The Fall of Man

The Fall of Man

So, we have a smashed and trashed heavens and earth, God puts it all back together again, and everything is wonderful. Adam and Eve are living in paradise, it is all sunshine and laughter, birds twittering away and happy days. Okay, what happened?

Without understanding the differences between body, soul, and spirit, nothing in the bible will ever make much sense so we will look at that now. Thessalonians weaves these three parts together, and tells us they make up the whole man.

1 Thessalonians 5:23
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If something is whole, then there is nothing missing. If something is missing, then it is not whole. Body, soul and spirit make up a whole man. If man were missing any of these three parts, he would not be whole. Now, are body, soul and spirit synonymous? Do they mean the same thing? No, they do not. Apples are not oranges, monkeys are not cows, bodies are not souls. Easy to understand? Of course it is. Now use that same logic regarding soul and spirit - they are not the same thing. Consider this from Isaiah:

Isaiah 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

With reference to man, God says in Isaiah that he created man, he formed him, and he made him. Formed, made, and created are all translated from different Hebrew words. Are these words synonymous? Not if language has any rules. These words do not mean the same thing. God uses these words in Isaiah with accuracy and precision.

Formed is the Hebrew word yatsar, which means to fashion. This word is used in the bible to describe how a potter fashions or forms a pot from a lump of clay.

Made is the Hebrew word asah, which is a very general term for to do or to make. You make dinner, you do your work, you make a noise - that's this very general word, asah, to do or to make something.

Created is the Hebrew word barah, which means to bring into existence something that does not exist in any state or form. Contrary to most dictionaries, man has never created anything. Man can invent, fashion, produce, and manufacture all sorts of things, but only God can create, only God can bring into existence something that does not exist in any state or form.

Everyone can easily understand that body is not soul, but spirit is not soul either, and it is this confusion regarding soul and spirit which has muddied the clarity of God's word in the holy spirit field. Which part of man was formed? Which part of man was made? Which part of man was created? Let's deal with the easy option first:

Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed [yatsar] man of the dust of the ground . . .

Formed is our Hebrew word yatsar. Which part of man did God form? The body, obviously. The dust of the earth refers to everything in our bodies. We all developed from ingredients that originated from the earth, the dust of the ground. Our bodies do not just magic out of nothing, they come from the earth.

The same is true of the plant kingdom. If you plant a tree in a bucket of earth, when the tree is grown, the bucket still has the same amount of earth in it. So where did the tree come from? It came from water in the ground and carbon in the atmosphere. Water and carbon dioxide are broken down through photosynthesis into oxygen and carbohydrates. It all comes from the earth. When we were developing in the womb, what did our bodies grow from? From the food our mothers ate which came from the earth. Therefore, biblically, we can tie formed and body together. Now what about soul?

Genesis 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 [asah - was made] a living soul.

Living soul in Hebrew is nephesh chai, nephesh being the word for soul, chai the word for life. It was in breathing that man became, or was made, asah, a living soul. Our soul is who we are - our character, our emotions, our heart, our ambitions, our inner being, that which is housed within our bodies, that which gives life to our bodies. Again, this isn't so hard to understand. It is in breathing that we have soul, and it is in breathing, in having soul, that our bodies have life. When we eat, nutrients are transported around our bodies in our blood streams to the cells where they are needed. As we breathe, our blood circulates and gives life to our bodies. It's beautiful how they work together. Without breath, we have no life, no soul.

Now, what about spirit?

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.

Created is the Hebrew word barah, to bring into existence something which does not exist in any state or form. To see the astonishing accuracy of God's word regarding these words, check out the usage of create in verse 21 regarding soul.

Genesis 1:21
And God created [barah] great whales, and every living creature [nephesh - soul] that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

It says God created every living creature [nephesh - soul] in the seas, like whales and dolphins. Why did the translators not translate nephesh as soul here instead of creature? I don't know, but the point is, soul life did not exist anywhere in the universe at this time, so God had to create it out of nothing. If it existed, God would not have had to create it. Therefore, we can safely conclude that at the time of Adam and Eve, just a few thousand years ago, there was no breath life anywhere in the universe. In other words, less than 10,000 years ago there were no breathing aliens on any planets, in any solar system, in any galaxy anywhere. Soul life, breath life, just did not exist. If it did, God would not have had to create it in Genesis. When God breathed soul life into man later, soul life already existed in animals, which is why he did not have to create it again. Soul life already existed, so he just had to make it, to do it, and that is what he did and man became or was made, asah, a living soul, nephesh chai. The bible is astonishingly accurate and precise in its usage of words. Now for spirit.

