The Tree of Life, The Secret to Eternal Life

The Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden

To Christians, the Garden of Eden was a paradise where all mankind originated.

Before Adam and Eve sinned, they lived happily in the Garden of Eden, ruling over all the animals and enjoying the freedom to eat from every tree except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Most fascinatingly, they could have lived forever in the Garden of Eden.

The secret to eternal life in the Garden of Eden was the Tree of Life. In the midst of the Garden, among many trees, God planted the Tree of Life, from which, if mankind ate, they could live forever (Genesis 2:8-9; 3:22).

The Tree of Life Sealed: Why Mankind Cannot Live Eternally

Christians know that humanity’s inability to live eternally stems from Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden. They ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which God had forbidden, warning them that they would surely die if they did.

Was it because the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was poisonous, causing immediate death? No, it wasn’t. According to the Bible, Adam lived until the age of 930 (Genesis 5:5). If the fruit had been poisonous, Adam could not have lived that long.

The real reason Adam and Eve died was that, after they sinned, God sealed off their access to the Tree of Life. They could have lived forever if they had continued to eat from the Tree of Life. But after their sin, God prevented them from doing so to ensure they could not live forever (Genesis 3:22).

The Tree of Life: A Copy and Shadow

Some scientists, historians, and geographers are searching the Mesopotamian region for the physical Garden of Eden, hoping to find evidence of its existence along with the Tree of Life. But even if we discover the physical Garden and the Tree of Life, can we truly gain eternal life by eating from it?

Two thousand years ago, Jesus, who is the very nature of God, came in the flesh and taught in parables, revealing secrets only to His elect. He indicated that there are hidden secrets in the creation of the world (Matthew 13:34-35). Among the 66 books of the Bible, Genesis is the book about the creation of the world. This implies that Genesis is a book of parables, containing hidden meanings.

If Genesis is a book of parables, then the Garden of Eden is also a parable, and there is a deeper reality behind it. This means we cannot understand it literally. Consequently, the Tree of Life in the Garden is also a parable. To find the true path to eternal life, we must understand the reality of the Tree of Life.

The Reality of the Tree of Life

In the Garden of Eden, eating from the Tree of Life would grant eternal life. But according to the Bible, what must we eat to gain eternal life?

Two thousand years ago, Jesus proclaimed to a crowd near the Lake of Galilee that whoever consumes His flesh and blood will have eternal life (John 6:53-54).

Jesus’ flesh and blood, akin to the Tree of Life, offer the blessing of eternal life when consumed. This signifies that Jesus’ flesh and blood are the prophetic reality of the Tree of Life. But how do we partake of His flesh and blood?

While some search the Middle East for physical traces of Jesus, such as His shroud or tomb, none can find His body as He ascended to heaven two thousand years ago. Literal consumption of His flesh and blood is impossible. Just as we mustn’t interpret the Garden of Eden literally, we should also understand consuming Jesus’ flesh and blood figuratively.

New Covenant Passover: The Way to Partake of Jesus’ Flesh and Blood

Jesus showed his disciples how to partake of His flesh and blood during the Passover supper, known as the ‘Last Supper’, on the eve of His crucifixion, which was the biblical Feast of Passover on the fourteenth Day of the first month according to the sacred calendar (Leviticus 23:5), Jesus instructed His disciples to prepare for the Passover supper which is known as the “Last Supper.” During this holy supper, Jesus declared the Passover bread to be His flesh and the Passover wine to be His blood of the New Covenant, poured out for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:17-28).

So, how do we eat from the Tree of Life and attain eternal life? It is through the New Covenant Passover. By partaking of the Passover bread and wine, we consume Jesus’ flesh and blood—the prophetic reality of the Tree of Life.

Who Holds the Power to Unseal the Way to the Tree of Life?

In the Garden of Eden, who sealed off access to the Tree of Life? It was God. If God sealed the way to the Tree of Life, who holds the authority to reopen it? Only God. That’s why God came to earth in human form—to open the way and grant us eternal life (John 10:10).

The New Covenant Passover is humanity’s only way to partake of Jesus’ flesh and blood, symbolised as eating from the Tree of Life. Jesus Himself eagerly desired to celebrate the Passover before His suffering (Luke 22:15).

Imagine this: If someone knew they would die the next day, what would they prioritize? Surely, it would be something of immense significance. Before His suffering, Jesus made observing the Passover a priority, emphasizing its crucial importance saying, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer”.

After the crucifixion, the early church continued to observe the New Covenant Passover annually, following Jesus’ teachings (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).

How Mankind Was Prevented From Eating From the Tree of Life

Since Jesus established the New Covenant Passover two thousand years ago, have all people observed it and received eternal life? No, they haven’t. Today, among billions of Christians, only members of the World Mission Society Church of God celebrate the New Covenant Passover. Why is this the case?

In history, the New Covenant Passover was abolished in A.D. 325 at the Council of Nicaea. Since then, most churches stopped celebrating the New Covenant Passover.

According to biblical prophecy, after the apostolic age, the devil would change the appointed feasts and God’s laws (Daniel 7:25; Matthew 13:24-29, 36-39). The New Covenant Passover is humanity’s only way to access the Tree of Life and attain eternal life, so it became the main target for the devil to abolish.

Second Coming Jesus Brings Back the Tree of Life

Just as God sealed off access to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, only God has the authority to open it again. Similarly, after the devil abolished the New Covenant Passover, only God has the power to restore this truth. Because of this, the Bible prophesied that Jesus would come a second time to bring salvation (Hebrews 9:28).

For sixteen centuries following the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, the New Covenant Passover was not observed. Then came Christ Ahnsahnghong, who appeared from the east in Korea, establishing the World Mission Society Church of God in 1964 and fulfilling biblical prophecies by restoring this truth (Luke 21:29-31, Revelation 7:2).

Through his restoration of the New Covenant Passover, abolished by the devil, we come to recognize that Christ Ahnsahnghong is Jesus Christ who returned in the flesh according to the Bible. He came to guide us on the path to the Tree of Life and to bring us salvation.

Discover more about Christ Ahnsahnghong, the Savior in the age of the Holy Spirit, and receive eternal life through the path He has shown us!