Tag: The Reality of the Tree of Life

  • [WMSCOG] Passover The Tree Of Life

    [WMSCOG] Passover The Tree Of Life

    Secrets Hidden In Parable

    Passover The Tree Of Life–The Book of Genesis contains many secrets and mysteries in it. People who do not know how to read the bible try to understand and interpret Genesis literally. And in the end they come to distort the words of God. Then how should we understand and interpret the Book of Genesis? The bible gives enough information for us to know the meaning of all the parables in the bible.

    2000 years ago, Jesus came down to us and taught how to understand the Book of Genesis. Therefore, to understand the book first we have look at the words of God in the bible.

    Jesus’ Teachings: The Key To Understand The Parable

    Matthew 13:34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

    Passover The Tree Of Life–The bible says that all the words of God in the bible are composed of many parables. In this sense, the bible itself is a huge construction of figurative language. The problem of the figurative language is, however, that sometimes it can cause misunderstandings since it can be interpreted in many different ways. Therefore, to know the intended meaning of the parable, we must have knowledge about the intention of the maker of the parable. In the case of the bible we have to know the intention of God in the parable since God gave us the book. (Isaiah 34:16)

    Since it is impossible to know the thoughts of God with our human understanding (Isaiah 55:8), Jesus, who is God himself, came down to us. And He gave us the teachings of God directly that we may understand the meanings of the parable. And we can interpret the bible correctly.

    Passover the tree of life
    What is the tree of life? What should we eat to live forever?

    The Tree Of Life In Genesis

    The First Sin And the Death Through Sin

    Passover The Tree Of Life–Jesus taught us many things about the hidden secrets and mysteries of the bible. However, today let us study one teaching of Jesus, the tree of life. What is the tree of life? What is the hidden secret behind this parable?

    Let us first look at the parable of the tree of life in the Book of Genesis. In the Book of Romans, Paul says that sin entered the world through Adam and the death through sin. (Romans 5:12) Adam did not obey the words of God. He committed sin by practicing the lawlessness. (1John 3:4) God commanded him not to eat from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. However, Adam and Eve practiced the lawlessness and ate from the tree.

    Because of this disobedience or sin, the death came to them. And they were destined to die. However, if we read the Book of Genesis, there was a way for them to have eternal life despite their sin and the death sentence in the wake.

    Eternal Life For The Sinners

    Genesis 3:22 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.”

    Passover The Tree Of Life–Even though they were destined to die because of their sin, there was a way for the sinners to live forever. If only they could eat from the tree of life, they could have eternal life. However, God did not allow them to eat from the tree of life.

    Genesis 3:23 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.

    God set a flaming sword and cherubim on guard to keep the sinners from eating the tree of life. Since they could not eat from the tree of life, the eternal life was taken away from them. And they lamented as Paul said, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)

    This story of sin and death is not just a story of Adam and Eve. Actually, this is the story of all the human beings on this earth who is living as slaves of sin and death. (Romans 5:12)

    The Interpretation On The Parable Of Tree Of Life

    The Figurative Language That Contains Secrets

    Passover The Tree Of Life–This is the story of the tree of life in the Book of Genesis. We cannot interpret the story literally. Can we pinpoint the physical location of the Garden of Eden somewhere on this earth? And is there the entrance of the garden guarded by a flaming sword and cherubim? And in the middle of the garden do you think we can see the tree of life that we may eat and live forever? Definitely not.

    The bible says there are “things hidden” or secrets in this story of the tree of life in the Book of Genesis. It means we cannot interpret Genesis in the literal sense. Rather, we have to know the hidden meaning behind this story. Then what is the tree of life? How can we eat it and live forever? To find the answer for these questions we should look at the teachings of Jesus Christ.

    The Tree Of Life In The Teachings Of Jesus

    Passover The Tree Of Life–2000 years ago, God himself came down to this earth in the name of Jesus. He wanted to reveal “things hidden since the creation of the world.” The very first thing he revealed through his teaching was the parable of the tree of life. He wanted to let us know the reality of the tree of life for our salvation of eternal life. Then what is the true tree of life we should eat to live forever?

    John 6:53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

    What should a sinner eat to live forever in the Garden of Eden? The tree of life. In this teaching of Jesus what should a sinner eat to live forever? Jesus’ flesh and blood. Then what is the reality of the tree of life? It is none other than the flesh and blood of Jesus. What God wanted to teach us through the parable of the tree of life in Genesis was that a sinner living on this earth must eat Jesus’ flesh and blood to live forever or to have eternal life.

