Nigel Tomes - LSM's Unorthodox Satanology

[Paul Miletus]

Originally Posted by KSA

The tree of knowledge gave man something that only God had - God said "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil" (Gen. 3:22). Don't you think that this verse contradicts Lee's teaching that God is life, but knowledge of good and evil belongs to Satan? God knows good and evil, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil expresses this attribute of God. This tree has nothing to do with Satan. Satan tempted man to get something that belongs to God, just like he himself attempted to get something that belongs to God. Man fell because he craved something that belongs to God, but he wanted it apart from God. He wanted to become like God, just like Satan wanted to become like God. And this caused his death, just like it caused Satan's death.

Your quotation of Genesis 3:22 was incomplete and this makes your understanding shortsighted regarding man's salvation by God.

Genesis 3:22 says, "And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever."

Here we see a picture. We all know that the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil signifies independence from God. The fruit of the tree of life, on the other hand, signifies life—the life given to us by the Son of God. After Adam sinned, God was afraid that Adam would eat of the fruit of the tree of life and that if he ate of it, he would not die. If Adam could still die after eating the fruit of the tree of life, then why did God have to do so much work? Why did He have to guard the way to the tree of life with the cherubim and the flaming sword? God did this because He was afraid that Adam would live forever if he ate of it.

Although Adam and Eve had the anticipated redemption, they did not then have the actual redemption. They were still sinful in nature. If they, being corrupted in nature, had eaten of the tree of life while in that condition, they would have lived forever with their sinful nature. God did not allow that. The tree of life signifying God must not be touched by sinful man. Thus, before the actual redemption was accomplished, God had to close the way to the tree of life. Once the actual redemption had been completed, access to the tree of life would again be possible. Thus, Genesis tells us that after God had prepared the anticipated redemption for man, He closed the way to the tree of life.

Now, I believe there is a flaw in your statements:

• "God knows good and evil, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil expresses this attribute of God. This tree has nothing to do with Satan."
  
• "Man fell because he craved something that belongs to God, but he wanted it apart from God."

Do you really mean that one of the attributes of God is the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" which signifies death?

Do you really mean that man craved for the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" that belongs to God?

I cannot see any logic in your statements.

What are the attributes of God?

When Christ was living on this earth, He expressed the attributes of God, which are love, light, holiness, and righteousness... The Ten Commandments show us that God is love, God is light, God is holy, and God is righteous. These are the four basic elements—love, light, holiness, and righteousness—with which the Ten Commandments were composed.

Are you adding then another attribute of God, and as you are saying, the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" which signifies death? Wow! If I'm going to follow your logic, you must be concluding that even "death" is of God? I thought we were told in the Bible that the Lord Jesus came to give us life, an abundant life? By your logic, is He now giving us also "death"? Again, WOW!

You have indicated in your post that man "craved something that belongs to God". Are you not missing the Word when God forbade man (Adam and Eve) to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? I am very positive that the reason God commanded man not to eat the fruit from the tree of knowlege of good and evil because He knows well that this fruit will not do good to them but rather harm, even unto death. God affirmed this thought when He cautioned man that as soon as they ate this fruit they "will surely die!"

Sorry KSA, I cannot buy your logic here!