Eden's Easter Eggs pt 1

Not-so-obvious nuggets of truth from the first chapters of Genesis

The Bible is the primary source document and code of ethics of western civilization. Many of its verses, proverbs, and passages emerge as core values spanning multiple cultures throughout history.

The first chapters of Genesis establish the context of the entire scriptures.

I've discovered a few fascinating and not-so-obvious truths in these ancient texts that I didn't learn in Sunday School or theology classes. I call them "Eden's Easter Eggs."

If your theology or perspective of God and the Bible is fragile or sensitive, this might not be for you. My intention is more like the first line of the Humpty Dance by Digital Underground. "Alright, Stop whatcha doin 'cause I'm about to ruin the image and the style that you're used to."

Free your mind and enjoy!

The scriptures referenced are from the New International Version or the New American Standard Bible.

CONTENTS: follow this link to read both parts of Eden’s Easter Eggs with an interactive table of contents

PART 1

Easter egg 1 - God wants a bride

Easter egg 2 - Time and preparation precede the bride

Easter egg 3 - Natural mate selection reflects how humans select God

Easter egg 4 - The days of creation were different than 24-hour days

Easter egg 5 - Humans are spirits outside of time and space

Easter egg 6 - In the likeness of God, humans are also a trinity

Easter egg 7 - The irreversible contract

PART 2

Easter egg 8 - Made in the likeness of God, humans also create serpents

Easter egg 9 - The original serpent in Eden conversing with Eve was a dragon

Easter egg 10 - The REAL original sin

Easter egg 11 - The morality problem

Easter egg 12 - Eden turns woke

Easter egg 13 - The first coping mechanism and a life sacrificed

Easter egg 14 - The roots of marginalization

Part 1 of 2

Easter egg 1: God wants a bride.

Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." But why? The last few pages of the Bible tell us. There's a wedding between Christ, the Logos or Word of the Godhead, and a collection of humans comprising a collective bride. Can this really be the entire context of every page between the two events? Can it be that simple? Well, what if it is?

If God wants a bride, then He is the literal Divine Masculine. And humans are both literal and symbolic in their genders. Something magical happens when humans are unified. It's in that unity that God desires to dwell. Matthew 18:20, For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst. Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus replied:" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 2 Corinthians 3:17, Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (naked and unashamed?). Genesis 2:24-25, For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and they will become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.

The Divine Feminine Bride is not us individually. On the contrary, the Divine Feminine is the unity, love, and belonging we share between us, even though there cannot be a perfectly whole Bride without the individual parts.

Easter egg 2: Time and preparation precede the bride.

Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you that where I am, there you will be also." Everything has to be in place before the entrance of the bride. It's reflected in multiple cultures.

In some cultural traditions, the man goes away to build the house. He then finally brings his Bride, usually celebrated in a special ceremony. In most Judeo-Christian weddings, the Bride is the last to enter. Even then, she is veiled until the appropriate time to show her face.

In Genesis two, it is apparent that Adam spent much time with the Creator before Eve came along. God put Adam in the Garden. The Garden grew up around him - possibly decades. God had the conversation with Adam about not eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil's fruit. Then, God said that it wasn't good for Adam to be alone. "Oh - but let's wait even more. You're going to go out and name all of the animals first." When everything else was in place and in perfect order, God created the woman from the man.

Suppose the scientific evidence is factual that the universe is 13.8 billion years old and the Earth is 4.5 billion years old. This final humanity event is only a blip at the end of this timeline. Isn't it consistent with God's preparation pattern? And would it be any problem for a Creator outside of time-space to accomplish this?

A valuable psychological principle is that delayed gratification fosters mental health and success. It appears that this principle is etched into the cosmos as well.

Easter egg 3: Natural mate selection reflects how humans select God.

The woman was last to be created because, as the feminine, she is the symbolic Bride of Christ. I believe that the creation of the woman intentionally puts her at the top of the value hierarchy - literally and symbolically. In natural birthing, every human on the planet has passed through a woman's vagina. Throughout history, women have determined mate selection to preserve and propagate our species.

It's fascinating that at the end of the Biblical story, the Bride's individual parts are represented by humans who choose God, the Divine Masculine, just like the natural pattern of mate selection. Logically, those who do not choose God are not included in the Bride's representation. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Easter egg 4: The days of creation were different than 24-hour days.

Genesis 1 is an epic ballad of the creation account, and as a ballad, there is a refrain capping each day's events. "And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day (and each day after)." Although the book of Daniel also mentions "evenings and mornings" in a prophecy, Genesis 1 is the only text in the Bible that describes this kind of "day" in two statements - "and there was evening, and there was morning."

The theme of Genesis 1 is that chaos is turned into order, emptiness is turned into abundance, and obscurity is turned into clarity. The original Hebrew word for "evening" is the same word for "mix." It describes the appropriate yet obscure mixture of day and night when objects might be unclear or confusing due to lack of light. The second statement, "and there was morning," contrasts the evening as the clarity of the bright new-day sun. This is much more consistent with the nature of Genesis 1 and God's creative activity - obscurity to clarity. The context is about the transformation, not the time frame.

Evening to morning is 13 hours of darkness at best, and the moon represents the night. A day is daytime, represented by the sun as established on the fourth day.

