Chapter 12

The World System Begins

Bible Synopsis: Genesis 3:14-21

The judgment of God comes upon all with expulsion from the garden and sin, with death plaguing all life.

The Curse and Salvation

God begins first with the serpent, then Satan, then Eve, then Adam in pronouncing judgments against them. We do not comprehend properly the curses of God. He is sovereign and ultimately determines the outcome of all things, but His omniscience declares the consequences of our choices. Part of the curses declared by the Lord are statements showing the outcome of the path of our own makings. Laws of creation are impartial. If we step off a cliff, the law of gravity brings us down. To say, "Cursed is he who steps off a cliff," is similar to some of what God is saying to them. But above all, God is good. Even His curses are good. As Joseph said, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive" (Gen. 50:20). For example, death is good. It forces people to come to terms with God either in accepting Him or ultimately rejecting Him. More than that, death prevented mankind from living eternally wicked by the future shedding of the body for one glorious as His. The world cannot see this good, and therefore hates God for his judgments.

The Lord brings judgment upon the serpent first since it yielded it's body for Satan's usage. Remember that it was "more subtle than any beast of the field which Yahweh God had made" (Gen. 3:1). This implies some more sophisticated thinking process given to the snake. If not, it has been argued that the curse on the snake was to be a perpetual reminder to mankind of the Fall, even though the animal was used by Satan. Whether willing or no, the serpent suffered the consequence of the act.

THE FIRST PROMISE OF THE MESSIAH

The Lord then speaks directly to Satan and declares the judgment to come. At this point, Satan is innocent of wrong doing. Reality is an act. While Satan was guilty of rebellion in his heart, he still had not violated the commands of God in his action. He asked questions and created doubt, but Adam & Eve of their own free wills ate the forbidden fruit. Satan did not force them.

The first declaration of the Lord is that Satan would hate the women of the earth, and specifically, Eve. Eve in realizing the cost of her foolishness, no doubt, would regret and despise Satan's work. History has shown the degradation and abuse that women have endured. Likewise, the church has always had a great following of women when they receive the Messiah. Jesus was surrounded by women who supported his ministry (Luke 8:3), and women have historically made up most of the congregation. Consider Paul's reminder to Timothy of his mother's and grandmother's faiths (2 Tim. 1:5).

But more importantly, God declares there would be enmity between Satan's seed and the woman's seed. In the general sense, this is a statement of the strife between the people of the world (Satan's seed) and the people of God (woman's seed). Those who reject God cannot stand those who follow God because their godly lives remind the wicked that they are wrong. And the righteous struggle with the wicked because they have seen the horrible consequences of sin, and therefore hate sin. However, the prophecy is more than a general statement: it is a specific statement regarding a specific person. That is the person of Jesus the Christ: which means the anointed one.

"The seed of the woman," has several implications. First is the offspring, who is God in the flesh. Second is the virgin birth. Jesus would be a true son of God in that God would be the Father. Adam was a created son, but Jesus would be the only begotten son of God. Third, it would also seem that the unnatural sin nature of Adam would be passed on through his sperm, and not the woman's egg. Otherwise, when the Holy Spirit united with the egg in Mary's womb, Jesus would have been born with a sin nature, too. Many people think that the supernatural birth of Christ was special creation apart from this creation. That could not be. Our justification resides specifically in that one person in the creation was able to completely obey the will of God. Jesus had appeared many times in a supernatural body, called the theophany, before his virgin birth. But he could not go to the cross that way. We would not be partakers in his justification. When Jesus did it, we did it because He became one of us.

"Thy seed," refers not only to the children of disobedience, but the anti-Christ. The apostle John declared, "this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world" (1 John 4:3). Many people have been antichrist. At first Satan believes that Jesus will come to rule and reign, and doesn't understand the cross. As the Scriptures say, "for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:8b). So history is replete, from Adam to Christ, with antichrist rulers. People Satan guides in breeding to be vehicles for his use. But since the cross was revealed, Satan has sought someone by whom he may fully possess. When that someone is found, then "thy seed" will be the antichrist of the end times.

The last line of the prophecy is not understood by Satan completely. He knows it means that someone will come and bruise his head as an enemy, perhaps in battle, where he only manages to bruise its heel. But Satan does not know the goodness of the Lord and perceives the prophecy as a great conqueror, not as a humble servant who'll die on the cross. Both Adam and Eve heard the promise and hope must have filled their hearts for a son who would defeat Satan. Perhaps it would happen soon, maybe in their lifetimes. But they could not fully comprehend the prophecy, for they now had a fallen nature.

