GENESIS: "Bereshit" - In The Beginning...2

GENESIS

● Chapter 2

Gen 2:1: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them” by the Word and Work of God in six days. And God took His Sabbath on the seventh day. Genesis 2:2-3 should read thus: “And before (instead of on) the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” [Note: Theologians may take these verses and teach that Yahweh charts time by week of seven days, and that every seventh day of the week is a Sabbath. However, God charts time by the days of the month. Read Exodus 12.] Moreover, Genesis 2:1-3 should have been a continuation of chapter 1 because they concluded the finished work of God.

Since verse 3 concluded with the Creator taking His Sabbath on the Seventh Day and that the previous chapter revealed the ‘family history’ of the heavens and of the Earth, chapter 2 should have therefore begun with verse 4.

A Man To Cultivate The Ground

Gen 2:4: These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5: And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6: But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

To account for the formation of the physical man Adam, Prophet Moses found it needful to first establish for us the two primary needs required for proper and stable vegetation growth on the earth — rain and man. There was no rain to water the ground. Rain came only after the great deluge in the days of Noah. There was no man to till the ground. How then did all the vegetation of the field grow when God brought them forth on the Third Day? The answer was that God sent up a flow of mist from the fountains in the subterranean hollows of the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. With the ground wet with water, the vegetation was bathed by the primordial light which the Spirit of God brought with Him on the First Day. Subsequently, on the Fourth Day, all vegetation thereon was bathed by the light of the sun. Man was then needed to care for every herb, plant and tree of the field, and to till the ground. Now, man already existed, he was created on the Sixth Day, but he was not a tangible physical being. He was created in the image of God (a spirit being), therefore he could not function in a physical material world without a physical material body. Until he was given a physical earthly body he could not till the ground. [Note: Church tradition teaches that Adam and Eve were both created physically in a material body on the Sixth Day, and that chapter 2 is merely a sum up of their ‘birth’. It is a dogma of Christendom; it is not Bible Truth.]

Gen 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

It is not known how long after the creation of the heavens and the planet Earth that the Man, who was created in the image of God on the Sixth Day, was formed out of the dust of the ground, in the likeness of God, and put on the Earth. Was it the day after the Lord God took His Sabbath? It is plausible.

God’s Image And Likeness

Let’s look into the Gospel of John to see the CREATIVE SELF-REVELATION of God for a better understanding of His Image and His Likeness.

The LOGOS (mentioned) in John 1:1, which became flesh and dwelt among men, was the very PERSONALITY of God. In the Old Testament era, the Logos appeared unto the patriarchs in the prophets as well as in the form of a Theophany. The Theophany was the visible manifestation of God, at times in human form. Before anything was ever created, the Logos had gone forth from the Great Invisible Fountain of Life as the very Beginning of the Creation of God to reveal Himself. And the visible Theophany in a Body was of the same shape in which man was later made. The Great Eternal Spirit chose to hide Himself, hence “the invisible God” (Col.1:15). Adam, being created in His image, possessed the same nature as his Father (God). In order for God to reveal Himself, God had to become visible. That visible form was known as the Logos, a Word Body.

When Adam was created, he was a ‘shade, representation of the substance’ (“image”; Heb: tselem) of God, which resembled the Spirit of God. After “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul”, Adam then became a visible being on the Earth. He was a visible man in the ‘shape’ (“likeness”; Heb: demuth) of God, which resembled God’s visible features. Thus, the creation of man in the image and likeness of God was completed as God had declared unto the angels in Genesis 1:26.

As shown from the account of creation, in Genesis chapter 1, all the living creatures of the sea, the air and the earth were formed out of the elements of the earth itself. There is no record of any creature being created in any other form prior to their existence on the planet Earth except Adam who was first created a spirit, in the image of God, in the spirit realm. That was the marked distinction between the “living soul” of Adam and that of the animals.

