Adam and Eve: An Analysis

ADAM AND EVE

As most people are aware, science and the book of Genesis do not agree.  If someone would like to have them somewhat agree then it is recommended that books written by Henry Morris or another author of the Creation Science agenda may supply the desired information.

Geologists, paleontologists, evolutionists, and other like-minded natures insist the earth is millions of years old, whereas Biblical chronology appears to teach that the time span between Adam and the present is approximately 6,000 years.

Were there actually two original people named Adam and Eve created by God?  What about: Piltdown Man; Nebraska Man; Ramapithecus; Australopithecus; Homo habilis; Turkana Boy; Peking Man; Java Man; Neanderthals?  Keep in mind that pictures of these entities are the result of the imagination of the artist, occasionally with only two or three bones as background evidence.  The philosophy of evolutionists appears to be:  if the bones look human – they are recent; if the bones look ape-like they are old.

Were they dark brown and covered with hair?  Who knows but the artist.  There are several non-normal humans in the world today who aren’t considered cavemen although they may remind one of them.

From Adam’s creation to the birth of Seth:  130 years
Then to the birth of Enosh:                           105 years
To the birth of Kenan:                                     90 years
To the birth of Mahalalel:                                70 years
To the birth of Jared:                                       65 years
To the birth of Enoch:                                      62 years
To the birth of Methuselah:                              65 years
To the birth of Lamech:                                  187 years
To the birth of Noah:                                      182 years
To the Flood:                                                  600 years Total:                                                           1,656 years

Luke traces the genealogy of Jesus all the way back to Adam.

Luke 3:38 NET  the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus spoke of Noah as a real living person, as in “just like the days of Noah WERE” and not as the days of Noah were said to be.

Matthew 24:37 NET  For just like the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.

Whether actual or myth, the authenticity of Adam is extremely important within the context of the Gospel of Christ.  Due to the sin of Adam, all people would die a natural death (and sometimes not so natural), due to the sinless sacrifice of Jesus all will be made alive forever in the spirit through the advent of the two resurrections.

1 Corinthians 15:22 NET  For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive (in the spirit).

1 Corinthians 15:45 NET  So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living person"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

For the sake of argument, let’s suppose that the Genesis story of the creation and fall of Adam and Eve are merely mythological stories employed to relate certain lessons and metaphoric truths to the Christian agenda.

Both Adam and Eve are presented as being naked without any concerns about a lack of clothing.  It is said they were created as glorified beings or with a spiritual type of body similar to or exactly as the resurrected Christ.  That supposition may not be the case since both decided to disobey the command of God.

Genesis 2:25 NET  The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.

After performing the disobedient act, both Adam and Eve realized they were naked and were concerned that God would view them as being indecent and decided to hide among various plants.  God called them out, killed one or two sheep, and clothed them with the skins.  This represented the initial sacrifice of the Lamb for the covering of sin.  Keep in mind the sacrifice only covered the couple’s sin – it did not remove it.

Throughout the years, until the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God instituted, as law, various types of animal sacrifices representing the covering of sin and the term nakedness is occasionally used to describe the sin nature.

Having sinned and becoming earthly had some ramifications.  Before the sin, giving birth may have been a miraculous event, but now it would cause pain to the woman.  Although not mentioned in the text, becoming earthly gave men an insatiable desire and drive to have sexual relations (i.e. and some current men, with little or no self-control, or good sense, are paying dearly for that urge)

Genesis 3:16 NET  To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your labor pains; with pain you will give birth to children. You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you."

Also notice that women would aspire to control their husbands and other men if placed in charge – this is the Word of God and not my opinion.  This comment may incense feminists and those proclaiming equal sexual rights, but a male and a female are not equal.  They are two completely different entities.  They have different values, thoughts, responses, opinions, and their purpose in life is different.  The two books, Men are From Mars and Women are From Venus by John Gray describes these differences in layman’s terms very well (the internet is such a wonderful tool).  Most women appear to be happier as a wife and mother, and not as a single mother or single woman working every day to make a decent living.

