Preview of:
THE FALL
How Paradise was Lost
by William D Ogden
Where did the world come from? What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why would a loving God allow death and suffering?
Adam lived in paradise, had a personal relationship with God, and only had one rule to obey. So, why did Adam rebel and sin against his creator?
The answers to these questions, and many more, are all found in the first four chapters of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.
The answers to these questions are found in the first four chapters of Genesis
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to suddenly come to life in a fully formed adult body like Adam and Eve, with all normal adult abilities including speech and physical coordination, but with no memories? If God were to welcome you to His brand-new world, what would you want to ask Him? This book will explore these questions and seek to open the eyes of our understanding.
God is very sparing with His words. He covers creation and the fall in just three chapters. God told us everything we need to know, but not enough to fully satisfy our curiosity. Other passages in the Bible provide valuable information that helps fill in the blanks, but they do not tell us the whole story either.
People love stories and learn from them. Jesus often used parables, stories, and physical illustrations to explain spiritual truth. That is the goal of this book.
Why did Adam rebel and sin against his creator?
I am working on a Biblical historical fiction based on the first four chapters of the book of Genesis. This book tells the tale of creation and the fall in story form using what God told us in Genesis and throughout His Word.
The story of this book is built around the truths of Scripture. It seeks to fill in the blanks using imagination and information found elsewhere in the Bible. It seeks to portray Bible truth in ways that will help you understand what happened at the dawn of Creation.
Here is a preview from the first chapter:
Chapter 1 – Alive in Paradise
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7
The man’s body lay on the ground, naked in the sun. He was muscular and lean, with golden brown skin and short dark hair, but he wasn’t breathing.
A radiant man with snow white hair and fiery eyes stood by the naked body, wearing a long white robe with a golden sash. The living one bent down and put his mouth over the nose of the lifeless man. It looked like mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but it took only one breath.
The man’s lungs filled with air, and he was suddenly aware. God had breathed life into him; the Spirit of God entered Adam along with that breath. His body now contained a living soul. Man had been given life; he was alive mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Adam awoke like a man with amnesia out of a dreamless sleep. He had a fully functional adult mind and body. He could walk and talk, see and hear, think and feel. But he couldn’t remember anything. He had nothing to remember because he had no past. God had just created him, so he had no memories. He was a blank slate.
The man felt his chest rise as he started breathing on his own. He heard birds singing, and felt the warmth of the sun and a gentle breeze. Adam was filled with wonder as he opened his eyes and beheld the beauty of a clear blue sky.
Adam’s mind was full of questions. “Who am I?” “What am I?” “Where am I?” “How did I get here?” “Why am I here?”
In answer to his thoughts, the man heard a deep voice kindly say, “You are My son, Adam. You are a man; you have been created in My image. You are in the Garden of Eden, which I made for you. I created you from the dirt of the ground you are lying on and filled you with My Spirit as I breathed life into you.”
God stood nearby in human form to welcome Adam into the world, answer his questions, and teach the man what he needed to know. “You are here to be my friend, and to take care of the world I created for you.”
Then God reached down and took the man gently by the hand. As God helped Adam to his feet, He said, “Stand up and walk with Me. I have much planned for you today.”
As he got to his feet, Adam said, “You look like me. Are you a man too?”
“I will appear to you in human form sometimes as I am right now, but I am not a man. I will become a man someday, but not yet.”
Adam asked, “If you are not a man like me, who are you?”
God replied, “I AM that I AM. I am life. I am existence. I am the one and only self-existent being. I am the first cause of everything else. I am the almighty, creator God who brought everything into existence, including you. I am a spirit being who lives eternally outside of time and space. Yet My Spirit fills the universe I have created.”
“Does Your Spirit fill me?” Adam asked.
“My spiritual presence is everywhere and fills everything, including you. But My Spirit is in you in a special way. I brought you to life by breathing the Spirit of Life into you. As long as you remain faithful to me, My Spirit will continue abiding in you, giving you spiritual life.”
“What is spirit? How is it different from the things I see around me?” Adam wanted to know.
God answered, “Spirit is eternal and is not limited by space or time. Spirit is conscious and alive. My Spirit is the source of all life.”
“I have given you physical senses to experience the physical world around you. Everything you see with your eyes, everything you hear with your ears, everything you can feel, taste or smell is made of matter, and exists here and now. Even the invisible air you breathe is material.”
“Physical things exist in space and time. None of it existed before I began creating it five days ago. In addition to matter, the physical universe is filled with energy and physical forces. The light you see, the sounds you hear, and the heat you feel are all forms of energy.”
“There are many forces you will discover. One of the most important you need to know about is called gravity. Gravity is what gives you weight and holds you on the ground. The earth is so massive that its pull on you is very strong.”
“What is the earth?” asked Adam.
“The earth is the planet I created for you to live on. The earth is a gigantic ball in space, hanging on nothing. The ground you are standing on and everything you can see around you are all part of the earth.”
“What is space?”