Adam was created in the image of God to be a son of God. His “soul”, which had its origin in God, was the ‘gene that came from God’. Adam had to become a “living soul” in order to manifest the nature of the Spirit of his Father. Just as God became visible to reveal His Personality, Adam was made visible, in a vessel of clay provided by ‘mother’ earth, to manifest his nature.

The souls of the animals take to the earth which is their ‘mother’ and their place of origin. As they do not have the spiritual gene of God in them, the animals do not worship God, their creator, as their “Father”. So when they die, they return to the dust from whence they came; they cease to exist. The “breath of life” (Heb: nephesh) which is in their nostrils (Gen.7:22) returns to the Great Fountain of Life.

What about Adam? Did not God say in Genesis 3:19 that he was taken out of the dust of the earth and that he would return to it upon his death? Yes, but that was after the Fall when the death sentence was passed. Adam was supposed to have eternal life, the life of God, which was his nature. He was to reflect God in that visible body of clay.

Spirit, Soul and Body

Adam was made a triune being of spirit, soul and body. His spirit was his origin. His soul was his nature, his real self, which manifested the seed (gene) of his Father (God). His body of dust was merely the tabernacle which housed his spirit-soul. And when sin prevailed, the result was death. Death means separation from God in Whom lies eternal life. It also results in the decay of the body which will return to the dust of the ground as the elements of the earth.

“For dust thou art, and unto dust shall thou return.” This statement does not refer to the soul, but to the body. There are people who believe that the man himself is the soul, and that when he ceases to breathe, he ceases to exist. This is the doctrine of soul sleep: when a man dies, his soul is not conscious; he ceases to exist and returns to dust until the Day of Judgment when he shall be raised from his sleep. These people do not distinguish between man (in God’s image) and animal just because both man and animal possess the “breath of life” (Heb: nephesh) in their nostrils. Read Genesis 2:7; 7:22. But the soul of man is not his body (1Thess.5:23). Anyone with spiritual wisdom can understand the distinction between the soul and the body. The soul is the intangible, innate and inherent part of all living creatures. The soul of man is different from that of the animals. Every living thing, by the law of nature, brings forth its own kind. God had given a certain nature to each of the animals: the lion, a lion nature; the horse, a horse nature; and so on. But the Man, Adam, was given the spiritual nature of God before he appeared on the Earth in his house of clay (to manifest that nature). If the souls are merely the bodies, then why do animals die since they had not sinned? According to Ezekiel 18:4, only “the soul that sinneth, it shall die”.

Moreover, where was the spirit-soul of our Lord Jesus Christ when His body was put in the tomb on Passover Day before the Sabbath until the First Day of the Week? The prophetic utterance of King David in Psalm 16:10 provides the answer and shows the difference between soul and body. The first part, “For thou will not leave my soul in hell”, foretold that God would not leave the soul of Jesus Christ in hell (Heb: sheol, the abode of the dead); and the second part, “neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption”, foretold that His body would not corrupt while lying in the tomb or grave (which is known by the Hebrew word qibrah). When the body of Jesus Christ was lying in the grave, His spirit went down to sheol and preached unto the spirits (or souls) which were held captives by Satan (1Pet.3:18-19). He loosed the bond of each elected Old Testament saint from the hold of Satan’s power in that wretched domain of the dead, and made them His captives when He ascended to Heaven (Eph.4:8-10 cf. Matt.27:52). They went up to paradise (not the Heaven of God). The unbelievers remained in the lower parts of the Earth, in sheol. When Adam died, his body returned to the dust; his spirit and soul went to another dimension. That was because his real self was of another dimension before he set foot on the Earth. Since the animals came from this earthly sphere they will return unto it.

A close examination of the Word of God reveals that the two words, spirit and soul, are interlocking. One cannot separate the soul of a true child of God from his spirit, because his soul has been quickened by the Spirit of Life Itself. “But there is a spirit in man…” (Job 32:8). “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life” (Job 33:4). Therefore, are you a soul with a purpose in life to fulfill it, or are you just a body with a soul?

