The tree of life

And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Genesis 2:8-9, 15-17, 22 &24

The bible recorded that after the creation of man God planted a garden, and in that He planted at the middle the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and placed man there. He instructed man not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but never said anything about the tree of life, He said in the day man eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would die. Though God did not say much about the tree of life, but the interesting thing about it is that it has the ability of perfecting man (that is putting him in his final state, for though man was created perfect but was not in his end state).
The tree of life was planted in the middle of the garden along side the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the Lord said man should not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but was silent about the tree of life, and only said something about it after man fell. Since the bible was silent about the tree of life before the fall, only that God planted the tree alongside the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it would not be wrong to say that man ate the fruit prior to the fall and we might also say that he did not. Though he might or might not have eaten of the tree of life before the fall, it still would not have changed anything because the tree of life was for the perfection of man which was still at the later end achieved. Eating or not of the tree before the fall would only shed light on how the perfection would have taken place, because in the dispensation of grace man was perfected in Christ Jesus, though this perfection is not finalized it will be at the end of all things.

We will look at the two schools of thought closely because what was later revealed by God about the tree of life after the fall of man was very interesting. When man fell and was chased out of the garden, God put cherubims to guard the garden from man saying that he should not come back and eat of the tree of life and live forever in his fallen state (emphasis added).
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Genesis 3:22-24

We look now at the first school of thought which is the possibility that man was eating of the tree of life before the fall. According to God the tree of life possess the ability to make man live forever, now if we assume that he was eating of the tree before the fall it means that the perfection of man was going to be a gradual process, man would continue to eat of the tree till he get perfected in a way God has set. The tree of life which was for his perfection no doubt would be to make man better and better by the day, which is the same according to the scriptures that when we get to Heaven we will get better and better for all eternity. According to this thought man was in the process of perfection and eventually becoming what God has created him to be, and obviously he was not perfected before the fall so we are not far from the truth. The bible was silent about how long Adam was in the garden for us to really say for sure how far he had gone in the process of perfection before the fall, but some things are truly clear to us that, one, God created Adam to live forever, and two, he was not in his final state and needed to be perfected. Now when he fell it was important that he left the garden for he was now corrupt and might continue to eat of the tree of life and live forever in his fallen state, though God wanted him to live forever but not in that fallen state.

Now coming to the second school of thought which is the possibility that he was not eating of the tree of life before the fall, remember I said earlier on that this possibilities change absolutely nothing of his perfection, it is just how he might have been perfected for the fact still remain that he will be perfected. If Adam had not been eating of the tree of life it meant that though God never told him not to eat out of it, he was being tested and failed the test. It is established that God planted two trees at the middle of the garden which has supernatural and different capabilities, and told him not to eat one but was silent about the other. This can only suggest that God was testing him to see what he would do (just like when He brought the animals to him to see what he would call them, and told Jeremiah that He is watching over His word to perfect it Jeremiah 1:12), man was created a three dimensional being, he is created a spirit who has a soul and lives in a body (read my write up on man a three dimensional being). God created him to use his initiatives in his decision making, God was observing what man would do with the tree of life, probably God told him about the abilities of the tree or not, this would only suggest the level of trust God placed on him, remember the naming of the animals (God placed so much trust in man in the naming of the animals that the bible says whatever man called the animals was their names). If man had not been eating of the tree of life before his fall, he failed the test for obviously God wanted him to eat it (for God said of every tree in the garden you can eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you should not eat) because God had wanted him to be perfected, for it was only after the fall that God prevented him from eating of the tree of life. For God not to have made any effort to dissuade man from eating of the tree of life and did everything possible to warn him from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, meant that God wanted him to eat of the tree of life and not the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was graven and the beginning of sin for humanity. The action drove Adam out of the garden and brought about another dispensation, of a truth we would have had just one dispensation or two, probably the dispensation of innocence and forever and ever.

The two possibilities are in line with the revealed facts in the scriptures that God intended for man to live forever, he was not perfect and needed to be perfected (that is to be in his final state) and also that the tree of life possess in itself that which will make man perfect (in his final state), so the possibilities only suggest how man could have been perfected and changes nothing entirely.

God gave man options when he was created, to eat of the fruit of the tree of life and every other tree in the garden but sternly warned him not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this is the beginning of sin. When man was created, he was created with freewill, he has the ability to choose and to decide, for the bible says God breathed into him and he became a living soul, he became conscious of his existence and his soul was awaken. Man was created free but he was not a moral agent, meaning he do not have the ability to discern right or wrong, goodness or badness, his right and wrong, goodness and badness was in God. Man was created innocent and filled with God to the extent that he can not do a thing aside from God, in fact he does not a single thing aside from God, and man was in his most sincere state.

Then, he knew things by inspiration, when God brought the animals to him to name, He trusted him enough to entrust the naming of the animals to him and the bible says whatever man called them that was their name, man was perfectly representing and expressing God on earth. No matter what man did then was right, he does not even have to try to do right because he can not do otherwise, he is directly connected to God, God was his source and life and he can never be wrong. The truth is that man was not yet enlightened, like I said the other time, man was perfect but not yet perfected, he was not enlightened he knows nothing else aside from God, what is in Him and His will. This might shock so many, but it is the plain truth, man was so ignorant that he did not even know he was naked, now this is not to be taken negatively but to be taken in the light of the truth, or do you think God intend for man to be naked? For immediately they discover they were naked God was the first to make a better covering for them which shows the intentions of God. Though this has spiritual significance, we would not be going into that for the scope of this write up does not include that; they were covered by the glory of God which is the plain spiritual truth and they were not naked in the actual sense. Looking through the bible, you will discover that God is interested in our covering and not showing our unclothedness spiritually or physically.

