The Fall of Adam and Eve (Not Man), and What Exactly Happened On That Day In The Garden of Eden
The Man that the Lord God created didn't fall in the Garden of Eden. The expression, “fall of Man,” is not even in the Bible. The expression was coined by Bible commentators to separate Genesis 3 from previous chapters, because in the original Hebrew Language which the Holy Bible was written, there were no chapters, but when translating to the English Language, chapters were introduced to save the ennui of readers, and so chapter headings were introduced.
You see, God Almighty knows the power of words; He didn't say, Man has fallen, as we human beings say, because if He did, that would have foreclosed any plan for human redemption. Come to think of it; would Our Lord Jesus Christ have referred to Himself as the, “Son of Man,” if Man had fallen? In the spirit realm, words are powerful. As far as the Lord God is concerned, Adam and Eve fell, not Man that God created.
We established last week through the Holy Bible that the Lord God of the heavens and the earth all in them cannot, will not and will never force any of His creatures to serve, worship or obey Him. His Eternal Love does not give Him the power to do that and He operates via this principle to this day. He can appeal, convince, plead and exhort or entreat us to obey and worship Him but that is how far He can go. The decision belongs to each and every one of us. Similarly, Satan does not have the power to force any human being to disobey, spurn or disregard God's Love and Law. He can cajole, lie, tempt and rationalize why you should see things Satan's and not God's Way, but Satan does not have that power to force or compel you to make a decision on the things of life and your eternal destination. That puts you and I; every human being in the middle.
Do you do it God's Way or Satan's Way, period? There is no Third Way in the journey of Life. Your personal opinion is irrelevant here. It's like driving on the highway at 65MPH speed limit and you are on 85MPH and pulled over by a cop. No matter your explanation, you can't win. I tried to do that on I-75 highway few years ago, while traveling from Florida to New York and was pulled over at Stone Mountain. As I began to argue, the burly sheriff pulled the zinger in my face; “Sir, you've broken the law so I'll issue you a ticket. I'm sorry, that is the law in the State of Georgia, you're over -speeding and next time, please be careful.” I dare not argue further.
The same with the Lord God and Satan; you can't argue your case on that Day. Your opinion, feelings, thoughts, ideas and views are irrelevant. Just like the State of Georgia made the law and that is the system; there is also a system the Lord God Almighty in His Wisdom has put in place. You either do it His Way or Satan's way; no middle ground and no other way. In this journey to eternity that we were not even consulted prior to embarking on the journey, there are only two forks on the Eternal Highway. Assuming there is no other highway for me to get to New York from Florida that day, except the I-75 corridor; will it not be stupid of me not to submit to all the highway rules? Similarly this journey of life! And in His Loving kindness and Eternal Justice, the Lord God informed us beforehand the rewards attached to obedience and compliance with His rules, and also the punishment you and I should expect, if we do it Satan's way. That is not complicated to fathom at all.
WHAT HAPPENED ON THAT DAY?
After God Almighty issued a warning to Adam and Eve on the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17). Satan sought permission and was granted the permission to tempt Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Job 1:9-12; Luke 22:31; Hebrews 11:17; I Peter 1: 6-7). Every human being on earth, believers and unbelievers, saved and unsaved souls MUST be tested on this earth. The commandments of God which prescribe how we must all live on the earth are the test for every soul under heaven. After someone has professed faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, that person will also be further tested. This is how God operates and it began in the Garden of Eden. Look at the pictures below starting with the composition of Adam and Eve before Satan tempted them: (Sorry I am not a good artist but has managed to sketch out what the Holy Spirit of God showed to me thus:
A B C D = E
In the five separate pictures above, Adam and Eve had their full composition as perfect created beings with untrammelled access to the Lord God. Here, A represents the spirit of Adam and Eve through which God spoke and still speaks to human beings in the Intuitive part of the human spirit. The other two parts of the human spirit are Conscience and Communion. B represents the Soul of Adam and Eve through it they could decode and understand what God was telling them in the Mind. Other areas of the Soul are; Will, Emotion, Intellect, Imagination and Remembrance. C is the human natural body consisting of organs of smell, vision, hearings, talk and sex while D represents Adam/Eve's Spiritual body, which also contains all the characteristics of C, the Natural Body. The four parts made the full and complete Adam and Eve that the Lord God Almighty created before Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan. The scriptural verses for all these components were given in our previous articles in this column so for space constraints, I do not need to repeat those Bible verses here again.
