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God's Word as a Tree of Life

A war is raging today over the word of God.  The majority does not believe that we have the word of God in our language; still others do not even believe that the word of God was inspired in the originals.  Why such a battle?  Satan realizes that the word of God is life. He also realizes that if people get to God’s perfect word and eat of it they will have eternal life. God’s word tells of a tree that appears in the Garden of Eden and then reappears in the last chapter of Revelation.  A close look at this tree will show you characteristics of the word of God.

In the Garden of Eden  

In the Garden of Eden, there are two trees: one that offers life and one that brings death.  After Adam and Eve fall, the Lord takes them out of the garden for fear that they would eat the tree of life and live eternally in their sinful condition.

Even in this instance there are some unique types of the word of God.  For example, those Cherubims are waving a flaming sword.  Do you know of anything in the word of God that was on fire or having to do with fire?  How about Jeremiah 20:9 –  “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”  God’s word is a burning fire; but what about that sword the Cherubims are waving?  Ephesians 6:17 says, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

In other words, in order to get to the tree of life, you had to go through the flaming sword.  Today, if you want to have eternal life, you must go through the flaming sword—the word of God.  Before you can get saved and have life, the word of God must do it’s work as the sword in showing you that you are lost and on your way to hell. If you eat of the tree (the word of God) you will be born again. 1 Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

In the New Jerusalem

Now go to the book of Revelation where this tree will show up again with a little more detail.  Revelation 22:2 says “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

Please notice the following details: 1) apparently, this was one tree but was on both sides of the river; 2) there was a river flowing through it, and; 3) the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.  First, consider the fact that we have one tree with some kind of division.  This pictures the two testaments (Old and New) with an obvious split; but it is still one book.

Next, we have a river flowing through it.  Ephesians 5:26 says, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”.  If you get in the word of God, there is water flowing out of it that will clean up your life and straighten you up.

And last but not least we have the leaves of the tree of life that are for the healing of nations.  In Jeremiah 36:23 we see that Jehudi read three or four leaves of scripture (in our day this would be similar to pages).  Certainly, the leaves of the word of God are for the healing of nations.  The word of God will cure the sinner, heal the backslider and give medicine to the child of God.

The battle surely is worth it because that King James Bible is a tree of life.  Jeremiah 15:16 “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.”  May we continue to eat of this blessed tree.

Andrew Ray

Daily Proverb

Proverbs 28:7

Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.