- [Narrator] Why did God block Adam from the tree of life?
Genesis 2:9 describes the tree of life in the Garden of Eden
alongside another divine tree,
the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
The tree of life was planted by God.
"Out of the ground the Lord God caused every tree to grow
that is pleasing to the sight and good for food.
The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
Genesis 2:9.
From any place in the garden Adam and Eve
could have reached the tree of life without difficulty,
if it had been located at the garden's geographic center.
Adam's not forbidden from eating from the tree of life.
After the serpent had spoken to Eve, additional information
regarding the tree of life is provided.
It is later revealed that the serpent that appeared to Eve
was Satan himself.
Eve is tempted to eat from the tree of good and evil.
Shame and fear were the first effects of sin.
The Lord God cursed the serpent
to degradation, disgrace, and defeat.
Sin has inevitable consequences.
She was sentenced to suffer 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,
"Then the Lord God said,
'Behold the man has become like one of us,
knowing good and evil and now he might
reach out with his hand and take fruit also
from the tree of life and eat and live forever.'
Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden
to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.
So he drove the man out
and at the east of the Garden of Eden,
he stationed the cherubim,
and the flaming sword which turned every direction
to guard the way to the tree of life."
God's only appropriate response to the couple's sin
is to cast them out of Eden.
Should they remain, there is a chance that they'll 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 extension all 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 left the garden,
they would never see God again
because that was the only place where they met him.
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 number of years a man could live on earth.
Because 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 and know him and his provision
for eternal life through Christ, but spares us the misery
of eternal existence in a sinful condition.
In his great love God provided
one who would redeem fallen humanity.
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 it is by the offense of the one
death reigned through the one.
Much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of righteousness reign in the life
through the one Jesus Christ."
Adam's disobedience doomed, not only 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 of the tree
of the same tree that nourished Adam and Eve.
Revelation 2:7, "The one who has an ear
let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.
To the one who overcomes
I will grant to eat from the tree of life
which is the paradise of God."
Revelation 22:2, "In the middle of its streets
on either side of the river was the tree of life
bearing 12 kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month,
and the leaves of the tree
were for the healing of the nations.
In the new heaven, a new earth,
they are done away with forever.
In place of the curse,
the throne of God and of 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,
"He further said, 'You cannot see my face
for mankind shall not see me and live.'
Then the Lord said, 'Behold there is a place by me
and you shall stand there on the rock
and it will come about while my glory is passing by.
This I will put you in the cleft of the rock
and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
Then I will 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 reign.
In contrast to the limited duration of the millennium,
it will go on indefinitely.
Once more human beings will draw their strength
and vitality from this tree.
The tree will yield not just one crop but 12 together.
The fruit is not merely to be admired, but consumed.
For the third time in Revelation 21:22,
the inhabitants of the new earth are 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's the point of leaves for healing?
Perhaps they like the tree's fruits,
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 a source of life to those who follow after it.
Proverbs 3:18, "She is a tree of life
to those who take hold of her
and happy are those who hold onto her."
The term tree of life occurs thrice
in Proverbs chapter 11, 13 and 15.
Each time the phrase functions
as a poetic metaphor for life itself.
In each case, it would seem man is vitalized and renewed.
In Genesis chapter 2 the Tree of life is referenced 3 times.
In Revelation, the tree of life is mentioned four times.
With three of those occurrences
occurring in the final chapter.
We have been informed that the tree of life
can currently be found in paradise.
Various prizes are given to those who persevere.
The right to eat of the tree of life in the paradise of God,
never to be heard by the second death,
to eat the hidden manna and be given a white stone
with a secret new name on it,
to have authority to rule the nations,
to sit with Jesus on his throne,
to be dressed in white and made a pillar
in the temple of God bearing his name and never to leave it.
Above all and beyond all the suffering,
the overcoming believer is promised a place
in the new heaven and earth
having God's presence forever and ever.
It's a glorious prospect.
The angels that guarded the Garden of Eden.
Are cherubims mentioned in the Bible?
Do you visualize adorable baby faces
when you hear the word cherub?
Some stone cherubs have been made
and put through the gardens for tourists to admire.
Cherubs are referenced in the Bible
and play significant roles.
What is a cherub?
Cherubs are angels who execute divine functions
in the early domain.
A cherub is also defined as a second order angel
whose gift is knowledge.
Cherubim are frequently depicted in art
as children with wings.
The representation relies heavily
on the appearance of innocence.
