In this message I have the burden to cover, as a parenthesis, the principle of the tree of life throughout the Scriptures. We have pointed out many times that almost everything in the first two chapters of Genesis has been sown there as a seed and that this seed grows gradually in the following books of the Bible, appearing as a crop in the New Testament and ripening as a harvest in the book of Revelation. This is a basic principle of the divine Word. God was very economical in writing the Bible, not wasting a single word. He used every word in a most economical way. Furthermore, God's revelation is consistent throughout the Scriptures. Therefore, whatever we find in the beginning of the Bible we also find throughout the Bible and at the end.
The record of the two trees in Genesis 2, the tree of life and the tree of knowledge, is not merely ancient history, for these two trees are still with us today. If we read the Bible carefully we will discover that throughout the Bible we have two lines — the line of the tree of life and the line of the tree of knowledge. We may refer to them in brief as the line of life and the line of knowledge. These two lines began at the book of Genesis and continue through the subsequent books of the Bible until they reach their destination. As we pointed out in message thirteen, the destination of the line of life will be the New Jerusalem, where the tree of life appears once again. The river of the water of life is also found in the New Jerusalem, for it flows throughout the entire city. Thus, the New Jerusalem, a city of living water, is the ultimate consummation of the line of the tree of life. The line of knowledge will conclude with the lake of fire, a vivid contrast to the city of New Jerusalem. The city is a city of living water; the lake is a lake of burning fire.
According to the revelation in the Bible, we see two streams proceeding out of the throne of God. One is the stream of living water, and the other is a stream of fire. The stream of living water is revealed in Ezek. 47 and Rev. 22. In Ezekiel living water issues out of the house of God; in Revelation 22 living water flows out of the throne of God. In Dan. 7:9-10 we see another stream, a stream of fire, flowing out of the throne of God. The living water is for reviving and watering, but the stream of fire is for judging. It courses in judgment throughout the universe. The river of water proceeds out of the throne of God and will flow all positive things into the New Jerusalem. The stream of fire issues out of the throne of God and will sweep all negative things into the lake of fire. In the beginning of the Bible we have the start of two lines, the line of life and the line of knowledge. At the end of the Bible we have two results, two consummations — the city of living water and the lake of burning fire.
Where are you and where are you going? Which line are you on? The line of life is certainly the right line, but the line of knowledge is the wrong line. As redeemed people we are surely on the right line, the line of life. However, it is possible that our walk and our work — that is, the way we live and work for God — might be on the wrong line. Although as persons we may be on the line of life, our walk and work may be on the line of knowledge. The Bible firstly warns people to stay away from the line of knowledge and remain on or return to the line of life. Once we are saved, we are eternally saved, and our salvation is eternally secure. Nevertheless, the Bible warns us concerning our daily walk and our work for the Lord. In Galatians Paul warns us to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16) and to sow to the Spirit (Gal. 6:7-8). Otherwise, everything we do will be consumed by fire. In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul cautions us, the builders of the churches, to be careful to build with the proper materials. If we build the church with gold, silver, and precious stones, this work will continue unto the New Jerusalem, because the New Jerusalem is a city built with gold, pearl, and precious stones. On the other hand, Paul warns us that the wood, grass, and straw are only useful for burning (1 Cor. 3:12-15). Everything that is built with those materials will be swept by the stream of fire into the lake of fire. Thus, we must be careful about ourselves, our walk, and our work. We ourselves must stay on the right line, and our daily walk and work must also be on the right line. Then we and our work will enter the New Jerusalem. We need to be very clear about these two lines. In this message, I shall cover the line of life and in the following message the line of knowledge.
Many times I have been bothered by the fact that the tree of life appeared for a short while in Genesis 2 and that it was closed off from man at the end of Genesis 3. Apparently the tree of life has been closed to man; actually through the promised redemption it has been available throughout the ages for God's people to touch, enjoy, and experience. Now in a very simple way I want to give you many of the positive persons on this line of life. We do not begin with Adam, who was fallen and redeemed. We begin with Abel.
The characteristic of Abel's life was that he contacted God in God's way (Gen. 4:4). Do not say that as long as you contact God everything is all right. In whose way do you contact God — in your way or God's? There are three peoples who claim to contact God: the Jews, the Moslems, and the Christians. The Jews contact God in their own way. According to Romans 10:2-3, the Jews seek to establish their own righteousness and do not submit to the righteousness of God. This means that they contact God in their own way. The Moslems are even more devoted to their own way of worshipping God. If you visit a Moslem mosque, you will find that the Moslems appear pious and godly, worshipping God by bowing themselves. Many so-called Christians, including Catholics, do their service to God according to their own way, not through the redemption of Christ, nor in the Spirit.
