Introduction
This study guide accompanies the Culture Makers episode “Garden to Garden City.”
In this episode, we trace the story of Scripture from Eden to the New Heaven and New Earth. God’s purpose has never changed – to dwell with His people and to fill the earth with His glory.
Gardens and mountains are more than scenery in the Bible; they are sacred spaces where Heaven and Earth meet, where God reveals His presence and His promises.
Use this guide for personal reflection, small group discussion, or classroom study.
Overview
The Bible begins and ends in a garden.
In Eden, God planted a garden and placed the man He had formed to work it and keep it. Humanity’s first calling was priestly – to serve and guard the sacred space of God’s presence.
When sin entered, that fellowship was broken. Yet throughout Scripture, God continued to meet His people on mountains and in gardens.
Creation is not merely an event but a continuous theme that runs from Genesis to Revelation – the whole Bible is a creation story.
In Jesus, the true Gardener and High Priest, Heaven and Earth are reunited. The story that began in a garden will end in a garden city.
Key Verses: Genesis 2:8, 15 | Exodus 19:20 | Psalm 24:3–4 | Colossians 1:16–20 | 1 Peter 2:9 | Revelation 21:3–5
Gardens in God’s Redemptive Story
From the first garden to the last city, the Bible tells one continuous story of God’s presence, promise, and purpose.
Each garden marks a turning point in His redemptive plan, a living promise that the Divine Gardener will not rest until creation is restored.
The Garden of Eden – Creation and Calling
God, the Divine Gardener, planted a garden and placed the first human within it to dwell in His presence and extend His glory throughout the earth.
Adam and Eve were called to work (ʿābad) and keep (šāmar) the garden, the same Hebrew words later used for the priests who served and guarded the tabernacle. Their vocation was both worship and stewardship, to cultivate creation as an act of devotion to God.
Key Verse: Genesis 1:27-28 | Genesis 2:8-15
The Garden East of Eden – Exile and Promise
When sin entered, humanity was exiled from the garden. Yet even in judgment, God gave the first promise of redemption, that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head – the Proto-Evangelium, the first gospel.
The story of salvation begins as the gates of Eden close. Yet God’s call to cultivate remains, though now marked by toil. Later, the prophets would remind God’s people of His promise for a future restoration – that He has not abandoned His world.
Key Verse: Genesis 3:14-19 | 3:23–24 | Romans 5:19
The Garden of Gethsemane – Surrender and Redemption
In another garden, Jesus prayed, “Not My will, but Your will be done.”
The rebellion of Eden was undone in Gethsemane, where the Second Adam chose obedience over self-will.
Key Verse: Luke 22:42 | Romans 5:19
The Garden at Calvary – Sacrifice and Salvation
“At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb…”
There, the curse of sin met the mercy of God. The cross was planted in that garden, and the Second Adam bore the thorns that the first Adam’s sin had brought forth.
The ground once cursed by rebellion became the soil of redemption.
Key Verses: John 19:41 | Galatians 3:13
The Garden Tomb – Resurrection and Renewal
In that same garden, the risen Christ appeared to Mary, who mistook Him for a gardener, not by accident, but by revelation. The true Gardener had risen to make all things new.
Key Verses: John 20: 15 | Romans 6:4
The Garden City – Restoration and Glory
The story ends where it began, in a garden now transformed into a radiant city. The river of life flows from God’s throne, and the tree of life bears fruit for the healing of the nations.
The exile is over. The promise is fulfilled. God dwells with His people again.
Key Verses: Revelation 21:5 | Revelation 22:1–5
Echoes of Eden – Signs God Has Not Abandoned His Creation
Even after humanity’s exile, God left unmistakable signs that He had not forsaken His world.
Each echo of Eden points forward to the day when Heaven and Earth will be one again – a day made certain through Jesus Christ, the true Gardener and Redeemer.
In Him, each sign finds their fulfillment – the day when righteousness will flourish and creation itself will live in harmony under the reign of Christ.
He is not another sign in the story but the reality to which every sign points.
The Tabernacle – God Dwelling Among His People
In the wilderness, God commanded Moses to build a sanctuary so that He might dwell among His people.
Its design echoed Eden – with gold, cherubim, fruit, and the tree-like lampstand. The inner veil was embroidered with cherubim, recalling the guardians of Eden’s gate.
The tabernacle veil both protected and separated, reminding Israel that access to God’s presence was still barred. The tabernacle faced east, just like Eden.
Key Verses: Exodus 25:8-9 | Exodus 26 | Exodus 29:45-46
The Temple – A Shadow of Eden
Solomon’s temple expanded this vision. Its walls were carved with palm trees, flowers, and open blossoms.
