A Dark Prince Enters The Story

In previous posts I discussed the back story of the mystery of marriage as recorded in Genesis 2:15-25. But that is not the entire back story. In the very next chapter someone dark and foreboding enters and everything starts to go wrong. Suddenly we see that the story is not being played out as originally planned by the Author of Life (Acts 3:15; John 1:4, 11:25-26). This someone was there when Adam and Eve were created. Now he steps into the story and twists it to his own purposes. We will not understand the back story without this part of it. Let's look at it.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "

 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and  pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves (Genesis 3:1-6). 

Without this part of the back story we cannot understand human history as it has unfolded from the Garden of Eden to the present. Unless we accept the reality of spiritual forces under the leadership of a dark prince dedicated to pulling us into  disobedience and rebellion all of our social sciences are pointless and useless. The Apostles of Christ emphasized this. Paul wrote,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:10-12).

With our laws about marriage, our legal definitions of the institution, our social services, our courts, our therapies and our drugs we do bring a certain order to human life. However, all of it is but temporary and transient. The Apostles remind us again and again that we are merely dealing with surface issues. A darkness has descended upon this world. Unseen, highly organized and very powerful spirits are at work behind the scenes in that spiritual darkness. And they are led by a prince with a ravenous appetite for power and glory (Revelation 12:9; Ephesians 2:2).

In further discussions of marriage we must always be conscious of this part of the story. This is and was the beginning of the great conflict. There is, however, hope for God's children. There is another Prince in this tale (Isaiah 9:2; John 1:1-14). In this Christmas/Epiphany season we celebrate His coming.