What If... What if “Paradise” Is a Demonic Invention?
At first glance, this statement is not only absurd and nonsensical, it also sounds insane. How exactly could the Devil invent a concept that has been the basis of hope for generations of believers for millennia? And yet... what if this concept, as it is understood today, is actually a lie rooted in the “father of all lies” and has nothing to do to with what the Scriptures actually teach? Don’t you think that what you believe (or perhaps don’t believe) about “eternal life” might be a lie invented “in hell”?
I challenge you to read just a few paragraphs from the argumentation, and I guarantee you’ll be faced with a surprise of such proportions, as vast as the entire Scripture. Are you ready for a challenge you’ve never faced before? Are you ready to look at the Scriptures with eyes other than the habitual? Are you ready to examine your beliefs on this subject, specifically what “Heaven” is and what “eternal life” is? And you could answer me that “This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God”... exactly!... exactly what it’s about: the only God, the truth, knowing exactly what the Scriptures say about “Paradise”. What?
First of all, let’s take a brief look at what is generally believed in “Christianity” (even in Islam). It is said that “paradise” is the final destination after death, as a reward for the faithful, a reward received at death (“in spirit”) or after resurrection, and this place is somewhere in “heaven”, in the “kingdom of heaven”, the Place where God is, somewhere not on Earth, or not in this reality (dimension).... this is the general belief, simplified as for kindergarten. Well... this “belief” doesn’t even have a single verse from the Scriptures to support it! Meaning it’s so “generally accepted” that it doesn’t even cross anyone’s mind to critically and objectively analyze this lie, because in essence, it is one of the oldest and most effective lies invented by the Devil. How so? As I said: there isn’t even a single verse in the Scriptures to stand at the base of this... “teaching” with origin in “Rome” (the Papal one).
Are you ready to be shocked by the truth? By the simple and pure truth of the Scriptures! Let's see...
As I said, one of the biggest lies of “Rome” is that man – (whether as soul or body) either at death or resurrection – will go to Heaven (the Place where God is). However, there is not even a single argument in all of Scripture for such an understanding! One of the “key arguments”, the cornerstone of this lie, lies in a misunderstanding of the following statement: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s House are many dwellings. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. {1:}I am going to prepare a place for you.{:1}*. And after {2:}I go and prepare a place for you{:2}, {3:}I will come back{:3} {4:}and I will take you with Me, that where I am, you may be also{:4}.” (Jn 14:1-3). Confusion arises from a misunderstanding of what was meant by the statement “in My Father's House”, understanding “argued” by the Place (Heaven; “the House”) where the Son of man** has gone, but the argumentation is false, because whenever the Son of man used these words in other situations He was referring strictly to Jerusalem and His Temple: “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must be in My Father’s House?”, “Take these things away; stop turning My Father’s House into a house of merchandise!” (Lk 2:49; Jn 2:16).
{|: * For a chronological representation of events, a color highlighting system is normally necessary, but because in some situations it is not possible to use colors (black writing on a white background), we have chosen to “highlight” by numbering, according to the system below:
{0:}pink – Adam and Eve’s Paradise{:0};
{1:}red - Imperial Rome{:1};
{2:}purple - Papal Rome; the period of the Seven Churches{:2};
{3:}pink – Judgment & Kingdom (beginning of the millennium){:3};
{4:}blue - the resurrection of the righteous (beginning of the millennium){:4};
{5:}pink – The Kingdom in the millennium{:5};
{6:}orange – The lake-of-fire (end of the millennium){:6};
{7:}pink – The eternal Kingdom (New Heavens and a new Earth){:7};
** The quotation marks “” & “” used in this argument are not used to indicate “quoted ‘in quote in quote’” (as they are usually used); in this article they are used for highlighting, articulating, emphasizing a truth or a translation in the correct sense! from the original. :|}
Generally, there is much confusion regarding {4}the return of the Son of man{:4} and regarding {5:}the prepared dwellings{:5}... There’s a complete misunderstanding regarding what was meant by the statement “that where I am, you may be also”, a statement that in “Aramaic” (Hebrew!) was expressed slightly differently, but with an entirely different meaning: “that {57:}where I will be, there you may be also{:57}”, a statement synonymous with “Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing {35:}on Mount Zion and with Him{:35} were one hundred and forty-four thousand [...] before the Throne.” (Rev 14:1-3); a statement synonymous with “I have other sheep that are not of this fold; {3:}I must bring them also{:3}. They will listen to My voice, {5:}and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.{:5}” (Jn 10:16); a statement synonymous with “I will come to the aid of My sheep, so they will no longer be plunder, and {34:}I will judge between one sheep and another{:34} [Mt 25:32-33]. {35:}I will put over them one shepherd{:35}, who will feed them, namely My servant David; he will feed them, he will be their shepherd. {357:}I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them{:357}. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Eze 34:22-24); a statement synonymous with “I will give them {57:}in My House and within My walls a dwelling place{:57} and a better name [...] {7:}I will give them an everlasting name{:7}, which will not be extinguished* [...] {3:}I will bring them to My holy Mountain{:3} and I will fill them with joy in My House [...] {3:}I will also gather other peoples to those who are gathered now from it{:3}.” (Isa 56:4-8)
{|: * “Which will not be extinguished”; expression used to express something definitive in consequence; the same meaning also applies to the fire “which will not be extinguished” (“eternal” fire); essentially, it means something that cannot be forgiven or atoned for; the same meaning is conveyed by the expression “their worm will not die and their fire will not be extinguished” in the sense of the wick that cannot be extinguished before the explosion; it represents the process of burning until total disintegration in the {6:}fire of the lake-of-fire at the end of the millennium{:6} before {7:}the new Heavens and the new Earth{:7} in which there will never again be rebellion, sin, death, pain, crying, and suffering; neither hospitals, crematories, nor cemeteries; for the wicked, not even the memory will remain, not even the ashes under the feet of the saved (Mal 4:1-3; Ps 92:7; 37:9-10; Isa 33:11-12; 65:17). :|}
