“What was it Satan Really Said to the Woman in the Garden?”

We cannot read too far along in our Bibles before God reveals to us the condition of the human heart.

Sinful man thinks that he has no need of God to direct and guide him in his life and so he rebels against the Lord. Readily leading man into believing the lie is his own pride and vanity.

Satan approached the woman in the garden and said to her, 'Ye shall not surely die'.

What did he mean by that?

Let us turn to Genesis, Chapter 3 to examine what happened at the very beginning of time:

1"Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"

²  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
³  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

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

⁵  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

What was he really telling the woman?

Just this…. if she did not listen to the voice of God, she needn't worry. She would not die. Things would continue to go well with her. She did not need God to guide her, nor keep her in the way she should walk! She too was intelligent. Why she herself could 'be as a god', knowing good and evil. After all, she was not walking in darkness! Didn't she also have knowledge of how things should be?

Yes, he appealed to her pride and vanity.

The woman listened and believed Satan's lie. (the man was not deceived. See 1Tim 2:14).

She and the man 'ate' from that forbidden tree.

Afterwards, realizing they were naked (in sin),

Eve told the Lord, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat".

(Let us clearly understand, the Bible is not talking about a physical tree, it is not talking about eating a physical piece of fruit!)

The forbidden tree brings death and is representative of the original lie started by Satan but continued by man who believes and teaches this very same lie, "You surely will not die". Its fruit is sin and death.

God tells us:

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

We must eat from the 'Tree of Life' which is Christ.

He died on the 'Tree' (the Cross) which gave us life.

John 6:53
  "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you."

What happened next?

This sin continued on in their son Cain, who remained in rebellion, and refused to bring the proper sin offering before the Lord.

Though all men are in darkness without God, they believe their eyes are open and listen only to the counsels of their own heart.

Yes ... "ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

Sin is, simply put… not obeying the voice of the Lord. Man listened to another voice; a voice that would lead him astray.

Jeremiah 23:16-17

"Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD."                        

"They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, no evil shall come upon you."

Turning to Genesis 10:8 we will find the story of Nimrod.

Nimrod was descended from Cush who was a son of Ham, one of Noah's three sons.

⁸ And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
⁹ He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
¹⁰ And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

The English language is lacking in translation of the original Hebrew word 'Nimrod'. It is a description of a rebel and in all likelihood this was not his name but a derisive term. He led rebellion against the Lord.

The original Hebrew says he began to be a tyrannical hunter before the Lord (meaning in opposition to the Lord). He hunted men by strategy and force.

The beginning of his kingdom was in the land of Shinar, Babel being one of those cities. Those who gathered together to follow him built the tower at Babel, "whose top may reach unto Heaven." They rebelled against the true God and desired to make a name for themselves.

^{Gen. 11:4}  "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."

Let us stop for a moment and examine the phrase "let us make a name". The people of Babel were in rebellion against the Lord and wanted to make a name for themselves, rather than giving to God all the Glory due Him.

Is that not like the world of today?

Man is moved by pride and ambition, looking for their own self elevation and glory.

But what does Christ tell us? We must humble ourselves, and yes, even deny ourselves:

 "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23

By obeying the Lord, we gain life, not lose it.

"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."
Matthew 10:39

We become more Christ-like.

"He must increase, but I must decrease."
John 3:30

Two other examples who taught rebellion are Hananiah and Shemaiah. Let us read what Jeremiah says about them.

Jeremiah 28:15-17

 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. 

Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. 

So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Jeremiah 29:32
  "Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD."

Another interesting story is found in
John 10:33-37

Man as Gods:

³³  The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for
blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
³⁴  Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
³⁵  If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

³⁶  Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

What they wrongly accused Jesus of doing is exactly what they were doing. Though they knew the scriptures they did not know God, they were walking in the counsels of their own heart, man as gods.

^{Jeremiah 16:20} "Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?"

Turning to the book of Jeremiah we find a much more in-depth study concerning the problem of rebellion; God reveals what is in man's sinful heart and how it is so easily deceived by the lie.

Let us also look at just a few verses found in this book.

"wherefore say my people, we are Lords; we will come no more unto thee?" Jer. 2:31

"Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?" Jeremiah 2:5

 Isaiah 47:8

"Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me. "

Yes… men as gods! No longer following after the One true God but walking after the counsels of their own hearts.

God warns us of man's lie:

^"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD."
Jeremiah 17:5

Today man teaches that God is a God of Love (only), therefore, many are unconcerned about their sins and where they will spend eternity. They have been given confidence their sins will not keep them from entering Heaven. Many do not even consider that they are sinners and will think of themselves as good persons.

In other words: "surely you will not die".

Another version of this same lie: surely you will not die….. If.

The unregenerate man believes a false Gospel of Salvation, this always through some sort of works. He wants to claim a part in his own salvation… even saying, "it was I who chose to follow Christ!"

The Gospel of God's Grace is through Jesus Christ alone, apart from the Law and the works of man.

Anything other than this is a false gospel.

Matthew 23:4
  "For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."

Let us always remember what the Lord tells us concerning the hearts of man….

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9

“Tares Among the Wheat”

Dear Friends,

In the coming weeks ahead we will be looking at the subject of "Mystery Babylon".

To fully understand some of the scripture verses pertaining to that study it may benefit us to first look at how Mystery Babylon came to be.

One subject in connection to this, and which will be appearing on this site soon, I have titled "What Was it Satan Really Said to the Woman in the Garden."

The other is seen below.

