Tag: Genesis 2

Make no Provision for the Flesh

On By TimIn Love, Romans 13, SinLeave a comment

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.

Romans 13:14

Pervious to this verse, Paul is exhorting the Roman church to act correctly. Not because of legalism, or to put on a show of righteousness. No. Proper behavior has an edifying effect. In it, there is also no way for the fleshly desires to be fulfilled.

As follow up to the recent post on love and lust where I did mention how serving desire was the downfall of Eve (and eventually Adam,) it is necessary to show exactly how difficult doing the right thing is for Adam’s race.

I know the popular phrases with the loaded baggage. It is why those phrases are just wrong to use. One that immediately comes to mind is original sin. If it was just about what Adam did to bring corruption into perfection, that’s one thing. Most often, it is used to burden the entire race with the moral culpability from Adam’s sin. That’s clearly not the case. We did not inherit sin or immorality.

As a result of that error, some lay the moral failures of humanity on Adam. They blame him for all the carousing and carrying on in sin that is rampant these days. That is not the case either. But is exposes another flub, we did not inherit a sin nature.

Humans inherited corrupt flesh and the knowledge of good and evil.

Corruption of the Flesh

The sin of Adam introduced corruption into the perfect creation. It also disturbed his genome. While the Bible doesn’t actually come out and say that Adam poisoned himself, there are enough clues to infer that may indeed be the case why humans die. It comes here:

Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, along with the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:9

Adam was given every tree that was deemed good for food to eat (as food.) There were two trees that did not fit this category. They are named in that text. Neither were given as good for food.

Eve deemed the fruit of the tree of good and evil by its appearance. She considered it good for food and consumed it.

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasing to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Genesis 3:6

This needs some considerable attention. More than just a flippant Adam’s original sin brought all humanity a sin nature. If there is a sin nature inherited from Adam which brings death to all, why did his woman eventually die?

Some understanding of inheritance of traits by genetics can help. Human males have a XY chromosomes and human females have XX chromosomes. It would not be an incorrect inference that the three X chromosomes would be identically perfect. Eve was made of Adam’s rib, therefore all of them came from Adam. And before the fall. If the fruit poisoned the genetics of both because it was not to be used for food, that explains why lifespans were encumbered by death for both. Eve didn’t inherit sin from Adam, nor did she receive addled genetics from him.

Entropy entered their genetics fulfilling God’s warning they would die. He literally said, “Dying you shall die.” Which is an apt definition of entropy.

The Knowledge of Good and Evil

The knowledge of good and evil became part of the human experience.

For years I struggled with the idea that evil here is equivalent to moral failure or even sin. It didn’t make sense that this kind of knowledge is reserved for God. God is not immoral at all. In reality, we know what is moral not by the law.., But by Who He is.

As with all of those times spent grappling with the words in the Bible, eventually the Truth was revealed. The knowledge of good and evil is better understood as knowing good and calamity. Or the difference in how to alleviate or not experience calamity, and make and experience calamity.

To put it like that previous post entails, it would be called the knowledge of love and lust.

When loving others as God loves us sacrificially, it is doing good to them. It is to look after another’s interest and well-being first. As Paul wrote in our introductory verse, doing that makes no provision for the flesh.

But when we seek to satisfy our desires, it brings calamity on ourselves and most likely on others, too.

That is what putting on Christ is… Sacrificially caring for others purposefully and unconditionally with reckless abandon. Just as Jesus did, not counting Himself and His well being first.

Consider God’s top ten… It is correct to look at the list from top to down. What lies at the foundation of the list is startling.

Do not covet.

I am going to say that almost every single has its foundation in coveting. We want something that is not ours. Eve did it. Adam did it. We do it because we are looking to satisfy ourselves and our own felt needs, often with no regard to others.

What Adam and Eve did not have to go with the knowledge of good and evil were the skills necessary for that knowledge. That is the entirety of the Bible. Because we don’t know how to use the knowledge we must be taught. Paul said “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Do things the right way.

If coveting comes from lustful desires (not just sexual) then is it any wonder that such thinking is hostile expulsion of God. Adam and Eve ran to hide from God.

Good and evil.

Love and lust.

Spirit and flesh.

In these, the latter is to exclude the former. Therefore, if one looks after their own needs first, such is not spiritually minded. One cannot be in that.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, for the carnal mind is hostile toward God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Romans 8:5–8

We must be mindful to do better, every day.

If Justification Comes to All Can it be Rejected?

On By TimIn Justification, Romans 052 Comments

How much more then, being now justified by His blood, shall we be saved from wrath through Him.

Romans 5:9

Some do not believe this. They think they can abandon Jesus at whim. One cannot undo their justification. I do like the hint of surety of a pre-tribulation rapture of believers, but that is for another time.

The teaching of traditions produces a shallow understanding of justification. The very fact that a person lives after they sin is proof that they are indeed being justified freely and unconditionally. Paul wrote this plainly.

But first, it is necessary to know that the wages of sin is death. The wages of sin is not eternal. It is not being remanded to Hell. It is not eternity in perdition. From the beginning, God was clear on what happens when a person sins. He (or she) dies. The wages of sin death is the same death that God declared would happen to Adam… “In the day you eat you shall die.”

