Hello everyone, Had an interesting question asked at our men's Bible group. " Our we sinners because we sin, or do we sin because where're sinners". Would like to hear your comments based from the Bible . Thank you
MountHoreb Response to Leoj:
When reading the bible, A Sinner is someone who has a leaning or urge to go against the will of Jehovah God ( Psalm 83:18)
God Saids one thing; a Sinner is inclined to go the other way. we have an example at Genesis 3
Point: Romans 5:12-15
There is Hope: John 3:16,17; 1 Timothy 1:8-10; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; John 17:3
Jehovah ( psalm 83:18) is not looking for perfection. he is like a father and we are like his Children prone to mistakes.
our father is looking for us to tell him the truth, to be humble, to cry to him and repent especially if it's something that
is to difficult to handle on our own. as sinners we need the spirit of God in order to have self-control in all things. This is why Jesus said what he said at Matthew 6:9-12; 1 Peter 5:6-11
There are details about the heavenly city appearing on earth such as in Psalm 48. This shows the fear of the kings of the earth; and would represent a Millennium event. In earlier posts I have discussed how we will rule much like David under Christ who will be the supreme authority during the 1000 year reign. There are other verses about the earth and its peoples which could encompass promises of either the Millennium or eternal Kingdom.
I have said before that the eternal nature of the earth seems to be proven by several verses and I had thought that was true about the sun and moon but Psalm 72 seems to indicate otherwise. It would seem to show the end of it at the end of the Millennium; no doubt part of the catastrophic destruction at the time. Ecclesiastes 1:4 and several other verses seem to indicate that the earth in some form remains forever. As to exactly how the new universe will be; or if anything exists other than heaven and a new earth is rather mysterious; however. It is very frightening to think of the lake of fire as being what happens when the elements (or atoms) are dissolved in 2 Peter 3:10; perhaps the lost are in an eternal body that is reduced to some strange broken down elemental state. Revelation 22:15 seems to indicate they are just outside the gate. Somehow it would seem that they are infinitely far away from the saints at that time; however as there will be no more crying on our part as Revelation 21:4 shows.
These changes no doubt will cause the sea to vaporize; hence no more sea ( Rev. 21:1). All in the sea will die in the Tribulation anyway (except that brought to life in the Dead Sea); see Revelation 16:3; and Ezekiel 47:10 with surrounding verses on that context. Again in heaven we shall behold Him and see His marks as Thomas did; the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 had eternal ramifications. We ever shall be reminded of what He did for us.
If we go back to Eve. she gave birth ( Genesis 1:27,28;4:1,2;5:25). some of these offspring's died by means of old age,
Genesis 3:19; Genesis 6:3, violance or destroyed by the flood ( Genesis 6:5-7,11-13;17). Only Noah his wife, Shem, Ham, and Japheth their 3 wives survived. that means only eight people survived out of Adams and eve's children and grand children.
The point! not all of Noah's children listened to God. They followed Satan the devil and his lies Genesis 3. when you read about the Canaanites ( Genesis 13:7; Leviticus 18:1-5) this bad nation came through Ham descendance ( Genesis 10:6). or Ammorites, some Noah's descendance created a nation by their family name Genesis 11. When Jehovah ( psalm 83:18) confused their language they all spread out and became nations of people like you see today.
to the point: Abraham was a righteous man who lived in Canaan. but one of God's angels told him to leave Canaan then became a father to a nation of Israel ( Genesis 17:1-8). God name Jacob Israel ( Genesis 32:28). this is how a Nation of Isreal came about. Canaan land later became Jerusalem belonging to Israel the Jews.
However, Israel repeatedly sinned by worshiping other gods. even Solomon the last king worshiped false Gods ( Nehemiah 13:23-27) Jesus turned to the Gentiles which means nation who will believe ( John 3:16,17).
However, their are some Israelites who did believe, but most rejected Jesus.- Acts 1:6-8; Matthew 24:14; 2 Timothy 3:13-17
It's a lot of info. but I hope the bible answered your question HOW A NATION BECAME A INDEPENDANT NATION
Questions as to why specific writings became 'apocrypha' and subsequently removed from the original KJV is simply that content therein cemented the foundation of the word giving greater understanding. A time for everything and everything has a time.
You are replying to a comment by "Charlie Slaves"
If you read from Genesis to Revelation their is a common theme. The Promise seed Genesis 3:15, Israel Gods chosen people , The coming one the messiah, Israel's disobedience and captivity, Jehovah ( Psalm 83:18) mercy and delivering his people from captivity because they repented. Even the book of Ruth played a part in the symbolic descendant role in the promise seed
Matthew 1:5.
How does the book of Esther add up? this book talks about Jews being in Shushan. The Jews were always in captivity by their enemies for their deliberate disobedience to Jehovah- Nehemiah 13:23-31; Esther 2:6 (Exile). Esther didn't have a choice; she was in exile or in captivity as while and taken to the kings house- Esther 2:8. Jehovah god blessed this situation because they relied on him when Haman tried to scheme or plot to destroy all the Jews Esther 3:5-15. This book is accurate because it matches the other books regarding Jews being in captivity or exile.
When you read the apocrypha does it match the bibles overall theme? does this puzzle pieces match?
JRay, Suffering is not normal. when Jehovah ( psalm 83:18) created the earth,
his motives was for man and woman to take care of the earth. to enjoy his
creation, to take care of the animals. to enjoy the richness that the earth provided.
he created the ground to give in abundance, so that poverty was impossible. God
started the earth in the garden of Eden. Jehovah and the heavens was his the main
authority to mankind according to Genesis 1,2. there were no kings, rulers in the beginning.
But this happened to mankind: Genesis 3; Genesis 6; Genesis 19; Job 1,2; Luke 4:1-13
it just getting worse and worse. 2Timothy 3:1-7
It's a heavenly war, and a invisible war ( Revelation 12:7-13) we humans may not understand but God has revealed it to us in human terms. although the innocent are dying because of 1 John 5:19. WE KEEP THE HOPE AS GOD WANTS US TO: Romans 15:4-6; Revelation 21:3-5
We continue in the hope. Job 14:14
IF YOU READ ALL THESE SCRIPTURES YOU WILL SEE WHY MANKIND ARE SUFFERING.
Getting back to the Great Commission; the examples in Acts are things which we will not experience unless we are out there sharing our faith. It is hard to imagine today a Phillipians 1:15 situation where there is envy for those who are "turning the world upside down" ( Acts 17:6). At least in the USA it seems the impact is minimal; and probably largely due to a fear of persecution.
