From Paradise Lost To Paradise Regained (1958)
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"Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise." —Luke 23:43.
COPYRIGHT, 1958 by WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
1,000,000 Edition
In this book every quotation from the Bible is from the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, except when an abbreviation shows that the text quoted or cited is from some other Bible version, as follows:
AS - American Standard Version, by the American Committee of Revision
AT - An American Translation, by J. M. P. Smith and E. J. Goodspeed
AV - Authorized Version (1611)
Da - The ‘Holy Scriptures,’ a New Translation, by J. N. Darby
Ro - The Emphasised Bible, a New Translation, by J. B. Rotherham
RS - Revised Standard Version, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
Publishers
WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, INC.
INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
Made In the United States of America
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
1 God creates mankind's first paradise
2 God creates the first human souls
3 How the earthly paradise was lost
4 How man lived through a flood over all the earth
5 God promises his friend to bless all human families
6 When God rescued a nation for his own possession
7 How the Holy Bible began to be written
8 How God gave his nation a land to live in
9 The religion that God gave to his chosen nation
10 God’s chosen nation gets a line of kings
11 Why God's nation was broken into two kingdoms
12 The destruction of God’s holy city and its temple
13 Witnesses of God in the strange land of Babylon
14 A faithful few come back to build the temple again
15 The birth and childhood of the Son of God
16 What the Son of God taught and did on earth
17 Why God's Son died and was raised to life again
18 The beginning of the spiritual nation of God
19 What happened to Jerusalem and its second temple
20 The falling away from the true belief and work
21 Raising up witnesses for the end of the world
22 How we know we are in the “time of the end”
23 Gathering the last ones of God's spiritual nation
24 The Shepherd brings “other sheep" together
25 How this world comes to its end
26 The new world of “new heavens and a new earth"
27 The planting of a new paradise
28 The raising of all the dead in the graves
29 The last judgment of mankind
30 What you must do now to regain paradise
TO THE READER
I HERE are many old religious books in the earth. Have you ever seen the book called The Bible? Have you ever read the Bible?
Why do we ask you these questions? It is because the Bible has been put into i more different languages than any other book on the earth. Likely it has been put into the language that you speak. Many copies of the Bible have
man
been written or printed. Man has printed more copies of the Bible than of any other book that has ever written. Do you know why that is so? It is because the
Bible is God's book and it tells us the good things that God wants us to know. The Bible is the only book on earth that tells us how man’s first paradise was lost and how paradise will be brought back to this earth and how you may live in it forever in happiness.
We want you to know what the Bible tells us about God and about the good things he wants to give to us if we please him. Then when you read the Bible itself you will understand more easily what it says. Do not feel ashamed if you have never seen a Bible or have never read it. Many, many people living today have never seen it or read it. Some persons who are high in power have tried to keep people from getting the Bible and reading it. Also, the Bible has not yet been brought to everybody. We hope that you already have a Bible or that after you read this book you will get a Bible.
Many people know the religion of the place where they live. But they do not know the people whom the Bible talks about. They do not know what these people said and did. They do not know what God himself said and did. That is why this book has to be very simple
and plain when it tells you about these people of long ago and about the good things that God has done and has promised.
The simple language of this book is not because you are not a full-grown man or woman or do not have a mind old enough to understand hard things. But now you have something new to learn; you must find out about new people; you must learn new things that will be for your good, but different from anything you have heard or studied before. So you must get to know these things little by little. In that way you will understand these things from the very beginning and at last be able to understand the Bible itself when you read it. In this book the words we copy right from the Bible are from the “New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures" unless we name another translation. Some Bible translations use words of long ago, like “thou” for “you," and “thy" for “your,” and “thine” for “yours," and “thee” for “you,” and “ye” for “you," and “saith” for “says."
Besides using simple language this book has many pictures. There are so many good things to tell that there is not room enough in this book to write about them all. So we want these pictures to help in telling you some of these things. It has been said that one picture tells more than a thousand words tell. These pictures will show you many more things than are written down. But pictures cannot tell everything. Writing can tell us many things that pictures cannot tell us. That is why we must first write the story and then put pictures alongside the writing to help fill out the story.
At the bottom of each page there is a question or two. You can ask yourself these questions to find out whether you remember what you read on that page. In that way you can not only read this book but also make a study of it and teach others.
This book is not put out to fight against other religions. This book is brought to you to tell you truthfully just what the Bible teaches and what it told long ago about the things that have happened in our days or will happen in years to come. When we see how the Bible told about these things long before they took place, then we know that the Bible is true and that it is God's book and that it offers us
yJ) something better. Then we can choose whether to accept the^a^^mpa/
We are glad and thankful that we can print ty^d^sass out tfns ^ook to you. We pray that by-aG^Mg^^ I it you ©e made cause you come to know God's wonderful works and promises "from paradise lost to paradise regained." We hope that your read- /pg ing this book will open up the way for you to be in that ‘‘paradise regained.”
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CHAPTER ONE
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HAT does paradise mean to you? For the first man it meant a beautiful garden or park, a place of peace and pleasure. It was called the garden of Eden. This is what you should picture in your mind when we speak of paradise, for the name "paradise” means "garden” or "park."
2 But you may ask, How did it come to be? Who made it? Why did he make it? For truthful answers to these questions there is only one place to go and that is the Bible. It is the written Word of God and is therefore a book of truth. God is the almighty, unseen Being who made all things. He is spirit, which means he is neither earthly nor human. The Bible mentions his name Jehovah over 6,800 times. He himself said: “I am Jehovah, that is my name." (Isaiah 42:8, AS) It also tells us that the first paradise was made by Jehovah God for man.