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Genesis 2:16–17

Because Adam did not die that day, it has led to incorrect traditions being applied. These are commonly named original sin and spiritual death. These things are not real at all. Adam lived after sinning because of the justification that came with Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. Perhaps you object that He wouldn’t even be born until some almost 4,000 years later. But He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8)

When a person sins and lives to draw another breath is certain proof of justification upon them. This is clearly what Paul taught. It is also patterned in the Torah at the exodus with Passover, and again in the ordinances of Yom Kippur.

Because people don’t die immediately on setting off to sin, clearly indicates that a stay of execution is in place.

It is the death of Jesus that saves all from the wages of sin. It is the resurrected Savior Who gives righteousness and eternal life to any who believes. Those are two different ideas. One is unconditional, while the other is conditioned upon the exercise of faith. The ones that believe this are justified, accounted as righteous, and receive eternal life.

All Are Being Justified Freely

This is one of the simplest ideas to understand, yet it is hidden away with religious nonsense and tradition.

Paul spoke plainly… All fall short, whether saved or not. But those same all that fall short are being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God has set Him forth to be a propitiation through faith, in His blood. This is a demonstration of His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins previously committed. This is in Romans 3.

That comes after Paul’s explanation that nobody is justified by the works of the law. That is, you are not justified by doing good things. In fact, nothing one does or does not brings justification.

So it follows that all are being justified freely, and to say that it is proven by the fact that they live after they sin. It is right there.

One may object to the idea that people are being justified, which means they are not justified yet. The verb tense is purposefully present and passive, because justification is always with a person as long as they are alive. In fact, it is what keeps them alive. If it were not a present thing, none could live long enough to believe and seek remission of sins.

It is important to note that the verb tense is passive. It is happening to the people because of something outside of them and what they do. This justification comes to everyone who falls short, and that unconditionally.

When God spoke to Adam about the consequences of eating from just one tree, He told Adam that He would die immediately for sin. God said to Adam, “You shall surely die.” Those words indicate the certainty of death for the action; they do not indicate immediacy. But that is not all that God said. The phrase includes the immediacy with “in the day you eat from it.” Adam did not die in the day he ate from the tree, though his death was certain.

Adam was being justified freely by something (really Someone) external to him. It is pictured in the fact that God covered his nakedness. This is the pattern being established. It is ultimately demonstrated by the work of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Justification is freely and unconditionally given to all. One cannot reject it. One can ignore it or oppose it, but those still live because Jesus died. If people really wanted to reject it, they would have to remove themselves from this life. As one lives, it is impossible to reject it.

All who live live because of Jesus Christ giving them life at birth, and justification of life after they sin. The unbelieving benefit and the believing do, too. Even Christians need that just to live after sin.

Though Paul is writing to Jewish brothers in Rome, we can learn from his words. What follows contains a profound idea in how the free justification that comes to all turns into righteousness.

Now to him who works, wages are not given as a gift, but as a debt. But to him who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. Even David describes the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness without works: Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”

Romans 4:4–8

Abraham did it. He believed God, even in his own sin, his belief was credited as righteousness. Justification doesn’t come with belief. Righteousness does.

Therefore just as through the trespass of one man came condemnation for all men, so through the righteous act of One came justification of life for all men. For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One the many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:18–19

Paul is saying that the entire lot of humanity is being made righteous outside of the constraints of the law and morality. Many balk at that, even some Christians who think they are justified and righteous by what they have done.

Yet there are many who purposefully ignore what Jesus has done for them. They perish in perdition, just as Jesus said: “Unless you believe I am He, you will die in your sins.”

Think about that. One is freely given life, and it is not acknowledged and even ignored. What would be the consequences of such actions?

That is why people go to perdition. It isn’t because they’ve sinned. That problem has been handled resoundingly. They go because they really don’t appreciate life and the One Who gives it freely.

This is Directed to You

Whether you believe this or not is irrelevant to its beauty and its veracity. The simple fact that you’re alive today is because Jesus died. To not consider and acknowledge that in this life has eternal consequences. Those who believe have eternal life. And if the opposite of life is death (not non-existence,) then the opposite of eternal life is eternal death. That is the reality.

It’s time to believe what God says. It is time to praise Him alone for that work done.

It is also time to teach the pure word of God… Not the gunked-up traditions of men imposed onto it.

Spirit, Soul, and Body

On By TimIn Genesis 01, Resurrection, Triune God1 Comment

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:26–27

It is hardly hidden that we are made in the image of God. We also know God to be triune in nature, Father, Son, and Spirit. It is not accepted in some circles that we humans are also three-part beings. Is that true?

Here is what Paul said of the matter:

May the very God of peace sanctify you completely. And I pray to God that your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Paul tells us that a human is spirit, soul, and body. In my study, I prefer the Biblical principal that a matter is established by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15.) Considering that, let’s see if we can find another.

Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

From the very first moment Adam was created, a body was fashioned from the dust of the ground. Then God breathed spirit into that body. And finally, Adam became a living soul. It’s the three parts that make one whole.

For another witness, we have this:

For the word of God is alive, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

This text is a nexus for many other ideas. Especially when considering the immediate context. The verse that follows this hints at hyperspaces. That is another discussion for another time.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that all things are revealed to God. There is no hiding things from Him. His Word is powerful and can divide the spirit and the soul. There are two of the parts of the human. The third comes in the next phrase, where it also divided the joints and marrow. That is most definitely speaking of the physical body. This text indicates three parts.

There is another distinction in this verse, I think. The spirit and the soul seem to be containerized. That is, the body is the house for the soul and the spirit.