Prayers such as freed Peter in Acts 12; as well as Paul's release in Acts 16:25-28 are sorely needed today; of course that involves remembering missionaries and those in bonds today ( Hebrews 13:3 which certainly sounds like something Paul would have authored).
Prayer can err on both being presumptuous as to God answering things a certain way or not being boldly presenting our petitions to His throne ( Heb. 4:16). Yes; there are times when we contend with God; such as when I would guess happened when James was killed with the sword in Acts. We shouldn't use Esau's example of praying with tears as an excuse not to have heartfelt prayer; he was only concerned with the results of his sin. Sadly; I have seen very few times when tears flow because of grief and loss; I'm sure a lot of us myself included would be greatly edified by more tears of repentance realizing how great the Father's love is for us. Therefore; praise and adulation of the Lord and His Holiness; as well as our own sad state in comparison should be something starting church services and other gatherings as a routine practice. As my friend in Pittsburgh stated a couple years back when he started early morning prayers; he was "desperate for prayer". Something needed by more believers today.
Along with knowing when to act is also knowing when to wait on the Lord. Patience is a virtue I surely need more of but it is something commonplace in those possessing mature faith and good fruit in their walk. Wrestling with God all night in prayer is also commendable like in Genesis 32:22-32
My understanding is, the woman in Revelation 12 is Israel, Genesis 37:9. The woman brought forth a man child who was to rule all nations, this is Jesus, Rev. 2:27Rev. 19:15. Jesus will return to Israel, Zech. 14:4Isaiah 11:11-12Jeremiah 23:3-8Ezekiel 37:21-25Rev. 14:1.
Please do not take offense, Robert Breaker is interesting but like I said before some of the things do not line up. Like the Rabbi says 10 jubilees until the Messiah comes and that is calculated to the year 2017. How can that be a sign of what Trump did by moving our embassy to Jerusalem?
My understanding of what John saw in Revelation 12, was the woman, a dragon, and a war in heaven. The woman is Israel who brought forth Jesus, Jesus ascended back to heaven and is on the right side of the Father on the throne, this was almost 2000 years ago. The dragon is Satan, and the war that Satan and his angels are cast down out of heaven to earth and no more place in heaven for them, this is in our future, this will happen when the fulness of the Gentiles become in Romans 11:25.
So, if part of Revelation 12 is in our past, the way Breaker used the images in Rev. 12 to me does not fit. I hope this makes sense and is not offensive. You may have received good information from his video that helps your study.
Now look at the chronological order here in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8."For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
"AND THEN SHALL THAT WICKED BE REVEALED", whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
This is the Holyspirit being removed and "then" the Antichrist shall be revealed!
The Holyspirit dwells in the body of believers unlike the way He worked and moved under the old covenant.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 and
Hebrews 10:16.
Mathew 28:18-20 says something interesting that we can tie into 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8.
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, BAPTIZING THEM in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I AM WITH YOU ALWAY, EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD. Amen.
a) We're put into the body of believers "IDENTIFIED" With Christ.
Satan has ministers amongst us but Satan has no power over the Church!
Genesis 3:15. ( We are baptized into him that will bruise Satan's head.)
1 John 4:4. ( We have already overcome what's coming upon the world!)
Matthew 16:18. ( Gates in scripture is always used as defense. So who's on the offence and overcomes? The Church!! )
b) "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen"
WE ARE BAPTIZED IN CHRIST AND HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US.
Unlike Judaism the Church is not looking for their Messiah. .
We have him with and in us!!
The deception performed by the Antichrist is one coming as their Messiah, and he will deceive many!!
That can't happen while the Church is in the world.
I read Richard Priday's post quite simply as 'angels are not to be worshipped'; this he stated at the first. And he goes on to state that God, in the past, has used angels to carry out His requirements. We see this at Mt. Sinai, at Sodom, at Jacob's encounter with the Angel, in the Revelation given to John, & other places. Richard of course, mentioned these theophanies (an appearance of God, or a perceived appearance of God, to man); Genesis 32:24-30 being a good example of this, when Jacob exclaimed, "I have seen God face to face". Of course, it was God's Angel that Jacob saw & wrestled with, but his encounter with this Being & the blessing he received (which may have been extensive & with accompanying Glory), brought him as close to God on Earth as humanly possible. That of course was in the OT days. Those "in Christ" now, have God, by His Holy Spirit, residing in our being 24/7.
And Richard's last sentence, "Such things would not be done by saints of God with created beings", I read it as a summary of his belief that such encounters, as we read in the Bible, can only be had with God & His angelic messengers, not with sinful man. So the belief is still strong: angels are not to be worshipped, but when God sent His angelic messenges, due reverence must be given to God alone, receiving the message or act from His angel as it were from God Himself. I hope I remained true to Richard's comment & this has helped you to come to grips with it.
Habakkuk 3:3, it is a prayer, proclaiming GOD's power. It appears to me that he is saying by evidence of GOD moving through Teman. As Judgement references Jeremiah 49:20, Ezekiel 25:13, Amos 1:12, Obediah 1, notice Genesis 36:15Jeremiah 49:7, Edom named Esau same person, Teman was in his lineage.
Notice also when examining Habakkuk 3:3, tap scripture then scroll down, you'll see the word used fof GOD is (elowah) it's same word used in Daniel 11:38, Deuteronomy 32:17, Habakkuk 1:1, seemingly significant as different than uses in the rest of scripture, as names of GOD.
I believe it's used like that here in Genesis 6:9-10 also.
"These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth."
Also here in Genesis 36.
Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.
Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;
AND THIS GROUP IF PEOPLE GOES ON UNTIL YOU GET TO
Genesis 36:9 and it gives a list of those of Esau in mount Seir.
"And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir:"
Genesis 2:15,16,17, Genesis 3:1-6, skipping parts Genesis 3:14,15, between the seed of Serpent - Revelation 20:2,
John 8:34, 1John 3, Romans 5, John 3:16-21, James 1:5, Proverbs 8:17,
Example, simple Salvation "GOD save me" many times in life threatening situations, & many times HE has. Psalms 18:3, Psalms 107:13, Psalms 44:7, Luke 18:42, Psalms 34:6,
Matthew 10:22, Hebrews 2, Matthew 24, Mark 13, Psalms 139,
Hi Gizzmoo. When we see the word 'God', in Hebrew it is 'Elohim'. And this is a non-specific word, which applies generally to God ( Genesis 1:1), gods ( Genesis 35:2) & judges ( Exodus 21:6). But when the word 'LORD' is written, then it becomes a specific word, meaning 'Yahweh' (the Self-existent, Eternal God); and this is His Name, as was revealed to Moses ( Exodus 3:13-15).
