The Bible NETWork ~ Impacting the World for Christ one post at a time!

Hello there!

My name's Paul and I'm on an important mission to show the world where the real Garden of Eden is after finding it last year in Rashaya, Lebanon.

Eden / Kharsag was discovered by Christian O'Brien in 1985. I'm one of the 2 people who carried out the initial field walk survey in 2009.

The Garden of Eden is a central feature in Christianity, Islam and Judaism - showing it's natural origins and archaeological source will in my opinion have the maximum potential as a weapon to

I'm looking to PROMOTE Eden, as I can see the benefits of archaeology catching up with religion and showing it's source as scientifically as possible. It's a search for human origins and the starting point of the agricultural revolution which is currently best guessed at by Colin Renfrew's "Anatolian Hypothesis", which anyone knowledgeable on finds at Jericho, Tel Abu-Huera and around Mount Hermon may well speculate misses the facts by being a few hundred kilometres too North and a few hundred years too late.

The Garden of Eden was a real place, and the centre of the Neolithic Revolution at about 9,500BC. It is located at the heads of the Dan, Banias, Hasbani and Upper Jordan rivers (that's 4 heads, like in the Bible AND in the Biblical lands), for more info please visit Eden Tourism. (edited)

This conclusion was comprehensively mapped out by Christian O'Brien in his 1985 book, "The Genius of The Few" where he identified it through descriptions given in the earliest Nippur Tablets (The Barton Cylinder, etc), Atrahasis and The Book of Enoch, along with the Bible. The Sumerians who were first recorded to have written about it called it "Kharsag".

Eden was also field walked recently in an initial survey which has provided the first video (unreleased) and photographic evidence of the site for peer review. Please see the maps section of my Eden Tourism website for both Christian O'Brien's and my own placement maps for the structures at this REAL place.

He identified this site as the starting point of the Neolithic (Agricultural) Revolution at around 9,500BC, soon after the Younger Dryas. Inescapable evidence includes the the development of Jericho soon after this date, along with cultivated figs dug up on the other side of Mount Hermon and cultivated crops starting at Tel Abu Huera, not very far to the North by 9,050BC.

You can also see the ruins of a man-made reservoir, great watercourse and irrigation channels on Google Earth, along with other structures.

The theories about Eden being a central site of the agricultural revolution between the Tigris and Euphrates are disproven archaeologically as there would have been ice-flows in this area as agriculture started in the North Western bend of the fertile crescent, not the South East... and that Sumerian civilization didn't move to Eridu, their first city until around 5,500BC.

The most important reason I am here promoting this is that we learnt the sinkhole in Rashaya leads to the Hasbani River - proven by the Lebanese Red Cross putting dye down it after the last great flood of the basin in 2006.

The Hasbani links to the Jordan River and my own speculations suggest that ancient man built the reservoir, dam and watercourse to artificially feed and control Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain waters into the Jordan and eventually Dead Sea (which possibly wasn't so dead at 9,000BC).

Showing that a society could work together on a project like that for mutual benefit and promotion of our race - it really should seem alien to us when you look at the situation there now. Palestinians in the West Bank currently survive on 30% of the WHO's recommended water allowance as the Lebanese happily let the Litani run out to sea...

More on that to come in my posts. Let me know if you have any questions as I claim to be the one of the 2 foremost experts on Eden / Kharsag currently alive.

Nice theory, but your location is 1,000 miles away from where it's supposed to be.

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Στηθι εδραιος, ως ακμων τυπτομενος. - Ignatius |II Timothy 4:2| All Scripture is NKJV, unless a translation from the Greek text or otherwise noted.
M.A. Theological Studies (New Testament), Faith Seminary, Tacoma WA
Member, Evangelical Theological Society, North American Patristics Society.
Assistant Editor and contributing author of several published and forthcoming publications.

