One rule has to be better and more important than other.

God opens and closes His Word by talking about the tree of life! [6][7] In Rashi's notes on Genesis 3:3, the first sin came about because Eve added an additional clause to the Divine command: Neither shall you touch it. That decision underpins our human civilization! Within the tree of life is the Mashiach, משיח 358 Within the tree of knowledge is the Nachash, נחש 358 These two trees represent two kingdoms. Paying taxes to Caesar is either good or evil. Human survival is our number one concern. And … on one side, are four main branches off of that trunk.
Isn’t that a beautiful description of the tree of life? This study shows that we are faced with the same choices that Adam and Ever were in the Garden of Eden. The human mind is deeply flawed, easily misled and swayed, painfully ignorant and, above all, incomplete. Right there, near the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was the tree of life. For, why wasn’t the man she was caught in the adulterous act also brought to Jesus? During this message, he used a diagram on stage to illustrate his description of the two trees. The two trees were the first piece of instruction God gave to Adam.

The Tabernacle, the Priests, and the Men of War. They are at the foundation of godly education. Did you plant a tree this week? The Tale of Two Trees is found in the Bible we see two trees singled out in the Garden of Eden in Genesis and again in Revelation at the end of time we see one of the trees again – so in the beginning and in the end of time we discover a tale of two trees. God wants the two trees to form the premise of our education, too. The Quran never refers to the tree as the "Tree of the knowledge of good and evil" but rather typically refers to it as "the tree" or (in the words of Iblis) as the "tree of immortality. Why would God — who hadn’t forbidden the tree of life in the first place — protect it so carefully from humans now? ", Alter, Robert. We see Eden restored and accessible again. This leads to death, not in the sense that you are eternally dead forever and ever, but in the sense that you have arrived at the worst possible outcome for all involved. God gave us a human spirit so we could be united with God.”. In other words, a witness and judge are not the same thing. Adam made the choice that mankind was to be influenced and led by the spirit of the devil.
The roots determine how large a tree can grow, how many branches it can support, what kind of fruit it produces and how much. As neither have eaten from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they have no concept of the idea of Bad or Good or of any associated value system. Things had to be set right first — good and evil had to be dealt with in this imperfect world before we could return to Eden’s perfection. (Dead to Law but Living to God, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee). We now call Christ’s cross, an instrument of death, the tree of life. If we maintain a relationship with the law, our relationship with God is severed. Wisdom always sees what is truly necessary and for the best – although it can only arise in the present moment and spring forth from an absence of preconceived values, opinions, and judgments. Gen 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That Satan’s first attack on man was on his understanding of the two trees should tell us how important the knowledge of the two trees is to God! 9 The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. This may be an example of the type of figure of speech known as merism, a literary device that pairs opposite terms together in order to create a general meaning, so that the phrase "good and evil" would simply imply "everything."

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Biblical Hebrew: עֵ֕ץ הַדַּ֖עַת ט֥וֹב וָרָֽע‎ ʿêṣ had-daʿaṯ ṭōwḇ wā-rāʿ [ʕesˤ hadaʕaθ tˤov wɔrɔʕ]) is one of two specific trees in the story of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2–3, along with the tree of life. God had created a spectacularly beautiful, amazingly intricate planet, with its vast menagerie of flora and fauna operating in a climate and system governed by complex physical and mathematical laws. What is good and evil cannot be determined by an a priori judgment. This positive aspect is emphasized in the following verses with the river flowing out of Eden and is repeatedly highlighted by reference to trees in conjunction with this river and the ultimate tree that brings healing to all the nations (Rev. During the ’70s, he began to think about it more and more. Jesus lived in the gray areas. Living to God is not ordinances, hopes, letters, or methods, but it is the living God being our life within us. Join over 13,000 members today. TheLORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground, treesthat were pleasing to the eye and good for food. [23] It was decided that those who obey God and follow his path shall be rewarded with everlasting life in Jannah, and those who disobey God and stray away from his path shall be punished in Jahannam. [1][3][4], Given the context of disobedience to God, other interpretations of the implications of this phrase also demand consideration. And the Holy Spirit of God could join with his spirit. In the middle of the garden were the tree of lifeand the tree According to North Carolina State University, one large tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide a year and give back up to one 100 gallons of water vapor a day. That, he says, is what judgement is. So what to do? The obedience of Jesus reversed Adam’s disobedience and allowed all of us to return to Eden. There John receives a vision of “the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb … On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit 12 times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations” (Rev 22:1-3). What we “are actually seeking is not judgment but the quality of discernment. The more he meditated on the two trees, the deeper his understanding grew. Events in Genesis 2 and 3 show that the two trees became a mystery to Adam and Eve, despite the fact that they were taught this subject directly by God. Being dead to the law means that we reject any good thought that enters into us, just as we reject any evil thought. This is to be dead to law and living to God. 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That was clearly against the law and therefore evil.

But, Jesus showed that if you were actually doing something good, like healing someone, then it was okay to work on the Sabbath. The devil works hard to kill the knowledge about the two trees because he knows this truth will expose him! When, in Genesis 3, a serpent persuades the woman to eat from its forbidden fruit and she also lets the man taste it, God expels them from the garden. Of course, this is right. So what did Adam gain by eating that fruit? … Suddenly, all of the things that were ‘good’ in the beginning have potential for evil.”. The roots of the two trees are the most important part of this picture. The truth is, the theme of the Bible—from beginning to end—is the tree of life being opened to mankind! [24], Manichaeism, which has been considered a Gnostic sect,[25] echoes these notions as well, presenting the primordial aspect of Jesus as the instructor. Whenever we draw nigh to God and touch God, unconsciously we have the thought of doing good. You know that? Only until the proper time. Satan hates the truth about the two trees with intense passion. But, what if it is two people committed to a loving relationship where the highest good is truly sought for both people through self-sacrificial love? Mr. Armstrong had been talking about the two trees since the late ’70s, but in 1982 God showed him that he needed to think about and discuss the subject even more!

Therefore, we could think of the tree of life as the tree of discernment. This applies personally: You and I cannot understand our own minds, why we act the way we do, our emotions and thoughts, our motivations and feelings, if we don’t look to where it all began, and deeply consider Genesis and the two trees. That’s clearly evil. God wanted to see what root Adam would eat from because all of mankind was destined to eat from the same tree. It is one thing to say that a carpet is a different color from the wall. Doesn’t Mr. Armstrong’s description make Genesis and the Garden of Eden so much more real? He wanted this subject to form the premise of Adam’s education. You’d think mankind’s knowledge explosion would solve these problems.