In fact, {4:}all eschatological (messianic) prophecies{:4} speak of the gathering of all the chosen ones in Jerusalem, while the House of the Lord is depicted as {34:}triumphant and above all kingdoms{:34} present or past in history, because “In the days of those kings {34:}the God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom that will never be destroyed{:34} and this Kingdom {57:}will never pass under the rule of another people{:57}. {4:}It will crush all those kingdoms [on Earth] and bring them to an end{:4}, {57:}but will itself endure forever [on Earth]{:57}.” In this sense it is said that: “The holy ones of the Most High {34:}will receive the Kingdom{:34} and will rule the Kingdom {57:}forever and ever{:57}.” “And the dominion, the rule, and the greatness of the kingdoms [of the Earth] that are under the whole heaven {34:}shall be given to the people of holy ones of the Most High{:34}. His kingdom [of the prince] is {357:}an everlasting Kingdom [on Earth]{:357}, and all dominions {3:}shall serve and obey him{:3}.” because “{34:}The Kingdom of the World{:34} has passed into the hands of our Lord and of His anointed.” because “In the last days, {3:}the Mountain of the Lord’s House will be established as the highest mountain{:3}, it will be raised above all hills, and the peoples will stream to it. [...] He [the prince] will judge between many peoples, and will settle disputes for mighty nations far away. {3:}They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks{:3}; nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore, but {357:}each will sit under his own vine, with no one to make them afraid{:357}.”; for the words about the son of David will be fulfilled: “In his days the righteous will flourish, and there will be abundance of peace {6:}until the moon shall not give her light{:6}. He will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. [...] All kings will bow down to him, all nations will serve him. [...] There will be an abundance of wheat in the land, even to the top of the mountains [...] {357:}the people will flourish [Isa 40:11] in the cities like the grass of the earth{:357}. His name will endure forever; {7:}as long as the Sun holds his name{:7}.”... so that the words which God spoke to David, His servant, as an everlasting covenant, would be fulfilled: “Once I swore by My holiness – I will not lie to David! His seed {7:}shall endure forever{:7}; his throne shall be {357:}before Me like the Sun{:357}; as the Moon {357:}it shall be established forever{:357}, like the faithful witness from above.” “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers [in the grave], {3:}I will raise up an offspring [a branch] after you, who will come from your body [your lineage], and I will establish his Kingdom{:3}. He shall build a House for My Name [Zec 6:12-13], and {57:}I will establish the throne of his Kingdom forever{:57}. I [Son of man] will be his Father, and he [son of Man] shall be My son. If he commits evil, I will punish him with a rod of men and with strokes of the sons of men; but My steadfast love will not depart from him [...] {357:}but your house and your Kingdom [through him] shall be made sure forever before Me, and your throne [through him] shall be established forever{:357}.” (Dan 2:44; 7:18; 7:27; Rev 11:15; Mic 4:1-4; Ps 72:7-17; 89:35-37; 2Sam 7:12-16)
This is the only correct understanding regarding the Kingdom – the Place of “prepared dwellings”; “the House” of the holy ones (saved) –, a Kingdom that {3:}has its beginning during the time of the present kingdoms{:3}, kingdoms that will bow before the eternal Kingdom that God {357:}will raise on Earth{:357}; in other words, there is a continuity and a transfer of power from the current kingdoms (and those that have passed in history) to the eternal Kingdom that was promised to David. This is the only correct understanding of the following eschatological [regarding the end] and, at the same time, messianic [regarding the Lord’s anointed] prophecy: “{3:}A Branch will spring up from the stump of Jesse [David’s father], and a Shoot will sprout from his roots{:3}. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him, [...] and his delight will be the fear of the Lord. [...] He will strike the earth with the rod of his [Lord’s] word and with the breath of his lips he {4:}will slay the wicked [pronouncing his Lord’s judgment]{:4}. [...] {57:}Then the wolf will dwell with the lamb [...] They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy Mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea{:57}. In that day the branch of Jesse will be a banner for the peoples; the nations will seek him out [the word of the Lord spoken through him], and {57:}the Dwelling-of-Glory will be his dwelling{:57}. [...] He will lift up a banner for the nations, {3:}He will gather the exiles of Israel, and will assemble the scattered of Judah{:3} from the four corners of the Earth.” “In that day, the Branch of the Lord {357:}will be full of majesty and glory{:357}, and the fruit of the land will be {357:}full of brilliance and beauty{:357} for the saved of Israel. And the one remaining in Zion, the one left in Jerusalem, {357:}will be found holy{:357}, anyone who will be written [in the book of life] among the living [the saints alive together with the saints resurrected in the first resurrection], {3457:}in Jerusalem{:3457}. [...] The Lord {35:}will establish [His Glory], over the whole extent of Mount Zion and over its places [of Mount Zion] of assembly, a cloud of smoke by day and a fire of bright flames by night{:35}. Yes, over all {35:}the Dwelling-of-Glory will be a shelter, a dwelling{:35}, a shade against the heat of the day and a protection against the storm and the rain.” (Isa 11:1-10,12; 4:2-3,5-6)
“I [the Lord – the Lion of the tribe of Judah] look quietly from {3:}My dwelling{:3} {4:}through the scorching heat [...] in the flame of the Harvest{:4}. [...] He {4:}will cut off the fruitless branches with sickles all at once, even the shoots [without fruit], and will cast them [to the ground]{:4} [a]. And the Assyrians [the inhabitants of {2:}“Babylon”{:2}] {4:}will thus be left as prey for the birds of prey from the mountains{:4} [b] {4:}and the beasts of the earth{:4} [...] {35:}At that time{:35} offerings will be brought to the Lord of Hosts {3:}by the strong and powerful people{:3}, by the people that are {3:}terrible from their beginning{:3} [c], a powerful nation, {3:}which crushes everything{:3} [d] and whose land is {57:}cut by rivers{:57} [e]; there the [gifts for the Lord] will be brought, there {357:}where the Name of the Lord of Hosts will dwell, on Mount Zion{:357} [f].” (Isa 18:4-7)
{|: [a] Mt 8:11-12; Isa 24:12-23; 34:1-8; [b] Isa 34:1-8; Rev 6:12-17; Isa 24:12-23; [c] Gen 3:15; 24:6; 1Sam 2:10; Ps 9:5-7; Num 23:9-10,19-24; 24:5-9,14,17-19,23; [d] Dan 2:35; 2:44-45; 9:25; Isa 41:1-16; Hab 3:2-19; Rev 14:6-13; Mk 4:26-29; Mt 13:30; Mt 13:39-40,43; 25:19-30; Lk 19:15-27; Jn 4:36-38; Ps 126:1-6; Isa 9:1-7;Amo 9:11-15; [e] Num 24:5-9; Ps 110:1-7; Isa 31:4-9; 32:1-4; Isa 32:14-18; 33:18-24; 43:16-21; 44:1-8; Jer 31:1-14; [f] Dan 12:1-4; Rev 7:4-8; 7:9-12; 7:13-17; 14:1-5; 19:1-8; 21:1-5; Eze 40:1-5,45-46; 41:4,22; 42:13-14; 43:1-2,4-5,7-9,12,18-27; Ps 23:1-6; Joe 3:16-21; Zec 2:4-13; Zec 8:1-8; Ps 132:1-18. :|}
“{4:}In that day{:4} the Lord will punish from Heaven the host [of demons originating] from Above, and on Earth, the kings of the Earth [who put their hope in them]. {4:}These will be gathered [as in bundles]{:4} as prisoners of war [a war started in Heaven and continued on Earth] and {4:}placed in a prison, they will be locked in jail cells{:4} [a] and, {6:}after a great number of days [a thousand years], they will be punished{:6} [b]. The Moon will be covered in shame, and the Sun in terror, when {7:}the Lord of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, shining with glory before His ‘elders’*{:7} [* young ones with days without end, for death will no longer be for them].” (Isa 24:21-23)
{|: [a] Rev 20:1-3; 19:19-21; Mt 12:29; Mt 13:30; Mt 22:11-14; [b] Rev 20:7-10; 20:11-15. :|}
Because of the indoctrination made from its very beginnings by {2:}“Rome” (the contemporary “Babylon”){:2}, for “Christianity” (and indirectly for “Islam”), drunk and poisoned, it is almost impossible to understand that during the millennium (and eternity) {57:}the Kingdom of Heaven{:57} in reality is {3:}the Kingdom of the chosen and the holy ones{:3}, {35:}the Kingdom of the great emperor{:35}, {35:}the Kingdom of the one hundred and forty-four thousand of the twelve tribes of Israel{:35}, {35:}the Kingdom of the great multitude of any nation, of any tribe, of any people and of any language attached to Israel{:35}, {0:}the Kingdom lost in Eden{:0}, {7:}the eternal and redeemed Kingdom of God on Earth{:7}; for it is this that is spoken of in the words of prayer: {34:} “Your Kingdom come [on Earth]; Your will be done: as in Heaven, so on Earth!”{:34}... in other words: “I put My words in your mouth, and I cover you with the shadow of My hand, {7:}to stretch out new Heavens and to establish a new Earth [at the end of the millennium]{:7}, and {3:}to say to Zion [at the beginning of the millennium]: You are My people!{:3}”, “For as {7:}the new Heavens and the new Earth which I will make shall remain before Me{:7} – says the Lord – {34:}so shall your seed and your name remain{:34}.” (Isa 51:16; 66:22)
