Genesis 3:16, “To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
“God told the woman that her pain in childbirth would be intensified, her desire would be for her husband, and he would lead over her. She’d have to bear children with a lot of suffering and distress.”
The terms ‘dominate’, ‘rule’, ‘lead’, and ‘authority’ should never be used to refer to manipulation, violent-control, or any kind of abuse. These words indicate a sense of power, reverence, and respect. In order to provide for themselves, mankind’s resources were no longer directly provided for by God.
As a result, God gave husbands authority over their wives, so that they could work together in order to secure their necessary resources. The divine hand of God still looks after us; however, it was now up to us to create what we need. After the Garden of Eden, it was the man who had to be the primary source of love, security and comfort for his wife. God wasn’t directly involved in this because they chose to become like Him. This meant they had work to do in order to provide for themselves and survive.
Genesis 3:17-20, “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:
“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Rephrased, “As a result of disobeying God’s command and listening to his wife, He said to Adam, “You have eaten from the forbidden tree and hence your punishment is justified.”
“As a result of your disobedience, you’ll have to work hard to earn your food – Every single day of your life. The ground will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you’ll have to sustain on the vegetation found in the wilds. You must toil and labor hard in order to make your living as you were taken from the dust of the Earth and will eventually return to it. Your sustenance comes from the sweat of your brow until you go back to being dust.”
“Adam gave his wife the name Eve, signifying that she would become the mother of all living beings.”
According to the Bible, God created a paradise for mankind and graced them with His love. However, Satan caused Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which brought about The Fall – an instant spiritual change for humanity. Even though mankind’s fall was inescapable, God showed great mercy and dignity by providing them clothing to protect them from the harsh elements. He also foretold Satan of his ultimate defeat and set forth a plan for man to be saved spiritually – known as the Path of Redemption.
Genesis 3:14-15, “So, the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
Rephrased, “In response to the serpent, the Lord God declared a powerful curse, stating that it was to be more severe than any of the other animals. As a result, it would be forced to crawl on its belly and consume dust throughout its life.”
“I declare that there will be hostility between you and the woman, and between your descendants and her descendant—the Messiah. According to the prophecy, Jesus Christ’s head would be bruised, while His heel would also be hurt. This was fulfilled when He laid down His life on the cross, rose again from the dead, and ascended into Heaven.”
After the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, God cursed the serpent for tempting them and warned Satan of his demise. As a result, God had to cast Adam and Eve out of paradise for disobeying Him. To counter this, He provided Adam and Eve with tunics to protect them against any danger outside of paradise. But still, they could not stay in the Garden of Eden anymore.
To compensate their imminent mortality, He gave them fruit to eat from The Tree of Life as a symbol that they would always have access to life-gifting food even after they are outcasted from paradise. Consequently, man was now spiritually dead; however, his soul was still able to make choices and live a life full of meaning.
Hebrews 10:5-7, “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’”
Rephrased, “Consequently, upon His arrival in this world, Jesus proclaimed: “Instead of expecting extravagant offerings and sacrifices, you have provided Me with a body to work through. Your joy has never been in the burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, but in Something more valuable. I declared, ‘Here I am – as it is written in the Scriptures – to do Your will, O God.’”
“That is why when Jesus appeared, He said: “God, You, have not asked for sacrifices and offerings; instead, You, have made Me a body that I can use. You are not pleased with burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin. So, I said to myself: ‘Here I am! It was written in the Scriptures about Me [Psalm 40:6-8]. And now I am here to obey Your commands, O God.’”
Psalms 40:6-8, “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book, it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”
Rephrased, “You rejected animal sacrifices and offerings; instead, You, have opened my ears to hear Your voice. You Yourself had no need for burnt offerings or sin offerings. While speaking, I declared, “Look, I am here! It is written about me in the Scriptural record. Following Your will brings me joy, O my God and I keep Your laws close in my heart.”
Hebrews 10:8-10, “Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Rephrased, “Beforehand, God stated that He did not desire nor take pleasure in any types of sacrifices and offerings that were being offered as per the law. But now, He has come to fulfil His own will and proclaims “Behold, I have come to do Your will O, God”.
