Did you know there is an anomaly in the account of Adam and his wife eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?
It is a very subtle anomaly, but it is there.
Defining the Anomaly
Adam and his wife were created in the image and the likeness of Elohim (Genesis 1:26, 27; Genesis 9:6). The Hebrew word for image is “selem” (Strong’s Concordance) H6754 with three related meanings but the one which expresses the intent for Genesis 1:26 and 27 would be the English word “resemble” meaning having the shape of Elohim with arms, legs, torso, fingers, toes, head, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, etc. The Hebrew word for likeness is “demut” (Strong’s Concordance) H1823 which refers more to how one uses the shape that resembles Elohim such as how one walks, talks, thinks and moves about. Both Hebrew words are very similar in meaning which indicates how important it is to Elohim for mankind to be easily identified as “in our image, after our likeness…”. Since Elohim created all the animals and the plants to reproduce after their kind (Genesis 1:24, 25), this was Elohim’s way of saying that mankind is made ‘after the Elohim kind’. At present, we experience life and learn lessons about being ‘after the Elohim kind’ in a lower state of being (Psalm 8:5; Hebrew 2:7). Further evidences that Elohim’s plan has always been about the growth of His Family with more children, are the many verses in the Brit Chadeshah (New Testament) which details Yeshua teaching us about our Father. Key scripture in point is the “LORD’s Prayer” which Yeshua gave as the example of how to pray. Yeshua specifically taught us to begin with the words, “Our Father…” Now let’s Keep this in mind as we continue.
Upon his creation, Adam was given the responsibilities to dress and keep the Garden (Genesis 2:15), then soon after that, Elohim created woman out of the man and gave Adam his wife. Together, this husband and wife duo continued on with the duties in the Garden.
Prior to the creating of woman, Elohim gave Adam the very first commandment which is recorded in Genesis 2:16-17, “And Adonai Elohim commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.”
Keep this verse in mind too and now fast forward to the part where Adam and his wife are confronted with Elohim after they chose to eat the fruit of the tree which they were commanded not to do. What did one part of Elohim say to another part of Elohim? Genesis 3:22 “And Adonai Elohim said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live for ever:”
Did you notice that? Elohim has the knowledge of good and evil; “man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:”
Mankind is made in the image (“selem”) and likeness (“demut”) of Elohim for the purpose to be ‘after the Elohim kind’. If Elohim has the knowledge of good and evil, then why was it commanded by Elohim that Adam and his wife could not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and have the same knowledge as Elohim does? In other words, how come Elohim wouldn’t allow mankind to have the knowledge of good and evil (as They do) but yet want mankind to be ‘after the Elohim kind’?
This presents a contradiction in scripture and is the anomaly.
From the Foundation of the World
To find the answer is in understanding Elohim’s plan for His Family…’after the Elohim kind’ and how Elohim is implementing it. We need to go further back to a period of time noted in the scriptures as the ‘foundation of the world’ to discover the answer to this anomaly. This is a period of time that is before the beginning of the creation week which starts in Genesis 1:1.
In the King James Version the phrase ‘foundation of the world’ occurs ten times with all ten verses in the Brit Chadeshah. Of these ten verses are two that specifically speak of Yeshua. They are 1 Peter 1:19-20 and Revelation 13:8.
1 Peter 1:19-20 states, “But with the precious blood of Messiah, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”
Revelation 13:8 states, “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
Both these verses clearly refer to Yeshua’s crucifixion. But take note of something special, these two verses speak of Yeshua’s crucifixion as being foreordained before the foundation of the world. As mentioned already, the foundation of the world is a time that happened long before Elohim started creating the physical elements.
This means that Yeshua’s death, burial, resurrection and ascension for mankind was all foreordained BEFORE Elohim even began creating. Clearly, this shows there is no “Plan B” with Elohim. Be sure to keep this point in mind as you continue reading.
What transpired during this period called ‘the foundation of the world’ is the planning, designing and developing stage of Elohim’s plan to create His Family ‘after the Elohim kind’. Any verse that speaks about the ‘foundation of the world’ is giving us a peek into the going’s on between the parts of Elohim as They set up the plan which we currently are living through. You might say the foundation of the world can be likened to the planning stage when a builder develops blue prints for a project.
The scriptures which speak of Yeshua’s foreordained crucifixion highlights how Elohim identified this as a need within Their plan. Clearly, They knew that Adam and his wife would disobey Their command and bring sin into the world. To rectify this issue of sin, They developed within Their blueprints the requirement that Yeshua divest Himself of His Elohimness and become physical for the purpose of being slain for the sins that would be perpetrated by mankind whom They were about to create ‘after the Elohim kind’.
