In The Beginning - Chapter 19 (Kangaroo Court)

Chapter 19

The temple guard brought Jesus to the home of Annas.  The Romans had conquered the entire region but had allowed the Jews to continue worshiping their God under their rule.  Annas had been the high priest, but when he perturbed the Romans they removed him from that office and Caiaphas, his son-in-law had been made high priest instead.

Caiaphas was only high priest in name, though.  It was Annas who still controlled the Great Sanhedrin – the supreme court of the Jewish nation.  Caiaphas was not altogether an innocent in the proceedings, though.

Caiaphas had been told by God that Jesus would die for the Jews, and not only that, but also that his death would gather the scattered children of God and bring them together and make them one.  He saw it as his God-ordained duty to see to it that Jesus was martyred.

The other leaders in the Sanhedrin were also worried that if everyone believed Jesus to be The Messiah the Romans would see it as a threat and dismantle the Great Sanhedrin along with the entire Jewish nation.  It was these leaders of the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem who had been plotting to kill Him and had been looking for any excuse to do so.

As a legion of God's angels stood silently, surrounding the house where Jesus had been brought, Annas began to question Jesus about what he had been teaching.  The problem with this is that Jewish law did not allow for anyone to be questioned in the matter of a capital offense at night.  It also mandated that any such questioning must be done in public.  This made this entire questioning illegal according to Jewish law.[i]

“Everything I have said I have said in public,” said Jesus.  “Why question me, ask those who heard what I said.  Surely they know what I said.”

Jesus said this because another mandate of Jewish law was that a man could not be convicted of a capital offense unless two witness could be produced who agreed with each other about what had happened and provided the same testimony.  Further, a person could not be compelled to give evidence against himself!

After Jesus replied, though, one of the officials hit him in the face.  “Is this the way you answer the high priest?”  he demanded?

Another Jewish law compelled the Jewish authorities to protect those who were taken into custody and not allow any harm to come to them until such a time as they had been convicted of a crime.  The entire setup was a sham and obviously so.

“If I said something wrong,” Jesus said, spitting a small amount of blood from his mouth, “then tell me what I said wrong, but if I told the truth then why did you hit me?”

He was pointing out all of the illegalities of His situation and everyone there understood the true meaning of His words.

Annas, feeling uneasy about what was going on and knowing that laws were being broken, had him sent to Caiaphas.  God's angels followed them everywhere they went ensuring that His ultimate will was carried out.  The demons of Satan also followed the crowd assembled in both the earthly and heavenly realms.  Satan himself stood at a distance and watched with amusement as his plan was carried out.  He was unwittingly orchestrating his own demise.

It was about half past three in the morning when Jesus arrived at the home of Caiaphas for his second illegal questioning of the night. 

Here the entire Great Sanhedrin had gathered together.  They were trying to find some evidence against him so they would have some reason to execute him.  Several people lied about him, but none of their lies agreed with with each other so none of them could legally be used against him.

Throughout all this Jesus said nothing.

Caiaphas finally looked at him and raised his eyebrows with disdain.  “Are you not going to say anything?  What is all this they’re saying about you?”

Jesus said nothing, but stared at the ground at Caiaphas’ feet.

Caiaphas bent down to look Jesus in the eye.  He furrowed his brow and said “Are you the Christ[ii], the son of the Blessed One[iii]?”

Jesus raised his head and stared directly into the face of his accuser.

“I am.”  He said, calmly.  “And you will see the Son of Man[iv] sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

By admitting here to be the son of the Blessed one and claiming the title of Son of Man he was in fact claiming to be both God and The Messiah!

A collective gasp escaped from the part of the crowd who was paying attention.  Caiaphas roared with rage and ripped his clothes in profound shock at what he had just heard.

“Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked.  “You have all heard the blasphemy!  What do you think?”

They all agreed that his crimes were worthy of death.  Then the mob mentality began to set in and they began to spit on him and hit and kick him.  They blindfolded him and hit him in the face and shouted “Prophesy!”  The temple guard watched the crowd for a while and then, emboldened by the scene, they seized him and began to beat him themselves.

All of this was against Jewish law and the members of the Great Sanhedrin knew that none of it would hold up, so they waited until the sun rose and then deliberated during the day and in public as the law required.  Then and there the reached the decision that he should be put to death.

Now this public spectacle of a trial was still not legal.  There were very strict guidelines about what was required in a capital case beyond those already decimated in these pre-dawn trials.

A man’s testimony against himself could not be used in evidence against him.  An agreement of two or more witnesses was required, but it was never provided.  Furthermore, sentence on a verdict of guilty could not be pronounced until the third day after the finding, and then only after a second vote resulting the same as the first.

Despite these miscarriages of justice, these Jewish leaders knew that the Romans had removed from them the power of passing sentence of death.  All death sentences had to be pronounced by the Roman governor, in this case Pontius Pilate.

So the temple guard took Jesus to see Pilate.  They arrived in the court outside his palace at about half past six in the morning.

----

Satan had long since left Judas who had been watching the proceedings early that morning.  When Judas made the deal with the high priest had not been possessed by Satan and he had no idea their intention was to kill Jesus.  When he saw that Jesus was condemned he realized what he had done.