“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised {57:}in the City of our God, upon His holy Mountain{:57}! Beautiful height, the joy of the whole Earth, is Mount Zion in whose north lies the City of the great king [I will establish him forever in My House (on My holy Mountain) – 1Chr 17:14]. God in His royal dwelling places is revealed as a stronghold; {4:}for as the kings had gathered [to besiege the Holy City], they also passed by together; they looked at it and were terrified; they were frightened and fled [Rev 6:12-17]. Terror seized them [...] they were driven away as if by the east [sunrise] wind{:4} [a] [...] Just as we had heard, so we have seen in the City of the Lord of Hosts, in the City of our God, God’s Building to endure forever.” “God, the very God – the Lord of lords! – {4:}calls to the inhabitants of the Earth from the rising of the Sun to its setting{:4}; {5:}from Zion – the perfection of beauty – God shines forth{:5}. Our God does not come in a whisper; a consuming fire is trooping before Him, and a mighty tempest plays around him. He cries out to the Heavens above and down to Earth, {34:}to justify His people: 'Gather to Me My consecrated ones, who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice!'{:34} {4:}Then the heavens will roll down His justice to the Earth, for God is the One who judges{:4}.”... He who sits on His Throne... {05:}“Throne of Glory, lifted up from the beginning, Place of our Holy Place!{:05} O Lord, the Hope of Israel, {4:}all who forsake You will be covered in shame [ashes]!”{:4}... but us, You give us Your peace... because… “There is a river whose streams gladden {57:}the City of God, the Holy Place of the dwellings of the Most High{:57}. God is in its midst; {357:}it shall never be shaken{:357}; {4:}God helps it at the morning dawns when the nations will be in turmoil, the kingdoms will crumble, when His Voice will resound, and the inhabitants of the Earth will melt in terror{:4}. [...] But we are not afraid even if the Earth should shake, even if the waves of the sea roar and foam and rise up to the point where the mountains tremble. [...] {34:}For God [in His City] is our refuge and our support, a faithful helper who has always been present in times of trouble{:34}.” (Ps 48:1-8; 50:1-6; Jer 17:12-13; 46:4-6,2-3,1)
{|: [a] Dan 2:35; 2:44; Rev 6:12-17; 7:1-3; Isa 41:1-16; Mt 7:26-27; 25:19-30; Ps 50:1-7,14-15,23; Isa 27:1-9,12-13; 28:2-7,10-11,16-17,21-24,29; Jer 30:3,5-11,16-24; Dan 11:44-45; Isa 41:25-29; 42:1-12; 41:1-16; Isa 41:17-28; Mt 24:27-28; Ps 50:1-7,14-15,23. :|}
Let’s pause for a moment... to reflect just for a moment on the information provided by the prophets regarding this “City of the Lord”, “Mount of Zion”, “House of God”, “beautiful Height”, “joy of the whole Earth”, “God’s Building to endure forever”, “Building of perfect beauty”, “Lifting-up from the beginning”, “Place of the Holy Place”, “City gladdened by springs”, “Holy Place of holy (royal) dwellings”, “City (Tower) of refuge”, “Unshakeable City”, “Throne of Glory”. At first glance, we can ascertain one thing for sure: This City (Fortress) does not exist today and, without error, the prophecies describe it as being present on the heights of Jerusalem only “at the end”, only at the moment when {34:}God will arise to vindicate His people{:34} and {4:}to save them in the most terrible moment in history when the nations will desire their extinction more than ever{:4}. There is a close connection between the Eternal Kingdom and this City of Zion; in fact, they are the same thing. The City of the Mountain is not only the Place in the midst of which the Lord’s presence will be manifested – Shekhinah – but it is exactly the Place where God will dwell eternally in the midst of the holy people, re-clothed in the “from the beginning” glory of Adam and Eve, a glory absorbed from {0:}God’s “from the beginning” presence with them{:0}. In fact, in reality, this “City of Zion”, this “beautiful Height”, this “Building of God”, this “joy of the whole Earth”, “Perfect Beauty”, “High-Place from the beginning”, “Throne of Glory”, this “City gladdened by springs” IS EXACTLY THE LOST PARADISE, redesigned (“prepared” for the chosen ones, or made differently: with many dwelling-places for all who will be saved). In other words, God will once again, eternally, place Paradise in Jerusalem, a Place with many dwellings, a Place with God’s House and Throne in its midst, a Place on Mount of Zion, on the north side of which will be the City (House) of the great king [a]: the branch [b], the son of Man [c], the descendant of David [d], the firstborn (adopted one) [e] from the all kings of the Earth, the heir [f] to all of God’s wealth.
{|: [a] Mt 5:35 (the capital letters were added by “Roma”); [b] Isa 4:2-6; 11:1-16; 12:1-6; Jer 23:5-8; Isa 60:1-22; Gen 49:10; 49:12-26; Isa 27:1-9,12-13; Jer 23:3-8; 33:14-26; Eze 17:22-24; Zec 3:8-10; 6:9-13,15; [c] Ps 80:1-3,14-19; Mk 9:12; Mt 24:33-34,36; Jn 6:26-27; Ps 89:1-4,19-37; 2Sam 7:11-16; 1Cro 17:10-14; 1Cro 22:10,12-13; Zec 6:9-13,15; Isa 51:16; 65:17-25; 49:1-13; 42:5-7; 41:25-29; 42:1-12; 41:1-16; Eze 34:11-31; 37:21-28; 44:1-30; [d] Rev 11:15-18; 12:7-9; Dan 7:9-14 (the Ancient of Days is the Son of man; the one brought before Him is the son of Man); 9:25; Rev 6:1-2; 20:4-6; 21:1-5; Jer 23:5-8; Eze 34:11-3; 37:21-28; 44:1-30; Lk 1:32-33; 1:68-79; Mt 22:41-46; Gen 49:12-26; 2Sam 7:11-16; 1Cro 17:10-14; 1Cro 22:10,12-13; Ps 72:1-20; 18:27-50; 89:1-4,19-37; Isa 9:1-7; 55:1-5,10-13; Jer 23:3-8; 30:3,5-11,16-24; 33:14-26; Eze 17:22-24; Hos 2:16,18-23; 3:4-5; Amo 9:11-15; Hag 2:21-23; 4:6-10; 12:8-10; Ps 132:1-18; [e] Ps 89:1-4,19-37; 80:1-3,14-19; 110:1-7; 2:1-12; Gen 49:10; 49:12-26; Num 24:5-9; 24:14,17-19,23; Deut 4:29-31; 18:15-19; 30:1-9; 2Sam 7:11-16; 1Cro 17:10-14; 1Cro 22:10,12-13; Est 6:6-9; Ps 72:1-20; 18:27-50; 23:1-6; 45:1-17; 50:1-7,14-15,23; 52:5-9; 53:5-6; 61:1-8; 65:1-13; Isa 32:14-18; 33:1-3,10-17; 55:1-5,10-13; 59:16-21; 62:1-12; Jer 23:3-8; 30:3,5-11,16-24; 31:1-14; 33:14-26; Eze 17:22-24; Hos 3:4-5; Amo 9:11-15; Mic 2:12-13; Mic 5:4-9,15; 7:11-20; Hab 3:2-19; 2:21-23; Zec 2:4-13; Ps 47:1-9; [f] Lk 12:42-44; Mt 24:45-47; Mt 25:31-40; Num 24:14,17-19,23; Mt 20:23; Rev 11:4-10; Num 24:5-9; Rev 19:1-8; Mt 22:2-7; Mt 22:11-14; Lk 12:35-40; Mt 25:6-13; Ps 45:1-17; Isa 46:16-26; Jn 3:29-36; Num 23:19-24; Isa 62:1-12; Mal 3:1-4,16-18; Hag 2:7-9; Zec 4:1-5,11-14; Rev 21:6-7; Isa 49:1-13; Eze 46:1-18; Gen 15:4-5; Ps 61:1-8; Ps 2:1-12; Isa 65:8-16; Mic 7:11-20; Zec 3:8-10. :|}
When we think of the “Garden of Eden” and Adam and Eve, we tend to see “a simple garden of vegetables and fruit trees” and some miserable, backward, naked, poor, and stupid people... well, we are sorely mistaken because “the garden of the land of abundance” was more than “a simple garden”, that within its boundaries held the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; and Adam and Eve were more than the first people on Earth, more than some peasants without much knowledge... because that’s what we generally think of when we imagine Adam and Eve: some fools tricked in a garden by a banal snake perched in a tree.
The shocking truth is that only when we understand what the {0:}”Garden of Eden”{:0} was, and who Adam and Eve were, do we truly understand both the {2:}abyss into which humanity fell{:2} through their fall into sin, and the {57:}“future glory” of those found written{:57} in the inheritance lost by the first humans, but redeemed by God through sacrifice; namely, of those {34:}found written in the book of life{:34}.
