Here is the link for discussing this week's study:

http://www.ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/08d/less03nkjv.html

The Key Thought of this week's study is to look at the Fall and the horrible results it brought to humanity.

God only had one simple and easy prohibition, but look what Adam and Eve did and what the simple eating of fruit from one tree of all the trees in the Garden of Eden brought upon the whole world.

This is from today's lesson:



This is the same thing that Lucifer did in heaven - he opted for withdrawing his allegiance from God and shifting it to himsef. His angels shifted their allegiance to him, and so did Adam and Eve. This is rebellion, willful disobedience - it's opting for shifting loyalties, it's opting for independence of the Creator.

While some may object, it's clear that one who is deceived is still able to rebel.

We know that Eve was deceived, however, as Adam knew what he was doing, wasn't Adam the one who rebelled and sealed man's fate?

As covered in another thread, which I will not reference now because I forgot which thread it is , both were deceived and both rebelled.

But it is true that Adam's rebellion was the one that sealed the deal. For one, he was the representative of the race. And for two, it was his rebellion that made it 100% failure for the humans.

It's the suicide thread.

Yes, that's it. But we must admit that MM hasn't fully bought in to the idea yet.

In what sense was Eve deceived? The angels explained the fall of Lucifer and his desire to cause her to fall.

In what sense was Adam deceived? The angels explained the fall of Lucifer and his desire to cause his to fall. Adam acknowledged as much before he ate the fruit.

In what sense did Eve rebel? She thought that by eating the fruit it would make her more like God.

In what sense did Adam rebel? He braved eating the fruit hoping God would cut them slack.

They were deceived by believing the devil's lies about God, specifically that God was not trustworthy and did not have their best interests at heart. Had Eve trusted God, she would have gone to Him with her dilemma to get counsel from God, and likewise Adam.

They rebelled by joining Satan's side of the GC. They joined Satan's side by believing his lies about God and His government. Had God not intervened by grace, man would have wound up in the same condition as Satan, as bitterly opposed to God and Satan and his angelic followers are.