Very sad but true, humanity has not been able to understand God and the way He accomplishes His plan. It was God’s purpose to have sons and daughters eternally with Him. Man was ordained right from the beginning to have fellowship with God and to live for ever. Adam was the masterpiece created with a free will. To him, responsibility was given over everything on the earth. He certainly was not an automatic device. We can feel, love, decide, etc., but obedience was required for perfect fellowship with God. Man was to rule the earth, but submit himself to the Lordship of the Almighty. Then came the moment in which a decision had to be made, and the Lord gave a commandment which could have been easily kept (Gen. 2: 17). We would rather believe that Adam and Eve would have obeyed the Word of the Lord. Yet it shows the trend of man to give it a try and see the outcome, and thereby they lost their fellowship with God. The harmony between the Creator and the creation was destroyed, a separation took place.

We are not told about the space of time wherein Adam and Eve lived in undisturbed fellowship with God. Before the fall there was no sin, no sickness, no pain, no tears, no death. Because we are ordained to live eternally, God made a way to bring us back into the original state.

The first one to act against God was the angelic being called Lucifer. In Isaiah 14: 12, we read, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations!” In Ezekiel 28 from verse 13 the same being is described, “Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God …”, “Thou art the anointed cherub …”, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

This being is the arch-fiend of God. He was not satisfied with the God-ordained place, he wanted to lift himself up. Since he separated from God, his only aim is to separate humanity from God as well. Because Satan is a spirit being, he could not deceive the human race without entering into the serpent. This specie at that time was not a reptile, which it became after the curse (Gen. 3: 14). It was possible for the serpent to have a detailed discussion with Eve, according to Gen. 3. Eve was drawn into the arguments, which always have a question mark. God meant what He said, and said what He meant. But the serpent argued, “Ye shall not surely die.” Eve began to doubt God’s Word. That is the way Satan starts with each and everyone of us. It is actually a direct evil inspiration to doubt God’s holy Word.

God gave Adam the solemn warning, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 2: 17). Satan said exactly the opposite through the serpent to Eve, “Ye shall not surely die.” (Genesis 3: 4). Now the decision had to be made what and whom to believe. Eve was being paralysed, and then she was deceived. Subsequently, she also pulled Adam into the transgression, and the fellowship between God and man was destroyed.

Since then, the whole human race is separated from God and under the influence of Satan. Everyone born into this world is a child of death. Nothing in life is as certain as death.

After the transgression, the Lord had to drive Adam and Eve from the garden, so they would not eat from the tree of life and then live eternally in sin. It was necessary to redeem us first, before we could receive eternal life. God Himself has dressed Adam and Eve into skins; so blood was shed, showing forth that reconciliation will come only by the shedding of blood. There was a great day of atonement. While Christ was dying, He answered the one who called upon him, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23: 43). Since that day on Calvary, everyone can enter paradise again through believing in the atonement made by Jesus Christ.

Everyone born into this world is separated from God. We all would have acted as Adam and Eve did; therefore, we are all guilty in front of God and we all are in need of redemption. Religious activities, which are being practised, have nothing to do with our salvation. They can be compared with the fig-leaves Adam and Eve have put around themselves. Just as the Lord found the first two of the human race after they trespassed against His Word, in the same way He finds everybody since then, for we have all transgressed His commandments and are guilty.

During the first two thousand years, there were only a few whom the Lord had revealed Himself to, like Enoch, Noah, Abraham. Humanity went astray in their own ways and practised idolatry. During the time of Moses, God chose Israel to be His people. The commandments were given and everything was set in order, as the Lord required it during that time. The sacrifices could not give final redemption; the sins were only covered. They spoke of the great sacrifice of the Lamb of God that would come to take away the sins of the world. He would do away that which separated us from God. The law was necessary, because only through it we can be convicted of sin (Roman 3: 20) and then recognize the need to be saved. The Spirit of God convinces us on the basis of the given commandments. We repentfully confess that we were not able to keep them and admit to be guilty. Then one sees the necessity for redemption.

The timely interruption through man’s disobedience cannot annihilate the eternal plan of God with humanity. Through the transgression, we were separated from God, but through reconciliation, we are brought back into the fellowship again. God did not give up. He made a way to bring us back. He redeemed us; He conquered death and hell and gave us eternal life. We had no way to approach God. He had to come to us and make a way, so we could go to Him. Everybody should know the prophecy of Isaiah 40: 3, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” In verses 9 + 10 we read, “O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him.” In chapter 35: 4 we read, “Say to those who are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; behold, your God … he will come and save you.” In chapter 52: 10 it says, “The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”

The redeemer was to be God Himself. It’s very clear from all the Old Testament Scriptures. Not at one time do we find a Father speaking to a Son in Heaven throughout the space of 4,000 years. As a Spirit being, He could not taste death. Therefore, He had to appear in a body of flesh. This was the only possibility to redeem us and to bring us back into the original state we had before the fall.