Apparently, there is little information about {0:}”the Garden of Eden”{:0}... in reality, there is enough: (a) “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden [Abundance], toward the east [sunrise], and there He put the man whom He had formed. The Lord God made to grow out of the ground [in the “garden”] every tree [...] A river was going out of Eden to water the garden [...] The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.” (Gen 2:8-10,15); (b) “The Lord God made [on the fifth and sixth days] from the ground all the animals of the earth and all the birds of the sky and brought them to the man [on the sixth day], to see how he would name them [...] and man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the sky, and all the beasts of the field.” (Gen 2:19-20); (c) “Then the Lord God made a woman [from one of Adam’s ribs] and brought her to the man.” (Gen 2:21-22); (d) “And the Lord God [after the fall] made for Adam and his wife garments of skin and clothed them.” (Gen 3:21); (e) “The Lord God drove out [Adam (and Eve)] from the Garden of Eden [...] and at the east [sunrise] of the Garden of Eden He placed cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Gen 3:23-24)
At first glance, things are simple and clear... meaning: God made a garden, some trees grew, there was a river there, people were initially naked “and were not ashamed” (Gen 2:25), then they made a mistake of eating an apple (or whatever it was) and afterwards they were banished... simple!... NOT REALLY! Why? Because beyond the words seen at a superficial glance there is hidden some information that should make us think, meaning we should ask ourselves a few questions:
1. Why is the word used for “garden” in Hebrew “gan”, derived from “ganan” (to protect, to cover, to defend, to surround)?
2. Why is the verb “to plant”, Hebrew “nata” (to plant, to insert, to fix inside), used for what God did with the “garden”?
3. What does “toward the east [sunrise]”, Hebrew “qedem” (in front, before, east, sunrise) mean? “Towards the east [sunrise]” in relation to what? Or “towards the east [sunrise]” with what?
4. Why is the verb “to put”, Hebrew “suwm” (to put, to install, to establish, to enthrone) used in the case of Adam?
5. If the “Land of Abundance” was chosen for the “garden”, why was it necessary for God to make “grow” from the ground all sorts of trees, Hebrew “tsamach” (to sprout, to bear fruit, to grow)? More precisely, if from the third day of the Earth’s life modeling, “the ground brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it, of every kind” and if “the Land of Abundance” was chosen for the “garden”, why was it necessary for God in the “garden” on the sixth day to repeat the operation that he had just done on the third day, when everything he had done on the third day “was very good [perfect]” (Gen 1:12-13)?
6. Why was it necessary for a river to flow out in Eden (Abundance), and from where, to water the whole “garden” through its “four branches”, when at that time (until the Flood) “a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground” (Gen 2:6)? Why this way of watering the face of the earth wasn’t valid in the Garden?
7. If it is understood that the man “placed” (Heb. “yanach”: to be installed, to be invested, to be put in charge) in the Garden was given the responsibility “to work” (Heb. “abad”: to serve, to work, to rule, to keep, to guard; as a “servant” or “minister”, or “empowered”) the Garden, the question still arises: what was meant by the expression “to watch over” (Heb. “shamar”: to guard, to watch, to protect, to secure, to conserve, to take care of/supervise/protect)? In connection with what or whom was Adam supposed to be vigilant when he was alone on Earth; at that time even Eve had not been brought into existence?
8. What does it mean that Adam “named” (Heb. “qara”: to name, to read, to call, to proclaim, to define) “with names” (Heb. “shem”: to be named, to be defined, to have a distinction/character/authority/uniqueness) all living creatures in the heavens and on earth? And what does it mean that among all the living creatures that received names, for man was found no “suitable helper” (Heb. “ezer neged”: a supportive/resisting/complementary/strengthening helper)? What does it mean that the woman he named “Eve” (Heb. “Chavvah”: pro-life, source of life, to give (form to) life, to put into life, to show life, to spring up/blossom life) was found to be “ezer neged” (exactly the necessary helper)? For (to do) what?
9. What does it mean that the woman was made from “that specific rib”? In Hebrew, “eth tsela” (rib) (“eth” has the property of emphasizing the uniqueness/particularity/necessity of being). Why does it seem that, unlike Adam, Eve (“life in living form”) came into existence in the Garden of Eden? What is the connection between the name that she emanated – as Adam defined it – and the Garden of Eden?
10. Why does it seem that as a Father, God took care to clothe Adam and Eve only after the fall, in “garments of skin” (Heb. “kthoneth owr”: tunic, long garments; made of skin/fur)? Or were they clothed from the day of their creation with clothes, and what kind of clothes could the Garden offer them (which later undressed them due the forbidden tree) besides those made of leaves chosen by them after the fall? With the fur of which animal were the two clothed? Why fur, and not leaves (why Abel, and not Cain)?
11. Why were they driven out of the Garden and why did God place as guardians on the way to the east (sunrise: “qedem”) towards the tree of life “those specific (two) cherubim” (“eth kruwb”) to wield “that specific flaming sword” (“eth lahat chereb”)? Wasn’t one angel enough? Why cherubim? Who were those specific two guardian cherubim? And which unique and specific sword that pours out fire?
Undoubtedly, the above questions highlight the fact that “The Garden of Eden” was more than just a vegetable garden and fruit trees. The path guarded by exactly the two cherubim that were later outlined in gold on the Cover of the Ark of the Covenant, the guarding sword seemingly made of the same flame of the burning bush, the repetition of the fact that it is about the path from the east (sunrise); the fact that although it was a “garden” one could not reach the tree of life by any other path and the place where the river that watered the Garden originated, all these highlight that this Garden had properties of a Citadel. In fact, the very name of Eden, which means “delight, pampering, delectation, luxury, abundance, happiness, satisfaction”, makes us wonder if perhaps the Garden of Eden originated elsewhere than on Earth, if perhaps its origin is in Heaven, the place where initially the war between good and evil began, and later moved to Earth.
Somehow the description of the Garden reveals all the necessary elements to find similarities between {0:}the Garden of Heaven (Eden){:0} and {7:}the City of Zion{:7}, that is, it helps us understand that the City (Garden) which was hidden at the Flood (Mt 13:44; Hag 2:6), {345:}will be revealed again at the end{:345}; The Fortress (Garden) planted deep in the Earth will be planted again (Zec 14:4; Gen 13:14-17; Eze 48:1-35; Nah 1:5-8) in the Earth forever; The Garden – originating in Heaven – in which God was directly present in the company of Adam, will be at the end brought back to Earth {357:}so that God may be present forever among His chosen people{:357}; The Garden where were at first the tree of life and the river of life, will be again {357:}in the form of a Fortress forever on Earth{:357}; the place where Adam (“son of God”) manifested his authority as King (giving names to the creatures of the Earth and the people on it: Eve, Cain, Abel, Seth, etc.), will be again on Earth as the Place where the Prince, the son of David, the Branch, will manifest his authority; the Heavenly City in which Adam as a priest brought the first sacrifices from the fur of which God made the clothes with which they covered their nakedness, will be again on Earth as the City of Zion in which the Prince will be a priest before the Holy One together with the one hundred and forty-four thousand (“sons” of Zadok; Heb. Righteous) and the sons of Levi.