3 Long before the paradise of Eden was made, even before the earth came to be, Jehovah decided to make man and give him a beautiful home. So he began to create; that is, to make things that had never been before. The very first words in the Bible tell of this by saying: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) Since he has greater power and wisdom than all mankind put together, it was easy for Him to make the heavens and the earth. At any time when you look up at the sky on a dark night and see the bright, shining stars, remember that these were all made by Jehovah, the All-wise and Allpowerful God. Remember, too, that when he made them a long, long time ago he also made our earth.
4 Early, when the earth was being formed, it was a hot ball of gas, and no doubt looked much like the sun does today. Its glory, however,
1. What is a paradise? 2. (a) Where must we go for truthful answers? (b) Who made the first paradise?
3. What should we learn from the first words in the Bible? 4. Describe what the earth was like in the beginning.
did not shine far, as there was something that shut it in like a big blanket. It is thought that this blanket of darkness was due to a great thick dust cloud, which kept in the earth's glory to itself and shut out light from the sun and from other stars.
5 After a very long time the earth began to cool. And as it slowly cooled it changed from a ball of fiery gases to a ball of hot boiling liquid. Very slowly a crust formed over this liquid, which hardened as time passed. We could compare the crust to the hard scab that forms over a cut in your flesh. As the earth continued to cool, its crust became thicker and thicker. Today this crust forms the ground upon which we walk.
6 After the earth had cooled for a great length of time, thousands and thousands of years, its crust slowly became covered with water, until there was nothing but one great ocean all over it. This meant that the earth was no longer hot, and it therefore did not shine as it once did. It was very dark. Even light from the sun could not fall upon it because of the dust cloud of darkness in between. That is why the Bible says: “Now the earth proved to be formless and waste and there was darkness upon the surface of the surging waters.’’—Genesis 1 :2.
7 The time had now come to start getting the earth ready for the animals and humans that would later live on it. So a period began that the Bible calls the “first day.” This was not a day of twenty-four hours, but was instead 7,000 years long.
8 During this first creative day the cloud of darkness was taken away from between the earth and the sun. At this time the earth received the bright light of the sun. Thus light came to shine on the vapor-enclosed earth, as God commanded: “And God proceeded to say: ‘Let light come to be.’ Then there came to be light.”—Genesis 1 :3.
5. How did the ground come to be? 6. As time passed, what covered the earth’s surface? 7. What was the “first day," and how long was it? 8. What took place on the first creative day?
’The sunlight did not as yet fall upon the waters covering the earth's crust. It was kept out by thick clouds of water vapor that had formed around the earth during the time it was cooling. So all was dark here, as it is on the sea on a cloudy, moonless night. The sunlight fell upon just the upper or outer surface of the watery clouds. Jehovah God spoke of this water envelope when he asked: “Where did you happen to be when I founded the earth? . . . When I put the cloud as its garment and thick gloom as its swaddling band?”—Job 38:4,8,9.
10 As the cloud-covered earth turned around and around in the sun’s light, day and night came to be. If you take a round stone and hold it in a beam of light, you will see how this was so. One side has light, but the other is in darkness. Now turn the stone with your fingers from left to right so that its surface keeps passing through the light. It is in this manner that the earth turns or rotates through the light of the sun. This is what God caused on the first creative day when sunlight fell upon the clouded earth for the first time. “After that God saw that the light was good, and God brought about a division between the light and the darkness. And God began calling the light Day, but the darkness he called Night." -—Genesis 1 :4, 5.
” The clouds of water vapor rested upon the surface of the ocean like a very heavy wet fog. But during the second creative day of 7,000 years Jehovah God caused a division between the ocean and the clouds. This formed a great air space between the two. The clouds were then far above the earth's surface. They formed a covering over the ocean, like a great roof or canopy. Thus there was water on the earth as liquid, and water above the earth as vapor. “Then God proceeded to make the expanse and to make a division between the waters that should be beneath the expanse and the waters that should be above the expanse. And it came to be so.” (Genesis 1 :7) But, in between, the earth’s atmosphere was still not too clear, and it helped to keep out sunlight so that none reached the ocean below. All was darkness there.
12 Now in order for the earth to become a paradise home for man there had to be dry land. So on the third creative day God caused land to appear. The crust of the earth began to wrinkle like a prune, thus causing land areas to rise from the bottom of the ocean and to break
9. Why did no sunlight reach the ocean? 10. How did day and night come to be? 11. What did God do on the second day? 12. How did dry land appear?
through the surface of the water. The water then flowed off these land areas into the undersea valleys that had formed. "And God went on to say: ‘Let the waters under the heavens be collected into one place and let the dry land appear.’ And it came to be so. And God began calling the dry land Earth, but the collection of the waters he called Seas." —Genesis 1 : 9, 10.
13 Since there was now dry land under the waters high above the earth, the time had come for plant life or vegetation to be made. "And God went on to say: ‘Let the earth cause grass to shoot forth, vegetation bearing seed, fruit trees yielding fruit according to their kinds, the seed of which is in it, upon the earth.’ And it came to be so. And the earth began to put forth grass, vegetation bearing seed according to its kind and trees yielding fruit, the seed of which is in it according to its kind. Then God saw that it was good."—Genesis 1 :11, 12.
14 Jehovah put into each plant the means by which it could bring forth many copies of itself through the seeds it grew. The copies, in turn, could bring forth more copies, and thus the plant would reproduce its kind. By means of this power to reproduce itself, plant life spread over all the land areas, just as God had purposed.
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15 Plant life was very important for the animals that were yet , rm to come. It would supply food and shelter for themc as well as keep the air pure. And since food would also be needed for sea creatures, God created plants that would grow in the seas. Thus vegetation was wisely provided beforehand and in great amount, because no creature can live without it.
