#1 THE CRASH
THE CRASH or THE FALL OF MAN
Everything must have a beginning, except God, but our study will start at our beginning, that is creation.
WHERE DID CREATION BEGIN?
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God….
Beginning means that which is first, the source or origin and as such relates to time.
Before creation there was no time.
The Hebrew word for God is ELOHIM and it is plural for God.
EL meaning The strong God
ELOHIM meaning the Creator
And so we must ask
DID JESUS BEGIN IN THE MANGER OR WAS HE PRESENT AT CREATION?
John 8v58 Jesus replied, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, before Abraham was born I AM.
Abraham was a creature
Jesus was the creator
JESUS AS GOD CREATED ALL THINGS
Ephesians 3:9 Also to enlighten all men and make plain to them what is the plan [regarding the Gentiles and providing for the salvation of all men] of the mystery kept hidden through the ages and concealed until now in [the mind of] God Who created all things by Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:16 For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him.
Colossians 1:17 And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together).
Not only is He the agent of creation, but also its preservation.
Hebrews 1:2 [But] in the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order].
Revelation 1:8 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord God, He Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty (the Ruler of all).
Revelation 1:4 John to the seven assemblies (churches) that are in Asia: May grace (God’s unmerited favour) be granted to you and spiritual peace (the peace of Christ’s kingdom) from Him Who is and Who was and Who is to come, and from the seven Spirits [the sevenfold Holy Spirit] before His throne,
TO BELIEVE IN GOD AND TO BELIEVE THAT HE EXISTED BEFORE THE BEGINNING IS A FACT THAT WE MUST TAKE BY FAITH.
Electricity we accept by faith
Doctor’s prescription we take by faith
EVERY PROMISE THAT GOD GIVES MUST BE TAKEN ON THE BASIS OF FAITH WHETHER IT IS
Salvation
Healing
The Gift of the Spirit
Jesus’ return
Even when we pray we must have faith that He hears
1John 5:14 And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.
WHAT IS FAITH?
It is important that we recognise what FAITH is for without that recognition, we will not e able to proceed past the point of seeing that we need God, but be unable to accept Him.
SO WHAT IS FAITH?
We all have some ideas on this matter, but we need to back it up with Scripture.
Hebrews 11:1 NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].
Romans 14:23 But the man who has doubts (misgivings, an uneasy conscience) about eating, and then eats [perhaps because of you], stands condemned [before God], because he is not true to his convictions and he does not act from faith. For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful].
The Amplified Bible gives us another good description of FAITH in
Colossians 1:4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [the leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] and of the love which you [have and show] for all the saints (God’s consecrated ones),
HOW DO WE GET FAITH?
Obviously FAITH is not something you can buy, but there are several ways of getting and increasing your FAITH.
God gives us some FAITH
Romans 12:3 For by the grace (unmerited favour of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.
If we listen closely to God’s Word we get FAITH
Romans 10:17 So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).
Our faith is strengthened when we are able to pray with the Holy Spirit
Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;
WHAT WAS THE CRASH THAT TOOK PLACE THEN?
Man fell from his state of innocence and the noise of that crash has resounded down through the ages even until today.
Let me try to explain in a short description.
The earth and the universe were pronounced by God to be good when He finished His creative work. Again and again we see the Bible says that God saw that His work was good.
Genesis 1:10 God called the dry land Earth, and the accumulated waters He called Seas. And God saw that this was good (fitting, admirable) and He approved it.
Genesis 1:12 The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed according to their own kinds and trees bearing fruit in which was their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it.
Genesis 1:18 To rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good (fitting, pleasant) and He approved it.
Genesis 1:21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it.
Genesis 1:25 And God made the [wild] beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and domestic animals according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (fitting, pleasant) and He approved it.
God’s intention was that it should remain beautiful, ordered and complete. In the beginning the world lacked some of the things that are common place now. There was no death, no sorrow, no tears. It was truly a paradise that would have met the highest expectations of any utopian, existing without any blemish for God’s glory and for man’s good. God and man walked together in unbroken fellowship with nothing between them to impair that relationship, and there was nothing God did or would do to alter that relationship. If a change occurred it would come about by something that man did, not God.
Into this paradise came Satan, the devil and sin. Clearly sin and Satan existed first outside the world and we know that Satan sinned and fell and that a multitude of angels fell with him.
And so we need to determine from Scripture, where did Satan originate?