“The death of Jesus Christ was an essential sacrifice and through it, we are made holy. This act of sacrifice clears the way for God to set up a new covenant with mankind and establishes it permanently. His one-time offering is enough for us to be sanctified for eternity.”
We all know and believe that the fall of mankind was caused due to Adam and Eve, who were tricked by Satan. But what is often forgotten is the wrath of God in responding to the creation’s disobedience, leading to spiritual death and separation from God. The destruction meant man could no longer live in The Garden of Eden as before or access The Tree of Life and its infinite benefits including eternal life.
Despite this, God’s grace allowed Adam and Eve to leave unhurt with some clothes for their physical bodies made from the Lord himself. From then on, mankind was no longer perfectly sinless like before but has a chance towards redemption by trusting Him with an open hand.
Genesis 3:21-24, “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them.”
“Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So, He (God) drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”
Rephrased, “Additionally, the Lord God created tunics of skin and clothed Adam and his wife in them.”
“The Lord God then declared, “Look, the man has become like Us—able to recognize between what is good and what is evil.” God knew it would not be wise for man to take from the tree of life and thus gain everlasting life, which is why He prevented him from doing so.”
“Consequently, the Lord God commanded him to leave the Garden of Eden and start cultivating the soil from which he was taken. Consequently, He cast out the man and stationed cherubim to the east of Eden’s garden, armed with a flaming sword rotating in all directions to prevent access to the Tree of Life.”
The story of Adam and Eve brings to light the consequences of disobedience and the ultimate consequence—the demise of Satan. With open eyes, Adam and Eve recognize their nakedness, prompting God to cast out both the serpent, Satan, and them from the Garden of Eden.
In order to survive outside the Garden of Eden, God gave man a tunic for covering himself and provided them with a tree from which they could eat—not just literal food, but also spiritual food that came from God. After this point, humanity was spiritually dead because it was no longer connected directly to God. However, even though their souls are separated from their bodies at death, they were given grace and mercy. So, they could still live a long life.
And now, through the blood of Jesus Christ we are spiritually reconnected with God through the Holy Spirit. And We can live forever in heaven by the grace of the Eternally Eternal God Almighty. And so, with an open hand we can all now take from the tree of life and live forever! But only, through the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:20-28, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.”
“For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says, “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
Rephrased, “Christ has made the ultimate sacrifice and rose from death, becoming the first one to do so. This great achievement brought forth a paradigm shift. Death was caused by man, while life after death is brought about by Man himself. Death came to us all through Adam, but in Christ is the promise of life for all. He is the first among us who stands for this truth and will be at the forefront when He returns to reclaim His kingdom from God the Father. After that, there is no more rule or authority but only peace and unity.”
“The reign of the Lord will continue until He has defeated all His enemies. Ultimately, death will be the last one to be conquered. He who is exempt from His own rule is God himself as it states in the scripture “He has put all things under Him”. Everything is now subject to the Son, and He too will be subjected to God who has made Him ruler of all things. This allows God to remain sovereign over everything and be fully present in all aspects of life.”
1 Corinthians 15:50-58, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.”
“For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So, when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Rephrased, “My fellow Christians, our physical bodies and natural state are not enough to inherit the kingdom of God. Decay and corruption cannot give rise to incorruption in the afterlife. I have a mystery to tell you: we won’t all pass away, but at the last trumpet we’ll all be transformed in an instant, in the blink of an eye.”
“The trumpet will sound and those who have died will be made perfect and incorruptible, and we too shall be changed. For a corruptible body to gain incorruption and for a mortal being to put on immortality, certain conditions must be fulfilled. When these criteria have been met, it will result in death being subdued by victory. As written in the scriptures: “Death is swallowed up in victory.””
Despite the power of death and darkness, we are not without hope. Thanks to God, with His strength and guidance, we can find victory over sin through Jesus Christ. Therefore, our ultimate triumph lies in faith in Him – “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades where is your victory?” So, my dear brothers and sisters, stay strong and never give up. Always do your best to serve the Lord, knowing that all your hard work won’t be for nothing in the Lord’s eyes.