Body Shelters Spirit and Soul

We know that if our earthly house, this tent, were to be destroyed, we have an eternal building of God in the heavens, a house not made with hands. In this one we groan, earnestly desiring to be sheltered with our house which is from heaven. Thus being sheltered, we shall not be found unsheltered. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we wish to be unclothed, but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal might be swallowed up by life. Now He who has created us for this very thing is God, who also has given to us the guarantee of the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:1–5

It is of utmost importance to understand this concept. It goes right to the very heart of what it is to be Christian. Our current physical body is a home to our spirit and soul. Paul says when we die, leaving this shelter behind, we have an everlasting one in heaven awaiting us.

Because sin has been sequestered to the flesh, we are burdened by it. And our physical bodies show the wear and tear of sin. Our spirits and souls do not. How can that be?

Paul calls that the circumcision made without hands.

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which also you were raised with Him through the faith of the power of God, who has raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has resurrected together with Him, having forgiven you all sins. He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us and contrary to us, and He took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed authorities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them by the cross.

Colossians 2:11–15

Paul uses the metaphor of circumcision to explain what happened when we got saved plain to understand. Listen, when someone is circumcised, what is cut away is not reattached, it doesn’t grow back again, and it is removed to be discarded.

It’s like what happens to us Christians. The flesh part is separated from the other parts, the soul and the spirit. That is why Paul says that a believer is a new creation.

So from now on we do not regard anyone according to the flesh. Yes, though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet we do not regard Him as such from now on. Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Look, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:16–17

We don’t regard any believer according to the flesh… Yes, we know them physically, but we don’t know them by their foibles. E we don’t identify our brothers and sisters by their sins. They, like us, are new creations.

It’s as if there is some kind of out-of-this-world surgery done… My mind screams Hebrews 4:13. It is the Word of God that divides joints and marrow. The Word is Jesus! He saves, and that is why the resurrection is so much better than the cross.

It’s the Resurrection

So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. So it is written, “The first man Adam was made a living soul.” The last Adam was made a life-giving spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:42–45

We see clearly that something about the natural physical body we have now cannot get to heaven. It is the natural man the Bible speaks of, the part that cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God.

Just as we see in Jesus’ life, the ugliness of the cross…. What came before… Does not compare with the glory of resurrection. Just as we do baptism, we provide a picture of this very thing. Baptism proclaims resurrection.

We are going to put off these bodies. They don’t go to heaven.

However, that which is spiritual is not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second man was the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. As we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:46–49

At creation, God formed a body for Adam. We all share the genes given to Adam. They are part of the physical body in this physical world. We bare the image of the man of dust, and we bare the image of the One True God.

But there’s a problem.

Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

1 Corinthians 15:50

In the Twinkling of an Eye

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible will put on incorruption, and this mortal will put on immortality.

1 Corinthians 15:51–53

I know some of you may roll your eyes at talk of rapture. It seems to be controversial. But Paul called it our blessed hope. And that is what it is. We move around burdened by these bodies marked up with sin. Our spirit and soul long to be free of what besets us.

Most importantly, we see from the very beginning of why these things are so. If they weren’t, who really could be saved?

One last point, the angels in heaven are not made like we are. They do not have these three-part bodies. They do not bear the image of God. They have no Kinsman to redeem. That is why they tremble.

But you and I do.

Stars: As Military and Messengers

On By TimIn Angels, Genesis 016 Comments

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons, and days, and years. Let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.

Genesis 1:14–16

There is a thought rattling around my brain. It has it’s anchor here in the Bible. I thought I could coax it all out in one post, but alas… It will be in a series of I do not know how many.

God made the heavens. He set the sun and the moon to indicate seasons, days, and years. He made the stars also. That is the point from which to launch.

Kokabim

The Hebrew word for stars here is kokabim. It is the plural of the Hebrew word kokab. The total amount of stars created is never given, but it is referenced as a number that is uncountable (Genesis 22:17.) Yet God counts them and calls them all by name.

He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names.

Psalm 147:4

This is witnessed again for us in the prophets.

To whom then will you liken Me, that I should be equal to him? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one of them is missing.

Isaiah 40:25–26

We have these two portions of Scripture that testify to the vast number of stars. We also see that stars are personified; they are given names. The prophet Isaiah reveals to us a different way to describe stars. He uses the Hebrew word tsaba, which is translated into English as host. To understand, the word host is a word that primarily refers to many persons assembled and appointed for military purposes.

The word tsaba was introduced in Genesis.

So the heavens and the earth, and all their hosts, were finished.

Genesis 2:1

The Bible speaks to many references of the host of heaven, like a favorite in 1 Samuel 17:45 where David names Him Jehovah Tsaba (LORD of Hosts.) David is speaking of God) as the Lord of Hosts.

A Star from Jacob

The Bible also likens Jesus to a star in a prophecy given by Balaam.

“I will see him, but not now; I will behold him, but not near; a star will come out of Jacob, and a scepter will rise out of Israel, and will crush the borderlands of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. Edom will be a possession, and Seir, a possession of its enemies, while Israel does valiantly. One out of Jacob shall have dominion, and destroy the survivors of the city.”

Numbers 24:17–19

At His first advent, the birth of Jesus was heralded by His star.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who was born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

Matthew 2:1–2

When they heard the king, they departed. And the star which they saw in the east went before them until it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great excitement. And when they came into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary, His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:9–11

I had to add that because of the phrase when they saw the star, it occurs to me that it may be a reference to Jesus as well as the star in the sky. That is my speculation… But back on topic.