16 Because the right temperature is very important for the growth of plant life, God placed the earth at just the right distance from the sun. If it were farther away, conditions would be too
13. What did God now create? 14. What did God make possible for each plant to do? 15. Why was vegetation important? 16. Why is the earth's distance from the sun important?
cold; if it were closer, conditions would be too hot. So as the earth made its yearly trip around the sun, it was neither too far nor too close, but just the right distance away for it to become a beautiful garden or paradise.
17 It was during the fourth day that the earth’s atmosphere thinned enough for the sun, moon and brighter stars to be seen dimly, hazily, on the dry land. “And God went on to say: ‘Let luminaries come to be in the expanse of the heavens to make a division between the day and the night, and they must serve as signs and for seasons and for days and years. And they must serve as luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to shine upon the earth.’ And it came to be so. And God proceeded to make the two great luminaries, the greater luminary for dominating the day and the lesser luminary for dominating the night, and also the stars.” (Genesis 1 :14-16) This does not mean that the sun, moon and stars were created at this time. Instead, they were merely made to appear in the air space or heavens above the earth’s surface by dimly shining through the water canopy. Later, when man would be living, they would be the means by which he would measure his days, months, years and seasons.
18 Because of the water canopy around the earth, the sun's heat did not leave the earth after dark, and so the nights were not cold. In fact, no place on earth was cold in those days. Even the northern top of the earth was warm, with tropical plants and trees growing on the land areas around it. This is proved by the remains of tropical plants that are now found in the ground of these northern sections of the earth.
19 Since the sun’s rays were not able to fall directly upon the earth’s surface, they were unable to form rain clouds. This means that no rain fell on the earth at that time. So God caused the plant life to be watered by means of a water vapor that rose from the ground. “But a vapor went up continually from the earth and it watered the entire surface of the ground." (Genesis 2:6) But there was yet no paradise.
20 When the fourth creative day ended, 28,000 years had passed since God said: "Let light come to be,” and since God had begun preparing the earth for living creatures. The land areas were now thickly covered with all kinds of plants and trees, and the oceans had many very small plants floating in their waters, as well as larger ones growing on their
17. What did God do on the fourth creative day? 18. Were some parts of the earth cold in those days? 19. How was the ground watered? 20. Describe the earth as it was at the end of the fourth creative day.
bottoms. With this great supply of food the earth was now ready to receive the first kinds of its animal life, the first earthly souls. Souls? Yes, God’s Word, the Bible, calls all animals “souls.”
21 These souls appeared during the fifth creative day, when God made the water animals and the birds. “And God went on to say: ‘Let the waters swarm forth a swarm of living souls and let flying creatures fly over the earth in the bosom of the expanse of the heavens.’ And God proceeded to create the great sea monsters and every living soul that glides, which the waters swarmed forth according to their kinds, and every winged flying creature according to its kind." (Genesis 1 : 20, 21) So there were fleshly souls on earth long before man.
22 Like the plants, each living animal soul was given the power to reproduce its kind. Thus, as time passed, there came to be so many sea creatures that they were numberless, like the sands of the seashore. The birds also became many and filled the forests with their । cries and songs. Like a brand-new home that is at
' first empty and silent but then is filled with life
M and movement, so the earth was now filled with activity as sea creatures swam through its waters “ and birds flew among its trees.
23 It was not until the beginning of the sixth creative day that land animals were made. “And God proceeded to make the wild beast of the earth according
y 1/ to its kind and the domestic animal according to its kind / F and every creeping animal of the ground according to its
kind.” (Genesis 1 :25) These too were given the power to bring forth others like themselves and thus reproduce.
24 Each of these living souls would bring forth its own kind. Cows would never bring forth horses; dogs would never bring forth cats; and lions would never bring forth monkeys. God set down a law that made it impossible for animals of different kinds to mix.
21,22. What did God do on the fifth day? 23. When were land animals made? 24. Why does any animal always bring forth one like itself?
However, he did allow for differences or variety within each kind. The dog kind, for example, would bring forth not only small dogs and big dogs, but also dogs with long hair, short hair, long ears, short ears, long tails, short tails, spots and no spots, and so on. it would also bring forth wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals and hyenas. These are all of the dog family or kind. This same variety was also made possible in the other animal kinds that God made.
25 These many different souls are wonderful proof of the great wisdom of Jehovah God their Maker. A man who saw this fact was King David, and this is what he said: "How many your works are, O Jehovah! AH of them in wisdom you have made. The earth is full of your productions." —Psalm 104:24.
26 Now that the land areas and the waters were filled with all kinds of animal creatures, the time had come to prepare a place for man. So God chose a section of the earth called Eden and there planted a beautiful garden in the eastern part of it. It was actually a park that covered many, many square miles.
27 Jehovah knew what foods would please man’s taste and what would be good for him. So he planted in the garden many kinds of fruit trees for man to eat from. Since there was more than enough for man, he would never become hungry.
28 That this might be a garden of pleasure God caused many kinds of flowers to grow there, as well as many fine and beautiful trees. The many-colored flowers would be pleasing to man's eyes as well as to his nose. They would fill the air of the garden with a wonderful smell. Thus man would find pleasure not only in what he saw but in the very air he breathed. Regarding the many trees in the garden the Bible says:
25. Since there are so many different living souls, of what is this a proof? 26. What did God now prepare for man? 27. Why would man never be hungry while in the garden of Eden? 28, 29. Why would the garden of Eden bring pleasure to man?
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to one's sight and good for food.” —Genesis 2 :9.
29 The many colorful birds flying among the trees would also be something that would bring joy to man. Their pretty songs would be pleasant to his ears, and their bright colors and different shapes would be pleasant to his eyes.
