Eating from the Tree of Life
Genesis 2:9
Trees! Trees are phenomenal!
You hear the word "trees" and a myriad of thoughts cross your mind. The word may bring back childhood memories of special trees that have affected your life; you might become hungry thinking of the various delicious fruits you enjoy; or the word may bring back thoughts of storms that have destroyed a favorite tree. Your mind wanders.
Several years ago I was conducting a youth camp and decided to get up early, before the young people got out of bed, and go fishing. Believe it or not, I accomplished the feat. As I was sitting on the dock soaking my line, my mind focused on a tree directly across the lake from where I was sitting. I became so fascinated with the tree I lost interest in the things around me. The tree was tall and stately. I wondered at its age; how strong it was to stand alone on the shores of the lake. It had no protection; there were no other trees to help defend it from the ravages of the weather. I became so obsessed with the tree that I lost all attention to my fishing gear. Suddenly I heard a scraping noise just in time to see my pole drop over the end of the dock. I reached out to grab it, but I was too late; I watched the fishing rod, reel and all sink to the bottom of the lake and disappear. Whatever it was that had struck the bait was pulling out into deeper water until it disappeared. I was thankful it was an old rod and reel so I didn't lose much.
After the excitement of the moment I once again settled down to meditate on the tree across the lake. It became such an obsession with me that I decided later in the day, when the campers were in their cabins resting (I think that is what they are supposed to be doing) I would drive around the lake and see if I could find the tree and observe it from closer range. I could see the stately figure as I drove around to where it was standing. It was so tall that I seldom lost sight of it, and when I did it was only for a few minutes. Suddenly, I had arrived; there it was; more stately than I had imagined; in a pasture, alone, by the shore of the lake. I parked the car at the side of the road and walked over to admire it at close range.
What a sight. As the result of the years of its sentinel duty watching its terrain, the waters had washed away the soil from its roots to the point where I could literally stand among the roots without stooping over and see the bottom of the trunk. The bark had been beaten from the bottom of its trunk, still it stood. I wondered how old it might be to have withstood so many storms, draughts, and other natural disasters, but it stood firm.
I took my New Testament and Psalms from my pocket and read Psalm 1:1-3."Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper."
The Bible records many situations in which trees were involved. Some were events of blessing, joys and happiness while others bring pain and sorrow to our hearts Today let us look at one tree which is mentioned from the early chapters of Genesis to the book of Revelation. Its name is "The Tree of Life". As we progress through the scriptures let us see how this tree has affected our lives.
The tree to physical life – Genesis 2:9,19; 3:22-24
We have heard much concerning the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil"; but a tree just as important is found just a short distance away. It is called "The Tree of Life". To eat of the fruit of this tree would cause an individual to live forever in his physical body. Think of the horrible possibility of living forever in this natural body we are wearing today. Living in this body and contracting an incurable painful disease would become intolerable. We would desire to do anything to get relief, but no relief would come.
There will come a time when all men, great and small, rich and poor, young and old will desire such relief and it will not be within their reach. Revelation 6:12-17 records such a time when men will desire and do the physical actions to bring about death, but it will flee from them. There will also be a time when all unbelievers will experience this in a physical/spiritual sense. It is a place called "prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:40). Whoever, except for the Devil and his angels, enters it is an intruder.
Interestingly, when God created the Garden of Eden He planted two trees "in the midst of the garden" apparently side by side. I am sure one was as beautiful and attractive as the other, and the fruit would have tasted just as delicious as the fruit of the other. I have often questioned, with this potential and possibility available, why did Adam and Eve select to eat of "The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" rather than "The Tree of Life"? Certainly Satan was involved as we read the story as it is recorded; he knew what the results would be if they disobeyed God's command, so he drew their attention to the one tree rather than the other, and we are reaping the harvest of that one act today. We have suffered as the result of that one sin even until today.
