Tag:

Tree of Life

Jesus Is The Tree Of Life

by John Mathai March 21, 2022

The tree of life was in the garden of Eden and Adam and Eve were able to eat of it freely. In the garden was also the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God forbade them from eating of this fruit as they would die. However the devil was able to tempt them to do so. Through this sin of disobedience they fell and so did all creation with them. Since then all of creation has been affected by sin. This is the reason why Jesus has to come to redeem us. He did this by dying on the Cross for us. Now the tree of life lives in us when we trust His salvation on our behalf. Jesus comes to live in us through His Holy Spirit.

Fruit

The tree of life bears fruit that nourishes our spirit. Our spirit then affects our soul and our body. The words of life bear fruit in us and we enjoy it and share it with others. This is the way God had planned it from the beginning. However the devil cannot be part of this redemption. He is condemned to hell with his angels. However he wants to take as many as possible to hell with him. This is why we need to share the good news of the gospel to all who will listen. There is no other way to be saved.

Salvation

God planned from the beginning that we were helpless to save ourselves. He therefore has provided for us a lamb as a sacrifice on our behalf. Come and receive His salvation today. He died for all, yet all will not receive Him. Most will reject His plan of salvation. Most will be happy to continue to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. This is what we see in our fallen world. The wars within and without confirm our fallen state. There is no redemption other than through Jesus. He has promised us eternal life. Come now and be saved in Jesus Name.

Dr. John Mathai

_________

A Return To Innocence

by Corine Channell January 3, 2022

written by Corine Channell

The very first time I processed any thoughts for the writing of my book BEYOND THE BOLTED DOOR was when I wondered about the significance of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. It felt to me like we missed something BIG there. And I researched and wrote and thought, and decided that would be the baseline of a book I might write. It started right there. In fact the title of the book I might write was going to be called “The Land Before Knowledge/Return to Innocence” and about how innocence was lost because OF the knowledge of good and evil – we were NEVER supposed to know about evil. Never.

CAN WE RETURN TO EDEN?

My original first entry for my book looked like this (written March 2020) – I guess I am just clawing my way back to my own garden, back to find the land before knowledge. Let’s go back to the original garden – the Garden of Eden, also referred to as Paradise. It was the perfect place to reside, and probably a place all humans are longing to find. I wonder if in some way all of our roots are planted deep in Eden. I wonder if our pull to something else, to something more, to something better is our soul’s way of trying to reconnect with what was originally offered to us. We could have all lived in the Garden of Eden. If sin had never crept in, bringing in the knowledge of good and evil, then we would have all had the same home address. However, sin DID creep in and well, the rest is the history of man. Am I understanding maybe that we should never EVER have had any knowledge of evil? Sin is something that unfortunately we are ALL born into. It seems we are doomed. It seems there is no way out. It seems evil will win over good. What matters now is that we find our way back to what God always wanted for us, and the reason why He gave us His Son. He wants to return us to the Garden. I have come to believe this IS a real possibility, to find innocence once again within ourselves.

IT ALL BEGAN WITH TWO TREES

Clearly my heart’s cry at the very onset was to find my own innocence lost, and I really questioned if that was possible.

I find that a lot of what I have learned along my book writing journey has been about trees, so it should be NO surprise that a TREE is where it all began – for ALL of us. “There were however two important trees in the middle of the garden that were different from the rest. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life as it states gave life, particularly eternal life. The other tree would produce death.” (Bible Topical Studies)

Adam and Eve were told they could partake of the fruit of any tree in the Garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because IF they did, their eyes would be opened. It was called forbidden fruit – “the definition of forbidden fruit is an immoral or illegal pleasure.” (Wikipedia) Immoral. Hmmmm… This right here tells me we were NOT meant to know everything. And, we do – to our demise. We live IN the time that the Bible calls the increase of knowledge – “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the END. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4)

WAS IT AN APPLE?

I wonder SO much if it was really an apple that was the fall of mankind – or more what that is symbolic of? What did Eve do that cursed us all? What was so good to partake of, that she then dragged down her beloved, perfect specimen of a husband with her? Was it worth the risk they both took? What was SO tempting? It WAS the knowledge – it was the seduction – it was the danger – and that is the SAME knowledge we all face – that evil thing that Satan uses in the background – in the shadows – in the darkness to ruin our lives. God made all things beautiful – remember, Adam and Eve didn’t even know they were naked. (this shows their innocence; nothing TO be ashamed of.) There was NO shame in the Garden of Eden. Until. Until they partook of the forbidden fruit. “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked.” (Genesis 3.7). They lost the blessing and the privilege of innocence. Really, think about that and you will see the truth – it is right there in plain view.

