Genesis

There are far and away much better commentaries on the book of Genesis in existence than ours, but we seriously doubt there's any that are more personal. Although not very scholarly; ours easily serves as an adequate introduction to one of the most important— if not the most important —books in the Bible.

Genesis is a one of those things that are called "foundational". What that means; is that a poor knowledge of this book will handicap your understanding of the rest of the Bible; most especially the New Testament portion.

All the really cool stuff is here: the origin of the universe, the origin of Man, Adam and Eve, the origin of marriage, the Devil, the first lie, the first sin, the origin of human conscience, the origin of human death, the origin of clothing, the first baby, Cain and Abel, the first murder, Noah, the Flood, the tower of Babel, the origin of the people of Israel, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Joseph (Moses vs. Pharaoh, and the Parting of the Red Sea, is in Exodus).

What you won't find in our Genesis commentary is the so-called Catalogue Of Nations, nor will you find a lengthy treatment of Dinosaurs and the Jurassic Era. The dinos get a passing mention, and that's about it. For some reason, Genesis has very little to say about Earth's early history, and since that's the route it takes, we do too.

        Gen 01                                Gen 14                                Gen 27                                Gen 40
        Gen 02                                Gen 15                                Gen 28                                Gen 41
        Gen 03                                Gen 16                                Gen 29                                Gen 42
        Gen 04                                Gen 17                                Gen 30                                Gen 43
        Gen 05                                Gen 18                                Gen 31                                Gen 44
        Gen 06                                Gen 19                                Gen 32                                Gen 45
        Gen 07                                Gen 20                                Gen 33                                Gen 46
        Gen 08                                Gen 21                                Gen 34                                Gen 47
        Gen 09                                Gen 22                                Gen 35                                Gen 48
        Gen 10                                Gen 23                                Gen 36                                Gen 49
        Gen 11                                Gen 24                                Gen 37                                Gen 50
        Gen 12                                Gen 25                                Gen 38
        Gen 13                                Gen 26                                Gen 39

The author of Genesis is currently unknown; but commonly attributed to Moses. Scholars have estimated the date of its writing at around 1450-1410 BC; which is pretty recent in the grand scheme of Earth's geological history— a mere 3,400 years ago.

Genesis may in fact be the result of several contributors beginning as far back as Adam himself; who would certainly know more about the creation than anybody, and who entertained no doubts whatsoever about the existence of a supreme being since he knew the Creator himself like a next door neighbor. That would explain why the book begins with an in-your-face deistic account of the origin of the cosmos, rather than waste words with an apologetic argument to convince agnostics that a God exists.

As time went by, others like Seth and Noah would add their own experiences to the record, and then Abraham his, Isaac his, Jacob his, and finally Judah or one of his descendants completing the record with Joseph's burial.

Genesis is quoted more than sixty times in the New Testament; and Jesus himself authenticated its Divine inspiration by referring to it in his own teachings (e.g. Mtt 19:4-6, Mtt 24:37-39, Mk 10:4-9, Luk 11:49-51, Luk 17:26-29 and 32, Jn 7:21-23, Jn 8:44 and Jn 8:56).

What was God doing in the dateless infinite past before the current universe came into existence? (I say *current because there's another in the works. Isa 65:17, 2Pet 3:10-13, Rev 21:1) Who really knows? But a creative genius like that couldn't possibly have been sitting around for zillions of years staring at the walls with nothing to do.

The word for *God is from the Hebrew 'elohiym (el-o-heem'). It's a plural word and means, ordinarily: gods. Its uses are very broad and can even apply to human beings in positions of authority like in Psalm 82 and Psalm 45. 'Elohiym isn't really the Almighty's personal name, but an abstract deistic term that pertains to all sorts of gods, along with, and including, the supreme one.

The word for *heaven is from the Hebrew word shamayim (shaw-mah'-yim) and means: to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the plural (heavens) perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve). So the word *heaven can mean the breathable air in our planet's atmosphere as well as the stratosphere and the vast celestial regions of space.

The word for *earth is from 'erets (eh'-rets) and means: to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land) Erets is sometimes spelled with a zee; eg: ERETZ Magazine, or in the phrase Eretz Israel— meaning, of course, the land of Israel.

Jesus of Nazareth made this comment about the creation of Man; which has a bearing on the meaning of the phrase "began to create."

†.Mtt 19:4 …"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female,"

Wasn't the human race actually created on the sixth day? Yes, it was. So apparently Jesus understood the word *beginning to be an inclusive term comprising the entire creation endeavor, not a precise instant, because he obviously meant the human race was created *during the construction of the cosmos, but not right at the gun.

The Hebrew word for *unformed is from tohuw (to'-hoo) and means: to lie waste; a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in vain.

The word for *void is from bohuw (bo'-hoo) and means: to be empty; a vacuity, i.e. (superficially) an undistinguishable ruin.

The terms tohuw and bohuw, don't imply the complete absence of matter. They just imply ruin and chaos. The very same wording is used in another part of the Bible regarding the land of Israel in utter ruin because of God's judgments against it.

†.Jer 4:22-28 …For My people are stupid, they give Me no heed; they are foolish children, they are not intelligent. They are clever at doing wrong, but unable to do right. I look at the earth, it is desolate and empty (tohuw and bohuw); at the skies, and their light is gone. I look at the mountains, they are quaking; and all the hills are rocking. I look: no man is left, and all the birds of the sky have fled. I look: the farm land is desert, and all its towns are in ruin— because of the Lord, because of His blazing anger. (For thus said the Lord: The whole land shall be desolate, but I will not make an end of it.) For this the earth mourns, and skies are dark above— because I have spoken, I have planned, and I will not relent or turn back from it.

The construction of planet Earth, was an orderly step by step process. If you were to visit a housing tract under construction out here in the West, you wouldn't see the beautiful homes that people move into. You would first see the neighborhood as unimproved land.

Then the surveyors come and measure and mark the locations for water, sewer, power, and property lines. Then huge earth moving machines come in and scrape off the topsoil. After that, smaller machines cut in streets and storm drains, and mold the land into home sites while the utilities people install sewer lines, electricity, water and gas pipes, and cables for TV, telephone, and DSL. Then other workers show up and start making foundations while yet others are making sidewalks. Then carpenters show up and begin framing. Pretty soon, roofers are nailing on shingles, and the structures begin to resemble homes. Before you know it, a real neighborhood appears with parks, paved roads, and street lighting. But at first, everything is confusing and disordered; and all the building materials are laying around in heaps and piles looking more like a refuse disposal site than a habitable neighborhood.

That's the way the Earth began: as a chaotic heap of building materials, which were then utilized to construct a habitat for living organisms.

†.Isa 45:18 …For thus said the Lord, The Creator of heaven who alone is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who alone established it— He did not create it a waste, but formed it for habitation:

The big question of course is where did the Earth's building materials come from? Did they always exist, or did God invent them just especially for the Earth now in existence? Were those materials left-overs from another Divine project prior to the current universe, or maybe even parallel to it?

Regardless of how, or out of what, they were made, the origin of the materials has to be founded in a Creator. It is both maddening and futile to consider any other possibility. By faith we understand much more about the origin of the cosmos than ever could be understood by the unaided mind of natural reason. Faith doesn't violate reason; on the contrary, faith is both a friend and a help to Man's rational understanding of his own existence.

†.Heb 11:3 …By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's vocal command, so that what is visible was made from something invisible.

†.Gen 1:2b …with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water—

At this point, there was no ordered cosmos, nor any planets, nor an Earth, nor anything solid: just a massive chemical matrix, while the wind of God held it all in place like corralled livestock; because as yet, no physical laws were in force to make matter behave the way it does as we know it.

The birth of the cosmos, involving water and wind, provides a striking parallel to regeneration: the second births of John 3.

†.John 3:5 …Jesus answered; "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."

†.John 3:8 …The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

T~ and darkness was upon the face of the abyss, and the Spirit of mercies from before the Lord breathed upon the face of the waters. (Targum Jonathan)

T~ and the Spirit of mercies from before the Lord breathed upon the face of the waters. (Jerusalem Targum)

Targums are very old Aramaic paraphrases of the Hebrew bible. They were authoritative, and spoken aloud in the synagogues along with the Hebrew of the Torah and Haftarah readings. Public readings of the Scriptures in ancient synagogues were accompanied by a translation into Aramaic because that was the spoken language of most Jews in Israel and Babylonia during the Talmudic era. The normal practice was that after each verse was read from the sacred Torah scroll, an official translator known as the Turgeman, or Meturgeman, would then recite orally an Aramaic rendering.

Targums were utilized in the synagogues before, during, and after the times of Jesus— being necessary because many of the Jewish people of that day could not understand Hebrew. That's still true today. Because of their assimilation and world-wide dispersion, the vast majority of modern Jews cannot read, nor speak, nor understand the Hebrew language. Today, no doubt the most important, and the most influential translations of the Scriptures are no longer in Hebrew or in Aramaic, but in English. The Targum of Onkelos is commonly included along with a traditional Torah scroll in synagogues, but its teachings have pretty much fallen by the wayside and for the most part, ignored.

The Targum of Onkelos is commonly included along with a traditional Torah scroll in modern synagogues, but its teachings have pretty much fallen by the wayside and for the most part, ignored.

Anyway; the universe was dark, and undisciplined; and all the cosmos' building materials were a swirling, chaotic mass of matter— but totally lacking the natural energies and forces that would hold things in place and make them react with each other.

Those are the very first recorded words of God spoken during the creation of the universe. The Hebrew word for light in that passage is from 'owr (ore) and means light in every sense of the word; which Webster's defines as: illumination, truth, a set of principles and standards, spiritual illumination, served (as coffee) with extra milk or cream, ignite, guide, animate (give life to), dawn, and others. So that the word Light isn't narrowly defined, but has a very broad application.

The illumination of Gen 1:3 is not said to actually glow, and no glowing celestial bodies were created until the fourth day— so that during the interim, even while Light was in the universe, you still couldn't see anything. According to the Bible, the light of Gen 1:3 is not a supernatural kind of light, but a created kind of light— not light that was introduced into the void from outside, but was from within, and was a kind of light with the potential to forge the universe into a living, active, organized, energetic structure rather than just a heap of debris.

†.2Cor 4:6 …For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The light shined out of darkness, not into darkness as if it was introduced to dispel the dark and brighten things up. A safe assumption is that at least one of the meanings of the light of Gen 1:3 refers to the natural laws of physics that would regulate how matter in the current cosmos would behave.

Without the laws of physics, the universe would instantly fragment itself and nothing would hold together. There'd be neither natural nor artificial light, no energy, no motion, no gravity, no atomic attraction, no molecules, no liquids and no solids. The laws of physics were created to make matter behave the way it does and to hold the entire creation together in a cohesive, understandable, sensible unity— converting the Earth from a condition of tohuw and bohuw (chaos and waste) to one of order and usefulness.

†.Pro 8:22-31 …Yhvh created me at the beginning of His course as the first of His works of old. In the distant past I was fashioned, at the beginning, at the origin of earth. There was still no deep when I was brought forth, no springs rich in water; before [the foundation of] the mountains were sunk, before the hills I was born. He had not yet made earth and fields, or the world’s first clumps of clay.

. . I was there when He set the heavens into place; when He fixed the horizon upon the deep; when He made the heavens above firm, and the fountains of the deep gushed forth; when He assigned the sea its limits, so that its waters never transgress His command; when He fixed the foundations of the earth, I was with Him as a confidant, a source of delight every day, rejoicing before Him at all times, rejoicing in His inhabited world, finding delight with mankind.

That passage speaks of physical laws that were created specifically for the current cosmos— laws that controlled its behavior and substance right from the very first day of its wild and wooly inception.

Since God Himself in person is somehow untouchable, it's necessary to provide a viable link between the forbidden Being and His earthly creations. One of the important links regarded in ancient rabbinical thought was The Word, called memra' in Aramaic (from the Hebrew and Aramaic root, 'mr which means: to say— the root used throughout Genesis 1 when God "said" and the material world came into reality and existence). The memra' concept— that of a Divine Verbal Mediator between the forbidden Being and the creature Man— occurs hundreds of times in the Aramaic Targums.

God's word has been of utmost importance ever since the first day of creation week. It's the primary way that the forbidden Being, implements His will. It's also how He communicates and interacts with human beings, and how He reveals Himself in a way they can understand. On the one hand, God has done this somewhat through human writings. But there is much more to God's speech than just ink and letters. Those materials merely constitute an inert, man-made record. On many occasions, when God's words were actually expressed, they effected far more power and impetus than that of a mere page of historical information.

Why did God even bother to speak during creation? Why didn't our maker just do His work silently without utterance or sound? To whom, or for whom, was He speaking when He said; "Let there be light."

There's a creative, dynamic force in The Almighty's voice, a power and energy in His words, a tangible release of Divine life. His word is an extension of His nature, a movement of His will— alive, powerful, and effective— not just letters, syllables, and sounds. There is vigor and activity in God's words extending far beyond the applications of thought and communication.

According to the Targums, which were at one time accepted as sacred Jewish beliefs, God's word is an entity; actually The God himself. The Memra' is to be worshipped, and served, and obeyed, and prayed to, as God. The Jewish apostle John (who's Hebrew name was Johanan), no doubt schooled in the Targums several years before he met Jesus, opened his gospel with these words:

†.John 1:1-3 …In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.

Modern Judaism accuses Johanan of fabricating his Christian ideology from Greek philosophy. However, John 1:1-3 was a very Jewish belief back in Johanan's day, and nothing said in that verse would have raised a single objection from any of his peers and contemporaries because that passage reflects 100% Targum teachings that were commonly dispensed in the synagogues of his day.

The Targums taught that God's word— the Memra' —reigns supreme upon The Almighty's throne.

T~ Deut 4:7 …For what people so great, to whom the Lord is so high in the Name of the Word of the Lord? But the custom of (other) nations is to carry their gods upon their shoulders, that they may seem to be nigh them; but they cannot hear with their ears, (be they nigh or) be they afar off; but the Word of the Lord sits upon His throne high and lifted up, and hears our prayer what time we pray before Him and make our petitions. (Targum Jonathan)

According to the Targums, Jacob, an important progenitor of the people of Israel, worshipped God's word as his own god.

T~ Gen 28:20-21 …And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If the Word of Yhvh will be my support, and will keep me in the way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Word of Yhvh be my God. (Targum Onkelos)

†.Gen 1:4-5a …God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.

The Hebrew word for Day is yowm (yome) which means to be hot: a day (as the warm hours).

The word for Night is layil (lah'-yil) which means, properly, a twist; viz: the flip side of day— dark and cold (or at least darker and cooler than the daytime).

The terms Day and Night identify the two portions of a 24-hour civil day: nighttime and daytime. This may seem like an insignificant detail, but when studying crucifixion week in the New Testament, then terminology becomes crucial in order to arrive at the correct day of the week upon which Jesus was crucified.

It's essential to apply God's literal definitions of Day and Night to Jesus burial and resurrection if one is to have any hope of deducing the correct chronology of Easter week. When people muddy the waters with the aspects of strict 24-hour Hebrew time-keeping, that's when they start coming up with some very unworkable theories. So-called Good Friday— conveniently positioned in Christendom's religious calendar —is the most unworkable theory of all, and has subjected Christianity to decades of perpetual mockery by the disbelieving world because even a 3rd grader can easily deduce that it's impossible to produce three Nights between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning.

Anyplace there's light, there is no true darkness because light always dispels darkness. However, darkness is powerless to dispel light. So then, light is the superior of the two and rules the dark. That is a biblical axiom; and, typically, light is good, and dark is just the opposite.

The creation of Light gave the liquid matrix the potential to become something ordered and useful. The absence of Light locked the creation into a condition of chaos. Light has huge significance in the Bible. Whether in the form of atomic energy, spiritual truth, good times, or all that is noble; true Light (in the biblical sense) always brings with it blessing and order, and Dark always brings just the opposite.

Hell, although a region of continual fire and burning, is a place of perpetual darkness.

†. Mtt 8:11-12 . . I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

†. Job 10:20-22 . . My days are few, so desist! Leave me alone, let me be diverted a while before I depart— never to return— for the land of deepest gloom; a land whose light is darkness, all gloom and disarray, whose light is like darkness.

In contrast, the 60th chapter of Isaiah characterizes Messiah's kingdom as a place of perpetual Light.

†. Isa 60:19-20 . . No longer shall you need the sun for light by day, nor the shining of the moon for radiance [by night]; for Yhvh shall be your light everlasting, your God shall be your glory. Your sun shall set no more, your moon no more withdraw; for Yhvh shall be a light to you forever, and your days of mourning shall be ended.

Some confusion exists because of the Bible's various applications of yowm. In Gen 1:4-5a, it indicates daytime only. But here in Gen 1:5b, it indicates both daytime and nighttime: a full 24 hours.

Technically, the hours between an evening and a morning are only half of a civil day; viz: the Night. In order to have a full 24-hour day, we would need two evenings. However, it's agreeable to construe that evening is the onset of Night, and morning is the onset of Day; so that biblically, a full civil day is correctly marked off by those two terms.

Was there really an evening and a morning? No, of course not. The Sun wasn't in existence yet. So, evening and morning are merely technical terms that mark off periods of time. But, how long was the first day; twenty-four hours, one thousand years, one million years?

What terms could be more suitable for the author to convey to his ancient readers the true length of those first few days other than the terms evening and morning? In other words, there are no other words as those are the perfect ones because everybody in the author's own day knew exactly what he meant. The normal, and the universal, understanding of a period of time marked by an evening and a morning is a civil day of twenty-four hours. Standard days thoroughly disagree with the so-called findings of science, but I'll comment on that later.

The first day of creation began in utter darkness. Then light was created. Thus the evening came first, and the morning came last. Biblical days always begin at sundown so that darkness rules the first half of the day, and light rules the final half. During the early moments of the first day of creation, all was chaos. Then came the Light, and from that point on, things started coming together and making some sense.

The word for expanse is from raqiya` (raw-kee'-ah) and means: a great extent of something spread out, a firmament, the visible arch of the sky.

Raqiya` is flexible. We look up at the sky at night and see blackness and stars. We look up at the same sky in the day and we see brightness, birds, clouds, the sun; and sometimes the moon. The Bible uses raqiya` like that too. It can be outer space where Orion and The Pleiades reside, it can be the sky above your head, or the breathable air right in front of your face.

We today have the advantages of modern science to aid our understanding of the book of Genesis. Man has discovered a great deal about the celestial void since Adam's day. Abel, Seth, Noah, and Abraham knew hardly nothing at all. When those guys looked up, they just saw sky; not really understanding exactly how far up, nor how far out, it went. For all they knew, the universe extended no further than the inside surface of a big spherical canopy surrounding their terrestrial home; and which they thought was possible to reach by erecting either a long ladder, or a very high tower, like the Tower Of Babel in Gen 11:4, and like Jacob's staircase in Gen 28:12. Without the benefit of telescopes, there was really not too much they could see for themselves in those days.

The Earth, which began in Gen 1:2 as a formless, unidentifiable, nondescript, sloshy liquid matrix comprising all the essential elements needed to construct it, was thus hung in a void, apparently supported by nothing at all— at least from the ancients' point of view.

†. Job 26:7 . . He it is who stretched out Zaphon over chaos, Who suspended earth over emptiness.

(Zaphon is a mystery word; sometimes translated Heaven, and sometimes translated North.)

†. Gen 1:6b-7 . . in the midst of the water, that it may separate water from water. God made the expanse, and it separated the water which was below the expanse from the water which was above the expanse. And it was so.

The huge liquid matrix, from Gen 1:2 that would soon become planet Earth, was by now spherical in shape. When crew members up in the Space Shuttle let small amounts of fluid loose in a zero gravity environment, the fluids soon shape themselves into shiny liquid spheres floating around the cabin. That would also be the natural response of the matrix to the laws of physics after once God created Light. Prior to Light, the matrix couldn't be spherical because there were no physical laws to cause atomic cohesion and so God's spirit had the job of keeping the matrix corralled in Gen 1:2 until Light took over in Gen 1:3.

Nobody yet really fully understands what Light is. But we do know that wherever there's Light— even the invisible wave lengths —there is energy. The creation of Light, and subsequently the laws of physics, energized the matrix, and made it settle down and behave.

Although the universe is now controlled by well known natural laws, God temporarily overpowered those laws during the cosmos' formation. He had to. How else was He to get matter to do things contrary to its natural behavior? It isn't natural for gases to hover as a layer in a pool of liquid in the presence of gravity. Air wants to form a bubble and rise to the surface. It won't stay suspended in a pool of liquid as a stable, defined layer. Yet here during Earth's formation, air, derived from the chemistry of the matrix, was introduced into the matrix and divided it into two distinct masses of liquid; one below the air, and one above it. That is quite remarkable.

From the point of view of a person on the ground, the sky is all one big seamless chunk of air space. Scientists have given the different levels of sky names to differentiate them. Genesis blends all the strata into just one word. But when you look up, it does appear to be all one sky.

We can easily guess what is meant by water that is below the sky. But what about water that's above it? Is there really water above the sky? Not anymore, because the water that was above the sky soon became dissolved in it.

The atmosphere holds roughly 2,900 cubic miles of water in the form of vapor. Suppose you had a tank one mile wide, and one mile high. How long would it have to be to contain 2,900 cubic miles of water. Answer: 2,900 miles long. A tank that length would stretch from San Diego California to the Brooks Range in Alaska.

Now supposing we again make the tank one mile wide, but this time only as tall as the Eiffel Tower. How far would a tank of those dimensions containing 2,900 cubic miles of water go? The Eiffel Tower is 984 feet tall; which is .1863636 miles. So a tank 1 mile wide, and .1863636 miles tall, whose volume is 2,900 cubic miles, would be 15,561 miles long.

If that tank was poked into the Earth, it would go all the way through the planet, out the other side, and keep going for another 7,634 miles into space; which is roughly 31 times further out than a Space Shuttle orbit.

Laid South to North, the tank would stretch from Antarctica past Bangladesh to the North Pole; and keep going over the pole southwards for yet another 3,151 miles to Minneapolis Minnesota. The number of gallons of water in a single cubic mile is 1,100,956,999,000 gallons. That's over 1.1 trillion gallons of water. Multiply those gallons by 2,900 to obtain the number of gallons in the form of vapor dissolved at any given time in Earth's atmosphere; and you get 3.2 quadrillion— which is fourteen zeroes after the 2. A quantity of that volume would look like this:

When the word day is used in Scripture without qualifiers— as in Gen 2:4 where a day encompasses the entire creation week —then there's room for speculation on the meaning of the word. But the terms Evening and Morning leave no room for debate. In the Bible, those terms normally imply solar days consisting of twenty-four hours apiece.

The author wrote Genesis for people living in his own day, not in the 21st century. It's nothing less than rank unbelief to construe a day of creation to mean geological eras in order to appease philosophical musings and modern scientific theories. That is downright cowardly, and reveals a lack of confidence in the Scripture records. If we would but approach Genesis from the author's point of view, and with the understanding of the peoples who lived in his own day, then the creation story becomes a whole lot easier to digest.

The seven days of creation became the basis for the seven days of the Hebrew civil week.

†. Ex 20:8-11 . . Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of Yhvh your God: you shall not do any work —you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements. For in six days Yhvh made heaven and earth and sea, and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; therefore Yhvh blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

There in Ex 20:8-11, Yhvh himself defined the precise length of creation days, along with the length of creation week. That should settle it for conscientious Bible students.

†. Gen 1:9 . . God said: Let the water below the sky be gathered into one area, that the dry land may appear. And it was so.

In order for dry land to appear, there must first be land; so this is apparently the day in which it was made. Essentially, the earth consists of three major parts— the gaseous atmosphere, the liquid hydrosphere, and a solid body composed of the lithosphere, mantle, and core. Although the atmosphere has a thickness of more than 700 miles, about half its mass is concentrated in the lower 3.5 miles. The hydrosphere, in the form of the oceans, covers approximately 70.8 percent of the surface of the earth. The lithosphere, consisting mainly of the cold, rigid, rocky crust of the earth, extends to depths as much as 60 miles in some places. The mantle and core plumb a combined depth of approximately 3,900 miles and make up the lion's share of the Earth's mass.

The amount of water indigenous to planet Earth is just amazing. At the ocean's deepest surveyed point, the Challenger Deep— located in the Mariana Islands group, at the southern end of the Mariana Trench —the water's depth is over 11,000 meters; which is about 6.8 miles: 36,000 feet. That depth corresponds to the cruising altitude of a Boeing 747. At that altitude, probably about all you're going to see of the airliner without straining your eyes is its contrail.

If the Earth's crust were to be smoothed out so that there were no mountains nor valleys nor basins for the oceans, and all the ice melted, it would be covered with water to a depth of over 8,000 feet. It was necessary to deform the Earth in order to make huge basins for the water to settle into so there could be some dry land. Just think of the incredible pressure required to manipulate the earth's crust to make room for those hollows. And when you shove in one place, something has to give in another; so when God made low spots in the crust for oceans, it buckled resulting in mountains and highlands.

†. Ps 104:5 . . He established the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never totter. You made the deep cover it as a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. They fled at your blast, rushed away at the sound of your thunder— mountains rising, valleys sinking to the place you established for them. You set bounds they must not pass so that they never again cover the earth.

The Earth is a marvel of chemical, and geological engineering. It has just the correct amount of solid mass, just the right amount of liquid mass, and just the right amount of gaseous mass. Within those three categories I would add that the earth also has just the right amount of molten mass too because without that molten mass, tectonic plate subduction would not be a possibility.

Each phase of Earth's construction was guided by precise step by step recipes and processes that God first figured out in His head; and then implemented with powers that are just far too complex for Man's puny little mortal mind to comprehend.

†. Isa 40:12-14 . .Who measured the waters with the hollow of His hand, and gauged the skies with a span, and meted earth's dust with a measure, and weighed the mountains with a scale and the hills with a balance? Who has plumbed the mind of The Lord, what man could tell Him His plan? Whom did He consult, and who taught Him, guided Him in the way of right? Who guided Him in knowledge and showed Him the path of wisdom?

†. Job 38:4-6 . .Where were you when I laid the earth's foundations? Speak if you have understanding. Do you know who fixed its dimensions or who measured it with a line? Onto what were its bases sunk? Who set its cornerstone . . ?

†. Isa 48:13 . . My own hand founded the earth, My right hand spread out the skies.

†. Gen 1:10 . . God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of waters He called Seas. And God saw that this was good.

"Good" meaning that the land and the seas were perfectly suitable for the purposes that God intended for them.

The elements God used to create plant life for the Earth, were drawn from the Earth, just as later He will make Man out of the Earth too. So far, the Earth itself, plus everything destined to be a part of the Earth, has come out of the shapeless, liquid matrix of Gen 1:2.

Although God verbally commanded vegetation into existence, it didn't just pop into being without some prior planning. After all, how could God create a maple tree if He didn't have some concept of its biological structure, or even what it would look like? No, God is a highly intelligent master architect, and a skillful engineer. He began with a concept, organized his thoughts into a workable plan, and then set out to make it all a reality. A genius without par: Almighty God at work.

Doesn't vegetation need soil? Yes of course. However, nature's method of eroding rocks to make soil would have taken far too long— perhaps 300 years to a millennium to make just one inch of soil. So it was necessary to furnish the Earth with a starter kit of soil prior to creating the vegetation destined to live in it. Soil needn't have been a direct creation. All God had to do was crumble and blend the lithosphere that He already created on the second day.

The soil requirements of different plants vary widely, and no generalizations can be made concerning an ideal soil for the growth of all plants; e.g. avocado trees; which grow just fine in the relatively dry climate and alkaline soil of San Diego; do poorly in the acidic soil and much wetter climate of Portland Oregon. There are upwards of 30,000 different soils in the USA alone. So it was necessary for God to exercise discretion in preparing the first soils suitable for the varieties of vegetation that He would plant all over the world.

The primary components of soil are; 1) undissolved inorganic components produced by the weathering and breakdown of surface rocks; 2) soluble nutrients used by plants; 3) various forms of organic matter, both living and dead; and 4) gases and water.

One thing that could not possibly have been in soil's beginning was dead organic matter because nothing had lived prior to the third day of Earth's life; so it would be a while yet before nature would begin doing its work to provide soils with a measure of humus. But very soon now, God would create organisms to live in the soils to help keep them healthy and fertile— earthworms, nematodes, bacteria, microbes, moles, gophers, shrews, mites, springtails, fungi, actinomycetes, termites, and ants— and of course all the vegetation that not only grows in the soil, but dies and mixes back into it to help generate humus.

FYI: Jeffery Dukes, a biologist, ecologist, and dabbler in biogeochemistry at the University of Massachusetts, figured out that one(1) gallon of gasoline represents roughly 100 tons of plant matter: equivalent to 40 acres of wheat. The annual consumption of gasoline in the USA— about 131 billion gallons —is equivalent to 25 quadrillion pounds of prehistoric biomass; and that's not even factoring in all the other fossil fuels like coal, natural gas (a quadrillion contains 15 zeroes). Since 1751, roughly the beginning of the industrial revolution; humans have burned an amount of fossil fuel equivalent to all the vegetation, of every variety imaginable, that lived on the Earth for a period of 13,300 years.

†.Gen 1:11b-12a …seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it.

The structure of seeds is quite remarkable. They carry genetic coding necessary to produce a complete replica of the parent plant from which they came. Some seeds, such as those of the willow, are viable (capable of growing into healthy organisms) for only a few days after falling from the parent tree. Other seeds are viable for years— e.g. seeds of the Oriental lotus have been known to germinate 3,000 years after dispersal.

Many of the original animals, including Man, were vegetarians. Because of that, the need for food would be immediate and they could not tolerate any seasonal delays necessary to grow it.

All plant, animal, and human life were created adult. The old adage; "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" is easily resolved when it's realized that only a fertilized egg can produce an embryo. Fertilization requires contributions from both an adult male, and an adult female. Seeds, whether plant or animal, are produced only by adults; and the seeds must be fertile before they will germinate. Thus, pollination was essential. And pollination is possible only among adult plants.

According to the Genesis record, the Earth didn't go through eons of development in the beginning as some have proposed. It was constructed; not as a young embryonic Earth, but as an aged Earth. It's climates, geology, and its ecosystems were fully functional and ready to go in a mere five days after the Earth's creation. Practically right from the gun, on just the third day of its existence, Earth had an atmosphere, it had continents, it had seas, and it had a layer of diverse soils ready to support a myriad variety of vegetation.

All plants, those then and those now, were created on the third day. Every plant since then, and all that will ever be, pre-existed in the cell structures, and in the DNA, of the original flora. This principle of living things holds true not just for vegetation, but for animal and human life too. The cosmos was completed in six days. After that; God stopped creating. Nothing has been created since then; no, not even newborn babies. God produced the origin of species, but from then on, the various species reproduced themselves.

The word for *good is from towb (tobe) which not only serves as an adjective, but also as a noun. So when God inspected His handiwork and pronounced it "good" it was not only a job well done; but it was a job done just right. His creation was like Mozart's music— you cannot improve upon what is already perfect. Displace a single note, and there would be diminishment; displace a phrase, and the whole structure would fall.

On the fourth day, God spent time up in the higher reaches of the Sky. It might seem odd that God began work on the surface of the Earth, and then before He was finished, stopped short and moved off into space. Why not finish building down here on the planet first?

Because many types of plant and animal life need sunlight if they're to be strong and healthy. At this point in the creation, planet Earth was very dark and freezing cold. The dark side of the Moon gets down to 279º below zero; so it was time to turn the Earth into a greenhouse.

Oxygen is a must gas for sustaining life on earth and a very large percentage of it is produced by photosynthesis which is a chemical process that won't work without light. No doubt God introduced a starter kit of oxygen into the atmosphere, but it would eventually wax stale without some sort of filtration system and a method for replenishing breathable oxygen. Plant life plays a major role in both filtration and replenishment; hence the need to get the Sun shining as soon as possible.

The atmosphere contains about 19.5-23.5 percent oxygen at any given time and even with all the fossil fuel burned around the world, destruction of rain forests, and volcanic activity, the percentages remain fairly constant.

These lights here in verse 14 are luminous objects; and one of them; the Moon, doesn't generate its own light. It reflects light from the Sun. But for all practical purposes, both of them shed light upon the Earth just as God intended for them to do.

There was already Day and Night, even before luminous bodies were created. God established those boundaries on the first day. So light and dark are conditions not entirely dependant upon the presence of, or the lack of, natural illumination. The main purpose of the lights was to distinguish the two conditions; to graphically, and visibly, show that Day and Night are incompatible. This is not only true in the physical world; but also in the spiritual as well.

†. 2Cor 6:14 . . Do not be yoked with those who are different, with unbelievers. For what partnership do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

Darkness and Light have nothing in common. They are diametrically opposed to each other.

†. Gen 1:14c . . they shall serve as signs for the set times— the days and the years;

The word for signs is from 'owth (oth) and means: a signal; such as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.

The Sun and the Moon are very useful time keepers. The period of time between full moons, roughly 29.5 Earth days, is handy for dividing the year into major divisions. Though the moon doesn't divide the year into equal months, it is nevertheless close enough for practical purposes. If you were to tell somebody your intention to visit them in five moons, they would have a pretty good idea when to get ready for your arrival.

The Earth's orbit is handy too because it makes the Sun appear to move along a vast circular path in space called the Ecliptic. The Sun's location along the Ecliptic, relative to the stars, at any given time, is always against the backdrop of one of the signs of the Zodiac. So a person familiar with those signs, can, without even looking at a calendar, come pretty close to telling you the month of the year. That may not seem important to us modern city slickers, but if you were a farmer or a rancher living in ancient times, or even today living in a third world country, that information might come in very handy. When the Sun gets back to the same place in the Zodiac, everyone is older by one solar year, depending on their sign.

†. Gen 1:15-18a . . and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth. And it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day and the lesser light to dominate the night, and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, to dominate the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness.

Stars illuminate the Earth too. They may appear too dim for that purpose, but that's because our unaided human eyes are not all that sensitive. If you have never looked at the universe at night through a pair of binoculars, by all means try it sometime. You will be amazed at its brilliance! Some animals' eyes are more sensitive to light than the human eye so starlight is perfectly adequate for their nocturnal way of life.

The man who concerted construction of the Palomar telescope, George Ellery Hale, was dismayed at all the starlight going to waste in our world. That's why he was so obsessed with building instruments with huge mirrors to collect and focus starlight from a surface area much larger than his own eye.

The pupil diameter of the average human eye in the dark is roughly 7 millimeters; yielding a surface area of about 38 square mm. Palomar's 200 inch mirror yields a surface area of approximately 20,268,299 square mm. That is a significant gain in light collection; a ratio of about 2,895,471 to 1.

Every square inch of your neighborhood is bathed in starlight on a clear night. If you could see all of it falling around your house, you might have to squint or wear dark glasses when you went out at night.

Astronomers say that many of the stars are so far away that radio signals from quasars, and illumination from distant galaxies, takes millions of years to get here traveling at the breath-taking speed of 186,282.4 miles each second. So people have attempted to estimate the age of the universe by calculating the light-years between us and distant objects. Big Mistake!

Even if it were possible to accurately measure extremely large distances in space, it still wouldn't tell us much about the age of the universe because the cosmos was created fully functioning at the very outset. The instant God made those far away stars, they became visible on Earth— no waiting period. He just punched their light right on through. It was His intent in Gen 1:15 for the stars to shine upon the earth, and they did so on day four, not after many thousands and millions of years of delay.

But what's the point of putting all those objects out there in deep space? Well, for one thing, they decorate the night like the ornaments people put up during holidays. The night sky would sure be a bore if it was totally black. Think of the night sky like you would think of a beautiful tapestry, or a celestial Sistine Chapel. It makes better sense that way than to try and find some other meanings for it.

†. Ps 19:2 . .The heavens declare the glory of God, the sky proclaims His handiwork.

The universe is simply a magnificent work of art. It was never meant to be a home for Mr. ET. Sadly, many thinking people like Carl Segan look to the sky for the wrong reasons. Never look to the sky for the wrong reasons. Look to the sky for inspiration. Look to it for an exhibit of your maker's genius.

†. Rom 1:19-22 . . For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what He has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord Him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools

†. Gen 1:18b-19 . . And God saw that this was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

†.Gen 1:20 …God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and birds that fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”

The Hebrew word for birds is `owph (ofe) which just simply means covered with wings rather than covered with feathers. It's a rather unusual word because it includes not only aerial creatures with feathers, but according to Lev 11:13-23, `owph also pertains to bats and flying insects.

The wording of Gen 1:20 may appear that birds swarmed in the waters, when in fact they never have. Some birds may be amphibious, like the American Dipper, but they don't live in water. They live in the open air. Gen 1:20 reveals the origin of birds, but not their habitat.

How can water produce birds and sea creatures? Well, it can't be any harder than producing terra creatures from the dust of the earth seeing as how the very same dust exists in earth's waters.

bring forth swarms is actually all one word, derived from sharats (shaw-rats') and means: to wriggle, i.e. (by implication) swarm or abound. Sharats, strictly speaking, simply indicates the presence of large numbers; like in Ex 7:25-29.

Sharats is a different word than the ones translated bring forth in Gen 1:12 and Gen 1:15. The word in Gen 1:12 is from dasha' (daw-shaw') which means: to sprout. The word in Gen 1:15 is from yatsa' (yaw-tsaw') which is a word of motion and means: to go, to cause to go, send away, or to bring out, or proceed.

It's important to note that water creatures were created separately— and on the very same day as the fowls. So birds didn't evolve from creatures who lived in the sea. Birds are a distinct creation of their very own— a separate genre of life in their own right, and absolutely did not evolve from some other order of life.

The word for creature is from nephesh (neh'-fesh) and means: a breathing animal, viz: one that breathes atmospheric gases to survive— whether in free air or dissolved in water. A nephesh is different than vegetation. Although vegetation is alive, it isn't stated to be sentient.

This is the very first mention of a nephesh. According to Gen 2:7, nephesh are not only the animal world, but that Man himself is a nephesh too. The word nephesh implies an innermost being, a mind, a consciousness of one's existence, a sense of individuality, and a consciousness of one's surroundings. Some say that animals are people too. Well . . they're certainly not human, but according to the Bible, they are very definitely just as much a nephesh as a human being. So I guess we could consent, at least to some degree, that the beasts are people too; in their own way.

†. Gen 1:21a . . God created the great sea monsters, and all the living creatures of every kind that creep, which the waters brought forth in swarms,

sea monsters is from tanniyn (tan-neen') and/or tanniym (tan-neem') which mean: a marine or land monster. Tanniyn is sometimes translated Dragon— as in Isa 27:1

†. In that day Yhvh will punish— with His great, cruel, mighty sword —Leviathan the elusive serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent: He will slay the dragon of the sea.

