Let’s hop into our time machine and travel back to the days immediately following the creation of man. Our roadmap will be the book of Genesis. Here we see the sum of the entire population of the world consisting of only two people, the man Adam and his woman, Eve.
God establishes their home in a garden that He, himself planted in a land called Eden. They spend their days tending the garden and communing with God in the cool of the day. Their existence is idyllic, their surroundings as near to heaven as earth could contain.
We can imagine that Adam and Eve were surrounded by flora that would, no doubt, stun us by its beauty, had we the occasion to see it today. We can envision great rivers, streams, pools and springs of the purest crystal-clear water. Animal life was plentiful. We can easily imagine that God’s garden hosted beautiful birds, butterflies and other wonderful creatures more exotic than those found in present-day tropical rain forests.
In Genesis chapter 2, verse 9 we are told a little about the flora that God placed in the garden. We see every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. “Pleasant to the sight” shows that God was concerned with man’s aesthetic sensitivities. “Good for food” reveals that God had abundantly provided for Adam and Eve’s nutritional needs.
We also see two other, more peculiar, trees in this garden, the “tree of life” and the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” (Genesis 2:9). Adam and Eve were permitted to eat of the fruit of all the trees in the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eating of the fruit of this tree was forbidden. God specifically declared:
But, eventually, Eve was seduced by the serpent and disobeyed God and ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree.
She gave the fruit to Adam and he ate as well, thus ushering into the human race all the woes it has seen since. In Genesis, chapter three, verses 17-9 we read what God said to Adam:
To Eve God proclaimed:
This is very telling. We see that one of the punishments inflicted upon Adam was that the ground was cursed for his sake. From examining the consequences of this curse in the scripture, we can see that it produced a chokehold on the earth. From this point forward, the ground began to bring forth other forms of vegetation that inflicted harm upon the bodies of men and began to compete with produce-bearing crops for vital water, soil and sunlight.
Although the Bible doesn’t state it specifically, we can also assume that other forms of plant life such as poison ivy, oak and sumac also came into being as a result of this curse. This is a safe assumption, since none of these would have a place in a garden planted by God for man’s enjoyment. In all probability, weeds, choking vines, stinging nettles, burdocks and other nefarious plant life also had their source in this curse.
The Bible doesn’t specifically state exactly how long Adam and Eve had from the time they were created until they were evicted from the garden. We see from Genesis 2:18–22 that Adam was created first and was living in the garden prior to Eve’s creation. During this time of Adam’s existence, God assigned Adam the responsibility of dressing and keeping the garden and naming all the animals. We can only assume that a considerable period of time passed during this time and that Adam’s time in the garden was lengthy.
The Bible relates another very curious sequence of events related to the fall of Adam and Eve. These events involve the tree of life and the humans’ access to it. Let’s take a look at Genesis 3:22–24:
Wow … there’s some strange stuff in these scriptural passages. Let’s examine verse 22.
I remember reading this passage as a child and thinking that one bite of the fruit of the tree of life would have allowed Adam and Eve to live forever. What a concept! “Wow, if Adam had only eaten from the tree of life, he would have lived forever.” Why, then, didn’t he eat of it?
This scripture has sparked a lot of debate and speculation over the centuries. Just like I did, many have concluded that the tree of life would have given Adam eternal life, had he only partaken of it. Was the tree of life an actual physical tree? Some theologians say “no”, and see the tree of life as a metaphor, signifying some greater spiritual concept. Some scholars even go so far as to state that, since only Christ can impart eternal life, the tree of life in Genesis was nothing more than a metaphor, illustrating the presence of Jesus Christ in the garden. Other theologians have devised far more fanciful ideas to explain the references to this tree and what they signify.
In Genesis 2:17, where God relates to Adam the consequences of partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, He says:
Since Adam and Eve did not drop dead on the spot that day, we can understand how some scholars have arrived at their conclusion that the tree of life was a metaphorical reference to spiritual death, not physical death. In other words, the day that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit (whatever that was), they died spiritually.