Throughout the New Testament (also hidden in the O.T.) God tells us that His true children and the children of the enemy would grow together until the Harvest.

He also shows us how this will occur.

Let us briefly review some earlier history of this region.

The Ancient Near East was composed of many powerful kingdoms that preyed upon smaller less fortunate ones. These smaller kingdoms that were unable to defend themselves would have no choice but to look to other kingdoms more powerful than themselves to protect them against these invaders. They would make a treaty with the kingdom defending them in which everything was outlined in great detail. In exchange, they would also promise how they would serve them. The greater king was known as the Suzerain and the lesser was called the vassal, or lesser lord. The lesser lord represented all the people under the protection of this great king.

This treaty would also contain the blessings and curses of the Suzerain if the vassal failed to meet the stipulations.

The most common ceremony used to ratify this was the cutting in half of certain animals and positioning them in two rows where both parties of this treaty would walk side by side, vowing as they walked between these pieces, "May what has happened to these animals, happen to me if I break this covenant with you".

What must surely come to our minds as we read the above is God's Covenant promise with Israel. Yes, it was just like that. See below!

Genesis 15:17 "And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces."

Yes, God Himself passed between those pieces. He could swear by none other greater than Himself.

God (the Suzerain King) promised to protect Israel (the vassal people) as long as they listened to His voice. God told them exactly what he expected from them (Exodus 20-23). In return He told them of all the blessings He would provide them. This was a covenant promise never to be broken!

Of course, all of us have broken our side of this covenant, both regenerate and unregenerate man.

Every human being in the world, through Adam, was given all the commandments.

Yet, it is only the eternal and elect church who are restored by Grace.

It was Christ's Work (His Perfect Life) which fulfilled the Law for us.

The Law is Perfect but it must be kept to the letter. It knows no forgiveness. There is no Grace found in it.

It was meant to show us our sins and how we are incapable of keeping the whole Law. Sinful man can never enter Heaven and stand before a Holy God! God is unapproachable to a sinner.

God tells us we are NOT saved by the keeping of the Law. The Only Sacrifice He accepts is through Christ, His Sacrifice alone. It is His Righteousness (His sinless, perfect life) which is imputed to us through the Atoning Blood of the Cross.

The earlier above history review of the ancient near east may help explain this next story which is found in Joshua. It should be read in its entirety for a better understanding on our subject. (Joshua 9:1-27)

At the time of Joshua the atmosphere was yet the same, w/ kingdoms and peoples continuing to band together seeking mutual protection and safety against their enemies.

God had previously told the Israelites that when they came up against certain peoples in battle they were to save nothing alive.

See Deut. 20: ¹⁷ "But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:"

Let us turn to Joshua:

See Joshua vs.1 The Hivites were people who also mixed among other various groups in the region, (these being the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, and the Jebusites).

Yes, the same peoples God said to utterly destroy in Deuteronomy 20:17.

They came to Joshua and told him they were from a far country, presenting themselves as 'strangers' thereby likening themselves to the children of God who are 'strangers and pilgrims in the world. They lied and were actually neighbors who had gathered to fight against Joshua.

^4"They did work wilily,"

This people had disguised themselves in humbleness:

5^"old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them,"

They appeared as people who had come searching for knowledge of the Lord. They feared for their lives after hearing of all God did for Israel to protect them.

Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them.

But after finding out that they were actually their enemies, Joshua could not go back on what they had sworn to them by God's name.

19 "We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. ²⁰ This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them."

²² And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, we are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?

Joshua told them they are cursed and made them "hewers of wood and drawers of water."

"but let them be hewers" (meaning to strike with cutting blows, to cut down)

"of wood" (wood and tree are terms representative of man)

"and drawers of water" (living fountains of water are found only in Christ but God tells us there are also broken cisterns which hold no water.)

What is interesting is that we will later find these words in Jeremiah 6:6.

God uses this phrase, "Hew ye down trees and cast a mount against Jerusalem" as the enemy comes into Jerusalem to carry them away to Babylon!

Important points to consider:

Joshua made a league with them and swore by the Lord's name! He did not consult with God, nonetheless it is a treaty honored between God and them. Once again, what were the promises made from this league:

Joshua's side –they let them live and dwell in peace.

Hivites side – as servants, they would be hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation of God, but yet they are a cursed people never to be freed from being bondsmen.

Verse 27 tells us that these 'hewers of wood and drawers of water' are with us "even unto this day, in the place which he should choose"…Joshua is sometimes seen as a shadow of Christ.

These deceivers, the enemy, are disguised as true children of God; and yet at this time they will live and dwell in peace according to the oath Joshua made in the Lord's name.

Turning to the book of Ezra we will find the Israelites did not separate themselves from these bondsmen.

Ezra 9:1-2

Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

Some verses to also remember here are found in Matthew 13:24-30

²⁴ Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: ²⁵ But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. ²⁶ But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. ²⁷ So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? ²⁸ He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? ²⁹ But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

God's true children, though they are in the world, will never be fooled by the imitation….the lie!

^{Let us turn to II Kings 4: 38-44 38} And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. ³⁹ And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. ⁴⁰ So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. ⁴¹ But he said, then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot. ⁴² And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. ⁴³ And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. ⁴⁴ So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

The wild vine is the imitation, those (imitators) who would almost pass for the true children of God. The 'wild gourds', a false gospel.

But the true children recognize the poison and death 'in the pot' and will not eat.

It is only the true Gospel of the flesh and blood of Christ we eat:

John 6:56 "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him."

Matthew 24:24 "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."