The Harp of God | Page 8

of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living
soul." (Genesis 2:7) God did not give man a soul separate and distinct
from the man. The word soul means being; living, breathing creature.
Every man is a soul. No man has a soul. Every living creature is a soul.
God called all moving creatures that have life souls. (See Genesis 1:20,
margin) He designates various animals as souls.--Numbers 31:28.
[32]Jehovah then made a beautiful home for man, which is designated
in the Bible as Eden--a garden, a beautiful park. Everything in Eden
was perfect, because all the works of Jehovah are perfect.
(Deuteronomy 32:4) "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. And the Lord God took the
man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep
it."--Genesis 2: 8,9,15.
[33]God next gave to man a law to govern him. He told him what he
might do and what he might not do; and informed him that a violation

of this law would bring death upon him. "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."--Genesis 2:16, 17.
[34]God then created Eve to be a helpmate or companion to Adam.
(Genesis 2:21-25) If Adam and Eve had been obedient to Jehovah at all
times, there would have been no sickness, sorrow, nor death amongst
the human race.
[35]In the Scriptures Jesus, the Logos, is designated as "the bright and
morning star". (Revelation 22:16) He at all times was and is the joy and
delight of the heavenly Father, Jehovah. A star is used to symbolize a
heavenly creature. The morning star is the most honored one in all the
divine realm, Jehovah alone excepted. Other heavenly creatures are
designated as stars.
[36]Many times you have heard the question asked, Who made the
devil, Satan, the evil one? The correct answer is, He was not always the
devil or Satan. He was created a perfect and beautiful creature. He was
also designated a star of heaven. His original name was Lucifer. The
prophet Ezekiel says of him that he was "the anointed cherub that
covereth", which seems to indicate that he had authority over some
others. Continuing, the prophet records: "Thou wast upon the holy
mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the
stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou
wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." (Ezekiel 28:14,15) He is
described as a beautiful creature. Thus the Prophet speaks of him:
"Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was
thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx,
and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold:
the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in
the day that thou wast created".--Ezekiel 28:13.
[37]Other angelic hosts in heaven are designated the sons of God.
When God created the earth, laying its foundations as a habitation for
man, when he created these beautiful earthly creatures upon the earth,

these two great stars of heaven sang together a song of gladness, and
the angelic sons of God shouted for joy. (Job 38: 4-7) It appears that at
that time all the creatures of Jehovah were in harmony with him and
obedient to him, and of course they would watch the creation develop;
and when the highest earthly creatures were made, perfect man and
perfect woman, endowed with the attributes of wisdom, justice, love,
and power, made in the image and likeness of Jehovah, there was great
joy in heaven. Hence the occasion for the song and shouting by the
heavenly hosts.
[38]In the unfolding of the divine plan, therefore, we see that creation
is the first part and is properly designated as the first string upon the
harp of God. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5)
All the works of Jehovah are perfect. (Deuteronomy 32:4) Hence we
must conclude that all the creatures of Jehovah were in the light, were
creatures of light, all happy, all joyful. And when the perfect man and
perfect woman were placed in the