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In this message we need to consider some further points on the way God deals with man's first fall.
As we have seen, after man fell God did not come to condemn him, but to seek him and to judge the serpent. In His condemnation on the serpent God proclaimed the promise regarding the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15). However, that was not the end. Although God had proclaimed the promise of His salvation, man still remained in a troubled situation. Not only was man in a difficult situation, but a sinful element had been injected into his nature. Therefore, man is both sinful outwardly and also corrupted inwardly. God had no intention of condemning man. All that God had in His heart toward man was love, and man was fully under God's loving care. Thus, God ordained some suffering for man's benefit. Although we do not like suffering, God has ordained it nonetheless.
What is the purpose of the sufferings ordained by God? The primary purpose is to restrict man. The sufferings appointed by God are actually our security and protection. Never forget that as a result of the fall man has a corrupted and corrupting element in his nature. God loves man and exercises a loving concern over him, but man still has a satanic element in his nature. Immediately after the fall man probably did not realize his true condition; however, God understood the problem and thus He ordained sufferings for the purpose of restricting fallen man. Young people throughout the world want freedom; they desire to have their liberty. Nevertheless, we must realize that too much freedom removes the restrictions that God, in His love, has placed upon us. As fallen men with a corrupted nature, we definitely need restrictions as a protection and safeguard. Suppose a mother has a naughty boy. If she does not exercise any restrictions over him, that child would not live for three days. He would kill himself as a result of having too much freedom. No mother is so foolish as to give complete liberty to a naughty child. All children need restrictions. Restrictions are good for us.
As an older person I need to be and I love to be restricted by my dear brothers in the Lord. I am restricted even more by the sisters. Actually I have very little freedom. If you were to offer me freedom, I would say, "No thank you. You take your freedom home with you. I need restriction." How I thank the Lord that in all the past years I have been protected by restrictions. I have not suffered under the restriction of the saints, but have rather enjoyed it. All the limitations rendered to me by my brothers and sisters in the Lord have been my protection. Although, at present, you may not think that restrictions are pleasant, after the passing of years I believe that you will worship the Lord and say, "Thank the Lord for restrictions!"
Let me say a word about husbands and wives. No woman likes to be restricted. The dear sisters may be holy and seek after spirituality, but I do not believe that they are fond of being restricted. A wife does not like to accept any restraint from her husband or mother-in-law. I have learned from history and from experience that not many daughters-in-law like their mothers-in-law. It seems that this comes from God's ordination. God ordained that the mother-in-law be a restriction to the daughter-in-law and that the daughter-in-law be a problem to the mother-in-law. Humanly speaking, this does not sound pleasant, but actually it is good. Any sister who is willing to accept restrictions from her husband, children, and mother-in-law will be protected.
Now I turn to the husbands. We brothers certainly need the restrictions that come from our wives. I thank the Lord for my dear wife. I can testify that the best help which she has given me has been her restrictions. She even restricts my eating. Although my stomach belongs to me, she determines how much I eat. Day after day I tell her, "I'm still hungry," but she answers, "It is sufficient. There is no more." Eventually, however, as a result of accepting her limitations, my stomach trouble was cured. I have learned that if you have stomach trouble or a stomach ulcer the best way to deal with it is to be restricted in your eating. Thus, any restriction is truly a great help. We all need restrictions. Therefore, God ordained suffering to man to restrict him, to rescue him by discipline, and to guard him.
Concerning the woman, God has ordained suffering or pain in childbearing (Gen. 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:15). The suffering in childbearing includes both pregnancy and delivery. The entire matter of childbearing, including pregnancy and delivery, is a matter of pain. It was not originally destined this way by God before the fall; however, due to the fall God ordained a portion of suffering for the woman, the leader in the fall. You may ask why God ordained suffering firstly to the woman and secondly to the man. God did this because the woman took the lead in transgressing God's prohibition. Thus, God came to her first. That was fair. If God had gone to Adam, Adam would have said, "Lord, don't come to me. I was not the leader in the fall. You must go to the leader." Thus, God came to Eve first.
