Creation is so much more than just the material world. We read that “In the beginning God created …” If we do a careful reading of the Hebrew text we find that it says “In the beginning Elohyim(pl.) created the heavens(pl.) and the earth.” Even though Scripture doesn’t show this consistently we read in Peter’s letter, “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens (pl.) and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” Deuteronomy tells us, “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.” Creation then becomes even more than the enormous universe we se glimpses of. There is a spiritual world that is equally enormous. We learn that God has His throne there and that there is a heaven where powers and principalities operate. Through Scripture we can with certainty identify three heavens. The one we see when we lift our eyes, the realm where powers and principalities and angelic beings are and the heaven where God has His throne and is surrounded by His vast army.
When we study the creation account we quickly realize that God had a tremendous sense of joy and happiness when He was done creating and rested on the seventh day. The garden of Eden also means The garden of Joy, where everything was created to stimulate the senses and bring joy. Since we no longer have a proper framework to understand the depths of God’s intent, it also becomes hard to understand the weight of sorrow He experienced when Adam and Eve first turned away from Him. Still, Creation was marvelous when God was done. It was teeming with life and the first people experienced tremendous beauty and abundance. This was the masterpiece made by the God who longs to bless and lavish on His Creation. Man was brought into the garden to till and to guard it.
