THE GARDEN OF EDEN

A close look at what happened in the Garden of Eden is most revealing. God created a small planet and set up a test for all to see. Man was placed in a perfect environment. Adam and Eve were created with a conscience, a free will, and without sin. In Genesis 2, the Lord God gave them everything they needed to live in abundance. He provided Adam with a beautiful helpmate and told them to "Be fruitful and multiply." He said, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely." As He was about to leave them alone for their honeymoon (my paraphrased version), He turned around and said, "Oh, by the way, there is one thing, just don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die." Have a great day.

When the Lord forbid them to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were now put in the position where good was not the only thing they could do. The presentation of a choice to obey or disobey was now present, in order for man to be morally tested. All the angels in Heaven were, and are watching God's plan of redemption unfold in real time. So, what happened? In Gen. 3: They both took from its fruit and ate; then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked.

They chose to disobey God and as a result, the whole Earth was cursed with a curse. Question: Didn't God know that all this would happen beforehand? The answer is of course! That is why Rev, 13:8 says that Jesus is the Lamb (was) slain from (before) the foundation of the world.

GOD IS GOING TO LET SIN RUN ITS COURSE

He is going to allow man to rule his own destiny in order to show what happens when He is excluded from that plan. The New Testament teaches that there will be a war that will end all wars, the war of Armageddon. And, just before this planet is completely destroyed, God is going to stand up and essentially say, "Enough, the demonstration is over." That is the final outcome of sin! Jesus said, "Unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved" (Matt. 24:22). So, when it is all said and done, there will never be another rebellion in Heaven. No one will ever question God's integrity, His right or ability to rule the universe, His motives, or His love again!

GOD IS LOVE!

God's greatest attributes (besides the fact that He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent), are His holiness and His love. His holiness, as seen in the moral Law, demands perfect justice, while His love demands perfect mercy. That is exactly what the Ark represents. Inside are the Ten Commandments, which serve to remind us that we deserved death. But the Law is covered by the Mercy Seat, which is sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ. The whole story of God's plan of redemption as told by the Ark of the covenant also serves as God's throne! He sits above the golden cherubim ruling and reigning in righteousness and truth, forever!

IF YOU ARE STILL UNSURE ABOUT ALL THIS, REMEMBER THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN GOD AND SATAN IN THE BOOK OF JOB?

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Thy hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse Thee to Thy face." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him. So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD. Now it happened on the day when his sons and his daughters were in their oldest brother's house, that a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." Another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you." Another came and said, "The Chaldeans made a raid, took the camels, slew the servants." Another came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking in their oldest brother's house, and a great wind came struck the house, and it fell on the young people and they died; and I alone have escaped to tell you." Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshipped.

And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God (Job 1:6-2:10). But wait, there's more . . .

Again the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause." And Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin!" Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. "However, put forth Thy hand, now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face. So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from head to foot! And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!" But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 2:3-10).

When it was all said and done God restored unto Job twice as much as he had before! In this light, James 1:2-3 makes sense: "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."

The staggering truth is that even the angels who have spent their entire existence in the presence of God are amazed at what a mortal man will do to please the God he has never seen! In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10. Can you imagine how God feels when His people praise Him in church, and pray to Him in the secret closet of prayer (i.e., when no one is looking)?

That is why Rev. 5:8 says, "And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." Obviously, our prayers are precious to God!

The church is God's chosen instrument to prove to the angels, the demons, and the world, that His love is perfect.

Look at Eph. 3:8-11: "To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly [places.] [This was] in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord."