Jesus the Tree of Life or Breath of Life?

I've noticed that some people get confused over the difference between the tree of life in the garden of Eden, and the breath of life when God first breathed into Adam to make him a living soul.

By that I mean I've recently heard some people teaching that when God breathed into Adam the breath of life, that was God imparting Himself into Adam.

Of course that generates the question of what the purpose and results would have been if Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of life in the Garden, and how it was different from the the breath of life God breathed into Adam's nostrils, where afterwards it was announced he was now a living soul.

If God had imparted part of Himself to Adam when he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, that means the tree of life would have to have had another type of life accompanying it, which would really be a stretch to believe.

Now why is this important? Because man in the state he was in after being brought to life, even though in the image of God, wasn't properly lined up with the order God wanted his being to have.

In other words, man wasn't meant to stay as a living soul, as God had more for him. When man was created, God gave him a spirit, soul and body. And while that was the image of God, the soul had yet to become submitted to the spirit in the way God intended, as something else had to happen before that was possible.

The soul will dominate unless the spirit is submitted to by the soul, and that can only happen with the life of Jesus Christ Himself being received by a person.

That's still the same today when someone becomes a believer in Christ, as the potential for the spirit of man, because he has been regenerated by the indwelling of the Spirit of God, which birthed Himself in man at the moment of belief, now can become the source of life if the soul of man will line itself up in submission the Spirit of God, which is now dwelling within the spirit of that individual.

It's vital to understand all of this because if someone confuses the breath of life with Jesus Christ, who has always been the tree of life, it can cause us to miss exactly what is that Christianity, in its essence, is.

The life of God in Christ was inherent in the tree of life in the Garden. If man had eaten of the tree of life, that's when the life of God would have entered into him, not before.

That's the very reason God put a cherubim in charge of protecting access to it so man couldn't take the life of God within himself at that time, as now the need for a Savior to come was part of the equation, and the Spirit wouldn't be given until it happened at Pentecost, thousands of years later.

All of this is significant in understanding that when the life of Christ indwells a believer, the soul, if it submits to the Spirit of God, will be changed and led by the Spirit of God.

This is the reason the scriptures mention that "Christ in Us" is the "hope of glory." It's not simply a reference to going to heaven after we die, but of an indwelling Lord who takes up residence within us in an intimate way, where we are changed into His image as we submit unto his Lordship.

The bottom line is Jesus is the tree of life, and only when we partake of Him in the Spirit do we have the life of God permeating our being.

Ultimately that leads to the soul lowering itself under the hand of the Spirit within so God can in fact, be the Lord of our lives.

To mistake the breath of life as when the life of God enters us, will cause us to miss out on the fact that man, at that moment, was only a living soul, He needed to eat of the tree of life to the very life of God could enter into and fill him, making him a spiritual man.

Remember, the tree of life was located in the center of the Garden of Eden. That means it was central to all of the eternal purpose of God. Again, it's all about the indwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ in our innermost man that Christianity is, and to miss that is to miss almost everything related to God.

The Jesus Conspiracy

Long ago when Jesus Christ created the earth, He had created the heavens before them, and spirit beings called angels, which were led by three key angels named Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer.

They were apparently in charge of all angels, with a third being under the leadership of each one. When Lucifer, which was later had his name changed to Satan, rebelled against the plan of God for creation, the angels he oversaw fell with him, and they've been opposing the eternal purpose of God the Father in Christ ever since.

Most of us know that Satan went to the first representatives of the human race - Adam and Eve - and made the offer of an alternative life to live outside of the command and purpose of God. He approached Eve and she was deceived and ate of the alien life form, and then offered it up to Adam to eat of as well. Adam ate the fruit of the life form knowing fully what he was doing, and the human race, from that time forward, has been imprinted with the characteristics and person of Satan, to one degree or another. The Bible calls it the "flesh."

Now Why do I call it a life form rather than the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? The answer is I have never believed it to be a tree, in the physical sense, because the Tree of Life, the life essence offered by God, was never in fact a tree, but Jesus Christ Himself. In the same way the Holy Spirit is identified as a river, so is the Jesus Christ as the Tree of Life.

So what Eve had just digested of the essence of Satan, now was imbibed by Adam. It's doubtful it was really two physical trees standing in the Garden of Eden, but almost certainly two opposing life forms and life styles.

Whether you agree with the physical versus essence argument isn't relevant to the argument, as the consequences are the same, and Jesus and we have to deal with that either way. I only mention to give you an idea of what it is that really happened in Eden, which was the embracing of what and who Satan was, rather than Jesus Christ.

This was all said to say this: Jesus Christ, from that time forward, has entered into a battle with Satan over the hearts and minds of the human race, including Christians, and He has provided a magnificent conspiracy to undermine the works of Satan.

