Studies in Genesis
Mike Criswell
Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” – therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken” (Genesis 3:22).
Many love stories end in tragedy. People get their hopes up and then, due to human frailty or fickleness, what started as “perfection” is dashed on the rocks of betrayal. That’s the way it is with humans. We just don’t make good “lovers.”
Most of the time the real problem is selfishness and a lack of perspective. We tend to think that the “other party” is there for us. We become narcissistic and forget that relationships take work. They take time and patience. And most of all they take faithfulness.
Adam and Eve forgot that with God. God had given them everything they possibly could have needed, but they wanted more. Faced with temptation, they allowed Satan to offer them a deal they thought they couldn’t refuse. You know the story. They sinned and sold the whole garden for just a single bite of a forbidden fruit.
When mankind is faced with the choice of “submission with safety” or “rebellion with danger” he almost always chooses the latter. Why? Because man’s heart is never satisfied with the promises of God. In the Eden story, however, God abounds in love. Though He expels his children from the Garden, He nevertheless makes a promise that someday He will redeem them.
In reality, all scripture is the tale of how this redemption takes place. First, there are promises about a Messiah. Then there is the building of a lineage from whence that Messiah will come. The Messiah is revealed, walks among men, defeats death, and is enthroned as King of kings. The whole Bible is about how God restores His Edenic relationship with man!
So back to the question? When will Eden be restored? I’m not sure it ever will be in the same sense that it appeared in Genesis. However, according to the Revelation, God has something akin to Eden that he will again bestow on His children. In chapter 20 of John’s vision, he sees a new heaven and earth! The old has passed away and now we have a brand-new start.
John sees a heavenly “city” (New Jerusalem) descend as a bride adorned for her husband. In this “city” the very presence of God again dwells. As in Eden God will be with His people once again. In this new dwelling, are things that harken back to Eden as well as the Tabernacle, and the Temple. All that is good and blessed in the Old Covenant, now is restored in ultimate perfection. God’s presence is with His people, there is a river of life, there are trees that bring healing, there are beautiful and precious stones, and most of all, there is no sin!
Now, what is the Holy Spirit really trying to tell us? Well, that depends on where you start with the interpretation of Revelation. Some believe that the “bride” and the “heavenly Jerusalem” has reference to the assembly Jesus promised in Matthew 16:18. The church is certainly the bride of Christ and in Christ’s body abundant blessings personified.
Others see this as a description of the eternal abode of the believers in heaven. Note, however, that the city in which we shall dwell comes down “from” heaven. God comes to meet us, not the other way around, But no matter the position one takes, the truth is the same. God will indeed restore the relationship he once had with his children. This relationship is ONLY in Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him.
So, when will Eden be restored? From a “literal perspective” I don’t know if that is even the question we should be asking. What we should be asking is, “When will our relationship be restored with God?” That answer is simple. When we are in Christ (whether here on earth, or in the afterlife), Eden is restored. Once again, in Christ, we walk in the presence of God. And the wonderful thing is it can start now! It starts in this life when we yield our lives to Jesus.
Comments