CHAPTER 6
TWO MEN IN EDEN
THEN THE LORD GOD FORMED MAN OF THE DUST OF THE GROUND, AND BREATHED INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH (spirit) OF LIFE; AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL. AND THE LORD GOD PLANTED A GARDEN TOWARD THE EAST, IN EDEN; AND THERE HE PLACED THE MAN WHOM HE HAD FORMED. Genesis, Chapter 2, Verses 7-8.
In the Garden of Eden there were two men who walked together in unity. One man was earthly, the other man Heavenly. One man was a created being, the other man the Creator. One man was known as the First Adam, the other man would come to be known as the Second Adam.
THE FIRST MAN ADAM, WAS MADE A LIVING SOUL; THE LAST ADAM (Christ Jesus) WAS MADE A QUICKENING SPIRIT. 1 Corinthians, Chapter 18, Verse 45.
Both Adams were called the SON OF GOD. Luke, when writing about the linage of Christ, states that the first Adam was the SON OF GOD. Luke, Chapter 3, Verse 38. In His fleshly linage Jesus was a descendant of the first Adam, a Son of God. Yet, spiritually, He has always been the Son of God. As Lord and Savior, the Creator Christ took on the “likeness” of sinful flesh (but not sinful flesh) being a descendant of Adam physically.
However Jesus, unlike Adam, did not have the proclivity or predisposition to commit sin because He was God incarnate.
Christ was the Creator who came to reclaim His Creation. Christ was there in the Garden of Eden. He was there in the Wilderness with Moses and the Children of Israel. He was there in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying to His Father. Jesus hung on a Cross, bled and died because of our sins, was raised from the dead, and returned to Heaven. Now He reigns eternally as Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Speaking of Christ, Paul wrote in Hebrews, Chapter 1, Verses 1-3: GOD WHO AT SUNDRY TIMES AND IN DIVERS MANNERS SPAKE IN TIME PAST UNTO THE FATHERS BY THE PROPHETS, HATH IN THESE LAST DAYS SPOKEN UNTO US BY HIS SON, WHOM HE HATH APPOINTED HEIR OF ALL THINGS, BY WHOM HE MADE THE WORLDS: WHO BEING THE BRIGHTNESS OF HIS GLORY, AND THE EXPRESS IMAGE OF HIS PERSON, AND UPHOLDING ALL THINGS BY THE WORD OF HIS POWER, WHEN HE HAD BY HIMSELF PURGED OUR SINS, SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF THE MAJESTY ON HIGH.
ALL THINGS WERE MADE BY HIM; AND WITHOUT HIM WAS NOT ANYTHING MADE THAT WAS MADE. IN HIM WAS LIFE; AND THE LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN. AND THE LIGHT SHINETH IN DARKNESS; AND THE DARKNESS COMPREHENDED IT NOT. John, Chapter 1, Verses 3- 4.
Jesus was the Creator of all things that were created. He Himself breathed life into the nostrils of Adam. Christ was the Light and Understanding which was there IN THE BEGINNING.
He was the Light that separated the day from the night. Jesus gave Adam the ability to understand, reason and make decisions and gave him authority over all the works of His hands.
Adam was given the authority and responsibility to rule the domain God had created for him. This domain was BOTH a natural and a spiritual ONE. Adam was given the responsibility of protecting his domain from all intruders who might enter to disrupt the peace and tranquility of Eden.
Both Adams lived paralleled lives. The First Adam ate the Forbidden Fruit and was condemned to death. The Second Adam, Christ, died so mankind could be justified. The first Adam became the doorway to everlasting death. The Second Adam became the doorway to Everlasting Life. Where the first Adam failed, the Second Adam prevailed.
God was pleased with all that He had created in the beginning. God loved Adam and met with him daily for a time of fellowship. Eden was Adam’s Paradise. The Tree of Life (Christ) in the MIDST OF THE GARDEN sustained Adam spiritually. The other trees in the Garden, except the Forbidden Tree, supplied all the physical food he needed.
We cannot begin to imagine all the beauty and splendor that surrounded Adam and Eve in their godly Paradise. Walking and communing with God every day in a glorious spiritual and natural setting can only be compared to dwelling with Him in Heaven. Today, we still have the option of dwelling and communing with God on a daily basis as we partake of the Tree of Life.
Before eating the Forbidden Fruit, Adam and Eve basked in the Presence of God and walked with Him daily. The Forbidden Fruit changed everything. After Adam and Eve fell from Grace, they dwelt in a realm that was sensuous, dangerous and deadly. Through their one act of disobedience, all mankind was plummeted into a dark realm that would only bring chaos and heartache to all mankind.
Adam and his descendants would not eat from the Tree of Life again until the Second Adam, Jesus, arrived on the scene to pay the price for their sins, and the sins of all mankind. Through the sacrifice of the Second Adam, mankind would again know the Peace and Holy Presence of God which the first Adam had experienced.
Searching for Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding from the Forbidden Tree will always cause mankind to err. The Fruit found on the Tree of Life is the only source of true Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding. Jesus Christ is our Wisdom and the source of all Spiritual Knowledge and Understanding. He is the Light that shines through the darkness to guide men down Paths of Righteousness.
PRIDE
Searching for knowledge and wisdom from the Forbidden Tree will always bring about failure and death because the Tree is rooted and grounded in Pride and Rebellion. The Fruit of the Forbidden Tree is bitter and full of poisons which produce death, destruction, evil and chaos. A good example of the consequences of eating the Forbidden Fruit is Lucifer’s fall from Heaven because of his pride and rebellion. PRIDE GOETH BEFORE DESTRUCTION, AND AN HAUGHTY SPIRIT BEFORE A FALL. Proverbs, Chapter 16, Verse 18.
Pride is rooted and grounded in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This deadly Fruit can only produce a HARVEST OF REBELLION. When rebellion is promoted, it can spread as quickly as wildfire. One third of the Angels were enticed by SEEDS OF REBELLION, and were cast out of Heaven along with Lucifer.
On the other hand, the Tree of Life will produce a HARVEST OF LIFE EVERLASTING. The spirit of man is likened unto a garden. Whatever seeds you plant in your spirit will grow and give you a harvest of righteousness or unrighteousness. If you are not KEEPING AND GUARDING YOUR SPIRIT WITH ALL DILIGENCE, you will not produce a Harvest of righteousness but of unrighteousness.
If we are going to have a HARVEST of RIGHTOUSNESS, we must always stay focused on the TREE OF LIFE. Our own spirit must be GUARDED with all diligence because OUT OF THE HEART (spirit) FLOW THE ISSUES (forces) OF LIFE. Proverbs, Chapter 4, Verse 23.