What is that fantastic conspiracy led by Jesus Christ? It's the complete and total victory in the cross, and the resultant resurrection and ascension into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.

But more than that, the same life that died, resurrected and ascended, was now sent back into those that were born again, or more fully, born from above, and is now expanding and enlarging in true believers who have repented and accepted the life form that had been offered to them thousands of years ago.

In other words, the way to the Tree of Life was again opened by Christ, and we now eat of that life form, which is Christ, as we are transformed into His image. At least that's part of the tremendous eternal purpose of God, where His purpose is to have Christ be pre-eminent in all things.

So while Satan in the world to imprint His person hood on the human race, Jesus Christ surpassed it all and made a completely new humanity that was born directly out of Heaven by the Spirit. That is what a true Christian really is, and there is no other.

Jesus Christ said that you must be born again, or born from above, and only those who have been born of the Spirit are truly saved. That in fact, is the definition of what a Christian is, and you know them by the fruits coming out of their lives from the live of Christ within them.

The is the countermeasure of the Godhead against their enemy, and this grand conspiracy continues on, and will continue on until the end of this age, and then throughout the ages, as Christ continues to reveal Himself in and through us forever and ever.

This goes beyond just getting right with God and being saved, to the full heart of God from before creation and sin, where He and They had a purpose they developed and committed to, which in the heart and mind of God, has never been changed or altered.

Welcome to the conspiracy.

Another Reason to Stay Focused on Christ - Not Environmental Fears and Hoaxes

We of course should need no reason other than Christ Himself to stay centered in Him, but a lot of people with a variety of agendas continue to hammer through the mainstream and online media that global warming - or as now called - climate change, is about to destroy the earth (yawn).

New evidence points to the continue absurdity and outright lie and/or incompetence of those perpetrating this fear on people in order to forward their hidden purposes.

As far as those of us who are believers, don't be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. Those scriptures aren't just talking about things concerning Christ and Christianity, but all the endless nonsense being spewed forth in the world, which when we trace it back, brings us to the temptation to continue eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, rather than the tree of life which is Christ.

Here's how one person called it: "Dr Allison said there was not any evidence of significant change in the mass of ice shelves in east Antarctica nor any indication that its ice cap was melting. 'The only significant calvings in Antarctica have been in the west,' he said. And he cautioned that calvings of the magnitude seen recently in west Antarctica might not be unusual.

"Ice shelves in general have episodic carvings and there can be large icebergs breaking off - I'm talking 100km or 200km long - every 10 or 20 or 50 years."

Amazingly, this article finishes saying this, "A paper to be published soon by the British Antarctic Survey in the journal Geophysical Research Letters is expected to confirm that over the past 30 years, the area of sea ice around the continent has expanded."

Now the question must be raised on why this has happend over the last 30 years, and so-called scientists were supposedly on the completely wrong side of the reality of the situation.

Of course we never hear much that the earth has been cooling for over a decade either. That wouldn't fit in with the global warming orthodoxy that is as false and unsubstantiated as anything you could come up with.

Many Christian believers must ask themselves why they believe such things, when in fact if you do a little digging, you can easily find out these types of assertions based on fear are the norm for people declaring the castrophic accurances based on nothing but their own psychotic fears and agendas.

We must again find Christ and Christ alone as our foundation. We are to never move off of Him, and when we stay founded upon His person, most of the things attempted to be foisted upon believers in Jesus can easily be identified as hoaxes.

There is far more evidence against global warming than mentioned here. The point is to never let this type of stuff be the "exception" that causes us to have to deal with supposed crisis.

By the way, this is one way you can tell when someone's trying to fool and deceive you: are they saying it's an exception, and are they saying it has to be dealt with now?

If so, you know they're full of BS. The reason why this type of garbage is thrown on us in this way is to attempt to create an artificial crisis in order that we can suspend our beliefs in the reality that surrounds us, and take actions based upon nothing but unproven theories.

The worst thing for followers of Christ is to allow ourselves to be taken in by these contiuous lies, and so take our focus and attention off of Christ and onto something that is supposed to be more important.

If we are socialized into behaving that way, there will always be the next crisis; always the next big thing; always the world-ending situation that we must give our money, time and attention to, or mankind as we know we won't survive.

Next time you hear this snakeoil assertion, no matter where it's coming from or what it's about, run for the hills, or better yet - simply ignore it.

The only true problems we want to spend time with is with helping the poor, working on building a healthy family, and fellowshipping with Christ and His people.

I'll touch more on these distractions and the truth or error behind them in the future. I hesistate to do it too much because it can open up a whole can of worms that distracts from the purpose of Acts29Review, which is to focus on the ongoing purpose of God which was determined before time or creation came into being. Now that's something we can give ourselves to.

