WHERE IS THE TREE OF LIFE TODAY?
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. What happened to the tree of life after Adam and Eve got thrown out of Eden's garden for disobeying God?
a) Very soon after their creation, Adam and Eve had a decision to make. Would they go God's way or go their own way? To test them, God created two special trees and placed them in the middle of the garden. They did indeed literally exist and each tree had an important symbolic and spiritual meaning.
b) Eating of the tree that brought life (Genesis 2:9; 3:22 - 23) symbolized committing to going God's way in faith and obedience, then ultimately be given the gift of eternal life. To take of the other tree (Genesis 2:16 - 17; 3:3, 11) symbolized man deciding for himself, apart from God, what was right and wrong, good and evil, the best way to live, and so on.
c) As a side note, some wonder what type or kind of fruit was on the tree that symbolized life. The Bible is unfortunately silent in this regard.
d) Adam and Eve choose to live life based on their own human reason and emotions, which would ultimately be led by God's adversary Satan the devil (Revelation 12:7 - 9; Isaiah 14:12 - 14; Ezekiel 28:12 - 19). Ironically, they rejected believing in the true God to "worshipping" their own views and opinions. God allowed Man to set himself up as 'god' of the universe created in his own mind in order to learn valuable eternal lessons!
e) After their sin, God exiled Adam and Eve from the garden and placed a special angel at its entrance to keep the first couple and their descendants from re-entering it. The reason why God did this was to keep them, and all humans, from living forever in misery brought by man's choice to reject him and his ways.
i) 24 Then at the east side of the garden (of Eden) he (God) put living creatures (the NKJV and other translations have 'cherubim,' which are a powerful class of angels like Archangels) and a flaming sword . . . This was to keep anyone (Adam and his descendants) from coming near the tree that gives life (Genesis 3:24).
f) What happened to the tree of life after the sin and banishment of our first parents? It was highly likely destroyed, with the rest of Eden's garden, during the great flood that covered the whole world (Genesis 7:17 - 23). Will we see it sometime in the future? Yes! It is mentioned three times in the Book of Revelation.
g) God promised to those in the church at Ephesus, the very first one to receive a spiritual evaluation by him in Revelation, that those who overcome will be able to eat from the tree of life (Revelation 2:7). The second time the tree is mentioned is in the New Jerusalem God will create and bring down from heaven to the earth (Revelation 22:2). John writes that it will produce, each month, twelve different fruits! The third and last mention is a statement by God that those who OBEY his commandments (yes, they still are in affect and were never done away with!) will be given the right to eat from this most unique tree (verse 14)!
The End ...
1. What happened to the tree of life after Adam and Eve got thrown out of Eden's garden for disobeying God?a) Very soon after their creation, Adam and Eve had a decision to make. Would they go God's way or go their own way? To test them, God created two special trees and placed them in the middle of the garden. They did indeed literally exist and each tree had an important symbolic and spiritual meaning.
b) Eating of the tree that brought life (Genesis 2:9; 3:22 - 23) symbolized committing to going God's way in faith and obedience, then ultimately be given the gift of eternal life. To take of the other tree (Genesis 2:16 - 17; 3:3, 11) symbolized man deciding for himself, apart from God, what was right and wrong, good and evil, the best way to live, and so on.
c) As a side note, some wonder what type or kind of fruit was on the tree that symbolized life. The Bible is unfortunately silent in this regard.
d) Adam and Eve choose to live life based on their own human reason and emotions, which would ultimately be led by God's adversary Satan the devil (Revelation 12:7 - 9; Isaiah 14:12 - 14; Ezekiel 28:12 - 19). Ironically, they rejected believing in the true God to "worshipping" their own views and opinions. God allowed Man to set himself up as 'god' of the universe created in his own mind in order to learn valuable eternal lessons!
e) After their sin, God exiled Adam and Eve from the garden and placed a special angel at its entrance to keep the first couple and their descendants from re-entering it. The reason why God did this was to keep them, and all humans, from living forever in misery brought by man's choice to reject him and his ways.
i) 24 Then at the east side of the garden (of Eden) he (God) put living creatures (the NKJV and other translations have 'cherubim,' which are a powerful class of angels like Archangels) and a flaming sword . . . This was to keep anyone (Adam and his descendants) from coming near the tree that gives life (Genesis 3:24).
f) What happened to the tree of life after the sin and banishment of our first parents? It was highly likely destroyed, with the rest of Eden's garden, during the great flood that covered the whole world (Genesis 7:17 - 23). Will we see it sometime in the future? Yes! It is mentioned three times in the Book of Revelation.
g) God promised to those in the church at Ephesus, the very first one to receive a spiritual evaluation by him in Revelation, that those who overcome will be able to eat from the tree of life (Revelation 2:7). The second time the tree is mentioned is in the New Jerusalem God will create and bring down from heaven to the earth (Revelation 22:2). John writes that it will produce, each month, twelve different fruits! The third and last mention is a statement by God that those who OBEY his commandments (yes, they still are in affect and were never done away with!) will be given the right to eat from this most unique tree (verse 14)!
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