He watched from afar as Jesus was hauled away by the temple guard to see Pilate.  How could he have been so stupid?  How could he have been so greedy?  No amount of money could buy enough water to wash the blood from his hands.

He ran up to the chief priests after the crowd had disbursed and tried to give back the thirty pieces of silver they had paid him for his betrayal.[v]  “I have sinned, Jesus was innocent and I have betrayed him!” he cried.

“What is that to us?” one of them replied, showing the callousness with which they addressed the entire matter.  After all was it not the chief priests who where to help the people atone for their sin?  “That is your responsibility,” he said.

Judas looked down at the small purse full of coins that he held in his hands.  With tears streaming down his face the threw the money at the priests who stepped aside allowing the bag to hit the floor.  It burst open and coins spewed out rolling around the floor and coming to rest as Judas fled the temple.

One of the chief priests turned to one of the temple guard who was still there and said “Follow him.”

As he fled through the marketplace Judas noticed a man selling rope.  He still held the purse which contained what money Jesus and his band of disciples kept to pay for food and other expenses as they traveled around the countryside preaching the word of God.

His mind raced as he stopped suddenly to consider what had just entered it.  It didn’t take long for him to make up his mind.  With tears still streaming down his face he paid the man for a rope and, remembering a good spot to carry out his plans, he ran out of town.

He ran down a narrow road to a field on which stood a high ridge.  Growing on the edge of the ridge was a large tree which had a branch that stretched out over a sharp cliff.  He attached one end of the rope to a broken limb he found on the ground near the tree and threw it over the branch.  He tied the rope to the branch and fashioned a noose out of the other end.

He fell to his knees in absolute sorrow, holding the rope and hoping against hope that God would forgive him for what he had done.

The guard had followed him the whole way and stood a short distance away watching the scene unfold before him.  Several of Satan's demons stood with him with smiles on their faces.  No person is too far gone to be forgiven.  If Judas completed his act of suicide then he belonged to Satan forever.

With bitter resolve Judas placed the noose around his neck, pulled it tight and jumped off the cliff.  The rope stretched tight around his neck pulling his head sharply to the right and snapping his spine.  His body gave an involuntary spasm as his life ended.

The branch strained under the weight of Judas’ body and after a short time the branch snapped.  Judas lifeless body fell twenty or thirty feet before it struck the edge of the cliff and tumbled to the bottom striking one sharp outcropping of rock after another until it finally came to rest at the bottom.  His head and body had burst open from striking the boulders on the way down and his intestines spilled out of his body onto the ground next to him at his final resting place.

The guard was horrified; he had never seen such a thing.  He ran to the edge of the cliff and looked down to see the final resting place of the man who betrayed the Son of God.  He stood, staring at the body for a long moment, with his jaw agape and his fingers rubbing his forehead in disbelief.  The demons returned to watch the proceedings at Jesus' latest illegal trial.

After the guard had seen all he could bear he ran back to the temple and reported to the chief priests what he had seen.  They had already determined that they could not take the silver back from Judas, it was blood money and they could not by law put it back in the treasury.  That money belonged to Judas, but he was no longer around to collect it.

After considering the predicament for a while they came to an agreement.  They used the money to buy the field where Judas had committed suicide.  It could be used as a cemetery for foreigners who had no burial plot.

The guard returned to those who remained at the temple and told them everything that had happened.  Word spread quickly throughout the people and the place became known as the “Field of Blood”.

---

[i] Thompson, George W. “The Trial of Jesus”, Bobbs Merrill, 1927.  Chapter 2, The Jewish Law.

[ii] Christ is the Greek word for Messiah, meaning “The Chosen One”.

[iii] Jews, out of reverence for the most holy name of God were not permitted to say the name of God out loud nor write it.  As such they used other terms for God such as “The Blessed One” and in writing in many instances even today will spell it G-D rather than spell out the word.

[iv] Son of Man is a title used in Daniel 7:13 in reference to The Messiah.  Also, claiming to sit at the right hand of God the Father is a claim to the same title based on Psalm 110:1.

[v] 30 pieces of silver was the cost of a slave.

In The Beginning - Chapter 18 (The Kiss of Death)

Chapter 18

Jesus and his disciples left the house where they had been celebrating Passover, the time when the Jews remember their rescue by God from the bondage of slavery to an evil king brought about by covering the entrance to their home with the blood of a lamb.

A powerful formation of angels encircled them as they proceeded along their way.  Satan's forces of evil were everywhere, but they dared not attack.  They knew their time was coming and they had their orders.  Each of the disciples had an angel assigned to them for their protection, but on this special day, a multitude of heavenly hosts was on hand.

They crossed through a valley to an olive grove called Gethsemane.  Judas knew it well because Jesus had often taken his disciples there.

Jesus left his disciples there in the grove and went a short ways away and began to pray.  He took Peter, James, and John with him and asked them to keep watch while he prayed.  Ever since Satan had entered Judas back at the house his heart was heavy with despair.  He knew what he had to do, but the thought of giving in to Satan was disdainful to his divine nature in the extreme.

Likewise, his human side was struggling mightily with the pain he knew he was about to endure.

Walking a short distance from the three, he fell to the ground and began to speak to his father.  “You can do anything!” he pleaded.  “Isn’t there another way to redeem your creation?”  But even then he expressed his obedience.  “But let your will be done, and not mine,” he said.

