(10 min read – 1395 words)

Introduction

Did you know that the greatest events in Kingdom history happened in or around gardens?

God’s first gift to man was a garden.

Gardens referenced in the scriptures teach us of God’s nature, who we are, the mysteries of His will, and where we are going together across history. Both Old and New Testament authors wrote prophetically of gardens to both conceal and reveal past, present, and future events to come.

The Lord referenced garden elements like trees and rivers to speak to us about life’s big matters – life, death, growth, & connection. He even strategically placed references to them in the first page of Genesis, the first Psalm of David, the first page of the New Testament, and the very last page of Revelations!

What core message is God trying to convey to us through gardens?

In Part 1 of the “Gardens of God”, we’ll dive into the mysteries of the Garden of Eden, the tree of life, and their significance in the coming age.

The Garden of Eden

Just two chapters into the first book of Moses, we read about a garden God planted following the creation of the Heavens and the Earth. He then placed Adam in it:

Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. – Gen 2:8

God purposed this garden to be a place for man to experience and enjoy:

• Work, purpose, and productivity (Genesis 2:15)
• Creativity (Genesis 2:19)
• Pleasure (Genesis 2:25)
• Human relationships (Genesis 2:18)
• Food (Genesis 2:16, Revelations 2:7)
• His presence and voice (Genesis 3:8-10)

Ultimately, the Garden of Eden was designed to be a place where God and man could connect and communicate with each other in physical form. This was His desire from the very beginning (Genesis 3:8).

The Mystery of the Tree of Life

In the center of the Garden of Eden was a tree called the tree of life:

..the tree of life [was] also in the midst of the garden…. – Gen 2:9 NASB20

This tree is very significant. It was not merely a spiritual concept written by Moses, but a literal and physical tree with leaves, fruit, branches, roots, a canopy, and dedicated water sources.

God described this tree using the definite article ‘the’, revealing to us that there’s only one tree of life in all existence. Interestingly, there are no references in Genesis for this tree ever being created with the other trees on day three. This tells us this tree is eternal in nature and did not require sunlight to exist.

While today we have nutrients in vegetables, fruit, and leaves from trees scientifically known to extend one’s lifespan, the tree of life’s fruit contained nutrients that protected against all causes of mortality. Hence, it allowed one to live forever (Genesis 3:22).

After Adam and Eve sinned, it put them at risk of eating from the tree of life and living in a state of spiritual death and disconnection from the Lord forever. Because God loved them, He removed them from the garden as a preventive measure:

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out with his hand, and take [fruit] also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”– – Gen 3:22 NASB20

He then ordered Cherubim (a unique class of Angels) to temporarily guard the way back to the tree of life:

So He drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. – Gen 3:24 NASB20

God continued to bless and help Adam and Eve outside the garden (Genesis 4:1), while unfolding a plan for mankind to reconnect with Him as originally intended (face-to-face on earth).

What happened to the tree of life after the fall?

Just as the Garden of Eden was mentioned in the second chapter of the first book of the Bible, exactly two chapters in the last book of the Bible, the Spirit reveals to John on the Isle of Patmos that this same tree – the tree of life – will be available and accessible to believers in the coming age:

‘The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise (garden) of God.‘ – Rev 2:7 NASB20

This revelation indicates that the original tree of life from the Garden of Eden still exists and is currently in Heaven. It did not somehow get destroyed later by the flood or rot away after the fall. It also reveals to us that just like in the beginning of creation, the tree of life currently resides in the midst of a Heavenly garden.

By connecting the scriptural dots from beginning to end, it seems that the tree of life did not remain on earth for very long after the fall.

Just as Adam was moved into and later out of the garden, it seems God initially moved the tree of life out of Heaven and into the Garden of Eden during creation. He then must have moved it out of the earth later. Thus, it no longer needed guarding and was referenced by John 1000’s of years later.

The Tree at the End

Today, the tree of life and the garden are important features in the city of God – the new Jerusalem. For us to access the tree of life again as in the beginning, several future events must happen first.

First, our current earth and heavens (our entire physical realm) will be destroyed by fire during judgment:

But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people. – 2Pe 3:7 NASB20

Next, an entirely new creation/physical realm will be created:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer [any] sea. – Rev 21:1 NASB20

Finally, the city of God – including the tree of life, will descend out of Heaven and into God’s new creation. This will allow God’s original desire to be accomplished where He, man, the tree of life, and earth will all dwell together again just as it was in Genesis before the fall:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, – Rev 21:3 NASB20

The book of Revelations concludes by showing us that the tree of life, which will be sustained by the light of God, will produce twelve different kinds of fruit each month (based on a new rotational cycle) and will be available for healing:

in the middle of its street. On either side of the river [was] the tree of life, bearing twelve [kinds of] fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations. – Rev 22:2 NASB20

What then can we glean from all this?

We see here that God worked from eternity backwards and created the Garden of Eden based on Heaven’s pattern. God’s original design of relationship with man – how it should be, look, and function – has not changed since the inception of time and will be fully accomplished in the coming age.

We see that God is executing a plan right now for Him to dwell with His people in person and give them access again to the tree of life, but that several future events must take place first. These include the coming judgment, the removal of our current earth, and the creation of a new one.

The passion of Christ took place in a garden to reveal this:

Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. – John 19:41 NASB20

We’ll discuss this mystery between the cross and the garden next time.