Why do some women limit their childbearing? Because they want to enjoy a free life. That is against God's way. We all know that childbearing is troublesome, but it was ordained by God as a restriction. The best protection to an unrestricted young woman is to have a number of children. Although neither the woman's parents, husband, nor in-laws can restrict her, as long as she has some children these children will limit her undue freedom. Children are a restriction and a protection to their mothers. Thus, Paul wanted the young women to marry and bear children that they might not be idle or busybodies (1 Tim. 5:13-14).
The Lord also told Eve that her husband shall rule over her. According to this word, every sister should be under the rule of her husband. Why did Eve fall? Because she did not care for her husband and assumed his headship. Therefore, God seemed to say to her, "Eve, from now on I appoint Adam to rule over you. " Although this is a difficult word to accept, the Bible tells us that a woman must be ruled by her husband. We all must take this word as a security and protection. The ruling of the husband is a genuine safeguard to the wife. Hence, in 1 Timothy 2:11-12 Paul says, "Let a woman learn in quietness in all subjection; but I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man." Paul's teaching on this matter is based upon God's ordination in Genesis 3:16. I hope that the sisters will take heed to this divine word of the Bible.
Concerning the man, the ground grows thorns and thistles (Gen. 3:17-18). Many of you are not farmers and may think that you can escape from the ground. However, regardless of the kind of job or profession you may have, your job or profession is the ground. In the whole earth there is not one job or profession that is without hardship. In every occupation the ground grows thorns and thistles. Some may say then, "I will never be hired by others. I will go into business for myself." If you say this, after a few years you will not want to be in business any longer. You will feel like giving up your business because, instead of producing dollars, it grows thorns and thistles. In every kind of employment — in the schools, factories, markets, and offices — it seems easy for the ground to grow thorns and thistles. Several years ago I met a brother who is a fruit farmer. I thought that it would be wonderful to be a farmer, but the brother told me many stories about the difficulties with his farm. Such difficulties are ordained by God. Young people, you must realize that this is God's ordination. God told Adam that the ground would grow thorns and thistles and that he had to suffer pain and toil.
God has said that man must endure sorrow (pain), sweat, and labor during his entire life (Gen. 3:19). Thus, man must labor, sweat, and suffer. Yet, labor and suffering are a protection to fallen man. If a man is not occupied with certain labor, it is easy for him to fall into sin. All men need to be occupied with some form of labor that they may be kept from doing sinful things. For many men labor itself is not a sufficient safeguard; they need some sufferings. Hence, labor along with sufferings often prevents people from doing evil.
After the fall God also ordained that man should not live forever, but that he should die, returning to the ground. However, this does not mean that man must perish, because God, in His dealing with man, has afforded man the way of salvation. In God's dealing with both the man and the woman there are sufferings, but no necessary perdition. Nevertheless, if man will not take God's way of salvation, he surely will perish after death. Death is also a restriction that God has placed over fallen man.
Several years ago I gave a message which covered three subjects: suffering, sleeping, and dying. None of these items seems to be good, and I do not care for any of them. I would like to be a person who never suffers, who does not need to sleep, and who lives forever. But we must understand that suffering, sleeping, and dying are restrictions upon sinful people. If Hitler were still living and were to continue living another five hundred years, he would be the greatest devil that the earth has ever seen. While I was in Manila more than twenty years ago people spoke to me about a certain evil person. I told them, "Don't be bothered. Let him be as bad as he can be. I assure you that he cannot continue for another ten years. I do not expect him to change for the good, but I am quite certain that after ten years he will die." Soon afterward I read in the newspaper that this person had died. Suffering restricts people, sleeping stops people, and dying terminates people. If you go to Hong Kong, you will hear the Mah-Jongg playing. None of the Mah-Jongg players like to sleep; they prefer to play Mah-Jongg day and night for seventy-two hours without resting. However, after seventy-two hours there is no need for their wives to stop them; sleep conquers them. Thus, regardless how bad a person may be, he will first be stopped by sleep and then he will be terminated by death. Sleeping is a small dying, and dying is a greater sleeping. On this earth today there is not one evil person who is one hundred and fifty years of age. All the evil ones of the past one hundred and fifty years are dead and buried. God has used death to clear up the earth. In a sense, death is a suffering for man; yet, man does not realize that it is truly God's way of protecting him.