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy unclothedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Revelation 3:18

This state is not the final state of man but he needed to be completed or perfected, have you ever wondered what would have happened if man had not sinned by eating the forbidden fruit? Does it mean we will all be walking around naked and ignorant for all eternity?
I don’t think so, but before I answer these questions, I will want to say what the end phase of man will be even in this fallen state, because that will shed more light into answering the question. When Adam fell, we were all suppose to perish, but as a result of the coming of Christ we found life and are restored back to the first state which were formally with God in the Garden of Eden and better. Before man fell, he was having a perfect fellowship with God, though ignorant (Lacking awareness in general), the ignorance is not to be seen as negative for he was yet to be perfected. That was not all that God intended for man, the coming of Christ reveals the intentions of God for man, because the death and resurrection of Christ made us joint heirs with Christ, partakers of the heavenly gifts and are seated in the Heavenly realm with Christ Jesus, and
with that we can represent and fully express the true image of the father even having been enlightened.

With Adam, it was as if God was hiding something from him which the devil tried to point out, though this was a total lie because the devil twisted the whole thing. The devil knew man was not perfected and was going to be perfected, so the devil lured man to go against God so that he can be perfected in the fallen state and disrupt the plans of God forever. God kicked back His plans to life by the coming of Jesus, in Jesus man was meant to be perfected, but even this will not be consummated until after the millennium reign when God restores all things to His original intention. In Christ we have all the fullness of God and ability to fully represent and express God on earth now, but at the end of all things man will be given a new body which is spiritual and live eternally in the presence of the father in the purest and most sincere form.
Now answering the question, if man had not sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, he would have eaten or continue to eat of the fruit of the tree of life as the case maybe, be perfected and live forever. This sounds and look simple but let us look at it closely, like I said earlier on God never said anything to man about the tree of life before the fall and knew very well that man could have eaten it and live forever, according to the word of God which we looked at about the cherubims guiding the tree after the fall, the resultant effect if man had eaten the fruit of the tree of life in that fallen state, will be for him to live forever. No doubt God wanted man to eat the fruit of the tree because it has the ability to make man perfected and to live forever.

Shockingly if man had not fallen, Jesus would not have come for He is a type of the tree of life which was planted in the Garden, and when anyone accepts Jesus as his/her lord and personal savior, the person is partaking of the tree of life which Adam failed at. Now we have to understand that man was created to live forever even if he did not partake of the tree of life, once man was created he will never cease to be, so in essence the tree of life was for the perfection of man and not just to live forever, just like when anyone rejected Jesus, he will still live forever in Hell but will never be perfected.

The perfection of man entails him becoming that which God actually created him to be, God created him to be perfected in other to be able to fully fellowship with Him and express His image. To be perfected, he will use his freewill to serve God purely even when he can choose not to, this is the reason two trees were planted at the middle of the garden which has the ability to enlighten man. He either chooses to be enlightened God’s way or the way of the flesh, for though it was the devil that tempted him it was still his flesh trying to gratify itself, so it was a question of his own way or God’s. Though God has the ability to perfect whatever He wants perfected even at first, like creating man already perfected, but as we learnt from the scriptures He chooses to do things in process, He could have created man in his end state just as He wanted but He chose not to for reason best known to Him. This is the same reason we can not fully comprehend why He chooses to do some things the way He does, like some say why did He create the devil knowing fully well that he will turn against Him since He knows all things? It is still the same answer; He is God and can not be questioned. It is wise for us not to ask such questions or be disturbed about such, like David said I do not disturb myself with matters to great for me Psalm 131:1 and in Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law, because our little mind can not fully comprehend nor grasp the works of God.

It will be advisable to read my write up on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Very very edifying.
It has also answered my opther question.
Thank God for his plan of salvation.

Joshthefirst: Very very edifying.
It has also answered my opther question.
Thank God for his plan of salvation.

Yeah, they are actually culled from my book-salvation, u can send ur e-mail to get the book if u want

This is serious.

My head is about to boost about this tree of life and Genesis.

Some things are hidden from mankind period. And we should take it that way.

I wouldn't like to ask what I have in mind to avoid the wrath of the creator.

Nice write up though.

Youngzedd: This is serious.

My head is about to boost about this tree of life and Genesis.

Some things are hidden from mankind period. And we should take it that way.

I wouldn't like to ask what I have in mind to avoid the wrath of the creator.

Nice write up though.

Yeah u are right deuteronomy 29:29, some things are left, but it also says those things that are revealed belong to us n our children that we might do the works of the law.

Paul had the law/scriptures before he came on board, bt God gave him revelations which he obediently put down in his epistles. Not that I am trying to feel like Paul, its just that when God gives u a message u cant be disobedient to the Heavenly voice!

He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:7

Are you prepared for the second coming of Jesus?

Spending unique quality time in the presence of the Father daily to pray and read the bible, will keep one spiritually inclined and alert!

Stay blessed and remain rapturable

There is nothing "like once saved forever saved" at least not the way many of us believe it. The truth remains that as the world deteriorate and evil reigns, the love of many for the Lord would wane and many would return to the world or start living lives of compromise. So only those that remain steadfast, holding on to their faith to the end and not compromising, the same shall be saved and rapture when Jesus comes!

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Matthew 24:12-13

Stay blessed and remain rapturable

Pastor Olu T: He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:7

Do u have ears, are u holding on to the end?