Tree of Life

[Guest yod]

.Some people tell me the tree is only figurative.I have always believed it is actual.

It was a literal tree in the Garden of Eden and it is a literal tree in the Kingdom of God

[Rick-Parker]

I take the entire Bible literally, and I believe that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil existed in the Garden. Sorry if I gave you the wrong idea.

[Botz]

I take the entire Bible literally, and I believe that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil existed in the Garden. Sorry if I gave you the wrong idea.

The Tree of Life is not the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil though eh?

That's right they are separate.

Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree that they were forbidden to eat.

Presumably they could have eaten from the Tree of Life at any time, unless it had not yet produced fruit, or remained undiscovered in the vastness of the garden that they had the freedom to wander throughout. Did they even know of it's existence? The main concern G-d had after they had fallen into sin, was that they would somehow discover the other tree, eat it's fruit and live forever...thus it was His mercy that drove them out of the Garden, and because of His love that He supernaturally guarded the way to the Tree of life by placing an armed Angel there.....

Can you imagine being condemned to live in a sinful body for all eternity!

Also consider just how righteous some of the pre-flood men of faith were, living nearly 1,000 years before they could rest in the L-rd!

There are always so many things to consider when looking at the first chapters of Genesis...and one of my unanswered questions that is permanently on the back-burner...is why would G-d place the Tree of Life in the Garden in the first place, and was it just by chance that they never ate from it previously, or was it all orchestrated by the intervention of the Serpent, who with his subtle wiles high-lighted the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, by appealing to the destructive essence inherent in the very nature of man...the id?...(and yet man was made perfect, even in the image of G-d.)

When Scripture talks us through Eve's encounter with the Serpent it is through three things that in themselves are good things that she is made to fall from grace...the Serpent used the resources that were available to him, and these were carried in the very nature that G-d had placed in both Adam and Eve

Gen 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

1. Good for food....a perfectly natural desire. (She knew it could satisfy hunger)

2. It looked really yummy....another natural desire. ( She saw it looked good)

3. Could make one wise...yet another natural desire. ( She believed it would increase her awareness)

However these have been likened to:- 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

[Guest agua]

I take the entire Bible literally, and I believe that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil existed in the Garden. Sorry if I gave you the wrong idea.

The Tree of Life is not the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil though eh?

That's right they are separate.

Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree that they were forbidden to eat.

Presumably they could have eaten from the Tree of Life at any time, unless it had not yet produced fruit, or remained undiscovered in the vastness of the garden that they had the freedom to wander throughout. Did they even know of it's existence? The main concern G-d had after they had fallen into sin, was that they would somehow discover the other tree, eat it's fruit and live forever...thus it was His mercy that drove them out of the Garden, and because of His love that He supernaturally guarded the way to the Tree of life by placing an armed Angel there.....

Can you imagine being condemned to live in a sinful body for all eternity!

Also consider just how righteous some of the pre-flood men of faith were, living nearly 1,000 years before they could rest in the L-rd!

There are always so many things to consider when looking at the first chapters of Genesis...and one of my unanswered questions that is permanently on the back-burner...is why would G-d place the Tree of Life in the Garden in the first place, and was it just by chance that they never ate from it previously, or was it all orchestrated by the intervention of the Serpent, who with his subtle wiles high-lighted the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, by appealing to the destructive essence inherent in the very nature of man...the id?...(and yet man was made perfect, even in the image of G-d.)

When Scripture talks us through Eve's encounter with the Serpent it is through three things that in themselves are good things that she is made to fall from grace...the Serpent used the resources that were available to him, and these were carried in the very nature that G-d had placed in both Adam and Eve

Gen 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

1. Good for food....a perfectly natural desire. (She knew it could satisfy hunger)

2. It looked really yummy....another natural desire. ( She saw it looked good)

3. Could make one wise...yet another natural desire. ( She believed it would increase her awareness)

However these have been likened to:- 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

Thanks for your words Botz.I think Adam and Eve may have needed to eat of the Tree of Life on a regular basis(not just once) to sustain their life.This is why God blocked access to prevent them continued eating of the fruit and hence living for ever.The Tree appears again in the world to come so that we can be healed,sustained and live forever.(in my opinion)

The three reasons Eve took the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the parallel with 1 John 2:16 is very interesting.Thanks for posting this.

