After You made the man did you build him a house so he can stay out of the rain, and a grocery store so he wouldn’t starve to death?
“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.
And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads” (Gen 2:8-10).
“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
And the LORD God commanded man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen 2:15-17).
Note: It did not rain at this time, Noah was the first person to ever see rain, which was more than 1,500 years later:
“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” (Gen 2:5-6).
The Garden of Eden
Genesis describes a garden God provided for Adam and Eve that lay to the east in Eden.
“And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed” (Gen 2:8).
The site of the mythical ancient “garden of Eden” has long held fascination, particularly since it is referred to beyond the Genesis source. Now, as Tom Knox writes, a remarkable archaeological site in eastern Turkey may support earlier theories on Eden’s location and how a semi-religious meeting place dating to 13,000 BC may have led to the stories of “God’s Garden” or “Paradise.” Gobekli Tepe in the Plains of Harran Knox, whose book The Genesis Secret explores the connections to Gobekli Tepe, states that the hundreds of T-shaped megaliths covered with images of different animals may be the most important discovery in centuries. The carbon dating makes Gobekli “the oldest such site in the world, by a mind-numbing margin.” At the time early man inhabited the site, it was a place filled with “herds of game, rivers of fish, and flocks of wildfowl; lush green meadows were ringed by woods and wild orchards.” In a bizarre twist, the site was covered over in 8,000 BC. George Frederick Wright states that to be in accordance with all existing ancient literature about Eden, its location had to be “adapted to the production of fruit trees and animals capable of domestication…” The Genesis Eden was well-watered by the four branches of rivers Josephus identified as the Ganges, Tigris, Eurphrates, and Nile. The prophet Ezekiel (31.16) refers to the “well-watered trees of Eden.” Wright examined the various theories as to Eden’s possible location and concludes that the greatest amount of evidences places it in eastern Turkey – Wrights conclusions came at the early part of the 20th century, long before Gobekli Tepe was discovered. The very name “Eden” was derived from an Assyrian term, “idinu,” which has been traced to the Accadian (Sumerian) “edin.” Finally, tablets found at the site of the ancient city of Eridu (Mesopotamia) contain images of a sacred tree, a “tree of life,” guarded by two spirits at either end.
The term Eden may come from the Hebrew word for “delight”; alternatively the word may have derived from a Babylonian word edine meaning “plain,” or perhaps “Eden” is related to a West Semitic word suggesting a well-watered place.
The Garden of Eden (Gen 2:15), was a place of the life-giving water and fertile land where God abundantly provided for Adam and Eve. A river flowed forth from the Garden that separated into four rivers: the Pishon, the Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates.
The last two rivers are well known: they originate in the Armenian mountains of eastern Turkey and flow through Mesopotamia to the Persian Gulf.
The geographical details – a river that separates into four headwaters – cannot be easily matched with the present geography of the Middle East. Several proposed locations for the Garden of Eden have been offered.
One idea locates it in the Armenian Mountains near the headwater of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. In this scenario Pishon and Gihon might be identified with other rivers arising in this mountainous region.
A second proposal places the Garden in southern Mesopotamia. If the name Eden comes from the Babylonian word for “plain,” this idea gains strength. Furthermore, from the vantage point of Canaan, southern Mesopotamia lies east.
The Tigris and Euphrates flow though Mesopotamia. Perhaps the Gihon and Pishon refer to rivers flowing out of the southern Zagros Mountains into the plain. An alternative suggestion is that two of the numerous irrigation canals are the Pishon and Gihon.
A third view takes a broader approach, suggesting that the description locates the Garden only generally in the Ancient Near East.
The Name Cush suggests to some scholars that the two unidentified rivers are the White and Blue Niles of Africa. Since the location of the Tigris and Euphrates are known this view locates the Garden generally in the Near East, the cradle of ancient civilizations.