The troupe of angels who had protected them at the house and had accompanied them to the garden now drew close to him to provide protection and comfort.  Jesus was struggling mightily with sorrow and despair when Gabriel, God’s messenger, walked up to Jesus, placed his hands on his shoulders bent his head down low and spoke words of comfort and strength into his ear.

Jesus' spirit began to calm and his will once again became resolute.  His emotion was in check and he knew it was time.  This was the defining moment in the history of the world.  It has been ordained by God since the original sin of Adam and Eve in the garden, so long, but then such a short time ago.  This was God’s perfect plan and it would be as He had ordained it.

Jesus returned to find Peter, James and John sleeping.  It was about one in the morning and the day had been long and tiresome.

“Why are you sleeping?” he shouted, pointing across the garden.  “I’ve been betrayed into the hands of sinners and here comes my betrayer!”

The three awoke quickly and were alert.  As they looked through the olive trees they saw Judas approaching with a bunch of armed guards.  The rest of the disciples had moved quickly to Jesus’ side and were now standing around him ready to protect their master.

Judas walked through the others and up to Jesus.  “Teacher!” he said, and then moved forward to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Jesus pulled back incredulously.  “Are you going to betray me with a kiss, Judas?”

Judas leaned forward and kissed him lightly on each cheek.  This was the signal to the temple guard that they should move forward and take into custody the one who was kissed.

Everyone stayed still as the temple guard looked at Jesus and his disciples and they looked back wondering what would happen next.

“Who is it you want?” he asked.

“Jesus of Nazareth,” one of them replied.

“That’s me,” he said.

Immediately the temple guard stepped backward and fell to the ground.  There had been much talk around the temple about Jesus.  Many had claimed that he was The Messiah, the one who would come to save the Jews from their oppressors and rule the Earth with them as his ruling party.

Some said that He could do miracles and most of the temple guard was afraid of him.

“Who is it you want?” Jesus asked them again.

Timidly, the same soldier replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

“I told you that is me.  If you are looking for me then let these others go.”

Seeing Jesus was about to be arrested, Peter, who had brought a sword with him, drew it and lashed out at one of the temple guards.  The guard, whose name was Malchus, was taken a little by surprise and almost managed to dodge the blow completely, but was just a bit too slow.  His ear was severed from his face and he screamed in agony holding his hand up to the side of his bleeding head.

Emboldened by this attack, the temple guards raised their weapons and moved into an offensive posture, planning to slay all of Jesus’ disciples and take Jesus away by force.

Jesus stepped up immediately and yelled “Put your swords away!”

Everyone stopped and looked at him.  He spoke with such authority one couldn’t help but obey.

He walked over to Malchus who was holding pressure on his wound trying to stop the bleeding.  Jesus bent down and picked up his ear.  Malchus looked at him cautiously.  Jesus put his hand to Malchus’ arm and pulled it away from his face.  The bleeding had stopped.  He then put the ear back to the side of Malchus’ face and held it there for a few seconds.  When he removed his hand the ear had been re-attached.  It was completely healed and Malchus felt no pain.  Only the blood remained as a reminder that there had been any injury at all.

Jesus turned to face his disciples and said, “Should I not drink the cup the father has given me?”

At that the temple guard took him by both arms and tied them together.  It was about half past one in the morning.

In The Beginning - Chapter 17 (The Messiah)

Chapter 17

At that moment, about four thousand years in the future, Jesus, was at the end of his earthly ministry.  He sat with his disciples in a room and celebrated the Jewish Passover.  He was the only one in the room who truly understood what this ceremony meant, the eating of the bread symbolizing His body which would be broken for them and the drinking of the wine, symbolizing His blood which would be shed for them, a typology that those in bondage in Egypt could not even begin to comprehend which symbolized the coming of the perfect Son of God who would deliver them from their bondage to sin.

His mind was drawn back to Egypt on that all important evening when God’s chosen people, the descendants of Abraham, were to be delivered.  Delivered in the same way that Jesus was about to deliver all of humanity from the bondage of sin.

The death angel was about to pass over Egypt and those who were to be saved would have to paint the blood from a perfect lamb over their door posts.  They would be saved by the blood of the lamb.

He remembered the careful instructions given to them after they left Egypt concerning the setting up of the tabernacle in such a way as to replicate the throne room in heaven and that which was to come in the distant future when He would come again to rule the Earth from his throne in Jerusalem.

He remembered the rituals of the High Priest as he prepared for the annual sacrifice.  The blue, gold, purple, scarlet and white colors of his robe symbolizing heaven, precious worth, royalty, blood, and purity.  He considered how the priest would enter the Holy of Holies to plead for his people, just as Jesus would enter the throne room of God to plead for his people.  He smiled as he thought about how His actions would rip the veil which separates the priest from the seat of God, symbolizing the removal of the barrier between the people and their God.

He was brought back to the present by bread and wine being served at the table where he sat.  He had just finished teaching them a lesson in humility and servitude by washing their feet and commanding them to serve each other as well.

He looked around the room and his gaze fell on each disciple in turn.  He looked at John who was sitting next to him and would outlive all the rest and die alone, exiled to the Isle of Patmos.  He looked at Peter who was sitting next to John and who he knew would soon deny even knowing him.  He looked at Judas who would betray him.