Isaiah 14:12 How have you fallen from heaven, O light-bringer and daystar, son of the morning! How you have been cut down to the ground, you who weakened and laid low the nations [O blasphemous, satanic king of Babylon!]
Isaiah 14:13 And you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost north.
Isaiah 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.
Isaiah 14:15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol (Hades), to the innermost recesses of the pit (the region of the dead).
Luke 10:18 And He said to them, I saw Satan falling like a lightning [flash] from heaven.
NOTE: There is an important point to note here and that is that some translations for ISAIAH 14v12 use the name Lucifer; however the original word was light bringer or day star. We need to be aware that the word Lucifer is not an accurate translation for the title of Satan.
WHAT WAS SATAN BEFORE HE CRASHED?
The best description we have of Satan is that spoken by the prophet EZEKIEL and although EZEKIEL is prophesying against the king of Tyre it is describing the person of Satan evidencing himself through this ruler.
Ezekiel 28:14 You were the anointed cherub that covers with overshadowing [wings], and I set you so. You were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire [like the paved work of gleaming sapphire stone upon which the God of Israel walked on Mount Sinai].
Ezekiel 28:15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity and guilt were found in you.
Although Scripture tells us very little about how Satan fell, it does tell us a great deal about what he became when he fell, what this did to the universe, and what he gets up to in the world today.
The Bible says that the devil was evil right from the beginning.
1John 3:8 [But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) FROM THE BEGINNING. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].
Now this does not mean that the devil was made evil when God created him, but he became evil from the very moment of his proud rebellion against God.
John 8:44 You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false.
The devil’s attitude therefore does not stem from his creation but from his desire to be as God when he was not permitted to usurp this position.
THE DEVIL HAS THREE MAIN AREAS THAT HE WORKS ON….
Morally his work is enticement to sin
Physically the infliction of disease
Intellectually seduction into error
Jesus came to correct all the work that the devil does, and we will explore this in THE CORRECTION, but we must not side with the devil in any way or we put ourselves OFFSIDE with God.
WHAT CAUSED SATAN TO SIN?
Originally, he was created as an angel of light, that is, before the world came into being. He was the fairest of all creatures to whom the highest station was given and above whom no one stood except God Himself.
Ezekiel 28:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: You are the full measure and pattern of exactness [giving the finishing touch to all that constitutes completeness], full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
Isaiah 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.
Jude 1:6 And angels who did not keep (care for, guard, and hold to) their own first place of power but abandoned their proper dwelling place — these He has reserved in custody in eternal chains (bonds) under the thick gloom of utter darkness until the judgment and doom of the great day.
2 Peter 2:4 For God did not [even] spare angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom till the judgment and their doom.
Pride seems to have been at the heart of Satan’s transgression. He wanted to be like the most high God. He sought to wrest control of the universe, including the earth, from God.
POWER CORRUPTS whether it is:-
An overpowering beauty which captivates
An authority to which men capitulate
A personality with which men co-operate
1Peter 1:16 For it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.
Isaiah 42:8 I am the Lord; that is My name! And My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images.
WHAT DID GOD DO WITH SATAN AND THE ANGELS WHICH FOLLOWED HIM?
It is suggested that there were three archangels in heaven. Michael, the archangel of the Father, Gabriel, the archangel of the Son, and Satan whose title is obscure but was supposedly the archangel of the Holy Spirit, and that there was one third of the angels under the control of each archangel. When Satan fell he took one third of the angels with him.
2 Peter 2:4 For God did not [even] spare angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom till the judgment and their doom.
Luke 10:18 And He said to them, I saw Satan falling like a lightning [flash] from heaven.
The devil’s influence has affected every aspect of the world.
1 We see it in the pride and rebellion of angels.
2 Peter 2:4 For God did not [even] spare angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom till the judgment and their doom.
2 We see it in the disobedience and apathy of man.
2 Peter 2:5 And He spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven other persons, when He brought a flood upon the world of ungodly [people].
3 We see the sensuality of Sodom and Gomorrah
2 Peter 2:6 And He condemned to ruin and extinction the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ashes [and thus] set them forth as an example to those who would be ungodly;
FROM WHAT THEN DID MAN CRASH?
Man fell from the innocent state that God created him in.
Genesis 3:7 Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves apronlike girdles.
Prior to Satan beguiling Eve, both Adam and Eve had no experience of sadness, sickness, sin, conflict, or anything that is unpleasant, but when they disobeyed God’s instructions, THEY CRASHED from that beautiful condition and they were no longer INNOCENT.
