Once upon a time the world was a much different place. The earth stretched out in all directions from the mountain of Moriah. Everything had its place and everything was in its place; although time existed there was no need to measure it. The sun, moon and stars continued to rise and fall adding color and motion to creation. Although it had a beginning, Moriah was designed to be an eternal place.
On the side of the mountain, surrounded by two valleys, was a beautiful garden. It was a stunning park-like place. Grasses, shrubs and trees of all kinds produced amazing fragrances, colorful flowers to admire, good fruit to eat and yet the ground had not brought forth a single thorn or thistle.
This was perfection. Marvelous craftsmanship to be ob¬served at every level as every system worked together with every other system to create balance, harmony and purpose. The gentle tug of the moon on the great oceans produced high and low tides, underground springs and mists poured out of the mountains filling streams which in turn filled swollen rivers that emptied out at last into the sea.
Life flourished on land, in the air and in the sea. Plants, insects and animals had purpose, plasticity as life began to thrive in the land of Moriah. However as perfect as creation was, Elohim, the Eternal Father, felt the canvass of creation was missing a centerpiece. What the garden needed was a living, breathing being that could think and care for the garden and all creatures that were in it.
So as the dawn of creation broke, Elohim made for Moriah a living being fashioned from their likeness. From dust of the earth the omnipotent, eternal Creator filled the lifeless shape of a man with a living spirit in the hope that one day they might discover and fellowship with one another.
Man immediately began to enjoy the peace and serenity of the garden and often walked with his Creator in the coolness of the morning mist. The Heavenly Father created a language for the man allowing him to name all the living things that had been created.
Although the man was alone, he did not know he was alone. The man spent all of his time walking and playing under a dense forest canopy. There was a mist that came up from the ground which watered the entire garden. Insects, birds and other animals cleaned up anything left on the ground.
Trees overflowed with mangos, bananas, pine apples, coconuts, chestnuts and vegetables of every kind. Man ate until he was full, then sighed and lay down to sleep. While man slept, the Father fashioned a woman companion to complete him and make the two equal parts into one whole.
The Heavenly Father designed a challenge in the midst of the garden to test the man and the woman. “You may eat from all the trees in the midst of the garden but of the tree of good and evil you shall not eat of lest you die.” commanded Elohim.
It did not surprise the Heavenly Father when the man and the woman disobeyed his command. Now the perfection was gone. The imperfection brought a curse on all of creation. Soon thorns and thistles began springing up around the garden and edible plants stopped growing and had to be cultivated. However, what was worse was that death entered the world.
Because all creation began to die new life had to be re-born through painful child birth as the population of the world began to grow. The fear of death was forever on the mind of man as he reasoned and struggled with what was beyond the veil? Generations passed as men and women mourned for the dead, lifeless bodies of their friends and family.
Through all generations men of the earth remembered what Elohim had promised at the beginning on Mount Moriah that death, man’s last enemy, would one day be destroyed. The Father promised that through the seed of the woman He would send His Son who would reverse the curse, taking away the sting of death and reveal to man what existed beyond the veil of death.
“And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces.” Isaiah 25:7,8
We are still living under the veiled dome of death. At times the veil thins a bit allowing some a glimpse through it. When Jesus rose from the dead, He made a way for all to receive eternal life. So it is by faith in Jesus’ authority that we receive eternal life and that is what awaits us beyond the veil.
