The Beginning of Nations: Act Five
Their eyes were opened and they knew that they were naked.
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Priscilla put down her chalk and declared, “And so, was The Beginning of Nations.”
The lecture was over, and we stood to our feet with gracious applause. She was a good teacher. She told us how Yahweh wanted to have Adam and Eve by his side in paradise forever. And that he also wanted humanity to multiply, fill, and subdue the earth. But he wanted them to do it in a way that would promote his creation and not subvert it as they were apt to do. So, just like the gates of New Jerusalem are always open, permitting us to venture in and out, the gates of Eden were also open. The plan was for Adam and Eve to transform humanity—with Eve at the forefront. She was to be to Adam as Aaron, the mouthpiece, was to Moses. As John the Baptist, the forerunner, was to Jesus Born. And as the Holy Spirit, the witness, was to Jesus Resurrected.
But they never got the chance.
Adam and Eve were in God because Yahweh chose them. Not because they chose him. That left their faith shallow and without root. And the serpent, more cunning than the others, preyed on that weakness. He convinced them to eat from the forbidden tree even though Yahweh had warned them not to. Two severe consequences followed. Their relationship with Yahweh was severed—they were no longer in God and their heavenly bodies reverted to bodies of flesh. And they were no longer with God—they were forced out of paradise to live among others of their kind.
By then, humanity had evolved into a scattered population of hunters and gatherers. In time, Adam, Eve, and their descendants showed them how to cultivate the earth. They also shared their knowledge of Yahweh. But they were powerless to heal the hardened hearts of those around them. And that was the beginning of nations.
It was hopeless.
I sat back and the wooden curve of the chair pressed into my back. Sure. The questions about Adam, Eve, and the fall of humanity were answered. But there was still one more significant, outstanding “why”.
I watched as the people below filed up the stairs. Wichita caught my eye as they passed by. They nodded and smiled. And a few people from above rushed down to meet with Priscilla before she left. Perhaps they were wondering, too. I leaned forward to listen. No. They just wanted to hear about her adventures with Paul. Dejected, I left but ran into Wichita lingering outside the door. Our eyes met, and without exchanging a word, we headed to the theater where the exhibit began.
Was the tour guide still there?
He looked up with raised eyebrows when we walked in. “Do you want to see the presentation again?” he asked. “So soon?”
I walked over and touched his arm. It was thin and bony underneath his cloak but warm to the touch. “We want to know why the serpent deceived Eve. Can you show us what happened through the portal?”
“I don’t have to show you,” he said with a wry smile. “I know why. But it never gets any easier.”
“What never gets easier?” I asked.
“That part of the story. It weighs on me. I don’t like to tell it.”
I was surprised. This was the place of no more tears. But the tour guide wasn’t defeated. The brightness within his eyes told me so.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because I am Adam,” he said.
He sat on the floor and crossed his legs, and we sat down with him.
Wichita leaned forward. “Why did the plan go awry?”
Adam hung his head. “Through the portal, we watched humanity progress. Shortly before the incident, we saw small bands of humans moving through central Africa. And east into the isthmus of Asia. There were also those further north who had evolved into sister species. They would also be able to understand our message." He looked up, his eyes looked sad. "Eve and I started making plans to go out and meet with them. But the serpent had a different agenda.”
“Is he the one who took care of Eve when she was a child?” I asked.
“The very same. He became antsy, always second-guessing our plans. He said it was too dangerous for Eve to be out of the protection of paradise.”
“That wasn’t true. Yahweh would have protected you,” Wichita said, wide-eyed.
“Perhaps. But the serpent was grooming Eve for something even more sinister. He wanted her to doubt herself. He told her that she needed more knowledge. She needed to be like God to be able to fulfill her purpose. That’s when he led her to the forbidden tree.”
“Why didn’t you stop her?” I asked.
“I also believed we needed to be like God to navigate the world we had witnessed. The humans we saw were violent. Not so much within clans. But when the clans clashed, there was bloodshed." Adam shook his head. "And they treated their women so poorly. Eve and I often wondered how any of them had survived.”
“What was the serpent grooming Eve for?” Wichita asked.
Adam covered his face with his hands. “The serpent lusted after her. He wanted her for himself and reasoned that in a fallen state, Eve would return his desire. But the joke was on him. Even though he tricked us, he didn’t get what he wanted. Yahweh banished him into a form that would not be able to love or be loved by a human female.”
“He put enmity between the snake and the woman,” I said, nodding.
“He told us all what to expect outside of paradise. I would no longer have access to the unhampered growth of vegetation. And Eve? She had not been optimized for childbearing. For her, childbirth would be painful. Dangerous. But even so, our bodies were flesh and beyond reason—I would need her and she would desire me. And so it was with her and our progeny.”
“Wow. Eve got the worst of it,” Wichita said, shaking their head.
Adam nodded. “As Yahweh was leading us out, I overheard one of the winged creatures say, ‘Adam will be okay, but Eve and her daughters? They are going to hate it there.’”
They were right about that.
All my life, as a daughter of Eve, I hungered and thirsted for paradise. Even before I knew it existed.
And now that I am here, I will never, ever leave the city of New Jerusalem.
Merry Christmas!