Now look at the pictures below and see how Adam and Eve lost their spiritual balance when Satan tempted them and they substituted the use of the Spirit for their Soul and lost connection with their Creator. You see what is missing? The Spiritual Body covering the Natural Body which protected their Natural Body and its organs. That was why the Bible says; “”Then the (natural) eyes of both of them were opened and they knew they were naked…” (Gen 3:7). They were physically naked all along, but their Natural Body and its organs were embedded inside their Spiritual Body, like natural eyes embedded with spiritual eyes but as soon as they ate the fruit they were commanded not to eat, the Spiritual Body was stolen by Satan and so they were aware of their nakedness. That is why human beings dream today and see all kinds of creatures in their dreams. Satan and his demons can see us but we can't see them, which is one of the fall outs of the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden the day they were tempted and failed to Satan's tricks.
B A C = E
In the two sets of pictures above, the first four pictures from A, B, C, D and E could be used to illustrate how Adam and Eve were created by God, the Father; Son and Holy Spirit as tripartite or Triune whole as three in one. Here, Picture A in Red color signifies the spirit part of Adam/Eve through which part they sensed and interact with God in the Garden of Eden. The Picture B in Quicksilver color represents the soul of Adam/Eve through which they could make sense of their Creator, while Picture C in Icy Blue color is their natural body as we have it today while Picture D in Blue Mist color represents the spiritual part of Adam/Eve. If you add the four components together: spiritual, soul and body (natural & spiritual bodies) == Picture E with all the components as ONE. This was the complete Adam and Eve that was perfectly created by God Almighty and put in the Garden of Eden.
Now examine the second sets of picture on how the human components changed immediately Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Picture C which is the natural body now came first instead of last, while Picture A in Red Color which is the spirit follows the natural body and Picture B in Quicksilver color which is the human soul now takes control which Picture D in Blue Mist which is the spiritual body was lost completely. In fact, Satan stole it and that is why today we human beings dream and see all kinds of creatures, who are mostly demons. Now if you look at the section picture, Adam and Eve now lost their contact with God Almighty, because the soul cannot hear from God, only the Intuition in the spirit, which is now tucked in- between the human soul and the natural body. The order was reversed after Adam and Eve listened to Satan and heeded not the instruction of their Creator. They failed God's Test.
What God Almighty said would happen to them: your eyes would be open and you would die were repeated by Satan to Adam and Eve. Satan said; “For God knows that the day you eat of the fruit, your eyes would open and you will be like God knowing god and evil.” Did Satan tell a lie here? No, Satan told half-a-lie, because later in Gen 3: 22 God Himself confirmed what Satan said, but one thing is missing: God didn't tell them they would be like Him but said; they would die. Here is the principle of Satan and His trick over the ages and has, unfortunately been consistent in this; Satan doesn't ask or tempt human beings to disobey God only but the trick he pulls on us is to question the validity of God's word, command, set of commands and instructions.
In other words, Satan told Adam and Eve and also tells us the same thing today and it goes like this; “Yes, God Almighty says you should not do so and so, that is true, don't do it, BUT why God is asking you not to do is because He's hiding something from you and do not take God Almighty seriously about the results of not doing what He says you should not do it, because God is always bluffing, He won't do what He says He would do if you disobey Him.” This is the argument of Satan and trick throughout all the ages, and lamentably, human beings continue to fall for Satan's claptrap and this is sad. Can you still hear the first air of doubt ringing in the ears of Adam and Eve, and also rings in the ears of each human soul in the world today: Did God say…? Don't we hear it today in the world among human souls when we ask; how can a loving God send nearly two-thirds of human beings to hell because they do not worship Him? How can a loving God create hell anyway? Oh, it is just to instill fear into us, there is no place known as hell.
Back to my I-75 highway encounter with the Georgia cop on my way from Florida to New York, think a minute what would happen if that sheriff that pulled me over just give me a slap in the wrist and let me go without issuing me a ticket for breaking the law? Imagine for a second, if all motorists over speeding and breaking the law were just ask to go unpunished? Then what is the purpose of enacting the law in the first place? Imagine how chaos and lawlessness will abound in the State of Georgia? So expatiate it on a large scale that if we human beings could enact and pass secular laws to regulate human behaviors so that order and harmony could reign among us, and those who disturb the peace and flout such laws are kept behind bars, then how much more would the Creator of heavens and the earth punish those who violate His laws? Just as we human beings have secular laws that regulate human behaviors and punish violators, ditto are spiritual laws that govern our behaviors in relationship to the Creator of the heavens and the earth. If secular authorities put rapists, armed robbers, pedophiles, murderers, kidnappers and other offenders behind bars as punishment for violating human-made laws, then it stands to reason that the One who made everything and you and I will also punish disobedient creatures who flouted His laws, instructions and commands. That is next in our article next week as we see how the All-Wise and All-Just God decided to punish our First Parents for their First Sin in the Garden of Eden.