It wasn't a tanniyn, however, that swallowed Jonah. That creature was either a dagah (daw-gaw') a dag (dawg) or a da'g (dawg). All three words mean: a fish.

of every kind that creep in this case regards only aquatic creatures that creep e.g. starfish, lobsters, clams, and crabs. The terra creepers are coming up in a little bit.

But what about aquatic dinosaurs? Well . . according to Discovery's web site— Walking With Dinosaurs —there were never any fully aquatic dinosaurs; viz: dinosaurs with gills. Paleontologists believe there were some marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, but those animals weren't true dinos.

God created a variety of bird species all at once, rather than just one from whom all the rest of the birdies evolved. Man, however, wasn't created that way.

†.Acts 17:25-26 …From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth;

Man is a one-of-a-kind specie. From just one man's genes came all the other variations of Man; ranging anywhere from Pygmies to Eskimos.

This is the very first recorded instance of a Divine blessing, and it wasn't given to the vegetation, just to nephesh.

*fertile of course being just the opposite of sterile. The word for *fertile is from parah (paw-raw') and means: to bear fruit (literally or figuratively). Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, were all sterile women until they were repaired by miracles. Too many women take their children for granted; just ask the ones who can't have any.

†.Gen 1:22c …and increase, fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.

Sea creatures exist in the most unlikely places. When the crew of the bathyscaphe Trieste descended into the 35,761 foot deep Challenger Deep located in the deepest part of the Mariana Trench in 1960, they didn't really expect to find anything living down there; but to their surprise, the saw some flat fish similar to sole and flounder where the pressure is about 15,945 pounds per square inch which is roughly equal to the weight of a block of Portland cement measuring 5.5 feet x 5.5 feet x 5.5 feet. If all the weight of that block were concentrated on an area no larger than a 25¢ piece, you'd have a pretty good idea of what 15,945 pounds per square inch represents.

Normal atmospheric pressure is roughly 14.7 pounds per square inch. Take away that pressure, and you wouldn't be able to draw a breath because the atmosphere's pressure is what pushes air into your lungs when you inhale. People can't inhale in a zero-pressure atmosphere. All they can do is exhale because a zero-pressure atmosphere is a vacuum.

Anyway, to put that depth in perspective; the dimensions of my palm and open fingers are roughly 4" x 7" which is 28 square inches. At the bottom of Challenger Deep, the cumulative force on my palm and open fingers would be about 446,460 pounds. But in water, the pressure is all around, so if we add the pressure from the backside of my hand, then the combined pressure on my hand would be 892,920 pounds and that's not factoring in the edges of my hand nor the inside surfaces of its fingers. Those 892,920 pounds aren't just dead weight, but rather, the measure of a squeeze— a monster hand-shake —that would compress my entire hand into a rather grotesque sight in no time at all.

Without the blessing of fertility, nephesh couldn't reproduce. Although reproductive systems are built into all nephesh; those systems are merely glands and plumbing without the miracle of fertility. God himself personally *enabled the reproductive systems of nephesh to transfer life. That is very interesting, and to this good day, the transfer of life from one generation to another is still a great big mystery.

Although vegetation is alive, it's not a conscious, sentient kind of life. When plants pass on their life in a seed, it is not the same kind of life nor the same kind of event as when a nephesh passes its life onto its offspring. The life of a plant's offspring happens through the mindless chemistry of genetic programming; whereas the life of a sentient, conscious creature is more than chemistry and genetics, but also a spark of Divine. Therefore the life of a sentient, conscious creature has value far over and above the value of plant life to such an extent that plant life has zero importance as a life form; viz: it's quite expendable.

Some fruitarians might have something to say about that. According to one of Hugh Grant's blind dates in the movie Notting Hill; fruits and vegetables have feelings, and cooking is cruel. Fruitarians (according to the blind date) eat only things that have actually fallen from the tree or bush, and are in fact dead already. Picking and cooking fresh fruits and vegetables right off their parent plant would therefore be an act of murder according to Hugh Grant's date.

†.Gen 1:24-25 …God said, “Let the earth [produce] every kind of living creature: cattle, creeping things, and wild beasts of every kind.” And it was so. God made wild beasts of every kind and cattle of every kind, and all kinds of creeping things of the earth. And God saw that this was good.

This grouping of creatures isn't specifically given the blessing of fertility. But if God would bless sea creatures and birds, why ever would He not bless the cattle too who are just as much, if not more, important than birds and sea life? But since they've been reproducing all this time, then I'd have to say there is sufficient empirical evidence to support the assumption that that they were equally blessed with fertility just like everything else.

The word for "living creature" is from nephesh (neh'-fesh); the same word used in verse 20 regarding birds and aquatic life. That word implies an innermost being, a mind, a consciousness of one's existence, a consciousness of individuality, and a consciousness of one's surroundings.

Terra critters consist of the very land masses upon which they live. They, like Man, weren't created out of thin air; but rather, God used all-natural earthly materials and ingredients already at hand to manufacture them. Neat-O

Not only are the animals and plants and birds and fishes indigenous to planet Earth; but they are part of it too and blend right back in when they die and decompose. Dead life doesn't introduce foreign substances into the environment. It actually replenishes the environment and benefits the planet.

A prime example is the rain forest. It actually lives on death. The soil in a rain forest is not all that good for farming, and those who burn off the trees soon discover that they must move on after a few years because rain forest soil will not support farming for very long. The rain forest thrives upon the decomposition of its own unique ecosystem. Remove the system, and the region becomes pathetically inadequate to support commercial kinds of plant life introduced into its soils.

The word for "cattle" is from behemah (be-hay-maw') and means: a (mute) dumb beast; especially any large quadruped or animal (often collective) These kinds of animals are the species from which come those that can be domesticated for Man's uses. They can pull plows and wagons, provide tallow for candles, hide and wool for clothes, meat and dairy for table, carry loads on their backs, and give people rides.

The plural of behemah is behemowth (be-hay-mohth') a word which some have construed to indicate Dinosaurs; citing Job 40:15-24 as their proof text. But even if Job 40:15 did indicate a specie of Dinosaur, it would be limited to one that ate grass like an ox, lived near lakes and rivers, and drank lots of water.

The animal to which God referred was familiar to Job, who lived in a region called the land of Uz (Jer 25:20). In Bible times, lands were typically named after the men who pioneered their settlement. The first mention of an Uz is Gen 10:23, a grandson of Noah born to his son Shem after the Flood. There's no information regarding that Uz's habitat.

The next Uz named is one of Esau's grandsons (Gen 36:28). He settled in an area known in the Bible as Moab (Lam 4:21) which was situated on the east side of the river Jordan; a river specifically named in Job 40:23. That particular Uz seems to me the most likely named in Job 1:1; which of course precludes Dinosaurs since Esau came after his grandfather Abraham; who lived a mere 430 years prior to the Ten Commandments (Gal 3:17) which are thought to have been recorded around 1450 BC. Adding 430 years to that goes back to 1880 BC, which is nowhere near the Jurassic era.

Unfortunately, Job 40:15 is the sole location in the whole Bible where behemowth is used so there's no way to make comparisons with other contexts. The fact of the matter is, nobody yet has been able to conclusively identify the animal about which God spoke in that passage; so its identity is wide open to theory, debate, conjecture, and opinion.

It's no accident that some of the animals are so useful to Man. God made them for the express purpose of serving people. Although they're nephesh, same as Man, that doesn't make them equals with Man. However, although they are below the rank of Man, people have no right to be cruel to animals. But Man does have the right, by the Creator's fiat, to take advantage of them; and to induct them into slavery for Man's benefit.

"creeping things" is from remes (reh'-mes) and means: a reptile or any other rapidly moving animal. Dinosaurs would've been included in this grouping.

"wild beasts" is from chay (khah'-ee) which doesn't mean wild beasts at all. It means: life, alive, living, raw, fresh, and strong. Chay is a nondescript classification and is the very same word as in verse 20, where it regarded swarms of aquatic life. This time chay regards swarms of unspecified terra life.

God seems to enjoy making things in very large numbers. About 200 years ago, Carolus Linnaeus began counting and classifying the world's species, and today biologists still cannot say how many there are. However, on two things they all agree: they are nowhere near a complete count, and the final tally will fall somewhere between 3 million and 100 million species. Taxonomists identify and categorize roughly 13,000 new species of life every year. Whether or not every one of the known species of life all existed in Adam's day is impossible to know for sure; what with the number of extinction's, and genetic hybridizing and mutations that surely must have occurred since then.

The introduction of the plural pronoun us into the narrative at this point has given rise to some interesting speculation regarding the identity of the antecedent. To whom was God referring when He said us?

According to Jewish folklore, it means that holy angels assisted God in putting the cosmos together. And who really knows? Maybe they set out plants and trees and dug watercourses; sort of like gardeners and engineers.

According to the pragmatist, it's merely a rhetorical kind of expression; like when you see a link on a web page and click on it, thinking to yourself; "hmmm. Let's see where this goes."

According to some, the plural pronoun means there is more than one God out there.

And to others, the plural pronoun indicates that God, although a lone individual, is somehow a composite unity— a man of many parts; so to speak.

One way to resolve this issue is to parse the words in the verse. The Hebrew word for God is 'elohiym (el-o-heem') which is, you guessed it, a plural noun, and it doesn't necessarily have to be capitalized. Translating it god and/or gods is just as accurate as translating it God and/or Gods.

So then, Gen 1:26a could be translated The gods said: "let us make Man" or as The Gods said: "let us make Man".

There's yet another way to come at it. I pointed out earlier the existence of an entity known in sacred Jewish literature as The Memra (The Word Of The Lord) of whom Targums say:

Deut 4:7 . . For what people so great, to whom the Lord is so high in the Name of the Word of the Lord? But the custom of (other) nations is to carry their gods upon their shoulders, that they may seem to be nigh them; but they cannot hear with their ears, (be they nigh or) be they afar off; but the Word of the Lord sits upon His throne high and lifted up, and hears our prayer what time we pray before Him and make our petitions. (Targum Jonathan)

Gen 28:20-21 . . And Jacob vowed a vow, saying: "If the Word of Yhvh will be my support, and will keep me in the way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Word of Yhvh be my God. (Targum Onkelos)

The Bible's God, in all His fullness and presence, is somehow a distinctly separate person than His word though they are both one and the same God and occupy one and the same throne. That rather odd situation easily justifies the use of a plural pronoun.

The possibility of the Bible's God talking to Himself may seem odd; but I really don't think that's so strange— I mean, after all, human beings talk to themselves all the time, and nobody seems to think much of it.

Regarding Man's creation; all the other creations up to this point were impersonal. Like when a building contractor erects a shopping center. It's just a job . . just a task. But when that same contractor comes home and remodels his wife's bathroom on the week-end; then it becomes personal. It would appear then, that Man is the only thing God ever created in this cosmos that His heart was really in it.

The lack of details regarding the incredible processes of creation aggravates many intellectuals because Genesis reveals so little; hardly any scientific information at all. Many, many questions still remain unanswered regarding the origin of the universe, the ice age, and the Jurassic era. But that stuff is Biblically superfluous. I think the first parts of creation actually made God impatient and He could hardly wait to get to the people part of creation because the soul of the Bible's God desires interaction with human beings.

People mean something to Man's creator. And I believe that's why He said to himself; "let us" make man. I really like that because it makes me feel special. I'm not just another mass-produced swarm of nephesh like the dumb animals and the bugs and the fishes, and the birds and the beasties. I'm somebody. All the other creations— the water, the land, the air, space, stars, and all the rest— were merely tasks; just chores. But Man himself was neither a task nor a chore. People were a Divine labor of love. The human beings were what God was really after all along; and the rest of it's just habitat.

Because of the terms "image and likeness" there are some who believe that the Bible's God is a human being; or at least looks like one. But according to the New Testament's Jesus, God is a spirit being, not a human being.

According to the New Testament's Jesus, spirits don't have solid physical bodies.

†. Luk 24:36-39 . . Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you." But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."

Moses warned Yhvh's people to avoid making any kind of mannequin, figurine, or statue representing God since no one has any true concept of what the Bible's God actually looks like in person. (Ex 4:10-19)

There exists absolutely nothing in nature physically resembling God— neither Man, nor beast, nor plant, nor bird, nor bug, nor reptile nor anything out in the void. The terms "image and likeness" don't mean duplicate and/or doppelganger; no, not by any means. Rather; they're similar to Knighthood— a conferred honor in rank and status.

Man's image and likeness of God is the principle upon which the death penalty was founded in Gen 9:4-6. Not because Man is a god, nor because Man physically resembles The God in any way; but because Man was honored with a God-like status.

†. Ps 8:5-9 . . what is man that You have been mindful of him, mortal man that You have taken note of him, that You have made him little less than divine, and adorned him with glory and majesty; You have made him master over Your handiwork, laying the world at his feet, sheep and oxen, all of them, and wild beasts, too; the birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea, whatever travels the paths of the seas.

Man certainly doesn't act like God, nor does he look like God; but nevertheless, he holds the rank of God-likeness. And because of that, it is very wrong to take human life without just cause. It is just as wrong to take human life without cause as it would be wrong to take God's life without cause. Not because Man is equal with God. (Far from it. You won't see God getting drunk, beating his kids, and cheating on his income taxes). But because human life is to be respected as if it were God's own genetic posterity.

†. Ps 82:6 . . I said; You are 'elohiym (Gods), and all of you are sons of the Most High.

†. John 10:33-36 . .The Jews answered him, saying: For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself God.

. . Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law "I said you are Gods." If He called them Gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken) how do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world: You are blaspheming for saying "I am the Son of God"?

(chuckle) Jesus had his Jewish opponents over a barrel. If he was a blasphemer for claiming to be God's son, then God too was a blasphemer for ranking His people as God's offspring, and also for ranking them right up there with God.

How does being God's biological offspring make somebody God? Well, it's just simple genetics. Bats give birth to bats, coyotes give birth to coyotes, raccoons give birth to raccoons; viz: they reproduce themselves according to their own specie; not some other species. So then, if God were to reproduce, He would give birth to God: His own specie; not some other specie.

But Jesus' Jewish countrymen grossly misunderstood him. He wasn't claiming to be God's biological offspring, but rather, he was claiming the right to David's throne because God promoted Jesus' grandfather to the rank of His own firstborn son.

†. Ps 89:20-27 . . I have found my servant David; with my holy oil I have anointed him . . I will make him my firstborn; higher than any king on earth.

From that point onwards, every king of the Davidic dynasty succeeding David, had the right to refer to themselves as God's son.

†. Ps 45:6-7 . .Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a righteous scepter. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

That Psalm clearly speaks of a Davidic king that God himself addressed as God. There's just no getting out of it. So then, since Jesus believed himself David's royal descendant, then his Old Testament studies would quite naturally lead him to believe himself God's son.

†. Luke 1:32-33 . . He shall be great, and shall be called the son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

†.Gen 1:26c …They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.”

The word for *rule is from radah (raw-daw') and means: to tread down, i.e. subjugate; specifically, to crumble off.

I saw a pretty interesting bumper sticker some time ago that went like this: "We are not above the Earth, we are of the Earth."

Well . . I appreciate the Native American philosophy behind that statement. It's very folksy. But the Bible's God decreed that Man is very definitely above the Earth, and has the God-given right to subjugate every living thing on the planet including the whole earth itself: its forests, its grasses, its rivers, its seas, its soil, its rocks, its air, its minerals, its mountains, its valleys, and even its tectonic plates.

†. Ps 8:4-9 . .When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars that You set in place, what is man that You have been mindful of him, mortal man that You have taken note of him, that You have made him little less than divine, and adorned him with glory and majesty; You have made him master over Your handiwork, laying the world at his feet, sheep and oxen, all of them, and wild beasts, too; the birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea, whatever travels the paths of the seas.

Although Adam was made in the image of God, his imagery isn't precise. The Hebrew word used to describe Adam's imagery in Genesis is tselem (tseh'-lem); which means: a phantom, i.e. (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol.

The shadow of a tree is something like Adam's likeness of God. On the ground, a tree's shadow is little more than an irregular puddle of contrasts, just a patchy smirch. But when we look up, oh! the tree comes alive with color and detail. We can see how tall it is, the features of the bark, and the shape and texture of the leaves and how they are arranged on the branches. And then we notice that the tree is an ecosystem in itself; a habitat for insects and other creatures invisible in the tree's shadow. When we look at ourselves, we don't really see God at all; no, all we really see is something akin to God's shadow.

Man is not actually the Almighty's biological offspring. If he were, then Man would be God too because if God were to reproduce; He would engender a God being, not a human being. Since like begets like, then God would beget God— more of Himself. That's just simple genetics.

It's very evident, in the first chapter of Genesis, that the Bible's God didn't engender Man; nor did God clone Man from Himself; no, God manufactured Man out of the natural resources already existing in the freshly created cosmos— resources that didn't exist until God created them. So Man is definitely not of the God specie. He is a terrestrial specie of life, just like all the other creatures that God manufactured.

The word for Man is from 'adam (aw-dawm') and means: ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.). 'Adam is derived from a very similar word that means: to show blood (in the face), i.e. flush or turn rosy.

Is that an indication of Adam's color? Was he a Red Man, like we sometimes call Native Americans? Maybe; but it's far more likely he was brown; although nobody really knows for sure. However, all human life, regardless of race or color, are 'adam because this is the only occurrence on record where God made human beings. After the sixth day, He stopped creating and made no further additions to the cosmos.

Man's face is remarkable. He can actually communicate with it, and is capable of expressing and projecting an incredible range of thought and emotion in his face without saying a single word; and all without thinking about it. Not many animals can do that. Most especially alligators. You can never tell what those big ol' plugg uglies are thinking by looking at their face because it's always the same no matter how they're feeling at the time.

On numerous occasions, the Bible's Jesus identified himself as "son of man" which literally means "son of Adam". That title was neither new nor unique in Jesus' day. God addressed the prophet Ezekiel as "son of man" on at least 93 occasions; and in every case, the Hebrew word for man is the same as it is here in Genesis: 'adam which is the proper name of the human race God created in the beginning (Gen 1:26-27, Gen 3:9, Gen 5:2).

The Bible's Christ is very complicated. He was Adam's creator (John 1:1-3, John 1:14) and he was Adam's biological offspring (Luke 3:38). So the Bible's Christ is both creator and creature. He came from heaven, and he came from dust. He is human and he is inhuman. He was a mortal being while at the same time existing as an immortal being. He was a material being while at the same time existing as an asomatous being. He was an eternal being while at the same time existing as a temporal being. The Bible's Christ is verily a catalogue of contradictions and impossibilities.

I think it is very noteworthy that Jesus didn't refer to himself as "a" son of man, but rather, as the son of man, which well-trained Jews would instantly correlate to a passage in Daniel regarding their long-awaited Messiah.

†. Dan 7:13-14 . . In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of Adam, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was ushered into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom the one that will never be destroyed.

†.Gen 1:27b …in the image of God created He him; male and female He created them.

Some women would be offended to be called a him. It does seem sexist, I agree; but is a Biblical reality nonetheless. Regardless of one's gender, all human beings are of the genus Man and can be legitimately referred to as a him or as a he. Bible students really have to watch for that because when they run across the word man in the Bible, it doesn't automatically indicate males.

Both genders were embodied within the male when God created Man. Though her body was actually formed at some later date, the female was nevertheless created the sixth day right along with the male. We know that because the author said; "in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." So him equals them; and the male was both the male and the female in the beginning. Man was created on the sixth day only. No other human beings have been created since then.

God mass produced all the other living things because they were stated to be "swarms". But Man wasn't made in swarms. No, he was made a solo specimen, a lone individual, and then later God multiplied the loner to produce the very first couple. Thus, the entire human race stems from just that one individual male; even his own wife; so that in reality, Eve was Adam's first child.

†.Gen 1:28a …God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fertile and increase,

That's essentially the very same blessing that God bestowed upon the birds and the aquatic life; and is implied to include the land animals too because they were obviously fertile and increasing right along with the rest.

Some interpret that verse to be a mandate requiring married people to have children. But the wording is so obviously a blessing rather than a mandate; especially since God said the very same thing to the birds, and the fish, and the reptiles, and the bugs, and the beasts. It's always best to consider blessings as gratuities unless clearly indicated otherwise. Some blessings have to be earned, like rewards and wages; but not this one. It was neither requested nor was it earned; and it was freely given without any strings attached and nothing asked in return.

Without the gift of fertility, Man would be just as sterile as a soup spoon. So it was a very essential blessing. And a very interesting blessing it is because the blessing of fertility empowers living things to pass their own kind of life on to a next generation. God quit creating after six days. So unless creatures were enabled to reproduce, all would soon die out and become quite extinct in a very short time.

†.Gen 1:28b …fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth.”

The word for master is from kabash (kaw-bash') which emphasizes coercion and force; and means: to disregard; to conquer, and to violate.

The word rule is from radah (raw-daw') and means: to tread down; to subjugate.

kabash and radah are very strong language. Those two words combined leave no room for doubt regarding Man's supremacy in the sphere of things. God blessed Man (both genders) with the authority to dominate and to violate planet Earth at will, and exploit it to his own advantage. I'm sure that's unacceptable to tree huggers and to the Earth Liberation Front; but there it is in black and white. Man answers to no plant nor animal on this entire globe. The whole Earth is Man's private property. If aliens ever come here, they can be arrested for trespassing.

†.Gen 1:29-30 …God said, “See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food. And to all the animals on land, to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that creeps on earth, in which there is the breath of life, I give all the green plants for food.” And it was so.

In the beginning, both Man and Beast, even the lions and tigers, and apparently all the dinosaurs too, were vegetarians. Precisely what kind of diet God intended for sea life is not stated.

That raises an interesting question. Why do carnivores have teeth so uniquely suited for killing other creatures and ripping their flesh? Well, I think it's obvious that they didn't use their teeth like that in the beginning. In Messiah's future kingdom, carnivores won't be carnivorous any more, and wild animals will no longer pose a threat either to Man or to each other.

†. Isa 11:6-9 . .The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

. . They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yhvh as the waters fill the sea.

NOTE: "the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yhvh" indicates that one day there will be only one religion, one god, and one set of beliefs about that god. Everyone's beliefs will be the same; viz: no more diversity, no more debates, no more conflicts, and no more denominations. Thanks be to Yhvh there will no more be violent religions like Islam; for salvation is of the Jews, not the Arabs.

†. Gen 1:31 . . And God saw all that He had made, and found it very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Some feel that the cosmos was created incomplete, not quite up to snuff— that it was to Man that God entrusted the task of bringing the Earth to perfection. But that is very doubtful. Why ever would God, after an overall inspection, conclude His work by pronouncing it all good— and not just good, but very good. Why would He do that if in truth it wasn't?

And besides, Man hasn't improved the planet at all. He has actually ravaged it and left it with terrible damage— indiscriminately obliterated habitat, wiped out animals to extinction, scarred and poisoned the land, filled the atmosphere with toxins and greenhouse gases, destroyed soil and waterways with massive pollution, and seriously upset the balance of nature.

It seems that everything Man touches, he ruins; and as if the earth isn't enough, he's moved out into space where in just the 51½ years since Russia launched its first Sputnik into low earth orbit, Man has littered the sky around our planet with 13,000 catalogued pieces of space junk, which is only a fraction of the more than 600,000 objects circling the globe larger than one centimeter (a centimeter is a little over 3/8ths of an inch). He's even deposited 374,782 pounds of stuff on the Moon, including Alan Shepherd's golf balls.

So; when God looked over His work and "found" that it was very good, does that mean He was surprised it came out so good? (chuckle) No. It would be a strange craftsman indeed who couldn't look over their work with pride and satisfaction in a job well done.

I believe the Bible's God knew precisely what He was doing, and where He was going with creation; and was highly pleased that it came out exactly as planned. I seriously doubt that God was feeling His way along like experimenters in medicine and rocket science. He did it all in just six days. Nobody could build a fully functioning cosmos and all of its forms of life within that tiny little time frame unless they knew what they were doing from beginning to end.

†. Ps 104:24 . . O Yhvh! . . what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all.

There are big questions that many philosophers and scientists have been unable to answer. What makes things alive? What is the origin of the spark of life? Man can build anything; even go up and walk on the moon; but he can't make anything come to life, and he can't figure out why living things live, nor even why they should get old and die. Everything in the universe is aging, including the universe.

How does the human brain, a 3-pound lump of organic tissue, produce the phenomena of memory, consciousness, and self awareness? How does it make us all behave so similarly at times, and yet endow each of us with a unique and irreproducible existence? Why does Man have a sense of justice, of fair play, and a desire for revenge? Why does he strive to be right rather than wrong? Why does Man want his life to count for something? Why isn't Man amoral like the other creatures? Butterflies are free, why aren't we? And why does anything exist at all? Why not nothing, instead of something? Satisfactory answers to those questions can only be found in the activity of a creator.

Look down at your writing hand for a moment— revolve it a little this way and a little that way while examining its many features. It is very light weight, yet mechanically strong and nimble; able to perform a wide variety of tasks; from playing a piano, to sewing on a button, or fixing plumbing under the sink. With the application of a manicure, some lotion, jewelry, and a trendy nail polish, the human hand can be made quite lovely; yet at the same time it remains an efficient, complex machine of lubricated levers and joints and cables constructed of living, sensitive tissues rather than metals or plastics, and wires and batteries.

Your hand, as marvelous as it is in its own right, represents merely a speck in the grand parade of complicated structures in the cosmos; and its existence by chance has about the odds of the unabridged Webster's dictionary resulting from an explosion in a print shop.

The genetic structure of living things is mind boggling in itself. The number of genes, or units of DNA, composing organisms ranges from 6,000 units in yeast to 100,000 units in humans. Encoded within those 100,000 human genes are three billion bits of information. Each unit of DNA stores 30,000 bits equal to 3.75 kilobytes per unit for a grand total of 375 gigabytes of data crammed into a human's DNA molecules too small to be seen with the naked eye.

More than 200 years ago, Carolus Linnaeus began counting and classifying the world's species, and today biologists still cannot say how many there are. However, on two things they all agree: they are nowhere near a complete count, and the final tally will fall somewhere between 3 million and 100 million species. Taxonomists identify and categorize roughly 13,000 new species of life every year. At that rate, it could take centuries to complete the census. Remarkably, each and every specie on earth has its very own unique genetic code. That just can't be the result of chance and a huge explosion.

Nobel Prize winner, author of several best-selling books, and recipient of at least a dozen honorary degrees, Physicist Steven Weinberg (who views religion as an enemy of science), in his book, The First Three Minutes, wrote: "The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it seems pointless. But if there is no solace in the fruits of our research, there is at least some consolation in the research itself.... The effort to understand the universe is one of the very few things that lifts human life a little above the level of a farce and gives it some of the grace of tragedy."

What a dismal appraisal. To a brilliant, secular man like Mr.Weinberg, the human experience is an exercise in futility. The universe? It's devoid of meaning— just a three-dimensional mural that people find fascinating and interesting— a curiosity. The quest for knowledge seems the only thing that gives men like Weinberg any purpose to exist at all.

As I recently contemplated the expense involved in launching and maintaining the Hubble Space Telescope, I couldn't help but wonder why NASA did it. In what way have Americans benefited from the mountain of tax money spent on that scope? All they have really gained is entertainment. The images from Hubble are beautiful and awe-inspiring; and the scientific data gained from its on-board instrumentation delights the intellect; but from the point of view of practicality, the HST serves no humanitarian purpose whatsoever except to reinforce Steven Weinberg's opinion that the universe (without a God to give it meaning), is indeed quite pointless.

People have only two choices for the origin of the universe. Either it always existed, or it had a beginning. There really are no other rational selections. It's highly unlikely a well ordered cosmos always existed because it is the natural tendency of unsupervised order not to remain stable; but to deteriorate towards disorder and chaos. For example: we now know the sun is dying and moving steadily towards its death. When that happens, the solar system will go into deep freeze and all life on earth will cease.

Agnostics and atheists claim there exists no empirical evidence supporting the existence of a supreme being. But they are foolishly invalidating the testimony of the universe and of the world of nature when they say things like that. There exists far more evidence to prove the reality of a supreme being than does to prove otherwise.

†.Ps 19:1-4 …The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

Mr. Weinberg feels that religion is an enemy of science. He is wrong. Religion provides answers to the questions science cannot answer. Religion gives meaning and purpose to human existence; which would otherwise languish in science somewhere between a farce and a tragedy.

Georges Lemaître proposed the universe came into existence with a big bang ,and actually, the second verse of the Bible strongly suggests a cataclysmic beginning of just that type. But questions must be asked: Banged from what? From whence came the matter and the energy that banged? And what about the immense void housing the bang? Where did that come from? Is there something beyond it? Is the void infinite, or does it have dimensions? If there is an infinite void, and if there is infinite matter, then why should it be thought unreasonable to believe in an infinite Being?

Alexander Friedmann's theory of an expanding universe was lent some credibility by Edwin Hubble's discovery that galaxies, in all directions, appear to be moving away from us. Some felt that the effects of universal gravity would limit the cosmos' expansion and make it slow down; eventually stop it from expanding, and make it shrink back to its original state and bang all over again; perpetuating a never ending cycle of banging and shrinking. But we now know from the Supernova studies of Saul Perlmutter and Brian Schmidt, that the universe is not only expanding, but contrary to expectations, the velocity of its expansion is accelerating; viz: gravity is not slowing the expansion down at all, it's actually speeding up, so the cosmos will never of its own accord stop expanding in order to shrink itself back into one solid glob of highly condensed matter.

That discovery was very discouraging for cosmologist Alan Sandage since he was once a proponent of the theory that the universe would some day shrink upon itself; and called the discovery of the ever increasing velocity of the expanding universe a "terrible surprise." In a special 2002 collector's edition of U.S. News and World report, a paragraph says that at a 1998 cosmologists conference in Berkeley California, Mr. Sandage told the gathering that contemplating the majesty of the big bang helped make him a believer in God; and willing to accept that the creation could only be explained as a miracle.

The theological idea of creation ex nihilo (out of nothing); is looking better all the time as inflation theories increasingly suggest the universe emerged from no tangible source. And although theorists energetically fantasize an endless parade of explanations for the origin of the universe, they have been doing so within the context of the known laws of physics; the meanwhile having no clue about the origin of those laws. In other words: they cannot explain where those laws came from in the first place— nor can they explain why the known laws control matter and energy the way they do rather than some other way.

Dr. Robert Jastow, founder of the Goddard Institute for space studies at NASA, in his book: God And The Astronomers; said; "Strange developments are going on in astronomy. One of these is the discovery that the universe had a beginning. And that means there has to be a Beginner. The scientist has scaled the mountain of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak, and as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."

†.Gen 2:2 ...On the seventh day God finished the work that He had been doing, and He ceased on the seventh day from all the work that He had done.

The Hebrew word for *ceased is from shabath (shaw-bath') and means: to repose, i.e. desist from exertion; (used in many implied relations).

The seventh day, although included among the days of creation week, is a peculiar day because it lacks the boundaries of an evening and morning like the others; but is instead an open-ended period of repose; in other words, I cannot limit the seventh "day" to the length of a 24-hour civil day. The previous 24-hour days were filled with the business of construction. But at the end of the sixth, God stopped creating stuff for the cosmos and hasn't created anything new for it since; ergo: the seventh day is neither a pause nor an intermission. This is very significant.

The seventh day of the civil week was later utilized to memorialize God's creation labors.

†.Ex 31:12-17 . .Then Yhvh said to Moses: Say to the Israelites; You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am Yhvh, who makes you holy.

. . Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people. For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, dedicated to Yhvh. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.

. .The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days Yhvh made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He abstained from work and rested.

The primary purpose of the Sabbath, then, is to remind the Jews from whence they and the cosmos came: it's origin, its source, and its maker.

The Sabbath was never a holy day of obligation in the garden of Eden, nor was it a holy day of obligation up to the Flood; nor was it a holy day of obligation after the Flood in either Abraham's, Isaac's, or Jacob's day; nor was it a holy day of obligation at any time during the people of Israel's sojourn in the land of Egypt up to the time of their liberation under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

In that respect then, Sabbaths are pertinent to a rescued people rather than just anybody who happens to be looking in. Christians have a Sabbath too, but it's not the Genesis day. The New Testament's Sabbath is perpetual (Heb 3:1-4:16) and based upon Christ's work on the cross rather than upon God's six days' of work manufacturing the old creation. Believers are members of a new creation (Isa 65:17, 2Cor 5:17, Rev 21:1) where the old Sabbath has neither application nor jurisdiction.

†.Col 2:16-17 . . Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

NOTE: In any treatment of the Genesis story, one has to factor in the age of the earth; which geologists are pretty sure now is somewhere around 4.5 Billion years; and is very easy to substantiate.

For example, both the Alps and the Rockies were at one time ancient sea beds. How do we know? Because of the fossilized remains of sea creatures indicating that the Alps and the Rockies did not always exist at their current elevations. In point of fact, the Alps are actually shrinking as erosion is steadily tearing them down so that the height and shape of the Alps today are not even the same as when Hannibal crossed them to attack Rome.

Then there is also the testimony of glaciers, the past ice ages, erosion, the evidence of unbelievable massive volcanic eruptions such as those that continue to shape the Yellowstone area, and the forces of plate tectonics; not to mention the fossilized remains of dinosaurs; the vast coal and oil deposits, and the layers of salt formed by the evaporation of ancient seas that once inundated the area where the Great Lakes exist today. No joke, something like 1,700 feet below the surface of the Great Lakes is a really immense expanse of thick, multilayered deposits of salt from the evaporation of seas that existed many, many years prior to the Lakes that now exist above them, and there are land masses, islands, and reefs that came into being by the deposit of the remains of multiplied zillions of teensy little marine organisms over long, long periods of time.

It is nothing short of intellectual dishonesty to ignore the findings of Geology and Paleontology. Bible believers have got to come to grips with true science or end up looking like fanatical buffoons. It is far better to formulate a theory, no matter how unworkable, to harmonize the age of the earth with the Genesis record than to just ignore the findings of science and hope they go away.

A popular theory going around is the so-called Gap Theory, which inserts a lengthy, undisclosed interval of time between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:2 meaning that somewhere between the universe's original creation, and that second verse, the original underwent some kind of catastrophic event that made it necessary for God to reconstruct it; sort of like a plastic surgeon reconstructs someone's face after an accident.

Another possibility is that undisclosed intervals of time lapsed between each of the six days; meaning that Man was created a pretty good number of years after all else.

Either theory, or one of their variations, are okay by me; but it is absolutely unacceptable to have no theory at all. The earth's geology itself simply will not permit a young age. No, today's earth, and the universe it resides in, are easily proven to be much older than the relative youth that many of today's theologians prefer. All I can say to them is that stubbornness has never been a virtue. It's okay to keep the six days; but at the same time, they should get to work and find some way to harmonize those days with true science.

†.Gen 2:3 … And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that He had done.

The phrase "declared it holy" is from the word qadash (kaw-dash') which means: to be clean, or to make, pronounce, or observe as clean. Pronouncing something clean, or observing something as clean, doesn't mean it's actually clean. It's just regarded as if it were clean. That principle is a very important factor in the plan of salvation because people destined for Heaven have been declared innocent of all charges against them, even though they aren't. (e.g. Luke 18:13-14, Acts 13:39, Rom 3:21-26).

This is the very first time in the Bible, and the only place in the whole book of Genesis, where God's word purified a created thing. Some definitions of clean are: unadulterated, pure, sanctified, free from dirt, unpolluted, free from contamination or disease, spotless, immaculate, unsoiled, untainted, innocent, blameless, faultless, blameless, chaste, decent, sinless, undefiled, and/or set aside for a special purpose.

In the case of Gen 2:3, and in many other cases as well, the status of cleanness is often a conferred status, rather than an intrinsic condition.

†. Isa 6:5-7 . . I cried, “Woe is me; I am lost! For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my own eyes have beheld The King Lord of Hosts.” Then one of the seraphs flew over to me with a live coal, which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched it to my lips and declared, “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt shall depart and your sin be purged away.”

That happened on the day Isaiah was commissioned to begin his evangelism career. Although Isaiah was by nature a sinful being, God declared him purified so he could represent The King Lord of Hosts as a "clean" man instead of as a common man. Jesus did the same thing for his apostles.

†. John 15:3 . .You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

It wasn't necessary for Isaiah, or for Jesus' men, to earn their cleanness; nor was it necessary for them to try their best to be ultra pious men. Cleanness was conferred upon them the same as God conferred it upon the seventh day. Neither the seventh day, nor Isaiah, nor Jesus' men are actually pure in and of themselves. The status is a declared status rather than an earned status.

Sinners, who by nature fully and rightfully deserve to go straight to Hell, have an opportunity to escape through the principle of conferred cleanness.

†. Eph 2:4-10 . . But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions— it is by grace that you have been rescued. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

. . God rescued you by His sympathy and kindness when you believed; and you can't take credit for this; it's a gratuity from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

†. Ps 32:1-2 . . Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered over. Happy the man whom Yhvh does not hold guilty,

And a very concise story it is. Some have proposed that a second creation story begins right about here. But it really doesn't. The author will now reveal a little behind the scenes detail in the next section— similar to the end of a Hollywood movie on DVD when they show us how they did all those incredible special effects in Matrix.

The word when is from yowm which is the very same word used for each of the individual six days of creation. Since yowm in Gen 2:4 refers to a period of time obviously much longer than a typical 24-hour civil day, then some feel that the six days of creation could just as easily have been days of longer duration too.

But each of the days of creation are specifically bounded by an evening and a morning. Here in Gen 2:4, yowm isn't specified that way; but comprises the entire six days. The length of a day in Scripture is sometimes ambiguous unless the author adds something to the text to clarify it; and in the record of creation, something was— Evenings and Mornings.

If creation theorists wish to separate each of the six days with discrete epochs that would be okay. But it is not okay to expand the length of each individual day beyond the obvious 24-hour periods that evenings and mornings define.

Right here is the very first time in Scripture where God's most famous of His names appears. Up to this point, The Creator has been identified by the generic noun 'elohiym (el-o-heem') which means: gods, divine beings, or civil authorities. The noun is plural but doesn't necessarily mean The Creator is a plural being. Sheep, fish, and deer are plural too but don't always indicate more than one of each. So plural nouns don't eo ipso denote more than one item. There are other gods named in the Bible, such as Baal and Dagon, of whom the word 'elohiym is used and those gods are not composite entities (e.g. 1Kings 18:25-29, Judges 16:23).

The Creator's new name is yhvh (sometimes written Yehovah and sometimes Yahweh) which means: (the) self-Existent or Eternal. In other words: He was, He is, and He will be. So in any direction in time that we care to look, as far ahead or as far aft, Yhvh has either been there already, or He is going to be up ahead when we get there since He is an entity who was never born and will never die.

