Articles
The Tree of Life
In the early 1500's, a man named Juan Ponce de Leon sailed to the "New World" of what is now North America, landing at the Florida peninsula and claiming it for Spain. He explored much of the land as a representative of the Old World country, with several things in mind: claiming the land for his native country, acquiring slaves and gold, and discovering the legendary "Fountain of Youth." The Fountain of Youth was a mythical spring that was supposed to restore the health and youth of anyone who drank from it, and those who believed it existed spent a great deal of time, effort and resources to find it. He never found it.
Years earlier, back in the Old World, there was a continuing Medieval legend of the Holy Grail that had become familiar among the political and religious leaders of the day. According to this legend, the cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper still existed, a cup used by Joseph of Arimathea to collect drops of blood from Jesus after His death. The one who found and possessed this cup would have the power of life — eternal life — if he but possessed it. [Some would say he had to drink of it, ala Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.] But no one found it.
In these stories — and in some others less familiar — those who believed these things existed were, in effect, searching for the same thing: eternal life! They were all sadly disappointed, however, for none of these things truly existed. They were looking in the wrong place! And sadder still, many of these same men claimed to have knowledge of God and His word, which contained the answer they so relentlessly pursued. What they should have been seeking was The Tree Of Life! This is the thing for which they should have been seeking. This is the thing that God tells us would allow a man to live forever!
In Genesis 2:9, we find the first mention of the tree, stating, “The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden,” along with “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” We then find God commanding man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat” (Gen. 2:16), forbidding only the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17). From this record, we know that man not only had access to the tree of life, but it was intended by God that he have access to it. We find from this record and that of Genesis 3:22 that what God intended was that man have access to this tree that, if its fruit was eaten, would allow man to live forever. God intended from the beginning that man live forever! The tree of life was the source of eternal life.
However, because man sinned and ate of the tree that God had forbidden, he had come to know good and evil (Gen. 3:22), and for this God said he had to leave. At this point, man was forcibly separated from God because sin had entered into the world and into the life of man, preventing him from walking and talking with God as he had previously been able to do. The way of life God had originally intended was now changed and the relationship with man that He had intended was no longer possible. The home man had in the garden of Eden was his no longer, and no longer would he have the ease of working and tending to it. Now, he would have to labor for his food and have to deal with thorns and thistles as he tried to provide food for himself.
From this point on, man had no access to the very tree that God had intended would give him eternal life! The logical result was that death entered into this world. The apostle Paul stated as much when he said, “through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12). Yes, spiritual death was a result, but so was physical death.
But is there a way to gain access to this tree of life once again? If so, where is it, and who may have access to it?
According to the Scriptures, the tree is again said to be in a garden — “in the midst of the Paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7). The word Paradise is from the Greek word paradeisos, which means a place similar to a pleasure garden or park. Again, The Tree Of Life is in the garden of God, in a place free of sin and where man can once again walk and talk with God. This place is described as a place where “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4). In this place, we find a river, and on “either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2). The tree itself is the healing power for all that man had suffered and will suffer until that day when man again may take from the tree.
As we might imagine, not just anyone will have access to this tree. What drove man out of the garden of old will prevent him from entering in. God's word tells us it will be the obedient who have access: “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (Rev. 22:14). Not the ones who say, "Lord, Lord," but the ones who do the will of the Father (Matt. 7:21). When we consider why man was driven out, we may understand how we may again enter!
We may also know that it will be the faithful who have access to this tree, for the Lord Himself declared, “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life” (Rev. 2:7). Only those faithful ones who have lived for Him until their death would have that right. No one who turns their back on the Lord can expect entry to be offered. Those who “did not love their life even when faced with death” (Rev. 12:11) would be afforded the way to the tree of life.
Let us not overlook the fact that the city where the obedient and the faithful may enter [“the holy city, New Jerusalem”; Rev. 21:2] is a figure of the Lord's church and, ultimately, heaven. It only makes sense, for it is the obedient and the faithful who make up the Lord's church, and only the obedient and the faithful who will be rewarded with eternal life in heaven! It is only the obedient who can call Christ their Savior (cf. Heb. 5:8, 9), whose blood was shed that any might have the hope of eternal life.
It is no coincidence that Jesus is our source of eternal life; that was always in God's plan. By His death Jesus conquered death itself. When Jesus died, and then arose, He defeated death, and it no longer had dominion over Him for He arose, never to die again (Rom. 6:9). He “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10). He destroyed “him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb. 2:14, 15). In the most powerful way, Jesus is our source of eternal life!
That death and resurrection made possible one more important thing: reconciliation with God. Paul reminds us, “we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Rom. 5:10), and, “you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death” (Col. 1:21, 22). Jesus is our tree of life! —— Steven Harper
