The Controversy Shifted to This Earth
By Ellen G. White
The Struggle in the Garden of Eden—The Fall of Our First Parents
AFTER Satan was cast out of heaven, his enmity against God found a new field in plotting the ruin of the human race. In the happiness and peace of the holy pair in Eden, he beheld a vision of the bliss that to him was forever lost. Moved by envy, he determined to incite them to disobedience, and bring upon them the guilt and penalty of sin. He would change their love to distrust, and their songs of praises to reproaches against their Maker. Thus he would not only plunge these innocent beings into the same misery which he was himself enduring, but would cast dishonor upon God, and cause grief in heaven. Like the angels, the dwellers in Eden had been placed upon probation. Their happy estate could be retained only on condition of fidelity to the Creator's law. They could obey and live, or disobey and perish. God had made them the recipients of rich blessings; but should they disregard His will, He who spared not the angels that sinned, could not spare them. Transgression would forfeit His gifts, and bring upon them misery and ruin. Adam and Eve were warned to be on their guard against the devices of Satan, for his efforts to ensnare them would be unwearied. While they were obedient to God, the evil one could not harm them; for, if need be, every angel in heaven would be sent to their help. If they steadfastly repelled his first insinuations, they would be as secure as the heavenly messengers; but should they once yield to temptation, their nature would become so depraved that in themselves they would have no power, and no disposition, to resist Satan. TEMPTATION AT ONLY ONE PLACE
The tree of knowledge of good and evil had been made a test of their obedience and their love to God. The Lord had seen fit to lay upon them but one prohibition as to the use of all that was in the garden; but if they should disregard His will in this particular, they would incur the guilt of transgression. Satan was not to follow them with continual temptations. He could have access to them only at the forbidden tree. Should they attempt to investigate its nature, they would be exposed to his wiles. In order to accomplish his work unperceived, Satan chose to employ as his medium the serpent—a disguise well adapted for his purpose of deception. The serpent was then one of the wisest and most beautiful creatures on the earth, an object to arrest the attention and delight the eye of the beholder. Thus in the garden of peace lurked the destroyer, watching for his prey. Absorbed in her pleasing labor in the garden, Eve unconsciously wandered from her husband's side. Soon she found herself gazing, with mingled curiosity and admiration, upon the forbidden tree. The fruit was very beautiful, and she questioned with herself why God had withheld it from them. Now was the tempter's opportunity. As if he were able to discern the workings of her mind, he addressed her, "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Eve was surprised and startled as she thus seemed to hear the echo of her thoughts. But instead of fleeing from the spot, she lingered wonderingly to hear a serpent speak. To the tempter's ensnaring question, she replied: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." And the serpent said unto the woman, "Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." He declared that by partaking of this tree, they would attain to a more exalted sphere of existence, and enter a broader field of knowledge; that he himself had eaten of the forbidden fruit, and as a result, had acquired the power of speech. And he insinuated that the Lord jealously desired to withhold it from them, lest they should be exalted to equality with Himself. It was because of its wonderful properties, imparting wisdom and power, that He had prohibited them from tasting or even touching it. The tempter intimated that the divine warning was not to be actually fulfilled; it was designed merely to intimidate them. How could it be possible for them to die? Had they not eaten of the tree of life? God had been seeking to prevent them from reaching a nobler development and finding greater happiness. When Eve "saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband." It was grateful to the taste; and as she ate, she seemed to feel a vivifying power, and imagined herself entering upon a higher state of existence. And now, having herself transgressed, she became the agent of Satan in working the ruin of her husband. In a state of strange, unnatural excitement, she sought his presence, and related all that had occurred. Adam understood that his companion had transgressed the command of God, disregarded the only prohibition laid upon them as a test of their fidelity and love. There was a terrible struggle in his mind. He mourned that Eve had yielded to the tempter. But now the deed was done. He must be separated from her whose society had been his joy. How could he have it thus? Adam had enjoyed the companionship of God and of holy angels. He had looked upon the glory of the Creator. He understood the high destiny open to the human race should they remain faithful to God. Yet all these blessings were lost sight of in the fear of losing that one gift which in his eyes outvalued every other. Love, gratitude, loyalty to the Creator, all were overborne by love to Eve. She was a part of himself, and he could not endure the thought of separation. He did not realize that the same Infinite Power who from the dust of the earth had created him, a living, beautiful form, and had in love given him a companion, could supply her place. He resolved to share her fate; if she must die, he would die with her. After all, he reasoned, might not the words of the wise694serpent be true? Eve was before him, as beautiful, and apparently as innocent, as before this act of disobedience. No sign of death appeared in her, and he decided to brave the consequences. He seized the fruit, and quickly ate. THE TERRORS OF SIN AND DREAD FOR THE FUTURE