Earth, Eden, Garden

Gen 2:8: And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9: And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
10: And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
11: The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
12: And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
13: And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
14: And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

The whole Earth was not Eden. However, there was a place called Eden which God had formed. Eden was God’s ‘paradise’, God’s ‘delight’ and God’s ‘pleasure’. Eden means just that. And eastward in Eden God planted a Garden which was more beautiful than any other place on the Earth, even Eden itself.

Most Bible scholars believe that the location of the Garden of Eden was somewhere in the Middle East. Well, that is true. Some speculate that it was somewhere in present-day Iraq, near the Persian Gulf. Others believe that it was the area near the headwaters of the two rivers, Tigris (Hiddekel) and Euphrates. Because of the order in which the four rivers, Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel and Euphrates are listed in the Scriptures, those Bible scholars, who believe that the Garden of Eden was somewhere in Eastern Turkey, feel that Pison had to be the first and the northern-most river since Euphrates is shown on today’s map as the last of the four rivers in the south of the Mesopotamian Basin. They believe that it flowed through the present-day Armenian S.S.R. and then turned southward through Western Iran and emptied itself into the Persian Gulf.

I beg to differ. Eden and its Garden were not located in either of those two areas. No one could actually know where Eden and its Garden were located unless the Spirit reveals them to him. A common fact often overlooked by most Bible scholars is that the existing surface of the Earth is radically different from that of the period before the Flood. (The continents and the oceans of today did not exist in the era before the Great Deluge.) The maps of today do not show us the original land surface of Eden, but we can pinpoint the original location of the Garden of Eden. The land surface of the whole Earth was transformed in the days of Noah when all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows and floodgates of the heavens were opened (Gen.7:11); that is, the aqueous shell covering the Earth was broken. Floods of waters burst forth and poured upon the earth for forty days and nights. Such a great deluge caused all the high mountains to be covered by the waters, transforming the land surface. Due to the constant pounding of the torrential rain upon the mountains, hills, valleys, plains and rivers for forty days and nights, the original formations and settings of all the geographical landscapes would inevitably be altered. [Note: The earth is made up of different types of soil. Therefore, with tons of water on the earth, earthshakes and earth movements were inevitable.] Some mountain ranges had either been reshaped or altered into plateaus or hills; some headwaters would have been shifted causing rivers to flow on new courses; lands and plains would have become valleys or had become ‘bowls’ holding large amount of waters; and mountain tops of hard rocks might have become islands. When large areas were flooded with water, terra firma will be weighed down, pushed or heaved in different directions. Such movements in the earth caused mountains to be brought low and valleys to be raised up (cf. Isa.40:4).

The Great Rift Valley which stretches from Syria to Mozambique is a good example of such land movement. The Red Sea which is a part of this rift is still tearing itself apart inch by inch every year. [Note: One of these days the boiling pot under the San Andreas Fault in California will erupt and cause a great earthquake that a vast proportion of land will slide into the sea. The land behind it will undergo a transformation. There will be great tidal waves and many small islands around the Pacific will be covered with waters for many days. There will be even greater changes at the Second Advent of Christ in the Day of the Lord (Zech.14:4-10; Rev.16:10-21) and when the earth is made new again (Rev.21:1-2).]

Land of Canaan

By the revelation given unto me by the Lord, let me establish the location of Eden and its Garden. Geographically, Eden was a vast location. Remember that the Garden of Eden was planted in the east of Eden. It must be relatively smaller than the area of Eden itself. There was one place befitting the description ‘God’s Garden of Eden’ — ‘paradise’, ‘delight’ and ‘pleasure’. It was the Land of CANAAN. Hence, the area stretching from the north of Canaan to Turkey and westward, and from the south of Canaan to the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and westward, must have been Eden. The large river that flowed eastward out of Eden to water the Garden no longer exists today as most part of Eden had become a sea (the Mediterranean Sea) after the great deluge. The Great (or Mediterranean) Sea was most probably a large area of plains and valleys with many large lakes and rivers flowing into them. Its coastlines were originally ranges of hills and mountains. A large river from Eden flowed eastward through the Garden and split into four “heads” upon leaving the Garden. But only the Hiddekel and Euphrates rivers are identifiable although their “heads” have been displaced in the region of Eastern Turkey.