Along with the sufferings ordained by God Adam experienced the anticipated redemption. Why do we say that it was an anticipated redemption? Because at the time of Genesis 3 the actual redemption had not been accomplished. In Genesis 3:21 we see an anticipation of the redemption that was to be accomplished four thousand years later. Both the man and the woman were in a situation that needed redemption. Although God had not condemned them, although God had sought them out and had ordained suffering as a restriction and protection for them, and although God had proclaimed to them the promise of the coming seed, when Adam and Eve looked at themselves they were still mostly naked. I say that they were mostly naked because they were poorly covered by the aprons (skirts) which they had made for themselves out of fig leaves (Gen. 3:7). The fig-leaf skirts represented man's own work in covering his sinfulness.
Adam and Eve were sinful, and their eyes were opened to know good and evil. One servant of the Lord has said that there is no need to do evil, for simply knowing evil is itself evil. Once Adam and Eve were innocent, not evil. However, when they realized that they were naked, they became evil because knowing evil is evil. No one can avoid evil if he knows evil. As long as you know evil you will become involved with evil. The best way to stay away from evil is not to know it. Adam and Eve were sinful and knew that they were sinful. Thus they tried to help themselves by making skirts of fig leaves to cover their nakedness. That was the work of their own hands with the leaves of a fig tree. After the fall, any use that man makes of the vegetable life signifies his doing without blood for redemption. Before the fall man did not need blood to redeem him, but after the fall he did. Thus, the attempt to cover his nakedness with the vegetable life can never work. Sinful man needs the blood of an animal; he needs the bleeding sacrifice for redemption (Heb. 9:22). Therefore, the skirts that Adam and Eve made from fig leaves did not cover their nakedness in the eyes of God.
However, we should not forget Genesis 3:20. After Adam heard the glad tidings, he immediately called his wife's name, "Eve," which means "Living." Adam and Eve were trembling in fear of the condemnation of death, but suddenly Adam heard the glad tidings, responded in a believing way, and said to Eve, "Eve, you are living. You are not going to die; you are going to be living." Verse 20 means that Adam believed in the glad tidings. The first time that the Bible indicates the matter of believing is in Genesis 3:20, and the first believer in the good news was Adam. When Adam heard the glad tidings, he believed that he and Eve were going to live and not die.
Following verse 20 in which we see Adam's believing, we come to verse 21 where we see God's justification. After Adam believed in God's glad tidings, God made coats of skins for him and his wife and clothed them. The coats fully covered them. Think a little about the skirts made of fig leaves. After a few days the leaves would have been dried and broken. Eventually, they would have dropped away, and the man and the woman would have been completely naked. Thus, you should never try to cover yourself by your own work. You are sinful in the eyes of God and naked in His sight. Anything that you do to cover yourself is just a skirt made from the withered fig leaves of the vegetable life. You need the skins from the animal life to cover you. The coats of skins which God made for Adam and Eve covered them day after day.
Please remember that nearly every item mentioned in the first three chapters of Genesis is a seed. Here in Genesis 3:20-21 we have the seed of believing in the gospel and the seed of justification by God. The seed of believing in God's gospel is found in Genesis 3:20 where Adam declared that Eve's name was "Living." When God proclaimed the gospel and Adam responded by saying, "Living," that was the seed of believing in the gospel. Following this, God came to justify. Adam and Eve were naked and they made themselves skirts as a covering. These skirts did not cover their bodies adequately. After God had come in to preach the gospel and Adam had responded by believing, God placed coats over the man and the woman. This means that God justified them. To be justified means to be covered with the righteousness of God, which is Christ Himself, not with anything man-made. Adam and Eve's being under the coats signified that they were in Christ. Galatians 3:27 says, "As many as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." The coat is the clearest type of Christ as God's righteousness, the righteousness that covers us. Thus, figuratively speaking, Adam and Eve were in Christ. Hence, both man's believing and God's justifying the believers were sown as seeds in Genesis 3:20-21. These seeds are developed in the Epistles of the New Testament.
