"Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her." (Ezekiel 5: 5)
Have you ever wondered why the land of Israel is so important to God? And have you ever wondered why the city of Jerusalem is also important to God?
While people have been searching the globe for Eden and the garden of Eden, and even to reduce the story to no more than a myth or a fairytale, we find that the truth of this story has been beneath our noses and in front of our eyes as we have been reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
The story of Adam and Eve is a true story, however, and this story is also a prophetic picture of events that followed the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden.
Today, let us begin to see this truth as we begin at the beginning in the Bible book of Genesis.
"And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." (Genesis 2:8)
"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also is in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2: 9)
"And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted and became into four heads." (Genesis 2: 10)
The names of the four rivers are Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel, and Euphrates.
In these three verses, it is important that we give special attention to three facts:
1. that the garden was eastward in Eden;
2. that the names of the two trees of the garden are major themes;
3. that the river that went out of Eden is not named.
Knowing that the Bible is true, then we should also be able to believe that Adam and his family---up to and including Noah and his family---were residents of Eden, which is where Noah built and launched the ark upon the waters of the flood, which landed on the mountains of Ararat. From there, Shem, the son of Noah, returned to Eden to re-claim the ground of his ancestors, to the place where human life began, and to establish Salem, which, centuries later, would become Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, and the City of David.
"And Melkizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God." (Genesis 14: 18)
So then, why is the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem so important to God? It is because the land of Israel is the geographical location of ancient Eden? And is it because Jerusalem is the geographical location for the ancient garden of Eden?
"Beneath Jerusalem, a River Runs Deep" is the title for a news article that was written by Bridges For Peace on August 1, 2011. To quote:
"Excavators digging for a new railway station deep under the surface of central Jerusalem have discovered what geologists say is the largest underground river ever found in Israel...the longest underground stream that we have ever seen...a kind of canyon that has been cut by the stream of the water over a long period of time."
Is this river beneath Jerusalem the river of Eden?
"And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads." (Genesis 2: 10)
Moreover, just as the garden of Eden was eastward in Eden, Mount Moriah is also eastward in Jerusalem; and on the northern slope of Mount Moriah is a place called Golgotha, where Christ was crucified. Thus, that which Adam lost in the garden of Eden was redeemed by the blood of Christ in the same place, for "the tree of life" was the pre-incarnate Jesus in the garden of Eden.
Just as Melkizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine to Abraham, Jesus also brought forth bread and wine to the disciples during the last supper in Jerusalem.
Just as Satan entered the garden of Eden by possessing the body of a serpent, the devil also entered the garden of Gethsemene by possessing the body of Judas Iscariot, at which time he kissed the face of the Son of God.
The garden of Eden was set in the midst of the earth.
The tree of life was set in the midst of the garden.
Jerusalem is set in the midst of the earth.
The tree of life was crucified and resurrected in Jerusalem in the midst of the earth.
The tree of life is also seen in the future in the new Jerusalem:
First:
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Revelation 21: 1-2)
Secondly:
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the TREE OF LIFE, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the trees were for the healing of the nations." (Revelation 22: 1-2)
Therefore, the tree of life was in the garden of Eden, the tree of life was in Jerusalem, and the tree of life is in heaven, which means that Christ is the tree of life.
In conclusion,
Are we to believe that Israel is the land of ancient Eden?
Are we to believe that Jerusalem is the location for the garden of Eden?
Are we to believe that the river that flows beneath the streets of Jerusalem today is the same river that "went out of Eden to water the garden"?
Why not?
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11: 1)
Have you ever wondered why the land of Israel is so important to God? And have you ever wondered why the city of Jerusalem is also important to God?
While people have been searching the globe for Eden and the garden of Eden, and even to reduce the story to no more than a myth or a fairytale, we find that the truth of this story has been beneath our noses and in front of our eyes as we have been reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
The story of Adam and Eve is a true story, however, and this story is also a prophetic picture of events that followed the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden.
Today, let us begin to see this truth as we begin at the beginning in the Bible book of Genesis.
"And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." (Genesis 2:8)
"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also is in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2: 9)
"And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted and became into four heads." (Genesis 2: 10)
The names of the four rivers are Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel, and Euphrates.
In these three verses, it is important that we give special attention to three facts:
1. that the garden was eastward in Eden;
2. that the names of the two trees of the garden are major themes;
3. that the river that went out of Eden is not named.
Knowing that the Bible is true, then we should also be able to believe that Adam and his family---up to and including Noah and his family---were residents of Eden, which is where Noah built and launched the ark upon the waters of the flood, which landed on the mountains of Ararat. From there, Shem, the son of Noah, returned to Eden to re-claim the ground of his ancestors, to the place where human life began, and to establish Salem, which, centuries later, would become Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, and the City of David.
"And Melkizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God." (Genesis 14: 18)
So then, why is the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem so important to God? It is because the land of Israel is the geographical location of ancient Eden? And is it because Jerusalem is the geographical location for the ancient garden of Eden?
"Beneath Jerusalem, a River Runs Deep" is the title for a news article that was written by Bridges For Peace on August 1, 2011. To quote:
"Excavators digging for a new railway station deep under the surface of central Jerusalem have discovered what geologists say is the largest underground river ever found in Israel...the longest underground stream that we have ever seen...a kind of canyon that has been cut by the stream of the water over a long period of time."
Is this river beneath Jerusalem the river of Eden?
"And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads." (Genesis 2: 10)
Moreover, just as the garden of Eden was eastward in Eden, Mount Moriah is also eastward in Jerusalem; and on the northern slope of Mount Moriah is a place called Golgotha, where Christ was crucified. Thus, that which Adam lost in the garden of Eden was redeemed by the blood of Christ in the same place, for "the tree of life" was the pre-incarnate Jesus in the garden of Eden.
Just as Melkizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine to Abraham, Jesus also brought forth bread and wine to the disciples during the last supper in Jerusalem.
Just as Satan entered the garden of Eden by possessing the body of a serpent, the devil also entered the garden of Gethsemene by possessing the body of Judas Iscariot, at which time he kissed the face of the Son of God.
The garden of Eden was set in the midst of the earth.
The tree of life was set in the midst of the garden.
Jerusalem is set in the midst of the earth.
The tree of life was crucified and resurrected in Jerusalem in the midst of the earth.
The tree of life is also seen in the future in the new Jerusalem:
First:
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Revelation 21: 1-2)
Secondly:
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the TREE OF LIFE, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the trees were for the healing of the nations." (Revelation 22: 1-2)
Therefore, the tree of life was in the garden of Eden, the tree of life was in Jerusalem, and the tree of life is in heaven, which means that Christ is the tree of life.
In conclusion,
Are we to believe that Israel is the land of ancient Eden?
Are we to believe that Jerusalem is the location for the garden of Eden?
Are we to believe that the river that flows beneath the streets of Jerusalem today is the same river that "went out of Eden to water the garden"?
Why not?
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11: 1)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments will not be published openly.