WHO PULLS THE TRIGGER

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" Gen. 2:17.

Thou shalt SURELY die.

Did Adam die "in that day"? He surely did. That was the beginning. Death, of course, is not only physical but spiritual also. And it does not mean cessation of consciousness. But in all its representations, it is "a separation". Adam first realized a spiritual death. He and God had to separate, not just geographically, but relationally. Adam was not just "evicted" from the garden. He was prevented from being present with God. He was prevented from eating of the Tree of Life. No more walks together in the garden. Man, today, can not fathom the dread of this situation. I would guess that not even Adam realized what happened to him – at first.

Spiritual death is worse than physical death. Every unsaved person is in that situation. However, the fear in the world today is physical death. Physical death is what I concern myself with here.

"And as it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation" Heb. 9:27-28.

Physical death has been set before man as a day of reckoning, as an appointment marked on the calendar at a future unknown date, declared by God to be a certain event. But some say, "not for all men". It is said that Enoch and Elijah did not die but were "translated" as many believe the raptured saints will be. And then, of course, there is Lazarus. The Bible says of Enoch,

"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God" Heb. 11:5.

Translated that he should not see death.

Translated: metativqhmi; met-at-ith'-ay-mee; to transfer, that is, (literally) transport, (by implication) exchange, (reflexively) change sides, to transpose (two things, one of which is put in place of the other). [STRONG’S & INTERLINEAR].

And Elijah "went up by a whirlwind into heaven" II Kings 2:11. And then there is Lazarus, who, it would seem died twice. We are not told of his "second" death. These are all unique studies in themselves which I will not go into here. I make mention only to acknowledge exceptions, as it were. My focus here is physical death.

Way too many people "blame" God for death. IT IS NOT FROM GOD! God did not even threaten Adam…He warned him. It wasn’t punishment from God because Adam ate "a fruit." Adam was not smitten by a vengeful Creator. But Adam realized the fulfillment of the Word of God because he aligned himself with the one who embodies death…satan. So many people think God overreacted in the extreme because of one insignificant act by Adam. "He just took a bite of some fruit" they say. Genesis says, "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" Gen. 2:16-17.

Adam did more than just eat some fruit. Take note that Eve had not been formed yet. Take note also, that there was another Tree in the midst of the garden…the Tree of Life. Nothing is said to forbid Adam from eating of this Tree. Was Adam in fact, already eating of this Tree as any other (except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). He was prevented afterward from eating it,

"and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: (tree of life Gen 2:9, Rev 2:7 Rev 22:2, Rev 22:14) …Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden" GEN. 3:22-23.

Only after he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was he prevented from living forever in that condition of spiritual death. That describes satan. He is spiritually dead forever.

So Adam was created to live forever as long as he stayed in fellowship; close communion; reverence; loving intimacy; union with God; and WITHOUT sin. Did Adam do it for Eve’s sake? Did he realize what Eve had done and could not bear the thought of her being "separated" …from God and himself? Did he think he could protect her by joining in that one act of self will? I don’t know. But OH! What a catastrophe!

Scofield, in his notes with respect to Genesis 1:2, says,  [Jeremiah 4:23-27; Isaiah 24:1; 45:18 clearly indicate that the earth had undergone a cataclysmic change as the result of divine judgment. The face of the earth bears everywhere the marks of such a catastrophe. There are not wanting imitations which connect it with a previous testing and fall of angels. See Ezekiel 28:12-15; Isaiah 14:9-14 which certainly go beyond the kings of Tyre and Babylon.]

This cataclysmic judgment certainly had to do with the fall of satan and his angels. Adam did the same thing satan did …"I will" do this (eat) which was essentially a challenge to God… as satan tried to challenge Him. So, in effect, Adam associated himself with satan, perhaps unwittingly, but now in bondage to sin and death. Adam became what satan was…spiritually separated from God. Death is what satan introduced to the creation of God. The separation that resulted from his (satan's) rebellious will is an incomprehensible void between him and God.

Adam entered into that by choice and it is our inheritance.

BUT…physical death is also what makes us "redeemable". We die. Once dead (physically) we are no longer in bondage to the law, or sin, or death. Physical death can only occur once. God’s plan to defeat death is the resurrection, made acceptable and propitiatory in Christ’s redemptive work, which allows God to show mercy.

[The sinner establishes the law in its right use and honor by confessing his guilt, and acknowledging that by it he is justly condemned. Christ, on the sinner's behalf, establishes the law by enduring its penalty, death.] ~Scofield

We can be resurrected. This is Christ’s legacy. Being resurrected, we are no longer under the dominion of sin and death. But we have eternal Life in Christ.

I have tried to present a contrast between God, who is all about Life and Love; and satan who is all about death, and lies, and hate. But how is this appointment with death consummated? How are we brought to that crossroad with death? Is it God Who introduces us to death, or is it satan that drags us to death’s door? Is it God, there at that appointed time, Who waits to snatch our breath away? Or is it satan who can’t wait for that date to roll around, working to expedite it? I am asking questions here! I am brought back to my original, crude question… Who pulls the trigger? Well… both, God and satan (within God‘s permissive will).

But we should not attribute any vindictiveness to God. We just read above, that we acknowledge by His law that we are justly condemned.

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law" Rom. 3:31.

