How well do you know the Garden of Eden?
In this article, you will discover 10 important facts about it.
Let’s begin!
1) The Garden of Eden Was Located in the East
The Garden of Eden was a land planted by God in the east before the Flood (Genesis 2:8; Siegfried Horn, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary 302-3).
East? Does it mean it was somewhere in the Middle East?
Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t mention in which region or country it was exactly located.
Why not?
Well, the Flood in Noah’s time altered the original physical features of the earth, making it difficult to determine the exact location of Eden after the Fall (Francis Nichol, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 1, page 223).
But, you know, curious minds won’t settle until a mystery is solved.
Modern scholars reviewed the places mentioned in Genesis 2:11-14 and tried to locate them based on today’s geography.
According to that passage, Eden was home to four rivers—Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates.
Among these, Tigris and Euphrates still exist in the Middle East, as the scholars have found out. These rivers run through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.
Based on this, they claim that Eden could be situated somewhere in that region. Do you believe so?
2) Four Rivers Ran Through It
The four rivers we talked about earlier were headwaters branching out from a river that watered the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:10).
Pishon ran through the entire land of Havilah, where there was gold, resin, and onyx. Gihon ran through the entire land of Cush. And Tigris ran along the east side of Ashur (verses 11-14).
For Euphrates, the Bible doesn’t mention anything. But according to the Britannica Encyclopedia, it flows southeast across Syria and through Iraq.
3) Two Divine Trees Existed Inside
In the Garden of Eden, God made all kinds of trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food (Genesis 2:9).
How would you like to be in such a paradise? Beautiful trees all around you. Fruits ready for you to pick anytime you feel hungry.
Meanwhile, continuing verse 9, two special trees were placed in the middle of the garden. These were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The tree of life “bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month,” and its leaves were “for the healing of the nations” (Ellen White, The Acts of the Apostles 592.2).
On the other hand, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the one God prohibited Adam and Eve to eat from because He didn’t want them to know evil (Ellen White, Education 23.2).
If you were in the Garden of Eden, would you be afraid to come near this tree? Or you would you rather be curious to taste its fruit to know what evil actually was?
4) It Was the Home of Our First Parents
On the sixth day of Creation, “God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27, NIV).
As we all know, they were Adam and Eve, our first parents (Genesis 2; Ellen White, The Adventist Home 25.1).
And God placed them in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8).
There, He took care of them, supplying everything they needed (Genesis 1:29-30; 2:4-25). And He blessed them to multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28).
How do you think Adam and Eve felt knowing they were the first humans on earth from whom humanity would descend from?
5) It Was a Place of Companionship and Fellowship
Imagine how happy and excited Adam was to roam around the Garden of Eden when God created him.
Free to eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Free to mingle with the animals. Free to enjoy everything in the garden (Genesis 2:16, 19-20).
But something was missing. Guess what!
God realized that it was not good for Adam to be alone. So, He decided to “make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18, NIV).
While he was asleep, God took one of his ribs and covered it with flesh. And out of it, He made Eve and brought her to him (Genesis 2:21-22).
How would you feel if you were Adam?
Finally, he had a companion “corresponding to him”—one who “could be one with him in love and sympathy” (Ellen White, The Adventist Home, 25.3).
But aside from companionship, there was also fellowship in the Garden of Eden.
Everyday, especially during Sabbath, Adam and Eve would spend time talking to their Creator and making bonds with the animals (Ellen White, Love Under Fire 7.1; Uriah Smith, The Biblical Institute 123.1).
Such a happy place!
6) It Was a Perfect Place
The Garden of Eden “had all desirable conveniences…Beautiful for situation, the joy and the glory of the whole earth, was this garden: doubtless it was earth in its highest perfection” (Matthew Henry’s Complete Bible Commentary 3.13).
Like Canaan, the Promise Land, Eden had a temperate climate and a fertile soil (Matthew Henry’s Complete Bible Commentary 823.4).
Also, as we’ve learned earlier, all kinds of trees existed in Eden (Genesis 2:9). There were also different kinds of animals, fruits, gemstones, and many others there.
Seemed like an abundant place, wasn’t it?
In fact, it was, because Adam and Eve lacked nothing (Ellen White, Fundamentals of Christian Education 512.5).
And as we’ve mentioned earlier, they were also free to roam around the garden and eat from any tree (Genesis 2:16).
How would you like to be in this paradise?
More importantly, there was no sin in Eden. Adam and Eve would never feel ashamed even if they were naked because they didn’t know anything evil (Genesis 2:17, 25).
Such innocent people in a perfect place!
7) It Became a Place of Test
Behind the innocence and perfection of the Garden of Eden, there existed in the middle the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, as we’ve learned earlier (Genesis 2:9).