    The Way To Eat Christ’s Flesh And Blood

    Passover The Tree Of Life–We come to know the reality of the tree of life, Christ’s flesh and blood. Then the next question is how to eat Christ’s flesh and blood. As I told you, we should not interpret the bible literally. Jesus’ flesh and blood must be a parable too.

    When he gave this teaching, those who understood his teaching literally rejected him and turned away from him. They could not receive the salvation through the tree of life.

    John 6:60-66  On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”…..66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

    However, Jesus’ disciples patiently waited for Jesus to teach them how to eat his flesh and blood. And they could eat the tree of life and live forever. Therefore, we should also open our spiritual eyes. Or we may make the same mistakes as Jews and lose our share of the tree of life. Then how can we eat the tree of life to live forever.

    Passover the tree of life
    Jesus and His Disciples Keeping Passover

    Passover the Reality of the Tree Of Life

    Passover The Tree Of Life–Then what is the way we can eat Jesus’ flesh and blood?

    Matthew 26:17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

    On the night of the Passover, he gave his disciples a precious teaching. He taught them how to eat from the tree of life. Also he taught them what the way is they could eat his flesh and blood.

    Matthew 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup (wine), and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[b] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

    On the night of the Passover, Jesus taught his disciples of the way to eat his flesh and blood. He took the Passover bread and sealed it as his flesh with his own promise. In the same way, he sealed the Passover wine as his blood. Therefore, by keeping the Passover, we can eat his flesh and drink his blood. Consequently, through the Passover, we can eat the tree of life to live forever.

    Abolishment and Restoration Of The Passover

    Passover The Tree Of Life–The saints of the early church kept the Passover of the new covenant according to the teachings of Christ. (1Corinthians 5:7) However, Satan worked against the Passover and abolished it. It attempted to abolish the Passover many times in the history of Christianity, first in A.D. 155 and 197. Finally, in the Council of Nicaea in 325, the Passover was completely abolished and disappeared from the world.

    For this reason, the bible says that the Christ would come for the second time to give us salvation.

    Hebrews 9:28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

    To fulfill this prophecy, Christ appeared to us for the second time in the name of Christ Ahnsahnghong. He restored the Passover of the new covenant for our salvation. Once the way to the tree of life was hidden, but now it is open to us again. Now let us keep the Passover of the new covenant with a joyful and thankful mind for the salvation Christ gave us for the second time.

  • [WMSCOG] The Tree Of Life And Ten Commandments

    In Genesis, God created the Garden of Eden and planted the Tree of Life in the middle and He gave free access to the tree to Adam and Eve so that they could eat from the tree and have eternal life. But when they ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, disobeying the words of God, they could not eat from the Tree of Life and they could not live forever. This is how death enter into the human being.

    The Tree of Life

    Genesis 3:22   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.

    Because of their sin, Adam and Eve was driven out from the Garden and they were not allowed to eat from the Tree of Life. To stop the sinner from eating the tree of life, God place angels and a flaming sword to guard the way. After this they were destined to die since they could not eat from the tree of life. And the bible says that this story is not just a story of Adam and Eve, but it tells what happened to all human beings on this earth who were destined to die just like Adam and Eve. Therefore, if we could eat somehow from the tree of life, we can live forever. Then how can we find the tree of life and how can we disarm the angels and flaming sword to enter into the garden to eat from the tree of life?

    First, we must understand that this story of the Garden of Eden is just a parable. No where on this earth can we find a actual place which is called the Garden of Eden. Therefore, first we must understand this figuratively. Then in reality what is the tree of life that we must eat to live forever? It is the words of God, the Ten Commandments. God gave the Ten Commandments as the reality of the tree of life so that people can eat and live forever.

    Tree of life
    Moses’ Ten Commandments

    The Reality of the Tree of Life

    Jesus said that the true bread is the words of God.

    Matthew 4:4   Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

    God gave his words so that people could eat and they could live forever when they kept the words.

    Ezekiel 20:11   I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live.

    We can confirm this through the sanctuary in the Old Testament. God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments or the words of God so that people who obeyed them could live by them. And He commanded Moses to put the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments in the Most Holy Place of the Temple in the Ark of the Covenant under the Wings of the two cherubim.

    Exodus 25:17   “Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 18 And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 19 Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. 20 The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 21 Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. 22 There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

    God commanded Moses to make an atonement cover to put on the ark of the covenant which contained the Ten Commandments. And he said he would sit enthroned on the cover between the cherubim and that is why this cover was once called “a mercy seat” or “the throne of God.” Moses made this atonement cover in accordance with the commands of God and put the ark and cover in the Most Holy Place with the two stone tablets in the ark of covenant.

