> [!title|noicon] **2 Trees in the Garden of Eden (Pt 2)**^top > The Deadly Allegiance Against God <br> In this section of this 2-part article, we will consider a slightly different angle to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. At the beginning of Christ's ministry, after He was baptized by John the Baptist, Christ was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil ([Mt 4:1](Matthew%204.md#^1); [Mk 1:12](Mark%201.md#^12) - [13](Mark%201.md#^13); [Luke 4:1](Luke%204.md#^1) - [2](Luke%204.md#^2)). In that context, we read of a particular temptation whereby Satan attempted to draw Christ into a faux mutually beneficial agreement between the two: > *Again, the devil takes him up into an exceeding high mountain, and shows him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And says unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.* (Matthew 4:8-9) > > *And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.* (Luke 4:5-7) <br> Satan, showing Christ the glory and power of all the worldly kingdoms under his spiritual command in a moment of time, offered to give all to Christ if Christ would worship him instead of God. Christ would effectively become Satan's vice-regent over all of the earth with all of its power vested in Himself. Think of like this, "Why suffer such a humiliating, lowly existence and an ignominious death when you can have all of this fame, honor, dominion and exaltation now. All that heart could wish for in this present world is Yours if You will bow to me." Thankfully, Christ did not fall into this death-trap. Christ was the suffering Servant, the Offering or the Atonement for the sins of His people, with the singular purpose of honoring and glorifying God in redeeming His people from sin that they might have everlasting life. All hope would have been utterly destroyed had Christ faltered during that intense period of testing, He would have plunged Himself into the sin-pit with the entire human race and there would be no redemption available for His people. All would be lost, and Satan knew it. Sadly, the human race had previously fallen for his pitch soon after creation. In the beginning, the parental head of the human race, Adam and Eve, were created perfect and sinless: > *So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ... And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.* (Genesis 1:27, 31) <br> Their lives in the Presence of God were far better than could be imagined at any time in history afterwards and anywhere in the world. There was no disease, no death, no suffering, no sorrow, no frustration, no pain, no confusion, no emotional grief -- no curse whatsoever. They were not, as Christ, created to suffer in humiliation and to purposefully die. In every respect they had everything provided for their good and enjoyment without care or interruption. At that time God caused many trees to grow, including the 2 in the middle of the Garden of Eden which He had given special names: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: > *And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.* (Genesis 2:9) <br> And for their benefit, God gave to Adam and Eve the fruit of all the trees from which they could eat except for the one, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: > *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 of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.* (Genesis 2:16-17) <br> The phrase "you shall surely die" means "dying you shall die." The process of decay, destruction and death would begin if they ate of that *one* tree. And from its name we know immediately that evil is somehow involved. It was created as a good tree in a perfect creation, but eating from it would introduce evil and death, something that is *not* good. On the other hand, the *Tree of Life* was available for food along with the other trees -- something that would have been very good to eat. And as seen in the [previous study](2%20Trees%20in%20the%20Garden%20of%20Eden.md), that tree represents Christ and eternal life ([Rev 22:2](Revelation%2022.md#^2), [14](Revelation%2022.md#^14); [Ps 1:3](Psalm%201.md#^3)). We know Adam and Eve clearly understood God's directive not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the consequences for doing so, as seen in Eve's response to the serpent (Satan) concerning it in the garden: > *Now the serpent was more shrewd than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, has God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God has said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.* (Genesis 3:1-3) <br> So there was no question about the instruction and the warning. But then came the temptation, the proposition from Satan to follow his counsel instead of God's decree, similar to his temptation of Christ to obtain the glory of the world for Himself: > *And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God does 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) <br> From the name of the tree itself, the serpent understood that it would grant them knowledge of good and evil. Up until then, all of creation was *very good*. But eating of this tree was effectively an irreversible portal of evil leading to death -- a portal to hell, if you will. The mythical *Pandora's Box* is to some extent modeled after the reality of this tree. Once they disobey and partake, they cannot go back. So we see Eve processing this proposition: > *And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise . . .* (Genesis 3:6a) <br> Notice God did not make this an ugly tree, nor was the fruit repulsive. It was a beautiful, attractive, mysterious tree with fruit that might cause your mouth to water in appearance. And it had an intriguing name that spurred curiosity into its mystical properties to bestow a certain kind of wisdom. But God strictly warned them that the act of eating from this tree would be deadly. There were no "maybes" about it. It was, in a sense, a deeply poisonous action to take, and not just physically speaking. Even today the phrase "forbidden fruit" conveys the idea of a prohibited desire that brings terrible, irreversible consequences if indulged. There is something strongly desirable about the forbidden fruit, but it brings repercussions and deep regret once the coveted experience runs its course. A related phrase we might hear is "Just do it," encouraging rash action without concern for the outcome. "It's no big deal. It's actually good. Go ahead, what could happen? Deal with it later. You only live once. Life is short." Adam and Eve did not consult with God about this, they knew it was wrong already as we just saw in Eve's reply. Moreover, the serpent implied that God was lying to withhold something good from them, that He was manipulating them with an empty threat to prevent them from enjoying a greater sense of wisdom and of being like God in their own right. This was actually a projection of what the serpent sought for himself -- because once they followed his counsel he would then become their master from that point forward, making him their god. So the agreement was on, the fatal contract was ratified, their allegiance was set and they exercised self-determination to decide their own fate: > *. . . she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.