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.
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.
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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