Following this line of reasoning, the passages in Genesis 3:22–24 would mean that, in addition to being evicted from the garden, Adam and Eve were also banned from access to Christ, the tree of life, i.e. spiritual salvation. If the tree of life is a metaphor for Christ and salvation to eternal life, then, when Adam and Eve sinned, God closed the door of salvation to them. Reading this passage in that light, verse twenty-two would seem to indicate that God did not want Adam and Eve to obtain eternal life.
This flies in the face of what we know of a loving God who desires that all men be saved. The New Testament reveals this:
Knowing this then, would it be wise for us to conclude that God forbade Adam and Eve from partaking of the tree of life and, in doing so, cut off their access to salvation? Is that even plausible? Was Adam’s sin so egregious that it placed him beyond salvation? Jesus informed us that the only unforgivable sin was intentional blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.
We see then that God is willing to forgive all manner of sin except the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Did Adam and Eve commit this unpardonable sin? No, they did not. What they did was to give in to temptation and eat the forbidden fruit that they saw was good for food and desired to make them wise. This was certainly a rebellion against God and His word, but it was not blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
So it would do damage to our revelation of God’s character and compassion (and His word) to conclude that their sin was such that Adam and Eve were denied access to salvation and thus eternally damned. They were denied access to the tree, true, but not to salvation and forgiveness of sin. In fact, we see in Genesis 3:21 that, after the fall, God made coats of animal skins to cover their nakedness. Some theologians say that the shedding of the blood of these animals is a type and foreshadowing of the slaying of the Lamb of God for the sins of the world. (Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin – Heb. 9:22)
We aren’t going to get into a long discussion of whether or not Adam and Eve were actually saved. That is beyond the scope of this work. What we do need to consider here, though, is that the tree of life was not a metaphorical depiction of salvation. In fact, if the tree was actually a metaphor for spiritual eternal life, then that would have been exactly what Adam and Eve needed most at that time. God in His mercy would have encouraged them to partake of it, not banned them from access to it.
If we conclude that the tree of life was not a metaphor, then what was it? To shed some more light on this subject, let’s examine another portion of scripture containing references to the tree of life. Leaving Genesis for the moment, let’s travel forward to the very end of the Biblical story. Let’s examine Revelation 21:9–27 and Revelation 22:1–5. (I urge the reader to study these scriptures.)
These passages give us a tantalizing glimpse at the environment God has planned for mankind after all evil has been eradicated from the earth. It speaks of the eternal city called “New Jerusalem” that will descend from Heaven and become the future abode of the righteous. Just like Eden was a garden designed and planted by God, New Jerusalem will be a city of God’s design and construction. The passages in Revelation referred to above illustrate the glory of this wonderful city.
One passage that I would like to focus on is that found in Revelation 22:1–2, which expands our knowledge of the tree of life. There we see:
Here we see the tree of life described in more detail, and from this, a literal interpretation of the tree of life acquires a lot more credibility. Maintaining a belief in a metaphorical interpretation becomes much more difficult after seeing these passages. We are now provided with details regarding the tree’s physical location, its fruit production and the conditions regarding its growth and cultivation.
We are told that the tree of life yields 12 manner of fruit and produces a different manner of fruit each month. It is not clear whether a single species of tree yields all 12 manner of fruit or whether there are 12 sub-species of the tree of life, each yielding its own specific fruit. But that is incidental.
We also see that the tree has leaves whose purpose is “the healing of the nations.” Any attempt at providing “spiritual” or metaphorical meanings to the various specific elements of the tree described here would strain the imagination of even the most energetic defender of the metaphorical position.
So let’s examine a more literal approach to this subject. Let’s suppose that the tree of life was a literal, physical tree that God planted in Eden. So then, what is the meaning of the words spoken by God as related in Genesis 3:22? Would eating of the fruit of this tree have endowed Adam with eternal life? Absolutely not. No physical substance can impart eternal life.
