Hey! Alright, what questions do you have? Let's get our Bibles out. We'd sing some more, but it's almost tomorrow. Well, it's almost halfway there anyhow. So let's grab our Bibles. You can ask some questions here. We're going to continue our Q&A. Yes, sir? Okay. So, Brother Wilhelm's question is, did Adam have a belly button? No, I'm kidding. So, the question is, did Adam and Eve understand what it meant to that they were going to die. Uh, they understand what it meant that they were going to die. Is that correct? Is that correct question? Okay. Um, so what we have directly is this turned to Genesis chapter three. Mhm. Amen. Amen. Hey, I'm not preaching today necessarily. I mean, I'm going to get preachy probably, but we're not doing a sermon per se. But since this will be the first passage that we'll read together, let's stand and read that. Genesis 3. We're just going to read verse 6 and 7. So it says, And when the woman saw that The tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat." Verse number 7, of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons let's pray real quick here Lord we thank you so much for your word we thank you for the opportunity to to answer some questions today we pray that you just guide us and May our discussion be glorifying in your sight and edifying to your saints. In Jesus' name, Amen. You may be seated. So the question again was, did they understand what it was going to mean that they were going to die? So first of all, if you look back at chapter 2, the Lord said in verse number 17, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it, For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. In chapter 3, when the serpent asked Eve about eating of all the trees of the garden, she said, in verse 2, the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, verse 3 says, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Now, later, of course, he responds by saying, Ye shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the day that ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. When the woman saw, as we just read, that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes and the tree to be desired to make one wise. She took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also unto her husband with her and he did eat and the eyes of them both were opened. And they knew that they were naked. And then of course they made themselves some aprons. Then they heard the Lord. It says, and they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord from presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden and so they knew something had happened. They knew that they were naked. First of all their eyes were opened to and so something about the devil something about the serpent is he'll give you enough truth to get you. And so, what He said to her was true to a certain extent. Every part of what He said to her was true to a certain extent. He said, ye shall not surely die. Partially, that was true. They did instantly die spiritually. Their connection with God was severed immediately. and they began to die physically but they didn't die that day physically. And the fact that he said you shall not surely die. That was partially true. They didn't die that day. Physically. In fact it wasn't for nine hundred and some years that they died. You know for them to die physically. He then said that God knows in the day you eat thereof that your eyes shall be opened. That was true. Their eyes were opened and it says here that you shall be as gods. That was true to an extent there that they were going to be as gods not as God but as gods knowing both good and evil knowing good and evil. That was true as well. And that's exactly what happened. But it didn't matter if what he said was true, if their doing so would cause them to disobey God. Did they know instantly that they were going to die. I don't think they fully understood when they partook of the fruit they knew they were going to die but they didn't know how it was going to happen or when it was going to happen or any of the process or anything like that they just their eyes were open to the fact that that they had done wrong and they felt shame immediately. And then when God showed up. They hid themselves because they knew they had done wrong. It could be that they thought that he was going to take their life at that time. Or it could be that they just knew they did wrong and they were hiding from it. So to answer your question, I don't believe that they knew instantly what the process of death was going to be like. They found out what it was going to be like to be no longer living when Abel died. Yes, yes. But they they didn't I don't think they knew the physical aspect of death I don't think they understood that yet. At this point. And by the way from this point to the time that Abel died. Was a little while because Cain and Abel I don't think we're babies or children when that whole ordeal happened in Chapter four. I think they were adults by that time or at the very least they were like teenagers But I'm pretty sure they were adults because they were already taking care of themselves. So it would have been a good 20, 30 years from this point in Chapter 3 to what happened in Chapter 4. Like well actually from the beginning of Chapter four down to when Cain and Abel gave their sacrifice. You have basically their entire childhood happened during that time. And so there there seems out on their own already by this time in Chapter four where Cain kills Abel. And so Adam and Eve did. see what was going to happen