The Fall

As stated in my last post, God our Heavenly Father presented His marvelous plan for us. We chose His plan and therefore were entitled to be a part of it by coming to earth, being tested and gaining a body.

After the Lord had prepared all things on the earth for it to be ready to sustain human life, He created Adam and Eve. (Genesis 1:26-27)

He placed them in the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden was in a state of paradise. The fruits and flowers sprang forth spontaneously without the need to plant and till and cultivate.

It might be important here to explain that prophets have been given revelation in our day that helps us understand the doctrines of the creation and the Fall better.

One thing the Lord has revealed is that the word "Day" in Genesis doesn't mean a 24 hour period as is normally used. Each "day" mentioned in the Bible was a period of time. We haven't been told how long each of these creative periods lasted. But we do know that it wasn't just 24 hours.

The scriptures don't say just how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. But if you consider that each creative period was a significant amount of time, and that on the 7th "day" God rested from His labors.. that "day" of rest could have been a long period of time.

All this time Adam and Eve were living in the Garden in a state of paradise. They had been married by God, but could not have children. In addition to this, because they were in this state of paradise, they were unaware of the difference between good and evil and could not die because their bodies were not mortal.

The prophet Nephi in the Book of Mormon explains:

2 Nephi 2:22-24
22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

They had been given commandments and they were as follows:

1. Multiply (have children) (Genesis 1:28)
2. Cleave unto each other and none else
3. Don't eat the fruit on the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, or they will die.(become Mortal)

When we look at this we can quickly see what seems to be a problem with God's plan. If Adam and Eve couldn't have children in this state of paradise, how could they live by the first commandment God gave them to multiply and therefore provide bodies for the rest of Heavenly Fathers' spirit children?

Also, if we are to be tested to see if we will do what is right, how could Adam and Eve or any of us for that matter be tested if we didn't understand good or evil?

Clearly Adam and Eve would have to make a choice here. They would have to either not take of the fruit and never have children, thus breaking the first commandment, or take of the fruit and be able to have children but become mortal and eventually die.

Unfortunately, what happened next has I think caused a great deal of strife for women. Many have blamed all the world's problems on Eve naively thinking that if she hadn't taken the fruit then we would have all lived in a paradise. What they don't know is that we wouldn't have lived or gained bodies if she had not taken the bold step she did by taking that fruit.

Satan came and deceived and tempted Eve telling her the half truth that:
"Ye shall not surely die...For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
(Genesis 3:4-5)

It was true that their eyes would be opened and that they would know the good from the evil, but it was not true that they would not die.

By taking the fruit noble Eve had started the process by which we would be able to all gain a body and be tested. There was one problem... she needed Adam to do the same.

When she approached Adam I would assume that it was with some fear of rejection. Eve knew Adam would want to try and keep all of God's commands. When she presented the fruit Adam first refused it. However, he did partake after Eve explained that if Adam didn't take the fruit, he would be left a lone man in the Garden of Eden.

Some people think that Adam should have just stayed in the garden and God would have provided another help meet for him, but they forget that if Adam had stayed, he would have not only broke the commandment to multiply, but he would have broken that commandment that he should cleave unto Eve and none else.

Now that Adam and Eve had taken the fruit, they had become mortal. Their eyes were opened and they began to know the good from the evil. And since they had broken one of God's commandments, they were in a state of transgression.

God cannot allow the least degree of sin. If we are in a state of sin, we have become spiritually dead. Or in other words we have been cut off from the presence of the Lord.

Had God's plan failed? Not at all! In fact God's plan was working out just as He had designed. Now there would be made available bodies for the rest of His spirit children and they would be able to be tested, knowing good and evil.

God had already known the choice that Adam and Eve would make. But it's important to note that God didn't make that choice for them.. for God cannot sin.

With the fruit eaten, one more hazard remained. If Adam and Eve were to eat of the fruit of the tree of life, they would have lived forever in their sin. There could have been no redemption made for them.

So God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden and placed cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way of the tree of life.

Adam and Eve were now on their own... they were now in a new mortal world where there is opposition in all things. God would allow them to live a short time before their mortal bodies would die so that they would have time to show faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, be baptized, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost and endure faithfully to the end of their mortal lives.

If they did this, they were promised that God would send a Savior, even Jesus Christ to pay the price for the sins of all who obey Him through these principles and ordinances. This same Jesus, having lived a sinless life, would also be given the power over life and death itself and be resurrected from the dead, thus paying the price for Adam and Eve's transgression, breaking the bands of death that fall on all their children and ensuring the resurrection of EVERY man, woman, and child who ever lives on the earth.

John 5:25-29
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

So because of Adam and Eve's choice, we all were given bodies and the chance to be tested whether we would follow the Lord and keep His commandments, allowing us the possibility to experience a fullness of Joy.

2 Nephi 2:25
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.


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