at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and
the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24, NASB). It appears that
Eden's Paradise, with the tree of life, retained its identity as a physical place but was no longer accessible to mankind.
It was guarded by cherubim, who are residents of Heaven, where God is "enthroned between the cherubim" (2 Kings 19:15).
Eden was not destroyed. What was destroyed was mankind's ability to live in Eden. There's no indication that Eden was stripped
of its physicality and transformed into a "spiritual" entity. It appears to have remained just as it was, a physical paradise
removed to a realm we can't gain access to—most likely the present Heaven, because we know for certain that's where the tree
of life now is (Revelation 2:7).
God is not done with Eden. He preserved it not as a museum piece but as a place that mankind will one day occupy again—and
to a certain extent may now occupy in the present Heaven. Because we're told that the tree of life will be located in the
New Jerusalem, on both sides of a great river (Revelation 22:2), it seems likely that the original Eden may be a great park at the center of the city. If we know the tree that distinguished
Eden will be there, why not Eden itself? This would fit perfectly with the statement in Revelation 2:7 that the tree of life
is presently in Paradise.
Though the rest of the earth fell under human sin, Eden was for some reason treated differently. Perhaps it had come from
Heaven, God's dwelling place, and was transplanted to Earth. We don't know. But we do know this: God came to Eden to visit
with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8), which he would no longer do after Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden after the Fall.
Whether or not Eden was created along with the rest of the earth, clearly it was special to God, and it remains special to
him. The tree of life's presence in the New Jerusalem establishes that elements of Eden, as physical as the original, will
again be part of the human experience. The presence of the tree of life in the present Heaven suggests that Heaven too has
physical properties and is capable of containing physical objects.
DO PEOPLE HAVE INTERMEDIATE BODIES IN THE PRESENT HEAVEN?
Unlike God and the angels, who are in essence spirits (John 4:24; Hebrews 1:14), human beings are by nature both spiritual and physical (Genesis 2:7). God did not create Adam as a spirit and place it inside a body. Rather, he first created a body, then breathed into it a spirit. There never was a moment when a human being existed without a body. Neurophysiological studies
reveal an intimate connection between the body and what has historically been referred to as the soul—which includes the
mind, emotions, will, intentionality, and capacity to worship. † It appears that we are not essentially spirits who inhabit bodies, but we are essentially as much physical as we are spiritual.
We cannot be fully human without both a spirit and a body.
Given the consistent physical descriptions of the present Heaven and those who dwell there, it seems possible—though this
is certainly debatable—that between our earthly life and our bodily resurrection, God may grant us some physical form that
will allow us to function as human beings while in that unnatural state "between bodies," awaiting our resurrection. Just
as the intermediate state is a bridge between life on the old Earth and the New Earth, perhaps intermediate bodies, or at
least a physical form of some sort, serve as bridges between our present bodies and our resurrected bodies.
The apostle Paul says, "Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed,
we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed
but to be clothed with
the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24, NASB). It appears that
Eden's Paradise, with the tree of life, retained its identity as a physical place but was no longer accessible to mankind.
It was guarded by cherubim, who are residents of Heaven, where God is "enthroned between the cherubim" (2 Kings 19:15).
Eden was not destroyed. What was destroyed was mankind's ability to live in Eden. There's no indication that Eden was stripped
of its physicality and transformed into a "spiritual" entity. It appears to have remained just as it was, a physical paradise
removed to a realm we can't gain access to—most likely the present Heaven, because we know for certain that's where the tree
of life now is (Revelation 2:7).
God is not done with Eden. He preserved it not as a museum piece but as a place that mankind will one day occupy again—and
to a certain extent may now occupy in the present Heaven. Because we're told that the tree of life will be located in the
New Jerusalem, on both sides of a great river (Revelation 22:2), it seems likely that the original Eden may be a great park at the center of the city. If we know the tree that distinguished
Eden will be there, why not Eden itself? This would fit perfectly with the statement in Revelation 2:7 that the tree of life
is presently in Paradise.
Though the rest of the earth fell under human sin, Eden was for some reason treated differently. Perhaps it had come from
Heaven, God's dwelling place, and was transplanted to Earth. We don't know. But we do know this: God came to Eden to visit
with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8), which he would no longer do after Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden after the Fall.
Whether or not Eden was created along with the rest of the earth, clearly it was special to God, and it remains special to
him. The tree of life's presence in the New Jerusalem establishes that elements of Eden, as physical as the original, will
again be part of the human experience. The presence of the tree of life in the present Heaven suggests that Heaven too has
physical properties and is capable of containing physical objects.
DO PEOPLE HAVE INTERMEDIATE BODIES IN THE PRESENT HEAVEN?
Unlike God and the angels, who are in essence spirits (John 4:24; Hebrews 1:14), human beings are by nature both spiritual and physical (Genesis 2:7). God did not create Adam as a spirit and place it inside a body. Rather, he first created a body, then breathed into it a spirit. There never was a moment when a human being existed without a body. Neurophysiological studies
reveal an intimate connection between the body and what has historically been referred to as the soul—which includes the
mind, emotions, will, intentionality, and capacity to worship. † It appears that we are not essentially spirits who inhabit bodies, but we are essentially as much physical as we are spiritual.
We cannot be fully human without both a spirit and a body.
Given the consistent physical descriptions of the present Heaven and those who dwell there, it seems possible—though this
is certainly debatable—that between our earthly life and our bodily resurrection, God may grant us some physical form that
will allow us to function as human beings while in that unnatural state "between bodies," awaiting our resurrection. Just
as the intermediate state is a bridge between life on the old Earth and the New Earth, perhaps intermediate bodies, or at
least a physical form of some sort, serve as bridges between our present bodies and our resurrected bodies.
The apostle Paul says, "Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed,
we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed
but to be clothed with
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