ExecutedtoSuppressHisMessage

AdamandEve:TheRealStory

Introduction

WelcometoVolume8ofExecutedtoSuppressHisMessage.InVolume1wesawhowmoney-funded,institutionalizedreligionssuppresstheteachingsofJesusChrist,sotheycanpromotetheirownparticulardoctrinesandbeliefs.And now with this volume, we continue to address these suppressedteachings.

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HavingChristianparents,Iwas introduced to thereligionofJesusChristatanearlyage.Myfamilyregularlyattendedweeklychurchservices.AndlaterwhenIwasabitolder,myparentsenrolledmeinchurchclassesforteenagers.Sobythe time I was thirteen years of age, my views on Christianity were firmlyestablished.

HereiswhatIbelieved:1)Thereexistsaholyandrighteous,all-powerfulGod;

2)DisobeyingGodiscalledsin;3) God created an angel called Lucifer who rebelled and became the evilSatan;

4)GodwillpunishsinnersbysendingthemtoeternalpunishingintheDevil’sempire ofHell;while thosewho are obedient toGodwill go on to eternalhappinessinheaven.

According tomy parent’s church, theGarden of Edenwas an example of theaboveprinciples.GodcreatedAdamandEve,warning themtoobeyHim.ButalongcametheDevil,whoconvincedthefirsttwohumanstodisobeyGodandsin.SoinsteadofallowingAdamandEvetogotoHeaven,GodremovedthemfromtheGarden,sendingthemofftolaborforfooduntiltheydied,afterwhichtheysufferedforalleternityinHell.MyteenagemindreadilyacceptedthisstoryasabasicoutlinefortheChristianreligion. And fromwhat I heard at church, it seemed therewas little else Ineededtolearnordo,otherthanmakingsureIattendedserviceseveryweek.

ThusChristianityseemedverysimple: I shouldworship and obeyGod,overcomesin,andmakesure Iwent tochurch.And if I followed these

rules, Iwouldgoon toeternalhappiness inheaven.But if I disobeyed,GodwouldsendmetoHell,whereIwouldbetorturedandpunishedforalleternity.

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ADividedChristianity

Itnowhasbeenoverfivedecadessincethoseearlyteenageyears.Andthroughoutthesemanyyears,IattendedchurchesfromseveralChristiandenominations. During this period, I heard thousands of sermonsexplainingwhatGod is doingwith humankind.But instead of obtainingmore understanding, I only learned how Christian churches contradicteachotherovermattersofdoctrine.

For example, many churches teach that God is a Trinity, but severaldenominationsdenythisdoctrine.Other churches claim theSabbath ison Saturday, while others claim it’s on Sunday. And even though themajorityof churchesteachthe existence of eternal punishing inHell, afewdisagreewiththispremise.

Thus there are two characteristics that are common to all Christianchurches:

1)EverydenominationhasitsownsetofuniqueChristiandoctrines;

2)ThedoctrinesofoneChristiandenominationalwaysdisagreewithatleastsomeofthedoctrinesofallotherdenominations—in fact, this isthe primary difference that sets one denomination apart from all theothers.

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WhySoManyDifferentDoctrines?

All Christians agree there is only one Messiah. And the Messiahpreachedonlyonemessage,whichcontainedasingleconsistentsetofdoctrines.Thenfoureye-witnessapostlesrecordedtheLord’s teachingsintheirwritings,allofwhichgenerallyagreewitheachother.

SoIwondered:howcantherebesomanyversionsofChristiandoctrine,whenJesusgaveonlyonesetofteachings?

Thenafter30yearsofmypersonalspiritualjourney,IfinallywokeupandrealizedIneededtostudytheBibleonmyown.Andindoingso,Icameto understand how all Christian churches teach doctrines that aredifferent from (and sometimes even contradictory to) the teachings ofJesusChrist.

YetIcouldhaveknownthisfromthebeginning,ifIhadpaidattentiontowhathappenedintheGardenofEden.

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1—RevisitingtheGardenofEdenMostChristiansarefamiliarwiththeGardenofEdenstory.Prominentlylocatedat thebeginningof theBible, it relateshow the firstman andwoman rejectedGod’sinstructions,therebysettinganexampleforwhatmostofhumanitywoulddoforthousandsofyearsintothefuture.Afterreading thisstory,manypeopleconclude there’s littlemore than thefirstmanandwomandemonstratingtheircarnalityandsinfulnature,astheyrefusedtofollowGod’sinstructions.WhileothersseeanancienttalecreatedtoreinforcetheideathatGodpunishessinners.

Butwhat if the second and third chapters ofGenesis contain one of themostimportantmessagesGodhasevergiventoChristians?Wouldyoubewillingtotakeasecondlookatthisstory?I hope so, because the story of Eden contains one of the most importantmessagesGodhasevergiventoChrist’sChurch!

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SymbolismintheBible

Many biblical writings use symbols to represent other things. For example,Genesisuses therainbowasasymbol forGod’scovenant,while thegospelofJohn uses a stairway to represent the manner in which angels approachGod.ThenExodus,PsalmsandRevelationuse thunder, lightning,cloudsandsmokeassymbolsofGod’smajesty.And in the samemanner, theGarden ofEden story uses symbolic imagery torepresent many things. And we cannot understand God’s message within theEdenstory,untilwedeterminewhatthesesymbolsrepresent.

