THE FALL OF MAN
In the Garden of Eden there were two trees:
1. The Tree of Life
2. The Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil
God forbade Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, but not the Tree of Life. God did not want them to eat f the tree of Knowledge because He knew Man was prone to Evil and he wanted Man to live with Him in a state of Shalom. He gave us Free Will so that we could choose to Worship Him rather than hard wiring us as automatons of worship.
In Genesis 3, after the Serpent manipulated Eve, she saw that the tree was pleasing to look at, pleasant to taste and would give knowledge. these are the 3 Original Sins:
~Lust Of The Flesh (pleasant taste)
~Pleasing To The Eyes
~Pride of Life (knowledge)
There are today infinite permutations of these 3 Original Sins
The Original Sin 1/3
Eve's seduction by the incarnate serpent in the Garden of Eden foreshadows Satan's seduction of the adulterous FALSE church which claims to be married to the last Adam
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The immediate consequences
1. A loss of innocence. After they are the fruit, they tried to hide from God due to their shame.
Psalm 139 English Standard Version (ESV)
139 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
Luke 12 English Standard Version (ESV)
12 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware ofthe leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.
Personal note: It seems that not only did they gain Knowledge of Good and Evil, which led to Shame, it also revealed a belief founded in our Sin Nature that we can hide out shame and shameful acts from God.
2. The First Blame Game. Adam blames Eve directly, and God indirectly. Eve blames the Serpent. God knows that all are guilty. This Blame Game is still common with us today.
3. Death. Two types of Death occurred: Spiritual and Physical. Spiritual Death occurred through a separation from God and occurred immediately, and physical death became possible. God has designed man to live forever through access to the Tree of Life.
Chapter 3 Verses 19 & 22 describe death:
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Note: God's use of "us" in Genesis is a pre-conceptualization of the Trinity.
Personal note: The Serpent used Eve's ignorance of God's plan to deceive her.
she had no concept of Spritual Death, and no understanding of Physical Death.
Genesis introduces a typology of Adman to Jesus;
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Type, Typology
TOPIC ISAAC JESUS Only begotten Son Genesis 22:2 John 3:16 Offered on a mountain, hill Genesis 22:2 Matt. 21:10 Took donkey to place of sacrifice ...
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Typology in the Old Testament | Biblical Resource Database
What is typology? Webster defines it as a person, thing or event that symbolizes or represents another. A type is a representation, form, figure or pattern of someone or something else.
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"Man, who is separated from God, has not only lost God, but has also lost the purpose of his humanity."
MANKIND
Adam had 3 sons
~Cain---a farmer, later a vagabond after killing his brother Abel
~Abel---was a sheperd
~Seth---born after the death of Abel, assumed the role of first born child
Cain killed Abel b/c God rejected his offering and accepted that of Abel. God refused the offering b/c He knew Cain's heart
1 John 3:11-12English Standard Version (ESV)
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.
Genesis 4 English Standard Version (ESV)
4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten[a] a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted?[b] And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for[c] you, but you must rule over it.”
God warns Cain "Re-think your thinking." Be careful about being ruled by your emotions. We should be mindful of the consequences for Cain, but we should also be mindful of how God extended Grace and MKercy to him.
ENOCH Was the first human who did not experience death (Elijah was the second).
Adam dies at 930 years of age. Beginning in Genesis 6, human lifespans begin being reduced.
THE SONS OF GOD
The first 4 verses of Chapter 6 refer to the Sons Of God. There is no definitive answer to who they were. There are a number of theories:
~They were Kings and Princes
~They were Fallen Angels (this theory was rejected in about the 3rd Century)
~They were the Descendants of Seth
THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN
Genesis 6:5 describes the human default position without Christ:
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that everyintention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually
Jeremiah 17:9English Standard Version (ESV)
9 The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
John 8:12English Standard Version (ESV)
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
2 Corinthians 10:5English Standard Version (ESV)
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
NOAH AND THE GREAT FLOOD
Noah had 3 sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth
Noah was the only righteous person existing at that time in Gods eyes. Noah please God and walked with him
In Chapter 7, the Flood begins
The "waters prevailed upon the earth for 150 days"
The Ark came to rest on Mt Ararat. Noah built an altar to God there and God was pleased (8:20 & 21) and He promises Noah that he will never visit such punishment on Earth and that there will always be a seed time and harvest (8:22)
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse[a] the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
In Chapter 9, God enters into an Eternal Covenant with Noah, and the sign of that covenant is the rainbow.