30 Since the animals in all the earth lived on its vegetation, there was peace in the newly created garden. That was why God said: “To every wild beast
30. What kind of food did the animals ea!? of the earth and to every flying creature of the heavens and to everything creeping upon the earth in which there is life as a soul I have given all green vegetation for food." (Genesis 1 :30) This included such animals as lions and leopards, which now eat meat. So not only would these peaceful animals, with their different shapes and beautiful markings, make life in the garden of Eden interesting for man, but their friendship would be a source of happiness for him.
31 In every way God made the garden where man would live a place of peace, happiness and pleasure. It was for this reason that it was called the garden of Eden, as the name means "garden of pleasure.” This beautiful spot was the paradise God created for man. Since He was its Creator, it was also called "the garden of Jehovah." (Genesis 13:10; Isaiah 51 :3, AS) It was a small picture of what the whole earth will be like in God's fixed time, for perfect human creatures to live in for ever and ever in perfect health, joy and contentment, worshiping and serving their Creator and Ruler, Jehovah God.
31. Why was man's first paradise called the garden of Eden?
CHAPTER TWO
\VAV hlEN G°d finished making the garden of Eden, the time came for his last and greatest earthly creation. It was time to put in this beautiful park the one for whom it had been made.
2 It was near the end of the sixth creative day. This means that nearly 42,000 years had passed from when God said: “Let light come to be." Five creative days of 7,000 years each had gone by and now the sixth day was almost finished. The ending of this sixth day, or period, would mean that God would stop making things for the earth. Therefore the Bible says: "And by the seventh day God came to the completion of his work that he had made, and he proceeded to rest on the seventh day from all his work that he had made."—Genesis 2:2.
3 Resting does not mean Jehovah God was tired. He never becomes tired or weary. "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary." (Isaiah 40.- 28, RS) So His resting means that He stopped creating things for the earth. That is why He has made no new natural thing here since the ending of the sixth creative day, nearly six thousand years ago; and He will continue to rest from creative works until the one thousand years that are left of his seventh day are finished.
4 But as the end of the sixth day came near, it was time for Jehovah God to make man and let him enjoy all the wonderful things that had been made on the earth. “And God went on to say: ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and the domestic animals and all the earth and every creeping animal that is creeping upon the earth.’ "—Genesis 1 : 26.
1. When did God begin making his greatest earthly creation? 2. How many years had passed since God began getting the earth ready for man? 3. Explain what the Bible means when it says God rested. 4. What did God say near the end of the sixth creative day?
5 When God said “Let us make man" he was speaking to someone in heaven. To whom? To a mighty spirit creature he had made long before he began creating the earth. Through this spirit creature God had created all things. John 1: 2, 3 says: "This one was originally with God. All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence.” Also Colossians 1:16 says: "By means of him all other things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible." So it was to this spirit creature, who was later to become Jesus Christ, that God said: "Let us make man in our image."
6 Being made in God's image meant that man would be God’s earthly son. He would have some of the qualities that God has, just as the spirit creatures, Jehovah's heavenly sons, do. Man would have love, power, wisdom and a feeling of justice. So man’s body would not have to be in God's form for him to be made in the image of God. But, rather, he would be made with these godly qualities, which animals do not have.
7 We must not make the mistake of thinking that the friendship an animal may show a person is love. The Bible tells us what true love is, and from what it says we can see that animals are not able to show it. "Love is long-suffering and obliging. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth." (1 Corinthians 13:4-6) Animals are not able to do these things; so they do not have the godly quality of love. Neither do they have wisdom and a sense of justice. They have strength but not the power man has, for he is able to kill them. So man was made in God's image by being given some of the qualities God has, qualities that were not given to animals.
8 Now, with man's mind and its power to reason, he would be able to gain knowledge and to worship God. He would thus be much better than the animals and would be able to do things they cannot do. As God’s earthly son, he would look to God as his Father. And as a son must obey his father, so man would find it best to obey God. By this obedience he would show love for his heavenly Father.
5. To whom was God speaking, and how did God use him? 6. How was man made in God's image? 7. Do animals have the qualities man has? 8. How would man show love for God?
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9 But how was this earthly son made? HWHewas made from the dust of the earth, from the ground of his paradise home. God took many things from the dust, put them together and
might walk upright and run and jump. He gave it nv two arms/ that man might Ijff and c<£rj^'£rt things.-He gave it 4wp hands-'Y/fth f'n9ers and a thumb on each hand, so that J man might hold on to things, pick up ;>■
9. From what was man made? man's body bring honor to God?
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a brain that could reason and store away a great amount of information. He gave it a mouth, that man might speak about the things he learned. And he gave it the power by which it could heal itself when injured. So the body God made was a wonderful thing that brought its is
things. He gave it eyes, ears, a nose, a sense of taste and a sense of feeling, that man might learn things and have pleasure in the things God had created. He gave it why a man once said: ‘‘I shall laud you because in a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful.”—Psalm 139:14.
11 It was into this body that God put the same power of life he had given the animals, a life that is kept up by breathing. Thus, when we speak of man and the animals, it is right to say, as Ecclesiastes 3:19 does: “They all have but one spirit [or, breath].” Therefore, there is no difference between man and beast when it comes to the breath of life.
12 By putting this breath of life into the body he had made, God caused it to become a living soul. “Then Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul." (Genesis 2:7) Thus, when the body that God had made from the lifeless dust began to breathe and blood began moving through it, it was a living soul. It could think, feel, hear, see and speak. It was now able to sit up and look about in the paradise God had made. It was able to see the green grass, the many beautiful trees and the colorful birds. It was able to smell the freshness of the air and the perfume of the flowers. What was once a lifeless body was now alive. It was a living soul because it was a living creature that breathed.
13 This earthly son of God was called Adam, and he became a living soul nearly six thousand years ago. (Luke 3:38) That seems like a very long time, but when we think how the earth has been here much longer than this, then it does not seem so long.
