Men's Fall and Unhappiness

And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Gen. 2:8-9)

At the time of God's creation of the universe, something happened in the Garden of Eden

. The serpent was more subtle than any beast that God created. One day the serpent approached Eve and said, "Did God indeed say to you that you should not eat every tree of the garden?" "That is not so,,,but the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. He said we shall neither eat it, nor even touch it." "Why?" "It's because we may die." "Are you afraid that God had put some poison in that nice tree so that you may die?" "No, He would not do so." "You are right." "Then why did He ask us not to eat that?" "Probably because He was afraid that if you eat the fruit your eyes will be opened and become like God. Just have a bite! I'll be responsible for that."

Thus, Eve ate the fruit and gave it to Adam.

Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? (Matt. 7:9)

That's right. There is no way that God could have given His beloved children something horrible which they may eat and die

These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father (John 16:25)

This passage alone shows that we cannot assume that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is the actual tree as the Bible describes.

Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. (Matt. 15:11)

Jesus said that the fruit we eat cannot dirty men's blood. Sin cannot be transmitted by eating something.

God is our Parent. Parents, whoever they may be, do not put any poisonous food at places which their children can easily see.

Furthermore, there is not any person who would eat a fruit at the cost on his/her life unless there is a power which is stronger than death. Could God, being omniscient and omnipotent, have wanted to decide whether men obey Him or not just by the test that forbids eating something?

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die. (Gen. 2:16-17)

Then what will the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil symbolize? To know this, let us first begin with the examination of the Tree of Life.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick. But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12).

Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city (Revelation 22:14)

So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24)

We can see that the common wish for Adam, and people of both the Old Testament Age and the New Testament Age is to attain the Tree of Life.

They brought a blind man to Him,,,And he looked up and said, " I see men like trees, walking (Mark 8:22-24).

This passage compares men to a tree.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins soul is wise (Proverbs 11:30)

Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come (Romans 5:14)

The Tree of Life represents manhood who has fulfilled the ideal of creation, thus perfected Adam. Then what does the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represent? The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is described as standing with the Tree of Life (Genesis 2:9), can be understood as womanhood who has fulfilled the ideal of creation, namely perfected Eve.

For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? (Matt. 16:26)

Adam and Eve, as God's children, had nothing to be jealous in the Garden of Eden. However, they did not have one thing, which were the perfected men who can attend God. That was the assignment that was left to Adam and Eve. They should have become the good substantial object of love by following God's command of not eating the fruit. Unfortunately, however, Adam and Eve fell, leading all mankind into the world of sin.

For as by one man's disobedience made were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous (Romans 5:19)

Consequently, the Savior who can indemnify Adam and Eve's disobedience had to come. 2000 years later, Jesus came to this world as the vine (John 15:5) and the "last Adam" (I Cor. 15:45). Now then, what is the true nature of the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve to sin? The Bible says that the serpent could converse with man, dominate the human soul, knew God's will and lived in heaven (the world of spirit).

What, then, could this spiritual being have been?

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Revelation 12:9).

For of God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to the hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment (I Peter 2:4)

. Now we can conclude that the spiritual being was this "ancient serpent," the devil or Satan

. It was the angel that sinned.

And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed (Genesis 2:25) Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings (Genesis 3:7). Why would it have been that they became ashamed of their nakedness and covered their lower parts while they were not feel that way before the fall?

It is the nature of man to conceal an area of transgression. (Job 31:33) Then the transgression that people can commit with their lower parts is,,,

And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own habitation, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day (Jude 1:6).

The crime of the serpent was fornication. Fornication cannot be done alone.

The serpent with Eve and Eve with Adam disbelieved God's command, and did the act of adultery, bearing the fruit of evil. Because of the illicit love, they crossed the line of life at the cost of death.

Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)

Actually angels were created before men to assist God (Gen. 1:26). In the Bible, angels are described as "ministering spirit" (Hebrews 1:14), herald (Luke 1:31), servant (Rev. 22:9), and as being who honor and praise God (Rev. 7:11). Accordingly, man could not only dominate the angels, but also have the authority to judge the angels (I Cor. 6:3). Since the fall, however, this position was reversed.