The prophecy given by Balaam has a parallel with the one given by John.

I saw heaven opened. And there was a white horse. He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written, that no one knows but He Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood. His name is called The Word of God. The armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Out of His mouth proceeds a sharp sword, with which He may strike the nations. “He shall rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury and wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:11–16

I jumped a bit too far ahead but wanted to establish this firmly. The kokabim are an army led by none other than Jesus Christ. They were created at the beginning. There is another term associated with stars that we must also consider. That is sons of God. Tuck all these things into your memory banks, as you will need them to understand the next posts.

Kokabim as Messengers

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding. Who has determined its measurements, if you know? Or who has stretched the line upon it? To what are its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Job 38:4–7

I have not begun to exhaust the references of stars as angels. I will leave that for your own endeavors. As it is the glory of kings to search out a matter. Yet amongst all those different references to stars as persons with a military calling, they also serve another purpose.

“Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven candlesticks which you saw are the seven churches.

Revelation 1:19–20

This is not the first reference of the Greek word that is translated to angel here. It serves the purpose of connecting stars to angels. The Greek word translated to star is then translated in other places as messenger. Not only are stars the host of heaven, but they also serve as messengers doing God’s bidding.

It is not then too difficult to connect some dots. Let us consider what is said in this psalm:

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night declares knowledge. There is no speech and there are no words; their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them has He set a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; it rejoices as a strong man to run a race. Its going forth is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit extends to the other end, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Psalm 19:1–6

The firmament is the home of the stars. It shows His handiwork and proclaims a message. It is one not spoken aloud. Note the change to the personal pronoun. Their line goes to all the Earth. In other words, the messengers of heaven are telling us something not using words. Something that is available to the entire Earth.

Paul quoted part of this psalm. In it he provides another witness to the personhood of the messengers.

But I say, have they not heard? Yes, indeed:
“Their voice went into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”

Romans 10:18

What is fascinating is that in this portion of Romans, Paul quotes a few other passages from the Tanakh. These passages are somewhat prophetic in nature as they speak of future truth that is revealed by Paul.

But I say, did Israel not know? First, Moses says:
“I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.”
And Isaiah is very bold and says:
“I was found by those who did not seek Me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for Me.”
But to Israel He says:
“All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Romans 10:19–21

Your Bible ought to reference the source to all those quotes. They would be easy to find. I will leave that for those inclined.

Who has believed us, and to whom has the lovingkindness of the Lord been revealed?

That is an apparent lament by these messengers. What they have conveyed is not believed. Now, I know that this idea might upset some of what y’all know. Clearly, Paul connects the messengers to the host of heaven, the angelic beings.

Is it not by hearing that brings belief and hearing is by the word of God?

But from stars (angels?)

Messengers to Witness

The charge by Paul is that Israel ought to have known. Because they did not know, they rejected their expected King. Now the ministry of God is being taken away from Israel and given to a different body. That is the beginning of Romans 9 and continues in Romans 10 and 11. It is the body of Christ, who are not a nation. And the people that speak the truth will be taken as foolish by Israel.

God revealed Himself to those that did not seek or ask for God, He revealed Himself to Gentiles as was hidden in the prophets. The arm of the Lord revealed is His mercy in that He has stretched out His hands to a disobedient and contrary people. If that is not lovingkindness, I do not know what that is.

And yes, angels were (and are) always involved.

Which of the prophets have your fathers not persecuted? They have even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the disposition of angels, but have not kept it.”

Acts 7:52–53

How was the Law sent?

Therefore we should be more attentive to what we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken by angels was true, and every sin and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation, which was first declared by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him? God also bore them witness with signs and wonders and diverse miracles and with gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His own will.

Hebrews 2:1–4

The inspired commentary from the New Testament tells us that angels are indeed the messengers to men. The stars are messengers. It is their witness that is plain to the whole earth. There are scholars who think that the position of the stars purposely relates a witness of the Gospel and the history of creation. This information was compiled long ago in an easily accessible work called Mazzaroth or The Constellations by Frances Rolleston.

Now the foundation has been laid. Taking what we now have gleaned, let us look back to the Tanakh.

Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who turn the many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.

Daniel 12:3

Do you see the witness of the heavenly host, and what it conveys?

Do you consider yourself as one of those wise?

Is it not the stars who turn the many to righteousness?

The many is synechdoche. It is used to mean Israel, and by extension in the New Testament… God’s people.

It is not my intent to shame any people. It is to show that the God portrayed in the Tanakh is the loving God of the New Testament. When I read the Tanakh, the tender mercies of God are everywhere. Just reading this song of Moses moves me to tears. It demonstrates the great mercies our Lord has extended to Israel. And by them, to all of us foolish Gentiles who believe Him, He calls wise.

He said: The LORD came from Sinai and rose up from Seir to them; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of holy ones; from His right hand went a fiery law for them. Surely, He loved the people; all His holy ones are in Your hand, and they sit down at Your feet; everyone receives Your words.

Deuteronomy 33:2–3

Paneas Before the Advent of Jesus

On By TimIn Matthew 16, Nephilim3 Comments

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

Matthew 16:13

Now that we have an overview of Paneas replete with a summary of the plans of the enemy, let’s look at some of the things about Caesaria Philippi. In the Tanakh, this is known as Bashan.

