"THE FALL OF MAN"!!! (Part 3) (Pt 2)

Text: Genesis 3:6-7:

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

In Daniel 3:25, what did Nebuchadnezzar say?  24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spoke, and said unto his counsellors, “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire”? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

25 He answered and said, “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God”.

How did Nebuchadnezzar know what Jesus looked like? He hadn’t been born as Mary’s baby at that time.  But He was in the fire with the three Hebrew boys.  He has always been!  He was the “form” of God!  Meaning God could appear at any time He wanted to and in whomever or whatever “form” He chose to appear in!  That’s why the LORD God had to form the man.  God is still forming people!

Galatians 4:19: My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.  

This is what God is doing today.  He is still forming men (male and female) into His image after His likeness.

Genesis 1:2: And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 

He wasn’t talking about the dirt that was without form, but people who had lost their form of God.  But God restored, and replenished the earth.  He put everything back in its place.  Chaos had taken place between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.

 In verse 3, God said “Let there be light: and there was light”.

 He wasn’t talking about the sun light or electricity.  That light God was speaking of in this verse was “revelation knowledge”.  Let there be people with my mind, with my understanding, my wisdom, that they may see the unveiling of Christ and have the "light of life"!

· St. John 1:1-3: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.

· Vs 4: In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Hosea 4:6: My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge.

When you look up “light” in the Hebrew, it comes from the word owr’, meaning illumination which means to give light; to make clear, to provide with understanding; spiritually or intellectually enlightened; to shine; kindle; to be bright; a luminary.  The word “luminary”, is defined as a notable person; one who can enlighten mankind.

In Genesis 1:3 God was bringing forth people illuminated with His mind, wisdom, understanding, and manifesting His power that could enlighten and empower mankind and rule and reign over the creation.

Genesis 3:6, when the woman ate of the fruit, she was in the transgression. But the creation was still intact because it was not the woman that the LORD God gave the command to. He gave the command to the man (Adam).  This word “man” is not talking about gender in relation to male only, but it is inclusive of both male and female.  They were the ones the LORD God had put in charge of the creation.  The moment the “man” partook of the fruit that the “woman” offered him (them), that is what brought on the fall of the creation. The devil knew that in order for the creation to fall, he had to get hold of the “head” of the creation. 

To kill a snake in the natural, you have to crush his head. When the man (awdawm) (the people who had the blood of God in their faces) partook of the deception of the serpent (the enemy), the creation fell.  At that point, the CHRIST (the anointed ones; the ones with the anointing of God) was put to sleep because they were God’s representatives, His agents, and ambassadors in the earth.

So are we today God’s representatives; His agents; His anointed ones with His anointing in the earth.  If we accept the lie from the enemy, it will cause the Christ to go to sleep within us as well.  We can’t do that!

· John 8:32: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

· John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”.  Truth is light and life!!

In Matthew 16: [Peter was able to see the truth or get the revelation: his confession of faith] (also):

· Mark 8:27: Jesus asked His disciples, saying unto them, “Whom do men say that I am”?

· Vs 28: And they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, one of the prophets”.

Jesus had been teaching these men for a few years.  He didn’t worry about what others thought, but what these men (His disciples) thought.

· .  Verse 29 And he said unto them, “But whom say ye that I am”?  Peter got the revelation!

 And Peter answered and said unto him, “Thou art “THE CHRIST”!

 We have to go beyond Jesus to see “The Christ”.  Jesus said flesh and blood didn’t reveal this to you.  There is wisdom in flesh and blood, but God’s wisdom super-cedes all else.

· 1 Corinthians 2:7: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.

 In order to understand God, we must understand Him with a spiritual mind:

· 1 Corinthians 2:14: But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God:  for they are foolishness unto him:  neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

· James 1:5: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him.

Genesis 3:6: when the Adam people (male and female) ate of the forbidden fruit that the woman offered them, the Christ was put to sleep in the earth.  As long as Adam was asleep, there was no dominion in the earth, but God had a plan to reveal “The CHRIST”, the Lord from heaven! 

At the point the woman (the church) and her husband (Awdawm) received of the fruit, the eyes of them both were opened.