As an introductory example, Genesis 3:1 describes the Devil as a reptilianserpent.ButnoticehowGoddescribestheappearanceoftheDevil,asrelatedbytheprophetEzekiel:

Sonofman,takeupalamentationoverthekingofTyre(Satan)andsaytohim, ‘Thussays theLordGOD,“Youhad the sealofperfection,Full ofwisdom and perfect in beauty.” You were in Eden, the garden of God;Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and thediamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, theturquoiseandtheemerald;Andthegold,theworkmanshipofyoursettings

and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They wereprepared. "Youwere the anointed cherubwho covers,And I placed youthere.YouwereontheholymountainofGod;Youwalkedinthemidstofthestonesoffire(Ezekiel28:12-14).

In reality, Satan projects a stunningly magnificent appearance of almost“perfect”beauty,whichGoddescribedwithadjectivessuchasrubies,diamondsand precious stones. And especially note how this prophecy states that SatanlookedlikethiswhenhewasintheGardenofEden.Therefore,Adam and Eve did not see a reptilian Devil, because Satan looksnothinglikeasnake.Instead,theGardenofEdenusesthesnakeasasymbolforthe Devil. And frankly, what could better symbolize Satan’s character than ahungry,poisonoussnake?

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TheTreesoftheGarden

TheEdenstorydescribeshowtheGardenhadmanytrees.Oneproducedeternallife.Otherswerepleasanttothesightandgoodforfood.Andfinally,therewasthedeceptiveTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvil.NoticehowGenesisdescribesthesetrees:

Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that ispleasingtothesightandgoodforfood;thetreeoflifealsointhemidstofthegarden,andthetreeoftheknowledgeofgoodandevil(Genesis2:9).

Thousandsofyearsofhumanexperiencehaveprovedthatagricultural treesdonotshareknowledgeorgranteternallife.Soagain,Genesismustbeusingthesetreesassymbolsforsomethingelse.

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WhenScripture uses symbols, other parts of theBiblemay revealwhat thesesymbols mean. And so in Ezekiel 31:8-9, we find a passage that providesadditionalinformationaboutEden’strees:

The cedars inGod’sgarden couldnotmatch it;The cypresses couldnotcompare with its boughs, And the plane (without bark) trees could notmatch itsbranches.No tree inGod’sgardencouldcomparewith it in itsbeauty.Imadeitbeautifulwiththemultitudeofitsbranches,Andall thetreesofEden,whichwereinthegardenofGod,werejealousofit.

ThispassagedescribesthegreatnessandgloryofPharaoh,KingofEgypt.AnditdoessobystatingthatPharaoh’sglorywasgreaterthanthegloryofallthetreesinGod’sGarden(Eden).

But isn’t thisa rather strangecomparison?Andhowcouldan agricultural treecomparewiththegreatEgyptianPharaoh?

Perhaps you noticed howEden’s treeswere jealous of Pharaoh.Butwoodentrees do not possess emotions. So Eden’s trees must representintelligentbeingswhowerecapableofpossessingemotions.And giventhatAdamandEvewere the only humans in existence at this point intime,theseintelligentbeingshadtobespirits.

We also should note how the Egyptian Pharaohs reigned from approximately3150BCEto30BCE,aperiodoftimethatstartedmorethanathousandyearsaftertheGardenofEdenincident.YetthejealousbeingssymbolizedbyEden’strees were still around during the reign of the Pharaohs. So if these treesrepresentedhumans,thesepeoplemusthavesurvivedthegreatfloodofGenesisChapters7and8,whereGodkilledeveryhumanbeingnotontheark,andthenlivedtobeover1,000yearsold!

So again, the evidence points to the trees of Eden being symbols foreternally-livingspiritbeings;i.e.;angelsordemons.

Sothere’salotmoretotheGardenofEdenstorythanAdamandEveeatinganapplefromthewrongtree!

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2—TheCastofCharactersGenesis2:8statesthe“LordGod”plantedtheGardenofEden.AndaswesawinEzekiel28:13,thegardenwasGod’sproperty.Butwhowas theLordGod?Jesusprovides theanswer in John5:37and John6:46. And according to Jesus, even up until the 1st Century, no human being(including Adam and Eve) had ever seen or heard God the Father. Thus the“LordGod”ofGenesishadtobetheGodoftheOldCovenant,whowouldlaterbecalledJesus,theChrist.

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SotheLord(Jesus)placedAdamintheGardenandshowedhimalltheanimalsHecreated.ButAdamfoundnoneoftheseanimalstobeasuitablecompanion.SotheLordcreatedEve,Adam’swife.

NextGenesisintroducesthetwomostprominenttreesoftheGarden.ThefirstistheTreeofLife.Butsincenowoodentreecanimparteternallife,thistreemustrepresentdeity.AndsincetheLordGod(Christ)waswalkingaroundthegardenand talking to Adam, the Tree of Life must represent God the Father, theultimatesourceofalleternallife.TheGardenalsohadanotherprominenttree,calledtheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvil.Andthistreealsomustrepresentaspiritbeing,becauselaterinthestory,wefinditspeakingtoEve.

Thentherewerethegarden’snumerous,butlessprominenttrees.Genesisstatesthese treeswere“pleasing to the sight and good for food.”And the Lord toldAdamhecould“eatfreely”fromthesetrees.ButsinceEzekielwrotehow“all”thetreesofEdenwerejealous(obviously,wemustexcludethetreerepresentingGodtheFather),thesealsomustrepresentintelligentspiritbeings(angels).

Andfinallywehavethetalkingserpent,whichrepresentstheDevil.

