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by Itotko (Author)
Generally, Christians believe that the scriptures in the Bible-both the Old and the New Testaments-are the words of God. They believe God resides in heaven and human beings live on the planet Earth. Then the question is, in the beginning, before the Bible says God created the heaven and the earth, where had God lived? Had he been homeless before he created heaven? In the Old Testament, humans were required to offer some burnt offerings "of a sweet savor, a sacrifice made by fire," and drink offerings. Should we say, "God was homeless, hungry, and thirsty, and that was why he created heaven, humans, and animals, and required humans to offer burnt animals and drinks"? Many Bible readers believe Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, paradise, and on the planet Earth. But is that true? Let us try to locate where the paradise is. Revelation 2:7 tells us, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Now we know "the tree of life" is in the midst of the paradise of God. Where else can we find "the tree of life" in the scripture? Genesis 2:9 tells us, "And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden." Through these scriptures, we can see that "the tree of life" is in the midst of the garden, in the midst of the paradise of God, not on the planet Earth. The scriptures also tell us that Adam and Eve were there. Could they be in physical human bodies in paradise on the planet Earth?
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4: "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." Could a person be "caught up into paradise" if the paradise was on the planet Earth?
It was written in Luke 23:43, "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." The "him" in this verse was one of the thieves crucified with Jesus. Does any scripture tell us Jesus's resurrected physical body took the hand of the thief, also in a physical human body (Jesus must have resurrected the thief's physical human body, too), and led him into paradise, someplace on this planet Earth? No, it does not. Through all these verses, do we still believe paradise is on this planet Earth?