Yhvh is not just another eternal life, no, on the contrary, He is the eternal life as well as the dispenser of all forms of life; which sets him apart from all other living things. Although believers have eternal life (John 3:36, John 5:24, John 5:24, 1John 5:13) they are not eternal entities like their maker. In order to be classified a true eternal entity, one cannot have a beginning. In addition, Yhvh is able to dispense life, while believers can receive life, but they cannot dispense it. So then, eternal life can be defined as the life of God as opposed to the life of creatures like angels, insects, beasts, birds, fish, and Man.

Eternal Life is not to be confused with Immortality. Life and Immortality are juxtaposed at 2Tim 1:10 where the two terms are connected with a conjunction. They aren't connected with a verb, so that you can't say Life is Immortality; no, Life and Immortality are two distinctly different states of being. Immortality refers to the nature of one's physical body; while Life refers to the nature of one's existence; e.g. animal life, plant life, human life, angel life, and God life.

When Jesus of Nazareth said to his countrymen at John 8:58; "Before Abraham was, I am." he could make no higher claim. It's no wonder they wanted to stone him. Had Jesus said "I was" that would have been bad enough, but to say "I am" makes any human being the greatest of blasphemers (and the greatest of liars) because only Yhvh holds the "I am" distinction among the Jews. (Ex 3:14)

No one actually knows how to pronounce Yhvh; which is just as well since it is a death offense, (and an insult as well) to speak that name in a disrespectful way.

Yhvh's appellation is so sacred among pious Jews that they make every effort to avoid speaking it except under very special circumstances. In some of their writings, in order to avoid using the four sacred letters comprising the tetragrammaton, they write instead The Name or Hashem. So Ex 20:3 could be written: "I, The Name, am your god" or: "I, Hashem, am your god."

NOTE: The Bible's God is commonly referred to with masculine pronouns. Why masculine? Because Yhvh is a king, and kings are males rather than females.

†. Isa 44:6 . . Thus testifies Yhvh, the king of Israel, and His redeemer, Yhvh of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; other than Me there is no god.

†.Gen 2:4c-7a …made earth and heaven— when no shrub of the field was yet on earth and no grasses of the field had yet sprouted, because Yhvh God had not sent rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil, but a flow would well up from the ground and water the whole surface of the earth —Yhvh God formed man from the dust of the earth.

Verses 4-7 reiterate that Man didn't evolve over millions and millions of years from some lower order of life. He was created just like you see him— a viable human being. And he was created on a day of his own distinctly separate from the other five days of creation; and directly from the Earth itself; not from some yucky protoplasmic goo slithering on a rock in a brackish prehistoric backwater lagoon somewhere.

The word formed is from yatsar (yaw-tsar') which means: to mold into a form; especially as a potter; figuratively, to determine (i.e. form a resolution)

The word dust is from `aphar (aw-fawr') which means: dust (as powdered or gray); hence, clay, earth, mud

So mankind was sculpted out of the Earth like a piece of pottery. However; if no water were mixed in with the dust, humans would just crumble and blow away like a bowl of flour; and we do too. If people go without water for too long, they become dangerously dehydrated and eventually die. Then, if left to the course of nature, they dissolve.

The word flow, in verse 6, doesn't really tell it right. It's from 'ed (ade) which means: a fog. It's a very rare Hebrew word and appears only one more time in the whole Bible.

†. Job 36:26-30 . . See, God is greater than we can know; the number of His years cannot be counted. He forms the droplets of water, which cluster into rain, from His mist. The skies rain; they pour down on all mankind. Can one, indeed, contemplate the expanse of clouds, the thunderings from His pavilion? See, He spreads His lightning over it; it fills the bed of the sea.

Job understood 'ed to mean water vapor. So the flow of Gen 2:6 isn't really a flow like moving water in a creek, but fog, mist, and/or humidity.

Man isn't entirely an animated form of clay. Dust consists of the basic metallic, non metallic, and gaseous chemical elements such as carbon, calcium, phosphorous, hydrogen, oxygen, iron, sodium, and stuff like that constituting all natural things. More than a hundred elements are known to exist in nature and many of them can be found in living things.

The word for blew is from naphach (naw-fakh') and means: to puff, in various applications (literally, to inflate, blow hard, scatter, kindle, expire; figuratively, to disesteem).

God personally gave Man his first breath of air by puffing it into his lungs Himself. However, it doesn't do a bit of good pumping air into the lungs of a corpse. They won't come alive like that; it's been tried. So, what is it that made Man come alive? In fact what made anything come alive? What makes bugs, and birds, and fishes, and reptiles, and Man alive and viable? It's the breath of life— not just atmospheric gases; but a powerful mysterious energy within creatures that makes them sentient and conscious. God had just freshly created a human being and there it lay; perfectly good organic tissue; but it was dead. It was neither sentient nor vigorous until God energized it with the spark of life.

Scientists have yet to find a way to initiate Life, nor yet have they been able to construct a creature. They can't even come close. All I ever seem to hear about is evolution and the Big Bang. But why don't we talk about the really simple things in life that could never be produced by either evolution or a gigantic explosion. Things like a sneeze, a blooming flower, a wasp collecting mud to build her nest, the feel of crisp air at dawn when the birds begin to chirp, a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, the sensual power of a lass upon a young man's heart, and the effect of music upon the soul. And what about the human brain? How does a 3-pound lump of flabby organic tissue produce the phenomena of memory, consciousness, and self awareness?

To this good day, after years of intensive research, science is still nowhere near an understanding of the nature of consciousness. Exactly how the human brain makes everyone behave so similarly at times, while endowing each individual with a unique and irreproducible existence, is yet a total mystery. Solving that mystery might require another century of study, and some neuroscientists and philosophers believe that comprehension of what makes you the me that you are; may always remain unknowable.

Neuroscience— the scientific attempt to deduce how the brain works —has succeeded in unraveling critical chemical and electrical pathways involved in memory, movement, and emotion. But reducing the perceptions of a John Coltrane solo, or the palette of a Hawaiian sunset, to a series of interactions among axons, neurotransmitters and dendrites still fails to explain what makes an event special.

The words living being are from two words: chay (khah'-ee) and nephesh (neh'-fesh). We saw those words earlier in Gen 1:7 and Gen 1:20-30 regarding sea life, land life, and atmospheric life (birds); excluding vegetation. Although Man is a higher form of life than all the rest of the creatures, he is, nevertheless, an animal-like being; and except for his apparently higher consciousness; Man is little more than a brute in his essential nature.

†. Ps 49:10-12 . . For one can see that even wise men die; the stupid and the senseless perish too; and leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is, that their estates are forever, and their dwelling places to all generations. They have called their lands after their own names. But man's pomp will not sustain him; he is little different than other perishable beasts.

That garden, like Man's first breath, was done for him personally by his maker. The remainder of Earth's flora was planted in a large scale, professional manner. But the garden was specially prepared for Man like someone might build a home for their family. It's true that Man is a creature and Yhvh isn't his actual biological kin. But Man is much more than just another nephesh like as if he were pet canary or something. No, human beings were made in God's image, and are as close to being God's kin as a creature can possibly get in the natural world.

The word for garden is from gan (gan) and means: a garden as fenced. So the garden wasn't just a nondescript parcel of acreage with apricots and turnips growing on it. The garden (which very likely was a full-blown farm complete with orchards) was walled in like a defensive hamlet. If dinosaurs existed in Adam's day, then his food supplies would require protection inside a fortress. At this time, no land animals were carnivorous so there was little to fear for his life. But just a few of those big lumbering behemoths could easily eat a man out of house and home in no time at all if they weren't kept out; not to mention the appetites of ordinary deer and bear. They would want to come in and help themselves too.

Here in Oregon deer are very plentiful; so much so that some people regard them as pests rather than game animals. A friend built their new home adjacent to timber lands where deer commonly come down out of the hills to browse on people's lawns like cattle on pasture grass. Our friend had no luck cultivating a rose garden because deer would come at night and eat her roses' buds before they had a chance to bloom.

East in that verse was an east that the author of Genesis understood. Out west here in Oregon, we consider east to be New York; while the world considers the Orient to be east. For the purposes of modern navigation, everything towards sunrise from the meridian of Greenwich England around the world to Samoa is East longitude, and everything towards sunset around the world to Samoa is West longitude. So if you were standing in Mexico, then Greenwich would be to the east; but if you were standing in Australia, then Greenwich would be to the west. It's all a matter of perspective.

For Bible purposes, the State of Israel is oftentimes regarded the geo-political center of the Earth. Its position is spiritually elevated too. So whenever you go to Jerusalem, you go up. And when you leave, you go down. It was from the east (east of Jerusalem) that magi came to pay their respects to the young Jesus (Mtt 2:1).

Just exactly where "the east" was in Adam's day is hard to tell. But the garden itself is not to be confused with Eden. The garden was located "in" Eden; an ancient pre-Flood unspecified geographic region. Some people think Eden was somewhere in Africa. But with what scientists know today about plate tectonics and past geophysical forces of nature, Africa is a shot in the dark.

The word Eden is from `eden (ay'-den) and/or `ednah (ed-naw') and means: pleasure, and delight. So Adam's farm was in a very nice location and we could, if we had a mind to, name his spread Happy Valley or Pleasant Acres.

†. Gen 2:8c-9a . . and placed there the man whom He had formed. And from the ground Yhvh God caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food,

The exact site where God did the work of creating Man is unknown but there's no reason to doubt he was created right there in the garden; his intended home. And I think we can safely assume the garden was already viable and productive when Man arrived. God didn't just throw him in the water to sink or swim. He gave Man a suitable habitat right from the get go. Adam wasn't a hunter-gatherer like some sort of nomad; no, he had a place to settle down and call home.

So Man's first impression of his maker was one of caring, providence, and support. Adam was in no way a desperate cave man struggling to survive in a hostile world by courage, daring, and ingenuity. Man came into being by the designs of a Superior Intelligence who looked out for the unique creature made in His own image right from the first, and got him off to a good start.

†.Gen 2:9b …with the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and bad.

Some say that the fruit of those two trees was inert, and the effect they produced within people was spiritual, not biological— that the one would not actually make you live longer, nor would the other actually make you any wiser. But I'm not so sure about that. The world we live in today isn't precisely the very same world in which Adam lived. On average, people enjoyed much better health in those days than they do now— nor yet do we truly understand the original couple's nutritional requirements; since God modified Man's diet after the Flood was over.

The tree of life contained something that stops the aging process. Exactly how the ingredients of a natural fruit could be so rich in nourishment as to halt the aging process in the human body is unknown. A very active field of modern scientific research in our own time is gerontology— the study of the phenomena of the aging process. As yet, gerontologists have no significant understanding of the aging process, and therefore no clue as to what treatments, or nutrients might be employed to stop it.

The word for good in 2:9 is from towb (tobe) and means: good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well).

Towb isn't restricted to moral judgment. Even a tasty meal or an entertaining movie can be good.

The word for bad is from ra` (rah) and means: bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)

ra', like towb, isn't restricted to moral discernment. It includes anything that is bad for us like poison ivy, playing with matches, E-coli, toxic chemicals, eating without washing your hands, and going to bed without brushing your teeth.

From the gist of upcoming verses, it's readily apparent what the author meant by "knowledge of good and bad". The expression implies an intuitive moral discernment in matters of right and wrong. Man was created innocent. Moral discernment wasn't programmed into his intuition. He was supposed to learn about things regarding ethics and morals via Divine tutelage; not by trial and error nor by self initiative— and certainly not by doing something bad like eating off a forbidden tree to see what happens.

†.Gen 2:10 …A river issues from Eden to water the garden, and it then divides and becomes four branches.

The verb issues is from (yatsa') is in the present tense; so then whoever wrote Gen 2:10, did so while the land of Eden yet existed. The authorship of Genesis has yet to be positively established. A verse like 2:10 strongly suggests that the data used to compose Genesis, was progressively accumulated in hand-me-down journals or in oral rote, generated by people who lived prior to the final compiler's input.

It is very possible that the account of creation, and the garden of Eden, was at first recorded (or memorized) by Adam, who then passed his version down to trusted kin who in turn passed it down, along with input from their own eras, to their kin and thereby kept the name of God alive in a world composed mostly of people who care very little for knowledge of their maker.

It's not a bad idea for God-fearing parents to save the most important pieces of their biblical libraries and pass them on to their children in the hope of preventing their own posterity from losing the knowledge of God and thus sinking into worldly, dead-end theories and philosophies.

†.Gen 2:11 …The name of the first is Pishon, the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah,

The Hebrew word for *Havilah is Chaviylah (khav-ee-law'); which means circular. It's not only a place-name but also a person-name (e.g. Gen 10:7, Gen 10:29) which may indicate that the land of Havilah was named after an antediluvian individual who settled in that area.

Place-names such as Havilah and Cush prior to the Flood are impossible to site geographically; especially since the author used the present tense in his verbs, indicating that the rivers branching off the Eden river flowed to the areas he mentioned during his own times; which were antediluvian.

†.Gen 2:12 …(The gold of that land is good; bdellium is there, and lapis lazuli.)

Again, the author used the present tense of a verb. The gold "is" good, not was good— strongly suggesting the author actually lived in the period he wrote about.

Bdellium is a gum resin similar to myrrh; obtained from various trees. The author could have been referring to amber; a hard yellowish to brownish translucent fossil resin that takes a fine polish and is used chiefly in making ornamental objects like beads and such. Bdellium was the comparison Moses used to describe the color of manna in Num 11:7.

Lapis lazuli is a semiprecious stone that is usually a rich azure blue and is essentially a complex silicate often with spangles of iron pyrites — a.k.a. lapis.

Isn't all gold good? Well… some gold is better than other kinds of gold. It exists in nature in more than one form. In some instances gold is powdered, and mixed with the soil like in the Sacramento area of California. That kind, known as placer gold, is not what you might call good gold because it's such a chore to separate it from the dirt. Panning, and dredging, and sluice boxes seem to work best for that kind of mining.

Then there is hard rock gold. It's embedded in stone which must be blasted and tunneled and crushed and refined to extract the gold from ore. More hard work; and lots of overburden.

And there is what you might call the best gold— nugget gold. Great big 'ol chunks of pure metal. All you have to do with that is pound it into something nice. Some jewelers don't even bother to change its shape or melt it down. They make jewelry out of it just the way it is. I once saw a necklace of nuggets in the Museum of Natural History in San Diego. Whew…. nothing since has stirred such passionate avarice in my soul as the sight of the dull metallic burnish of that highly valued ornament.

†.Gen 2:13 …The name of the second river is Gihon, the one that winds through the whole land of Cush.

The Cush of the post-Flood world is associated in Scripture with both a region of Arabia and the present-day land of Ethiopia. But the exact geographic site of the Cush of antediluvian days is impossible to know. If it's the same, then we can be pretty sure that the Earth underwent some dramatic geological events in the distant past because it is now impossible for any river in Ethiopia to connect in any way at all with the Tigris and Euphrates rivers of today's world.

†.Gen 2:14a …The name of the third river is Tigris, the one that flows east of Asshur.

According to Assyrian monuments, the Tigris was known to the post Flood ancients as the Chiddekel, or the Hiddekel. Asshur was located in modern-day Iraq south of Mosul on the western bank of the Tigris river in between the Great Zab and the Little Zab rivers.

The Tigris and Euphrates today headwater not too far from Elazig Turkey; flowing roughly (very roughly) parallel to each other from out of Turkey, past Syria and Mesopotamia, and down into modern-day Iraq before joining together and emptying into the Persian Gulf.

The general picture in Genesis 2 is that of a major watercourse (the Eden River) feeding an immense aqua system supplying water to a very large geographic area comprising parts of Turkey, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nubia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Iraq. It would appear that the Eden River itself head-watered possibly in what the world today knows as Russia; but it is impossible to tell exactly where it came from because that region no longer generates a south flowing monster river system such as the one from Eden described in Genesis 2.

The third and fourth rivers no longer connect to a larger river that elsewhere branches off and flows to Ethiopia. It's pretty obvious from the author's geographical descriptions that the world's current topography didn't exist prior to the Flood. The antediluvian world was shaped quite different than the one we live in now. The Tigris and Euphrates of today are but remnants of an ancient irrigation system that at one time made the entire MidEast a very beautiful and fertile region.

†.Gen 2:15 …The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it.

The word for *tend is from shamar (shaw-mar') and means: to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.

Actually, Adam had some pretty easy responsibilities. For one thing, he didn't have to do any plowing or planting. Everything he needed was already growing when he arrived. All he had to do was nurture his food supplies, protect them from wild animals, and they would be enough to take care of him for a good while to come.

Meanwhile, there was schooling to look after and he would need plenty. Among the first things God needed to teach Adam was a language; and most especially how to make fire. There's really no telling how long the Adams lived in the garden, but I think it was quite a while before they were evicted to fend for themselves. During their tenure, God was very likely in the process of teaching them how to survive just like we ourselves put a priority on teaching our own kids how to take care of themselves so they can go out on their own.

Although Adam and his wife were very likely created all grown up physically, I think at first, age wise, they were very immature— like preschoolers and young adolescents; and very definitely benefited by senior advice and guidance from their Divine mentor.

Eve was absent during this exchange. Although present in Adam's genes, she wasn't actually viable and walking around on her own yet. Other than this verse, there's no record of God personally commanding anybody else about the trees but just Adam. So Eve very likely heard this mandate second hand, just like we all today get God's teachings second hand from scholars, writers, translators, and preachers.

The problem with hearsay evidence is that it can be challenged; and often with success. People who don't actually hear God's testimony from God himself can't be sure something hasn't been lost in the process (or worse: something added). Maybe scribes changed some important things along the way because they didn't like the way the text looked when they got it from previous scribes. Plus, none of the authors, nor their original autographs, even exist anymore so there is no way of knowing if what exists today isn't folklore and/or extensive revisions. Maybe the Bible is just a great big hoax after all because it's very old and who knows anymore where it really came from anyway?

As incredible as it may sound, I have dialogued with people who actually believe in a Jesus, but not the New Testament's Jesus. Why? Because they feel the New Testament's Jesus is the wrong one. So they have another Jesus; a nicer Jesus who doesn't believe in capital punishment and Hell-fire. I would like very much to know where they got that Jesus if not from the New Testament because secular history has practically no record at all about either a Jesus or the things that a Jesus believed and taught.

If the New Testament's Jesus is not the real Jesus, then where did the other ones come from? Well it's pretty obvious that what people have done is plagiarize the New Testament and leave out all the negative stuff because they believe the negative stuff was added later by people who twisted and distorted and embellished upon the original Jesus in order to support their Hell-fire teachings. That's what can happen when people get God's testimony second hand.

†. Gen 2:16b-17 . . saying: Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; but as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as soon as you eat of it, you shall die.

In order for that threat to make a significant impression upon Adam, it would be necessary for him to first fully understand what it means to die. Did Adam really comprehend the meaning of death? Had he actually seen something die in his world so he would know what God was talking about?

†. Rom 5:12 . .Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men

So Adam is responsible for bringing human death into the world. But what about animal death? I seriously doubt he is responsible for that. The other creatures were mass produced in swarms and I think fish, bugs, birds, reptiles, and beasts died on a regular basis in Adam's world and that's how he knew what death was. Adam has often been credited with bringing all death into nature, but I strongly suspect that is not quite accurate. He definitely brought human death into the world. But critter death? Probably not.

Some believe that Yhvh was testing Man with the forbidden fruit. But I disagree. I believe he was simply warning his little creature about a particular danger in his environment. We sure don't want kids to play with matches, pick up rattlesnakes, eat deadly mushrooms, drink bleach, or get too close to the edge of a precipice. So when we tell them to stay away from things like that; it's for their own good. And when they disobey, and don't listen to us, we make them regret it. We make them regret it not only because we are upset and angry with them; but because they did wrong, and because they took a foolish risk.

If there's one thing in life I try to avoid as much as possible; it's dying like a fool. When I see people bungi jumping, free-climbing, driving real fast, or vaulting over cars with a motorcycle; I say to myself: now there goes an idiot tempting fate. It might be thrilling, and it might cool, but it's stupid to risk your life like that. If something goes wrong; if they miscalculate the distance, if they don't factor in the jumper's weight accurately, or if the equipment fails; they will be killed and die a fool's death.

Man wasn't created immortal. He had to breathe air to stay alive back in Adam's day, and he still has to breathe air now. That's part of being a nephesh— breathing air to stay alive. The Adams could be killed just as easily as anyone today. Had they gone without food and water too long, or been choked and smothered, or crushed their skulls, severed an artery, or punctured their guts; they would have died just the same as we do. But as long as Man continued to supplement his diet with fruit from the tree of life, he would remain strong and youthful and never die from old age. He could die from other causes, but not that one. And his death wasn't mandatory, but now it is.

Just how often Man needs doses of the tree in order to stay youthful isn't stated. Maybe it's like a flu shot, only once a year. And then again, its ingredients may be so potent that Man needs it only once every ten years; sort of like a tetanus booster. The tree of life is the secret to youth and longevity. In its absence; it's impossible for Man to go on living indefinitely and scientists will never find a way to stop the aging process without it.

The ban on the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, was tempered by a carte blanche to eat fruits from all the rest of the trees; including the tree of life. So it's not like God pigeonholed Man and forced him to eat from the wrong tree in order to survive. Earlier, in Gen 1:29, God gave Man permission to eat all manner of plant life. So Man had lots of options. An abundance of other vegetation was available. Therefore, if Man ate from the wrong tree, he had no excuse for it. And that is what really made eating from that tree so serious— it was willful, and done in full understanding of both the ban and the consequence.

But why on earth would God put a deadly tree into an otherwise perfect environment? Was that really necessary? What real purpose does a tree serve that has the potential to kill? Why even create such a tree in the first place? Was that tree a bad tree? No, it was not a bad tree. When God finished creating, He looked over His work on the 6th day and pronounced it not just good, but "very" good.

The tree of the knowledge of good and bad wasn't a bad tree per se; any more than toad stools, poison ivy, lightening, rattlesnakes, scorpions, avalanches, tornadoes, typhoons, hurricanes, cactus needles, tsunamis, earthquakes, and arsenic and hemlock are bad in and of themselves. Those things are hazardous, yes, but they all fit into the natural web of life. When people willfully cross over boundaries, ignoring the dangers, and start messing around, then they get hurt and it's really no one's fault but their own.

Right now the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles are situated atop the San Andreas; one of the deadliest tectonic plate faults in the whole world; a fault responsible for destroying San Francisco once already. Where did they rebuild San Francisco? Right back in the same place.

Are there plans to evacuate Los Angeles and relocate the city? No. They plan to ride out whatever the San Andreas throws at them and city planners and disaster control specialists have already calculated the body count because the Andreas is overdue for a massive slip. They know there's a really big quake coming but nobody is getting out of the way.

Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005; but where did men rebuild the city? In a safer place, above sea level? No. They rebuilt right back in the same flood plane; below sea level behind levees. And then man blames God when his fragile little house-of-cards world falls apart. People just don't learn.

Man was given fair warning what would happen if he ate from the tree. It was just as fair a warning as parents give their kids not to poke paper clips into wall sockets or lean over a dog too close with their face when they pet a strange one. Consequences for spurning a parent's rules in those cases can be very terrible.

†.Gen 2:18 …Yhvh God said: It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a fitting helper for him.

A fitting helper is from two Hebrew words. Fitting is from neged (neh'-ghed) which means: a front, i.e. part opposite; specifically a counterpart, or mate. The word for helper is from `ezer (ay'-zer) which means: aid.

Note that aid is not spelled with an "e" as in aide; so that Eve wasn't meant to be Adam's servant, but rather, his assistance— in other words; his aid as in first aid. Note that assistance is not spelled the same as assistant nor are the two words synonyms. An assistant does what they're told, while assistance is support; and makes life easier.

You know what that suggests to me? It suggests that Adam didn't really have it all that easy in his world, and that Eve's companionship made his life a lot more tolerable and worth the living. The helper that God made for Adam would be both his counterpart, and his aid.

Webster's defines a counterpart as: 1) one of two corresponding copies of a legal instrument: a duplicate 2) a thing that fits another perfectly 3) something that completes or complements 4) one remarkably similar to another 5) one having the same function or characteristics as another.

In making a statement like Gen 2:18; God made it very clear right from the beginning that human beings were not intended to live a celibate life. If Man were packaged in a box of software, one of his system requirements would be: Companion. Woman's potential for companionship is the primary reason that God made her— not for her sex appeal nor for her reproductive value; no, for companionship.

Before God introduced the man to a woman, he first permitted the man to seek companionship from among the beasts of the animal kingdom. That route failed.

†. Gen 2:19-20a . . And the Lord God formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that would be its name. And the man gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to all the wild beasts;

I'm sure Adam loved animals. I guess just about everybody does. But as cute and cuddly as creatures are, they just don't have what it takes to be the kind of companion that a human being really needs.

After failing to fit in with the creatures, God put the man to sleep and manufactured a companion for him— not from the dust as before, but from the man's own flesh and bones.

†. Gen 2:21a-22a . . So the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon the man; and, while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that spot. And the Lord God fashioned the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman;

The Hebrew word for rib is not specifically a skeletal bone. tsela` is found in no less than 31 verses in the Old Testament and in only two of those is it translated by the English word rib— both of them are right here in Gen 2:21-22. The most common rendering of tsela` is side. Actually God didn't take just a bare bone out of Adam's body. He took some of his side along with it. Like a tasty cut of prime rib, God took a big ol' hunk of meat out of Adam right along with bone and blood.

God constructed woman from fresh body parts amputated from the male's own torso. Woman is a human being not formed directly from the Earth, but formed indirectly; from another human being. The human life thriving in Adam's body served to energize his wife's body with human life. They were truly one flesh in every sense of the word but gender. Her flesh was his flesh and her life was his life. The woman completed the creation of Man; so that Man is actually a composite unity— a male part and a female part.

†. Gen 2:23a . .Then the man said: This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.

Eve was Adam's own kind: manufactured from his own flesh and bones. Since she was just as much human as himself; she was therefore someone Adam could easily relate to— an impossibility with creatures. Eve's primary purpose in life was to be her man's best friend; and that is precisely why God made women: to be their husband's buddy.

The one who created Man said it is not good for man to live alone. And if it's not good for the male to live alone, then it goes without saying that it's not good for the female either. If men are supposed to be happier with a woman, then women should be happier with a man. Of course when couples mistreat each other, then the Creator's design is frustrated.

I believe the war between the sexes is symptomatic of a serious malady within the human race. The Bible says in Isa 53:6 that Messiah had to be crucified for the sins of the world because everybody went astray like sheep, each going his own way. Deep within the feminine mystique, and also within the male ego, is the desire for autonomy: to be independent not only of the opposite sex, but also independent of the Creator's design. However, mankind's Creator didn't intend men and women to function independently of each other. They were created to be together; as couples.

The expression; "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" makes it obvious that Adam had the most perfect friend possible— another human being. Not one precisely as himself, but very much like himself and with enough of a difference to make things interesting.

So Adam saw in Eve his true counterpart— a blood relative who was just as human as himself; and one who could truly relate to him, be sensitive to his feelings, and understand his thoughts; something no other creature ever yet has been able to do.

Pop Quiz: How many friends do people need to dispel feelings of isolation and loneliness? Answer: Just one— if that one is a spouse. They say dogs are Man's best friend. No they aren't. Peoples' best friends are spouses that love them.

The word for Woman is from 'ishshah (ish-shaw') which is the feminine form of 'iysh (eesh) which means a human being as an individual or as a male person. So 'ishshah doesn't mean another kind of man; it just simply means another kind of the same man.

Since the female was constructed from organic human material taken from the male's own body; she was therefore not only another kind of the same man, but also Adam's first child; which is interesting because if God can make a female from a male (Adam to Eve) then it couldn't have been any more difficult to do it in reverse (Mary to Jesus). Was Eve a one-of-a-kind human specie? No, she was born of an already-existing human specie. Was Jesus a one-of-a-kind human specie? No, he was born of an already-existing human specie.

†. Gen 2:24a . . Hence a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife,

The word for wife in that verse comes from the very same word as woman— 'ishshah (ish-shaw'). What makes a woman somebody's wife? The possessive pronoun his. So she became Adam's woman; and Adam of course became her man. They quite literally owned each other. New Testament marriage retains the Old Testament's concept of possession.

†. 1Cor 7:1-5 . . Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Adultery is very serious not only because it is immoral, but also because it is an act of theft; and of fraud.

An important point in Gen 2:24 is the clinging. There comes a time in every young man's life when it's time for him to grow up; to stop depending on his parents, sever the apron strings, leave home, leave the diversions of youth, and take up residence with a woman— his own woman.

Bible marriage isn't a political arrangement like the marriages of feminism where couples retain their independence. In Bible marriage, the two individuals lose their independence and become, no longer two autonomous individuals; but one. People who regard their spouse as an associate rather than an equal part of their own body, have got the wrong attitude about marriage.

In Bible marriage, opposite genders are fused together and the half each brought to the union forms one whole human being. They may appear on the surface to be two separate individuals but in marriage they aren't; no they're an organic unity— one body, one person —and all other loyalties take second place; especially loyalty to parents. If married people are still putting their parents first, over and above loyalty to their spouses, then they have not really left home yet, and they surely don't think very much of their spouse either.

If a boy and a girl are not prepared to shift their loyalties to an intended spouse, then their marriage would be an evil union. They dishonor their spouses; and they spurn their maker's wishes regarding the marriage relationship. Marriage isn't for people who are incapable of running their own life; and it is absolutely not for children who cannot put loyalty to their spouses ahead of their parents.

It's very difficult to believe that God fully intended for people to live without clothing. So how come early Man didn't need protection for his skin? Nobody really knows for sure; maybe because human skin was a whole lot tougher and thicker than now; and far more resistant to natural sunlight.

Still; nudity seems so impractical. And I would imagine that Adam and his wife needed to bathe pretty often too. Without clothing to protect their skin from dust and grime, in no time at all they would be as funky as two pigs in a puddle.

†. Gen 2:25b . . yet they felt no shame.

The Hebrew word for shame is buwsh (boosh); which means, properly, to pale; by implication, to be ashamed; also by implication, to be disappointed, held in check, and/or delayed

Webster's archaic meaning of the word pale is a picket, or one of the stakes of a palisade; while its modern definition of ashamed is: 1) guilt, or disgrace, 2) a feeling of inferiority or inadequacy, and 3) inhibited.

In other words, there was absolutely nothing in early Man's psyche restraining him from parading around in full frontal nudity; and actually, neither was there anything in his psyche encouraging him to. They weren't exhibitionists by any stretch of the imagination because in their innocence, Adam and his wife simply were neither proud of, nor humiliated by, their appearance in the nude. In my opinion, feelings of inferiority and inadequacy have destroyed far more people's happiness than wars, accidents, and forces of nature; with vanity and narcissism the nearest runners-up.

Not to be gender-bashing, but I would be willing to wager a Patek Philippe against a Seiko that if I were to set up a full length mirror along the sidewalk in front of my home; practically every female jogger in the neighborhood would eventually adjust their routes to allow them to pass by that mirror every time they went out running because women today, unlike grandmother Eve in her innocence, are self conscious; which Webster's defines as uncomfortably aware of one's self as the object of the observation of others.

Even if a nuclear disaster left but one lone woman on earth, and no one else on the planet to observe her, she would still want to look at herself in a mirror. Actually, any reflective surface will do. My wife utilizes a chrome strip along the edge of our refrigerator as a mirror when she's out in the kitchen. For a good number of years I didn't even know that chrome strip was there until she told me because men, as a rule, aren't attuned to their reflections nearly as acutely as women are of theirs.

Man's inclination to clothe himself is influenced primarily by culture and self consciousness. No doubt any inhibitions Adam and his wife would have felt, had they felt any, would have been akin to the disgrace of indecent exposure; which is a behavior that post-Eden civilized humanity normally associates with perverts.

Adam and his wife didn't feel naughty about frontal nudity at first, nor were they self conscious in the slightest respect because as yet they knew no cultural boundaries, nor were they infected yet with a guilt complex about sex and the human body; and concepts like vanity and narcissism had no point of reference in their thinking whatsoever. They had absolutely no natural sense of propriety, nor were they even aware of any because God hadn't taught them any proprieties yet.

NOTE: Before moving into chapter 3, something needs to be addressed regarding the origin of Man.

There are those who feel the account of Man's creation in the book of Genesis has nothing to do with either fact or reality— that the story is merely a myth intended to teach spiritual lessons. Well, that theory simply cannot be accepted by serious Bible students because the New Testament's Jesus fully authenticated the Genesis story.

†. Mtt 19:3-6 . . Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked: Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?

. . Haven't you read? he replied; that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not divide.

Since the lord and master of New Testament Christianity regarded the Genesis account of Man's origin as true— that Man, a composite unity of two genders, was created by a supreme being; who decreed that marriage is a Divine bond— it is therefore a foregone conclusion. To question the truthfulness of Genesis is to question Jesus' own personal acceptance of the Bible; and impugns his competence as a spiritual leader. It also insinuates that he misrepresented the Bible's God.

†. John 3:31-36 . . For he is sent by God. He speaks God's words, for God's Spirit is upon him without measure or limit

†. John 8:26 . . He that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him.

†. John 12:48-50 . . For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a mandate; what I should say, and what I should speak.

Some people get upset with God for not stepping in and preventing the so-called original sin. But if God were to micro-manage Man in order to prevent all evil from occurring, then no one would have any freedom of choice whatsoever. The Bible's God would be just one big meddler in the sky because a prevent-all-evil God would never allow anyone to make choices as responsible adults. Everybody would be slaves and puppets, and have no space to experiment.

Even if you don't like pornography, wouldn't you at least like the freedom to check it out once in a while if you wanted to? And suppose you're against abortion; but what if the day comes when you desperately need one yourself? If you don't like fast food then don't eat it. But shouldn't people be allowed to make that decision for themselves? Man was made in God's image. That image carries some heavy responsibilities; but it also grants Man quite a bit of liberty too.

Biblically, the so-called concept of "free will" doesn't imply complete autonomy with no consequences. Far from it. Bible free will grants liberty to make selections from available options but it in no way grants anybody immunity from the jurisdiction of a higher power.

Here in the 3rd chapter of Genesis, the first couple is going to exercise one of their options. Their selection, and its subsequent consequences, were completely out my control. However, their selection will become my own selection; viz: in reality, I have no opinion at all in this matter— nobody does —we're all stuck with the choice they made just as if it were our very own at the time.

†. Gen 3:1a . . Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.

Probably no other creature in the Bible provokes so much skepticism as the Serpent. It just smacks of mythology. But this particular serpent was no ordinary reptile. It was indeed a remarkable creature. Not only was it capable of language, and able to communicate on a very sophisticated level with human beings, but it had an exceptional IQ too. It grasped the significance of a supreme being, and totally understood the workings of human nature and the human mind. No mere animal is capable of that degree of insight, cognition, and communication.

The final book in the New Testament confirms the Serpent's true identity, and it is none other than the dark spirit being well known to everyone as the Devil and Satan.

†. Rev 20:1-3 . . And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the Dragon, the Serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut [it] and sealed [it] over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

According to Jesus, the Serpent was in the world from the very beginning; and his stock in trade was murder and deception right from the get go.

†. John 8:44 . . He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and a liar's father.

Since Rev 20:1-3 has not yet come to pass, then the Serpent remains at large and very active in today's modern world. It is highly skilled at mental suggestions: secretly guiding mankind along a road to self destruction. It is the source of much of the world's political tensions, and certainly the impetus behind all large scale anti-Semitic agendas.

I have never seen the Serpent myself; nor would I care to. But I know from Mtt 4:1-11 that Jesus saw it, and talked with it. From that passage it's obvious that the Serpent is capable of human speech, understands human needs and weaknesses, understands the existence of the Bible's God, understands the concept of worship, understands the Bible, and understands the advantages of manipulating human minds, and world power.

The Serpent certainly wasn't squeamish about tempting the Son of God to sin; so it should come as no surprise that it wouldn't hesitate to entice a little nobody like Eve. But Eve was extremely strategic, she was the high ground in the battle for men's minds, because Eve was destined to be the mother of all subsequent human beings. If the Serpent could get to the root of humanity, it would surely gain control over the entire human race.

The Serpent seems possessed with a strange, criminal mentality: beyond comprehension. But then, so are pedophiles, serial killers, unibombers, and men like Son of Sam and Jack the Ripper. Those kinds of criminals are psychotic prisoners of dark minds clouded with unnatural inclinations. The Serpent, though surely an incredible genius; is nonetheless an evil genius; not unlike the nefarious masterminds in action comics.

What we see in human nature often mirrors the Serpent's own dark personality. But the origin of the Serpent's twisted mind is really puzzling. How did it get that way? Was it a birth defect? Did it bump its head? One thing is for sure though— the Serpent's activities are living proof that angels aren't mindless robots created to obey the will of God without thought or question. They too have a will of their own, and the freedom of choice between good and evil— the very same choices that Man is at liberty to exercise.

A characteristic of Eden's world was not only a lack of human death, but also a lack of fear. Man feared neither himself, nor the other creatures, nor the dark, nor the spirit beings.

The woman displayed no recorded astonishment whatsoever when the Serpent spoke to her; which suggests it had conversed with the Adams on other occasions before this incident; and possibly had become a close family friend. Before making its move to wreck their life, the Serpent more than likely spent some time in advance nurturing a rapport with the Adams so the woman would have no cause for alarm when it approached; and would therefore not suspect its intentions.

Being an innocent who had never been exposed to evil, the woman would certainly never suspect one of God's creatures to be anything but honest and truthful. Up to this point, Eve wasn't even aware that something called a "lie" existed. And actually, she didn't even know what honesty was either because nobody had taught her anything about it yet.

†. Gen 3:1c . . Did God really say: You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?

Catching the woman alone, away from her husband's oversight, the Serpent began subtly introducing a concept which neither she nor Adam had even imagined before: it is actually possible for a creature to question its maker. However; that is not a particularly good idea; and reveals a lack of trust, rather than advancement and enlightenment.

†. Isa 45:9 . . Shame on him who argues with his Maker, though naught but a potsherd of earth!

†. Dan 4:32 . . All the inhabitants of the earth are of no account. [God] does as He wishes with the host of heaven, and with the inhabitants of the earth. There is none to stay His hand or say to Him: What have You done?

Why didn't the Serpent attempt to trick the male? Probably because Adam got his intel straight from the horse's mouth and knew the truth very clearly and without ambiguity. But the woman quite possibly was instructed second hand, in conversations with her husband; who was, in effect, her personal rabbi. So it would be fairly easy to convince the woman that maybe she didn't hear her husband right, or that Adam himself didn't really know what he was talking about.

Of course it was ridiculous to suggest the humans were forbidden to eat of "any" tree. But the Serpent was slowly sneaking up on the woman with subtle suggestions. Probing for weak points, the Serpent tested her understanding of God's instructions by asking a question that she should have been able to answer with relative ease. In response; the woman bounced right back and quoted God like a pro (or so she thought).