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3—WhyaGarden?Sowhy didGod placeAdam andEve in agarden?We can begin to find theanswerinRevelation2:7:

Hewhohasanear, lethimhearwhat theSpirit says to thechurches.Tohimwhoovercomes, Iwillgrant toeatof the treeof lifewhich is in theParadiseofGod.

Revelation1verses1and8tellustheSpiritwhoisspeakingistheLordJesusChrist.AndheretheGreektranslatedintotheEnglish“paradise”ispronouncedparadeisos,whichspecificallymeansaparkorgarden.So note this important point: even though Revelation was written manythousandsofyearsaftertheGardenofEdenincident,theTreeofLifewasstillinGod’sgarden.

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This word paradeisos is used only two other times in the bible. The firstoccurrence is in Luke 23:43, where Jesus told one of the criminals beingcrucifiedhowHewouldsoonbeinheaven:

Luke23:43AndHesaid tohim,“Truly I say toyou, todayyoushallbewithMeinParadise[Greek:paradeisos].”

TheninIICorinthians12:3-4,theapostlePaulspokeofamanwhowastakenuptoheaven:

And I know how such aman—whether in the body or apart from thebodyIdonotknow,Godknows—wascaughtup intoParadise[Greek:paradeisos]andheardinexpressiblewords,whichamanisnotpermittedtospeak.

So as you can see fromboth of these passages, thewordparadeisos refers toheaven,thespiritualrealminwhichGoddwells.AndaccordingtoJesusChrist,there’sanotherTreeofLifeinaspiritualgardenthatJesusequateswithheaven(seeRevelation2:7above).ButsincetherecanbeonlyoneheavenandoneTreeofLife,theGardenofEdenhastobeasymbolforthespiritualrealminwhichGoddwells.

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WhyGodPutAdamintheGarden

Genesis2:15appearstoexplainwhyGodputAdamandEveinHisgarden:ThentheLORDGodtookthemanandputhimintothegardenofEdentocultivateitandkeepit.

According toBible commentators, theoriginalHebrewin this verse is greatlyobscuredbyEnglishtranslations.Soifwewanttounderstandwhatthisverseissaying,we’llhavetodigalittledeeper.The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew-English Lexicon relates how the HebrewtranslatedintotheEnglish“put”carriesthecontextofsomeonebeingplacedinacertainlocationforthepurposeofobtainingrestorrepose.Agoodexampleofacorrect translation is found in Deuteronomy 5:14, where the same Hebrewdescribes resting on the Sabbath. Therefore, Genesis 2:15 should be moreaccurately translated, “God causedAdam to rest and relax by cultivating andworkingtheGarden.”

But this revised translation is still not accurate, because later in the story findhowAdam’srejectionofGod’scommandsresultedinhimhaving to“cultivatetheground”(Genesis3:23).AndsinceworkingthegroundwasAdam’spenaltyfor disobedience, it’s unlikely that he was working the ground before hedisobeyed.

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Solet’stakeacloserlookatGenesis2:15,byfocusingonthelatterpartof thesentencethatsays,“puthimintothegardenofEdentocultivateitandkeepit.”In Hebrew, the text translated “it” is of feminine gender; whereas the nountranslated “garden” is masculine. And according to the rules of Hebrewgrammar, thismeans theword“it”doesnot refer to thegarden.Therefore, theactionsof“cultivatingandkeeping”cannotbeassociatedwithmaintaining theGarden.The Bible usually uses the Hebrew translated into the English “cultivate” inassociationwith serving someone else. Of the 294 times this word is used inScripture,it’stranslated224timesintoEnglishwordsserveorserved.Andwhenwe remember howAdamwas not required to work the ground until after hesinned, it becomes obvious that God placed Adam in the Garden for a verydifferent reason.And thenwhenweread in thenextverse (Genesis2:16)howtheLordbegantogivecommandstoAdam,itbecomesclearthatAdamandEvewereplacedinthegardentoserveandobeytheLord.

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4—TheTreesoftheGardenLet’s move on to another subject by reading the passage that introduces theGardenofEden’strees:

Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that ispleasingtothesightandgoodforfood;thetreeoflifealsointhemidstofthegarden,andthetreeoftheknowledgeofgoodandevil(Genesis2:9).

So “all” the trees were pleasing to the sight and good for food. And in theoriginalHebrew language, the phrase “pleasant to the sight”means todesire,delightin,takepleasurein.WhiletheExpositor’sBibleCommentarytellsustheHebrewshouldbemore accurately translated: “every tree that is beautiful andedible.”However,thereweretwospecialtrees:1)theTreeofLife;and2)theTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvil.Andtheseweresetapartfromalltheothertrees,because they were located in the middleof the garden— a prominent placewheretheycouldnotbeignored.

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LiteralFood—OrSomethingElse?

GenesisstatesthatallthetreescouldprovideediblefoodforAdamandEve.Butistheword“edible”tobe taken literally?Orare these trees justanothersetofsymbolsthatrepresentsomethingelse?WefindpartoftheanswerinMatthew4:1-4:

ThenJesuswasledupbytheSpirit intothewildernesstobetemptedbythe devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He thenbecamehungry.And the tempter cameand said toHim, “IfYou are theSonofGod,commandthatthesestonesbecomebread.”ButHeansweredandsaid,“Itiswritten,‘MANSHALLNOTLIVEONBREADALONE,BUTONEVERYWORDTHATPROCEEDSOUTOFTHEMOUTHOFGOD.'”

ThispassagedescribesthetimewhenSatantriedtotempttheLord.ButitalsotellsusthatGod’swordsarespiritual“food”forHispeople.