However, other translations word this phrase differently.  KJV:  and thy desire (longing) shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.   LXX:  and thy submission shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.  CLV (Concordant Literal):  Yet by your husband is your restoration, and he shall rule over you.

You may claim the various interpretations mean two different things.  Possibly, but consider the following Word Study definition.

šûqāh:  World Study Dictionary

It was used to describe the strong feelings of desire that one person had for another, but it was not always a healthy desire. As part of the judgment after Adam and Eve's sin, God said that a woman would long for her husband (Gen_3:16). People are not the only thing that can long: God told Cain that sin was lying at his door, desiring to enter (Gen_4:7).

The type of desire (or longing) would need to be considered and the type is not necessarily one of passion.

Due to the control of Eve, Adam sinned although he knew he shouldn’t.  As as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:22 because of Adam’s choice all humans would hereafter die and return to the ground as dust.  In addition, the earth was cursed.  Because the couple would now be required to eat food to survive, cultivated food would involve difficult work to produce and be besieged with thorns, thistles, rocks, lack of water, and various weeds.

Genesis 3:17-19 NET  But to Adam he said, "Because you obeyed your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat from it,' cursed is the ground thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, but you will eat the grain of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat food until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return."

Human beings were therefore cursed to physically die.  The “tree of life” is most likely speaking of Jesus Christ and the couple were metaphorically not allowed to come in contact with it at this time.

Genesis 3:22 NET  And the LORD God said, "Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."

As related earlier, the first Adam brought death to all human beings and the second Adam which is Jesus Christ brought eternal life to all human beings.  Whether or not one accepts it – Jesus is the “tree of life”.  All must die and the metaphorical tree was temporarily taken away from humans. 

1 Corinthians 15:22 NET  For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive (in the spirit).

The first century appearance of Jesus Christ taught people the process (Gospel) of reaching the tree of life and the future ability of obtaining eternal life which the first couple lost.  It was through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God similar to the first lamb sacrificed as a cover for sin.  However, the second Lamb of God covers and temporarily removes the sin of the true believer.  All sin will be reproved and permanently removed at the resurrection of human beings.

Cain was born from Eve and Adam was his father – not Satan.  The terms “children of the devil” is metaphoric. 

Genesis 4:1 NET  Now the man had marital relations with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, "I have created a man just as the LORD did!"

Some like to put some “spice” in their theology but Cain “who was of the evil one” meant his actions and thoughts were evil and not his DNA.

1 John 3:12 NET  not like Cain who was of the evil one and brutally murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother's were righteous.

The same verse in two different translations describes “certain people” as having “gone in the way of Cain” which is the same as “traveled down Cain’s path.  In other words these certain people have made evil actions based on evil thoughts.

Jude 1:11 NET  Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain's path, and because of greed have abandoned themselves to Balaam's error; hence, they will certainly perish in Korah's rebellion.

Jude 1:11 KJV  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

Besides, if Adam and Eve are myths then so is Cain.

Reversing Hermon: Enoch - The Watchers

REVERSING HERMON:  ENOCH – THE WATCHERS

Dr. Michael Heiser has recently published a new book entitled, Reversing Hermon with the subtitle, “Enoch, The Watchers, & The Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ”.

The book is basically an exegesis of Genesis 6:1-4 and 1 Enoch 6-16.  The book of 1 Enoch is employed to illuminate and fill in the blanks of the Genesis account which does not give many details.  Heiser then explains how the Enoch narrative has been used by New Testament writers including the written accounts of Jesus Christ to explain certain things.  He claims it was a familiar book during the second temple era.

Genesis 6:1-7 NET  When humankind began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,  (2)  the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.  (3)  So the LORD said, "My spirit will not remain in humankind indefinitely, since they are mortal. They will remain for 120 more years."  (4)  The Nephilim were on the earth in those days (and also after this) when the sons of God were having sexual relations with the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men.  (5)  But the LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time.  (6)  The LORD regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended.  (7)  So the LORD said, "I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth — everything from humankind to animals, including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them."