It stood as a visible promise that God’s presence had returned to dwell in the midst of His people. The temple faced east, just like Eden.
Key Verses: 1 Kings 6:18 | 1 Kings 6:29
The Prophets – Promises of Renewal
Through the prophets, God declared that creation itself would be restored. God reminds the exiles to plant gardens – a sign that our call to cultivate, even in toil, remains. In doing so, we will bring Him glory, and find peace.
Key Verses: Isaiah 35:1 | Ezekiel 36:35 | Jeremiah 29:5-7
The Incarnation – God With Us
When Christ came, the Creator entered His creation. The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.
In Him, the presence of God returned to the garden of the world, not as a symbol, but as the living reality of Emmanuel, “God with us.”
Key Verses: John 1:14 | Colossians 1:15-17 | Hebrews 1:1-3 | 1 John 1:1-2 | Isaiah 7:14
The Church – A Living Temple
Now, through the Holy Spirit, believers are the dwelling place of God. We are living stones in His temple, a royal priesthood called to carry His presence into every corner of creation.
The Church is not a building but a people – the body of Christ, joined to Him as the Head. Empowered by the Spirit, we continue Eden’s mission: to proclaim the gospel, cultivate goodness and beauty, and live as a foretaste of the coming Garden City.
Key Verses:
- Indwelling Spirit: John 14:16-17 | Romans 8:9-11 | Galatians 4:6 | Ephesians 1:13-14
- The Living Temple: 1 Corinthians 3:16–17 | 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
- Royal Priesthood: 1 Peter 2:9 | Revelation 1:6 | Revelation 5:10
- The New Creation: 2 Corinthians 5:17
Guided Reflection
- What do gardens reveal about God’s character and His purpose for creation?
- How does each garden show a new stage in God’s redemptive plan?
- What do the tabernacle and temple teach us about God’s desire to dwell with His people?
- How does Jesus’ life and ministry continue the story that began in Eden?
- What “garden” has God placed you in to cultivate for His glory?
Discussion Questions
- Why do you think God chose gardens as settings for His greatest works?
- How does the story of Eden help us understand our purpose today?
- What does Gethsemane teach us about obedience and trust?
- How does the resurrection in a garden connect creation and new creation?
- What does it mean to live as a “royal priesthood” in the world God is restoring?
- How can we reflect the beauty and order of God’s creation in our daily lives?
Application
Remember Your Calling
You were created to dwell with God and reflect His glory in all you do.
Cultivate What God Entrusts to You
Whatever your sphere – home, work, art, or community – tend it faithfully for His glory.
Live as a Restorer
Join Christ in His mission to make all things new, bringing light, beauty, and truth wherever you go.
Keep Your Eyes on the Promise
The story ends not in ruin, but in renewal. God will dwell with His people again.
Reading Sources
- The Beginning and End of All Things – Edward W. Klink III: A theological exploration of how creation and new creation form one unified story centered on Christ.
- The Temple and the Church’s Mission – G. K. Beale: Explores how Eden, the temple, and the New Jerusalem reveal God’s plan to fill the earth with His glory.
- Garden City – John Mark Comer: A modern reflection on work, rest, and the restoration of creation in light of God’s design.
Online Study
- Got Questions: “What is continuous creation?”
- Compelling Truth: “What is the Priesthood of believers?”
- The Bible Project Series – Pt 6 “The Royal Priesthood”
Closing Reflection
The whole Bible is a creation story. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture reveals one unified narrative of God’s ongoing creation project – showing who we are, why we are here, and where history is headed. His creative work did not stop in the beginning; it continues as He renews and restores all things through Christ.
When we lose sight of Genesis, we lose our foundation. The modern world often asks when and how creation happened, but God has already answered the deeper why. From the first garden to the last, His purpose has never changed – to dwell with His people and to make all things new.
All of Scripture moves toward that goal. Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer, stands at the center of the story. The same Word who spoke the world into being entered His creation to reconcile and restore it. All creation is a living parable, designed to reveal His wisdom and beauty. Every seed, vine, and harvest was made for the moment He would speak of them – so that His words would resonate with the design of reality.
In Christ, we become part of that story. The Holy Spirit cultivates us as God’s new creation – a living temple and royal priesthood, growing in Christ’s likeness, bearing fruit, and called to nurture what is good, true, and beautiful for His glory.
Key Verses: John 1:1-3 | Colossians 1:16-20 | Habakkuk 2:14 | Revelation 21:5