Elohim’s Plan Incorporated Mankind’s Sin as a Learning Tool
Since Elohim knew back in the blueprint planning stage that mankind would disobey and sin, Elohim created Their plan in such a way so that this original sin and the subsequent sins of mankind since then would be turned into an avenue of teaching and training that will enhance mankind so that through Yeshua we ultimately manifest ‘after the Elohim kind’. Our daily experiences are to shape and mould us to grow and develop a bond and a relationship with Elohim.
Moses admonished the newly formed nation of Israel about this. As they were nearing the end of their wandering in the wilderness, Moses’ words are recorded in Deuteronomy 11:26-28. He expressed these words with great urgency as he admonished them saying, “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if you obey the commandments of Adonai your Elohim, which I command you this day: And a curse, if you will not obey the commandments of Adonai your Elohim, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which you have not known.”
Moses was telling the nation of Israel that life boils down to two choices; blessing (life) or curse (death). He ended his final teaching to Israel with these words in Deuteronomy 30: 19 “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live:”
The admonishment by Moses to the children of Israel concerning the two choices was meant to teach them how to shape and mould their lives so they could develop a bond and a relationship with Elohim – choose life, choose blessing, choose that which is good. Moses knew Elohim’s plan and understood that by choosing life, blessing and that which is good was the avenue that enabled them to be well, go well and live well. He reminded them that each time they make a choice for good, this would be a teaching and training session that will ultimately have them develop the mind of Yeshua (Philippians 2:5) and therefore manifest into being ‘after the Elohim kind’. This admonishment by Moses is meant for us today as well.
Yeshua’s death, burial, resurrection and ascension, brought mankind’s destiny back in alignment with the yet future end result of Elohim’s plan – when we become full-fledged sons and daughters in The Family, ‘after the Elohim kind’.
Addressing the Anomaly
With this information as our background we can now address the anomaly mentioned earlier in the account of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil with Adam and his wife.
Remember, Elohim knew that Adam and his wife would disobey and choose to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so They made provision for this sin within Their plan. They used it to Their (and our) advantage.
To be fully ‘of the Elohim kind’ clearly would require mankind to have the knowledge of good and evil, since we know that Elohim possesses this knowledge (Genesis 3:22).
But Elohim also knew that having this knowledge requires more than just an academic understanding since this knowledge is special and foundational to all the other levels of knowledge. This knowledge requires experiencing it and controlling it.
Knowing from the foundation of the world that Adam and his wife would disobey the command about not eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Elohim orchestrated Their plan to use mankind’s disobedience to turn sin into an avenue of learning. Adam and his wife’s disobedience also brought about another avenue which would not have mankind suffer should the lessons be ignored or disobeyed (we’ll discuss more on this next).
Elohim grants all of mankind the ability of free-will choice. This is part of the lesson which moulds and shapes us towards the bond and relationship with Elohim. Each time we make a choice we are flexing our spiritual muscles while the words of Moses should echo in our minds; choose life, choose blessing, choose good so that our ‘muscles’ develop strong and sturdy. Though sadly, we see throughout history that his words have gone unheeded and evil is rampant.
Death Introduced for a Merciful Reason
By making the command that Adam and his wife were not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Elohim made a provision to that command, “…for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” Elohim introduces death into the creation as a punishment but also for a very important and merciful purpose. Since Elohim foreknew that mankind would not control, subdue and subject the evil knowledge within them, the command and the provision of death was put in place to introduce death into the lifespan of mankind, so that the suffering which mankind experiences with the evil ways would not be for exceedingly long periods of life.
Originally, mankind was created with an unending lifespan. Just think about this. The provision that “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”, gives us a big clue to the lifespan originally meant for mankind. It is recorded for us in Genesis 5:5 as to the age of Adam when he died; “So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.”
We also know that one day is as a thousand years to Elohim. 2 Peter 3:8 explains that, “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with Adonai one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
So Adam died in the day (aka, a one thousand year period) from when he ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If he died “in the day” and that day was one thousand years, then his original lifespan must have been considerably longer than even one thousand years.
This is why Elohim mercifully introduced death into mankind so that in our out-of-control state, we would not suffer extensively under evil.
Thankfully, Elohim has made provision for a remnant of people to always be upon the earth who do exercise their spiritual muscles and make the choice for life, blessing and good. This remnant becomes a light in the darkness of evil, but also acts as a reminder to Elohim about Their promise to fulfill Their plan and expand The Family with Their creation.
Being a Little Lower Than the Angels is a Blessing Right Now
How does all this apply to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life? The modern consensus that is taught and believed by the majority of people is that Adam and his wife should have chosen the tree of life which means they would have obeyed Elohim from the onset and not have sinned. After all this thought process lines up with what Moses said about choosing life, right? To this end, it is concluded that Adam failed and Elohim had to implement a Plan B. Actually, this consensus does miss the mark.