Supposing God had not turned them out of the Garden of Eden after they disobeyed Him. What if they had remained and sooner or later have eaten of The Tree of Life, what would have been the result? They would have lived physically from that moment on. God gives us the answer to that question in Genesis 3:22, "and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take and eat of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever; Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from where he was taken". God, knowing the result of their eating of the other tree, because of His love for them, drove them from the garden.
What kind of tree were these two? One produced the fruit of 'the knowledge of good and evil"; the other produced the "fruit of life". These trees were not apple, or peach or pear trees; their fruit was what is stated in the Bible. One was the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" and when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, they knew and understood what good and evil was. The fruit is recorded in the next two verses (7,8). They saw they were naked. Could Adam and Eve not see; did they not know this fact before this incident? Yes and No. They could see and know each other, but there was no sense of guilt in their physical appearance toward each other. Living in the very presence of God to this very moment, I am sure there was the sense of God's radiance surrounding them. Suddenly, at the moment they ate the fruit God's presence disappeared 'they saw they were naked"; as the result of their sin, they found themselves naked; God's radiant presence disappeared "and the eyes of them both were opened" (v7). What was the first thing they did? They tried to cover their guilt (nakedness). And the second thing they did? "They hid themselves from the presence of God (v8). Why? Because they had eaten of the fruit "The knowledge of good and evil".
Supposing Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of life, what would have been the result? The result would have been the sense or experience of understanding what continual life would have been like. They would have sensed the experience, but they would not have known what the results of such an experience would be because they had not yet sinned.
Now, before we study any further, note this, the fruit was not poisonous; had it been Adam and Eve would have died physically immediately, however they had immediately died spiritually. The fruit produced a deadly toxin like substance that though it was slow acting it was one hundred percent fatal. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). It was not that the fruit itself was deadly; it was the act of eating the fruit (disobedience) that was deadly. Another name we might give that tree would be "The Tree to Disobedience and Its Result". God said, "Thou shalt not eat"; disobedience said, "You cannot make rules to govern us; we will do as we please." The sin was disobedience, not the act of eating the fruit, and God stated specifically, "In the day you eat the fruit you will die" (2:17). The moment they ate of it, immediately they died "spiritually", separated from the presence of God.
Would it not be important to pause at this juncture and define the word "death"? What is death? In its simplest definition death is separation. We are present as group today, but when we leave this place later today and go our separate ways we, in a sense died one to the other. We are separated; there will not be the fellowship we are having at this moment, and that broken fellowship will continue until we meet again.
When physical death is involved, that fellowship is broken once again. At this time that separation will be physically permanent until the day of the resurrection in Christ's presence; and if one has not put their personal faith in Christ's finished work for salvation it will be a permanent separation. This is known as "eternal death" the separation from the God who is the source of all life. That separation, or death, will be an eternal period of consciousness separated from the God of life, separation from this source of life and it will be a conscious eternal separation from that source of life.
The separation that was introduced to Adam and Eve at that very moment could not be reinstated until God took the initiative. Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness by sewing fig leaves together to cover themselves (3:7), but the fig leaves were insufficient. Though the hid their bodies from one another, they stood naked before God. Through their guilt they tried to hide from God (3:8) .As one of the first pictures of Christ recorded in the Old Testament God clothed them. From the beginning God was picturing the death of Christ because the scriptures state specifically, "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin" Hebrews 9:22). Thus God killed an animal (as it relates to other offerings) we assume was a lamb and made our first parents coats of skins to clothe them. Through their coats of leaves God could still see their hearts and they were guilty (1 Samuel 16:7b). The blood only covered their sins until our Lord came and gave His life for us. Thus the truth of the statement "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1:7,9) is fulfilled.
Because of their sin and because of God's love Adam and Eve never had the privilege of eating from The Tree of Life. God closed the way to that life giving tree by driving them from the Garden of Eden and placing the cherubim with flaming swords at its entrance.