Sowiththisfactinmind,let’sconsidertheTreeofLife,thefruitofwhichcausesone to live forever (Genesis 3:22). Certainly eating ordinary fruit like apples,

peachesandorangescannotproduceeternallife.ButnowaddwhatJesussaidinJohn10:27-28:

My sheep hearmyvoice, and I know them, and they followme:AndIgiveunto themeternal life;and theyshallneverperish,neithershallanymanpluckthemoutofmyhand.

Jesus said His teachings lead us to eternal life. So could the Tree of LiferepresentthewordsofChrist?

Perhaps.Butlookatthis:

"HewhodoesnotloveMedoesnotkeepMywords;andthewordwhichyouhearisnotMine,buttheFather’swhosentMe.

Therefore,Jesus isnot theultimatesourceofGod’s life-givingwords,becauseHeonlyrepeatedwhattheFatherhadgiventoHim.ThusthesourceofChrist’swordsof life isGod theFather.And since theLordwas personally present inEdenandvisitingwithAdamandEve,theTreeofLifemorelikelyrepresentsGod the Father (as has been previously suggested), the source of alleternallife.

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Now let’s consider the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The nameinformsusthatitsfruitwas“knowledge,”ratherthanapples,pearsandoranges.Andagain,weknowthistreerepresentsaspiritbeing,becauseasweshalllatersee,itcarriedonaconversationswithEve.

Finally, therewere the numerous, less prominent trees of the garden.Genesisstateshow these treeswere“pleasing to the sightandgood for food (edible).”ButsincetheBookofEzekieltellsusthesetreeshademotions, theyalsomustrepresentintelligentspiritbeings.AndconsideringhowtheLord toldAdamhecould“eatfreely”fromthesetrees,itseemssafetoassumetheyrepresentedholyangels.

NoneofEden’streesprovidedediblefoodforAdamandEve.Instead,allofthetreesappeartobesymbolsforintelligentspiritbeings.

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DangerintheGarden

We’ve already seen how a proper translation of theHebrew reveals that GodplacedAdaminthegardenforrestandrelaxation.Therefore,Adamdidn’thavetoworktotilltheground,becausetheGardenwasaplacewhereGodprovidedforallofhisneeds.

GenesisalsorevealshowGodvisited theGardenon a regular basis.SowhileAdamandEvewereintheGarden,theyhadfellowshipwiththeirCreator.But even though the first two humans had the “good life,” which includedfellowshipwith theLord and anoffer of eternal life through theTreeofLife,therewasimminentdangerfromtheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvil:

The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of thegardenyoumayeatfreely;butfromthetreeoftheknowledgeofgoodandevilyoushallnoteat, for in theday thatyoueat from ityouwill surelydie”(Genesis2:16-17).

Andthenalongcametheserpent:

Now the serpent wasmore crafty than any beast of the fieldwhich theLORDGodhadmade.Andhesaidtothewoman,“Indeed,hasGodsaid,‘Youshallnoteatfromanytreeof thegarden’?”Thewomansaid to theserpent,“Fromthefruitofthetreesofthegardenwemayeat;butfromthefruitofthetreewhichisinthemiddleofthegarden,Godhassaid,‘Youshallnoteatfromitortouchit,oryouwilldie.'”Theserpentsaidtothewoman,“Yousurelywillnotdie!ForGodknowsthatinthedayyoueatfromityoureyeswillbeopened,andyouwillbelikeGod,knowinggoodandevil”(Genesis3:1-5).

Revelation12:9tellsustheserpentwasSatantheDevil.AndtheDevil’sprimaryobjectivewas togetAdamandEve toeat fromtheTreeof theKnowledgeofGoodandEvil.ButSatandidn’tcauseAdamandEvetosin.Instead,theDevilplantedtheseedthatGodwasnottruthful—andthatEvecoulddiscoverwhatGodwashidingby eating from the Tree of Knowledge. But of course, Satan knew this treecontained what was necessary to destroy Adam and Eve’s relationship withGod.

TheDevil’sprimaryobjectivewastoencourageGod’schildrentolisten to liesproducedbyafalsemessenger.

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NowobservehowSatantemptedEve:

“ForGodknowsthatinthedayyoueatfromityoureyeswillbeopened,andyouwillbelikeGod,knowinggoodandevil”(Genesis3:5).

SatansuggestedthatEvecouldnottrulyknowthedifferencebetweengoodandevil, unless she learned from the forbidden tree. So obviously, this tree didn’tproduce apples, pears, and oranges. It was an intelligent being that sharedintellectualknowledgewithEve.

Andwe can prove that Eve’s action of taking the forbidden fruit consisted ofacceptedfalseknowledge,byreadingwhattheLordsaidonHisnextvisittothegarden:

AndHesaid,“Whotoldyou thatyouwerenaked?Haveyoueaten fromthetreeofwhichIcommandedyounottoeat?”(Genesis3:11).

TheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvilhadsharedknowledgewithEve.

Finally,let’sgobackafewversesandseehowEvereactedtothistalkingtree:When thewomansaw that the treewasgood for food, and that itwasadelighttotheeyes,andthatthetreewasdesirabletomakeonewise,shetookfromitsfruitandate;andshegavealsotoherhusbandwithher,andheate(Genesis3:6).

TheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvilisasymbolforalyingspiritwhogavefalseknowledgetoEve.