Although the Bible does not say explicitly that the skins were taken from a lamb, I, along with others, believe that they were lamb skins, because the skins were made into coats. Some versions say "robes" and others "garments." At any rate, the skins were made into clothing. To be sure, the skins did not come from cows; they must have been the skins of tender lambs, skins so suitable for clothing.
After the coats of skins had been placed on them, Adam and Eve had the appearance of a lamb. Was Adam a man or a lamb? All that was visible was the wool, for Adam was completely covered by the lamb. Although he was a man, he had become a lamb in the eyes of God. People always become the very thing which covers them. Since we all are covered by Christ, we will express Christ and resemble Christ. When Adam and Eve were covered by their self-made skirts of fig leaves, they must have looked like ugly, naked, sinful persons. However, after putting on the coats made with the lamb skins, they must have looked like lambs. God has put us in Christ (1 Cor. 1:30), and we have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27). Thus, we can express Christ. Paul could even say, "For to me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21). Paul became the expression of Christ through being one with Him. This thought of expressing Christ was sown in the type of the coats of skins which covered Adam and Eve and which became their expression.
Before the skins were taken from the animals, the lambs were undoubtedly sacrificed. They were killed and their blood was shed. I believe that God probably killed the lambs in the presence of Adam and Eve and that they witnessed the sacrifice. It must have given them a deep impression. Perhaps Adam said to Eve, "Eve, don't you know that that should be our destiny? We should be killed. Our blood should be shed because we fell, committed sin, and transgressed God's prohibition. According to God's prohibition, we should be killed. But God didn't kill us, Eve. God is killing these lambs in our place. How thankful and grateful we should be to these lambs. They are our substitute."
One day the Lord Jesus came, and John the Baptist said of Him, "Behold, the Lamb of God" (John 1:29). John 1:29 is a development of Genesis 3:21. In type, when the lambs were slain, Christ had already been slain in the eyes of God, for He was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Hebrews 9:22 says, "Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Thus, this matter of shedding of blood was also sown as a seed in Genesis 3:21 and is developed in John 1:29 and Hebrews 9:22. If you read the Epistles in the New Testament, you will notice how many times the blood is mentioned. We have been redeemed by the precious blood of God's Lamb ordained by God for us before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:18-20). Christ was ordained before Adam's fall. We can see a picture of the shedding of Christ's blood there in the garden. Without the shedding of blood, how can a righteous God justify sinful man? Without the shedding of blood, it would not have been legal, lawful, righteous, or fair for God to put a covering upon fallen man. However, before God covered sinful man with the coats of skins, God judged and killed him in the sacrifice. God will never kill us, because He has already killed us in Christ. On the cross Christ was killed by the righteous God. Thus, whenever we respond to the gospel and say, "Living," God immediately comes and covers us with Christ as our righteousness. This means that God's justification is based upon redemption. The putting on of the coats of skins was based upon the shedding of the blood of the sacrifice, for the sacrificial lamb was actually a substitute for sinful man.
Although many Christians talk about substitution, about Christ's having died in our place, not many realize the matter of union. However, genuine substitution is based upon union. Adam and Eve were sinful, and the lambs were killed and their blood shed for their sins. How could the killing of the lambs have been their killing? If the lambs and Adam and Eve had been separate from one another, the lambs could not have substituted for them. Once Adam believed in the glad tidings God covered him with a coat of the lamb skins, and he became one with the lamb. The sinner had become one with the substitute. This is union. Union brings about the effectiveness of substitution, for without union substitution stands alone. Substitution has nothing to do with us until we enter into that union. Once we participate in that union, whatever the substitute has accomplished is ours. Christ has done everything for us on the cross, but without union all that He has accomplished on the cross is unrelated to us. But if we say, "Amen, Lord," Christ will be put upon us, and we will be put into Christ. Since we are one with Christ, whatever Christ has accomplished on the cross becomes ours; it is our portion. Union brings in the effectiveness of substitution, and substitution is based upon union.
