 |
| If you prefer an easier to read and print READER version is RIGHT HERE! |
7 And there was war in
heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought
and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was
their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole
world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Rev
12:7-9)
Mankind generally bears an innate disdain for the serpent from the old days of
Eden, and the deception of the serpent to which Eve fell into temptation and
transgression. In fact, Eve said that the Serpent ‘beguiled’ her – another term
for ‘seduced.’ Just what the nature of that seduction was, we may not know
until the return of the Lord. The serpent, or snake, is a devious and deceptive
creature. It lies in hiding for its victim and often strikes without warning or
provocation. But man can avoid the serpent’s bite by taking due precaution in
avoiding those places commonly frequented by snakes. That, indeed, was Eve’s
grave mistake.
It is apparent Adam counselled Eve on God’s commandment against partaking of
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil because she accurately related that
counsel to the Serpent in the Tree. Before Eve was formed, God warned Adam: 16 And the LORD God commanded
the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die. (Gen 2:16-17) When tempted of the Serpent,
Eve repeated this counsel: 2 And the woman said unto
the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it,
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (Gen 3:2-3) It is abundantly clear from
these texts that Eve had heard the words of God concerning the ill-winded Tree.
This may bear out the truth that truths learned directly from the Lord (Bible
Study) can be more convincing than those that are merely heard repeated by
another.
But Eve made many missteps in partaking of the forbidden fruit:
1. She walked where she should not
have walked. If youth avoid the bars and saloons of life, they will be less
likely to fall for the addiction of alcohol. If lewd and pornographic magazine
are not gleaned, the addiction to pornography is less likely. But Eve walked
her way into the direct path of temptation by going to the Tree of the Knowledge
of Good and Evil.
2. She stopped where she should not
have stopped. Perchance our journey is forced to enter into paths that offer
temptation and evil, it is best to keep walking and avoid contact with the evil
eye.
3. She listened to a voice she
should not have heard. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye
shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (Gen
3:1)
4. Eve responded to a voice that she
should not have listened to: 2 And the woman said unto
the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it,
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (Gen 3:2-3)
5.
Eve
communed with that Serpent in the Tree: 4 And the serpent said unto
the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the
day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil.
(Gen 3:4-5)
6. Eve allowed herself to be deceived
by the voice and the temptation of the Tree: 6 And when the woman saw that the
tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be
desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave
also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (Gen 3:6) Modern evangelistic schemes
prove that pride is the best tool of the false-prophet charlatans that are
leading silly women astray. 2 For men shall be lovers of
their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection,
trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are
good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded,
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which
creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with
divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to
come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Tim 3:1-7) If this last text does not
precisely describe the modern church, I do not know where we would find more
accurate ones.
Eve was deceived, and Adam was NOT deceived. 13 For Adam was first formed,
then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but
the woman being deceived was in the transgression. (1 Tim
2:13-14) Trust is a
strong characteristic as long as that trust is invested in truth and
righteousness’ but Eve trusted a voice contrary to that of God. That kind of
trust is wrong-minded. The heart of a woman is generally more trusting of all
voices than that of stubborn man. This is usually a good quality, but it can be
devastating as in the case of Eve. This is one reason, I believe, Jesus did not
choose women among the disciples as Apostles. It is a reason we do not ordain
women to the ministry. Neither, apparently, did Paul. He prefaced the above
text with his justification for not allowing the woman to preach or exercise
authority over the male ministry: 12 But I suffer not a woman
to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. (1 Tim
2:12)
As we will all readily admit, Adam was a type and shadow of Christ. He is the
progenitor of all mortal mankind. Christ is the progenitor of all spiritually
reborn mankind who are the elect of God. 45 And so it is written, The
first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening
spirit. (1
Cor 15:45) Adam is
also an anti-type of Christ because in Adam, we inherit sin and death; but in
Christ, we receive eternal life and imputed righteousness.
By the way, if Adam was not deceived, why did he follow Eve in partaking of the
forbidden fruit? Any ideas? I believe that, since Adam is a type of Christ, he
loved his wife enough to share her fate in death. Of course, Jesus bore our
sins and redeemed His bride, the Church, from death so that she could share in
His resurrection.
Well, that old Serpent of Eden has been crawling about in the dust and dirt of
the earth ever since Adam’s fall. He ruled in the heart of the multitudes that
perished before Noah’s Day. He ruled in the heart of Pharaoh of Egypt. He has
engineered wars and all sorts of social evils such as drug abuse, slavery of all
forms, murder, rape, abortion, and the reprobate notion that homosexual
marriage can be justified before God. He is very active today in the Middle
East where young children are mercilessly beheaded, some little girls raped
even before that beheading. How evil can Allah be! Of course, since he is the
personification of the Serpent (Devil), he does that which is his natural
inclination. That Serpent ruled in Babylon, in Rome, in Paris, in Berlin, in
Moscow, and finally has reared his scepter in Washington, DC.
The Serpent, being the personification of abject sin, was a symbol to be lifted
up on a pole in the Wilderness so that the Children of Israel could look to
their sins crucified and be healed of the fiery serpent’s bite. Jesus, having
taken upon Himself all of the sins of the world at His crucifixion, was the
full realization of that brazen serpent in the wilderness: 14 And as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted
up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
eternal life. (John
3:13-15)
Precisely when Lucifer was exiled from Heaven is a matter of deep speculation
on the part of erudite theologians (whatever that is), but to us, it is not a
matter of grave concern. It is enough to know that he is among and has been
among us from Eden till today. His demonic angels are among us as well and
report to their field commander, Satan. 7 And there was war in
heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought
and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was
their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole
world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Rev
12:7-9)
The Devil is an enemy of God, and therefore, an enemy to all humanity that was
created by God. His all-consuming desire is to destroy all that God has
created. He takes many subtle approaches to that objective. Unjust wars are
tools he uses; disease (especially sexually transmitted disease) is a toll of
the Devil. Abortion is a growing tool he uses to diminish the human race that
God perpetuated through families. More innocent babies have been murdered in
the mother’s womb since 1973 than all of the wars (on both sides) in which
America has participated. Homosexuality is another prime tool he uses to
diminish the human race. Adam and Steve cannot go forth and multiply consistent
to the very first commandment given to Man by God Almighty. Having created them
male and female, God issued His first order: God said unto them, Be
fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. (Gen
1:28) Homosexuality
is an abominable sin which flies in the face of the Creation Model of God for
Marriage.
Ministers and evangelists take vacations, but the Old Serpent never takes a
vacation and never sleeps. He is constantly on the prowl to destroy the
youthful innocent, the aged bard, and the virtuous mother. Take to heart the
counsel of God as related by Saint Peter; 8 Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the
faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that
are in the world.
(1 Peter 5:8-9)
Had Eve resisted instead of acceding to the devil, she would
not bear the responsibility of her transgression.