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.

What is God's image? Well, he does not have a body and soul like us, that's for sure. And another thing, we don't have to guess either, God's word tells us. 

John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

God is spirit. That is what he is, that is his image. So what part of man did God create? Body? No, that was formed. Soul? No, that was made. Spirit? Yes! God's image is spirit, and man was created in God's image. God has neither body nor soul, so it was spirit that God created at this point. Man was now a three part being - body, soul, and spirit, he was a whole man. This basic understanding of what man was made of is rather important, as we shall see.

God formed, made, and created Adam, he was a three-part being of body, soul, and spirit. He lived in perfect harmony with God in a perfect world. Man was given dominion over the earth. Man was Lord of the earth as God intended him to be.

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Although man was the Lord of the Earth, a position bestowed on him by God, there were conditions to his continuing in that position of authority.

Genesis 2:16,17
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

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.

The knowledge of good and evil here is better understood from the Greek word translated knowledge from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the old testament. It is from the Greek word ginōskō, which means to know experientially, to know by experience. Man had no experiential knowledge of the difference between good and evil. However, that does not mean man was ignorant of evil. Quite the contrary, Adam and Eve were fully instructed on what was good and what was evil. Genesis 2:16 and 17 clearly document that God instructed Adam and his wife not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were educated in what was right and what was wrong. They were also fully conscious of the consequences for disobedience. They knew the word, they were fully educated in that category of life.

To eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, in this context, was to do evil, to experience it. It is one thing to know what evil is because you have been taught about it, and quite another to know what it is because you have done it. At this point, Adam and Eve had not done anything wrong, they had not committed any evil, and, therefore, had no concept of guilt or any of the other consequences that result from it. To them, evil was something on the other side of the fence, something they knew existed, but it was not something they had ever experienced. That was all about to change.

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

The serpent is a figurative reference to the devil, who has many names and titles, such as satan and the god of this world. Why has he many names and titles? Well, I also have many names and titles. For example, I have my family name. To my parents I am a son. I am also an author and photographer. These names and titles describe specific aspects of my life. I may be a son, but I am not a son to anyone but my parents. That particular title describes a specific relationship between my parents and me, no one else. Similarly, all the names and titles of the devil describe differing aspects and functions in how he operates and relates to others.

Here in Genesis, the devil is referred to as the serpent, which is a term emphasising his extraordinary craftiness and seductive slyness. Note that the word also tells us that he was more subtle than any beast of the field which God had made. That includes Gabriel, Michael and the rest of the angels. The only way we can live safe from the devil is to put all our trust in God. Adam and Eve were taught the word and they knew the consequences for disobedience. Once we know the word, we are to live it if we are to live lives which are more than abundant with God's hedge of protection around us.

The serpent uses cunning and stealth to lure us away from God's protection, hiding his devices within that which looks appealing, like hooks within bait. Bait is real food. The devil offers real food, but it has hooks stuck in it designed to take your life. For example, emotions make excellent bait. There is nothing wrong with emotion, but the devil can certainly stick hooks in them to catch you.

The way of life, the way of holiness, God's way on earth, can be likened to a river.

Psalm 46:4,5 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

Psalm 36:7,8 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

Psalm 65:9
Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.

The river of God teems with abundance, and is fresh and alive. However, it flows through the spiritual wilderness of the world, and the devil stalks its banks armed with a dazzling array of baits and lures, seeking whom he may catch and devour. The word makes us wise, and teaches us how to recognise the devil's methods. Adam and Eve had been taught all this, very clearly and succinctly. They were taught the word.

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

The devil first approached Eve with a question. This is remarkable and gives us information on how the enemy operates. Any general in any army knows how valuable good intelligence is. The devil instils questions and doubts regarding the word we have been taught. Fascinating stuff. The devil knew Eve had been taught the word, and he approached her with what appeared to be an appealing question regarding it. He probed her defences. If we are not clear on the word, these approaches soon grow into far more serious problems.

Genesis 3:2
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

Wait a minute! Is that what God said?

Genesis 2:16
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Eve quoted her scripture retemory, but unfortunately she wasn't accurate. She omitted the word freely. If we omit a word from the word, do we have the word left? No, we do not. What we have is private interpretation. Eve thought she knew the word, but she was wrong. When it comes to rightly dividing God's word, it is imperative that we take great care with every word or we will have nothing but problems. Eve continued:

Genesis 3:3 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.

Wait a minute! Is that what God said?

Genesis 2:17
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.

