The Lost Books of the Bible: The Great Rejected Texts

by Joseph B. Lumpkin

  1 Adam and Eve stood, looking at the fire and were unable to come near the cave from their fear of the fire. 2 And Satan kept on bringing trees and throwing them into the fire until the flames of the fire rose up very high and covered the entire cave, thinking in his mind, to consume the cave with the great fire. But the angel of the Lord was guarding it. 3 But he could not curse Satan nor wound him by word because he had no authority over him, neither did he attempt to do so with words from his mouth. 4 Therefore the angel tolerated him without uttering a bad word against him, until the Word of God came to Satan saying, "Go away from here at once before you deceive My servants, for this time you seek to destroy them. 5 Were it not for My mercy I would have destroyed you and your hosts from off the earth. But I have had patience with you until the end of the world." 6 Then Satan fled from before the Lord. But the fire went on burning around the cave like a coal-fire the entire day. This was the forty-sixth day that Adam and Eve had spent since they came out of the garden. 7 And when Adam and Eve saw that the heat of the fire had began to cool down, they started to walk toward the cave to get into it as they usually did but they could not because of the heat of the fire. 8 Then they both began crying because the fire separated them from the cave, and the fire came toward them, burning, and they were afraid. 9 Then Adam said to Eve, "See this fire of which we have a portion within us. It formerly obeyed us, but it no longer does so now, for we have violated the boundaries of creation and changed our condition and our nature has been altered. But the fire is not changed in its nature, nor altered from its creation. Therefore it now has power over us and when we come near it, it scorches our flesh."

  Author’s note: The Word of the Lord spoke to Satan stating, “I have had patience with you until the end of the world." This is a statement spoken in the future and recorded in the past. The precise meaning indicates that the statement was made at or after the end of the world.

  Chapter XLV

  1 Then Adam rose and prayed to God, saying, "This fire has separated us from the cave in which You have commanded us to live; and now, we cannot go into it." 2 Then God heard Adam, and sent him His Word, that said: 3 "Adam, see this fire! It is different from the flame and heat from the garden of delights and the good things in it! 4 When you were under My control all creatures yielded to you, but after you transgressed My commandment they all rose up over you." 5 God said again to him, "Adam, see how Satan has exalted you! He has deprived you of the Godhead and of an exalted state like Me, and has not kept his word to you but has ended up to become your enemy. He is the one who made this fire in which he meant to burn you and Eve. 6 Adam, why has he not kept his agreement with you even one day, but has deprived you of the glory that was on you when you obeyed his command? 7 Adam, do you think that he loved you when he made this agreement with you? Do you think that he loved you and wished to raise you on high? 8 No, Adam, he did not do anything out of love for you. He wished to force you to come out of light and into darkness, and from an exalted state to degradation, and from glory to this humble state, from joy to sorrow, and from rest to hunger and fainting." 9 God also said to Adam, "See this fire kindled by Satan around your cave? See this curious thing that surrounds you? Know that it will surround both you and your descendants when you obey his command and he will plague you with fire and you will go down into hell after you are dead. 10 Then, you will experience the burning of his fire that will surround you and your descendants. You will not be delivered from it until My coming. Just as you cannot go into your cave right now because of the great fire around it, a way for you will not be made for you until My Word comes on the day My covenant is fulfilled. 11 There is no way for you at present to come from this life to rest until he who is My Word comes. Then He will make a way for you, and you shall have rest." Then God called to the fire that burned around the cave with His Word, that it split itself in half until Adam passed through it. Then the fire parted itself by God's order and a way was made for Adam. 12 And God withdrew His Word from Adam.

  Author’s note: By God’s word His servants passed through the fire, just as the waters were parted.

  The “WORD” is made flesh in the form of the Messiah.

