• From the very beginning, man was offered access to life.
  
  

• Not just biological existence, but covenantal, relational life with God.
  
  

• This was symbolized by the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.
  
  

Genesis 2:9 "Out of the ground the Lord God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food, and the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

• But access to the Tree of Life was blocked after the Fall.
  
  

Genesis 3:24 "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."

• That flaming sword symbolized judgment, separation, and law.
  
  

• Ever since, the question has been: How do we get back to the Tree of Life?
  
  

WISDOM AND LIFE UNDER THE OLD COVENANT

• God gave hints that His wisdom was the path to life.
  
  

• Even in the Old Testament, wisdom was seen as life-giving and tree-like.
  
  

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

• Yet full access was still barred.
  
  

• The Law was a guardian, not the source of life (Galatians 3:24).
  
  

• The Temple itself was a new Eden, guarded by cherubim woven into the veil (Exodus 26:31).
  
  

Hebrews 9:8 "The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing."

• The way to life was not open.
  
  

• The Tree was still behind the veil.
  
  

• Access had to come another way.
  
  

CHRIST – THE WAY BACK TO THE TREE

• Jesus claimed to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
  
  

• He is the living Word, the Wisdom of God, and the one who opens the way to the Father.
  
  

• His death and resurrection opened the veil.
  
  

Hebrews 10:19-20 "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh..."

• The Tree of Life is no longer blocked.
  
  

• Through Christ, believers are restored to covenantal life.
  
  

THE FINAL REMOVAL OF THE GUARDIANS – AD 70

• The Law and the Temple stood as barriers.
  
  

• But those things were shadows that had to pass away.
  
  

• When Jerusalem was judged, the old guardians were removed.
  
  

• The sword of Genesis 3 was taken away.
  
  

• This is why Revelation ends with a Garden scene.
  
  

Revelation 22:2 "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."

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

• This is not a picture of heaven, but of the New Covenant.
  
  

• The river of life flows now. The healing leaves are available now.
  
  

• The Tree of Life is no longer guarded. The war is over.
  
  

APPLICATION: LIVING IN THE GARDEN AGAIN

• We are not waiting to enter Eden again. We are already there in Christ.
  
  

• The Tree of Life is available through the New Covenant.
  
  

• The sword is gone. The veil is torn. The gates are open.
  
  

• Our message is one of healing, not waiting.
  
  

• Our calling is to feed others from the Tree that never withers.
  
  

CONCLUSION: THE END IS THE BEGINNING

• From Genesis to Revelation, the story is the same:
  
  

  • God made man to live in His presence.
    
    

  • Sin separated us from the Tree of Life.
    
    

  • Christ restored what Adam lost.
    
    

  • AD 70 marked the full removal of the guardians of the Old.
    
    

  • The Tree of Life stands again, not in a garden of earth, but in the Kingdom of God.
    
    

Let us live as those who eat daily from the Tree of Life, and invite others to taste and see that the Lord is good.