The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is a tree recorded in the Bible, mentioned in several places. In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, it is recorded: The cunning ancient serpent (that is, the devil, the ancient dragon) deceived the ignorant Eve into eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, telling her that she would become like God, knowing good and evil, and “would not surely die.”

 After eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden by God. Cherubim were then stationed to guard the entrance of the Garden of Eden and block the path to the Tree of Life, whose fruit could grant immortal life, preventing humanity from eating its fruit.

Because of sin, Adam and Eve lost the intimate relationship they once had with God. Their desire to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil resulted in irreparable loss. Not only did they have to bear the consequences of sin, but their descendants also lost the way back to the Tree of Life. Humans had no ability or means to approach God and restore that intimate relationship with Him.

This situation was not reversed until the Lord Jesus appeared on earth. Although Jesus was a person and not literally a tree, he is the only begotten Son of God, and life is in him—so he is the Tree of Life once again manifested among mankind. The Lord not only told people that he is life and that he has eternal life, but also told people to “eat him” and “drink him.” In John chapter 6, Jesus said: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life… For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” God once again gave people the opportunity to choose life. Sadly, few at the time chose him to gain life; most people thought eating the Lord’s flesh and drinking his blood was too unbelievable, and they turned away from him.

This opportunity still remains today; the door to life has not closed yet. Whoever receives Christ, believing in him from the heart, is as if eating the fruit of the Tree of Life and gaining eternal life.

 The Bible’s last book, Revelation, also mentions the Tree of Life. In Revelation 22:1–2, it says: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the Tree of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

Genesis and Revelation were written by two different authors—Moses and the Apostle John—about fifteen hundred years apart. Genesis speaks of curse and death, while Revelation speaks of healing and life. At the end of Revelation, Christ’s redemptive work is complete, and God’s purpose is fulfilled: all Christians—whose names are in the Book of Life—are transformed by the Spirit. This is the grand result of the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Bible begins with humanity losing access to the Tree of Life and ends with humanity regaining it, revealing God’s profound mystery and plan of salvation.

*The memory of the “Tree of Life” exists in many ancient civilizations, appearing in different forms in the texts and relics of the ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Chinese, Indians, and the people of Urartu. This indirectly supports the idea that humanity’s ancestors all came from Eden.