In fact, {0:}the Garden of Heaven on Earth{:0} is nothing other than {57:}the Temple City{:57} which (with the necessary modifications: “I go to prepare a Place /the Kingdom/ for you”) Ezekiel saw in a vision, situated on a “very high mountain” “like a walled City”, because “a wall surrounded the Temple on the outside and all around”... it was {057:}the City of the Garden of Zion{:057}, whose gate mentioned and re-mentioned is “the eastern [sunrise] gate”; a City with “guard chambers” (with or without cherubim); a City full of dwellings for its inhabitants, the servants of the Lord (like Adam, designated to work and guard it); a City with tables for eating and drinking (“that you may eat and drink at My table” - Lk 22:30); a city prepared for singers; a City with the House of the Lord in its midst; a City with walls that around the House were “covered with cherubim and palm trees; between two cherubim was a palm tree; each cherub had two faces, a face of man turned towards a palm tree on one side, and a face of Lion on the other side” (“and a perfect union will be between them both” – Zec 6:13); a City in which “the glory of the Lord entered by the gate facing east [sunrise]” and “the house was filled with the glory of the Lord”; a City where will be the Lord’s Throne, where He will dwell forever “in the midst of the children of Israel”; a City in which there will be no more death (Eze 43:7,9); a City situated on the top of a Mountain, and “the whole place surrounding it will be Most-holy”; a City whose eastern [sunrise] gate of the Temple “shall be shut, and none shall pass through it [...] as for the Prince [eternal High Priest; Zadok], the Prince himself shall sit there to eat bread before the Lord.”; a City in which no “uncircumcised foreigner in heart and uncircumcised in body” shall enter (“For there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised or the unclean.” – Isa 52:1; 35:8); a City from under whose threshold of the House towards the east (sunrise) a river will flow, on whose banks there will be a multitude of fruitful trees, whose leaves “will not wither and whose fruits will not end; every month they will bear new fruits”, “because the waters will come out of the Temple; their fruits will serve as food, and their leaves, as medicine”; a City with twelve gates, after the names of the sons of Israel; a City with four equal sides (each side having 750 reeds or, in reality, 108 km) whose “name” (emanated) will be “The Lord is here”.
Of course, this {0:}City of the Heavenly Garden{:0} or this {357:}City of Zion{:357} is not {7:}“the (City of) New-Jerusalem”{:7} (as seen by John), because the City of Zion {34:}will be revealed at the beginning of the thousand years{:34}, while “the New-Jerusalem” will come down from Heaven {7:}at the end of the thousand years{:7}; the first has a side of 750 reeds (108 km) and surrounds the House of the Lord (the Temple), the second has a side of 12,000 reeds (1,728 km) and has no Temple. In fact, “the New-Jerusalem” will encompass within its walls the City of Zion along with its holy Mountain, on the north side of which will be “the City of the Great-king”, also within the walls of “the New-Jerusalem”.
A fair question arises, namely: is there any information in the Scriptures to confirm the statement that the City of Zion (Eden) will be within the walls of “the New-Jerusalem” on Earth? The answer is that not only in one place do we have this information, but the entire Scripture directly or indirectly testifies in favor of this statement. First of all, we have the following words: “And I saw the Holy City, the New-Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne [of David] saying, ‘Behold, {57:}the Dwelling place [the Tabernacle/Tent/Zion] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God himself will be with them as their God.{:57}’”… statement synonymous with “For {34:}He will shelter me in His Dwelling in the day of trouble [the beginning of the millennium]{:34}, He will hide me {34:}under the shelter of His Tent and will lift me up on a Rock{:34}. Behold, my head is lifted up {4:}above my enemies who surround me{:4}; {34:}I will offer sacrifices in His Tent [Zion] in the sound of the Trumpet [in the day of judgment], I will sing and praise the Lord{:34}.” (Ps 27:5,6)... statement synonymous with “In that time [the beginning of the millennium] the Branch [son] of the Lord will be {3:}full of majesty and glory{:3}, and the fruit of the land will be {3:}full of brilliance and beauty for the saved of Israel{:3}. And the one remaining in Zion, the one left in Jerusalem, {34:}will be declared holy, whoever is called [from the book of life] as alive in Jerusalem{:34}. [...] The Lord will place {3:}over all the extent of Mount Zion{:3} and over its places of assembly, {3:}a cloud of smoke by day and a fire of bright flames by night{:3}. Yes, {3:}over all the Dwelling of Glory there will be a Shelter, a Booth [a Dwelling], a Tent [Hebrew “cukkah”: Tabernacle]{:3} against the heat of the day, a Place of escape against the storm and rain. [Then will be sung to the Beloved] {45:}I will sing to my Beloved the song of my Beloved concerning His Vineyard.{:45}” (Isa 4:2-3,5-6; 5:1)... statement synonymous with “{3:}Multiply the people, O Lord!{:3} Multiply the people [Rev 7:9], {:34}show Your [Dwelling] glory{:34}; {3:}restore all the borders of the land!{:3} {4:}Lord, they sought You when they were in trouble [besieged by enemies; beginning of the millennium] [...] May Your dead live again [those written in the book of life]! May my dead bodies rise! [Rev 20:4]{:4} {45:}Awake and rejoice, you [chosen and holy ones] who dwell in the dust! [...] Go, my people, enter your dwellings [Heb. “cheder”] and shut your door behind you [Mt 25:6-10; Lk 13:25]{:45}; {45:}hide for a little while, until the wrath is past!{:4} [Mt 25:12; 7:23; Lk 13:27; Ps 5:5-6] {3:}For, behold, the Lord comes out of His Dwelling{:3} {4:}to punish the iniquities of the inhabitants of the Earth, and the earth will be covered with blood and will no longer bury the slain. In that day [from the midst of those two specific cherubim, and surrounded by the Heavenly hosts – Rev 19:11-18] the Lord will strike with His sharp, great and strong sword [...] the fleeing Serpent [Rev 19:19-21]{:4} [...]. {5:}In that day you will sing a song [in Zion, the Lord’s Tent] over the choicest vineyard [Israel]{:5}.” (Isa 26:15-16,19-21; 27:1-2)
About this {0:}City of Zion (Eden){:0} “hidden” at the Flood, all the patriarchs knew, and its walls were imprinted in the DNA of Jacob’s sons, this Fountain of life that flowed through the veins of the children of Israel was the Rock that gave power to each of the chosen and holy, because each of them looked ahead, defying the present, to the day when they will forever walk again together with Adam, together with Job, together with Abraham, together with David, together with the Branch on the gates of a rediscovered Paradise. This is one of the reasons why none of those born of Abraham ever believed that at death the “soul” goes to “Paradise”; they knew that Paradise will be the City of the Lord, on the holy Mountain... here, on this Earth. This is why before his death, Joseph asked that when they go Home, the children of Israel take his bones with them, not for veneration, no, but with a view to resurrection, being in the same thought with Job and with all the prophets: “But I know that my Redeemer lives and that {34:}He will rise [Heb. “quwm”: to rise, to stand up, to be installed, to stand for, to settle] at the end [the beginning of the millennium] to the Earth.{:34} Even if my skin will be destroyed and even if I will no longer have flesh [in the grave], {4:}I will surely see God [at the resurrection], I will see Him and He will be gracious to me{:4}; my eyes [in the body, but not in the “spirit”] will see Him, and not of another [not reincarnated into something else]. My soul yearns for this in me.” (Job 19:25-27)
The same thought, the same hope, the same longing for the eternal Zion (Eden) was the Life that manifested itself in every child of God, looking towards that “bright tomorrow” towards that “new day that will arise” for God’s people. In this hope filled with faith, all looked smilingly towards death “without having received [“at death”] the things promised, but only saw them [with the eyes of their hearts] and embraced them from afar [in this life], confessing that they are strangers and travelers [now] on Earth. Those who think in this way show evidently that they are seeking a Homeland. [...] For they were looking for a better Homeland, that is, a Homeland with its origin in Heaven. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, {457:}for He has prepared [at the end] a City [eternal] for them{:457}.” “By faith [Abraham] came and settled in the Promised Land as in a land that was not his own, and lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were co-heirs with him of the same promise. For he was waiting [on Earth] for the City which has firm foundations, [the City of Zion] whose Maker and Builder is God.” (Heb 11:13-14,16,9-10)
“Therefore {357:}I will sanctify My great Name [...]. For I will raise you up from among the nations, and will bring you again to your own Land [...]. You will live in the Land I gave to your fathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God. [...] I will make the fruit of the trees great, and the grass of the field abundant [...], I will populate My City [“yashab” (to populate) + “eth” (that specific) + “iyr” (city)], I will restore it like from nothingness [“banah” (to model, to remake, to establish, to give shape) + “chorbah” (desolation, ruin, dispersion)]! [...] Then it will be said: ‘This once-abandoned Place is the Garden of Eden!’ [...]. And the nations that remain around you will know that I, the Lord, have restored what was abandoned and have planted again [“nata” (to fix in the Earth)] what was once forsaken [“shamem” (terrified, devastated, horrified); figurative meaning: “shocked” by the fall of Adam].” “Likewise, the Lord has mercy on Zion and comforts her in her desolation [“chorbah”: “failure”, devastation, disintegration]. He makes her abandoned Place a new Eden for man; and her forsaken greenness He makes a Garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be in its midst; thanksgiving and songs of praise.” “Throne of Glory, lifted up from the beginning, Place of our Holy Place” “I will restore your judges as at the beginning [Eden] and your counselors as at first [Adam and Eve] , because you will be called City of Righteousness, Faithful City. Zion [Jerusalem] will be saved {4:}by judgment{:4}, and those who return to the Lord will be saved through righteousness{:357}. {46:}But destruction will come to all the rebellious and sinful{:46}.” (Eze 36:23-36; Isa 51:3; Jer 17:12-13; Isa 1:26-28)
Following what has been read, at least one question naturally arises: if things are as seen above, why did the Son of man when He referred to the coming Kingdom He called it “the Kingdom of Heaven”; but not “the Kingdom of Sion” nor “the Kingdom of Eden”, nor “The Kingdom of Israel”?
