THE TREE OF LIFE

G.A.Brown

Genesis 2: 8,9; 3: 22-24; Revelation 2: 7; 22: 1-5

The brethren will have observed that these verses refer to the tree of life. It is one of God's great prime thoughts. In the passage read in Genesis 2 it is set in this choice area where there is no sin. It alludes, of course, to the Lord Jesus. Who else could it allude to? It speaks of perennial freshness and unlimited enjoyment and this is to be our portion. What I want to point out about this first passage is that it was set in the midst of the garden. It is worthy of note that the woman when speaking to the serpent refers in the next chapter to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as being in the midst. I do not want to make too much of detail, but I think this is worth noting. The trees may have been near each other - I do not know - but I would suggest to the brethren that there is only one 'midst', there is only one place which is the very centre, and that is the place which is occupied by Christ. The Man of God's purpose, the Man of His choice, is the centre of all that He has in mind for eternity. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil refers to what is responsible, and of course the Lord Jesus took that matter up as well. We have been taught, and it would do no harm to repeat it, that on the cross these two trees were conciliated. That is Mr Raven's teaching. The conciliation of the two trees took place at the cross when the moral question was fully resolved to God's pleasure and entire satisfaction. The work of redemption was completed and the way to the tree of life was opened again. There comes an end to the side of God's ways and there will come a time when evil will be consigned to its own place and death and hades will be cast into the lake of fire. All that has offended God will be burnt up finally before He introduces a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness (see 2 Pet 3: 12, 13). Therefore I suggest to the brethren that the question of the knowledge of good and evil, whilst it is very important and indeed takes up most of the scriptures, is not the centre. It comes in of necessity and will be finished, but the tree of life will be there when this earth is no more, when all our responsible histories are done. That tree flourishes in the midst, in the paradise of God.

Jehovah Elohim made every tree grow that was pleasant to the sight, and good for food; and the tree of life. You might think of the saints, every one of them, planted there, around the tree of life. Christ stands out in all His distinctiveness, as it says elsewhere, "As the apple tree among the trees of the wood", Song of Sol 2: 3. I do not say that that is the tree of life, but it brings out the distinctiveness of Christ in the central place with all the others around Him. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is there too; that will come up in due course, but oh to see Christ there in all His glory and distinctiveness, central! That is my point, He is central in the mind of God in regard to all that is going through into eternity. Is He central in your life and mine? Does everything else relate to that blessed Man, the Man of God's choice? Well, soon enough, sin came in. I have wondered why man did not go to the tree of life first, why was he not attracted by it? It seems that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was more attractive to him and the reason for that doubtless would be that the enemy had introduced into his mind, through the woman, the thought that God was holding something back. Dear brethren, God holds nothing back that is good for us. The tree of life was there in the midst; what more could you ask for than to feed on and enjoy its precious fruit forever? God never told man that he was not to eat of the tree of life. However, he was kept away from it in God's ways and it had to be so. The tremendous statement is made here, an unfinished sentence (when you find that in Scripture there is usually something very important about it): "lest he stretch out his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever" - and then a blank, and then an exclamation, as though to say, it hardly bears thinking of. Man would have lived in perpetuity in sin. God did not have that in mind for man, so He acted immediately to prevent it; it says He sent him forth from the garden of Eden.

Now, again I would not like to make too much of detail, but I do not think man is ever prohibited from eating of the tree of life either before or after this. What happens is that God drives him out, to prevent him from doing it. I can hardly imagine that God would prohibit man from eating of the tree of life, because if He had done that it would be final. His word would be final and irrevocable. In His grace God drove man out; it was grace, because God was not going to destroy the man he had formed. He was not going to perpetuate that order of things in flesh and blood in sin eternally. God was not going to do that. Do you know why He drove man out? To guard the way to the tree of life. The way to the tree of life was still there and God was protecting that which was most precious, preventing man from having access to it for the time being. This is in God's ways; He prevented man from getting there for the time being. Why? Because God had great things in mind. This tree of life that flourished in an earthly paradise is no longer to be found down here. You can go, if you wish, to where the garden of Eden was - I suppose you can get a rough idea where it was, between the rivers - but there is no Eden there now, there is no tree of life there now. God never intended it to continue down here. God was reserving the tree of life for another sphere, but He was guarding the way to it against the day when man in the light of the work of Christ would have unlimited access to it. Do you know where to find the tree of life? You will find it in the paradise of God, that is where it is. It blooms and flourishes there in the paradise of God, where there is no sin, where there is no unhallowed eye to look upon it, where sin-soiled feet have never trod. The way to the tree of life, beloved brethren, is open to you and me because redemption's work has been completed. The moral question has been taken up by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself upon the cross. "It is finished" He said, and delivered up His spirit. The work has been completed, the moral question has been resolved, so that there is access now. How often do we take that way, to be practical, the way to the tree of life? You may be burdened by the sorrows of the testimony and it is right that we should take these things upon us and feel them, but there is a way into an area of unlimited delight. I think that is what paradise means, the place of delights. There is a place for you there, because Christ is there in the presence of God. It is interesting that the Cherubim were set with "the flame of the flashing sword, toward the east of the garden", as though God was looking forward to the day when it would be opened again. That beloved brethren, is the day in which we live, the way has been opened.