When we see God's Name expressed differently (as well as several other names of God that reflect God's Person & Work), we can understand that the author of the Book, by the inspiration of God's Spirit, has chosen to name the God of Heaven (Elohim) and/or the God Who is the unchangeable & eternal One (Yahweh). Either way, it leaves us no doubt Who God is that the Bible speaks of & when 'elohim' is used in its other applications, we should understand those meanings as well & not confuse them with the True God.
As far as your second question, do you mean that as it is written, God "breathed into his (Adam's) nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" ( Genesis 2:7) but it is not written the same about animals, therefore where did they get the ability to breathe ( Genesis 1:20-25)? I suppose, the same could be said about the description of man & woman's creation in that chapter ( Genesis 1:26,27), that here also it hasn't been written that they received breath. So, I would say that it is understood that all living creatures did begin to breathe (whether sea, land or air animals), even as a greater description of man's creation is given in chapter 2 of him getting the 'Breath of God'.
The final example is the lack of belief in fundamental tenets such as Creation (sadly found in some Bible believing churches with certain members). There is also those who have other Christ's that will inevitably end up changing who He is by some image; or imaginary "escape" of His crucifixion; or putting Him into the category of "ascended Master"; etc. Hebrews 9:27 slays the pundits of "reincarnation". Man is destined to die once and face the judgment (also eliminates "purgatory").
Then there is the example as in Genesis 3 "did God really say this?" There are plenty of source materials explaining the accuracy of the original writings in the Bible by the priests; how they would discard things even one LETTER off from the text of a scroll of an entire manuscript; etc. This is not a posting on apologetics; but on rightly dividing the Word.
Going back to 2 Timothy 3:16 we see the "God breathed" aspect of ALL of the Word followed as stated before as being suitable for all things needed in our walk (loosely translated). That being said; IF a truth is found (for instance to an event in the intertestamental period) then we can accurately put together the puzzle (for example the many prophecies in Daniel 11). If there is a moral statement in other writings; no doubt the essence comes from the Holy Scripture as to any true wisdom found. Such is the case admittedly in most major religious writings along with the error; we need to be careful of course determining these things. We can't play the game of some who want to detach from the Old Testament (I won't mention the name again) in order to focus just on Christ and the Resurrection in the N.T. All scripture fits together as glove; as a web of knowledge. We must all seek to be careful that we are reading with "spiritual eyes" these immortal truths of the Living Word of God. There is no "perfect translation" but the picture is clear enough for all to see; and the original text true.
Hello Murlon. According to the narrative on Laban in Genesis 31, it appears that he did practise idolatry, even as Terah, Abraham & Nachor also did ( Joshua 24:2). They lived in Ur of the Chaldees (now modern Iraq). In spite of their idolatrous ways & ignorance of the true God, God did reveal Himself to Abraham & called him to serve Him alone & be the father of many nations.
As also with Laban, who continued to practise idolatry, but was now accepting of this God who he was hearing about from Abraham's servant (likely Eliezer of Damascus), in his earlier encounter with him concerning Isaac ( Genesis 24:50,51). Whether Laban ultimately rejected his gods for the true God, we cannot say as the Bible doesn't indicate that; but in spite of him using divination ( Genesis 30:27, KJV: "experience" = 'nachash', or signs, divination), he acknowledged that Abraham's God had blessed him. He might have even added an image of God to his other gods, but hopefully in time & by revelation, he would have rejected his false gods.
Syncretism in religion (i.e. merging together of different beliefs & practises), is never an acceptable thing, even as practised today amongst so-called Christians, because God requires a true worship of Him, and Him alone. Abraham, by God's Call & revelation of Himself to him, would have learned to reject any other god or form of worship & to serve the True & Living God. Thus he was greatly blessed.
Sybilr, great comment. Yes God created us male and female to be coupled together. The woman as a helpmeet as you have said and to reproduce and replenish the Earth.
Genesis 3:16
"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
Our identity in Christ: Male and Female roles; and eternal rewards.
We are told in 1 Timothy 2:9 to the end of the chapter the role of women; and the explanation thereof. The reasoning given is that man was created first; and also Eve was the one who was deceived (and was the first to sin) as an explanation. This is somewhat explained in the result of the fall ( Genesis 3:16) where man would rule over woman but the "desire" would be for the husband. Others have interpreted that as an urge to take control and usurp that authority. Perhaps it means both depending on the submissiveness or lack thereof of the woman.
The further detail here as to who was first created and first sinned adds a somewhat perplexing additional detail here. It would appear that the resulting punishment after the fall was to be contrasted with the original state of man and woman or it wouldn't be mentioned in Genesis as something different. It seems that the continuing status specifically in the church is not only the result of the fall and consequences but because of the original order of the creation and fall involving Adam first; then Eve. I may not have the best answer here as to how it effects church roles. First of all it appears that all animals were named; and they were to be along with the garden something Adam had authority over and care for. This was part of the rulership given to Adam. There may have been other things as well we are not aware of. The fact that Eve was deceived and the first to sin doesn't leave Adam any more innocent. In fact; his deliberate disobedience of God was a sin compounded by the fact that he should have been concerned about what happened to Eve. He deliberately sinned in listening to her voice which in some ways is worse than being deceived; albeit may not have thought about it that way.
NOnetheless in Christ ultimately there is no male or female ( Gal. 3:28) in Christ; and that relates to cultural and racial barriers as well.
A brief point to this is that God uses Satan for His purposes (as stated in my recent posts). God has allowed this usurper to complete his purposes for the redemption of man ( Genesis 3) to the crucifixion and betrayal of Christ based on prophecies of Judas in Psalm 109; etc. God has to have an instrument to do these evil things as He himself cannot sin. Christ had to take on our sins as the innocent lamb after a sinless life of obedience. Thus; He CANNOT do otherwise; no other meethod than belief in the Son of God and no other work will atone for our sins; thus in creation there is no way we can "save ourselves."
ALL of these things bring glory to God; and He is praised forever. In eternity; of course we will begin to live as we were designed to in a sinless state learning evermore from God and enjoying the splendors of heaven.