It was in this tree where Satan disguised himself through a serpent, the craftiest of all wild animals God has made (Genesis 3:1).
One day, the serpent tempted Eve, saying, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1, NIV).
The woman replied, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die'” (verse 2, NIV).
But the serpent insisted, “You will not certainly die…for God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (verses 4-5, NIV).
Who would think that a perfect and innocent place like Eden would be a place of test?
Eve’s loyalty to God and her obedience to His words were being tested by the serpent’s cunning temptation.
Did she give in to the temptation?
8) It Witnessed the First Sin Committed by Man
Eve “saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom.” So, “she took some and ate it” (Genesis 3:6, NIV).
Continuing verse 6, she even gave some to Adam, and he ate it.
And did you know what? Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they realized that they were naked. Ashamed of themselves, they sewed fig leaves and covered their bodies with them (verse 7).
Soon, they heard God walking in the garden.
Oh no! What to do now?
They tried to hide from Him but He called Adam and asked him, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (verses 8-11).
Instead of confessing his sin, Adam passed on the blame to Eve for giving him the fruit (verse 12).
When God asked Eve why, she blamed the serpent for deceiving her (verse 13).
Funny, no one accepted the blame!
Now, turning to the serpent, God said, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of your life” (verse 14, NIV).
Not only that. God “will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (verse 15, NIV).
And of course, though they were just victims of the serpent’s temptation, God allowed Adam and Eve to reap the consequences of their disobedience.
Eve would experience pain during childbearing and would submit to her husband. On the other hand, Adam would work hard all his life for food (verses 16-19).
How disappointing!
9) It Was Closed After the Fall of Adam and Eve
As a consequence of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, God, in His love for them, wanted them to learn their lesson by prohibited them from eating from the tree of life and living forever (Genesis 3:22).
How did He do it?
The angels, who had been appointed to guard Adam before his transgression, were now to guard the gates of paradise and the entrance to the tree of life (Ellen White, Confrontation 15.2).
Then, Adam was banished from Eden (Genesis 3:23).
Wait, for real? Yes.
“Sin drove man from paradise; and sin was the cause of the removal of paradise from the earth” (Ellen White, Confrontation 15.3).
How sad! But God did it out of love and justice.
Now, would Eden be closed forever?
10) It Will Be Restored After the Millennium
The Garden of Eden remained on earth long after the fall of Adam and Eve (Ellen White, The Adventist Home 539.1). Its entrance, however, was only barred by watching angels, as we’ve learned earlier (Genesis 3:24).
Unfortunately, “the tide of iniquity overspread the world, and the wickedness of men determined their destruction by a flood of waters.” Because of this, God withdrew Eden from the earth, Ellen White continued.
That’s so sad. But there’s some good news.
There would be a new heaven and a new earth. The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, would come down from heaven for God would now dwell among His people” (Revelation 21:1-3).
“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (verse 4, NIV).
With this, Eden was to be restored “more gloriously adorned than at the beginning,” Ellen White added.
What a glorious scene to look forward to! How would you like to see this restored Eden?
Let’s Recap!
As we’ve learned, the Garden of Eden:
- Was located in the east
- Was home to 4 rivers
- Had 2 divine trees
- Was the home of Adam and Eve
- Was a place of companionship and fellowship
- Was a perfect place
- Became a place of test
- Witnessed the first sin on earth
- Was closed after the fall of man
- Will be restored after the millennium
We Want to Hear From You
Did you enjoy this article? What have you learned?
Aside from what we mentioned, what else do you know about the Garden of Eden?
Share them all in the comments below.
Learn more about the Garden of Eden by visiting this page about Adam and Eve. You can also find Bible questions and answers related to this topic by taking this Bible study course.
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See you in the next article!
24 Responses
This really helped me about some curiosity I had been fighting about whether the garden of Eden was still in this Earth…
Are you sure it was fruit that Eve had eaten or was it meat? The flesh of an animal?
The Holy Bible,
(God’s Word) says “the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil”.
Are you sue it was fruit that Eve had consumed? Or was it the flesh of an animal ?
I’d say…this article is amazing, literally. If I was Adam, I think I’d have eaten the forbidden fruit too. Frankly speaking tho.
I use to think everything was planned by God. I mean…the downfall of Adam and Eve but I got to realize it was not.
that was very amaz wow!!
why did edam eat of the fruit !!!
Kelly
Because he was a man and men do whatever they want to, especially if told not to do it.