as far as that goes but and then in chapter four verse number twenty five it says Adam knew his wife again and she bear son called his name Seth for God said she hath appointed me another seed instead of able whom came slew and so they were aware of that that took place but did they know how they were going to die what that was going to be like I don't think so I think it I think that had to come at the end of their physical life. Now as far as spiritual death as far as separation from God that was instant and from that point forward they had to call upon the name of the Lord which is what happens in verse number twenty six and Seth and to Seth to him also was given or was born a son and he and he called his name Enos then began men to call upon the name of the Lord and so I believe that it's very possible probably probable that Adam and Eve ended up turning back to God by this point. But maybe maybe later in their life or maybe they didn't. I don't know. But it seems one would think that they probably did because they understood what they'd done. But you have several generations in Cain's line before Seth's born. So, sir. Not exactly true. Adam had a job before that. He had work, but he didn't have to till the ground. He didn't have to work for his food other than just taking stuff off the trees. But but he God put Adam in Chapter 2. It says that he put the man in the garden to dress it and to keep it. And then he then he brought all the animals to him and had him name the animal. So he had a job before. He understood that he was going to die, at least to that extent that God told him that he was going to die. Again, this is God telling him that he's going to die and telling him what's going to happen to his body. But just as far as that, does that answer your question, though, as far as the thought there? He probably didn't know. I wouldn't think that he fully understood the process of death until it was his time today. And actually, I don't think we understand it when we're dying, either. I think God just gives grace to get through it. And then. Yeah. So there you go. Yes, sir. Go back to you. Is that you're going to have to get to the fair, OK? Men. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Thanks for coming. We'll see you. All right. Yes, sir. Yes, ma'am. Okay, go ahead. Yeah. God was there when it was time. Amen. Alright, what other questions do we have? Yes, sir? Was Abraham saved before he was called? That. Let's look at Abraham here. I can give you my direct personal opinion answer. Or I can take you straight to the passage. I'll do both. I'll say my my first direct answer is no it wasn't. So in Chapter 12 of Genesis it says now the Lord said under Abram get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from my father's house unto a land that I will show thee. I will make of thee a great nation. I will bless thee and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse at thee. And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. It says, So Abraham departed. Now, just because Abraham did what he was supposed to do does not mean that he was saved. Now, just because he obeyed God does not mean that he was saved. That's something that we've got a lot of people getting really confused about today. Just because you do what God says doesn't mean you're going to heaven. You must be born again. We do see that as he's obeying God, though, In verse number eight it says that he removed from fence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent having Bethel on the on the west and a eye or hey I on the east and there he builded an altar unto the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. I would say probably got saved somewhere along that that that area now is that is that the direct I just wrote my Bible here I don't know how many years ago prayer of salvation question mark. As him getting saved right. So. So at the beginning of chapter twelve you have I mean it's it's possible he may have he may have trusted God before that it's possible but at the beginning of chapter twelve you kind of see that he is. He just does it you don't see Abraham talking to God then you have him calling on the Lord here in in chapter. Well chapter twelve verse number eight however some would argue that still he wasn't saved yet some would argue that these things happen and then. Then when God gives him the promise and he believes that promise that God gave him that that's when he got saved. So and what and the reference or the evidence that they would give for that would be. chapter fifteen and we'll just start in verse number one it says after these things the word of the Lord came on the Abram in a vision saying fear not Abram I am by shield and I exceeding great reward and Abram and Abram said Lord God what will thou give me seeing I go childless in the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus. And the Lord and Abram said, Behold, to me, thou hast given no seed and lo one born in my house is mine heir. And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he shall he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven. and tell the stars. If thou be able to number them, and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. Verse number 6, And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness. I would say this is probably where he got saved. Before that, he was calling on the Lord, he was religious, he was obeying what the Lord was saying, He he came out of or of the call these Yeah yep which are the call these which is where Babylon ended up becoming