In your recent discussions about possible physical consequences of the
Fall I don't recall that you commented on what we know about the Garden of
Eden. Genesis gives the impression that the Garden was a very special
place. Adam and Eve were especially blessed to be there rather than
somewhere else on earth. Apparently the Lord planted the Garden in a
region that was previously rather desolate (Gen. 2:5). After the Fall the
Lord changed the delightful circumstances of Adam and Eve, not by changing
the Garden, but by relocating them outside the Garden and preventing their
return. One specific mention of a situation in the Garden that did not
change was that Adam and Eve would have been able to live forever if they
had been allowed to return to the Garden and eat of the fruit of the tree
of life (Gen. 3:22-24).
Another comment: In spite of the fall of Satan and the fall of man, the
Creation is still good, as affirmed by Paul in I Tim. 4:4. Being subjected
to futility (Rom. 8:20) does not mean that it is no longer good.
Gordon Brown
Department of Mathematics
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0395