Since it has been established that ‘from the foundation of the world’ it was known that mankind would disobey and eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there never was a plan by which mankind would obey and only choose the tree of life. If Adam and his wife did chose the tree of life first and then were introduced to the knowledge of good and evil afterwards, the ability to control this knowledge would still have the same outcome as we see today, only this time, mankind would be living forever (Genesis 3:22). This is the outcome we see with hasatan and his demons. That is why angels guarded the Tree of Life and Adam and his wife were banished from the Garden.
Therefore, with the knowledge of good and evil within us while we are yet in a fleshly state of being that is lower than the angels, every time we make a choice, we must decide if we want the knowledge of good to prevail or the knowledge of evil to prevail. Those who choose to utilize the knowledge of good are identified as Elohim’s remnant. They are the example of how to choose the good portion of the knowledge while at the same time showing how to control, subdue and subject the evil knowledge. In other metaphors, they are likened to being lights in a dark room or fruit upon a tree or salt upon the earth.
Those who choose to utilize the knowledge of evil experience the outcome of their choice(s). Being made a little lower than the angels is actually quite a blessing which has been bestowed upon mankind. While being in this physical, lower state, we have the capability to change, something that cannot be done if we live eternally. This means that anyone who makes a choice or choices for evil can still have the opportunity to change and repent and become part of the remnant. So being made a little lower than the angels is a blessing for us right now.
How do we know that subdueing evil is what our Elohim wants us to do? Genesis 4:6-7 explains this: “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
Cain’s sacrifice was not accepted by Elohim and Cain was very unhappy about this. These verses show that Elohim was teaching him how to overcome this by explaining that he needed to make it a priority to choose to “do well” and this will enable him to master the sin and evil that was “crouching at the door”. We know the story and the choice that Cain sadly did make – he allowed sin and evil to master him instead of him being in charge and mastering sin and evil.
The instruction that Elohim gave Cain ties in with what was mentioned earlier about the teaching Moses gave to the children of Israel. He admonished them about choosing blessing (life, goodness) and not curse (death, sin) while they stood on Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebel (Deuteronomy 11 and Deuteronomy 27). Let us not let sin master us, let us master evil and sin.
The Tree of Life
One final point about the tree of life and Elohim’s plan; why is it that the tree of life is provided for all to eat from at the time when New Jerusalem comes down from heaven – an event that happens AFTER Yeshua’s thousand year reign as our King and Bridegroom? Elohim’s plan for the consumption of the fruit of this tree is clearly intended to happen AFTER we have learned to control, subdue and subject evil, for there won’t be any further concern about us suffering under a burden of evil. Elohim included the tree of life in the Garden of Eden for two reasons; to give mankind the ability to make choices and to show mankind their future as children of the Father who will be living forever as does the Father.
Hasatan and His Plan
One other point that has not been addressed so far is this; hasatan plays a pivotal point in manifesting evil within each person and upon the whole earth. He is known as the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) and he uses this power (aka frequencies) to beguile evil upon mankind. Since so much of mankind either rejects or is totally ignorant of Elohim’s plan for mankind, they are weak and vulnerable to the beguilement of hasatan and thus evil is rampant. And consider this, if mankind did eat of the tree of life first and then ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would be living forever but it would be in the ways of evil. We know this to be true because we see from the actual choice that Adam and his wife made that evil prevails throughout mankind right now. Mankind would experience the same outcome which hasatan and his demons currently live. But hasatan does not want mankind to become like him and his demons. He wants mankind to be totally obliterated from existence. In actuality there is no second seed or evil seed - for his purpose is to destroy what Elohim has created. This is why he sets up his traps to cause us to commit sins that result in death. But to those who are wise and covered in the armour of Elohim, these attempts fall to the ground.
When Yeshua returns as King of kings, the first order of business will be to chain-up and imprison hasatan in the bottomless pit causing his ability to influence the world to be blocked during the thousand years of Yeshua’s kingdom.
Adam and his wife played right into hasatan’s hands, but Elohim is smarter, knowing the end from the beginning and They had established Their plan with this in mind. Elohim set this all into motion so that mankind could know about good and evil, but also experience it and learn to control, subdue and subject the evil, just as Elohim does. That is also why Elohim created a command knowing full well it would be disobeyed, which then enabled Them to mercifully introduce death (due to man’s disobedience) so mankind would not suffer evil for excessively long life spans. That is why Yeshua died, was buried, then resurrected and ascended for us so that the sin element would be cleansed and mankind redeemed back to Elohim.
All of this and more has been done, so that we finally achieve the end result of Elohim’s plan…being ‘after the Elohim kind’ in full measure. The scriptures are an outline of Elohim’s plan given to us so we know the will of Elohim and can be about our Abba’s work as has been Yeshua. When we see the plan of Elohim in this context, there is no anomaly at all in the account that transpired in the Garden of Eden with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The scriptures have not contradicted themselves after all.
Let this mind be in you that is in Messiah, Yeshua.
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