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do (John 8:44)

Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out (John 12:31)

. Apostle Paul is lamenting the state of the fallen men who have two fathers in this way, For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind,,, (Romans 7:22-24)

How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! (Isaiah 14:12)

The Archangel Lucifer (Day Star, son of Dawn), as the angel of love, was receiving God's love a great deal. With the creation of Adam and Eve as His children, God loved them more than He loved Lucifer. In fact, he was receiving the same amount of God's love as he had before the creation of man. He felt, however, that God loved him less than before. He soon came to have the excessive desire to possess that love and tempted Eve. Thus Lucifer and Eve fell into an illicit relationship of spiritual love and fell spiritually

.

...she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. (Gen. 3:6)

The fallen Eve felt the sense of fear and guilty conscience, and tried to rid herself the fear by seducing Adam. Eve, who was still immature in her wisdom compared to the archangel, received the wisdom from him. She then realized that her intended spouse was Adam. Eve, having had relationship with the angel, seduced Adam. They formed a reciprocal base, and, by doing this, men fell both physically and spiritually.

Then, could the sexual fall between the angel and man be possible?

It is possible. It is because man is not only physical but also spiritual being. Consequently, man can feel love through spiritual five senses. It is also because of the existence of the five spiritual senses that we can feel dream vividly. There are shamans who have a sort of contract called marriage with spiritual beings who they call god. It shows the give and take action between the angel who is a spiritual being and a man.

And they called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them." (Gen. 19:5)

When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him. (Gen. 32:25)

It is not so difficult to find passages which show sexual relationship, fight, or food that man and angels share.

Eve who was represented by the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was the tree of love. It also symbolized the Eve's virginity and love of Eve in the period of growth.

Then why would have the Bible symbolized love as the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil?

It was because her love could produce either the blood lineage of goodness in her love centered on God, or the blood lineage of evil through her evil love centered on Satan. As was explained above, love has two aspects in which it can be either very holy or very ugly. She took of its fruit and ate (Genesis 3:6). We often use the expression 'eating a fruit' as meaning to steal love. The fact of eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil explains that Satan had the illicit blood relationship by stealing Eve's love.

Our original sin is what that blood lineage from the illicit love has been transmitted from its root. Accordingly, the heavenly kingdom cannot come to this world unless the order of true love is rooted in a family.

God gave men the commandment of 'not eating the fruit.' What could have been the purpose of His giving the commandment? If He had not given it, men would not even had fallen,,,, God gave the commandment only to man because He wanted man to enjoy the dominion over all creation by having him inherit His creative nature after having perfected themselves through their faith in the Word, as their portion of responsibility.

God gave man the commandment while Adam and Eve were in the process of perfecting themselves. It was because God wanted to prevent the fall (love with Satan) with their power of believing God's love.

God gave man the commandment because He created manas the object of love and joy. He wanted that man himself love God, not a robot-like man who acts only on an order. Consequently, we shall have to understand that His giving the commandment only to man was not a test, but a blessing.

Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures (James 1:18).

God is omniscient and omnipotent. He must have known that He will also become unfortunate should man fall. Then He should have prevented man's fall. However, God could not prevent man's fall.

We shall have to know why He could not do so.

First, for the sake of the absoluteness and perfection of the principle of creation. God created man so that man perfect himself by accomplishing his portion of responsibility of believing and following God's Word through the period of growth with the freedom that God gave him.

Second, in order that God alone be the Creator. If God had intervened in the fallen act of the first human ancestors, it would have caused God to set up a new principle which would have called for His recognizing the sinful act as an act of the Principle. Since God is the Creator of goodness, He could neither create evil nor touch any such being or act.

Third, in order to set up man as the dominator of all things. If God had interfered with man's fallen act, this would result in His ignoring man's creativity.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17).

The origin of all unhappiness began from the fall of man. The sin started from self-centered love. Sin refers to establishing the condition in which one forms a reciprocal base with Satan, directly or indirectly. In general, we can classify human sin into four kinds; original sin, hereditary sin, collective sin, and individual sin.

Original sin is the root of all sins. It is the sin derived from the Adam and Eve's having relationship with Satan. The hereditary sin is the sin of the ancestors transmitted to the descendants through blood lineage (Exodus 20:5).

The collective sin is the sin for which everybody is collectively responsible, even though it is neither his own sin nor a hereditary sin.

The individual sin is the sin which man commits through his lifetime with his physical body. If we compare these sins to the parts of a tree, the original sin is the root, hereditary sin corresponds to the trunk, and collective sin and the individual sin are compared to the branch and leaves of a tree, respectively.

Therefore, all sins come from original sin. Man must the Messiah to liquidate the sins and recover the relationship with God.