Sabbath School Lesson for October 1-7, 2022
Overview for Lesson 2
Last week we saw how sin was brought to the universe when a war broke out in heaven, because of Lucifer’s rebellion. Then, the battlefield moved to this earth. We will see that…
- Adam and Eve had a choice in whether to obey God or not. (Sunday)
- The first couple were deceived by Satan, through the serpent. (Monday)
- Satan’s lies about death continue to this day. (Tuesday)
- There are consequences for not obeying God. (Wednesday)
- God has a plan that gives us hope for a better future. (Thursday)
Several mystifying questions still plague us about the rise of evil, with its horrific consequence of dying. Why were Adam and Eve tested in the first place? Why were they better off not knowing evil? Why is it not safe to believe in our souls going straight to heaven after death?
We have reason to believe that Lucifer, while still in heaven, became jealous of the Son of God as plans were laid for the creation of our world. We know for sure that Christ had a part in this venture. See John 1:1-3, 10, Colossians 1:16, and Hebrews 1:2.
It was Satan’s strategy therefore to entrap the newly created pair and cause more grief in heaven. Despite Adam and Eve being warned of the danger, they both decided to listen to Satan’s lies and act contrary to what God had told them.
But God was ready for the unfortunate moment when humanity made the unwise decision to listen to Satan’s deadly counsel. God was merciful enough to plant a seed of hope for our first parents, right from the start.
Memory Text: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, thus death spread to all men, because all have sinned.” Romans 5:12 NKJV
Yes, we are all sinners and deserve to die, because of Adam’s sin; but, thankfully, we also have the opportunity to live because of one Man, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:15).
Sunday: Statements in Tension
Everything God created on this planet was perfect in the beginning. He announced on the sixth day of creation that it was not only good, but VERY good (Genesis 1:31). Everything was designed to enhance the pleasure of the human race, as God embarked on a new, loving relationship with Adam and Eve.
In reality, even the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a blessing to the pair, because it represented the fact that their loyalty to God was not forced, but was given of their own free will. They were both duly warned of the dangers that eating from the tree would include. Although death was still a bit foreign to their understanding, they should have known enough to trust God about the threat it would impose.
We’re not sure why or how Eve wandered into the vicinity of the forbidden tree. But Lucifer, by now called Satan, saw his opportunity to beguile her by appearing in the form of a serpent. Seeing this beautiful flying reptile near the tree and eating from its branches must have intrigued Eve to draw closer.
Satan then proceeded to question God’s intentions and make his convincing claims. Eve was intrigued by his bold assertions. There was tension indeed between what Satan was proposing and what God had told them.
Bible Verses:
Genesis 2:16, 17 and 3:4, 5
- How could God have warned them any more plainly than this, without causing them to fear Him?
- How did these two conflicting statements confuse Eve and make her eventually want to eat the forbidden fruit?
Monday: Deceived by the Serpent
Even with her newly created, perfect analytical mind, Eve was no match for the diabolical strategies employed by Satan. His rhetorical questions and bold statements were enough to unsettle and finally dismantle any love and devotion she felt for her Creator.
Satan used these methods to persuade her to do his will:
- He reminded her that God had said they could eat from any tree in the garden–a partial truth (Genesis 3:1).
- He then boldly insisted that she would not die from eating its fruit, since the serpent had not died from eating it–a blatant lie (Genesis 3:4).
- He even asserted that God was withholding essential knowledge from them–a bold accusation (Genesis 3:5).
Using her senses of observation, Eve was intrigued by the serpent’s statements. After all, from a dietary perspective, she reasoned that the tree was good for food. It appealed to her aesthetically–“it was pleasant to the eyes”. And it made sense to eat from it because it would make her wise. See Genesis 3:6.
So thoroughly was she convinced of the serpent’s arguments, she eagerly ate of the tree and gave Adam the fruit to eat as well.
Bible Verses:
Genesis 3:1-6
- How can partial truths get us in trouble?
- In what ways are we better off not knowing evil?
Tuesday: You Will Not Die
The thought of dying has always brought chills to the person about to face it. Therefore, Satan’s promise of not dying, first delivered to Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:4), finds many people willing to believe Satan’s deceptive claim that we go on living forever.
One has only to look at the Egyptian pyramids to detect their pagan belief in the afterlife. Greek philosophy also has shaped our belief in having an immortal soul. Our society today, including most Christian denominations, have bought into the idea that our soul never dies, but immediately goes to heaven upon death.
