The Story of Patriarchs and Prophets
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 3: The Temptation and Fall
No longer free to stir up rebellion in heaven, Satan's
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 praise 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.
Our first parents were not left without a warning of the
danger that threatened them. Heavenly messengers opened to them
the history of Satan's fall and his plots for their destruction,
unfolding more fully the nature of the divine government, which
the prince of evil was trying to overthrow. It was by disobedience
to the just commands of God that Satan and his host had fallen.
How important, then, that Adam and Eve should honor that law
by which alone it was possible for order and equity to be
maintained.
The law of God is as sacred as God Himself. It is a revelation
of His will, a transcript of His character, the expression of divine
love and wisdom. The harmony of creation depends upon the
perfect conformity of all beings, of everything, animate and
inanimate, to the law of the Creator. God has ordained laws for
the government, not only of living beings, but of all the operations
of nature. Everything is under fixed laws, which cannot be
disregarded. But while everything in nature is governed by natural
laws, man alone, of all that inhabits the earth, is amenable to
moral law. To man, the crowning work of creation, God has
given power to understand His requirements, to comprehend
the justice and beneficence of His law, and its sacred claims upon
him; and of man unswerving obedience is required. [p. 53]
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.
The angels warned them 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.
The tree of knowledge 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. They were admonished
to give careful heed to the warning which God had sent
them and to be content with the instruction which He had seen
fit to impart.
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. It had wings, and
while flying through the air presented an appearance of dazzling
brightness, having the color and brilliancy of burnished gold.
Resting in the rich-laden branches of the forbidden tree and
regaling itself with the delicious fruit, it was 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.
The angels had cautioned Eve to beware of separating herself
from her husband while occupied in their daily labor in the
garden; with him she would be in less danger from temptation than
if she were alone. But absorbed in her pleasing task, she [p. 54] unconsciously wandered from his side. On perceiving that she was
alone, she felt an apprehension of danger, but dismissed her fears,
deciding that she had sufficient wisdom and strength to discern
evil and to withstand it. Unmindful of the angels' caution, she
soon 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 the serpent continued, in a musical voice, with
subtle praise of her surpassing loveliness; and his words were
not displeasing. Instead of fleeing from the spot she lingered
wonderingly to hear a serpent speak. Had she been addressed
by a being like the angels, her fears would have been excited; but
she had no thought that the fascinating serpent could become the
medium of the fallen foe.
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."
By partaking of this tree, he declared, they would attain to a
more exalted sphere of existence and enter a broader field of
knowledge. 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.
Such has been Satan's work from the days of Adam to the
present, and he has pursued it with great success. He tempts men
to distrust God's love and to doubt His wisdom. He is constantly [p. 55] seeking to excite a spirit of irreverent curiosity, a restless,
inquisitive desire to penetrate the secrets of divine wisdom and
power. In their efforts to search out what God has been pleased
to withhold, multitudes overlook the truths which He has
revealed, and which are essential to salvation. Satan tempts men to
disobedience by leading them to believe they are entering a
wonderful field of knowledge. But this is all a deception. Elated with
their ideas of progression, they are, by trampling on God's requirements,
setting their feet in the path that leads to degradation and
death.
Satan represented to the holy pair that they would be gainers
by breaking the law of God. Do we not today hear similar
reasoning? Many talk of the narrowness of those who obey God's
commandments, while they themselves claim to have broader
ideas and to enjoy greater liberty. What is this but an echo of the
voice from Eden, "In the day ye eat thereof"—transgress the divine
requirement—"ye shall be as gods"? Satan claimed to have
received great good by eating of the forbidden fruit, but he did not
let it appear that by transgression he had become an outcast from
heaven. Though he had found sin to result in infinite loss, he
concealed his own misery in order to draw others into the same
position. So now the transgressor seeks to disguise his true character;
he may claim to be holy; but his exalted profession only makes
him the more dangerous as a deceiver. He is on the side of Satan,
trampling upon the law of God, and leading others to do the same,
to their eternal ruin.
