The Garden In Eden

In the beginning, "the LORD God" (see The First Act Of Faith) created the heavens and the earth (see Are We In Heaven Now? to understand why the Word of God uses "heavens"; see also What Does Word of God Mean To You?).

"^2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, ^2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. ^2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. ^2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul [see What Does The Bible Really Say About Your Soul?]." (Genesis 2:4-7 KJV)

The English word "Eden" originated from a Hebrew word, pronounced ay-den, which means pleasure or delightful. Such was the name, not given to the "garden of Eden," but to the place where the LORD planted the garden i.e. "the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden." According to the Holy Scriptures, Eden wasn't the garden; Eden was the larger area within which the limited-area garden was planted. There, the LORD God "put the man whom he had formed." The LORD also then planted the trees of the garden in Eden.

"^2:8 And the LORD God [see also From The Foundation Of The World] planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ^2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2:8-9 KJV)

The specific location of the garden that the LORD planted in Eden is not recorded in the Scriptures, other than that "a river went out of Eden to water the garden" i.e. a single river of Eden flowed into the Garden in Eden (or "Garden of Eden" - both terms are correct, while "the Garden was Eden" is not Biblically correct). It then divided into four rivers; while two of them are unknown today, two others remain evident - the Euphrates and the Hiddekel (an earlier name for the Tigris River). Note from the topographical map why the rivers flow as they do in that valley region; the map also shows why Noah's ark landed to the north, on the mountains there (see The Voyage To The New World).

"^2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. ^2:11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; ^2:12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. ^2:13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. ^2:14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates." (Genesis 2:10-14 KJV)

While the first human was created in Eden, he was not created in the Garden of Eden - as we've read, the Garden in Eden didn't yet exist when "Adam" was created. The first (and only) human to begin life in the Garden of Eden was the woman (Adam was created outside of the Garden, but in Eden; Eve's children were born outside of the Garden, but in Eden).

"^2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. ^2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ^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.

^2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

^2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. ^2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

^2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; ^2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

^2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

^2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. ^2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." (Genesis 2:15-25 KJV)

"The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed"

The Garden in Eden was the place where humans became sinners - by doing as they lustfully pleased with Satan's "interpretation" of God's Word (see Do You Want A Servant Or A Serpent?) - the very same tactic that Satan used in the Temptation of Christ e.g. "^4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone" (Matthew 4:6 KJV).

"^3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

^3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: ^3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

^3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: ^3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

^3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat [see The Manner Of Fruit]. ^3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

^3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day [see also Do Spirits Have Bones?]: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. ^3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

^3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

^3:11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

^3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

^3:13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." (Genesis 3:1-13 KJV)

The humans were then evicted from the Garden in Eden. The first humans thereafter found themselves outside of the Garden boundaries ("the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden") - still in Eden (as we will read momentarily), but outside of the Garden.

"^3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. ^3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: ^3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. ^3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." (Genesis 3:21-24 KJV)

The first humans to be born did so in Eden, but outside of the Garden; "Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground."

"^4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. ^4:2 And she again bare his brother Abel.

And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ^4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. ^4:4 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: ^4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

^4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? ^4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

^4:8 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 [see The Sins Of The World's Oldest Profession]." (Genesis 4:1-8 KJV)

While his parents had been cast out of the Garden in Eden, Cain was then exiled from Eden itself - "Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden."

"^4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?

And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?

^4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. ^4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; ^4:12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

^4:13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. ^4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

^4:15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. ^4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden." (Genesis 4:9-16 KJV)

Fact Finder: Where is the Paradise that is promised in the true Gospel of Jesus Christ?
See The True Gospel Of Christ and What Will Heaven Be Like?; also What Was The Lesson Of John 3:16?

This Day In History, January 16

27 BC: With his defeat of the remnant of the Greek Empire (see The Cleopatra Connection), Octavian ("Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus"), thereafter known as Caesar Augustus, became the first Roman emperor (see The Politics Of Rome and Pax Romana: The Birth Of The Roman Empire). Augustus was emperor at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ (Luke 2:1-7; see also Does Rome Have Christ's Birth Certificate?).

1120: The Council of Nablus established the laws of "the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem" (see Constantine's Crusades In History And Prophecy).

1412: The Medici family was appointed the official banker of the Papacy.

1547: Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) became the first Russian Czar ("Czar" is the Russian version of "Caesar").

1556: Charles I of Spain was succeeded by his son, Philip II.

1572: Thomas Howard, the 4th Duke of Norfolk, was tried for treason for his involvement in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England.

1581: The English Parliament outlawed Roman Catholicism after repeated attempts at invasion, government overthrow and assassination of English kings by the Papacy after Henry VIII (reigned 1509-1547) declared independence from Rome.

1604: At the Hampton Court Conference in England, John Rainolds presented to King James I the motion "that there might be a new translation of the Bible." Approved the next day, Rainolds' motion led to the 1611 publication of the "Authorized" King James Version of the Bible.

1642: French settlers were given land in Acadia (what is today eastern Canada). Years later, when the British took possession of the area, many of the Acadians left for the French colonies in Louisiana, where "Acadian" came to be pronounced as "Cajun."

1756: The Treaty of Westminster was signed by King George II of England and Frederick of Prussia, providing Hanover's neutrality during the Anglo-French wars.

1780: The British under Admiral George Rodney defeated a Spanish squadron at Cape St. Vincent, thus relieving Gibraltar.

1794: Edward Gibbon, author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, died (see The Politics Of Rome and Pax Romana: The Birth Of The Roman Empire).

1809: The British army under Sir John Moore defeated a superior French force at the battle of Corunna; Moore was killed in the battle.

1920: "Prohibition" in the U.S. began, outlawing the sale or manufacture of alcohol. It became the biggest money-maker for organized crime for many years (later replaced by narcotics).

1945: Adolf Hitler (see Presidential Quotes On War, Terrorism, Religion) returned to his Berlin bunker (the "Fuhrerbunker" - the "leader" then led his country from a hole in the ground) where he would remain for the few remaining months of his life. This date is also regarded as the end of the failed German Ardennes offensive, known as the Battle of The Bulge.

1950: Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg recognized Israel de jure.

1956: The Egyptian government made Islam the state religion.

1969: The Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 completed the first-ever docking of manned spacecraft in orbit, and the first-ever transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another.

1979: The Shah of Iran was forced into exile by Ayatollah Khomeini. Iran thereby went from being ruled by a fascist (i.e. an unelected dictator) CIA-controlled king to a Muslim-controlled "democratic" state.

1982: Britain re-established full diplomatic relations with the Vatican i.e. the Church of Rome ("^18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her" Revelation 18:3 KJV).

1991: The (first) Iraq war ("Operation Desert Storm") began with the massive bombing of targets in Iraq and occupied Kuwait.

2003: The Space Shuttle Columbia was launched on its final mission; it disintegrated 16 days later while attempting re-entry.