THE TREE OF LIFE
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from the Afrikaans Version: Die boom van die lewe
Translator: Lynda Botha
Someone wrote to me:
"In Genesis 3 verse 24, God speaks about protecting the Tree of Life. Explain the Tree of Life to me please. "
We read about the tree of life three times at the beginning of the Word of God, namely in:
GEN 2:9 “The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground – trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden He placed the Tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
GEN 3:22 “Then the Lord God said: “Look, the human beings have become like Us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!”
GEN 3:24 “After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And He placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”
So, what have we learned in the Word of God about the Tree of Life that was in the Garden of Eden?
We know that this tree stood in the middle of the Garden of Eden and our Lord planted it there:
GEN 2:9 “… In the middle of the garden He placed the tree of life…”
Furthermore, according to the Word of God, should human beings eat the fruit from the tree of life, they would never die here on Earth:
GEN 3:22 “…What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!”
Then we also know that this tree of life remained in the Garden of Eden even after the human beings where no longer there.
GEN 3:24 “After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And He placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”
This is just my assumption but you can decide for yourself in your heart whether you agree with what I am going to say; It seems that Adam and Eve would have lived forever on Earth since they could have eaten continuously from the Tree of the Life and this is probably why our Lord sent Adam and Eve out from the garden. For me personally it would have been absolutely awful to know that I will live forever on this Earth where all the evil is just getting worse and worse.
It would literally be hell on earth for me.
We do not know what happened to the Tree of Life, but neither do we know what has become of the Garden of Eden.
We know only for certain that the Garden of Eden no longer exists on earth.
The conclusion that I and others like me has reached, is that the Garden probably got lost during the water flood during the days of Noah.
What’s interesting is that we read again about the Tree of Life in the last book that we read about in the first book of God's Word and I'll quote some examples to share with you:
REV 2:7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.”
REV 22:2 “It flowed down the centre of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.”
REV 22:14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.”
Our Lord is the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth. In other words, He is the Creator of the universe and He does what He wants to do, and it is the best way for things to happen.
I know there was a tree of life on Earth and I know there's going to be a tree of life on the New Earth, as you have read.
Where that tree is now, I do not know, and our Lord does not tell us that and that’s good enough for me.
Then I want to conclude my letter by sharing something else with you while keeping the Tree of Life in mind.
Actually, I want you to read it yourself.
I'm talking about the Grapevine that gives life:
JOHN 15:1-6
1 “I am the true Grapevine, and My Father is the Gardener.”
2 “He cuts off every branch of Mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”
3 “You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.”
4 “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me.”
5 “Yes, I am the Vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.”
6 “Anyone who does not remain in Me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.”
Let us therefore make sure that we remain attached to the Life-giving Vine, Jesus Christ. So that we would be able to live on the New Earth to enable us to eat and live continuously from the tree of life,
Greetings,
Sakkie