The Fall

00:00:00 Speaker 1: But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, where are you? Genesis three nine. Dear Lord, you are our refuge, You are our redeemer. We confess that, like Adam and Eve, we have hidden. We cover ourselves in shame. We turn away in fear. Yet you do not leave us there. Your mercy reaches for us. Your grace calls us out of hiding. You see us and still love us. Through the cross. We are restored because of Jesus. Our shame is lifted, our sins are washed clean, and the weight of guilt is gone. We no longer need to run, We no longer need to hide. In your love. We find courage in your sacrifice. We find freedom. With grateful hearts, we can answer you with bold voices. We say here we are thank you for salvation, Thank you for redemption. May we walk each day in your light. May we stand unashamed in your presence. Keep us close to you, Lord, hold us in your grace always in Jesus' name. Amen, thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to the Chosen People. Remain here for a dramatic story inspired by the Bible. Be sure to follow this podcast so you never miss an episode. 00:01:41 Speaker 2: Previously on the Chosen People. 00:01:45 Speaker 3: Let us craft creatures in our image, imbued with our essence. Let us make man as an image of God to steward the fish of the sea, birds of the air, and creatures of the earth. Earth. 00:02:02 Speaker 4: It's beautiful. 00:02:03 Speaker 3: This is the tree of life. Its fruit is a gift, a gift to be cherished forever. It is the life I offer you, a life of unity with me. This is the tree of knowledge, the knowledge of good and evil. You may eat of every tree in this garden, but the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. What will happen if I do knowledge of good and evil, which leads to evil itself. While the tree of life brings eternal life, the knowledge of evil brings death. Adam over here. 00:03:00 Speaker 2: Eve hopped from one stone to another, her feet perfectly balanced, despite the wet moss lacing the rocks. The falls roared, nearly drowning out her voice. 00:03:13 Speaker 4: We're almost there, Come on, catch up. 00:03:16 Speaker 2: Adam took a moment to catch his breath, but he lost his breath again when he saw Eve's hair blowing with the fall's wind. Adam smirked, pivoted his foot back, then burst with strength and speed. He launched off a stone with one leg onto another, leaping across the stream and onto the wet stone. He jumped straight up, grabbing a ledge and pulling himself up with his shoulders and arms. Water from the falls fell to his back and dripped down his waist and legs. He breathed in the fresh air, then made the final few strides to the summit. 00:03:58 Speaker 3: Took you long enough. I was just enjoying the view. 00:04:05 Speaker 4: I don't know what's more beautiful, these falls surrounded by flowers? 00:04:11 Speaker 5: Were you? 00:04:12 Speaker 2: Eve blushed and leaned closer to Adam. He playfully and swiftly kissed Eve on the cheek and leaped past her. He grabbed onto a root and swung to another rock five feet across. 00:04:26 Speaker 4: Now you have to catch up, challenge excepting. 00:04:32 Speaker 2: Adam ran up the slope leading to the Tree of Life. Its leaves glowed with a brilliance matching the sun. Adam's legs moved effortlessly over the enormous roots, curling to its base. He dashed to the trunk and climbed smaller branches, coiling upward to the fruit. He sat on a branch, taking in the view. With fruit in hand, Eve sat beside him, head resting gently on his shoulder. The two of them ate, laughed and fast in the presence of God. His goodness was all around them, expressed in the sun's golden rays and the fruits, life giving nourishment. Their naked bodies were exposed to each other in the elements, but there was no shame or pain, nothing to hide, nothing to fear. God walked in their midst He was near, He was present. They were in perfect harmony with the earth, each other, and the Creator. Adam pointed to an open meadow exposed in a tree break. 00:05:41 Speaker 3: Eve watched a. 00:05:42 Speaker 2: Smirk curl on the sides of his lips as he explained his plans. 00:05:47 Speaker 4: See that plot of lantern tuck between the forest and the stream. I'm going to take some of the burry seeds and plant them there. How are you going to do that? The better the soil, the easier the seed will grow. First, I'll gather some of the softer earth and the waste from the animals. Then I'll take some branches and cross them over each other, and I'll secure them together with vines so they stay place. I'll put them all over the planted seeds, and when vines grow, they'll latch onto them and grow neatly, so we can pick them. 00:06:24 Speaker 3: But we already have all the fruit we need in the garden. 