14 But what would this perfect man find to do in the beautiful park God had made for him? If he were to lie around and do nothing every day he would become tired of living, because life would become dull and uninteresting. Well, it was not God’s will that his earthly son should do nothing. He wanted him to work, because it would be for man’s own good. He knew that man would find happiness in work. Then, too, God does not like laziness. Since he works and all his spirit sons work, it would be only right that man should work also.
15 The work that was given to Adam was that of caring for his beautiful home. It was a God-given duty. So he must wisely and lovingly
11. In what way is there no difference between man and beast? 12. What is a soul? 13. What was the name of the first man? 14. Did God want man to do nothing? 15, 16. What was the work God gave Adam to do?
care for what God had given him. "And Jehovah God proceeded to take the man and settle him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to take care of it."—Genesis 2:15.
16 Adam also had the duty of ruling over all other creatures on earth. The birds, the animals and the fish were put under his authority, that is, under his power. This did not mean that he could be cruel to them, and neither did it mean that he could bring pain to them or cause them to suffer just to pass away his time. He was not to seek pleasure in the tormenting of these creatures. Instead, he was to show them kindness and rule them in love. He was not to be without mercy, like a wild beast of today. He was to show love for the animals and thus prove that he was made in God's image.
17 None of the animals were afraid of Adam as he walked about his paradise home. There was no reason why they should fear him, since he did not hunt them to kill them. The plant life was what God gave him to eat. "God went on to say: ‘Here I have given to you all vegetation bearing seed which is on the surface of the whole earth and every tree on which there is the fruit of a tree bearing seed. To you let it serve as food.’ ”—Genesis 1: 29.
18 Since Adam did not hunt the animals and the animals did not hunt one another, there was peace in the garden of Eden. This meant that Adam could walk among the animals with no fear of being injured by them. He could sit beside a lion and move his hand over its fur. Or he could walk up to a leopard and scratch its ear. Or he could pat the neck of an antelope. The many wild animals and birds of the earth were his friends.
” As Adam moved about the park, God caused the animals and birds to come to him so that he might name them. "Now Jehovah God was forming from the ground every wild beast of the field and every flying creature of the heavens, and he began bringing them to the man to see what he would call each one; and whatever the man would call it, each living soul, that was its name. So the man was calling the names of all the domestic animals and of the flying creatures of the heavens and of every wild beast of the field."—Genesis 2:19, 20.
17. Why were the animals not afraid of Adam? 18. What did the animals let him do? 19. Did God name the animals?
20 Although the animals were his friends, Adam was alone. There was no other creature of his own kind that could talk to him and show him love. He was the only human in all the earth. Since God knew that it was not good for Adam to be alone, he saw good to make a mate for him. “And Jehovah God went on to say: 'It is not good for the man to continue by himself. I am going to make a helper for him, as a comple-m e n t of hi m.' Hence Jehovah God had a deep sleep fall upon the man and, while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and then closed up the
flesh over its place. And Jehovah God proceeded to build the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman and to bring her to the man."—Genesis 2 :18, 21,22.
21 Thus, while Adam was in a deep sleep God took one of his ribs and made a woman's human body from it. He then put the breath of life into it and caused it to become a living soul. Here was a mate for Adam of his own kind, someone that could talk with him and love him and that he, in turn, could love.
22 Adam called this new living soul “woman" because she had been made from a part of man. “Then the man said: ‘This is at last bone
20. How could it be said that man was alone when he had the friendly animals about him? 21,22. How did God make another human soul, and what did Adam call her?
of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one will be called Woman, because from man this one was taken.’ " (Genesis 2:23) In Hebrew the word for “woman” means “female man.”
23 God made the bodies of these two human souls so that they could bring forth children. In this way they could become many and in time fill the earth with human souls. This is a wonderful thing, and it shows the power and wisdom of God and brings honor to his name. Nothing man is able to make can bring forth copies of itself and become many as can the living souls God has made.
24 The first marriage took place when God brought the woman to Adam and joined them as man and wife. This shows that marriage is something that was begun by Jehovah God. For that reason no one should think little of it. Notice, too, that God gave Adam only one wife. If he wanted man to have more than that, he would have given Adam many wives. But since this was not the case, no man should think it is all right to have more than one living wife.
25 It was God’s will that the man should love his wife and that the wife should have love for her husband. He must be kind to her and gentle with her, and she, in turn, must look to her husband as her head or leader. That is why the Bible says: “Let wives be in subjection to their husbands as to the Lord.” “In this way husbands ought to be loving their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself, for no man ever hated his own flesh, but he feeds and cherishes it.” —Ephesians 5 :22, 28, 29.
26 Now to this first husband and wife God gave the command to become many. “Further, God blessed them and God said to them: ‘Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it.' ” (Genesis 1 :28) This was God's purpose for man. He wanted the earth filled with perfect humans like this first man and woman. It was his will that they should all be righteous and that they should worship him as their God, obey him as their Father and serve him as their Ruler.
27 It was also his purpose that as humans grew in numbers they would make the beautiful park of Eden bigger and bigger, until the whole earth would in time become one great park, a wonderful paradise. And when
23. What did God give them the power to do? 24. What can we learn from the first marriage? 25. How did God want man to treat his wife, and what must the wife do? 26, 27. What purpose did God have for man? it would come to hove enough people on it. He wanted them all to live together in peace, showing love for one another. This was God's purpose for man and for the earth in the beginning. And this purpose will be fulfilled. ‘‘So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”—Isaiah 55 :11, RS.
28 In time Adam called his wife by the name Eve, which means ‘‘living one,” because she was to become the mother of everyone living. This means that every human soul that would ever live would come through her. God gave man and woman the breath of life and the power to pass it on to others by means of childbearing. And these would pass it on to still others, and so it would continue as long as God wanted it to.
