Babylon - Past, Present and Future - Church of God - NEO

eings w ere created with " minds<strong>of</strong> their own " <strong>and</strong> <strong>God</strong> w anted toknow how they wou l d use thoseminds.The Forbidden FruitMany people are familiar withthe story <strong>of</strong> Adam <strong>and</strong> Eve <strong>and</strong> thef orbidden fruit tree in the Garden<strong>of</strong> Eden. But very few have reallyunderstood its significance. TheGarden <strong>of</strong> Eden was a carefullyplanned habitat. As Adam <strong>and</strong> Evelooked after the garden, theywould learn, in the familiar words<strong>of</strong> the King James Version, how to" dress <strong>and</strong> to keep" the environment(Genesis 2:15).<strong>God</strong> focused their attention ontwo trees in the garden. He gaveAdam <strong>and</strong> Eve the right to eatfrom the "tree <strong>of</strong> life." This treerepresented <strong>God</strong>'s ultimate purposefor creating man- that heshould have LIFE! Not just a temporarymortal existence but eternallife.The other tree in the gardenwas the " tree <strong>of</strong> the know ledge <strong>of</strong>good <strong>and</strong> evil," but <strong>God</strong> placed i tvery firmly " <strong>of</strong>f limits." Therewere some aspects <strong>of</strong> creation th atlay outside the human ability tounderst<strong>and</strong> or control. In some areas,<strong>God</strong> knew best <strong>and</strong> mankindneeded to take his word for it. "Inthe day that you eat <strong>of</strong> it [the tree<strong>of</strong> the knowledge <strong>of</strong> good <strong>and</strong>evil] you shall surely die," hewarned (Genesis 2:16-17).But would man heed?The answer to the question determinedthe direction that humanprogress would take. Wou l dthis newly created species, madein the image <strong>of</strong> <strong>God</strong> himself,choose to remain under the authority<strong>of</strong> <strong>God</strong>? Or would the man<strong>and</strong> the woman choose to go theirown way , deciding for themselveswhat w as right <strong>and</strong> what waswrong? It was a crucial moment inhuman history.Enter the DevilAt this stage Satan, in the form<strong>of</strong> a serpent, entered the picture. ~He sowed the seeds <strong>of</strong> doubt inEve's mind. The tree was beautiful;the fruit looked good to eat. Ifthe tree represented the authorityor power to decide w hat was goodWhere' Was theGarden <strong>of</strong> Eden?The location <strong>of</strong> the Garden <strong>of</strong>Eden has been a topic <strong>of</strong>discussion <strong>and</strong> debate forcenturies. During the MiddleAges, many people believedit still existed <strong>and</strong> could berediscovered. Some Spanishexplorers searched for thegarden paradise in the NewWorld, but without success.Where was the garden?The Bible does notdefinitively fix the site.We're told simply that " theLord <strong>God</strong> planted a gardeneastward in Eden, <strong>and</strong> thereHe put the man whom Hehad formed " (Genesis 2:8).One additional clue isprovided: " Now a river wentout <strong>of</strong> Eden to water thegarden, <strong>and</strong> from there itparted <strong>and</strong> became fourriverheads" (verse 1 0).Since two <strong>of</strong> those fourriver names are those <strong>of</strong>the Tigris (ancient Hiddekel)<strong>and</strong> the Euphrates (seeverse 14), many have feltthe garden was in <strong>Babylon</strong>iaor southern Mesopotamia(in modern Iraq), whereancient Sumerian legendsplace a similar garden.Deposits <strong>of</strong> silt haveradically altered the entireconfiguration <strong>of</strong> lower<strong>Babylon</strong>ia over the millennia.Moreover, the Tigris <strong>and</strong>Euphrates have shifted theirriver beds several times throughhistory. Archaeological studieshave indicated that about 4000B.C., a river <strong>of</strong> southern Iraq" braided" or divided into anumber <strong>of</strong> separate streams (thefolJr riverheads <strong>of</strong> Genesis 2?)before entering what is nowcalled the Persian or ArabianGulf.Other suggested locations forthe garden have includedArmenia, near the headwaters <strong>of</strong>the Tigris <strong>and</strong> Euphrates; Dilmun(modern Bahrain in the PersianGulf); or sites in southwestPersia. Southern <strong>Babylon</strong>ia,however, remains the generallyaccepted locale. If so, the book<strong>of</strong> Genesis thus places thebeginning <strong>of</strong> human life in thevery region that modern archaeologyhas shown to be the" cradle <strong>of</strong> civilization," theoriginal home <strong>of</strong> the races <strong>of</strong>men.Where is Eden today? It'sgone! Adam was ordered todress <strong>and</strong> to keep the garden. Hesinned <strong>and</strong> was driven out. Thegarden became overgrown <strong>and</strong>went to ruin as would any gardenwithout human care.3