Eastward in Eden

  
8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. (Genesis 2:8)

I've always wondered what I looked at Genesis 2:8... "Eastward of what?". The garden seems to have been located in the east of Eden, which was evidently a large district. But we are not even really sure where "Eden" was. There is no sure definition for us in the Scripture where exactly "Eden" was located. We have some hints and some things that we could use for guidelines, but there is nothing definitive. That leads us to believe that it is utterly unimportant for us to know!
Two of the rivers had well-known names--Euphrates and Tigris (called Hiddekel in Gen. 2:14 ). The other two aren't so easily identified. Gihon went through Ethiopia and may refer to the Nile. Pison compassed Arabia. There is no known spot where physical features exactly match the description here. The garden was destroyed and the surface of the earth has changed. It seems clear from Gen. 10:25 and 1Chr. 1:19 that there was one solid land mass until the time of Peleg, when the earth was divided into continents and islands. Hence, it is impossible to locate all these rivers or the garden of Eden.

We are told that even greater changes will take place at the second coming of Christ (Isa. 11:15-16 ; 34:1-- Isa. 35:10 ; Zech. 14:4-10 ; Rev. 16:10-21), and when the earth is made new again (Rev. 21:1-2 , 9-10).

Scholars have speculated about Eden's location, suggesting places as various as the third heaven to the lowest part of earth, from the north to the south poles. They've named China, India, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Armenia, Africa, Mesopotamia, Syria, Persia, Arabia, Babylon, Assyria, Palestine, and Egypt, as well as Missouri and Utah in America. As always...it would be wise for all to read and be content with Dt. 29:29:

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

There are actually four Gardens named in the the Scripture:

1. Lucifer's garden of Eden before Adam, where sin originated among the angels ( Ezek. 28:11-17 ; Jer. 4:23-26).
2. Adam's garden of Eden where sin originated with Adam ( Gen. 2:8--Gen. 3:24 ).
3. The garden of Gethsemane where Satan was defeated and the cross assured ( Mt. 26:36 ; Jn. 18:1 ).
4. The garden of resurrection where Christ triumphed over sin, death, hell and the grave ( Jn. 19:38-42 ; Rev. 1:18 ).