What is the origin of man's own way of contacting God? The source is man's troublesome mind, which can produce nothing except knowledge. Hence, men contact God in the way of knowledge, not in the way of life. Abel, however, contacted God in His way. As we shall see in the following message, his elder brother, Cain, contacted God in his own way. God's way is life; Cain's way is knowledge. We all need to be careful. Although you may say that you are for God, perhaps you are for God in your own way. You approach God in your self-invented way, and that way is entirely a matter of knowledge. Do not follow that way. We should observe the example of Abel and contact God by laying aside our thought, opinion, and concept. "Lord, I contact You in Your way. I don't contact You by my thought, concept, or knowledge. Lord, You are my way." If we do this, we will enjoy God as the tree of life. Abel did partake of God as the tree of life. He truly ate of the fruit of this tree.
Perhaps the names of Seth and Enosh are unfamiliar to you. Seth and Enosh were the third and fourth generations of mankind, although the Bible considers them as one. After Abel was slain, the line of life seemed to be terminated. Nevertheless, Seth and Enosh were raised up to continue it. These two generations had one outstanding characteristic — they began to call upon the name of the Lord (Gen. 4:26). They not only prayed, but called on the name of the Lord. If you read the original text of the Hebrew and Greek, you will see that the word call means to cry out, not only to pray. Although all Christians pray, few pray in a calling way. Most pray very quietly, even in silence. However, the third and fourth generations of mankind learned that in order to contact God they needed to cry out to Him and call on Him. Do not argue that God is not deaf, that He is able to hear us. Even the Lord Jesus Himself prayed with a strong cry in the garden (Heb. 5:7). During the time of Seth and Enosh, men learned how to pray to God in the way of calling on Him. If you try it, you will discover that it makes a difference. The Apostle Paul said that the Lord is rich unto all who call upon Him (Rom. 10:12). If you want to enjoy the riches of the Lord, you need to call upon His name.
Suppose you are helping a new convert touch the Lord in prayer. He prays, "Jesus, You are the Son of God. You died for me. I take You as my Savior. Thank You." Although this is a good prayer, it is better for him to call on the Lord in a strong way. If he says, "O Lord Jesus, thank You for dying for me," his spirit will be stirred up and he will touch the Lord in a living way.
Although the third and fourth generations of mankind discovered the way of calling on the name of the Lord, this way of calling on Him was gradually lost. Many Christians today neglect it and even despise it. However, no Christian can escape calling on the Lord's name. During peaceful and untroubled times you may retain your composure, unwilling to lose your face by calling on the name of the Lord. However, during a time of difficulty, perhaps after an automobile accident or in a time of sudden illness, you will call on Him spontaneously, saying, "O Lord." It is unnecessary for us to teach people to call on the Lord. One day they will call on Him. When troubles come, they will have the need to call on His name. To call on the name of the Lord is simply to enjoy Him and to eat Him as the tree of life.
The characteristic of Enoch's life was that he walked with God (Gen. 5:22, 24). We are not told that he worked for God or that he did great things for God, but that he walked with God. This is very meaningful. In order to walk with a person, you must like him. If I do not like you, I will never walk with you. Firstly, I like you, then I love you, and then I will walk with you continually. The fact that Enoch walked with God proves that he loved God. He simply loved to be in the presence of God. The Lord Jesus rebuked the church at Ephesus because they did many works for God but had lost their first love (Rev. 2:2-4). The Lord does not want to see so many good works; He wants to see our love toward God. Suppose a wife performs many good works for her husband, yet would never be in his presence. Surely the husband will say, "I don't want you to be busy and yet be away from me. I want a wife who is with me all the time."
Enoch walked with God. If we read Genesis 5:21-24 carefully, we will see that Enoch began his walk with God at the age of sixty-five and continued walking with Him for three hundred years. He walked with God day after day for a period of three hundred years. Finally, God seemed to say, "Enoch, you have walked with Me long enough. Let Me take you to Myself." Many Christians are fond of talking about the rapture and the coming of the Lord. Do you realize that rapture requires that you love the Lord and live in His presence? We need to love the Lord. "Lord Jesus, I love You. I want to live in Your presence. I want to walk with You because I love You." This loving attitude is the preparation, condition, and basis of being raptured. On what ground was Enoch raptured? He was raptured on the basis of his walk with God for a period of three hundred years. Enoch offered us an excellent example.
Noah followed Enoch's footsteps and also walked with God (Gen. 6:9). Actually, he walked with God for a period even longer than three hundred years. As Noah walked with God, God showed him a vision of what He wanted to do in that age. Noah received the vision of the ark used to save eight members of the fallen race. Like Noah, we should not act according to our concept. Whatever we do and work should be according to the vision we received in walking with the Lord. In our daily walk with the Lord we will come to see His desire, His mind, and His will. Then we will work and serve according to God's desire, not according to our own thoughts. Noah enjoyed God by walking with Him.
