Where Are You, in Eden?

Revelation 2:6-7

But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’

People say that a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe that God showed Moses a picture of what happened in the Garden of Eden, all the way to when he was born, when he was on Mt. Sinai. I believe God showed him the picture in full, so that he could be able to write the book of Genesis, as well as the rest of the Torah books. As we delve into this teaching, I want you to see the whole story as a picture, using your imagination.

Genesis 1:26-28 (KJV)

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

When God made Adam and Eve at first (Gen. 1:26-28), He made them as spirits. Later, He made bodies for them to put the spirits in, in Genesis 2. He made man for a purpose, to have dominion on earth. God made man as a spirit, and told him to have dominion over animals and other living creatures, which had a physical form. Being a spiritual being, man could not be able to have dominion over physical beings. It wouldn't make sense for something invisible (spirit) trying to relate or rule over physical creatures. For this reason, God formed man of the dust of the earth (Gen. 2:7). God didn't form a new man in Genesis 2:7; He just put the spirit of the man He'd formed into the physical body. Before God created man, he was in Him. Wanting him to have dominion on earth, and for this to be possible, He had to form a vessel for the spiritual man to use to dominate and rule on earth.

The vessel God had formed out of dust was a vessel made using limited resources (limited by time, resources, and so on). The spiritual man God had formed was not limited by time, or resources, being an eternal being. In Genesis 2:7, God merged the spiritual and the physical being. I am sure the angels in heaven were curious to see God do this, as they had never seen God join a spiritual being with a physical body, so this was a new and interesting sight. When Adam started living, he was walking as a spiritual being, within a physical vessel. By the spiritual being being merged with the physical vessel, man was no longer mud, but a glorious being/body. Since God wanted to fellowship with man, He had to make him as a spiritual being; since He wanted man to have dominion on earth, He had to make him as a physical being. Both were necessary, to accomplish God's purpose.

Since God wanted also for a special place of worship for man, He created a place called Eden, a garden which had the characteristics of heaven. Within Eden, God took him to the east of Eden. In Hebrew, 'East' means more just a direction; the one used in this text (Gen. 2:8) means "going back before time". For God to create a perfect place of worship for man, it had to have heavenly characteristics. So God again merged eternity with mortality, heaven and earth, producing the special garden in Eden, eastward of Eden. When talking of garden of Eden where Adam and Eve were, we talk of a place in Eden which had physical characteristics, as well as spiritual characteristics. This is the environment Adam could fit in, as he also had physical and spiritual characteristics. Adam, in his glorified body, was not meant/fit to dwell on just an earthly place with just physical characteristics. He was meant to dwell in a place that had both physical and characteristics, glorious as He was.

We're meant to live in an environment which is glorious as we are, living in an eternal environment. This habitat is where we're supposed to live. Since the environment was one that had spiritual characteristics, God could come down from heaven and walk in the cool of the day, as Spirit Himself (Jn. 4:24). This was an environment that was timeless. The environment we're in today is time-bound, unlike the initial environment, God's original purpose. Since the eastward garden in Eden had earthly and heavenly characteristics, it also had two trees, one heavenly (tree of life) and one earthly (tree of knowledge of good and evil). God knew that the heavenly man who had earthly characteristics had a gift of choice, so He gave him to choose whether to partake of the heavenly tree (tree of life), or the earthly tree (tree of knowledge of good and evil). If man chose the tree of life, he'd have enjoyed heavenly attributes and life forever; if he ate of the earthly tree, he'd become carnal, and mortal. Man was not meant to eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, as when he did so, he'd have gone to the earthly ream. When man ate this fruit, his spirit man was overridden by his soul, and his physical body. The glory he had vanished. The glory that Adam had before he sinned was the same glory Jesus had after resurrection. Remember, this body was so glorious and had never been seen before. The body was time-less, and not limited by matter or such. I believe Adam could have been able to walk through walls and such, as nothing could hinder them, being perfect spiritual beings, living in a physical body. When the glory vanished, they started desiring to cover themselves with figs, to replace that glory.

Even today, when people are void of the glory of God, they seek replacements for this glory, such as excessive adornments and such, and material things, to cover the void that the glory used to fill. When the glory of God is upon you, and you are contented in it, you don't need anyone to compliment you, as you are complete in Him. That glory has nothing to do with your efforts. This is the glory that was there before man sinned.