Sin therefore for God's elect is never "stronger" as it were than God's mercy and forgiveness. There are simply two realities; one for those saved and one for the lost. It appears as the wheat and tares there is no difference as we all live in the world but are not OF it.
As always; I feel remiss if I don't make an extremely strong push here towards conveying jut how real the enemy is and his stranglehold over this world. But as with the way we approach God; the book of Jude makes it clear we dare not make a "railing accusation" ( Jude 1:9). We appeal to the Lord or we stand vulnerable to being squashed like a bug.
Understanding how sin; and evil men facilitate God's plans are beyond our understanding; nonetheless Pilate put up the INRI on the cross stating who Christ was (King of the Jews). The Lord has the last laugh (and as I stated before is the only one in destruction of the wicked to be able to do that without sinning).
Again probably this brings more questions. I hope you get some joy as 2023 comes in.
Beloved Linda on Genesis 3 all is clean the Lord has cleansed all. Here in Acts 11:1-18
If we change God's word one small sentence and do not get light on the word with the Holy Spirit. Will everything we create becomes confusion. You see today, many issues come up about food. Which is not Divine at all. The apostles did not understand this either when they made a new rule here: The meeting of the Apostles in Jerusalem Acts 15:6-21
Stay close to the word og God, Jesus is there, love u in Christ. Merry Christmas eat all food in Jesus holy name, Amen
I am thinking that Hebrews 11:12 is saying that Abraham is the "father" of all who follow God by faith as did Noah (mentioned earlier) and all who came after Abraham who truly believed in God as the only way to be saved and the only god who is true to His word and promises, and the only God period. Through Abraham came Jesus, the promised "Seed" from Genesis 3, that will crush the evil one and His power. So, all who believe that it is God who will overcome sin, death, hell, and satan are Abraham's children, whether biologically descended from Him or not. It is those who have faith in God to save them who are truly Abraham's children.
All believers in Jesus are counted among these "children", but even better, all those, like Abraham who fully trusted in God to save them are blessed to be children of God.
You are right in saying God didn't command Adam not to eat of the tree of life, He commanded they couldn't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as mentioned here in 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."
But how do we know that they didn't eat of the tree of life BEFORE they disobeyed?
Here's all we have that is written.
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, THE MAN IS BECOME AS ONE OF US, ((TO KNOW GOOD AND EVIL)): and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Perhaps God forbidden them from eating of the tree of life AFTER their disobedience.
The results of their disobedience is that they knew they were naked and they tried to cover themselves. Now naked is also used throughout scripture to mean " Sin exposed" Here's one of several.
Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
These garments is the covering of the blood of Christ. "White robes"
Christ was ordained to come into the world before the world began, to be the sacrificial Lamb. For Adam too!
Scipture doesn't say Adam "BECAME" naked after he disobeyed.
Scripture says he KNEW he was naked after he disobeyed.
See here ;
Genesis 3:10-11 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
And he said, WHO TOLD THEE THAT THOU WAST NAKED? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
I believe the issue is what would he do with that knowledge!
They tried to cover up their guilt and shame with the product of their own efforts. This may have been the first attempt at a works salvation.
Thanks for your thoughts, Gerald. I'm trying to the way I read and think about Genesis to Genesis itself.
Regarding the tree of life:
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
I take from this that it was within Adam's power to eat of the tree of life at any time.
To prevent Adam from eating of the tree, God kicks Adam out of the garden for the express purpose of preventing him from eating from the tree of life:
Genesis 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, . . .
This seems plain to me, that Adam could have eaten of the tree of life, but had not, and the LORD God decided to prevent him from being able to.
Would you agree Adam could have, but had not, and that the LORD decided to prevent him from eating of the tree?
Geneis 2:16: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
Note, the Tree of Life is in the garden, and man may freely eat thereof.
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.
Thus, the Lord told ADAM he may not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and in my understanding on that day ADAM would seal his fate with death. But, this was prior to the birth of Eve. The Tree of Life was not forbidden, and also in the Garden. If there were something preventing Adam from eating of that tree, it is not stated, at least at this point. Therefore it is up to individuals to speculate as to the reasons why Adam may not have eaten of the tree of life.
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.
GENESIS 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Perhaps, as Adam and Eve are "one", the rules of the Fruit of the tree of knowledge also apply to Eve. For the sake of my view, let us assume that Eve is also bound by the rule applied to Adam prior to her creation.
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.
Importantly, while the only record of God's statement comes prior to God's assertation, Eve is aware of it and feels it applies to her as well.
I just finished reading a good commentary on this chapter titled, "The Preciousness of the Blood". It was such a great commentary. I recommend it. Go to Bible .org and type in the title.
I knew before reading this commentary that there was still more that God wanted me to glean from this chapter and I was thinking about the significance of singling out the blood in this chapter as being so important. so, being led to this article was a very good answer to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
God has determined before the foundation of the world that blood is precious. It is in every creature He created. It is life determining. He emphasized this in Chapter 17 of Leviticus when it came to killing animals for consumption and for sacrifice. He emphasized that these animals are to be brought before the LORD at the tent of meeting so that the priest can butcher them properly, draining the blood and sprinkling it upon the altar. God cares about every animal he created. And when one dies he knows. Death is unclean, it defiles the body of the creature that once was alive. This is a very good depiction of what sin does in us. It defiles us because it brings death to us. It makes us unclean because it causes us to decay and become unwholesome.
The blood of creatures is precious because it keeps them alive. Not only the whole body, but each part of the body needs blood or else it will die even if the whole creature still lives. Sin causes death in different aspects of our lives. It is like a lack of blood flow to a body part. Life is in the blood, as the LORD decreed.
Before creation the Godhead determined that the shedding of blood to the death of one is the means of bringing atonement from sin. whether it was the animal God sacrificed in Genesis 3 to cover Adam and Eve's "nakedness" or the sacrifices Noah made after leaving the Ark to atone for the corruption of the earth from sin that brought on the flood. Blood cleansed and atoned.