†. Gen 3:2-3 . . The woman replied to the serpent: We may eat of the fruit of the other trees of the garden. It is only about fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said: You shall not eat of it or touch it, lest you die.

oopsie! Where did God say Adam couldn't "touch" the fruit. The woman adulterated God's instructions by reading something into them that He didn't actually say. She fell prey to a very human weakness— not only of adulterating God's testimony, but of a tendency to make the laws of God more strict than they really are. Adulteration changes the meanings of God's sayings and inevitably leads people into error. While often containing a measure of truth, adulterations are nevertheless not pure truth, but amalgams of truth and human error that falsify God's teachings and direct people off in the wrong direction; leading them to believe, and to repeat, things that aren't true.

Having already tested the woman's interpretation of God's instructions, and found her in error, the Serpent was understandably encouraged to push on and attempt to introduce some additional bogus concepts. The woman's fall is typical. First she adulterated God's instructions. Then she listened to someone refute them. Next, she will accept the refuter's argument, and then she will break with God.

†.Gen 3:5a …but God knows that as soon as you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like divine beings

The Hebrew word for divine beings is 'elohiym (el-o-heem') which is the very same word for God in Gen 1:1. If someone gave you an opportunity to be like God; wouldn't you take it? I think you would; if you didn't know any better.

The Serpent insinuated that God was withholding the tree's fruit, not because it was poisonous or anything like that; but to keep the humans suppressed. In effect, the Serpent was saying that God got His wisdom from that very same tree and that's why He didn't want to share the fruit with them; because then they might become savvy enough to go out on their own without depending so much upon their maker for everything.

Unbeknownst to the woman, the Serpent was actually on a recruiting drive. It wanted the humans to join forces with it in standing up to God; and to assist in its ambition to guide the entire universe towards complete rebellion against The Creator. It surely overheard the divine fiat granting Man complete dominion over all the cosmos. So if the Serpent could succeed in getting Man to follow it, then the Serpent would become a major influence in their methods for ruling the Earth. It would, then, for all practical intents and purposes, become the world's next God in place of The True God; and it did (cf. Eph 2:1-2, and 2Cor 4:3-4)

The woman was inexperienced, and certainly no match for the Serpent's intelligence. But her defeat wasn't inevitable. She could have easily resisted the Serpent by simply sticking to her guns and parroting God's instructions over and over again until the Serpent gave up. But no, she dropped God's instructions early on; and thus set the stage for the utter ruin of her own posterity.

I think it should be emphasized again that the woman's decision to believe the Serpent, and depart from God's instructions, wasn't done from the depths of a fallen, sinful human nature; but from the depths of sinless innocence; so that her decision to ignore God's wishes can't be blamed upon a wicked being's inherently natural inclination to rebel against sovereign authority.

The humans at this point, were responsible adults who were fully informed of a divine mandate, and of the consequences for violating it. Though they didn't as yet have an intuitive ability to discern moral absolutes, they didn't need that ability at this point in time in order to incur guilt in this incident. They only needed to know the boundaries, and to know that crossing them had consequences. Thus Genesis shows, in this early incident, that it isn't necessary for someone to have a conscience in order to be charged with guilt. They only need to have a knowledge of the boundaries; and God had clearly spelled them out in advance, so there is no excuse for what Eve did.

By watching what birds and animals eat, people can often tell what's safe for human consumption. That's not always true of course, but it's a pretty good rule of thumb. So the woman could safely assume the fruit wasn't poisonous if nothing was dropping dead at the base of the tree.

Most fruits are very appealing— just look at bananas and pears and apples and oranges and watermelon and cantaloupe and watermelon and grapes and plums and mangoes and strawberries. God doubtless made them that way not just so Man could not only nourish himself, but also enjoy his food.

The word for wisdom is from sakal (saw-kal') which means: to be (causatively, make or act) circumspect and hence, intelligent. Wisdom implies far more than just a knowledge of facts and data. It implies an intuition to grasp metaphysical concepts, which Webster's defines as: of, or relating to, the transcendent or to a reality beyond what is perceptible to the senses; viz: the mental ability to grasp abstract concepts like honesty, integrity, decency, faith, etc. as opposed to concrete objects like trees, chairs, flowers, goldfish, and puppy dogs.

The woman was overcome by a powerful desire, not for nourishment, but apparently for self enlightenment. The Serpent's spiel promised to help her achieve that goal. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with self improvement. But in the area of good and evil, Man's creator is the final authority because it's not inherent in Man to understand good and evil without Divine instruction.

†.Pro 1:7 …The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Yes, some people make poor students because they don't like being told anything; preferring instead to figure out everything for themselves.

The allure of the fruit was remarkably similar to the characteristics of practically every kind of temptation known to Man. To the woman's perception, the fruit: 1) appealed to the sensual — good for eating, 2) appealed to the aesthetic senses— a delight to the eyes, and 3) appealed to the mind — a source of wisdom.

Eve's temptation brought out the inherent weaknesses of human nature that are resident within every natural born human being.

†.1John 2:16 ...For all that is in the world— the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life —is not of the Father but is of the world.

Any person who sincerely longs to grasp moral absolutes must turn to Man's creator to find out what they are, and then lean upon the assistance of God's Spirit in order to intuitively know how best to apply them. Why? Because that is the way human beings were made. Man simply cannot empathize with God without Divine assistance.

†. 1Cor 2:10-15 . . For who among human beings grasps the thoughts of a human being except by the human spirit which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one grasps except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may grasp the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thinking with spiritual words. But an earthly man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are absurd to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

Haven't you wondered why there's so much disagreement about the correct interpretation of the Bible? Well . . God's Spirit is the Bible's custodian because the Bible contains God's thoughts; and to interpret God's thoughts properly requires doses of His own intuition. On its own, the human intuition is totally inadequate for the job.

†.Deut 29:2-4 …And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them; "Ye have seen all that The Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; the great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: yet The Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day."

That easily explains why the average Jew is so resistant to the Gospel. They simply lack The Spirit's intuition to realize that Jesus of Nazareth really is their Messiah.

†.2Cor 3:14-16 …But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains in place because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

The Serpent is indeed a very skilled predator. After careful study of its quarry to learn her weak points and to find out what she wanted most in life, the Serpent devised a customized strategy to lure the targeted individual to ruin. No one is exempt from those kinds of strategies. Even the New Testament's Jesus was targeted. His adversary understood human nature well enough to know just exactly where to probe for Jesus' weaknesses.

Luke 4:2-4 is an appeal to the sensual. Hunger is legitimate. Jesus needed food. So the Serpent tried to get Jesus to use his super powers to satisfy his own personal needs. But Jesus was only supposed to use those powers according to his Father's will; and never to do anything with them without prior approval (John 4:34, John 6:38).

Luke 4:5-8 is an appeal to the allure of power and control. Jesus does indeed desire to rule the world, and he will some day. The Serpent offered Jesus a short cut— all he had to do was sell his soul.

Luke 4:9-12 is an appeal to prove God is on your side. Sure, the angels would have rescued Jesus and prevented his death. But it's a sin to take God's providence for granted; and to impose upon His hospitality (e.g. Ex 17:1-7, Num 21:4-9, Deut 6:16).

You can just see Eve's eyes brighten from the sugar rush as she realized the Serpent was right after all: she didn't die. So the woman brought home a sample and convinced her husband to try it too.

Did she first deftly dice the fruit and camouflage it in a tasty parfait so her husband wouldn't know what he was eating? No. Adam knew exactly what he was doing. He went into it with both eyes wide open.

It's well known among sales managers that consumers are more likely to buy from a friend or a relative, especially from a spouse, than from a stranger. No doubt Eve ate some of the fruit right then and there in front of her husband to demo that it was tasty, nourishing, and perfectly safe— as anyone could plainly see.

The woman ate the fruit first; but her eyes weren't opened until sometime later after her husband ate his own share. (Thus was spawned the saying: It takes two to tango.)

Although Eve was tricked, she wasn't innocent; she was just as guilty as her husband. The Bible doesn't accept ignorance as an excuse.

You have to wonder why the husband went along with his wife and did something he knew full well to be breaking God's commandment and putting himself at risk of death.

Genesis doesn't reveal why Adam chose to eat the fruit. I suppose he had his reasons, but apparently God didn't think they were sufficient to mitigate the man's error. But when your wife is sitting right beside you happily munching away on something that you were led to believe was deadly poisonous, and she's still healthy, lucid, and exhibiting no ill side effects; how are you supposed to react to that? I think Adam was cautious at first, and kept a wary eye on Eve for some time waiting to see if she would get sick; and when she didn't, he surely had to wonder if maybe God was wrong. (The Serpent was pretty smart. It somehow knew that Eve was immune to the fruit by herself, and that nothing would happen to either of them until Adam ate his share.)

The word for perceived is from yada` (yaw-dah') which means: to know or ascertain by seeing. The corresponding word in the New Testament is ginosko (ghin-oce'-ko).

Those two words imply much more than the kind of knowledge you get from a book or a lecture— which are merely informational kinds of knowledge. Perceptual knowledge is an intuitive kind of knowledge; things that you can sense without being told about them.

There is more to the statement "they perceived that they were naked" than meets the eye. For them to realize they were naked without ever even once being instructed about nudity, can only mean one thing: they became self conscious for the very first time. Websters' defines self conscious as: uncomfortably aware of one's self as the object of the observation of others.

†.Gen 3:7c …and they sewed together fig leaves and made themselves loincloths.

I seriously doubt they had a needle and thread. The word for sew is taphar (taw-far') which just simply means to fabricate clothing. If taphar were used to strictly mean needle and thread; then it would appear that Job stitched fabric directly to his own skin (Job 16:15).

Why didn't they cover their whole bodies? Whey just their pelvic regions? Obviously, Adam and his wife were experiencing a guilt complex about their own sexuality; where before, they didn't feel naughty about their sexuality at all.

We might call the inclination to wear clothing a mark of true civilization; but that inclination is actually the result of early man's sin and rebellion against God. I'm not suggesting people go back to nudity; only pointing out why civilized people regard public nudity as indecent exposure practiced by perverts.

Some say there were no agents in the fruit to cause the changes in human nature that occurred in the Adams. But I'm not so sure. It's well known what happens to kids when they move into adolescence. Hormonal chemicals kick in, and their childish innocence vanishes; right out the window. They lose interest in kid's toys and begin to take an interest in things more appropriate for their age; including a very noticeable interest in themselves, and in the opposite sex; and most especially in what others think about them. The sweet little kids that so tugged at our heart strings disappear forever as they rapidly morph into totally different (and sometimes very unpleasant) people.

Those adolescent changes aren't miraculous changes— they're totally natural, hormonally induced, organic changes. So if kids today undergo a natural kind of change because of the chemicals generated by the glands in their own bodies, then there is good reason to believe that fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil actually did contain something to cause Adam and his wife to morph and develop a guilt complex.

At any rate, the pending dialogue, between God and Man in the next few verses, implies that God himself did nothing at all to make those two people change. On the page of Scripture, their new personalities are directly related to the fruit and to nothing else. So instead of tweaking our imaginations to construct a spiritual explanation, I think it would be better to stick with the biological one and let it go at that.

The fruit not only messed up their personalities, but it also messed up their DNA in such a way that now everybody who descends from the Adams, at some point in their life, exhibits a guilt complex over sex and the human body. Since sexual self consciousness is universal, it demonstrates that everybody shares the consequence of that one sin. And since everybody shares the consequence, it's logical everybody must also share in the act— and no amount of baptism nor religious rites and rituals have been proven effective to remove either the consequence or the complicity.

†.Gen 3:8a …They heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of day;

Targum authors saw that a little differently. They interpreted that verse to mean: And they heard the voice of the word of the Lord God. (Targum Jonathan)

In their estimation, it was not the Lord God himself in person moving about in the garden— it was His word, which, according to ancient Jewish thought, can appear as a visible being; and is The True God's way of interacting with Man without actually being here Himself on the earth in person.

What time of day is the breezy time? Well, when I originally wrote this, it was 4:45 pm here in Portland Oregon and there was a pleasant breeze moving through my neighborhood. Whether or not that was the time of day when the word of the Lord God strolled through the garden is impossible to know for certain. The garden existed in a pre-Flood era; and prior to Man's obtaining food by the sweat of his brow. Whether the Eden breeze was for cooling purposes is impossible to know; but I would guess it was for moving the mists around to irrigate the vegetation, and may have been a routine event in the garden's daily schedule; which the Adams appropriated for a sort of pre-British tea time.

The sound they heard must have been a very distinctive one. Maybe the word of the Lord God was whistling a pleasant melody or maybe even some familiar bird calls as he strolled through the garden enjoying its beauty. After all, it was His garden; since it was God who created the earth— Adam didn't own it outright. Man's status is actually that of a share-cropper.

†.John 1:1-3 …In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

I think the word of the Lord God conducted school for the Adams every day at just about this time; so His arrival was likely routine and expected. It was an opportunity to share their experiences and ask questions about things in nature that they didn't fully understand. And maybe they even talked about life on other planets, and how to make hot cocoa and pop corn.

Can you imagine the incredible advantage of being in a classroom with the word of the Lord God? He's the undisputed expert on everything. You would never need a second opinion, nor go away wondering if your speaker really knew what He was talking about.

†.John 1:9 …There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

I used to wonder how the light of God could possibly enlighten every man when not every man is instructed in the Bible; but I was coming at this from the wrong angle.

Webster's defines existentialism as: a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for his acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad

I seriously doubt that the animal kingdom loses any sleep pondering the concepts of right and wrong and the possibility of a hereafter. But existentialism, in one form or another, is a commonality among human beings regardless of race or gender. When the animal kingdom looks at the world of nature around itself, all it sees is habitat. But Man doesn't just roam the earth like a two-footed beast; no, Man ponders the earth; not as habitat, but as a wonder— as an object of study —and it's origin baffles him.

Without even being aware of it, the light of God is at work in every man's mind, and it doesn't matter whether the individual man is a Neanderthal, a modern sophisticate, or a seminary graduate: all men are eventually driven by that Light to ponder the purpose of their existence; whereas the animal kingdom merely survives without giving the slightest thought to its purpose. Without the light of God at work in men's minds, their consciousness would be little more elevated than that of human wildlife.

†. Ecc 3:18 . . Then I realized that God allows people to continue in their sinful ways so He can prove them. That way, they can see for themselves that they are no better than beasts.

†. Gen 3:8b . . and the man and his wife hid from Yhvh God among the trees of the garden.

Well, that's understandable. They usually met with God in the buff but now, the Adams were no longer comfortable with frontal nudity and the Word of the Lord God would surely notice their unease.

You know; what they did was so human. When people call on the phone, or come to the door, it isn't unusual for their friends to pretend they're not home so they don't have to talk to them. And even out shopping or somewhere in public, people are prone to look down, or the other way and pretend they don't see their friends. It's odd to think humans started that behavior pattern so far back in the history of Man.

The word for man in that verse is from 'adam (aw-dawm') which just means a human being; as a specie. That word can apply to either a man or a woman; but in this case it was the male.

Why did God call out to the male first? Well, it would appear that the husband is supposed to be God's first point of contact in the family and there exists an intrinsic condition of headship in marriage. In the grand family of Man, the male was created first; and he therefore inherited some responsibilities that go along with primogeniture— like for instance: he's the default priest in the home; and also the adult held most accountable for the family unit's welfare.

†. 1Cor 11:3-9 . . Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head— it is just as though her head were shaved.

. . If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.

†. 1Tim 3:1-5 . . Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?)

Adam didn't do so good as the spiritual leader in his own home; and their son Abel will become the very first recorded holy man in the Bible (Luke 11:50-51).

Isn't God supposed to be omniscient? Then why ask where the man was? Although God is on a much higher intellectual plain than Man, He doesn't seem to mind condescending to Man's level. That is very helpful because how would you know how to act around God unless He was willing to accommodate the inherent limitations of the 3 pound lump of flabby organic tissue in your head sufficing for Man's mortal little mind. But the thing to notice in this episode, is that God took the initiative and sought Man, not the other way around.

†. Rom 3:10-12 . . As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.

†. Gen 3:10 . . He replied: I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.

This is the very first time on record that a human being was afraid of anything, much less the presence of God. Man's fear of the Bible's God is directly related to a guilty conscience.

But exactly of what was Adam afraid? Because he disobeyed and ate the fruit? No, oddly enough, he wasn't. Adam simply didn't want God to see him in the nude. His newly awakened conscious felt that nudity was not only inappropriate; but also punishable even though God has never even one time, in the entire Bible, banned nudity.

Two possible "references" to a ban on nudity are Ex 20:26 and Ex 28:42. However, the restrictions in those passages pertain specifically to Levitical priests, and only during the performance of their duties; not to rank and file pew warmers. I have yet to either find, or be shown, a single passage in either the Old Testament or the New that specifically forbids nudity per se. The human conscience only thinks it's forbidden because of its intrinsic guilt complex over sex and the human body; which is a direct result of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Events preceding Jesus' return are going to terrify a good many of the world's wicked people in the future.

†. Rev 6:12-17 . . I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

. .Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, saying: Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?

Man has a natural fear of the Bible's God because he instinctively feels that his behavior deserves retribution. The Adams had been very close friends with the Word of the Lord God up to this point; yet practically overnight they began avoiding personal contact with their maker.

†. Gen 3:11 . .Then He asked: Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree from which I had forbidden you to eat?

The first part of that question could be paraphrased as: Who said anything about nudity?

Are the creatures in the animal world naked? No, they aren't. They're dressed exactly as God created them. And in the beginning; Man was dressed exactly as God created him too. So when Man was created; he wasn't naked even though from our point of view he was. So then, nudity is natural and wearing clothing is unnatural. But if the Adams were nude, they why were they not nude? Because there is no such a thing as nudity in nature. Clothing is an artificial skin; it's not a natural skin. If God intended Man to wear artificial skin, he would have made clothing for him right at the gun.

You see, "nudity" is a man-made point of view. That point of view didn't come from God. No; the Adams coined it for themselves to describe their natural condition. Therefore, nudity isn't intrinsically sinful. What's intrinsically sinful is the felt shame of nudity (c.f. Rev 3:18, Rev 16:15). In conclusion: a mind that perceives nudity as naughty, is a fallen mind because that kind of a mind is the direct result of the Adams eating the forbidden fruit.

So why didn't Adam just meet God in the buff that day and try to act as if nothing was amiss? Because he just couldn't do it. The Adams now felt naughty in the buff and they didn't want God to think they were exposing themselves like a couple of sick perverts.

Like a kid playing with his dad's gun while he's at work and puts a bullet through the bedroom wall; they had done something taboo and there was just no way to cover it up. But instead of coming clean about it, they're going to make excuses.

†. Gen 3:12 . .The man said: The woman You put at my side— she gave me of the tree, and I ate.

It appears that Adam didn't want to go down alone on this. And why specify Eve as the woman "You" put at my side? Did Adam actually insinuate that God set him up to take a fall? Like: "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't imposed that female upon me. Did I ask for a wife? NO! And what kind of person is this woman you gave me anyway? She has managed to ruin my life in very short order. Is this your idea of the perfect companion?"

Instead of gratitude to God for His goodness and generosity in providing him a much needed companion, Adam actually blamed God's blessing for his troubles! Boy does that ever sound familiar. Every day, all the time, people blame God for the bad luck in their lives instead of putting the blame right squarely where it really belongs— upon themselves, and upon the foibles of the human race.

Adam is already beginning to manifest a very common aspect of human nature of which all of us are so familiar— blaming others for the way we act.

I once worked in a boatyard with a very hot tempered man. Previous to his employment with us, we had another with just about the same temperament who quit right before the second one signed on. Some time later, the new guy got irate about something or other and said; "Now I know why that other guy was difficult. You made him that way." (chuckle) Wasn't that a perfectly natural Adamic reaction?

†. Prv 17:3 . .The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but Yhvh trieth the hearts.

It's easy to be sweet, kind, agreeable, and courteous during a fair wind and a fast passage; but not so easy when something brings on a storm of adversity. That's when the dross in your personality will come to the surface. You have a choice: Do I skim off the dross so that I become a better person, or do I leave the dross and blame the adversity for "making" me that way?

I often hear it said about someone that they "bring out the worst in people". Well, what's that worst doing inside people in the first place? No matter how much a furnace attempts to refine pure silver and/or pure gold, it will fail because there are no impurities in pure metals. So then, if it's possible to bring out the worst in people, it's only because they are unrefined to begin with.

†. Gen 3:13 . . And Yhvh God said to the woman: What is this you have done! The woman replied: The serpent duped me, and I ate.

Actually, God didn't ask the woman to answer for eating the fruit. No, He asked her to explain why she gave the fruit to her husband. Where's the answer to that? It's not there because she doesn't want to talk about it. I think Eve was very chagrined about the whole thing. The poor kid fell for the Serpent's scam; hook, line, and sinker. She must have felt like a total fool.

But suppose Eve had failed to persuade her husband to eat a share of the fruit. What then? You know, it's really hard to tell. The male and the female together are considered to be Man (Gen 5:2). If neither developed a guilt complex about sex and the human body until after the male ate his share, then maybe neither would have undergone Death until after both ate some. The Bible does, after all, lay the blame for Man's debilitation upon the male's shoulders rather than the female's (Rom 5:12-21).

There is more to Death than meets the eye. It's not stated in Genesis precisely what that might be. But it's certain that the fruit contained something in it that was fatal not so much to Man's body, but to Man's inner self, his psyche. Man's body dies only because he no longer has access to the tree of life to keep himself alive. But the tree of good and bad changed human nature in a very marked way; and Man became a sinful being.

God told Adam he would die the very day he ate the fruit (Gen 2:16-17). However, death, as we normally understand it, didn't occur for Adam until hundreds of years later (Gen 5:5). So there is another kind of Death in Man that isn't so obvious nor is it easily understood. Immediate symptoms of Adam's inner demise were: 1) he became a sensual being with a guilt complex about sex and the human body, 2) he developed a humanistic sense of right and wrong, 3) he became uneasy in his creator's presence, and 4) he started blaming others for his own faults.

Jesus testified that a time for resurrection is not only coming later on, but that a time for it is right now too.

†. John 5:25 . . I tell you the truth, a time is coming, and has now come, when the Dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

So it is possible for people to be dead in two different aspects— physical and mental: body and soul. If that's true, then Jesus' testimony didn't refer only to the corpses in graves, but also to people walking around among us who haven't passed on yet. Yes; they are dead even while they live.

When people hear the Gospel and trust it's message, at that very moment, by a miracle of God, they move from Death to Life.

†. John 5:24 . . I assure you, those who heed my message, and trust the God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from Death into Life.

That passage from Death to Life is an invisible resurrection that precedes the future resurrection of the body.

†. John 3:6-8 . . Flesh gives birth to flesh, but The Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying: You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of The Spirit.

In his letter to the believers at Ephesus, Paul reminded them of their past; and the condition they were in before accepting the Gospel. They were dead.

†. Eph 2:1-3 . . As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

Paul included himself as one of the dead— an object of wrath —by using the words "All of us." So then, human nature itself is in a condition of Death; and has been ever since the forbidden fruit incident.

The Bible doesn't specifically report that all three perpetrators appeared before God together; but they very well may have because as soon as God finishes interrogating the humans, He will pass sentence upon all three without a pause. According to a Targum, ancient Jews believed that's exactly how it went down.

T~ And the Lord God brought the three unto judgment; and He said to the serpent, etc etc etc. (Targum Jonathan)

A marked departure in procedure is very evident here. God demanded the man and the woman explain themselves; but didn't interrogate the Serpent at all. On the page of scripture, the Serpent's trial stage was bypassed and proceedings went straight to the sentencing stage. It's almost as if the Serpent had already discussed with God how it planned to turn the humans against Him; like when it later moved against Job.

†. Job 1:6-12 . . One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. Yhvh said to Satan: Where have you come from? Satan answered the Lord: From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it. Then Yhvh said to Satan: Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.

. . Does Job fear God for nothing? Satan replied. Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. Yhvh said to Satan: Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger. Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

A similar dialogue took place later in Job 2:1-6 when Satan was given liberty to ruin Job's health.

Whey ever would a righteous, loving God give a powerful dark being that kind of permission and stand by and do nothing while it caused the murder and kidnapping of Job's servants and the theft of his livestock? How could God permit it to kill Job's children by a tornado which was subsequently blamed as an act of God; and then later to ruin Job's health?

Why did God stand by and do nothing while the Serpent beguiled Eve? Could it be possible the Serpent had prior approval to do it? That's disturbing, isn't it? To think that in the unseen spirit world, Man is a mere pawn between God and His ancient opponent; the Serpent. At any moment, any one of us could be handed over to the dark world's whims just like Eve was and just like Job was: to have our lives, our families, our health; and our fortunes and our futures ruined in no time at all. When those times come— and there is no guarantee they won't —it's not a time to cave in to pressure and forsake God. It's a time to follow Job's example and cling to God with an even more tenacious trust than ever.

†. Job 1:20-22 . . At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. Yhvh gave and Yhvh has taken away; may the name of Yhvh be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

†. Job 2:9-10 . . His wife said to him: Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die! He replied: You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

†. Hab 3:17-18 . .Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in Yhvh, I will be joyful in God my rescuer.

†. Rom 8:35-39 . .Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It might seem curious that God allowed the Serpent to tempt the first couple, and drag them and their posterity down to a ruin that God surely foreknew in advance would happen. But it was right; and it couldn't be helped because Man is made in God's image. God has the volition to choose between good and evil and therefore Man has to be free to exercise those options too. People can't always assume God will be there to shield them from temptation. As creatures made in God's image; we have got to take some responsibility for ourselves, and stand up against temptation.

†. 1Cor 10:12-13 . .Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.

†. 1Pet 1:5-7 . .Who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith— of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire— may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

†. Jas 1:2-4 . . Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

†. Jas 1:12-15 . . Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

One thing for sure about the Serpent; it is an utterly condemned individual. Repentance is out of the question and definitely NOT an option. It is only too obvious that the Serpent crossed over a line somewhere in the past and now there is no going back. Man is redeemable. But the Serpent is beyond hope. The scary part is; the Serpent is not only doomed, but busy making every effort to take as many human beings down with it as possible— like a disgruntled postal worker coming in one day and cutting loose on his co-workers with a shotgun.

The Serpent's strategy is actually quite straightforward. If it cannot defeat God (a foregone conclusion), then it will make every effort to at least frustrate His purposes. It is truly a bitter vendetta; and with frail little Man caught right in the middle of it.

†.Gen 3:14b …“Because you did this, more cursed shall you be than all cattle and all the wild beasts:

Why measure the Serpent's curse as "more than" the cattle and the beasts? Does this indicate that the animal world was cursed when Man fell? Yes, apparently it does.

†.Rom 8:19-21 …For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

The New Testament Greek word for *corruption is phthora (fthor-ah'); which means: decay. The result of Man's disobedience wasn't really death per se, because Adam was an air breathing creature. Smother him, and he would have died by suffocation. The aging process is the real killer. Not only Man ages; but everything in the cosmos ages too; whereas things weren't intended to be that way.

The Greek word for *futility is mataiotes (mat-ah-yot'-ace) which means: inutility. Webster's defines *inutility as: useless, worthless, and good for nothing. Isn't that something? When God finished creating on the sixth day, He evaluated His product and graded it "very good" (Gen 1:31). But no longer. Now, the cosmos has no permanent value; and will be completely destroyed to make way for a totally new one (Isa 34:1-4, Isa 51:6, Isa 65:17, Rev 21:1).

The Hebrew word for *curse is from 'arar (aw-rar') which means: to execrate. Webster's defines *execrate as: to declare to be evil or detestable— denounce. Synonyms listed for execrate are: hate, abhor, abominate, detest, and loathe. It seems God was expressing His deepest contempt for the Serpent and saying it was lower than an animal for what it did.

The third chapter began with a statement that the Serpent was more cunning than any of the beasts of the field, a creature that began with a level of dignity way over and beyond the land animals; but fell to a position of esteem far below them because of what it did to the Adams family. In other words, the Serpent is now the lowest thing on the face of the earth.

The Serpent was, at one time a very glorious, high ranking, angel; before it went bad.

†.Ezek 28:11-15 …The word of The Lord came to me: O mortal, intone a dirge over the king of Tyre and say to him: Thus said the Lord God: you were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and flawless in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your adornment: carnelian, chrysolite, and amethyst; beryl, lapis lazuli, and jasper; sapphire, turquoise, and emerald; and gold beautifully wrought for you, mined for you, prepared the day you were created. I created you as a cherub with outstretched shielding wings; and you resided on God’s holy mountain; you walked among stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways, from the day you were created until wrongdoing was found in you.

Ezekiel's dirge against Tyre, which continued for five more verses, was doubtless spoken to its human leadership, but the wording is a double entendre and obviously targets an unseen being of whom it is said: "You were in Eden … I created you as a cherub with outstretched wings."

Cherubs are usually portrayed in religious art as winged children; but it's not likely Ezekiel's cherub was one of those but rather a high ranking order of angel privileged to actually be in the presence of The True God. According to Webster's, the only other type of angel that outranks the cherubs are the seraphim.

The ark of The Lord, once situated in the most holy place of the tabernacle, had golden cherubs whose wings stretched far enough towards each other to touch and make an unbroken protective canopy over the ark's lid. The ark was representative of the throne, and of the presence, of Israel's God; and according to Ex 25:22, that's where He would meet with them.

According to Heb 8:5, the holy items in the tabernacle were representative of actualities in heaven. So the phrase; "I created you as a cherub with outstretched shielding wings" refers to an angel of very high responsibility and privilege. It was from that honored position that the Serpent fell.

Although the Serpent is now a cursed creature, it would be wrong for Man to ill treat it. The Serpent still ranks higher than humans (who themselves are cursed as well) and deserves all the respect due to a divine being. Jude pointed out that it is not a good thing for human beings to speak evil of any angel; neither the good ones nor the bad ones.

†.Jude 1:4-10… For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you…. these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals— these are the very things that destroy them.

According to Jude, Christians who abuse and insult the Serpent rank little more than human wildlife. It's true the Serpent certainly deserves shame and contempt; as did President Clinton over his scandal with Monica Lewinski. But Mr.Clinton was still President and has a legitimate right to all the honor and respect the office deserves; whether he himself merits it or not.

†.Gen 3:14c …On your belly shall you crawl and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life.

According to ancient Jewish teaching, the Serpent was originally equipped with feet.

T~ upon thy belly thou shalt go, and thy feet shall be cut off, and thy skin thou shalt cast away once in seven years; and the poison of death shall be in thy mouth, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. (Targum Jonathan)

I have never seen, nor yet heard of, a species of snake that eats soil for its food. True, snakes crawl on their bellies; but they probably always did; because that's the way they're designed. Some snakes live in trees and others live in water. Those kinds don't spend a whole lot of time on the ground so not all snakes are alike. I really don't think snakes crawl because they were condemned to crawl. Nor was every species of snake condemned; just the one snake in verse 14.

The expression "crawl and eat dirt" has an application other than the literal. A person who crawls and eats dirt is typically someone held in very low regard: a worm. And "all the days of your life" is saying that God's low opinion of the Serpent will never be upgraded.

Serpents will eat dirt in Messiah's future kingdom; possibly as a perpetual reminder of Man's first great mistake.

†.Isa 65:25 …The wolf and the lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the serpent’s food shall be earth.

Today, snakes don't eat earth, they eat prey. How serpents will survive on dirt is unclear, unless their digestive system will be changed to that of a night crawler. Serpents in Scripture are never portrayed as beneficial to Man. They are always of the poisonous variety and a serious threat to Man's health and well being. That will all be different in Messiah's kingdom.

†.Isa 11:8-10 …A babe shall play over a viper’s hole, and an infant pass his hand over an adder’s den. In all of My sacred mount nothing evil or vile shall be done; for the land shall be filled with devotion to the Lord as water covers the sea. In that day, the stock of Jesse that has remained standing shall become a standard to peoples— nations shall seek his counsel and his abode shall be honored.

The word for *enmity is from 'eybah (ay-baw') and means: hostility. Webster's defines hostility as animosity, antagonism, antipathy, conflict, and rancor.

You can rest assured Eve never trusted the Serpent again after that day. The enmity was for Eve's own good. If she got all sappy and forgave the Serpent, and kissed and made up, it just might pull another stunt on her; as ruinous as the first. The Serpent was, after all, the father of all con men; and more cunning than any beast of the field. Animals have a way of charming us with their seeming cuteness and innocence.

Eve's friend was a beautiful pixie, an angel: and who is immune to the magic of angels? Angels are so endearing, so disarming, even more so than guinea pigs, ponies, and bunnies, and they have a way with us: in our art, in our poems, and in our greeting cards. You can bet the Serpent would always seek to take full advantage of Eve from that angle.

Only a fool would ever willingly follow the Serpent now, after seeing what it's capable of. On the whole, the human race doesn't trust the Devil, and would cheerfully crucify the thing if they could get their hands on it. No wonder it never appears in public anymore.

The word for *offspring is from zera` (zeh'-rah) and means: seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, and posterity. Zera` is one of those words that can be either singular or plural, depending upon the context. Other words like that are deer, sheep, Man, and head (as in head of livestock). Every kid in a family can be called the parents' zera` whether there's eight kids or a lone child.

The word for *pound is the very same word for bite. Both are from shuwph (shoof) and means: to gape, i.e. snap at; figuratively, to overwhelm.

Gen 3:15c has a long range application in Christian theology; ultimately applying to Christ. In the garden, the Serpent won a skirmish and gained the humans' cooperation in its conflict with the Creator. But its victory was only temporary. In the end the woman; via her seed, will destroy the Serpent and its seed. Who are the Serpent's seed? Liars and Murderers; for starters (John 8:44). Additional Serpentary seed are people who exist solely to satisfy their passions and desires (Eph 2:1-3). And people given to rivalry and strife (Jas 3:14-15).

Unfortunately, the Serpent no longer allows itself to be seen in the open like it did that time in the garden with Eve. So it can easily manipulate the minds of its seed covertly, out of sight, and completely undetected. Since people cannot see it, nor hear it, the Serpent's seed are powerless to tell when they're being victimized by one their master's schemes. All the damned are Serpentary seed, and all are under the thumb of its control.

†.Eph 2:1-2 …And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

†.2Cor 4:3-4 …And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

The Serpent managed to incite its seed to execute the woman's seed (Abel and Jesus)— thus injuring his heel. But it was merely an injury, and didn't come anywhere near to finishing her seed off nor in preventing the purposes of God from being accomplished in him. Abel was replaced by Seth, and Christ rose from the dead; he is even now this very moment seated in glory at the right hand of God; destined to eventually take David's throne and rule not only just his native country Israel, but the whole world. The Serpent and its seed are doomed, and will ultimately be totally ruined in Hell.

†.Rev 20:10 …And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

The woman is now at the threshold of bringing into the world all of its future populations, who will be destined, by default, to become participants in the Serpent's agenda to dethrone and vanquish God; their maker. She had already demonstrated her power over the male, who had eaten the fruit when she urged him to even knowing it was against his better judgment. The Bible says he knew very well what he was doing; unlike the female, who was tricked into it.

With the potentialities of human reproduction now under its control, the Serpent was in a position to build up a very large following— Serpentary *offspring, so to speak —people spawned and cultivated for the specific purpose of forwarding the Serpent's evil agenda. They would of course all be born with the very same inherent human frailties that made it possible to lead the first couple to ruin. Piece of cake. It had been only too easy to pull the first couple's trust away from their maker. Their posterity would be even easier now that all would be born with a mutated nature that is quite naturally inclined towards evil rather than towards good.

The apostle Paul recognized that his own weakness for evil was a natural thing. He committed sins because, inwardly, woven into the very fabric of his soul, he was just simply a sinful being.

†.Rom 7:14-23 …We know that The Law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that The Law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do— this I keep on doing.

…Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's Law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

Everyone who has ever attempted to live a pious life knows for themselves exactly what Paul was talking about. We have a human nature that's inclined to shun what's right. It is quite naturally inclined to do just the opposite; and although we may control our actions, none us has the power to control either our thoughts, our impulses, or our feelings.

†.Gen 3:16a …And to the woman He said, “I will make most severe your pangs in childbearing;

The word for *childbearing is herown (hay-rone'); and/or herayown (hay-raw-yone'); which means conception or pregnancy. For many women, the pregnancy stage of motherhood is often characterized by bloating, illness, nausea, depression, anxiety, insecurity, and irritability. For them, pregnancy is more like a curse than the intended blessing of Gen 1:28.

It's difficult to imagine childbirth without pain because that's the way it's always been right from the beginning, even with Eve's very first child. Apparently before Man's fall, having a baby would have been no more painful than a bowel movement— and just as lacking in danger to mom and baby.

What you have there is the earliest of all mandates impacting adultery and promiscuity, and it wasn't given to men; no, it was given to women. Although they suffer in pregnancy and childbirth, women are still capable of enjoying a man's affections.

Eve's feminine mystique can lead to trouble; especially for women who have problems with men. There are women who can't stand men; but they can't stop wanting them either. And that inevitably leads to some serious inner conflicts; and unbearable tensions between the sexes. In spite of their hatred for them, many women find that men still rule their passions. Some hold out for a while, fighting against nature, but it's only a matter of time before most bite the dust and give in just to save their sanity. Women often have to sift through a lot of bums before landing a good one. But with the right guy, family life can be very satisfying; and anyway, it is truly the only sensible arrangement for most of us.

We caught a really cute illustration of Gen 3:16c one morning when I was home from work watching Good Morning America with my wife. They often have musical groups performing outside in the street and on that particular day it was Enrique Iglesia.

While Enrique was singing, security hoisted a young girl up on the stage and he began singing his song directly to her. She began choking up and fighting back tears, and then he got down on both knees right in front of her; all the while crooning a very emotional Latin love song and looking right up into her eyes.

And then something happened that was just overwhelming. The girl was wearing a tank top that went down only about mid ways leaving her tummy exposed so you could see her belly button. Enrique gently pressed the palm of his hand on her bare tummy while he was kneeling there singing and looking right up into her eyes. She really lost it then and just about died. Do you think that girl would have hesitated to bear Enrique's children? I tell you she would have gladly endured quints for that man right then and there.

Men have a power over women's passions because God saw to it. But in no way should women ever be humiliated or made to feel ashamed about their feelings for men because if the ladies were unresponsive, then the vast majority of unattached guys in the world would end their days eating dinner out of a can and living a very lonely life; that's for sure.

Many see subjugation of women in that passage; and that's exactly what it is: but they're only to subordinate themselves to the men in their marriages and their churches; not to every man at large. (1Cor 11:3-10, Eph 5:22, Col 3:18, 1Tim 2:11-15, 1Pet 3:1-6)

†. Gen 3:17a . .To Adam He said: Because you did as your wife said, and ate of the tree about which I commanded you; "You shall not eat of it"

God's biggest gripe here is that Adam put his wife's wishes over and above the wishes of his creator; thus making women one of God's competitors for a man's loyalties (e.g. Catholicism's veneration of Jesus' mom over and above its veneration of Christianity's Christ).

