Genesis chapter 3

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? Please!

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.

That "old serpent" in the garden was Satan himself, not disguised as a snake, but the creep is a "snake", in the figurative sense, of course! I've done business with some snakes before and they really are cunning and conniving.

Anyway, this old serpent has perpetuated a lie, a tradition, about the "snake" and the "apple" long enough. It is SATAN'S plan to deceive a Biblically ignorant people with such trot, "because it ministers to the acceptance of his lie, the hiding of God's truth, the jeers of the infidel, the opposition of the critics, and the stumbling of the weak in faith." (Companion Bible, appendix 19, last paragraph.)

Again in Revelation 20 we see who that serpent was. He is to be bound during the millennium for 1000 years.

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,

The apostle Paul also made it clear who this serpent was in 2 Cor. 11:3:

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.

The Greek word for "serpent" is ophis, which means "an artful, malicious person; (figuratively a snake).

Satan was beautiful and charismatic and charming, truly a glorious "angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14).

Paul is saying that we should not let these false preachers be a marvel to us, "for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light". How can Satan be "transformed into an angel of light", when the Word of God says many times over and over that if you are of Satan, you are a child of the darkness? Something is terrible wrong here. Many people say that we are not to worry because Satan himself is going to be transformed into an angel of light, and they show their complete ignorance of God's Word. Lets read for ourselves what the Strong's Greek dictionary has to say about this word "transformed". The number in the Strong's Greek dictionary is # 3345.

Editor's note: Here is another example of 21st century English getting in the way of our understanding of the "Truth" of God's Word!

"Metaschematizo, met-ask-ay-met-id-zo; from the Greek #3326, and a derivative of #4976; to transfigure or disguise; fig. to apply (by accommodation): -transfer, or transform (self)." So lets put this in the way that Paul actually said it in the manuscripts of his letter to the Corinthians. "Satan himself is coming disguised into an angel of light." That is how he will appear to those that are going to see him at his coming at the sixth trumpet. They will see him as they expect to see Jesus coming at the seventh trumpet, but they will be deceived by him, because he will appear to be what they expect to see Jesus to be. To "disguise" anything is to change and hide what it truly is, and make it appear to be that it is not.

Satan is coming disguised as an "angel of light", and the true "Angel of Light" is Jesus Christ. Satan is coming disguised as the Savior, and that is what this warning of Paul's is all about. Paul doesn't want you seduced by Satan spiritually, like many of the virgins of Christ will be. This is from the very parable that Christ put forth. Are you starting to understand a little more of our Heavenly Father's Word?

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?

Notice that Satan is about to tempt Eve with God's Word. He is quoting God! Remember he tempted Christ in the wilderness with God's Word. It is his MO, his greatest method of deception. By misquoting and twisting the scriptures and causing people to believe the "letter" of what is written, instead of the "truth" of what is written, he is able to perpetuate mass deception on an uninformed populous.

Do you think this misquoting and twisting the scriptures ended 2000 years ago? Better think again!

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and Live Link to-> Does your version of the Bible contain these verses

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

Eve knew that she and her husband could freely partake of all the trees in the garden for physical food as well as the (celestial beings, men who were there) for spiritual food. She also knew that there was a special set aside "tree" (person), in a specific geographical location (in the midst of the garden), that they had better stay away from.

[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".

Editor's Note: How is it that Eve is now thinking "touch"? We will find out shortly, when we look up the Hebrew word that is translated "touch"; Hang in there because Satan is already making passes at Eve! (see next verse)

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

Satan now contradicts the Word of God and tells the first of many, many lies, for he is the father of lies (John 8:44).

Next we'll go back and spend some time on verse 3, documenting the true identity of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil", who dwelled in the midst of garden. We will also examine the Hebrew origin of the word translated "touch", because there is about to be a seduction in the fig grove.

Let's talk about TREES.

Trees are used throughout the Bible to symbolize people, including us, we the children of God, and Satan, and 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.

Live Link)to-Let's talk about TREES.

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. The following passage from the Book of Ezekiel will document without refute, not only that trees are used symbolically in the Bible to represent people including Satan, but specifically two persons present in the garden of Eden!

Ezekiel 31:3-12
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.

[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 chesnut 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.

Did you notice, verse 9 above tells us there are also other men in the garden besides Satan and Jesus Christ, all celestial angels, I must assume (the Bible doesn't say). Anyway, Genesis 3:1 says it it OK to listen to them but not to Satan, so those other trees/men must have been loyal to God.

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/men there, but only two specific trees mentioned: 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!" Be assured! The word "apple" does not appear in the entire Book of Genesis.

Let's now examine what Eve told that "glistening one", Satan, in the garden:

Genesis 3:2
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

Eating physical food, nuts and fruits, is OK. Eating spiritual food (good fruit) from the "tree of life", is great!

Ezekiel 31:9 said "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"  Trees do not envy other trees. Remember they have no brains and no knowledge of good and evil.  Genesis 3:2, above, is talking about people and whether or not you should listen to their advice (eat their fruit!) Yes, there were other spirit beings (angels) in the garden of Eden besides our Lord and Satan! But please note, Satan was the only tree, in the garden, we are not to listen to; eat the fruit thereof!

But it is spiritual food (bad fruit) that can kill your soul. 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 of bad bread coming from many pulpits today!