Judas was reclining uneasily at the table looking nervously at the others and trying to laugh along with the others as though nothing were bothering him.

Jesus watched him with pity.  His chest tightened with despair at every soul he saw whom he knew would not enjoy the free and eternal gift of God’s love.  His anger raged at the powers that warred against Him in His struggle to secure the blessings of happiness for his beloved children.

He also knew what was coming to Him in the next twenty four hours and His human side was in anguish at the thought of it.  He knew it was the reason he came to the earthly realm, though, and he was resolute in His conviction to finish what He started.

Finally, he looked into the dark corner where the Prince of Darkness sat waiting for his opportunity.  Satan stared back at him with fierceness and resolution.  It had been a long time since he had been defeated and kicked out of Heaven.  His anger was as strong as ever.  He would destroy every soul he could, and with each one cause God the Father that much more pain.

Surrounding those who were seated at the table were a platoon of angels standing strong and tall and facing outward toward a large contingent of Satan’s minions who were milling about nervously awaiting orders from their master.

The glory of God shone brightly from Jesus in the heavenly realm indicating the strength of the Holy Spirit which was present within him.  In fact, everything else paled in comparison.  The powerfulness of it scorched the demons like a flame whenever they got close and they all kept their distance.

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to those in the room, “one of you is going to betray me.”[i]

His disciples looked at each other and murmured to each other quietly trying to figure out who it was.  Judas sat quietly and closed his eyes as if in meditation.

Satan stood and moved around the table to stand behind Judas.  A deal had been made and the angels did not oppose him.

Peter nudged John, who was sitting next to Jesus.  “Ask him who it is,” he said.

John leaned back against Jesus and whispered, “Lord, who is it?”

“It is the one to whom I give this bread after I’ve dipped it in the dish,” He whispered back.

Then he dipped the bread in the dish and handed it to Judas.

Satan surged forward and dove headlong into the body of Judas who shuddered and sat up suddenly.  His eyes opened wide and he looked into the eyes of the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

“What you are about to do, do quickly,” said Jesus.

Judas stood and left the room, driven by the spirit of Satan who was now in possession of his body.

Since he had been chosen as one of the twelve Judas had never really believed.  He was the keeper of the purse and would regularly help himself to what was there.

He was a greedy man and despite what he had seen and heard while traveling with Jesus he never really considered the he could be what he said he was.

When he made the deal with the high priest to betray his teacher he assumed Jesus would be tried and jailed as a heretic.  He had no idea what was really in store for Him.

After Judas left, Jesus looked back at his disciples.  The time had come, the clock had started, and it was time to move things along.

“I’ll only be with you a little while longer,” He said.  “I’ll tell you what I told the Jews.  Where I’m going you cannot come.  But here’s a new command for you.  Love everyone just as I have loved you.  This is how the whole world will know that you are my representatives – because you love one another.”

“Where are you going?” asked Peter.

“You can’t come with me now, but you will be coming later,” Jesus replied.

“Why can’t I come?” replied peter, emotionally.  “I would die for you!”

“Really?” said Jesus.  “Peter, you will deny you even know me three times before the sun comes up.”

Then he looked at the others still seated at the table.  They were all looking at him in eager anticipation of what he would say next.

His heart filled with compassion and warmth for his companions.

“Don’t worry,” he said.  “Put your faith in God and also in me.  I’m going to my father’s house to prepare a place for you.  Then I’ll come back for you and take you there.  You know the way.”

Thomas replied quickly, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going so how could we know the way?”

Jesus looked directly into Thomas’ eyes and said “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can get into my father’s house unless I bring him.  If you really know me then you know my father as well.  In fact, from now on you do know him and you have seen him.”

The disciples murmured again in confusion.  None of this was making any sense.

Finally, Philip spoke up.  “Lord, show us the father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus shook his head ever so slightly and smiled a small smile.  He looked directly at Philip and said, “Philip, don’t you know me even after all this time?  How can you say ‘Show us the father’?  Don’t you know that I am a part of the father and the father is a part of me?  Everything I’ve been teaching you all this time is not just from me.  It’s the father living in me and doing his work from whom you’ve been learning.  At the very least believe because of the miracles you’ve seen.”

He then looked around the room at the others who were utterly quiet and looking at him intently.

“If you love me you will do what I’m telling you,” he said.  “and I will ask the father and he will send you another counselor.  He will be with you forever – he is the Spirit of truth.  The world will never accept him because they cannot see him nor experience his power in their lives.  But you will know him because he lives with you and will become a part of you.

“I won’t leave you alone, I will come to you.  Soon the world will see me no more, but you will see me.  Because I live, you will live, too, when that happens you will understand.  You will realize that I am a part of the father and you are a part of me and I am a part of you.  Whoever accepts my words and obeys them loves me and whoever loves me will be loved by the father.  I will love them as well and will reveal myself to them.”

There was another Judas there who was not the one who was going to betray him.  Now he spoke up.

“But, Lord, why are you just going to show yourself to us?  Why not reveal yourself to the whole world?”

They still couldn’t get past the notion that Jesus should setup an earthly kingdom and rule over the entire Earth with them at his side.

