From Garden to Garden
From the tree of life in the beginning to the tree of life in the world to come - Messiah stands at the center of the garden's story.
Stay tuned as this page grows. Here we will outline every Scripture that traces this arc - from Eden to the Cross to the Tree of Life - so you can see the story of God's garden unfolding.
Eden - In the Beginning a Garden
God begins His story in a garden, planting every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. Humanity is placed in the midst of beauty and provision, called to tend, to keep and to walk with Him in fellowship. Here, the Tree of Life stands as the sign of eternal communion.
The first seeds are spoken into being...
“Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.' And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”
–Genesis 1:11-12
The garden is planted, full of beauty and provision...
“Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there He put the man He had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
–Genesis 2:8-9
Humanity is entrusted with the care of creation...
“The Lord took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
–Genesis 2:15
The gift of freedom and the call to obedience are set before them...
“And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.'”
–Genesis 2:16-17
The beauty of Eden echoes in the promises of restoration...
“The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.”
–Isaiah 51:3
The prophet recalls Eden's rivers and precious stones...
“You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.”
–Ezekiel 28:13
Fall - Humanity Falls at a Tree
At a tree, humanity listens to another voice. The ground is cursed, thorns rise, and exile follows. The garden is closed, yet the longing for restoration is planted deep in the human heart. Every shadow of sin and separation points forward to the need for redemption.
Another voice is heard among the trees...
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?'”
–Genesis 3:1
The choice is made, and the fruit is taken...
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”
–Genesis 3:6-7
The sound of footsteps, and the hiding begins...
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?'”
–Genesis 3:8-9
The ground is cursed, and thorns rise from the soil...
“To Adam he said, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, "You must not eat from it," cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.'”
–Genesis 3:17-19
The way to the tree of life is closed...
“So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After He drove the man out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”
–Genesis 3:23-24
Cross - Salvation on a Tree
On another tree, Messiah bears the curse. What was once a sign of death becomes the path of life. By His body given and His blood poured out, the way back to the garden is opened. The cross stands at the center of history, where sorrow is transformed into salvation.
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In the New Testament, the Greek word often used for 'cross' is xylon, which literally means 'tree' or 'wood'. This links Messiah's sacrifice directly to the tree in Eden, and to the Tree of Life promised in the garden restored.
The curse is written in the Law...
“If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.”
–Deuteronomy 21:22-23
Messiah takes the curse upon Himself...
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
–Galatians 3:13-14
The apostles proclaim the tree of salvation...
“The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead - whom you killed by hanging Him on a cross.”
–Acts 5:30
“We are witnesses of everything He did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed Him by hanging Him on a cross.”
–Acts 10:39
“When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.”
–Acts 13:29
The seed falls to the ground to bring life...
“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
–John 12:24
The crucifixion is carried out...
“Carrying His own cross, He went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified Him, and with Him two others - one on each side and Jesus in the middle. ...When He had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
–John 19:17-18, 30
The cross becomes the place of forgiveness and healing...
“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.'”
–1 Peter 2:24
Our debts are nailed to the tree...
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
–Colossians 2:13-15
Restoration - Garden Restored, the Tree of Life
The story ends as it began - with rivers, with fruit, with the Tree of Life. But now the garden is no longer closed. Its leaves bring healing to the nations, and its fruit is freely given to all who overcome. Here, creation is renewed and God dwells once more with His people.
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In Revelation, the phrase 'tree of life' draws us back to Eden. the same Greek word xylon is used here too, linking the promise of restoration with the first garden and with the cross. What was lost at one tree is healed and opened forever at the tree of life.
The desert will bloom, and joy will return to the land...
“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.”
–Isaiah 35:1-2
Thorns will give way to myrtle, sorrow to joy...
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”
–Isaiah 55:12-13
The prophet sees the river of life and trees bearing healing fruit...
“Fruit trees of all kins will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”
–Ezekiel 47:12
Messiah promises the tree of life to those who overcome...
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
–Revelation 2:7
The vision of the restored garden is revealed...
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”
–Revelation 22:1-5
Blessed are those who enter the garden restored...
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.”
–Revelation 22:14
From the garden where life began, to the tree where death was broken, to the garden where life is restored - the story is one, and it is His.