God created man upright and perfect. He had created man in His own image. This means that man was originally created with the nature of God. Man was created with the Law of God written upon his heart as an internal guide to right and wrong. The conscience seeks to enforce that law by inward dealings and reminders of God's commandments. Man knew right from wrong and had a mechanism in place to serve as a *WARNING* when God's will was in danger of not being followed.
God allowed Satan to take on the form of a Serpent and gave him access into the Garden of Eden. The serpent was the wisest of all the other creations God had made on the earth and since God had only created Adam and Eve he transformed himself into a trusted serpent. God orchestrated this trial for man, but not before he had equipped Adam for the battle. Adam had been armed with the sword of God’s express commandment and the awesome sting of the conscience. No doubt as the Serpent began his lies it was SHOUTING at him God’s promised consequence for disobedience (Genesis 2:17).
The Ultimate Death
God told Adam that in the day you eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil- literally DYING thou SHALT DIE. This is one of the first cases in scripture where we see the doubling of words for emphasis sake. We would later learn of the Holy of holies (the ultimate holy place), the King of kings (the ultimate king) and the Song of songs (the ultimate song). Dying thou shalt Die is the ultimate death. Death in scripture does not mean annihilation- it means separation. Adam had walked with God in beautiful fellowship, that sweet communion in the cool of the day. Satan came to try to murder that relationship and destroy man’s innocence.
Imagine what it would be like to have never disobeyed God and your conscience was as white as snow. God's glory no doubt resided in Adam and Eve and the radiance of that Glory was surely as evident as the Glory that filled the Temple or that shone from Moses' face. Imagine a garment of God's Glory- the evidence of innocence.
A death implies that life (communion) once existed. Things have to be together before they can separate. Adam enjoyed that Eternal Life of the knowledge and communion of God (John 17:3). Adam and Eve were both naked of physical clothing, the adorning that their posterity would bear and were unashamed walking and living in the Glory of God. No doubt, as Moses face radiated the glory of God, their bodies showed forth the radiance of being Face to Face with God. No need to fear- their conscience was clear.
Moses had a wonderful experience, but even he could not look upon God and live because of his inherent sinfulness. Adam and Eve knew God in the closest of terms. Their bodies were temples of the Holy Spirit. Indeed God’s hind quarters was the closest Moses would get this side of eternity to seeing God (Exodus 33), yet his face still shined as he came down from the mountain with that precious radiance of God’s glory. We can only imagine a garment of glory- a glorified body as Paul tells us about (Philippians 3:21).
Adam exchanged his glorified body for a Sin defiled, vile body and passed that vileness through the whole of the human race. The sweet communion was gone. They were banished from Paradise. This is what we know as “Paradise Lost.” Their eyes were open and they knew they were naked. They hid themselves from God as the Glory had departed. Surely this was the ultimate ICHABOD and from that time until this all men have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23).
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Robert Wurtz II ( - )
For almost 20 years I have served as a author and teacher of advanced biblical studies. My interests are the New Covenant, apologetics and classical revival. Native of the Kansas City, Mo area and reside now in Independence, MO with wife Anna.He is the author of many books including the newest Televangelicalism. In this insightful and thought provoking book, Robert Wurtz II traces the history of Christian evangelism from the book of Acts to modern times. The contrast between pre-1900 and post-1900 evangelism is so sharp, that the book is divided into two sections: Part 1, the pre-Billy Sunday era and Part 2, the post-Billy Sunday evangelistic era. This book is a must-read for anyone that has concerns about issues such as "the sinner's prayer" or shallow concepts of conversion.