Creator, Father, King #33

The LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made.

WHAT WAS THE GARDEN of Eden like? What was it like to live in Paradise before the Fall?

The Bible doesn’t provide many details about Adam and Eve’s daily life before sin and death entered the world. But it’s fascinating to think about those blissful, early days after Creation.

Here’s what we do know from Genesis, chapter 2:

• Eden was a stunning garden filled with “beautiful” trees that “produced delicious fruit” (verse 9).
• The garden was well-watered (verse 10).
• The surrounding land was rich in natural resources such as “gold,” “aromatic resin,” and “onyx stone” (verse 12).
• God gave Adam work to do, but before the Fall, work was a blessing, not a curse (verse 15).

If all this sounds like language describing the manicured, royal grounds of a glorious monarch’s kingdom, well, you’re exactly right.

What’s It Mean?

The Lord is both highly exalted above all his creation, and yet he is also a wonderfully close and personal God. He lovingly created a world for us to enjoy his presence. We were not meant to live apart from him but with him.

Before the Fall, the Garden of Eden was literally meant to be heaven on earth—God’s dwelling place with mankind. We see a brief yet beautifully revealing glimpse of this in Genesis 3:8 after Adam and Eve had made their fateful decision to disobey God: “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden.” Somehow, God made a habit of strolling through the Garden to personally fellowship with Adam and Eve. Amazing!

Sadly, sin has grossly distorted God’s earthly dwelling place where he wants to make his presence known. But one day when Jesus returns, the Lord will destroy all evil and restore paradise, which the Bible refers to as “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1). This is God’s eternal Kingdom, where all true believers will reign with him forever and enjoy close, personal fellowship with him—without sin and without end.

As Revelation 21:3 says, “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.’” What a beautiful day that will be!

Now What?

Read Revelation 21:1–22:5 and see how many “paradise restored” references you see relating to Genesis 2.

Did You Know?

Based on Genesis 2, the original Garden of Eden was probably located somewhere in the ancient Fertile Crescent.