In Revelation 2, where we read, this address is to the overcomer in the Ephesian assembly, and that is not without significance, because it refers to a time when things were being given up; perhaps not big things, but small things can become big things. The setting in Revelation 2 and 3, as the brethren are well aware, covers the public history of the church. Ephesus gives us this first phase where you have perhaps not much amiss on the surface, but there is something missing vitally. Now, we can just ask ourselves, honestly about our meetings, whether there is any element of formality in them. We all know the things to say - I suppose all of us have been in fellowship long enough to know the things to say - in fact, a brother who ministered with us not so long ago said we can carry through the service of God without the help of the Spirit. That is in terms because we have done it so often before, and we know all the things to say. It might not have been apparent to a visitor to the Ephesian assembly that there was much wrong, but the Lord knows and the Lord brings it out in this address showing that there is something missing. Things are being given up and, of course, what is given up is the greatest thing, not perhaps the most noticeable thing, but the highest and best things are always the things that are given up first. It is in such a setting that the Lord Jesus addresses Himself to the overcomer; He says, "to him that overcomes, I will give to him to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God". Oh, that is beautiful, is it not? To think that to you, dear brother or sister, whatever the situation may be, locally, universally or publicly, if you are an overcomer the Lord says, "I will give to him to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God". Could you think of anything better than that? Is there any more relaxing sphere to enter into than the paradise of God, where Christ is in all His glory and all His beauty, in all His perfect suitability to God, in all His fruitfulness? The tree of life is there, in that place of unlimited delight. That is your privilege now.

We have here in chapter 22 of Revelation the millennial setting. It says the tree of life produces twelve fruits, "in each month yielding its fruit", so it alludes to time, to the day of display. It is as though God shows to a wondering universe how man has tried to get satisfaction from every source. In the whole long course since Adam's fall man has sought and striven after satisfaction. God now displays the Source of satisfaction; and you will notice that it is once again seen in the midst. This is the place that God always had in mind for Christ, it is the place that He will occupy eternally, it is the central place, it is in the midst. "In the midst of its street, and of the river, on this side and on that side, the tree of life, producing twelve fruits, in each month yielding its fruit; and the leaves of the tree for healing of the nations". Such is divine beneficence and magnanimity that the scars of the nations through all the warfare that has gone on over the centuries are all going to be healed. In that day the lion and the lamb will lie down together; what a day it will be! The leaves from that tree are to heal these wounds that men have inflicted upon themselves. It is universal blessing. But the fruit is for you, the fruit is for me. The fruit does not go out to the nations, the fruit is reserved for the assembly. Think of that! The assembly here, of course, is in eternal conditions although presiding with Christ over a millennial world. But when time has ceased to be, when these twelve monthly cycles which we call years will all be finished, that tree will flourish still in the paradise of God.

I just want to come back in closing to the Ephesian overcomer, to point out that there is no word in Revelation 2 about the twelve fruits in twelve months. I would suggest that what the Ephesian overcomer can feast upon at this moment is eternal in character; eternal joys are ours, eternal blessing, precious access to such a sphere where our eternal portion will be, in the paradise of God! In the day in which we live, dear brethren, even in the midst of church ruin, the overcomer has access to eternal joys, can drink of life's perennial river and feed on life's perennial food. This is our portion, dear brethren. May we touch these things in an increasing measure, for His own Name's sake.

TORONTO

19 June 1982