According to the pattern...

Part 1 - The Garden of Eden and the fall of mankind

Most people misunderstand the beginning of chapter 3 of the book of Genesis, where the story of how mankind sinned against God for the first time is recounted. Many believe that a serpent actually spoke to Eve and tempted her to disobey God, actually that is not what the bible says in this chapter.

If we look in Luke chapter 13 verses 31 & 32 we read of how Pharisees came to warn Jesus that Herod was out to get Him. Jesus gave a very interesting reply, He said this: "Tell that fox….." Clearly this does not refer to his physical appearance since in all probability Herod did not have red hair, a bushy tale and walked around on four legs.

Jesus description of Herod being a fox spoke of his characteristics not his physical appearance: it should therefore be equally obvious that the reference in Genesis chapter 3 is not "a serpent" but "the serpent" a phrase that in scripture always refers to the devil. We can see this from Revelation chapter 12 verse 9 where the devil is again referred to as "the serpent".

"The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world: he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him." Adam and Eve were use to fellowship with God, able to see Him as He is a being of light.

If another "being of light" comes along they have no reason to presume that this second being of light is evil. We learn from 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 14 that the devil is able to appear as an Angel of Light making it all the more difficult to recognise him for who he is.

We can see from Isaiah chapter 14 we read that he tried to overthrow God in heaven and be the one who is worshipped, himself. Verses 12 to 20 of these chapter read: "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!

For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Yet you shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see you shall narrowly look upon you, and consider you, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, who did shook kingdoms; who made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; who opened not the house of his prisoners?

All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But you are cast out of your grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those who are slain, thrust through with a sword, who go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.

You shall not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, and slain your people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned." Since he failed to overthrow God he then decided to try to spoil the pinnacle of God's creation which is mankind, and draw them away from God.

Ezekiel chapter 28 verses 4 to 19 read as follows; "With your wisdom and with your understanding you have got riches, and have got gold and silver into your treasures: by your great wisdom and by your trading you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches:

Therefore thus says The Lord God; because you have set your heart as the heart of God; therefore I will bring strangers upon you, the terror of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they shall defile your brightness.

They shall bring you down to the pit, and you shall die the deaths of those who are slain in the midst of the seas. Will you yet say before him who slain you, I am God? But you shall be a man, and no God, in the hand of him who slain you.

You shall die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, says The Lord God.

Moreover the word of The Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus and say unto him, Thus says The Lord God; you sealed up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, Sardis, topaz, diamond, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, emerald, carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of your tabrets and of your pipes was prepared in you on the day that you were created.

You are the anointed cherub that covers; and I have set you so: you were upon the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, till iniquity was found in you.

By the multitude of your merchandise they have filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I will cast you as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I will cast you to the ground; I will lay you before kings, so that they may behold you.

You have defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trade; therefore I will bring forth a fire from the midst of you, it shall devour you, and I will bring you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all those who behold you. All those who know you among the people shall be astonished at you: you shall be a terror, and never shall you be any more."

These verses are not talking about a human being but a high ranking angel who tried to overthrow God his pride and ego are just as arrogant today and he will try once more to overthrow God but his attempts are doomed to failure.

Most people think that Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden for just one sin; actually that is only part of the reason. The reason they were expelled from the Garden is clearly given in verses 22 & 23 of Genesis chapter 3 which reads as follows;

"The Lord God said; 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: Therefore The Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from where he was taken."

God always intended that mankind would live forever but had Adam & Eve eaten from the tree of life they would have lived forever – in the state of sin and would therefore be irredeemable. Therefore God announces and begins to put into effect His plan of salvation in this chapter.

In Genesis chapter 1 verse 23 clearly shows that God has given unto all He created to produce fruit of their own kind. This not only means that a monkey cannot give birth to a human being because it is not of that kind, man is a separate creation. Therefore sinful man can produce nothing but offspring with sinful nature.

Anyone whose father is a human being will have a sin nature, therefore there must come somebody who was created like Adam who is without a sin nature and who would lead a sinless life right from birth to death without falling into sin, only such a person could be an acceptable sacrifice for the redemption of mankind.

Sometimes in scripture we can see prophetic statements made by the people of God. We can see such a statement in Genesis chapter 22 when Abraham goes up a mountain believing he is required to sacrifice his only legitimate son, but on the way up Isaac asked Abraham; "Here is the wood and the fire, but where is the sacrifice?"

Abraham's reply was prophetic though he probably did not realise it at the time. Verse 8 of Genesis chapter 22 reads as follows; "Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a sacrifice: so they went on up the mountain, both of them together."

If you follow the story throughout the books of Moses (roughly the first five books of The Bible) you will find that later God put into effect a plan that would atone for the sins of an entire community, but only for one year. This was a hint and a reflection of what was to come, the greatest sacrifice of all, the Son of God, our saviour Jesus.

The sacrifice of Jesus was so big before God that it is stated that it could atone for the sins of all mankind and the sins of all time if only the people it was intended to be on behalf of would put their faith in it and show through their lives that they believe it by walking in fellowship with God once more, this time for all eternity.

read part 2...