Genesis 3: 1 –says that - Now the serpent was crafty
than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say,
‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
This verse depicts the cunning craftiness of the
enemy of mankind. Satan does not play by
any rule. His goal is to cause as many
as possible to deny Jesus Christ as their Savior. Nobody would ever be saved had not God in his
infinite mercy, elected and predestined some to salvation. Yes, before Satan appears in the Garden of
Eden, there was foreknowledge of his rebellion in heaven.
The Bible teaches about God’s knowledge. We know from the Scripture that God is
omniscience, which literally means “all-knowing.” Job 37:16; Psalm 139:2-4,
147:5; Proverbs 5:21; Isaiah 46:9-10; and 1 John 3:19-20 leave no doubt that
God’s knowledge is infinite and that He knows everything that has happened in
the past, is happening present, and will happen in the future.
1. The fall of mankind were foreknown and foreordained
by God. Job 37:16, Psalm 139:2-4; Psalm
147:5, Proverbs 5:21, Isaiah 46:9-10, and 1 John 3:19-20
2. Those who would become the people of God, the
elect, were foreknown and foreordained by God.
Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:4; Ephesians 2:8-10, etc.
3. The atonement for God’s people, was foreknown and
foreordained by God, Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done.
Acts 2:17, 18; Acts 4:27, 28.
However, one need to be careful to note that Adam
and Eve falling into sin does not mean that God is the author of sin, nor that
he tempted Adam and Eve to sin (James 1:13).
The fall serves the purpose of God’s overall plan for creation and humankind.
This, again, must be the case, or else
the fall of humankind would never have happened.
3. Yes, indeed this tree was tied to other trees in
the garden but uniquely different from other trees, just as the tree of life
was different from all the other trees in the garden. Genesis 2:9b - In the middle of the garden
were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden
of Eden to work it and take care of it.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free
to eat from any tree in the garden;
17 but you must not eat from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
The tree of knowledge of good and evil was correctly
spelt out.
4. One must keep in mind that God created Satan as a
spirit being not the same way as human beings.
Angels have certain things in common with humans as well as things that
are different.
(a) Both Created Perfect
(b) Yes, both angels and humans were created perfect in the
beginning.
(C ) And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was
very good. And there was evening and
there was morning, the sixth day (Genesis 1:31).
(d) Only humans, however, were created in the image of
God.
Then God said, "Let Us make humanity in our
image, according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." And God created
humanity in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female
He created them (Genesis 1:26, 27).
The account from various parts of the bible, demonstrated that Satan is the archenemy of humankind and would do anything to
discredit God’s word. However, because
God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, He knows about Satan’s evil plan
toward humankind. In His mercy, God sent
His Son Jesus Christ as preordained according to His foreknowledge. He is the only righteous sacrificial lamb sent to bear the burden of sin for mankind.
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