Oh Man, By N o we Should Believe That THE GARDEN IS STILL ON EARTH. Where The Four Rivers Crossed. However, The Four Corners Of The Garden Is GUARDED BY THE SERAPHIMS WITH THE FLAMING SWORDS. So SUPERNATURALLY……… No Human Can Locate THE GARDEN EVEN THOUGH IT IS STILL THERE…..WHERE THE FOUR RIVERS CROSS.
That’s the thing, but I do believe it’s no longer on earth and even if it is…no human nor earthly creature would ever find it cos God won’t allow it. My thoughts tho.
Oh Satan is such a good trickery. This world is his trick, you’ve never left eden.
What do people need to know, before the son of perdition sits in holy Temple throne.?
Stages should be demonstrating this before it is too late
Towards the return of Christ.
People should study closer the time period.
This one is of Christ
Not later after the return of Christ
By the Anti Christ.
More can be learned by the signs of the times
People do not know how important it is to speak in tongues of the holy spirit and studying while there do ING it.
This article is amazing.
This has been burdening my mind.
But thanks be to God for your writeup.
apple tree has on upper middle is curve like seashell and only way tree and eden come back life is by fallen angel michael he was brought earth right now in human body tell story i known this funny see temple of eden guarded by michael but that person on earth right he only person known location jesus chosen one i believe heart of michael is human body given to tree as scarfice and when devil rule as king of world and once sword pull by human michael he desecend sky and body fall he sprit is angel michael and once put in tree garden eden will come alive and be 4 horsemen immortals with bamboo monkey face with rams shape horn and human body stripe colors on cheeks reprsent each color of 4 horsemen i believe then year peace desend earth give people chance reprent and get save while then all nations turn each other and then after easter 2033 time shall be no more horn trumpets blow and michael try fight war of horsemen and the grave open everyone go temple of eden recieve judgement one carriage horse take people heaven recieve booking and be elevator glass go heaven and other be train take people hell 4 rivers reprsent each hose men rest location of temple and then volcano lave come out ground burn people up michael destroy horsemen jesus touch foot on ground throw devil in lake of fire center of 4 rivers join the god will destroy rest planets stars of eden be sealed earth shall become paradise again no one be able get in once sword flames other outside shall be hell i share story heart eden location dinosaur destroyed merge pangea all together as one make circle as bullesye
Apple is not even cited in the Bible ! However, I do believe ‘fruit’ is just a metaphor…
eden is located bulleyes of pangea if break all continents up still located same location tree still stands and sword is there
Eden the garden of God exist before Adam was created, Lucifer being the first partaker of Eden knew the inside and out of the garden…(Ezekiel 28:11-19) God Planted Eden on earth for man to fraternize with him in the coolness of the day.. Eden was grossly spiritual and likewise man because he had not yet fallen….oooh fallen man . Therefore the seed of Eden can not be found in this fallen earth… nowhere on earth again till the restoration of man to his original state ..
Ghana had no Cocoa plant till Tetteh Quarshi stole the seeds from Fernando Poe in the Caribbean to plant it in Ghana for us to become the 2nd leading producers of Cocoa in the world, Adam lost the seed of Eden he couldn’t cultivate it to spread like we in Ghana have cultivate Cocoa to spread…
Eden has always been there before Adam, Cocoa has always been there before Ghana was born….in Fernando Poe.. EDEN IS STILL THERE BUT NOT HERE…
The Lord planted a garden
this makes me want to dig in deepr and i feel that theres more to the story than meets the eye makes me want to find eden befor the mullinium and ask god the crator why does he not want us to see what he looks like and stop the divison of the human race an why is there death in the world and why is there suffering in the world and is for a good cause for every thing he is doing on this world ijust have to many questions to ask god an i know eep down his heart he wants us to find the answes to these questions and one day we will if we all come togther as one and slove them
I am only going to briefly touch on my beliefs. I don’t know how I stumbled across this website and ended up here today. And usually I NEVER share my thoughts on the topic of religion to avoid any debate. But today I felt so impressed to share what has come to my mind. I hope that it will help anyone who is questioning their beliefs or who is struggling to understand their purpose.
Let’s start with the simple basic belief that our purpose in life is to find Joy and Happiness! How one does that… is up to them! But, I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is central to the plan of salvation and to our happiness. And that it is only through the light of Christ that we may find a fullness of Joy and come to understand our purpose in this life. For those of us that believe in the war in heaven upon coming to earth we know that part of Gods plan was for us to come to earth to obtain a physical body. It’s hard to wrap our heads around the fact that in order to obtain the fullness of Gods glory we had to first obtain a physical body and endure so much pain as mortal beings. No one likes pain, yet, it is necessary for our growth both physically and spiritually. And for all of Gods children that have ever lived on the earth, are now living on the earth, and will continue to come and live on earth, we need to remember that we choose Gods plan and that is why we are here. One third of the host of heaven was cast out and would never be given the opportunity to have a physical body because they choose Satans plan. A Physical body is the most prized and precious gift that our Father in Heaven has given us. And It was by our choice, “OUR CHOICE”, that we have been given such a gift. With that being said the next important thing to remember is that upon coming to earth, we were also given the GIFT of free agency! We are given freedom to do as we will and choose in this life. This is essential to our existence and progression in this life and in the life hereafter. (this topic can be touched upon in more depth, but i will leave my thoughts here for now).
