-2- A PRIEST AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEC

-2- A PRIEST AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEC
May 13th, 1964
Pastor Henry F. Kulp

Hebrews 5:5-8 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

Here we are told Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 

I somehow feel that the Lord is going to let us understand this character. Though there is very little information on him, though there are very few sermons ever preached about him, very few lessons have ever been taught concerning him. But the Lord tells us who he is, and tells us some things about him. And if we are to understand the High-Priesthood of Jesus Christ, we will have to understand this man, Melchisedec. This man, Melchisedec, is one of the strangest men in the Bible, but yet he is one of the greatest characters of the Old Testament. We have told you there are three men you should understand in the Old Testament, Abraham, Moses and David, and I suppose we should add this man to that list, for if we are to understand the High-Priesthood of Jesus Christ, we should understand this man. He comes out of nowhere, and he is mentioned once in Genesis, once in the book of Psalms, just twice in the Old Testament, but he is mentioned nine times in the book of Hebrews. So there must be some lesson from this man Melchisedec, if we can understand it. So let us take time and think very carefully about everything surrounding him. And when he is mentioned:

1/ Notice, it says in Verse 6, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 

Then in the 10th verse., called of God, a high priest after the order of Melchisedec. 

 

So this must be important, but let us get the background of the whole Scripture before we go into the man, Melchisedec.

2/ Now before Jesus Christ could be made High Priest, He had to be appointed one by God the Father. He was not born in the priestly tribe. He came from the Kingly tribe rather than the priestly tribe, but after His death, burial and resurrection, and His ascension, He was appointed the High Priest in Heaven by God the Father. 

Notice, Verse 5, So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but He was made one by God the Father.

3/ Now let us go down to Verse 8, though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. 

 

This all goes with the picture that you have to understand -- Christ actually learned obedience by the things He suffered. 

 

Now let us notice, Verse 7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

 

That verse is there to show us His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, and this is where He learned obedience. 

 

The 8th Verse tells us He learned obedience by the things He suffered, and the 7th verse tells us the place where He learned this obedience, and where He suffered. It was in the Garden of Gethsemane.

4/ I wish to give you a rather detailed study of the Gethsemane experience. I am sure very few people really understand it. Very few people have taken time to consider it. But let us understand what a terrible experience it was for the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Let us look at Hebrews 5:7, Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 

 

There can be absolutely no question that was the Garden of Gethsemane -- that is what God is talking about here. But there is something here that you do not read about in the Gospels. We have the record of Gethsemane in Matthew, Mark and Luke, but in those three Gospels, even though they are the full account of the Garden of Gethsemane and our Lord's experience there, it doesn't tell you what it does here.

5/ What does it tell us here? It tells us that He wept, or that He cried. It says here, having offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears. The expression, strong crying, is crying aloud. I don't know whether you have ever heard a strong man cry aloud -- I am sure you have seen strong men sob, or you have seen strong men try to stifle their crying, but Jesus Christ got to the place, because this is talking of Him as a man, where He cried aloud, and probably the disciples who were a stone's throw away heard Him. This I don't know, but I think they did. And they noticed tears were streaming down His face. We read nothing about tears in the Gospels.

6/ Then it tells us here that He offered up prayers -- notice, it is prayers. For there are different kinds of prayers. The word here in the original language is TO BESEECH. The word means that the Lord Jesus Christ was beseeching the Father for something when He was in the Garden, and you remember what He said, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. 

 

He was beseeching the Father for something. That is the meaning of the word, prayer. But now the word, supplications, it is a word that is not used any place else in the New Testament, and as I have studied this word, I find that many scholars are not just sure what it means. But it certainly means something stronger than supplications as we have it in our English. Some of the best scholars tell us it means sobbing -- so He not only cried and shed tears, but He sobbed. The first word means to beseech, and the second word means to sob, and I think it means something like this. You who have children know exactly what I am talking about -- when a child wants something and you say, no, that child begins to cry. He begins to cry aloud, and then the child asks you again, and again you say, no, but this time you add with it, "Stop your crying", and the child tries to obey, to stifle the cry. And then he asks you again, but this time between sobs. He wants this thing very desperately, and again you say, no. And the child sobs again. He doesn't cry aloud, but he has broken sobs. That is the picture of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane -- strong crying with tears, asking the Father for something, and He is rejected, and then He begins to sob and ask again.

