FROM EDEN LOST TO EDEN RESTORED

     “In the beginning…” These first three words of the Holy Bible carry such vast knowledge encompassing life: it’s character, its experience and its purpose. In light of GOD’S foreknowledge of this world falling into sin and our Creator's acceptance that He would have to be “slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev.13:8) to prove to all intelligent beings of His infinite love, it is wise to understand how GOD’S love could choose no other course to save His children from death and restore what was lost through sin. With Satan and his pawns among men abusing their freewill, GOD stands innocent of every accusation against Him because every misery we see every day is a fruit of that abuse, and not of GOD'S will.

     Our investigation will not focus on the interim of time between Eden lost and Eden restored, but only these two chapters of eternity where sin has no presence and heaven’s tranquility prevails throughout GOD’S creation. But there is one fundamental danger that we seriously need to bring to light in the context of this study. It is a universal doctrine among the major religions of Earth. The human race stands ignorant of its danger, and through this ignorance has lost sight of one of the most simple but precious lessons of Scripture and salvation. And only the books of Genesis and Revelation mention this gem of heavenly truth.

     “Once upon a time” all was harmonious in the paradise of Creation. Every living thing stood in the fullness of GOD’S intended purpose. There was no death among any living creature. Nor did the precursors of death: hunger, fear, hatred or violence threaten the Utopian harmony. No anxiety of any kind existed. The animal kingdom was at peace with itself and at peace with man. And the purpose for all life was simple: live to bless the lives of others, for through the mutual giving comes the receiving. Herein lays the heart of GOD’S Sacred Law. As long as angels and man kept their eyes fixed on GOD’S purpose for His Creation, exploring the deeper logic of how all things exist to serve the wellbeing of life, and even how GOD Himself lives to serve the eternal happiness of all life—as long as intelligent beings aspired to understand this unspeakable love as GOD'S motive for creating us and all things, GOD would remain forever praised and exalted as The Elite Minister of this Love.

     When GOD created life He created a vast spectrum of creatures from the lowly insect to the loftiness of man. He assigned to each a specific duty accompanied with an intellectual/emotional constitution whose greatest happiness is found in fulfilling that specific duty—all under the umbrella of subservient love. Through this balance of nature all would experience the peaceful perpetuation of life’s activities throughout eternity.

     “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it [set it apart for holy use]: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. 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, 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. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 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 [the union of spirit and flesh]. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 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.” Gen.1:31-2:1-9.

     The life of Adam and Eve was perfect in every respect. The air was perfect in temperature and fragrant. The motion of flowers waving in the breeze, the gentle sound of the leaves, all was restful. Their surroundings were soft and lovely, with radiant gold and dazzling gemstones scattered throughout the Earth’s surface, mingling with the richness of life’s diversity (Gen.2:12). Their diet was a raw vegan diet. All things were provided for them, including GOD’S supreme gift of a freewill. There was nothing they could do to make more complete or lovely what GOD had already provided them. (The same perfect provision can be said for man’s salvation through Jesus Christ as the Apostle Paul said, “And ye are complete in him.” Col.2:10. There is nothing man can do to make more complete what the virtuous life of Christ has accomplished on behalf of His children. We simply embrace His Words as the perfection of truth and ask the Father for His Spirit Who brings the Presence of Christ into our hearts to lead our steps in life, as He promised, “I am the good shepherd…My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Jn.10:11,14,27).

     The daily duty of Adam and Eve was simple and in harmony with the desires GOD placed in their hearts. “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Gen.2:15. The wise cultivation of life was to be their source of happiness and daily labor. The manner in which GOD designed and arranged the garden of Eden the young happy couple would emulate in cultivating the life outside of the garden. The LORD'S garden was to be their schoolmaster. And because GOD had provided for their every need there was no fear of doing any harm in their work of stewardship over the life of Earth.

     Adam and Eve were also blessed with GOD’S provision for eternal life. Among the most important Bible lessons is to understand the means through which man can live forever, for this issue has become the great stumbling block in the world’s religions today, from Roman Catholicism to Zoroastrianism. It is "the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality" (I Tim.6:15,16). For churchmen to overrule this fact and declare that "Every man lives forever" (as is so commonly taught among the churches) is to deny the most basic tenet of Bible theology, for it is from this ignorance that we see all manner of religious abuse, all carried out in GOD name. Regardless of this belligerent ignorance from our religious leaders, GOD ordained that only the fruit from “the tree of life” would provide man’s immortality. It is this fruit that nourishes eternal life in all who partake of it.