The answer is very simple: although He called it nothing other than “the Kingdom of Heaven”, He nevertheless referred to this Kingdom as being “the Kingdom of Israel” and “the Kingdom of Eden”; it is true that not directly, but He referred to it with the words: “But I say to you that many [Rev 7:9-12] will come from the east and the west and will sit {57:}at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven{:57}; and {3:}the sons of the kingdom{:3} {4:}[the lost ones] will be thrown into the outer darkness{:4}, {6:}where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth{:6}.” “{6:}There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when [from outside] you see{:6} {456:}Abraham, Isaac and Jacob [after the resurrection and the gathering of the chosen ones] and all the prophets [Rev 7:4-8; Rev 20:4-6] in the Kingdom of God{:456}. {3:}They will come [Rev 7:9-12] from the east and the west, from the north and the south{:3} {357:}and will sit at the table in the Kingdom of God{:357}.” “{3:}Then [at the beginning of the millennium] the righteous will shine like the Sun [and like Adam] in their Father’s Kingdom.{:3} {4:}Then the Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom [on Earth] all things that cause sin and those who do evil{:4} {6:}and [at the end of the millennium] they will throw them into the fiery furnace; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth{:6}.” “Then the king will say to [the good ones] [...]: ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, {357:}inherit the Kingdom prepared for you{:357} {0:}from the foundation of the World [from Adam]{:0}!’ [...] Then he will say to [the wicked] [...]: {4:}‘Depart from me, you accursed{:4}, {6:}into the eternal fire, prepared for the Devil and his fallen ex-angels! [...] And these will go to eternal [definitive] punishment{:6}, {57:}but the righteous will go to eternal life{:57}.’” “Hosanna! Blessed is {3:}the one who comes in the Name of the Lord{:3}. Blessed is {357:}the coming Kingdom, the Kingdom of our father David!{:357} Hosanna in the highest Heavens!” “He [he] will reign over {357:}the house of Jacob forever, and His [his] Kingdom will have no end{:357}.” “You [the twelve Jews] are those who have stood by Me constantly in My trials. Therefore {23:}I prepare the Kingdom for you{:23}, as the Father has prepared it for Me, {357:}that you may eat and drink [in the body, clear!] at My table{:357} in My Kingdom, and {57:}sit on thrones{:57} [Rev 20:4-6], {5:}to judge the twelve tribes of Israel{:5}.” (Mt 8:11-12; Lk 13:28-29; Mt 13:43,41-42; 25:34,41,46; Mk 11:9-10; Lk 1:33)
Let’s stop for a moment... all the above statements are related either to Eden: “the Kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world”; or to Israel: “Abraham, with Isaac and Jacob”, “the sons of the Kingdom”, “the Kingdom of our father David”, “will reign over the house of Jacob”, “to judge the twelve tribes of Israel”; and about the {357:}heirs of the Kingdom{:357} it is said that “the righteous will shine like the Sun”, which are exactly the words of Daniel: “At that time, {34:}the great Ruler [Overcomer] Michael [Heb. “He-Who-Is Elohim”] will arise [Rev 6:1-2; Dan 7:13-14]{:34}, {35:}the protector of the children of your people [Israel]{:35}; [...] and at that time, {3:}your people will be saved{:3}, namely {34:}everyone who is found written in the book{:34} [“the book of life of the Lamb who was slain {0:}from the foundation of the World{:0}”, that is, in Eden]. [...] Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the Heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.” “Until {34:}the Ancient of Days came [the Man with many days, on Throne to reign] and brought justice to the holy ones of the Most High{:34}, and the time came when {3:}the holy ones have taken possession of the Kingdom{:3}.” “But {3:}the holy ones of the Most High will receive the Kingdom{:3} and will possess the kingdom forever, from eternity to eternity.” “{4:}Then the judgment will come{:4} [...] But {23:}the dominion, the rule, and the greatness of the kingdoms{:23} that are under the whole heaven {3:}will be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High{:3}. His Kingdom is {357:}an everlasting Kingdom, and all dominions will serve and obey him{:357}!” (Dan 12:1-4; 7:22; 7:18; 7:26-27)
Another question arises: what is the connection between {0:}“the Kingdom of Eden” (i.e., the City of Paradise){:0}, and {34:}“the chosen people, found holy in the Day-of-Judgment, the children of Israel{:34}? That is to say, throughout Scripture, an unbreakable connection is seen between “in the beginning” and “in the end”, between what was in Eden and what will be in the end and eternally. What connection does Abraham (and his descendants) have with the two (Adam and Eve) who left the City of Zion (Eden) empty by their expulsion, cast out more by the Serpent than by God. Yes, God drove them out, but the Serpent was to blame. Why? Because if from the guardian cherub Lucifer had not chosen to become a Serpent (ex-cherub materialized in Eden in the form of a serpent); if “the father of lies”, “the murderer from the beginning”, “the thief who came to plunder” had not deceived man in Eden, today Adam and Eve would still be on their throne, and {0:}the City of the Garden{:0} would still be the first and only wonder of the world: “beautiful Height”, “the joy of the whole Earth”, “High Mountain”, “City built by God to last forever”, “the Building of perfect beauty”, “Throne of Glory full of glory”; “The City of God” on Earth.
The answer to the above question can be found in the answer to the question: “What did Eden represent for the Earth and what functions (job responsibilities) did Adam and Eve have in Eden?” The answer, in the first instance, is found in a parable told by the Son of man (Adam), and, implicitly, the Son of God (Adam being the son of God), a parable about “The Kingdom of Heaven”: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man finds it, he hides it, and then in his joy goes and sells all he has and buys that field.” For “how can anyone enter a strong man’s house [which was plundered and stolen from him] and carry off his possessions [to get his stolen wealth back] unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house [recovering his kidnapped children].” “Can plunder be taken from a strong man? Can the captive of a tyrant escape? Yes – says the Lord – {34:}the plunder of the strong will be taken and the captive of the oppressor will escape,{:34} {4:}for I will contend with your enemies{:4} {34:}and I will save your children{:34}. {4:}I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they will be drunk with their own blood{:4}. And all flesh will know {346:}that I am the Lord, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob{:346}.” (Mt 13:44; 12:29; Isa 49:24-26)
There is obviously a reason why the “coming Kingdom” was called “Kingdom of Heaven”, although this Kingdom both at the beginning and at the end (eternal) was and will be not in Heaven, but on Earth; and the reason is found exactly in what Eden was in the beginning, and exactly in the purpose for which Israel was initially brought into existence from Abraham. What was Eden in the beginning? Eden was a piece (a smaller cube) of the City, the City from Heaven of God; Eden was a gift, a small piece from the Cherubim’s City; {0:}Eden had its origin in Heaven{:0}, that is, in the City of “the New-Jerusalem”, which will forever be brought down to Earth, {7:}as the Place where Heaven will eternally govern over the Universe{:7}. Eden was installed on Earth as an embassy of Heaven on Earth, and Adam and Eve were more than father and mother, king and queen, they were ambassadors of Heaven on Earth, they were ambassadors of Earth in the Universe.
