Question: If the trees are symbolic, how does Genesis 3:24 fit into the picture?

"So he drove the man out, and he posted at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubs and the flaming blade of a sword that was turning continuously to guard the way to the tree of life."

Am I missing some kind of detail here?

 

"To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’" - Rv 2:7

It might have been a real tree in the garden of Eden, but it's no longer the case...

 

To understand the sword, we must first understand the tree of life:

The Tree of Life
The first relevant issue revolves around whether or not the Tree of life represents our Lord Jesus., or if it is a real tree? The term, "Tree of Life" is used in the Bible 11 times.


1. Genesis 2:9 "And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
2. Genesis 3:22 "And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."
3. Genesis 3:24 "After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."
4. Proverbs 3:18 "She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed."
5. Proverbs 11:30 "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise."
6. Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
7. Proverbs 15:4 "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit."
8. Revelation 2:7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."
9. Revelation 22:2 "…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."
10. Revelation 22:14 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city."
11. Revelation 22:19 "And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."

 

To open that door, one has to first learn who Jehovah is talking to?

Genesis 3:22 "And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."

One of those ,"One of us," is Jehovah. The angels are not like Jehovah. Who is like Jehovah? There is only one...Jesus.

 

Josh7,
You call me Sir. As a believer in Jehovah God, I should be seen as a brother? Let me ask you as a brother, “Do you wish to learn Gods truth, or dispute all I say so you can teach what you believe is truth?â€￾

 

TREE OF LIFE

('ets chayyim; xulon tes zoes): The expression "tree of life" occurs in four groups or connections: (1) in the story of the Garden of Eden, (2) in the Proverbs of the Wise Men, (3) in the apocryphal writings, and (4) in the Apocalypse of John.

1. The Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden: The tree was in the midst of the Garden, and its fruit of such a nature as to produce physical immortality (Gen 2:9; 3:22). After guiltily partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the sinful tendency having thus been implanted in their natures, the man and woman are driven forth from the Garden lest they should eat of the tree of life and live forever (3:22). The idea seems to be that, if they should eat of it and become immortalized in their sinful condition, it would be an unspeakable calamity to them and their posterity. For sinful beings to live forever upon earth would be inconceivably disastrous, for the redemption and development of the race would be an impossibility in that condition. Earth would soon have been a hell with sin propagating itself forever. To prevent such a possibility they were driven forth, cherubim were placed at the entrance of the Garden, the flame of a sword revolving every way kept the way of the tree of life, and this prevented the possibility of man possessing a physical immortality. It is implied that they had not yet partaken of this tree and the opportunity is now forever gone. Immortality must be reached in some other way.

The interpretation of the story is a standing problem. Is it mythical, allegorical, or historical? Opinions vary from one of these extremes to the other with all degrees of difference between. In general, interpreters may be divided into three classes:

(1) Many regard the story as a myth, an ancient representation of what men then conceived early man to have been, but with no historical basis behind it. All rationalistic and modern critical scholars are practically agreed on this. Budde in his Urgeschichte says there was but one tree, that is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the intimation of a tree of life is an interpolation. Barton has endeavored to show that the tree of life was really the date-palm, and the myth gathered around this tree because of its bisexual nature. He holds that man came to his self-realization through the sexual relation, and therefore the date-palm came to be regarded as the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But this difference came in later when the knowledge of its origin became obscured. He calls attention to the fact that the sacred palm is found in the sanctuary of Ea at Eridu. All such interpretations are too obviously based upon a materialistic evolution hypothesis.

(2) There are those who regard the entire story as literal: one tree would actually impart physical immortality, the other the knowledge of evil. But this involves endless difficulties also, requires tremendous differences between the laws of Nature then and now, vast differences in fruits, men and animals, and an equally vast difference in God's dealings with man.