Why should the Almighty allow Satan to "bruise its heel" at all? Why not just lock up Satan right away? Because, first, Satan had not committed an act which could be judged until he crucified Christ. But, more importantly, because Adam was guilty but no longer could comprehend his guilt. His unnatural sin nature prevented him from understanding his treason. God had been offended. Adam's willful disobedience was a slap in His face. Justice had to be meted out, but to a comprehending criminal. The nature of God's justice is stated in Exodus 21:24 - an "eye for eye, tooth for tooth..." As the psalmist said, "let thine eyes behold the things that are equal" (Psa. 17:2). When Adam was created, he was equal to God in the perfection of his creation. But now he was fallen. It was as though they stood man to man when Adam struck God, then suddenly Adam turned into a monkey unaware of what he had done. And it is Satan's desire to keep man a monkey, so he'll never know what has happened.

It says in Isaiah 53 that "it pleased Yahweh to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin" (verse l0a). Why should it please God to see Jesus suffering on the cross? First because God knew that many would be saved through Christ's obedience in taking our punishment. But just as important, God had been wronged by Adam and all of mankind. And now an equal who understood the depth of the wrong done to Him would receive the righteous blow of vengeance, for "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Rom. 12:19b). There was a divine satisfaction seeing the wrong righted. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. Believers should not feel guilty when they desire revenge for wrongs unjustly suffered. We are commanded to give it to the Lord for He will bring justice about in His time. But the desire for justice is godly in origin. Unfortunately, the desire for revenge is perverted in today's world. Justice by God always brings about the most good, and not harm for harm's sake. Jesus took the blow due us, but was rewarded with glory and honor. The blows upon Jesus benefited us all.

THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES

As the weaker vessel, the tendency for confusion and deception would increase in their unnatural sin state. Sorrows would come, not only in child bearing, but through monthly blood loss and hormonal changes. Their emotions would become more of a roller coaster. It makes one wonder if there was a menstrual cycle in woman before the Fall. The regular letting of blood could be God's perennial reminder of the need of salvation. Menstrual cramps, premenstrual syndrome, and labor pains would compound the woman's sorrow. Yet their is a saving grace in this that is little understood. Paul told Timothy that women should not exercise authority over a man since Adam was formed first and that the woman was deceived therefore transgressed (1 Tim. 2:12-14). Then he says to him, "Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing" [1] (1 Tim. 2:15a). This obviously doesn't mean salvation. That comes only by faith in the blood of Christ which is for both men and women. Perhaps the sorrow of women is so much that they easily become self centered, and focus on their grief. Having to take care of an infant who is wholly helpless and totally dependent upon her care, turns their propensity for introspection off themselves onto the child.

History is full of the sorrow of women on an objective scale. Many cultures worldwide have preferred baby boys to baby girls. Infanticide against little girls was common, as households deemed them useless to their economy. Women have been bought and sold as cattle by men with no personal rights given. A man could divorce a woman but a woman had no recourse against a man who abused her. A man could own many wives, but women had no such largess.

The battle of the sexes begins at this point. Adam failed in his responsibility to guard and protect his garden which was Eve. A resentment on her part would be inevitable. The adage, "if you want a job done right, then do it yourself," would be her new attitude toward Adam. "And thy desire shall be to thy husband," would reflect this desire to take authority and control. My wife disagrees. She believes that as a single woman the curse was a disdain for men but an unconquerable desire in her to have one! While her feelings caused her sorrow, the context of the verse is more on authority. The irony of a woman feeling that men bungle so much that she needs to be in charge is that this is a continuation of the unnatural view that we don't need God and can get along without Him. The laws of life established by the Lord provide order in relationships. A man is to submit to the authority of God just as a woman is to submit to a man and children to a mother. But this order is not abusive as the world system interprets it. It is an order of mutual voluntary submission, which includes God submitting to our desires that conform to His will.

The Lord knew the outgrowth this resentment against men would produce in women and restricted it by saying, "and he shall rule over thee." No matter how much women rebelled against men, God insures that men will continue to rule. Likewise the integrity of God's order is insured against men who continue to rebel against Him, but He will, nonetheless, rule over mankind. Once again, the unnatural world view is one of dictatorship. Men have exercised their rule as despots. Religious leaders of the world have looked upon God as a terrible tyrant, which is not the way of the Lord. Jesus gave a living example for men on how to rule: as a servant. Husbands are to be servants of their wives just as God is a servant to mankind. But in servant hood, bottom line decisions still hold with God. A man has that bottom line with his wife, but first by appeal to God, and with long suffering and patience toward his wife.