7/ We must see that Jesus Christ as a Man, was facing something that no man ever faced in all history. We can't really understand this, we just accept what the Word of God teaches. You don't know the horrible, terrible experience that Jesus Christ went through in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus Christ was here asking deliverance from being made sin, of drinking the cup of sin.

8/ Now let us go to the record in the Gospels. Matthew 26:36. I want you to get the true picture of our Lord in the Garden. It will teach us what the Lord Jesus Christ passed through for us, and it is a terrible picture. 

Here is Christ being perfected as the Great High Priest, and notice, 

Matthew 26:36-38  Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

And it says, He was sorrowful unto death. Here He spoke about dying, and look at that 38th Verse Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 

 

Then notice, Verse 39, and He went a little farther and fell on His face.

 

 I've seen the pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane -- as a matter of fact, the last church I pastored that we pulled out of, right in back of us on the pulpit was the picture of Jesus Christ praying. How was He praying? Very calmly, very serenely, just kneeling there praying -- but this shows the tradition that men do not understand their Bibles -- it isn't Jesus Christ in the Garden -- He didn't sit there calmly, He fell on His face, flat on His face. He was so burdened with sorrow, He was so torn apart by that which He was facing, that He just threw Himself on His face, and He prayed, Our Father, if it be possible, if there is any other way, let this cup pass from me. 

 

Let us understand something else. Jesus Christ did not die as a martyr. A true martyr dies very calmly. He has a reason for dying, and he is proud of it. But Jesus Christ did not die as a martyr. He, in the flesh, shrunk back from being made sin. Then, also, Jesus Christ in His death is not a picture of the believer dying. The believer should die calmly -- why? 

 

II Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

But Jesus Christ here was facing being made sin for us. He is not an example for us in death. He was facing something terrible, and He said, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me.

9/ I think it was Martin Luther who said, there are two words that we do not have any right to use in prayer -- the one is the word, "why" and the other is the word, "if". And when you study the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ, He said, "why" -- "Why hast thou forsaken Me?" He said that on the cross. Then secondly, He said, here, "if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." So you see, He was facing a terrible thing.

10/ Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

He said, the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He did not have sinful flesh, but it was weak flesh, and as we go along, I want to show you how weak it was, as He faced this awful test.

11/ Notice, Jesus Christ went back and prayed the second time. He went back and prayed the third time. Jesus said the same over, and that is repetition, and Jesus Christ said we are not to pray repetitious prayers. Why did Jesus Christ do this? Because He was beside Himself. He acted as though He didn't know what to do. He went back to His disciples, and then went back and fell on His face. He went back and did it a third time. He was under such an awful burden and pressure that the blood oozed out from the veins in His body. He actually -- the Scripture said, sweat blood. It was something terrible that He faced in the Garden.

12/ Mark 14: 32 - 33  And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;

We have the expression, sore amazed. It is from the root of the Greek that was so terrible that we would say in our language, He was petrified with fear. That is exactly what happened to the Lord Jesus Christ. When He saw the powers of darkness, and He partook of that awful cup of sin, He was petrified with fear. It was so terrible that it was terrifying to Him.

13/ How bad was it? God had to send an angel to strengthen Him. 

Luke 22: 42 - 44 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Notice, there appeared an angel unto Him from Heaven, strengthening Him. The Lord Jesus Christ had to pass through all our weakness, and if you had something to pass through that is more than you can bear, He understands this because He passed through something that was too much for Him, and He had to have an angel come and strengthen Him. 

 

Then notice, Verse 44, and being in agony. 

 

He was in agony in the Garden, and in agony He prayed more earnestly, someone who is able to think, will say immediately. How did the Lord Jesus Christ pray more earnestly one time than another? But that is exactly what the Scripture says, and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. That is the picture of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Garden as He suffered.