Where the four rivers originally were are not very important. Just remember that there were four of them. However, let me try and trace where the four rivers were most likely located.

The large river of Eden which flowed eastward through the Garden divided itself into four “heads” when it flowed out of the Garden. The River Pison was the first to break off from its ‘mother’ and flowed southward, most probably, zigzagging downwards along the mountain ranges of the Sinai Peninsula towards the top half of the Red Sea, crossing the Nubian Desert southward. The second “head” thrust southeast along the mountain ranges of the Arabian Peninsula and downward into the land of Ethiopia. The Nile River and the Red Sea are part of the Great Rift Valley. They might have been part of the two rivers, Pison and Gihon. Geographically, River Hiddekel and River Euphrates might have flowed along the mountain ranges of Lebanon and Syria, with River Hiddekel flowing as far north as Eastern Turkey, before meandering southeastward through Mesopotamia and emptied their waters into the Persian Gulf.

In the history of God dealing with His people, the Land of Canaan had always been His focal point. This is well supported by facts found throughout the Old and New Testament Scriptures. The “goodly mountain” was Canaan (Exod.3:8; Deut.3:25; 4:22). It was the “pleasant land” of milk and honey, and the “glory of all lands” (Psm.106:24; Ezek.20:6,15; cf. Isa.8:8; 62:4; Hos.9:3; Zech.2:12). The Scripture tells us that God had chosen only one place on this Earth to put His Name, and that was Jerusalem in the Land of Canaan (2Chr.6:6, Neh.1:9). Before Jerusalem was chosen, Israel could worship Yahweh any where they could build an altar for offering sacrifices. However, the day God made it the chosen place of worship, Jerusalem was the only acceptable place of worship for the True Worshippers. Offerings unto the Lord were acceptable only upon the altar in the temple ground of Jerusalem (Deut.16:2-6). THE HOUSE OF THE LORD was in the City of Jerusalem.

When the children of Israel possessed the Land of Canaan, they made certain cities as cities of refuge (Num.35). Ancient cities were usually built with high walls around them to give its inhabitants security and comfort in times of troubles. A high mountain was an ideal place for building a good strong city. Usually the ruler would govern and live in the city which was also the capital of his empire, where all national and religious activities were centered. [Note: With this understanding, we should realize what kind of city Abraham was looking for when God called him out of Ur of Chaldees to the Land of Canaan. Abraham “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb.11:10). Amen. “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge” (Prov.14:26 cf. Deut.33:27; 2Sam.22:3; Psm.9:9; 46:7; 48:3; 62:7; 91:2,9; 94:22).]

Yes, Jerusalem was the place where God revealed His Presence and made Himself known to Israel, His chosen people, the natural seeds of Abraham. When God wanted to reconfirm His Covenant with Abraham, He commanded Abraham to take his son, Isaac, to “the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Gen.22:2b). Since 691 A.D. the mountain peak of Moriah has been occupied by the Mosque of Omar, better known as ‘The Dome of the Rock’. This is the place where the Temple of Solomon and the Temple of Zerubbabel once stood. The word “Moriah” means: “high place, awe, light, Lord”. The Jews even believe that this place is located at the center of the Earth and that it was here that light first shone upon mankind. The Psalmists have declared: “For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it” (Psm.132:13-14). Yes, the city, Jerusalem, on Mount Zion is God’s habitation forever. The Psalmists (in Psalm 48:1-2) describe the holy mountain as “beautiful for situation” (“fair and beautiful for elevation” – Amplified) or beautiful in its loftiness. It was the “perfection of beauty” (Psm.50:2).