But soon the thought of their sin filled the guilty pair with terror. The love and peace which had been theirs was gone, and in its place they felt a sense of sin, a dread of the future, a nakedness of soul. The robe of light which had enshrouded them, now disappeared; and to supply its place, they endeavored to fashion for themselves a covering from the leaves of the trees, for they could not, while unclothed, meet the eye of God and of holy angels. Now the eyes of them both were opened. They began to see the true character of their sin. But this did not lead them to repentance; they gave themselves up to reproaches of each other, and murmuring against God. And yet—for such is the deceptive power of sin—they flattered themselves that He who had given them so many evidences of His love, would pardon this one transgression, or that they would not be subjected to so dire a punishment as they had feared. Satan exulted in his success. He had tempted the woman to distrust God's love, to doubt His wisdom, and to transgress His law, and through her he had caused the overthrow of Adam. But the great Lawgiver was about to make known to Adam and Eve the consequences of their transgression. The Divine Presence was manifested in the garden. In their innocence and holiness, they had joyfully welcomed the approach of their Creator; but now they fled in terror, and sought to hide in the deepest recesses of the garden. But "the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?" Adam could neither deny nor excuse his sin; but instead of manifesting penitence, he endeavored to cast the blame upon his wife, and thus upon God Himself: "The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." EXCUSING SELF AND BLAMING OTHERS
When the woman was asked, "What is this that thou hast done?" she answered, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Why didst Thou create the serpent? Why didst Thou suffer him to enter Eden? These were the questions implied in her excuse for her sin. Thus, like Adam, she charged God with the responsibility of their fall. The spirit of self-justification originated in the father of lies. It was indulged by our first parents as soon as they yielded to the influence of Satan, and has been exhibited by all the sons and daughters of Adam. Instead of humbly confessing their sins, they tried to shield themselves by casting the blame upon others, upon circumstances, or upon God, making even His blessings an occasion of murmuring against Him. The Lord then passed sentence upon the serpent: "Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life." Since it had been employed as Satan's medium, the serpent was to share the visitation of divine judgment. From the most beautiful and admired of the creatures of the field, it was to become the most groveling and detested of them all, feared and hated by both man and beast. The words next addressed to the serpent applied directly to Satan himself, pointing forward to his ultimate defeat and destruction: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." ARE THE CONSEQUENCES TOO GREAT?
The tide of wo that flowed from the transgression of our first parents is regarded by many as too awful a consequence for so small a sin, and they impeach the wisdom and justice of God in His dealings with man. But if they would look more deeply into this question, they might discern their error. God created man after His own likeness, free from sin. The earth was to be peopled with beings only a little lower than the angels; but their obedience must be tested; for God would not permit the world to be filled with those who would disregard His law. Yet in His great mercy, He appointed Adam no severe test. And the very lightness of the prohibition made the sin exceedingly great. If Adam could not bear the smallest of tests, he could not have endured a greater trial, had he been entrusted with higher responsibilities. Had some great test been appointed Adam, then those whose hearts inclined to evil would have excused themselves by saying, This is a trivial matter, and God is not so particular about little things. And there would be continual transgression in things looked upon as small, and which pass unrebuked among men. But the Lord has made it evident that sin in any degree is offensive to Him, that it is an evil ruinous to the transgressor, an evil which, if it were allowed to prevail, would be fatal to the well-being of the universe. After their sin, Adam and Eve were no longer to dwell in Eden. In humility and unutterable sadness, they bade farewell to their beautiful home, and went forth to dwell upon the earth, where rested the curse of sin. The atmosphere, once so mild and uniform in temperature, was now subject to marked changes, and the Lord mercifully provided them with a garment of skins as a protection from the extremes of heat and cold. THEY MOURNED AT SIGNS OF DECAY
As they witnessed, in drooping flower and falling leaf, the first signs of decay, Adam and his companion mourned more deeply than men now mourn over their dead. The death of the frail, delicate flowers was indeed a cause of sorrow; but when the goodly trees cast off their leaves, the scene brought vividly to mind the stern fact that death is the portion of every living thing. The Garden of Eden remained upon the earth after man had become an outcast from its pleasant paths. The fallen race were permitted to gaze upon the home of innocence, their entrance barred by the watching angels. At the cherubim-guarded gate of Paradise, the divine glory was revealed. Hither came Adam and his sons to worship God. Here they renewed their vows of obedience to that law the transgression of which had banished them from Eden. When the tide of iniquity overspread the world, and the wickedness of men determined their destruction by a flood of waters, the hand that had planted Eden withdrew it from the earth. But in the final restitution, when there shall be "a new heaven and a new earth," it is to be restored, more gloriously adorned than at the beginning. Then they that have kept God's commandments shall breathe in immortal vigor beneath the tree of life; and through unending ages, the inhabitants of sinless worlds shall behold, in that garden of delight, a sample of the perfect work of God's creation, untouched by the curse of sin, a sample of what the whole earth would have become had man but fulfilled the Creator's glorious plan.