The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Release of the Material Creation, #24

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. (Revelation 22:14)

Why, then, did God not permit Adam and Eve to eat of the Divine Life in Christ?

They certainly could have eaten if they had wanted to because the tree of life was in the center of the garden. But they chose instead to eat of the forbidden tree. They chose to sin against God.

The key to understanding the eating of the tree of life is found in the Book of Revelation. We must keep the commandments of God in order to have access to the tree of life.

God will not have fellowship with sin. When we sin, the eternal Life that Christ Is leaves us, as declared in the following verse:

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify [put to death] the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)

The Apostle obviously is not speaking of dying physically, for all die physically whether or not they live in the appetites and lusts of the flesh. The point is, if we Christians live according to the lusts of our body we will reap spiritual death. The Life of Christ will not abound in those who are walking in sin and disobedience to God.

If, on the other hand, we, through the Holy Spirit of God, put to death the lusts of our flesh, overcoming sin by the Spirit of God, the Lord Jesus will feed us with His own body and blood. We will live by Him as He lives by the Father, growing spiritually strong and filled with Divine Life—Life that in the Day of Resurrection will make alive our mortal body.

Since all human beings were born in sin, none of us ever can gain access to the tree of life. But because of the blood of the Lamb of God, by faith in His blood, our sins are forgiven and we are authorized to partake of the eternal Life in the Lord Jesus Christ.

But it is not enough to taste briefly of the Life that Christ Is. We must continue eating every day. In order to do this we must follow the Holy Spirit as He leads us out of the world, out of sin, and into keeping the Lord's commandments.

As we come out of the world, out of sin, the Lord feeds us with the tree of life—with His own flesh and blood, His own Life. This is the meaning of the expression, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7).

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)

As we have stated, Adam and Eve were welcome to eat of the tree of life. But the moment they sinned they no longer were eligible to partake of the Life of God.

To be continued.