29 Since the breath of life would be passed on in this manner, it cannot be said that Adam and Eve’s children would be sons of God directly. By birth they would be sons of Adam, and so we are today. Our life has been passed down to us from Adam.
30 Unlike what He had done with the animals, God set no limit on Adam’s life. He and his wife could continue living in their paradise home forever, and their bodies would never wear out or become old.
31 Since they were perfect, they would never become sick, and neither would they suffer pain. For that reason Eve would never have childbirth pains when she gave birth to children. But besides having freedom from these things, they would also have freedom from want, because God had caused more than enough food to grow for them in the paradise of Eden. He would see to it that this food supply would never wither and die. Man would also enjoy freedom from fear, as nothing would ever endanger his life, his home or his family.
32 This life of freedom and happiness was what Jehovah God wanted human souls to have. He wanted them to have an endless life in an earthly paradise. Thus, as God's earthly children, Adam and Eve had a wonderful time before them. All that God asked of them was their love, their worship and their obedience.
28. What name did Adam give his wife, and why did he do so? 29. Would Adam’s children be sons of God? 30. When Adam and Eve were made, did God set the number of years they would live? 31. What were some of the freedoms this first pair had? 32. What kind of life did God want man to have, and what did he ask of Adam and Eve?
CHAPTER THREE
EHOVAH gave Adam the freedom to go in a good way or in a bad way. But how was Adam to know what was good and what was bad? Well, this was not left up to him. God is the judge of what is good and what is bad. What is right in God's eyes is good; what is wrong in his eyes is bad. Therefore, Jehovah would tell Adam what is good and what is bad.
2 If Adam chose the good way he would live forever in the paradise God had made for him. But if he chose the bad way he would lose his paradise home, for he would lose his life. Adam knew to what end each way would lead him, and he was free to choose either way. God did not force him to go one way or the other. This freedom of choice is shown in the Bible when it says: "Now if it is bad in your eyes to serve Jehovah, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve.”—Joshua 24:15.
3 If Adam chose the bad way he would not be serving Jehovah, because God cannot be served by acts of disobedience. This would not be showing love for him, and God loves only those who love him. Now if Adam proved to be disobedient, how could God permit him to live forever in the paradise of Eden? That beautiful park was made only for human souls that would choose the good way of obedience.
4 Adam must be given the chance to make a choice. By his own actions he must prove his love for God. He must pass a test of obedience. "And Jehovah God also laid this command upon the man: ‘From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.'”—Genesis 2:16,17.
1. How was Adam to know what is good and what is bad? 2. Was Adam free to choose either the good way or the bad way? 3. In what way would Adam not be showing love for God? 4. What did Adam have to prove?
5 By this command God made it clear to Adam that a certain way was bad and to follow that way would mean death for him. This means he would stop being a living soul and would become a dead soul. He would become as when he had not been.
6 He would no longer be able to think, to smell, to see, to hear, to talk or to move about. He would know nothing, just as the dust knows nothing. “For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all." (Ecclesiastes 9:5) “His spirit [or, breath] goes out, he goes back to his ground, in that day his thoughts do perish." (Psalm 146:4) So if Adam chose to go in the bad way by eating from the one tree that God said not to eat from, he would die. The breath of life would leave him, even as it left the animals when they died, and like them he would no longer live.
7God did not make it possible for the animals to have life without end as he did for man. For that reason Adam could see some of them die, and therefore he knew what death was from what he saw. Of course, it was not hard for him to understand what a terrible punishment death is anyway, since he was a perfect man with a perfect mind.
8 This test of Adam's obedience was not hard. Not to eat from a certain tree in the paradise of Eden did not mean he would go hungry, because there were many other trees from which to eat lawfully. For this reason it was an easy thing for him to obey God's command. God was therefore not being unjust, and neither was he asking too much of Adam. It was a simple test of whether Adam would be true and faithful to Jehovah God.
5, 6. What would it mean if Adam chose the bad way? 7. Was Adam able to know what death is? 8. Could it be said that Adam was given a hard test?
9 The good way of obedience was something for Adam to aim at. For him to miss it by an act of disobedience would be sin. Sin is therefore a breaking of God's law. It is the missing of the mark of unbroken faithfulness to God. This means that the test before Adam was whether he would obey God or disobey him.
10 There was nothing in the tree or in the fruit itself that would bring death to Adam, and he would not be hurt if he touched either it or its fruit. What would bring death to him would be the act of disobedience by doing something God had told him not to do. Since it was Adam’s duty later to tell his wife the things God had said to him, she would learn about this tree. She would know that it would be wrong to eat its fruit.
11 Well, one day Eve was alone in the garden. Her husband was in another part of it. This was when a strange thing happened. One of the animals in the garden spoke to her. "Now the serpent proved to be the most cautious of all the wild beasts of the field that Jehovah God had made. So it began to say to the woman-. ‘Is it really so that God said you must not eat from every tree of the garden?’ "—Genesis 3:1.
12 Where did the serpent get the power to speak? God had not given it this power when he made it. This can only mean that someone was speaking through the serpent and making it seem to be the one that
9. What is sin? 10. Would the fruit itself bring death to Adam? 11. What happened one day when Eye was alone? 12. Why was the serpent able to speak?
was talking. Who else could it be but one of the unseen persons or angels that God had made long before he began making the earth?
13 One of these angels had become filled with pride because of his beauty and power. (1 Timothy 3:6) He began thinking that he should be a ruler like God and be equal to God. But to become a ruler he needed someone to rule over. So he planned to cause disobedience among God's sons. In this manner he believed he could gather many persons around himself and cause them to serve him instead of God.