Bashan

It is an area located east of the Jordan River. Bashan is the upper Transjordan east northeast of the Sea of Galilee and extends north to include Mount Hermon. The Israelites conquered the area in the days of Moses and Joshua.

Bashan was a stronghold ruled over by two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og. Both kings descended from the giant clans. Its two capital cities were Ashtaroth and Edrei.

Ashtoroth

Ashtaroth is derived from the name of the Greek goddess Astarte. Astarte is the equivalent of the East Semitic goddess Ishtar (from where we get the English word Easter.). Ishtar is the ancient Mesopotamian goddess Inanna.

Edrei

Edrei is a word that probably means stronghold. Edrei was elevated 20 feet above the plain. It was an impregnable natural fortress amidst a complex labyrinth of caves caused by volcanic activity. There is an underground “city” below Edrei which was probably carved for a safe refuge during an attack. Edrei is modern day Daraa.

Both cities are described in myth and ritual texts from Ugarit as the abode of the god Milku. Our Bibles use the name Molech. He is Saturn in the Roman Pantheon and Kronos in the Greek Pantheon. These cities, and all of Bashan, were associated with a broad underworld population of ancestor-gods. The Canaanite people believed Bashan to be the gateway to the underworld (Hades, or Hell.)

Giant Kings

Sihon and Og were descended from the Rephaim and Anakim. These are some of the Bible’s names for the giant clans. (For reference see Deuteronomy 2:10-11, 20-21; 3:11-13; Numbers 13:26–33; Joshua 12:4; 13:12; Amos 2:9–10.) Sihon and Og were definitely augmented-human Nephilim.

Much is to be said of the religion of the ancient Amorites.

From Kings to Gods

We have already mentioned two gods. Understanding the ideas represented here becomes rather mind-boggling. And I rely on work done by others as they’ve connected things. Specifically fitting is the book The Second Coming of Saturn by Derek P. Gilbert. Excerpts are available. Here is some background to understand. From Mr. Gilbert’s research, it seems as if the term Molech (like Ba’al) is not a proper name, but a title that roughly means chief god. As it pertains to our discussion, we are talking about Kronos/Saturn/El, the king of the underworld.

We know from the Bible that Molech is associated with a heinous practice of worship, child sacrifice. (For reference, see 1 Kings 11:7; Leviticus 20:1–5.) God called the practice detestable.

To the Detestable

For the sons of Judah have done evil in My sight, says the LORD. They have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to pollute it. 31 *They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My heart. Therefore, truly the days are coming, says the LORD, that it will no more be called Topheth, nor the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth because there is no other place. The corpses of this people shall be food for the fowl of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth; and no one will frighten them away. Then I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of laughter and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land shall become desolate.

Jeremiah 7:30–34

It is bad enough to sacrifice the innocent for our own comfort. Sometimes, our modern mindsets miss the connections here. Look at how God references His sacrifice of these people to be as food. That is a hint necessary to understand why the practice is detestable. Part of the ritual of sacrifice is a shared meal. And if you are thinking cannibalism, that is right.

Remember what God said:

The LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed above all livestock, and above every beast of the field; you will go on your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”

Genesis 3:14–15

In my mind, and cannot unsee the connection to this:

Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

Serpents

The name Molech is found in a series of Ugaritic snakebite charms associated with Ashtaroth. The area of Bashan is definitely associated with serpents. Recently, it was discovered from Google Earth of all places, that there is a giant serpent mound in Bashan right in the vicinity of Gilgal Rephaim. More info is available here.

It’s just a coincidence, right?

This is a screen capture from Google Earth. It shows a long serpent-shaped roundabout 1/4 of a mile north of Gilgal Rephaim. The serpent mound is about 1 mile long.

In writing this, I can see the connection between the labyrinth at Gilgal Rephaim and that of Edrei. It could be that the entrance to the Netherworld is via a labyrinth.

This is God’s indictment of the Israelis.

They abandoned the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

Judges 2:13

Conclusion

There is much to unpack about the reference to Caesarea Philippi. My hope is that this provides a foundation for understanding the significance of Matthew 16 as we move further. I also hope your mind, led by what the Holy Spirit has tucked into it, is making connections. We all play a part in understanding this.

Surprise!

Serpent mounds and serpent motifs are everywhere. Business logos incorporate them as an homage. Computer programming languages contain serpent references. SpaceX calls its rocket Dragon. As for those mounds, this is one from Ohio.

This is an aerial photo of the Great Serpent Mound in Ohio. It is breathtakingly clear, and megalithic. It is open to the public.
The Great Serpent Mound in Ohio. The details are profound in black and white.

As the entire mound is visible in the last photo, look closely at the head. What do you suppose the round object is, and what the mound symbolizes?

I see the serpent’s answer to the Promise in Genesis 3.

Thinking about the old adage about a snake in the grass… What do we do with easter eggs… But hide them in the grass.

Sorry. Not sorry.

Humility, Unity and Confidence

On By TimIn Genesis 02, HumilityLeave a comment

The Lord God planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, along with the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:8–9 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

We start at the beginning from creation forward. We read that the earth was formed, domains made, and inhabitants created to occupy those domains.

Our attention focuses on God planting a garden that included the very thing that would provide a problem. One that would introduce an enemy opposed to God.

