What a wonderful message of hope, from Garden to Garden!
There are many different ways to organize and discuss the history of the world. One way the Bible does this is through the story of four gardens.
The first garden is a delightful paradise known as the garden of Eden. Genesis describes it as a place of pleasure. A place where people made in the image of God could walk with God in soul satisfying relationships. It’s the world we were created for. But sin and rebellion got us evicted from that garden.
The next garden is the garden of gethsemane just outside the walls of Jerusalem. It’s a sobering place where Jesus agonized over what was about to transpire. In less than 24 hours He would die on a Roman cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
Next is the garden tomb where the resurrection of Jesus validated His claim to have conquered sin and death once for all time. What a glorious reality the angels announced on that first Easter morning.
Then, at last, the final garden, the new heaven and earth, our eternal home. A return to paradise.
What a wondrous message of hope!