14 He began carrying out his wicked plan by going to the newest and weakest of God’s children, to fool her into breaking God's law. If he could get her to disobey God, it would give him a starting point toward causing others to do the same. So, when he saw Eve there by herself, he spoke to her through the serpent. He made the forbidden tree interesting to Eve by asking her about God’s command not to eat from it. In answer to the serpent's question, she said: “Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat. But as for eating of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat from it, no, you must not touch it for fear you may die.' ”—Genesis 3 : 2,3.
15 It is possible that she had given no thought, up until then, of eating from this tree. But the now-wicked angel wanted her to think about it. He wanted to put a wrong desire in her heart, a desire to eat that fruit. And so he raised this question about God's command to get her to thinking about the tree.
16 Once he had her mind on the forbidden fruit, his next step was to get her to want it. He did this by false words: “At this the serpent said to the woman: ‘You positively will not die. For God knows that in the very day of your eating from it your eyes are bound to be opened and you are bound to be like God, knowing good and bad.”'—Genesis 3 :4,5.
17 This was the first lie. It was the opposite of what God had said, and that is what made it a lie, because Jehovah always speaks the truth. He cannot lie. That is why it is written about him: “Your word is truth." (John 17:17) So, when the serpent spoke against God's Word, it lied.
13. What did one of the angels think of doing? 14, 15. How did the wicked angel try to cause disobedience? 16, 17. What was the first lie, and what was the wicked angel called because of it?
It was slandering God because it was hurting God's good name or reputation. Because of this the wicked angel, who was speaking through the serpent, was called the Devil, which means “slanderer.” He was also called Serpent, because he fooled Eve. And because he set himself against God he was called Satan.
18 This wicked one made himself seem to be an angel of light; that is, an angel of truth. He wanted Eve to think that he was telling the truth and that God was not. Ever since then he has tried to make himself appear to be what he is not. That is why the Bible says: "And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light.” —2 Corinthians 11 :14.
19 By this lie Satan gave Eve a wrong thought. He led her to think that by eating the forbidden fruit she would become like God and be able to judge for herself what is good and what is bad. She would no longer have to go by what God said was good or bad. The more she thought about this power, the more she wanted it. This was a mistake. She should not have kept this thought in her head, but should have put it out of her mind. It could only lead her to missing the mark of faithfulness to God, which would be sin. And that, in turn, would mean death for her. "But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn, sin, when it has been accomplished, brings forth death.” —James 1 :14, 15.
20 So it was with Eve. She was enticed. That means she was pulled to the forbidden fruit by her desire to be like God. She did not put the desire away from her, but she thought upon it and let it grow. Now in her eyes the fruit looked very nice and good to eat. The desire or want for it was stronger than ever. It was so strong that she gave no further thought to God’s command against eating it. All that seemed important to her now was to have that fruit. So she reached up, picked one and ate it. "Consequently the woman saw that the tree’s fruit was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, yes, the tree was desirable to look upon. So she began taking of its fruit and eating
18. What did the Devil make himself seem to be? 19. What was the mistake Eve made? 20. How was it that Eve sinned?
it.” (Genesis 3:6) Now her desire had become fertile by bringing forth sin.
21 But her sin did not stop there. When her husband came she wanted him to disobe
God too. So Eve offered him some of the fruit that she had picked. Instead of not taking but telling her that she had done wro ' did he do? "Afterward she gave some also to her husband whert with her and he began eating ih Then the eyes of both of them became opened and they began to realize that they were naked. Henc they sewed fig leaves together and made loin-coverings for themselves. Later they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden about the breezy part of the day, and the man and his wife went into hiding from the face of Jehovah God in between the trees of the garden.”—Genesis 3:6-8.
22 Their conscience, or inside knowledge of what was right, told them that they were guilty of disobedience. This was shown by their feeling the need to cover their nakedness. Since they were no longer innocent or free from wrongdoing, a thought in their minds now spoke against them. It was a feeling of guilt. And so they wanted to cover themselves. This was also shown by their hiding from Jehovah God among the trees of the garden. "And Jehovah God kept calling to the man and saying to him: ‘Where are you?' Finally he said: ‘I heard your voice in the garden, but I was
21. Did Adam tell Eve that her actions were bad, or what? 22. How did Adam and Eve show their guilt? afraid because I was naked and so I hid myself.’”—Genesis 3:9, 10.
23 Here, for the first time, fear was felt in the paradise of Eden. And notice that it did not begin among the animals, but with man. It came upon man because he had disobeyed God, and he knew that he had done what was bad. Thus, by the wrong actions of Adam and Eve, sin came into that righteous world.
24 Before passing sentence, God wanted them to own up to wrongdoing. For that reason he said to Adam: “ ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?’ And the man went on to say: ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree and so I ate it.’ With that Jehovah God said to the woman: ‘What is this you have done?’ To this the woman replied: ‘The serpent deceived me and so I ate."' —Genesis 3:11-13.
25 Both of them tried to free themselves of blame. Adam said Eve caused him to do it, and Eve passed the blame on to the serpent. But these were not good reasons for disobeying God. They knew what God's command was. Because of that knowledge they should have turned their backs on the tree and walked away without touching its fruit. But instead of paying heed to that command, they chose to do what God had made clear to them as being bad. In this way they failed to show love for God and failed to pass the test of obedience and faithfulness.
26 God then judged them as breakers of his law and sentenced them to return to the dust from which they had been made. To Adam he said: “For dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) No longer did Adam and Eve have an unending life before them. They must now look forward to dying in God's due time. Life is a blessing from God, and they had shown by their actions that they were not worthy of that blessing. For this reason the breath of life would be taken from them, and they would return to the lifeless dust.
