The Age of Innocence 
(Adam and Eve)  

The first dispensation in the Bible deals with the first two people God created, Adam and Eve.  God made man in his own image and Adam's only job was to replenish the earth, have dominion over it, and give glory to God.

...and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:28)

This was not a problem because Adam was made perfectly in God's image which means he did not sin nor would he ever die.  His plan of salvation was simply to not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  As long as he didn't eat that fruit, Adam would have eternal life.

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 3:16,17) 

This dispensation ends in failure when the serpent tricks Eve into eating the fruit, who then gives Adam the fruit to eat.  Once this fruit is eaten, some very important things happen:  

1)  Man now knows the difference between good and evil, so you could say this is when the conscience is developed.
And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: (Genesis 3:22)  

2)  Man, woman, and the earth are cursed.  This is why today we must work and sweat to eat and live; this is why we must also die.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. (Genesis 3:16)
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; (Genesis 3:17)
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the feild; 
(Genesis 3:18)
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. (Genesis 3:19)

3)  Salvation changes from not eating the fruit to making an animal sacrifice.  The first animal sacrifice was made by God when he clothed Adam and Eve in animal skin.
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. 
(Genesis 3:21)

Now Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden and had sin in their flesh.  This sin would be passed on from generation to generation infecting the entire world even unto this day.  The reason we are born with sin is because we have inherited it from the ones who first sinned against God.

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. (Genesis 4:1)
And she again bare his brother Abel.  And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 
(Genesis 4:2)

Cain and Abel were Adam and Eve's children.  The significance of what happens between them is very important because it shows that God will not accept anything that you can produce by yourself.  I'll show you what I mean.

And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. 
(Genesis 4:3)
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.  And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: (Genesis 4:4)
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect... (Genesis 4:5)

God did not accept Cain's offering because he produced it himself and it is a picture of man's self righteousness.  God accepted Abel's animal sacrifice because it was something that God gave to him.  Cain was very unhappy that God accepted his brothers sacrifice, but would not accept his sacrifice that he worked so hard to produce.  In his anger, he kills his brother Abel.  This is the first murder in history and it is a display of the wickedness man now possesses.

...and Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. (Genesis 4:5)
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. (Genesis 4:8)

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