God’s telling of creation in the book of Genesis establishes a pattern of scripture. Genesis chapter 1 presents days one through six. Chapter 2 opens with day 7, the day of rest and then adds details to information shared in chapter 1. On day 3, God established the land and seas on earth with seed of grass herbs and fruit trees.
5And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. – Revelation 2:5 KJV
The seed was planted on day 3, but God chose to wait for the creation of man on day 6 before watering the seed. Chapter 2 gives more detail of the events of day 6: the mist, creating Adam as a “living soul”, planting of the Garden of Eden with growth and rivers of flowing water.
15And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. – Revelation 2:15-17 KJV
Adams charge from God was to keep the garden. He is given dominion over all earthly creation, but God gives him one command, not to eat of the fruit of the tree of good and evil. God knew Adam was too weak to have knowledge of the level of evil that existed, the level of evil that led to the casting out of the highest angel lucifer. It was for Adam’s protection that this command was given. God loves Adam and so He created a helper, Eve, from one of his ribs. This made Eve according to scripture for Adam, “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.”
24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. – Revelation 2:24-25 KJV
The covenant of marriage is established between Adam and Eve, husband and wife. They are pure in their created state by God and have been blessed with the beauty of the Garden of Eden to dwell.
The Book of Revelation, which prophesies The End, follows a similar pattern to that of creation scripture, with:
- Chapters 6-11 detailing the 7 Seals and 7 Trumpets.
- Chapters 12-14 adding details to various elements of these 14 major events.
- Chapters 15-16 detailing the 7 Vials of God’s Wrath.
- Chapters 17-18 adding details to those 7 major events.
- Chapters 19-22 bring closure to the seals, trumpets and vials, detailing Christ’s reign of 1,000 years, the two resurrections and the ultimate glory of the new heaven and the new earth, where God will forever commune with man for eternity.
There are many other examples of scripture establishing an order of events and then later filling in more detail. Given Revelation speaks to the end of the Adamic period, it seemed fitting to start with the beginning to display one structural facet of God’s work.