27 The unseen Devil who had lied to Eve through the serpent was also judged and sentenced. “And I shall put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the
23. How did fear have its beginning in the paradise of Eden? 24, 25. How did Adam and Eve fry to free themselves from blame? 26. To what punishment did God sentence them? 27. What did God mean by saying that the head of the serpent would be bruised?
head and you will bruise him in the heel.” (Genesis 3:15) By saying that the serpent would be bruised in the head God meant that Satan would be destroyed. And it would be done by the one whom God would choose. That one was the Seed of the woman. The woman was not disobedient Eve, but rather God's heavenly organization of faithful spirit creatures. This organization is spoken of as a woman in the Bible, and God says he is her husband, in these words to her: “For thy Maker is thy husband; Jehovah of hosts is his name.”—Isaiah 54:5, AS.
28 The chief Son of this heavenly mother or organization is Jesus Christ. He is the Seed who will destroy Satan at the time appointed by God. Until that time there must be enmity (that is, hatred) between those who serve God and those who serve Satan.
29 When God warned Adam against eating from the forbidden tree, he said: “In the day you eat from it you will positively die.” (Genesis 2:17) This did not mean Adam would die within twenty-four hours after eating the fruit. It is written, at 2 Peter 3 :8, that “one day is with Jehovah as a thousand years.” So instead of living forever Adam would now die within a period of one thousand years, which is spoken of as a day. And this he did, for he died at the age of 930 years.
30 Now, since Adam and Eve had sinned, they could no longer stay in the paradise of Eden. God had planted that beautiful park for obedient persons, not disobedient ones. Therefore, Jehovah sent them outside the park to earn their living by sweat and hard work with a cursed ground. God said to Adam: “Because you listened to your wife's voice and took to eating from the tree concerning which I gave you this command: ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground on your account. In pain you will eat its produce all the days of your life. And thorns and thistles it will grow for you, and you must eat the vegetation of the field. In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken.” (Genesis 3 :17-19) Thus 28. Who will destroy Satan? 29. How was it that Adam died in the day he ate the fruit? 30. Why did God send Adam and Eve out of the garden, and what did he say?
they had to live outside the paradise of Eden and find food for themselves as best they could.
31 Since Adam and Eve had lost their perfection, their children must be born in an imperfect condition. Just as parents today often pass sicknesses on to their children, so Adam and Eve passed sin and death on to theirs. Their children were unclean in God’s eyes. “Who can produce someone clean out of someone unclean? There is not one." (Job 14:4) “Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.”—Romans 5:12.
32 Thus Adam lost for himself, and for the human souls that would come after him, perfection, eternal life and the paradise of Eden. He lost all this by disobeying God. And so, according to God's law which says “the soul that sins shall die,” the first human souls died. (Ezekiel 18:4, RS) The only hope mankind has of getting back what Adam and Eve lost, the only hope of regaining paradise, is through an act of undeserved kindness by Jehovah God.
31. What did they pass on to their children? 32. What did Adam lose? How only may it be regained?
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CHAPTER FOUR
DAM'S first son followed his bad example. Instead of doing what was good, Cain chose to do what was bad in God’s eyes. He was selfish and had no love for his shepherd brother Abel. One day Abel offered an animal sacrifice to Jehovah God, but Cain presented a bloodless vegetable offering. When God was pleased with Abel's sacrifice but did not look with favor upon Cain's offering, Cain became very angry. God told Cain how he could be exalted or lifted up in God’s eyes and thus have his favor; “If you turn to doing good, will there not be an exaltation? But if you do not turn to doing good, there is sin crouching at the entrance and its longing is for you, and you ought to get the mastery over it.”—Genesis 4 : 7.
2 This was a warning to Cain that sin was waiting for him, because he did not have the right way of looking at the favor shown toward his brother. Cain would have to get the mastery or control of his thoughts to stop them from leading him into a terrible sin. But Cain did not listen to the warning. His heart was wicked, and he planned to kill his brother. “After that Cain said to Abel his brother: [‘Let us go over into the field.' 1 So it came about that while they were in the field Cain went to assaulting Abel his brother and striking him dead."
—Genesis 4 : 8.
3 For this crime Cain was cursed by God. His wife, by
1, What kind of man was Cain, and what warning did God give him? 2. What wicked thing did Cain do? 3* Where did Cain get his wife?
the way, was his sister. God had given no law as yet against such close marriages.
4 Abel was the first of a great number of Jehovah’s witnesses whose blood has been poured out on the ground because they tried to do what was right in the eyes of God. The world has treated these faithful servants of God in the same manner, as Jesus Christ once said: ‘‘Here I am sending forth to you prophets and wise men and public instructors. Some of them you will kill and impale, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues [meeting houses] and persecute from city to city; that there may come upon you all the righteous blood spilled on earth from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Bar a chi ah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.”—Matthew 23 : 34, 35.
5 Since Abel was dead and Cain was judged by God as a wrongdoer, the family line of mankind down till now goes through Seth, another son of Adam. The Bible does not say what kind of man Seth was, but it merely tells us who his sons were and that he lived to be 912 years old. That was very much longer than we live today. This was possible because man in the beginning was made to live forever. But when Adam sinned, man’s life was cut to less than one thousand years, and then over 1,650 years later it had dropped little by little to less than two hundred. And now few men live to be one hundred years of age. Methuselah lived the longest of any human soul, as he reached the great age of 969 years.
6 About five hundred years after Abel’s death, a man of outstanding faith was born. His name was Enoch. Because he followed the way that was good in God’s eyes, the Bible says that he “kept walking with the [true] God." (Genesis 5:24) This obedience was pleasing to Jehovah. Enoch foretold, or prophesied, of a time when God would come with many ten thousands, or many myriads, of holy angels to destroy the wicked. “Yes, the seventh man in line from Adam, Enoch, prophesied also regarding them, when he said: ‘Look! Jehovah came
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