14/ Now let us go back to Hebrews 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

 

Though He was the Son, the second Person of the Trinity, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered, and as I said before, and I think it is necessary to repeat this because we only learn by repetition anyway -- the Lord Jesus Christ had never learned in all eternity obedience -- now the time had come when the Father told the Son to do something, and to do something that was awful. Jesus Christ had never obeyed. He didn't know what it was to obey, but He learned obedience. 

 

Philippians 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death. 

 

When the Lord Jesus Christ died, He was obeying the Father.

15/ To start with, as we study Melchisedec, we see that Christ was made a high priest in the heavens by obeying and learning obedience and suffering, but He has passed through everything that you pass through. He knows all about it, because He experienced it. Let me use an illustration of what I mean. When you are driving out into the country, you often come to a bridge and see the sign, "load limit 5 tons" or "not to exceed 5 tons", or maybe 7 tons. The Lord has put a load limit on you and on me. Just as you know that a bridge can only stand a certain weight, certain load limits, the Lord knows just what you can stand, and everyone has his load limit, and the Lord never exceeds his load limit, for He knows just what limit you can bear, because He knows what He went through. 

I Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Notice, he will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; 

He knows exactly what you are able to bear, and will make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.

16/ Romans 8:34 Who is He that condemeth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even sat at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

 

Jesus Christ is our Intercessor Who we can trust and depend upon because He knows exactly what we are going through. He is the perfect One interceding for us at the right hand of God.

 

AMEN

 

5/13/1964 / -2- A PRIEST AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEC/ 8/6/2026

571-1 WHY NATIONS FALL

571-1 WHY NATIONS FALL

September 28, 1980
PASTOR HENRY F. KULP
 

Proverbs 30: 11 - 16 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
 
Now we come to a very interesting part of the book of Proverbs. Here, as Solomon is well up in years, he is teaching his state department, he uses a method of teaching that is very interesting.
 
1/ He uses QUATERNARIES. A QUATERNARY IS FOUR THINGS THAT ARE PUT TOGETHER TO FORM A DOCTRINE. IT COULD ALSO BE SAID, FOUR THINGS THAT ARE USUALLY PARALLEL.
 
2/ Sometimes it will be three things, yea four, or three things plus one. Three form the illustration, or the fourth, or the next one is the doctrine.
 
3/ I read where A.C. Gabelein calls these quatrains. And these are not quatrains, for a quatrain is a four-line poem, and these are not four-line poems. A quaternary can be 8 lines or two lines, or something in between. You never know how many lines are in a quaternary. It is four things that are put together to form a doctrine, and it is a very interesting way to teach.
 
(Arno Clemens Gaebelein was a Methodist minister in the United States. He was a prominent teacher and conference speaker. He was the father of educator and philosopher of Christian education Frank E. Gaebelein.)
 
https://johnmichaelwiley.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/a-c-gaebelein-a-compassionate-dispensational-premillennialist-and-friend-of-israel/
 
4/ Of course, Solomon is teaching the teen-agers in Israel. Here he shows that four generations in succession can destroy a nation, and if you study these four with me, and then will study church history, you will see this is absolutely true. It is absolutely frightening to realize that it requires only four decadent generations in succession to totally destroy a nation or a civilization. Remember, these teen-agers will become adults and rule the land, and their experience in the teen-ager years formulates their later life.
 
5/ Verses 11 – THE FIRST GENERATION – This is the generation that has no respect for authority -- not concept of authority. (WHAT A DISGRACE TO HUMAN NATURE)...CURSING THEIR PARENTS. The cursing of a parent brings capital punishment upon the Israelitish teen-ager.
 
Leviticus 20: 9, 10 For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him. And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
 
Leviticus. 20: 9 And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
 
For everyone who curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. Then in the 10th verse he talks about who commits adultery. Shall be put to death -- you see, the one sin is aligned with the other.
 
6/ Then the cursing of a parent has the same punishment as blaspheming of God.
 
