Interestingly, the very first thing recorded in Genesis 2:15-17 is: Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Man is made to become the overseer of God's creation - to improve and develop upon it. Following that in verses 16 and 17, God commanded Adam to make a choice - Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in that day they you eat of it you shall surely die.
From this passage of Scriptures, we can infer that the first piece of knowledge taught to Adam was the TREE of LIFE and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.The tree of life and tree of the knowledge of good and evil are probably the crucial knowledge that God would have Adam learnt at the onset, before anything else. As Herbert W. Armstrong wrote, these two trees would form the basic foundation of all knowledge on which human civilization later build upon. In fact, these two trees form the foundational stone of the doctrine of the Bible.
According to Herbert Armstrong, the main trunk of the tree of life is the Spirit of God. On one side of the tree of life are the four main branches which represent the first four of the Ten Commandments and they depict man's love toward God. On the other side are six main branches which represent the next six commandments of the Ten Commandments and they depict man's relationship toward fellow man. From the tree of life will flow the gifts of the Holy Spirit of God which is love, joy, peace,longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23).
If Adam and Eve had not sinned and partake of the tree of life as commanded by God, life inherent in God would have imparted to Adam and Eve and to all generations that follow. The Spirit of God would have flow up from the root of the tree of life to produce true life for man to live it God's way. Had Adam taken of the tree of life instead of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, human civilization would have taken an entirely different course!
However, by partaking from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man had rejected God's way and dependence upon Him for all true knowledge. Instead, man would rather choose to make his own decision based on his understanding and worldview of what is good and evil, right and wrong. In other words, man had rejected God and instead, chose the course of self-reliance. Apart from a select few chosen ones who have received the Spirit of God indwelling in them, man had been cut off from the true life source of the Spirit of God. The concomitant result is death. Had Adam and Eve partook of the tree of life, they would have all knowledge and understanding sourced from God. Their human spirit would have been connected with the Spirit of God to become a begotten child (conceived but not yet born) of God, just like a converted Spirit-begotten Christian.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil looks good and attractive on the outside, but within is rotten to the core! From it springs forth the spirit of Satan which is manifested by the works of the flesh like adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness,revelries (Gal 5:19-21). Those who practice such things WILL NOT inherit the kingdom of God. Since most of mankind falls prey to the ways of Satan, troubles and problems of this world abound in every society of every generations!
A sound knowledge of the two trees will help to underpin our worldview of Bible prophecies, world events and even human nature. Because of the Fall at the Garden of Eden, due primarily to deception on the part of Eve and disobedience on the part of Adam in partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, mankind and the world at large are in a mess that only the Return of Christ can avert total destruction! The knowledge of good is only man's level best of goodness which falls far short of God's best for mankind. So no matter how much good man tries to reform the system of this world, human nature remains unchanged and it will ultimately end in failure and disappointment. All governments and man made systems, including the financial architecture of this world which is based on greed and fear, unfair weights and deceptions will someday collapse just prior to the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is like the Titanic heading towards its prophetic destiny!
Tragically, the best of minds of this world cannot fully understand mankind because they partake from the wrong tree, which is sourced from Satan. And Satan has hidden the truth from them. I learn with disbelief that bright minds from some of the world's most learned universities would spend their life trying to trace man's ancestry back to the apes! The Bible is clear that the spirit in man is what distinguishes man from animals. This spirit in man combines with the human brains are what make man unique with all the fullest potential beyond comparison with any other living species! Yet the wrong premise on the foundation of all knowledge and education have led man going off target researching all in vain.
Today, you can choose to eat from the tree of life instead of eating from the 'tree of death'. The disciples of the Ephesus era were given the promise that to him who overcomes I(God) will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God (Rev 2:7). For the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life (Proverbs 11:30). Most of mankind does not know and understand this as it is hidden from them by Satan (Rev 12:9). But he who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son (Rev 21: 7).
The Bible begins with the tree of life that was proferred to man, represented by Adam. It ends with the tree of life on either side of the pure river of life flowing from the throne of God, yielding twelve fruits and with the leaves given for the healing of the nations (Rev 22:1-2). This tree of life is the fountain of the water of life that will flow forth from the New Jerusalem to bring true life, peace and joy, happiness and prosperity to all nations. Those who obey God's commandments shall have the right to the tree of life and to enter the New Jerusalem - the Headquarters of the kingdom of God! (Rev 22:14).
Have you grasped the significance of true and trusted knowledge that only God the Father has revealed? Anything else that is premised on agnosticism and human reasoning comes from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which will ultimately fall flat comes the Day of Reckoning!
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