Eve really believed the words of Satan, but her belief did not
save her from the penalty of sin. She disbelieved the words of
God, and this was what led to her fall. In the judgment men will
not be condemned because they conscientiously believed a lie, but
because they did not believe the truth, because they neglected the
opportunity of learning what is truth. Notwithstanding the
sophistry of Satan to the contrary, it is always disastrous to
disobey God. We must set our hearts to know what is truth. All the
lessons which God has caused to be placed on record in His
word are for our warning and instruction. They are given to save
us from deception. Their neglect will result in ruin to ourselves.
Whatever contradicts God's word, we may be sure proceeds from
Satan.
The serpent plucked the fruit of the forbidden tree and placed
it in the hands of the half-reluctant Eve. Then he reminded her [p. 56] of her own words, that God had forbidden them to touch it,
lest they die. She would receive no more harm from eating the
fruit, he declared, than from touching it. Perceiving no evil
results from what she had done, Eve grew bolder. When she
"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." 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. Without a fear she
plucked and ate. 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, with her hands filled
with the forbidden fruit, she sought his presence, and related all
that had occurred.
An expression of sadness came over the face of Adam. He
appeared astonished and alarmed. To the words of Eve he
replied that this must be the foe against whom they had been
warned; and by the divine sentence she must die. In answer she
urged him to eat, repeating the words of the serpent, that they
should not surely die. She reasoned that this must be true, for she
felt no evidence of God's displeasure, but on the contrary
realized a delicious, exhilarating influence, thrilling every faculty with
new life, such, she imagined, as inspired the heavenly messengers.
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 he had permitted Eve to
wander from his side. 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 opened 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 had from the dust of the earth
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 [p. 57] reasoned, might not the words of the wise serpent be true? Eve was
before him, as beautiful and apparently as innocent as before this
act of disobedience. She expressed greater love for him than
before. No sign of death appeared in her, and he decided to brave
the consequences. He seized the fruit and quickly ate.
After his transgression Adam at first imagined himself entering
upon a higher state of existence. But soon the thought of his sin
filled him with terror. The air, which had hitherto been of a mild
and uniform temperature, seemed to chill the guilty pair. 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; for they could not, while unclothed, meet the eye of
God and holy angels.
They now began to see the true character of their sin. Adam
reproached his companion for her folly in leaving his side and
permitting herself to be deceived by the serpent; but they both
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."
He who, from love to Eve, had deliberately chosen to forfeit the [p. 58] approval of God, his home in Paradise, and an eternal life of joy,
could now, after his fall, endeavor to make his companion, and
even the Creator Himself, responsible for the transgression. So
terrible is the power of sin.
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 try 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."
Eve was told of the sorrow and pain that must henceforth be
her portion. And the Lord said, "Thy desire shall be to thy
husband, and he shall rule over thee." In the creation God had made
her the equal of Adam. Had they remained obedient to God—in
harmony with His great law of love—they would ever have been
in harmony with each other; but sin had brought discord, and
now their union could be maintained and harmony preserved
only by submission on the part of the one or the other. Eve had
been the first in transgression; and she had fallen into temptation
by separating from her companion, contrary to the divine direction.
It was by her solicitation that Adam sinned, and she was
now placed in subjection to her husband. Had the principles [p. 59] joined in the law of God been cherished by the fallen race, this
sentence, though growing out of the results of sin, would have
proved a blessing to them; but man's abuse of the supremacy
thus given him has too often rendered the lot of woman very bitter
and made her life a burden.
Eve had been perfectly happy by her husband's side in her
Eden home; but, like restless modern Eves, she was flattered
with the hope of entering a higher sphere than that which God
had assigned her. In attempting to rise above her original position,
she fell far below it. A similar result will be reached by all
who are unwilling to take up cheerfully their life duties in accordance
with God's plan. In their efforts to reach positions for
which He has not fitted them, many are leaving vacant the place
where they might be a blessing. In their desire for a higher
sphere, many have sacrificed true womanly dignity and nobility
of character, and have left undone the very work that Heaven appointed
them.