“Anyone who loves me will do what I’ve instructed.  Then my father will love them and we will become a part of them.  Anyone who doesn’t love me will not do what I’ve instructed.  These are not my words, they are the words of the father.

“I’ve told you all this while I’m here with you.  But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit that my father sends to you because I’ve asked him, will teach you all sorts of things and will remind you of everything I’ve taught you.

“I’m not giving to you what the world gives.  I am giving you peace, my peace, so don’t worry, and don’t be afraid.

“You heard me say ‘I’m going away and am coming back to you.’  If you knew what was going to happen you’d be glad because the father is more powerful than I am.  I’m telling you this now so that when it happens you will believe.”

He then looked around the room.  All eyes were on him.  Not just the human eyes, but also those of all the angels and demons who were gathered around this small band of mighty warriors.  The heavenly hosts were getting restless.

“The time is getting close and the prince of this world is coming.  He has no control over me but the world must learn that I will do what my father commands me to do.  Come on now; lets go.”

---

[i] John 13:21

In The Beginning - Chapter 16 (The Price of Sin)

Chapter 16

From Heaven, God the Father watched all that happened in the garden.  At that moment, the aura that surrounded the man and woman grew noticeably dimmer as their immortal souls transitioned into the fallen state.

Their souls were now in a state of perpetual death.  It had been ordained by God that man would have to pay for his disobedience.  Since there was nothing man could offer to God to pay for his own sin God’s plan provided for the only substitute possible.  God himself would have to pay for man’s sin, but this payment would not be for everyone.

God’s salvation through the sacrifice of himself for the sin of man would be only available to those who believed in Him, accepted Him as their God, and asked to receive the gift of life which was offered for them.

He looked throughout the timeline of Earth’s history and saw billions and billions of souls dimming to the point of being extinguished.

He watched as fewer and fewer called upon the name of their God until at last about a thousand years after Adam and Eve’s original sin, the corruption of man had become such that only a single Man and his family remained righteous.  All others had succumbed to the enticements of the serpent.

God’s disappointment with mankind was profound.  He knew from the beginning that because man had free will many would choose to reject Him but the whole human race had rebelled so quickly that he grieved that he had ever created them to begin with.  Satan had done his work well.

Looking forward in time, God found a man through which He could redeem His creation.  The pact was with Abram whose name he later changed to Abraham.  In this pact, God would multiply Abraham into a great nation and through his lineage the world would be saved.  For his part, Abraham would worship only the one true God and would pass his faith on to his descendants.  From generation to generation the law of God would be lived out through Abraham.

Throughout subsequent generations God carefully chose the descendants of Abraham through which he would fulfill His promise.  God looked into the souls of each child until at last, at the time perfectly suited to His purposes, he found the instrument of his gift.

He looked deep into her soul and found her to be pure of heart, strong in character and submissive to her God.  She found favor in His eyes and He ordained that she would be a part of the greatest act of love ever bestowed on mankind.  She was to be the mother of God.

At the appointed time and with all of the preparations made, the Holy Spirit enveloped Mary who had been prepared for her chosen role before hand by the angel Gabriel.  Mary became aware that her reality was changing.  At one moment she was lying awake in her bed and in the next she was surrounded by light that seemed to come from everywhere.  There were no shadows in the room and she felt as if the entire universe were in perfect harmony and she felt more safe than she had ever felt.

In her head she heard the most beautiful music she had ever heard - voices were singing "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty."  She felt completely at home and experienced peace such as she had never felt before.

In her womb the Holy Spirit altered an egg.  Using the genetic sequence Jesus had created so long (but then only a moment) ago, He formed the X and Y chromosomes perfectly coded to grow into the man who would save the world from sin.

The child she would bear would be the child of the human mother and the divine father – the physical self coming from the mother and the spiritual self coming from God the Father through the Holy Spirit and in the persona of Jesus the Son and thus not subject to the original sin perpetrated by Adam in the Garden of Eden.

And thus the God who created the universe became a part of His own creation and the instrument of its salvation.

Just as suddenly as she had been swept away she was back.  She looked around the dark room and couldn't decide if she had been gone for a few seconds or a few years, it seemed like a lifetime.  Tears of joy began to fall from her eyes as she considered the enormity of what she had been chosen to do.

-----

Looking back into Eden from his throne, God the Father saw his physical persona, Jesus, standing before Adam and his wife who were clothed only in their fig leaf loincloths.

“A price must be paid for your disobedience.”  He said.  “My son and daughter, I love you dearly, but there is no price you could pay which could atone for your sin against me.  What could you, a mere man and woman give to me to account for your sin when the wages of sin is death?”

Adam and Eve stood quietly.

”A day will come when I will come to the Earth and live with man.  At that time I will offer myself as payment for your disobedience, but until then, you must live with the consequences of your actions.  Because of what you have done I will suffer as will all of your children and their children to countless generations.  Are you remorseful for what you have done?”

Adam and Eve both nodded their heads in unison and muttered “We are.”

He brought a young lamb to them and pointed to a sharp stone lying on the ground near the stream.

“The day of my coming is far off yet.  Until that time comes, you must provide a regular atonement for your sin.  The payment you will make will not absolve you of your sin; it will merely be a testament to your belief that I will pay for it when I come.  You will kill an animal every year and offer it to me on an alter – without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness.

