– Adam & Eve
Before we commence the interview, it is necessary to add a disclaimer. This is purely a work of fiction and should be enjoyed as such. According to 2 Timothy 3:6, “All Scripture is God-breathed (given by divine inspiration) and is profitable for instruction, for conviction (of sin), for correction (of error and
restoration to obedience) for training in righteousness (learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately – behaving honourably with personal integrity and moral courage).
We repeat, the interview series are not intended to duplicate or complement Scripture in any form or shape. If the Lord uses them to bless anyone, we give Him the glory, for we are nothing without Him.
Our first interviewees are Adam and Eve, the first couple created by God. They made their appearance in the second chapter of Genesis. Actually, Adam was introduced to us as an idea in Genesis chapter one verses twenty-six to thirty, but creation of man was explained in verse seven of chapter two, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul”.
The man, called Adam by God, initially lived in the Garden of Eden alone until God had pity on him and
made Eve from one of his ribs as recorded in verses twenty-one to twenty-four of the same chapter two. If the story had ended there, it would have been classified under the genre of all romantic novels- the princess met her prince and the two married and lived happily ever after!
But someone poisoned the atmosphere and destroyed the romance. He goes by many names in the Bible- Satan, Lucifer, the Adversary, Devil, Old Serpent, Prince of Darkness, Beelzebub, Father of Lies, First Murderer and Moloch. Isaiah chapter fourteen and Ezekiel chapter twenty-eight give us enough information to build a profile of the wicked spirit that has tormented humanity since creation. Ezekiel chapter twenty-eight, verse four states that Lucifer was created by God for a specific purpose- he was “anointed as a guardian cherub”.
On the other hand, Isaiah chapter fourteen, verses twelve to fourteen tell us why he fell from grace. Verse thirteen says, “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the remote parts of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High”.
Now that we have given our readers the background to the story of Adam and Eve, and the entity that cornered them to rebel against God, we will proceed to conduct the interview. Suffice it to say that the venue is not of importance to us. We pray that something positive will come out of this venture that would strengthen your Christian faith or point you to the Saviour Jesus Christ.
Shepherd Heart: Good morning Adam and Eve. We are delighted that you agreed to share your experience at the Garden of Eden with us.
Adam & Eve: The pleasure is ours.
Shepherd Heart: We would love to start the interview with you, Sir. That’s not out of any disrespect for you Madam. The Scripture tells us that your husband was in the Garden for quite sometimes before you joined him.
Eve: That’s okay. I didn’t start the crusade for women empowerment because I was never side-lined by my husband.
Shepherd Heart: (Laughter). The women liberation movement won’t like that at all. It is good that we have a strong foundation to stand against the devil inspired women liberation stuff. Now, when some of us on this side of heaven are overwhelmed by serious issues, we remember Jesus’ comment in Mathew 19:8 that “in the beginning things were not so”, implying that the fall was the catalyst for evil in the world. Thus, we generally blame our woes on both of you. Sir, with the benefit of hindsight, and seeing the scale of sufferings in the world, would you have responded differently to your wife’s invitation to eat the forbidden fruit with her?
Adam: The fall would have happened even if I did not drop the baton. Remember that God gave my wife and me the charge to procreate and replenish the earth. If we were able to resist the tempter, there is no telling what our children would have done. I think we should view the Garden of Eden from the perspective of God’s original plan for mankind. Was He surprised by satan’s infiltration into the Garden? Certainly Not. He is omnipotent and omnipresent. He knows the beginning from the end, so, He obviously knew what the old serpent was up to even before He (God) created the earth. I want to believe that satan fell into a trap that was set for him.
Shepherd Heart: That would be very difficult for many people to shallow. I mean, why would a loving God allow the devil to cause so much heartache in the world just to get rid of him at the end? Why couldn’t He just send him and other fallen angels to the Lake of Fire after they were thrown out of heaven?
Adam: There is a Scripture that answers that question. Psalm 119:91 says, “Your regulations remain true to this day, for everything serves your plans”. In fact, the Amplified version states, “They continue this day according to your ordinances, for all things (all parts of the universe) are your servants”. What do you think God meant when He called King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon His servant in Jeremiah 27:6? Isaiah 10:15 says, “But can the axe boast greater power than the person who uses it? Is the saw greater
than the person who saws? Can a rod strike unless a hand moves it? Can a wooden cane walk by itself? How would you love to do battle with someone who knows what you are going to think before you conceive those thoughts? That’s the level of stupidity the devil is operating in. He is so delusional that he believes he can win a battle against his creator on any turf.
Shepherd Heart: So, in effect God knows all the moves of satan before he even makes them?
Adam: Yes. That’s what is meant by God being omnipresent and omnipotent. The Bible records the entire history of man from A to Z in Genesis to Revelation. Nothing can be added or subtracted from it. That is what Solomon meant in Ecclesiastes 1:9 that there is nothing new under the sun.
Shepherd Heart: We agree with that. There is certainly nothing new under the earth. Just some variants of the same thing. Would you kindly explain to us how the creation of Eve with a bone from your ribs affected your person?
Adam: That is certainly one of the mysteries of creation. One thing I can tell you is that no man is complete without a woman. God Himself designed it so. I was complete when I had all my ribs intact. The moment He took out one rib to create her, she became part of me. I am not fully Adam without my Eve.
Shepherd Heart: That is profound Sir. Eve, would you kindly throw more light on this for us?
Eve: Just like my husband has explained, there are things a man cannot do because those capacities were inbuilt in the rib that was taken away by God. That is why a woman is by design, different from a man, yet complementary. The people who canvass for women liberation completely miss the point. A woman is not subservient to a man; God did not design the family unit to be a war front. The same devil who created dissonance at the fall is working tirelessly to promote antagonism towards God and hatred among the people He created in His image.
Shepherd Heart: So, how should a Christian woman view submission?
Eve: As I said earlier, God did not create a woman as a slave to a man. In Genesis 2;18, God said, “It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper (one who balances him- a counterpart who is) suitable and complementary to him”. In God’s order of governance, a man was created first, hence he is the head. That does not make him a tyrant.
Submission is both ways under God’s order. Ephesians 5:21 says, “Submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ”. That is to say that you must place yourselves under each other’s authority out of respect for Christ. If both the man and woman honour God with their lives, they will submit to each other without any friction. It is a joyful thing to live in unity with your spouse. It is actually an act of worship.
Shepherd Heart: Wow! I have never viewed submission from this perspective before now.
Adam: Everything is an act of worship if done with the right attitude. Colossians 3:17 states, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”.
Shepherd Heart: Sir, before we wrap up the interview, do you have a final word for our generation?
Adam: Sure. One thing you must know is that God is infinitely good. In Exodus 33:6, He gave humanity a pen picture of Himself when he appeared to Moses and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation”.
In Jeremiah 9:23-24 He said this about Himself, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, and let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises loving-kindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth, For in these things I delight, says the LORD”. It is not difficult for an enlightened mind to love God. Those who hate Him have been blinded by the devil. They have received of the nature of the devil, which is sin. A mind that is under the control of satan cannot love God because the devil lost the nature of God after he was thrown out of heaven.
Shepherd Heart: We thank the two of you for giving us these nuggets of gold. We pray that they would minister to our readers and help them to see God in a more positive light and embrace His mercy as the earth awaits the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Adam & Eve: Thank you for having us. We enjoyed the chat.