The reason why Eden – the City of Zion – is called the “Kingdom of Heaven” lies precisely {0:}in the quality of embassy that Eden had on Earth{:0}. When a piece of the City of Heaven (the Place of the Throne of the Universe) is embedded in the Earth to be an embassy, that piece of City, that Eden is exactly Heaven on Earth, and the Kingdom of Eden is exactly the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth... Adam and Eve did not lose “a vegetable garden”, {0:}they lost an embassy and a Kingdom{:0}, a Kingdom that passed through deception (theft) into the hands of the Serpent (who became the new ambassador), a Kingdom whose City God had to defend with cherubim and a fiery sword, and later to hide it, for a time, when, giving everything, giving Himself to death, God redeemed the Kingdom from the Serpent who had made himself king over the Earth, or rather “a ruler”; for about the Serpent in Eden, about the ex-cherub “from the beginning” a thief, murderer and liar it is said: {4:}“A Voice came from Heaven{:4}.” {4:}When the Voice will come again from Heaven will take place “the judgment of this World […] and the ruler of this World will be [bound and] cast out{:4}.” “{3:}Then the King said to His servants{:3}: ‘{4:}Bind him hand and foot, and take him away and throw him into the outer darkness{:4}; {6:}there will be weeping [of the heart] and gnashing of teeth [of the body]{:6}.’” “But this rebellious servant {4:}throw him into the outer darkness{:4}; {6:}there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth{:6}.” “{4:}Depart from Me, you cursed ones{:4}, {6:}into the eternal fire, which was prepared for the Devil and his ex-angels [demons]{:6}!” (Jn 12:28,31; Mt 22:13; 25:30,41)
At the Flood, when the Heavens and the Earth were shaken, God hid the City of Eden from the Earth and its inhabitants, because the Earth had become the battleground between good and evil, between God’s servants and Satan who had become their enemy; because this was the consequence of man’s fall into sin: “Serpent [...] because you have done this, you’ve become a curse [for Earth]... for all your remaining days, you will crawl on the Earth and eat [deplete] it. Enmity will be between you and the woman, between your seed [the weeds] and her seed [My wheat]. This [stabbed rib] {4:}will crush your head [at the end]{:4}, and you {12:}[at every step] will bruise their heels{:12}.” “The Lord [in the Council of Heaven] said to Satan: ‘Where do you come from?’ And Satan [the new ambassador (“sun of God”) in Heaven] answered: ‘From my travels on my Earth and from the walks I've taken on it.’”... “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed [Gen 1:31] in his field. But while men were sleeping, his enemy [the Serpent] came, sowed weeds, and left. When the wheat stalks sprouted [Abel, Enoch, Noah, Nahor, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob; Israel], and produced fruit [a chosen people], the weeds emerged [Cain, Lamech, Ham, Nimrod; Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome]. [...] Let them grow together {34:}until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest{:34} I will tell the reapers: {4:}‘First, gather the weeds and bind them in bundles{:4}; {6:}to burn them{:6}; and {57:}gather the wheat [the sons of the Kingdom] into my barn [on Earth]{:57}!’” (Gen 3:14-15; Job 1:7; Mt 13:24-26,30)
From the above, it follows that the people of Israel were brought into existence from Abraham as a continuation of the role that Adam and Eve had in Eden, a continuation in an adapted form of the mission to be ambassadors of Heaven and of the Kingdom of God on Earth, a mission that was highlighted from the very beginnings of this people: “Israel is My son [like Adam], My firstborn.” “You will be Mine out of all peoples, for all the Earth is Mine; you will be to Me a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the Earth.” “For you have chosen them out of all the other peoples of the Earth to make them Your inheritance.”... for what purpose? “Behold, I have taught you Laws and commandments [...]. Keep and fulfill them, for this will be your wisdom and understanding before the peoples.” “And today the Lord has testified to you that you will be His people [...] and He will give you precedence in glory, fame, and majesty over all the nations He has made, and you will be a holy people to the Lord your God, as He promised you.” “Listen to Me, My people; pay attention to Me, My nation. {3:}For a law will come from Me, and I will make My law a light to the peoples{:3} [...] {46:}The heavens will vanish like smoke, the Earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like flies{:46}, {357:}but My salvation [in Zion] will last forever, and My righteousness will never end{:357}.”… So it’s no wonder why the Serpent’s enmity from Eden, throughout the centuries, {12:}has turned into a poison that has gripped all nations in various forms of antisemitism{:12}... until one day, {34:}the Day when Father will snatch his son{:34} from the arms of the poisoned ones; {4:}the Day when the tares will be bound in bundles and thrown into darkness{:4}! (Exo 4:22; 19:5-6; Deu 7:6; 2Ki 8:53; Deu 4:5-6; Isa 51:4,6)
In a way that only love can explain, through God’s love for His people, when the Scriptures speak of Israel at the same time they speak of the City of Zion, of the Throne, of the Holy Mountain, of the Promised Land; it’s something you can’t separate. When God says ”My people”, in the same breath He also says “My Throne”, and “My Land”, and “Paradise”, and “My Zion”, and “My Mountain”, and “Tent”, and “Jerusalem”... and “eternity”; for Him, they are just other colors of the same rainbow.
“Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? Hasn’t it been told to you from the beginning [from Eden]? [...] {34:}He resides [comes (riding) from] beyond the high borders [of sky] of the Earth{:34}, and {4:}its inhabitants are not even like grasshoppers before Him{:4}; {3:}He stretches out the Heavens like dust in the waters, and spreads them out like a Tent, to populate it.{:3} {4:}He turns princes into nothing and makes the judges of the Earth as nothing. [...] He blows upon them and they dry up [Zec 14:12] and a whirlwind takes them away like straw [Isa 17:13; 29:5]{:4}. [...] {3:}Don’t you know [Jacob]{:3}? Haven’t you heard [Israel]? The eternal God, the Lord, made the ends of the Earth [and Eden]. He does not tire, nor does He grow weary [...]. {35:}He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the faint. [...] Those who trust in the Lord renew their strength; they soar like eagles [towards the City of Holy Mountain]{:35}.” “Who has done and performed these things? He who {0:}has determined the course of history [for the sake of Zion] from the beginning [from Eden]{:0}, I, the Lord, the first [Eden] and the same until the last ages [Zion]. {4:}The islands see this and are afraid, the ends of the Earth tremble [...] Behold, all who are angry with you will be ashamed and disgraced; {6:}they will be destroyed{:6} and all who oppose you will perish{:4}. [...] {3:}For I am the Lord your God, who takes you by the right hand and says to you: ‘Do not fear, I will help you!{:3}’” “Who declared this {0:}from the beginning [of the World]{:0}, so that we might know it, and long ago, so that we might say, ‘He is right’? {12:}No one [among the nations] has declared it, no one has prophesied it, and no one has heard your [hope] words{:12}. I, the First One [even from Eden], said to Zion: {03:}‘Behold [Adam], behold [Eve]!’{:03} and to Jerusalem: {3:}‘I send you a messenger of good news!’{:3} [...] {24:}Behold, they are all [the prophets of the nations] nothing, their works are vain, their idols are a breath of emptiness [without life]{:24}!” “I have declared {0:}the end from the beginning [from Eden]{:0}, and from ancient times things which are not yet done. I say, {3:}‘My statements shall stand{:3} and {4:}I will fulfill all My will{:4}.’ {3:}I call from the east [sunrise] a bird of prey [the Prince],{:3} from a far country, {3:}a man to fulfill My purpose{:3}. [...] Listen to Me, you stubborn of heart [you antisemites], who are far from righteousness! [...] {357:}I will put My salvation in Zion, and My glory over Israel{:357}!” (Isa 40:21-24,28-31; 41:4-5,13; 41:26-27,29; 46:10-13)