What if Adam and Eve Hadn't Eaten of Wrong Tree? Part 1

A lot of people ask the rhetorical question of what would have happened if Adam and Eve hadn't eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Most the time they're thinking of some type of environmental "eden," which is the wrong place to focus, and largely irrelevant.

What's more important is what was to happen when they ate of the tree of life, which was Jesus.

The Lord is actually very clear on what was supposed to happen. When they ate of the tree of life, they would have reproduced as commanded by the Lord, and from there spread across the earth, filling it with the glory and presence of God in them.

When their children started arriving, they probably would have been born righteous, in the same way we're born into sin today: we're the wrong "mankind" at birth in the eyes of God. Those children would have been born as the "new" man, just as true believers are today.

We have to understand that eating of the tree of Life was simply another way of saying Christ was to be in us; we were to internalize Him in an intimate fellowship.

So when Jesus came to earth and said they must eat His flesh and drink His blood, in reality He was offering Himself as the tree of Life again. Again, He was widely rejected by Israel, and even His closest followers, other than the 12 apostles.

Everything in what is called Christianity today depends upon the practical and very real outworking of that fellowship Christ has offered us.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
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The Church: Matrix of Christ

Before we get into some important aspects of the matrix of Christ, let's get a basic definition of what matrix means, as many will think of the movie and the artificial world it revealed.

First of all, matrix comes from the Latin word "mater," which means mother, essentially referring to the womb.

It's a place where something originates, takes form, develops or is embedded.

While the word and what it means can be applied across many disciplines, we only want to look at it as it applies to Christ, because it gives some valuable insight into who He is and the purpose of His church.

Now, have you ever wondered what it would have been like if Adam and Eve hadn't eaten of the wrong tree, and instead had partaken of the tree of life?

You see, Adam and Eve were supposed to be a matrix of Christ. They were supposed to internalize Him by eating of His fruit, as portrayed by the tree of life. If that had happened, they would have had children born outside of what we call the old man, the first adam, and would instead have seen the new man spread across the earth from
the beginning.

For even though Adam and Eve were without sin, they were in reality incomplete in the sense of not partaking in the most important reason for their creation: fulfilling the eternal purpose of God, which was to fill them with Himself in Christ. That's what Jesus as the tree of life in the center of the garden was there for.

Adam and Eve were made in the image of God, but they weren't in the order of God, in that their spirits didn't have Him indwelling them. To have eaten of the Christ as the tree of life would have enlivened their spirits unto God, and as such, began the fulfillment of the purpose of God in creating man.

When I say they weren't in the order of God, I mean their souls hadn't subjected themselves to their spirits because to do that they had to eat of Christ. Once they did that their spirits would have been filled with God and their beings subject to and from heaven, rather than to the earth and flesh.

Basically Adam and Eve were between two worlds. The world of God and Satan, and they had a choice of which life they were going to live by, they had a decision to make. The decision was which world they were going to allow to enter into them.

In other words, man was built to be a container, a matrix. One way or the other that will happen, that's a choice we're not given. It will either be from a higher life or a lower life. There is no middle ground.

Those that attempt to live in the middle ground end up with mixture, which is one of the more hated things in the eyes of God, as it brings confusion to those viewing and/or partaking in it. That's the counterfeit woman called Babylon, also mentioned in book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ as the Great Whore.

It's interesting to note that the offer to eat of the tree of life was rejected again when Jesus physically appeared on the earth. When did that happen? When He told his followers they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. They again decided to reject God's eternal purpose of filling His chosen matrix of His people with
Himself.

To help us understand this a little, Jesus followed up His statement by saying His words are spirit and life. In other words, quit looking at things outwardly or hearing things He taught carnally. We must learn that He lived from another life than His own, and so are we to. And the words He spoke were about and from another realm.

That's why He encouraged us to pray for His kingdom to come and will be done on earth as it was in heaven. This is one reason why what is called the Lord's supper by most, where Jesus told us to eat it in remembrance of Him, is more than likely not referring to simply remembering His name or what he's done, as that's not too hard to do for any halfway serious Christian.

Rather, I think He's referring to what internalizing Him as the tree of life means; what it means to eat His flesh and drink His blood. We are to remember as we digest food and get physical sustanence, to also digest or internalize Him, and to receive our much more important spiritual sustanence.

What does it mean? That we are one with Him. That we are to be in union with Him. He is the bread of life that we are to eat of and internalize. I think that this is much more in line with what the rest of the scriptures reveal than simply eating unto the Lord to remember Him with the idea that we somehow forgot He existed.
What being a matrix of Christ means One important aspect of all this in our practical lives is that being a matrix is much different in being a place where Christ dwells, than it is in how He dwells in the overall universe.

