The Ancient Order in Scripture

The Original Pattern

From the beginning, God established His government on earth through Adam and Eve. He gave them the laws, ordinances, and order of the Highest Priesthood—what we call the Ancient Order or the Order of Adam. This order existed before this world was formed. Adam entered mortality already instructed in divine law and was commanded to teach these laws to his children, initiating the first family into the full pattern of patriarchal worship as it existed in heaven.

This document traces the scriptural evidence for this ancient pattern—from Adam through the patriarchs, through Moses, through the Messiah, and into the promised final restoration.

Adam: The First Patriarch

The Book of Jubilees records that Adam received direct instruction from God while still in the Garden:

"And after Adam had completed forty days in the land where he had been created, we brought him into the garden of Eden to till and keep it." (Jubilees 3:9)

The Hebrew words for "till" (avod) and "keep" (shamar) are the same words used elsewhere in scripture for priestly service in the tabernacle. Adam was not merely a gardener—he was the first priest, serving in God's original sanctuary.

Genesis records that God Himself clothed Adam and Eve before they left the Garden:

"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21)

The Hebrew word for "clothed" (lavash) combined with "coats" (kotoneh) is the precise terminology used for the clothing of priests. God was ordaining Adam and Eve to continue their priestly duties outside the Garden.

Abel and Cain: The First Offerings

The pattern Adam received is demonstrated in the offerings of his sons:

"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: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect." (Genesis 4:4-5)

Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice because he had been taught the true ordinances and offered them in faith. The book of Hebrews confirms this:

"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous." (Hebrews 11:4)

Cain also offered, but his sacrifice was rejected because it was not given in faith nor according to the revealed order. Though Cain retained fragments of Adam's religion, he corrupted its ordinances. This marks the first apostasy—and establishes the pattern that would repeat throughout scripture.

Seth and Enos: The First Restoration

God raised up a righteous seed through Seth. After the birth of Seth's son Enos, a restoration occurred:

"And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord." (Genesis 4:26)

The righteous withdrew from the corruption of the lowlands and preserved the Ancient Order, becoming known as "the sons of God," while the descendants of Cain built cities, kingdoms, and systems of dominion:

"And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." (Genesis 6:1-2)

Yet even among the sons of God, corruption eventually crept in. Many descended into the lowlands, imitating the sons of men through city-building, trade, and warfare.

Enoch: Walking with God

As corruption filled the earth, God raised up Enoch, who restored righteousness:

"And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." (Genesis 5:24)

The remarkable feature of Enoch's ministry is that earlier patriarchs were still alive. Adam lived to witness Enoch. The ancient order was not being reconstructed from fragments—it was being received as a living tradition from those who still remembered.

After Enoch's city was taken up, corruption returned once more.

Noah: Preserver Through the Flood

God called Noah, a preacher of righteousness:

"And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly." (2 Peter 2:5)

Through Noah, the Ancient Order survived the Flood and was reestablished in the new world. Noah lived with Methuselah and Lamech—he received the tradition directly from those who had received it from Adam's line.

But in the generations following the Flood, the descendants of Shem gradually integrated into the kingdoms of Nimrod:

"And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth... And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel." (Genesis 10:8, 10)

The Ancient Order became obscured among the nations.

Abraham: Seeking the Blessings of the Fathers

God then raised up Abraham, who sought the blessings of the fathers and restored the Ancient Order among an apostate world. Abraham was taught by Noah and Shem—he restored not a fragment of truth but the living tradition of the Fathers.

"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him." (Genesis 14:18-19)

Melchizedek held the same priesthood that Adam held—the order above all earthly kingdoms, the order that administers bread and wine as tokens of covenant.

Moses and Jethro: The Kingdom of Priests

Many generations later, God called Moses to restore Israel to the patriarchal order. But first, Moses spent forty years in the wilderness raising his family under the patriarchal umbrella of Jethro, his father-in-law.

Jethro was a descendant of Abraham, a high priest in the Order of Adam. As God always does, He taught Moses through someone close to him before revealing it to him directly.

When Moses received his call to deliver Israel from Egypt, he was being prepared to restore this ancient order to an entire nation. God declared His intention:

"And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." (Exodus 19:6)

While Moses was on the mountain—walking on holy ground, in a temple, speaking with God face to face—the people below knew what Moses and God were preparing for them. But they could not wait. They turned back to the golden calf and the broken traditions they had learned in Egypt.

When Moses descended, it was revealed to him that they were not ready for the higher Order of Adam. They were given a lesser law instead—a schoolmaster to lead them unto the Messiah:

"Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made... Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." (Galatians 3:19, 24)

The Messiah: Restoration of the Fulness

In the meridian of time, Jesus Christ restored the fulness of the Ancient Order:

"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever." (Revelation 1:6)

He prepared His disciples to become kings and priests unto God—the same offices Adam held. The path was clear: receive the Messiah, and He would lead them unto the Father, which is the Order of Adam.

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

But after the apostles passed away, many again adopted the patterns of worldly empires, repeating the ancient cycle of decline. The lesser law of churches prevailed, and the Order of Adam remained silent.

The Promise of Final Restoration

Scripture promises one final restoration. Revelation describes the covenant woman bringing forth the man-child and fleeing into the wilderness:

"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God." (Revelation 12:5-6)

Daniel beheld the Ancient of Days take His seat, and the kingdom given to the saints of the Most High:

"But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever... And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High." (Daniel 7:18, 27)

The Messiah said, "My sheep hear My voice" (John 10:27), and "He that is of God heareth God's words" (John 8:47). God the Father is unchanging (Malachi 3:6) and calls all His children to return to Him.

There is a growing number of people who are restoring the Ancient Order, worshipping as Adam taught and preparing for the day when God will gather His family together one final time.

Key Scripture References

Adam's Ordination and the Garden Temple

Genesis 2:15 • Genesis 3:21 • Jubilees 3:9-31

The First Offerings

Genesis 4:4-5 • Hebrews 11:4

The Sons of God

Genesis 4:26 • Genesis 6:1-2

Enoch

Genesis 5:24 • Hebrews 11:5

Noah

Genesis 6-9 • 2 Peter 2:5

Melchizedek and Abraham

Genesis 14:18-20 • Hebrews 7:1-3

Moses and the Kingdom of Priests

Exodus 19:6 • Exodus 32 • Galatians 3:19-24

The Messiah's Restoration

Revelation 1:6 • John 14:6 • John 10:27

The Final Gathering

Daniel 7:18, 22, 27 • Revelation 12:1-6 • Malachi 3:6