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5—EdenandGod’sMessageLet’ssummarizewhatwehavelearnedfromthestoryofEden:

ThephysicalGardenofEdensymbolizesamuchgreaterspiritualrealityinheaven;

The serpent represents a magnificent, beautifully-appearing spiritoriginallynamedLucifer,butnowcalledSatan;

ThetreesoftheGardenrepresentintelligentspiritbeings.OnerepresentsGodtheFather,whiletheothersrepresentangelsandatleastonedemon;

OneofthesespiritstoldEvethatsheandAdamwerenaked;

Once Adam and Eve accepted knowledge from sources other than theLord,theybecameafraidoftheLordandhidthemselves;

Theendresultof listeningtotheforbiddentreewasthatbothAdamandEvebecameseparatedfromGod.

But why did Satan consider it important to separate Adam and Eve from theLordGod?Jesusgaveusthereason:

Thisiseternallife,thattheymayknowYou,theonlytrueGod,andJesusChristwhomYouhavesent(John17:3).

GodtheFather’spowerofeternallife—whichwassymbolizedbytheTreeofLife—canonlycomethroughapersonalrelationshipwithJesusChrist.So Satan worked to destroy Adam and Eve’s relationship with Jesus byencouragingEvetolistentoalyingspirit—aspiritwhoconvincedEvethattheLordwasnottheirfriend,andthatHewastobefeared,rather thantrustedandloved.

Adam and Eve died, because they accepted and believed spiritual knowledgefromsourcesotherthanGod.

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Satan’sUltimateGoal

ThemostimmediateresultofAdamandEveacceptingfalseknowledgefromtheforbiddentreewasthattheynolongertrustedtheLordGod.Sonowtheyneeded

tofindanothersourceofspiritualleadership.

Thus inGenesis 3:8,wefindGod’s children hiding from the Lord among thetreesof theGarden.And since these trees represent angelic spirit beings, thismeansAdamandEvedecidedtoplacetheirtrustintheseangelicbeings, ratherthantheLordGod.In the Bible, the English word “angel” is derived from various Hebrew andGreekwords that specificallymean “messenger.” Thus the primary job of anangel is to carryGod’smessages to others. And now that Adam and Eve nolongertrustedtheLord,theybegantoseekspiritualleadershipfromtheangels(morelikelydemons).

ThusSatan’sultimategoalwastocauseAdamandEvetotrustin“messengers”morethantheytrustedtheLordGod.

But Satan’s agenda has not changed— and there’s plenty of evidence toprovethat this is true.Andthis iswhy today, theaverageChristianhasalmostabsolutetrustintheirspiritualmessengers(pastors,preachers,priests,etc.),while they almost never open their Bibles to learn thewords of theLordJesusChrist.

JustaswithAdamandEve,SatanhasdeceivedtheentireChristianworld intobelieving the words of amessenger are just as good or even better than thewordsofJesusChrist.

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RefusingtheLord’sOfferofSalvationAfter the LordGod created the first two human beings, He placed them in aplace of continual rest where He provided for all of their needs. And whileAdamandEveremained in theGarden, theyeachhadfreeandopenaccess toeternallife.Butoncetheylistenedtoandbegantotrustspiritualauthoritiesotherthan the Lord God, they stopped trusting in their Creator— and incredibly,AdamandEveactuallybecameafraidof theveryGodwhocreatedandcaredforthem!

ByconvincingAdamandEvetotrustthewordsofadeceivingmessengerratherthan thewords of theLord,God’s enemieswere able to overcome them.Andwithout trusting their relationshipwith theLord, they lost out onHis offer ofeternallifeanddiedjustastheLordhadpredicted.

And all of this happened because Adam and Eve listened to and trusted a

messenger,ratherthantheLordJesusChrist.

Here’showGenesisrelatesthestory:AndtheLORDGodsaid,Behold,themanisbecomeasoneofus,toknow(determineforhimself)goodandevil:andnow,lestheputforthhishand,and takealsoof the treeof life,andeat,and liveforever:Therefore theLORDGod sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the groundfromwhencehewastaken.Sohedroveouttheman;andheplacedattheeastoftheGardenofEdenCherubims,andaflamingswordwhichturnedeveryway,tokeepthewayofthetreeoflife(Genesis3:22-24).

TheoriginalHebrewof thispassage ismost informative.TheHebrew literallystatesthatGodplacedcherubimsandaflamingsword“toguardthe‘road’totheTreeofLife.”Thusthere’saroadthatleadstoeternallife.

NowreadthispassagefromtheNewTestament:

Jesussaithuntohim,Iamtheway,thetruth,andthelife:nomancomethuntotheFather,butbyme(John14:6).

AndheretheGreektranslatedintotheEnglish“way”meansroad.

SowhenAdamandEvechosetobelievealyingspiritthatencouraged themtoturntheirbacksontheLord,theywalkedoffthe“road”thatleadstoeternallife—andthatroadisChrist.

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6—TheGardenandChrist’sChurch

TheSongofSolomonisanancientbiblicalstoryaboutamarriedcouplethatareverymuchinlove.However,manybiblicalscholarsbelievethisancientwritingis an allegory (symbolical narrative) about Christ and His Church. Thesescholars suggest the husband symbolizes Christ, while the wife symbolizesChrist’sBride,theChurch.Andhereiswhatismostinteresting:TheSongofSolomonusesagardentorepresentthebride.

So ifweaccept thatGod inspiredSolomon towriteabout theBrideofChrist,thentheSongofSolomondefinesthe“garden”asasymbolfortheChurch.

