In this
study, we will look at every verse in the Bible that speaks of the “tree of
life” and we will indicate the spiritual connotations from the verses denoting
them numerically as we go along.
1.The Garden of Eden spiritually depicts the paradise
of God, the third heaven of the heavens, the place that Jesus went on the day
he died and the place that the elects will be with him forever:
Ge 2:9 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 (Eden),
and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Re 2:7 He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Lu 23: 42 And he (the
thief on the right hand side of Jesus at the cross, representing the elect, and
who was the last of the old testament fruits) said unto Jesus, Lord,
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto
thee, To day shalt thou be with me in
paradise.
2Cor 12:2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body,
I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an
one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the
body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is
not lawful for a man to utter.
Ne 9:6 Thou, even
thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven,
the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are
therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them
all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
2. To eat of the tree of life is to have eternal life and live for ever,
to eat of Jesus Christ is to live forever and have eternal life:
Ge 3:22 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:
Joh 6:58 This is that bread
(Jesus Christ) which came down from
heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Joh 6:54 Whoso eateth my (Jesus Christ) flesh, and
drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will
raise him up at the last day.
3. After man (Adam) sinned and died spiritually
and became subject to physical death, he was driven from the Garden of Eden in
11013 B.C. (See
Biblical Calendar Page 9), so he could not effectively get to the tree of
life to eat and live forever and the way back to the tree of life was divinely
protected by God (the Cherubims, Psa 80:1, 99:1, 2Kgs 19:15) via His Word (the
flaming sword, Eph 6:17, Rev19:15, Rev 1:16, Heb 4:12). This act was to prevent
man, in general, from obtaining salvation and restricting salvation only to the
elect of God, in essence, only the elect have the right to eat of the tree of
life:
Ge 3:23 Therefore the LORD
God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he
was taken. 24 So he drove out the man;
and he placed at the east of the
Joh 17:9 I (Jesus Christ) pray for them (elect): I pray not
for the world (mankind in general), but for them (elect) which thou (God) hast
given me; for they (elect) are thine.
Re 2:7 He (elect) that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To
him (elect) that overcometh will I (Jesus Christ) give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Re 22:14 Blessed are they (elect) that do his commandments, that they may have right to the
tree of life, and may enter in through
the gates into the city.
2Ti 2:10 Therefore I endure
all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation
which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
4. The tree
of life is wisdom and a fruit of righteousness. Jesus Christ is the wisdom of
God from heaven above and He is righteousness and the very fruit of it:
Pr 3:18 She (wisdom) is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every
one that retaineth her. 19 The LORD
by wisdom (Jesus Christ) hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he
established the heavens.
Pr 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of
life; and he (Jesus Christ) that winneth souls is wise.
1Co 1:30 But of him (God) are ye (the elect) in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us (the elect)
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
Ja 3: 17 But the wisdom (Jesus Christ) that is from
above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be
intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without
hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness (Jesus) is sown in peace of them (the elect) that make peace.
5. The tree of life is the desire of the elect
and when the hope of this desire is deferred it makes the heart to be sick.
Both “Hope” and “Desire” is Jesus Christ who we have seen is all “Wisdom”:
Pr 13:12 Hope (Jesus) deferred
maketh the heart sick: but when the desire
(Jesus)
cometh, it is a tree of life (Jesus).
Pr 18:1 Through desire (Jesus) a man, having separated himself,
seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom
(Jesus).
Ps 39:7 And now, Lord, what
wait I for? my hope (Jesus) is in thee.
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
6. The tree of life is the wholesome tongue that
declares the truths of the only gospel that can bring salvation. Jesus Christ
is the only One with a wholesome tongue from which the wholesome truths of the
true and only gospel flows forth for the salvation of the elect of God, those
predestinated from the foundation of the world at God’s own will and there is
no breach in spirit as the Holy Spirit seals these elects:
Pr 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in
the spirit.
1Ti 6:3 If any man teach
otherwise, and consent not to wholesome
words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine
which is according to godliness;
Eph 1:13 In whom (Jesus) ye (the elect, the ones predestinated) also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy
Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:4 According as he (God)
hath chosen us (the elect) in him (Jesus Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself, according to the
good pleasure of his (God’s) will.
7. The tree of life is in heaven on the side of
the river and bares its fruits every season and its leaves are for the healing
of the elect spread throughout the nations of earth. Jesus Christ ascended to
the third heaven as we saw earlier and He is the tree planted by the rivers of
water and brings forth his fruit in his chosen season, and his leaf shall not
wither but He shall prosper in his work of saving the elect from all nations of
the world:
Re 22:2 In the midst of the
street of it (the third heaven), and
on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of
fruits, and yielded her fruit
every month: and the leaves of the tree were
for the healing of the nations (the
elect throughout the nations of the world).
Ps 1:3 And he (Jesus Christ) shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water, that bringeth
forth his fruit in his season; his
leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he
doeth shall prosper.
Mr 13:27 And then shall he (Jesus)
send his angels, and shall gather
together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the
uttermost part of heaven.
We have therefore
looked at all the Biblical references to the tree of life. And, in all of them,
we have seen the same truth shining through that the tree of life that was in
the Garden of Eden is a spiritual depiction of Jesus Christ who alone can give
eternal life and that only to the elect of God:
Joh
5:26 For as the Father hath life in
himself; so hath he given to the Son (Jesus) to have life in himself;
Joh
6:27 Labour not for the meat which
perisheth, but for that meat which
endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man (Jesus) shall give unto
you (the
elect): for him hath God the Father sealed.
The end.
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