If you are not familiar with "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. Plain and simply, like it or not, believe it or not, Cain was Satan's son, not Adam's. 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.

"In process of time" means "at (the) end of days" and shows that there was an appointed time to bring an offering. 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.

Dr. Moffat translates this verse, "Woe to them! 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:

Abel brought the choicest, nicest, unblemished lamb from his sheep herd that he could find among the firstlings. 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.

Let's see what we have here. 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?

[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.

Dr. Moffat (Moffat Bible) best translates this verse: 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. The point is that Cain was not honest and God knew it, but our Father still gave him a chance. 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.

Cain wasn't "talking" with his brother, he was luring him into country so he could murder 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 descendants would plot the murder of Jesus Christ. Let's pick it up in John chapter 8 where the religious leaders, the descendants 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.

Jesus doesn't "buy it".

[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.

Unbelievable, isn't it? 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!  Note: (Some Jews probably are Israelites but many are not, especially among the religious leaders.) 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.

Christ is speaking of the murder and the lies of which we are studying now in Genesis! 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 3:12 Not 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.

Cain's wife was from the sixth day creation.

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?

Hey, surprise, surprise! 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.

God knew exactly what he had done.

[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.

To this very day, the ground will not yield its potential to the descendants of Cain.

[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.

Cain knew there were other people on earth. 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. 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? We have just witnessed the first murder. Cain, the offspring of that old serpent, the devil, Satan himself, brutally killed Abel, the first son of Adam, a righteous man. It was that "wicked one's"  second attempt (this time through his offspring) to destroy the woman and her "seed" through which Jesus Christ, the Messiah would be born. And since Cain was not Adam's son, God would have to raise up another to fulfill His plan. Verse 25 of this same chapter documents that He did, and so Seth replaced Abel in Christ's ancestry.

Gen. 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

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John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil ...

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