Dear Vhernandez,

Your Question(s): "I have a Question o.k. Was the Garden of Eden in heaven at first? Then was Adam and Eve cast out to the Earth? And did God still [speak] to them freely? I was reading some where in the book of Genesis how he spoke to Cain and Able. So is it safe to assume that God kept close Relationships in the beginning with us even though we sinned? Also can you check in the Bible if it says anything about where we go when we pass away? Some say Heaven? Others say back to the ground and to await an earthly resurrection? Who are the 144,000 referred to in the Bible? Please respond I am thirsty for Bible knowledge."

My Answer(s): Vhernandez, thank you for your questions. I am please God has moved you to answer His called (John 6:44); may God continue to feed you with understanding His holy word. The answer to your first question, was the Garden of Eden in heaven at first? Is no, the word clearly tells us that God planted a Garden in the east of Eden (Genesis 2:8). The area where the Garden was planted was called Eden; the Garden had "all kind of trees...that were pleasing to the eye and good for food", and "the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" were also there in this Garden. God put the man later called Adam into the Garden (Genesis 2:8-17). Now, what may be confusing you is where this Garden with the tree of Life is today. After the Man, Adam and his wife Eve sinned in Genesis 3, we see God driving the man out of the Garden (Genesis 3:23), and placing on the east side of the Garden cherubim and a flaming sword to guard access to the tree of Life, preventing the man and woman in their sinful state from gaining eternal life. For, it is said in Genesis 3:22, "the man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever". In Revelation 22, we see the tree of Life in heaven at the throne of God and His Lamb; therefore, we see from these passages that God removed the Garden from earth because of the sin of man.

Yes, it is true, God continued to speak to Adam and Eve and their offspring after their sin, this does not imply "close relationships", as we see in Genesis 4, where God tells Cain sin desires to rule over him but he should master sin. But, in Genesis 6:3, God says, His Spirit will not continue to contend with men (meaning God was speaking with mankind that they should learn to rule over sin not let sin rule them); but sinful men hearts and mind were set on continue evil deeds all the time. So, God grieved that He had created man in Genesis 6, and God pronounced judgment on mankind that He would physically destroy all mankind except for Noah who had found favor from God. God included Noah's whole household to be saved physically. From this time on after the flood, God spoke directly only with the descendants of Noah (Genesis 10).

Now, concerning your question about where do we go when we die, there are two schools of thought in the world about what happens to us after the first death? There are those who say we go directly to heaven or to hell (wherever that is) when we die. And then there are those who say we go to the grave awaiting a bodily resurrection, to stand before the judgement seat of Christ. Each school of thoughts has its own variation of this, but this is the thread of them both. Here, I will give you the short version to this question, for this one needs a whole article, which I will prepare later. Most, in this evil and adulterous world believe everyone go directly to heaven or to hell when they die. To believe this we must also believe everyone in the world in the past was judged already in their lifetime for their sins at death. And that all people in this world today are being judged according to their sins now, and sent to their place of eternal life or their punishment at death. We must ponder these things with the Holy Scriptures in mind, and whatever cannot be interpreted by the Bible are doctrines of Satan and men (Rev. 2:24). For the Bible interprets itself, we must prove our beliefs by the Bible and whatever passages we use to confirm our beliefs must be proved by the other passages in the Bible. Otherwise, we must conclude our beliefs to be wrong, and not resist God and His Spirit.

First, not everyone is being judged today, for the Spirit clearly says, "it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner" (1 Peter 4:17-18)? Meaning only those called into the Church of the Living God (those with the Spirit of Christ living in them) in this present age are being judged now. The ungodly and the sinner are not being judged during this present age, to believe otherwise is to resist the Spirit. However, the deeds of the "ungodly and sinner" are being recorded. For it is written, in Revelation 20:11-15, the "great white throne" judgment that the "dead" was judged according to what they had done. Also, we see "death and Hades" giving up their dead that were in them, afterwards "death and Hades" were thrown into the "lake of fire" which is the second death. So, we see from these passages that the dead is judged at the "great white throne" judgment; therefore, to believe that everyone is judged immediately at death would be at odds with these verses. For you must ask yourself, why would God judge these people twice? Also, for us to believe everyone go straight to hell or heaven at death; we must deny the Scripture which says, "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). And all the many Scriptures which speak of "the judgment", as in "one" not many judgments (see Matthew 5:21-22, 12:41-42; Romans 2:1-3; Jude 1:6).

Therefore, we must believe the Scripture when it says, "the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

As for the 144,000, the Holy Bible gives us these verses:

• Revelation 7:1-8… 1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: 5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed; 6of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed; 7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed; 8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

• Revelation 14:1-3… "1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads. 2And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth".

In Revelation 7, we have our answer to who are the 144,000? If you read the verses immediately after the 144,000 are sealed it is said,

• Revelation 7:9-17… 9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. 13Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" 14 And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Amen."

Therefore, the 144,000 are those who were sealed by God before the "Great Tribulation" which will come upon this earth. They are protected from the tribulations that must test those on this earth at that time. These are the faithful ones, those who endured patiently to the end (Rev. 3:10). These are ones seen with Christ and His angels at Christ’s Second Coming, as spoken of Revelation 14 above.

May God continue to be with you and your household, and you continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. Amen. Praise God.

In Christ love,

Ron Davis, minister of Christ