THIS ENDS THE PRIMEVAL HISTORY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE ANCESTRAL HISTORY.
Fall of Man
(Genesis Chapter 3)
Garden of Eden
-There are two trees mentioned in the Garden of Eden:
-The Tree of Life
-The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Why not? Why were they forbidden?) God knew if Man ate from it that he would be prone to evil and God wanted us to live in a state of Shalom. He gave us free will.
Three Original Sins
-Eve committed the three original sins:
1. Lust of the flesh: It looked good to eat.
2. Pleasing to the eyes: It looked good.
3. Pride of Life: The desire for gaining wisdom.
*Thousands of years later we still see so many sins that have been rooted from any one of these 3 original sins.
3 Immediate Consequences of the Fall
1. Loss of Innocence: God was walking through the garden communicating with Adam and Eve but once they ate of the forbidden fruit, they instantly lost their innocence and went to hide to cover their naked bodies due to their shame.
-In Psalms 139: 1-18 and Luke 12: 2-3 we see that we can NEVER hide from God and that every thought and every word we speak will be known to Him.
2. First Blame Game: Adam blames Eve for giving him the fruit. Adam blames God for giving him Eve. Eve blames the serpent. God says ALL of you are guilty and you WILL be punished. We learn that we are responsible for our actions!
3. Death: They IMMEDIATELY died a spiritual death. They were removed from God, His communion and His peace.
-In Genesis 3:19 we see that they will now die a physical death while in Genesis 3:22 we see that God intended for Man to live eternally.
-“Man, who is separated from God, has not only lost God but has also lost the purpose of his humanity.” –Yardley Kennedy
Typology to Jesus
-In Genesis 3:15 we see that it is a promise of Jesus coming
Mankind
(Genesis Chapter 4)
First 3 sons of Adam and Eve
1. Cain – He was a farmer. After he killed his brother, Abel, he became a vagabond. He killed his brother because he thought God refused his offering of grain. God really refused his offering because He knew Cain’s heart was wicked.
2. Abel – He was a Shephard. He offered God an offering of wheat and God accepted it.
1 John 3:11-12 (NKJV) says: 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
Genesis 4:6-7 (NKJV) says: 6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
-Cain had an attitude problem and God knew it. Unless you control your attitude, you’re going to do something you’ll regret. Don’t let your emotions control you and lead you to a path of destruction. Rethink your thinking.
3. Seth – Assumed the role of the first born child once Cain killed Abel.
Enoch
-First human being that didn’t experience physical death. Elijah was the second one.
*In Genesis chapter 5 we see that Adam died at 930 years old. In Genesis chapter 6, God reduces the age of physical death to 120 after the flood.
Sons of God (who were they?)
1. Kings and Princes (powerful human rulers)
2. Descendants of Seth (male, rebellious)
3. Fallen Angels
- Genesis 6:1-4 refers to the sons of God and the daughters of men:
Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
-There have been several suggestions/theories as to who the sons of God were and why the children they had with daughters of men grew into a race of giants (that is what the word Nephilim seems to mean.)
-Jude 1:6 refers to the book of Enoch when it says: 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
-Orthodox/Judaism and Christian Position since 3rd century reject Fallen Angels Theory
-They were probably the rebellious males of Seth who married the condemned females of Cain but really nobody knows.
Total Depravity of Man
-Genesis 6:5 says: 5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
-Listened to the song “Put your lights on” by Santana. It talks about Satan, the “monster”, being under your bed. This means that he is always close by and you should always be vigilant.
-John 8:12 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
-Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
Noah and The Great Flood
(Genesis chapters 6-9)
3 Sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth
-Noah pleased God and walked with Him. He was the only righteous person at that time.
-In chapter 7 the flood begins. It rains for 40 days and 40 nights.
-After 150 days, the waters recede and the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat (modern day Turkey)
-Noah then builds an altar to the Lord in Genesis 8:21 21 And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.”
-God promises Noah that He will never punish the earth like that again and that there will always be a Seedtime and Harvest: Genesis 8:22 While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night Shall not cease.
-The rainbow is an eternal covenant that God enters with Noah in Genesis chapter 9.
*This is the end of Primeval History*
(The Ancestral History follows)
Theological Point
The Primeval History provides a significant theological backdrop for understanding the blessings and promises that dominate the ancestral history.
-It asserts a divine concern for the whole of creation in general and humanity in particular.
-The Universalism of the primeval history is the subtext of the ancestral history which focuses on one family as the agent for blessing all families.