Leviticus 24: 11 -14 And the Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses... And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
 
7/ Lack of respect for parents leads to lack of respect for all in authority, and authority is necessary for the survival of a nation -- and loss of respect for authority begins in the home.
 
8/ The word, curse, here means to have a lack of respect for the parents, and then this is carried over into the classroom. Lack of respect for the teacher, to the streets as they have a lack of respect for other people's property, and it goes into athletics -- lack of respect for the coaches, and it comes to the lack of respect for the policeman and all authority. You can see it in the war-resisters -- those who are against atomic power, and the way they carry on. You see it in the sexual revolution, you see it in the smoking of marijuana, using of other drugs. You see it in sports ever so clearly today.
 
9/ Take music. You even see it in the music of the day. It is music that calls discord music. You see it in the art of the day. You see it in every realm of life. So this first generation is right in our land today. But now we have a shocking thing to see.
 
II Timothy 3: 1 - 2 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.
 
In the last days, and I believe we are in them right now, men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedience to parents, and this is speaking to the church, those who are believers in Jesus Christ. They will not put up with parental restraint.
 
10/ Remember the tragic case of Ham, the son of Noah?
 
Genesis 9: 20 - 27 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
 
Ham had a curse brought upon his children because he himself had dishonored his father, Noah, in looking upon him when he was unclothed. It may seem strange to you, it seems remarkable to me, that God thought less of Noah being drunk than He did the sin of Ham in observing his father's nakedness. At any rate, a terrible curse was put upon Ham and his children because he had been an undutiful son, lacking in reverence and respect for his father's person. But Shem and Jepheth were blessed because without looking they covered their father, Noah.
 
11/ Verse 12 – The second generation rejected all authority. Now they reject the authority of God. They are in rebellion against God and it naturally follows, when one rejects his parents authority he will reject God's authority. What did they do? They were pure in their own eyes, and yet were not washed from their filthiness. God says all are sinners, depraved, and need salvation by grace plus nothing. I have found the hardest people in the world to reach are those who reject authority. Immediately they look at their own goodness or think they have goodness. THIS IS SELF-DELUSION – NO CONCEPT OF SIN.
 
12/ They actually reject the authority of the Bible. They have no concept of sin. Is this true today? Look about you. The religion of the hour is the rejection of the authority of the Bible. Just take one phase of life today -- homosexuality -- a horrible sin in God's sight. He gave up the Gentiles in Romans because of this sin. He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain for this sin, but these folks believe they have a right, and they think they are pure in God's sight. I read where one homosexual said, God created him that way, and He never created a mess. God never created any man a homosexual. He got that way through his own wickedness, and God can deliver him through salvation, but he rejects it.
 
13/ Take the matter of sex in general. It is in rebellion against God's authority. Yet, these people think they are pure in God's sight, and in so doing, they reject divine viewpoint, the Bible, altogether.
 
14/ Notice, NOT WASHED. They are still in their filthiness. Do you see this happening in our society today? You do, on every side.
 
15/ THE THIRD GENERATION – Verse 13 – This generation is described by an idiom which refers to a complete and thorough pride. HOW LOFTY ARE THEIR EYES, THEIR EYELIDS ARE LIFTED UP. Human viewpoint reigns supreme. It is the result of a previous generation's accumulation of sin. The self-righteousness of the second generation leads to much arrogance and pride in the third generation. If anyone seeks to correct them, and make them conscience of their true condition in the sight of God, they turn angrily upon him as wild beasts, ready to rend with their teeth which are like swords and knives.
 
16/ Eyelids being lifted up. They are not looking unto the Lord as we have in Colossians, but they are exalting themselves. Do you want to see the climax of this sin?
 
II Thessalonians 2: 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
 
Here we see this pride embodied in a man -- the man of sin, sitting in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Self-exaltation, and may we say, self-exaltation stinks.
 
17/ Proverbs 16: 18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
 
Here we have the embodiment of this teaching concerning the third generation.
 
How often we look at others and we see pride and arrogance in the other person, and we are appalled with what we see -- we are filled with disgust. But then we turn around and tolerate it in ourselves. What hypocrites we can be.
 