Christ dwells in the physical universe, which is said to be continually expanding. The universe or heaven of heavens can't contain Him.

So when He dwells in the spirits of His people, He's doing something different than simply having a general presence there. He is very active within us, and He is working to shape and form Himself within.

The only matrix or container that can hold who He is is His people. That's much more than just carrying Him around within us, it's a deep working and shaping of Himself within us: individually and corporately. It's a very practical process that happens over our lifetimes if we have a revelation of it and allow it to. It is primarily meant to happen organically within a group of believers.

What is it God wants to happen in all this? Looking at it from the garden of Eden perspective, He's bringing two worlds together, which in reality is what the garden of Eden really was. It was where physical man and the invisible God met. Both worlds at the time were able to be seen by Adam and Eve.

When I say He's bringing two worlds together, I mean that what is real in the invisible world is to be just as real or mirrored in the visible world. Eden was the invisible and visible worlds meeting and where invisible and visible beings interacted and lived; most importantly God and man, who were created in His image.

Now of course the two worlds are out of balance because of the sin of man, but the people of God are meant to bring the two worlds back together again, in the sense of His kingdom coming and His will being done in both realms. (Realms is probably a better description than worlds.)

Bringing the two worlds together as one can only be done through redeemed believers in union with Christ. Not in union theoretically, positionally or revelationally - but practically.

The amazing gift of God to His people as it relates to the realms we dwell in, is that He has made us into a hybrid creature, built to dwell in the visible and invisible realms at once.

The whole idea of the eternal purpose of God is to reveal Himself in man in two different realms, where there is nothing that contradicts one another. He does it through filling everything with Himself. That is the road Christ has given us to travel, and it's what has been in the heart and mind of God from before the beginning.

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One of Many Lessons from Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life - 7

The recent death of Alexander Solzhenitsyn on August 3, made a lot of people who lived through the times when he wrote his powerful books that changed an empire - reflective.

There's one thing I want to mention, because it has to do with our recent theme of Jesus as the tree of life.

I want to focus on what he talked about in reference to good and evil some time ago. Here's what one writer says about it:

"For Solzhenitsyn, right and wrong, good and evil, undoubtedly do exist. However, as he first expressed it in a poem written in his head in the camps nearly 60 years ago, the dividing line between good and evil passes not between warring parties, ideologies, armies, but runs through the heart of each individual and flickers ceaselessly to and fro."

This is an extraordinary understanding of the source of what becomes outward actions and deeds: it comes from the heart.

Eating of the tree of life was meant to take in the life of Christ interally, and willingly allow Him to live out that live in creation. That's the very purpose of creation, that it would bear the testimony of the invisible Christ. It's still the ultimate end of the eternal purpose of God. This is the purpose of the church, to be a letter written from God within, that then expresses itself outwardly.

Solzhenitsyn understood that everything was connected to the heart, and if that changed, the rest would follow.

That's why the scriptures teach that Christ has written His laws in our hearts. He is the king and ruler, and His kingdom is an inner one. Once we learn to eat of the tree of life, the outer starts to take care of itself as the living Christ expands who he is within us. Eventually the two will become one, as heaven and earth become a visible testimony to who Christ is.

This is why we are to embrace the kingdom coming and the will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven, because the two are one in Christ. Now He is looking for people who are willing to endure the cross so that can become a reality. The ultimate work of the cross is to eliminate who we are so He can live fully within us.

The secret is we retain our soul while He becomes everything. He never forces us, but woos us to Himself within. That puts the responsibility upon us to keep our hearts open and pliable to Him while we go through the myriad tough times those embracing the cross will always go through.

It all has to do with internalizing and eating of the tree of life.

By the way, if you want to understand a portion of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Solzhenitsyn expresses the fruit of it accurately, it "runs through the heart of each individual and flickers ceaselessly to and fro."

The tree of life on the other hand, does the opposite.

Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life Series

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Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life - 6

In continuing on with our look at Jesus as the Tree of Life, I want to start off this time with the comment thousands of years ago by Soloman that there is "nothing new under the sun."

Taking that insight and applying it to Christ as the Tree of Life, I want to show some of the simplicity of this as it relates to the church.

Our walk with the Lord within, while it may be new to us, as far as experience goes, is not new at all, from the point of view of the Godhead. They have been walking this eternally.

What this means is we are partaking within of His existing experience and living it out among one another.

One easy to understand concept we can embrace and practice as the church, is to comprehend that much of we do when we practice our Christianity, or Christ-centeredness (which is what Christian means), is repeating how the Godhead has lived together before time.