 In the natural when it comes to vision you go to see an Ophthalmologist or Optometrist.  When their eyes were opened (“op”-“end”) to the lie of the serpent, their (“op”) “vision” of God at that point “ended”!

Matthew 6:22: The light of the body is the “eye”: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 

The Adam race of people lost the light of God when they fell and became full of darkness.   We are not of the darkness, nor of the night, but we are children of the day; we are of the light!

1 Thessalonians 5:5: Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Genesis 3:7: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. 

They knew the light had gone out.  Being naked had nothing to do with not having on any clothes.  “Naked” means nude. They had become stripped of the very robe of righteousness of the living God, that they had been clothed with. That’s why we have to be re-covered.  God is covering His people again with His righteousness! 

Revelation 19:8: And to her (the church) was granted that she should be arrayed (clothed; dressed; covered) in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

If Isaiah could be clothed or covered with the “robe of righteousness” before the resurrection, we certainly can be clothed or covered with it after the resurrection!

Revelation chapter 19 is talking about the marriage supper of the Lamb.  Some folks think they have to die to go to heaven to take part in the marriage supper.  We are already married to Him and eating of Him!

 Supper is from the root word deipnon (deip’non) meaning, the chief meal usually dined in the evening; feast.  It goes to another root word dapane (dapan’ay) meaning to devour:

· John 6:53: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.  Whoso eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed.  He that eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, dwells in me, and I in him.

Jesus confirmed this with the eating of the twelve giving them bread (His body) and wine (His blood).

When we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior and received the Holy Ghost we became married to Jesus Christ.  Then when we began bringing forth “sons of God” that consummated and sealed the marriage. 

Revelation 19:8: And to her was granted that she should be arrayed (be dressed) in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

“White” in the Greek is the root word leukos which means light. 

The Adam race of people lost the light in the beginning, and now we have to put on the light.  When we put on the whole armor of God, it lists seven pieces of armor in Ephesians 6, but that’s not all of the armor.  There are two more pieces of armor that we need to know about and get dressed in or the other seven pieces in Ephesians 6 won’t work properly.

· Romans 13:12: The night is far spent, the day is at hand:  let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 

· 2 Corinthians 6:7: By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.

It is God’s armor.  That’s why it says in Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God.       .  1 John 1:5 God is light.  When we put on the armor of God, His armor is light. 

When we look in Ephesians 6 at those different parts of armor, it is showing the different aspects of armor working in the different aspects of our lives.  They work through the word of truth and the power of the “light” of who God is!!!

Revelation 19:8: And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white (light): for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Jeremiah 23:5-6: Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.

Jeremiah 15:33: In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

These scriptures let us know that Jesus is our righteousness.  When we have done what’s said in Galatians 3:27: For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 

By putting on Christ, we have put on the righteousness of God. 

Religious people sing about putting on their long white robes when they get to heaven, but what they don’t know is that we can put the robe on right now!  When we are in Christ and He is in us we have on the “robe of Righteousness” right now!!!

Isaiah 61:10:  I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

If Isaiah could be covered with the robe of righteousness and the Son of God hadn’t died yet, .we can be and are surely covered with the robe of righteousness after His resurrection!

 Even though Revelation 13:8 lets us know that He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, still there was the fullness of the time that had to come and did.  Galatians 4:4: But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.  (So that he could redeem those that were under the law.) 

And because of that redemption process, we are sons of God - no more servants or slaves but sons!

· Galatians 4:7: Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. 

We are not just sons but we are also kings, and lords: and priests of the Most High God:

· Revelation 1:6 and 5:10: And hast made us unto our God kings and priests:  and we shall reign on (over) the earth.  [Not when you die and get up to heaven, but right here and right now]!

· Revelation 19:16: And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

 Everything that Jesus was to the Father, so are we.  1 John 4:17: As he is, so are we, in this world!

Genesis 3:7: And they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

They knew they were naked.  Then they sewed “fig leaves” together. 

We are seeing the effects of sin here.  They sewed fig leaves together - they didn’t take leaves off of a fig tree and stitch them together to hide their private parts.  This “nakedness” didn’t have anything to do with clothing.  They had been stripped of the power, the dominion, the authority, and the righteousness that God had given them and they could no longer rule over the creation

“Leaves” in Hebrew is from the root word chemah’, meaning, curdled milk.  Curd is the coagulated part of “sour milk”.  Anything in the food line that’s soured or spoiled is not fit for consumption.