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BackinChapter3,wesawhowJesussaidtheTreeofLifewaslocatedinaplacenamedbytheGreekwordparadeisos.Wealsosawhowthiswordcanrefer toheaven,theplacewhereGoddwells.But once the New Covenant was initiated with Christ’s resurrection, JesuspromisedbothHeandtheFatherwouldmovetheirpermanentresidenceintothecollectivebodyofChrist’sChurch.WecanreadaboutthisinJohn14:23,whereJesusexplainedwhatitmeanstobe“onewithGod:”

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loveme, he will keepmywordsandmyFatherwilllovehim,andwewillcomeuntohim,andmakeourabodewithhim.

AndheretheGreektranslatedintotheEnglish“abode”meansresidence.

Thus according to Jesus Christ, bothHe andGod the Father nowmake theirpermanenthomeinsidethemembersofChrist’sNewTestamentChurch.

So ifyouare agenuineChristian, thenGod theFather and JesusChrist dwellinsideyou.Andif thespiritsofGod theFatherandJesusChristdwell insideofyou, thenwhy do you need a human spiritual “messenger” to help you understand thegospel?

AsChristians,weneedtounderstandwhattheapostleJohnwroteinIJohn2:27:Asforyou,theanointing(theHolySpirit)whichyoureceivedfromHimabidesinyou,andyouhavenoneedforanyone to teachyou;butasHisanointingteachesyouaboutallthings,andistrueandisnotalie,andjust

asithastaughtyou,youabideinHim.

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TheChurchandGod’sGardenOnceweunderstandhowtheFatherandChristhavemadetheirhomewithinthemembersoftheChurch,wecanusethatunderstandingtoequatethechurchwiththeGarden of Eden, sinceGenesis uses the garden as a symbol for the placewhereGoddwells.

And this opens the door to some astounding parallels between the Garden ofEdenandChrist’sChurch:

Parallel1AfterGodcreated(begot)Adam,HeplacedhimintheLord’s

garden.

AfterChristiansarebornagain(begotten),theLordChristplacestheminHisChurch.

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AdamandEvehadregularfellowshipwiththeLordGod(Christ).

SinceChristliterallydwellsinsideofeveryChristian,theLordhasregularfellowshipwitheachmemberofHisChurch.

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Parallel3AdamandEvewereplacedintheGardentoserveandobeytheLord

God(Christ).

ChristianshavebeencalledtoserveandobeyChrist.____

Parallel4AdamandEvewereplacedintheGardenforrestandrelaxation.

ThosewhoarecalledintoChrist’sChurchentertheirrest:“Forwe

whohavebelievedenterthatrest…”(Hebrews4:3).____

Parallel5IntheGarden,GodprovidedforallofAdamandEve’sneeds.

ChristpromisedthatGodtheFatherwilldothesameforthoseinHischurch:“Arenottwosparrowssoldforacent?AndyetnotoneofthemwillfalltothegroundapartfromyourFather.Butthevery

hairsofyourheadareallnumbered”(Matthew10:29-30).____

Parallel6GodwarnedAdamtoignoretheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodand

Evil,andlistenonlytoHim.

ChristsaysthisaboutthoseinHischurch:“MysheephearMyvoiceandtheyfollowMe.”

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TheLordGodcommandedAdam:“Fromanytreeofthegardenyoumayeatfreely.”ThusAdamandEvehadfreeaccesstoeternallife

viatheTreeofLife.

ChristpromisesHisChurchfreeaccesstotheTreeofLife:“Hewhohasanear,lethimhearwhattheSpiritsaystothechurches.Tohimwhoovercomes,Iwillgranttoeatofthetreeoflifewhichisinthe

ParadiseofGod”(Revelation2:7).____

Parallel8SatanenteredtheGardenandcastdoubtonGod’sgoodnessand

truthfulness,thenintroducedEvetoanotherspiritual“messenger.”

SatandoesthesametoChrist’sChurch:“Thesearetheoneswhoarebesidetheroadwherethe(Christ’s)wordissown;andwhentheyhear,immediatelySatancomesandtakesawaythewordwhichhas

beensowninthem”(Mark4:15).____

Parallel9TheGardencontainedtheTreeofKnowledge(alyingdemon)thattaughtAdamandEvethateternallifeisamatterofknowinggood

andevil;i.e.,religionisamatterofknowledge.

ThemembersofChrist’sChurcharebombardedbypreacherswhoclaimthatChristiansaresavedbylearningmattersofknowledge

(doctrine).YetJesussaidinJohn17:3,“Thisiseternallife,thattheymayknowYou,theonlytrueGod,andJesusChristwhomYouhave

sent.”____

Parallel10BecauseAdamandEvebelievedtheliesofaself-appointedspiritualmessenger(symbolizedbytheTreeoftheKnowledgeofGoodandEvil),thefirsttwohumansdevelopedafalseviewofGodthat

eventuallydestroyedtheirrelationshipwithChrist.AndwithoutapersonalrelationshipwithChrist,AdamandEvewereblockedfrom

theway(road)toeternallife.

Christianswhochoosetofollowself-appointedpreachersratherthanJesusChrist,willloseoutoneternallife:“HewhobelievesintheSonhaseternallife;buthewhodoesnotobeytheSonwillnotsee

life,butthewrathofGodabidesonhim.”(John3:36).____

The comparison between the Garden of Eden and Christ’s Church is quiteamazing: in every area, the events that transpired in Eden seem to exactlyparallelwhathappenstoChristianswithintheChurch.

So are these parallels merely coincidence? Or does Eden have a powerfulmessageforChrist’sChurch?And if Eden does represent the Church, then perhaps Eden’s most importantmessageisasfollows:

The first created man and woman lost access to eternal life because theychose to obtain their spiritual information from sources other than JesusChrist.