Hello everyone, Had an interesting question asked at our men's Bible group. " Our we sinners because we sin, or do we sin because where're sinners". Would like to hear your comments based from the Bible . Thank you
MountHoreb Response to Leoj:
When reading the bible, A Sinner is someone who has a leaning or urge to go against the will of Jehovah God ( Psalm 83:18)
God Saids one thing; a Sinner is inclined to go the other way. we have an example at Genesis 3
Point: Romans 5:12-15
There is Hope: John 3:16,17; 1 Timothy 1:8-10; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; John 17:3
Jehovah ( psalm 83:18) is not looking for perfection. he is like a father and we are like his Children prone to mistakes.
our father is looking for us to tell him the truth, to be humble, to cry to him and repent especially if it's something that
is to difficult to handle on our own. as sinners we need the spirit of God in order to have self-control in all things. This is why Jesus said what he said at Matthew 6:9-12; 1 Peter 5:6-11
Point: Luke 24:45-48; Romans 7:7-25
Hope these scriptures help. Thanks
There are details about the heavenly city appearing on earth such as in Psalm 48. This shows the fear of the kings of the earth; and would represent a Millennium event. In earlier posts I have discussed how we will rule much like David under Christ who will be the supreme authority during the 1000 year reign. There are other verses about the earth and its peoples which could encompass promises of either the Millennium or eternal Kingdom.
I have said before that the eternal nature of the earth seems to be proven by several verses and I had thought that was true about the sun and moon but Psalm 72 seems to indicate otherwise. It would seem to show the end of it at the end of the Millennium; no doubt part of the catastrophic destruction at the time. Ecclesiastes 1:4 and several other verses seem to indicate that the earth in some form remains forever. As to exactly how the new universe will be; or if anything exists other than heaven and a new earth is rather mysterious; however. It is very frightening to think of the lake of fire as being what happens when the elements (or atoms) are dissolved in 2 Peter 3:10; perhaps the lost are in an eternal body that is reduced to some strange broken down elemental state. Revelation 22:15 seems to indicate they are just outside the gate. Somehow it would seem that they are infinitely far away from the saints at that time; however as there will be no more crying on our part as Revelation 21:4 shows.
These changes no doubt will cause the sea to vaporize; hence no more sea ( Rev. 21:1). All in the sea will die in the Tribulation anyway (except that brought to life in the Dead Sea); see Revelation 16:3; and Ezekiel 47:10 with surrounding verses on that context. Again in heaven we shall behold Him and see His marks as Thomas did; the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 had eternal ramifications. We ever shall be reminded of what He did for us.
Genesis 3:19; Genesis 6:3, violance or destroyed by the flood ( Genesis 6:5-7,11-13;17). Only Noah his wife, Shem, Ham, and Japheth their 3 wives survived. that means only eight people survived out of Adams and eve's children and grand children.
The point! not all of Noah's children listened to God. They followed Satan the devil and his lies Genesis 3. when you read about the Canaanites ( Genesis 13:7; Leviticus 18:1-5) this bad nation came through Ham descendance ( Genesis 10:6). or Ammorites, some Noah's descendance created a nation by their family name Genesis 11. When Jehovah ( psalm 83:18) confused their language they all spread out and became nations of people like you see today.
to the point: Abraham was a righteous man who lived in Canaan. but one of God's angels told him to leave Canaan then became a father to a nation of Israel ( Genesis 17:1-8). God name Jacob Israel ( Genesis 32:28). this is how a Nation of Isreal came about. Canaan land later became Jerusalem belonging to Israel the Jews.
However, Israel repeatedly sinned by worshiping other gods. even Solomon the last king worshiped false Gods ( Nehemiah 13:23-27) Jesus turned to the Gentiles which means nation who will believe ( John 3:16,17).
However, their are some Israelites who did believe, but most rejected Jesus.- Acts 1:6-8; Matthew 24:14; 2 Timothy 3:13-17
It's a lot of info. but I hope the bible answered your question HOW A NATION BECAME A INDEPENDANT NATION
Questions as to why specific writings became 'apocrypha' and subsequently removed from the original KJV is simply that content therein cemented the foundation of the word giving greater understanding. A time for everything and everything has a time.
You are replying to a comment by "Charlie Slaves"
If you read from Genesis to Revelation their is a common theme. The Promise seed Genesis 3:15, Israel Gods chosen people , The coming one the messiah, Israel's disobedience and captivity, Jehovah ( Psalm 83:18) mercy and delivering his people from captivity because they repented. Even the book of Ruth played a part in the symbolic descendant role in the promise seed
Matthew 1:5.
How does the book of Esther add up? this book talks about Jews being in Shushan. The Jews were always in captivity by their enemies for their deliberate disobedience to Jehovah- Nehemiah 13:23-31; Esther 2:6 (Exile). Esther didn't have a choice; she was in exile or in captivity as while and taken to the kings house- Esther 2:8. Jehovah god blessed this situation because they relied on him when Haman tried to scheme or plot to destroy all the Jews Esther 3:5-15. This book is accurate because it matches the other books regarding Jews being in captivity or exile.
When you read the apocrypha does it match the bibles overall theme? does this puzzle pieces match?
does it complete the whole picture?
I hope this answers your question. Thank you
his motives was for man and woman to take care of the earth. to enjoy his
creation, to take care of the animals. to enjoy the richness that the earth provided.
he created the ground to give in abundance, so that poverty was impossible. God
started the earth in the garden of Eden. Jehovah and the heavens was his the main
authority to mankind according to Genesis 1,2. there were no kings, rulers in the beginning.
But this happened to mankind: Genesis 3; Genesis 6; Genesis 19; Job 1,2; Luke 4:1-13
it just getting worse and worse. 2Timothy 3:1-7
It's a heavenly war, and a invisible war ( Revelation 12:7-13) we humans may not understand but God has revealed it to us in human terms. although the innocent are dying because of 1 John 5:19. WE KEEP THE HOPE AS GOD WANTS US TO: Romans 15:4-6; Revelation 21:3-5
We continue in the hope. Job 14:14
IF YOU READ ALL THESE SCRIPTURES YOU WILL SEE WHY MANKIND ARE SUFFERING.
I HOPE THIS ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
the bible said he was a righteous man and fearing GOD.
Jehovah ( psalm 83:18) himself called job righteous.
It was Satan doubting Job as a righteous man Job 1:6-11.
Satan planted seeds of Doubt by raising up 3 friends of Job
who spoke without really understanding Job 2:11. Their false
assumptions cause job many pains.
Jesus is aware of the traps of Satan and how he uses deception and lies.
Luke 4 and Matthew 4.
Speaking about things we don't understand in a since can be
like the ways of Satan John 8:44. false accusations and hinderance to do what is
right or what God wants us to do is from Satan- Genesis 2:15-17; Genesis 3:1-5
Jesus wasn't saying Peter was Satan. but he was being a hinderance to
his obedience to Jehovah God. John 3:16,17; Isaiah 12:2
Jesus after his impalement, Jesus came to Peter again. John 21:15-17
We can avoid hindering others by praying.. Matthew 6:9,10,13
Getting back to the Great Commission; the examples in Acts are things which we will not experience unless we are out there sharing our faith. It is hard to imagine today a Phillipians 1:15 situation where there is envy for those who are "turning the world upside down" ( Acts 17:6). At least in the USA it seems the impact is minimal; and probably largely due to a fear of persecution.
Prayers such as freed Peter in Acts 12; as well as Paul's release in Acts 16:25-28 are sorely needed today; of course that involves remembering missionaries and those in bonds today ( Hebrews 13:3 which certainly sounds like something Paul would have authored).
Prayer can err on both being presumptuous as to God answering things a certain way or not being boldly presenting our petitions to His throne ( Heb. 4:16). Yes; there are times when we contend with God; such as when I would guess happened when James was killed with the sword in Acts. We shouldn't use Esau's example of praying with tears as an excuse not to have heartfelt prayer; he was only concerned with the results of his sin. Sadly; I have seen very few times when tears flow because of grief and loss; I'm sure a lot of us myself included would be greatly edified by more tears of repentance realizing how great the Father's love is for us. Therefore; praise and adulation of the Lord and His Holiness; as well as our own sad state in comparison should be something starting church services and other gatherings as a routine practice. As my friend in Pittsburgh stated a couple years back when he started early morning prayers; he was "desperate for prayer". Something needed by more believers today.
Along with knowing when to act is also knowing when to wait on the Lord. Patience is a virtue I surely need more of but it is something commonplace in those possessing mature faith and good fruit in their walk. Wrestling with God all night in prayer is also commendable like in Genesis 32:22-32
My understanding is, the woman in Revelation 12 is Israel, Genesis 37:9. The woman brought forth a man child who was to rule all nations, this is Jesus, Rev. 2:27 Rev. 19:15. Jesus will return to Israel, Zech. 14:4 Isaiah 11:11-12 Jeremiah 23:3-8 Ezekiel 37:21-25 Rev. 14:1.
Please do not take offense, Robert Breaker is interesting but like I said before some of the things do not line up. Like the Rabbi says 10 jubilees until the Messiah comes and that is calculated to the year 2017. How can that be a sign of what Trump did by moving our embassy to Jerusalem?
My understanding of what John saw in Revelation 12, was the woman, a dragon, and a war in heaven. The woman is Israel who brought forth Jesus, Jesus ascended back to heaven and is on the right side of the Father on the throne, this was almost 2000 years ago. The dragon is Satan, and the war that Satan and his angels are cast down out of heaven to earth and no more place in heaven for them, this is in our future, this will happen when the fulness of the Gentiles become in Romans 11:25.
So, if part of Revelation 12 is in our past, the way Breaker used the images in Rev. 12 to me does not fit. I hope this makes sense and is not offensive. You may have received good information from his video that helps your study.
God bless,
RLW
You haven't offended me at all and you're right we are to learn from one another but not loose sight of Ephesians 4:5.
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
God gave us Christ and we are baptized into Christ.
We function as one body, Scripture tells us how we are expected to function in the body.
It's the working power of the Holyspirit that causes that oneness, We are to minister God's truth to a lost world.
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Mathew 12:30.
However everyone in our midst is not of the body of Christ.
No one is perfect but there are some fundamental teachings that a babe in Christ would hold.
One is there's a heaven and hell.
There's consequences to one who denies Christ.
No one teaches it's ok to sin by the Spirit of God!!
And these heresies is important enough for him to change his name.
That's where the fall began.
And the serpent said unto the woman, YE SHALL NOT SURELY DIE:
"Earl teaches otherwise"
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. Genesis 3:4-5.
Earl says we are going to be God's.
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Mathew 7:13-14
God bless
Now look at the chronological order here in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8."For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
"AND THEN SHALL THAT WICKED BE REVEALED", whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
This is the Holyspirit being removed and "then" the Antichrist shall be revealed!
The Holyspirit dwells in the body of believers unlike the way He worked and moved under the old covenant.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 and
Hebrews 10:16.
Mathew 28:18-20 says something interesting that we can tie into 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8.
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, BAPTIZING THEM in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I AM WITH YOU ALWAY, EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD. Amen.
a) We're put into the body of believers "IDENTIFIED" With Christ.
Satan has ministers amongst us but Satan has no power over the Church!
Genesis 3:15. ( We are baptized into him that will bruise Satan's head.)
1 John 4:4. ( We have already overcome what's coming upon the world!)
Matthew 16:18. ( Gates in scripture is always used as defense. So who's on the offence and overcomes? The Church!! )
b) "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen"
WE ARE BAPTIZED IN CHRIST AND HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US.
Unlike Judaism the Church is not looking for their Messiah. .
We have him with and in us!!
The deception performed by the Antichrist is one coming as their Messiah, and he will deceive many!!
That can't happen while the Church is in the world.
1 John 2:20-28.
Thanks Brother!
We're learning a lot from your teachings.
God bless you.
And Richard's last sentence, "Such things would not be done by saints of God with created beings", I read it as a summary of his belief that such encounters, as we read in the Bible, can only be had with God & His angelic messengers, not with sinful man. So the belief is still strong: angels are not to be worshipped, but when God sent His angelic messenges, due reverence must be given to God alone, receiving the message or act from His angel as it were from God Himself. I hope I remained true to Richard's comment & this has helped you to come to grips with it.
Habakkuk 3:3, it is a prayer, proclaiming GOD's power. It appears to me that he is saying by evidence of GOD moving through Teman. As Judgement references Jeremiah 49:20, Ezekiel 25:13, Amos 1:12, Obediah 1, notice Genesis 36:15 Jeremiah 49:7, Edom named Esau same person, Teman was in his lineage.
Notice also when examining Habakkuk 3:3, tap scripture then scroll down, you'll see the word used fof GOD is (elowah) it's same word used in Daniel 11:38, Deuteronomy 32:17, Habakkuk 1:1, seemingly significant as different than uses in the rest of scripture, as names of GOD.
Hopefully this is helpful
That's the way I have it in that verse also.
I believe it's used like that here in Genesis 6:9-10 also.