Very sad but true, humanity has not been able to understand God and the way He accomplishes His plan. It was God’s purpose to have sons and daughters eternally with Him. Man was ordained right from the beginning to have fellowship with God and to live for ever. Adam was the masterpiece created with a free will. To him, responsibility was given over everything on the earth. He certainly was not an automatic device. We can feel, love, decide, etc., but obedience was required for perfect fellowship with God. Man was to rule the earth, but submit himself to the Lordship of the Almighty. Then came the moment in which a decision had to be made, and the Lord gave a commandment which could have been easily kept (Gen. 2: 17). We would rather believe that Adam and Eve would have obeyed the Word of the Lord. Yet it shows the trend of man to give it a try and see the outcome, and thereby they lost their fellowship with God. The harmony between the Creator and the creation was destroyed, a separation took place.

We are not told about the space of time wherein Adam and Eve lived in undisturbed fellowship with God. Before the fall there was no sin, no sickness, no pain, no tears, no death. Because we are ordained to live eternally, God made a way to bring us back into the original state.

The first one to act against God was the angelic being called Lucifer. In Isaiah 14: 12, we read, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations!” In Ezekiel 28 from verse 13 the same being is described, “Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God …”, “Thou art the anointed cherub …”, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

This being is the arch-fiend of God. He was not satisfied with the God-ordained place, he wanted to lift himself up. Since he separated from God, his only aim is to separate humanity from God as well. Because Satan is a spirit being, he could not deceive the human race without entering into the serpent. This specie at that time was not a reptile, which it became after the curse (Gen. 3: 14). It was possible for the serpent to have a detailed discussion with Eve, according to Gen. 3. Eve was drawn into the arguments, which always have a question mark. God meant what He said, and said what He meant. But the serpent argued, “Ye shall not surely die.” Eve began to doubt God’s Word. That is the way Satan starts with each and everyone of us. It is actually a direct evil inspiration to doubt God’s holy Word.

God gave Adam the solemn warning, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 2: 17). Satan said exactly the opposite through the serpent to Eve, “Ye shall not surely die.” (Genesis 3: 4). Now the decision had to be made what and whom to believe. Eve was being paralysed, and then she was deceived. Subsequently, she also pulled Adam into the transgression, and the fellowship between God and man was destroyed.

Since then, the whole human race is separated from God and under the influence of Satan. Everyone born into this world is a child of death. Nothing in life is as certain as death.

After the transgression, the Lord had to drive Adam and Eve from the garden, so they would not eat from the tree of life and then live eternally in sin. It was necessary to redeem us first, before we could receive eternal life. God Himself has dressed Adam and Eve into skins; so blood was shed, showing forth that reconciliation will come only by the shedding of blood. There was a great day of atonement. While Christ was dying, He answered the one who called upon him, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23: 43). Since that day on Calvary, everyone can enter paradise again through believing in the atonement made by Jesus Christ.

Everyone born into this world is separated from God. We all would have acted as Adam and Eve did; therefore, we are all guilty in front of God and we all are in need of redemption. Religious activities, which are being practised, have nothing to do with our salvation. They can be compared with the fig-leaves Adam and Eve have put around themselves. Just as the Lord found the first two of the human race after they trespassed against His Word, in the same way He finds everybody since then, for we have all transgressed His commandments and are guilty.

During the first two thousand years, there were only a few whom the Lord had revealed Himself to, like Enoch, Noah, Abraham. Humanity went astray in their own ways and practised idolatry. During the time of Moses, God chose Israel to be His people. The commandments were given and everything was set in order, as the Lord required it during that time. The sacrifices could not give final redemption; the sins were only covered. They spoke of the great sacrifice of the Lamb of God that would come to take away the sins of the world. He would do away that which separated us from God. The law was necessary, because only through it we can be convicted of sin (Roman 3: 20) and then recognize the need to be saved. The Spirit of God convinces us on the basis of the given commandments. We repentfully confess that we were not able to keep them and admit to be guilty. Then one sees the necessity for redemption.

The timely interruption through man’s disobedience cannot annihilate the eternal plan of God with humanity. Through the transgression, we were separated from God, but through reconciliation, we are brought back into the fellowship again. God did not give up. He made a way to bring us back. He redeemed us; He conquered death and hell and gave us eternal life. We had no way to approach God. He had to come to us and make a way, so we could go to Him. Everybody should know the prophecy of Isaiah 40: 3, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” In verses 9 + 10 we read, “O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him.” In chapter 35: 4 we read, “Say to those who are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; behold, your God … he will come and save you.” In chapter 52: 10 it says, “The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”

The redeemer was to be God Himself. It’s very clear from all the Old Testament Scriptures. Not at one time do we find a Father speaking to a Son in Heaven throughout the space of 4,000 years. As a Spirit being, He could not taste death. Therefore, He had to appear in a body of flesh. This was the only possibility to redeem us and to bring us back into the original state we had before the fall.