This meant, before they were cast out for sin, if they refused to eat the tree of life, they would grow old and die.
2007-12-25 04:45:53 · 21 answers · asked by Elvis P 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You seem to be confused a little about what exactly God' purpose is for us.....In the beginning of God's plan for mankind, God made available to Adam and Eve His gift of eternal life represented by the tree of life (Genesis 2:9, 16). This tree represented God's way of life, belief in and obedience to God's revealed will.
The garden contained another tree as well, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (verse 9). This tree represented something altogether different: man choosing his own way of life rather than following God's revelation. Man's way is the way of deciding for himself what is right and wrong. By choosing this way rather than God's revealed way, Adam and Eve made a fundamental choice that has affected humanity ever since.
Influenced by Satan, Adam and Eve chose to decide for themselves what is right and wrong. Refusing to believe and obey God, they followed Satan's deceitful ways. As a result, they made the wrong choice and took of the forbidden fruit, which led to their deaths (Genesis 2:17).
Had Adam and Eve taken of the tree of life, they would have received eternal life (Genesis 3:22). This is why, after they had made the wrong choice and had taken of the wrong tree, God shut them off from the tree of life "lest they live forever." God could not allow them to live forever in their sinful, rebellious state.
Because of their disobedience, God told them of their sure fate: "You [shall] return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19).
It is important to realize that God's original plan to give mankind eternal life, which was rejected by Adam and Eve, is available to each of us today as a result of God's personal calling.
Adam and Eve introduced sin to mankind, and all humans springing from them are "appointed" to die because all have sinned (Romans 5:12; Hebrews 9:27). Yet God's purpose for mankind stands; His purpose to give mankind eternal life will succeed! Throughout the rest of the Bible we see the unfolding of God's plan of redemption: the purchase of mankind for a price. Man, we see, is rescued from death by the priceless shed blood of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
The little-understood truth is that God's initial purpose for mankind is that he not die. The temporary existence that ends in death is not God's original purpose for mankind. It is part of the curse for sin brought on humanity by the wrong choice made by our first parents, and all have chosen to follow that sinful way ever since (Romans 3:23).
2007-12-25 04:57:13 · answer #1 · answered by TIAT 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Actually, the Genesis account does not teach that these trees had any peculiar or supernatural powers of their own. Rather, they were actual trees that God יהוה invested with symbolic meaning. Do not humans do something similar at times? For instance, a judge may warn against the crime of acting in contempt of court. It is not the furniture, fixtures, and walls of the courtroom itself that the judge wants to protect from disrespect but the system of justice that the court represents. Various monarchs too have used the scepter and the crown as symbols of their sovereign authority. What, then, did the two trees symbolize? Many complex theories have been put forward. The genuine answer, while simple, is quite profound. The tree of the knowledge of good and bad represented a privilege that is God’s province alone—the right to determine what is good and what is bad. (Jeremiah 10:23) No wonder it was a crime to steal from that tree! The tree of life, on the other hand, represented a gift that only God can bestow—everlasting life.—Romans 6:23.
2016-04-11 00:02:41 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The tree of life was a choice, such as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you refused the tree of life you would eventually die. It was a choice, free will. But why did Adam and Eve even need to have been given this choice? Nobody wants to die, why couldn't they just live forever?
I have my own theories on the subject, and they do not indite God.
What's interesting is people lived a lot longer in the old testament, some have suggested it was the residual of them eating from the tree of life.
2007-12-25 06:24:43 · answer #3 · answered by correct 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The tree represented immortality, not just living forever.
One can live forever and not be immortal, consider the devil, he is mortal and he had lived for ages as a loyal angel, and had the prospect of continuing... now soon he will die...
The tree represented God’s guarantee of life.
Genesis 3:22 shows us this, and that is why God had it guarded after he pronounced the sentence of death on Adam and Eve...
Had Adam and Eve been allowed to eat from that tree, it would have proved God a liar. (Genesis 2:17; 3:2-4) Because God commanded that they not eat from the tree of knowledge of Good and Bad or they would die. Satan is the one who said they would not die. If they ate from the tree of life after they ate from the tree of Good and Bad, Satan would have been telling the truth and God would have been a liar.
Eating of the tree of life means you have God's Guarantee You will never die, Forever.
Journey Well...
I'll add too if you read Revelation you will notice, the waters of life, and trees of life... What does this mean? Revelation is placed in the future...
2007-12-25 04:56:31 · answer #4 · answered by Juggernaut 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Well living forever isn't much of a life. Who really wants to live forever. Life is living and then dying, with all the joys and sorrows that comes along with it.