To Adam the Lord declared: "Because thou hast hearkened
unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I
commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the
ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of
thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and
thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face
shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of
it was thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou
return."
It was not the will of God that the sinless pair should know
aught of evil. He had freely given them the good, and had withheld
the evil. But, contrary to His command, they had eaten of
the forbidden tree, and now they would continue to eat of it—
they would have the knowledge of evil—all the days of their life.
From that time the race would be afflicted by Satan's temptations.
Instead of the happy labor heretofore appointed them, anxiety
and toil were to be their lot. They would be subject to disappointment,
grief, and pain, and finally to death.
Under the curse of sin all nature was to witness to man of the
character and results of rebellion against God. When God made
man He made him rule over the earth and all living creatures.
So long as Adam remained loyal to Heaven, all nature was in
subjection to him. But when he rebelled against the divine law,
the inferior creatures were in rebellion against his rule. Thus the [p. 60] Lord, in His great mercy, would show men the sacredness of His
law, and lead them, by their own experience, to see the danger of
setting it aside, even in the slightest degree.
And the life of toil and care which was henceforth to be
man's lot was appointed in love. It was a discipline rendered
needful by his sin, to place a check upon the indulgence of appetite
and passion, to develop habits of self-control. It was a part of
God's great plan of man's recovery from the ruin and degradation
of sin.
The warning given to our first parents—"In the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:17)—did not imply
that they were to die on the very day when they partook of the
forbidden fruit. But on the day the irrevocable sentence would
be pronounced. Immortality was promised them on condition of
obedience; by transgression they would forfeit eternal life. That
very day would be doomed to death.
In order to possess an endless existence, man must continue to
partake of the tree of life. Deprived of this, his vitality would
gradually diminish until life should become extinct. It was
Satan's plan that Adam and Eve should by disobedience incur
God's displeasure; and then, if they failed to obtain forgiveness, he
hoped that they would eat of the tree of life, and thus perpetuate
an existence of sin and misery. But after man's fall, holy angels
were immediately commissioned to guard the tree of life. Around
these angels flashed beams of light having the appearance of a
glittering sword. None of the family of Adam were permitted to
pass the barrier to partake of the life-giving fruit; hence there is
not an immortal sinner.
The tide of woe 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 [p. 61] endured a greater trial had he been entrusted with higher
responsibilities.
Had some great test been appointed Adam, then those whose
hearts incline 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.
To Eve it seemed a small thing to disobey God by tasting the
fruit of the forbidden tree, and to tempt her husband also to
transgress; but their sin opened the floodgates of woe upon the
world. Who can know, in the moment of temptation, the terrible
consequences that will result from one wrong step?
Many who teach that the law of God is not binding upon
man, urge that it is impossible for him to obey its precepts. But
if this were true, why did Adam suffer the penalty of transgression?
The sin of our first parents brought guilt and sorrow upon
the world, and had it not been for the goodness and mercy of
God, would have plunged the race into hopeless despair. Let
none deceive themselves. "The wages of sin is death." Romans
6:23. The law of God can no more be transgressed with impunity
now than when sentence was pronounced upon the father of
mankind.
After their sin Adam and Eve were no longer to dwell in Eden.
They earnestly entreated that they might remain in the home of
their innocence and joy. They confessed that they had forfeited all
right to that happy abode, but pledged themselves for the future
to yield strict obedience to God. But they were told that their
nature had become depraved by sin; they had lessened their
strength to resist evil and had opened the way for Satan to gain
more ready access to them. In their innocence they had yielded
to temptation; and now, in a state of conscious guilt, they would
have less power to maintain their integrity.
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. [p. 62]
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.
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The Garden of Eden remained upon the earth long after man
had become an outcast from its pleasant paths. The fallen race
were long permitted to gaze upon the home of innocence, their
entrance barred only 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" (Revelation 21:1),
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.
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"The Plan of Redemption"
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