     But when Adam and Eve fell under the dominion of sin, GOD had to prevent them from eating the sacred fruit: “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: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 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.” Gen.3:22-24. This was the dawn of death in the Earth. Sin had taken hold, and Adam's dominion was passed to Satan, who from then on was "the prince of this world" and "the power of the air" (Jn.14:30; Eph.2:2). From that moment, all life became terminally infected, and received the death sentence. Death will always be the destination when the government of sin usurped Adam's dominion. A clear illustration of this disease of the human character is the disease of the human body called cancer. The cancer lives only until it kills its host, and then it dies with its host. This is the destiny for mankind in this present world. We are the cancer and the world is our host. If the cancer of sin were to run its course, it would bring an end to the whole of creation, for it despises the fundamental law that preserves life: benevolent love. The present government of selfishness which rules the earth must be allowed to play itself out that all may see its destination if sin were allowed to go unchecked. The goal of sin is simple: the death of GOD and all creation. Jesus had to die to show the goal of the Creator’s death; and now the earth itself must perish to show all intelligent life that Satan’s argument against GOD’S Sacred Laws given to govern life is the antithesis of “everlasting life.” His ways are just like cancer. As cancer lives until it destroys the body, the sins of men are destroying this world. As the cancer perishes with the body, so man will perish with this world. Therefore, man has chosen the path of suicide from the very moment man chose not to believe GOD’S Word.

     But GOD has made a way of escape! Our Creator became the Christ! And His victory is promised to all who "take heed" to His Word (Mk.13:23). In His Word we read how on this very day today, planted in the New Jerusalem is “the tree of life.” The redeemed will eat of it’s fruit and thus restore man’s immortality as Jesus promised: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Rev.2:7. This is what the Apostle Paul meant in his words: "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." I Cor.15:53. Through the fruit of this tree alone will man share the Immortal Life of GOD as "the Revelation of Jesus Christ" gives assurance: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Rev.21:4.

     Every major religion of the world, including Christianity proclaims that man is naturally immortal. This belief is flawed at its very core, and as a result has opened the door for all manner of mystical philosophy to take hold in man’s vain imagination: everything from reincarnation and pantheism to ghosts and Satan worship. Virtually very mainstream Christian denomination teaches that an immortal life in the torments of hellfire awaits every soul who rejects “the love of God” (Jude 21). The most pathetic oxymoron that could ever be conceived is believed by tens of millions of professing Christians. Many visions have been given by the devil to Bible illiterate Catholics and Protestants alike of screaming people—tormented in hellfire. The Bible rebukes this spiritual blackmail and character assassination of Jesus Christ as it is written: “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 7. It should be observed that Sodom and Gomorrha are not burning today. The fire went out after it purged the land from sin. And so it will be in the Great Judgment and "the lake of fire" cleansing of the Earth as the Apostle Peter clarified: “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition [total destrution] of ungodly men.” II Pet.3:7. The fire goes out! Jesus will then say, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev.21:5). The saints will witness His recreation of the Earth as it was “In the beginning.” They will see and hear Genesis chapter one in real time and enter the first Sabbath rest of “the new earth.” And the seventh day Sabbath will be held forever: "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD." Isa.66:22,23. The pope will never hear these words. Nor the rulers of Apostate Protestantism. Regardless of their wilfull and belligerent stance against the basic tenets of salvation, it is the punishment that is "eternal," "forever," and "everlasting," not the punishing. The very core of man’s slander of GOD’S truth and love lies in the church denying the lessons of the most basic parameters of GOD’S salvation through Jesus Christ.

     Nevertheless, the Bible identifies the source of man’s immortality and its location today in heaven as it is written: “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations…Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev.22:2,14.

     When man enters Eden once more the life GOD originally established “In the beginning” will be reinstated. The glories awaiting the faithful followers of Jesus Christ, and even those who never heard His Good Name but allowed the Holy Spirit to direct and lead their lives (Zech.13:6; Rom.2:13-15) will all participate in sharing the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Earth made new. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” “Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.” “And they shall build houses, and inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree [are] the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they [are] the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.” “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.” “And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.” “For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.” “Affliction shall not rise up the second time.” Isa.11:6-9; 30:26; 65:21-23; 66:22,23; Zeph.3:9; Na.1:9.

“AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.”