So when we share with one another what it is Jesus is doing through our current circumstances or revealing to us, is more than anything else, reminding one another of what has happened throughout the existence of God.

The practical outworking, is that when we share, much of it is to remind one another of who He is, and help one another to learn more of who He has always been.

In other words, we do more reminding when we talk and share life together, than anything else. As a matter of fact, as we grow in Him, it simply becomes His life emerging out of us toward and into one another.

The reason this has become complicated isn't the only the unbibical way people meet and the whole pagan structure and practice, but many times even when people start to see the organic, they tend to share the things they've learned in schools or colleges, especially related to philosophy and related courses that are diametrically opposite of who Christ really is.

It's nothing other than the old alternative tree of the knowledge of good and evil being consumed.

So we again get the mixture that always weakens and ultimately destroys the testimony of Christ in His people.

Remember, Christ is writing His story within us, so ultimately people will be able to read us as a letter from God. That's why Paul one time said "you are my letter," referring to the church.

In the end, that's the overall purpose of Christ as the Tree of Life, to be eaten and internalized, so what is within will be shown without and read by all men.

Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life Series

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Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life - 5

Have you ever wondered what it was that Adam and Eve saw when they went to the center of the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil stood side by side? The contrast is extraordinary.

Remember one thing concerning Adam and Eve at this portion of their lives: they saw things as they were, so when they viewed these two trees that didn't have an origin on Earth, they saw them in a unique way, and how they saw them, especially with Eve, was a huge factor in the fateful decision to eat of the wrong tree.

It's tempting to really get into the depths of what really happened at that time, but the simplicity of it is enough, because in the end, that was one of the key elements of what was going on.

Paul mentions that in the time of the temptation of Eve, she was deceived concerning maintaining the simplicity of devotion to Christ. That was the major issue concerning the two trees. One offered simplicity, devotion and dependence on the life of Christ, and fellowship with Him, while the other offered independence from God, and a different type of knowledge, wisdom and food.

This is the center of the powerful story of Martha and Mary, where Martha attempted to influence Jesus to get Mary away from being centered on Him, where Jesus responded it was really the only thing that mattered, and He wasn't going to take that away from her.

Satan offered Eve the opportunity to be like God, without the help and dependence upon God; without the need to internalize and fellowship with Him within, which is part of what it meant to eat the fruit of the tree. To eat it meant to internalize the relationship we were offered with Christ.

The other major element was that the Tree of Life, or Christ, wasn't an attractive tree, whereas the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was, as represented by Satan, who was a beautiful being at one time.

While spiritually Christ as the Tree of Life was attractive from the point of view of God, to natural man he wasn't, as the cross was at the center of the Tree, and built into it. This is something many Christians to this day resist. It's one of the major reasons much of the inner fellowship with Christ isn't pursued, because it means dying to self, and the application of the work of the cross within. Not many are willing to go that route anymore.

So when Satan started getting Eve's eyes fixated on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the idea was to get her to completely forget about the Tree of Life, which he succeeded at doing. History has unveiled the results of that mistake.

When Adam and Eve viewed the two trees, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was far more attractive and conducive to humanity than the counterintuitive Tree of Life. Even in their sinless state, immediately before partaking of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the desire for an easier way to live was pursued by the old man; the first Adam.

What's interesting, taking into account that Eve was deceived but Adam wasn't, is that even though Adam wasn't deceived, he preferred to internalize a life form contrary to who God was. It looked wiser and easier, but in the end it was devastating and resulted in life being even harder.

To this day the major job our spiritual enemy continues to do is keep our eyes off of the simplicity of devotion to Christ, and eat of a tree that complicates and distracts us from that simple fellowship with Him, which is how Jesus describes of eternal life is, which was embedded in Him, the Tree of Life.

We must battle to eat of the Tree of Life once again, and remind one another to do it often. More on this in the next post.

Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life Series

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Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life - 4

Now we have God no longer on the scene in Eden, at least not in the way He was at times directly communicating with Adam.

At that time, the serpent starts to communicate with Eve concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Notice how there isn't anything mentioned about the Tree of Life again.

The entire purpose of the conversation was for Satan to get the attention of Eve solely on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, in order that she wouldn't think of the Tree of Life.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:3, that he was jealous over them with a godly jealousy, and promised them to one husband: Christ. He wanted to present them as a pure virgin to Christ, but now he was afraid that in the similar way Eve was deceived by the cunning of Satan, their minds would also be led astray from the sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

We get a glimpse into the tree of the knowledge of good and evil here, where it was the opposite of the Tree of Life. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil gets you away from simplicity and sincerity, and into mixture, as far as in relationship with Christ. It makes things complicated and heady. If your life is complicated, you may want to take a look at which tree you're eating from as well.