(3) We prefer to regard it as a pictorial-spiritual story, the representing of great spiritual facts and religious history in the form of a picture. This is the usual Bible method. It was constantly employed by the prophets, and Jesus continually "pictured" great spiritual facts by means of material objects. Such were most of His parables. John's Apocalypse is also a series of pictures representing spiritual and moral history. So the tree of life is a picture of the glorious possibilities which lay before primitive man, and which might have been realized by him had not his sin and sinful condition prevented it. God's intervention was a great mercy to the human race. Immortality in sin is rendered impossible, and this has made possible an immortality through redemption; man at first is pictured as neither mortal nor immortal, but both are possible, as represented by the two trees. He sinned and became mortal, and then immortality was denied him. It has since been made possible in a much higher and more glorious way.

2. A Common Poetic Simile: This picture was not lost to Israel. The "tree of life," became a common poetic simile to represent that which may be a source of great blessing. In the Book of Prov the conception deepens from a physical source of a mere physical immortality to a moral and spiritual source of a full life, mental moral and spiritual, which will potentially last forever. Life, long life, is here attributed to a certain possession or quality of mind and heart. Wisdom is a source and supply of life to man. This wisdom is essentially of a moral quality, and this moral force brings the whole man into right relations with the source of life. Hence, a man truly lives by reason of this relationship (Prov 3:18). The allusion in this verse is doubtless to Gen 2:9; 3:22. An expression very similar is Prov 10:11, where the mouth of the righteous is declared to be a fountain of life. Good words are a power for good, and hence, produce good living. Prov 11:30 has a like thought: "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life," i.e. the good life is a source of good in its influence on others. Prov 13:12 says: "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life." The meaning seems to be that the gratification of good and lawful desires produces those pleasures and activities which make up life and its blessings. Prov 15:4 says: "A gentle tongue is a tree of life," i.e. its beneficent influences help others to a better life.

3. The Apocryphal Writings: The apocryphal writings contain a few references to the tree of life, but use the phrase in a different sense from that in which it is used in the canonical books: "They shall have the tree of life for an ointment of sweet savour" (2 Esd 2:12). Ecclus 1:20 has only an indirect reference to it. Ethiopic Enoch, in his picture of the Messianic age, uses his imagination very freely in describing it: "It has a fragrance beyond all fragrances; its leaves and bloom and wood wither not forever; its fruit is beautiful and resembles the date-palm" (24:4). Slavonic Enoch speaks thus: "In the midst there is the tree of life .... and this tree cannot be described for its excellence and sweet odor" (8:3). 2 Esd describing the future says: "Unto you is paradise opened, the tree of life is planted" (8:52).

4. The Book of Revelation: The Apocalypse of John refers to the tree of life in three places (Rev 2:7; 22:2,14). These are pictures of the glorious possibilities of life which await the redeemed soul. In Ezekiel's picture of the ideal state and the Messianic age, there flows from the sanctuary of God a life-giving river having trees upon its banks on either side, yielding fruit every month. The leaf of this tree would not wither, nor its fruit fail, because that which gave moisture to its roots flowed from the sanctuary. This fruit was for food and the leaves for medicine (47:12). Very similar to this and probably an expansion of it is John's picture in Revelation: "To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God" (2:7). This means that all the possibilities of a complete and glorious life are open to the one that overcomes, and by overcoming is prepared to become immortal in a vastly higher sense than was possible to primitive man. In his picture of the few Jerusalem, the river of water of life has the tree of life on either side (22:2). Its leaf never fades and its monthly fruitage never fails. Food and medicine these are to be to the world, supplied freely to all that all may enjoy the highest possibilities of activity and blessedness which can come to those who are in right relationships with God and Jesus Christ. In 22:14 John pronounces a blessing on those who wash their robes, who lead the clean and pure Christ life, for they thereby have the right and privilege of entering into the gates of the City and partaking of the tree of life. This means not only immortal existence, but such relations with Jesus Christ and the church that each has unrestricted access to all that is good in the universe of God. The limit is his own limited capacity.