When we preach the gospel, some people always ask us, "As long as Christ has died for us on the cross, why do we need to believe? You have just told us that He has accomplished full redemption for us. Why then do we have to believe?" You need union. If you do not believe in Christ, you do not have this union. If you do not have union with Him, whatever He has done on the cross cannot be appropriated by you or applied to you. We need to believe in Christ. Whenever the Bible speaks about believing for salvation it uses the preposition "in." We must believe in Him. This little word "in" denotes union. To believe in Jesus Christ is to be one with Him, to have union with Him. If I am a poor man and you are a billionaire, you might be afraid to be united with me, but I would be glad to be joined with you, because once I am united with you everything you have is mine. This is why so many women want to marry rich men. According to California law, because of the union between husband and wife, whatever the husband has in his name also belongs to his wife. We have the best marriage. We, the poor beggars, have been married to Christ, the greatest billionaire. Whatever He has, whatever He is, whatever He has done and is going to do, whatever He has attained and obtained — everything is ours. We are now in Christ. This matter of union was also sown as a seed in Genesis, has been fully developed in the Epistles of the New Testament, and will ripen into a harvest in Revelation 21.
Although we have seen the ordination of sufferings to restrict, rescue, and guard us and although we have seen the anticipated redemption, there is still a practical problem: What about the tree of life? Can the way to the tree of life be left open to fallen and sinful people?
Although Adam and Eve had the anticipated redemption, they did not then have the actual redemption. They were still sinful in nature. If they, being corrupted in nature, had eaten of the tree of life while in that condition, they would have lived forever with their sinful nature. God did not allow that. The tree of life signifying God must not be touched by sinful man. Thus, before the actual redemption was accomplished, God had to close the way to the tree of life. Once the actual redemption had been completed, access to the tree of life would again be possible. Thus, Genesis tells us that after God had prepared the anticipated redemption for man, He closed the way to the tree of life.
It is very meaningful to consider the manner in which God barred the way to the tree of life. In figure, God closed the way by means of cherubim and a flaming sword. Here we see three items: the cherubim, the flame, and the sword. As we have said previously regarding other items in these chapters of Genesis, we must allegorize all of the figures in Genesis 3. It is absolutely correct to allegorize the Old Testament, for both the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul did this.
If we read Ezekiel 9 and 10 and Hebrews 9, we will see that the cherubim are symbols of God's glory. Ezekiel 9:3 reveals that glory of God was with the cherub, and Hebrews 9:5 even speaks of "the cherubim of glory," because they were used by God to signify, express, and indicate His glory. Therefore, the way to the tree of life was closed by the cherubim, meaning that it was closed by God's glory. God's glory did not allow sinful man to touch Him before the actual redemption had been accomplished. In Romans 3:23 Paul says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So it was God's glory which closed the way to the tree of life. God's glory would not allow any sinful person who was short of His glory to contact Him.
The flame means fire, and fire in typology signifies the holiness of God. God is a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24; 9:3; Heb. 12:29). Anything common, unclean, or sinful is consumed by Him. This consuming fire signifies God's holiness, and without holiness no man shall see Him (Heb. 12:14). Thus, the second item which closed the way to the tree of life was God's holiness.
The sword signifies killing. In Genesis 3 the killing of the sword indicates God's righteousness (cf. Lam. 3:42-43; Rom. 2:5). If God would kill someone without sin being involved, He could be condemned for acting unjustly. However, since sin was involved, there is, according to the righteous God, the need for killing. Hence, the sword for killing signifies the requirements of God's righteousness. Therefore, God's glory, holiness, and righteousness closed the way to the tree of life, indicating that man, as long as he was sinful, was not permitted to contact God as the tree of life.
