The concept of paradise is mentioned over 60 times in the Bible, mostly in reference to the Garden of Eden or heaven. Here are some key Bible verses about paradise:
Genesis 2:8-9, 15
And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
These verses describe the Garden of Eden, the paradise God created for Adam and Eve, filled with beauty and provision for them.
Genesis 3:22-24
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
After Adam and Eve sinned, God banished them from the Garden of Eden so they could no longer access the tree of life and live forever in their fallen state.
Luke 23:39-43
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
As Jesus was crucified, He promised the repentant thief on the cross that he would be with Jesus in paradise that very day, showing salvation through Christ.
2 Corinthians 12:1-4
I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
Paul describes his vision of being caught up to the third heaven, which he clarifies is paradise. This shows heaven as a paradise for believers.
Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
Jesus promises that those who conquer will get to eat from the tree of life in the paradise of heaven.
Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
This verse describes being in God’s presence in heaven as complete joy and paradise.
Isaiah 51:3
For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.
This prophecy describes God restoring Israel to a paradise like the Garden of Eden, filled with joy.
Revelation 21:1-4
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
John describes the new heaven and new earth as a paradise where God dwells with man, with no more sorrow, death, or pain.
Revelation 22:1-5
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
The paradise of the new heaven and new earth is described in detail here, with the river of life and tree of life from Eden now accessible to all believers who will reign forever.
Matthew 13:31-32
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a tree that grows large like the Tree of Life, where even the birds can come find rest.
Ezekiel 28:11-19
Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever.”
This passage describes the King of Tyre being cast out of the paradise of Eden for his pride and unrighteousness, showing paradise lost through sin.
Ezekiel 31:8-9
The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it; the fir trees could not compare with its boughs; neither were the plane trees to be compared with it in beauty; no tree in the garden of God was its equal in splendor. I made it beautiful in the mass of its branches, and all the trees of Eden envied it, that were in the garden of God.’
The trees in the Garden of Eden are described here as the ultimate paradise that no other tree could rival in beauty.
Additional Important Verses
Luke 23:42-43 – Jesus tells the thief on the cross they will be together in paradise that day.
Revelation 22:1-2 – The river and tree of life in the New Jerusalem.
Isaiah 11:6-9 – Paradise where the wolf lives with the lamb.
Psalm 23:5-6 – God prepares a table in paradise even amidst enemies.
1 Corinthians 2:9 – What no eye has seen, nor ear heard – the paradise prepared for those who love God.
In summary, the concept of paradise in the Bible starts with the Garden of Eden, but expands to include the paradise of being in God’s presence in heaven for eternity. Despite sin causing humanity to lose paradise on earth, Christ’s redemption allows believers to regain paradise through faith in Him. The book of Revelation provides vivid imagery of the paradise believers can look forward to – a new heaven and new earth without sin, illness, or death, where God dwells with man. Paradise is thus not just a physical place, but the state of permanent, intimate communion with the living God.