"These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth."
Also here in Genesis 36.
Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.
Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;
AND THIS GROUP IF PEOPLE GOES ON UNTIL YOU GET TO
Genesis 36:9 and it gives a list of those of Esau in mount Seir.
"And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir:"
IT'S USED THAT WAY IN
GENESIS 37:1-2 ON JACOB'S GENEALOGY.
The serpent has always had legs, the serpent is not a snake.
The serpent is the carnal mind of the beast, MAN.
Revelation 13:18 Here is wisdom ....for it is the number of a MAN
Job 1:17 .....the Lord said to Satan, Whence cometh thou .....from walking (on legs) up and down on the earth
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field God made ...
Psalms 73:22 I was so foolish, and ignorant, I was as a beast before thee.
Romans 8:20 For the creature (man) was made subject to vanity (a carnal mind), NOT WILLINGLY, but by reason of him (God) ......
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman .....enmity between the carnal mind and the bride of Christ ....
Romans 8:7 For the carnal mind is enmity against God .....
God Bless YOU as you study and Christ reveals himself to you.
Genesis 2:15,16,17, Genesis 3:1-6, skipping parts Genesis 3:14,15, between the seed of Serpent - Revelation 20:2,
John 8:34, 1John 3, Romans 5, John 3:16-21, James 1:5, Proverbs 8:17,
Example, simple Salvation "GOD save me" many times in life threatening situations, & many times HE has. Psalms 18:3, Psalms 107:13, Psalms 44:7, Luke 18:42, Psalms 34:6,
Matthew 10:22, Hebrews 2, Matthew 24, Mark 13, Psalms 139,
Romans 10:13, context Romans 10, Everlasting Salvation, Isaiah 45:17, Acts 4,
1John 3:14, Job 38:17, Revelation 20, Psalms 49, Ecclesiastes 8:8, Romans 5, Revelation 21,
Hopefully these are helpful
When we see God's Name expressed differently (as well as several other names of God that reflect God's Person & Work), we can understand that the author of the Book, by the inspiration of God's Spirit, has chosen to name the God of Heaven (Elohim) and/or the God Who is the unchangeable & eternal One (Yahweh). Either way, it leaves us no doubt Who God is that the Bible speaks of & when 'elohim' is used in its other applications, we should understand those meanings as well & not confuse them with the True God.
As far as your second question, do you mean that as it is written, God "breathed into his (Adam's) nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" ( Genesis 2:7) but it is not written the same about animals, therefore where did they get the ability to breathe ( Genesis 1:20-25)? I suppose, the same could be said about the description of man & woman's creation in that chapter ( Genesis 1:26,27), that here also it hasn't been written that they received breath. So, I would say that it is understood that all living creatures did begin to breathe (whether sea, land or air animals), even as a greater description of man's creation is given in chapter 2 of him getting the 'Breath of God'.
The final example is the lack of belief in fundamental tenets such as Creation (sadly found in some Bible believing churches with certain members). There is also those who have other Christ's that will inevitably end up changing who He is by some image; or imaginary "escape" of His crucifixion; or putting Him into the category of "ascended Master"; etc. Hebrews 9:27 slays the pundits of "reincarnation". Man is destined to die once and face the judgment (also eliminates "purgatory").
Then there is the example as in Genesis 3 "did God really say this?" There are plenty of source materials explaining the accuracy of the original writings in the Bible by the priests; how they would discard things even one LETTER off from the text of a scroll of an entire manuscript; etc. This is not a posting on apologetics; but on rightly dividing the Word.
Going back to 2 Timothy 3:16 we see the "God breathed" aspect of ALL of the Word followed as stated before as being suitable for all things needed in our walk (loosely translated). That being said; IF a truth is found (for instance to an event in the intertestamental period) then we can accurately put together the puzzle (for example the many prophecies in Daniel 11). If there is a moral statement in other writings; no doubt the essence comes from the Holy Scripture as to any true wisdom found. Such is the case admittedly in most major religious writings along with the error; we need to be careful of course determining these things. We can't play the game of some who want to detach from the Old Testament (I won't mention the name again) in order to focus just on Christ and the Resurrection in the N.T. All scripture fits together as glove; as a web of knowledge. We must all seek to be careful that we are reading with "spiritual eyes" these immortal truths of the Living Word of God. There is no "perfect translation" but the picture is clear enough for all to see; and the original text true.
[Comment Removed]
Jacob meaning "heel-catcher" i.e. supplanter"
Genesis 32:28,
Hopefully these are helpful in your study
Hopefully these help
As also with Laban, who continued to practise idolatry, but was now accepting of this God who he was hearing about from Abraham's servant (likely Eliezer of Damascus), in his earlier encounter with him concerning Isaac ( Genesis 24:50,51). Whether Laban ultimately rejected his gods for the true God, we cannot say as the Bible doesn't indicate that; but in spite of him using divination ( Genesis 30:27, KJV: "experience" = 'nachash', or signs, divination), he acknowledged that Abraham's God had blessed him. He might have even added an image of God to his other gods, but hopefully in time & by revelation, he would have rejected his false gods.
Syncretism in religion (i.e. merging together of different beliefs & practises), is never an acceptable thing, even as practised today amongst so-called Christians, because God requires a true worship of Him, and Him alone. Abraham, by God's Call & revelation of Himself to him, would have learned to reject any other god or form of worship & to serve the True & Living God. Thus he was greatly blessed.
Genesis 3:16
"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
King James Version (KJV)
We are told in 1 Timothy 2:9 to the end of the chapter the role of women; and the explanation thereof. The reasoning given is that man was created first; and also Eve was the one who was deceived (and was the first to sin) as an explanation. This is somewhat explained in the result of the fall ( Genesis 3:16) where man would rule over woman but the "desire" would be for the husband. Others have interpreted that as an urge to take control and usurp that authority. Perhaps it means both depending on the submissiveness or lack thereof of the woman.
The further detail here as to who was first created and first sinned adds a somewhat perplexing additional detail here. It would appear that the resulting punishment after the fall was to be contrasted with the original state of man and woman or it wouldn't be mentioned in Genesis as something different. It seems that the continuing status specifically in the church is not only the result of the fall and consequences but because of the original order of the creation and fall involving Adam first; then Eve. I may not have the best answer here as to how it effects church roles. First of all it appears that all animals were named; and they were to be along with the garden something Adam had authority over and care for. This was part of the rulership given to Adam. There may have been other things as well we are not aware of. The fact that Eve was deceived and the first to sin doesn't leave Adam any more innocent. In fact; his deliberate disobedience of God was a sin compounded by the fact that he should have been concerned about what happened to Eve. He deliberately sinned in listening to her voice which in some ways is worse than being deceived; albeit may not have thought about it that way.