later. Which was full of paganism and all kinds of false idol worship and God called him out of there. So was he influenced by others for wrong religion and all of that. I think so. And then when he when God called him out of there. I mean, the way that God revealed Himself to man at that time wasn't the same as He does today. God's showing up and saying, hey, get out. I mean, how exactly did that happen? We don't know exactly. Did He hear God's voice say, go? I don't know. I will say that we do see the Lord showing up and talking with Him later. But here it says that he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness and he said unto him I am the Lord that brought the out of the call these to give the this land to inherit it and again he says you know how am I going to know any and he goes on and he gives the Abrahamic covenant is here. in the rest of this chapter. But in Romans chapter 4, you have reference back to this passage. Yep. So the Lord was already working the generation before him. But Tara wasn't ready. Actually Tara ends up dying in I think it was in Iran. Yeah. Tara died in Iran. Yeah. Now in Romans chapter four says what should we say verse number one then that Abram Abraham our father as pertaining to the flesh hath found forever for if Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory but not before God and what say if the scripture Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness and that's that is like the foundation upon which we build the that Paul or the Lord rather through Paul builds the the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith. It's based upon the fact that Abraham believed God and that's that's the foundation the basis and so. Now could we go back to. He believed God so he left her of the qualities. We could maybe try to argue that but I think that at the end of the day he believed God. Here and it says here that he counted it to him for righteousness so that. Right. Yeah. But here. The faith is where it it was counted for righteousness. So by the way case case you don't know we believe the Bible teaches salvation the same way from the from the front cover to the back cover of the Bible. It's the same way it's by grace through faith. And so Abraham was saved by faith just like you and I are saved by faith. Amen. Not by works of righteousness but by faith. Now he did many great works. But he was saved by faith. They did the works because we believe in a salvation that works. And then we don't believe in salvation by works, but we believe in one that does work. Amen. All right. What else? What other questions do we have? We're Our time, we started a little bit late, so I'm kind of going for like the 12, 20, 12, 30 time for our finishing to go eat lunch. So, what questions do you have? Yes, sir? Because sin is first and foremost against God. It is first and foremost against God. Now, did he wrong Bathsheba? Did he wrong Uriah the Hittite? Did he wrong his nation? Did he wrong his own people? present spout actually wives. Did he wrong his family. Yes but he sinned against God. Now is it possible to sin against other people. Yeah. Yeah. But. The way he's utilizing the term sin. It's in reference to his. Transgressing of the law of God. And so. He's not he's not saying that he didn't. That Uriah wasn't wronged or that Bathsheba wasn't wronged or that his nation wasn't wrong or that Joab wasn't wronged because you think about all of the people that he dragged into his sin. the people that he sent to go get Bathsheba. And then when they said, oh yeah, that's Uriah's wife. And then he still goes ahead and goes forward with it. And the people that were involved, the people that knew about it, that had to keep their mouths shut, and all of that stuff that happened along the way. And then what he did with Uriah, trying to get him drunk and do all these different things. And then having him executed, basically, taken to battle and put in the front of the battle and taken him to the front lines, and then backing off of him and having him killed. Everybody that knew what was going on was culpable in some way. And he wronged them by having them involved in that way. But he sinned against God. And when it comes to the very end, he has to answer to God. Now, does he have to answer to these people? You know, when he died and went to heaven, How'd things go with him and Uriah? What did you do to him? No, I think Uriah understood, and I believe Uriah probably got to see the rest of it play out afterwards. Now, does that mean Uriah was like, oh, yeah, whatever, do what you're going to do. No, but I think Uriah also got to see God judge David You know from I think from heaven. Now does everybody in heaven get to see what's going on on earth. I don't know but it seems like it seems like it. So I would say that Uriah probably got to see all the David went through because of that. And then. You know did it make Uriah think Oh no big deal. I don't think so but I think Uriah was also extremely loyal to David and it probably did hurt a lot when he found out what happened what was really going on. And I think that God probably gave David a little glimpse of that. in the discussion with him with with Nathan with Nathan because Nathan God gave Nathan the wisdom to use the analogy that he used so that David would see and he's like that was actually my devotions last night where where you you see you see what's happening and you hear the story and you you can just about feel David getting angry and he's like how could somebody do such a thing and he says thou art the man and David says oh Oh, no. And then you have Psalm 51, where it says, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness. According unto Thy, the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly. from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against thee and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest, Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones that thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins and blot. out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto Thee. