Genesis 3:22-24
Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" - therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

† After the fall, access to the Tree of Life was blocked, symbolizing mankind's separation from God's presence.
† The cherubim and flaming sword represent divine holiness preventing sinful man from entering the holy place.
† This was not punishment without purpose, but preservation until redemption could come through Christ.
† The guarded tree pointed forward to the time when access would be reopened through the Lamb.

Proverbs 3:18
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast.

† The Tree of Life is also a symbol of wisdom, revealing that true life flows from understanding God's truth.
† In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, He is the embodiment of divine wisdom.
† By holding fast to Him, we partake in the life once guarded in Eden.
† Wisdom and life meet in Christ, who restores what Adam lost.

Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.

† The promise to the overcomers is the restoration of what was lost, access to the Tree of Life.
† "Paradise of God" refers to the fulfilled kingdom, not a future distant realm.
† The overcomers are those who remained faithful through the tribulation of that age, inheriting eternal fellowship with God.
† Christ, as the true Tree of Life, feeds His people with unending spiritual life.

Revelation 22:1-2
Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

† John saw the fulfillment of what was lost in Genesis, the Tree of Life restored to mankind.
† It stands on both sides of the river, symbolizing its accessibility to all who are redeemed.
† The continual fruit shows the unending supply of spiritual nourishment in the eternal kingdom.
† The healing of the nations represents the restoration and unity brought through the gospel of Christ.

Revelation 22:14
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.

† The right to the Tree of Life is granted through cleansing, not by works, but by the blood of the Lamb.
† Those who have been made pure are granted full citizenship in the New Jerusalem.
† The guarded way of Genesis is now the open gate of Revelation, the sword is gone, and the way stands clear.
† What was once forbidden is now freely given to all who belong to Christ.

John 15:5
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

† Christ identifies Himself as the true source of life, the Tree that bears eternal fruit.
† Those who abide in Him share in the same life that flows from the throne.
† The imagery of vine and branches fulfills the purpose of the Tree of Life, communion and fruitfulness in God.
† The restoration of access to the Tree of Life is realized in the continual indwelling of Christ in His people.

1 Peter 2:24
And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

† The leaves of the Tree bring healing because the Lamb's wounds brought restoration.
† The cross became the bridge from death to life, opening the way back to the Tree.
† Every aspect of Eden's loss is reversed through the redemption purchased by Christ.
† Healing, fellowship, and eternal life are now permanent realities in the fulfilled kingdom.

How it applies to us today
† The Tree of Life is not hidden, we live in its shade and feed on its fruit daily through Christ.
† The flaming sword no longer guards the way; it was satisfied at Calvary.
† Eternal life is not something to wait for, but something we already possess in the presence of the Lamb.
† The healing of the nations continues as the gospel of the kingdom flows through the world.
† Access has been fully restored, the Tree of Life stands open to all who believe.

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †
© Fulfilled Prophecies - Dan Maines.

Source Index
† Genesis 3:22-24; Proverbs 3:18; Revelation 2:7; Revelation 22:1-2, 14; John 15:5; 1 Peter 2:24
† Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 5
† Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 6