But wait a minute. Didn’t God say that if Adam put forth his hand and took of the tree of life he would live forever? Yes, He did, but consider the possibility that God was not referring to eternal life as we think of it in terms of eternal salvation. What God was saying was that, as long as Adam was able to continue to eat from the tree of life, his physical body would continue to be rejuvenated and he would never age, never get sick, and never suffer physical death.
Remember the Revelation passage we discussed above: the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. The “life” specified in the term “tree of life” refers to the life of the human body, not the eternal life of the spirit as we are accustomed to think of it.
When Adam and Eve sinned by eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, sin entered into them, body, soul and spirit. Because of this, the sentence of death came upon them. In the light of this, let’s examine Genesis 3:22–24 again:
What is revealed here is a discussion taking place within the Trinity involving the sentencing of Adam and Eve subsequent to their sin. The Lord God acknowledges that the humans now have the knowledge of both good and evil. He probably didn’t mind that they had a knowledge of good. Since He was Good, the fact that they knew Him was within His plan for them.
The problem was that they now knew Evil. It would seem that this knowledge of Evil was not just an intellectual grasp of the existence of evil, but an experiential absorption of the very essence of evil into their being. They now knew evil! The sin they tasted was now at work within them, mutating them into abhorrent creatures. One immediate result of that dark knowledge was evident by a newly-acquired fear and shame before the face of God:
The presence of a sinful nature always results in a guilty conscience and a futile attempt to hide oneself from the presence of God and His holiness. We see this throughout scripture. The book of Revelation, chapter 6, gives an example of this:
So Adam and Eve fell and became sinful creatures. But their life prior to the fall was one of peace, joy and fellowship with their God. They freely ate fruit from any tree they desired, except the forbidden tree. It would be difficult, therefore, to believe that Adam, having had access to the tree of life, would not have partaken of it, especially when God Himself encouraged the partaking. He said in Genesis 2:16–17:
God had placed the tree of life in the garden for the humans’ use. Of course they would have eaten of it! They probably ate from it regularly and frequently. Why wouldn’t they? They knew that the fruit of this tree was essential for the health of their physical bodies. As long as they partook, they would neither age nor suffer physical disease. They would, essentially, live forever. When God denied them access to the tree after the fall, it was not initial access, but further access.
Consuming the fruit of the tree of life during their years in the garden kept their physical bodies youthful and healthy. The tree eliminated aging. In fact, we are told that Adam was nine hundred and thirty years old when he died. (Genesis 5:5). His longevity was undoubtedly a result of the beneficial effects of the tree of life working within his mortal body. (The Bible doesn’t specifically address Eve in this regard, but we can assume that it was the same for her.)
We are told that after the fall, God drove the humans from Eden and placed angels (cherubim) with flaming swords to forbid access to the path leading to the tree of life. Unable to continue eating of the tree of life, Adam’s body slowly began to revert to its natural mortal decline and immediately began to age and became subject to disease. In other words, Adam began to succumb to aging, and, finally, to death.
So, in the day that he ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he died, having no more access to the life-giving tree. His ultimate demise was not immediate, but the death sentence instantly exacted its ghastly price and Adam went the way of all flesh.
Genesis speaks no more of the tree of life, and we don’t see it appear in scripture until it is spoken of by Ezekiel the prophet. (We will take a look at these scriptures later.)