00:06:28 Speaker 4: That doesn't mean we can't expand God has commissioned us to press the boundaries and multiply. 00:06:35 Speaker 3: Yes, multiply, Adam, imagine more of us here. 00:06:42 Speaker 4: This world is ours to fill. 00:06:46 Speaker 2: This was their calling to cultivate the land and multiply. The earth was theirs to subdue and rule over as God's stewards. The garden was theirs to grow and glean from. Eve's eyes burst with curiosity and excitement. She saw all the potential in the land, the future filled with children and grandchildren. I'll help you. I can gather the seats. 00:07:14 Speaker 4: Oh, we can also dig a path from the stream so they get enough water. 00:07:18 Speaker 2: Eve scrunched her nose and held Adam's face. 00:07:22 Speaker 5: Let's go see it now. 00:07:25 Speaker 2: She hopped off the tree and skipped down the grassy path leading back into the forest. Eve darted into the part of the woods untouched by sunlight. It was damp, with vines stretching from branch to branch. Adam called out from a distance. 00:07:42 Speaker 3: Eve wad up, Come find me, Adam, where are you? 00:07:51 Speaker 2: Eve giggled and danced in the shadows. Her feet twirled over roots and stones. Her hair rose and fell with eat playful pirouette. She danced on the moss, but stopped when she heard a faint whisper echoing from the shadows. She tilted her head and peered into the darkness. A faint glow came from one of the roots. It pulsed upward like a heart beat. The roots were thick, intertwining into thicker sections. Eve followed the roots to their source. The tree's trunk was thick and braided, like serpents coiling around each other. They glowed faint red and purple, like veins, pumping blood to the tree's hard The branches shot outward and down, making its fruit load for picking. The fruit was a deep crimson and perfect for one's palm. Eve was drawn to it. She hadn't yet. 00:08:52 Speaker 3: Learned to fear. 00:08:53 Speaker 2: If she had, then she would have been terrified. Her body tensed with every step. As she inched closer to it. Eve heard the whisper again. The sound trickled from the branches like a small stream. She scanned the tree Weaving through the coils of the trunk was a brilliantly colored serpent. Its bright scales radiated with as similar shine as the trees. It shone as if covered with every precious stone sardius, topaz, diamond, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle. The edge of its body was crafted like gold. Eve was mesmerized. She approached the serpent and innocently gazed up at it. 00:09:44 Speaker 5: What are you? 00:09:46 Speaker 2: The creature responded with an indecipherable hiss. Its voice was like the echoes of a thousand whispers. Eve could no longer see it, but she could hear it. 00:09:59 Speaker 5: Ah, he was going to ask you the same question. Who are you? 00:10:09 Speaker 2: Ah? 00:10:10 Speaker 5: I'm Eve, Ah, one of God's image mirrors. What an honor to be in your presence, so ilocant, so powerful. It's a shame God has held so much back from you. 00:10:41 Speaker 2: What do you mean? Slowly and methodically, the serpent's head emerged from the leaves. Its eyes gleamed red like a blood moon. They held a dark canyon in the center, deep, mysterious and haunting. Its long tail draped over the branches, caressing the crimson fruit. 00:11:03 Speaker 5: Didn't God say you couldn't eat from any tree in the garden. 00:11:09 Speaker 4: No, God allows us to eat all the fruit in the garden. 00:11:13 Speaker 5: It's just this one we can't eat. 00:11:16 Speaker 4: We can't even touch it, or will die? 00:11:23 Speaker 2: Die? 00:11:25 Speaker 5: Oh, my dear, you won't die. Do I look dead? Do you? God does and want you to eat it, because if you do, your eyes will be opened. My eyes will be opened. What do you mean? God is a petty and jealous one. Listen't he? He knows if. 00:11:56 Speaker 3: You eat this fruit, your eyes would be odd. 00:12:01 Speaker 5: You'll know the secrets of the universe. You'll have knowledge, you'll have power, You'll be like God himself. 00:12:15 Speaker 2: Like God, Eve examined the fruit, dew dripped from its smooth skin. It looked delicious and inviting. How could something so beautiful be dangerous? Eve reached up for the fruit. The serpent coiled its tail around one of the branches and bent it closer to Eve. She recoiled for a moment, then reached again. 00:12:42 Speaker 5: I can be like God, knowledgeable power. 