Let us consider further this matter of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, as it does indeed relate specifically to the subject of law and mercy/male and female.

There are writings on The Remnant Bride web site pointing out that Christianity is a mixture of good and evil. Not only is it a mix, but it has the equally identifying quality of a serpent in its midst - Satan. Furthermore, like the fate of those who ate from this tree, Christianity is the period of the kingdom of God that has led to death. And why would this not be the case? Satan abides in this tree, and we know that he has the power of death (lit. of Hebrews 2:14). Also, this is the promise for all those who eat from this tree. Thus, for 2,000 years Christianity has been the kingdom of God expressed as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

But there is more to this than these matters alone - something most important. We have already mentioned that the sin of Eve in eating from this tree was that she was going to be like God and could thus determine for herself what was good and what evil. This is equally what we have had in the church for 2,000 years.

It is most important and revealing for one to see that an outstanding characteristic of the church has been this quality of determining what is good and what is evil. Think about this for a minute. Isn't one of the major emphasis of the church the task of determining right and wrong, with the intentions of pursuing what is right and shunning what is wrong? This is the quality of knowing or determining good and evil.

A look at Christianity today reveals a church that concentrates on determining what is good and evil. Christianity is even involved in society with the purpose of setting forth this determination. Homosexuality is evil, pornography is evil, extramarital relationships are evil, abortion is evil, and thus the church is involved in addressing these and other evils. But it is an amazing thing to this writer that when God sent His Son to this earth, He never addressed social good and evil issues, as does Christianity. He never addressed the very thing in which the church is so heavily involved. Why not? If anyone would have been effective in addressing social and personal ills, it would have been the Son of God. The world at that time was filled with grave social issues. But, Yahshua said not a word about these matters in which the church is so involved in these days. People wanted to trick Him on the issue of taxes, but He resisted. He avoided the issue with - "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." So then why is the church so involved in these issues? Because Christianity is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and they spend their time, with a great degree of irregularity, determining and addressing what is good and what is evil.

In contrast, Yahshua performed precisely what was in fact opposite of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Over and over we read that Yahshua did nothing other than what He saw the Father doing. Yahshua did not determine on this earth what was good and what was evil; He only did the will of the Father. Over and over He would declare:

• "The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing" (John 5:19).
• "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgement is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 5:30),
• "I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me" (John 8:28).
• "I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me" (John 8:42).
• "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God'" (John 8:54).
• "For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say, and what to speak" (John 12:49).
• "The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works" (John 14:10).

You will undoubtedly notice here that every one of these verses are from the book of John. This is not because we have been selective in listing these, but because all of these statements regarding Yahshua's obedience to the Father's will are found exclusively in John. None of the other gospels make this vital point. Why not? Because the book of John addresses the pure kingdom of God. As we have seen, Yahshua walked upon this earth to open a door, to make possible a way in which we will walk. This is the walk of doing only what the Father says and does. Has kingdom man been able to do this? Obviously not! There is no man in the flesh who can make the claim that Yahshua made. We are a corrupt mix of good and evil, and we do not always do the Father's will, but seek for ourselves to determine good and evil. This is the nature of the time and circumstances in which we live. It is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil period, and the church has been occupied with making this determination for 2,000 years.

Yahshua did not make this determination of good and evil. Even when a man came to Him asking Him to do so, He told him - "Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbiter over you?" (Luke 12:14). It is indeed most significant that Yahshua did not come upon this earth to determine good and evil, either for Himself or for others. Yahshua instead came only to do the will of the Father, which was in stark contrast to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in which one determines for their self what is good and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong. Yahshua was THE stark contrast to the tree from which man has been eating in the kingdom for 2,000 years. And this is the hope we have, in that what He performed here on this earth, we will also walk and abide.

The great hope (and great need) man has is that we will be delivered from not only this miserable and wretched flesh, but also that we will be able to cease walking in this tree of the knowledge of good and evil period or work, and be able to walk in the tree of life work - no longer determining good and evil for ourselves, but doing only what the Father commands. This is the great need of man - to depart from the one tree that leads to death, and enter into the tree that leads to life - not doing our own will, but only/nothing but the will of Him who sends us. In order for this to fully come, we must ascend alive and put off this earthly flesh and become like Him.

Before closing this section, let us more broadly assess here the application and extent of this first tree. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of God, they set into motion the continuing practice of men having to determine for themselves what is good and what is evil. No longer did man have the privilege of walking with God and receiving each day's specific direction and understanding from Him. Now for 6,000 years, man has eaten from that tree. Yahweh is not here on this earth to tell us what is right and what is wrong. To a great extent, even with the Bible, man is left to determine for himself what is good and what is evil. This is the government under which man has been since the garden - not the theocracy man needs in which God is personally here with us.

So did this change with the coming of Yahshua and His provision of the kingdom of God to man? Not really. Remember, and this a MOST important point to always remember, the last 2,000 years of the church have been a breach. While promises were made and intentions were set to bring forth the Son of God in His glory - "I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom" (in the glory of His Father with His angels, recompensing all men according to their deeds, which has not yet happened - Matthew 16:27-28) - the first Remnant was not able to accomplish this, and the body of Christ has not been able to accomplish this, thus these great kingdom promises experienced a long breach!

Furthermore, the kingdom of God was not able to overcome the world, but was in fact overcome by the world, and the church has equally entered into the same thing under which man has been for 6,000 years - being left to determine good and evil. The work begun on Pentecost was too early for the Son of God to be brought forth as King of kings, so the kingdom of God entered into the curse under which man has been since the fall. Thus the church, the kingdom, equally entered into the tree of the knowledge of good and evil period of mankind.

We see then that this tree of the knowledge of good and evil is not only a state under which mankind has been for 6,000 years, but of necessity the kingdom of God, the church, has had to enter into that curse as well. Therefore, these first 2,000 years of the church are identified as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil period of the kingdom of God where man continues to determine what is good and what is evil.

This is looking at this matter from the level of all mankind, as well as the higher level of the kingdom of God; but keep in mind this is experienced on a personal level as well. (Of course the government we are under determines this; that is, the government of the natural man. Yahshua was the first man to come to this earth under the government which is from above, not under the curse of the first tree.) Thus, men and women every day repeat over and over this choice Eve made and decide to live according to their own understanding, not doing the will of the Father. No one will be able to criticize Eve for her sin, for all have continued to make the same choice.