INNOCENCE LOST AND FOUND

The land before knowledge IS innocence! Evil knowledge holds us captive behind a bolted door of secrets and shame, while our soul is crying to be FREE. We must return to Eden in our own hearts. And you CAN. How do I know? Because I DID! I found what I have been missing my entire life.

“You’re my hope unbroken.
You’re my innocence.
I am free like a river;
I’m a child again.” (“Child Again” by NeedToBreathe)

When we open up our heart in its most authentic state (no matter what that is) God shines His light on it NOT to condemn what He sees there, but to redeem and restore us from evil. He takes our worst case possible condition and begins at square ONE to re-do us. Yes, Adam and Eve set the evil knowledge wheels in motion, but God sent Jesus to turn it all around. And, that innocence lost? We CAN find it again in the purity of the love of Jesus, shed abroad in our hearts. The OTHER knowledge on that tree was GOOD, remember.

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of LIFE, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the HEALING of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:1-5).

I think we could sum up that indeed, first in our hearts and then when we leave this planet – we ARE being wooed BACK to Eden (Heaven). And NO evil will be there.

_____

Hundreds Of Jerusalem Residents Gather To Remember Victims Of Pittsburgh Massacre

by GOD TV October 31, 2018

written by GOD TV

The soft singing was heard down Jaffa Street as hundreds of Jerusalem’s residents, including immigrants and tourists, from all backgrounds took part in a memorial gathering at Zion Square in Jerusalem on Sunday night for the victims of the “Tree of Life” Synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh.

Tears streamed down the faces of the many participants as the group sang “Im Eshkachech Yerushalayim” (If I forget thee, Jerusalem), while candles were laid in the middle of the large circle in the shape of a Star of David and the number 11. Then, they were lit.

On Saturday, during the morning prayer service, 46-year-old Robert Bowers walked into the “Tree of Life” Synagogue armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, and shot and killed 11 people inside. The victims were mostly elderly, ranging from age 54 to 97 – among them a married couple, a well-known doctor and two brothers with special needs.

Sara, one for the organizers of the event from the Chevruta mechina, a gap year program for Americans, in Jerusalem, told TPS that several other gap year programs were participating. She said they were not only there to commemorate the victims of the massacre, but also to stand with the residents of the Gaza Belt communities who have been under fire from Gaza.

Several of the participants held a large American flag as the memorial commenced. In the middle of the Star of David shaped candles were also 11 memorial candles, which are usually lit when someone dies

Hundreds gathered at Zion Square in Jerusalem to show solidarity with the Jewish communities in the world and in memory of the people who were murdered yesterday in a terror attack at a synagogue in the city of Pittsburg in Pennsylvania USA. Jerusalem.

Two women, both tourists from Pittsburgh who were clearly emotional, spoke with TPS about the moments they found out what had happened in their community back home.

“We were sitting during Havdalah at the Western Wall,” said Kim Simon, “We started getting texts from husbands [who were] listening to police scanners. We immediately texted our husbands, texted our children and families and told them to stay away from the area.”

Simon and Kelly Schwimmer, who were in Israel with the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project, said that as the night went on more and more reports from Pittsburgh started pouring in.

“As a group, we went to the Western Wall, and we prayed for the victims and the families, and the Jewish people because this is not only an attack on the Pittsburgh community – it’s an attack on all the Jewish people, we are all related,” Simon said.

Schwimmer said she was feeling very mixed emotions. “We are tired emotionally, physically yet at the same time, being so far away from home – this is my community back home, but to be here surrounded by all the worlds’ family.

“I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else where we are being supported so deeply emotionally, spiritually, physically and [by] all the world’s Jews who gather as family in hopes that this never happens [again],” she added

Simon added that “we need to go on and we need to be strong, and go to shul and tell those people of hatred that we will show up, we will not be scared and we will always fight for the Jewish people and Israel.”

Chiming in, Schwimmer said that “we are louder and prouder.

“We are stronger than hate, the Jews have always been stronger than the hatred in the world, and we will continue to be stronger than the hatred in the world,” she said.

Earlier in the evening, the walls of the Jerusalem’s Old City were lit up with the Israeli and American flags interlinked and the slogan: “We are with you Pittsburgh.”

This post was written by Ilanit Chernick • Photo by Hillel Maier

October 31, 2018 0 comment