“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life …” (Prov 11:30, NKJ)
Throughout the ages the fruit that caused Adam and Eve to sin has been incorrectly represented as an apple. It’s actually a pity, as the apple in Scripture is a very positive reference to Christ, the Bridegroom (see Song of Sol 2:3, 2:5 and 8:5).
God’s instruction in Paradise was clear. Eve explained it to the serpent as follows: “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” The forbidden fruit was from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But what does the tree of the knowledge of good and evil mean symbolically?
There is not a single commentary that gives an even vaguely satisfactory answer. Rick Joyner, in his book: There were two trees in the garden, comes to the conclusion that this tree serves as a model of the law (mainly on the grounds of the good/evil, wrong/right view that is core to the law). This theory has a limited application, but the main argument against it is that the law only became an issue long after Genesis and long after Abraham and that even later it has become a total non-issue (Rom 7:6: “But now we have been delivered from the law …”). No, the tree of knowledge of good and evil is not a prototype of the law.
Rev 2:7 presents an important key in this regard: “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” After Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden (=Paradise), cherubim were appointed to guard the entrance to the garden and thus prevent man from eating from the tree of life in his fallen state. This separation that occurred between God and man continued throughout the Old Testament dispensation. This can be seen clearly in the construction plan of the tabernacle that God presented to Moses. The instruction included that he must make a veil to hang in the tabernacle with cherubim represented on this veil (Ex 26:31).
These cherubs continuously reminded man of the fact that he is separated from God and that he no longer has access to the tree of life. Only the high priest could enter the holy of holies once a year to seek reconciliation between God and his chosen people. Apart from this, man was pretty much cut off from relationship with God.
To restore this relationship, Christ had to give His life. It cost the blood of the Son of God to remove the cherubs. When Christ’s Body was torn on the cross, the veil (which Heb 10:20 says is His flesh!) was torn from top to bottom (Matt 27:51) and the cherubim were removed! In so doing, He opened a new, living way to the holy of holies, to inside Paradise again!
The tree of life thus clearly points to Christ, as most theologians agree, but my understanding of it is that it actually indicates the new dispensation that Christ brought about, similar to the dispensation that was in Paradise before the fall. Throughout Scripture, trees are used as symbols of kingdoms or governments (see for example Dan 4; Ezeg 31:3; Judges 9). So with this information it becomes very clear: the tree of life in Paradise was the prototypical example of the kingdom of God, while the kingdom of darkness is represented by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Remember: Satan became proud because of his knowledge: “With your … understanding you have gained riches for yourself … by your great wisdom … you have increased your riches … and your heart is lifted up because of your riches.” (Ezeg 28:4-5).
God’s master plan to re-unite His kingdom began practically when He placed Adam and Eve in the demon-infested earth and gave them a specific place, Paradise, where they could dwell under Godly Lordship. It required a continuous process of choice-making from them. Eventually they were seduced and misled by Satan to make the same choice that caused him to fall from his God-determined position: “… the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise …” (Gen 3:6).
The forbidden fruit of death (Rom 7:5) sprouts from the root of the tree (Deut 29:18; 2 Kings 19:30; Prov 12:12), and that which is stated in Isa 14:29b becomes true: “for out of the serpent’s roots will come forth a viper and its offspring will be a fiery flying serpent”. That is the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
After Adam and Eve forfeited life and intimacy with God, almost 4000 years went by before Christ made it possible for man to return to Paradise, through the torn veil of His flesh! And now we can, we must, grab hold of the kingdom of God like men of violence and take hold of it by force (Matt 11:12). Now, when we eat of the tree of life, the seed of the tree is in the fruit (Gen 1:11) and, through it, we are restored to the Image of God in which we were originally created (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18); we have “put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to Him who created him” (Col 3:10).
In the Garden of Eden there weren’t only two trees; Gen 2:9 says that there were also other trees from which could be eaten – one could call it Christ and His “trees of righteousness” (Isa 61:3). In the thousand year reign of peace that is still to come, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil will fall (Isa 14:8-9), the tree of life will be on either side of the river that flows from the throne (Rev 22:1-2) and there will again be “all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.” (Ezeg 47:12).
- Sela: Begin to see and understand the bigger plan of God. Explain it to someone.
- Read: Gen 41 & 42; Ps 41 & 42; Matt 11 & 12.
- Memorise: Matt 11:12; 12:28
- Going deeper: Read chapter 8 in Rick Joyner’s book The torch and the sword.