Innocent but powerful.
Cherubs are depicted in Middle Eastern art
as lions or bulls with eagle wings,
and a human face, according to academics.
Although the Bible does not contain a list of angelic orders
some scholars view cherubim to be among the highest.
The Old Testament first mentioned cherubim
after Adam sinned, the Lord judged his acts
and forced him to leave the garden.
God provided instructions, Adam disobeyed God.
He was forced to leave and the garden of Eden's entrance
was closed off from reentry.
This scripture emphasizes the significance of the cherubs.
As God's protectors, guardians and creatures.
Cherubims are not childlike creatures.
Angels were depicted as children by artists
during the Renaissance period, according to historians.
Scholars further claim that the word cherub
was derived from the Hebrew kerubh,
and the Aramaic karubui, which means childlike.
This serves as a reminder that certain terms
change over time in diverse ways.
Cherubim is the plural of a cherub.
The cherubs are described
in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel.
"And in the fire was what looked like four living creatures
in appearance their form was human."
Ezekiel 1:5 New International Version.
Scripture depicts the face of cherubim.
Ezekiel 10:11-14, New American Standard Bible,
"When they moved, they went in any of the four directions
without turning as they went,
but they followed in the direction which they faced,
without turning as they went.
And their whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings,
and the wheels were covered with eyes all around.
The wheels belonging to all four of them.
The wheels were cooled as I heard the whirling wheels
and each one had four faces.
The first face was the face of a cherub,
the second face was the face of a human,
the third face, the face of a lion,
and the fourth, the face of an eagle."
Each description in the Bible
teaches us something new about God.
These evocative descriptions may conjure up images
from recent films or television shows.
Each detail mentioned in the Bible
has been given to us to remind us
of God's majesty and greatness
as well as the majesty and glory of his creations.
Cherubim cannot be depicted
in movies or television broadcasts,
to learn the specifics, we must read His word.
The total number of cherubim created by God is unknown.
Four are mentioned in Ezekiel 1:5,
Ezekiel 10:9, and Ezekiel 10:12.
Many creative renderings of them were employed
in the tabernacle and Solomon's temple embellishments.
The widespread ornamental use
of cherubs throughout Israel's sacred structures,
together with the plural form of cherub
would argue for the likelihood
of a plethora of these creatures.
Function, the evidence for the cherubim's function
can be divided into three categories.
Number one, guardians.
Following Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
God created cherubim and a blazing spinning sword
to guard the path to the tree of life.
In their behavior they're akin to the ancient Colossi
who guarded the gates of city's palaces and temples.
The use of cherubim in the tabernacle
and Solomon's temple decoration may signify
a protecting function or symbolize the duty
of divine attendance in the celestial sphere.
Number two, associated with fire.
The cherubim were not only discovered
in close proximity to the flaming sword
when they guarded the Garden of Eden,
but they're also reported to have walked
in the middle of stones of fire in God's holy mountain,
a probable reference to God's presence.
In his vision, Ezekiel saw God, the cherubim
and the throne chariot as a storm cloud
with lightning and a rainbow.
Coals of fire were visible between the cherubim
and the holy chariot's wheels.
Burning coals were gathered from there
and strewn over Jerusalem in judgment.
While the seraphim used hot coals
to cleanse God's servant's lips,
the cherubim dispensed them
as an act of judgment at God's direction.
Number three, bearers of God's throne chariots.
Yahweh was described as the one
who's enthroned on the cherubim
because God revealed himself to Moses
from between the two cherubim set at opposing ends
of the Ark of the Covenant's mercy seats.
Similarly to how Yahweh is represented
by the cloud of glory upon the two two cherubim
of the Ark of the Covenant, deities in the ancient Near East
are depicted by human forms standing on the backs of lions,
bulls, or composite creatures, either single or in pairs.
The place where God sat
on the outstretched wings of the cherubim
was called the chariot.
Cherubim, which have strong symbolic meanings,
were utilized in connection
with Israel's religious architecture.
They were included in the design of the Ark of the Covenant
and the tabernacle at the direction of God.
They were used in the ornamentation of Solomon's temple.
Ark of the Covenant, on mercy seat
of the Ark of the Covenant were placed two cherubim
facing one another.
They were fashioned of hammered gold
and fit together well with the mercy seats.
The cherubim were fashioned
with their wings spread above them
overshadowing the mercy seats.
Two olive wood cherubim with gold inlay
were installed in the inner sanctuary of Solomon's temple.