Dwelling on the biblical creation story a lot lately. We know from the story God made everything, he made the earthlings and liked hanging out and talking in this fabulous garden. He provided plants to look good and be good food. He made the earthling a partner to share the life.
Everything beyond the people is generic except those two trees he names.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil (don’t eat that one or that day you will surely die), and the tree of life (no instructions at all).
There is no record of the earthlings making a run at the tree of life, building a treehouse in its branches and binging on life while living in the tree. Wonder what life even meant to them. God didn’t explain these word concepts in any recorded way here.
Obviously earthlings are highly suggestible.
It took only one questionable creature (says that serpent was craftier than any other created thing, doesn’t say what it looked like or where it lived) suggesting that God had ulterior motives to separate his created children from himself, so they wouldn’t be exactly like Him even though they were made in His image, and that they wouldn’t die if they ate it. So earthings knew the word die, but clearly it didn’t mean drop down physically dead…because the earthlings eat the fruit desiring wisdom (how do they know the concept of wisdom and what did THAT mean to them?) and no one immediately keels over ending that story. Physical death is almost a millenium away for them.
They did get their eyes opened (figuratively, they weren’t blind before) to see nakedness and they were ashamed of it. Two new concepts for them. They heard God’s voice when he came to hang out and they hid in fear. Another new idea. Man blames woman. Woman blames deceptive serpent. Deception, another new idea.
And God deals with the serpent by saying it is cursed, and now looks like our idea of a snake, perpetually on its belly.
The woman earthling gets increased sorrow, conception, pain in childbearing (PAIN) and wants to rule over her husband but he will rule over her. Talk about contention in the family.
The ground gets cursed for the man (what did it do?) and now there is toil, sweat, and having to eat herbs of the field and bread til you return to the earth you were made from.
From Gen3:22 we know the earthlings never even tried the life (if an apple tree grows apples a life tree grows lifes?) because God drives them out of the garden and guards that tree so they can’t get at it, which would have caused earthlings to live forever. So there was already a term on lifespan at creation?
They make babies and the first on starts agriculture, the next one herding.
And the firstborns make an offering to the Lord of their labors. Where did that idea come from? Don’t see a record of God ceasing his customary hanging out and talking with these earthlings.
Yet God respects the second son’s offering of livestock. Respects. How did they know? He said it? And did not respect the harvest offering which made the farmer angry. Visably angry.
Then God says it isn’t about either offering, but about doing well to be accepted by God. Or sin waits at the door desiring him. And the earthlings should rule over sin. The result of one brother killing the other is that he has to wander the now unfruitful (for him) earth and that God will be hidden from that earthling’s face. AND if anyone in the earth (there are lots of people out there now?) kills Cain he gets 7x the vengeance, so God marked the son’s face so people would know not to kill him. What does that look like? Why would people out there already be killers? So Cain isn’t cursed for killing, but for killing over respect from God?
Now the questions really begin.
What did God not say or even imply?
He never said earthlings were now going to hell after disobeying and eating the forbidden tree fruit;
or that they were previously going to heaven and lost that perk through disobedience.
No mention of either of those concepts at all with creation.
He didn’t say he wouldn’t talk with them or still hang out with them, and we see that He does continue to communicate. Not sure he is physically walking with the earthlings outside of the garden though.
Only one person doesn’t get to see Him anymore, due to killing his brother.
He did say that because earthlings now know the difference between good and evil they will have to choose to do well and rule over sin. First mention of sin. No mention of consequences or reward.
Then lifespans start getting listed with duration and death.
Where are these people God made after this death and returning to the earth they were created from? Doesn't say the place of the dead or mention paradise, heaven, or anything about being with or apart from God. The Bible doesn’t seem interested in the subject. It certainly never comes up.
Then sons of God breed with daughters of men and make the “men of renown as of old” and we see from Gen 6 that the earth is still synonymous with flesh. Earth and earthlings. So God cleanses the whole mess with a whole lot of water, (except Noah and his fam) because the whole stinking mess is not what he envisioned for his creation.
So how, after a number of millenia, did earthlings get to believe that God took away heaven and gave humanity hell when those concepts are not even present?
