Difference between revisions of "Cause and Effect"

Latest revision as of 16:30, 6 August 2019

'Cause and Effect'

God saw what was happening. He had the power to stop it, but did not.

He allowed Satan to tempt and deceive the woman. And though He had commanded them not to, God allowed Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.

This was a test of their character. God wanted to know whether or not they would obey Him or rely upon themselves.

Remember, God cannot instantly create His holy, righteous character in people. Godly character is so precious and special, it takes much time, patience and learning to develop. It does not happen overnight.

Also, God does not force His ways on people. He does want everyone to be happy and live forever, just as He does. But as with the angels, God gave Adam and Eve free choice—the chance to choose for themselves whether they would obey or disobey Him. God wanted them to choose to obey Him, to want to follow His lead. The Creator knew that if they did, they would live happy, healthy lives.

But when Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, something strange happened. Up until this time, they were naked. Since there were no other people around and the weather was perfect and sunny, they felt no need to wear clothes. But upon eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve looked at their naked bodies and felt ashamed. They decided for themselves that it was wrong for them to be naked. They did not rely on God to teach them.

So they rushed to sew together clothing made from fig tree leaves (Gen 3:7).

Shut Out of Paradise
When they heard God drawing near as He walked through the garden, Adam and Eve tried to hide.

God called out, saying, “Adam, where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). He already knew where Adam and Eve were hiding—God knows everything (Jeremiah 23:23-24). Nothing can be kept from His knowledge. Rather than approaching the man about the sins he had just committed, God gave Adam a chance to show some character and admit his mistakes.

Reluctantly, Adam came out from behind the trees. Trembling with fear, he looked down to the ground and said, “I’m here. When I heard your voice, I was afraid and ran to hide myself.”

“Why were you afraid?” God asked.
In a small voice, Adam said, “Because I was naked.”

“And who told you that you were naked?” God said. “Have you eaten fruit of the tree I expressly told you not to eat?” Adam pointed to Eve and said, “The woman You made for me—she ate the forbidden fruit, and then I ate.” In saying this, Adam blamed

God and his wife for his own wrongs.
God turned to the woman. “Eve, what is this that you have done?”

Eve followed Adam’s example and shifted the blame to someone else: “The serpent deceived me! He made me eat it!”

God was very disappointed with Adam and Eve. They had disobeyed Him—sinned. Instead of relying on their Creator to reveal His spiritual laws and the right way to live, Adam and Eve ate of the tree of self-knowledge. They decided for themselves what was good and evil.

Since they had rejected their Creator, God had no choice but to reject them. From animal skins, He made clothing for the man and woman to wear. Then He drove Adam and Eve out of Eden. To make sure that neither they nor their children got back in, God set up two angels— cherubim—to guard the entrance. He also placed a flaming sword that blocked the path of anyone who dared to enter the garden. Adam and Eve were no longer allowed to live in the garden paradise. Nor were the generations of their future children.

God was not being cruel. He knew that man, after eating the forbidden fruit, could not be allowed to enter the Garden of Eden and eat of the Tree of Life. Otherwise, man would have been doomed to live forever in misery, suffering and unhappiness, just like the fallen angels. Although He sent him out of Eden at that time, God would give man an opportunity to eat of the Tree of Life much later.

But first, people must learn the hard way that they cannot decide for themselves right from wrong. God gave mankind 6,000 years to live as it chooses. That is why there has been so much war, violence, hatred, death, pain and sadness.

When the 6,000 years are over (which will be very soon), God will offer everyone His Holy Spirit and teach them His ways. If they obey Him and build His righteous character, God will then offer them eternal life—the chance to live forever in happiness and peace as members of His Family.

What If…?
What if Adam and Eve had rejected Satan? What if they had not eaten the forbidden fruit, but instead had eaten from the Tree of Life?

Our world would be far different from what it is today. There would be no crowded cities filled with crime, violence and disease. Humans would never wage war. No one would ever take another person’s life.

People would not steal, taking what did not belong to them. Everyone would respect their parents and elders. Children would always be safe.

All families would have their own land to develop and live on. All foods would be healthy. No one would ever get sick or catch a disease.

People would always tell the truth. All marriages and families would be happy. Everyone would keep God’s Sabbath, resting on the seventh day of the week. No one would misuse God’s many names. No one would desire things that they cannot possess. And there would only be one religion, because everyone would know and obey the one true God.

Mankind would have developed God’s holy, righteous character. In turn, God would have offered people membership in His Family, and they would be changed into spirit, as God-beings.

This is what God had wanted for us. Although Adam and Eve chose to eat the wrong fruit, God still plans to help mankind reach the ultimate goal: to be born into His kingdom.

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 God saw what was  happening. He had the power to stop it, but did not.<br>