I would like to make mention of the thought that was mentioned above and is one that so many of us have asked (including myself), from time to time. And that is the question as to WHY does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Again, may I mention our FREEDOM OF CHOICE? Someone taught me this and since then I have never asked of that question again because it became so clear to me!! They said this… Can God stop bad things from happening? ABSOLUTELY! And I’m sure there are times, at “HIS WILL and according to HIS WILL”, that he does. But for the most part he doesn’t…. because it would be contrary to the gift of our free agency given to us from God. And in order for us to be judged at the final judgement day it will be according to “our choices ” that we have made in this life. Not choices governed by force but by our choices because we have the gift of free agency! In order to obtain a full judgement for the choices we have made in this life it has to be, IT HAS TO BE, out of our freedom to choose. There is no freedoms when we are forced to do anything contrary Gods will. This judgement, our FINAL judgement, will determine our “ENTIRE” ETERNAL DESTINY!!! THE CHOICES YOU MAKE IN THIS LIFE WILL DETERMINE YOUR ETERNAL DESTINY!!! Could there be anything of more importance to God than to save all his children from sin? I cant imagine him wanting anything more than for us to turn to him and be saved through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, so that we may live with him in celestial glory for all eternity! (eternity is a long time my friends). And although we may not find all our answers in this life, i promise you…, we will have and eternity to figure it out!!
Although it is fascinating to dive deep into scriptures history, and i know without a doubt that the Lord has given All the answers to our questions in them (if we choose to seek and understand it according to his will). Least we not forgot and be quick to remember that our entire reason and existence on this earth is to prove ourselves WORTHY to the Lord by keeping his laws and commandments given to us through prophets of old and new, so that in the last day we may stand blameless before him. We are given trials to humble us and to help us draw closer to the Lord. When we do, we strengthen our relationship with him and come to know him all the better. The Lord gave the ultimate sacrifice, not only so we would have a way to repent and be forgiven of our sins, but to quite LITERALLY prepare a path back to heaven. His sacrifice was not just for our SALVATION but also for our EXALTATION! (read that again and ponder that for a minute). When we come to fully understand the depth and meaning of his life, encompassing all that it entails, from his birth up unto his death, and even after his death…. we will have a better understanding of his all his sacrifices that he made for us! As I have done this, I have come to know him on such a personal level. His Love for me and for you is so clear and unwavering! There are some things that alter the course of history and some historical events that alter the course of our lives and the way we choose to live them. But the one thing that remains unscaffed, certain and true to its highest degree in Glory is the unsurprestidented amount of Love our Father in heaven has for each of us!!! We cannot fully comprehend it in mortal form. But one day we shall kneel at his feet and bow before him in his fullness of Glory, and we will remember Him as if we never left Him to come to this earth. My prayer is that each of God’s children will come to know him “NOW” so that when that day comes, His face will be a familiar face to you and you shall know all things pertaining to your happiness, from now and throughout all eternity!
We dont realise that God loves us and wants us to do as He sees best for us.His will for us has the foundation of goodness love and mercy.
As Eden existed before the flood and the fact the rivers that the bible mentions still exist I would have thought Eden would have been destroyed in the flood. However as Genesis 3 v24 mentions at the east of the garden of ‘Eden the k’ruvim and a flaming sword which turned in every direction to guard the way to the Tree of Life was there so Adam and Eve being driven from Eden after knowing good from evil could not also take from the Tree of Life its fruit eating it and living forever in their sinful state. Outside the Garden of Eden the land had to be cultivated where the ground was cursed. Either Eden was destroyed and parts taken for future use by God or if not cursed the whole of Eden may have been removed to be used later…Guess those who have been born again of us since Jesus resurrected,will find out eventually…..
Revelation 21v1 mentions the new heaven and new earth for the old heaven and the old earth had passed away,and the sea was no longer there. Then, the holy city New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven from God v3 says He will live with mankind and will live with them. Later, Revelation 22v1 Next the angel showed me the river of the water of life,…v2 Between the main street and the river was the Tree of Life…..v3 no longer will there be any curses. So, seems the Tree
of LIfe from the original garden of Eden was removed not destroyed by the flood by God… The Bible is not boring heh….