18/ Verse 14 – THE FOURTH GENERATION – As a result of their pride, their arrogancy, their pride has to be fed. Pride always demands feeding. The only way to feed pride is on the outside, and it is by status symbols, and of course this is always at the expense of others. They take advantage of the poor and the helpless in order to feed their pride and their arrogancy.
 
19/ We can see all four of these things in our nation today, and rest assured it didn't happen overnight. It was a progressive thing from one generation to the other. First, handing down rebellion against authority, starting with rebellion against parents, and then the next generation, rebellion against God, doing your own thing. Then the third generation becomes proud and arrogant. Then the fourth generation becomes grasping and self-seeking.
 
20/ Let me show you a generation that all four of these signs, and that generation fell and mighty was the fall of it. You take the nation, the generation that was existing when Jesus Christ was upon this earth. You take the Scribes and the Pharisees. Did they reject authority? They most certainly did.– Here Jesus Christ quotes Moses and He said Moses commanded that his people give honor to father and mother.
 
Mark 7: 10,11 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother.
 
The penalty of death was attached to the violation of this commandment. Whoso curseth, that is, in any way harms or wrongs father or mother, let him die the death. This would surely involve caring for aged parents who were unable to provide for themselves. The least that sons and daughters could do is share with parents that which God has given to them. But the rabbi's had declared that a man might dedicate all his possessions to God, declaring it to be Corbin, that is a gift for the maintenance of the work of the temple, and if his parents were in need, he would insist that he had nothing with which he could help them, because all he possessed had already been devoted to God. This was deceit of the rankest order.
 
21/ They had rejected authority. 
 
Mark 7:1 - 9 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
 
By their tradition they had rejected God's authority in the Word of God, making it null and void.
 
22/ Then they also showed self-righteousness that followed. A rejection of God's authority. 
 
Matthew 23: 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
 
Here He said to those who were very religious, they went to church at least three times a day, prayed seven times a day, they went around performing all sorts of good deeds, and sentimental things. They were very sincere and zealous, but the Lord said to them: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
 
23/ We see the results of the third generation in Israel.
 
Luke 18: 9 - 12  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
 
Here we have the parable of the self-righteous Pharisee. What did he do? He trusted in himself that he was right, and then this led him to despise others. He was pure in his own eyes, but not washed of his filthiness.
 
24/ The third generation could be seen. They were arrogant, full of pride. This is exhibited by the very king of the Jews.
 
Acts 12: 20 - 23 And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
 
Here is Herod who was so prideful and arrogant, that he thought he could have people think he was God, but he was eaten of worms.
 
25/ What about the fourth generation? Could it be seen in this generation? Absolutely. Their ego had to be fed. They were grasping and greedy and put down the poor and the needy. 
 
Matthew 23: 13,14 He said: But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
How wicked a prayer is, what an abomination to the Lord when such a prayer is used to build up a reputation of godliness, while one is actually living in hypocrisy.
 
26/ And what happened to this generation? It was blinded, it was cast aside, it was given up by God.
 
Additional Scripture to study:
 
Matthew 21: 23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
 
Romans 11: 25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
 
Same with families – 4 generations – utterly wrecked
 
AMEN
 
9/28/1980 / 571-1 WHY NATIONS FALL / 8/6/2026

372 - THE TREE OF LIFE AND THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL

372 - THE TREE OF LIFE AND THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL

September 19, 1979

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

Genesis 2: 7 - 9 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

 

Here we have a very interesting portion of Scripture, one that few people ever give much consideration to. I want to warn you beforehand that some of the things I am going to say tonight may seem to be new, and they certainly will be different from what most people believe, but I believe these things are true, and will help you to understand more fully the sin of our first parents Adam and Eve.

 

1/  To start with, it is necessary that we understand the word, Adam.  Or the name, Adam.  The word, Man, in the Hebrew is Adam — the word by itself always refers to the human race, which is made up of male and female. When it has the definite article, Ha, in front of it — Ha-Adam — it is not the human race, but the first man, Adam, himself.