HELL WAS NOT INTENDED FOR MAN.
Matthew 25:41 Then He will say to those at His left hand, Begone from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!
SATAN DOESN’T SHOW UP IN HIS REAL CHARACTER, THAT IS WHY HE DECEIVES SO MANY.
He appeared to Eve as a beautiful serpent and the Bible says he will come to us posing as someone else.
2 Corinthians 11:14 And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light;
2 Corinthians 11:15 So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. [But] their end will correspond with their deeds.
The greatest weapon that Satan has is his ability to tell lies, and that is how he deceived Eve. The Bible says that he does it in other ways also.
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves.
We must ensure that we do not be deceived and only play at being Christians, for that is also a trick that the devil has used as a result of the crash. A hypocrite is a goat in sheep’s clothing.
WHAT IS THE DEVIL’S TRUE NATURE?
John 8:44 You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false.
All of Satan’s work in the world is now as a result of the crash.
SO WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT?
2 Corinthians 2:10 If you forgive anyone anything, I too forgive that one; and what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sakes in the presence [and with the approval] of Christ (the Messiah),
2 Corinthians 2:11 To keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions.
1 Peter 5:8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
James 4:7 So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.
James 4:8 Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].
So often we do not know how to deal with the effects of the crash and the devil has a great time confusing us, and we have the answer to this in the word of God.
Luke 4:4 And Jesus replied to him, IT IS WRITTEN, Man shall not live and be sustained by (on) bread alone but by every word and expression of God.
Luke 4:8 And Jesus replied to him, Get behind Me, Satan! IT IS WRITTEN, You shall do homage to and worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.
Luke 4:12 And Jesus replied to him, [THE SCRIPTURE] SAYS, You shall not tempt (try, test exceedingly) the Lord your God.
Notice that Jesus had a good understanding of the Bible, and that is why we have to read the Word consistently and conscientiously so that the devil cannot distort the Bible and cause us to err.
ARE WE NATURALLY SINFUL?
Men do not become sinners, but we are sinners; Men do not become lost, but are already lost; they do not come under the bondage of Satan but are already under the bondage to him by birth. As sons of the devil all mean are on their way to destruction because this is what Satan has achieved for all men. That is, until they accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
Romans 3:23 Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honour and glory which God bestows and receives.
Some people like to think that just because they don’t break the law of the land that they are “Christian” but the Bible gives us precise directions in this matter. Others say that they believe that there is a God, but that still does not take them out of the clutches of Satan.
Ephesians 2:3 Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behaviour governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God’s] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind.
Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in [a state of] iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me [and I too am sinful].
This is not how God intended us to be but the CRASH put an end to God’s original intentions and it is only by His provision that we can get back to it.
WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO SATAN AND THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM?
Revelation 20:10 Then the devil who had led them astray [deceiving and seducing them] was hurled into the fiery lake of burning brimstone, where the beast and false prophet were; AND THEY (the devil and those who follow him) WILL BE TORMENTED DAY AND NIGHT FOREVER AND EVER (THROUGH THE AGES OF THE AGES).
Revelation 20:15 And if anyone’s [name] was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire.
Normally we would expect fire to burn up whatever the fuel that was being used and then the fire would go out, but that is not the case with the fire that God produces, the fire that is also in hell.
Moses and the burning bush
Exodus 3:2 The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, yet was not consumed.
The three Hebrew children
Daniel 3:19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury and his facial expression was changed [to antagonism] against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore he commanded that the furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was usually heated.
Daniel 3:20 And he commanded the strongest men in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:21 Then these [three] men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics or undergarments, their turbans, and their other clothing, and they were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame and sparks from the fire killed those men who handled Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Daniel 3:23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the burning fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king [saw and] was astounded, and he jumped up and said to his counsellors, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered, True, O king.
Daniel 3:25 He answered, Behold, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods!
Daniel 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the midst of the fire.
Daniel 3:27 And the satraps, the deputies, the governors, and the king’s counsellors gathered around together and saw these men–that the fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed; neither were their garments scorched or changed in colour or condition, nor had even the smell of smoke clung to them.
Daniel 3:28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who believed in, trusted in, and relied on Him! And they set aside the king’s command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Daniel 3:29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, and language that speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses be made a dunghill, for there is no other God who can deliver in this way!
