Tree of Life

“Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and Knowing evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever— therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3:22‭-‬24 ESV

God said, “The Man has become like one of us, capable of knowing everything, ranging from good to evil. What if he now should reach out and take fruit from the Tree-of-Life and eat, and live forever? Never—this cannot happen!”

Genesis 3:22 MSG

God said the garden, TheWay to the Tree of Life, was to be Guarded by Angels. Or else, if we ate from it, we would live forever in that state, of knowing both good and evil, forever.

To prevent us from, potentially, having to live in the eternal state of knowing darkness, fear, and evil, God had the Man and Woman removed from the garden. Because, we had now become knowledgeable, not only of Good, but now also of Evil. God could not, and would not, grant life to evil.

In the state, mindset, with a perspective of, and the knowledge of evil we can not eat from the Tree of Life. Because evil, fear, and darkness, can not have life. Darkness can not give life, or know life. So God would not allow it.

“In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].

John 1:4‭-‬5 AMP

Jesus dies on the cross for our sins. For the darkness, fears, lies, and evil that had consumed us. So that we could be healed from our "knowing " and life perspectives of evil The evil that had taken over how we see and view all things.

God wanted us to be able to see, view, and to experience once again, life through the perspective and view of Good. Ultimately, Jesus did all of this to bring us back into a relationship with Him.

Constantly walking with, communicating with, listening and talking to God. This is the type of constant relationship and “prayer” the bible speaks of, when it says;

“be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus…”

1 Thessalonians 5:17‭-‬22 AMP

We can have and we do have access, once again, to have and continue an intimate relationship with God. To be able to pray, communicate with, to know, and walk, with God. Because Jesus created, opened, the way for us to be able to come before, be with, and remain near, God.

We are no longer banned and kept out. We can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, the garden, again. We can enter, once again, into the garden and walk with God. Learning about Him, from Him, and seeing or viewing everything, the way He does.

As we live with Him, He shows us, and teaches us, how He sees and views things, “as good”. We can hear, speak, and live, with God again. We now have the ability to be free from the Knowledge of evil.

God uses all things “for the good” of those who are His.

As we choose to walk with, talk with, and to learn from God, we will learn to see “all things as good”. To learn this we must talk with, listen to, and communicate with God about ALL things, always.

True prayer is not just petitioning a list of requests. It’s a constant communication. Similar to that of a police officer, or the military, who have constant forms of radio communication. Listening always, for updates, intel, encouragement, backup, tactics, guidance, direction, etc.

In the garden, the fall was due to, “Eating”, feeding off of…”the knowledge”, the knowing, being close to, being intimate with, being in communion or communication with,… Evil”.

Genesis 3:22, “... And the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), knowing [how to distinguish between] good and evil;...”

Genesis 3:22 AMP

Are we feeding off of His Love, His words, His forgiveness and His Grace? Off of His words that bring Life, bring encouragement, and goodness? Things and that build us up?

Or are we seeing, feeding, and viewing life from the views and feeds that show only perspectives of evil and bad? What view or knowledge are we choosing to know? Are we allowing and choosing Good, or evil? What perspective of life and situations are we viewing and believing from? From a positive and “good” perspective, or a “bad” and negative perspective?

What information, and way of viewing things, are we letting ourselves be “fed” from? What is our source for information, or news feed, that we base our view of life on? Is it from the artificial illusions, and feeds, of social media? Are we living this life, seeing it and viewing it from the dark fears, worries and concerns that rule in this realm?

Knowledge is power. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (lack of power) [of intimately knowing My law, where I reveal My will]...”

Hosea 4:6 AMP

Intimacy is also power. When we have an intimate relationship with God, we experience His power in our lives. Christ's Spirit comes upon us, giving us power.

May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ (Love, Good) may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, (in the knowledge of good) be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love];

Ephesians 3:16‭-‬17 AMP

“Knowledge” means “intimate, deeper, knowing”. Are we retaining a knowledge of good or evil? Of love or of fear. These two choices of how we will view things in our life is where we find ourselves battling in how we view, how we live, and how we experience life.

Knowledge is power, which explains both sides. There is a Power of Good and also a Power of Evil. We are meant to “KNOW”, intimately and personally know, The Power of Good. The Power of God.

Only God, and the state that He originally created all things, are “Good”.

“Jesus said to him, “ Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone.”

Mark 10:18 AMP

“God saw that the light was good...”

Genesis 1:4‭, ‬10‭, ‬18‭, ‬21‭, ‬25‭, ‬31 AMP

We were, and are, meant to know and have intimate communication with God. With Good and Love. We were created to have intimate knowledge of, and to have the power of, “good”. To have, and to know, the power of Love. To live with, among, to experience and to have, the Power of God (good).

Yet, we find ourselves, now, intimately “knowing the power of darkness”. It's what we see most. What we hear and believe the easiest. The fears, darkness, death, etc. We definitely find ourselves and this entire world easily knowing, seeing, and perceiving most of life through the knowledge and power of evil.