(from International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic
Database Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2006. All rights reserved.)
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Revelation 22:2

22:2. The description of the "tree of life" is from Ezek 47:12, which speaks of many trees bearing fruit each month (as opposed to one season a year) and leaves for healing. John modifies Ezekiel's "trees" to incorporate an allusion to paradise: although treated elsewhere in Jewish literature (e.g., *4 Ezra), the "tree of life" is from Gen 2:9. Later Jewish traditions further expounded the figure. (Some Jewish texts spoke of twelve trees, one for each month, in a four-river paradise, weaving together features of Ezekiel and Genesis in a manner similar to Revelation. Jewish texts frequently connected the twelve months with the twelve tribes and constellations, but John avoids astrological associations here, as elsewhere.)

(from IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament by Craig S. Keener Copyright
© 1993 by Craig S. Keener. Published by InterVarsity Press. All rights reserved.)
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It didn't represent Jesus. Jesus replaced it.

"I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved, and that one will go in and out and find pasturage. The thief does not come unless it is to steal and slay and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance.  I am the fine shepherd; the fine shepherd surrenders his life in behalf of the sheep." - John 10:9-11

Revelation 21:9-22:5

In Rev 22:1-5, we move inside the city to discover that it is like a beautiful garden, reminiscent of the Garden of Eden. There were four rivers in Eden (Gen 2:10-14), but there is only one river in the heavenly city. Ezekiel saw a purifying river flowing from the temple, certainly a millennial scene (Ezek 47); but this river will flow directly from God's throne, the very source of all purity. Man was prohibited from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and prevented from eating of the tree of life (Gen 2:15-17; 3:22-24). But in the eternal home, man will have access to the tree of life. The river and the tree symbolize abundant life in the glorious city.

(from The Bible Exposition Commentary. Copyright © 1989 by Chariot Victor Publishing,
and imprint of Cook Communication Ministries. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
​

 

"So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living person.â€￾ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit." - 1 Cor. 15:45

How could there be redemption needed without Sin ? Why would Jesus have needed to die for mankind if Adam and Eve hadn't sinned ?

 

You're right but if I had to phrase it my way = human dependence on God as for what is good or bad.

My personal opinion is that whether we are perfect or imperfect, we, the humans, are by nature subjected to ignorance and misjudgments. There are things that we will never know or apprehend in their fullest sense. We need God's guidance.

 

Jehovah wants all to have life. Jesus is the tree of life. There is only one who wants to bring death to Jehovah's servants, Satan. It is he who wants to keep Gods people away from the tree of life. The flaming sword in the hand of the cherub is Satan. The two trees in the center of the garden are, Jesus, and Satan. Follow one and you have life, follow the other and you have death.
There is a reason the rebellion started here on this little blue rock in the center of space:
What the future holds:
At the end of Jesus 1,000 year rule, he will bring the heavenly Jerusalem down to earth, and God Jehovah will govern all he has created from this Earth. The most beautiful spots on this planet today, will pale as a wilderness in comparison to the beauty of what will be. Jehovah created man in his image for only one reason…he did not want servants that look different than him. He did not create the Earth to just walk on it now and then…this will be his home. Those who are given life will see him, talk to him, and find an abundance of joy in severing him.
One hour of life in Jehovah’s Paradise is worth more than 100 billion years of life in this dead system. There are those who dream of ruling with Jesus. I tell you the truth, Jesus will rise up the lowest of Jehovah’s servants to the highest position, and those seeking the highest will be given the lowest. At the end of the 1,000 years Satan will again be let free, and he will gather his seed, and attack Jehovah’s servants who will seek safety in Jehovah’s Golden City, and Jehovah will come out to do battle, and destroy his enemy. In time Jehovah well send his servants out into the far reaches of space, and all the planets will become part of his paradise.
There are more wonders in the future than man can dream, and this short time of trouble will be long forgotten, and not called to mind.

 

Jehovah will give his servants a clear understanding of the truth. Jesus never held back answers when his followers asked. Neither does Jehovah. All a servant has to do is ask father to give them understanding…it is why the foolish can understand Jehovah when the wish cannot.
Have you ever asked, or do you rely on just what you can see?

 

Does what you say apply to all men, or are some outside your theory, as you place yourself?