The Earth Cursed:

The World System Grows

Ultimate responsibility lay with Adam in his marriage. As Paul said, "Adam was not deceived" (1 Tim. 2:14a), therefore he willfully disobeyed God, choosing to believe the voice of his wife before the Word of the Lord. It is for this reason the inheritance of sin comes from the man and not the woman. If Christ were born from a man, then he would have inherited the sin of Adam, making it impossible for him to redeem mankind. But the woman does not pass on the sin nature, therefore his conception by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary enabled him to be sinless at birth.

Along with passing on the sin nature, all men would have to work by the "sweat of the brow." This is not to imply that work is part of the curse. Adam was given work before the Fall in tending the garden and in keeping it. Rather, the God ordained activity would become sorrowful, just as bearing children (also God ordained: "be fruitful and multiply") would become sorrowful. As stated before, the curse has two contributors. First is the Word of the Lord which transforms that which is spoken, but ultimately is good because all that God does is good even his judgments. The second is man's response to the judgment.

The world system is man's response to God's action. The first part of the world system came from believing Satan and disobeying the command of God not to eat the forbidden fruit for the sake of self-benefit. This became iniquity. Struggling with God's judgment on the fallen world makes up the other part of the world system. Because all things break and decay, because all things become ill and die, because pain and grief abound - the world vainly pursues efforts to find comfort and solace in wealth and medical means of health, and, if possible, achieve immortality through the heritage of their names in children and lands. As the psalmist declares:

However, with the antediluvians living almost a thousand years, and the canopy still intact, this part of the world system probably wasn't as pressing. After the Flood this struggle became more difficult with the drastic weather changes, wildness of the animals, and warfare between men.

Our economy depends upon the curse. Continued breakdown provides industry with maintenance services, repair services, and manufacturing services. Gold and precious metals are not valuable because of their importance to man or necessity to sustain life, but rather its scarcity. Water is far more important to life than gold, yet is abundant for most people, therefore is given little value. An artist's work increases in value after he dies because no more can be produced by him. While alive, a lithographer, for example, will destroy the printing plate and number the limited edition to increase their value. The economy of the world system, which is the response of man to the curse, promotes crime and violence, which is moved by the iniquity of man. The Word of God comes first, but it is man's response to His Word which accounts for most of the curse.

The prophet Zechariah spoke of a curse over the whole world that is a specific judgment of God against thieves and perjurers.

Not only does the unregenerate expend all his energy in struggling against the thorns and thistles of life, but is further frustrated by a generational curse when he pursues immoral means of obtaining wealth. Thieves pass on this tendency to their children in ignorance creating a vicious cycle that can go on for generations. Even with the righteous, this cycle can be seen. Abraham lied to both Pharaoh (Gen. 12:13) and Abimelech (Gen. 20:13) in calling Sarah his sister. This same lie was continued by Isaac to Abimelech concerning Rebecca (Gen. 26:7). Ultimately this is another act of God's goodness in that frustration may turn the thief or liar to God for help in despair.

But as king Solomon declared, all is vanity. The book of Ecclesiastes is an attempt to find satisfaction in all the world system: merriment and mirth, wealth and industry, as well as wisdom and folly are tried by Solomon. Yet, as he declares, "All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing" (Ecc. 1:8). A void remains in Fallen Man's life that is never filled by the world system. That is why the Apostle John warned us to "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world" (1 John 2:15). This void is called the "Christ Void" which is in everyone's heart until they accept the gift of life in Christ Jesus. Because many never accomplish what they seek, they believe they will be satisfied when it is obtained. All such things are idols of the heart (Col. 3:5). When they are obtained they fail to fill the void. King Solomon came to this realization at the end of Ecclesiastes. "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Ecc. 12:13 & 14). For those who fill the void with Christ Jesus, Paul reminds us of the two part world system that we are to turn away from. He says, "I am crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20a) which is our liberty from self will, which is iniquity. And "the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14b), which is our freedom from man's response to the judgment of God, called the world system.

THE ECOLOGY CHANGES

God's pronouncement brought a change to the ecological order that previously did not exist. Before the Fall of Man, the Earth was a perfect paradise. All creatures existed in harmony in symbiotic relationship. With the Judgment of God, thorns and thistles either grew on existing plants or were newly created. It is more likely that existing plants were modified just as the serpent was modified in losing his legs. With the advent of death, bacteria and other creatures took on the role of decomposing dead matter. It is probable that bacteria already existed for the decomposing of fecal matter, which was a part of the perfect creation. Likewise, bacteria and germs would cause sickness which never existed before the Fall.

All creation was introduced to a new natural law: the Second Law of Thermodynamics which states that natural processes tend to move toward a state of greater disorder or greater entropy. In other words, all of nature decays. The curse of death in the creation. This is one of the most forceful arguments against evolution: everything tends toward disorder, not increasing sophistication of order.