[Rick-Parker]

I take the entire Bible literally, and I believe that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil existed in the Garden. Sorry if I gave you the wrong idea.

The Tree of Life is not the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil though eh?

Nope, they are 2 different trees.

[Botz]

Thanks for your words Botz.I think Adam and Eve may have needed to eat of the Tree of Life on a regular basis(not just once) to sustain their life.This is why God blocked access to prevent them continued eating of the fruit and hence living for ever.The Tree appears again in the world to come so that we can be healed,sustained and live forever.(in my opinion)

The three reasons Eve took the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the parallel with 1 John 2:16 is very interesting.Thanks for posting this.

I had not considered that Adam and Eve partook of the Tree of Life on a regular basis...when I have always read Gen 3:22 Then the LORD God said,

[Guest agua]

Thanks for your words Botz.I think Adam and Eve may have needed to eat of the Tree of Life on a regular basis(not just once) to sustain their life.This is why God blocked access to prevent them continued eating of the fruit and hence living for ever.The Tree appears again in the world to come so that we can be healed,sustained and live forever.(in my opinion)

The three reasons Eve took the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the parallel with 1 John 2:16 is very interesting.Thanks for posting this.

I had not considered that Adam and Eve partook of the Tree of Life on a regular basis...when I have always read Gen 3:22 Then the LORD God said,

[Botz]

Hi Agua....If I can just take the time to continue with the theme started in the Garden of Eden, where we have already mentioned the three methods by which Eve was tempted until eventually ( it might have been mere seconds, or she might have wandered past that tree again and again, looking at it, smelling it, wondering about it, weighing up what the Serpent said, against what G-d had said...) she succumbed and with her and Adams sin, came the fall of Mankind and the need of a Saviour...through the second `Adam, the L-rd Jesus our Messiah.

I believe that every sin we are capable of committing is summed up in what was shown through Eve's temptation...in other words the root cause is in :-

1.The lust of the flesh

2.The lust of the eyes

3.The pride of life.

Consider the Second Adam when He began His ministry, no sooner did the Father acknowledge His Beloved Son, then the Spirit led Him into the Wilderness, where after 40 days of self-denial, and at His most vulnerable, that Serpent the Devil, confronted Him with a set of similar subtle suggestions just as he did in the Garden.

1. Stones to bread = Lust of the flesh, to satisfy His hunger

2. Throw Yourself off the Temple= Pride of Life...to put on a performance in front of a crowd.

3. Given all the Kingdoms, if You worship Satan =The lust of the eyes....to own all He beheld.

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

I used to think that this meant that the L-rd underwent continuous temptations of all sorts...but I now believe it refers to having been tempted in every area....in other words, the three means by which all of us are tempted. It seems there were certain times during His ministry when the Devil would try and catch Him unaware...sometimes even through His inner circle of Disciples....here one thinks of Peter and some of his interactions with his L-rd, once even to the point where Jesus called him a devil...because He could see who was at work behind the words of Peter.

Paul understood the principle at work in himself as a man, because he recognized that there was nothing good dwelling in his flesh:- Romans 7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not Which is why we often look at people who are not Believers, and to us they seem good people, who are kind and generous, and don't seem to deserve an eternity of Darkness and separation from G-d...but we don't see as G-d sees if we neglect telling them of their Saviour.

Paul goes on to say in Romans 8:5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Ever since the Garden of Eden, mankind, you and I have had to choose firstly to lay our lives at the feet of the Lamb, and then while we remain in this flesh, to consider ourselves crucified with Messiah so that we live our lives in faith, not following the dictates of the flesh, but seeking life, and following the Spirit.

Anyway a few thoughts to consider.