The Land of Canaan was the very place where the Garden of Eden was located and where man had his beginning in an environment rich with the beauty of God’s creations. God’s relationship with man began here. It is therefore obvious that God had chosen this place, where He would deal with His chosen people and dwell with them forever.

Satan has caused much trouble in this place since the dawn of man. Today, many religious and political conflicts are still prevalent in the land. It is certainly not what we expect of a land that is “beautiful” and “pleasant” and is supposed to be a delightful paradise. Yet, the Lord God had chosen this place to make His Presence known and to put His Name in the midst of it. God has allowed His adversary to somewhat ‘hinder’ His Divine Plan for a season so that His Gospel, which was given to Israel, might be preached to the Gentiles (Rom.11:24-25). Eventually all things will be fulfilled according to His Eternal Plan. Yes, the Light of the Shekinah Glory will soon shine upon God’s chosen people again, in the midst of Israel – for the last time – to establish Itself there forever.

The Garden and Its Trees

In Genesis 2:15-17, let me include Genesis 2:9 between verse 15 and 16 for a better analysis regarding the garden and its trees.

Gen 2:15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
[Gen 2:9: And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is
pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of
the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.]
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.

Well watered by a river which came from Eden, the Garden produced and supported an abundance of life. God planted the beautiful Garden and gave it to Adam to dress it. It was God’s paradise. Different kinds of natural seeds in the earth sprang forth and produced fruit trees after their own kinds. These were foods not only for Adam and his Wife (who was yet to be formed from his side) but also for the many kinds of animals. Of every tree grown in the garden Adam could freely eat. However, between two other trees, “the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil”, he was instructed not to eat of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”; to do so would mean his death.

But what are these two trees: “the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil”? Are they natural trees? And why are they called by such names, “Tree of Life” and “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”? Or, are these trees symbolic of something?

Symbolically, Absurdity, Literally, Clarity

A pastor (Matthew Waymeyer) made this true observation regarding what is considered symbolic in Scripture: ‘In order to be considered symbolic, the language in question must possess (a) some degree of absurdity when taken literally and (b) some degree of clarity when taken symbolically.’

Obviously, to take the ‘Two Trees’ (of Genesis 2:9) as literal natural trees is just plain nonsense and absurd. A casual reading of Genesis 2:15-17 coupled with Genesis 2:9 does not yield the truth that is hidden beneath the surface of those written words. Firstly, the Scripture is written by the Holy Spirit, penned by holy men of God in a language that is of God, though written in Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek. The expressions are the language of the Spirit of Yahweh in Hebraic culture. It is not about semantics. It is the language of God, an expression to convey His TRUTH. Many of the nuances, subtleties, and implications of the specific words chosen are lost in the translation. Secondly, the original Sacred Scripture was written in ancient Hebrew. Such writing had no spaces between words. This made it occasionally difficult to tell where a word began or where it ended. There were also no punctuation marks and no spaces between sentences, paragraphs, or even divisions; making it harder to determine the meaning even after the words had been deciphered. The same is true for the Greek New Testament. Nevertheless, we all know that the communication of thoughts is done by a chain of words, not just a mere phrase or clause. The greater the scope of the thought, the longer the chain of words will be. (This is the reason why it is foolish to interpret or exposit Scripture verse by verse.) Being without spiritual revelation of the Word, religious teachers are just regurgitating the traditions of their churches in their seminaries and pulpits.

Understanding Terminologies

Before proceeding further, we need to understand the various terminologies, particular expressions and figures of speech penned by the Holy Spirit. A particular expression or figure of speech is never used except for the purpose of emphasizing and intensifying, and calling attention to, the reality of the literal sense. It is God’s way of hiding Truth while revealing It. Therefore, to understand the doctrine of the Original Sin and the Serpent Seed, we must first analyze the meanings of the following terminologies: “Tree of Life”, “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”, “In the midst of the garden”, “Eat” and “Fruit”.