ADAM SPEAKS FOR HIMSELF

Up unto this point Eve was Adam in one flesh. As stated in chapter 5:2, "Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created." This name change by Adam indicated the break down of their one flesh relationship. But it also showed a realization on Adam's part that the command of God will be fulfilled, in that He said to be "fruitful and multiply." This recognition of the sovereign will of God is a step in his repentance.

CLOTHING AND THE FIRST BLOOD SACRIFICE

It is significant that mankind did not introduce clothing as a means to stay warm, for the Earth was still a paradise under the canopy. It was God who did so to cover our shame. Clothing is a constant reminder of Adam's mistake. Weather conditions in the antediluvian world did not merit clothing for warmth. This need did not come until after the Flood when the climate dramatically changed with extremes in temperatures.

It says that Yahweh God made the coats of skin, but it probably means that the Lord directed Adam and Eve in the making of the skin coats. That implies that Adam had to kill that first animal, perhaps a sheep since that is the common theme of sacrifice. Like the Passover lamb that the Jews kept in the house for several days before their feast, a godly sorrow would overcome Adam and Eve as they beheld the first death in creation of a lovable animal. More than just seeing, Adam probably had to slit it's throat and experience first hand the consequence of his disobedience. The Lord, by His Spirit no doubt, illuminated Adam on the significance of the shed blood as a type for the Messiah's mission of salvation to come. In the midst of their sorrow for their sins, Adam and Eve were given hope of the Messiah's grace to come. The premise that this killing of the animal was for more than clothing is supported by Abel's offer of blood sacrifice (Gen. 4:4), Noah's offer (Gen. 8:20), pagan sacrifice in the ancient world, the Mosaic sacrifices, and the final sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

The shedding of blood must have been understood by Adam as the source of life. As it is written:

Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. But wanton bloodshed by itself does not bring forgiveness of sins. Only when mixed with faith in the Messiah. Every person who believed in the work of the Messiah, both before his advent, and after his resurrection received forgiveness for their sins. The blood sacrifice was effective only when the sinner realized that it was his life that should be forfeit, and that this was a merciful substitute on God's part. As David said, "For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Psa. 51:16 & 17). And Adam, who still was close to perfection, would be sensitive enough to have a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

THE FIRE OF GOD

It is not likely that Adam would have eaten the carcass of the dead animal since he was commanded to eat the plants. This is reinforced by the Lord's statement to Noah after the Flood, "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things" (Gen. 9:3). The implication is that up til then, no one ate flesh, but now a new grace is given to Noah to do so. It is more likely that God supernaturally burnt the carcass just as He did later on Mount Carmel with Elijah and the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:38). It is probable that the Lord explained to Adam the typology pictured in the burnt carcass of the future Lake of Fire which would be the fate of all who reject Christ. In the mean time, Adam would learn of fire and this knowledge would later be used by Tubal-cain to smelt iron and copper ore into metals (Gen. 4:22).

TEMPORARILY BORN AGAIN

Adam and all the pre-resurrection saints did not only receive forgiveness of sins, but fellowship with God was temporarily restored by the blood sacrifice. As it is written concerning Saul after Samuel anointed him to be king, "And the Spirit of Yahweh will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and thou shalt be turned into another man" (1 Sam. 10:6). Then it happened; "And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day" (1 Sam. 10:9). In other words, Adam and the rest of the Old Testament saints were temporarily "born again." But the experience would not last. As the writer of Hebrews said, "But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins" (Heb. 10:3 & 4). This is why David cried out, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit" (Psa. 51:10-12). Adam and Eve received salvation by faith in the Messiah's shed blood to come, just as King David did later. But "these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect" (Heb. 11:39 & 40). The promise being the immortal, glorified body. All still have to experience death.

THE DOOR IS CLOSED

To say that Adam became as one of "us" is a kind statement on the Lord's part. Adam knew good and evil because he once was good, and now was evil. God, however, has always been good and never evil. He understands evil because He is omniscient. Adam was evil, and barring him from the tree of life was a merciful act of God to prevent him from being permanently evil. By dying, Adam has a way of redemption when God resurrects him with a glorified body. This hope of resurrection was known to Adam by the promise of the Messiah in 3:15 and of the blood sacrifice in 3:21. It is also noteworthy that Adam was sent to till the ground from which he was taken. Not only was Adam not created in the garden (it came after wards: Gen. 2:8) but he would work where he would die. A repeat of the theme, from dust thou wast taken, and to dust thou shalt return (Gen. 3:19). The flaming sword in the east of the garden reminds us that Christ will return from the east. The sword prevents anyone else from being stuck in this vile body for all eternity.