“Awake, awake! {3:}Be clothed in Your Glory, Zion{:3}! Be clothed in your festive garments, {357:}Jerusalem, the holy City{:357}! For there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.” “Send out Your light and Your faithfulness; let them lead me and bring me to {357:}Your holy Mountain and to Your dwelling places{:357}!” “{57:}How lovely are your dwelling places, Lord of Hosts!{:57} My soul {3:}yearns and longs for the courts [gardens] of the Lord{:3} [...] Ah, your altars, Lord of Hosts, my King and my God! {357:}Blessed are those who will dwell in Your House{:357} [...]! For {57:}a day in Your courts{:57} is better than a millennium elsewhere; I would rather {57:}be at the threshold of the House of my God{:57} [...] For the Lord is a sun and a shield; {357:}the Lord bestows grace and glory [for eternity]{:357}.” “I will give them {57:}in My House and within My walls a dwelling place{:57} [...] I will give them an everlasting name, which shall not be cut off. [...] {357:}I will bring them to My holy Mountain and fill them with joy in My House{:357}.” “God arises [ascends], {4:}His enemies are scattered, and those who hate Him flee before His face. Like smoke vanishes, so do You scatter them{:4}; {6:}as wax melts before the fire, so the wicked perish before God{:6}. {357:}But the righteous rejoice, they exult before God and overflow with joy{:357}.” (Isa 52:1; Ps 43:3; 84:1-4,10-11; Isa 56:5,7; Ps 68:1-3)
“For on My holy Mountain, on the High-Mountain of Israel – declares the Lord God – there {357:}the whole house [all the tribes] of Israel will serve Me{:357}, all of them in the Land; there {357:}I will accept them with favor [‘Come, you who are blessed!’]{:357} and I will be pleased with your offerings and with the first-fruits of your gifts, everything you dedicate. {357:}I will accept you as a pleasing fragrance{:357} {3:}after I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you have been scattered{:3}; {3:}and I will be sanctified through you in the sight of the nations [as ambassadors of holiness]{:3}. Then you will know that I am the Lord when {3:}I bring you back to the Land of Israel, to the Land that I swore with uplifted hand to give to your fathers{:3}.” “{6:}Because the wicked will be exterminated [Heb. “karath”: to cut, to destroy, consume (definitely/eternally)]{:6}, {357:}but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the Land{:357}. In a little while, {46:}the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found{:46}. {357:}The meek will inherit the Land and enjoy abundant peace. [...] For those blessed by the Lord will inherit the Land{:357}, {4:}but those cursed by Him{:4} {6:}will be exterminated{:6}. [...] {357:}The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever{:357}.” (Eze 20:40-42; Ps 37:9-11,22,29)
God has put the nations to the test, apparently He has abandoned his people (the chosen son among the nations), and the nations have believed themselves justified in trampling underfoot a people who have done them no wrong, except for an inheritance received in Eden, that of being light and a channel of blessing... and it was, and is, and will be eternal {3:}for the Lord (Father) at the end of history will show once again that He, out of His good pleasure, has chosen Israel{:3}... but woe to the nations who will be found in enmity towards the chosen ones {456:}on the Day when God will rise up on His Throne to be a Lion that leaps into battle for Israel (Zion){:456}!
“{4:}Let the nations dare to come{:4} in the plain of the Great-Judge, for {4:}there I will be [coming (on horseback)] to judge all the nations that have come to the siege{:4}. {34:}Put [angels] your hand to the sickle{:34} [Rev 16:1-21], {4:}for the harvest [of the weeds] is ripe! Come and tread the grapes with your feet, for the winepresses are full and the vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people.{:4} [...] {4:}Suddenly, the sun and moon grow dark; the stars lose their brightness{:4} {34:}for the Lord roars from Zion, and His Voice thunders from Jerusalem{:34} {4:}and the heavens tremble and the Earth quakes{:4}. {35:}But the Lord is the refuge of His people and the protection of the children of Israel. And you shall see Me thus, as the One-who-Is the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, My holy Mountain. Then Jerusalem will be holy{:35} and strangers shall never pass through it again. {57:}In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk; water will course through the valleys of Judah, and a fountain of waters from the House of the Lord will rise up, refreshing all the east [sunrise]. [...] Judah will be inhabited [for millennia and] forever, and Jerusalem, generation after generation [...] and the Lord in Zion will have His Dwelling place eternally{:57}.” (Joe 3:12-13,15-18,20-21)
„But as for you who forsake the Lord, who forget My holy Mountain [supporting the aberration that at death you go to “Heaven/Zion”], who eat with the Usurper* and drink the covenant with the Divider** {4:}I dedicate you to the sword, and all of you will bow your knee to be slaughtered{:4} [Isa 28:15-21] […] {35:}Behold, My servants shall eat{:35}, {46:}but to you, food will be lacking{:46}; {35:}behold, My servants shall drink{:35}, {46:}but to you, drink will be lacking{:46} [Lk 16:24]; {35:}behold, My servants shall rejoice{:35}, {46:}but you shall be chained***{:46}; {35:}Behold, My servants will sing for joy, because their hearts will be glad{:35}, {46:}but you will wail from the pain that will feed and flood your heart, you will mourn the disintegration felt in your soul{:46}. {6:}Then your accursed name will represent ‘The one who perished!’{:6}, while {57:}the Lord God will give His servants another name{:57}. Then anyone who blesses in the Land will bless in the God of truth, and whoever swears in the Land will swear by the God of truth, {6:}for the former troubles [even the wicked and liars] will be forgotten, they will be dissipated before Me{:6}. {7:}For behold, I create new Heavens and a new Earth{:7}, and {1246:}the former things{:1246} shall not be remembered nor come into mind. {7:}But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create{:7}. For {7:}I will make Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in My people{:7}; {67:}no more shall the voice of weeping be heard, nor the voice of crying [of those destroyed for eternity]{:67}. {7:}They will build houses [evident for the body] and live in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit [evident in the body].{:7} [...] {7:}My chosen ones will enjoy the work of their hands. [...] They will establish a blessed seed, and their children [and their children’s children] will be with them [Gen 1:27-28]. [...] The wolf and the lamb will graze together. The lion will eat straw like the ox, and the serpent will eat dust. No evil, no harm will be done on all My holy Mountain [in Paradise]{:7}!” (Isa 65:11-25)
{|: * Hebrew: “Gad”, derived from “guwd”: to invade, to plunder;
** Hebrew: “Mniy”, derived from “manah”: to count, to account, to split; in this case, it refers to the one who causes separation: the separation of a third of the cherubim from their Father, the separation of Adam and Eve from Eden, the separation of man from God, the separation between spouses, the separation of children from parents/parents from children, the separation of Israel from their God, the separation of “worship” from truth;
*** Hebrew: “buwsh”: to be put on hold, to be shamed, to incarcerate. :|}
So... when the Scriptures say that the righteous (the holy ones) declared by God “have not yet arrived” Home, when Daniel was told “Go your way till the end; you will rest and rise again [resurrected] in your allotted inheritance [Eze 48:1-8,23-27;29] at the end of the days” (Dan 12:13); when those alive in the last generation are told that they “will not precede [in Paradise] those who are asleep [and vice versa!]”; when Job says that “at the end” (Job 19:25) the Redeemer “will arise” and, he says, “my eyes will see Him”, being called to life from the tomb; when John says of the righteous that at the end “they came back to life and reigned” (Rev 20:4)... don’t you think it is a nerve, a shamelessness, an odious arrogance, a demonic lie to say that you, at the moment of death (or “rapture”?!), in “spirit” (an invention of “Rome”), will arrive Home in an instant, in Paradise?
And if Abraham, the father of the faithful, has not yet risen and entered the Kingdom (Heb 11:13), to whose bosom do you go “in spirit” at death? Isn’t it to the father, the spirit materialized in Eden as the Serpent, who deceived you, the “murderer from the beginning”, for whom a fire is prepared “at the end”?
There are numerous signs along the route to the lake-of-fire (“hell”) that read, “Straight to Heaven!”
Lying is fatal… the fruit of the lake-of-fire!
Chapter 1: The Fortress from the Mountain of Love