When you sacrifice the animal, you will remember that the animal who committed no sin is paying the price for yours.  It is your sin which has cost him his life.

Adam listened silently while Eve sobbed quietly.

When I come, I, who love you so, will pay for your salvation by sacrificing my life in atonement for yours.  Unlike this lamb, however, I will give my life willingly.  Through my sacrifice your souls will escape this curse of death and enter into eternal life with me in paradise.

“You will do this every year and you will teach it to your children and their children and their children’s children until I come to make the final atonement.  When I see such a sacrifice offered with an earnest heart the ultimate payment for your sins will be postponed for another year.

“Do you understand?”

They both nodded.  “Adam, you are the head of your family.  It is from your flesh that Eve was born into this world and also from your spirit.  It is your responsibility to offer the sacrifice for your entire family.  It is your belief in my future coming for your salvation and your acceptance of my gift of love which will save your soul.”

Adam nodded his head in understanding.  Jesus stood near the bank of the stream and waited for Adam to act.  Adam walked over to the sharp rock and picked it up.  He turned and looked at the lamb standing innocently near the stream eating grass from the side of the path.  He looked at Adam and gave a soft “Mwaa-aa-aa”.

Adam looked back at Jesus with tears in his eyes.  Eve hid her face behind her hands; she couldn’t bear to watch.  After a long moment Adam walked to the lamb and lifted it up into his arms.  Adam felt the lamb’s soft wool against his skin and the lamb nuzzled its head up under Adam’s chin.  He dropped to his knees sobbing.

Jesus stood quietly and patiently near the stream.

It seemed that Adam would not be able to complete his task.  He knelt for a long time holding the lamb in his arms then rose.  He walked over to the rock and bound the lamb’s legs with some vines he pulled from the tree where the serpent watched silently.

Using the sharp rock he had taken from the side of the stream, he cut the lamb’s throat quickly and struggled not to fall again to his knees in sorrow.  He held the lamb to the rock until its bleating stopped and it lay motionless.  Using the same rock he continued to remove the lamb’s skin, leaving it exposed and lifeless on the top of the larger rock.

 Adam stepped back slowly, then, giving into his sorrow, he dropped to the ground on his knees.  As he watched, Jesus lifted his eyes toward heaven and lifted his arms.  A long shaft of fire shot down from the sky, and in an instant the lamb was consumed.  God had accepted their offering.

Adam dropped the bloody rock he had used as a knife; Eve continued to weep softly near the woods from where she hadn’t moved since God arrived in the garden.

Jesus looked once more at the serpent and it slithered away.

When Adam opened his eyes, he saw on the ground near the alter, clothes for him and his wife.  He put his on and the fit was perfect.  He took the rest over to Eve who put hers on as well.

They looked at each other and the constant reminder of their sin which they were wearing and neither spoke.

In The Beginning - Chapter 15 (The Reconing)

Chapter 15

Evening was approaching and the day was beginning to cool when they heard footsteps coming from the way of the garden.  Knowing it was God, they ran into the woods to hide.

God the Father watched from his throne as Jesus walked through the Garden of Eden.  This was the turning point of the timeline of history.  This was the day that man had willfully disobeyed God and succumbed to the enticement of Satan.  It was the same enticement that Satan had used with the angels in the heavenly realm and would haunt man throughout the earthly timeline until the end of time itself – “You will be like God.”

It was time for God to put the next part of his divine plan into place.  Man, who he so loved, was destined to disappoint Him.  But God had a plan for his redemption.

Jesus walked to the rock where Adam and Eve had been sitting and called out, “Adam!”

From the edge of the woods Adam replied, “Here I am.  I heard you walking through the garden, I was afraid because I was naked.”

Jesus gazed quietly at Adam for a moment.  Adam stood at the edge of the woods with his eyes downcast and stared at the ground with his hands clasped tightly in front of his chest.

“Who told you that you were naked?” asked Jesus.  “Have you eaten of the tree that I commanded you not to eat?”

He pointed to the edge of the woods.  “It was the woman you gave me as a helper!  She gave it to me and I ate it!”

Jesus looked her directly in the eye.  “Woman, what have you done?”  He asked calmly.

“It was the snake!” she cried.  “He lied to me and I ate it!”  Her tears now nearly drowned out her words.  She grabbed the arm of Adam and cried into his shoulder, refusing to make eye contact with her God.  Adam continued to stare into the ground.

“How could one fruit have such an effect?” he asked.

“The fruit has its purpose,” Jesus replied.  “It isn’t the fruit which makes you feel this way.  It is your sin.  You had a choice between good and evil and you have chosen the evil.  Your soul has been corrupted.  Things will never be the same.”

He looked to the tree where the snake had re-appeared.  It looked at the living God with disdain and resolve.

“Because of what you have done you are cursed more than all other beasts.  On your belly you will slither and you will eat dust all of the days of your life.”

“I will put hate between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers.  Her child will bruise you on the head and you will bruise him on the heel!”

Jesus, the persona of the living God, spoke with divine authority.  It was He who would bruise this serpent on the head.  It was He who would orchestrate Satan’s final defeat.  Judgment had just been passed on Satan once and for all.

