Genesis 1:26-31 – Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Genesis 2:5-18 – The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Genesis 2:20-24 – So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Once upon a time, when time was still new, the Lord God created a magnificent world that was stunning and wondrous in in its beauty and was magnificent beyond comprehension in its creation and mysterious in its operation. He made it for His Beloveds, whom were not yet created, but whom He had known and seen in an eternity before. He made the world exactly for them.
Within the world He blessed a specific part of the land to be the place where His first two Beloveds would live, where they would call home. He filled it with the beautiful and magnificent animals of the earth, both big and small. In the garden land He placed every beautiful flower, magnificent tree, and luscious and sweet fruit. Because of the plants and fruit the scent in the garden was always fresh, always sweet, and always aromatic to delight His Beloveds.
At just the right time, the Lord God created Adam, and then, in a most loving gesture, He created Eve from one of Adam’s ribs. Now this paradise for God’s Beloveds was complete. It had every delightful joy for the Beloveds and was topped with the gift of Eve to Adam and Adam to Eve. Yet what perfected the Garden was that God walked, talked and fellowshipped with them in the Garden. How perfect! Oh how wonderful! How precious beyond everything else!
As in every land, this Garden had boundaries. And as with every land it had rules. Since Adam and Eve were pure of heart and naïve to evil, there was only one rule. There was a variety of food and they could eat a different fruit every day for over five years without repeating the eating any of one type of fruit. They had an endless supply of fresh and cool water. The climate was perfect. The animals were obedient, submissive, kind and loving. Because Adam and Eve were pure in heart, God gave them only one rule, out of all the fruit in the Garden they must not eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As a blessing and protection He gave them this rule and even told them why He gave it to them. It was a protection for them. If they ate it, they would change their reality, they would put themselves out of the plan and will of God for their lives. They were made to live forever as they ate from the tree of life in the Garden, which made them able to live forever without ever being sick, or getting old, or being disabled. Their minds and bodies would remain in perfect condition in the Garden. And in the Garden, in their special land given by God, they would be in continual fellowship with God. So God warned them, because He loved them, to not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they did, they would be outside of the plan and will of God. And if outside the will of God, then the consequence would be that they would be outside the Garden, outside the boundaries of the land that God had created just for His Beloveds. God wanted them to live always and forever live in paradise.
Unfortunately Adam and Eve chose to believe the serpent rather than God. They ate from the forbidden fruit and therefore were forced to leave the perfect paradise and go out into the wild. The wild was a place where hurt and heartache dwelt it knew nothing of the perfect harmony of the Garden. For the rest of their lives Adam and Eve mourned over their decision to believe anything or anyone more than God. They longed to return to the Garden.
Over the thousands of years since Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden of Eden the Lord God has remained faithful to all of His Beloveds. He has spoken them to them to guide them back to Him and to keep them safe. He had promised them that a day would come when they could return to a paradise like Eden, only greater. He continuously spoke to all His Beloveds to tell them that in the spirit is a land that is greater than the Garden of Eden. It is a land of being in God’s presence once again. A land where God will keep them in His love, His peace and His joy even as the walk through a hostile world. This new paradise, this new land, is barren of need, hurt and loss. The Lord God Almighty, through His Son Jesus, made a way to this new land which is within the world, but not of it, just like Eden was within the world, but not of it. Like God wanted His Beloveds to live eternally with Him in the Garden land, He wants all that are now His Beloveds, to live in this spiritual land for all eternity. He has given everything that His Beloveds need so that they never will fall from this spiritual land as Adam and Eve fell from Eden. He has created us to live in this land that is not dependent on the strength and will of His Beloveds, but on the strength of will of God Himself. So His Beloveds can live in paradise even as the world surrounds them. His Beloveds live in the world but are not of the world. They, as Adam and Eve once did, now walk and talk with God Almighty. Even more, God has placed His Holy Spirit within them so that they never forget that they are the Beloved of God and He is always with them.
God has also given the children of Adam and Eve one rule. The rule is to humble themselves in love and honor of Jesus, who died to save them. That is the one rule. Live in that rule, and stay in His spiritual land that He wants all to live in. If anyone does not live within that rule they will not be allowed to live in His land for His Beloveds, just as the rebellious Adam and Eve were not allowed to stay in the Garden land. It was the choice He gave to Adam and Eve. It is the choice He gives to everyone still. God’s Beloveds, choose God through Jesus and forever live in the land where we have His love, peace and joy. All to the pleasure, honor, and glory of God! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.