Anyone who cannot accept this is being "a satan". Furthermore, he will die in his sin because he rejects the penalty which Christ endured to establish and satisfy the righteousness of the law, namely His death, ascribed now to us (justification) to satisfy the requirement of that righteous law. We have died in Christ; and if so, then we are also resurrected with Him into eternal Life.

Or is death a separate entity? It would seem to be spoken of as an entity in the Book of the Revelation, where it says,

"and his name that sat on him was Death" Rev. 6:8;

and Rev 20:13-14 where death and hell are distinct "realms".

Has it been prearranged with death, as well, to "satisfy" the appointment?

"Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season." Job 5:26.

There are those who say that verse refers to Job and only Job. Others view it as general, having application to all. It does indeed apply to all, in my opinion, but "full age" may be misinterpreted. The corn is harvested in its season, meaning at harvest time the corn is cut down, not as each ear comes to full maturity.

No one has ever died prematurely, before their time. The appointment is, when the appointment is!

But the power of death…the dominion of death is with satan. Some die of old age… "natural causes". Others are tragically and suddenly killed. Those (Christians) who are blessed by God to live a long life indeed come to their grave "in a full age". In the book to the Hebrews, it says…

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" Heb. 2:14.

I will introduce Scofield’s notes here, from Revelation 20:10...

[devil: satan, Summary: This fearful being, apparently created (as) one of the cherubim (See Scofield "Ezekiel 1:5" note and Scofield "Ezekiel 28:12" note) and anointed for a position of great authority, perhaps over the primitive creation, (note 3); See Scofield "Genesis 1:2 note" and "Ezekiel 28:11-15" - fell through pride (Isaiah 14:12-14). His "I will" (Isaiah 14:13) marks the introduction of sin into the universe. Cast out of heaven (Luke 10:18) he makes earth and air the scene of his tireless activity (Ephesians 2:2; 1 Peter 5:8). After the creation of man, he entered into the serpent. See Scofield "Genesis 3:1 note", and, beguiling Eve by his subtilty, secured the downfall of Adam and through him of the race, and the entrance of sin into the world of men (Romans 5:12-14). The Adamic Covenant (See Scofield "Genesis 3:14 note") promised the ultimate destruction of Satan through the "Seed of the woman." Then began his long warfare against the work of God in behalf of humanity, which still continues. The present world-system (Revelation 13:8) organized upon the principle of force, greed, selfishness, ambition, and sinful pleasure, is his work and was the bribe which he offered to Christ (Matthew 4:8,9). Of that world-system he is prince (John 14:30; 16:11) and god (2 Corinthians 4:4). As "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2) he is at the head of vast host of demons. See Scofield "Matthew 7:22 note". To him, under God, was committed upon earth the power of death (Hebrews 2:14). Cast out of heaven as his proper sphere and "first estate," he still has access to God as the "accuser of the brethren" (Revelation 12:10) and is permitted a certain power of sifting or testing the self-confident and carnal among believers (Job 1:6-11; Luke 22:31,32; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:20) but this is strictly permissive and limited power, and believers so sifted are kept in faith through the advocacy of Christ (Luke 22:31,32). See Scofield "1 John 2:1 note". At the beginning of the great tribulation satan's privilege of access to God as accuser will be withdrawn (Revelation 12:7-12). At the return of Christ in glory Satan will be bound for one thousand years (Revelation 20:2) after which he will be "loosed for a little season" (Revelation 20:3,7,8) and will become the head of a final effort to overthrow the kingdom. Defeated in this, he will be finally cast into the lake of fire, his final doom. The notion that he reigns in hell is Miltonic, not biblical. He is prince of this present world-system, but will be tormented in the lake of fire.]

One should really take the time to look up ALL those scripture references, and his notes with careful consideration. The power of death is with satan, of course under the authority and permissiveness of God. You know…I had always preferred to not know about satan. I didn’t want to know about him… I wanted to know about Christ. But the Word of God reveals what it reveals. We must be open and receptive to it.

satan is probably the superlative of extremes. I do not know much about him and I do not want to do a study on him (at least, not now) but, he was the most beautiful and yet his sin makes him repulsive; he was probably second only to God in power and yet he is a defeated enemy to the saint in Christ; he is the prince and the god of this present world system and yet his doom has already been foretold from the beginning. He probably lost way more than Adam did especially considering Adam (and man) could be redeemed. I am of the opinion that God did not introduce death. Neither did He introduce or "create" sin. Some people say God created everything including sin and a sinful satan. I do not agree. I think it speaks to the POWER of satan that he could resist God in the manner in which he did. The evil is entirely with him and of him because of his challenge.

We know God brings people to physical death. As, for instance, Lazarus. It was for His glory in the case of Lazarus. Here is a man, who certainly could tell of his experience in death for four days. Jesus said plainly, "Lazarus is dead" John 11:14. He was dead four days. We don’t know that he said anything about his experience. To him, the four days could have been the span of a nap …and a dream. We are not told anything about his four days. But we and everyone are incontestably shown a resurrection...after FOUR days in the grave. Physical death came when God decided, for Moses. Moses is brought to the edge of the promised land and not allowed to enter. He dies there, "…in the land of Moab, according to the Word of the Lord. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab…" Deut. 34:5-6.

Death is both a consequence and a penalty.