Genesis 3 suggests that eating the fruit from the Tree of Life gave eternal life. After the Fall, God prevented access to the tree by posting two cherubs at the entrance to the garden. Humans should not have access to eternal life while in their fallen state. Access to the tree will be restored after the Millennium when the Tree of Life will again be available to those who were faithful. They can eat the fruit and the leaves that provide eternal life and heal nations.
The Tree of Life
Many religions, philosophies, and mythologies speak of a Tree of Life. It appears in the ancient Mesopotamian religions, the Baháʼí Faith, Chinese mythology, Gnostic Manichaeism, Hinduism, Islam, and Mesoamerican religions to name but a few. Not all writings about the Tree of Life present it positively. Nag Hammadi Gnosticism presents the tree of life in a negative sense. The Kabbalah presents the tree of life as interconnected sefirot powers in the divine realm. In Christianity, however, the Tree of Life is an essential part of the opening and closing scenes of their book of faith, the Bible.
The Tree of Life in Genesis
Bible readers encounter the Tree of Life for the first time in Genesis 2. Verse 9 mentions that it was in the middle of the garden like the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The location, in the center of the garden, is indicative of the importance of these two trees. They were two trees among many that had sprung forth from the ground, pleasant to the sight and good for food.
God forbade Adam to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil but gave no such instruction about the Tree of Life. In Chapter 3, it becomes apparent that eating from the Tree of Life gave man eternal life (verse 22). Preventing them from eating the fruit in their fallen state was so important that God put two cherubim at the entrance to the garden to guard access to it lest they live forever in their fallen state.
The Tree of Life in Proverbs
The phrase “Tree of Life” appears four times in the Book of Proverbs. Here, none of the references speak of the Tree of Life directly. Rather, the Tree of Life serves as a metaphor. Let’s consider each instance briefly:
Proverbs 3:13-18 speaks of wisdom and understanding as a female. Verse 18 says: “She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.” It seems to indicate that wisdom and understanding bring vitality and enrich the life of the person who attains it, just like the Tree of Life offers rich vitality to the one who benefits from the fruits it bears.
Proverbs 11:30 states: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.” Righteousness is likened to the Tree of Life and the verse implies that people (souls) are drawn to and captivated by it for the quality of life it offers to the possessor and others.
The third reference to the Tree of Life in Proverbs juxtaposes hope deferred with desire fulfilled. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). Within the context of other negatives and positives that are juxtaposed, the desire in this verse is virtuous. It compares the fulfillment of a virtuous desire with the Tree of Life. Again, the fullness of life is in view.
The last reference to the Tree of Life in Proverbs is also a comparison. Here, the soft-spoken word is juxtaposed with a harsh utterance. “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4). This powerful comparison highlights the life-giving force of the tongue when employed with the character of the fruit of the spirit.
In all four instances, the Tree of Life is associated with vitality, vibrance, abundance, and richness. It shows how the author of Proverbs (possibly Solomon) reflected on the quality and character of the Tree of Life.
The Tree of Life in Revelation
In Revelation, there is one reference to the Tree of Life when Jesus speaks to the first of the seven churches, Ephesus. The Ephesians hated the Nicolaitans, who represented a compromise. To the Ephesians, Jesus closed his message with the words: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
The reference calls to mind Genesis 2 and 3 when man had full access to the Tree of Life with its associated eternal life with all the richness and abundance of paradise. The promise to this church, which some scholars interpret as resembling the first stage of the church in history, is that those who conquer the temptation of compromise will receive the privilege of access to the Tree of Life as the first parents, Adam and Eve, had. It implies complete restoration in the relationship with God.
It is in the last chapter of the New Testament that we learn the most about the Tree of Life. Revelation 22 mentions the Tree of Life three times. The first instance is in Revelation 22:1-2 where it states: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
These two verses add significant detail to the milieu of the Tree of Life. The throne of God is the origin of the water of life that feeds the tree. The tree produces twelve kinds of fruit monthly. The production of the fruit monthly may be the reason for a gathering before God envisioned in Isaiah 66, which seems to speak of eternity. It says: “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 66:22-23).
Some scholars have shown that “new moon to new moon” would be better translated as “month to month.” Considering Revelation 22:2 and Isaiah 66:22-23, it seems as though eating from the Tree of Life will be a monthly celebratory festival of life.
Revelation 22:14 says: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” (ESV). There is a variant to this text, which reads: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (KJV).
The variant is due to the manuscripts used for these translations, with most translations referencing the washing of garments, which symbolize having been cleansed and forgiven. Whichever version the reader prefers, faithful saints are in view, and their right to the tree does not vest in their works, but in the merits of Jesus who saved them.
The city is the New Jerusalem, where God is on the throne (Revelation 21:1-3). Paradise is within the walls of the city and the tree is, as in Eden, the centerpiece. God thus restores free access to the Tree of Life for those saints who have overcome and are saved by faith in Jesus.
The last reference in the Bible to the Tree of Life is part of a stark warning. It says: “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19).
The warning is against modifying the revelation of Jesus as revealed to John and recorded in the Book of Revelation. Part of the punishment for tampering with the revealed visions of the book is losing a share in the tree of life, which means losing eternal life.
The story of the Tree of Life, encountered in the first chapters of the Bible, comes full circle when the last chapter shows how access to the tree will be restored for those who remain faithful to the end. It warns against manipulating or distorting the revelation of Jesus, which may obfuscate the fact that Jesus, in the end, restores access to the Tree of Life.
