Chapter 21
The Garden of Eden Restored—Earth Wide
1. (a) In what sense will the garden of Eden be restored, and why will it not cover only a limited area of the globe? (b) What do Jesus’ words to the evildoer indicate?
THE GARDEN of Eden was “a paradise of pleasure,” and in that sense it will be restored. (Genesis 2:8, Douay Version) The original Paradise covered a limited area of the globe. But Jehovah purposed that its borders were to be extended outward, all around, by the growing human family until Paradise enveloped the entire earth and enrobed it with exquisite natural beauty. (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:8, 9, 15) Jesus’ words to the sympathetic evildoer who died alongside him at Calvary assured the man that he would be resurrected when the restoration of Paradise is well along, and he will then notice the delightful change in the earthly scene. (Luke 23:43) What will the restored global Paradise be like? How will it be different from the original garden of Eden?
2. (a) What was in the original garden of Eden that will be missing from the earth-wide Paradise? (b) Why is it reasonable that God will not test mankind’s obedience by means of a single tree?
2 In the entrancing prophecies of glorious things that are just ahead, we do see something missing from the restored, earth-wide Paradise. What is that? It is “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad” that was “in the middle of the garden.” (Genesis 2:17; 3:3) This was evidently a single tree. Would it be reasonable to think that in the middle of the restored, earth-wide garden of Eden there should be such a single tree upon which there would be a divine prohibition? No. It would require a tremendous amount of traveling for people in the far corners of the earth to go to the location of such a tree in the Middle East so as possibly to eat fruit from it in disobedience to the Most High God.
3. What else will be missing from the restored Paradise?
3 Moreover, there will not be at such a location a “talking” serpent to invite those who approach the tree to partake of its attractive-looking fruit out of sheer spite for God’s orders. And there will not be any invisible wicked spirit to manipulate a serpent and make it appear to talk and to invite the beholder to rebel against God by adopting a course of disobedience to the Creator, with fatal consequences.
4. Why will Satan the Devil not be on hand during the Thousand Year Reign of the “Prince of Peace”?
4 No, the invisible spirit creature that was behind the “talking” serpent back there in the garden of Eden will not be on hand during the Millennial Reign of the “Prince of Peace,” Christ Jesus. That wicked one, Satan the Devil, will be put under complete restraint after Armageddon. Revelation 20:2, 3 tells us that the “Prince of Peace” will seize “the original serpent, who is the Devil and Satan,” and bind him and hurl him into the abyss for a thousand years.
True Peace and Security in the Restored Paradise
5. In the restored Paradise, why will true peace and security prevail earth wide?
5 What peace and security will follow! Gone will be Satan’s influence and domination over mankind as “the ruler of the world”! (John 14:30) With Satan’s hordes of demons also abyssed, the earth will at last be free of all kinds of spiritism, occultism, and black magic—yes, every form of demonism, which Jehovah detests.—Deuteronomy 18:10-12.
6, 7. (a) Why will the animal creation not be any threat to humans? (b) What prophecy in this regard will have a literal fulfillment?
6 The animal creation will not do injury or be any threat to the dwellers in the restored Paradise. God will return to the lower creatures any lost measure of fear of humans. Thus we can look for the charming description of animal life that is set out in Isaiah 11:6-9 to have a literal fulfillment during the Millennial Reign of the “Prince of Peace”:
7 “The wolf will actually reside for a while with the male lamb, and with the kid the leopard itself will lie down, and the calf and the maned young lion and the well-fed animal all together; and a mere little boy will be leader over them. And the cow and the bear themselves will feed; together their young ones will lie down. And even the lion will eat straw just like the bull. And the sucking child will certainly play upon the hole of the cobra; and upon the light aperture of a poisonous snake will a weaned child actually put his own hand. They will not do any harm or cause any ruin in all my holy mountain; because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.”
8. What is meant by the prophetic statement that the serpent’s food “will be dust”?
8 It would be inconsistent for God to inspire such a prophecy to have only a spiritual meaning and not to reflect such things in actual earthly life. Similarly, Isaiah 65:25 tells us: “The wolf and the lamb themselves will feed as one, and the lion will eat straw just like the bull; and as for the serpent, his food will be dust.” Does this signify the annihilation of the serpent family out of the global garden of Eden? No, the prophetic statement that the serpent’s food “will be dust” means that members of the reptile family will never again be a menace to the life and good health of human creatures. They will have to recognize that humankind is their master who has dominion over everything that moves upon the earth, just as was the case of Adam in the garden of Eden when he named all the animals without fear.—Genesis 2:19, 20; Hosea 2:18.
9, 10. What do Psalm 65 and Isaiah 25:6 foretell about the earth under the reign of the “Prince of Peace”?
9 The beauty and abundance of that earth-wide garden of Eden is beyond our imagination. But the Bible does give us a prophetic description of it in the 65th psalm, addressed to God. In part, this psalm says: “You have turned your attention to the earth, that you may give it abundance; you enrich it very much. The stream from God is full of water. You prepare their grain, for that is the way you prepare the earth.” No droughts then but, rather, “copious showers”! (Psalm 65:1, 9-13) There will be an abundance of food for all earth’s inhabitants.