  Chapter XLVI

  1 Then Adam and Eve began again to come into the cave. And when they came to the passage in the midst of the fire, Satan blew into the fire like a whirlwind and caused the burning coal-fire to cover Adam and Eve so that their bodies were singed and the coal-fire burned their skin. 2 Adam and Eve screamed from the burning of the fire, and said, "O Lord, save us! Do not leave us to be consumed and plagued by this burning fire. Do not require us as the payment for having transgressed Your commandment." 3 Then God looked at their bodies on which Satan had caused fire to burn. God sent His angel that held back the burning fire. But the wounds remained on their bodies. 4 Then God said to Adam, "See Satan's love for you. He pretended to give you the Godhead and greatness and, now look, he burns you with fire and seeks to destroy you from off the earth. 5 Then look at Me, Adam. I created you, and how many times have I delivered you out of his hand? If not, wouldn't he have destroyed you?" 6 God spoke again, this time to Eve and said, "He promised you in the garden, saying, 'As soon as you eat from the tree, your eyes will be opened, and you shall become like gods, knowing good and evil.' But look! He has burned your bodies with fire and has made you taste the taste of fire, in exchange for the taste of the garden. He has made you see the burning of fire, and the evil of it, and the power it has over you. 7 Your eyes have seen the good he has taken from you, and in truth he has opened your eyes. You have seen the garden in which you were with Me, and you have also seen the evil that has come over you from Satan. But as to the, Godhead he cannot give it to you, nor fulfill his promise to you. He was bitter against you and your descendants, that will come after you." 8 And God withdrew His Word form them.

  Chapter XLVII

  1 Then Adam and Eve came into the cave, still trembling because of the fire that had scorched them. So Adam said to Eve: 2 "Look, in this world the fire burns our flesh. How will it be when we are dead and Satan shall punish our souls? Is not our deliverance far off unless God comes in His mercy and fulfills His promise to us?" 3 Then Adam and Eve stepped into the cave blessing themselves for coming into it once more. For they thought that they would never enter it, when they saw the fire around it. 4 But as the sun was setting the fire was still burning and coming closer to Adam and Eve in the cave, so that they could not sleep in it. After the sunset they went out of the cave. This was the forty-seventh day after they came out of the garden. 5 Adam and Eve then came under the top of hill by the garden to sleep, as they were accustomed. 6 And they stood and prayed God to forgive them their sins, and then fell asleep under the top of the mountain. 7 But Satan, the hater of all that is good, thought to himself: “God has promised salvation to Adam by covenant, and promised that He would deliver him from all the hardships that have befallen him, but God has not promised me by covenant, and will not deliver me out of my hardships. He has promised Adam that He should make him and his descendants live in the kingdom that I once lived in. I will kill Adam. 8 The earth shall be rid of him. The earth shall be left to me alone. When he is dead he will not have any descendants left to inherit the kingdom and it will remain my own realm. God will then be wanting me, and He will restore it to me and my hosts."

  Chapter XLVIII

  1 After this Satan called to his hosts, all of which came to him, and said to him: 2 "Our lord, what will you do?" 3 Then he said to them, "This Adam, whom God created out of the dust, is the one who has taken our kingdom from us. Come, let us gather together and kill him. Hurl a rock at him and at Eve, and crush them under it." 4 When Satan's hosts heard these words they came to the part of the mountain where Adam and Eve were asleep. 5 Then Satan and his host took a huge rock, broad and smooth, and without blemish. He thought to himself, "If there should be a hole in the rock, when it fell on them the hole in the rock might align over them so they would escape and not die." 6 He then s
aid to his hosts, "Take up this stone and drop it flat on them so that it doesn't roll off them to somewhere else. And when you have hurled it at them get away from there quickly." 7 And they did as he told them. But as the rock fell down from the mountain toward Adam and Eve, God commanded the rock to become a covering over them so that it did them no harm. And so it was by God's order. 8 But when the rock fell, the whole earth quaked because of it, and was shaken from the size of the rock. 9 And as it quaked and shook Adam and Eve awoke from sleep and found themselves under a covering of rock. But they didn't know what had happened because when they fell asleep they were under the sky and not under a covering, and when they saw it they were afraid. 10 Then Adam said to Eve, "How has the mountain bent itself and the earth quaked and shaken on our account? And why has this rock spread itself over us like a tent? 11 Does God intend to plague us and to shut us up in this prison? Or will He close the earth over us? 12 He is angry with us for our having come out of the cave without His permission and for our having done so of our own accord without asking Him when we left the cave and came to this place." 13 Then Eve said, "Adam, if indeed the earth shook for our sake and this rock formed a tent over us because of our transgression we will be sorry, because our punishment will be long. 14 But get up and pray to God to let us know concerning this, and what this rock is that is spread over us like a tent." 15 Then Adam stood up and prayed before the Lord to let him know what had brought about this difficult time. And Adam stood praying like that until the morning.

