t and of beautiful symmetry. He was more than twice as tall as
men now living upon the earth, and was well proportioned. His features
were perfect and beautiful. His complexion was neither white nor sallow,
but ruddy, glowing with the rich tint of health. Eve was not quite as tall as
Adam. Her head reached a little above his shoulders. She, too, was noble,
perfect in symmetry, and very beautiful.
This sinless pair wore no artificial garments. They were clothed with
a covering of light and glory, such as the angels wear. While they lived
in obedience to God, this circle of light enshrouded them. Although
everything God had made was in the perfection of beauty, and there
seemed nothing wanting upon the earth which God had created to make
Adam and Eve happy, yet He manifested His great love to them by
planting a garden especially for them. A portion of their time was to be
occupied in the happy employment of dressing the garden, and a portion
in receiving the visits of angels, listening to their instruction, and in happy
meditation. Their labor was not wearisome but pleasant and invigorating.
This beautiful garden was to be their home.
In this garden the Lord placed trees of every variety for usefulness
and beauty. There were trees laden with luxuriant fruit, of rich fragrance,
beautiful to the eye, and pleasant to the taste, designed of God to be food
for the holy pair. There were the lovely vines which grew upright, laden
with their burden of fruit, unlike anything man has seen since the fall.
The fruit was very large and of different colors; some nearly black, some
purple, red, pink, and light green. This beautiful and luxuriant growth of
fruit upon
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the branches of the vine was called grapes. They did not trail upon
the ground, although not supported by trellises, but the weight of the
fruit bowed them down. It was the happy labor of Adam and Eve to
form beautiful bowers from the branches of the vine and train them,
forming dwellings of nature’s beautiful, living trees and foliage, laden
with fragrant fruit.
The earth was clothed with beautiful verdure, while myriads of
fragrant flowers of every variety and hue sprang up in rich profusion
around them. Everything was tastefully and gloriously arranged. In the
midst of the garden stood the tree of life, the glory of which surpassed
all other trees. Its fruit looked like apples of gold and silver, and was to
perpetuate immortality. The leaves contained healing properties.
Adam and Eve in Eden
Very happy were the holy pair in Eden. Unlimited control was given
them over every living thing. The lion and the lamb sported peacefully and
harmlessly around them, or slumbered at their feet. Birds of every variety
of color and plumage flitted among the trees and flowers and about Adam
and Eve, while their mellow-toned music echoed among the trees in sweet
accord to the praises of their Creator.
Adam and Eve were charmed with the beauties of their Eden home.
They were delighted with the little songsters around them, wearing their
bright yet graceful plumage, and warbling forth their happy, cheerful
music. The holy pair united with them and raised their voices in
harmonious songs of love, praise, and adoration to the Father and His dear
Son for the tokens of love which surrounded them. They recognized the
order and harmony of creation, which spoke of wisdom and knowledge
that were infinite. Some
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new beauty and additional glory of their Eden home they were continually
discovering, which filled their hearts with deeper love and brought from
their lips expressions of gratitude and reverence to their Creator.
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3: Consequences of Rebellion
In the midst of the garden, near the tree of life, stood the tree of
knowledge of good and evil. This tree was especially designed of God
to be the pledge of their obedience, faith, and love to Him. Of this tree the
Lord commanded our first parents not to eat, neither to touch it, lest they
die. He told them that they might freely eat of all the trees in the garden
except one, but if they ate of that tree they should surely die.
When Adam and Eve were placed in the beautiful garden they had
everything for their happiness which they could desire. But God chose,
in His all-wise arrangements, to test their loyalty before they could be
rendered eternally secure. They were to have His favor, and He was to
converse with them and they with Him. Yet He did not place evil out of
their reach. Satan was permitted to tempt them. If they endured the trial
they were to be in perpetual favor with God and the heavenly angels.
Satan stood in amazement at his new condition. His happiness was
gone. He looked upon the angels who, with him, were once so happy, but
who had been expelled from heaven with him. Before their fall not a shade
of discontent had marred their perfect bliss. Now all seemed changed.
Countenances which had reflected the image of their Maker were gloomy
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and despairing. Strife, discord, and bitter recrimination were among them.
Previous to their rebellion these things had been unknown in heaven.
Satan now beheld the terrible results of his rebellion. He shuddered, and
feared to face the future and to contemplate the end of these things.
The hour for joyful, happy songs of praise to God and His dear Son
had come. Satan had led the heavenly choir. He had raised the first note;
then all the angelic host had united with him, and glorious strains of music
had resounded through heaven in honor of God and His dear Son. But
now, instead of strains of sweetest music, discord and angry words fall
upon the ear of the great rebel leader. Where is he? Is it not all a horrible
dream? Is he shut out of heaven? Are the gates of heaven never more
to open to admit him? The hour of worship draws nigh, when bright and
holy angels bow before the Father. No more will he unite in heavenly
song. No more will he bow in reverence and holy awe before the presence
of the eternal God.