The word “tree” is used in the Bible to symbolize different things. Our Lord Jesus used it for nation (Luk.21:29), whereas the blind man whom He healed in Bethsaida used it for man (Mar.8:24). In the Old Testament the term is used for a king (Dan.4:10), wisdom (Prov.3:18) besides others. Hence, not all the “trees” (in Scriptures) were literal trees neither were they the same type of ‘trees’. In Genesis 2 and 3, the word “tree” has been used for two different things. One points to that which grew “out of the ground” in the Garden of Eden – natural trees; and the other points to that which were “in the midst of the garden” – trees which were not literal.

Likewise the word “garden” does not necessary mean a literal garden. It could symbolize the soul (Jer.31:12), the shrine (Isa.65:3), or the human body (Song.4-8). The basic meaning of ‘garden’ whether literal, symbolic or spiritual, is an enclosure i) where a seed can be planted to reproduce itself; ii) cultivated for public enjoyment. While the Garden of Eden is a literal garden, the “garden” where the “two trees” are situated in its midst is not that Garden of Eden, nor a literal garden.

The word “eat” for many people simply means to consume food with the mouth. ‘To eat’ means ‘to partake’. Proverbs 30:20 gives a good rendition of the word. It tells of an adulterous woman who had partaken adultery (that is, she lay with a man who was not her husband) and then said that she had done no evil. Read also Psalm 127:2; Proverbs 1:31; 13:2; Jeremiah 15:16; Hosea 10:13; John 6:56. [Note: Among other uses of the word “eat” in Hebrew is “lay” (see Strong’s Concordance: 398 akal [lit. or fig.]. See also 5060, naga, translated “touch” in Genesis 3:3, a word added in by Eve to what God had said to Adam in Genesis 2:17. Naga means, in euphemism, to lie with a woman). The original Hebrew word “food” (maakal) comes from the same root meaning as the word “eat”; and in Genesis 3:6 these two words are interwoven together to hide and yet reveal the mystery of the act that brought about the Fall of Mankind or the Original Sin.]

To almost all Bible readers, the word “fruit” is simply a literal fruit such as an apple or a pear. However, according to the Scriptures, the word “fruit” (Heb: periy) may be used literally or figuratively (see Strong’s Concordance: 6529 periy; from 6509 “fruit” [lit. or fig.]). For examples read Deuteronomy 28:4; Psalm 127:3; Proverb 18:20; and Luke 1:42. Therefore, the word “fruit” does not always refer to the literal fruit.

The Two Trees

Now, Genesis 2:9 reads as follows: “And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Notice that the verse has two parts, separated by a semi-colon. As mentioned afore, ancient Hebrew has no inherent punctuation and no capital letters; the break in the verse by a punctuation mark (the semi-colon) in the English translation is correct. The first part says that the Lord God caused EVERY edible fruit-bearing tree which is pleasant and desirable to the eyes to grow out from the ground. There is no exception to any one particular edible fruit-bearing tree that GROW “out of the ground” that could not be eaten. This is a fact. Such fruit-bearing trees are not forbidden. They are grown for food.

The second part: “the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil” is not a part of the expression of the first. It has no connection with the statement. It is an interpolation, similar to the kind of interjection in John 2:19 when Jesus Christ went to cleanse the temple in Jerusalem and had a row with the Jews about the House of God, and He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The temple Christ referred to was a different temple, as we read in the record of John.

With the interpolation of the ‘two trees’ (in that verse of Genesis 2:9), there is actually a play on the word “garden”. A mystery is hidden here. Observe that the ‘two trees’ – the “Tree of Life”, and the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” – are not literal natural trees growing out of the ground in the middle of the Garden of Eden. If they were, then their fruits could be eaten according to the first part of the verse which states that EVERY edible fruit-bearing tree that grows from the GROUND could be eaten.