  Chapter XLIX

  1 Then the Word of God came and said: 2 "O Adam, who counseled you when you came out of the cave to come to this place?" 3 And Adam said to God, "Lord, we came to this place because of the heat of the fire that came over us inside the cave." 4 Then the Lord God said to Adam, "Adam, you dread the heat of fire for one night, but how will it be when you live in hell? 5 But Adam, do not be afraid and do not believe that I have placed this covering of rock over you to plague you. 6 It came from Satan, who had promised you the Godhead and majesty. It is he who threw down this rock to kill you under it, and Eve with you, and in this way to prevent you from living on the earth. 7 But, as that rock was falling down on you I was merciful. I commanded it to form a tent over you, and the rock under you to lower itself. 8 And this sign, O Adam, will happen to Me at My coming on earth: Satan will raise the people of the Jews to put Me to death and they will lay Me in a rock, and seal a large stone over Me, and I shall remain within that rock three days and three nights. 9 But on the third day I shall rise again, and it shall be salvation to you, O Adam, and to your descendants, so that you will believe in Me. But, Adam, I will not bring you from under this rock until three days and three nights have passed." 10 And God withdrew His Word from Adam. 11 But Adam and Eve lived under the rock three days and three nights, as God had told them. 12 And God did so to them because they had left their cave and had come to this same place without God's permission. 13 But, after three days and three nights, God created an opening in the covering of rock and allowed them to get out from under it. Their flesh was dried up, and their eyes and hearts were troubled from crying and sorrow.

  Author’s note: Some translations have the rock forming a dome, but the text gives no shape. If one reads the text closely, it becomes obvious that the shape of the falling rock may not be as important as the fact that the ground Adam and Eve were sleeping on was made to form a depression between the tent or dome shape and the depression of the ground. This formed a cave shape, which mimicked the cave in which Jesus would be buried. It is less obvious but implied that Adam and Eve had some amount of light inside the cave. The text gives no explanation, whether there were gaps, cracks, or holes for air and light.

  Chapter L

  1 Then Adam and Eve went out and came into the Cave of Treasures and stood praying in it the entire day until the evening. 2 And this took place at the end of the fifty days after they had left the garden. 3 But Adam and Eve rose again and prayed to God in the cave the whole of that night, and begged for mercy from Him. 4 And when the day dawned, Adam said to Eve, "Come! Let us go and do some work for our bodies." 5 So they went out of the cave, and came to the northern border of the garden, and they looked for something to cover their bodies with. But they found nothing, and did not know how to do the work. But their bodies were stained, and they could not speak from cold and heat. 6 Then Adam stood and asked God to show him something with which to cover their bodies. 7 Then came the Word of God and said to him, "O Adam, take Eve and come to the seashore where you fasted before. There you will find skins of sheep that were left after lions ate the carcasses. Take them and make garments for yourselves, and clothe yourselves with them.

  Author’s Note: There is no direct explanation as to how Adam and Eve became naked again. One possibility is found in chapter XLVI, verse 1, which states that Satan blew into the fire and singed Adam and Eve. It is possible that the garments that the Lord had given them in Genesis 3:21 were burned away at this point, leaving Adam and Eve naked once more.