We tend to think of time linearly because we experience it that way. An event happens then the next one and so on. Yet, we cannot go back in time or look forward in time.

That movement of time doesn’t happen with God. He doesn’t move backward or forwards in time. He doesn’t look to the future, either. He is in every single moment in every conceivable place concurrently. I know that’s a big concept to grasp. But it helps to try to apprehend that. The psalmist sings of these wonders in Psalm 139.

The existence of that one tree would lead to the downfall of God’s imagers. One that we know He had confidently purposed to rectify.

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with powerful works and wonders and signs, which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know. You have taken Him, who was handed over to you by the ordained counsel and foreknowledge of God, and by lawless hands have crucified and killed Him, whom God raised up by loosening the pull of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

Acts 2:22–24 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

It is in the confidence of that already conceived plan that Jesus was crucified. It was set in order long ago before time existed… God, Himself would die for sins. The apostle John drops another bombshell about the “timelessness” of this fact.

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, all whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 13:8 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

It was determined that Jesus would die for sins. It was also His Blood that atoned for the sin at the foundation of the world exactly when It was needed.

Consider this: It was Jesus Himself (John 1:3) Who planted that tree. He planted the tree of life, along with the tree of knowledge. The latter is that which brought death. Jesus then died on another tree. This is where death was defeated so that humans could have restored access to the tree of life and the garden of God.

In our experience, this is the entire swath of time from creation until the New Jerusalem and beyond. For God, these things don’t happen one after another as spread across time. There is unity in that. Just as there is a unity of purpose within God Himself.

Yet in the moment of the establishment of creation up to planting the garden, the humility of Jesus is a very present reality.

Let this mind be in you all, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. But He emptied Himself, taking upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.
And being found in the form of a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5–11 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

There is a lot of deep stuff to unpack there. I will leave that for another time.

There is humility built into the creation. There is also unity. One which exudes confidence. Confidence that the necessary tasks to be done would be carried out and have the desired outcome. (God is already there.)

That is part of what Paul is saying about each of us having that very mind. Humility, unity, and confidence.

If there is any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any compassion and mercy, then fulfill my joy and be like-minded, having the same love, being in unity with one mind. Let nothing be done out of strife or conceit, but in humility let each esteem the other better than himself. Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:1–4 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Confidence that when we are called to lead, we lead. When called to teach, we teach. When called to love, we love. When called to have compassion, we are compassionate.

All of us are called to share Jesus Christ. We can be confident that we are able to do just that.

The Rapture (Part 6) – Why a Change?

On By TimIn 1 Corinthians 15, RaptureLeave a comment

In the last installment, we learned the mystery was revealed by Paul. We will explore the need for change.

Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

1 Corinthians 15:50 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

A Change to the nature of the Body is Necessary

The bodies we inhabit today are mortal. The flesh is corrupted with death. The flesh became corrupted when Adam ate of the forbidden fruit.

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Genesis 2:16–17 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

And to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ Cursed is the ground on account of you; in hard labor you will eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles it will bring forth for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, because out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return.”

Genesis 3:17–19 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Until the fall, the bodies of Adam and Eve were not corrupted. There was no death. As they ate, mortality entered as God had ensured the body would return to the dust. We know that is true. When our bodies die, they deteriorate into a skeleton, and given enough time, the skeleton also disintegrates back into the dust.

The mortality is passed onto the entire progeny of that first man. The mortality is inherited.

Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death has spread to all men, because all have sinned.
For until the law, sin was in the world. But sin is not counted when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam’s sin, who was a type of Him who was to come.

Romans 5:12–14 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Sin is not passed down, death is. Because these bodies are corrupted. They’re dying.

With these bodies, we cannot enter the eternal state. There needs to be a change.

We Shall be Changed

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:51–52 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

We shall be changed, and the change will be faster than instantaneous. Not all of the Spirit baptized believers in the body of Christ will not die. Some will remain and be changed instantly. (But not before those who have previously passed on.)

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who are asleep.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

We shall not all sleep. All will be changed. Not all of us will die. But all of us will be changed. Some will not undergo the process of physical death. All will undergo a change in that moment. The dead would be raised up incorruptible, no longer to die. And those mortal believers alive will put on immortality.

The change will happen in the twinkling of an eye. The Greek word for moment is atomos, it is from where the English word atom comes. It is a small measurement of time. It can be likened to the amount of time it takes to recognize a face on someone. That flash of recognition is the twinkling of an eye.

For this corruptible will put on incorruption, and this mortal will put on immortality.

1 Corinthians 15:53 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

The dead whose bodies had deteriorated into dust will put on incorruptible bodies. Their bodies will no longer suffer death. In the same way. The living mortals will instantaneously put on immortality.

Looking back at another text, we see clearly that Paul identifies himself with the living and not the dead.

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall be forever with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Death is Gone

Paul knew that the rapture was imminent. It was his hope to be caught up, and he identified with the living. This is an important concept as we move forward in 1 Corinthians 15.

When this corruptible will have put on incorruption, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then the saying that is written shall come to pass: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

1 Corinthians 15:54 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

The instant this happens for anyone s the voiding of death. This is the victory, and as we’ve learned from previous installments this is the proclamation to principalities and powers. Those that rule in the unseen realm do not have victory over death. Believers are beyond their grip and control.

Paul is citing this:

He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; and the reproach of His people He shall take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken it.

Isaiah 25:8 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

It is also cited in Revelation 21.