God said nothing about not touching the tree. Quite the contrary:

Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

God told man to dress and to keep the garden, and you cannot dress and keep gardens unless you touch the things growing in them. Not only did Eve omit a word from the word, now she has added words to the word. Eve thinks she knows the word, but she is hazy on the details. What we think the word says is of little value unless we are accurate on the details.

Eve finished with lest ye die. God said thou shalt surely die. Eve turned an absolute into a possibility. She omitted a word, added words, and finally changed the word. Eve was sincere, but sincerity is no guarantee of anything. Now watch what happens.

Genesis 3:4
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

The devil lied and contradicted God's word. That is his nature. He is the antithesis of everything the true God is. God is light, the devil is darkness. God tells us the truth through his word, the devil is a liar. God provides a more abundant life, the devil steals, kills, and destroys.

God told Adam and Eve they would surely die, while the devil told Eve she would not surely die. Whose words are you going to believe? The words of God or the words of the devil? If Eve had the slightest inkling of what was in the devil's heart, she would not have been having that conversation. She was seduced by the approach, the gentle, appealing nature of the words, and the manner in which they were presented. The devil has an extensive library of seductive arguments. Just look at this one.

Genesis 3:5
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.

To be as gods? Knowing what the gods know? Secret knowledge from the gods? That's some bait. Eve swallowed it, and her husband went right along with her.

Genesis 3:6 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.

The consequences for man's disobedience were catastrophic. Man died, that very day, just as God had warned them. At first glance, Genesis 5:5 would appear to contradict this, but this is entirely due to misunderstanding body, soul, and spirit.

Genesis 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

God said that on the day, that very day, they would surely die.

Genesis 2:17
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.

Why did Adam live so long then? Is this a contradiction? Some say so, but there is no contradiction. Man was a three part being of body, soul, and spirit. Which part of man died that day? Not his body or soul, that's for sure. So which part died? Man died spiritually, he lost his spirit, he lost his connection with God. With only body and soul, man became no better than an animal. He was no longer whole. That wasn't the only consequence either. Man lost his job, and the earth found itself under new management, under a new lord. It was at this point that the devil became the god of this world.

Interestingly, there are only two records in the bible where the devil confronted human beings personally face to face. Eve was one, Jesus Christ was the other. We have seen how the devil took Eve down because she didn't keep the word clear in her mind. Let's see how Jesus Christ fared.

Luke 4:1-3 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

Do you remember how the devil first approached Eve? That's right, he tried to instil a doubt in her mind regarding what the word said. Here he goes again, using the same tactic thousands of years later, only this time he is trying it with Jesus Christ. If thou be the Son of God!

Luke 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

His approach was designed to instil questions regarding the word and who Jesus Christ was as the son of God. In that regards it mirrored the approach made to Eve. Jesus Christ was the son of God. The devil approached with an arrogant if you are the son of God. However, unlike Eve, Jesus Christ had a clear, precise, and accurate understanding of the scriptures. He knew who he was.

There is a pattern here and much we can learn from it. If the devil feels this method of attack so effective that he would employ it with both Eve and Jesus Christ, do you think he might perhaps try it on us? Of course he does. For example, do we always feel worthy to stand before God? If not, why not? The word says we are holy and without blame before him in love, and that we are lovely and acceptable. That is what the word says. Do we hold onto that when the world attempts to make us feel less than worthy? Or do we cave in to the seductive sweet empty words of the world? The word in our minds is constantly under attack from the world. Jesus Christ wasn't fooled though.

Luke 4:4
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Jesus Christ responded by quoting a short scripture, which isn't a particularly difficult scripture to memorise. In fact, it would only take a few seconds to learn by heart. However, consider that Jesus Christ did not know beforehand how the devil was going to approach him. He could have been approached in any one of a thousand different ways, so his having the right scripture memorised for that particular attack implies that his depth of knowledge of the scriptures was astonishing. That he had the right scripture in his mind, and could select it to counter the attack without having to run home for his bible and his concordance is testament to the fact that he studied the scriptures and memorised them to the point he had made the word his own. The more we understand this, the more we will understand the importance of the renewed mind, and the more we will comprehend what it takes to stand against the spiritual darkness of this world and prevail.

Also note Jesus Christ's respect for Lucifer. He didn't bad mouth him, he didn't tell him to fuck off, he didn't strut around him beating his chest and bragging about who he was as God's son. Jesus Christ knew who the devil was and held him in utmost respect, putting all his trust in God to keep him protected. That's a good example to follow. We must never get too big for our boots when dealing with devil spirits. We always put our trust in God and his word.