  Chapter LI

  1 When Adam heard these words from God, he took Eve and went from the northern side of the garden to the south of it, by the river of water where they once fasted. 2 But as they were on their way, and before they arrived, Satan, the wicked one, had heard the Word of God communing with Adam respecting his covering. 3 It distressed him, and he hurried to the place where the sheepskins were, with the intention of taking them and throwing them into the sea or of burning them so that Adam and Eve would not find them. 4 But as he was about to take them, the Word of God came from heaven and bound him by the side of those skins until Adam and Eve came near him. But as they got closer to him they were afraid of him and of his hideous appearance. 5 Then the Word of God came to Adam and Eve, and said to them, "This is he who was hidden in the serpent, who deceived you, and stripped from you your garment of light and glory. 6 This is he who promised you majesty and divinity. Where is the beauty that was on him? Where is his divinity? Where is his light? Where is the glory that rested on him? 7 Now his form is hideous. He has become abominable (offensive) among angels, and he has come to be called Satan. 8 Adam, he wished to steal from you this earthly garment of sheepskins so that he could destroy it not let you be covered with it. 9 What is his beauty that you should have followed him? And what have you gained by obeying him? See his evil works and then look at Me, your Creator. Look at the good deeds I do for you. 10 I bound him until you came and saw him and his weakness and that no power is left with him." 11 And God released him from his bonds.

  Chapter LII

  1 After this Adam and Eve said no more, but cried before God because of their creation, and their bodies that required an earthly covering. 2 Then Adam said to Eve, "Eve, this is the skin of beasts with which we shall be covered, but when we put it on we shall be wearing a sign of death on our bodies. Just as the owners of these skins have died and have decomposed, so also shall we die and pass away." 3 Then Adam and Eve took the skins and went back to the Cave of Treasures. When they were in it, they stood and prayed, as was their habit. 4 And they thought how they could make garments of those skins because they had no skill. 5 Then God sent to them His angel to show them how to accomplish this. And the angel said to Adam, "Go out and bring some palm-thorns." Then Adam went out, and brought some, as the angel had commanded him. 6 Then the angel began before them to work the skins, after the manner of one who prepares a shirt. And he took the thorns and stuck them into the skins before their eyes. 7 Then the angel again stood up and prayed God that the thorns in those skins should be hidden, so as to be as if it were sewn with one thread. 8 And so it was, by God's order, and they became garments for Adam and Eve. And He clothed them with the skins. 9 From that time the nakedness of their bodies was covered from the sight of each other's eyes. 10 And this happened at the end of the fifty-first day. 11 Then when Adam's and Eve's bodies were covered they stood and prayed and sought mercy of the Lord and forgiveness, and gave Him thanks because He had mercy on them and h
ad covered their nakedness. And they did not stop praying the entirety of that night. 12 Then, when the morning dawned at sunrise, they said their prayers, as was their custom, and then went out of the cave. 13 And Adam said to Eve, "Since we don't know what there is to the west of this cave, let us go out and see it today." Then they departed and went toward the western border.

  Chapter LIII

  1 They were not very far from the cave when Satan came toward them. He hid himself between them and the cave in the form of two ravenous lions that had been three days without food. And they came toward Adam and Eve as if to break them in pieces and devour them. 2 Then Adam and Eve cried out and begged God to deliver them from their paws. 3 Then the Word of God came to them and drove away the lions from them. 4 And God said to Adam, "Adam, what do you seek on the western border? And why have you left of your own will the eastern border which was your living place? 5 Now, turn back to your cave and remain in it, so that Satan won't deceive you or achieve his goal to overtake you. 6 In this western border, Adam, there will go from you a descendant that shall replenish it. And they will defile themselves with their sins, and with their yielding to the commands of Satan, and by following his works. 7 Therefore will I bring waters of a flood to cover them and overwhelm them all. But I will deliver what is left of the righteous among them and I will bring them to a distant land, but the land in which you live now shall remain desolate and without one inhabitant in it. 8 After God had spoken to them, they went back to the Cave of Treasures. But their flesh was dried up, and they were weak from fasting and praying, and from the sorrow they felt at having sinned against God.