As mentioned, knowledge, or "knowing", can be equated with Intimacy. We can see how intimacy powerfully changes our view, or perspective, of things and of people. Which, in turn, by changing our perception of things or people, it changes our world.

A change in perception, literally, “changes our whole world”. The good news is, we can have a new “worldview”. We can start to live in a "new world", right now. When we choose to see the world, people, life, and its circumstances, through a worldview of good (God).

Intimacy is power. Or the power of “knowing”. Knowing something or someone. When we intimately know someone, it helps us to see behind their behaviors, actions or decisions. We see the heart and intention behind what the person does or does not do. Behind what they do or do not allow. We have “the power”, the ability, to see all that they do through a view, through a perspective, of love and goodness. Because we intimately know them.

We need to have a knowledge of, or an intimate relationship with, “good". To know what, and who, “good” is. In learning what “good” looks like, we must choose to allow Him who is Good, God, to teach us. He teaches us. Causing us to learn and know good. To learn and know Love. To learn and know Life. The power of Life and the power of Love.

To learn this, it takes humility. And with humility, it takes hunger. Asking, seeking and knocking. God will not give His power to evil, to pride, or to fear. So He hides Himself. He hides the knowledge of “good”, of Love, and all of its power. God's voice and truth are hidden from the darkness. From the arrogant and the proud.

“In that very hour He was overjoyed and rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and He said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things [relating to salvation] from the wise and intelligent, (in the worlds perception) and have revealed them to infants [the childlike and untaught].

Luke 10:21‭-‬22 AMP

“...clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [tie on the servant’s apron], for God is opposed to the proud [the disdainful, the presumptuous, and He defeats them], but He gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:5 AMP

“...Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and haughty , but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].” So submit to [the authority of] God. (to Good, to Love) Resist the devil (Evil, fear, pride, selfishness) [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.”

James 4:6‭-‬7 AMP

Referring back to Genesis 3, God would not give, and cannot give, Life to the power of Evil. He sent us, in that state and “worldview” of evil and fear, out of the Garden. Out on a journey. A journey to find Him. To find “The Way” back to our original state of Love, and of good.

He sent man and woman out of the garden. Away from the Tree of life. On a journey out of the garden where we must learn humility. As we seek Him, in humility, He draws near to us. In Him being near, we learn from Him. We learn and begin to “Know Good”. To “Know God”. To “Know Love”.

As we learn to allow Him near us we learn about Him and begin to walk with Him. Walking with Him in all things, places, and areas of our life. We begin to “Know Good, to know God. To know and see Love, in all things, in our life. We begin to see Him, to see “Good”, in all things in life.

Even when Paul, who wrote some of the bible, was imprisoned and beaten, he saw the “Good”. He saw “God” in it all. And he rejoiced even in what we would easily view as bad, or “evil”. Paul was thankful, even in “bad” circumstances, because he could see “good” in his situations. He could see, and chose to see, “God” in his situations.

Paul was able to be at peace, be patient and content, no matter what. Because he could see life, and all things, through the perspective of good. Paul walked with, spoke, listened to, and began to "know", God (good).

“...for that [gospel] I am suffering even to [the point of] wearing chains like a criminal; but the word of God is not chained or imprisoned! For this reason I [am ready to] patiently endure all things for the sake of those who are the elect (God’s chosen ones), so that they too may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it the reward of eternal glory.

2 Timothy 2:9‭-‬10 AMP

Lifes goal, and struggle, is to journey back. Back toward our originally intended state of “knowing” and viewing life, and circumstances, as "good". As we begin to actually view and live from this perspective we find Life and blessings. We begin to see and experience what we are choosing to see in life.

When we find The Way, the ability, to see and know good we discover that life and all things are good. As we consistently choose to see from a perspective of"good",(God), and less of evil, then that we are allowed access to, and brought back to, the garden. In the garden is The tree of Life, eternal, "good" life.

When we find God (good) and keep choosing His view of “good”, then we, progressively, go from darkness to light. From intimately knowing evil and bad to intimately knowing, seeing, and living in Good. Living with God and with Love. In the “reborn” state, or being, of “good” we are, can be, and will be, granted “Life”.

We must discover and grow in a deeper, intimate, "knowledge of good" and Love. It's in this "knowledge of good (God)" that God can, will, and strongly desires to, allow us back to the Garden. Back to the Tree of Life. Where we can, and are allowed to;

“stretch out”… (our)... “hand, and take from the tree of life... and eat [its fruit], and live... forever”—

Genesis 3:22 AMP

Lets learn to, and choose to, see and "know good". Choose to see ourselves, people, our circumstances, and the world, through God's (good) and loving view. We can learn by asking, by praying, about ALL THINGS… “God, help me to see the way you see.” God wants us to live in “Heaven on earth”. To be back, restored with Him, in paradise. Let's start to allow it to happen, right now, wherever we are at.