Luke 4:5-8
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Jesus Christ again had the right scripture at the right time to defeat this second attack, and again it is one short scripture that is easy to memorise. Look at the depth of his knowledge to be able to have in his mind the right scripture at the point of attack so he could use it. Unlike Eve, he did not add words, omit words, or change words, he quoted scripture accurately and precisely. The spoken word is powerful.

Eve's retemory verses were not very difficult. She could have kept the word in her mind if she had wanted to. She had become hazy on the details because she obviously did not keep her mind clearly in the word. Whenever man loses the word, he loses everything.

By the way, you would not believe how much pertinent and relevant 21st Century truth is documented here. The devil offered Jesus Christ the glory of the world with all its power, or in other words, he offered him the presidency of a one world government. The devil was the power behind the governments and kingdoms of Christ's time, and to whomsoever he willed, he gave it. Do you think then that perhaps it is feasible that the powers behind one world governance in the 21st Century could be from the same source?

You know, Jesus Christ's response is amazing. He did not scoff at the devil or laugh at his claim. He knew the devil was telling the truth - he does have control of the systems of the world. Jesus Christ did not argue the point. In Genesis, Adam and Eve were given dominion of the earth.

Genesis 1:27,28
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Here in Luke, the devil told Jesus that all that authority, that dominion over the earth, had been delivered, or handed to him. That's exactly what happened back in Genesis when man fell.

Luke 4:6
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

The devil tricked Adam and Eve out of what was theirs and took it from them. Adam and Eve gave that authority to the devil when they disobeyed God. In Genesis, man had the authority and dominion of the world - he was Lord of the earth - but when man fell, that authority was transferred to the devil. In this regards it is interesting to note that the bible talks of two gods - the true God, the Creator, and another god, the god of this world.

2 Corinthians 4:3,4
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Any guesses who the god of this world is? That's right, the devil. He became the god of this world when man fell, when the world was delivered to him. Man had been the Lord of the earth, and when man lost everything, the devil took control. That is who runs the world today, that is who the god of this world is.

Jesus Christ recognised this, but he was not seduced by it. Think about it. It isn't everyday you are offered the presidency of a one world government. Rather than dream about palaces, fleets of Mercedes chariots, and pretty girls pandering to his every whim as be pranced around the world as its leader, Jesus Christ went to the scriptures and rejected that paltry bribe. Jesus Christ turned down the same bribe that turns men like Al Gore, Tony Blair, and Bill Clinton into traitors, men who sell out their own countries and their own countrymen for promises of power and authority in the new world order. Men like them see themselves as that president of a one world government, and they sell us out in their lust for it. Thankfully, Jesus Christ turned it down. The devil was not quite finished yet though.

Luke 4:9-11
And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:

For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:

And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Wow, look at this! The devil quoted scripture at Jesus Christ. Accurate scripture too. It's from Psalms.

Psalm 91:11,12 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

The devil knows the bible inside out. He has the whole thing memorised from start to finish. Every word. The only problem is, when he quotes it, it is out of context, and it is used to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Oh yes, the bible can be used to steal from people, kill them, and destroy them. Happens in churches all the time. Jesus Christ wasn't taken in by this deception. The bible does indeed say that God will protect our backs, that he is our protection, that is true.

Mark 16:18
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

There is a record in the book of Acts that illustrates this point, when a deadly snake bit the apostle Paul.

Acts 28:3-6 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

Psalm 91 and Mark 16:18 are true. However, the key to understanding the subtle slyness and seductive nature of this temptation is the word if. Mark 16:18 uses if in the context of if it is accidental. We don't dash our feet against stones deliberately, do we? Paul did not see the snake coming, did he? He didn't stick his hand out there and deliberately let the snake bite him just to see if the word was true, did he? That would be like jumping off a cliff (or the pinnacle of a temple) to see if God will protect you when you hit the bottom. No, he will not. If you are going to be that stupid, you are not going to live for very long. If you accidentally stumble, yes, God can be there for you, but not if you are going to deliberately harm yourself just to see if he is going to save you. That would be tempting God. Again, Jesus Christ was not deceived, and he had the right scripture to counter the attack.

Luke 4:12,13
And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

During this intense face-to-face confrontation, three short memorised scriptures were sufficient for Jesus Christ to defeat the devil. The word really is that powerful. The only thing that can defeat the devil is the power of God through his word. If we have the word and apply it, we will live powerful and abundant lives. Eve went down and man lost everything because she did not keep the word clear in her mind. Consequently, man fell and the devil became the god of this world. Thankfully, that is not the end of the story.

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