· 1 Peter 2:2: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby.  Paul was saying, desire the adolos’, the un-deceitful or unadulterated, honest, genuine, forthright, truth, of the Word of God. 

That is what the LORD God had breathed into the “man” (male and female) and that’s what they had taught the “woman” (the church), but she listened to the “lie” of the enemy, and ate of it, and gave also to her husband which led to the fall of the creation. 

Leaves also comes from another Hebrew root word, chowmah’, meaning “to join”; a wall of protection.

Now they are sewing together fig leaves. They’re trying to come up with a plan of their own.  

“Sewed” means they began to attach themselves to a system of religious order using it as a wall of protection.  That which the serpent revealed to them, they are now following after it, but it brought on death for them.

Mark 11:13-21:  (vs 13) And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever”. And his disciples heard it.

15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;

16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.

17 And he taught, saying unto them, “Is it not written, my house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? But ye have made it a den of thieves”.

18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his doctrine.

19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.

20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

21 And Peter calling to remembrance said unto him, “Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursed is withered away”.

Remember when Jesus saw the fig tree afar off, the tree had leaves but no fruit. This is what’s wrong with the church or the religious set up today - plenty of leaves but no fruit.

 Where is the love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance of God that Galatians 5:22 speaks of, that should be manifested in the church today?

Jesus saw it afar off and He cursed it.  Why?  This was Passover season.  It was late March or early April and the fig tree usually puts forth green figs at the same time or before the leaves.  Jesus cursed the “fig tree” because the leaves were there and it should have had ripened figs on it but it didn’t.  So the fig tree made a statement of a promise of fruit that it failed to produce or didn’t deliver. Matthew 7:19: Every tree that bring not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. John 15:2: Every branch in me that bears not fruit he taketh away.

Like some Christians today: 2 Timothy 3:5: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:  from such turn away.

Jesus saw the fig tree afar off - Jesus had a flashback!  The “fig tree” symbolizes religious order.  He looked back into Genesis when the same devil (the serpent) who lied to the woman, He knew that same lying spirit is now trying to present himself to Him but He took authority over it!  The same lie he (the serpent) presented to the woman, I can imagine Jesus saying to that deceiver, “not today devil.  You deceived the woman (the church) then, but you’re not going to do the same thing to me”!  Remember in Matthew 11:14, it says, in relation to Jesus, “And he answered it”!  Jesus was speaking to the “spirit of the enemy” that the “fig tree” represented, which was “religious order”, and He cursed it, and was finished with it (religion) from that time forward!

· Colossians 2:8: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

The word “leaves” in the Greek is from the root word phullon, meaning a sprout, an off shoot, ie race or clan; kindred; tribe. It stems from another root word phuo, meaning to puff or blow as to swell up; to germinate; to spring forth; to produce. 

In Genesis 2:7, when the LORD God breathed into the nostrils of the “man” (awdawm’) the word breathe means to “puff”.  When the LORD God breathed into man’s nostrils, He puffed the discernment of life into him (male & female). When the serpent lied to the woman, he “puffed” into her face and what he told her germinated within her and produced death! 

Here in Mark 11:13-21 Jesus speaking to the “fig tree”, He is seeing a reproduction of religious order that took hold of the woman (the church) in Genesis 3, and He cursed it, and it’s still cursed, and God doesn’t want us bound with it!                                                                                      Paul warned us of it in Colossians 2:8: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

In one place Mark 11:14: And Jesus answered and said unto it: In revelation truth this “fig tree” was speaking to Jesus and He answered it and said: “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever”.  And his disciples heard it.

 But can a physical tree talk?  God is giving us a revelation.  We have to be careful what we hear, but if we don’t know truth, how do we know when error is being spoken?  If you don’t know, you will appropriate (eat) the lie of the enemy.  But when God sends forth the fullness of the kingdom/gospel to you and you don’t receive it or for people who do not want the fullness of the gospel preached to them then comes forth:

· 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11:  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.