Jesus said this in a different way when Martha protested her sister not helping her because she sat at the feet of Jesus listening to Him teach. Jesus' response was that there was nothing else that really mattered, and He wouldn't take that away from Mary.

A people centered around Christ is all that matters. That's the battle that was going on from the first interaction between man and Satan, and it's still the same battle raging today. Satan is still tempting us to look to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil at the expense of Christ Himself.

Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life Series

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Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life - 3

One interesting thing when reading the story about Adam and Eve and the tree of life, is God never said a thing about it. Read it and see at the beginning. It is mentioned that the tree of life was in the center of the garden, but it doesn't say God communicates anything about that to Adam - before the bringing to life of Eve, or afterwards. It only says they can eat of any tree in Eden, with the exception of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Another interesting and enlightening part of the story, is right next to the tree of life in the center of the garden, is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Both are said to be in the center of the garden, which means they were side by side.

That seems to speak to them being competitive in nature, and opposing possibilities.

I've heard some say that the reason it was sin to partake in it was because mankind prematurely reached for knowledge before partaking of life. I think that's completely wrong and false. Those who assert that are intellectuals who attempt to justify their way of thinking and interaction with the scriptures. They're wrong.

How do I know they're wrong? Look at the last part of the book of Revelation. Along with the throne being in the center of New Jerusalem, there is also the tree of life and the river. Where do you see the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? It's not there. And it's not there because it doesn't belong there.

Inside this city, which is the people of God, there is only one tree, and that tree is Jesus Christ - the tree of life. To say the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a separate part of God is ridiculous to assert.

That would mean that Jesus Christ as the word of God really didn't contain the full thought of the Father. When Jesus said He and the Father were one, He was saying if you see Me you see the Father. To make it look like there was something more to the Father that was kept from Christ wouldn't make any sense, and would make Jesus a liar, or minimally confused. We know that isn't true, so these types of assertions are wrong, and the people making them confused.

When Jesus is referred to as the word of God, it means everything that God had to say in and through Him was represented; that's why Jesus is called the Word of God. He was the full representation of who the Father was. So to have a second tree being something of God but not represented by the life of the Father in Christ would be complete confusion and contrary to what the scriptures reveal throughout them of Christ.

The trees were two competing life forms, or rather, two ways of living. Life is defined by Christ as fellowship with the Godhead and man, so life in that sense can't be ascribed to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Just like Satan exists, but he's not life, but rather murder and death. Because something's alive doesn't mean it gives life. That's why Adam was commanded by God to guard the garden, which he immediately failed to do.

So here we are in the garden of Eden where God put Adam and Eve, and we have all this abundance available as expressed by God through trees to eat, with only one guideline: that they refrain from eating from one tree. That was it!

In the middle of paradise where mankind was placed, we have the history of man about to be decided, as the great enemy of manking attempts to immediately move them off of the eternal purpose of God, which as we know now, he was successful in doing.

It all centered around what man was going to internalize. God was saying we have to be careful what we eat, and He wasn't talking about natural food for the body.

Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life Series

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Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life - 2

Adam and Eve
One important thing to consider when looking at the beginning of things, as far as creation goes, was the pinnacle of creation: man. So when we look at Adam and Eve at the beginning, we see the representatives of all of mankind.

What's important to know about them, before sin, is while they were made in the image of God, their makeup wasn't in the proper order yet. One thing had to be done before that would be accomplished.

Before we get into that, let's look at Adam and Eve first. At this point of their existence, they're unique to human history, there never will be two human beings like them again; but neither was there ever meant to be.

Adam and Eve were sinless, but incomplete. They were innocent, but not harmless. They had a future, but that future hadn't yet been decided yet. In other words, even though they were sinless, they hadn't taken action yet that would perpetuate that sinlessness and enter into intimate fellowship with God.

They had fellowship with Him, but it wasn't anywhere near to the closeness they could have; it was only an outward fellowship, even though they saw Him with their natural eyes and talked with Him.

Another thing to consider is they not only saw God, but they saw the heavenly realms themselves, as Eden was a place where Heaven and Earth met. They saw the angelic hosts, as well as everything that heaven was.

The problem for Adam and Eve was they hadn't internalized God yet, their spirits hadn't been made alive, and so at this point their soul was predominant, even though there was no sin in the world or in them. God had meant that our spirits would be the predominant feature of our makeup, with our souls submitted and listening to Christ within, while our bodies then responded to the practical outworking of that fellowship.

At this time Adam and Eve were sinless, but the proper order within man hadn't been established. Until that happened, they wouldn't be able to successfully respond to the things God had required or expected of them.