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7—TheResultsofIgnoringGodWithinthefirstfewpagesoftheBible,wefindanancientstorythatwarnsofanextraordinarydanger toGod’speople:self-appointed“messengers”who claimtohavespiritualtruth.Andwedon’tevenhave togobeyond thenextbookofthe Bible to find God’s next warning about these self-appointed spiritualmessengers.Around twenty-five hundred years after Adam and Eve died, God appointedMosestoleadtheIsraelitesoutofEgypt.ButjustastheIsraeliteswereabouttoentertheirpromisedland,Mosesdidsomethingquiteunusual:

It came about the next day thatMoses sat to judge the people, and thepeoplestoodaboutMosesfromthemorninguntiltheevening.

Now this was very interesting, because God never askedMoses to judge theIsraelite people. Here is the biblical passage where God called Moses andassigned his duties. Read it and see if you can find anything about Moses“judging”God’speople:

“SoIhavecomedowntodeliver themfromthepowerof theEgyptians,andtobringthemupfromthatlandtoagoodandspaciousland,toalandflowingwithmilkandhoney,totheplaceoftheCanaaniteandtheHittiteandtheAmoriteandthePerizziteandtheHiviteandtheJebusite.”Now,behold,thecryofthesonsofIsraelhascometoMe;furthermore,Ihaveseen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.“Therefore, comenow, and Iwill sendyou toPharaoh, so that youmaybringMypeople,thesonsofIsrael,outofEgypt”(Exodus3:8-10).

God had never instructed or even suggested that Moses should judge theIsraelites;instead,MoseswastoldtoleadthepeopleoutofEgypt.Thenlater,verse16documentshowtheLordtoldMosestogathertheeldersofthepeopletogetherandinformthemofwhatGodwasplanningtodo.Andthisisimportant information,because it showshowtheelders (heads of the families,households,andtribes)werethosewhojudgedIsrael—notMoses.

Butobviously,Moseshadsupersededtheauthorityof theeldersandappointedhimselfasIsrael’sjudge.

____

HelpFromtheWorld

So then along cameMoses’ father-in-law Jethro, who wanted to give “JudgeMoses”someadvise.Exodus18:1describesthismanas“thepriestofMidian.”A fewbiblical commentators believe Jethrowas a priest of the trueGod, likeMelchizedek.ButMidianwas severalhundredmiles fromwhere the IsraeliteswereimprisonedinEgypt.Soit’shardtoimaginehowthismancouldhavehadmuch to do with God’s people. And this is why most biblical commentatorsbelieveJethrowasapaganpriest.

Thisauthortendstoagreewiththelatteropinion,fortwomainreasons.First,thenameJethro isacentral figure in theritesandpilgrimagesof thepaganDruzereligion. Then there’s the issue of Jethro’s name. Strong’s Bible Dictionaryrelateshowthisnamemeans“HisExcellency.”WhiletheBrown-Driver-BriggsHebrew and English Lexicon states “Jethro” means “His Abundance.” And IfindithardtobelievethatsuchatitlewouldbeusedbyahumbleservantoftheGodofIsrael.

____

Nowlet’sexaminewhatJethrotoldMoses:It came about the next day thatMoses sat to judge the people, and thepeoplestoodaboutMosesfromthemorninguntiltheevening.NowwhenMoses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said,“Whatisthisthingthatyouaredoingforthepeople?Whydoyoualonesitasjudgeandallthepeoplestandaboutyoufrommorninguntilevening?”Mosessaidtohisfather-in-law,“BecausethepeoplecometometoinquireofGod.”Whentheyhaveadispute,itcomestome,andIjudgebetweenamanandhisneighborandmakeknownthestatutesofGodandHislaws"(Exodus18:13-16).

Ifyou’refamiliarwiththeBookofExodus,youprobablynoticedarather large“red flag” associatedwithwhatMoses said.Because at the timewhenMosessaidthis,GodhadnotyetrevealedHisstatutesandlawstoanyone!SowhatwasMosesdoing?Hemusthavebeenmakingup“God’s”statutesandlawsoutofhisownmind!Andofcourse,thiswassomethingthatwentfarbeyondanyauthorityGodhadgiventohim!

Sowiththosethoughtsinmind,let’scontinuewithwhatthepaganJethrocounseledMoses:

"AndMoses’father-in-lawsaiduntohim,Thethingthatyouaredoingisnotgood.Youwillsurelywearout,bothyourselfandthesepeoplewhoare

withyou,forthetaskistooheavyforyou;youcannotdoitalone.

Nowlistentome:Iwillgiveyoucounsel,andGodbewithyou.Youbethepeople’srepresentativebeforeGod,andyoubringthedisputestoGod,then teach them the statutes and the laws, andmake known to them thewayinwhichtheyaretowalkandtheworktheyaretodo.Furthermore,youshallselectoutofallthepeopleablemenwhofearGod,menoftruth,thosewhohatedishonestgain;andyoushallplacetheseoverthemasleadersofthousands,ofhundreds,offiftiesandoftens.Letthemjudge thepeople at all times; and let it be that everymajordispute theywill bring to you, but every minor dispute they themselves will judge(Exodus18:17-22).

Andcertainly,thisadviseputMoses’egotothetest—especiallywhenJethrotoldMoses,“Youbethepeople’srepresentativebeforeGod.”

