Angelic Conflict part 103: Human history – Gen 3:20-24; 4:1-15; Rom 5:12-21; 1Co 15:22, 45-49.

Title: Angelic Conflict part 103: Human history - GEN 3:20-24; 4:1-15; ROM 5:12-21; 1CO 15:22, 45-49.

 

Results of the Fall: GEN 3:20-24.

 

GEN 3:20 Now the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.

 

The first result is in verse 20, the naming of Eve: The man called his wife’s name Eve, in Hebrew, chavah. Before the fall, she was merely called “woman” or isha; but now she is called chavah, which means “to live.” The Hebrew word for living here is chai, from the same root chayah, “to live.” The man gave her the name, and this was his first exercise of lordship over Eve after the fall, since he had the authority to name her.

 

 “Eve” [chavah] = “to live.” The fact that he called her “life” shows Adam’s faith in the promise of the Seed in verse 15.

 

We actually see from Adam’s name for Eve and Eve’s name for her first born that they believed in God’s promise of the Seed. The way of salvation has never changed.

 

The reason he called her chavah or Eve was because she was the mother of all living.

 

Even through death entered into the world through sin, God’s grace allowed for the continuation of life through the woman.

 

While their physical death was the verdict in the Adamic Covenant, the woman will provide for the continuity of life through her childbearing. The word “was” is in the perfect tense, although Eve had not yet produced. This is the common prophetic perfect, a common element in the Hebrew language. This shows that the command to populate the earth had not been withdrawn.

 

GEN 3:21 And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

 

The second result of the fall is in verse 21. These are animal skins and that requires the shedding of blood. This would have been the first observation by Adam and Eve as to what physical death means. As they saw the animal being put to death, they realized that this death would someday happen to them.

 

This is the first blood-sacrifice, an example of grace in the context of judgment. The covering of animal skis, which required the shedding of blood to give them atonement, replaced the covering of fig leaves.

 

The verse then states that He clothed them. Physically, He clothed their nakedness, but spiritually, He also covered their sin by making for them their atonement.

 

The lessons to be drawn are:

 

1) To approach God; one must have a proper covering.

 

2) The man-made covering was not acceptable.

 

 3) God Himself must provide the covering.

 

4) The proper covering required is the shedding of blood.

 

5) God’s grace provided for them, for the covering was given before the actual expulsion from the Garden.

 

A person approaches God based on the work of Christ. So the unbeliever only approaches God by faith in His person and work as Savior. The believer continues to approach God on this same basis. This is why it’s called a throne of grace. Christ’s seamless inner garment represented the word of God and both were given to man. In that word is the gospel and all the good news about the grace of God and the power of God to overcome or cover all opposition in this conflict, so that no matter how much opposition a believer faces he understands how to approach God based on grace and truth.

 

GEN 3:22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" — 

 

Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil.

 

However, while they now know good and evil experientially, they do not have the power to choose the good or to conquer the evil.

 

Man once knew only the goodness of God. Man now also knows the evil inherent in the rejection of God’s word. Therefore, their desire to be like God led to something far less than godhood.

 

The phrase “one of us” indicates plurality. One is echad, a compound oneness; of us indicates plurality. Therefore, there is both oneness and plurality mentioned in this one phrase.

 

 “one of us” - singular and plural; God is one in essence and three in person. pic

 

Then the danger of allowing the man to access the tree of life is stated. If he eats it he will live forever, physically, becoming immortal in a sinful state. This would be what Ponce de Leon was looking for and he would have found two cherubim and a flaming sword. Living forever in a sinful state would not be a prosperous life. It is necessary for the expulsion to take place.

 

GEN 3:23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.

 

Being expelled he must now begin the function of tilling the ground from which he originated.

 

And God drove him out with force.

 

GEN 3:24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.

 

First it is a geographical expulsion and secondly a spiritual one since man could no longer fellowship with the Shekinah Glory who once came walking in the Garden in the cool of the day.