Notice that the interpolation identifies the ‘two trees’ to be not just anywhere but a specific location in the garden — “in the midst (Heb: tavek, bisection, center, middle) of the garden”, which could not be referring to the literal natural Garden of Eden. The language is absurd when taken literally. However, when taken symbolically the hidden truth is unfolded. The ‘two trees’ are two laws which oppose one another. The “Tree of Life” is the ‘Law of Life’ that brings LIFE and the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” is the ‘Law of Perverted Knowledge’ which brings DEATH (Rom.8:2). Divine Life and Truth come from the Living God and are eternal. Perverted Knowledge and Ways come from the Devil and they lead to Death. In essence, Adam and his Woman were to eat of the “Tree of Life” which is the Word of Life issued forth from God Himself. However, the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” opposes It by bringing forth a perverted version of Truth mixed with lies. Satan is the spirit behind the perversion that brings the fruit of death to those who eat it.

Everything that God has created was created for a purpose of which two diametrically opposing laws operate. Similarly, every member, every organ, of the human body has a purpose. The reproductive organ is situated in the middle (center, bisection) of the human body, which is a “garden” (by analogy, cf. Song.5:1; 6:2). Hence, the doctrine of the Original Sin has nothing to do with the eating (partaking) of the fruit of a natural tree (called the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”) but the partaking of a knowledge in which the truth of God was mixed with falsehood (that is, perverted or corrupted knowledge). The true purpose of the sexual reproductive organ was twisted out of context with God’s divine law which states that in the time and the season of life all living things are to bring forth life, each of its own kind (Eccle.3:1,2; Gen.2:24,25; 1:24). Somehow the Serpent seduced the woman with perverted knowledge that was very enticing to the senses. She was tempted to experience carnal knowledge with the Serpent. She was deceived into eating the tree, and she ate the fruit of it. The “fruit” of Eve’s transgression against the law of God was Cain, the son of the Serpent (Gen.3:15; 1Joh.3:12).

[Note: Interestingly, if you look at the map of the Land of Canaan, you will notice that Jerusalem was right in the midst of the land. Jerusalem is the place where the Lord God has put His Name and where He had planted His TREE OF LIFE – HIS DIVINE WORD – by which His chosen people might have access to the Life of His Shekinah Glory. It was also in this same place (Jerusalem in the “midst” of the Holy Land of Canaan) that the Adversary of God, Satan, had been continually fighting against God and His Truth by getting God’s people to break His Divine Word in the same way he deceived Eve into partaking of that forbidden “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”. Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, also were the children of Israel cast out of the Holy Land of Canaan, being delivered into the hands of their enemies, the Assyrians and the Babylonians.]

Sources of Life

Though Adam and his Wife were natural living beings, created in the image and likeness of God, they were planted by God as ‘spiritual trees’ in the Garden of Eden. Although their lives were without sin, they had to constantly drink of the Spiritual Water of Life and eat of the TREE OF LIFE, the ‘fruit’ of which only the Shekinah Glory of God could supply, just like the natural environment of the Garden needing the life sustaining water and nutrients from the River of Eden for its continual growth. Natural trees need natural water, so ‘spiritual trees’ need ‘spiritual water’. Amen. That is the law of life, natural or spiritual. The two ‘spiritual trees’ were overshadowed by Christ, the Spiritual Rock, the very Fountain of the Water of Life, and the very TREE OF LIFE, which was there in the centre of Eden’s delightful garden. Truly, although they were in the physical Garden, Adam and his Wife were also in that GARDEN OF GOD — the true spiritual ‘Garden of Eden’ with the Eternal Presence of God.

A Help Meet For Adam

Gen 2:18: And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19: And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20: And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

When Adam was created and made to live physically on the Earth, he was the First Man, and he was alone. There was none other like him, but God did not want him to be alone, He wanted him to have a help meet for him. With Adam were all the pairs of different kinds of fowls and animals that God had formed out of the ground before him. (The first part of Genesis 2:19 should read as: “And out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air;…”) They were brought to Adam for him to name them. And so they were named. Of course, none of those living creatures could be a help to meet his needs. God knew that; Adam knew that: a help meet for Adam could only be one like him and of him.