I think the Garden of Eden represents Heaven because God made Adam and Eve to live forever in peace and tranquility, as He says it will be when Jesus returns:
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
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.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is 6,853 km (4,258 miles) long. The Nile is an “international” river as its water resources are shared by eleven countries, namely, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt. In particular, the Nile is the primary water source of Egypt and the northern Sudan. The Nile has two major tributaries, the White Nile and Blue Nile. The White Nile is considered to be the headwaters and primary stream of the Nile itself. The Blue Nile, however, is the source of most of the water and fertile soil. The White Nile is longer and rises in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, with the most distant source still undetermined but located in either Rwanda or Burundi. It flows north through Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda and South Sudan. The Blue Nile begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia and flows into Sudan from the southeast. The two rivers meet near the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. The northern section of the river flows almost entirely through desert, from Sudan into Egypt, a country whose civilization has depended on the river since ancient times. Most of the population and cities of Egypt lie along those parts of the Nile valley north of Aswan, and nearly all the cultural and historical sites of Ancient Egypt are found along riverbanks. The Nile ends in a large delta that empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
And he [Jesus] said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Rev 21:3-8).
To my understanding, and this is only my own hypothesis, this will not be Heaven, but we’ll live with Jesus here for 1,000 years. After those 1,000 years then Jesus will release Satan for a short time, and then lock him in the Lake of Fire forever:
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The Deepest Hole In The World The bottomless pit has been a thing of mystery and curiosity for hundreds of years. Could such a pit exist? Of course if one does exists, where? The air of mystery that could surround a hole that seemingly was endless is beyond compare, especially to some people. There are a few stories floating out there in the world that may be reality or just fanciful legend. I guess it really depends what you want to believe. The first story comes from Russia and it was called the “Well to Hell”. It was a hole that was drilled so deep that it broke through to the underworld of Hell itself. It is said that a nine mile deep hole was dug and then broke through to an extremely hot cavity of the earth. A heat resistant microphone was lowered down into this cavity of the earth and they could hear the flames and screams of those people being eternally torture for the horrible acts they had committed while living. Is this true? Is there such a deep hole in Russia? Is it that extremely hot? Are the screams of the dammed heard? Well believe it or not some of this story is true, in fact Russia has a deep hole about nine miles located in the Kola Peninsula and not Siberia as the story would have us believe. The hole is in fact nearly eight miles deep and the temperatures have reached 360 degrees Fahrenheit which makes drilling any further extremely expensive. Now time for the screams of the damned part of this story, when drilling they did happen to stumble upon geological anomalies but there were definitely no screams if the damned recorded. So a simple story of great engineering in the aspect of drilling a hole was taken to a legend of supernatural lore. This could be true, but I don’t believe it. I believe that there is a Bottomless Pit because God said so, but I don’t believe it exists on earth.
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:1-15).
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev 1-15).
Why God is going to let the devil out again is beyond me. I don’t know for certain, but I can think of two possible reasons:
1) For those that are walking a thin line as is, because as you will see shortly God will not allow those that are only half or partially righteous:
“For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries” (Heb 10:26-27).
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost.
And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Heb 6:4-6).
“Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt 7:21-22).
Is Hell in the Center of the Earth? Scientists have yet to directly measure the temperature of the Earth’s inner core, but most estimates put it at somewhere between 9,000 and 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,000 and 6,000 degrees Celsius).
And…
2) For those that, for some stupid reason, would prefer to spend eternity with the devil in the Lake of Fire, rather than in Heaven with Jesus.
Then we’ll live forever with Jesus in the new Jerusalem:
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21:1-2).
“And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
Are Heaven and Hell Real Places? The Bible describes heaven and hell as real places. Humans have souls and when we die, we go either to heaven or hell, where we will spend eternity. Our physical bodies die on earth but our souls live forever. In broad terms heaven is a reward for serving the living God whereas hell is a place of punishment for rejecting God and his son Jesus. Heaven is described as the most amazing place imaginable whereas hell is described as a place of unimaginable torment. Is Hell Real? God has given everyone the opportunity to choose their eternal destination and has even made it possible for us to escape the eternal torment of hell. Because God created us with free will, we are expected to decide for ourselves whether we choose eternal spiritual life or eternal spiritual death.
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.
And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev 21:9-27).
“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
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.
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” (Rev 22:1-3).
“And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
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.
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Rev 22:10-21).
Only God has that mind, and He says that He has already created new things for us that go to Heaven:
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Cor 2:9).
“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him” (Is 64:4).
Also, we won’t even remember this life.
“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy“ (Is 65:17-18).
After You made the man did you build him a house so he can stay out of the rain, and a grocery store so he wouldn’t starve to death?