But you know; Adam probably balanced things out and figured that, all things considered, it was better to disappoint God than to disappoint his wife because, after all, Adam had to live with Eve; he didn't have to live with God. So he put her first, and made her happy rather than make God happy. Lots of married guys can easily identify with Adam's predicament; and I'm sure the majority of us would have made the very same choice.

There is nothing really inherently wrong with the influence that women have over their men. After all, that's the way the guys were made from the get-go. It's not like Adam became inclined to make his wife happy sometime later after he became a sinner. No, he was inclined to make his woman happy right out of the box. So it's okay if woman influence their men; but it's the way women use their influence that makes all the difference. Most guys love to please their best girl; and a wise one will take advantage of that love sensibly so that everything comes out all right, and no one gets hurt.

It's important to note that God didn't withdraw any part of the blessing He gave to Man back in 1:28-29, which was:

God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth. God said: See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food.

None of that changed. Man retained his right to have a family, and he retained the right to dominate the planet and all living things. He also retained his right to eat all manner of seed-bearing plant life too.

Not only would Man himself be effected by a curse upon the ground, but every living thing that depends upon the Earth's soil would be effected too; from lowly nematodes and earthworms right on up to the top of the food chain. The whole animal world, and all the seed-bearing plant life too, would pay for the Adams' mistake.

God somehow chemically altered the soil so that it now no longer produces as well as it did in the beginning. The abundant swarms of life that God created in the beginning would, at this point, begin to thin out as the competition for available natural food-stuffs intensified.

Someone's sure to ask: Why did the whole planet have to suffer for Adam's mistake?

Answer: because Adam was a king. The whole planet was his domain; his jurisdiction, his kingdom. It's a biblical axiom that when government goes bad, everybody in the jurisdiction of that government is effected. When President William Jefferson Clinton cheated on his wife with Monica Lewinski back in the mid 90's, it cost American citizens something. I don't know precisely what; but it did.

Adam was no stranger to work because God already had him tending the garden. But matters worsened with a new ingredient. The word for toil is from `itstsabown (its-tsaw-bone') and means: worrisomeness. Webster's defines worrisomeness as: causing distress or worry or inclined to worry or fret; viz; Man became anxious, insecure, and perhaps somewhat melancholy. `Itstsabown is the very same word used in verse 16 to describe the physical and emotional discomfort women now have to endure during pregnancy.

Insecurity can lead people into all sorts of trouble. Businessmen become unscrupulous, employees embezzle, students cheat, girls become exotic dancers, boys become male prostitutes, lawyers become predatory, and politicians lie through their teeth.

†. Job 2:4 . .The Adversary answered the Lord: Skin for skin— all that a man has he will give up for his life.

Oh yes, indeedy dee. The Serpent knows just exactly what people are really like when push comes to shove and their survival is at stake. So what happened to cause Man to become such a worry wart? Easy. God's spirit moved out. One of the fruits of His spirit is peace (Gal 5:22). And absolute peace of mind is now a spiritual gift rather than an inherent psychological state (Phil 4:6-7).

Since Man demonstrated that he figured to get by without God, he got what he wanted and was left totally dependant upon the strength of the human spirit; and forced to fend for himself. In the garden, the Word of The Lord God was Man's daily mentor, and a constant source of reassurance. No longer does that go on because Man made a choice. But it is possible to regain at least a measure of some of that early peace of mind and make life just a little easier to bear.

†. Phil 4:6-7 . . Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

There is nothing wrong with telling God that you're scared or insecure; nor in telling Him you are worried about something— loneliness, depression, aging, health, job, spouse, friendships, your bank account, your complexion —anything at all. Don't keep stuff like that bottled up. Share it with your Creator. It's a good thing to do.

In the Old Testament's era, people could lose both the Spirit, and the Spirit's help if they weren't careful.

†. Ps 51:11-14 . . Hide Your face from my sins; blot out all my iniquities. Fashion a pure heart for me, O God; create in me a steadfast spirit. Do not cast me out of Your presence, or take Your holy spirit away from me. Let me again rejoice in Your help; let a vigorous spirit sustain me.

In the New Testament's era, once they get it, believers can never lose God's spirit no matter how wicked they let themselves become because The Spirit itself is the seal of their redemption.

†. Eph 1:13 . . In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

But beware. Though believers are sealed, God is often moved to indignation when His people make a habit of taking Him for granted just a little too often; and they will not "rejoice in Your help" nor can they pray that God will "let a vigorous spirit sustain me." Even though recipients are now sealed with God's spirit, and can never lose it, they can, and often do, stifle the Spirit to such an extent that He powers-down.

†. Eph 4:30 . . And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

The Greek word for quench is sbennumi (sben'-noo-mee) which means: to extinguish.

When we "put out the lights" today, we turn them off with a mechanical device like a switch or a circuit breaker because they're electric. But in those days, all illumination was produced by fire, e.g. oil, pitch, wood, and/or candles. I think it goes without saying that a believer that's managed to extinguish the Spirit is walking in the dark; which results in temporary estrangement from God.

†. 1John 1:6 . . If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth

God finished the entire cosmos in six days; and no more creating took place after that: so thorns and thistles already existed prior to the events of chapter 3. But in the beginning, noxious plants were doubtless in the minority. Today they're a nuisance because if ground is left fallow, it will soon be covered with dock, mustard, dandelion, chaparral, wild flowers, brambles, reed canary grass, and stuff like that. Those kinds of plants may be okay for wildlife, but Man needs something a little more substantial. Apparently in the beginning, nourishing plants were the predominant foliage. But it's not like that now.

I don't think Man is supposed to graze on pasture like a cow or a deer. No doubt the grasses God intended for him to eat fall into the food group we call cereals; which are raised primarily for their seeds.

Grains were important food in prehistoric times. They were originally eaten un-ground and un-cooked; and the eater's teeth sure looked it too. Teeth became worn down over time from munching on a hard, gravelly diet.

The earliest reference to grinding grains dates from ancient Egyptian times; which is really not all that long ago in the grand time-table of Earth's existence. In the earliest milling process, grain was broken into coarse fragments by hand using a mortar and pestle or in a shallow depression on the surface of a rock.

Early devices for producing flour consisted of two roughened grinding surfaces, called millstones, between which grain was crushed and reduced to a powder. The final product no doubt included a substantial quantity of stone dust as well until somebody invented the wheel and began rolling the edge of one mill stone over the flat surface of a second. In this manner, heavier stones could be used, thus gaining the labor-saving advantages of mechanical, gravity-assisted rolling force to replace the forces previously applied by hand. I've actually seen Crows apply the very same principle by putting walnuts out in the street so cars can run over them and thus save themselves the trouble of using their own beaks to peck the nuts open.

In the early 1990s, the annual U.S. per capita consumption of wheat flour was 138 pounds. That's roughly the combined weight of three kindergarten kids.

The most extensively cultivated grains are wheat, barley, rye, buckwheat, oats, rice, corn or maize, varieties of millet, and the grain sorghums known as durra or Guinea corn. These have all been cultivated since ancient times. Today, rice constitutes the principal "grass" food of almost half the people on Earth.

Just think of all the foods we enjoy that are made from grass— cookies, pasta, sandwiches, toast, biscuits, sushi, dumplings, pancakes, waffles, pizza, stuffing, cup cakes, corn bread, birthday cakes, wedding cakes, donuts, tortillas, hamburger and hot dog buns, breakfast cereals, noodles, bagels, crackers, and pop corn; to name just a few.

Prior to his new grain diet, Man was a fruitarian living on whatever the trees produced in the garden. His diet will be modified yet again, after the Flood, to include flesh.

Those of us who live in leisure-intensive America really don't appreciate just how laborious and time consuming the work is to grow your own food. Early Man's days were hard. They're still hard in many third-world countries. Adam had to get out there with a hoe and a plow to provide for his family. Today, relatively few people in America work the ground. Most people make their living in shops, factories, and offices. But somebody somewhere is still out there grappling with nature to feed us because we would all go hungry very quickly if there weren't some farmers and ranchers around the world providing grocery stores and super markets with the nourishment people need to survive.

There isn't a day goes by in my area of Oregon when I don't mourn the loss of perfectly good farmland and topsoil that is getting dug up and removed for housing, industrial parks, and shopping centers; and the acreage paved over like graves with concrete and asphalt. One day, America will pay for that. We grow our domestic food on less and less arable land; meanwhile the population multiplies. Where will we grow the food necessary to nourish future populations if we keep scraping away our best soils to satisfy commercial interests?

Whereas the Adams before had a beautiful productive orchard that required minimal maintenance, Man is now faced with stubborn soil that needs plowing and sowing, and weeding and treatments like fertilizer and lime. Very few natural grains exist abundantly in nature. If he wants them in any sizable amount, Man has to farm.

†.Gen 3:19b …Until you return to the ground— for from it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

Were the Adams immortal before they fell? No, they weren't. As long as they fortified their diet with fruit from the tree of life the Adams would never grow old, but could still be killed. They were air-breathing creatures and needed oxygen-rich air to stay alive just like every other nephesh God created. Smother them, and they would die. However, prior to Gen 3:19, Man's death wasn't inevitable; but now it is.

†.Rom 5:12 …Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men,

People here in cushy America have the opportunity to kick back and retire on Social Security, private investments, and company sponsored retirement plans; but the Adams had no such options. In those days, people without children were in a bad way. When their age became advanced; who would provide for them when they could no longer get out there and plow and reap on their own? Those kinds of concerns no doubt aggravated early Man's anxieties quite a bit.

†.Gen 3:20 …The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.

The word for mother is from 'em (ame) which can mean a mother in an immediate family, or the matriarch of a blood line, or the mother (as the rootstock) of an entire nation.

The word for Eve is from Chavvah (khav-vaw') and means: life giver. Some people have a problem with Eve. They just can't believe she's the mother of the entire human race; which would include Jesus too. But Genesis says Adam named his wife Eve because she was the life giver of all the living, not just a portion of the living. According to the Bible, Man wasn't created in groups nor in swarms like the other nephesh. The human race was created in its entirety a singular, solo, male individual. Every human being since, including the first woman, came from that one male.

†.Acts 17:26 …And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,

The idea was, that if the whole human race were to begin from one solo individual, and thus all be blood kin, then hopefully each generation would pass Adam's knowledge of the true God down to the next. It would have worked, had not Man fallen and gone off on his own.

Adam's origin was the dust of the earth, not a pre-human hominid. As dust, Adam wouldn't have been blood kin to other people alleged to be living elsewhere outside the garden. It's necessary to be in somebody's family tree by birth in order to qualify as blood kin. Adam's wife qualified as his blood kin because she was manufactured from his own organic body parts. If indeed there were other humans created besides Adam, then the author of Acts would have said God made every nation of men from many bloods; not just the one.

You know; some things in life offer us no choice. Eve didn't choose to be the female, nor choose to be the incubator of Man's offspring. It was her lot. Same for the rest of us. Maybe some of us would rather be the opposite sex, or maybe rather even be a butterfly or a pony. Nobody gets to choose either their genus or their gender; nor their parents. Those kinds of circumstances are imposed upon us and no one has any say in them at all. Man has many freedoms of choice; but the choice of his origin isn't one of them.

†.Gen 3:21 …And the Lord God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

The exact cut and design of their garments isn't specified, and the words kethoneth (keth-o'-neth) and kuttoneth (koot-to'-neth) just means a shirt, or covering; as hanging from the shoulder. Modern shirts aren't long enough to provide an adequate covering of Man's body. Theirs were probably more like a knee or calf-length dress. A shirt implies that Eve's topless days were over; although that wouldn't necessarily rule out the possibility that Eve may have become the Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel of her day and created some interesting necklines.

Frontal nudity isn't forbidden in the Bible, nor does God himself feel particularly offended by it. Exposure is forbidden during religious services like in Ex 20:26 and Ex 28:42; but that's not really for God's sake but rather for the worshippers. After all, God created Man totally disrobed; and that's the way Man lived for an unspecified time in the garden until he fell and became sensual and developed a guilt complex over sex and the human body. But clothing serves a practical purpose unrelated to self consciousness. Man's fallen skin now needs protection from its environment.

No doubt early Man's skin was thicker, tougher, more resistant to UV sunlight, and provided a much better cushion between himself and his environment than now. He could endure scrapes and bumps and nicks and scratches and cuts, and hours in the sun a whole lot better. But Adam was soon to lose access to the tree of life and therefore doomed to the aging process, and that process reduces the thickness and the moisture of Man's skin in a marked way. Just compare the hands of a child to those of an elderly person. The older person's skin is paper thin and fragile, like an onion's: blue veins stand out, and you can practically see through it.

It's interesting that though Man is a sinful creature, God still cares for him and hasn't left him entirely to himself to make his way through a hostile world. That day, Man learned something about the advantages of leather goods. Most leather is produced from cattle hides: calfskin, goatskin, kidskin, sheepskin, and lambskin. Other hides and skins used include those of the horse, pig, kangaroo, deer, crocodile, alligator, seal, walrus, and of late; Python. Human beings have used animal skins for a variety of practical purposes since ancient times, and to this good day leather is still a useful material all around the world. Precisely what animal God killed in order to make Man his first suit of leathers is unknown.

Fig leaves aren't very durable; they're merely a quick fix. God showed them a much better way— and actually, one they would never have thought of all by themselves because nobody had ever killed an animal before and who would have guessed their skins could be used for clothing until God showed them how?

There is a parallel to that in the plan of salvation. Human beings are very good at developing their own pious side in an effort to earn a better place in the next life. But God has other ideas. He won't accept man-made righteousness because, like the Adams' fig leaves, man-made righteousness is frail and inadequate. God has revealed a superior righteousness of His own design; one that will without fail satisfy justice, and guarantee its recipients a better life in the world to come.

†.Rom 1:16-17 …I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith.

†.Rom 3:21-24 …But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

The clothing God made for the Adams didn't cost them one red cent nor did they have to contribute even the slightest bit of labor in its design and manufacture. God slaughtered the animals, treated their hides, and made their clothes Himself; and gave the clothing to them for free, out of kindness, as a gratuity; free of charge. The righteousness of God is a gratuity too. However, it didn't come cheap. Like the Adams' leathers, a living soul had to be slain in order to provide it.

†.1Pet 1:18-21 …For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

†. Gen 3:22a . . And Yhvh God said: Now that the man has become like one of us,

It's difficult to know for certain who else along with God is referred to by the pronoun "us." Ancient Jews believed it was the holy angels.

T~ And the Lord God said to the angels who ministered before Him, Behold, Adam is sole on the earth, as I am sole in the heavens above; and it will be that they will arise from him who will know to discern between good and evil. (Targum Jonathan)

Man was created less than divine.

†. Ps 8:5-6 . .What is man that You have been mindful of him: mortal man that You have taken note of him. You have made him little less than divine, and adorned him with glory and majesty;

The word for divine in that passage is 'elohiym (el-o-heem') which is the plural of 'elowahh (el-o'-ah) and means: gods, Gods, magistrates, and/or deities.

It's possible for 'elohiym to refer to not only God, but also to gods and also to angels. The writer of the book of Hebrews understood the 'elohiym of Ps 8:5-6 to mean just that.

†. Heb 2:6-7 . . But there is a place where someone has testified: What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor

So taking into consideration Ps 8:5-6, and Heb 2:6-7, it's quite reasonable to believe that the pronoun "us" of Gen 3:22 refers to God and to His cabinet of angelic courtiers.

But did Man really become one of the us? No, he only became "like" one of us; viz: Man took it upon himself to make himself divine, but didn't succeed. He isn't divine; no, not in any sense of the word. Man is a presumptuous pigmy; an earthly mortal. His puny little body is vulnerable to death and decay: it can grow old, and it can die; and just to prove it; God will expel this impudent little being from the garden so that by losing access to the tree of life; Man's body will wither; and perish like spoiled fruit.

†. Gen 22b . . knowing good and bad,

The "good and bad" that human beings perceive by intuition isn't from God. No, it's from the mind of a fallen being whose natural sense of right and wrong is very out of harmony with Man's maker (Rom 8:5-8).

What is so bad about Man having his own sense of right and wrong? Well, for one thing, too much diversity.

†. Isa 53:6 . .We all went astray like sheep, each going his own way; and the Lord visited upon him the guilt of all of us.

It seems that everyone has their own opinions about what is right and what is wrong. Man became his own God in that he is inclined to pontificate his own standards of right and wrong rather than looking to his maker for all that. Man actually competes with The True God in that respect; and the two ideologies, like those of foreign nations, often clash in bitter disagreement. Well, this universe isn't big enough for more than one God. Somebody is going to have to abdicate and it sure won't be the cosmos' creator.

†. Gen 3:22c . . what if he should stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever!

Man deteriorates and dies of old age because his diet is missing essential nutrients found only in the tree of life— the true fountain of youth. Scientists will never find a remedy for the aging process without it.

†. Gen 3:23-24 . . So Yhvh God banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the soil from which he was taken. He drove the man out, and stationed east of the garden of Eden the cherubim and the fiery ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

The tree of life still exists, though not on earth; and according to the book of Revelation, mortal men will one day be allowed access to it again. Not only does its fruit keep mortal men youthful, but its leaves are medicinal, good for remedying every known disease. For now, mortal men are banned from the tree, and it's guarded by mysterious beings. The sword itself almost seems to be a sentient form of life, turning in every direction, threatening and warning all who dared approach. At night its eerie glow lit the sky, and in the daytime, passersby observed its immortal flame burning perpetually like the bush Moses saw in the desert. Brrrr. What a creepy sight that must have been.

†. Rev 2:7 . . He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

†. Rev 22:1-2 . .Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

†. Rev 22:11-15 . . Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.

Why would a tree of life be necessary in Heaven? It isn't. However, Christ is going to rule on the current earth for a millennium prior to the establishment of the eternal phase of his kingdom on a new earth located in an entirely new cosmos. Though people in the millennium will enjoy longer lives; they won't be immortal, which is why they'll need the tree of life for sustenance.

†. Isa 65:20 . . No longer will there be in Jerusalem an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days; for the youth will die at the age of one-hundred, and those who don't reach the age of one-hundred shall be thought accursed.

From this point on in the Bible, we will never again see another normal human being. Every one of them (except Jesus Christ) is going to be a twisted, sinful creature and we are going to see just how wicked that a twisted creature of sin can really be when it puts its mind to it.

There is more to knowledge than just facts and data. Some kinds of knowledge can't be learned from a book or a lecture; they can only be learned by personal experience. Carnal knowledge is one of those kinds of *knowing. It's one thing for a young man to feel passions while looking at pictures of girls in Hustler, Maxim, and Playboy; but it's quite another experience to actually cuddle with a girl and sleep with her skin to skin.

There is no record of any human intimacies in the garden prior to Man's fall; but that doesn't mean none occurred; it just means there aren't any mentioned. But people today are different. They're infected with a mentality about sex and the human body that were foreign to Adam and Eve prior to their experience with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Most creatures in the animal world are not obsessed with carnal knowledge like Man is. Many creatures mate only during specific times of the year, and most do not mate unless the female is first ripe for conceiving young.

†.Rom 1:18-27 …The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.

…As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes. Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies.

…They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creation rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Therefore, God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity.

Man is now, in many areas of life, actually lower than an animal— he's far from divine; he's vile.

†.Gen 4:1b …and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gained a male child with the help of the Lord.”

The author of Genesis can be so frustrating at times. How could they pass over Eve's very first pregnancy like that without telling us how she felt about it?

No human being had ever been expecting before. Eve had no relatives: no mom, no aunts, no sisters, no grammy; and not even any girlfriends to share her experiences with. Surely she had questions. What was happening to her? Why did her period stop? Why did she feel nauseous some mornings? Why was her belly swelling, and her breasts getting so large? Was she going to die? Was her condition permanent? Was her figure gone forever? Why did she have to go to the ladies' room all the time? Why were her emotions reacting so strongly to trivial things that normally have very little effect upon her feelings? She was becoming sensitive, defensive, depressed, and easily upset.

Although they were evicted from the garden, and didn't associate with God as freely as they once did; the Word of The Lord didn't abandon them. He was still in touch and didn't leave them all alone to struggle. If anyone was first with the practice of prayer, I think it was a woman— a new mom who had some questions and I would not be a bit surprised if Yhvh was the world's very first Lamaze teacher so Eve would know what to do when her baby came.

There was no one else. It fell upon the Word of The Lord to teach them about prenatal care, contractions, how to cut the umbilical cord, postpartum, tar stools, and how to care for a newborn. And Adam was very likely drafted for nursing duty— to clean all the goop off the baby, massage his wife's tummy to make her uterus relax, and dispose of the afterbirth and give Eve a sponge bath. What an incredible, wonderful, terrifying experience for them both.

Eve had no idea what a baby was supposed to look like because no one had ever made one before. She must have been very surprised at the appearance of a baby human being fresh out of the oven. It was bow-legged, it's head was too big, it squirmed a lot, howled on occasion, and slobbered all over everything. Imagine Eve's surprise to discover that her new baby had a natural built in nursing reflex. All she had to do was let his little cheek touch her breast and he went right to work on his own with no coaching at all.

Sometimes new dads aren't prepared for their wife's change in direction and resent a child's interference. Where once Adam was Eve's total center of attention, now he would have to share her devotion with another. Normal moms are just naturally bonded to their offspring and there is nothing dads can do about it except adjust. There are women of course to whom their offspring mean nothing but a nuisance.

†.2Tim 3:1-3 …This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection,

The word for "without natural affection" is from astorgos (as'-tor-gos) which means: hard-hearted towards kindred.

My wife is a kindergarten teacher. On an occasion when she conducted parent-teacher conferences, this "career" mom showed up but immediately delegated the meeting to her husband while she took a cell phone business call. She couldn't tell her caller to phone back later. No. That *mom demoted her little girl's life to second place while she took care of business interests. That woman was callous, insensitive, and uncaring about her little girl's progress and development. On at least two occasions, that same little kindergirl arrived for class weeping because her mom was too busy in the morning to brush her hair before school.

Young dads may feel left out and insignificant at first, and that's perfectly normal; but it shouldn't be fatal to the marriage. If they're informed ahead of time what babies do to a normal mom's heart, then guys will be better prepared to deal with it. It's not that their wives think less of them. It's just that infants require a lot of attention and a whole lot of loving. And moms are typically very protective of their babies too, even if it means risking their husband's alienation. Poor Adam; he was a brand new dad and went through what every normal dad goes through for the very first time.

But Adam himself was changed too. He became a father. Where once he was only Eve's pal and lover, now he was also a parent; and that changes many men like nothing else.

I really have to laugh when Hollywood portrays new dads as thrilled and proud and happy when their wives tell them a baby is on the way. In most cases, that's just not reality. They aren't happy at all. They're frightened. Men start out in marriage as carefree Romeos; then they suddenly become serious guardians and providers when the babies arrive. When my wife informed me we were to have a baby, I got very quiet and began to run the budget through my mind, calculating how we would manage while she was off from work. Some guys get really scared; and some take flight, leaving their wives in the clutches of single motherhood.

Prospective spouses have got to talk about these things before they get married to prevent that kind of tragedy from occurring. If you are a young person contemplating marriage and family; and know of a church, or synagogue that offers pre-marital counseling, it would be a good idea to attend with your fiancé. We did; and it forced us to discuss many issues that we were otherwise far too inclined to avoid so as to prevent putting a damper on the romance.

I've heard it said by family counselors that there are three major crises in a man's life: when he is born, when his first child arrives, and when he dies. So you can see that parenthood can be a really big deal for a man.

There is a very good sign to watch for that indicates a daddy is comfortable with his new role. If he comes home one day with a huge Tonka truck, or a baseball glove, or a fishing rod while his little boy is yet just a helpless infant, then you know his heart is really into it. I bought my own infant son a .22 rifle. One of the men at work bought his little boy, believe it or not, a full size 9mm Smith &Wesson automatic pistol. Haw-Haw-Haw-Haw. Imagine a little tyke shooting that great big ol' gun. Of course my friend's excuse was that if he waited till later, the gun would be more expensive. (chuckle)

Daddies get just as goofy over their daughters. Don't be surprised if your husband begins cruising bling shops, or the Barbie aisle, or looking at Mary Engelbreit stuff when he finds out a baby girl is on the way. And all of a sudden he might become very literary too, especially concerning children's books filled with stories about fairies, secret gardens, princesses, and magic.

God finished creating on the seventh day (Gen 2:2) and rested after that. Not because He was tired, but because He was all done. At that time, the human race was all done too. Every human being was created from the dust on the very same day as Adam. Everyone since then has just been an Adamic derivative.

†. Ps 139:13-16 . . It was You who created my consciousness; You fashioned me in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am awesomely, wondrously made; Your work is wonderful; I know it very well. My frame was not concealed from You when I was shaped in a hidden place, knit together in the recesses of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed limbs; they were all recorded in Your book; in due time they were formed, to the very last one of them.

The writer of that Psalm, believed that God saw him way before he was ever conceived in his mother's womb. In fact; saw his substance (already existing) in the recesses of the earth before his mom even conceived. No one but Adam was created on the day of their birth; not even Eve. She was created on the same day as Adam even though she wasn't formed and viable until later. We all, every one of us, pre-existed in Adam. It was just a matter of time before the right combination of genes brought us out.

†. Ecc 11:5 . . Just as you do not know how the spirit of life passes into the limbs within the womb of the pregnant woman, so you cannot foresee the actions of God, who causes all things to happen.

Babies aren't something new and unique— they're merely reproductions. Adam received human life from God on the sixth day of creation. He passed his own human life on to his wife, then they passed it on to their kids; and those in turn passed human life on to their kids. It's been that way ever since the beginning. Human life— like bird life, fish life, bug life, reptile life, and beast life— is a transferable kind of life; passing from one generation on to the next.

T~ Gen 4:1 …And Adam knew Hava his wife, who had desired the Angel; and she conceived, and bare Kain; and she said, I have acquired a man, the Angel of The Lord. (Targum Jonathan)

Apparently Eve expected her firstborn son to be the one who was supposed to fulfill the promise of Gen 3:15 and crush the Serpent's head. But alas, Cain was just an ordinary kid. He wasn't the Angel of The Lord, nor destined to be "the one" to remedy Man's fatal Serpent bite.

Abel's name is from hebel (heh'bel) and means: emptiness or vanity; figuratively, something transitory and unsatisfactory. Poor Eve; she's only had two kids and already motherhood has lost its appeal. Cain was her very first pregnancy. It was a new, exciting adventure. Well, Abel's birth was no big deal. He was redundant; just another bun in the oven. The first one is the best. After that, they're all Same-O, Same-O.

Cain and Abel are very interesting and share a lot in common. In fact, they share so much in common that their individual personalities must be an enigma to behavioral scientists. Neither boy came from a large gene pool because there were no grandparents. Their genealogy stopped abruptly right in their own home with mom and dad and went back no farther. They both had the same parents, lived in the same home in the same neighborhood, grew up with the same customs, ate the same food, associated with the same people, breathed the same air, survived in the same environment, went to the same church, and worshipped the same God. Yet those boys were noticeably very different from each other. Abel was a prophet (Luke 11:50-51) and Cain was violent (1John 3:11-12).

†. Gen 4:2b . . Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the soil.

Both men worked at honorable professions and their skills were essential to the Adams' survival. Man at this time was a vegetarian so Cain farmed and raised the family's food; while Abel kept them clothed and shod by raising sheep for leather and fleece. This could be a clue as to the kind of animals God slew for the Adams' first suit of clothes. If their first garments were lambskin, it seems only natural that they would begin raising sheep for that purpose.

Incidentally: these are the first mentions of animal husbandry and farming in the Bible— at a time in Earth's long geological saga when the human race was less than 130 years old (Gen 5:3).

†.Gen 4:3-4a …In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to The Lord from the fruit of the soil; and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock.

The Hebrew word for offering is from minchah (min-khaw') and means: to apportion, i.e. bestow; a donation; euphemistically, tribute; specifically a sacrificial offering (usually bloodless and voluntary)

There's no indication in this scene suggesting their oblations were some sort of sin offering. Cain's and Abel's gifts were tokens of good will; like buying a buddy a beer, or flowers for mom on Mother's Day, or a house-warming gift. Their offerings were very much in the same vein as the gifts that learned men brought Jesus when he was but a little kid.

†. Mtt 2:11 . . On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

Those gifts were voluntary tributes to the one whom the magi believed to be Israel's King.

†. Mtt 2:1-2 . . After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

The Greek word for worship in that verse, proskuneo (pros-koo-neh'-o), isn't restricted to the kind of worship one might offer to a religious deity. It also applies to obeisance and respect rendered to royalty. In the context of Mtt 2:1-2, it's obvious the Magi didn't worship Jesus as a god, but bowed to him as the final and greatest of all the kings of the house of David; which they knew (no doubt gleaned from Daniel's journal compiled during his tour in the east) to be the one king destined to rule the entire globe some day.

†. Dan 7:13-14 . . As I looked on, in the night vision, one like a human being came with the clouds of heaven; he reached the Ancient of Days and was presented to Him. Dominion, glory, and kingship were given to him; all peoples and nations of every language must serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingdom, the one that shall not be destroyed.

If somebody wants to offer God a gift, it is solely an individual decision and not an obligation. After all; gifts should be from the heart, not at the point of a gun (2Cor 9:7).

The ancient Jews believed the offerings of Cain and Abel to be a "first fruits" kind of oblation.

T~ And it was at the end of days, on the fourteenth of Nisan, that Kain brought of the produce of the earth, the seed of cotton (or line), an oblation of first things before The Lord; (Targum Jonathan)

Ever since Ex 12:1-20, the fourteenth of Nisan at evening has been the beginning of Passover week. But Passover didn't exist in Abel's day and wouldn't exist as a religious holiday until many years after the Flood.

A "first fruit" offering is a great honor to receive; giving credit where credit is due; recognizing your God-given prosperity. It's sort of like dedicating the first paycheck of a new job you prayed for as an expression of gratitude and thankfulness for God's kind-hearted providence. In Moses' Law, the offering of first fruits is a mandatory oblation. In Abel's day, it was voluntary.

I think it's safe to assume the brothers were no longer boys, but rather, responsible men in this particular scene because God is going to treat them that way. This incident is not said to be the very first time they brought gifts to God. The brothers (and very likely their parents too), probably had been bringing gifts for many years; ever since they were kids. And up to this point, apparently both men were doing everything right and God was just as much pleased with Cain as He was with Abel. But where did they get this religion of theirs? Very possibly from the Word of The Lord through Abel because the New Testament's Jesus said Abel was a prophet.

†. Luke 11:50-51a . . Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary.

It's evident then, that what the brothers did was no impulsive ritual in some sort of heathen, or pagan man-made religion . No. Their offerings were clearly a legitimate part of a God-given, biblically acceptable religion, rather than a whim or an invention produced by a fertile imagination.

†.Gen 4:4b-5a …The Lord paid heed to Abel and his offering, but to Cain and his offering he paid no heed.

Whether produce or livestock is the proper offering is not the issue here. In making a determination regarding the gifts, God evaluated the men themselves first. The Lord respected Abel, therefore He respected Abel's gift too. But although God very likely had been satisfied with Cain in the past, this time there was something wrong.

Cain was of a good family. He wasn't the product of poverty or an inner city barrio or dilapidated public housing. He wasn't in a gang, didn't carry a gun, smoke, drink, take dope, gamble or chase women. He was very religious and worshipped the exact same god that his brother worshipped, and the rituals he observed were correct and timely. Cain worked for a living in an honest profession. He wasn't a crook, wasn't lazy, nor did he associate with a Godless crowd. The man did everything a model citizen is supposed to do; yet he, and his gift, were soundly rejected.

Although God does everything in complete agreement with wisdom and moral conscience; He still has feelings. Just imagine a husband ignoring, neglecting, and abusing his wife all year long and then expecting her to forget all that when he brings home some flowers and an anniversary gift once a year. It's enough to make you puke, and to boil with indignation against husbands who do that sort of thing.

Well, that is what Cain was doing to God. He was like many pious pew warmers who make a point of going to church and synagogue every week-end; praying the prayers, and singing the hymns of praise with gusto right along with everyone else. When the collection is taken, they always pitch in. They never miss festivals nor holy days of obligation; but then they do as they please the remainder of the year. They actually think that showing up on important worship days, praying, and singing and giving, are supposed to make up for their self-centered lifestyle. NOT!

God was very displeased in the past with His people for that very thing. Many faithfully attended Temple services, they prayed regularly, and were careful to observe all the festivals and the holy days, and brought the correct oblations in abundance. They were in fact practicing the one true God-given religion. But their personal lives and business practices disgusted The Lord and insulted His religious ideals; therefore he rejected every one of their gifts, their prayers, and their church attendance.

†.Isa 1:11-20 …What need have I of all your sacrifices? says the Lord. I am sated with burnt offerings of rams, and suet of fatlings, and blood of bulls; and I have no delight in lambs and he-goats. That you come to appear before Me— who asked that of you? Trample My courts no more; bringing oblations is futile, incense is offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath, proclaiming of solemnities, assemblies with iniquity, I cannot abide. Your new moons and fixed seasons fill Me with loathing; they are become a burden to Me, I cannot endure them.

…And when you lift up your hands, I will turn My eyes away from you; though you pray at length, I will not listen. Your hands are stained with crime— wash yourselves clean; put your evil doings away from My sight. Cease to do evil; learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; defend the cause of the widow.

…Come, let us reach an understanding,— says the Lord. Be your sins like crimson, they can turn snow-white; be they red as dyed wool, they can become like fleece. If, then, you agree and give heed, you will eat the good things of the earth; but if you refuse and disobey, you will be devoured [by] the sword.— For it was the Lord who spoke.

Isaiah wasn't the only prophet who tongue-lashed his fellow Jews for their two-faced hypocrisy.

†.Hos 6:6 ...For I desire goodness, not sacrifice; obedience to God, rather than burnt offerings.

†.Hos 14:2-3 …Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have fallen because of your sin. Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him: “Forgive all guilt and accept what is good; instead of [offering] bulls we will pay the vows of our lips."

†.Ecc 5:3-4 …When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. For He has no pleasure in fools; what you vow, fulfill. It is better not to vow at all than to vow and not fulfill. Don't let your mouth bring you into disfavor, and don't plead before the messenger that it was an error, but fear God; else God may be angered by your talk and destroy your possessions.

†.Ps 51:18-21 …You do not want me to bring sacrifices; You do not desire burnt offerings; true sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart. May it please You to make Zion prosper; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will want sacrifices offered in righteousness, burnt and whole offerings; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.

†.Pro 15:8-9 …The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright pleases Him. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves him who pursues righteousness.

†.Pro 21:27 …The sacrifice of the wicked man is an abomination, the more so as he offers it in depravity.

Just exactly what it was in Cain's life that caused the Lord to lose respect for Cain is uncertain; however it was very likely friction between him and his brother Abel that offended God enough to refuse Cain's gift. The New Testament's Jesus taught that it is incorrect to worship God while the worshipper is at fault against their brother.

†.Mtt 5:23-24 …Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

The Lord will urge Cain to rectify the problem; but no; he'll get all huffy about it instead.

He was a whole lot worse than distressed. Cain was blazing mad. The word for *distressed is from charah (khaw-raw') and means: to glow or grow warm; figuratively (usually) to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy. Cain is actually in a passionate rage over this and certainly in no mood for a lecture.

†.Gen 4:6 …And The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you distressed, and why is your face fallen?"

It's almost beyond belief how some people react to God. This man is actually mad at his maker. That can't be a good thing; but is so typical of people who regard God as a tyrant, a rival, an opponent; and a thoughtless bully. When His enemies finally appear before Him in judgment; I seriously doubt they'll be inclined to kneel or bow and talk to Him in soft respectful tones. No. They will be indignant, insulted, and furious; and they will argue vehemently, pointing out where it is actually He who is the one in the wrong. At that time they will no doubt insist, as they do even now, that the Bible's God is a heartless monster who has no clue about the meanings of fair play, love, and compassion.

In Cain's (un)humble opinion, he always did what was right— at least in his own mind. But God is the final authority on right and wrong. If the Word of The Lord says something is right, or if He says something is wrong, then that's what it is. Those who accept The Word's point of view are the ones who live by faith and are reckoned the woman's seed. Those who object are reckoned the Serpent's seed; and the Serpent's seed typically react to God just like a Serpent because they think like a Serpent, and they have a Serpent's attitude.

†.Gen 4:7b …But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

T~And the Lord said to Kain, Why hast thou anger, and why are the features of thy face downcast? If thou doest thy work well, will not thy guilt be forgiven thee? But if thou doest not thy work well in this world, thy sin is retained unto the day of the great judgment, and at the doors of thy heart lieth thy sin. And into thy hand have I delivered the power over evil passion, and unto thee shall be the inclination thereof, that thou mayest have authority over it to become righteous, or to sin. (Targum Jonathan)

Gen 4:7b is the very first instance of the word *sin. It's from chatta'ah (khat-taw-aw') and/or chatta'th (khat-tawth') and means: an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) an offender. So sin is an inclusive word. Not only is the offender's offense accounted as sin, but his propensity to offend is accounted as sin too.

Cain was very close to crossing over a line. Whatever it was that God found displeasing in this man's life; it was correctable at this point. However, Cain was going to have to exercise some initiative and some self control. But if Cain chose to persist in anger and stubborn resistance, then he risked moving into a zone of incurable evil. That would be tragic. From there, it is just one more step to perdition.

Temperance and self control weren't two of Cain's more notable life-skills. I don't think they even entered his mind at all. He was Cain, and everybody was just going to have to get used to it, including his maker. He had what might be labeled today a borderline personality; viz: in Cain's mind, it's not him who's the problem; no, you are.

God warned Cain that if he persisted in having things his own way it would be just a matter of time before he became incorrigible and got into serious trouble. (Especially with that temper of his) And sure enough, God was right. Cain finally killed somebody.

Cain probably complained to his brother that Yhvh was unfair. But the poor man couldn't have picked a worse sounding board because Abel was a prophet (Luke 11:50-51). In Cain's dispute with The Lord, Abel no doubt took Yhvh's side in it. That was too much. There's no way a man like Cain was going to take a lecture from his own kid brother. Abel's popularity with God was bad enough, but preaching only made it worse and added insult to injury. Here, from ancient Judaism's perspective, is what very likely transpired that day.

T~ Habel answered and said to Kain, In goodness was the world created, and according to the fruit of good works is it governed; and there is no respect of persons in judgment; but because the fruits of my works were better than thine, my oblation, before thine, hath been accepted with good will. Kain answered and said to Habel, There is neither judgment nor Judge, nor another world; nor will good reward be given to the righteous, nor vengeance be taken of the wicked.