The Tree to spiritual cleansing –
This is in fulfillment of the prophecy, "Cursed is everyone that hanged upon a tree" (Galatians 3:13).
God so loved this Masterwork of His creation He immediately began revealing His eternal plan for their salvation. Through various portraits of sacrifices, festivals and gatherings of the people he began revealing this eternal plan. 1 Corinthians 10:11 Paul wrote this summary of the Old Testament; "Now all these things happened to them from ensamples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come." Even as we have seen, God began revealing this eternal plan through the clothing He created for Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness. From this moment on God is continually working with His people, those who by faith have placed their faith in Him, to reveal His eternal plan that would be revealed when he sent His only begotten Son into the world. His Son would be made a curse to pay the penalty for sinful man (2 Cor. 5:21).
His eternal Son, through the bodily coming of Jesus Christ, is the fulfillment of the prophesy, "Cursed is everyone that hangs upon a tree" (Galatians 3:13).
This tree, though cursed and was dead is still the source back to the Tree of Life from which Adam and Eve had been separated when they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Christ became a curse for us when He was hanged upon the cross at
While hanging upon the cross, "being made a curse for us", Jesus was rejected by His heavenly Father, and cried out in agony, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Notice Jesus did not call Him "Father" as He had done so many times throughout the gospels. Here Jesus refers to Him as "My God! My God!" What has caused this change in relationship? When Jesus hanged upon the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins this relationship changed radically. Rather than being His father, the eternal God became His judge. Jesus had become sin for us as recorded in 2 Corinthians 5:21. Because Jesus had become sin (personified) for us, God rejected Him, turned His back upon Him; Jesus faced eternal separation from His heavenly father. In so doing God became the eternal judge and permitted Christ to pay the penalty of separation from Himself, the Father, in payment for our sins (Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
I have heard some teach that His heavenly Father never did truly forsake Him. They claim He was totally drugged and He hallucinated and thought His heavenly Father had forsaken Him. This is totally anti scriptural. There were absolutely no drugs given to him at this time of his life and death. At one point they offered him a pain reliever (vinegar), (Matthew 27:48). We read immediately following this statement that Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up His spirit and died (Matthew 27:50).
Let us clarify this from the scriptures, Psalm 22:1, prophesied this would happen. Psalm, 22:3 answered the question why it would happen, "but thou art holy".. God is holy and cannot look upon sin. Jesus was made to be sin for us, (2 Corinthians 5:21) "For he (God the Father) has made Him (God the Son, Jesus Christ), to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." God cannot stand in the presence of sin. He made Jesus to become sin personified and He, Jesus, represented the sins of the entire world, and thus His Father had to turn His back on Christ who had become sin personified. It is recorded at the crucifixion "from the six hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour." God brought darkness upon the land so that mankind could not see the agony Jesus went through as he was paying for our debt of sin. Jesus, the light of the world, was separated from His heavenly father and suffered the darkness and agony of hell for that period of three hours.
At the close of that period of time Jesus cried with a loud voice, "My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46 Why God?) Did the Father literally turn His back on His dying Son? Let me ask one question in answering this question. What is the penalty for our sins? The answer is Eternal death, total separation from God. If the Father had not separated Himself from Christ, then Christ did not pay the total penalty for our sins, eternal separation from God. Note Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. Yes, he is speaking of the resurrection of Christ, but had Christ not have been separated from the Father, paying the total debt of our sins, His Father could not have raised Him from the dead; Christ had not yet paid the total penalty for our sins. To our thinking this seems absolutely impossible. How could God do this to His own Son, His only begotten Son? This is total and unreserved love, "agape" love. His love for us was so deep He willingly gave His Son to pay the debt that we might have eternal life (Romans 6:23). He challenged Abraham to do the same thing (Genesis 22); would God expect the one who has been called "a friend of God" (2 chronicles 20 7; James 2:23); and not have been willing to suffer the same experience. To do so, God would have expected more from His creation than He was willing to experience Himself.
