Yes, it is a timeless commandment. For this purpose mankind was created: to be the image of God. Just as God fills the earth (and heaven: Ephesians 4:10), subdues and rules over it (Proverbs 15:3), He does so from His throne in heaven (Isaiah 66:1), so we are to be the image of God in His creation - as the physical walking, talking creators who bring His power to earth through our representation of Him / the speaking of His word (John 5:38, Romans 10:8, Matthew 4:4, Isaiah 59:21, Matthew 17:20, Matthew 21:43-44).
At that time, there will be peace throughout the earth. All humans and animals will be at peace, and nothing will harm or destroy (Daniel 2:35). For all the earth will be full of the knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:6-9).
We should consider these seemingly separate commands, as individual observations of the complete commandment.
It was a knowledge of what God's will is for them in the original state of things (ie The Garden of Eden), rather than a list of prescribed statements (see Jeremiah 31:33, Psalms 37:31).
Therefore, humans were given paradise and an inherent understanding of their role, along with a warning. Since it is written as two separate commands in proximity of words, to our reading it is possible to make it appear to imply some chronological issuing of the understandings, so that we may be inclined to classify it as "two separated commands". This is not necessarily the case.
There is no real indication that there was a chronology of commandments between Genesis 1:28 and Genesis 2:17, but rather, both those verses give different details about a much more complex understanding. It is merely a consequence of written communication that these might appear to be separate commands.
When it comes to having a spiritual comprehension of God's law (eg as Jeremiah 31:33 describes), the understanding does not have such limitations, because it does not require words at all. Rather, it is the resonating of two hearts so that there be no misunderstanding.
Very good. Destruction does not come from God (John 8:44, John 10:10). The human who destroys is operating of their beast nature, not of their original human nature - which is to be the image of God (create, love, guard, teach etc). (Romans 8:5-6, Galatians 5:14-18).
A person first needs to be willing to acknowledge it, so that they may receive the conviction of the truth that comes from The Holy Spirit.
Once a person has left resonance with The Holy Spirit, they have already chosen to reject the truth, and it is only by the grace of God that we may return to Him. It's interesting that Jesus said "unless you turn and become again as a little child, you will never enter the kingdom of God". This is because children always break down their illusion of deceit and admit the truth, when their parents bust them (parents are more cunning than children and it is difficult for children to evade grown-ups when they conduct an investigation).
Grown-ups don't always do this when God speaks to them though. Instead they pretend that nobody will corner them in their errors because nobody can actually prove anything (they have figured out how to use deceit to guard their convictions). They go on thinking that He doesn't see them, because they do not acknowledge the words that He speaks to them. They have chosen to not hear The Holy Spirit - and so therefore they have chosen to eat (be nourished, sustained-by) the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil!
These are they who choose to believe in their heart "there is no God - and I won't believe it until it is proven to me". They have done an abominable deed (Psalms 53:1). This was an interesting post in which I described detail to another member about that transition from being innocent and close to God, as a child, then to being obstinate as a grown-up and needing to be born again (John 4:14):
Faith & Believe Help
After saying all of this, the only way a person will know if they have eaten forbidden fruit, is if they are willing to stop pretending that the onus is on God, and then admit to God "I know that something has come between us, and I am really not sure what particular thing is stopping me from being born again - can you please bring me into your judgement so that I can receive conviction for my sin, and then to repent so I can have the relationship with you that you have promised and that those Christians already have".
A major learning for me, is that holding a belief that a command is paramount, most often produces a judgementalism against those who do not observe it as we have come to expect. This in turn gives opportunity for our pride, jealousy, anger etc to manifest against those whom we have deemed "lawless", and that is the opposite of our ability to demonstrate love. (He who stays in love stays in God, and God in him). This is how it is written "the letter of the law quickens, but the spirit gives life". The way that these such people have learned to apply the commandments to their life, is to earn a justification (Romans 4:4). They then become lawless against their brethren by failing to have love, where their brothers and sisters are already sanctified by their ignorance so that The Holy Spirit has not even convicted them eg (Galatians 5:14, Romans 14:4, Matthew 7:1). Thus, their judgement is not applied in righteousness, because that one still has not received conviction from The Holy Spirit in order that they should be judged!
All this to say, "beware the yeast of the Pharisee" - a little leaven ferments a whole loaf of dough.
