04 May Heaven is a Garden: Everyone at the Park, Golf Course, Or On Vacation Wants Jesus
Genesis 2:8 – God planted a garden in Eden…and there he put the man whom he had formed.
Revelation 22:1-2 – The angel showed me the river of the water of life…flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through 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.
Being outdoors in a beautiful environment simply makes you feel closer to God. This is why we go on vacations, hike mountains, swim lakes, raft rivers, golf courses, and plant gardens.
Before God made people, He made a garden for us to live in according to Genesis. Eden means paradise, and we feel at home in beautiful outdoor spaces because that was our original home. Ever since we got kicked out of the garden of Eden because of our sinful rebellion, we’ve been homeless and restless longing for Home.
The garden of Eden is a realm in which God and other divine beings (including angels) met with our first parents as the connection point between the Kingdom of Heaven in the unseen realm and the Kingdom of Earth in the seen realm. That garden and realm continue to exist, although we have lost access to it. When Jesus died on the cross, one of the thieves dying at His side repented of his sin and received Jesus as his Savior. He was then told by Jesus that upon death he would be taken to “paradise” which means garden and was likely the same place that Adam and Eve were kicked out of.
When Jesus returns, Revelation reveals that He will bring the paradise garden of Eden with Him. God’s original plan for this planet has not been ruined by Satan and sin but will be restored by our King and His Kingdom. Eternity will begin as history did – with God ruling from a garden on the earth seated on a throne with the tree of life open for people to be healed from the curse and live together forever on the earth in physical bodies.
The next time you see a sunrise or sunset, jump into a lake, hike up a mountain, plant a garden, put flowers in your home, enjoy the leaves of fall, feel a breeze, step into a river, or feel the cool grass or warm sand under your feet, remind yourself that the best is yet to come.
Where in creation do you feel closest to God?