Instead of believing God when He calls death a sleep, an unconscious state until our resurrection together at the end of this earth’s history, countless millions have clung to Satan’s lie that we will not surely die. This is unfortunate, but makes sense when we realize how Satan can use this cunning deception to enable the fallen angels to appear as spirits of the dead and come back to counsel men and women, who are led to believe their loved ones have come back from the grave to speak to them.
Bible Verses:
Genesis 3:4
- Why does Satan’s lie appeal to so many of us?
- Why was it wrong to make such a claim?
Psalm 115:17, 146:4, John 5:28, and 1 Corinthians 15:51-58
- How do these verses confirm that death is an unconscious sleep and that our resurrection happens when Jesus returns?
Wednesday: Consequences of Sin
For a short time, Adam and Eve enjoyed the bountiful pleasures of their newly created world. But following their traitorous act against God’s will, they immediately noticed changes in their situation.
No longer was God’s protection covering them; they saw that they were naked. They no longer saw God as their benefactor; they were afraid of Him. Their self-image and relationship with each other were marred; they were ashamed of themselves, and began to blame someone else for what they had done. No longer could they avoid pain and suffering; they would experience hardship in almost every area of their lives, which would eventually include their death. See Genesis 3:7-19.
The consequences of their disloyalty may seem harsh, but God mercifully revealed His plan to someday strike back at the enemy who had deceived them so cunningly. All was not lost for the unfortunate pair. The so-called Seed would rescue them. Adam and Eve must have felt some relief with this good news from God. If nothing else, they now had hope.
Bible Verses:
Genesis 3:7-13
- How had sin changed Adam and Eve?
- In what ways does sin change us?
Genesis 3:14-19 and Revelation 12:9
- Who was God really speaking to when He talked to the “serpent”? And why do you think God addressed him first?
Thursday: The First Gospel Promise
Genesis 3:15 contains the first gospel promise. God predicted that enmity, or hostility, would exist between Satan and God’s people. Christ’s grace would make it possible for them to fight Satan, and they would ultimately win, because the serpent’s head would be bruised (which meant that Satan would receive a deadly wound). Although it was too early for the Messiah to be named in this verse, early translators are convinced that the “Seed” refers to their coming Savior.
God’s first promise to them was then illustrated with killing an animal to provide them with clothing (Genesis 3:21). This heart wrenching experience showed them the sacrifice involved in their rescue. It was the first time they were to witness death, and it must have shocked them to see what an enormous price it took to cover their nakedness.
It helps us to understand this symbolic act when we read about God clothing us with garments of salvation and covering us with the robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). God surely explained this symbolic meaning to Adam and Eve back then, as they would have been repulsed and frightened if God had not prepared them for the emotionally-charged task.
Bible Verses:
Genesis 3:15
- What kind of enmity would exist between Satan and the Seed of the woman?
Genesis 3:21 and Isaiah 61:10
- Why is it necessary to have God clothe us?
- In what ways are we naked and vulnerable without this covering?
Friday: Final Thoughts
Would Eve have been willing to linger by the forbidden tree and listen to those lies about God had she known that she was actually listening to a rebellious being from heaven called Satan? It was likely that she would have been repulsed, and/or frightened, if he had appeared in person. So Satan cleverly disguised himself as a serpent, in order to entice her to sin.
The devil, and those angels expelled from heaven with him, have used similar strategies to deceive people on earth ever since. That first lie about not dying has continued in one form or another in almost every world religion. Even most Christian churches today deny that the true state of death is an unconscious sleep.
Scattered repeatedly in the books of Kings and Chronicles are verses telling us that David (and others) SLEPT with their fathers. Many translations support this concept of death as a sleep. Jesus Himself referred to the death of Lazarus this way (John 11:11).
Revelation tells us the first resurrection happens at the Second Coming; the second one after the millennium. What need would there be for these events, if we were already at our final destinations? See 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and Revelation 20:7-9.
Despite abundant, protective Biblical evidence about the state of the dead, many Christians are vulnerable to those who call themselves psychics, fortunetellers, and spiritualists, because they have been told our dead loved ones have gone immediately to their reward, and are either in heaven or in hell.
Let’s remember that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against…spiritual hosts of wickedness” (Ephesians 6:12). Leviticus 19:31 and many other verses caution us to stay away from mediums and familiar spirits. God has warned us clearly to stay away from these corruptive influences, just as He warned Adam and Eve not to go near the forbidden tree.
Next Week: Understanding Human Nature
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