Could he be again as he was when he was pure, true, and loyal,
gladly would he yield up the claims of his authority. But he was lost!
beyond redemption, for his presumptuous rebellion! And this was not
all; he had led others to rebellion and to the same lost condition with
himself—angels, who had never thought to question the will of Heaven
or refuse obedience to the law of God till he had put it into their minds,
presenting before them that they might enjoy a greater good, a higher
and more glorious liberty. This had been the sophistry whereby he had
deceived them. A responsibility now rests upon him from which he would
fain be released.
These spirits had become turbulent with disappointed hopes. Instead
of greater good, they were
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experiencing the sad results of disobedience and disregard of law. Never
more would these unhappy beings be swayed by the mild rule of Jesus
Christ. Never more would their spirits be stirred by the deep, earnest
love, peace, and joy which His presence had ever inspired in them, to be
returned to Him in cheerful obedience and reverential honor.
Satan Seeks Reinstatement
Satan trembled as he viewed his work. He was alone in meditation
upon the past, the present, and his future plans. His mighty frame shook
as with a tempest. An angel from heaven was passing. He called him and
entreated an interview with Christ. This was granted him. He then related
to the Son of God that he repented of his rebellion and wished again
the favor of God. He was willing to take the place God had previously
assigned him, and be under His wise command. Christ wept at Satan’s
woe but told him, as the mind of God, that he could never be received
into heaven. Heaven must not be placed in jeopardy. All heaven would be
marred should he be received back, for sin and rebellion originated with
him. The seeds of rebellion were still within him. He had, in his rebellion,
no occasion for his course, and he had hopelessly ruined not only himself
but the host of angels also, who would then have been happy in heaven
had he remained steadfast. The law of God could condemn but could not
pardon.
He repented not of his rebellion because he saw the goodness of God
which he had abused. It was not possible that his love for God had so
increased since his fall that it would lead to cheerful submission and happy
obedience to His law which had been despised. The wretchedness he
realized in losing the sweet light
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of heaven, and the sense of guilt which forced itself upon him, and the
disappointment he experienced himself in not finding his expectation
realized, were the cause of his grief. To be commander out of heaven
was vastly different from being thus honored in heaven. The loss he had
sustained of all the privileges of heaven seemed too much to be borne. He
wished to regain these.
This great change of position had not increased his love for God,
nor for His wise and just law. When Satan became fully convinced that
there was no possibility of his being reinstated in the favor of God, he
manifested his malice with increased hatred and fiery vehemence.
God knew that such determined rebellion would not remain inactive.
Satan would invent means to annoy the heavenly angels and show
contempt for His authority. As he could not gain admission within the
gates of heaven, he would wait just at the entrance, to taunt the angels
and seek contention with them as they went in and out. He would seek
to destroy the happiness of Adam and Eve. He would endeavor to incite
them to rebellion, knowing that this would cause grief in heaven.
The Plot Against the Human Family
His followers were seeking him, and he aroused himself and,
assuming a look of defiance, informed them of his plans to wrest from
God the noble Adam and his companion Eve. If he could in any way
beguile them to disobedience, God would make some provision whereby
they might be pardoned, and then himself and all the fallen angels would
be in a fair way to share with them of God’s mercy. If this should fail,
they could unite with Adam and Eve, for when
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once they should transgress the law of God they would be subjects of
God’s wrath, like themselves. Their transgression would place them, also,
in a state of rebellion, and they could unite with Adam and Eve, take
possession of Eden, and hold it as their home. And if they could gain
access to the tree of life in the midst of the garden, their strength would,
they thought, be equal to that of the holy angels, and even God Himself
could not expel them.
Satan held a consultation with his evil angels. They did not all readily
unite to engage in this hazardous and terrible work. He told them that
he would not entrust any one of them to accomplish this work, for he
thought that he alone had wisdom sufficient to carry forward so important
an enterprise. He wished them to consider the matter while he should
leave them and seek retirement, to mature his plans. He sought to impress
upon them that this was their last and only hope. If they failed here,
all prospect of regaining and controlling heaven, or any part of God’s
creation, was hopeless.
Satan went alone to mature plans that would most surely secure the
fall of Adam and Eve. He had fears that his purposes might be defeated.
And again, even if he should be successful in leading Adam and Eve to
disobey the commandment of God, and thus become transgressors of His
law, and no good come to himself, his own case would not be improved;
https://goo.gl/gA6sCb
his guilt would only be increased.
He shuddered at the thought of plunging the holy, happy pair into
the misery and remorse he was himself enduring. He seemed in a state of
indecision: at one time firm and determined, then hesitating and wavering.
His angels were seeking him, their leader, to
