The Garden of Eden

 The Garden of Eden

(1) The Concept of the Sanctuary

Genesis 2:7-8 “Then the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being (nephesh hai). The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man he had formed.”

God formed man from the dust of the ground and placed him in the Garden of Eden. As we all know, man was the first human being, and in the Garden of Eden, they were separated into Adam and Eve. Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and God banished them from the Garden of Eden into the world. Genesis 3:23-24 states, "Then the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he had been taken. So God drove him out. Then he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life."

From this, we can see that the Garden of Eden simultaneously represents both the world and the kingdom of God. There are two things that simultaneously represent both the world and the kingdom of God: the sanctuary in Israel and Jesus Christ.

First, through the sanctuary, believers need to understand the Garden of Eden. The sanctuary contains the Ark of the Covenant, the dwelling place of God, two angels (cherubs), and the presence of priests and sinners.

In the Garden of Eden, there were God, Satan, Adam, and Eve. However, Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and gave it to Adam, who also ate it, thus sinning against God. Their sin was that they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had forbidden them to eat, because they wanted to become like God.

Here, we must understand two things. First, it is the story of sin, and second, it is the story of the court that judges sin. Sin is the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, eaten in the hope of becoming like God, and second, the court is the sanctuary. The Garden of Eden is a model of the sanctuary and symbolizes the court. In the court, there is a judge who judges, a prosecutor who accuses, a lawyer who defends, and the sinner.

First, regarding sin, it refers not to sins committed in the world, but to sins committed in the Garden of Eden, sins committed within the kingdom of God. The Bible speaks of sin within the kingdom of God in two places.

2 Peter 2:4 "For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell and committed them to chains of darkness to be kept until judgment," and Jude 1:6 "And the angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their proper dwelling, he has kept in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day." Here, regarding the nature of sin, there is only the expression that they did not keep their positions.

Darkness represents this world. Genesis 1:1-2 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters."

And the humans created in darkness are precisely the spirits of fallen angels imprisoned in the dust. The fact that the sons of God (the spirits of fallen angels) married the daughters of men (their flesh) means that spirit and flesh united to form humanity. This is God's judgment on the fallen angels.

There is no further mention of the angels' sin. However, if we apply the angels' sin to the sanctuary of the world, the Garden of Eden in God's kingdom, the cause of their sin is ultimately the greed to become like God.

 

(2) The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and Sin

To understand this, we must understand the meaning of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Churchgoers all over the world believe that God created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:9 states, "Out of the ground the Lord God caused every tree to grow that was pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

Looking at the Bible, it seems as though God created the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, the Hebrew Bible tells a different story.

וַיַּצְמַ֞ח יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כָּל־עֵ֛ץ נֶחְמָ֥ד לְמַרְאֶ֖ה וְטֹ֣וב לְמַאֲכָ֑ל וְעֵ֤ץ הַֽחַיִּים֙ בְּתֹ֣וךְ הַגָּ֔ן וְעֵ֕ץ הַדַּ֖עַת טֹ֥וב וָרָֽע׃

Genesis 2:9, translated again, reads, "Out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow—a tree in the garden, a tree pleasing to the eye, a tree that is pleasant for food, and a tree that gives life; and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

The tree of life created by God is of three kinds: a tree of joy, a tree of value for food, and a tree of life.

But then, the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" suddenly intervenes. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents one's own righteousness. It is a tree that expresses the desire to become like God. God did not create such a tree.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, like a poisonous mushroom, parasitizes the Tree of Life, given by God, making it appear as if it owns the tree. When people look at the poisonous mushroom-like tree, they see it as the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but upon closer inspection, they see the Tree of Life within it.

In Matthew 13:24-25, Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away." The good seed becomes the seed of the tree of life. However, the weeds are another expression for the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Church people think of sin as breaking a commandment. However, sin begins with the greed that leads to breaking a commandment. That is original sin. Therefore, we must uncover the true nature of the sin of greed.

The Bible even calls this greed an idol. Colossians 3:5, "Therefore put to death your earthly members: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Idols arise from the desire to become like God.

 

(3) Debate in court

In the sanctuary, a sinner brings a sacrificial animal to the sanctuary. The sinner places his hands on the sacrificial animal to transfer his sins to it, slaughters it, collects its blood, and gives it to the priest. The priest, representing the sinner, pours the blood on the altar, enters the sanctuary, sprinkles it seven times, and prays to God. This depicts the legal battle that will take place at this time. Who are the prosecutor and the defense attorney?

They are two angels. The Bible describes the dispute between the two angels once in Jude 1:9: "But Michael the archangel, when he was disputing with the devil and disputing about Moses' body, did not dare to bring a railing accusation against him, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'"

People think of Satan or the devil as someone who opposes God, but in reality he acts as a prosecutor, and God entrusts him with tasks, as in the case of Job.

Satan's role is to test and accuse. God gave Satan this role, and he tempted the woman (Eve). God knows the hearts of evil angels, and He uses Satan to express their thoughts.

Genesis 3:1-4 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?’” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” And the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.”

The serpent represents Satan. The Hebrew word for "crafty" is arum, meaning "wise." Matthew 10:16 says, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be wise, then, as serpents and harmless as doves."

Who are women? They are beings separated from the first man, Adam. Men and women were separated from the first man, Adam. This signifies the spirits of angels who sinned in the kingdom of God, and they are ultimately those who fell for Satan's temptation. Satan is an angel who took on the role of evil. God assigned that role. Satan even tempted Jesus, testing whether he was truly the Son of God.

The sins of the angels who opposed God were revealed by Satan, and so God sent them into the world. However, God predestined Christ to bring even the evil spirits cast into the world back to the kingdom of God, and He will make those who enter into Christ into God's people again.

 

(4) The First Man, Adam the Man, and Eve the Woman

Explaining the relationship between the first man, Adam, and the last man, Adam, is Colossians 1:15, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." This refers to Christ. The first created being, the first man, Adam.

The first man, Adam, was the first Christ to come into the world, predestined by Christ, and he imparted to humanity a body of sin. From the first man, Adam, the male Adam and the female Eve were separated. And from them, generations after generation, humanity continued to be produced.

The Hebrew word for "human" in the first man is "adamah," and after the separation of the man and woman, the man's name is "Adam." Therefore, the simultaneous use of the terms "first man Adam" and "man Adam" has led to confusion. The first man, Adam, is Christ, and Eve, separated from the first man, is the spirit of a fallen angel combined with flesh.

The fact that the first human was divided into male and female means that the first human, Adam, imparted to humanity a body of sin. This signifies the spirits of the angels who sinned in the kingdom of God. Because the sins of the angels who opposed God were revealed by Satan, God sent them into the world.

The last Adam imparts a body of righteousness (a body of resurrection). When Jesus died on the cross, it was death for the sinful body (old self) of the first man, Adam. He, the last Adam, was resurrected on the third day, imparting a spiritual body (new self) to those who enter into Christ.

Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection are the results of God's will in Genesis 1:1.