. . And Habel answered and said to Kain, There is a judgment, and there is a Judge; and there is another world, and a good reward given to the righteous, and vengeance taken of the wicked. And because of these words they had contention upon the face of the field; and Kain arose against Habel his brother, and drave a stone into his forehead, and killed him. (Targum Jonathan)

Sibling rivalry is perhaps one of the most destructive forces there is in human relationships. It's roots fathom the human heart's deepest conceits; and stems from a powerful desire to be treated as an equal among peers; and an attitude of superiority over those we consider below ourselves. Think back how many times you became infuriated because someone insulted your intelligence, treated you like a moron, took away your dignity, or regarded themselves as better than you. What you felt at that moment were the powers of rivalry; one of the most sinful human passions there is.

†. Gen 4:8b . . and when they were in the field, Cain set upon his brother Abel and killed him.

Whether or not Cain actually premeditated his brother's death that day is difficult to tell. The word for killed is from harag (haw-rag') and just means: to smite with deadly intent. Harag is not the same Hebrew word for murder which is ratsach (e.g. Ex 20:13). So the attack on Abel, whether premeditated or not, was definitely meant to end his life rather than to just rough him up and teach him a lesson.

How Cain planned to explain Abel's death to his parents is not stated. All wild animals at this time were vegetarians and friendly with Man, so Cain couldn't suggest a beast killed Abel and dragged him off. He would perhaps first hide the body, Abel would be reported missing, and then Cain would act innocent about it and perhaps even volunteer to organize a search party to help find his brother.

The full realization of what he had done must have come as a shock to Cain— to see a human being not breathing, not moving, not speaking; with slackened face and vacant eyes; and its body growing colder by the minute; culminating in a rigor mortis that eventually rendered Abel as stiff as a road-killed opossum— not to mention the hideous bloating that would follow later. It was a sight no one had ever seen before and I can well imagine the cold fear that must have gripped his heart when Cain realized just how serious his act really was. Murdering Abel surely wrought a permanent change in Cain so that he would never be the same man ever again.

Murdering an outsider is one thing. But murdering your own kid brother is quite another. Cain would have to live with that on his conscience, not only for the rest of his life, but in the hereafter too. No amount of drink, drugs, or therapy, can make things like that go away.

They say that only good people can really enjoy their memories. I believe that's true. Many of us suffer with our pasts continually. Our pasts are a crystalline frozen sea that mold us into the kind of people that we are, and have a tremendous influence upon the way we interact with others. People with a bad past generally resent those who don't. It's human nature at it's worst; and just one more weakness the Serpent can exploit to advantage in its long conflict with the woman's seed.

My own brother and I were paired similar to Cain and Abel. Both of us were religious, as those two brothers were, and mine was even an altar boy for a while. One evening at church, the priest asked everyone to stand and give their word that they would always honor and obey God. My brother stood along with the rest of us, but he would not give his word because, he said, there were things he wanted to do. My brother really changed after that. In time he began treating me with an unusual amount of hostility and disrespect; taking every available opportunity to ridicule and taunt me.

It was so odd because I honestly never gave him any justification to act that way. Of the two of us, he was the best looking, the most athletic, the most popular, had all the luck with girls, went to all the dances, owned lots of cars, always had good jobs, and knew all the right people in school. Yet he hated me.

Do you know what made my brother hate me? It was because he sensed that I approved of neither his character nor of his core values. I've since discovered it's an earmark of Cainish people that unless they are admired and approved by others, they become hateful.

†. 1John 3:12-13 . . Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

In Gen 3:15, God predicted hostility would exist between the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the woman. Therefore, in the religious sphere, those who are aligned with the woman's seed are commonly persecuted by those who are aligned with the Serpent's. That is a very fascinating thing to observe in real life. And it helps explain the unusually hostile behavior of some of the people who come along and pick on Christians for no apparent reason. The Serpent has no problem at all taking advantage of the inherent evil nature resident in the hearts of his own to provoke them against the righteous; and the worst offenders are oftentimes religious, actually professing a belief in God.

No doubt Cain was very jealous of his kid brother's on-going popularity with God. Poor Abel lost his life just because he was a pious man.

One of the boys involved in the April 20, 1999 Columbine High School shooting incident killed a girl in the cafeteria just because she believed in God. Isn't that amazing? That boy was nothing in the world but a twentieth century Cain with a gun.

There's lots more of the Serpent's seed out there. They may not carry guns, but they're in business, in the stock market, in the police department, in the fire department, at the grocery store, at the mall, at the movies, on the freeways, and at your place of work. They are everywhere: they are everybody, somebody, and nobody— sometimes they are obvious, sometimes they are subtle. Way too many people in America hate God; and they bitterly despise all who are in any way loyal to Him at all; especially loyal to the Bible. This condition exists even in the best of churches (cf. Acts 20:29-30, Jude 1:3-4).

†. Gen 4:9 . . Yhvh said to Cain: Where is your brother Abel? And he said: I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?

The Hebrew word for keeper is shamar (shaw-mar') which means: to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc. The same word is at Gen 2:15 describing Adam's duties in the garden of Eden, and at Gen 3:24 in respect to the flaming sword that watched over the way to the tree of life.

Cain worshipped The Only True God, same as his brother, and he participated in the very same rituals, same as his brother; yet responded to his maker's simple question with a lie and a sarcastic retort. Those who are the Serpent's offspring often act like that because the Serpent's offspring have a Serpent's mind.

†. John 8:44-45 . . You are of your father the Devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

†. Eph 2:1-2 . . As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

The Pharisees of Jesus' day were the most pious men in existence; staunch defenders of the one true God-given religion. Yet many of them hated Jesus because he sided with God against them; just as Cain hated Abel because he too sided with God.

Many of Jesus' opponents were hypocrites who didn't fully practice what they preached. He saw right through their pious façade and often discredited them in public debates. Eventually a bitter rivalry developed between brother and brother; between Jesus a Jew and the Pharisees; themselves also Jews. The very same kind of family rivalry that flared up between Cain and Abel, which ultimately led to Abel's death; and also ultimately led to Jesus' death.

†. Mrk 15:6-10 . . Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. And the man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. And Pilate answered them, saying: Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews? For he was aware that the chief priests had delivered him up because of envy.

The New Testament Greek word for envy is from phthonos (fthon'-os) which means: ill-will (as detraction), i.e. jealousy (spite). Related words include: malice, grudge, malevolence, rancor, revenge, vengeance, and vindictiveness.

†. John 3:1-2 . . Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said: Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.

Imagine that!?! The Jewish ruling council was fully aware that Jesus of Nazareth was from God; but pride, envy, and rivalry overwhelmed their better judgment and drove them to oppose him anyway. The Serpent no doubt easily punched their buttons and took full advantage of the Serpentary nature residing in their hearts to assist him in mounting an assault against the woman's offspring.

If Jewish religious leaders of the one true God-given religion in Jesus' day opposed the very God who gave them their religion, then who's to say that other Bible oriented religions aren't doing the very same thing even now in this very day and age? No doubt many Christian leaders, in the past and even now today, have opposed, and continue to oppose, the very Christ they supposedly represent, and would deeply resent Jesus' intrusion into their churches because he would make of himself a big nuisance and undermine their credibility with the people sitting out in the pews; just as he undermined the credibility of the religious leaders of Judaism in his own day.

The parallel between Jesus and Abel is striking. Both men were hated by their own people because they were righteous. Both were hated because they took God's side and disapproved their own people's conduct. And ultimately both men were murdered by their own people out of a spirit of rivalry, envy, malice, and vengeance.

†. Gen 4:10 . .Then He said: What have you done? Hark, your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground!

The word for cries out is from tsa` aq (tsaw-ak') and means: to shriek. Whether or not human blood actually has an audible voice isn't nearly important as to what it might be saying. And in this case, it certainly couldn't be good.

This scene is extremely important; for a very good reason. Some people are of the opinion that God is arbitrary and doesn't really have to make a case against sinners in judgment. According to them, He can just say: "You are condemned." And that's it; case closed. But no. God doesn't work that way at all. The Almighty is fair and reasonable. Solid evidence, and reliable testimony, will be presented to prove, and to demonstrate, beyond a shadow of doubt, that people deserve retribution.

†. Jude 1:14-15 . . Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

The word for convict in Jude's passage is from elegcho (el-eng'-kho) and means: to confute, admonish. Webster's defines confute as: to overwhelm in argument; refute conclusively. So the wicked will have their day in court, and a chance to defend themselves. But meanwhile The Lord will be aggressively making His own case too (cf. Rev 20:12).

†. Mtt 12:36-37 . . But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every thoughtless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

In civil law, it's handy to produce the corpus delicti in a homicide because it's very useful for proving the reality of a death, and for establishing the cause, and the time of its occurrence. It's interesting that God didn't produce Abel's body for evidence. He could have, but instead relied upon the voice of its blood. Or should I say the "testimony" of its blood. Yes, that's better. So a victim's blood can be used as evidence against murderers in the courts of Heaven. That is very interesting.

†. 1John 5:6-8 . .This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that bear witness, the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.

The serous fluid that came out of Jesus' abdomen when he was speared by a guard during crucifixion, carries just as much weight of evidence as his blood, and indeed both are ready to give their testimony some day.

†. Heb 12:22-24 . . But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

The testimony of Abel's blood served to convict a sinner of homicide. But the testimony of Jesus' blood, through faith, doesn't condemn sinners. No, to the contrary, it serves to acquit them (Rom 5:6-11, 1Pet 1:18-19). That's a whole lot more to their advantage.

Cain was neither condemned to die, nor doomed to Hell for what he did. He was simply more cursed than the ground, but he wasn't cursed beyond hope any more than the ground was cursed beyond hope in Gen 3:17-18. The soil still produces; just not as good as it once did before the curse. And Cain will now lose a goodly percentage of his talent for making things grow. In fact, God will see to it that his efforts at farming are frustrated no matter how skillfully he goes about it.

But how did Cain get off with only a slap on the wrist? Why wasn't he executed for murder since God himself mandates capital punishment for murderers as per Gen 9:5-6, Ex 21:12-14, Lev 24:17, Lev 24:21, and Num 35:31-34? Does God practice a double standard?

Cain got off with such a light sentence because God's laws don't have ex post facto jurisdiction; viz: they aren't retroactive (Gal 3:17). Since God hadn't as yet enacted a law against murder in Cain's day, then He couldn't legally charge him with it.

†. Rom 4:15 . . Because the law worketh wrath: but where no law is, there is no transgression.

†. Rom 5:12-14 . .For until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

†. Gen 4:11b . . which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

That is so creepy. It portrays our planet as a hungry beast ingesting people down into its gaping maw like a massive carnivore. Well, actually it is; in its own way.

This big ol' terrestrial ball we live on is nothing in the world but a celestial mausoleum, coasting through space like a giant death star serving to warehouse millions and millions of dead bodies sealed within its vast earthen chambers. Relatively few people have ever got off. Just about everybody who ever lived is still here. If aliens had radio capability to pick up the combined voices of all the blood that was ever shed on the Earth since the beginning of time, they would surely be scared off by all the ghastly shrieking coming out of their radio speakers.

According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, America's death rate projected for 09/11/09, at 2:10 PM eastern standard time, was one every 13 seconds, or about five per minute. By the time Brian Williams completes his thirty-minute evening report, an average of 138 Americans— men, women, and children— cross over to the other side. Within a mere 24 hours, roughly 6,646 Americans leave this life and move on to the next.

Global numbers are even more impressive. According to the International Programs Center, U.S. Bureau of the Census, the current population of the World, projected for 09/11/09, at 2:14 PM eastern standard time, was 6,783,512,853. Using America's death ratio of 6,646 per day at a current population of 307,420,008; the global death rate can be estimated at approximately 146,650 per day— enough corpses to fill the new Yankee Stadium to capacity 2.8 times in twenty-four hours and to populate the Woodstock Festival of 1969 in 3½ days time.

Look around you. See the people? —your friends, your family, your co workers, the people in the malls and on the freeways? In a mere fifty years just about every one of them will be dead, sealed in the earth; including yourself. That's a lot of graves.

So where did Abel go when he died? Did he just disappear into the soil like an animal carcass? Is there life after death? Ancient Judaism taught that during the altercation between Cain and Abel, one of the topics of their discussion was the existence of another life.

T~ And Habel answered and said to Kain: There is a judgment, and there is a Judge; and there is another world, and a good reward given to the righteous, and vengeance taken of the wicked. (Targum Jonathan)

T~ Kain answered and said to Habel: There is neither judgment nor Judge, nor another world; nor will good reward be given to the righteous, nor vengeance be taken of the wicked. (Targum Jonathan)

There are two Hells in the New Testament; a temporary Hell and a permanent Hell.

The temporary Hell is Hades; named after the Greek word haides (hah'-dace) which is the netherworld; viz: the unseen world of the dead— both the good dead and the bad dead.

Hades corresponds to the Old Testament Hebrew word sheol (sheh-ole') which is sometimes translated grave in English versions of the Bible; while other versions don't attempt to translate it all but let it go into the English text as-is.

One section of Hades houses good men like Christ and Abraham (Luke 23:43, Luke 16:22-16)

†. Luke 16:19-25 . . There was a rich man . . At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus . . The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.

. . In hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him: Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire. But Abraham replied: Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.

In that scene, all three men are alive and conscious in a very real way. The rich man is experiencing agony, anxiety, thirst, and fear for the future of his surviving relatives while Abraham and Lazarus are experiencing comfort.

Some people say that Luke's narrative isn't literal; it's just one of Jesus' parables. But the sacred text gives no indication it's a parable. Besides; would Jesus tell a tall tale about a real man in the Bible named Abraham? Moses is mentioned in that narrative too. If Jesus were telling a figurative tale, then wouldn't that create a false impression about those two real-life men? How could we trust Jesus to tell the truth about spiritual things if he couldn't be trusted to tell the truth about real things?

†. John 3:31-32 . . He who comes from above is above all . .what He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness

†. John 3:34 . . For he is sent by God. He speaks God's words, for God's spirit is upon him without measure or limit.

Would a man filled with God's spirit beyond limit; and who said of himself "I am the truth" stoop to spinning yarns to teach spiritual truth? Of course not; that would be completely out of character, and besides, he didn't have to.

All Jesus had to do was borrow real-life examples out of everyday human experiences. Think about the sower who went forth to sow. Farmers were common in the Israel of Jesus' day. The unjust judge, the woman who lost some coins in her house, a woman kneading dough, the fig tree, repairing old cloth with new: all those were common things in the Israel of Jesus' day; he didn't have to make anything up; and besides the things he spoke, he spoke not of his own initiative, but rather, he spoke them because God directed him to speak them.

†. John 12:49 . . For I have not spoken on my own initiative, but the Father himself who sent me gave me a mandate, what to say, and what to speak.

Every one of Jesus' parables were like that— they were realistic stories because they were taken from real-life human experiences that Jesus either saw for himself, or knew about in some other way. He was thirty years old when he began his public ministry. That's a lot of years; and surely Jesus had seen a lot of life in that time so that he had a pretty large data base to draw upon whenever he needed a pertinent illustration to amplify a point in one of his sermons.

And anyway, like I said, the sacred text does not identify Luke 16:19-25 as a parable. People have done that— of their own initiative, not God's.

†. Gen 4:12 . . If you till the soil, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. You shall become a ceaseless wanderer on earth.

Cain went on to become a very hungry, very overworked man. Wherever he tried to farm, the ground would respond to the curse in such a way as to act infertile and its production was stunted. The curse was leveled right at his diet and the source of his food. Up till now, Cain had been a successful, independent farmer. But no amount of agricultural wisdom would ever restore his independence, nor his once green thumb no matter how hard he tried to overcome it. Cain had crossed over a line and there was no going back. It is very, very possible for Christians to make the very same kind of mistake.

†. 1John 5:16-17 . . If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.

For the Christian, a deadly sin doesn't result in going to Hell (cf. John 5:24, Rom 5:6-11, Rom 6:3-11). Deadly sins can result in a premature physical death (e.g. Acts 5:1-11, Rom 8:13, 1Cor 11:23-30).

Since Cain could no longer sustain himself by farming, it would be difficult to settle down and build himself a home; so he was forced to become migratory and forage for seasonal foods like the uncivilized beast that he was. It was poetic justice. The punishment sure fit his personality. If he was going to act like a brute, then he deserved to live like one.

His punishment was actually very lenient. It's true that Cain would struggle to eat. But at least he was allowed to survive. His kid brother was dead.

There is no absolution nor redemption for a man like Cain. Not that God doesn't have an effective way to absolve men who do things like that. After all, both Moses and David were murderers and surely no one would consider either of those men damned. But Cain, unlike Moses and David, had a serious problem with authority. I'm sure Abel, the family's prophet, had instructed the older sibling how to live by faith and obtain absolution for every sin imaginable. But Cain hated Abel and wasn't about to follow his kid brother's lead; and so went into history an unrepentant, unforgiven man.

Many intellectuals are just like Cain. No, I don't mean they're murderers. But they will never yield to the Gospel because it would be impossible for them to do so without a complete loss of their dignity. Self respect has them locked into meeting a terrible fate.

†. Luk 18:17 . . Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.

†. Mtt 18:1-3 . . At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said: Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said: Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Since there were no laws against murder in Cain's day; it was therefore not yet a crime. Murder is morally wrong, yes; and it is intrinsically a sin, yes; but God's mandate for punishing murderers wasn't imposed until after the Flood. So men could kill each other up until the mandate with a certain measure of immunity because the mandate doesn't have ex post facto jurisdiction; viz: it wasn't retroactive. That may sound ridiculous; but nevertheless, it's an extremely important biblical principle.

†. Rom 4:15 . .The only way to avoid breaking The Law is to have no Law to break!

†. Rom 5:13 . . for before The Law was given, sin was in the world. But sin isn't imputed when there's no Law.

It would have been wrong for God to formally charge Cain with the crime of murder because there was neither one of His own laws, nor a civil law against murder at that time.

The promises (which we'll come to later in Genesis) made to Abraham, and to his posterity, regarding eternal possession of Eretz Israel, were made long before the Ten Commandments were imposed. So that The Commandments, which came later, cannot reach back and effect Abraham's covenant. So then, regardless of how sinful the people of Israel become, Abraham's covenant is secure because its promises are not dependant upon the Jews' faithfulness— the promises regarding ownership of Eretz Israel (not its occupation) rest solely upon God's integrity; rather than upon whether the Jews are good or bad.

That same principle applies to those who are in Christ. His crucifixion moved them into a zone of where The Commandments have no jurisdiction (Rom 6:3-11, Rom 7:1-6, Gal 2:16-3:29, Eph 2:11-18). Thus, since they are no longer under the jurisdiction of The Commandments, they're in no danger of its curses, judgments, and punishments, because where there is no law, there are no trespasses to condemn.

Jesus' sheep are in a neutral zone; immune to The Commandments, and therefore completely safe from the Almighty's criminal justice system. They are not safe from discipline, that's true, but discipline is a family matter, not a criminal matter.

†.Gen 4:14a …Since You have banished me this day from the soil, and I must avoid Your presence and become a restless wanderer on earth—

People such as gypsies, hobos, nomads, and fugitives don't stay in one place long enough to get settled in a community; and many communities don't want them loitering in their neighborhoods.

But who said he *must avoid God's presence? That was Cain's decision, just as it was Judas' decision to abandon Jesus. Both men could've turned it around if they wanted; but didn't. Cain gave up God's friendship of his own volition. Now he would face life all alone and very insecure.

And who said Cain was *banished from the soil? He wasn't. He still had liberty to farm if he wanted, but couldn't expect it to yield much from here on in.

Have you ever walked alone at night, on a very dark country road, or an empty side street in the city? How did it make you feel? Nervous? Wary? You bet it did. We feel that way because, down deep in our hearts, just like Cain, we don't trust our fellow man.

Anybody who watches the evening news is fully aware that our fellow human beings can't be trusted to look out for our best interests. American citizens have killed their fellow Americans for little more than the Nike shoes on their feet; and at other times, simply to satisfy their thirst for revenge in a road rage; and even killed for no reason at all except for the excitement of it.

But who might *anyone be? Who was Cain afraid of anyway? Cain is a good example of many like him who, even in our own day, don't believe the Adams were at one time the only human beings on the whole planet. Cain assumed God surely must have created others and put them out there somewhere. But there no others. Cain's lack of faith in the Genesis account of creation rendered him insecure, and anxious about the unknown.

Some Christians are similar to Cain in that they cannot bring themselves to trust the New Testament accounts of Jesus; so they live in dread of the future; or they just stick their heads in the sand and sing; "Que sera, sera; whatever will be will be." In other words, since no one really know things like who's going to Heaven and who's going to Hell, what's the use in worrying about it?

But the person with a solid trust in the Bible, knows they have nothing to fear because John wrote a letter to friends who truly believed and said; "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may *know that you have eternal life" (1John 5:13 cf. John 3:14-18, John 5:24, John 6:37-40, and John 10:27-29) .

Within those parenthesized passages are many verbs in the present tense. That means, if you look closely, you will see that those who truly trust Jesus and his words, have eternal life right now; no waiting period. They not only currently possess eternal life, but also have the promise that they will never perish and that they have passed from death into life, and that they are in absolutely no danger of being condemned.

Cain is going to leave home and move on; which is just as well because once his dad and mom find out what really happened, they would be terrified and have to put locks on their doors. Cain was a very dangerous, volatile man. It would only be a matter of time before he flew off the handle and killed somebody else.

Modern prisons are one practical alternative to banishment. Without a system of criminal justice, no one would be safe for very long at a time here in America. Even with one in place, violent crime is still rampant. But without civil authority and criminal justice, it would be much worse and we would be back to the stone age in no time at all. Only with law and order can any society possibly attain its highest potential.

†.Gen 4:15a …The Lord said to him: I promise, if anyone kills Cain, sevenfold vengeance shall be taken on him.

God didn't promise to be Cain's body guard; only to severely punish anyone who killed him. This event highlights one of the problems associated with domestic tranquility. Law works to protect you only when people are forced to obey it; so that retribution becomes the only really practical deterrent. However, when people don't fear retribution, as in the case of the Muslims who crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center, then it's every man for himself.

If God was willing to punish someone who killed a man like Cain, then Cain's life had at least a measure of worth after all. And actually it did. In spite of his deed, Cain was still a human being patterned after God's image and likeness (Jas 3:9). That gave him a measure of worth he didn't deserve, but nevertheless, he came in for it just like everybody else.

In a modern court of law, Cain's deed probably wouldn't be classified as murder; but as the lesser crime of manslaughter; defined as a homicide committed by accident or misfortune, in the heat of passion, upon any sudden and sufficient provocation, or upon a sudden combat, when no undue advantage is taken, nor any dangerous weapon used, and when the killing is not done in a cruel and unusual manner. (Targums teach that Cain used a stone on Abel's skull, but that allegation is totally conjecture.)

Though manslaughter isn't as bad as murder; it's still a serious crime. However, a measure of leniency is granted the perpetrator because of the heat of passion, and for sudden and sufficient provocation, so that later, when Moses' Law was enacted, cities of refuge were set up in Eretz Israel where the manslayer could flee from lynch mobs and revenge by angry friends and relatives of the victim (Num 35:6, 35:12).

†. Gen 4:15b . . And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest anyone who met him should kill him.

The nature of Cain's mark is totally unknown; but could have been a symbol of some sort, or maybe even an entire written paragraph. However, the mark was not so people would hoot at Cain wherever he went. It was an ID card to protect him from random violence. In that day there existed no civil authorities to keep the peace and protect citizens. Every man did pretty much as he pleased; including hunting and killing other men. Well, Cain had a "No Hunting" sign on him so future generations of the Adams' family would know he was a protected species; so to speak.

God allows ignorance as an excuse; to a degree. However, information creates responsibility. When a person knows an act is sin, and goes ahead and does it anyway, they are in much deeper trouble than one who did not know that a particular act was wrong. No one had been forbidden to kill Abel, nor forbidden to kill any other man for that matter. But soon it would become widespread public knowledge that God strictly forbade killing Cain. Therefore, anyone who ignored God's decree would pay dearly for knowingly, and willfully disobeying a Divine mandate; just as the Adams paid in the garden (cf. Num 15:30-31, Mtt 11:20-24, Luke 12:47-48, Heb 10:26-27 ).

The way that's written, it appears Cain's departure was willing; and has the aura of a dreadful finality. He renounced God, and his native religion, and was content to forego its privileges so that he might not be under its control. He forsook not only his kin but also their altar, and cast off all pretenses to the fear of God; and never, on the page of Scripture, came among Godly people again, nor ever again gave any thought to any of God's holy ordinances. That verse is a terrible epitaph upon the tombstone of Cain's life, and you can almost feel the concussion of a dreadful thud as the mighty doors of perdition close solidly behind him; sealing his passage into permanent darkness.

Cain's separation from God is a component of the conditions that will exist in Hell. Perdition is not only a place of physical torment, but also a vacuum; an eternal loss of access to the sympathies and compassions of the Bible's God. It's a perpetual banishment from the fountain of all that's good. It's just as well though. I think many resolute sinners actually prefer Hell rather than submit to the Bible's God— and so shall their doom be.

†. 2Thes 1:6-10 . . God is fair-minded: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

†. Mtt 13:40-43 . . As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Why didn't God plead with Cain to stay in touch through prayer? Well, that would be like throwing good money after bad. Cain wasn't one to listen. Of all the things that Cain had done up to this point, walking out on God was his worst mistake. Yes, he would have to scrounge for food; but that was a mere slap on the wrist compared to loss of contact with his maker. People need to think that over. No matter how harsh your circumstances are, and no matter what life has thrown in your face, loss of contact with your maker is much worse. It is wise to stay in touch with God even if your life is a total wreck and God seems oblivious to your circumstances.

When the Adams fell, God drove them out of the garden; but not out of contact. When Cain fell, he wasn't driven out of contact either. He broke contact of his own volition. Though doomed to the life of a nomad, he should have made the best of it and tried to maintain some sort of connection with God.

†. Ps 103:8-14 . .The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. He will not contend forever, or nurse His anger for all time . . As a father has compassion for his children, so The Lord has compassion for those who fear Him. For He knows how we are formed; He is mindful that we are dust.

The word for Nod is from nowd (node) and means: wandering, vagrancy or exile. Precisely where Nod was located is unknown. The only other place in the entire Old Testament where the word nowd is found is one of the Psalms.

†. Ps 56:9 . .You keep count of my wanderings; put my tears into Your flask, into Your record.

Wandering and exile are fates in store for some of Christianity's elite; especially those who are only in it for gain.

†. Jude 1:11-13 . .Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion. These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm— shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted— twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

Cain, of course, married a sister or a niece because there were no other families on the entire planet at that time but the Adams. Some believe that sibling marriage has always been abhorrent to God since it's forbidden by stipulations in Moses' covenanted law. However, those laws were not enacted till many, many years after the Flood; and they are not retroactive (Rom 4:15, Rom 5:13, Gal 3:17).

Regarding birth defects, sibling marriage is currently very risky business indeed. But sibling marriage was neither a risk, nor a taboo in Cain's day like it is now. After all, Adam's wife, Eve, was the female version of himself. In reality then, Adam engendered the entire human race by mating with his own flesh and blood. You can't get any closer to home than that.

The human race in Cain's day was very young, very healthy, and very close to its origin. Not enough time had elapsed to damage the gene pool. Proof of the excellent quality of the early human genome was longevity. Adam lived till he was 930 and Noah till he was 950. Nobody even comes close to that anymore. According to the 2009 World Almanac And Book Of Facts, the life expectancy of an American born in 2006 is 78.1 years. In 1900 it was only 47.3 years.

†. Gen 25:7-8 . .This was the total span of Abraham's life: one hundred and seventy-five years. And Abraham breathed his last, dying at a good ripe age, old and contented; and he was gathered to his kin.

Abraham was just a child by Adam's standards; but yet Genesis says he lived to a ripe old age; which in his day was a mere 175. Abraham, the friend of God, wed his half sister Sarah.

†. Gen 20:12 . . And besides, she is in truth my sister, my father's daughter though not my mother's; and she became my wife.

†. Lev 20:17 . . If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace; they shall be excommunicated in the sight of their kinsfolk. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister, he shall bear his guilt.

However; there was no law against sibling marriages in Abraham's day, and with God's blessing, a brother and sister mated to engender Isaac; who was the beginning of the people of Israel— and he was also Christ's progenitor. So sibling marriage was not all that bad a thing even as recent as Abraham's day; which was only a mere three to four thousand years ago.

†. Gen 4:17b . . and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he then founded a city, and named the city after his son Enoch.

In Hebrew, Enoch's name is Chanowk (khan-oke') which means: initiated or dedicated. His name is taken from chanak (khaw-nak') which means pretty much the same thing and is found in some important passages in the Bible (e.g. 1Ki 8:62-63, Pro 22:6).

Just exactly to whom or to what Cain dedicated little Enoch is unknown.

The city Cain developed probably wasn't the kind of city we're used to thinking. The word for it is from `iyr (eer) and means: a community— a place guarded by waking or a watch —in the widest sense; even of a mere encampment or post.

Whether Cain actually lived in a permanent settlement is doubtful since he was stuck with vagrancy and wandering. Cain's city was very likely nothing more than a rudimentary village like the towns in the Old West and the Klondike that grew up around rail heads and mining camps. Some of those were little more than a village of tents, and that's probably all that Enochville amounted to. Just a nomadic assembly of Cain's clan where they could pool their resources, and watch each other's back as they wandered from place to place in the land of Nod searching for sustenance.

†. Gen 4:18 . .To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methusael, and Methusael begot Lamech.

Two of those names, Mehujael and Methusael, end with 'el (ale); a word that means: strength. As an adjective it means mighty; especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity). Some feel that Mehujael's name means: smitten of God. And Methusael's name means: man who is of God; or God's man. Just exactly what Cain was trying to get across with those names is uncertain. Religion is sometimes an important part of a person's social résumé. Perhaps by giving his children what we might call "Christian" names, Cain maintained a semblance of piety. Kind of like adulterers, hookers, and porn queens going to church on Sunday.

†. Gen 4:19 . . Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah.

Adah is from `Adah (aw-daw') and means: ornament. It's not unusual for people to name their little girls after jewelry like Pearl, Ruby, and Amber. Zillah is from Tsillah (tsil-law') which is derived from tsel (tsale) and means: shade, whether literal or figurative. Shade is a good thing in sunny locales so Zillah's name may have been associated with shelter, protection, peace, serenity, and rest— as in the Song.

†. Song 2:3 . . Like an apple tree among trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the youths. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my mouth.

Lamech's marriages are the very first incidence of polygamy in the Bible, and I have yet to see a passage where God either approved or disapproved of it other than the restrictions imposed upon New Testament church officers (e.g. 1Tim 3:2, 1Tim 3:12, and Titus 1:6).

Since there was no law against polygamy in those early days, either by God or Man, Lamech can't be accused of impropriety.

Aside from the obvious sensual benefits men derive from harems; polygamy does have its practical side. The gestation period for human beings is nine months. At that rate, it would take a man many years to build up his clan to a respectable size. But with multiple wives, he could speed things up considerably. In primitive cultures, large families are very influential, and their numbers crucial to survival and self preservation.

†. Ps 127:4-5 . . Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are sons born to a man in his youth. Happy is the man who fills his quiver with them; they shall not be put to shame when they contend with the enemy in the gate.

Cain's line, though wicked, produced a culture of very high intellect and extraordinary ingenuity. Proof enough that just because people are Godless doesn't necessarily mean they're brainless lummoxes. Actually, the majority of true Christian believers are supposed to reflect a cross section of mediocrity: a people of just average achievement.

†. 1Cor 1:26 . . Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

It's a pity that so many otherwise bright, gifted people are going to Hell where their intellect, their energy, and their talents will never be appreciated nor put to good use ever again.

†. Gen 4:20 . . Adah bore Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who dwell in tents and amidst herds.

This is the Bible's very first mention of man-made dwellings. Jabal was the inventor of the first portable shelter; sort of a primitive version of the modern RV. Tents and teepees make it possible to roam long distances in relative comfort while searching for foods and pastures. Abraham and Sarah were housed in portable shelters the whole time they lived in Canaan. With tents and teepees, Enochville could be a very mobile community, staying in one place only long enough to deplete its natural resources before moving on to better diggings.

Jabal wasn't the father of animal husbandry as the passage seems to suggest. Abel was already tending flocks before Jabal was born (Gen 4:2). Dwelling "amidst" herds describes the lifestyle of America's early plains Indians; whose livelihood depended a great deal upon wild buffalo. Though they followed the herds, the Indians didn't actually raise any of their own like on a ranch.

Dwelling amidst herds is a nomadic way of life rather than one that's domesticated; hence the need for portable shelters; and the herds (e.g. deer and wild goats) would provide fabric for not only the tents, but also for shoes and clothing; which would need replacement quite often. One of Lewis' and Clark's complaints, when they were passing through the Oregon territory, was that moccasins rotted off their feet in the Northwest's climate. Even without rot, the soles of moccasins are not all that resistant to wear. Buckskins, manufactured from Elk hide and/or deerskin, fared little better.

†. Gen 4:21 . . And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe.

He wouldn't be the ancestor of all who play lyre and pipe now because Cain's entire civilization perished in the Flood. The word for ancestor is from 'ab (awb); a primitive word which means father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application. In this particular case, 'ab wouldn't mean literal kin, but likely analogous to an inventor who is the first to introduce a new concept which then later becomes widely adopted; e.g. the LASER.

The first working laser was demonstrated on 16 May 1960 by Theodore Maiman at Hughes Research Laboratories. Ironically, Maiman's laser wasn't intended to have commercial applications; it was just a device to prove a theory. Since then, lasers have become a multi-billion dollar industry. By far the largest single application of lasers is in optical storage devices such as CD and DVD players and recorders. The second-largest application is fiber-optic communication. Other common applications of lasers are bar code readers, laser printers, laser pointers, surveying, taking measurements, sensing distance, and cutting metals.

The word for lyre is from kinnowr (kin-nore') and means: to twang. So the actual instrument itself is difficult to identify. It could have been a harp. But then again, it may have even been something as simple as a string stretched between a washtub and a broom stick. The interesting thing about an ancient twanging instrument is its string. How did the Cainites make them? Of what material? A stringed instrument is a pretty advanced musical tool and certainly not something you would expect to find among so primitive a people as the antediluvians.

The word for pipe is from `uwgab (oo-gawb') and means: a reed-instrument of music. A modern reed instrument is typically a woodwind that produces sound by the vibrating of a thin strip of wood against the mouthpiece; like clarinets and saxophones (hence the classification: woodwinds). But in that culture, it could very well have been something as simple as a tube whistle made from a single hollow section of plant stem; or several of those bundled together like a Pan flute.

†. Gen 4:22a . . As for Zillah, she bore Tubal-cain, who forged all implements of copper and iron.

Tubal-cain was an early smithy of metal knives, hoes, chopping tools, kettles and skillets; which would certainly make life a lot easier out on the frontier. Copper and iron, in their natural condition, are not too strong nor very hard and wear resistant. Their properties are much improved when alloyed with additional elements.

If the smithy adds a tiny percentage of carbon to iron, he gets steel; a much tougher and far more durable metal than its parent. If the smithy adds even more carbon, he gets cast iron, which is a very rigid metal and really good for cooking because it cools slowly.

Adding a little zinc to copper produces brass, which is much stronger and tougher than pure copper. Copper's advantage in cooking is its natural heat conduction, which is very fast as compared to iron and/or steel. It's also an excellent conductor of electricity, but unless they were bottling lightening in those days, copper's electrical properties would have to wait for future exploitation.

†. Gen 4:22b . . And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

Naamah is from Na` amah (nah-am-aw') which means pleasant, amiable, or agreeable. A girl named Joy would probably fit that category. Naamah was Enochville's public affairs officer over at the local chamber of commerce. A prosperous community like Enochville could always use a friendly hostess, one who was good with the public. Naamah would have tourist and commercial information about the metal tools and implements on sale over at Tubal-cain's blacksmith shop, and about the guitars and horns available at Jubal's music store. Jabal's place was the local Home Depot combined with an apparel boutique, offering do-it-your-selfers plans and materials for making teepees and tents; and hides and wool to make clothing and leather goods.

So all in all, Enochville, though unproductive at farming, prospered through commerce instead; trading the goods and services of their industrial base for much needed produce; the same way that most urbanites still do even today. People in towns and cities typically don't support themselves directly from nature. They earn a medium of exchange in some sort of skill or profession, then trade it with merchants to buy the things they need to survive.

The technological, and cultural, level of early Man was very high. It's interesting that the identifying marks which evolutionary anthropologists use to denote the emergence of a stone age culture into a civilized society were evident in Adam's day: animal husbandry, agriculture, trades, urbanization, music, and metallurgy. All these civilizational technologies emerged very early: within just a few generations of Adam; not after thousands upon thousands of years of human development. I'm not saying there never was any "stone-age" peoples. Obviously there were. But Adam and Cain were not among them.

It's a pity the Flood wiped early Man off the map. Who can tell what he might have accomplished had his progress not been interrupted (cf. Gen 11:6).

†. Gen 4:23-24 . . And Lamech said to his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my voice! O wives of Lamech, give ear to my speech! I have slain a man for wounding me, and a lad for bruising me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.

Brag, Brag, Brag— boy, I tell you some men sure love to show off and glorify themselves in front of women; no doubt about it. Apparently ol' Lamech figured the homicide he committed wasn't nearly as severe as Cain's because he killed in retribution; whereas Cain killed in a rage. Also, Cain killed his kid brother, whereas Lamech killed others. So in Lamech's estimation, Cain's killing was a much more serious crime; and if a dirty rotten scoundrel like gramps was under God's divine protections, then, in Lamech's mind, he certainly deserved to be under them even more so. Lamech's kind of conscience is a direct result of eating the forbidden fruit (Gen 4:22).

It almost appears that Lamech killed two people, but really it was only one; and in fact a person younger than himself. Two words describe Lamech's opponent. The first word is from 'enowsh (en-oshe') and simply means a mortal; viz: a human being (of either gender), in general (singly or collectively). The second word reveals the person's age. The word for lad is yeled (yeh'-led) and means something born, i.e. a lad or offspring: —boy, child, fruit, son, young one and/or young man.

Apparently Lamech got in a disagreement with somebody and they settled their differences in a fight. The injury Lamech received in the ensuing scuffle could have been something as simple as the man biting his ear or kicking him in the groin. It's my guess Lamech over-reacted and stabbed the man to death with a spiffy bowie knife that his son Tubal-cain made for him over in the blacksmith shop.

Lamech's sense of right and wrong reflects the humanistic conscience of a man void of God's spirit. In his earthly mind, revenge was an okay thing; which is a common attitude in many primitive cultures. But his opponent only wounded him. In return, Lamech took his life. The scales of justice do not balance in a situation like that— they tip. Pure law says eye for eye, tooth for tooth, burning for burning, stripe for stripe, life for life, and no more. If the lad's intent was obviously upon great bodily harm; Lamech would probably be justified to kill him in self defense since his opponent was a younger man and had the advantage in age. However, according to Lamech's own testimony, he killed the man in revenge; not self defense.