00:12:50 Speaker 3: Yeah. 00:12:52 Speaker 2: Eve was inches away from the fruit, her heart beat in tandem with the pulsing roots. Adam finally caught up with her and stopped at the tree. Shadow Evil what are you doing? But it was too late. Eve's fingers touched the fruit. She waited to see what would happen. Nothing, She felt the same. Her eyes gleamed with anxious curiosity. She plucked the fruit and held it firmly in her balm. She looked at Adam. 00:13:27 Speaker 5: Maybe it was a lie. 00:13:30 Speaker 3: After all, we. 00:13:34 Speaker 2: Could be like God. Eve stroked the fruit. Adam was frozen. He knew he should stop Eve. He knew he should smack it out of her hand, but he was drawn by a similar curiosity. Could he really be like God? Would this fruit unlock something withheld from him? Eve raised the fruit to her lips there as a decisive act to claim autonomy from her creator. Evil took a bite from the fruit. Dark red juices dripped down her mouth and chin. It stained her hands a dark bloodlike color. It was the sweetest fruit she'd ever tasted. She didn't realize that the bitterness would come afterward. She looked back at her husband, who was meant to care for her soul and help her live in God's will. She held the fruit up to him with a red stained smile. 00:14:36 Speaker 3: It's delicious taste, and see for yourself. Why shouldn't. 00:14:43 Speaker 2: Adam's brow furrowed. He was conflicted. The voice of God echoed in his. 00:14:49 Speaker 3: Mind, knowledge of good and evil, which leads to evil itself. While the tree of life brings eternal life, the knowledge of evil brings death. 00:15:03 Speaker 2: Adam looked at his wife. She smiled at him, eyes urging him to partake. 00:15:10 Speaker 3: She didn't seem different. 00:15:12 Speaker 4: Maybe it was a lie. Maybe there's something more from me. 00:15:20 Speaker 3: Apart from God. 00:15:21 Speaker 2: He gently raised the fruit to his lips and took a bite. Adam knew what he was doing. God had made himself clear. This was a deliberate act to be like God. They had been deceived into thinking God was holding back from them, and perhaps something better awaited them if they separated themselves from him. 00:15:44 Speaker 4: It's great, you were right. 00:15:47 Speaker 2: What did I tell you? 00:15:49 Speaker 5: Why would God keep this from us? What else have we been missing? 00:15:54 Speaker 2: Adam's eyes glowed with thrill. The two laughed and took another bite. A smile etched on the sides of the servant's mouth. His eyes pulsed with wicked pleasure as he slid back into the dark shadows of the tree. A cold wind howled through the forest, and the earth's surface shook with a single quake. Adam looked around him. Birds flew away at the sight of him, and the plants curled back slightly. Something happened. His heart beat heavily in his chest, and sweat fell down his brow. Oh what's happening? 00:16:36 Speaker 4: I don't know, I ugh, something's wrong. 00:16:41 Speaker 2: Adam grabbed his chest and winced. It felt like a tightened grip on his heart, as if something invisible was squeezing the divinity from him. 00:16:50 Speaker 3: What followed was. 00:16:51 Speaker 2: The immediate feeling of overwhelming and soul crushing shame. Adam didn't just feel naked, he felt vulnerable. He looked at Eve. She didn't look the same. She looked like a stranger. His whole body tensed. He was agitated, confused, and angry. Her face wore a similar pain and something else fear. She didn't know whether Adam was going to run from her or attack her. She felt weak, vulnerable, and alone. Her lower lip quivered. She looked at Adam's eyes, searching to discern his intentions. He was scanning her up and down. Feeling exposed, she fled like a deer into the bushes. She frantically gathered fig leaves together to cover herself. She wanted to disappear. The weight of her fear and shame was overwhelming. Panic overcame her. Adam's throat clenched. He stepped to follow her, but then he felt something shift in the air. He was cunning the Creator. Adam pulled some leaves off a fig tree and covered himself. Then he ran. He ran like a frightened animal from a predator. Fear was new to him. His tensed muscles, his shaking hands make it to Adam buried himself under leaves and brush. God's presence used to feel as near as his own breath and heartbeat, But now, after eating the fruit, God seemed distant. Adam trembled in the shadows, listening to the wind and churning of leaves. 00:18:34 Speaker 3: Adam, where are you? 00:18:38 Speaker 2: God's voice was no longer comforting, but terrifying. Adam's heart was about to burst. He groaned, anxious, tears falling from his eyes. The closeness with God was gone, the sense of purpose, the feeling of destiny and endless possibilities. It all burnt to ash and blew away. With the wind rushing through the forest. The voice of the Creator called out. 00:19:05 Speaker 3: Again, Adam, where are you? 00:19:09 Speaker 2: It wasn't a question. God knew where Adam was. He didn't speak with a question, but an invitation, an invitation to return and repent, an invitation to plead for forgiveness. But anxiety and shame wrapped around Adam's heart like weeds to a flower. He was motionless. The earth pulsed again, this time with rage. Adam fell forward and out of the bushes. He remained on his knees, eyes fixed on the ground. His arms were crossed, fingers gently stroking his skin for comfort. He wouldn't turn his gaze upward. He couldn't here. 00:19:52 Speaker 4: I am, He heard you coming, and I was afraid. 