NOnetheless in Christ ultimately there is no male or female ( Gal. 3:28) in Christ; and that relates to cultural and racial barriers as well.
ALL of these things bring glory to God; and He is praised forever. In eternity; of course we will begin to live as we were designed to in a sinless state learning evermore from God and enjoying the splendors of heaven.
Sin therefore for God's elect is never "stronger" as it were than God's mercy and forgiveness. There are simply two realities; one for those saved and one for the lost. It appears as the wheat and tares there is no difference as we all live in the world but are not OF it.
As always; I feel remiss if I don't make an extremely strong push here towards conveying jut how real the enemy is and his stranglehold over this world. But as with the way we approach God; the book of Jude makes it clear we dare not make a "railing accusation" ( Jude 1:9). We appeal to the Lord or we stand vulnerable to being squashed like a bug.
Understanding how sin; and evil men facilitate God's plans are beyond our understanding; nonetheless Pilate put up the INRI on the cross stating who Christ was (King of the Jews). The Lord has the last laugh (and as I stated before is the only one in destruction of the wicked to be able to do that without sinning).
Again probably this brings more questions. I hope you get some joy as 2023 comes in.
Agape; Rich P
If we change God's word one small sentence and do not get light on the word with the Holy Spirit. Will everything we create becomes confusion. You see today, many issues come up about food. Which is not Divine at all. The apostles did not understand this either when they made a new rule here: The meeting of the Apostles in Jerusalem Acts 15:6-21
Stay close to the word og God, Jesus is there, love u in Christ. Merry Christmas eat all food in Jesus holy name, Amen
I am thinking that Hebrews 11:12 is saying that Abraham is the "father" of all who follow God by faith as did Noah (mentioned earlier) and all who came after Abraham who truly believed in God as the only way to be saved and the only god who is true to His word and promises, and the only God period. Through Abraham came Jesus, the promised "Seed" from Genesis 3, that will crush the evil one and His power. So, all who believe that it is God who will overcome sin, death, hell, and satan are Abraham's children, whether biologically descended from Him or not. It is those who have faith in God to save them who are truly Abraham's children.
All believers in Jesus are counted among these "children", but even better, all those, like Abraham who fully trusted in God to save them are blessed to be children of God.
You are right in saying God didn't command Adam not to eat of the tree of life, He commanded they couldn't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as mentioned here in 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."
But how do we know that they didn't eat of the tree of life BEFORE they disobeyed?
Here's all we have that is written.
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, THE MAN IS BECOME AS ONE OF US, ((TO KNOW GOOD AND EVIL)): and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Perhaps God forbidden them from eating of the tree of life AFTER their disobedience.
The results of their disobedience is that they knew they were naked and they tried to cover themselves. Now naked is also used throughout scripture to mean " Sin exposed" Here's one of several.
Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
These garments is the covering of the blood of Christ. "White robes"
Christ was ordained to come into the world before the world began, to be the sacrificial Lamb. For Adam too!
Scipture doesn't say Adam "BECAME" naked after he disobeyed.
Scripture says he KNEW he was naked after he disobeyed.
See here ;
Genesis 3:10-11 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
And he said, WHO TOLD THEE THAT THOU WAST NAKED? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
I believe the issue is what would he do with that knowledge!
They tried to cover up their guilt and shame with the product of their own efforts. This may have been the first attempt at a works salvation.
Just my thoughts.
GB.
Regarding the tree of life:
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
I take from this that it was within Adam's power to eat of the tree of life at any time.
To prevent Adam from eating of the tree, God kicks Adam out of the garden for the express purpose of preventing him from eating from the tree of life:
Genesis 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, . . .
This seems plain to me, that Adam could have eaten of the tree of life, but had not, and the LORD God decided to prevent him from being able to.
Would you agree Adam could have, but had not, and that the LORD decided to prevent him from eating of the tree?
Note, the Tree of Life is in the garden, and man may freely eat thereof.
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.
Thus, the Lord told ADAM he may not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and in my understanding on that day ADAM would seal his fate with death. But, this was prior to the birth of Eve. The Tree of Life was not forbidden, and also in the Garden. If there were something preventing Adam from eating of that tree, it is not stated, at least at this point. Therefore it is up to individuals to speculate as to the reasons why Adam may not have eaten of the tree of life.
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.
GENESIS 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Perhaps, as Adam and Eve are "one", the rules of the Fruit of the tree of knowledge also apply to Eve. For the sake of my view, let us assume that Eve is also bound by the rule applied to Adam prior to her creation.
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.
Importantly, while the only record of God's statement comes prior to God's assertation, Eve is aware of it and feels it applies to her as well.
I just finished reading a good commentary on this chapter titled, "The Preciousness of the Blood". It was such a great commentary. I recommend it. Go to Bible .org and type in the title.
I knew before reading this commentary that there was still more that God wanted me to glean from this chapter and I was thinking about the significance of singling out the blood in this chapter as being so important. so, being led to this article was a very good answer to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
God has determined before the foundation of the world that blood is precious. It is in every creature He created. It is life determining. He emphasized this in Chapter 17 of Leviticus when it came to killing animals for consumption and for sacrifice. He emphasized that these animals are to be brought before the LORD at the tent of meeting so that the priest can butcher them properly, draining the blood and sprinkling it upon the altar. God cares about every animal he created. And when one dies he knows. Death is unclean, it defiles the body of the creature that once was alive. This is a very good depiction of what sin does in us. It defiles us because it brings death to us. It makes us unclean because it causes us to decay and become unwholesome.
The blood of creatures is precious because it keeps them alive. Not only the whole body, but each part of the body needs blood or else it will die even if the whole creature still lives. Sin causes death in different aspects of our lives. It is like a lack of blood flow to a body part. Life is in the blood, as the LORD decreed.
Before creation the Godhead determined that the shedding of blood to the death of one is the means of bringing atonement from sin. whether it was the animal God sacrificed in Genesis 3 to cover Adam and Eve's "nakedness" or the sacrifices Noah made after leaving the Ark to atone for the corruption of the earth from sin that brought on the flood. Blood cleansed and atoned.