- [Narrator] The untold truth about the Tree of Life.
The Tree of Life is first portrayed
in chapter two verse nine of the book of Genesis
as being in the midst of the Garden of Eden.
With another divine tree called
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The Tree of Life was planted by God.
Genesis 2:9, Amplified Bible, "And in that garden
the Lord God caused to grow from the ground
every tree that is desirable and pleasing
to the sight and good, suitable, pleasant for food.
The Tree of Life was also in the midst of the garden
and the tree of the experiential knowledge,
recognition of the difference between good and evil."
If the Tree of Life had been situated
in the garden's geographic center,
Adam and Eve could have reached it without difficulty
from any point in the garden.
There was no command given
to Adam not to eat of the Tree of Life.
After the serpent has spoken to Eve, additional information
regarding the Tree of Life is provided.
The serpent that appeared to Eve is later revealed
to be Satan himself.
Eve is tempted to eat from the Tree of Good and Evil.
The first effect of sin was a feeling of shame and fear.
The Lord God cursed the serpent
to degradation disgrace and defeat.
Sin has inevitable consequences.
The woman was sentenced to suffering in childbirth.
She would be subject to her husband.
The man was sentenced to earn his livelihood
from the ground that was cursed with thorns and thistles.
It would mean toil and sweat for him.
Then at the end of life, he would return to dust.
Genesis 3:22-24, Amplified Bible.
"And the Lord said, 'Behold the man has become
like one of us, Father, Son, Holy Spirit,
knowing how to distinguish between good and evil.
And now he might stretch out his hand
and take from the Tree of Life as well and eat it's fruit
and live in this fallen sinful condition forever.'
Therefore, the Lord God sent Adam away
from the Garden of Eden to till and cultivate the ground
from which he was taken."
So God drove the man out and to the east
of the Garden of Eden, He permanently stationed the cherubim
and the sword with the flashing blade,
which turned round and round in every direction
to protect and guard the way entrance access
to the Tree of Life.
The only appropriate way for God to deliver justice
on the couple is to cast them out of the Garden of Eden.
Should they remain, there is a chance
that they will be able to consume fruit
from the Tree of Life,
which will allow them to live without end.
In their fallen state, eating from the tree would be a curse
instead of a gift.
Under the terms of a future new covenant,
the possibility of eternal life will be made manifest.
Since the first human couple
and by extensional subsequent generations
of humans were cast out of Eden.
This state of exile has come to define life.
We do not know if Adam and Eve desired
to remain in the Garden of Eden after they were cast out.
They might have had the fear that
if they had left the garden, they would never see God again
because that was the only place where they met him.
Therefore, God appointed the Cherubim
to guard the path to the Tree of Life.
Celestial beings known as Cherubim have the mission
of defending the holiness of God
against the arrogant pride of fallen men.
The presence and glory of God are inexorably linked
to Cherubim throughout history.
When Cherubim are depicted on earth
as they are in the tabernacle,
they indicate a place where humans
and God can commune with one another.
As a result of his disobedience, Adam lost his eternal life.
The Tree of Life in Eden must have had some role to play
in maintaining the life of Adam and Eve.
God in His kindness, decided to put a limit
on the amount of years a man could live on earth
due to the fact that he was aware
that life on earth would be fraught with misery and labor.
To live eternally in a sinful state would mean endless agony
for humanity with no hope of the relief
that comes with death.
By limiting our lifespan, God gives us enough time
to come to know Him
and His provision for eternal life through Christ,
but spares us the misery of an endless existence
in a sinful condition.
In His great love,
God provided one who would redeem fallen mankind.
Sin entered the world through the actions of one man, Adam.
However, through the actions of another man, Jesus Christ,
redemption and forgiveness of sin is available to all.
Romans 5:17, "For if by the trespass of the one, Adam,
death reigned through the one, Adam,
much more surely will those who receive the abundance
of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign
in eternal life through the one, Jesus Christ."