 

Now they were met with two cherubim and a flaming sword that we would assume would kill them instantly if they attempted to cross it.

 

The word for “stationed” has the same root as Shekinah which was a visible manifestation of God’s presence.

 

If you recall, the Cherubim are often associated with God’s glory.

 

The flaming sword is now the manifestation of the Shekinah glory to them - fire and sword mean judgment. They are under the justice of God.

 

They are now under the justice of God. The shekinah is no longer the welcoming presence of love but a means of keeping man out of the Garden. Judgment and justice had come upon them and the Seed of the woman would take that judgment.

 

Immediately it would be animal blood sacrifice that would represent that atonement and the faith that anyone had in that future day.

 

Presumably this would remain until the flood at which time the Garden of Eden disappeared.

 

This presence - the shekinah glory between two cherubim, what does that remind us of? This is very likely the place of animal sacrifice.

 

Directly after the fall, before the entrance to the GoE God had set up a manifestation of the Shekinah glory with two cherubim on either side. Precursor to the Ark of the Covenant.

 

Besides the set up, the gate of the garden was on the east side of the Garden. By the same token, the entryway to the Tabernacle was on the east side, where the altar stood. Therefore, the gate of the doorway of the Tabernacle faced east in front of the Tabernacle and the Altar of Sacrifice. The gate of the Garden of Eden faced east, and before it, very likely the place of the sacrifice.

 

pic

 

To the one offering the sacrifice, the blood sacrifice before the flaming sword would reveal immediately after sin entered the world that blood would cover man’s sins. The two cherubim were given the privilege of looking, for angels long to see what we see, the gospel of grace, and also they would represent the foundation of God’s throne, justice and righteousness, which would be satisfied with only one sacrifice and not the blood of bulls and lambs.

 

ROM 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned — 

 

ROM 5:13 for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

 

ROM 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

 

ROM 5:15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

 

ROM 5:16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.

 

ROM 5:17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

 

ROM 5:18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.

 

ROM 5:19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

 

ROM 5:20 And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

 

ROM 5:21 that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

1.Sin entered the world through one man.

2. Death came because of sin.

3. Death spread to all humanity.

4. All sinned in Adam therefore Adam’s sin is imputed to all at birth.

 

Therefore, every person is born with an OSN, inherent sin, and Adam’s original sin, imputed sin.

 

Since Jesus was not born in the likeness of Adam He could not be imputed with Adam’s sin. Not having an earthly father means that Christ did not have inherent sin. Jesus Christ as the GodMan is the unique One of the universe. His blood, not literal blood, but work on the cross is the basis of everything that removes the curses placed upon man.

 

1CO 15:21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.

 

1CO 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.

 

1CO 15:45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

 

1CO 15:46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.

 

1CO 15:47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.

 

1CO 15:48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.

 

1CO 15:49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

 

Principles:

 

There is a different order:

1.The order of Adam was natural or physical; whereas, the order of the Messiah is spiritual.

 

The natural and physical are cursed so it is a chaotic order or a disordered order.

 

There is a different origin:

2. The origin of the first Adam was the earth, earthly; the last Adam was of heaven, heavenly.

 

The earth groans under the curse and back to the dust goes the first Adam, however, the heavenly is blessed and eternal.

 

There are different followers:

3. The followers of Adam are earthly; the followers of Christ are heavenly.

 

The followers become more and more like what they follow. As the Bible says, “the student will become like his teacher.”

 

1JO 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

 

1JO 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.

 

There is a different image:

4. Just as the believer bore the image of the earthly man Adam; he will also bear the image of the spiritual man, Christ.

 

An image is a likeness or representation. Through Christ we bare the likeness of spirituality more than we do earthly as He increases in our lives and we decrease by continued accumulation of His word. Every doctrine fits together like a symphony of seamless beauty in which the earthly fades and the spiritual shines so brightly that it’s most of what we see and what we pursue.

 

COL 3:1 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

 

COL 3:2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

 

COL 3:3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

 

COL 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.