"God Almighty first planted a garden, and, indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures" [Francis Bacon Essays]

God chose to begin telling His story of human creation in a Garden. Perhaps because a garden is a place for planting, cultivation, watering, harvesting, and bringing both beauty and nutrition to social experience. These factors all have their spiritually metaphoric counterparts and are useful for considering and improving the human condition.

A garden in its purest form is simply an expression of nature’s beauty. It can be randomly or systematically organized; a bright and cheery ocean of color or boldly contrasted with its surrounding environment.

FOUR GARDENS: Gardens were places of profound spiritual and historical significance in the Bible. Four in particular are

Eden, Gethsemane, Golgotha, and the Glory of God, mentioned in Revelation 22.

Eden – where God created Adam and Eva and walked with them. It is the place where the Tree of Life is first explained and a great separation occurred through sin where mankind lost its place of God-given dominion over the rest of creation.

Gethsemane – where Jesus experienced His greatest struggle and went forth knowing that before Him was suffering and death, yet also the greatest triumph over death, hell, and the grave.

Golgotha – where Jesus demonstrated both His redemptive and resurrection power by leaving behind his grave clothes and appearing to his friend, Mary.

Garden of the Glory of God – revealed in Revelation chapter 22 where God brings in the final chapter of earthly human history another Tree of Life which bears twelve kinds of fruit and where the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

So there is no question that God is still using gardens to meet with people!