There are four different accounts or books supposedly attributed to Enoch although only the one entitled 1 Enoch appears to have any validity.  It must be said that Enoch did not write the book unless after it was written Noah stashed it on the Ark and it has been preserved for thousands of years.  The book was in existence during the 2^nd Temple era and fragments of it have been discovered among the Qumran caves.  Heiser claims that 1 Enoch is a composite literary work whose parts can be dated to different periods.  This study only deals with the first part generally called “The Book of the Watchers” which spans chapters 1 through 36.  The first five chapters serve as an introduction and the text material that Heiser is concerned with is found in chapters 6 through 16.  No attempt will be made on my part to either promote or disparage 1 Enoch.  Jude quotes from this section and Peter appears to use the language and ideas found in it as well.

A Quote by Heiser:  The leader of the fallen angels is named Shemihazah, and the primary sin is marriage with human women and procreation of giants….The Watchers beget giants on earth by their union with human women.  Out of these giants come evil spirits that lead humanity astray (1 Enoch 15:11-12).  In the short term, the crisis of the Watchers is resolved when Godsends the flood to cleanse the earth.

Enoch 6:1-8 basically echos the content of Genesis 6:1-2.  Heiser rebukes the Sethite theory (which will not be explored at this time) and explains that a certain group of angels or Watchers had the desire to mate with human women.  The Watchers alighted on Mt. Hermon and apparently took human form to do their deed.

1 Enoch 6:1-8  1. And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. 2. And the angels (Watchers), the children of the heaven (Sons of God), saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.' 3. And Semjâzâ, who was their leader, said unto them: 'I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' 4. And they all answered him and said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.' 5. Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. 6. And they were in all two hundred; who descended ⌈in the days⌉ of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it.  7. And these are the names of their leaders: Sêmîazâz, their leader, Arâkîba, Râmêêl, Kôkabîêl, Tâmîêl, Râmîêl, Dânêl, Êzêqêêl, Barâqîjâl, Asâêl, Armârôs, Batârêl, Anânêl, Zaqîêl, Samsâpêêl, Satarêl, Tûrêl, Jômjâêl, Sariêl. 8. These are their chiefs of tens.

The Watchers took wives who became pregnant and their children were claimed to be giants and appear to be exclusively male in gender.  The initial offspring were supposedly quite large.  It is said that later generations became smaller but still quite large by human standards.  The giants consumed all the food supply and then began to consume people.  It is later claimed they had sexual encounters with animals and afterwards they began to kill and devour each other. 

1 Enoch 7:1-6  1. And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. 2. And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: 3. Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, 4. the giants turned against them and devoured mankind. 5. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood. 6. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.

The giants were called Nephilim.  1 Enoch claims the souls of the Nepilim, because they were only part human, would only inhabit the earth and will be called demons.  Some Bible teachers claim that demons are evil angels but that concept is refuted by Enoch. 

Heiser acknowledges that the sin of Adam established a lawless sinful nature within the human race.  However, he claims the unauthorized teachings of the Watchers, particularly to the women, greatly enhanced the knowledge of evil that has permeated the people of the earth.

1 Enoch 8:1-2  1. And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals 〈of the earth〉 and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures. 2. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjâzâ taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armârôs the resolving of enchantments, Barâqîjâl, (taught) astrology, Kôkabêl the constellations, Ezêqêêl the knowledge of the clouds, 〈Araqiêl the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl the signs of the sun〉, and Sariêl the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven . . .

They taught men to refine metals and with the metals they fashioned swords, knives, shields, and breastplates.  Astrology, weather patterns, the nature of the moon and constellations, the use of antimony for compounds and alloys, also enchantments (charms or magic) and root-cuttings for potions (perhaps medicine or magic) were also taught to both women and men. 

One of the most evil teachings, according to Heiser, was the development of metal jewelry which included rare and costly stones, cosmetic makeup for the eyes and face, and possibly dyes for the hair.  This created enchantresses, lewd women, and prostitutes who became corrupt, led astray, and committed fornication with degenerate males.  He later brings up Rahab, Tamar, and Ruth as user examples of these cosmetic techniques for specific but different purposes.