Hi there,
It was a fine and great discovery but I also doubt that it was the true location of the garden of Eden because God placed Cherubims with flamiing to sword to keep
the way.Gen 3:24

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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52:7

I think I would agree with Verbatim. There probably ought to be a flaming sword and a Tree of Life somewhere.

My main question concerning the location of Eden is this:

Wouldn't the entire geography of the world have been changed by the flood? The massive forces of a world wide flood, the creation of oceans, everything associated with something that catastrophic would make trying to pinpoint a pre-flood location pointless. Isn't it also possible that when Noah's family began spreading out and exploring the new world that the renamed landmarks with the same names as before the flood. That is what the Europeans did when they discovered North America. The survivors of the flood found a big river and thought "This must be the Euphrates."

Who knows, for all I know the flood extinguished the flaming sword and swept away the Tree of Life.

Hi bdmx,
The flaming sword was estinguished and the tree of life was swept away by the flood is a bright idea,..but don't you know that it was planted again in the Mount
of Calvary when Our Lord Jesus Christ were hunged on the tree and bear fruits
for salvation of his believer.Heb 12:24

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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52:7

I was going to mention something about the angels in Genesis 3:23 still guarding the garden of Eden, but having looked it up I see I had misunderstood Revelation 9:14 all these years.

Anyway, it may be a more significant to remember that the garden itself was not Eden, but was located a larger area called Eden (Genesis 2:8). I understand "eastward" to mean either the garden was planted in the eastern part of Eden, or that the garden (or Eden itself) was to the east of where the account was written. Either way, Lebanon seems too far west.

However, I agree that the flood changed a lot of the geography. If the Mediterranean didn't exist before the flood, than Lebanon may have been east enough. Also, do we know that the rivers mentioned in Genesis 2:10-14 are the same ones after the flood? Could the post-flood rivers been named in rememberance (as it were) of the pre-flood ones?

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Andrew Bernhardt
"Salvation costs me nothing. Discipleship costs me everything."
my homepage / my blog

I am trying to determine how the verse from Hebrews ties into the Tree of Life. Gen 2:9, Gen 3:22, Pro 3:13-18, Pro 11:30, Eze 47:6-12, Rev 2:7, Rev 22:2.

The Ezekiel verses reflect the Revelation verses. The water of life irrigates the tree of life. Wisdom is like the tree of life. If anything I would think the death of Jesus on the cross would better represent our death in sin.

As far as the sword of fire being extinguished, I feel a need to be funny sometimes. So much time is spent on Christian forums arguing that we gain an eerie resemblance to the Pharisees trying to interpret God's law instead of following it (not that we are bound by the law, it is by grace we are saved).

Maybe I need to work on my sense of humor.

I've changed my avatar to this suspicious tree we found over there that might keep some happy. It was just growing alone on the side of the hill and made a good photo opportunity.

They have a habit of leaving 'sacred' trees alone and this certainly looked like one. I think it is a type of fig, but may be mistaken.

I have a lot to say about the cherubims and flaming swords that metaphorically have kept this hidden, but andybern's highly insightful Revelation 9:14 quote does get around it nicely. I love how you can quote scripture like that on this forum!

You've also highlighted some specific areas in my knowledge about the events interpreted by O'Brien in "Kharsag Epic 9" from the Nippur Tablets as a 1,000 year storm. Something stopped Jericho's development and other occupations in the Holy Lands around this time and it's an area for my further research. I've read about the event mostly from archaeological reports from nearby sites:



I am enjoying the lively, inspiring debate here! The point about the impact of the 'hiatus palestinien' and how it would have changed the courses of the Hasbani, Dan, Banias and Upper Jordan (which all flow to the East, and in the case of the Hasbani directly linked Eastwards) is a highly interesting consideration.

Please find some more pictures of the site of prime archaeological importance that is in danger of being built on.

Here's the roadway up to the Great House of Eden (Kharsag) area that's in danger of getting built on (the new house already going up there, is one of several under construction around the site).