SoMoses stepped up to the plate and took charge of Israel’s civil andspiritual leadership. Then he appointed leader/judges that would rule overthousands,hundreds,fiftiesandtens—allofwhichamountedtoestablishinga national government over the Israelites. Just as we read in Exodus18:24:

SoMoseslistenedtohisfather-in-lawanddidallthathehadsaid.

____

GodWasNotPleasedWithMosesExodusChapter 19describes how the Israelites finally arrived atMountSinaiandsetupcamp.ThenMoseswentup to themountainandspoke to theLord.AndtheLord toldMoses togather thepeople togetheron the thirdday,soHecouldspeakwiththem.

Let’sfocusontheveryfirstwordstheLordspoketoMosesandalltheIsraelites:

IamtheLORDyourGod,whobroughtyououtofthelandofEgypt,outofthehouseofslavery.YoushallhavenoothergodsbeforeMe (Exodus20:2-3).

This verse contains agreatdealof information that purposely hidden bymostBibletranslations.TheHebrewtranslatedintotheEnglish“gods”ispronounced‘elôhıym. But thisword not only refer to deity, it commonly refers to anyonehaving authority over other people. And if you take a bible concordance and

look up the passages where this word is used, you will find that it refers tohumanrulers,humanjudges,andevenangels.

Therefore,amuchmoreaccuratetranslationwouldbe:YoushallhavenootherauthoritiesbeforeMe.But there’sstillmoretolearnabout thisbiblicalpassage.There’sapartof thispassage that isnever reproduced inmostBibles.Thiscomes from theHebrewwordpânıym,whichistranslated“Me,”in“Youshallhavenoothergodsbeforeme.” Contrary to the English translation shown above, the Hebrew is not apersonalpronoun,butacommonnoun that specificallymeans“the face.”AndthisiswhyBiblecommentatorAlbertBarnesstatestheoriginalHebrewliterallymeans“beforemyface.”

SoistheaccuratetranslationofExodus20:3:“You(Israel)shallhavenootherauthoritiesinfrontofmyface.”

Orsaidanotherway,“You(Israel)shallhavenootherauthoritiesbetween youandme”—includingMosesandalltheleadershehadappointedtoservebetweenhimselfandthepeople.

____

TheveryfirstwordsoutofGod’smouthtoHisnationIsraelwasheavy-handedrebukeagainstMosesandalltheleadersMoseshadappointed—ahumiliatingrebukethatinstantaneouslyrippedawayalltheirself-appointedauthorityandplacedGodsolelyinchargeoftheentirenation.AndwhydidGodhavetodothis?

Because Moses followed the counsel of a self-appointed, lying spiritualmessenger.

~~~~

8—Conclusion

TheLessonofEdenTheGardenofEdenremindsChristiansoftwothings:1)theLordJesusChristwantsnothingbutblessingsforHisbrothersandsisters.And2),Jesuspromisestoprovideforoureveryneed,whileHepersonallyguidesusintoeternallifeinHisKingdom.

Butunfortunately,mostofthoseGodcallsdonotbelievethistobetrue.JustlikeAdam, Eve and Moses, these people choose to follow spiritual messengers,ratherthanbuildingapersonalrelationshipwithChrist.SomeofthesemessengerswillclaimthatGodisharsh,unforgivingandvengeful—andHe plans to execute eternal torment on all that do not overcome theirsins.WhileotherswillclaimthathumansarenotworthyofGod’slove,unlesswegivegenerous tithesandofferings tosupportevangelicalworksandchurchexpenses.

Butwhatevertheirparticularmessagemaybe, theseself-appointedmessengerswillcauseGod’speopletoviewtheLordasdistantanddifficulttoplease,whileclaiming thatsalvationcanonlycome through following themessengers’teachingsandsupportingtheirworks.

AndjustlikewithAdamandEve,thesewellspokenandartfulmessengerswillturnmanyawayfromthewordsoftheLordJesusChrist,tofollowtheteachingsand commandments of human spiritual messengers and their religiousinstitutions.

AndmanyofGod’s peoplewill fail to inherit their spiritual reward— simplybecause they chose to believe humanmessengers, rather than the Lord JesusChrist.

____

“MysheephearMyvoice,andIknowthem,andtheyfollowMe.”

—JesusChrist,John10:27

"Whenheputsforthallhisown,hegoesaheadofthem,andthesheep

followhimbecausetheyknowhisvoice.Astrangertheysimplywillnotfollow,butwillfleefromhim,becausetheydonotknowthevoiceof

strangers.

—JesusChrist,John10:4-5

“WhydoyoucallMe,‘Lord,Lord,‘anddonotdowhatIsay?”—JesusChrist,John10:27

~~~~

10—ScriptureReferences

John5:37AndtheFatherwhosentMe,HehastestifiedofMe.YouhaveneitherheardHisvoiceatanytimenorseenHisform.John6:46NotthatanyonehasseentheFather,excepttheOnewhoisfromGod;HehasseentheFather.

Genesis2:16TheLORDGodcommanded theman,saying,"Fromany treeofthegardenyoumayeatfreely…”

Revelation12:9And thegreatdragonwas throwndown, theserpentofoldwhoiscalledthedevilandSatan,whodeceivesthewholeworld;hewas thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown downwithhim.

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TableofContents

Introduction1—RevisitingtheGardenofEden2—TheCastofCharacters3—WhyaGarden?4—TheTreesoftheGarden5—EdenandGod’sMessage6—TheGardenandChrist’sChurch7—TheResultsofIgnoringGod8—Conclusion10—ScriptureReferencesInformationAboutThisBookHowtoUseThisBookDisclaimerOtherBookVolumes