Since God had put mortality on earth, outside the garden, when man ate of the earthly fruit, he was disconnected from the spiritual, and became a total physical being, now being limited by time, laws (laws of gravity, electricity) and so on. Laws were elements of the earth; the garden of Eden was a heavenly realm. Upon being excommunicated from the garden, from the spiritual realm, man has ever since desired to go back to that realm, fighting to defeat laws of nature and time, and has invented machines (airplanes, internet) etc. to help him fill that desire to go back to where he was originally. The desire to fellowship with God led man to form religion, and led him to idolatry. Since the garden was a realm of faith, man still desires to operate in faith. Man wanted to go back to where he was before he sinned, through religion and so on, on his own, hence the tower of Babel, keeping the law and so on, but it never worked. God wanted to be the One to help us go back there, Himself. This He did through His Son:

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Jesus didn't just come to deliver us from death; He came to give us everlasting life (Jn. 10:10). In the garden, it was a realm of revelation and faith; on earth, it is a realm of information and laws. When man ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he became carnal, acting by the senses (hear, see, smell, touch and taste). Before he operated by faith (depending on God). In the garden, it was God who was the source of all information, thus revelation; on earth, it is man who is the source of all information, thus just information. Things used to come through revelation first, from God. Man was deceived and started depending on information more than revelation.

In the garden, it was a realm of creating things and solutions, even overriding the laws of nature. This is why when Jesus came, He was always performing miracles (overriding natural laws to solve crises), as He was showing man the life he was created to live. Man was surprised by this life, as he'd forgotten this, having become totally carnal and governed by natural laws, which couldn't be applicable in the garden of Eden, and was now accustomed to the earthly realm. As long as one has not believed in Jesus, he is still under the law of Moses, as Jesus is our way out. Law is the currency of the world; faith is the currency at the garden of Eden.

When Jesus resurrected, the disciples still went back to fishing. Jesus understood that they were still under the law. He then did exactly what God did when He created man in Gen. 2:7, breathing on them the Holy Spirit (Jn. 20:22), and this was their turning point. Before Jesus was glorified, He couldn't walk through walls, be taken up in the Spirit and so on; after He was glorified, He could do so, and even His disciples, such as Philip. Jesus is called the second Adam, as He came to take us back to the position Adam was in before he sinned.

After Jesus breathed on the disciples the Holy Spirit, the Spirit came up on them on the day of Pentecost, and from thence fear was broken, as well as other hindrances that kept them from walking in faith. When walking in the garden, one can fast faithfully, without struggling much, endure physical persecutions and so on, and not murmur, as this new body is not subject to control by hunger, pain and so on, because of the glory upon them.

Fast forward to Revelation 2-3, where Jesus promised rewards to those who overcame, of the seven churches. He praised them for some things, as well as rebuking them for some things. The things He rebuked them for are the things they borrowed from the world, and brought them to church, borrowing the systems of the world and trying to apply them to the kingdom of God. These systems won't ever succeed in the garden, in the life of God; the two can't ever mix. This is trying to mix law and faith. This is what the rich young ruler was trying to do, asking Jesus what to do to inherit the kingdom of God (Mark 10:17-22).

The garden of Eden was the kingdom of God, on earth. This is why the garden can't be found today, as it was a spiritual kingdom, on earth. It can't be seen. Today, Jesus has restored us to the kingdom of heaven, through faith in Him, so now we have the kingdom of heaven, on earth, which is in us:

Luke 17:21

...nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

This is why Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of God first, not seek other things (Matt. 6:33). Since in the garden there was an earthly tree, even today in the kingdom of God, having been redeemed and forgiven, there are temptations to disobey God, to yield to earthly things. This is where the 7 churches were, where they were struggling with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (earthly things); Jesus was promising them that when they overcome, they'll be given to eat of the tree of life (Rev. 2:7). Notice the tree of life is not taken, like the tree of knowledge of good and evil; it is given, by Jesus, to those who overcome. Jesus was basically telling the churches to overcome the earthly things, get past the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so that they can eat the tree of life. He is telling us the same thing today.

Jesus is beseeching us to overcome today. Yes we are in the garden, but we don't have glorified bodies yet, and have the earthly things to overcome, that try to keep us from the tree of life. We have to overcome these things, as we have power to overcome. We don't overcome by using the systems and principles of the world, or by works. We overcome by faith in Jesus, and His love:

1 John 5:4

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 

As we get in the spirit more, we get in a realm of immortality, a realm of everlasting joy, patience, dominion, no fear and so on, a realm of the glory of God. It is my desire that we overcome, embracing the fellowship of the Father, that will help us overcome and live in the supernatural realm, that God intended for us to live in. Walk after the Spirit.

When Adam's physical eyes were opened (carnality), his spiritual eyes were closed. Even today, both eyes cannot be opened at the same time; if your spiritual eyes are opened, your physical (carnal) eyes are closed, and vice versa. Let your spirit-man flow, manifesting the glory of God wherever you go.

Where are you in Eden? Are you at a place of struggling with and focusing on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or focused on the tree of life? Are you dilly-dallying in the garden, stumbling and walking in and out of the world and garden, distracted by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Focus on the tree of life. Focus on Jesus. 

-- Pastor Samson Munyoki. 

Kesha Service Sermon, Teaching Transformation Ministry. 

Pastor Samson is a pastor, at Teaching Transformation Ministry. We are located along the Thika-Ruai Flyover Junction (at the Thika Rd./ Bypass intersection), Next to Eastgate Restaurant.