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.

Christ said, "get your mind off of physical bread and elevate your thinking to that which is important, i.e. beware of the poison leaven of the bread of the scribes and Pharisees".

The same thought process must apply here to the trees in Genesis or you'll miss the point.

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.

But, you ask, if the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which is in the midst of the garden, is Satan, what is the fruit spoken of here?

It is real simple. Fruit is that which is "produced" by a tree. Here is what Christ said:

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...

Question! Is Christ talking about trees or people? Good, you've got it!

So the instruction to Adam and Eve is quite simple, "Do not partake of the fruit produced by the evil, corrupt, tree, which is in the midst of the garden!" In fact, don't even "touch" it, lest ye become seduced.

Finally, as background to understand that which is about to happen in the fig grove, look up the Hebrew word that is translated "touch" in verse 3. The word is naga and it means not just to "lay the hand upon" but it is an euphemism for "to lie with a woman". 

Check it out in a Strong's concordance.

H5060
ðâò
na?ga?
naw-gah'
A primitive root; properly to touch, that is, lay the hand upon (for any purpose; euphemistically, to lie with a woman); by implication to reach (figuratively to arrive, acquire); violently, to strike (punish, defeat, destroy, etc.): - beat, (X be able to) bring (down), cast, come (nigh), draw near (nigh), get up, happen, join, near, plague, reach (up), smite, strike, touch.

Let's continue now in Genesis, repeating verse four, Satan's first lie:

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.

It is their "spiritual eyes" that will be opened! Again, we are not talking about eating apples that wake you up in the morning.

[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.

When is the last time you saw a tree and said to yourself, "you know self, if I eat the fruit from this tree it will instantly make me wiser. I'll bet these are some kind of smart apples".

No, that which just took place in verse 6 of Genesis 3, is not the chomping of an apple from a fruit tree. 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.

Their spiritual eyes were opened all right! But why in the world do they now "know they're naked"? You will find it is because of the SHAME they have brought upon themselves, for disobeying God, yes, but in a much more perverted way than biting bad apples.

"And they sewed aprons together...". Do you suppose these were itty bitty little aprons that they sewed together to cover their mouths because they just ate bad fruit?  The stupidity of tradition!

[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.

Uh oh! There's big trouble in the garden! Adam and Eve hear their Father coming! And now that they know good and evil, they know what's coming is not going to be good!

I'd hide too!

When we last left Adam and Eve they were hiding from the LORD God who was walking in the garden. They had been in the fig grove with the "tree who had evil knowledge". They were naked and unashamed when they went in, but they were naked and ashamed when they came forth. Why?

Satan had beguiled Eve, which is to say, he totally, wholly seduced her. That is why the apostle Paul would say in his second letter to the Corinthians, that he had espoused them (the church) to one husband, and he wanted to present them as chaste virgins to Christ. But he was fearful that they would become "spiritually" seduced, even as Eve was "physically" seduced by the serpent. You see, Eve was a chaste virgin before Satan seduced her.

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.

The subject is virginity.

[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.

Has your mind been corrupted with fairy tale stories about "apples" and "snakes standing upright"? Or do you have the eyes to see and ears to hear the simplicity that is in Christ and His Word?

You must look up the word "beguiled" for yourself in Strong's concordance or a Greek dictionary. The word is exapatao and it means "to seduce wholly".  Check it out.

G1818
??????????
exapatao?
ex-ap-at-ah'-o
From G1537 and G538; to seduce wholly: - beguile, deceive.

You will also find later on, in verse 15, that God will put enmity between Satan's seed and Eve's seed, meaning their offspring, i.e. Satan's children and Eve's children.  That which has transpired here is explained, in "simplicity", by the greatest teacher of all time, the Lord Jesus Christ. Will you believe Him or hang on to the apple tree?

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?

Hey, what do you know, here are the disciples asking Jesus the exact question we were thinking of!

[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.

Did we read that correctly? It was not meant that everyone should understand Him?

[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.

Yep, we read it correctly. Unless you have eyes to see, and ears to hear, you will not understand the parables of Jesus. Let's test your spiritual senses. Christ gave this parable in Matthew 13. It is the Parable of the Tares. Read it carefully and then Christ Himself will explain it in detail.

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.

After Christ speaks another parable, we learn that He is actually uttering things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. Do you want to learn a secret?

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; (Jesus)

[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; (Satan)

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 in 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.

Live Link to-> The Parables of the Sower and the Tares

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.

AGAIN IF you don't have a Companion Bible you can
Download a Companion Bible free at: http://www.companionbiblecondensed.com/  When you open the site click unto and download one book at a time unto your disk or hard drive.
and the appendix at: http://www.markfoster.net/rn/companion_bible_appendices.pdf

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?

We'll find out in the next chapter.

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, Adam, 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.

Do you remember the spiritual body God gave to Adam back in Genesis 2:7? It's gone now!

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!

[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 (if you've just joined us please refer to the previous chapters for a more detailed explanation).

The name "Eve" means life-giving in the Hebrew tongue. Now, it has just been pronounced in the previous verse 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 to a descendant of theirs of pure pedigree.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 Him.

[21] 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. I don't know about you, but I really likes the way mine fits.

[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 descendents to cultivate civilization, (Plant Seeds of Truth) 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?