Why did God create mankind this way? Why didn't He create them with His life in them from the beginning? The answer is that the life they were to internalize wasn't created life, so creation was separate from it, and man had to willingly partake of that life and internalize it.

That life was eternal and had existed forever; with no beginning or end. It couldn't be part of creation because it was uncreated, had always been, and was eternal. That life was God Himself.

So while man was created originally in the image of God, the order of God could only happen when man participated in the inner life of God by internalizing that life. To do that, Adam and Eve had to eat of the tree of life. They never took that step. They chose another life instead.

Next post we'll get more into what it was they chose and why.

Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life Series

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
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Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life - 1

Over the next several posts we'll take a look at Jesus Christ as the Tree of Life. Having insight into, and embracing Christ as the Tree of Life is extremely valuable; especially in this age of instant communication, where not only the volume of news and communication can overwhelm people, but the nature and content of that communication as well.

The reason the Tree of Life was in the center of the garden of Eden was because He was meant to be the center of all life. While that has been true in eternity, it is true as well in the created world we live on.

Just about everything that surrounds us can move us off the important reason and purpose for our existence: intimate fellowship with the Godhead. Christ represents that as the Tree of Life.

Only internalizing the fruit of that Tree could give us the life we were created to live. Adam and Eve failed to do it, and chose a different course, a course most continue to follow to this day, even though they take the name of Christ upon them.

I believe that there is no hope for someone refusing to internalize Christ as their life. When I say no hope, I mean by that not being able to consciously live by another life within us. We'll be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine blowing around out there. Our lives will be a continuous exercise in futility and frustration as we can't figure out why when we're believers in Christ, we seem to never have the peace, rest and satisfaction that should come with that.

We'll consume the knowledge of good and evil that will always produce death rather than life. It's an endless circle when that route is taken, and you can't get off it unless you choose the Tree of Life over that.

We're not simply talking about someone getting saved; that's simply the doorway into what we were meant to be and focus on: the eternal purpose. It gets us right with God so we can get back to what our true calling really is.

Jesus Christ is the Tree of Life, and unless we pursue internalizing Him and fellowshipping with Him inside of us, we'll be on a journey of never being fulfilled, as the purpose we were created for isn't understood or embraced.

When I mention pursuing internalizing Him above, I mean by that allowing Him to change us within, and into His image; not just positionally, but in practice. To do that we must fellowship and be with Him at all times.

So in these next several posts we'll talk about Adam and Eve at the beginning, what happened in the Garden, and what it is they saw when tempted.

Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life Series
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
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God's Eternal Purpose - 3

The Street, River, and Tree 



In considering the eternal purpose of God and the wife of the Lamb, let's look at three important things that are described as existing inside of her.

The Street

First we see that there is a street of gold that is transparent as glass. There is also a river, clear as crystal that flows down the middle of the street. Finally there is a tree that vines across the river and is thus on both sides of it.

Let's look at a couple of things concerning this street. First the street is gold. This always speaks of the nature of God. Then it is described as being like transparent glass. 

This street is showing forth the nature of God in all of its purity. The transparent glass showing that absolutely nothing is mixed in with it. Nothing hinders one from seeing through it clearly.

Keep in mind that a street is for traveling and that this was one street, not many.

The River

Now in considering the river, we are told that it is a living river, living waters. It is also revealed that this river flows down the middle of the gold street of the city. 

This river is clear as crystal, again signifying that it is completely free of mixture, clear, without impurities. 

The river of course refers to the Holy Spirit. Remember that we are told by Jesus that out of our innermost beings will flow rivers of living waters.

This is a river that is going somewhere. Since it is flowing down the street this is another insight into the reality that this is something coming down from God above: A higher life.

The Tree

Lastly we see the tree of life. This is a very fruitful tree. It bears 12 different crops of fruit. Each in its own season. Then we are told that the leaves of the trees are for the health of the nations. (most translations say "healing," but the word in its truest sense means "health.")

When we look at this remember the words of Jesus when He said, "I am the vine and you are the branches." We are those leaves that abide in the roots of Jesus Christ, the true vine.

Now what we need to see here is that the street, river, and tree are completely entwined with one another. The river goes down the middle of the street, and the tree roots itself along the sides of the river. 

Just to let you know, this is not, like some have thought, a bunch of trees that have multiplied individually. No, it is one tree, a tree that is one that vines. Jesus, of course, is this tree, and by extension, those of us who abide in Him are part of it also.

There is a place in the scriptures that Jesus tells us that He is in us, we are in Him, and we are in each other. This is what is being shown forth here. The street, river, and tree are part of all of us. And when you see that these exist within the walls surrounding the city, you see that this is all within a people. This is why Jesus told us not to look for the kingdom without but to rather look for it within.
Which is one final thing I want to mention, the river flowed out of the throne of God and the Lamb. This is talking about the rule and reign of God within His people. This is what the kingdom is all about. It is a battle for the hearts of men, not for things on the earth that can be seen.

