The Tree Between
Long ago, in the Garden of Eden, there was a tree. This was a special tree that God had placed there for the sole purpose of causing the eater of the fruit thereof to live forever. Adam and Eve were encouraged to eat of this tree and many others. But there was another tree in the garden of which God forbade them to eat.
Genesis 2:9 says, “And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Then in verses 16-17 we read, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
But the inhabitants of the garden chose to disobey God’s command, and as a result, they faced expulsion from Paradise. (Genesis 3:22-24) Adam and Eve chose to forfeit their right to eat of the tree of life for a taste of that which was forbidden, and in doing so, they condemned the entire human race to a life that is born in sin. (Romans 5:12)
But there is another tree that we read about in the last book of the Bible that sounds very similar to the one we find in Genesis 2. “…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) “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 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.” (Revelation 22:1-2)
From these verses, we learn that God has placed in the new Paradise, also called the New Jerusalem, a new tree of life! This tree is not a story of the past; this tree is something that is yet to come. The Lord promises access to this tree to those who overcome and those who obey Him, as we read in Revelation 22:14. “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.” But how can we be assured of our right to this second tree of life? Where can we obtain the assurance that we will gain entrance to Paradise?
We find the answers to these questions in the message that Peter preached to the household of Cornelius. Acts 10:38-40 reads, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good…And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly.” And then a few verses later in verse 43, Peter says that because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, we can have our sins remitted. “…that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” Peter speaks of this again in I Peter 2:24, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness...”
So we see that between the tree in the garden of Eden, and the tree in Paradise, is the tree of Calvary. Jesus took the sins of the whole world upon Himself, and He died on that tree so that you and I could have eternal life. If we want to obtain access to the tree of life in Paradise, we must first make our own journey to Calvary. Acts 2:38 gives us explicit instructions. We must follow the example of Jesus; repentance, baptism, and being filled with the Holy Ghost are likened to His death, burial, and resurrection. We follow Jesus’ example of death by dying to our flesh, we are buried in baptism, and we are resurrected with the infilling of His Spirit.
I Peter 2:21 says, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” Jesus Himself said in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” He didn’t offer this as a suggestion; it is not optional. Jesus tells us in Luke 14:27, “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” There is no power in the cross itself, for many were crucified on a cross. The power is in the blood that Jesus shed on that tree on a hill called Golgotha. And because of His resurrection, we also can rise to walk in newness of life.
Paul says in Colossians 2:12-14, “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins…hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” Somewhere between Eden and Eternity, there is a place of exoneration; between Adam’s peccancy and Paradise, we can find pardon. Thank God for the tree between.
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (I Corinthians 1:18)
--J.D. Sutter
All Scripture references are the King James Version.


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