    Then why did God command Moses to make a two cherubim on either side of the atonement cover? What were the cherubim doing? God gave the Ten Commandments as the reality of the tree of life so that people could eat and live forever. But not everybody could enter into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain and get near to the tree of life, the Ten Commandments. If sinners tried to enter into the Most Holy Place and eat from the words of God, they could be killed as we can see in many places in the bible. (1 Samuel 6:19, 2 Samuel 6:6)

    Leviticus 10:1   Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. 2 So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.

    When the two sons of Aaron the high priest tried to enter into the Most Holy Place which was contrary to the command of God, they were immediately put to death by fire. Why did this happen? It was because the two cherubim and the flaming sword was guarding the way to the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place. Through this God was teaching us that the reality of the tree of life is actually the Ten Commandments and the cherubim on the ark of the covenant was the same cherubim guarding the way of the tree of life in the garden of Eden. Therefore, we can confirm that the Ten Commandments or the words of God was given as the tree of life so that we can eat and live forever.

    Tree of Life
    Why did God command Moses to fashion Cherubim on either end of the atonement cover?

    How To Eat From The Tree of Life

    However, the tree of life was guarded by cherubim and a flaming sword and a sinner could be put to death if he tried to enter into the garden to eat from the tree. Therefore, the tree of life was useless to them since they could not eat from it. In the same way, the Ten Commandments was given as tree of life, but it is useless to a sinner because he could be killed as soon as he tries to enter the Most Holy Place. Then why did God give something that is meaningless to a sinner? Did the work of God for the salvation fail because no sinner can eat from the tree of life and everybody is a sinner and nobody can eat from the tree of life? In conclusion, the work of God is not meaningless. Every single thing in God is important and given to us for our salvation. If then, how can we enter into the Most Holy Place and receive eternal life promised in the Ten Commandments? The answer is the law of God given along with the Ten Commandments. A sinner cannot enter into the Most Holy Place to eat from the tree of life, but when the sinner was forgiven of his sins, then he could enter and eat from the tree of life.

    When Aaron’s two sons tried to enter into the Most Holy Place by their own opinions, they got killed, but God allowed the access to the inner room when a priest was purified of their sins through the blood of animals on the Day of Atonement.

    Leviticus 16:1   The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover. …3 “This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering[a] and a ram for a burnt offering. ….6 “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. …..11 “Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12 He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. 13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die.

    God allowed a sinner to enter into the Most Holy Place to eat from the tree of life only when his sins were forgiven through the blood of animals. And also God said not to enter whenever he wanted to enter, but he must enter according to the laws and regulations of God. When God gave the Ten Commandments, God also gave them a guideline to let them know how and when to enter into the Most Holy Place to eat from the tree of life.

    Deuteronomy 31:24   After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord: 26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God.

    Right next to the ark which had the Ten Commandments or the tree of life was placed the Book of the Law. What was this book of the law and why was it place along with the ark? It was because this Book of Law was given to teach them how to enter into the Most Holy Place and eat from the Tree of Life so that they could live forever. Then what was recorded in the book? What was the law given along with the Ten Commandments?

    Exodus 34:27   27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

    The covenant or the Ten Commandments was given according to “these words.” Then what are these words? If we read some verses right before verse 27, we can see the festivals of God. From verse 18 of the same chapter up to verse 26 God is speaking about the festivals such as Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. And he said in accordance with the law of feasts, he made the covenant with his people and as the sign of covenant he gave the two stone tablets. Therefore, the law which was given along with the Ten Commandments or the tree of life was actually festivals of God. In the Old Testament all the festivals of God was kept with animal sacrifices by shedding the blood of animals for the purification of sins. In short, a sinner cannot enter into the Most Holy Place for the tree of life, but when the sinner was forgiven of his sins through the blood of animals according to the regulations of the festivals, they could enter and eat from the tree of life.

    Spiritual Fulfillment

    It is the same with us who are living in the New Testament. We also can enter into the Most Holy Place and eat from the tree of life through the blood of Christ who is the reality of the animal sacrifice.

    Heb 10:19   Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body

    Through the sacrifice of Christ our sins can be purified and we can enter into the inner room and eat from the tree of life. Then how and when can we be purified of our sins? Through God’s appointed times, the Festivals of God. Once the festivals of God was abolished by the work of Satan and no sinner could eat from the tree of life, but now Christ Ahnsahnghong brought back all the festivals of God and opened the way to the Most Holy Place through his blood. And he also let us know the true reality of the Most Holy Place and the ark of covenant, that is, Our Mother who is the true source of water of life. We must come to Zion, the city of festivals and keep all the festivals and then we can eat from the tree of life. The World Mission Society Church of God is the only place which was established by Christ Ahnsahnghong. Come to Zion and Father and Mother will forgive our sins and give us eternal life. Amen.

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