Any ideas how to protect and save it welcome!

Hi bdmx,
You had given all verses about the tree of life and just thinking how Heb 12:24
ties to the tree of life so I would like to share my undertanding.

Jesus said in John 6:63 it is the spirit that quickeneth,the flesh profiteth nothing;
the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.

All life originated from God including the tree of life.God uses the tree of life as a methaphor or a vehicle in knowing him and to have everlasting life.

Jesus is the wisdom of God 1 Cor 1:24 he was the tree of life Pro 3:18
for whosoever believeth in him should not not perished, but have have eternal life John3:16
He was the bread of life that we must eat John 6:48-58
The water that you present in Ezekiel and Revelation was the flow of living water which Jesus saith of his belly shall flow for those who believeth on Him.

This is a long process of studying and understanding the scripture which we could only receive through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52:7

I would have to say that Jesus is LIFE. John 14:6

Heb 12:14-29 read in context is using Old Testament imagery to reveal gods grace.

Heb 12:18-21 18 For you have not come to something that can be touched, to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind 19 and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words such that those who heard begged to hear no more. 20 For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” 21 In fact, the scene was so terrifying that Moses said, “I shudder with fear.” Context (NET)

It explains to the Hebrews, in a way they can understand, the shift from sacrifice to grace. Just like us, the Israelites had a difficult time understanding what God wanted. The Old Testament is littered with references to God's forgiveness and grace. However God spun it, a stiff-necked people could not see what God really wanted.

Micah 6:6-8 6 With what should I enter the Lord’s presence? With what should I bow before the sovereign God? Should I enter his presence with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? 7 Will the Lord accept a thousand rams, or ten thousand streams of olive oil? Should I give him my firstborn child as payment for my rebellion, my offspring – my own flesh and blood – for my sin? 8 He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God. Context (NET)

The God through the writer of Hebrews is trying to explain to the Israelites again that it is not something that can be touched or seen. It is the unseen glory of God.

Heb 12:22-24 22 But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly 23 and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel’s does. Context (NET)

While Abel's blood was a waste, Jesus' blood sprinkled was a purification for all who accept His grace.

Hebrews 9:19-22 19 For when Moses had spoken every command to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to keep.” 21 And both the tabernacle and all the utensils of worship he likewise sprinkled with blood. 22 Indeed according to the law almost everything was purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Context (NET)

This imagery helps tie the Old Testament sacrifice to the sacrifice of Christ, one sacrifice to end all sacrifice.

I do not see how this shows Jesus as being the tree of life, again He is life. In both Testaments the word used for tree in the phrase "tree of life" suggests wood. The Greek for the cross is a different word word entirely, used specifically for crucifixion. If you do not own any, there are plenty of online resources for Greek and Hebrew , I will not go into detail on the etymologies unless you would like me to.

Ezekiel speaks of a "vast number of trees" with fruit for eating and leaves for healing, which almost perfectly mirrors Revelation 22:2. Is there a vast number of Jesus'?

Proverbs 3:18 says "she [wisdom] is like a tree of life." Once again indicating more than one tree of life. And please do not say Jesus is a she, I really do not want to witness the fallout in this forum from the theological armeggedon that would result.

John 15:5 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me – and I in him – bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing. Context (NET)

If Jesus is the tree of life wouldn't He have said so, instead He said that He was the vine.

The living water is the Holy Spirit and John 7:38, which you did not quote, because it does not hold any water (LOL) for your argument states that from within the one that believes will issue living water or the Holy spirit. It could also be an allusion to the Jewish water libation ceremony where water and wine are poured on the altar, i.e the spear in the side water and blood, Jesus' blood is wine etc.

Make no mistake, there is plenty of prayerful study to go around. The Holy Spirit guides all who seek out God.

Yes I agree John 14:26, Romans 8:26

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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52:7

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Blessings,
Randy