Lesson Four: When Adam and Eve Defied God – The Shocking Consequences

Today we will continue with Lesson Four. If I missed anything, kindly leave me a note, or if there’s something specific you want me to go over, let me know. So, let’s get started!

Please read Jubilees 3:18-35 in full, but I’ll highlight the key points in the rest of the chapters. The goal here is to understand when God’s commandments, laws, and statutes began, why they were established, and how they became laws for the children of men to follow.

Verses 18-26 read:

“And she said to it, 'Of all the fruit of the trees of the garden God hath said unto us, Eat; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God hath said unto us, Ye shall not eat thereof, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.' And the serpent said unto the woman, 'Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that on the day ye shall eat thereof, your eyes will be opened, and ye will be as gods, and ye will know good and evil.'And the woman saw the tree that it was agreeable and pleasant to the eye, and that its fruit was good for food, and she took thereof and eat. And when she had first covered her shame with fig leaves, she gave thereof to Adam and he eat, and his eyes were opened, and he saw that he was naked. And he took fig leaves and sewed them together, and made an apron for himself, and covered his shame.And God cursed the serpent, and was wroth with it forever . . . And He was wroth with the woman, because she harkened to the voice of the serpent, and did eat; and He said unto her: 'I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy pains: in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy return shall be unto thy husband, and he will rule over thee.'And to Adam also he said, 'Because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat thereof, cursed be the ground for thy sake: thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy face, till thou returnest to the earth from whence thou wast taken; for earth thou art, and unto earth shalt thou return.'And He made for them coats of skin, and clothed them, and sent them forth from the Garden of Eden.”

Here are a few key points to highlight:

The serpent deceived the woman, convincing her to eat the fruit by suggesting that God lied and that she would become like the Most High. She believed the serpent and ate, then gave some to Adam, who also ate instead of rebuking her. God’s judgment came in order: first the serpent was cursed, then the woman, who was told she would experience painful childbirth and that her husband would rule over her. This is significant because Adam and Eve were originally equal, and this demotion marked a change in their relationship dynamic.

God then turned to Adam, saying: “Cursed be the ground for thy sake, thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy face, till thou returnest to the earth from whence thou wast taken; for earth thou art, and unto earth shalt thou return.”

If you recall Genesis 2:5-6, it reads: “Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 - but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.”

This may seem like a minor detail, but it shows that before eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, farming and tilling the ground were much easier for Adam. Afterward, work became more laborious as part of the curse.

Understanding this story helps us see how sin changed the natural order and introduced hardships for humanity, setting the stage for why God’s commandments, laws, and statutes became essential for guiding mankind.

To move on my next important point:

Once Adam and Eve's eyes were opened, they realized they were naked. To cover their shame, God made coats of animal skin for them. Jubilees 3:31 and it reads, “And to Adam alone did He give (the wherewithal) to cover his shame, of all the beasts and cattle.”

This is why only mankind covers their nakedness, not the animals. It became a law for mankind to cover their nakedness, as seen in the following examples:

• Genesis 9:20-27: The reason Ham's son was cursed was because Ham did not cover Noah’s nakedness.

• Exodus 20:23: God told Moses, "Do not ascend My altar by steps, that your nakedness may not be exposed upon it."

  
  

  The Torah clearly teaches that we should always cover our nakedness. Other references include Isaiah 47:2-3, among others. It is built into us to desire covering our nakedness, and it’s a natural inclination to avoid exposing ourselves.

The practice of burnt offerings and sacrifices started with Adam and continued through the generations, but ceased after the children of Israel were scattered across the earth. However, it will resume once the Messiah returns to reign on Earth. Isaiah 66:20-23 says:"20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. 21 And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord. 22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord."As the verse indicates, the feast of the New Moon and the Sabbaths will continue, along with the offerings and sacrifices, when the Messiah returns.

Next point is animals speaking:

Many of us are amazed when we hear of animals speaking or uttering words, but it’s important to recognize that animals were once able to speak and communicate with Adam and Eve. This is why the serpent was able to convince Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. However, after Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, the ability of animals to speak ceased. Jubilees 3:28 and it reads, “And on that day was closed the mouth of all beasts, and of cattle, and of birds, and of whatever walks, and of whatever moves, so that they could no longer speak: for they had all spoken one with another with one lip and with one tongue.”

That said, there are still instances in history where animals have uttered a few words. For example, in Numbers 22:28, we see the story of Balaam’s donkey speaking.

In the Book of Jasher, chapter 43:41-47, it is recorded that Jacob spoke to a beast, and the beast responded, saying: "41 And Jacob took the beast from the hands of his sons, and he cried out with a loud and weeping voice, holding the beast in his hand, and he spoke with a bitter heart unto the beast, 'Why didst thou devour my son Joseph, and how didst thou have no fear of the God of the earth, or of my trouble for my son Joseph? 42 And thou didst devour my son for naught, because he committed no violence, and didst thereby render me culpable on his account, therefore God will require him that is persecuted.' 43 And the Lord opened the mouth of the beast in order to comfort Jacob with its words, and it answered Jacob and spoke these words unto him, 44 'As God liveth who created us in the earth, and as thy soul liveth, my lord, I did not see thy son, neither did I tear him to pieces, but from a distant land I also came to seek my son who went from me this day, and I know not whether he be living or dead. 45 And I came this day into the field to seek my son, and your sons found me, and seized me and increased my grief, and have this day brought me before thee, and I have now spoken all my words to thee. 46 And now therefore, O son of man, I am in thy hands, and do unto me this day as it may seem good in thy sight, but by the life of God who created me, I did not see thy son, nor did I tear him to pieces, neither has the flesh of man entered my mouth all the days of my life.' 47 And when Jacob heard the words of the beast, he was greatly astonished, and sent forth the beast from his hand, and she went her way."

So, if you ever hear an animal speak, don’t be too surprised.

My last point is that death entered mankind after Adam and Eve ate from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As a result, Adam lived only nine hundred and thirty years, and from that moment on, every being that came from Adam and Eve, including every living thing on Earth, would experience death.

However, there were only two individuals who did not experience physical death: Enoch and Elijah. Enoch, as mentioned in Genesis, "walked with God," and was taken by God without seeing death. Elijah, in the book of 2 Kings, was taken alive in a chariot of fire. I believe that these two will be the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation who will come again, die, and then be resurrected.

This brings us to the Messiah, who is the Son of Adam, often referred to as the second Adam. He came to die for our sins and to take the keys of death, ensuring that we, too, can be resurrected when He returns. Even the Messiah Himself had to die and be resurrected, fulfilling His purpose for mankind.

Ecclesiates 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.