* (Gen 3:6b-7) <br> This was a bilateral, durable (lasting), irrevocable, fatal agreement with the devil. The gloomy effects of this are seen in the remainder of [Genesis 3](Genesis%203.md) and throughout the Bible -- and, indeed, in the world ever since. Once Adam and Eve heeded the counsel of the serpent against the Word of God, they and their posterity were cursed from the Garden of Eden and from fellowship in the Presence of God, now subject to vanity, frustration, sorrow, sickness and death -- all of the ills that have befallen this world since that time. They became subjects of the serpent, allied with him with all sorts of strange and twisted selfish desires that they would commit lies, deceptions, thievery of all types and even murders, even unto the death (Ro 3:10-18). They no longer had access to the Tree of Life ([Gen 3:22](Genesis%203.md#^22), [23](Genesis%203.md#^23), [24](Genesis%203.md#^24)) which represents Christ and eternal life ([Rev 22:1](Revelation%2022.md#^1) - [2](Revelation%2022.md#^2)). And the same is true up to today, the end of the human race is eternal death and destruction with no hope of eternal life in their present situation. Now, thankfully, God has provided an Escape from this situation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus took on the sins of His people and suffered the wrath of God in their stead as their Atonement, that they might have eternal life in, through and with Him. He has become our Righteousness, on our behalf, to cover our sins if we have become saved. He has conquered Satan and the works of the devil, He has been victorious over death and the grave through His death and resurrection, bringing redemption to His people who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life from the foundation of the world. And all of the glory goes to Christ alone for His work in redeeming us -- if we are saved, we are rescued as from the bottomless pit of sin and death. But for the larger part of the world, the human race continues in this contract with the devil, in this agreement and allegiance with death that they have effectively signed in blood from the garden of Eden. And it will end with eternal death as God warned from the beginning. We read in Isaiah 28: > *Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: . . . And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goes forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only [to] understand the report.* (Isaiah 28:15, 18-19) <br> God is reminding us that this agreement with death is a delusion and will come to destruction. We might momentarily think all is well for the duration of our lives, or for the duration of the generations that come and go through the centuries. But in reality life is attended with all kinds of evils, difficulties and turmoil until it finally ends in the darkness of death for all who remain unsaved. They are numbed by their own desires and passions to believe they know the best course for themselves if they are not brought to the foot of the cross to see the situation they are in. But eternal God, Who is above all and knows all, assures us that this is the case. It is a spiritual deception. Some may find it quaint and unfair, even blameworthy, that a good, holy God would create 2 trees in the garden and forbid eating from one of them under threat of eternal death. Of course, the real issue is having eaten of the tree after being duly warned not to do so. But many do not understand that these 2 trees represent something far greater and more serious. They were not just 2 trees like we might see out in the neighborhood, in a park or in the woods somewhere. They represent the infinite divide between eternal life in Christ and eternal death apart from God under the Law of God and under the penalty of death for sin. And the latter path is the one that the human race has signed up for themselves, in full agreement and volition with the serpent. We cannot blame our original parents, it was something that we were all fully and soberly involved with as a species while still in their loins. And the proof and evidence of this is that the human race continues on with that allegiance through the ages, there is not one of us who can nor will repudiate it until and unless Christ saves us from our sins and makes us a new creature so that we can begin to understand our deeply sinful nature. The impact and the characteristics of this league against God are readily seen each day until the end of the world. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil represents the goal of the serpent and of the human race to be the independent determiner of right and wrong for their lives in total conscious suppression of God and His Word, resulting in endless sin, even as it casts the unsaved under the Law of God to which they are accountable. Sin is so woven into the fabric of the human race that this accountability to God is utterly blunted from the conscience in an attempt to preserve and to boost self-importance and to justify a worldly focus and lifestyle without shame. People are perfectly happy to live as they please for a brief period in this world as the arbiter of their fate rather than seeking the favor, wisdom and righteousness of God in Christ, in the Word of God, and to live eternally. But deep in heart everyone knows this is the situation > *For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold [that is, who suppress] the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has showed [it] unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools . . . .* (Romans 1:18-22) > > *And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.* (Romans 1:28-32) > > *Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.* (2 Peter 3:3-7) <br> These verses display the *fearless* readiness of the human race, in their conscious free will, to spurn God. This is the agreement made with the serpent. Eating of tree was a purposeful action to forsake and to squelch God in the spiritual conscience. This is not only apparent in the obvious behaviors written above. It is everywhere -- even, for example, in online public posts and comments. Let someone mention God and watch the many down votes and negative comments written to deny, ridicule, suppress, blaspheme and distort any mention of God or something that might relate to the Bible. There's an automatic response to declare that the whole idea of God is foolishness to them, or that their twisted ideas of God (with no basis in Scripture but originating from their own minds) have merit -- all so they can confidently extol themselves -- even as they fully recognize they will die forever and are *completely* fine with that, believing in vain that that's just the natural order of things. This is also seen in society at large, how the Biblical prescription for right and wrong has been long ago discarded like trash, driving society into the cesspool of immorality with all of its fallout and division, while curated appearances and vanity shows are celebrated on every side. Not one will not have God on God's own terms in the Bible apart from the mercy and grace of God: > *As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one. Their throat [is] an open sepulchre [that is, tomb or grave]; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps [is] under their lips: Whose mouth [is] full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet [are] swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery [are] in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.* (Romans 3:10-18) <br> Nor is there any interest in eternal life even at the very cost of eternal death, provided they can be the captain of their souls for a few brief years or decades. They silence God's Word in order to have what they want now -- they proudly alienate, marginalize and exclude those who profess Christ, those who do not go along with their lifestyles, appearances and vogue but ever-changing agendas to advance their own ends. This is all part of the agreement with death. > *Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.* (James 4:14) > > *Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.* (Isaiah 51:6) <br> 12.28.2024 <br><br> Tags: #sin #library