Compiled from the writings of David Brandt Berg
Adam sat down under the shade of a mango tree, scratching his head. He had practically exhausted his vocabulary, naming all the different animals that the Lord had brought to him. The last two animals came up to him, and tired as he was, Adam had to crack a smile when he took a good look at them. "They look like the animal I named 'horse' a while ago," he thought, "except they're all white with up-and-down black stripes on them!" He petted their long noses, saying, "Now what shall I call you?"
He couldn't help but notice -- as he had noticed with all the other animals -- that there were two of them, a male and a female. "You shall be called 'zebra'," he said with a sigh, patting their backs. He then turned and walked alone through the breath-taking beauty of the Garden of Eden. All about him were trees laden with delicious fruit of every possible description and taste! -- But Adam didn't feel hungry. It was all so wonderful, so beautiful, but he felt that something was wrong, something was missing.
He glanced back at the different pairs of animals strolling through the Garden together. "Each of them has their mate! -- One of their kind that is like them! Is there a mate for me?" he wondered. Somewhat sadly, he walked towards the sparkling waterfall in the midst of the Garden. But even his favourite spot in all of Eden seemed empty and lacking somehow. Alone, and feeling heavy at heart, Adam lay down and fell asleep in the soft, cool grass.
The Lord had enjoyed watching Adam name all the animals. He was also keenly interested in how Adam would react when he discovered that all the animals had mates, but there was not another creature like himself. The Lord knew that Adam would now truly appreciate a mate and companion, and He said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper for him." The Lord then caused Adam to fall into a very deep sleep, and while he slept, He removed one of Adam's ribs and closed up the flesh after it. From the rib, the Lord made His ultimate, most beautiful creation: Woman!
Adam awoke some time later and saw the Lord standing nearby. Adam had seen the Lord before, but he had never before seen the beautiful naked creature who was now standing beside the Lord!
"Adam," the Lord said, "I have created a female from your rib, and she shall be your mate, to be with you and to love you!"
Adam's heart pounded furiously, and his face was radiant with joy as he leapt to his feet! "Oh Lord!" he exclaimed, "she is the most lovely of all creatures You have created! She is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'Woman', for she was taken out of Man!"
Then the Lord blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply! Increase in number and fill the earth with your children!"
"How will we have children?" Adam questioned, puzzled.
"You must unite with the woman and become one flesh!" the Lord said with a smile. "I have put the knowledge of these things deep inside your heart!" Then the Lord vanished slowly and Adam was left alone with the ravishingly beautiful, naked woman the Lord had made for him!
"How wonderful it will be to have someone so much like myself to talk and share my joys and happiness with!" Adam thought. But Adam was most fascinated with the fact that the Lord had blessed them and commanded him to unite as 'one flesh' with her! Taking his lovely companion by the hand, he said softly, "Woman, I would like to 'become one' with you as the Lord commanded. Would you like to also?"
"Oh yes!" she answered in beautiful innocence, her eyes sparkling with love. "But what do we do?" Adam took her hand in his and looked deep into her soft blue eyes. "I'm not really sure" he confessed, "only I feel like coming very close to you and touching you!" A new and wonderful sensation was sweeping through Adam's body, and suddenly he took the woman into his arms and began gently kissing her. Soon they sank down together onto the soft and inviting grass, and slowly, beautifully, in the perfect purity and innocence of God's Own Garden of Eden, the very first man and woman ever created joined together in rapturous love! Now the Garden had truly become a Paradise! And because she was to be the mother of all Mankind, Adam called her Eve, meaning "Spring of Life"!
During the following weeks, Adam and Eve explored the Heavenly Garden together, running and playing through its beautiful lush orchards! Such joy and happiness filled their days! Of all the wonderful physical blessings the Lord had given Man and Woman, they most enjoyed the pure pleasures of beautiful, loving sex with one another!
But, sad to say, all was not well in Paradise! The Devil was furious at God's great Plan for the man and woman to make love and create children to fill the Earth, new souls for the Eternal Kingdom of God! "I must stop and destroy this Plan!" he cried. Entering Eden, he possessed the serpent, the most crafty and cunning of all creatures. He then made his way towards a tall, awesome Tree standing in the center of the Garden. Patiently he waited for Eve.
As she passed by, the Devil called out and asked her, "Has God really said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the Garden'?" Surprised, Eve replied, "We may eat of all the fruit of the trees in the Garden; but of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, God has said, 'You shall not eat of it, neither shall you even touch it, lest you die!"
"Die?!" the Devil laughed. "Why, your life would only begin! You shall not surely die! No, no! -- The real reason God has told you not to eat it is because He's keeping something back from you! -- Something you should have but that He hasn't given you! -- And that is knowledge! Wisdom!
"For God knows that in the day that you eat of this Tree, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as the gods (angels), knowing good and evil!
"Besides, it is by far the most delicious fruit in all of Eden! Go ahead! Take some!" he hissed.
Having listened to and pondered the serpent's story, Eve curiously gazed at the succulent, ripe fruit hanging from the dark branches. "It does look good to eat!" she thought, "And it certainly is pleasant to look upon!" But more than anything else, she was spellbound by the desire to be like a goddess! -- To obtain this forbidden wisdom and knowledge!
"Look at it, Eve!" the serpent hissed hypnotically, "Take it in your hands! Take it and eat if you desire to be wise! Wisdom! -- Knowledge! -- Yes, the understanding of the gods is yours for the taking!"
Slowly Eve reached out and plucked a luscious-looking fruit and held it in her hands. Smelling its sweetness, she took a bite of it. She was suddenly startled by Adam who came at that very moment and cried out, "Eve! What are you doing?! You know that fruit is forbidden to us!" But Eve had already disobeyed and now a deep dark change had come over her! Her innocence and her purity were dashed to pieces, and her entire thinking had become distorted and corrupted! She gave some to Adam, and soon had convinced him to eat some also. Immediately after swallowing that first bite, a strange feeling overcame him and he looked around and said, "How different everything looks!"
"Now look! -- Look at yourselves!" Satan cackled gleefully.
"What? Look at what?" Eve asked.
"Can't you see?" the serpent answered. "You're both naked! Look at your sexual organs! They're exposed! -- You should be ashamed! Quickly, cover yourselves before you look at each other and your evil minds begin to lust after dirty, degraded, perverted, disgusting ... sex!"
Because of their disobedience to God and the distorted outlook they now had as a result of their sin, Adam and Eve believed the Devil's lie and became ashamed of their nakedness! Quickly they sewed themselves aprons out of fig leaves to cover themselves. Scarcely had they finished when they heard the sound of the Lord walking in the Garden in the cool of the day and they were afraid! Guiltily, Adam and Eve raced for cover and hid themselves amongst the trees. But the Lord called out, "Where are you? Why have you hidden from Me?"
Afraid to confess their sin, Adam stammered, "I was afraid and hid myself because ... because ... I was naked!"
The Lord demanded, "Who told you you were 'naked'? Adam! ... Eve! ... Have you eaten of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil which I commanded you that you should not eat?"
Indeed they had! And because of their lust for wisdom, knowledge, and the power to become as God, they had disobeyed Him! Their minds and hearts were now sinful and defiled, and they could no longer be allowed to remain in the Garden, lest they eat of the Tree of Life and live forever in their disobedient, fallen state! Sadly, the Lord drove them out of the Garden of Eden!