That's why Jesus told Pilate that if His kingdom was of this world His servants would come and fight, but His kingdom isn't of this world. This world has already been defeated.

So we see that the eternal purpose involves these three things as part of its nature. As we eat of Christ and drink of the Spirit, we walk on a street within that is only all of who God is. 

Eventually these things that are within, will begin to reveal themselves without - But first they must be within.

It's all about a Tree

I want to talk about something here that I am not sure I've heard talked about among us outside the religious system. It is my intention that after you read it, you can never be the same again.

What I am talking about is those of you outside the religious system and one of the great dangers that exist which can destroy everything that God intended to do.

What is it? Let's take a look at the first couple of chapters in the book of Genesis.
Here of course you have the creation of all things. You have all of this stuff happening for a period of six days. During this time, you see the dividing of things: such as the waters. You have the emergence of land and eventually: trees and all green things that grow.

In other words there is this fantastic environment that now exists there; waiting. 
Now, you have the creation of man. After he is created God puts him in Eden. He puts Him in the eastern part where God Himself had planted a garden.

Adam names the animals and he finds that he is missing something and so God takes Eve out of his side.

So here we have Adam and Eve in the most fantastic environment that existed on the earth. Actually it was the blending of heaven and earth. A paradise.

God had revealed something fantastic in showing Adam that it wasn't good that he would be alone.

Still here we have him no longer alone; living in the most beautiful place in the universe.

Here is one of the most amazing insights you will ever receive about the simplicity of Christ.

Adam and Eve had everything at this moment of time, and yet they truly had nothing at all!

You see, there were two trees in that Garden that stood before the human race. Two trees that will continually be eaten of until a time in the future.

Now what is the point of all of this? For those of us outside the religious system, we can have all the trappings of paradise, and yet not have anything at all.

You can have all the closeness, unity, fellowship, friendship, and joy together that it may be possible to have on this earth, and still completely miss the whole thing. You can still completely miss the whole reason for your existence.

What am I saying? I am saying that it is all about a tree! Everything was ready to go in Eden. God had revealed His will to Adam and only gave him one restriction, which was of course to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Still, before they rebelled against God's command, there was the potential. 
What is the significance of this moment before their sin? They had everything. Or rather almost everything that could be possibly desired given to them by God.

So do those of us who see that God has always had something much deeper and profound than we are currently seeing in the religious system.

The problem we face is that we can enter into the fellowship of the saints outside the system, have everything that Adam and Eve had, and still never do the most important thing that must be done.

Even though Adam and Eve were temporarily sinless before God, and living in the most bountiful environment that has ever existed, they lacked the only thing that really mattered.

So can we who are outside the system be potentially completed misled about what is truly important to God. Really it is the only thing that is important.

Remember the story of Martha and Mary? Martha was complaining to Jesus about Mary not helping her serve. Jesus response was that Mary had chosen the only thing that really mattered and He wasn't going to take that away from her.

It is similar to when Paul writes to one of the churches and tells them that he is concerned that in the same way that Adam and Eve were deceived into rejecting the simplicity of being devoted to Christ, they also would be led astray from that same, pure, devotion.

In another place we are told that the disciples were called to be "with" Him.
Jesus also reveals that eternal life is the intimate union, or knowing of the Father and the Son.

Again Jesus tells us that He is the vine and we are the branches.

This issue caused almost everyone to leave Christ while He was on the earth.
When He told them that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood, they would no longer walk with Him.

We can be outside the religious system, seem to be doing what the will of the Father is, and still miss the whole thing.

You can look around in your present environment and believe that this is what makes things work. This is the ultimate deception.

Just like Adam and Eve, we can be dwelling in Eden, and yet not do the most important thing, and the truly only necessary thing that is needed.

You see brothers and sisters: it's all about eating from a tree! We just need to be sure it's the right tree!

The Great Mystery That Was Hidden Now Revealed

The great mystery!

The great secret hidden away from the beginning of time.

The unsearchable reality waiting for the right time to be revealed.

A seed hidden away, yet fully grown at the same time.

A tree waiting to extend himself throughout the world.

The river of life waiting to be drinken up and spilled over to others.

A single purpose in an all-knowing being.

The groom in union with His bride.

The master gardener, yet being the fruit.

As close as can be, still seemingly distant at times.

Filled with sufferings and willing to share them with us.

A walled garden, yet open-hearted.

Rejected by most but still willing to woo us in him.

Hated but still pouring out His love.

Humble beyond imagination.

He is Christ within us, the hope of glory!