00:20:00 Speaker 3: Why were you afraid? 00:20:01 Speaker 5: Adam? 00:20:03 Speaker 3: What have you to fear? I'm naked. 00:20:06 Speaker 5: I didn't want you to see me. 00:20:09 Speaker 3: Who told you you were naked? 00:20:12 Speaker 5: Nobody? 00:20:13 Speaker 3: I I? Did you eat of the tree? Adam? Did you eat of the tree? I commanded you not to eat. 00:20:20 Speaker 2: God's voice rumbled with the quaking earth. A chilly air blew around Adam. He felt even more exposed. Adam's eyes finally darted up wide with worry. His face curled forward, then tensed into anger. He shook his head, warring with himself. He didn't want to own his shame. He wanted it gone. Then a thought slithered into his mind. It was a new thought, something evil. The tree had given him knowledge of how to sin, how to lie, how to hurt. Adam stood in anger and pointed to the bushes where Eve hid. 00:21:06 Speaker 4: It was the woman, the woman you gave me. It's her fault, not mine. 00:21:12 Speaker 3: She give me the fruit and. 00:21:13 Speaker 2: I hate it. 00:21:15 Speaker 4: Talk to her, She's the one to blame. 00:21:18 Speaker 2: Eve's breath became frantic. She thought of running away. Instead, she froze, unable to move. She felt God's anger thicken the atmosphere. 00:21:31 Speaker 3: What have you done? It wasn't my fault. 00:21:37 Speaker 2: I it was the serpent. He deceived me. I only ate it because of what he said. If I had known that this would happen, I would have Suddenly, a ferocious wind blew through the forest. The trees all bent, as if bowing to a king. The tree of Knowledge shook, and the serpent was thrung downward, convulsing on the floor. God's rage fell upon the serpent. 00:22:06 Speaker 3: The satan. 00:22:09 Speaker 2: The voice of God boomed, shaking the entire garden. The beautifully adorned creature. 00:22:15 Speaker 3: Writhed in pain. 00:22:17 Speaker 2: Adam and Eve looked with dismay. For a moment, they saw the serpent for who he truly was, the majestic creature, was possessed by something else, something heavenly, beautiful and terrifying. Something otherworldly was happening in front of them. Flashes of light and fire filled the atmosphere. God spoke to Lucifer, the angel underneath the skin of the serpent. 00:22:47 Speaker 3: You were the signant of perfection, full of wisdom, imperfect and beauty. I pleased you here in Eden as an annointed guardian. I said you on this holy mountain. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, but your heart was proud because of your beauty. 00:23:12 Speaker 2: Adam and Eve couldn't see what was happening in Heaven's plane. All they could see were clouds circling above God's presence, circled Satan. 00:23:22 Speaker 3: Your corrupt is your wisdom for power, and now unrighteousness has tarnished your glow. I will destroy you with stone and fire. 00:23:37 Speaker 2: Lightning flashed, and Adam and Eve could see the serpent again, quivering with pain and fear. Its scales were muted, and its legs and wings were torn God's judgment was cast upon the serpent. 00:23:52 Speaker 3: Curse it are you, serpent. You will tremble under the feet of a livestock. On your belly you shall crawl, and the dust shall be your food day and night. 00:24:09 Speaker 2: The serpent's eyes glowed red with rage. It bore its fangs up to God. In defiance. He slithered toward Eve, bent on striking. It looked at Eve with blood lust. She turned to run, but God tossed the serpent against the rasp. Blood curdling screams poured forth from the creature. 00:24:31 Speaker 3: I will put enmity between you and the woman. Your offspring and her offspring will be at war with one another. What an offspring of Eve shall rise against you, You will bruise his heel, But do not mistake it for victory. He shall vanquish you and cross your head. 00:25:00 Speaker 2: Those words resounded in Eve's ear. It echoed forward into the future, a prophecy of deliverance. One day a son of Eve would crush the serpent and undo what was set in motion. The serpent turned to Eve again, then slithered away in defeat, retreating into the shadows of the canyons. Adam and Eve stood there awaiting a word from the Creator. His presence was directed to Eve. She fell to her knees and gripped the dirt. God's voice resonated. 