This post is taken in part from another article. CLICK HERE to read the complete article.
Christ, the invisible God, in His manifestation in the garden of Eden claimed His rights over mankind. When in the garden, face to face with Adam, He told Adam, THOU SHALT NOT, thus, enforcing the will of God over Adam. 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 2:17) THIS three-word phrase . . . THOU SHALT NOT is used 240 times in Scripture. God reaffirms His command after the disobedience of Adam in Genesis 3:17. 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. Through the Bible there are sections where God instructs man and the nation of Israel at the same time. One of the chapters that is very important is Exodus Chapter 20 where this phrase THOU SHALT NOT is dominant. THOU SHALT NOT is mentioned in TEN verses for a total of eleven times. In the book of Exodus, THOU SHALT NOT is mentioned twenty-five times. This was directed to the children of Israel, however, there are also great instructions for all of mankind in these words THOU SHALT NOT. In the book of Deuteronomy, dealing also with Israel, THOU SHALT NOT is mentioned in seventy-six verses. In the New Testament, THOU SHALT NOT is mentioned only in fifteen verses. Now, the first mention of THOU SHALT NOT (in the Old Testament) was dealing with the death of man. The LAST mention of THOU SHALT NOT is in Revelation 3:3, Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Now, let us return to Genesis 2:17, 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. What is the connection between Adam and the church in Sardis in Revelation 3:3? They are both surrounded by death. Sardis has a name that livest, but it is dead. And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. (Revelation 3:1) With Adam, his disobedience surely brought death. So, with Sardis, it is a church of death, a disobedient church, and a church without the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Yet, they have a name. The fact is that they are surrounded by MANY names of denominationalism AND religion. But these names have NO life, they are dead. Sardis is full of outward profession, but empty of the truth and the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3:5) Throughout the seven churches in a corrupt world AND a corrupt church, the Lord Jesus addresses the overcomer. In Sardis, the overcomer has NOT defiled his garments of righteousness by defending His Savior and the righteousness of Christ from all that would assail and cast up dirt on the righteousness of Christ. The overcomer’s name WILL NOT be blotted from The Book of Life. What does this tell you about all the others in Sardis? It means that they are dead, and their names will not be found in The Book of Life. This goes for all those who follow the doctrines of denominationalism and fathers of the Nicolaitans, and they will forever be lost. The worldly-wise person has not the garments of salvation, therefore, they will be blotted out to emphasis the gravity of their deadness in verse 3. Twice, the Lord declared in verse 3, THOU SHALT NOT, Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Allow me to emphasis this one point that in Genesis 2:17, we are dealing with DEATH and disobedience with the first mention of THOU SHALT NOT. With the last mention of THOU SHALT NOT in Revelation 3:3 we are dealing with a DEAD CHURCH that has forsaken the Spirit of life which is IN Christ Jesus our Lord. The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophesy. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10) Again, I ask you to open your eyes WIDE, when the Lord Jesus was speaking to Adam and said THOU SHALT NOT, it was a prophecy that went WITH THOSE WORDS concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There are four more words of immense importance. . . THOU SHALT SURELY DIE. There has been scores of prophetic decrees and judgments throughout Scripture given with the same instructions of . . . THOU SHALT NOT.
With the first prophecy that was given to man, man refused to believe that prophecy. The words THOU SHALT SURELY DIE had NO effect on Adam’s unbelief. This was the first time that man was given an instructive prophecy. All of us have seen a young child that when they are told NO, or THOU SHALT NOT, they have rebelled. We have seen this rebellion in their look and in their behavior. However, we fail to see that this rebellion is not only in the child, but in the growth process of man under sin. Even the ancients in the book of Ezekiel rebelled against God, standing on the steps of the Temple, with their BACKS to the Temple and facing the east they worshiped the sun. (Ezekiel 8:16) Remember Exodus Chapter 20, the ancients paid no attention to THOU SHALT NOT.
This section on THOU SHALT NOT is just merely a mini side note on how man disregards God’s warning around the words THOU SHALT NOT.
This post is taken in part from another article. CLICK HERE to read the complete article.
Copyright 2026, Mary Haigh
Posted on January 12, 2026 @ 11:58 AM (EST)
This article may be used, but not for gain.
Freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:8e)
All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJV)