Adam and Eve in the Garden.

[coheir]

Had they never sinned but never eaten from the tree of life, I believe they would have lived an average lifespan of 700 to 800 years.  Look at it like this.  Lets suppose that God placed the tree of life in our town square, and gave us full access to it.  If we eat from it, we can live forever, but there is one catch.  If we sin, we will be banned from the tree and surely die.  Now lets suppose I don't sin, but I decide I don't wish to live forever, so I choose to abstain from the tree of life.  I would live an average lifespan according to the number of days a man would live in the natural.  Before God lowered the lifespan to 70 to 80 years, it was approximately 10 times longer, so I would expect to live to be 700 to 800 years old.  If I could have access to the tree of life today, though Adam sinned, I would live forever in this fleshly body.  Remember that God placed an angel with a flaming sword to guard the way of the tree of life so Adam wouldn't live forever in the flesh. 

I was going to say 999 years.

[Hobbes]

Since death came into the world because of sin, then they would have lived forever.

 

1 Corinthians 15:²¹ For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

[OneLight]

 

 

 

 

God said to Adam......

 

Gen 3:17  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: 

 

There are two things the Lord God accuses Adam with. (1) Adam listened to the voice of Eve. (2) he ate from the forbidden tree.

 

And you ignore the part where the things He accuses adam of are 

 

1) listening to the voice of eve

 

2) eaten of the tree of which He commanded adam to not eat of it.

 

The Lord did not at all accuse adam of failing to protect the garden or the tree. You are projecting your opinion into scripture.

 

 

Okay, I don't get the problem...

 

What does everyone think "protecting" the garden mean?  Why is this a big deal?

clb

 

 

The wisdom of accepting scripture for what it says without twisting scripture to mean what it does not will be seen in the walk you walk.  When someone begins to take scripture out of context and apply a meaning to a statement that is not what was meant, they begin to accept their own truth, not one given when following scripture. 

 

By digging into the meaning of "to tend and keep it", it is easily seen that God intended Adam to work the garden, keeping it clean and proper.  To apply the term to mean Adam was to protect the Garden from everything that ever could happen in it is just a lie to create a strange doctrine and to turn people from the truth.  That is just what Satan did when he twisted what God told Adam about the penalty of eating from the tree of knowledge, as he told Eve. Let see the subtle twisting of what God said and how it led to destruction.

 

Genesis 3:1-5

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Satan changed the meaning of one phrase to deceive Eve, "You will not surely die". God spoke of death one way and Satan another. Because of the twisting of the meaning, Eve turned from God and sinned. Be very careful when following something new. Dig into scripture to see if what is being presented to you is what scripture really means, or if it is being twisted. In this case, the meaning of keeping the garden is like the twisted meaning of death, both leads down a false road. Be as the Bereans' were an search to find the truth and do not be so quick to accept something that looks harmless.

 

Gen 2:15  And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 

 

"Keep"

šāmar: A verb meaning to watch, to keep, to preserve, to guard, to be careful, to watch over, to watch carefully over, to be on one's guard. The verb means to watch, to guard, to care for. Adam and Eve were to watch over and care for the Garden of Eden where the Lord had placed them. 

 

"Dress"

It means to labour and or to work.

 

This was Adam's job.

 

 

I am very aware what the words mean, my friend.  What I can't accept is you insisting that God judged Adam like you did in post #25 when you claimed:

 

I believe man has always had the authority to judge angels from the very beginning. Remember the Lord God gave Adam authority over all the works of his hands to subdue the earth. Even though man was made a little lower than the angels as it tells us in the book of Hebrews, but then when God "crowned" man with Glory and honour, that placed him higher than the angels.

The very first command God gave Adam after creating him was to "keep" the garden. The word, "keep" means to "protect". Adam failed in protecting the garden, by letting Satan in.

If Adam was obedient to this, Eve would have never been tempted to sin. We are also told to "give the Devil no place" The Garden of Eden was were Adam and Eve had fellowship with God. The very first place Satan comes to disrupt is in our prayer, and fellowship with God. If he can do that we are cut off from our commander in chief, who is the one who makes a way to escape from our trails.

I believe Adam sinned first by not protecting the Garden, which led to their fall.

You see, we all have beliefs we accept that are extra-biblical, while the honest person will own up to the fact that it is extra-biblical and not continue to defend it as if it were scriptural. All this could of been avoided if you had just said it was not in scripture when asked.  Instead, you tried to pull liked verses from other books, which only supported your statements as a theory and failed to show that Adam sinned for not protecting the garden.

 

The mind can create a lot of "what if's" which, in turn, can create other beliefs not found in scripture.  We need to be aware of them and place them were they belong, on the bottom shelf.  They could be right and they could be wrong.  Without scripture stating one way or the other, fall on the side that it may be wrong.  If it was right and important enough, God would of mentioned it, especially when it came to Adam and Eve.

 

Shalom Curtis.

[JoMomma]

Have you asked God that question?

[a-seeker]

If Adam, and Eve did not eat from the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil", nor did they eat from the "tree of life", how long would they have lived for?

 

I am not sure it matters "how long" but whether they would've lived forever or not.  The text suggests strongly that they would have died; that the tree of life was something awaiting them under certain conditions (probably obedience against the serpents temptation), but which they were denied because of disobedience.