10 This abundance is also foretold at Isaiah 25:6: “Jehovah of armies will certainly make for all the peoples, in this mountain, a banquet of well-oiled dishes, a banquet of wine kept on the dregs.” The inhabitants of the restored Paradise will eat well-oiled dishes that sustain the heart and make the face shine. They will drink wine, well aged on the dregs and filtered, making their hearts glad. (Psalm 104:14, 15) No food shortages under the Millennial Reign of the “Prince of Peace”! Instead, there will be “an overflow.”—Psalm 72:16.
Changes in Language and in Weather
11. What change in language will take place, and how will this affect mankind?
11 Will the earth-wide Paradise suffer from the confusion of having many languages? No, because the “Prince of Peace” is also referred to as the “Mighty God.” (Isaiah 9:6) Thus he is able to reverse the confusion of language that began at the Tower of Babel. (Genesis 11:6-9) What will become the common language of all the earthly children of the “Eternal Father”? Will it be the original language of the first Adam, the language with which Jehovah endowed him? Likely. In any event, all language barriers will be wiped out. You will be able to travel anywhere and communicate with people. You will be able to understand them, and they will be able to understand you. There will be one language for all mankind, and it would be appropriate for the entire Bible to be available in that language. (Compare Zephaniah 3:9.) In that language all the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah “as the waters are covering the very sea.”—Isaiah 11:9.
12. How will Zechariah 14:9 experience a fulfillment?
12 Fulfilled then will be the words of Zechariah 14:9: “In that day Jehovah will prove to be one, and his name one.” Jehovah alone will be worshiped as the one true God. In “that day” of Jehovah’s Kingdom by the “Prince of Peace,” God will reveal the exact pronunciation of his name. Then there will be just one pronunciation of that holy name by everybody on earth. His name will be one.
13. Why will weather, wind, and waves pose no threat to earth’s inhabitants?
13 What weather and environmental changes there will be are also a matter of keen interest to those looking forward to the global Paradise of the “Prince of Peace.” One thing is certain: The whole earth will be made an exquisite place in which to live. Never will that Paradise be disturbed by destructive storms, tornadoes, tidal waves, hurricanes, or typhoons. Wind, waves, and weather will all obey the “Prince of Peace.” (Mark 4:37-41) The global garden of Eden will have complete weather control. All the earth will be beautified into a paradise of pleasure, where it will be the happy privilege of all mankind to dwell securely to time without end.
14, 15. (a) What promise recorded at Revelation 21:3, 4 will be fulfilled? (b) How will God tent among mankind? (c) What kind of tears will be wiped out forever?
14 No reason for any tears of sorrow then! Jehovah’s prophetic Word assures us: “The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.”—Revelation 21:3, 4.
15 The heavens are God’s throne, and the earth is his footstool. (Isaiah 66:1) So God cannot dwell on the earth in a literal sense. But he will tent with mankind. During the Thousand Year Reign, Jehovah will tent among mankind representatively by his glorified Son, Jesus Christ. How apt it is that Jehovah’s presence will be represented by his “Prince of Peace”! This brings to mind the words of Isaiah 7:14 about the name applied to the Messiah—Immanuel. That name means “With Us Is God.” (Matthew 1:23) How thrilling that, by means of his dearest Son, God will “reside” with mankind! Then tears of joy will likely come into our eyes as we see the marvelous miracles performed by this “Mighty God,” especially when dead loved ones are brought back to life in the resurrection to Paradise conditions. (Acts 24:15) Such miracles will be marvelous evidence that God is with mankind and that he is wiping out all the sorrowful tears from our eyes forever.
A Beauty Spot in the Boundless Universe
16. Does the resurrection of the dead have to wait till Paradise is extended to cover the globe? Explain.
16 The first Adam was told how to start off the project of extending Paradise from right there in the garden of Eden. The accomplishment of that original purpose to extend it earth wide will be realized. But will the resurrection of the dead have to wait until the Paradise extends all around the globe? No. For example, those who come back in an early resurrection will be resurrected into the portions of the earth where the Armageddon survivors are and have converted such areas into a paradise. As the resurrection of mankind in general progresses, these Paradise areas will expand until they join to form the earth-wide Paradise.
17. What description is given of the global Paradise?
17 The Paradise to come will surpass all the lovely parks or gardens today. Radiantly, the entire earth will bloom as a peaceful paradise, one that delights not only the eye of men but even the eye of the Creator. It will be a global garden of Eden adorned with vegetation and trees—good to look at and producing food for sustaining creature life in perfection. The earth will forever remain a beauty spot in all of Jehovah’s boundless universe. And all unified mankind will have the everlasting obligation and privilege to keep the earth such a beauty spot.
18. How do we know that all, men and women, will dwell together peaceably as brothers and sisters?
18 All members of this godly human family will dwell together peaceably as brothers and sisters in all purity, for they will actually be children of the “Eternal Father,” the “Prince of Peace.” So there will be no arrogant dominating on the part of men over women, their sisters. But the perfected women will be what Jehovah God purposes, even as he purposed Eve to be “a helper for” her perfect husband, Adam.—Genesis 2:18; see also 1 Peter 3:7.
19. The Paradise earth will present what sight to those who dwell in the invisible heavens?
19 The sight that the paradisaic earth filled with perfect men and women will then present to those in the invisible heavens will be far grander and lovelier than the appearance of the earth when first created, at which time “the morning stars joyfully cried out together, and all the sons of God began shouting in applause.” (Job 38:7) Then the Most High God, Jehovah, will have been fully vindicated as the One whose glorious purpose can never be defeated. All praise to him!
[Picture on page 172, 173]
A literal paradise will beautify all of God’s “footstool,” the earth