2/  Let us look at Genesis. 5: 1 - 5 where he says, “This is the book of the generations of Adam.”  That is just plain Adam and that means humanity, the human race — in the day that God created man, and here the definite article is in front of it — it is Ha-Adam, the man Adam himself. 

Genesis 1: 1 - 5 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth: And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

Verse 2  Male and female created He them and blessed them and called their name Adam — that is just the name Adam, so it means humanity, the human race, in the day when they were created.  

Then in Verse 3 “…And Adam lived 130 years”, and here it has the definite article in front of it again — it is Ha-Adam, or the man Adam himself — so we have to learn to distinguish between Adam and the man Adam himself.

Genesis 5: 1 - 3 ”This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived an Hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.” 

3/  Genesis 2: 7 — It says the Lord God formed man; this is Ha-Adam, man himself, of the dust of the ground.

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." 

4/  Genesis. 2: 8 — And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put man whom He had formed.  

Adam was put in the garden, and the word GARDEN means luxury, and he was placed in the very lap of luxury in a place of par-excellence. We have those who are constantly talking about the environment. God surrounded him with luxury absolute — there was not a want nor a need that could not be supplied. Everything was supplied. How could Adam and Eve ever appreciate God Himself or His gifts?

Genesis 2: 8  And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

5/  By contrast. It is true that he had fellowship with God. He walked with God. The Bible says He is a God of love. He is love. Some say that is in a figurative sense. But that is not true. God is love — His essence is love. How can Adam or anyone else understand God as a God of love, except by contrast?

6/  We find the answer to how man will understand God in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the tree of life.

7/  If you are born rich and you always live rich, you can never understand poverty. It would be completely foreign to you to be in poverty, to know what it means to do without. Even if you are in the middle class, you really can't understand poverty unless you have been there. Take for instance someone who has lived where it is always warm and nice — that person cannot really understand the four seasons. They can't understand ice and snow and cold sub-zero weather, never really appreciate what they have. You have to live in the four seasons to appreciate having it nice all the time.

8/  Adam, as he was created and placed in the Garden of Eden, was really filled with apathy as far as God was concerned. Apathy means LACK OF PASSION OR EMOTION OR EXCITEMENT — A LACK OF FEELING — or we could say HE WAS PHLEGMATIC. NOT EASILY AROUSED OR MOTIVATED. He was really neutral. He would be indifferent, and I think we have to understand this about Adam and Eve.

9/  So God plants the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life, or the tree of living, in that garden.  When He was finished He said everything was good.

Genesis 1: 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

10/  Now we have to ask ourselves the question: Good for what? And this is the answer we must seek.The tree of the knowledge of good and evil had a double duty. Someone asked me, what kind of tree was it? I really don't know. We have the fig tree mentioned — they sewed fig leaves and made clothing for themselves. I think there was a palm tree, a vine, but what kind of tree this is I don't know. What kind of fruit it was, I don't know, and it is not important.

11/  As we said, it has a double duty. One, it gives the knowledge of good, and two, it gives the knowledge of evil, and Adam lacked this. The foremost thing, which was placed first, was good — secondly evil. Good should be foremost because good will always be with us throughout all eternity, but evil will cease to be one day.

12/  Most people dwell upon evil. They say Adam and Eve ate of the tree and they learned to be evil, and they neglect the fact that he was also given knowledge of good.  Knowledge of good is not sin. So this is really our conscience, isn't it? Up to this point, Adam and Eve did not have a conscience.

Genesis 2: 15 - 17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Here God warned Adam and Eve — the day you eat, dying thou shalt surely die. We have another point to think about. Most people believe that Adam and Eve were immortal at this time, that they couldn't die, and I have to admit for years I believed this. I do not believe this any more. I believe Adam and Eve, created out of the dust of the ground, were mortal right from the beginning, but they could die. What brought me to this conclusion? The fact that God put the tree of life, or the tree of living, in the garden right on the 6th day. Why did He do this? Because Adam and Eve had to eat of it to stay alive.