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness. O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise. For Thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it. Thou delightest not in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, and a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion. Build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of the righteous, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering. Then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar." I mean, you think about, did that fix the problem? No. Uriah is still dead. Bathsheba's still with child. There's still this whole situation. He still lost his his first born son. From with that relationship, the one. What's that? Well, so you have the the before family that ends up all messed up, all messed up. And then Solomon Solomon's the second born with Bathsheba. and you have Solomon taking over you or is he second born or third born. Now I'm second guessing myself Solomon's born after that and the first born boy dies within a year I think of his birth and then you have the whole thing with Amnon and Tamar and you have Absalom killing Amnon and you have Absalom taking over the king the crown and taking over the throne and taking over the country. And he took a long time to do it. Years. Many, many, many, many, many years. I mean, you read it and, I mean, for many years he's turning the hearts of the people. I mean he was dedicated to taking over and then you have David losing his son you know losing Absalom. So after you know it's not that he I mean yeah he threw him out. Yeah he took his concubines. Yeah he did all these things and all of this you know that there and took his throne and took his place and and had him running for his life and all of these things are happening but he's still a son. and then Joab has him taken out. And this whole thing with Joab too, this morning my devotions were Solomon taking over. and then you know him condemning Joe at the death because of all that happened you know Solomon knew what had happened through all that time as well and then you know his older brother Solomon's older brother first came and tried to take the kingdom and then David's like no no no Solomon's going to be the king And so his older brother is going to be put to death and he runs and he grabs ahold of the horns of the altar and he's like, if he's going to kill me, he's going to have to come here and kill me. And he says, we'll let it go for now. And then he goes to his mother and says, hey, go ask Solomon if I can have dad's old old girlfriend and and it's all messed up I'm telling you and then and then Solomon says he asked this he asked this question to the peril of his own life he's he's done and so he has him has him put out and it's like man all of that and and then the bloodline actually ends up going through David's son Nathan down to the Messiah not through Solomon at least on the one side and so you know Solomon because of what he did you have Rehoboam and Jeroboam in the split of the kingdom and all that the next generation but and then just quietly in the background the bloodline of Christ going through Nathan but anyhow so he sinned against God but he wronged everybody else. Now, could we, the way that we use the word sin today, could we say that he sinned against Uriah, and he sinned against Bathsheba, and he sinned against Joab, and he sinned against all those soldiers that had to do that part, and his family, and all of this? We could say that the way that we use the term today, but the way that he was using it, the way that it was understood at that time, his sin was against God. Now, he still had all of the wrong that he did to these other people, but he still, even the wrong that he did to them was sin against God. It was God's law that was transgressed, not their law. You know, even Israel's law was God's law. It wasn't man's law, it was God's law. And so it was God's law that was transgressed every single step of the way everywhere that he did the first transgression. Now some would argue the first transgression was he he was being lazy and didn't go to work you know go to war with the rest. But I would say the first obvious transgression is his covetousness that he sees from the top you know from the roof there and he covets what he doesn't what isn't his. And so you know that's his first transgression is the 10th commandment. And then he begins to break all the rest of them. Placing himself before God. Placing himself before God. No graven images or anything, but he broke all the rest of them. He took the name of the Lord God in vain by by taking the representation of God God's King and then presenting it with corruption and defilement and all that just like when Solomon said give me food that's convenient for me lest I don't give me too much or I'll I'll do you know I'll forget you or if you give me too little than I might steal and take the name of the Lord my God in vain in other words his actions and his representation of God and his representation as a believer makes God's name seem to be empty and void and vain because of how he's how he's living contrary to his contrary to his testimony of salvation and so just the same you know David contrary to him being a man after God's own heart he's doing all this sinful wicked things so he's he's he's causing the heathen to condemn God or look at God as powerless because he's not living in the victory that God has given him to live in. And you know the Sabbath I guess he's not breaking the Sabbath on that necessarily but then you have honor your father and mother I mean, he's sitting against his own house in a sense or wronging his own house. So he's not not doing that. Thou shalt not kill. Yeah, he did that, too. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Yeah, did that. Thou shalt not steal. Adultery is theft. Right. He should know better. Bearing false witness. Yep. Doing that along the way. But it all started with the last one. and just cascaded down the rest of the list. Yep. Yep. And oftentimes you start with one and it just keeps on going. Next one, next one, next one. So that is not to say that it's an incorrect statement. When he says, against thee and thee only have I sinned, you see the context there. Well, sin is the transgression of the law. Do we apply that like I sinned against you by wronging you? Yeah, we apply it that way. But Romans 3 says that sin is the transgression of the law. Whose law is it? It's God's law. So when you sin, you sin against God. Does that negate the fact that you wrong other people know but you have to recognize that God's the one that you have to answer to for breaking his for transgressing his law and David recognize that that's why he said against the in the only advice and you know he needed to correct everything with everybody else too. But in Psalm 51, he's dealing with his relationship with God. So that's the focus there. I don't know that they knew it was the punishment. I think at that point there was at the very least kind of an understanding that David has done some wrong here and and some people probably were kind of like whispering in the background Yes it's probably God's judgment on David for what he did to Uriah and what do you know and you know that's and they were right. Now not not every time that something bad happens to someone is a God's judgment but in this particular case it was because he tells us it was So, you know, did they know? I don't think anybody fully knew, but those close to him and that knew the situation, knew what happened, I'm sure they were kind of like, And they were afraid. I mean, you know, they're like, this is the king, you know, and a lot of them had been with him running from Saul. And they, you know, they know, and they knew who he was. And they're like, what is this going to mean for us? And, you know, Joab, same thing, you know, and even when Absalom dies, you know, Joab's like, you know, you're going to mess up your kingdom here. Because you're you're weeping and wailing and everything and it makes everybody think that you would rather all of us die and Absalom live and in a way he was right. But at the same time it was his son you know but but Joab was kind of a creation of David Yeah well and I mean and Joe I've made sure that that wasn't going to happen. And again you know Joe I was he was I'm not saying Joe I was without fault or that he was you know right or that he's guiltless because of this but he was David made David made Joe I have what he was in a sense not not to say that Joe I didn't have choices and all that he did but along the way you look at Joe I have and all that like what David had him do and things that it's like, man, that's pretty rough. And I mean, you almost feel sorry for Joe out there for a little while, especially when, you know, when it finally comes back to him where he's he's being put to death because of all the stuff that he did. And some of it was that King David had him do but some of it was stuff that he did when King David was like no nobody do this or he knew King David wasn't going to be OK with it. But still yet that's that's kind of actually my devotions that was kind of what stood out to me this last time through I was like whoa and Joe I was really And there's a lot of stuff he had that he dealt with in his life. And then at the end, you got General Joab put to death, court-martialed, put to death. And that's pretty rough. I mean, did he deserve it? Yeah. I mean, he earned it. But still yet, you kind of think about that. You know, this funny thing when you think about history even, was Benedict Arnold right for what he did? I don't think so. But when you really look at the history of what happened with Benedict Arnold and all that stuff, man, he got raw into the deal on both sides all around the whole situation. And now, was he right for it? No. He was a very vain man, and he was a very selfish and greedy man as well. But was he right about some of it? I think so. I think so. Look into that history and not saying he was right to like turncoat, but you think about like his concern, his problem that he had that ended up resulting in the turncoat, I think was on the right track. He was right on as far as that goes, but as far as like actually doing what he did, no, he wasn't right to do that, so. Anyhow, not that Joe Abbott and Benedict Arnold are, you know, the same, but I was just thinking about generals, you know, so. Anyhow, any other questions? We might have to call that the last one and then go into our, have our lunch and then come back for questions after. All right.