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• Gen 2:15-17 . . And the Lord God commanded the man, saying:
Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; but as for the tree of
knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for in the day you eat of
it, you shall die.
Gen 2:15-17 is a favorite among critics because Adam didn't drop dead the
instant he tasted the forbidden fruit. In point of fact, he continued to live
outside the garden of Eden for another 800 years after the birth of his son
Seth (Gen 5:4) so we can be pretty sure that death includes more than just
cessation of viable existence.
When we take into consideration Gen 3:19, it becomes readily apparent that
one of death's effects upon Adam was the loss of his body's perpetual youth,
viz: Adam's disobedience sent him down the path of deterioration and in
time his body would become so dilapidated that it wouldn't be able to
continue.
In other words; had Adam not eaten of the forbidden tree, he would've
remained in perfect health but the very day that he tasted its fruit, his body
became infected with mortality and it began to age; a condition easily
remedied by the tree of life but alas, Adam was denied access to it.
Mortality is a walking death, and it's slow, but very relentless. It's like Arnold
Swarzenegger's movie character The Terminator. It feels neither pain nor
pity, nor remorse nor fear; it cannot be reasoned with nor can it be
bargained with, and it absolutely will not stop-- ever! --until you are dead;
totally dead, like as in deceased.
NOTE: The tree of life isn't a source of life. According to Rev 22:2, it's
medicinal, i.e. a remedy for whatever ails you.
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