Anyway I saw this documentary on TV, that said that the tree of life was from an early pagan religion and the snake was the God of that religion. It said something that God didn't want Adam and Eve to go to that tree because he didn't want them to know what the snake God knew. So when the snake talked to Adam and Eve it was telling them the things they it knew it could offer them. A new way of life. The way the special described it was that the snake wasn't evil or Satan, but more like some thing that wanted Adam and Eve to know what was really up.
Anyway it was interesting.
2007-12-25 05:04:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
God gave man a choice - live forever in fellowship with Him in Eden by faith, or eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and live off the land. Adam and Eve spurned the Tree of Life and so were driven out.
We still have the same choice. We may enjoy eternal life with God now through faith in His Word, which points to His Son. Or we may choose to live according to the flesh.
2007-12-25 05:48:34 · answer #6 · answered by Steve Husting 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
God knows the beginning from the end and everything in between. He knew that man would fall and be in need of salvation. The tree of life pointed to Jesus and the eternal life that only comes through Him.
As far as man dieing, before the fall there was no death. The wages of sin is death, since man had not sinned no on would have died whatsoever.
Even if there was a need to eat of the tree, rebelion is sin in it's self and would have left man in position to need Jesus.
2007-12-25 04:57:31 · answer #7 · answered by allan b 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't think God created humans to live forever in theGarden of Eden. Why did God create a tree of Life? I doubt that any human can answer WHY God does anything. To understand the reasoning behind God's decision you would have to have a mind equal to God's. Before man sinned, there was no death at all.
2007-12-25 04:53:12 · answer #8 · answered by oldguy63 7 · 2⤊ 3⤋
First of all God did not create humans to live forever in the physical garden of eden. If we carefully examine God's Holy Word we find that He had a higher calling for His creation of humans in Christ. We in Christ will be face to face with God in all His fullness. Adam and all others out of him could never have that blessing if it were not for the fall of mankind into sin, the need for redemption and the total redemption of God's children in Christ. Oh! the wisdom of God.
As to the tree of life, it is spoken of in the following passages
and it is obvious what it was for. At the same time if we look closely we can find different representations of the tree of life including even our Lord as the bread of life.
Gen 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, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Gen 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:
Gen 3:24 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.
Rev 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.
Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, 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.
Rev 22:14 Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Also Proverbs refers to the tree of life as follows:
Pro 3:18 She [is] a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy [is every one] that retaineth her.
Pro 11:30 The fruit of the righteous [is] a tree of life; and he that winneth souls [is] wise.
Pro 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but [when] the desire cometh, [it is] a tree of life.
Pro 15:4 A wholesome tongue [is] a tree of life: but perverseness therein [is] a breach in the spirit.
We as humans only have that which God chose to reveal to us. At the end we will know even as we are known.
I so long for that day to know even as I am known.
Glory, praise, honor, power, dominion unto or King and our LORD forever and ever, AMEN!
2007-12-25 05:58:15 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
A little backward there.
They could eat anytime from the tree of life. They were thrown out after their sin so they would not eat of the tree of life. Angels and a flaming sword were placed at the entrance so Adam & Eve could not sneek in and eat of that tree.
2007-12-25 04:54:33 · answer #10 · answered by grnlow 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's an allegory about the mind. The tree of knowledge is the imperfect state of the Tree of knowledge, but experiential knowledge is through the division that the tree of knowledge invokes in dualism of mind so each aspect of mind can be developed and refine without deficiency. If there wasn't a deficiency before then it would've never been a need to eat of that tree, nor would a tree of life exist. Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil which is duality of mind/division is necessary to be eaten upon in order to get to the Tree of Life, its ultimate completion is when it embodies perfection and becomes the Tree of Life which grants that one becomes a God, or rather come to "Know Thy Self", that "Ye Are Gods" and know your Authentic Self which is a Being of radiant Light, and is all MIND.
Think about, what great deficiency they were in not knowing anything? The Tree of knowledge, or the enlightenment of the condition of the mind, as it dwelt within the polarities of male/female perceived through the allegory of Adam/Eve whole at once were of one body, but divided. What brought death was this division, but not a literal death but death in the manner of duality of mind. The female representing the principle of the reflective, being the Life which in grows the essence of the male. The male and female, the active and reflective brings forth the fruits of the tree of life, these polarities of mind have to engage within their own nature and as these facilities expand and interact to become a unified whole, there is harmonious in balance in the image of Life. Nor was the snake ever, it was and is an image of wisdom, its that quality of mind which leads one to recognize their deficiency/defective nature and thereby in mind can bring about resolution and become a fullness.
2007-12-25 05:11:00 · answer #11 · answered by Automaton 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