A Garden of Life

Our story begins with a contrast of the desert wilderness and the garden paradise, a theme that will recapitulate throughout Scripture. God's people would come out of the practically-unlivable wilderness of Sinai into the Promised Land, just as Adam was formed from the dust of the earth and taken into the paradise of Eden.

Waters of life flowed from Eden, just as they would flow from the temple in Ezekiel's vision, and from the throne in John's to water the tree of life on both sides of the streets of gold from the land we see in the beginning and later used to build the tabernacle and temple.

The paradise of the garden was the imagery Jesus was conjuring up for the thief on the cross when he asked to be remembered when He entered His kingdom, and was told he would be with Him in "Paradise." For us who believe, the paradise of the cultivated garden city is where we will live with God forever in our earthly heaven.