Cain's side of the Adams family is characterized by technology, invention, boasting, achievement, commerce, and violence. But not one word is recorded concerning its association with, nor its interest in, their maker. Cain's entire community was God-less and went on to be completely destroyed right down to the last man, woman, and child in Noah's flood. No one survives him today.

The Bible doesn't record even one single incident of a Cainite blessing God for His goodness; nor for His mercy, nor for His providence. There is no record that any of them ever said even one single prayer— not even a simple lay-me-down-to-sleep kind of prayer. Every one of the little kids in Enochville went to bed each night without the slightest assurance that the God of creation cared at all for the well being of their little souls.

How many homes right here today in modern America reflect that very same Cainish culture? The parents and the children are unthankful, unholy, and irreligious; caring little or nothing for things of eternal value: moving towards an inevitable head-on rendezvous with death and the hereafter, and totally unprepared to meet their maker.

†. Gen 4:25 . . Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, meaning, "God has provided me with another offspring in place of Abel," for Cain had killed him.

One can only imagine the grief and the guilt the Adams must have felt at the loss of two sons in one day— one murdered, and the other leaving home, off on his own.

Abel, being the family's prophet, no doubt carefully explained to his mom that through her would come a savior who would eventually destroy both the Serpent and its agenda. Along the way though, a terrible conflict would develop between the savior's followers and the Serpent's followers. With Abel's death, all seemed lost. But no, the woman's seed is not about to be stopped all that easily. The Serpent found a way to instigate the murder of the beginning of a line to Messiah; but it failed to take into account the powers of God and His own agenda.

†. Gen 4:26a . . And to Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named him Enosh.

Sometimes the record shows the mother naming a child, and sometimes the father; which suggests that in all cases there was very likely mutual consultation between husband and wife on this important decision. But it's always important for the father to take a hand in naming the children because the act testifies that he has legally, and officially, accepted them as his own (e.g. Gen 15:16, Gen 21:3, Mtt 1:21, Luke 1:13, Luke 1:63, Rev 2:17).

Enosh is from 'enowsh (en-oshe') and means: a mortal; hence a man in general, singly or collectively (and thus differing from the more dignified 'adam (aw-dawm') which means: a human being) There's really nothing special about an 'enowsh— just a feller. Sometimes boys are named Guy, or Buddy, so 'enowsh would be a common enough name.

†. Gen 4:26b . .Then men began to call on the name of The Lord.

That doesn't mean that people began communicating with God only just then. It only means they began calling upon God by a different name than usual. The new name of God here in Gen 4:26 is yhvh. According to a note in the Stone Tanach, the four letters of this name are those of the Hebrew words: He was, He is, and He will be— signifying that God is timeless and infinite; ergo: self existent.

Yhvh is an important name of God which is almost always connected with redemption. It is the name by which God rescued the people of Israel from Egypt (Ex 6:2-8).

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were familiar with The Name. But they didn't have a personal experience with its redemptive connection. Their relationship with God was more in line with El Shaddai; which means: The Almighty God. So to them, He was a god of providence (Gen 28:20-21) who could do anything, even make a barren woman have children in her old age. But Abraham's posterity were in very deep trouble down there in Egypt. They were in slavery and helpless to escape it. So they needed a different kind of god than Abraham's. They didn't need riches, and they didn't need someone to repair their women's wombs. They needed a Rescuer, a Champion, a Knight in shining armor to free them from inescapable oppression.

It's very significant that antediluvians called on The Name. It strongly suggests that they recognized their own need of redemption. Not redemption from the slavery of men, but from the slavery of a sinful human nature; and their prayers very likely contained, among other things, petition for pardon and forgiveness.

The Name is very seldom pronounced exactly as it's written in order to spare it abuse and indignity. People need to be cautious how they use The Name. It is a very serious sin to speak it in a disrespectful manner.

†. Lev 24:15-16 . . Say to the Israelites: If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name Yhvh must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes The Name, he must be put to death.

The New Testament's Jesus is connected to The Name in a very special way.

†. Phil 2:6-11 . . Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The name that is above every name is Yhvh. Jesus has a right to all the worship and service and reverence and obedience that is due to The Name because he was given permission to use the name that is above every name for himself by Divine decree. It's understandable that there would be people who have personal issues with Jesus and can't respect him. Nobody has to like Jesus. The important thing is to worship and obey him out of respect, if not for Jesus, then at least for the sake of the name Yhvh.

The Bible record generally follows the genealogy that leads to Messiah; but, on the way, sometimes takes little side trips along lines forking off the main stem. So Genesis first shows where Cain's line went, drops it, and then picks up Seth's; beginning at Adam. Adam's line of course includes every human being who ever lived, but the only fork in his tree that really counts is the one leading to Jesus of Nazareth: the Bible's central figure.

It's easy to assume that Jesus was some sort of last minute emergency contingency, like an ambulance sent to an accident. But no, he was predestined to be a ransom for the sins of Man before either Man or Earth were even created

†. 1Pet 1:18-20 . . knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

†. Rev 13:8 . . All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast— all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

So God wasn't taken by surprise when the human race that He created went bad. God was not only expecting it; but He was ready for it.

†. Gen 5:1b-2 . .When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God; male and female He created them. And when they were created, He blessed them and called them Man.

As a preamble to Seth's line, Genesis reminds the world that Man's origin was by special creation, and that he was made in the likeness of his creator, and that he was a human being right from the get-go. Man didn't begin his existence as some sort of pre-human hominid. Jesus' pedigree in the book of Luke begins with his nearest male blood kin, a man named Heli, and goes all the way back to Seth and Adam. It goes no further because there is no further to go.

It's extremely important to show that Messiah is related to Adam because Jesus wouldn't qualify to pay for Man's sins unless he were a fellow man. This principle, the principle of the kinsman redeemer, was written into Moses' Law, and can be seen played out in real life in the book of Ruth; where redemption is shown to be what it really is: kin rescuing kin.

†. Heb 2:14-15 . . Since the children [of Abraham] have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death— that is, the Devil —and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Some people of course have problems with Genesis because it seems so unscientific, and contrary to the (known) fossil record. But they need to be cautious because Science does not have perfect understanding of everything yet, and it often has to be revised to reflect new discoveries, and to correct outdated theories and opinions.

Although Man was delegated the task of classifying all the wildlife (Gen 2:19-20) he wasn't permitted to classify himself. Man's creator was the one who tagged human beings with a species name; and He didn't call them primates or hominids— He called them Man. Plus, God called both genders Man; not just the male. The idea that women are somehow a separate specie of human life didn't originate in the mind of God.

The first man's personal name reflected the name of his species: 'adam (aw-dawm') which means: ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.). The male was the whole human race embodied in just one individual. There were no other people created along with Adam. He was the entire species of Man all at one time. Adam's wife was produced from his own body and spirit.

Man didn't invent himself; nor did he evolve from a lower order of life. He was created by God. Since Man is decidedly God's creation, and de facto His private property; then it should be a foregone conclusion that God has a right to have some say in Man's purpose. For Man to act independently of his maker is like a fresh new clay jar saying to its potter, "I am finished. You may leave now." But it doesn't work that way. Creators are sovereign over their creations, whether it be God over Man, or Man over an automobile and a three-bedroom home. Homes and automobiles don't rule those who built them. It's the other way around.

Man isn't from eternity, but of just only yesterday; there being a specific point in time in which God created him. And Man was not the one born first in creation; but the junior of it. All else came before him, including the brute beasts and the lowly insects.

God created Man a composite being— male and female —for their mutual comfort as well as for the preservation and increase of their kind. God is a composite being too— not in a way specifically related to gender like Man is; but in another fashion. He associates with the world by His word, and by His spirit— two sentient manifestations of the Divine nature. The third part of God, that part of the Supreme Being which nobody is permitted to see in real life, nor even to so much as hear its voice; is the True God in actual person.

God's word, and His spirit, both act as buffers and mediators between the True God and the creature Man— a necessary arrangement to protect Man from the hazards of associating with a spirit being who emits a radiant light so powerful that organic creatures cannot survive exposure to it. The concept of a composite God is an Old Testament concept, predating the New Testament's theological teachings by at least 1,400 years.

Adam lived to be 930. If we compare that age to that of the average life expectancy of American men today, Adam would have been around 11 when Seth was born.

Eve understood Seth to be Abel's replacement. But that doesn't necessarily mean Seth was the very next boy born into the Adams family after Abel. It doesn't even mean Seth was her third child. Bible genealogies often have very large gaps in them, omitting insignificant male siblings; and typically all of the girls. Here's a good example of that.

It's true that David was Jesse's son. But he wasn't the only son, and he sure wasn't the first one either. David was the youngest of eight brothers, of whom seven were all born before him. Abel was a special man because he would have been in Messiah's line had he lived. Seth took that honored position after Abel's death.

Adam was created in the image and likeness of God; which implies he came into existence with innocence. But because of the incident in the garden, people now come into the world with Adam's image rather than God's; and Adam's is now the image of a sinful being rather than that of an innocent creature.

†. Ps 51:7 . . Indeed I was born with iniquity; with sin my mother conceived me.

You know who said that? It was David, whom God said was a man after His own heart. David didn't come into the world innocent and then go on to become a sinner later on. No. It's not like that at all. He was a sinner right from the bell; from the moment of conception in his mother's womb. But technically, the Adams' posterity are sinners even prior to conception; because they became sinners in Eden; right at the very moment when their ancestors became sinners themselves.

There is a concept in traditional Christianity called Original Sin. The various denominations understand original sin in proprietary ways; but basically it just simply means that every human being in the Adams' family is guilty of eating the forbidden fruit.

Differences of opinion exist regarding the precise time of guilt. But according to Rom 5:12-19, everyone became guilty of eating the fruit in real time; viz: they ate it at the exact same moment as the Adams ate it because the verbs indicating the time of complicity are in the past tense.

†. Rom 5:12 . .Therefore, just as through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all, inasmuch as all sinned

†. Rom 5:18 …In conclusion . . through one transgression condemnation came upon all,

Since the verbs are in the past tense, it means that people who haven't even been born yet are already pre-guilty of eating the fruit prior to their conception in the womb. This particular kind of guilt isn't a genetic guilt passed on to children by their biological parents because, according to the Bible, a man's children don't inherit complicity in their parents' sins (Deut 24:16, Ezek 18:2-20). So then, Adam's posterity's guilt in the garden sin isn't a genetic guilt at all, but rather; it's an *imputed guilt.

*Imputation is an extremely important principle in the plan of salvation. Let me show you.

Have you ever been crucified? I have. Not physically, of course; but by imputation. When Jesus went to the cross, the nails that were driven into his hands and feet, were driven into my hands and feet too (Rom 6:3-11).

Have you ever been resurrected? I have. When Jesus rose from the dead, I rose from the dead too (Rom 6:3-11, Gal 2:20, Gal 5:24, Col 3:3-4).

Are you righteous enough this very moment to go to heaven should your death occur before the week is out? I am: by imputation. The quality of my imputed righteousness is such that I am fully qualified to go to heaven at any time (Rom 3:21-28, Rom 4:6-8, Rom 4:20-25, Rom 5:12-19, Php 3:8-9).

So that by imputation, I have already been executed for my sins, I have already risen from the dead, and I already have enough personal righteousness to my credit to enter heaven.

In Rom 5:12-19, Jesus' cross is juxtaposed with Adam's fruit. Since neither my crucifixion, nor my resurrection, nor my righteousness were genetically inherited from Christ as a biological ancestor, then neither was my complicity in Adam's disobedience. Everything, including my being held responsible for Adam's act, was passed to me by imputation. If not, then Paul's analogy in Rom 5:12-19 is inaccurate.

There's more. When the Adams ate the fruit, they died: not later, but right then, just like God said they would (Gen 2:17). They became sinful beings: and that, in a nutshell, is one of the more serious ramifications of bearing Adam's post-garden likeness. His entire posterity, including Seth, is actually born pre-dead. Their bodies will die later, but they themselves existed in a condition of death even before they were born.

Again, the verbs are past tense; indicating that Adam's posterity is already dead prior to conception. So then, there is a death within Adam's posterity that is somewhat different than standard mortality.

The capability to sin —which is a different condition than that of being prone to sin— is not a result of Man's fall. No, the capability to sin was in human nature right from the sixth day of creation because the Adams disobeyed God, in the third chapter of Genesis, not from the depths of a fallen nature, but from a state of complete innocence. However, that's no longer true. Everyone who descends from Adam, including Seth, now comes into the world with a propensity to sin (Rom 7:14-24) which is a condition that Man did not get from God on the day of his creation; no, the human race obtained its intrinsic propensity to sin from the forbidden fruit.

Webster's defines propensity as: an often intense natural inclination or preference.

Human nature's propensity to sin is the direct result of eating the fruit. So I would have to say that the first sin wasn't committed with a rebellious attitude, but rather; I think they took a calculated risk that the Serpent just might be right. I seriously don't think either one of them had a problem with authority, or of being told what to do because Eve really was convinced the Serpent was telling the truth, so she didn't eat the fruit just to assert her independence like when Nemo slapped the underside of that boat in defiance of his dad's wishes to the contrary.

To be an object of wrath "by nature" implies slavery. Just as human beings by nature are slaves to food and water and rest, so they are slaves to the propensity to sin. Sin is just something we have to do; it's our way of life, and any other way can lead to mental disorders. Resisting our own natural impulses can lead to psychoses because its fighting against nature; and that is a losing battle if ever there was one.

Although many of us no doubt still chose to sin, we today fall into sin much easier than the Adams because of our propensity to sin; whereas at the first, Adam and his wife didn't have that problem to deal with.

The propensity to sin, is itself sin because the propensity alone is sufficient to make everybody objects of God's wrath. Although I have never killed anybody illegally, there have been many times I would have liked to. Those longings to take someone's life are enough to qualify me as a murderer even though I've never followed through with my feelings about it. The problem is: I have a propensity to murder; and that alone is enough for God to categorize me as one. And that is primarily why the average pew warmer is not going to make it to Heaven. Not because they're murderers, but because they are slaves to a propensity to sin; which in itself is sin, and renders them an evil being.

†. Jer 13:23 . . Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.

The only God-given remedy for man's own natural propensity to sin so he can go into eternity as a perfectly sinless being is by undergoing a second birth as per John 3:3-8 (cf. Ezek 36:24-28, 2Cor 5:16-17).

†. Gen 5:4-5 . . After the birth of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and begot sons and daughters. All the days that Adam lived came to 930 years; then he died.

And but for a very few exceptions, every one of Adam's posterity has so far suffered the very same fate.

†. Ps 90:1-10 . . Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn men back to dust, saying: Return to dust, O sons of men. For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning— though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.

. .We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength —yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

†. Ecc 2:13-16 . . I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. Then I thought in my heart: The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise? I said in my heart: This too is meaningless. For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!

We all come into this life condemned men; just passing time till the inevitable day of our deaths. Youth is a wonderful thing— pity it's wasted on the young.

†. Ecc 11:9-12:1 . . Enjoy life, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see (but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment). So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are transitory. So appreciate your vigor in the days of your youth, before those days of sorrow come and those years arrive of which you will say: I have no pleasure in them.

There really is no reason to doubt that people in the primeval world lived nearly a thousand years as the Bible says. After all, the Earth— its atmosphere, its soil, and its water— was young and unpolluted, and Man was fresh out of the oven with no accumulated genetic mutations to tamper with his immune system or degrade his cell structure.

But when did Eve die? Did she outlive Adam? Who died first, Adam or Eve? Nobody really knows. But supposing Eve died quite a while before Adam? Did he remarry? And if he remarried, who did he marry? One of his own grandchildren? Well . . in Adam's case, what's so bad about that? I mean, after all, his first wife was manufactured from the organic tissues of his own body; so that in reality, Eve was his first child. I don't see how it could possibly be any worse for him to sleep with one of his adult grandkids; especially if they were like six or seven times removed.

†. Gen 5:6-7 . .When Seth had lived 105 years, he begot Enosh. After the birth of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and begot sons and daughters.

No doubt some people envy the longevity of the antediluvians; but I don't. Their life was hard, and for the most part, pretty boring. Would you want to live for 912 years in third world conditions? Not me.

Was Enosh the first of Seth's children? Maybe, but probably not. However, he's the only child that counts because it's through him that we're moving towards Noah; and ultimately, Messiah.

(sigh) The story of our all too brief, pathetic lives. So and So was born. He got married and had children; then lived X-number of years after that, and then died— same O, same O. The weary circle of life.

Kenan's name in the Hebrew is Qeynan (kay-nawn') which means: fixed or permanent; sort of like drifters finally ending their nomadic life and putting down some roots. Fixed can also mean that someone's life has a noble purpose and that their mind is focused upon that purpose rather than upon something trivial and temporal.

Jesus' sheep are exhorted to fix their minds upon the realities of their position in Christ.

†. Col 3:1-3 . . Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Believers focused entirely upon this life are carnal and worldly. And actually, only truly born-again Christians, the ones currently possessing eternal life; can set their minds upon things above because ordinary Chris tians are not even sure where they're going when they die. It's good to have something to look forward to. Treasures in heaven support the weary heart and help it to endure difficulties down here on the planet.

†. 1Pet 1:3-4 . . Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you,

For marginal Christians, hope is defined as a longing for the unattainable. For those who are born-again, who are actually confident that Jesus' crucifixion is an adequate ransom to rescue their souls from the wrath of God, hope is defined as a guaranteed expectation; as opposed to the wishful thinking of the damned.

†. Gen 5:10 . . After the birth of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and begot sons and daughters.

You know, some of these guys really didn't accomplish very much. All they seemed to do was reproduce. But the important thing is; they made a line to Messiah and, as is the duty of patriarchs, preserved whatever sacred teachings were handed down from their fathers.

(yawn) Over and over again. Just about everybody reproduces in chapter five. And just about everybody dies too.

†. Gen 5:12-20 . .When Kenan had lived 70 years, he begot Mahalalel. After the birth of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Kenan came to 910 years; then he died. When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he begot Jared. After the birth of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Mahalalel came to 895 years; then he died. When Jared had lived 162 years, he begot Enoch. After the birth of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Jared came to 962 years; then he died.

Four of those men— Enoch, Jared, Mahalalel, and Kenan (Cainan) —are listed in Jesus' genealogy at Luke 3:37-38.

Methuselah's name is Methuwshelach (meth-oo-sheh'-lakh) which is a compound word made up of math (math) which means an adult (as of full length or full size), and shelach (sheh'-lakh) which means a missile of attack, i.e. a spear, sling stone, or perhaps an arrow. Methuselah was a full-size missile; viz: not a wimpy BB pellet, but a full metal jacketed smokeless cartridge.

Apparently people had some pretty sophisticated weapons in those days; which could be used for hunting as well as for war. Today our preferred missile of attack from a hand held weapon is the bullet. A Methuselah bullet would probably be known today as a magnum. Magnums cost more than normal ammo but hit harder, go further, and cause more damage (they're louder too). A modern name that might correspond to Methuselah is Long Tom— a nickname often given to very large canons. Maybe they meant to call him Big Guy because he was such a heavy newborn.

†. Gen 5:22-23 …After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years; and he begot sons and daughters. All the days of Enoch came to 365 years.

Enoch was a fiery preacher, speaking the words recorded in Jude 1:14-15; warning people prior to the Flood that Almighty God intends to make the wicked give an account of themselves some day.

This is the very first man on record who is actually said to have *walked with God. People still walk with God. Here's a useful acronym that covers most of the essential elements of faith regarding walking with God. The acronym is ROTC.

Those who are outwardly religious, but don't actually walk with God, might be wise to give this next little saying some thought.

Ye call Me lord and respect Me not.
Ye call Me master and obey Me not.
Ye call Me light and see Me not.
Ye call Me way and walk Me not.
Ye call Me life and choose Me not.
Ye call Me wise and follow Me not.
Ye call Me kind and love Me not.
Ye call Me just and fear Me not.
If I condemn thee, blame Me not.

†. 1John 1:6 …If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

On the page of Scripture, Enoch isn't said to walk with God until after his little boy Methuselah was born; suggesting perhaps that parenthood can have an amazing influence on some men's attitude towards their maker.

Enoch walked with God during a very large percentage of his life. The New Testament's Jesus walked with God too; which, although his life was quite brief, only 33 years, was rich in quality time.

†. John 8:29 . .The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.

Believers are urged to walk just as Jesus walked; viz: always strive to do what pleases God.

†. 1John 2:3-6 . .We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Churches experienced an increase in attendance the Sunday morning following the World Trade Center disaster. When people's knees are shaking; they're sometimes inclined to kneel on them and turn towards God like they would a spare tire or an ambulance. But the really faithful among His people stay in touch with God every day of their lives, and please Him all the way to the end, just like Enoch; whether in good times or bad.

†. 3John 1:11 . . Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

The phrase "hath not seen God" in 3John 1:11 doesn't mean good Christians get to experience close encounters of a third kind with the Bible's God. The Greek word for seen is horao (hor-ah'-o) which means: to stare at; viz: to keenly observe, to study; to discern clearly.

In other words, bad Christians don't as yet know the kind of God they're dealing with. Apparently they're unaware that Christianity's God is not only a nurturing parent, but also a Jurist of impeccable integrity who believes in, who practices, and who preaches good conduct, good morals, justice, and retribution.

Enoch has the distinction of being the shortest lived man in chapter five. But he didn't die a natural death. He crossed over to the next life miraculously.

†. Heb 11:5 . . By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away.

People like Elijah (2Ki 2:11) and Enoch (Gen 5:24, Heb 11:5) don't undergo the discomfort of dying, even as the true believers on earth when the Lord comes in the air won't have to endure the discomforts of death either (1Cor 15:51-52, 1Thes 4:13-18). To be taken up without dying— viz: translated —implies shedding the human body in an instantaneous, painless way. In Elijah's and Enoch's cases: one second you're flesh and blood, next second; pop! you're a ghost. In the case of true believers at Jesus' return: one second you're mortal, next second; shazaam! you're immortal.

Thus, everyone's Adamic human body has to perish, whether via translation or via natural expiration, because it is appointed unto human beings to die at least once (Gen 3:19, Heb 9:27) and in Adam; all die, including Elijah and Enoch, no exceptions (1Cor 15:22) since flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. (John 3:3-8, 1Cor 15:50)

Enoch's experience in the Old Testament is the very first revelation in the Bible of life beyond death; and the New Testament verifies it beyond question.

†. 2Cor 5:6-9 . .Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.

†. Gen 5:25-27 …When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he begot Lamech. After the birth of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Methuselah came to 969 years; then he died.

Ol' Methuselah holds the record for longevity. He outlived his son Lamech, dying five years after him in the very year the Flood came; when Methuselah's grandson Noah was 600. Whether or not Methuselah died in the Flood or by natural causes is not said. However, he may indeed have perished in it right along with all of the rest of Noah's relatives. Just because men are listed in Messiah's genealogy doesn't necessarily mean they were righteous. In point of fact, some of the Davidic kings in Jesus' line were totally wicked men beyond remedy. (e.g. Jer 22:24-30)

†. Gen 5:28-29 . .When Lamech had lived 182 years, he begot a son. And he named him Noah, saying, “This one will provide us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands, out of the very soil which the Lord placed under a curse.”

The word for *Noah is from nuwach (noo'-akh) and means: rest or quiet. But not the kind of quiet one might find in a sound-proof room. More like the peace and quiet a person would experience by getting away from anxiety, fear, conflict, and toil.

Lamech speaks as one fatigued with the business of living, and as one grudging that so much energy, which otherwise might have been much better employed in leisure, entertainment, or self improvement, was unavoidably spent in toil and labor necessary simply to survive.

Lamech undoubtedly saw that Noah was a very special boy; the next patriarch after himself. Perhaps he hoped Noah was the promised seed of the woman; the one who would crush the Serpent's head, remove the curse, and restore the Earth to its former prosperity and glory; thus making for Man a much more enjoyable experience than the one he is subjected to for now.

†. Rom 8:18-21 . . I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its slavery to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God.

†. Acts 3:19-21 . . Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

According to Acts 3:19-21, men have been pounding pulpits since the very beginning, and all of the prophets, ever since Abel, have looked ahead in anxious anticipation to Messiah's intervention in world affairs and bringing into existence a much better world than the one there is now.

†. Gen 5:30-32 . . After the birth of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Lamech came to 777 years; then he died. When Noah had lived 500 years, Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Lamech escaped the Flood by a mere 5 years. It came when Noah was 600 (Gen 7:6).

Shem was the next patriarch after his dad Noah. But the names of all three boys are given probably because of the role they will play in repopulating the Earth after the Flood. The Bible doesn't say Ham and Japheth were good men. They survived the Flood in spite of their character only because they got aboard the ark with their dad when it was time for the rain to begin. If they had mocked, and remained on land with the rest of the world, then they would have certainly drowned right along with everyone else in spite of their ancestry.

†. Gen 6:1-2 . . Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were good; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

The Hebrew word for good in that passage is towb (tobe) which is the very same word that Genesis utilizes to evaluate God's handiwork in creation; e.g. Light (Gen 1:4) Land and Seas (Gen 1:10) Vegetation (Gen 1:12) Sun, Moon, and Stars (Gen 1:18) Birds and Aquatic Life (Gen 1:21) Beasts and Bugs (Gen 1:25) and the finished product (Gen 1:31).

Towb is one of those ambiguous Hebrew words that can be utilized as either a noun or an adjective in a wide variety of applications; e.g.

1) of a favorable character or tendency, <good news>
2) bountiful, fertile, <good land>
3) handsome, attractive, <good looks><good shape>
4) suitable, fit, <good to eat>
5) free from injury or disease, <one good arm>
6) not depreciated, <bad money drives out good>
7) commercially sound, <a good risk>
8) that can be relied on, <good for another year> <good for a hundred dollars> <always good for a laugh>
9) profitable, advantageous, <made a very good deal>
10) agreeable, pleasant, <had a good time>
11) salutary, <good morning>
12) useful, <good for a cold>
13) amusing, clever, <a good joke>
14) of a noticeably large size or quantity: considerable, <won by a good margin> <a good bit of the time>
15) complete, <waited a good hour>
16) used as an intensive, <a good many of us>
17) well-founded, cogent, <good reasons>
18) true, <holds good for society at large>
19) deserving of respect: honorable, <in good standing>
20) legally valid or effectual, <good title>
21) adequate, satisfactory, <good care>
22) conforming to a standard, <good English>
23) choice, discriminating, <good taste>
24) cut, <containing less fat and being less tender than higher grades — used of meat and esp. of beef>
25) virtuous, right, commendable, <a good person> <good conduct>
26) kind, benevolent ,<good intentions>
27) upper-class, <a good family>
28) competent, skillful, <a good doctor>
29) loyal, <a good party man> <a good Catholic>
30) close, <a good friend>
31) free from infirmity or sorrow, <I feel good>
32) virtually, <as good as dead> <as good as gold>
33) of the highest worth or reliability, <his promise is as good as gold>
34) likeable, <good guy>
35) well-behaved. <good kid>

Ambiguous Hebrew words like towb serve to illustrate why it's virtually impossible to translate Hebrew into English with 100% precision. No linguist in his right mind would dare to say that English versions of the Hebrew Old Testament are perfect word-for-word renditions of the original manuscripts— no; they can't even be certified perfect word-for-word renditions of the available manuscripts let alone the originals.

The precise identity of the "sons of God" has been debated. Some say they were the sons of the aristocracy of that day who married attractive women from among the commoners. Others say they were fallen spirit beings who cohabited with human beings to produce a hybrid strain of human freaks. Others say they were pious men who, instead of marrying pious women of like faith, married outsiders; viz: infidels— implying that "daughters of men" are women who don't fear the Bible's God. (e.g. Gen 26:34-35)

It's quite rational to deduce from the text that otherwise pious men were overcome with sensual lust and built themselves harems of impious women; who subsequently became the mothers of God-less children. Intermarriage between men of faith and pagan women is a proven tactic for watering down, compromising, and even extinguishing Bible beliefs and practices (e.g. Num 31:7-16). The people of God are commanded against marrying outside their faith. (Deut 7:1-4, 2Cor 6:14-18)

In a mixed relationship, one a believer and the other an infidel, the believer will be forced to compromise their convictions in order to keep the relationship going. Compromise in the area of spiritual values is not a good thing for God's people. It's not only bad for the conscience, but will quickly ruin a believer's relationship with their Lord. (e.g. 1Kgs 11:1-10, cf. 1John 1:6)

Most people want love, romance, companionship, and a family of their own. According to Gen 1:27-28, and Gen 2:21-24, those things are Divine blessings, they're perfectly normal, nothing to be ashamed of; nor is there anything inherently naughty or sinful about them. But a believer has to be self controlled, and not permit sensual urges to make them lose their heads and ruin their chances for happiness. Adult dating is where it starts. And adult dating isn't harmless. It leads to other things, and it leads into commitments and promises that are not easily reneged. The end result of adult dating is ultimately marriage and children. Whose religion will prevail in the marriage? Whose religion will be taught to the children? The believer's or the infidel's? And ultimately, who will get the children's souls— God, or the Devil?

Some couples try to accommodate each other's beliefs by teaching their children the concepts of both religions. For example, a marriage between a Jew and a Catholic. The children are given a choice between yeshiva and catechism; between Mitzvah and Confirmation. That may seem like a good idea, but it only creates confusion in the minds of the children. Why are mom and dad not in agreement? Whose religion is right? Can both be right? Does it mean that one religion is just as good as the next so long as they both believe in the same God?

Teaching their children more than one system of beliefs and practices is out of the question for Christians because the Lord and Master of New Testament Christianity demands their exclusive devotion.

†. John 14:6 . . I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

†. 1Tim 2:5 . . For there is one God, and one mediator between God and humanity; the man Christ Jesus

Wives can be very effective in influencing an otherwise pious man to compromise his convictions (e.g. Gen 3:6). All too often, in a mixed marriage, the mother's religion will be taught to her children because husbands, as a rule, put a higher priority on sex and peace in the home than religion, so they won't risk alienating mama by forcing the issue. The sons of God in Noah's day— whose wives were chosen based solely upon sex appeal sans any spiritual prudence whatsoever —all perished in the Flood right along with their infidel wives and children.

†. Gen 6:3a . . And Yhvh said: My Spirit shall not strive with man forever

Some translations have "abide" instead of strive. But the Hebrew word is diyn (deen) which means: to rule; by implication to judge (as umpire); also to strive (as at law). It can also mean to plead the cause of; or to contend in argument.

There does come a time when God's patience runs out. Not because He can't take it anymore, but because when human beings become too decadent, then any more kindness shown them is just throwing good money after bad. Man tends to move away from God, not towards Him. The Lord is ever pleading with Man to bring him into a right relationship with Himself. But there does come a time when people go beyond a point of no return.

Christians dare not assume themselves immune to an early death. Even they can go too far and provoke God to take harsh steps. All but Noah of the sons of God in Gen 6:1-2 perished in the Flood right along with their God-less wives.

†. Rom 8:12-13 . . So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

The "death" of which John spoke is not going to Hell. Far from it because according to Jesus' own personal testimony; believers are in absolutely no danger of ever going to Hell from here to eternity. (Mrk 16:15-16, John 3:14-18, John 5:24, John 10:27-29)

Christians in ancient Corinth abused the Lord's memorial service; and because of that, they contracted illnesses and some died.

†. 1Cor 11:23-31 . . For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

. . Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.

Contrary to the mushy, sob-sister brand of Christianity going around like swine flu, there is a time when forgiveness is not only impossible, but it's also unreasonable. Hell is populated with people who will never, ever be forgiven. They crossed a line and now there's no going back; ever. God no longer has any interest in their welfare. They are forgotten, ignored; and can expect neither pity nor sympathy from God ever again— only mockery.

†. Prv 1:22-28 . . How long will you simple ones love simplicity, you scoffers be eager to scoff, you dullards hate knowledge? You are indifferent to my rebuke; I will now speak my mind to you, and let you know my thoughts.

. . Since you refused me when I called, and paid no heed when I extended my hand— you spurned all my advice, and would not hear my rebuke —I will laugh at your calamity, and mock when terror comes upon you; when terror comes like disaster, and calamity arrives like a tornado, when trouble and distress come upon you. Then they shall call me but I will not answer; they shall seek me but not find me.

God's spirit is ever active in the world; preventing evil from getting too far out of hand. But out ahead, there's a day coming when it will step aside for a bit and permit the world to become as evil as it wants.

†. 2Thes 2:3-7 . . Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

. . Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.

Not only is God's spirit actively holding evil in check throughout the world, but it is also busy striving with Christians; encouraging them to walk the straight and narrow.

†. Eph 4:30-32 . . And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

If Christians aren't careful, they can resist God's spirit to the point where it gives up and stops trying, just like it did in Noah's day.

The word mortal isn't really mortal. It's from shagag (shaw-gag') which means: to stray, i.e. (figuratively) sin (with more or less apology). The phrase "they are only mortal flesh" is actually huw' bshagam baasaar, which means: they are sinful flesh.

That is one of the most striking statements in the Bible— straight from God Himself —His own personal testimony that Man isn't basically good; no, au contraire; he is quite basically evil. Others, speaking for God, reported the very same condition.

†. Jer 17:9 . . Most devious is the heart; it is perverse— who can fathom it?

David, one of the most righteous people in the entire Old Testament, believed himself a sinner right from the very moment of his conception.

†. Ps 51:5-7 . . for I recognize my transgressions, and am ever conscious of my sin. Against You alone have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are just in Your sentence, and right in Your judgment. Indeed I was born with iniquity; with sin my mother conceived me.

†. Ps 58:4 . .The wicked are defiant from birth; the liars go astray from the womb.

†. John 3:17-19 . . For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to rescue the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

Paul, an apostle assigned to the Gentiles, felt that his own mortal flesh was a hopeless case.

†. Rom 7:18-20 . . I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Paul wasn't actually a total failure at doing what is good. He was a Pharisee; the most pious sect of Judaism in Jesus' day. Concerning Old Testament Jewish law, he was blameless. But underneath all that, down deep inside, inherent within his human nature, Paul knew he had problems.

Some feel that the doctrine of "The Total Depravity Of Man" is a wholly Christian invention. Far from it. Here in Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, in Man's prehistoric years, prior to the Flood, prior to Abraham, prior to Jesus, and prior to the New Testament; God said; "they are sinful flesh." And Jesus, many millennia later, said as much: "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing." (John 6:63)

How can anyone possibly think that Jesus, a prophet of the Bibles' God, would teach that Man is basically good? He and his Father, the Old Testament's God, are in perfect agreement. If God would say Man is sinful flesh, then Jesus would have to say the very same thing; or be out of harmony with his superior.

†.John 14:10 . . Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

†. John 12:48-50 . .There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.

Some feel that God set the limits of human longevity in that verse. But people still continued to live long lives for a great number of years afterwards. Even Abraham, who lived many, many years after the Flood, didn't die till he was 175 years old. It's more reasonable to conclude that God was announcing a deadline. They had 120 years left to get ready to meet their maker. But you think that alarmed anybody? Heck no. They went right on; business as usual.

†. Luke 17:26-27 . . And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

The time of God's patience is sometimes long; but never unlimited: reprieves are not pardons— though God bear a great while, He never bears forever.

†. Gen 6:4 . .The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Nephilism is like a strange birth defect that produces men of extraordinary mettle. The defect is apparently predominant in males; sort of like ADHD. Personality-wise, the Nephilim were above average in recognition and achievement, and mirrored the Vikings in exploits and daring. They were a strong, terrifying people to be feared and avoided; as were the Mongols under the leadership of Genghis Khan in the thirteenth century.

Not all Nephilistic people are blood thirsty; but I think it's safe to characterize all of them as highly competitive, over-achievers in politics, business, sports, military, entertainment, and religion. The Nephilim of that day all perished in Noah's flood, but the syndrome itself resurfaced later in the sons of a man named Anak.

†. Num 13:31-33 . . But the men who had gone up with him said: We cannot attack that people, for it is stronger than we. Thus they spread calumnies among the Israelites about the land they had scouted, saying: The country that we traversed and scouted is one that devours its settlers. All the people that we saw in it are men of great size; we saw the Nephilim there— the Anakites are part of the Nephilim— and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them.

†. Deut 9:1-2 . . Hear, O Israel! You are about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and more populous than you: great cities with walls sky-high; a people great and tall, the Anakites, of whom you have knowledge; for you have heard it said: Who can stand up to the children of Anak?

The Anakites descended from Noah; as did everybody else, so that just because one's ancestor was a righteous man is no guarantee his descendents will be like him.

†. Gen 6:5 . .The Lord saw how great was man's wickedness on earth, and how every plan devised by his mind was nothing but evil all the time.

Here again, the Bible clearly, and without ambiguity, declares that Man is thoroughly evil. See all the decent, law-abiding citizens around you? They are only decent and law-abiding because civilized Man is regulated by law and order. Take away law and order, and no one would be safe for very long because it's inherent in Man to destroy himself.

It's one thing to be guilty of an evil act. It's quite another to be infected with an evil mind. There are some who believe that God weighs only actions. But here, in the very beginning, God was already weighing the activity of the human mind. And He says that the human mind is evil —not just some of the time, no, all the time.

What does that mean really? Does it mean that people in those days thought only about rape, and robbery, and embezzlement, and kidnapping, and sleeping around, and entertainment, and food, and power, and wealth, and revenge. Maybe. I guess you could include those things; but it goes much deeper than that.

Named after the first names of its inventors, Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, the Johari window is one of the most useful models describing the process of human interaction. A four-paned glass window, divides personal awareness into four areas, as represented by its four quadrants: Open, Hidden, Blind, and Unknown.

2. The "blind" quadrant represents things that you can see about me, but that I am unaware of.

3. The "hidden" quadrant represents things that I can see about myself, that you don't know.

4. The "unknown" quadrant is opaque, and represents things that neither one of us can see about myself.

Man’s sub conscience lies in the fourth pane; the “unknown” one. Subconscious is defined as: existing in the mind but not immediately available to consciousness. There are horrible things lurking in the subconscious region of the human mind, and human nature typically suppresses that region to avoid dealing with its awful contents. But it's right in there where God sees some pretty bad things about which we are often deliberately unaware.

†. Heb 4:12-13 . . For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

That is terrifying. There is nothing about ourselves that we can hide from God. Those who study the Bible are often confronted with a reflection of themselves that is not very flattering. God's word is light. It reveals all of our ignoble imperfections and every sinful blemish. But not everyone is happy with what they see in the light and so they avoid it.