One very interesting aspect of the introduction of death upon the human race involves the lifespan of man after the fall. Here is the chart showing many of the Old Testament figures and their life spans:
| Biblical Personality | Age at Death |
|---|---|
| Adam | 930 |
| Seth | 912 |
| Enos | 905 |
| Cainan | 910 |
| Mahalaleel | 895 |
| Jared | 962 |
| Enoch | 365 (translated) |
| Methuselah | 969 |
| Lamech | 777 |
| Noah | 950 |
| Shem | 600 |
| Arphaxad | 438 |
| Salah | 433 |
| Eber | 464 |
| Peleg | 239 |
| Reu | 239 |
| Serug | 230 |
| Nahor | 148 |
| Terah | 205 |
| Abraham | 175 |
| Ishmael | 137 |
| Isaac | 180 |
| Jacob | 147 |
| Joseph | 110 |
One very interesting fact emerges from this observation. After the flood, human lifespan begins to decline dramatically. Prior to the flood, men lived several hundred years. The Bible shows the age of death of the antediluvian men at around 800–900 years. But by the time of the New Testament, and even prior, the life of man had reached its current “threescore and ten” to 120-years plateau.
We can only speculate about the cause of this declining lifespan. If we accept the theory of the tree of life as a contributing factor, we might conclude that among the benefits of eating of the tree of life by Adam was a passing along a residual DNA beneficial impact on the health and longevity of his progeny, a benefit that begins to decline in successive generations, until the current lifespan threshold was reached.
After Genesis, the “tree of life” is not mentioned by name again in scripture until Revelation 22:1–2. However, there is a passage in the book of the prophet Ezekiel that is most definitely referring to the same tree.
In chapters forty through forty-eight of the book of Ezekiel, the prophet is given visions regarding the future of the nation of Israel after the cataclysmic battle of Armageddon when Christ will set up His Millennial kingdom with its headquarters in Jerusalem. These chapters go into amazing detail regarding the construction and administration of this kingdom and are a treasure trove of revelation for the student of Biblical eschatology.
For our discussion, we want to focus on chapter forty-seven. Here we find the prophet Ezekiel being shown detailed, intricate visions of the future Millennial temple. In verses one through five we see:
Here we are shown a vision of water proceeding out from under the threshold of the temple. In verse five we see that these waters grow in depth and scope until they form a great river so wide it could not be swum across. And verse twelve tells us:
Now compare this passage with the passage we discussed earlier from Revelation 22:1–2:
What we can determine from these two similar passages is that the tree of life found in the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 22 will also be on Earth during the Millennial reign of Christ. Notice the similarities. The tree described in both passages produces fruit on a monthly basis and both passages reveal that the leaves of the tree are medicinal.
The Ezekiel passage says: “…it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months… and the leaf thereof shall be for medicine,” and the Revelation passage states: “…the tree of life… yielded her fruit every month… and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
The river in Ezekiel proceeds forth from “out of the sanctuary” (Ezek. 47:12) and the river in Revelation proceeds forth “…out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:1). These are not ordinary rivers!
So we see that God has many benefits planned for mankind. The Bible holds forth a future where untimely death and disease will be a thing of the past. The prophet Isaiah describes this time:
Verse 22 implies that men will live as long as trees. A tree can live for many centuries. In fact, we know that there are trees now standing that have been alive on Earth for thousands of years. Likewise, a man who is alive during the Millennium will be able to live for many hundreds of years. So we see that God promises that “…as the days of a tree are the days of my people…” (Isa. 65:22).
This will all be possible because, once again, God will reintroduce the tree of life back into the Earth. Its fruit will provide longevity and its leaves will be for medicine to cure all possible maladies that could befall men.
The tree of life will be for “the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2). Christians who have been given new spiritual bodies will not need the tree of life. According to the scriptures, these new bodies will already be eternal in nature and “incorruptible” (I Cor. 15:52–53), which means that they will be impervious to disease and aging.
We have all heard how someday we will be resurrected or translated. (Resurrected means that the dead in Christ will be raised up from the dead. Translated means that Christians who are alive at Christ’s coming will not die, but have their bodies changed.) Look at how the apostle Paul describes it in I Corinthians 15:51–52:
Paul elaborates on this concept in I Thessalonians chapter four:
Praise be to God!