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something perhaps you have never
really understood before. What has
been overlooked is that in the CHOICE
Adaf11 had to make, God required
that he choose which tree to REJECT,
as we/1 as whích
ro
TAKE.
Satan was just around the corner,
so to speak, waiting for a chance "to
tempt Adam into REJECTING God,
even as he himself had rejected God,
God's LAW and His WAY- God's
GOVERNMENT- when he was the
archangel Lucifer.
lf Adam REJECTED God as Cre–
ator, and Ruler over the GOVERN·
MENT OF Goo- as he did-what did
God do?
Actually, the tree of LIFE was
symbolic of God's Holy Spirit, but
also of God as LORD over the govern–
ment of God, as source of religion, as
revealer of bas ic knowledge.
Satan tempted Adam through his
wife Eve. Adam took of the forbid–
den tree.
In
SO
doing, he TOOK TO HIMSELF
THE KNOWLEOGE OF WHAT IS GOOO
ANO WHAT IS EVIL! In SO doing he
REJECTED Godas revealer of that and
all basic knowledge, as well as Lord
and Ruler in government. He re–
jected God as Giver of ETERNAL
LIFE!
1n taking of the forbidden. tree, he
REJECTED the tree symbolic of the
HOLY SPIRIT and sovereignty of
God. He REJECTED Goo, God's gov–
ernment , God's WAv of life.
Then what did God do? God drove
him out of the garden and BARRED
access to the tree of life lest he take,
in sin, and receive eterna( life. God
cut Adam, and the world which
would spring from him, OFF from
God and the gift of the Holy Spirit–
EXCEPT the infinitesimal few God
predestined to be specially called in
preparation for the future KINGDOM
of God.
WAs Goo UNFAIR? ·
Suppose God had NOT cut man–
kind off from access to His Holy
Spirit. Consider what would have
happened!
Satan was still on earth's throne,
though disqualified as earthwide rul–
er. Man wou)d have TAKEN God's
Holy Spirit, the gift of eterna! life,
44
without repentance- while being led
by Satan, living in sin that would
have resulted in an ETERNAL LIFE in
total UNHAPPINESS, mental torment,
wretchedness, utter hopelessness!
Can you see how it would have
been supremely UNFAIR had God
allowed man to bring such a fate on
himself?
That is WHYGod cut mankind off
for 6,000 years- until CHRIST could
come, REJECT and OVERCOME Satan,
take
on Hímself
the penalty of
human sins, qualify to RULE in Goo's
LOVE on that throne of the earth,
replacing Satan, and putting Satan
AWAY from mankind!
God put mankind- all but the few
CALLEo-in a state
cut
o.fffrom God,
but NOT YET JUOGED OR CON·
DEMNEO!
Meanwhile He has called those He
chose because they were the ones
God felt might REJECT, as Christ
had, Satan and His evil ways,
ACCEPT the GOVERNMENT OF Goo
through faith in Christ, and, as Jesus
did, overcome Satan, even though
specially tempted by him.
Those of us called now, IF we
repent, overcome Satan, this world,
and ourselves, shall inherit the KING·
OOM OF Goo, and SIT WITH Goo ON
H1s THRONE, when we shall then–
wíth Satan
gone- undertake to SAVE
THE WORLO!
Those from Adam to now who
died, not yet being judged, will be
resurrected to mortal life in the
GREAT WHITE THRONE judgment,
and be then, after the millennium,
called to repentance and the gift of
IMMORTAL LIFE- with no Satan to
tempt and oppose them!
Above all, the Creator Goo is
croating RIGHTEOUS ANO HOLY
CHARACTER! That comes from RE·
JECTING the evil WAY, and turning
voluntarily to the way of God's
LOVE.
Satan poses as an angel of LJGHT!
He deceives the world into accepting
HIM as Goo! He deceives into think–
ing evil is righteousness, and God's
law is evil. He deceives the Christ ian
world into believing that they can
gain ETERNAL LIFE
through Chríst
WITHOUT repentance of transgress–
ing God's law!
Satañ deceives the traditional
Christian world into believing they
can have free access to the "tree of
life"-eternal life- salvation- whi le
still in their sins.
Jesus warned
first
that "many
shall come in my
name,
saying 1 am
Christ, and sha ll deceive MANY"
(Matthew 24:5). He said, through
Paul, of these deceived ministers:
" f or SUCh are FALSE APOSTLES,
deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles [those
sent with the gospel] of Christ. And
no marvel ; for Satan himself is trans–
formed into a n angel of LIGHT.
Therefore it is no great thing if
hís
mínísters
also be transformed [mis–
represent themselves] as the minis–
ters of righteousness . .." ( 11 Corin–
thians 11:13-15).
Actually, the false gospel of the
professing Christian world represents
that God did NOT bar entrance to the
"tree of life"--or eterna! salvation.
But that humanity may freely go
right back into that "tree of LIFE"
and gain eterna! salvation WHILE
CONTINUING IN THEIR SINS- while
rejecting and transgressing Goo's
LAW-rejecting Goo's GOVERNMENT
which is based on His law (His way
of life).
They do
not
preach that sin IS "the
transgression of the law"- God's
SPIRITUAL LAWas summed up in the
TEN COMMANDMENTS. Rather they
teach falsely that "the law is done
away."
About 38 years ago, while "the
Church was still headquartered in
Eugene, Oregon, an evangelistic
team from southern California was
conducting a tent crusade in the
neighboring town of Springfield.
There was the principal evangelist,
and eight or ten young men of college
age. These young men cruised about
the town during the day, each carry–
ing a Bible, accosting people on the
streets, inviting them to the big tent
meetings.
Two of them accosted me.
"Does your preacher teach sa lva–
tion from SIN?"
1
asked.
"Oh yes, of course," they an–
swered.
"Well, does he tell them what sin
1s? What they need to quit doing?"
"Christ died for our sins," they
answered.
"Yes,
1
know. But what IS sin?
What have we done that is sin? Can
you show me in your Bible there, a
plain Bible definition, saying 'sin
The
PLAIN TRUTH