It didn’t say the devil will do this, but God will!  God by His grace and mercy will send someone to tell His people the truth, but those that won’t accept the truth, He will send someone to them that will tell them what they want to hear, and not what they need to hear.

 I’ve discovered that many times people will fight against what they need, and what we all need is “TRUTH”, and what they don’t need to hear is the lies of the enemy, and they will “eat it up”.  Because that’s what they want, God will send them someone who will give them what they want to hear.

· Vs 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The definition of the root word of “delusion” is imposter.  

Look at what Jesus called the Pharisees and lawyers, those that fought against Him.  He called them vipers, serpents, and He was talking to people!  That seals the fact that the serpent who spoke to the woman in Genesis was a person or people, and Jesus called those “religious sects” that fought Him on every hand vipers and serpents.

· Matthew 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 

· Matthew 23:33: Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell. 

That is for anyone that fights against or opposes God!

God will do that.  Those who want to hang with the “systems of men”, He will send them what they want to hear - someone that will tell them “one of these days when Jesus comes back to clean this mess up we will go back with Him to live with Him forever”…etc.

Jesus said in John 17:4: I have done the work that you sent me to do. 

Now it’s up to His body (the church) to do the work.  That’s why the “Body” has to get connected to the “Head” Christ!  When the Body connects with Christ the Head, then we can do what God has called us to do.  We are his hands, his feet, his flesh, and his bones in the earth (Ephesians 5:30). We are Him in the earth.

Religion has the church body waiting for Jesus to come back, but He is already here!!  Truth be told, it is the “sons of God” that the world is waiting for that’s going to rule the creation. 

· Romans 8:19: For the earnest expectation of the creature (creation) waiteth for the manifestation of the “sons of God”.

(Genesis 3:7): They sewed fig leaves together.

 “Leaves” means curdled milk or cheese; join; a wall of protection.

 When milk coagulates it thickens or changes its form or changes to curd.  When milk sours, it curdles and is not fit for consumption.

 What the enemy fed her (the woman – the church) was sour; it curdled in them and caused the light of God to go out.  They lost their form of God and took on what religion had to offer them.  With what religion offers today, the only way God’s people can get to Him is to die in order to get what He has for them and go to where He is “up yonder”.

But God has made Himself available to us right here and right now.  The Prophet Isaiah said a Virgin shall give birth to a son and his name shall be called Immanuel, meaning God with us, Isaiah 7:14.  He is here and in us.  1 John 4:4: Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

What they (the Adam race of people) did was they connected with religious order.  They had to have a covering but they became stripped of the “righteous covering” the LORD God had clothed them with and they connected themselves with that which brought on misery, destruction, ignorance, and eventually death.

Who is your cover?  Jesus is my cover! 

In the beginning when God gave out the dominion, power and authority, he gave it to the male and female, and their name was “Adam” Genesis 5:1-2.  God’s Spirit was their covering which was a robe of righteousness.

That’s one of the questions “religion” asks today, “Who is your covering”?  God help us! God’s Spirit now is our covering! His “righteousness” is our covering!

· Revelation 3:18: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou may be rich; and white  (light) raiment, that thou may be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou may see.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

 He is not talking about the end of this world.  This earth isn’t going anywhere.  When we heard the fullness of the gospel, the fullness of the kingdom preached to us, our old world ended, and the new world began, our real life or new life began in Jesus Christ.

Matthew 24:15:  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand).

When death entered the body of Jesus the dwelling place of God, that’s when “the abomination of desolation” stood in the holy place”.  It had to be so that Jesus could conquer death and did and got up with all power in His hand:

· Revelation 1:18: I am he that lives, and was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

He has given unto us that same power to overcome all the works of the enemy:

· Matthew 16: [To those that see and accept “the Christ”]: vs 19: And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:  and whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:  and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

· Luke 10:19: Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy:  and nothing shall by any means hurt you!

· Acts 1:8: But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:  and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Matthew 24:16: Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.

Jesus was saying get out of religious order,  whether Judaism, Baptist, Methodist, etc, whatever wall the enemy has built to divide God’s people, and let us all become “one body” in CHRIST JESUS!    

Isaiah 2:2: And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.                      

 1 Corinthians 12:12: As the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body:  SO ALSO IS CHRIST!!!

Pastor Gracie Perry