Now we need to consider two illustrations of God's closing the way to the tree of life. On Mount Sinai God came to visit His people (Exo. 19:10—20:21). However, He seemed to say to Moses, "Moses, tell the people that I must have a boundary around the mountain and that none of them should cross over the boundary. I am holy, righteous, and full of glory. None of you sinful persons are qualified to step over that boundary. If you do, you will die." Mount Sinai was covered with a cloud in which was the glory of God (Exo. 24:16-17). That glory was very demanding. It separated all sinful people from the presence of God and it closed the way to the tree of life. Also, on the mount was the consuming fire (Exo. 19:18). The Israelites were so terrified that they said to Moses, "Oh, don't ask us to go to God. You approach Him for us. Look what is on the mountain — the devouring fire. We dare not go one step further." That was the requirement of God's holiness. Furthermore, during His meeting with Moses on Mount Sinai God gave the law, the ten righteous commandments (Exo. 20:1-17). Those commandments also were very demanding. Thus, on Mount Sinai we see a picture of three items: the glory of God, the holiness of God, and the righteousness of God. These divine attributes placed demands and requirements upon sinful man. Hence, man was kept away from God as the tree of life by God's glory, holiness, and righteousness.
A second illustration is the tabernacle in the center of which was the Holiest of all (Lev. 16:1-2). God was in the holiest place, and His shekinah glory continually filled it. However, no man could enter the holiest place at any time, because the cherubim which were over the ark (Exo. 25:18-20) were watching whether or not sinful man could fulfill the righteous requirements of God. This meant that the glory of God was there observing. Also, cherubim were embroidered on the separating veil (Exo. 26:31-34). Furthermore, when the two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, went into the holy place with strange fire, they were burned to death (Lev. 10:1-3). Fire, indicating God's holiness, came out of the holiest place to devour them. Moreover, in the ark in the Holiest of all was the law of God (Exo. 40:20-21; Heb. 9:3-4). The law signified God's righteousness. Therefore, once again we see that the glory, the holiness, and the righteousness of God made demands upon sinful man and prevented him from contacting God.
The way to the tree of life was closed during the period of time preceding the accomplishment of redemption by the Lord Jesus. By His all-inclusive death on the cross Christ fulfilled all the requirements of God's glory, holiness, and righteousness.
His redeeming death satisfied the requirements of God's glory. When He died the veil, in which were embroidered the cherubim of glory, was rent from top to bottom (Matt. 27:50-51). The fact that it was rent from top to bottom proves that it was a work accomplished by God and that the barrier between God and man had been removed. Man was short of God's glory, but now through the redemption that is in Christ man can be justified by God (Rom. 3:23-24).
In the death of Christ on the cross God's holiness was satisfied. We are sanctified, made holy, through the offering of Christ once for all (Heb. 10:10). By His one offering Christ has perfected us in sanctification, in holiness (Heb. 10:14). He has sanctified us with His blood (Heb. 13:12). Through the death of Christ God's holiness is ours, and the requirement of His holiness is a problem to us no longer.
The death of Christ has also honored God's righteousness. God made Christ sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). As the just One, He suffered for sins on behalf of the unjust (1 Pet. 3:18). Through the death of Christ the righteousness of God has become ours and it cannot keep us from the righteous God who is the tree of life. Thus, the way to the tree of life has been completely opened to us once again through the accomplishment of Christ's redemption.
Since Christ has fulfilled the requirements of God's righteousness, holiness, and glory, His blood has opened for us a new and living way (Heb. 10:19-20, 22). The word "new" in Hebrews 10:20 means "fresh," "recently made." We have such a fresh way, a way just recently made. By this new, fresh, and living way we have boldness to enter into the secret place where the tree of life is.
Do not be afraid of your sinful nature. It has been crucified on the cross. The sinful nature, the old man, the soul, the self, the ugly "I" — all have been crucified on the cross. Therefore, God has the confidence to permit us to have eternal life. He is not afraid that we will live forever with our fallen nature because it has been terminated by the all-inclusive death of Christ.
Now we can draw nigh to God (James 4:8; Heb. 4:16; 10:19, 22). Through Christ's redemption God has come into our spirit. We need to turn to our spirit and through the blood of Jesus enter into the Holiest of all where we can touch the tree of life. This is wonderful. Today we are no longer under the anticipated redemption; we are enjoying the accomplished redemption. This redemption has opened a new and living way for us to enter into the Holiest of all. This way was not present in the garden, but it is now in our spirit. Therefore, we now have boldness to contact the living God who is the very tree of life. Because our robes have been washed we have the right to come to the tree of life and to enjoy its riches (Rev. 22:14).
