Dear Friend of Creation,
Imagine the Garden of Eden. A vibrant paradise with fabulous vegetation of exquisite colors, crystal clear waters, lawns and meadows, set in glorious skies, diverse creatures all living in harmony with no predators or pests to worry about, trees laden with fruit, a fertile and abundant place with a perfect climate, where humanity, nature, and God could all walk together! I’m sure its beauty exceeded anything we could possibly imagine – because the Bible calls it “paradise”.
And to this day, world-famous “gardens” try to recreate the incredible awe and appreciation for the beauty of nature that people, who are the “image of God”, are meant to enjoy as a gift from our awesome Creator. His own life-giving Personality of Perfect Love and Goodness makes our own appreciation of great beauty possible!
World-famous gardens such as the Gardens of Versailles in France, the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada, the Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands, and the Nong Nooch Gardens of Pattaya, Thailand (all pictured below) remind us of the beauty the Lord has created - for us! But they are not paradise. In his famous book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote, “One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament seriously was that it talked so much about a Dark Power in the universe— a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the Power behind death and disease, and sin.” Indeed, we live in a world at war - spiritual darkness is everywhere. The story of our great Creator and Redeemer is a love story, but it is a love story set in the midst of war.
The Bible says that “paradise” was a historical reality, and will be a future reality available to us through the grace of God in Jesus Christ (Rev 2:7)! “Joy and gladness... thanksgiving and the voice of melody” were “to be found in the garden of the Lord” (Isaiah 51:3). The future home available to Christians in the New Jerusalem is in certain ways the model for the original creation of Eden – a re-creation of Eden.
The river which sprung up “out of Eden to water the garden” (Genesis 2:10), was a type of the “river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). And “the tree of life” will be back and accessible to the redeemed people of God in the New Jerusalem, as it was originally in Eden (Revelation 22:2, Genesis 2:9).
Interestingly, the Jewish Tabernacle and Temple were decorated with carvings and engravings of fruit trees and flowers designed to make you feel like you were going back to the Garden of Eden. The veil separating the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place was made with blue, purple, and scarlet dyed yarns woven with fine linen and embroidered with cherubim (Exodus 26:31-33) – just as God had stationed cherubim, the highest beings in the hierarchy of angels and always associated with the immediate presence of God, to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). The Holy of Holies was an “outpost” of Eden, into which only the High Priest could venture, and only once per year on the Day of Atonement.
But let’s recall that through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, “ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, ‘I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people’” (2 Corinthians 6:16). The Bible teaches that through the indwelling Holy Spirit our hearts can also be, what Christian author John Eldredge describes as, little “outposts” of Eden! Where the presence of the Lord is, there heaven and earth can come together and be filled with beauty, glory, and “joy unspeakable”! We have that access as children of God! No wonder Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37,38). There’s that Edenic imagery again! – that imagery of the living water flowing from the “Paradise of God”!
“Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus!” What a sweet and satisfying gift it is to be able to drink of the living water, now and then soon for eternity. And remember, the Bible says that no matter what we can imagine, the glories of “the new heavens and the new earth” (Isaiah 66:22, Revelation 21:1) are beyond human imagination, being prepared for us by Christ Himself (John 14:2). “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). What a blessing! What a promise!
Until then, abiding in faith, hope, and love, we have work to do. The harvest is plentiful! And we are all called to co-labor with the Holy Spirit for the purpose of proclaiming His truth and making “disciples of all nations”. Together, we can make known throughout the world that only Christ can quench the thirst of our souls. Eden is available to all who believe - help us continue to give those searching reason to anchor their eternal hope!
We thank you for your prayers and offerings as we work to advance His Kingdom and declare the opportunity for restored paradise!
Yours in Christ,
Mark Cadwallader, Board Chairman
P.S. This month, I’m excited to offer you the Pocket Guide to A Young Earth! To believe in a literal, biblical creation account is to go against the grain of popular opinion and prominent science. So, a pocket guide is just the tool you need on hand to stand firm on the scientific truth embedded within the pages of Genesis. This book examines the evolutionary evidence for the age of the earth and presents geological information not often shown in public schools and secular colleges. Order today, and equip yourself and your children with rational answers based on the authority of God’s Word.
How can we really trust Genesis as the literal history of the world? Many modern scholars and scientists would have you believe that you can't, but in The Six Days of Genesis, Paul F. Taylor (once the voice of Creation Moments and Director of the Mount St Helens Creation Center) lays all doubts about the authenticity of the Bible to rest. Follow this spellbinding, verse-by-verse study Taylor takes you on from the Garden of Eden to the Fall, to the original genealogy of all mankind.
To get both or either of these resources, click here or call us toll-free at 1-800-422-4253 during regular office hours (Mon – Th 8:30am-4:30pm CT).
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