 

13/  Genesis. 3: 22 - 24 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Here we read that God drove them out of the garden, because they would put their hand forth and take of the tree of living and eat and, notice, live forever. Then God put the cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way of the tree of life.

13/  Man down through the ages has always been looking for the fountain of youth — Ponce de Leon. It has ever been the dream of man that he will find something that will cause him to live forever.

14/  Adam, even in his unfallen state, depended upon the tree for continued physical life. When deprived of the tree of life, by an act of disobedience, he began to die. If he had access to the tree of life he would still be here living on this earth today.

15/  But to carry out the death sentence, God, Elohim, stopped them from eating of the tree of life.  And so death passed upon all his children. We have partaken of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in disobedience in Adam.

16/  Some tell us that God caused sin. God is responsible for sin. He put the tree there because He wanted man to sin, but that is not true. Of course, before Adam sinned and plunged the whole race into sin, God knew it would take place, and He made provision.

Revelation 13: 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

17/  Genesis 3: 15 - 17 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

God commanded that they should not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  If He commanded him, he certainly had the possibility of either not eating or of eating. Man was given volition. There are many people who do not accept this fact, but volition is one of the greatest gifts God gave to man. God was not interested in puppets. He didn't make Adam and Eve puppets who would automatically do His will. They were given the ability to either reject or accept God's will, and of course God's will was put aside and they disobeyed the command of God.

18/  Did God know they were going to break His command? Of course He did — that is the foreknowledge of God, but the responsibility still rests upon Adam.  Man in disobeying God came to know the knowledge of good and evil. We can ask, why did God give the law to Israel? Did He expect Israel to be law-keepers? To be able to keep the law? Of course not. When He gave them the law, He knew they would not be able to keep it. Why, then, give the law? There was a very definite purpose.

Romans 3: 19 - 20 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."  (The law was given to stop every mouth, that all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

19/  Romans 5: 20 Here we read, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. The law was given, not that Israel would keep it, but that they may be taught by it.

Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.

20/  Galatians 3: 24 The law was the schoolmaster to Israel. That means the law was the bodyguard, the school bus that took the children to school, and it was to bring Israel to Christ.

Galatians 3: 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Galatians 4: 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

Here we have tutors and governors.

21/  So God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden so that if man disobeyed, but by contrast he would better understand God.

Romans 8: 28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

22/  Now man can understand God much better than in apathy or in a phlegmatic way.  Now man can understand the grace of God, the kindness of God and the gentleness and goodness of God. Something Adam and Eve in their unfallen state could never understand.

23/  James 1: 13 - 14  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

I have long considered this a commentary on the sin of Adam and Eve. The word, TEMPTED, is in the middle voice — it means they were tempted out of their own volition. 

The same thing is true in Philippians 2: 9 - 11 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here it says every tongue shall confess.  That also is middle voice. God does not force them to confess this; they gladly do it. Even the lost will do this, for at this point they will see the folly of their stand against the Lord Jesus Christ.

James 1:13-14 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

I Corinthians 15: 51 - 55 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

We are mortal and our bodies are dying and we will die, for it is appointed unto man once to die, and here it says that all shall be changed. 

24/  Then notice in this same Scripture, verses 54 - 55 When this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory, or Death where is thy sting, O grave where is thy victory?  

That is not true today. Many people read this at a funeral, and talk and use it as if it were true today, but that is not true. This will be true only at the time of the Rapture, when our mortal bodies will have put on immortal bodies, our corruptible bodies will have put on incorruption.  What a wonderful day this will be.

I Corinthians 15: 54 - 55 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The only One who has immortality right now is Jesus Christ.  

II Timothy 1: 10  But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Jesus Christ is the only One who has an immortal body, a body that cannot die, but at the Rapture we are going to have a body that will not die. It will be an immortal body.

25/  We won't need the tree of life. This is what makes Romans 6: 23 so wonderful. 

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We don't eat to keep alive forever — we believe to live forever. We receive a gift here and now which is accorded to us for eternity — eternal life.

AMEN

 

9/19/1979 / 372 - THE TREE OF LIFE AND THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL / 8/6/2026