As much as the Lord God did not want Adam to be alone, this utterance of His – “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him” – was spoken prophetically of THE MAN, the Last Adam, who was to come. God wanted a family; He did not want to be alone.

The Making of A Woman

Gen 2:21: And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22: And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23: And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Traditional churches teach that God literally cut open Adam’s side and took one of Adam’s ribs and then closed up his open side. They believe that God took a literal rib with flesh attached to it, and formed a woman for Adam. The verse used to support it is Genesis 2:23: “And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” They conclude that Eve was formed from a rib of Adam — literally.

Is it really? If it is literal, how is it that men have the same number of ribs as the women? To justify that God actually used a real rib, some Christian would theorize that God had cut open Adam’s side, taken a rib to fashion Eve, and then had made Adam whole without any missing rib; and so, man has no missing rib (yet his wife is said to be ‘his missing rib’). Would not it be better and easier to theorize that perhaps Adam had a spare rib that God used rather than to theorize that God took out a rib and then made Adam whole by replacing the missing rib? Maybe some smart theologians concluded that the four floating ribs of the human skeleton were the ones that God broke off to form Eve. Perhaps in forming the Woman to be of the correct size and height for Adam, God failed to get it right in His first three attempts. The first rib broken off was too long, which would make the Woman much taller than Adam; the second one was broken off too short, which would make her much too short for Adam; and the third was of a length that would make her of equal height with Adam. Perhaps the fourth one was just perfect, making her just a little bit lower than Adam. An incredible interpretation which seems correct. After all, one can interpret the Bible as one likes. Is not that true?

Consider this: to believe that Eve was only made from a real rib of Adam would be to believe that she was not directly made of dust as Adam was. So, what does it mean when a man says to his wife: ‘You are my flesh and bone; you are my other half’ ?

A Deep Sleep

Prophet Moses’ statement: “The LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept” holds a mystery. God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam so that a bride (a Woman) could be produced for Adam from Adam’s side — “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh”. What was God portraying in the making of the Woman? The “deep sleep” speaks of ‘death’. Prophetically, and in a mystery, it speaks of the death that Jesus Christ, the last Adam, would go through so that from His side, God would form a Bride (a Church) for Him.

Now, consider carefully the following two verses:

Gen 2:22: And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23: And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

What did Adam really mean, when he said, “She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” ? Was he referring to a rib or was he referring to a female being that he called “Woman” — that “was taken out of Man” ? The Woman was that ‘female’ part of the image that was scripted in Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” The Woman was a by-product of the Man. She was the only female creature made this way by the Lord God.

The Man, Adam, was created in God’s image; he was both male and female. It was that feminine part of Adam that God took out of Man to form a Woman and then presented her back to him. She was a part of the Man; his bone and flesh. Consider the type and anti-type between the two Adams. Reflect on what God “took” from the side of the last Adam (Jesus Christ) at Mount Calvary after Jesus took His last breath and died (Joh.19:34; 1Jn 5:6,8; Joh.3:5). God “caused a deep sleep to fall upon” His Son, Jesus. Then from Jesus’ side God took ‘bone and flesh’ and fashioned a Bride for Him. Praise the Lord. God sent His Son to die at Calvary and in His “deep sleep” life flowed from His side to bring forth the Church, who is the ‘Wife’ of the Living Christ. Every true born again Christian is a part of Christ.

Gen 2:24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25: And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

The Woman was taken out of the Man, bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh. For this reason, a man shall leave his parents, and cleave to his wife for they two are indeed one flesh, joined in holy union as one person, one body. Yes, a sacred ordinance of God, a holy wedlock set down against polygamy, unlawful divorces, and all uncleanness, fornication, and adultery. Furthermore, God “closed up (shut up) the flesh instead thereof”; this enlightens us to that fact that there will not be another Woman taken out of Adam for Adam.

Even though the Man and his Wife were naked there was no consciousness, no conception, of shame; just an unconsciousness of the existence of evil.

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● Chapter 3