Chapter 5 is going to take a little detour from my Glory Train book because there are some things I want to share with my readers before we continue with Ryan's journey.

Described most notably in Chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of Genesis, as well as in the Book of Ezekiel, what the world commonly refers to as the "Garden of Eden" was more properly known as the "garden of God" in Genesis 2:14. that reads "and a river went out of Eden to water the garden".

The trees of the garden are additionally mentioned in Chapter 31 of the Book of Ezekiel, the Book of Zachariah, one of the twelve Minor Prophets, which is also considered the penultimate book of the Old Testament. Additionally, the trees of the garden are mentioned in the Book of Psalms without directly referring to them as being in the land of Eden.

The word "Eden" derives from a Sumerian word meaning "plain or steppe," and comes from the Akkadian language spoken in Mesopotamia, a region that was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Modern day Kuwait, Iraq, and northeastern Syria.

These two rivers have their headwaters in the Armenian Highland, the central-most and highest of the three plateaus found in this area. Mesopotamia was also recognized as the Cradle of Civilization.

The name "Eden" is also closely related to an Aramaic root word meaning "fruitful and well watered," and in Genesis 18:12 it has the Hebrew translation of "pleasure".

Many Biblical scholars attribute "Eden" to signify the real Jerusalem, the Promised Land, or the Temple of Solomon. Others believe it may represent the divine garden on Mount Zion, which is another widely used name for Jerusalem.

God created Adam and placed him in His garden, allowing him to eat from every tree except the tree of knowledge of good and evil, because that would place him on the same level as God. After God made Eve from one of Adam's ribs to be a companion for him, she was tempted by Satan to eat this forbidden fruit, and they were expelled from the garden before they could eat from the tree of life and live forever.

Four rivers are closely associated with the garden including the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Pishon that completely circled the land of Havileh, and the Gihon that circled the land of Cush.

The land of Havileh is most often associated with northwest Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Hijaz Mountains of western Saudi Arabia. The land of Cush is most often associated with Ethiopia.

Many rivers have historically been named as the Pishon and the Gihon, in an effort to pinpoint the exact location of the "Garden of God," including the Blue Nile, the Kuwait, the Ganges, the Karun, and the Nile.

Areas where the "Garden of God" have been said over the centuries to have existed include at the head of the Persian Gulf, near Tabriz in northwest Iran, the Iranian Azerbaijan region, in the Armenian Plateau, in Mongolia, India, Turkey, and under the waters of the Persian Gulf.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, (the Mormons), have even tried to place the "Garden of God" in Jackson County, Missouri, near Independence and Kansas City, in the central-western portion of that state.

The Mormons also try to claim that Adam and Eve, after being expelled from the garden, resided in a place they call "Adam-ondi-Ahman," which is in Daviess County, Missouri, in the northern-central section of the state. They also teach that Adam will return there on Judgement Day.

However, no one can prove with 100 percent certainty where the "Garden of God" was located, although many have tried, for one reason or another, to place it in the Middle East.

Now, back to our story.