00:25:35 Speaker 3: I called you to multiply and fill the earth. Now I will multiply your anguish. As you bring children into the world. You will be at war with yourself and your husband. You will contend with him, but he will move over you. Eve crumbled into herself. She wanted all autonomy from God, but couldn't fathom the consequences. God turned to Adam, the man fashioned from breath and dirt, hewn in the image of himself. Adam, I called you to cultivate and steward the earth. But now it shall be cursed because of you. The earth will struggle against you. You will eat of the earth through sweat and pain. All the days of your life. You will wilt against the stones, thorns and thistles will scrape your hands. This pain will remind you of the paradise you rejected. Then, after a lifetime of struggle, you will return to the dust of the earth. For from the dust I made you, and to the dust you shall return. 00:26:55 Speaker 4: What do we do now? 00:26:57 Speaker 3: Where should we go? 00:27:00 Speaker 5: What is there we are leading. 00:27:02 Speaker 2: Adam's trembling arms covered his body. He was like a whimpering child. The harsh wind of judgment ceased for a moment, all was still calm. A pocket of what once was the stag and dough pranced through the forest in front of them. Their innocent eyes stared blankly at them. Adams smirked for a moment they were old friends. Then suddenly, fling visible blades slashing through the atmosphere. Both the animal's throats were cut, and they fell to the floor. 00:27:39 Speaker 5: No. 00:27:40 Speaker 2: Adam ran to the creatures and knelt by their sides. He watched a life vanish from their eyes. They were no longer there. The breath of life had faded. Adam stared for a long while at the blood on his hands, realizing what death actually was. God removed the skin the animals and fashioned clothing for Adam and Eve. They wore the animal's skins to keep them warm and unexposed. Adam felt the clothing and cried, an innocent life was slain so he wouldn't have to walk around in shame. The life of another covered him. Adam and Eve looked up the light from the tree of life pulsed over the falls. God the yello him consulted with himself in a cosmic discussion of life and death. 00:28:32 Speaker 3: They have become like us, knowing good and evil. If they eat from the Tree of Life, they will live forever in darkness. They must leave. 00:28:48 Speaker 2: God's grief could be felt in his voice. He didn't want to cast them out, but in his mercy, he couldn't have them live forever coexisting with evil. Eternal life with evil is worse than death itself. The tree burst with light more powerful than the sun. Eve covered her eyes and looked at the ground. The earth shook and began to crack. It split between her legs. Eden was rejecting them. Adam, what's happening? Run. Adam grabbed Eve's hand and the two sprinted through the trees. They heard the growling of predators and the shrieks of birds behind them. The earth gave way behind them as they ran. Vines fell from the tipping trees. Eve stumbled and fell into some roots, slamming her head on a stone. Adam kept running. Selfish drive propelled him forward. Then he heard her cries, Adam Help. Adam stopped, chest heaving from exhaustion, He looked at the garden's gates, then back at Eve, self, preservation and convenience ward with his love for Eve, he growled, circled back to her, and ripped the roots, catching her foot, He carried her the rest of the way to the mountain's edge. Jagged rocks and dirt lay below. They tumbled down, falling onto the hard earth. Adam looked up. He could still see the faint glow of the Tree of Life up above, but as the clouds rolled through the valley, its glow disappeared, replaced by a gray haze. 00:30:34 Speaker 3: Ah, can we ever come back? 00:30:39 Speaker 2: Just then, the clouds opened and a flaming figure descended with righteous fury. It struck the earth beside the garden's entrance. Adam covered Eve from the debris. They cowered in fear until the dust settled. They looked up and peered through dust and mist, and angel, armed with a sword of fire, stood at the garden's entrance. It spun in every direction, a foreboding symbol of judgment. Paradise was lost. Adam and Eve sat in the dirt east of Eden, never to return. Their descendants would pine after Eden. Each generation would manufacture ways to reclaim Paradise. They would all fail, but Adam and Eve held on to a promise. One day, a son of Eve would rise to crush the head of the Serpent. He would reclaim Eden for humanity. Heaven and Earth would be joined once again. This Prey dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Gattina, Max Bard, Zach Schlabager, and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People. Narrated by Paul Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Leshinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey dot Com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People, please rate and leave a review.