As in many other languages, "day" is also a period of time, such as saying "someday" or "back in the day," or in the speech by Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." It's not a specific day but an era when something different will be the norm, such as Genesis 2:17 stating, "for on the DAY that you eat from it you will certainly die."

If all days of creation were 24-hour days, then why did the Creator wait until the fourth day to establish the standard of measuring days?

Easter egg 5: Humans are spirits outside of time and space. 

Each creation event ascends a hierarchy pyramid of complexity and value. At the end of the sixth day is the account of the final living being's creation - humans. Genesis 1:26-27. Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God, He created him; male and female He created them."

Does God have bones, a stomach, or eyelids to block His view? John 4:24. "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" So how are we the image or likeness of God? We are also spirits. "Spirit" is in a group of synonyms that include psyche, mind, and soul. By prevalent influence, the definition of "consciousness" is also evolving to be in this collection. Can I measure my consciousness in a spoon, cup, or barrel? What does it weigh? Does it require sleep? Apparently not.

The human spirit exists beyond the third dimension of space. But is it contained in time? Our minds can recall dozens of memories in one second and relive those memories on demand. We envision our plans for tomorrow or the future like they already happened. We may accomplish our dreams and fantasies, but they exist in our minds sometimes long before we took action. Is your current consciousness different from what you had as a child, or what it will be tomorrow?

John, one of the disciples of Jesus, wrote the Book of Revelation. He wrote it in the past tense as revealed in visions given to him by the Holy Spirit. There was no difference between the inspiration of Revelation and the inspiration of Genesis given to Moses. The divine Source sees it all outside of time and space like it already happened. And that Source chose to provide us with that same part of His nature - consciousness and spirit. We are God's image-bearers.

Easter egg 6: In the likeness of God, humans are also a trinity.

"Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness..."

The ancestral self (the Father):

There's the immediate impression of the ancestral lineage as the established and perceptively foundational part of us. It is the highest ideal of self. Yet, it is also the most inherently undefinable, unknowable, and unnamable. "Who AM I?" "Who ARE you?" "Really."

There are more than 100 Hebrew names for God the Father. My name is Eric Riley. But am I more than my name? Of course I am. I'm much more than my name. So are you.

Self as the virtuous living word (the Son):

Out of the unknowable ancestry emerges an aspect of us designed to be fully known. It is who we are as the "logos" or word. It speaks the truth, gives thanks, forgives, and creates. It cooks food, produces art, participates in music, punches a time clock, and shows up to meetings. It is our integrity, commitment to truth, and truthful actions.

Self as spirit (the Holy Spirit):

The "pneuma" is the "breath, wind, or spirit" part of us. It is the inspiration that animates us and moves us forward with hope and anticipation. It is also described as our psyche or soul and our experience of life at the moment.

The Bible mentions all types of sins, but there is only one that is unforgivable. Discovering that we are also a type of trinity sheds new light on this verse.

Matthew 12:31 - "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men (all humanity), but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven."

Blaspheming or cursing a person is common. Just look at most social media feeds. You can blaspheme my foundation and ancestry and your perception of me. You can curse my integrity, words, and actions. I'll probably forgive you. But if your nihilistic worldview curses, vilifies, and crushes my passion or dreams, we both have hell to pay.

But that's not the unforgivable part. Convincing someone to kill their own future - extinguish their flame - smash their hopes into tiny pieces themselves. THAT is, indeed, unforgivable. The only possible redemption you have is sacrificing or offering your life to battle that dragon you unleashed on someone else. Then, just maybe, redemption will find you and set you free.

Easter egg 7: The irreversible contract.

Genesis 1:28-30. "God blessed them (Adam and Eve) and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.' Then God said, 'Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.'" And it was so." YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING - NO TAKEBACKS.

In the first sentence, the word "blessed" denotes delivery of authorization or commissioning like a quality check. It's not a blessing like a hug or pat on the back or, "Hey, good luck with that." How do we know? Because the day before, God said the same thing to the fish and the birds. "Then God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.'" But God augmented the blessing on humans. Verse 28: "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.'"

God didn't give the planet Earth to humans. However, He did give everything that breathes, grows, swims, flies, or crawls on it. Yet, it's all of those things that sustain the health of our living planet, and we humans are responsible for every part of it. There's an old church chorus I learned as a child. "He's got the whole world in His hands." But, unfortunately, that's not necessarily so according to the original agreement. WE have the world in OUR hands, and we can't pretend to be victims or blame God when we see how much destruction our species does to it.

Inside this initial contract with humans, there appears to be another principle. God holds back his hands, as it were, to act in our world until we ask. Therefore, it is upon us humans to petition, intercede and call upon God.

2 Chronicles 7:14. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Notice that focused intention and action follow the humble prayer. This principle works whether you believe that there is a God who hears your prayer or not.

Matthew 6:9-10 "So then, this is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'"

Even Jesus pleaded to the Father to rescind the coming crucifixion. Matthew 26:39. "Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.'" And three verses later, Matthew 26:42. "A second time He went away and prayed, 'My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.'" God's will was done.

If you don't believe in a God who hears your prayers, begin by practicing gratitude and see where that leads you. If you do believe in God, thanksgiving is not an option. 1 Thessalonians 5:18. "in everything, give thanks..." Philippians 4:6. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."