Bible Poetry Reading Plan: Job 29-30
Origins of the Heavenly City
Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant
to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. (ESV)
Revelation 22:1-2 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing
from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either
side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves
of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (ESV)
For years theologians have discussed the question, “where is the Garden of Eden?’. Well, today
we’re going to look at that answer. We know that the Tree of Life is in the Heavenly City (Rev. 22:2);
we also know that the Tree of Life was on earth in the beginning (Gen 2:9) therefore the Heavenly
city must also have been on earth, in the beginning. If we know that the Tree of Life is inside the
Heavenly city, and if we also know that the Tree of Life used to be on earth, then it makes sense that
the Heavenly city must have once been on the earth as well. Unless you want to believe that God
zapped the Tree of Life up to Heaven, by itself, and transplanted it inside the Heavenly city after
Adam and Eve sinned. But why believe that? Especially when you consider the fact that the Bible
explicitly teaches that the Garden of Eden also still exists – inside the Heavenly city. Revelation 2:7
tells us that the Tree of Life is in the ‘paradise of God’. What most modern readers don’t realize is
that the phrase ‘paradise of God’ was specifically used by the Greek-speaking Jews and Christians
living in New Testament times to speak of the Garden of Eden. But this means that the Garden of
Eden still exists! It also means that the Garden of Eden is inside the Heavenly city. If we know that
the Garden of Eden is inside the Heavenly city, and if we know that the Garden of Eden was once on
earth (Genesis 2 – 3), then it only makes sense that the whole Heavenly city was once on earth too.
The only alternative is to believe that God zapped the whole Garden of Eden, by itself, up to Heaven
and transplanted it inside the Heavenly city after Adam and Eve sinned – which is just as weird, or
more, than believing that the whole city was once on the earth. The Garden of Eden still exists, and
it exists within the Heavenly city.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Thank the Lord for the continuity that is found in the Scripture, this shows God’s precision and
careful planning of His creation.
2. Thank the Lord for the insight that He is giving us into the Scriptures, that they are coming alive
and that as a church we are going deeper into His Word.