ISSUE OF THE WEEK:
The world is changing but not for the better. What we all recoiled at about twenty years ago is becoming fashionable and those ignorant of what the Word of God says are not taken aback because we knew it would come to ugly this. Twenty years ago or thereabout, no one would dare come out and say he was a homosexual; a lady lost her job at The New York Times during that era because she was a homosexual-I refuse to use the word gay, because there is nothing gay about living a homosexual life-but today she is a top TV show hostess. In Nigeria where homosexual is an abomination, I am flummoxed to see homosexual men being paraded in the street in Nigeria. This is why one should be aghast at the apology being demanded by the homosexuals in America from Obama defense-secretary nominee, former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hegel, because of his anti-gay remarks few years ago. It is indeed sad that Mr. Hegel is willing and ready to apologize and recant for what he said as contained in the Book of Life. What has happened between 1998 when Mr. Hagel condemned homosexual lifestyle and now that, all of a sudden, this anti-God lifestyle is now being embraced openly? God Almighty does not change.
He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13: 8). Let all human beings be liars and God be true, period! Men and women of integrity do not change with the wind, but hold unto to their faith and what the unchangeable and undiluted Word of God says. Homosexuality is a grave sin before God now and forever, period! This is not being homophobic but merely echoing what the Holy Bible says (See Leviticus 18:22-30; Romans 1:27-32). As the world tumbles more and more into moral cesspit as Apostle Paul warned in the two books of Timothy and other men and women of God warned in the Bible, we are inching gradually to a frightening moment of hell let loose and only those with the Holy Spirit will be able to read the signs of the horrible times we are in. I pray I will be out of here before Satan is finally let loose on the children of Adam. As Our Lord and Savior told us beforehand, what we are currently seeing about moral debasement is just a tip of the ice-berg of the signs of the Last Days.
FROM MY MAIL THIS WEEK
Dear Sir, Thank you man of God, you are always a blessing through your insightful articles--- Brother Arthur, Nigeria
Thank you, Brother Arthur, I hope you are not only reading these Holy Spirit-inspired articles but using them as well?
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Dear Sir,
I am a Lagos based commercial law solicitor. I have been following your postings on Nigeria world on Christianity and other publications and I have been greatly blessed. I just want to let you know and to encourage you. I also noted the rare display of courage you showed when you were the publisher of Razor magazine in 1993 on the reportage of IBB/Dele Giwa issues then, which I just came to know more about of recent following the interview granted to The Sun newspaper by General Muhamadu Buhari. I wish you and your family well. Thanks---Charles Degaulle Okekearu Esq, Lagos, Nigeria
Thank you Barrister Okekearu for being a loyal fan. I am happy Razor magazine has been vindicated and Gen Buhari is alive to bring Nigeria's history alive.
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Dear Fellow Pilgrim, As a Christian, you have the reassuring words of Jesus that your Father in heaven knows your needs and has made every provision for them (Matthew 6:25-34). You only need to seek Him, His kingdom, and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you. So take comfort in Jesus' words, knowing that the Father cares about you and answers your requests when they are in His will (I John 5:14-15).
The apostle Paul shared timeless encouragement and wisdom about our needs. He wrote, "Don't worry about anything; instead, and pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT). This message is repeated throughout the Bible: Be anxious for nothing, seek the Lord, and trust in Him!
During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke to the crowds concerning how they should pray. He told them, "But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you" (Matthew 6:6, NLT). Then Jesus gave us a sample prayer called "The Lord's Prayer" (Matt. 6:9-13). In this prayer, He emphasized the importance of forgiving others when we present our requests to God.
Jesus often went off to a place where He could be alone with His Father to pray. Similarly, God wants each one of us to spend time alone with Him in prayer. It is important to devote a time to God during which you are not rushed or interrupted by other things, and you can give Him your undivided attention. So make time to honor Him, thank Him, talk to Him, express your concerns, and make your requests in private. Then take time to listen to His response. He loves you very much, and He wants to tell you so. God bless you.
From Your Prayer Partner Rep Lin
The Christian Broadcasting Network
http://www.cbn.com/
Prayer Center: 1-800-759-0700
977 Centerville Turnpike
Virginia Beach, VA 23463
Thank you for this uplifting letter and your support. We are all gathering together in His vineyard and as iron sharpens iron so shall we labor together until His Coming. Once again, thank you for His utmost.
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*Dr Fayemiwo is author, publisher and CEO, Alternative Lifestyle Communication, DBA and an adjunct lecturer in African History & Media Studies at the City Colleges of Chicago in Illinois, USA.