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Have you ever considered that from Genesis to Revelation, the tree is a way God uses to tell His story? Sin entered the world because Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the forbidden tree in the Garden. There were many trees in the Garden God designed, but two are of significance. The tree of knowledge was a plant in the midst of the Garden of Eden used to prove the first couple’s loyalty to the Creator (Gen.2-3). The tree of knowledge was Adam and Eve’s opportunity to demonstrate obedience and loyalty to God, but the serpent used it to tempt Eve to eat and to become like God “knowing good and evil” This intrigues me how Eve could have been tempted to want to know about evil when she should have not even understood what the serpent was talking about. Evil did not exist in the garden until after the fall. Pride goes before the fall. When Adam joined Eve in eating the forbidden fruit, the result was shame, guilt, exclusion from the garden, and separation from the tree of life and from God. The Bible’s primary interest about the tree of knowledge is not what kind of knowledge it represented – moral judgment, secular knowledge, sexual knowledge, universal knowledge, or some other kind – but how it serves as God’s test and Satan’s temptation. The result for mankind
was disaster as they failed the test and fell to the temptation .
In Revelation 22:2 we read “In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit for every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:14 says, “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”. The mysterious tree of life that is mentioned in the first chapters of Genesis and is also in the concluding chapters of the Bible in Revelation. The Garden of Eden had many trees, but two were set apart, the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. When Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden tree of knowledge, their understanding of good and evil was awakened, requiring God to expel Adam and Eve from the beautiful paradise. To protect the tree of life, God stationed a cherub with a burning sword to prevent any access to the tree of life. According to Scripture, if the banished couple were to eat of the tree of life in their sinful condition they could live forever as sinners without possible redemption (Gen. 3:24).
According to the Book of Revelation, the tree of life is presently in Heaven, whether it was removed from the Garden or whether it was just a replica of what was in Heaven we will find out soon. The heavenly tree produces twelve types of fruit, a new fruit for each month. This may be why the number 12 becomes so important in Biblical history, as God prepared His plan of redemption to restore a fallen human race:
12 types of fruit, 12 sons of Jacob and 12 apostles of Christ formed the church. The leaves of the heavenly tree of life, when eaten, will bring physical healing (Rev. 22:2). There is a “river of life” flowing from the throne of God and on both sides of the river is a tree of life. All trees need water and light for growth and in this city the glory of God is the light and the river provides the water. This combination causes the fruit and leaves from the tree of life to bring the healing and sustaining life of God to all who partake of its fruit.
As spring approaches we recognize that spring time is a most important time of the year. The trees bud out and leaves appear and it seems to bring new life. The spring season is an important and exciting time also because this is the time the Jews celebrate Passover and the Christian celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the most important event for humanity because it was through the Messiah’s death and resurrection that we have forgiveness of sins and the right to eternal life and becoming one with almighty God through the marriage feast of the Lamb. In Matthew 24 the disciples asked Christ for the sign of His coming and the end of the age. After a lengthy discourse describing wars, famines, pestilence and deception and various cosmic signs, Christ concluded with the Parable of the Fig Tree. Normally, when Christ spoke in a parable, it was a story with a hidden meaning that He often revealed privately to His disciples. In this parable He states a known fact: when you see the fig leaves, you know that summer is near. It appeared that this parable was not totally complete, or perhaps the disciples were already aware of a fig tree parable and needed no further explanation. Could their knowledge have been Song of Solomon 2:8-13? These verses could have helped the disciples understand what Jesus meant. The Song of Solomon is a book about a bride and a bridegroom. In this passage, the bride (the church) is waiting for her bridegroom to appear. He has been observing her from the secret place from behind a wall in the upper lattice (heaven). Suddenly she hears his voice. The Lord will descend in a shout and those in the grave will hear His voice. After the voice, he is seen leaping on the mountains and skipping on the hills. When Christ returns for the church, His feet will not touch the ground, but He will be in the air, above the hills and mountains; and He will skip from mountain to mountain to gather the dead in Christ and the living to Himself! In verses 10 and 13, the bridegroom states twice, “Arise my love”. This may be a reference to the resurrection and the catching away of those who know Christ. In the New Testament, the dead will be called to rise first, and then we who are alive will be transformed and called to rise and meet Him in the air. This parable would have been fully understood by the disciples if they were familiar with The Song of Solomon passage.