How do I know this was the time of separation between the Father and the Son? At that same moment He also cried out with a loud voice, "It is finished, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit and having said this He gave up His spirit" (Matthew 27:50). At the very moment Jesus cried out this cry of separation God's eternal plan of the ages was complete. Christ opened once again the way to God's presence and to the tree of eternal life. After paying the penalty for sin, the experience of separation from God, the Father, and salvation was complete. Nothing can be added to nor can anything be taken away; Salvation is complete. PTL! The veil of the temple, which had been a symbol of separation from God for centuries, was now torn asunder from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51.52). The curtain of separation was torn apart and free access was offered to "Whosoever may come".
Note, Jesus always called God His father until this moment of separation. Then immediately following this declaration He again cries, with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit, and having said this He gave up His spirit" (Matthew 27:50) - into the father's loving hands.
The way is now open through the veil of the temple that was torn in two at the very moment of Christ's death. Since that moment God has welcomed anyone and everyone who will believe that through His death on the cross Christ paid the debt for every sin ever committed. He is your savior if you have made that commitment.
The Tree of Eternal Life – Ezekiel. 47:7,12; Revelation 2:7; 22:2,14
To further support the fact that the cross was also a tree and Christ was accursed because He hanged thereon can be seen by the fact that the cross is mentioned as a tree in Acts 5:30; 10:39; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24. It is through Christ's death on the tree that we have eternal life. "Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes we are healed" (1 Peter 2:24).
Adam and Eve were driven from the Tree of Life, that had they eaten from its fruit, it would have given them physical life without end. I am certain they would have desired this except they could not understand the prolonged consequences as the result of this sin they had committed against their Creator, God. God, as the result of His compassion, grace, love and mercy, drove them from the Garden of Eden and blocked the way to this tree.
Jesus, the eternal Son of God, with the same love, compassion, grace and mercy, in obedience to His Heavenly Father's will, came to earth and paid the debt that all their descendents owed for their sin. Dying on the accursed (Galatians 3:13) cross of Calvary He paid the debt for their sins in full (Matthew 27:50). By this profound act of kindness, love and mercy He again opened the way to the Tree of Life. However, rather than providing continued unending physical life, He provided forgiveness for their sins and made it possible for Adam and Eve and their descendents to eat of the Tree of Eternal Life.
I just make reference to Ezekiel 47:7,12 at this point. Read it and we will continue and refer back to this reference later in our study. This is a prophecy for redeemed
In Revelation 2:7 Jesus is writing to the Seven Churches of Revelation in this section of the book (Revelation 2,3). This is an outline of the church age in which we are now living from
There is a special reward for faithfulness by overcoming the world. One will be able to eat from The Tree of Life. Who has completely overcome the world? Only Christ has been "tempted in all points like as we and yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus said, "I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). How can anyone overcome the world? The only way is through Christ living in and through the individual.
Where is The Tree of Life today? Revelation 2:7,17,26; 3:12; 21:7 tells us it is in the midst of "the paradise of God". Compare this with "The Tree of Life" in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:22,23). It is watered from the
This Tree of Life will produce a different fruit every month. Why a different fruit every month? To make eternal life refreshing, pure and with continual anticipation. Have you ever noticed when you drink a "Coke" no two ever seem to taste quite the same? Several years ago I worked for the Coca Cola Company. I was informed that the company changed the flavor of "Coke" every thirty days so people would not become tired of the taste or flavor. Our God loves us so much He desires we will eternally look forward to the unexpected from Him. Thus He causes new fruit to grow on the Tree of Life every month – throughout eternity.
"The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations ((Revelation 22:2)." The nations will be healed as was the nation of
Revelation 22:14 "Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have right to The Tree of Life." These are "The robes of righteousness" (Christ's righteousness) with which we will be clothed in heaven. Adam and Eve were clothed with the glory of God's presence in the Garden of Eden; we will be clothed with Christ's righteousness throughout eternity.
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