 

clb

[OakWood]

 

 

Adam didn't have rule over everything, as he only gained rule over his wife, after the fall [Genesis 3:16] They are equals in the beginning. The only thing that should be held accountable is the god in question that created the beast crafty in the first place [Genesis 3], so to outwit Eve as it had more knowledge than her. Secondly, also giving the serpent free reign in the garden, when he knew Adam and Eve were there.

 

So much for a god that says he protects

 

Psalm 121:7 The LORD will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life.

 

Jeremiah 29:11 ...plans to prosper you and not to harm you

 

2 Thessalonians 3:3 ....and guard you against the evil one

 

Psalm 46:1 ....a very present help in trouble.

 

 

Why would he protect you when he just created the serpent/made it crafty and placed it in the garden. Then just sat and watched. What a awful parent, so awful he has the audacity to say he protects you, but never did.

 

steph,   Paul tells us that we are going to judge the angels......   it would seem that God intended for Adam and Eve to partake of the fruit.    Humans were to judge the angels, but were created not knowing good from evil.....   it was the devil himself that was responsible for enlightening Adam and Eve and all the rest of us into knowing good from evil.   We know that it came to them after they had eaten for they realized without being told that they were naked and needed to cover up.    Poetic justice that the devil would make it possible for us to judge the angels.

 

God is creating something in us and it's important to go through life and test us before we become whatever it is at the resurrection.    Interestingly He tells us that we can't even conceive the good things that He has planned for those of us who are willing to follow him.  sometimes, in life, the worst thing you can do for your children is overprotect them and not let them learn and grow.

 

So I would disagree with you about being an awful parent.....   he lets us fail so we will grow.......   grow into something awesome...

 

 

I agree with you completely here Other One. That's what I've thought all along. It's called character-building. A good parent wants a child to grow up and have some sort of independence and sense of responsibility otherwise their 'free will' has been wasted.

[a-seeker]

Since death came into the world because of sin, then they would have lived forever.

 

1 Corinthians 15:²¹ For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

 

Then the tree of life was superfluous?  Why mention it?

 

clb

[a-seeker]

 

 

 

God said to Adam......

 

Gen 3:17  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: 

 

There are two things the Lord God accuses Adam with. (1) Adam listened to the voice of Eve. (2) he ate from the forbidden tree.

 

And you ignore the part where the things He accuses adam of are 

 

1) listening to the voice of eve

 

2) eaten of the tree of which He commanded adam to not eat of it.

 

The Lord did not at all accuse adam of failing to protect the garden or the tree. You are projecting your opinion into scripture.

 

 

Okay, I don't get the problem...

 

What does everyone think "protecting" the garden mean?  Why is this a big deal?

clb

 

 

The wisdom of accepting scripture for what it says without twisting scripture to mean what it does not will be seen in the walk you walk.  When someone begins to take scripture out of context and apply a meaning to a statement that is not what was meant, they begin to accept their own truth, not one given when following scripture. 

 

By digging into the meaning of "to tend and keep it", it is easily seen that God intended Adam to work the garden, keeping it clean and proper.  To apply the term to mean Adam was to protect the Garden from everything that ever could happen in it is just a lie to create a strange doctrine and to turn people from the truth.  That is just what Satan did when he twisted what God told Adam about the penalty of eating from the tree of knowledge, as he told Eve. Let see the subtle twisting of what God said and how it led to destruction.

 

Genesis 3:1-5

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Satan changed the meaning of one phrase to deceive Eve, "You will not surely die". God spoke of death one way and Satan another. Because of the twisting of the meaning, Eve turned from God and sinned. Be very careful when following something new. Dig into scripture to see if what is being presented to you is what scripture really means, or if it is being twisted. In this case, the meaning of keeping the garden is like the twisted meaning of death, both leads down a false road. Be as the Bereans' were an search to find the truth and do not be so quick to accept something that looks harmless.

 

 

Well I will be a minority here, but the terms keep and guard are the same used for the Levitical duties in the tabernacle.  In fact, WHENEVER these two words appear TOGETHER, they are being used of the priestly duties in the tabernacle.  And there it means performing the priestly duties and keeping outsiders from entering the temple. Nu 3.7-8, 8.25-26, 18.5; Ez 44.14.  If we are adamant that Scripture interpret Scripture, then it is not eisogesis to allow the rest of Scripture to shed light on this passage and see that Adam and Eve were to protect the garden from the serpent.

 

Now, I do no think the first sin consisted of allowing the serpent to enter the garden, for we are not told where the conversation took place; and even if it took place in the garden, the sin was obviously eating the fruit.  By an act of disobedience they failed to guard Eden.  The two are not mutually exclusive: they are one and the same.

 

clb

[Guest]

If Adam, and Eve did not eat from the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil", nor did they eat from the "tree of life", how long would they have lived for?

 

~

 

If The Milk Had Not Spilled How Much Would You Have Drunk?

 

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

 

And Yet There Is Time To Eat Of The Word

 

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16

 

Of Life

 

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63

 

So?

 

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

 

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:20-21

[Guest]

Since death came into the world because of sin, then they would have lived forever.

 

1 Corinthians 15:²¹ For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

 

Then the tree of life was superfluous?  Why mention it?

 

~

 

What One Man Calls Superfluous

 

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

 

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

 

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2 Timothy 4:2-4

 

Another Man Calls

 

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

 

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:1-3

 

Hope

 

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Revelation 33:2