“Look up Adam,” God replied. “You see a blue expanse above you. That open expanse you see is called the sky. It is filled with air. But the expanse keeps going beyond what you can see.”
“As it keeps getting higher, the air gets thinner and thinner until it is no longer there, but the expanse continues into the heavens. Tonight, it will get dark and the sky will look black. Then you will see tiny lights in the heavens called stars.”
“Why will it get dark tonight?” asked Adam.
“The earth is spinning. The time it takes for the earth to turn all the way around is one ‘day.’ When the part of the earth you are on turns away from the sun, it will become dark. The dark time of day is called “night.” When it is dark tonight, you will see another big light in the sky called the moon.”
“What is “dark”?” the man wanted to know.
“Darkness is the absence of light.” God replied.
“But I thought you said the moon would be a light at night. So why will it be dark?” Adam asked.
“The moon is not a star. It does not make any light of its own. The moon’s light is reflected light from the sun. Only a tiny bit of the sun’s light bounces off the moon back toward the earth where you can see it.”
“Why did you make a night light that leaves the night dark?” the man asked.
“I gave the moon, along with the sun and stars for signs and seasons. They will help you keep track of time. It will take the moon about 29 days to circle the earth. You will call that a month.”
“The moon is important for many other reasons you will learn about as you study My creation. For example, your body needs rest. The darkness at night will help you sleep. But while you sleep some animals will move about in the dark. I have made their eyes able to see in the dim light from the moon and stars.”
“Wow! Is there a reason for everything You did in creation?” Adam asked.
“Yes Adam, I carefully designed and made everything according to My plan. I left nothing to chance.”
“The sun is just the right size, brightness, and temperature to support life here on earth. The earth is just the right distance from the sun. If it were any closer, the earth would be too hot. If the earth were farther from the sun, then the earth would be too cold.”
“The air contains enough Oxygen to sustain the life of people and animals breathing it, but it is made mostly of an inert gas called Nitrogen. The Nitrogen keeps the Oxygen from burning everything up. The air also contains Carbon Dioxide, which is needed by plants.”
“I set things up to recycle. The plants produce Oxygen and food for people and animals. People and animals breathe in the Oxygen and breathe out the Carbon Dioxide plants need to grow. People and animals also produce wastes that fertilize the plants.”
“That is amazing!” Adam exclaimed. “Your creativity and genius are awesome! How do You do it? How do You create things?”
“I am existence. My thoughts and words have power. What I will to be, will be, by the power of My Will.”
“What?” the confused man asked. “Would You please explain that to me?”
“There is nothing too hard for Me,” God said. “All power belongs to Me. I can do anything. I have a plan, and what I have planned will come to pass. Anything I choose to happen; will happen.”
“When I speak, what I say comes true. I cannot lie. Everything I say is true. My Word is truth.”
“Umm, excuse me” Adam said. “Didn’t You say You can do anything? But You just said You cannot lie. That seems inconsistent. How can there be something You cannot do if You can do anything?”
“That is an excellent question Adam!” God replied. “I am pleased you listen so well and hear what I say. I will clarify it for you.”
“I am all powerful. I can do anything I choose to do. I have the ability to do anything, but I will never do anything that is against My nature or violates who I am.”
“I am truth. Lies are the opposite of truth. Lying would violate who I am. Lies deceive people into believing things that are not true. Lies will be used to hide the truth and lead people astray. Any weakling can lie. I hate lies and will judge liars. Lying is against My nature, so I will not lie.”
“It is My desire for everyone to know the truth. My Word is truth. It is important that You believe what I say.”
“I believe You Father.” Adam said.
God smiled. “It pleases Me to hear you say that Adam. You can always trust Me.”
“You named me Adam. Do You have a name? What should I call You?”
“I have many names. I am your Father who lives in heaven. When you pray, you should pray to Me as your Father, the Almighty God who lives in heaven. When I visit you in human form like this, you may call Me ‘Immanuel’.”
“What does it mean to pray?” the man asked.
“I have appeared to you in physical form today. Now we are speaking face to face like two people. But as I told you, I am Spirit. I will not always be with you in the form of a man.”
“My presence fills the universe. Even when you do not see Me, I am with you spiritually. I see everything you do. I hear everything you say. I even know your thoughts.”
“Even when you cannot see Me, you can still talk to Me. You can ask Me for help or guidance. You can tell Me what you are grateful for. Anything you would ask Me or say to Me in person, you can ask or say in prayer.”
“You do not even have to speak aloud. Since I know your thoughts and what is in your heart, you can pray silently to Me in your heart and I will hear you. I love you Adam. I want to hear from you.”
Continue Reading
I hope you have enjoyed this preview of “THE FALL – How Paradise was Lost.” I hope to finish the book and publish it by the end of the year, and I could use your help. If you would like assist in this endeavor, I would appreciate your suggestions as a Beta-Reader. If you would like to just keep reading as I finish sections of the book, I also welcome Early Readers.
