创世记一章启示神永远的目的和心愿，创世记二章启示神达成祂目的的方法。但在神达成祂目的之前，撒但先进来了。在每一件事上撒但总是要抢先。凡是真实的事物慢一点没有关系，但假的总是快快抢先。在许多事上，神不在第一个场合里，蛇总是抢在神的前头，想要击败神。
按照创世记三章，撒但先进来。在圣经里有一个“首先题到”的原则，就是在某种场合中那首先被题到的，就立定以后在那种场合中一切事情的原则。因此创世记三章第一次题到撒但的活动，启示一个原则，就是撒但在神以先进来。
在创世记三章撒但进来，在启示录二十章牠被扔出去。紧接着创世记前两章之后撒但进来，恰好在启示录最后两章之前他被扔出去。因此在整本圣经中，只有四章圣经没有仇敌污染的脚踪。除了这四章圣经之外，牠污染了每一世代和每一空间，只有创世记一、二章和启示录二十一、二十二章没有被撒但污染。在创世记二章和启示录二十一章之间，我们看见那狡猾的蛇一切的活动。
第一次的堕落
很多人多少有一些圣经知识。就是一些非基督徒也知道亚当和夏娃吃知识树果子的事。但是很少人，包括基督徒在内，知道人类第一次堕落的意义。因此我们必须从三方面来看这个问题。第一，我们要确定堕落的因由。甚么是人第一次堕落的原因和基本因素？第二，我们必须研究堕落的过程，就是第一次堕落发生的路线。第三，我们需要察看人第一次堕落的结果。
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The First Fall of Men – Gen. 3:1
Genesis chapter 1 reveals God’s eternal purpose and desire. Genesis chapter 2 reveals the way God will accomplish His purpose. But before God could fulfill His purpose, Satan came in first. In everything, Satan always tries to get ahead. It doesn’t matter if what is genuine comes later, but the counterfeit always rushes in first. In many things, God is not present at the first appearance — rather, the serpent always tries to arrive ahead of God in an attempt to defeat Him.
According to Genesis chapter 3, Satan came in first. In the Bible, there is a principle of “first mention,” which means that the first time something is mentioned in a particular context, it establishes the principle for everything that follows in that context. Therefore, Satan’s first activity in Genesis 3 reveals a principle: Satan always tries to come before God.
Satan came in in Genesis 3, and in Revelation 20 he is cast out. Right after the first two chapters of Genesis, Satan comes in; and right before the final two chapters of Revelation, he is cast out. So in the entire Bible, there are only four chapters untouched by the enemy’s pollution — Genesis 1 and 2, and Revelation 21 and 22. In every other chapter, Satan has left his footprint. Between Genesis chapter 2 and Revelation chapter 21, we see all the activities of that cunning serpent.
The First Fall
Many have some knowledge of the Bible — even some non-Christians know the story of Adam and Eve eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge. But very few men, including Christians, understand the true meaning of the first fall of mankind. So we must examine this matter from three perspectives: First, we need to determine the cause of the fall — what was the reason and underlying factor for mankind’s first fall? Second, we need to study the process of the fall — that is, the path the first fall followed. Third, we must consider the result of mankind’s first fall.