Genesis 2:8-10
Two Important Trees in Paradise
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.
Genesis 3:17
Results from Eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
Genesis 3:21-24
More Results from Eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Revelation 22:1-5
The Tree of Life Will Return to Heaven
1 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 2 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. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 22:12-14
Right to the Tree of Life
12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
John 14:6-7
Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
There were two trees in the middle of the Garden of Eden...One was the tree of life, a very important tree -that seems to sometimes be overlooked with all the other text in the Bible...The other was the tree of knowledge of good and evil...The tree of good and evil must have been somehow a more tempting tree than the tree of life...Maybe the temptation was that they could not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil...Maybe Eve's curiosity wondered why God told them not to eat from this tree...And by not allowing the eating from this tree made that made it more tempting...Maybe Paradise was always good and full of bliss and Adam and Eve's curiosity got in their way, as they wondered what evil might be in their home in Eden...And on the other hand, God did not tell them they could not eat from the tree of life...We have to wonder why didn't the two first eat from the tree of life first or from the very start -and eat from it over and over again...Then they would have had eternal life...But life and death must have not been an issue for them as they walked and roamed Eden with God...With their faith in God and His Presence with them maybe they did not fear death...This tree of life might have given the two some protection against their deaths, because we know that God had the tree now guarded by cherubim after Eve and Adam ate from the tree of good and evil...
When Eve and Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were given at that point a knowledge of good and evil...Paradise was no longer the same...Paradise had changed after that meal...Adam and Eve's lives had now changed...They would not only know what good was in Paradise, but they would now learn about evil...They were banished from Paradise, and now the tree of life was guarded by cherubim...Adam and Eve could no longer eat from the tree of life that would keep them close to God and give them eternal life...They were now separated from God...And now banished from Paradise, they would soon see toil, suffering, greed, pain, and a world of troubles outside of their home in Paradise...They had disobeyed God and they had sinned...
I am surprised that no one in the Bible, that we read about tried to come back and eat from the tree of life, and gain access to this fountain of youth...This tree today with its youthful properties would be as valuable as anything that man owns, with such a major focus on staying young and not growing old and feeble and forgetful...
But God knows all things and knew from the very beginning which tree the couple would eat from first...God knew that Adam and Eve would choose to first eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil...God knew that Adam and Eve would physically die before He created them, since He knows all things...God knew (and really had always known) that the world would now be full of troubles and pains and sufferings...And Adam and Eve were away from the tree of life, so they would die a physical death...God knew that we would sin and work in toil, be troubled, have trials in our lives, and have pains and sufferings...And many years later, God would send a Man for those sinners, those in trouble, and those with pains and sufferings...A Man who would help with these things of and in a troubled world, if you could believe in Him...
We are reminded that we again will have the right to eat the fruit of the tree of life in the Book of Revelation...Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end...The Tree of Life will return to heaven, and bear its fruit again on both sides of the heavenly river...As Genesis starts humanity's journey, Revelation ends the Good Book's story...For those who believe God sent Jesus to save us, eternity awaits (us)...Jesus seems to be our Tree of Life...He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life...No one gets to God, except through Him...