Begin—End, 8of12

~ Paradise Lost > Search for Paradise > Paradise Restored ~

There are a number of fascinating parallels between the first three chapters of the Bible (Genesis 1-3) and the last three chapters of the Bible (Revelation 20-22).  In between we find 1,183 chapters which record mankind’s struggles as well as instructions for the struggle.  In this series each post looks at one of the parallels—it is not an exhaustive coverage of all the parallels. 

The Beginning  ~  God created man and woman and placed them in the Garden of Eden—a true paradise.  But they were tempted… they sinned… and that paradise was lost.  “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings” (Genesis 3:6-7).

The Middle  ~  Solomon, reputed to be “the wisest man ever to live,” as well as one of the richest to ever live, tried to find satisfaction in all that earth in its sinful condition offers.  He concludes as follows:  “Moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.   The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth.  The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.  And further, my son, be admonished by these.  Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all.  For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:9-14).  Jesus Christ, the source of all wisdom, said: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37).

The End  ~  There is a time coming when all who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will enjoy an unending paradise.  “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people.  God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).  “And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him” (Revelation 22:3).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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Eden Lost & Recreated

~ The Bible Begins and Ends with a Garden of Paradise ~

Eden  ~  The word “Eden” has a root meaning of “garden” and contains the thought of “delight” (which is the plural of the word). With this in mind it is easy to see how the concept of Eden is that of a “garden of delight” or simply “paradise.” Eden is clearly a symbol of beauty, fruitfulness and God’s blessing (see Isaiah 51:3). 

In a very real way the Bible as a whole is the story of Eden lost and Eden regained. This becomes clear by examining the first two chapters (Genesis 1-2) and the last two chapters (Revelation 21-22) of the Bible. These last two chapters picture a “river of the water of life” and “the tree of life”—once again picturing paradise. 

The Beginning  ~  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;’ and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (1:26-31).

“This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up 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 being” (2:4-7). “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it” (2:15).

The Conclusion  ~  “Now I [John] saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1). “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful’” (21:4-5). But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life”(21:27). 

“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him” (22:1-3). “Then he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true.’ And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place” (22:6). Jesus Christ said, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” (22:12-13). “Happy are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (22:14). “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (22:17). “He who testifies [Jesus Christ] to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:20-21—the last two verses of the Bible).

the key question:  Will you be in the future Eden?  Are you sure?  If not, you can be!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).

Eden Lost & Recreated

~ The Bible Begins and Ends with a Garden of Paradise ~

Eden  ~  The word “Eden” has a root meaning of “garden” and contains the thought of “delight” (which is the plural of the word). With this in mind it is easy to see how the concept of Eden is that of a “garden of delight” or simply “paradise.” Eden is clearly a symbol of beauty, fruitfulness and God’s blessing (see Isaiah 51:3). 

In a very real way the Bible as a whole is the story of Eden lost and Eden regained. This becomes clear by examining the first two chapters (Genesis 1-2) and the last two chapters (Revelation 21-22) of the Bible. These last two chapters picture a “river of the water of life” and “the tree of life”—once again picturing paradise. 

The Beginning  ~  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;’ and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (1:26-31).

“This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up 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 being” (2:4-7). “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it” (2:15).

The Conclusion  ~  “Now I [John] saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1). “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful’” (21:4-5). But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life”(21:27). 

“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him” (22:1-3). “Then he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true.’ And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place” (22:6). Jesus Christ said, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” (22:12-13). “Happy are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (22:14). “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (22:17). “He who testifies [Jesus Christ] to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:20-21—the last two verses of the Bible).

the key question:  Will you be in the future Eden?  Are you sure?  If not, you can be!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).