“O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?”

1 Corinthians 15:55 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

This is another citation from the Tanakh. This si another reference to the writing of a prophet.

I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes.

Hosea 13:14 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

In this case, God has no compassion for death, his enemy.

This is the victory the church-age believer has. Death is swallowed up. It has no power.

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:56–58 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

That is the exhortation. Our belief in God is not in vain.

One Day is Day One

On By TimIn Creation, Genesis 01Leave a comment

God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

Genesis 1:5 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

It occurs to me that there are many foundational ideas present in Genesis, as there are even in this verse. I hate to use the word first, but it is probably best suited.

This is the first mention of the naming of the light period of the day as day, and the dark period of the day as night. The Hebrew word for the day is yom. It is used twice in the verse as is reflected in the English.

Two other words are introduced, erev and boker, the Hebrew words for evening and morning. These have another intriguing usage. Erev generally reflects the idea of mixing, when things become less discernible just as in twilight. Boker connotes the idea of dawn when things become more discernible. Boker also means a splitting of the day. In the Biblical reckoning, dawn is midday.

God is teaching us that these things combined make one day. That is what the Hebrew literally says, one day. It is misleading to think the Bible calls it the first day.

When we read Genesis, most of us are familiar with the idea that there is the first day of creation followed by a short series of more creation days. Consider the idea of reading this without any prior assumptions, like another day following. Also think that there was not a day before, either. What God has done is show us the defining characteristics of one day… Dark and light… Evening and morning. These are the first occurrences of each, and the pair makes one day.

The Hebrew word that is translated as first is echad. It is a cardinal number. It also can serve as an ordinal number. One and two are considered cardinal numbers. First and second are ordinal numbers. Interestingly, echad can be translated one and it can be translated first. It is a seeming peculiarity this one day is day one and the first day.

One day as day one, as there is no second day yet to make this a first day. It is just one day as day one. It is only when the second day comes that the word can mean first.

Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Genesis 2:24 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

As we venture forward, the idea introduced earlier is reinforced.

God draws the woman from the man. He takes a part of the man to fashion the helpmate. In this verse are also the first mentions of the words father and mother as well as spouse. The man and wife become one flesh.

There is that Hebrew word echad again. And it is used to again to unify a plurality. Just as evening and morning make one (day,) man and wife make one (flesh.)

And we will roll backward just a bit.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

This is fascinating. God introduces Himself. But underlying the proper English grammar here is Hebrew that doesn’t follow grammar.

The word translated to God is elohim in Hebrew. It is a plural word used as a singular. Hebrew plurals are different. There are two types of plural, the dual plural which uses a suffix of -ayim, and the more-than-two plural which uses the suffix -im.

The singular is eloha.

The dual-plural is elohayim.

The more-than-two plural is elohim.

There is already this idea of a plurality being one. We clearly see the usage of the word echad to convey a unity of parts.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God. The Lord is one!

Deuteronomy 6:4 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

This is the Shema. It is the central affirmation of faith for Israelis. It is also a spoken affirmation of God.

This will show the blazing truth.

Note back to the Shema, let’s substitute some Hebrew words for the English.

Hear, O Israel: YHWH is our Elohim. YHWH is Echad!

It Wasn’t Allowed

On By TimIn Genesis 02, The FallLeave a comment

The Lord God planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, along with the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:8–9 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Genesis 2:15–17 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

This is a quick lesson in how to reason truth from the text. These two selections are closely related in context. They speak of the garden God planted. The reason for the things in the garden. What the man Adam was expected to do and what he was not allowed to do.

God planted the garden. These were His things for the man to tend. The trees in the garden were planted for food except two, the tree of life and the tree of knowledge.

The man was made to manage and oversee the things of God. In other words, He was made to tend them. (This would naturally include tending to the needs of other humans. That’s another lesson.) The man was to be a good steward of God’s things. That was his responsibility.

God told the man he could eat of every tree except one. He could eat of the trees for food including the tree of life.

We see the desire of the will of God for His creation.

What Adam was not allowed to do was to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We also know that this tree is not good for god by its exclusion.

I said not allowed for a reason.

You will hear it said that God allows or permits sin to be. When it is clear from the beginning, it wasn’t allowed.

The objections raised would be then there is sin because He put the tree there. We see He doesn’t stop people from doing sin, so He allows it.

Both of those ideas are based on a logical fallacy called post hoc ergo proctor hoc. Simply stated, it is using the conclusion to deduce the cause. Logic doesn’t work that way.

Saying sin exists because God didn’t stop it puts the conclusion before the underlying premise. How is the finite being encumbered by a physical property called time able to knowingly determine what the One Who inhabits eternity has done in eternity?

The simple explanation is, such cannot know. It would be gross speculation exponentially more farfetched than trying to determine who wins the World Series in 2030. It’s not likely to be true at all.

In the same way, the tree was put there knowing Adam would eat. It raises the same speculation about motive. A finite being cannot determine the motive of the Infinite Being without Him revealing it.

Clearly, from the beginning, God’s intent or motivation for creation was clear. Humans were to tend it and lead it. They could freely eat of all the trees for food, save one. It wasn’t allowed.

It wasn’t allowed because sin isn’t allowed.

Genesis 2:17: You Will Surely Die?

On By TimIn Creation, Death, Genesis 02, Romans 02, Romans 03, Titus 01Leave a comment

but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Genesis 2:17 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

When you read that verse, what comes to mind?