As we study trees, lets consider that it was a tree on which the Lamb of God was crucified. I believe this was God’s plan – it had to be a tree, because at a tree is where sin originated. Sin was defeated by the blood of Christ on a tree.
When I visited The Garden of Gethsemane , I looked at one large olive tree and it appeared as if it were two trees grown together. Our tour guide told us they believe the roots of this tree goes back to the time of Christ. It did look like two trees grown together and all Christians knows that when Jesus came unto His own (John 1:12) and they received Him not, that he turned to the Gentile nation and we were grafted into the tree.
Recently reading Romans 11:25, I thought maybe God is telling the Gentile to be aware that a time is coming when the true root will be re-grafted. Christians, especially American Christians need to reread this, because we are racing toward Roman 11:25 with a rapid pace. Many Christians are distressed to see America embracing iniquity and perversion as a normal lifestyle. Hollywood portrays dysfunctional homes and tries to make us believe this is normal. Presidential candidates are promoting gay marriages, and debates rages about any symbol of Christianity in a public place. It appears a spirit of hatred against Christ has been unleashed on our nation. America’s spiritual light is dimming and the oil in our lamps is low. Is this moral and spiritual decline self-inflicted, or part of God’s larger plan to slowly permit the blinding of the Gentiles in order to complete the fullness of the Gentiles? (Romans 11:25)
The idea that God would allow unbelief to eventually seize the Gentiles is a foreign concept to many Christians. We have forgotten the wrath of God that is told in the Bible. We hide behind the saying, “ well the gospel has to be preached to all the world before the end can come”. Might I remind you that this sign along with all the other signs of the end of time are for the Glorious Appearing, and not for the Rapture. In Paul’s writing in Romans 11 he reveals clues about the concept of “re-grafting of the original olive tree”. Christians need to be aware that there could never have been a re-grafting before May 15, 1948 when Israel became a nation. After the holocaust (fire), God granted Israel a nation and started the process of re-grafting His tree. The original olive tree branch had never been forgotten, it just had to go through the fire first. Israel’s unbelief caused the blinders to come. For hundreds of years, America was looked upon as a Christian nation. The flag and the Bible were our national emblems. Our founding fathers were mostly Christians who used the Holy Bible as the foundation to write our national documents. God was discussed openly without verbal retaliation or fear of a lawsuit. But today, over 48% of the American population feels that our President expresses and practices his religion too openly. Some of those are Christians.
From the time of George Washington, American Presidents have been sworn in with their hand resting on a Bible. Franklin Graham was sued over using the name of Jesus at the inauguration of the President in 2001. This would have been unheard of just 10 years ago.
Sometime when you go from the brightness of the sun outside into a dark room, it takes your eyes time to adjust before you can see. Eventually the darkness subsides and you can see – your eyes adjust to the dark. Perhaps we just do not get it or do not care, or maybe we have adjusted our eyes and the darkness doesn’t bother us any more.
While viewing the news recently, I noticed the statistic that at that time 2500 gay couples had been married in the city of San Francisco. All of this illegal and definitely immoral but nevertheless a fact. Often when I had taught regarding the signs of the end of time I had taught that it would be “as in the days of Noah, …they were marrying and giving in marriage”. I often thought this strange. God ordained marriage, why was it listed as a sign? When I viewed the newscast, it was as if God removed my blinders and said this is what I meant “giving in marriage”. If this be true and I believe it is, we are definitely in the “days of Noah” and the end is near. Christians need to wake up, time is drawing near, sin is a “negative message” but a relevant one and we need to face sin, not bury our heads in the sand and ignore sin, or let our eyes become conditioned to the darkness.
Jesus’ death on the tree enabled the Gentiles to receive Him and we are now in the Church Age, but He will soon return and once again save a remnant of the root of the original tree. The Jews will be re-grafted into the tree.
The hope of the Gentile and the “Olive Tree” can be found in Hebrews 12:2 ..”..Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross (an old tree), despising the shame…”, and that Jesus will soon return just as He left. Acts 1:10 says that two men (not angels) in white apparel stood beside the onlookers and said. ….Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven”. Revelation 19:14 tells us that He is coming back with an army. He is coming back with His Bride to set up His kingdom here on earth. His everlasting kingdom which grows a tree which bears 12 fruits, will be the eternal home of all who accept Jesus as their personal savior. GOOD NEWS – PASS IT ON!