He turned again to the woman.  “From now on you will have intense pain in childbirth.  You will desire your husband and he will rule over you.”

To Adam he said, “Because of you the ground is also cursed.  No longer will you live effortlessly in paradise.  From now on you will work for what you eat.  Weeds, thorns, and thistles will grow, and you will have to work hard to get your food to grow.  By the sweat of your brow will you eat until you return to the dust from which you were made.  From the dust you were made, and to the dust you will return!”

In The Beginning - Chapter 14 (Part 2 - The Decent of Man)

Part II

The Descent of Man

Chapter 14

It was a bright and sunny spring day.  Adam and his wife frolicked in the river that converged in Eden from four other rivers and then diverged back out into four branches as it left the garden.  The day was calm and warm; birds chirped and small animals played on the stream’s shore.

The sky was bursting with deep blue color as the sun rose high above the peaks of the surrounding trees which were in full bloom.

Life was good in paradise.  Eden was a garden which grew every fruit and vegetable.  It was watered by a mist which came up from the ground every night covering all the plants with enough water to keep them lush and green.

When they were hungry the two of them walked through the garden picking whatever food they desired then ate together drinking in all God had provided.

Deciding it was time for lunch, they came up out of the spring and sat on a rock at the edge to dry off in the warm sun.  Just behind them rose a large shade tree.  As they sat, they looked toward the middle of the garden where there rose a huge tree from which dangled luscious fruit.

Adam and his wife thought little of it.  God had warned them not to eat of that tree and with all the other trees and fruit and vegetable bearing plants in the garden they had not up to this moment had any problems denying themselves the pleasure of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Just behind them in the tree they heard a rustling noise and turned toward it expecting to see a bird or some other small animal playing there.  What they saw instead was a snake, a long serpent with legs running down each side.  It was wrapped around a branch with its head dangling just high enough to make good eye contact with the humans.

In Eden animals, birds, and humans all lived together in peace, and the sight of a snake in the tree was not at all frightening for them.  Adam set off to find some vegetables for their lunch as the woman looked around the garden for fruit to go with it.

“Is it true,” said the snake, “that God has told you that you cannot eat of any of the trees in the garden?”

“Of course not,” she replied.  “We are free to eat of any tree we choose.  Any tree, that is, except that big one in the middle over there.  If we eat from it or even touch it we will die.”

If a snake could grin Satan would’ve achieved it at that moment.  These humans were even more gullible than the angels he had corrupted.

“You will not die,” he said condescendingly.  “God just doesn’t want you to eat of that tree because He knows if you do, you’ll be just like Him, knowing good and evil.  When you eat of that tree, you will finally be able to see the world for what it is, just like He does.  You will be like God!”

The woman sat for a minute and considered what the snake had said.  She had never been exposed to a lie before.  God had clearly told them not to eat of the tree, but right here in front of her was a snake telling her it was okay.  The snake spoke with such authority, why would he say that if it were not true.

She wandered over to the tree to inspect the fruit and the snake followed behind her.  She looked up at the fruit of the tree with a scrutinizing eye.  She neared it with her face and inhaled its sweet aroma, a fruit that smelled that good could not be so bad.  The snake had said that if she ate the fruit she would be wise, she would be like God.  Wow … like God!

At first she reached out her hand like a chef tapping the edge of a skillet to see if it was hot, she quickly tapped the fruit and then jumped back in fear.  She did not die.

She walked up to the tree again and put her hand around one of its fruits and squeezed firmly and still she did not die.  The snake climbed up the tree and encircled the branch just above her.  He dropped his head and said, “I told you so.”

Eve looked at him in defiance and gave a sharp tug.  The fruit came off in her hand.  She grabbed another that was beside the first and pulled it off as well then ran quickly back to the rock to wait for Adam.

He approached a short time later and found her sitting beneath the tree, the serpent hanging from the branch behind her.  He looked at the serpent for a moment then at Eve and the fruit she was holding, one in each hand.

“I touched it,” she said, “and I didn’t die.  The serpent told me that if we eat of it we will be wise – we will be like God!”

At this she raised the fruit to her lips to take a bite and then stopped.  She extended her hand to Adam, turned her palm up and opened her fingers.

Adam looked at her for a long moment without moving.  Eve sat quietly and looked directly into his eyes.

This was clearly against God’s rules - but then, hadn’t God given the woman to him to be a helper?  To be his confidant and faithful companion?

He looked at the serpent who gazed back and tasted the air with his tongue, savoring every moment of his imminent victory.

Adam looked back through the garden and up at the sky.  Where was God when he needed Him?

“Don’t you want to be like God?” asked Eve.

“He told us we could not eat of the fruit of this tree,” replied Adam.

“The serpent said that’s because He knows if we do we will be like Him, knowing good from evil.”

“Has God ever given us any instruction which resulted in any ill coming to us,” asked Adam?

“Not that we know of,” replied Eve, sarcastically.

This was a side of Eve that Adam had never seen.  He didn’t much like her tone of voice nor her body language.  It all made him very uncomfortable.  She had never done anything before that had made him uncomfortable.

“Do you love me, Adam?”  she asked.

“You know that I do,” he replied.