I offer, most who read the verse won’t really take it at what is written. Instead, the truth might be obscured, understanding it as “you will eventually die.” God is not teaching that sin brings eventual death, but that just death for sin is immediate. Sin, Is a capital offense.

When the recompense for sin was stated to Adam, God did not say, “you will eventually die.” The penalty is clearly stated. It’s immediate death. Let us read this rationally, and not soften what God clearly says. A cursory examination of commentaries on this verse agrees. This is from the conservative Keil-Delitzsch’s Commentary on the Old Testament, “Why then did God prohibit man from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, with the threat that, as soon as he ate thereof, he would surely die?” That clearly delineates what is meant, death is to be expected as soon as one ate. Another more progressive commentary Interpreter’s Bible Commentary says, “Death would follow immediately!” The intent of God’s word is clear. God’s command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil included the assurance of immediate death. It stands in stark contrast to what most believe, and to what was allowed, to eat of any other tree… Including the tree of life.

Humans were created to be image-bearers of God. That means being like Him in all ways. There were things reserved for God, yet the implication of that one tree in the garden shows the will of God. Humans were not to know death.

There might still be an objection

But they did not immediately die when they ate the fruit. But they did eventually die.

Exactly!

The eventual death is evidence of the corruption the fruit did to the physical body. It changed Adam and Eve and not just in a spiritual sense. God gave all the other trees of the garden as good for food. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was therefore not ‘good for food.’ It was the one tree God set aside as something not to eat for food. After the serpent entered and questioned what God had said, Eve had assented to the idea God was holding something from them. She looked at the fruit, and her desire led her away from the truth, believing that the fruit was ‘good for food.’

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasing to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate;

Genesis 3:6 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

When she ate, things changed for her. She passed it to her man, and he also ate. He too was changed. Corruption entered humanity. The corruption also had a physical effect on the body. That corruption was passed down to progeny. That is the death from disease and aging we all will eventually die. (There are other ways to die, but all humans will die from the corruption in their own bodies regardless of other factors.)

Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death has spread to all men, because all have sinned.

Romans 5:12 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

We also know that Adam did not die immediately. It’s not that God changed His mind or backpedaled on His words to them. There is something else in place.

Jesus is The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

He provides the respite from justice that was given to Adam. He was the One Who satisfied what was owed, immediate death.

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if through the trespass of one man many died, then how much more has the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. The gift is not like the result that came through the one who sinned. For the judgment from one sin led to condemnation, but the free gift, which came after many trespasses, leads to justification. For if by one man’s trespass death reigned through him, then how much more will those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:15–17 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

The free gift came after many trespasses, meaning it came at a later time than that first trespass that introduced corruption to death. The seeming delay of death is not a delay, but a respite of justice. It’s been fulfilled. We know this applies backward in time to that very first trespass. The righteous act of One is applicable to all.

Therefore just as through the trespass of one man came condemnation for all men, so through the righteous act of One came justification of life for all men.

Romans 5:18 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Therefore, that free gift leads to justification for all. It’s the goodness of God.

But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who commit such things. Do you think, O man, who judges those who do such things, and who does the same thing, that you will escape the judgment of God? Do you despise the riches of His goodness, tolerance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Romans 2:2–4 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Paul would further expound on the idea, that all who have sinned are being justified as they live after it.

being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith, in His blood, for a demonstration of His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins previously committed,

Romans 3:24–25 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

This is the reality. Jesus’ death provides. It’s a respite for humans from death. This respite leads to justification for all humans.

Enough about death.

Let’s talk about life. Though we all are foolish, the kindness of God is still there. Just like in the garden at the beginning, His desire has not changed.

We also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various desires and pleasures, living in evil and envy, filled with hatred and hating each other. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of rebirth and the renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, being justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:3–7 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Back in that garden, amongst those trees, there is another implicit truth. Humans were created to live forever, and not to die. God is demonstrating that to fulfill what it is to image-bear for Him is living with Him as He lives. The ability to live the kind of life God has is not intrinsic to humans. We need that tree of life to give to us what we do not have. God wants us to live the kind of life He has. It’s HIs gift to us, we must take it inside of us for ourselves.

In the garden, God is establishing reality. A reality that He continually tells us.

I call heaven and earth to witnesses against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.

Deuteronomy 30:19–20 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

The apostle Paul affirmed that this gift is from the beginning, just as taught in Genesis.

in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began,

Titus 1:2 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

We are not guaranteed to become heirs of the hope of eternal life. Just like it was presented to Adam and Eve in the garden, we must choose to live forever by partaking in the tree of life. The tree of life is not in our midst to us as we live today, in that we cannot eat of it now. We can have it (eternal life) now.

Jesus says we have it now. That, is because we are heirs to the things of God, including the hope of eternal life.

Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into life.

John 5:24 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give permission to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.

Revelation 2:7 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Justice no longer stands against us. Justice is satisfied to then provide respite from the immediate penalty due. We know looking back, it was done at the cross when Jesus stated, “Tetelestai!” Justice has been done. Justice is done by His grace and all are being justified. Justification is poured out abundantly in Jesus. He is Just and justifier.

to prove His righteousness at this present time so that He might be just and be the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:26 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

We are saved by His life.

How much more then, being now justified by His blood, shall we be saved from wrath through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, how much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.

Romans 5:9–10 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)