†. John 3:19-20 . .This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

Because of our inherent psychological handicaps, we don't really understand ourselves near well enough to perceive just how demonic every single one of us truly is. Man's subconscious mind is easily his most insurmountable obstacle to attaining true holiness because he can neither understand his subconscious mind, nor can he control it. For the most part, it is a blind side; and without illumination, Man hasn't a clue what's really going on in there.

†. Jer 17:9-10 . .The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.

So the question that we must face is: If the heart of Man is basically, and incurably twisted beyond cure, then how will any human being ever get to see God? Answer: Only by a re-Genesis; viz: an act of creation; the miracle of a second birth.

†. John 3:3 . . In reply Jesus declared: I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born from above.

According to the Lord and Master of New Testament Christianity, second births are not optional; no, they are a must; no exceptions.

†. John 3:7 . .You should not be surprised at my saying you must be born again.

†.Gen 6:6 … And The Lord regretted that He had made man on earth, and His heart was saddened.

Actually the word regretted isn't quite accurate. It's from the Hebrew word nacham (naw-kham') which means, among other things: to sigh, i.e. breathe strongly; by implication, to be sorry, i.e. (in a favorable sense) to pity.

God doesn't regret creating Man. No, not at all. On the final day of creation, when Man was created, God looked back over His handiwork and announced it was all not just good; but "very good".

Man, though he is a sinful being now, nevertheless, was God's personal handiwork and He's pained by humanity's self destruction; much as a parent is disappointed in a child for whom they had high hopes, but ends up a loser instead.

Is God vulnerable? Yes, God most certainly is vulnerable; very vulnerable. You might be surprised just how sensitive God really is. The Bible has much to say about God's feelings. The Bible's God is not a distant, cold, alien life-form like Spock of Star Trek. No; the Bible's God is a sentient, sensitive being, and fully able to feel things like compassion, anger, happiness, sorrow, love, hate, pity, annoyance, and jealousy.

Were you upset by the World Trade Center attack? Well, so was God. Were you touched by the plight of Afghanistan's refugees? So was God. Are you saddened by the children of Afghanistan; of whom 1\3 are orphans and the most go to bed hungry every night? So is God. Were you moved by the cultural restrictions the Taliban imposed upon Afghan women? So was God. It is because of God's feelings, His unfathomable pity for Man, that the Bible's God sent His own kin, His own heir apparent, the son that He cherishes above all else and everyone else, to be crucified and rescue Man from a terrible fate.

†. John 3:14-19 . . Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert (Num 21:5-9) so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so pitied the world that He donated His one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God didn't send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to rescue the world through him.

The Jews, whom God rescued from the brickyards of Egyptian slavery, eventually became ungrateful to the One who had been so good to them.

†. Isa 1:2-3 . . Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up— and they have rebelled against me! An ox knows its owner, an ass its master's crib: Israel does not know; my people are thoughtless.

†. Ezek 6:8-10 . .Yet I will leave a remnant, in that some of you shall escape the sword among the nations and be scattered through the lands. And those of you that escape will remember Me among the nations where they have been taken captive, how I was brokenhearted through their faithless hearts which turned away from Me, and through their eyes which lusted after their fetishes. And they shall loathe themselves for all the evil they committed and for all their abominable deeds. Then they shall realize it was not without cause that I the Lord resolved to bring this evil upon them.

The antediluvians resisted God's spirit: resisted it to the point of no return. He was saddened; and finally, because nothing else could be done; God removed them from the earth as a HazMat team would deal with a chemical spill. They were toxic; they had become an infectious disease upon the planet, and God took action to remedy the situation.

Christians should never take the Bible's God for granted. If the Bible's God drowned all those people in Noah's day because they wouldn't listen to Him, but preferred rather to gratify their fleshly appetites and impulses, then He won't spare worldly Christians either. It just wouldn't be fair.

†. Rom 8:12-14 . . Brethren, we are debtors— not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

†. Eph 4:30 . . And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

†. 1Cor 10:11-12 . .These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

†. 1Pet 1:17 . . And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth.

†. 1John 5:16 . . If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that one should pray about that.

†. Gen 6:7 . .Yhvh said: I will blot out from the earth the men whom I created— men together with beasts, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for it grieves me that I made them.

God was grieved with all forms of antediluvian life; not just Man. Even the animal world had become twisted and evil. How that happened I have no idea— but what a mess.

The Hebrew word for blot is from machah (maw-khaw') which means: to stroke or rub; by implication, to erase; also to smooth (as if with oil), i.e. grease or make fat; also to touch, i.e. reach to.

God intended to not only remove Man from the face of the earth, but also to scrub off all of their works too so that when He was done, it would be very difficult to even be able to tell the antediluvians were ever here at all.

It’s always been a mystery to me why paleoanthropologists have managed to find so few fossilized remains of ancient human beings. In 1992, Tim White of the University of California at Berkeley, discovered the fossilized skeleton of a woman (nicknamed Ardi) in Ethiopia's Afar Rift who lived 4.4 million years ago. His forty-seven member team, over a period of 17 years, discovered portions of the skeletons of thirty-seven more individuals from the same era. The discovery has sent evolutionists into a tail spin because the woman’s age, combined with her physical design, proves that apes and humans are separate and distinct species rather than sharing a common ancestor in an evolutionary chain.

But my point is: Where are the remains of the antediluvians? They’re gone; lock, stock, and barrel: no tools, no dwellings, no footprints, no bones, no pottery, no cave art, no nothing.

God moved against Man like a relentless newspaper editor who deletes superfluous words and sentences; keeping only those germane to the story. Editing isn't reserved only for those who are strangers to God, but also applies to those who are His very own people.

†. Isa 27:10-11 . .The fortified city stands desolate, an abandoned settlement, forsaken like the desert; there the calves graze, there they lie down; they strip its branches bare. When its twigs are dry, they are broken off and women come and make fires with them. For this is a people without understanding; so their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.

One can almost hear the Divine decree: "Though I created Man in my own image, that does not excuse him. If he and his world will not permit me to be their sovereign, then I must away with them."

(shiver) That is such a terrifying thought; and one that should unnerve all those who contemplate it.

†. Luke 19:11-28 . .While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.

. . He said: A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. Put this money to work; he said, until I come back. But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say: We don't want this man to be our king.

. . He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it . . But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them— bring them here and kill them while I watch.

Does that sound anything like your sweet little turn-the-other-cheek Jesus? The New Testament's Jesus, and the Old Testament's God are in perfect agreement on how to deal with people who refuse to submit to Divine authority.

†. Ps 2:7-12 . . Let me tell of the decree: Yhvh said to me: You are my son, I have fathered you this day. Ask it of me, and I will make the nations your domain; your estate, the limits of the earth. You can smash them with an iron mace, shatter them like potter's ware. Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve Yhvh with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

The word for favor is from chen (khane) and means: graciousness. Translators sometimes render chen as grace. It can be either grace or favor; but the important thing is that The Lord didn't find chen with Noah. No, just the opposite— Noah found chen with The Lord.

Webster's defines graciousness as merciful, compassionate, kind, courteous, cordial, affable, genial, and sociable. Those are all good qualities, and the very things you would expect to see in someone you loved and trusted— like your spouse or a very close friend.

†. Gen 6:9 …This is the line of Noah.— Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age; Noah walked with God.

Three things are said of Noah: 1) He was righteous, 2) he was blameless, and 3) he walked with God.

The Bible says that two people won't walk together unless they agree (Am 3:3). Harmony, then, is important in any personal relationship.

The Hebrew word for righteous is from tsaddiyq (tsad-deek') which means: just.

Webster's provides several definitions of just, but perhaps the ones best suited for our purpose are: conscientious, honest, honorable, right, scrupulous, true, dependable, reliable, tried, trustworthy, dispassionate, equal, equitable, impartial, nondiscriminatory, objective, unbiased, uncolored, and unprejudiced. So then, Noah was not only religious to his fingertips; but he was a pretty decent person to boot.

The word for blameless is from tamiym (taw-meem') and means: entire (literally, figuratively or morally); also (as noun) integrity, truth.

†. Luk 1:5-6 . . In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly.

The commandments and regulations of The Lord are divided in two major parts: the religious laws, and the civil laws. The religious laws are sub divided into sacrificial laws and procedural laws. The sacrificial laws were used to obtain forgiveness and absolution for breaking all the other laws. So that Zechariah and his wife didn't have to be sinless in order to be blameless, they just had to be taking full advantage of the sacrificial laws in order to cover their tracks. In fact, Zechariah himself was an officiator of those very same sacrificial laws in his daily duties as an Aaronic priest.

Though Noah wasn't perfect, God rated him as if he was. He rated Noah as if he were truly sinless. There you have Divine grace in action. It elevates sinners to a position way beyond their reach; and way above their merits. (cf. Eph 2:1-9)

†. Ps 86:11-13 . .Teach me your way, O Lord; I will walk in your truth; let my heart be undivided in reverence for your name. I will praise you, O Lord, my God, with all my heart and pay honor to your name forever. For your steadfast love toward me is great; you have saved me from the depths of Sheol.

The writer of Psalm 86 revered God and wanted to be educated in His ways not in order to be saved from Sheol; but because God had already saved him from Sheol. The author's desire to please The Lord his God stemmed from a heart of admiration and gratitude, rather than from fear of Sheol.

†. Rom 12:1-2 . . And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice— the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

If believers desire to buddy up with their God in this life, then they have to knuckle down and walk alongside Him; viz: they have to live according to God’s teachings.

†. 1John 1:4-7 . .This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we associate with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth

People generally think of Noah as a silly old fool who loved animals and built a big boat for them to ride in. But according to the Bible, he was a very outstanding man.

†. Heb 11:7 . . By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

†. 2Pet 2:5 . . and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

†. Gen 6:9b . . Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

†. Gen 6:22 . .Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

The most incredible thing about Noah was his degree of piety in a world gone mad with evil. He must have endured an enormous amount of opposition, ridicule, criticism, and thoughtless remarks. Yet he persisted and didn't cave in to the thinking of his neighbors and friends; nor of his brothers and sisters, nor of his nieces and nephews, nor of any of the rest of his kin. Only his wife, and his three sons and their wives responded to Noah's preaching; yet he continued to warn people about the Flood right up to the end.

To the majority of modern intellectuals, Noah is merely a mythical character, and to them his ark and its animals are nothing but a story for children's coloring books. To them, it is much too naïve to give any serious consideration to the concept of Noah and the ark. However, later writers of the Bible felt differently. God lists Noah among three of the most righteous men in history.

†. Ezek 14:13-14 . . Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness: testifies Yhvh God.

Noah was actually a nobody in his day; eclipsed by the Nephilim, those mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. They got all the press, the publicity, and the notoriety while God's man went largely ignored. Yet the Nephilim were damned. Look around you today at the movie stars, news anchors, politicians, professional athletes, musicians and singers, software and computer giants, the super models, the industrialists and the billionaires— the shakers and the movers, the people we admire, and all the people who are prestigious and constantly in the public eye. Where are they going when they die? What will it matter then how remarkable they were in this life when it's all over?

The beautiful, the wealthy, the influential, the prestigious, the powerful, the popular, the celebrité, the genius— just about all of them; the overwhelming majority, will be locked away forever in the dungeons of Hell without hope or reprieve.

†. 1Cor 1:26 . . Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

What's the problem with the movers and the shakers? Well . . they are just simply too distracted with other things to be bothered by Bible stuff; so Jesus' message never has a chance; like the seed sown among brambles in the parable of the sower. (Mrk 4:18-19)

Were those the only kids Noah had? And no daughters? I seriously doubt it. Noah was six hundred when the flood began. It is unlikely that a healthy, hard working, robust man would live that long without engendering a much larger family than three; especially in those days without birth control. But these three boys are the only ones that count now because they're going on the ark with their dad.

The word for corrupt is shachath (shaw-khath') which means: to decay, to become decadent, i.e. to ruin and destroy.

People were busy wrecking not only themselves, but also the environment just like early settlers did here in America when they raped the land, chopped down millions of trees, and killed off practically every buffalo and beaver in sight. Over the years the waters of America have become so badly polluted that scientists say there is now no water anywhere in the USA that's safe to drink without treatment of some kind— not even snow-melt in the high elevations.

When I was a kid in rural California back in the late 1940's and mid 1950's, I played in the San Diego river a few miles east of the city catching frogs, crawdads, and fish. I even drank some of the water on occasion. But today it would not be wise to let that river's water even get on your skin.

I've seen the smog so bad in LA that tourists' kids at Disneyland kept handkerchiefs over their eyes to daub away the tears running down their cheeks caused by noxious chemicals in the local air.

Man was a destroyer prior to the Flood, and he went right on destroying the Earth after the Flood ended with toxic waste, litter, air and water pollution, over-harvesting fish, birds, and animals to near extinction, introducing non-native species, greenhouse gases, over-logging, destruction of rain forests, war, obliterating perfectly good farm land for strip malls, commercial parks, and housing tracts, proliferating terrible social diseases, road kills, crime, acid rain, space debris, wide-spread destruction of habitat, etc, etc, etc. California alone has already managed to destroyed more than 90% of its natural wetlands.

Crime is pretty much the inevitable outcome in a world of sinful beings sans law and order. Nobody was accountable for a single thing in those days. The only rules that may have existed were those among clans or in towns. But those rules wouldn't be universal. Rules like that would be different from clan to clan and from town to town. And primitive clans are known to war with each other on a regular basis like the Native Americans did here in the early years.

I just hope I don't live to see the day when some sort of nationwide disaster, like a nuclear holocaust, occurs in America. Nobody will be safe. Electrical power will be out, the banks won't be open, ATM machines won't work, and everyone will be so desperate to survive. Roving gangs of thugs will prowl the rubble looking to scavenge and to steal anything not nailed down or protected by guards. Law enforcement and medical services will be so overwhelmed that dialing 911 will be no more productive than writing a letter to Santa Claus; that is, if telephones even work. If hurricane Katrina taught us anything in New Orleans, it's that large-scale disasters produce large-scale chaos.

At 9:01 am, Sept. 25, 1978, Pacific Southwest (PSA) flight 182 was over the North Park neighborhood of San Diego, beginning its final approach into Lindbergh Field. A Cessna 172, flown by two licensed pilots, accidentally intercepted the jetliner and was struck by the right wing of the Boeing 727, sending both aircraft crashing into a neighborhood below while I was at work in a boat yard on Shelter Island. All 135 passengers and crew on the airliner, another 2 in the Cessna, and 7 people on the ground, were killed for a total of 144 dead, plus 22 homes destroyed and/or damaged by the impact and subsequent fires. From the island, I could see the smoke of the wreckage off in the distance.

On the way home that evening, I made a stop at my favorite mom and pop grocery store to pick up something for dinner. The proprietor knew one of the cops who responded to the crash. The cop told the store owner that they caught a man running away from the scene of the crash carrying a human jaw with gold teeth in it. Can you imagine something like that happening in a modern civilized America?

According to the 2009 World Almanac, in the year 2007, there were a total of 1,408,337 violent crimes committed in the USA which included manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The number of property crimes totaled 9,843,481 which included burglary, larceny, and auto theft. Those totals exclude arson and non victim types of crimes like perjury, contempt of court, internet hackers, traffic violations, J-walking, trespassing, feeding parking meters; et al.

The criminal element has neither honor nor sympathy for its victims. After the recent tsunami subsided in Samoa, residents returned to neighborhoods only to find that their homes had been looted.

And to think the USA and its territories are a society of law abiding citizens. Just think what it must have been like in Noah's day with no organized civil authority whatsoever to control crime. All I can say is; if something really bad should ever happen here in the USA, you’d better own deadly weapons like swords and guns because neither your life nor your possessions will be safe in the night.

There are people who, for what reason I don't know, say that after God created the Earth, turned it over to Man, and then went off on some other venture and left Man to himself; to do whatever he wants with his new home. But that just isn't reality. God is aware of everything that goes on down here.

†. Ps 14:1 . .The fool says in his heart: There is no God. They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

According to that Psalm, it is a fool who thinks God isn't aware of what's going on down here.

†. Gen 6:12b-13a . . for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah: I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.

Some people would probably like to translate some of that verse like this: "for the earth is filled with violence through God." But Genesis doesn't say it was filled with violence through God; no, God said it was filled with violence through them— the antediluvians.

Soon after the 9/11 attacks, a prominent Christian preacher started pounding his pulpit and spewing a message alleging the attacks were a message from God to America for tolerating lesbians and abortionists. An Islamic cleric, speaking in a mosque, said the attacks were the wrath of Allah for the aggression of America's war machine against Muslims.

I'm jealous. Those men apparently have red-phone lines directly to Heaven's front desk and are privy to insider information not readily available to the general public. But since God Himself has yet to claim responsibility for the 9-11 attacks, then why don't we just recognize the attacks for what they really were? They were of human origin— the same kinds of humans who filled the earth with violence in Noah's day. Human beings are fully responsible for the violence in our world. We can't lay this off on Christianity's God nor on Islam's Allah.

Here is set a precedent of God forewarning His own when He is about to execute a disastrous event upon the earth. The Passover was another such example. God forewarned Moses, and Moses' people, of the imminent annihilation of all the firstborn of Man and Beast in Egypt; which would also impact Moses and his people if they didn't do exactly as God said and paint the blood of a lamb on their door jambs (Ex 11:1-13). And our man Noah, super-duper righteous saint that he was, would have drowned right along with the rest of the antediluvians had he neglected to construct an ark. When God gives a warning, it is best to respond accordingly.

†. Prv 22:3 . . A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

Out ahead is yet one more worldwide disaster. Jesus gave some concise sketches of a Tribulation period in the gospels, but he didn't go into much detail until later in the book of Revelation.

Graphic horrors— plagues, disease, famine, wars, economic collapse, starvation, death, violence, environmental damage, the destruction of cities so severe in scope that the World Trade Center will be as Lego toys in comparison— all to be orchestrated by one who sits upon the throne of God and of the Lamb. People will experience such terror and stress that they will suffer fatal heart attacks; and experience physical discomforts so severe that they will gnaw their tongues from pain.

The Tribulation is a prelude to Jesus' personal return to Jerusalem to set up his headquarters and establish a new world order. Many peoples will be completely unprepared; and many will lose their lives.

†. Mtt 24:36-40 . . For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days which were before the Flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they just didn't get it until the Flood came and swept them all away: so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.

Several attempts have been made in the past to predict the exact moment of Jesus' return. All have failed because Jesus said the Son of Man will come at an hour when you "do not expect him."

†. Luke 17:20-21 . . Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, Jesus answered them and said: The kingdom of God is not coming by observation

When Jesus said: "The kingdom of God is not coming by observation" he meant the date for it has neither been revealed nor can it be calculated. The Pharisees specifically asked him for a date in Luke 17:20. Jesus' disciples asked of him the very same thing just before he left.

†. Acts 1:6-7 . .Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying: Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And He said to them: It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

The particular kingdom that the Pharisees and disciples asked him of was, in strict Jewish teachings, the Davidic monarchy; and their question was justifiable since the Old Testament profusely predicts restoration of the house of David's control over the land of Israel under the patronage and direction of Almighty God.

At the very end of Jesus' ministry, after he had already been crucified and risen from the dead, and just moments before leaving, he spoke of the kingdom as something yet future. If the kingdom of God (a.k.a. David's monarchy) were only "in people's hearts" as some allege; then the disciples' question, and Jesus' answer, would have been a non sequitur. But they all, including Jesus, expected the actual kingdom to be set up at some later date. And the kingdom will be set up neither in people's hearts, nor out in space; but in the land of Israel.

Most celestial events like lunar and planetary orbits and phases, the periods of comets, eclipses, the tides, the equinoxes, and such, are predictable; that is, by observing their motions, astronomers can easily calculate their future times, dates, and locations. But Jesus’ return cannot be predicted by means of observable phenomenon.

As proof that the kingdom’s arrival cannot be predicted by means of scientific calculations; the King and his cabinet were standing there right before the Pharisees' very eyes and they were totally missing it.

According to the Bible, Jesus' personal return will be neither spiritual, nor invisible, nor will it be in secret; but will be as public, and as sudden, and as startling and impossible to miss as a brilliant strike of lightening.

†. Luk 17:24 . . For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in his day.

†. Rev 1:7 . . Behold, he's coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, even they who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will wail because of him. Truly; this shall be.

The Hebrew word for ark is tebah (tay-baw') and just simply indicates, not a ship, but a nondescript box. The ark for the covenant (Ex 25:10) was a specific kind of box: an 'arown (aw-rone'); and/or 'aron (aw-rone') which means a box for collecting things; viz: a chest or a foot locker.

The only other place tebah is used again in the Old Testament is of the little watertight container Moses' mom constructed to hide him from Pharaoh's henchmen (Ex 2:1-10).

That story is precious. The daughter of Pharaoh— the very man who ordered all the little Hebrew boy babies killed —brought Moses home with her and adopted him. The old boy must have been hopping mad but what could he do about it? So Moses enjoyed a very privileged life in Pharaoh's palace even though his adopted granddad hated his guts and wished him dead. Later, when he became a man, Moses defected (Heb 11:24-27).

†.1Pet 3:18-21 …For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us— baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Noah's experience is very interesting— he himself didn't get wet. No, not one drop of either the rain nor the Flood ever touched him or his family; yet their experience was a baptism: all eight of them were "saved through water". Just exactly what does that mean?

It means Noah was not only saved from the Flood, but was also saved by the Flood; viz: the waters that drowned all the damned, were the very same waters that bore Noah and his family to safety above it all via the ark.

For the Christian, Christ's crucifixion and resurrection work just like the ark and just like those Flood waters. His crucifixion, like the Flood, was a judgment upon an evil world, and his resurrection, like the ark, is a ride to safety. So Christians go through Divine judgment inside Christ; shielded from harm by being positioned in Christ. He, like the ark, bore the brunt of the judgment, and at the same time protected its occupants from harm. And since Christ will never again die for sin, those in him will never again be in danger of another judgment; but will remain resurrected and go with him into the new world order.

The New Testament Greek word for baptism is from baptizo (bap-tid'-zo) which means: to immerse, submerge; to make overwhelmed (i.e. fully wet and soaked). However, baptism doesn't always mean immersion in a liquid. Following, will be some examples of waterless baptism.

†. Mark 10:37-39 . .They replied: Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory. You don't know what you are asking; Jesus said. Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? We can; they answered. Jesus said to them: You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with

In that case, Jesus' baptism wouldn't be a dip in liquid; it would be his execution. Here's another one.

†. Luke 3:16-17 . . John answered them all: I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Three different baptisms are in that passage: liquid baptism, the Holy Spirit's baptism, and infernal baptism; which is a baptism reserved for the damned. Here's another.

†. 1Cor 10:1-2 . . For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

In that case, the people of Israel walked under the cloud and through the Red Sea on totally dry ground; there wasn’t even any mud. So they themselves didn't get a single drop of liquid anywhere on them, not even on their shoes— yet they are said to be baptized unto Moses. In like manner; the Christian is baptized into Christ's resurrection without water. In this case, the baptizing agent is neither a sea, nor a Flood, nor a cloud, nor a fire; but God's spirit.

†. 1Cor 12:13 . . For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body— whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free— and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

There have no doubt been millions of Christians— if we count the ones who lived in the last two thousand years, and all those who are alive today— who were baptized in liquid, but have yet to experience the most important baptism of all, the supernatural baptism that can only be performed by God's spirit. And without that one particular kind of baptism, those liquid-baptized Christians remain in grave danger of being sent off to Hell; because it is only by being “in” Christ's crucifixion and resurrection that sinners can defend themselves from Divine judgment.

†. Rom 6:3-11 . . Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

. . If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Being "dead to sin" doesn't mean believers no longer do anything wrong because 1John 1:8-10 testifies that when Christians claim to be sinless, they insinuate that God is dishonest and can't be trusted to tell the truth. No, being dead to sin doesn't mean believers are sinless, it means that sin no longer has the power to condemn them to Hell.

†. John 5:24 . . I assure you, those who heed my message, and rely upon God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

Nobody really knows for sure exactly what kind of trees Noah used to make the ark. The word for gopher has nothing to do with little subterranean rodents. It's a transliteration of the Hebrew word gopher (go'-fer) which only suggests a kind of tree suitable for building structures out of wood. Some think it was cypress because the wood of those trees is so resinous that it resists rotting even after prolonged submersion in water. Others think it may have been cedar or spruce; which are good too. Unfortunately, this is the one and only occurrence of gopher in the entire Old Testament so there's no other passages that might help identify a specific kind of tree.

The word for compartments is from qen (kane) which means: a nest (as fixed), sometimes including the nestlings; figuratively, a chamber or dwelling. The construction of nests (and stalls) indicates the animals weren’t just herded or jammed together like the crowds attending an outdoor rock concert. They were neatly stowed aboard in their own areas and apparently made to feel quite comfortable.

The word for pitch is kopher (ko'-fer) which means: a cover. It can also mean a village (as covered in); and also bitumen (as used for coating) and the henna plant (as used for dye).

Kopher is a common word used to depict the atonement process. An atonement, like pitch, is a coating, or a covering, which is not only a sealing compound like the stuff people apply to weatherproof their patio decks, but also a concealment coating like tar and feathers.

An atonement, while not actually removing sins; conceals a sinner's sins so that, for all intents and purposes, the sinner is "seen" as innocent; even though he really isn't. That is so cool because just as Adam's clothing covered his physical nakedness, so too kopher acts as a garment, concealing the sinner's sinful self from God's critical observation.

†. Ps 32:1 . . Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered over.

The New Testament Greek word for hidden is from krupto (kroop'-to) and means: to conceal (properly, by covering) So Christ is like kopher, covering believers and protecting them from not only God's critical observation; but from subsequent judgment too. The kopher, of course, is Christ's own righteousness; which is flawless perfection. When a sinner is in Christ, God sees the sinner as a non sinning son of God rather than as a constantly sinning son of Adam. The righteousness of Christ is an essential necessity for those who would walk with God in this age, and in the one to come. (Mtt 22:1-14, Rev 3:17-18)

Noah wasn't left to his own imagination regarding the ark's construction. Another sacred item, the tabernacle, used in their worship by the Jews in the wilderness, also had to be made according to a strict design totally specified by God. (Heb 8:1-5)

†. Gen 6:15b . . the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

There was a cubit among the Babylonians, and one in Egypt too. But there seems to have existed double standards in both countries. Because of that, there exists no undisputed example of the cubit that remains to the present time; so the length of the cubit has been variously estimated.

One of the ancient cubits was the length of a man's forearm, from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, as is implied from the derivation of the word in Hebrew and from the Latin cubitum. It seems to be referred to also in Deut 3:11: "after the cubit of a man." But that’s too vague, and unsuitable for a scientific standard because not all men's arms are exactly alike.

The Babylonians employed two different cubits, the so-called royal cubit and the common cubit. From the remains of buildings in Assyria and Babylonia, the royal cubit is made out to be about 20.6 inches. A cubit of similar length was used in Egypt. This was probably the cubit mentioned by Ezek 40:5 and possibly that of Solomon's temple, "cubits after the first measure" (2 Chr 3:3)

The commercial cubit was shorter, and has been variously estimated at between 16 and 18 inches or more, but the evidence of the Siloam inscription and of the tombs in Palestine seems to indicate 17.6 inches as the average length. This was the cubit of six palms, while the longer one was of seven (Ezek 40:5). The cubit mentioned in Judges 3:16 is from a different word, the Hebrew gomedh, and was probably shorter.

The cubit of Noah's day remains a total mystery. We have no way of knowing exactly how long it was. Maybe Noah and his boys passed on their antediluvian knowledge of weights and measures to the post-flood world and it stayed pretty close to the original standards over the years; but it's impossible to know for sure.

If we use an 18-inch cubit as a close approximation, then the ark would have been in the neighborhood of 450' long x 75' wide x 45' high. The ark's beam was 30 feet wider than its height, so should have proved very stable, and difficult to capsize even in rough seas— especially since it had a flat bottom, which was good too for the purpose intended.

Nothing fancy. Since it didn't have to navigate, nor did it require a means of propulsion, there was no practical need for a bow, or a stern, or a wheel house, a rudder, sails, engine room, anchor, windlasses, or masts— not even a handrail around the main deck. Since the ark didn't have to cut through the water like a schooner, there was no need for tapered undersides. All the ark really had to do was float. It was really nothing in the world but a barge: and a very crude barge at that. Really little more than a very large watertight crate.

Compared to modern ships, 450 feet is not all that big. Oil tankers are around 1,500, and the Nimitz aircraft carrier is about 1,092 feet. The distance from home plate to the center field fence in major league baseball, averages 400 feet or better. So the ark would just about fit into Yankee stadium. The main playing area of a football field is 300 feet. Add 26 more for the end zones, and the total is 326; which is still 124 feet short of the ark's length but at least gives some idea of its scale.

†.Gen 6:16a …Make an opening for daylight in the ark, and terminate it within a cubit of the top.

The ark was probably capped with a sloped roof so water would drain off, and the eves were likely quite considerable so water running off the roof wouldn't find its way to the window. Whether or not the window was shuttered isn't stated, but was very likely a practical consideration.

When my son was a little boy I built a playhouse for him in the backyard with ventilation somewhat similar to the ark's. The exterior siding on the walls stop at the plate; and I left the 3-inch space between the rafters and the plate unfinished. That way air can freely circulate in and out of the playhouse. After my boy grew up, mommy raccoons starting using his playhouse to birth their cubs.

The dimensions of the window aren't stated. It could have been as wide as six feet and extended the full length and width of the ark— all the way around it; who really knows. The only requirement was that it be adequate for light; but undoubtedly served for ventilation too.

†.Gen 6:16b …Put the entrance to the ark in its side; make it with bottom, second, and third decks.

The very bottom of a ship is normally not counted as a deck. The lowest deck is usually somewhat above the bottom and separated from it by a void called the double bottom. That way if the actual bottom is pierced, the ship won't sink because the void is sealed. Whether or not Noah's ark had a double bottom is unknown; but likely it had at least a bilge because the lowest deck needs to be above the bottom a bit so the passengers and crew don't have to slosh around down there in the lower parts of the ship where fetid water and other unsavory liquids typically collect.

The spaces between decks were fairly tall. If we divide 45 by 3 we get roughly 15 feet apiece not counting a bilge, nor the thickness of the deck planks and their beams. Fifteen feet can accommodate pretty tall animals; and provide enough room for the birds to exercise now and then too.

I wish we were told more about the ark— how Noah and his boys fastened all the wood together, and especially how they cut it to size. They say there are seven wonders of the ancient world, but that is not quite accurate. There's actually eight if we include Noah's ark. Sure, building a big wooden barge like Noah's would be child's play for a modern shipyard like Northrop Grumman Newport News; but in his day, it had to be quite a feat.

Did people think Noah was crazy? No doubt. It must have been perfectly obvious to everyone in his day, as well as in our own, that there just doesn't exist enough water in nature to flood the entire planet. Even if the ice caps and all the world's glaciers melted, sea level would rise only about another 260 feet; far from enough to cover even the 607 foot Space Needle in Seattle let alone the Alps, or any other significant mountains for that matter. So where was all the water supposed to come from to float Noah's Folly?

He must have been quite a novelty. I bet there were even guided tours going out to Noah's diggings so people could take pictures and brag to the folks back home about where they went on vacation. Noah's place probably resembled an ancient Knott's Berry Farm where you could visit a real working ranch, purchase pies and fresh corn and tomatoes from Ms. Noah's roadside stand, and take a wheelbarrow out and pick your own pumpkins. People may have even stopped by and listened to one of Noah's fire and brimstone sermons while sipping cider out of a crock jug.

Noah must have seemed to onlookers like one of those deranged men who walk around with a sandwich board sign draped over their shoulders that says: Repent! The End Is Near! What a weirdo. And they'd shake their heads and rip off some laughs. Haw-Haw-Haw-Haw. "Poor, silly old geezer. Better lay off them drugs for a while boy."

†.Heb 11:7a …By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house;

Some people are offended by a religion of fear. But if Adam had feared God more than he feared his wife, the world wouldn't be in the mess it's in today. Fear will keep you from being killed and eaten by a lion. Fear of becoming lost will make you learn how to read a map and compass and carry a radio, GPS receiver, or cell phone along with you in the wilderness. Fear of fire will keep you from being burned. Fear of bleeding to death will encourage you to learn First Aid. Fear of death will keep you from being bitten by a poisonous snake. Fear of AIDS, Herpes, and venereal disease encourages people to practice safe sex. Fear of atherosclerosis motivates people to lay off fatty foods. Fear is a way of life whether you accept it or not.

Sometimes fear can be a very good thing and keep you out of a lot of trouble. If people had only been frightened by Noah's preaching, they might have been motivated with enough fear to build their own arks and save themselves and their families from drowning.

†.Luke 12:4-5 …I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

Some people object to the concept of a Hell. They say; "It is inhumane— a God of love would never do that to His creatures." Or they say; "No one has ever seen it so how do you know it is really there?" Well, that is the very same argument people used in Noah's day.

A worldwide flood was one of those things which "as yet were not seen" therefore no one believed it could possibly happen. After all, science more than adequately proves that it is impossible. People who rely solely upon the findings of science are not afraid of a Hell because no one alive has ever seen it, nor has there yet been observed any empirical evidence to validate its existence. Well, no one had ever seen a worldwide flood either; but it came anyway.

The World Trade Center disaster was horrible; but if proved a point and made Americans wake up to the fact that they aren't impervious. They aren't bullet-proof. They aren't immune to cataclysmic disasters. We are now fully aware, and we fully believe, that buildings we once thought impossible to topple, can be toppled just like the damage done to London's buildings during WW2.

There's a country song going around with some interesting lyrics in it— a very emotional song about a boy's dad whom the lad once thought invincible.

Unbreakable walls …break.
Unbendable steel …..bends.
Unsinkable ships …...sink.

People in 1914 thought the Titanic was unsinkable; but to everyone's amazement, the ship went to Davy Jones on its maiden voyage. The people in Noah's day; just like many people today, didn't believe a world-wide flood was possible, but it came anyway. It came like a living nightmare and caught them by complete surprise just like the World Trade Center stunned Americans with speechless horror on Sept 11, 2001.

In the Tribulation ahead, the book of Revelation says fully one third of all the Earth's trees will be burned along with all the green grass. At first; one-third of all sea life will perish, later; the rest. At first, the Sun's brightness, and the brightness of the Moon and stars, will be reduced one-third. Later, the Sun's intensity will be so increased that its light will scorch all who come in contact with it. At first; one-third of the world's fresh water will become so toxic that it will be like drinking poison and many will die from it. Later; all the rest will be converted into blood.

Fearsome creatures, never before seen or imagined by Man, will be released from subterranean storage to run rampant on the Earth injecting people with a toxin that causes five months of painful illness. An earthquake will occur such as never one before recorded on the Richter scale, and all the world's cities will collapse. Not just a couple of buildings, but everything.

Does all that sound far-fetched? Yes, it does, but no less far-fetched than a world-wide deluge; because if God can inundate the world, He should have no difficulty in causing all those horrible things to happen in the book of Revelation. Those events will so disturb people that they will totally lose it; just like people lost it during 9-11; but on a much larger scale. The whole world will lose it; people will become so distressed they will die from heart attacks, and many will move into caves and crevices to escape from the things happening on the Earth. But no one can hide from God.

†.Rev 6:14-17 …The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

That passage is written in the past tense, because John has already seen it happen. So it's not just a prediction; no; it's a reality.

†. Gen 6:17 . . For My part, I am about to bring the Flood— waters upon the earth— to destroy all flesh under the sky in which there is breath of life; everything on earth shall perish.

Some think the Flood was merely a local disaster rather than a worldwide deluge. But that is not the way Genesis describes it. It quotes God saying; to destroy all flesh "under the sky." And: "everything on earth" shall perish. If the Flood were to be local, then it would only be necessary for Noah and his family and the animals to simply migrate to a different region rather than go to all the trouble of building an ark. No. The idea of localized flooding is totally unacceptable because "the sky" is everywhere.

The word for waters is from mayim (mah'-yim) which is a plural noun that can be used either in a plural sense; as here in Gen 6:17, or in a singular sense as in Gen 21:14. Just exactly how much aquatic life died in the flood is hard to tell. If the seas were diluted with too much fresh water, then the salt water species would not do well. Same problem would apply to the fresh water varieties of life. Too much salt, and they could perish. Some species of sea life are adaptable to both fresh water and salt, e.g. Sockeye Salmon.

One thing the ancient forms of aquatic life had going for them in Noah’s day was the age of the sea. Time makes a difference in the ocean’s saltiness. The oldest human remains that I know of to date are the fossilized bones of a woman who lived on earth 4.4 million years ago. Surely the saltiness of the world’s seas was a lot less in her day.

Just exactly when Noah lived I don’t know but I’ve no doubt it was before that woman’s time when the seas were even less saltier so that the transition from purely salty to diluted salty was probably not all that much of a shock to the systems of aquatic creatures. From whence does the ocean’s salt come from anyway? Isn’t it from dissolved land masses? Well, a deluge such as Noah’s would surely add huge amounts of dissolved element to the waters of the Flood so that it wouldn’t stay fresh for very long anyway, if at all.

†. Gen 6:18 . . But I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall enter the ark, with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives.

Biblical covenants may include stipulations for all parties involved; and then again may stipulate responsibilities for only one of them with the other simply being along for the benefit. At this point in time, God didn't reveal any details about the covenant that "I will establish" until after the Flood was over.

†. Gen 6:19-20 . . And of all that lives, of all flesh, you shall take two of each into the ark to keep alive with you; they shall be male and female. From birds of every kind, cattle of every kind, every kind of creeping thing on earth, two of each shall come to you to stay alive.

Fortunately Noah didn't have to go on safari to round up his passengers. The Bible says two of each shall "come to you." So they all migrated to his location. There was plenty of time for them to make it because Noah was 120 years building the ark and getting it ready.

A man named Dave Kunst walked across today's world in just a little over 4 years from June 1970 to October 1974. Kunst walked a total of 14,450 miles, crossing four continents and thirteen countries, wearing out 21 pair of shoes, and walking more than 20 million steps. That was an odd thing to do, but does prove it can be done in a relatively short time; so 120 years was plenty enough for all the critters to make it on over to Noah's place in time for the Folly's maiden voyage. If the ark were to launch in 2010, critters would have been on the move towards it since 1890— and probably reproduced many times along the way.

It's very possible that In Noah's day the Earth's dry landmass wasn't channeled by oceans. Discoveries in the science of plate tectonics seem to suggest that all dry land was at one time together forming a single super continent.

Actually the Earth's mantle is one continuous (albeit fractured) mass anyway, although its profile is so irregular that dry land sticks up above sea level at various high spots; which is a good thing because if the mantle were smooth, the world would be quite flooded all the time. In point of fact, if the Earth's mantle were perfectly smooth, like a billiard ball, there's enough water present even today to cover the land to a depth of 9,000 feet of water. That would be equivalent to a global ocean approximately 1.7 miles deep.