Monday, June 16

THE WONDERFUL LAND OF EDEN



For the next few posts I shall discuss the land of Eden.
 
Eden of Gen_2:8 is a beautiful mystery.  That does not mean it was not real.  It is just that we know so little about it.  "And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed."  Here we learn that God planted a garden.  I think it is commonly thought that the particular area where Adam and Eve were placed is Eden.  We must note, however, that the garden God planted is in the East of Eden.  That indicates that Eden is more than just the particular place of the garden.  
Notice farther in Gen_2:10 " And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads".  God would have us to know where His Eden was and is.  Thus He tells us about a river running out of Eden, not out of the garden, but out of Eden.  Let's remember Eden is a larger area in which the garden was planted in the east of Eden.  Just how large was the area of Eden itself?  In order to tell us where it is, He told us that the river divided into 4 rivers.  Why should this be so difficult for us?  He tells us what those 4 rivers were and are.  The first one mentioned is Pison.  Now of course you cannot find that river today, but He tells us where it was.  Gen. 2:11 tells us that it compassed the whole land of Havilah.  We are told today that the land of Havilah was what we know today as Arabia.  That being the case one of those rivers went around the land of Arabia over near the Mediterranean Sea.  That tells us also that Eden was near the Mediterranean Sea.  In Gen. 2:13 a second river is named.  It is Gihon.  It is said to go around the whole land of Ethiopia.  Now we know that Ethiopia is in Africa.  Both of these rivers then would indicate for us that Eden was bordered by the Mediterranean Sea.  There is yet a 3rd river, and it is called Hiddekel.  This river is said to flow east of Assyria.  We know that river today as the Tigris.  That puts the border of Eden in the area of Iraq.  Then a 4th river is named, the Euphrates.  Of course we know that it is in Iraq.  Rivers 3 and 4 show us that Eden is bordered on the east by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.  The garden in the east of Eden must have been in Iraq.  Let’s have your comment.  What do you
think of this?

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