Adam's disobedience not only doomed himself
but also the entire human race.
Mankind's DNA contains the cycle of sin and decay.
The only place in the New Testament
where the Tree of Life is mentioned
is in the Book of Revelation,
and each time it is mentioned the phrase does have a cosmic
and spiritual significance.
A promise is made in Revelation 2:7
that the one who overcomes will eat from this tree
which is said to be situated in the paradise of God.
In the new Earth, we will freely eat the fruits
of the same tree that nourished Adam and Eve.
Revelation 2:7, Amplified Bible.
"He who has an ear let him hear and heed
what the Spirit says to the churches,
'To him who overcomes the world through believing
that Jesus is the Son of God.
I will grant the privilege to eat the fruit
from the Tree of Life, which is in the paradise of God.'"
After describing the River of Life
in the book of Revelation,
the Apostle John goes on to mention
another remarkable aspect of the scene.
"Those who avail themselves of the sacrifice of Christ
on the cross will be resurrected
to see the Tree of Life again.
For it stands in the middle of the Holy City,
the New Jerusalem, where it bears 12 crops of fruit."
Revelation 22:2, Amplified Bible,
"In the middle of its street on either side of the river
was the Tree of Life bearing 12 kinds of fruit.
Yielding its fruit every month,
and the leaves of the tree were
for the healing of the nations."
The Bible opens with a description of a Tree of Life.
Now we see the Tree of Life again.
It's a little difficult to picture this picturesque scenery
in our minds.
It's possible that when John talks about a large street,
he's referring to one that has a river running
down the middle of it, and that there's a large tree
or series of trees that grow
with their roots on either side of the river.
The reappearance of the Tree of Life is indicative
of the complete restoration of all things.
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
The word for healing in Greek is therapeian,
and it is from this word
that we get the English word therapeutic.
The Greek word is almost directly translated into English.
In the eternal state, the curse will be no more.
Access to the Tree of Life will be restored
and darkness will be gone forever.
Eden will be restored.
In heaven there is no more curse.
Since the fall, man and creation have lived with the effect
of the curse described in Genesis 3.
In the new heaven and new Earth,
they are done away with forever.
In place of the curse,
the throne of God and the lamb shall be in it.
That is one interesting exchange.
Heaven will be where God's people can continue serving
and working for Him.
On the other hand, this depicts the pure blessedness
of service rather than the laborious curse stained toil.
Heaven will be a location where the people
of God are able to see God's face,
a place where they can have
a close personal fellowship with God.
Although Moses did not have the opportunity
to see God face-to-face,
everyone who reaches heaven will eventually
be able to do so.
Exodus 33:20-23, Amplified Bible,
"But he said, 'You cannot see my face.
For no man shall see me and live.'
Then the Lord said, 'Behold there is a place beside me,
and you shall stand there on the rock
and while my glory is passing by I'll put you in a cleft
of the rock and protectively cover you with my hand
until I have passed by.
Then I'll take my hand away and you shall see my back,
but my face shall not be seen.'"
Heaven is going to be a place where God's people
will be identified with their God
and there will never be any question about whether or not
they belong to Him.
Heaven is a place of light.
The light does not come from an artificial source,
not even the sun.
Rather, the light comes from God Himself.
Heaven will be a location where the people of God
will enjoy an eternal rain.
In contrast to the limited duration of the millennium,
it'll go on indefinitely.
Once more human beings will draw their strength
and vitality from His tree.
The tree will yield not just one crop, but 12 altogether.
The fruit is not merely to be admired, but consumed.
For the third time in Revelation 21-22,
the inhabitants of the new Earth referred to as nations.
Nations are not going to be wiped out, but rather, healed.
But since we won't experience pain or disease in heaven,
what is the point of leaves for healing?
Perhaps they like the tree's fruit,
will have life sustaining or life enhancing properties
that will help people maintain health and energy.
Wisdom is depicted as a Tree of Life in the book of Proverbs
and thus the source of life to those who follow after it.