Daniel 3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Lazarus and the rich man in Hades
Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man who [habitually] clothed himself in purple and fine linen and revelled and feasted and made merry in splendour every day.
Luke 16:20 And at his gate there was [carelessly] dropped down and left a certain utterly destitute man named Lazarus, [reduced to begging alms and] covered with [ulcerated] sores.
Luke 16:21 He [eagerly] desired to be satisfied with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs even came and licked his sores.
Luke 16:22 And it occurred that the man [reduced to] begging died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
Luke 16:23 And in Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:24 And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.
Luke 16:25 But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime fully received [what is due you in] comforts and delights, and Lazarus in like manner the discomforts and distresses; but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish.
Luke 16:26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who want to pass from this [place] to you may not be able, and no one may pass from there to us.
Luke 16:27 And [the man] said, Then, father, I beseech you to send him to my father’s house –
Luke 16:28 For I have five brothers – so that he may give [solemn] testimony and warn them, lest they too come into this place of torment.
Luke 16:29 But Abraham said, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear and listen to them.
Luke 16:30 But he answered, No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent (change their minds for the better and heartily amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins).
Luke 16:31 He said to him, If they do not hear and listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded and convinced and believe [even] if someone should rise from the dead.
WHAT THEN WAS THE QUESTION THAT SATAN USED TO TRICK EVE?
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And he [Satan] said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden?
When we begin to question God we will fall into temptation.
DOUBT BRINGS DENIAL
DENIAL BRINGS SCEPTISISM
SCEPTISISM BRINGS ATHEISM
The devil wants us to question God, for that is the first step for us allowing him to tell us lies about God and His Word.
Romans 9:20 But who are you, a mere man, to criticize and contradict and answer back to God? Will what is formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me thus?
WHAT WAS IT THAT SATAN SAID THAT MADE ADAM AND EVE FOLLOW HIM?
Genesis 3:5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity.
You see, Satan’s nature was still the same as when he fell, and now he wants to use the same error with us.
WE MUST HAVE GODLY DESIRES, NOT DESIRES TO BE GOD.
Satan was proud and arrogant, and this is what separates men from God even today, but the Bible gives us instructions on how we should be.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease. [He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so.]
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,
There are many other Scriptures which show us the proper attitude. Please read and write them out in full.
James 4:6 But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).
1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, you who are younger and of lesser rank, be subject to the elders (the ministers and spiritual guides of the church) – [giving them due respect and yielding to their counsel]. Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility [as the garb of a servant, so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from you, with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another. For God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful)–[and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favour, blessing) to the humble.
1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you,
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Galatians 5:24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.
Galatians 6:14 But far be it from me to glory [in anything or anyone] except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) through Whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!
THE RESULTS OF THE CRASH
A DISOBEDIENCE
Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
Adam and Eve didn’t know the meaning of the word DEATH. It had never occurred in their sphere and dimension and although it was two-fold in its meaning, the significance of it was a mystery. Firstly, death was spiritual, and they probably would understand that isolation from God was spiritual death for they were very spirit conscious then.
Secondly, there was natural death, both brought about by disobedience.
B A PENALTY FOR MOTHERS
Genesis 3:16 To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply your grief and your suffering in pregnancy and the pangs of childbearing; with spasms of distress you will bring forth children. Yet your desire and craving will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.
C A PENALTY FOR MEN
Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you shall return.
D A PENALTY FOR ANIMALS
Genesis 3:21 For Adam also and for his wife the Lord God made long coats (tunics) of skins and clothed them.
It was through the shedding of an animal’s blood that God made a covering for man. More importantly, it was the shedding of Jesus’ blood that made, not a complete covering for man, but a complete cleansing. He didn’t just cover up the mistakes and faults like the animal skins did, but Jesus cleanses us of our faults.
Before Jesus, this penalty on animals continued.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life (the animal soul) is in the blood, and I have given it for you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life [which it represents].
WHY WAS IT SO NECESSARY THAT THE ANIMALS HAD TO DIE?
Hebrews 9:22 [In fact] under the Law almost everything is purified by means of blood, and without the shedding of blood there is neither release from sin and its guilt nor the remission of the due and merited punishment for sins.
What other areas do you know that have resulted from the crash?
Lying
Stealing
Cheating
Sickness
Weeds
Wars
Growing old
Conflict of any nature – all conflict originates in the realms of spiritual darkness
Rebellion against God’s order – insubordination
oOo
Ross Smith 