“So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24)

Much has been said as to the symbolism of the Tree of Life. Simply stated, Christ is the Tree of Life, Who is Life Himself (Revelation 22:2, 14; 1 John 5:20). But what are we to gain from the knowledge that we “have right to the Tree of Life”? What did it mean when “the way of the tree of life” was kept by “a flaming sword”? To answer these questions, we must understand the symbolism involved.

The Word of God is called a “sword” (Hebrews 4:12) as well as “a fire” (Jeremiah 23:29). The Lord is referred to as burning “like a flaming fire” (Lamentations 2:3). His Word is “a flaming sword… to keep” (the Hebrew word is “shâmar”; which means mark, observe, watch, preserve), or show by instruction, “the way of the tree of life.” (See 2 Timothy 3:15.) Jesus Christ Himself is the Word of God (John 1:1); the Way, the Truth (the Word), and the Life (John 14:6).

Christ is The Word Who reveals Himself as the Way to Eternal Life (Himself)! Not only does He reveal the Way, He also guards the Way. The same Word that shows the Way to Eternal Life, also shows man’s sin as a barrier to that Life (Romans 5:13). The only Way to come to Him is to come through Him (John 14:6), and this requires our identifying with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:4-7; Colossians 2:10-15). As we have been made partakers of Christ (Hebrews 3:14), we have the right to partake of His Life (the Tree of Life).

We see then that God preached the simple Gospel message to Adam when He placed him in the Garden of Eden:

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden [including the Tree of Life] thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)

Hereby, God revealed to Adam that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was to reveal to man that he is a finite creature; not infinite. This reveals that man without grace will sin. Man, when he leans to his own understanding of what is right and wrong, will sin. The way that seems right is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25) and therefore sin.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

God alone can declare a thing good or evil (Genesis 1:31; Psalms 94:20a). But man wants to set his own standard of conduct, and so he erringly decides for himself what is right and wrong, thereby repeating Adam’s transgression of partaking of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:6-7). According to his choice, his sin separates him from God (Isaiah 59:2), Who is Eternal Life.

“… To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life…” (Revelation 2:7)

“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life…” (Revelation 22:14)

They that overcome also keep His commandments, and therefore have a right to eat of Him. They lean not unto their own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) about what is sin, but they choose Life and are nourished by Him, as He is the Tree of Life.