She stood, walked over him and lifted the fruit up just under Adam’s nose.  It smelled sweet, sweeter than anything he had yet tasted in the garden.  He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose, savoring the amazing aroma.

Wrapped loosely around the branch, Satan was engrossed in the scene before him.  “My, my, what a man would do at the bidding of a woman,” he thought.  “I wonder what a woman might do for a man.”

The lessons from this scene were many.  It also seemed that mankind was by nature hedonistic.  Given the right circumstances and a choice between good and bad he could be convinced to choose the bad despite what his intellect knew to be the correct choice.

“And it is so easy,” he thought.  “This is going to be fun.”

Adam took the fruit from her and she held the other fruit up to her mouth and grinned.

He put the fruit to his lips and together they each took a large bite.  The flavor was fantastic, unlike anything Adam had ever tasted.  He closed his eyes savoring it as he slowly chewed and then swallowed.

What a taste!  What pleasure he experienced in the flavor.  Chills went up his spine as he took another large bit and then another.  He didn’t think he could ever get full of it.  Nothing could taste this good.  How could anything this good be bad?  Why would God forbid them from partaking of something like this?  This was ecstasy like nothing he had experienced before.

But then something changed.  The taste that was so sweet in his mouth turned bitter.  He tried to spit it out, but he had already eaten it all.  A feeling of dread began to overshadow his spirit.  His stomach hurt and he had an overwhelming sense of sadness.

He opened up his eyes and turned back to Eve who was staring at him in horror.  He saw her face and realized he was sitting in front of her naked as was she.  He felt what seemed like the oppression of a huge weight being dropped onto his shoulders and he visibly slumped under its weight.

He looked to the tree, but the snake was nowhere to be found.  He turned back to look at his wife but she had fled into the woods crying, leaving him there alone.  Realizing the trouble into which he had gotten himself, he ran the opposite direction into the woods, looking for something he could use to cover himself.

Eve called to him from the other side of the woods.  “Adam!”

“Yes, my wife?”  he replied, only barely loud enough for her to hear.

“What have we done?”

“I fear we have disobeyed the command of our God and that he will be very angry with us when He sees what we have done.”

“Do you feel what I feel?” she asked?

“It is a feeling I have never experienced,” he replied.  “What is it that makes me want to stop living?  How could one fruit have such an effect?  I have no joy left in me.”

“I feel the same way,” she said.  “I was naked and ashamed.”

Adam didn’t reply and a long uncomfortable moment passed.

“I have sewn fig leaves together with a vine to cover myself," said Eve.  "I have made one for you, too.  I’ll leave it for you on the rock where we ate of the fruit.”

A moment later Adam approached the rock and found the fig-leaf loincloth that she had sewn for him.  He quickly put it on and turned to see her emerging from the woods wearing hers.

Neither could speak.  Their shame was profound, their fear overwhelming.

In The Beginning - Chapter 13 (Cast Out)

Chapter 13

While Satan and his minions were still far off they saw a bright glow shining over the horizon.  As they neared the garden they recognized the light as the glory of angelic hosts charged with protecting mankind.  They were standing guard around the entrance to Eden.

The demonic troupe stopped and gazed quietly at their opposition.  The battle in heaven was still fresh in their minds and their anger raged.

The angels saw their rivals for the hearts and minds of man and came to attention prepared to protect them at all cost.

Satan stood motionless for a moment as he recollected the words he had exchanged with God the Father.  He tilted his head slightly to the right and furrowed his brow in thought.

“Stay with me,” he said, as he renewed his march toward paradise.

As the demons neared, the angels formed into fighting platoons and assumed battle positions.

Confused, Satan thought once again of the words he had spoken to God the Father in the throne room, “What would a man choose to love if he did not choose to love God?”  and God’s enigmatic response, “What indeed?”

Could he have misunderstood the meaning behind God’s words?  No, that was impossible.

He then raised one eyebrow as if considering some newly conceived idea. Looking back at his lieutenants he said, “Wait here.”

They bowed their heads in obedience to their king and Satan walked forward.

The angelic hosts held their ground but didn’t move.

As Satan approached the entrance to the garden, he recognized his arch rival Michael standing firm with his feet spread shoulder width apart.  His hands were wrapped around the hilt of his sword, the tip of which was sticking into the ground in front of him.  His eyes started directly at his enemy.

Silently the two figures stared into each others’ eyes as Satan continued to approach.

Michael drew his sword from the ground with his right hand and held it at the ready as Satan continued his march.

Their eyes locked onto each other as Satan walked through the ranks of angels unopposed.  Satan never slowed his pace; he understood that he was in no danger. 

Michael turned and followed Satan through the line of angels and the ranks closed behind them.  After a few steps Michael stopped and made no effort to oppose the author of all lies.

As Satan continued to walk, his form began to change.  In one moment he was the most beautiful of all of God’s creations.  In the next he had assumed the form of a snake.

Michael looked on with disdain as he continued to follow his orders, trusting that God was fully in control.

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Back in Heaven, the angelic hosts and their creator watched as the timeline of the earthly realm changed dramatically.

Where there once was peace and harmony, there now was strife and discord.  Where once there was love and joy, now existed hate and pain.  The great deceiver and the author of all lies was now unleashed upon the earth and there would be Hell to pay.[i]

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[i] Revelation 12:13