Abraham was more outstanding than Noah. As we pointed out in the Life-study of Romans, Abraham was transfused with the appearing of the God of glory. While Abraham was in Ur of the Chaldees, the God of glory appeared to him and attracted him (Acts 7:2). According to the record in Genesis, God appeared to Abraham several other times as well (Gen. 12:7; 17:1; 18:1). Abraham was not a giant of faith by himself; he was as weak as we are. The God of glory appeared to Abraham again and again, each time transfusing and infusing His divine elements into him, enabling him to live by the faith of God. Abraham's experience reminds us of a battery which operates well after it is charged, but which needs recharging after a period of time. It is very interesting to study Abraham's history according to God's appearings to him. God called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees and led him on by appearing to him again and again. As I have mentioned previously, when God called Abraham to leave Ur, He did not give him a map or any directions. Abraham walked according to the appearing of God. If God's appearing was in a certain direction, Abraham simply moved in that direction. In this way Abraham enjoyed the riches of God.
In addition to experiencing the appearings of God, Abraham called upon the name of the Lord (Gen. 12:7-8). Abraham's son, Isaac, and his grandson, Jacob, also called upon the name of the Lord. Since these three generations were all the same, God was called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This means that God is the God of His people who live in His appearing and who call upon His name. As Abraham lived in the appearing of God and called upon the name of the Lord, he enjoyed Him as the tree of life. According to Genesis 18, God appeared to Abraham as he sat at the entrance of his tent, and He stayed with him for about half a day, even enjoying a meal with him. Thus, the Bible even says that Abraham was called the friend of God (James 2:23). In Genesis 18 God and Abraham conversed together and ate together as friends.
Certainly we all would like to have such an enjoyment of the Lord. Nevertheless, our portion today is much better than Abraham's experience in Genesis 18. According to Revelation 3:20, the Lord Jesus is knocking at the door. If anyone will hear His voice and open the door, the Lord will come into him and sup with him. Day by day we may have a feast with the Lord. Abraham dined with the Lord for approximately half a day, but we may feast with Him continually. We may meet with the Lord at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Our portion is higher and richer than was Abraham's.
Abraham enjoyed God as the tree of life. What is the tree of life? The tree of life is the supply of life that maintains our living in the presence of God. Abraham enjoyed God in such a way.
Isaac, as the son of Abraham, was in the same way of contacting God as was his father. He also lived in the appearing of God and called upon the name of the Lord (Gen. 26:2, 24-25). He did not only inherit all the blessings of his father, but also his way to enjoy God.
Jacob, as the third generation of the called race, was eventually led by God not to live by his supplanting way, but by the same way of contacting God as his grandfather and his father did. After being dealt with by the Lord for a considerable time, he learned to live in the appearing of God and to call upon the name of the Lord (Gen. 35:1, 9; 48:3). To him, this was not only the inherited way, but also the way to which he was led by God's discipline.
Moses was a most interesting person. He was born at a time when the Israelites were under the persecution of the Egyptians. God sovereignly placed him in the palace of Pharoah, and he was brought up as a member of the royal family, as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Moses learned of the sufferings of his people under the hand of the Egyptians, probably hearing of them from his nursing mother, who was actually his natural mother. Such reports undoubtedly stirred Moses' heart. Perhaps Moses said, "The Egyptians have been persecuting my people. I will do something to help them." Although Moses had a good heart, that heart was a heart of knowledge, a heart of death. This is the situation among many Christians today. Many have a good heart. They are stirred up and want to do something for God. But Moses acted in his own way and in his own strength. The result was failure, and he was deeply disappointed. Eventually, Moses realized that he could not do anything; he was disappointed to such an extent that he gave up. It seems that he said, "I had such a good heart for my people, but God didn't help me. God did not appreciate my efforts. Since God is not with me, I will forget about the situation and go to the wilderness." Although he was concerned about the welfare of the children of Israel, he was disheartened by his failure and he fled to the wilderness, where, lonely and despondent, he became a keeper of the flock. Moses, the man who was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and who was mighty in words and deeds (Acts 7:22), was now a little shepherd in the wilderness, a defeated and dejected man.
One day, in the midst of his disappointment, God came. God appeared to Moses in a vision of a burning bush, a bush that burned without being consumed (Exo. 3:2, 16). Moses was surprised and turned aside to see this bush. It was as if God was saying to Moses, "Moses, you must be like this burning bush. Do not burn by yourself or act by yourself. You had a good heart, but you acted in the wrong way." We may use the example of a modern automobile. If we want to move the automobile, it is foolish for us either to pull it or push it. That will only wear us out. We should use gasoline as our source of power. When the gasoline burns, the automobile moves. We must operate the vehicle in this way. Likewise, Moses learned to cease from his own knowledge, his own way, his own energy, and his own activities. Moses began to live, as his grandfathers had done, in the presence and the appearing of the Lord. No longer did he act out of himself. From that time onward, he was one with God. For the leading of the Israelites on their journey, the Lord told him, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." And he said to the Lord, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence" (Exo. 33:13-15). This shows that Moses knew the necessity of the Lord's presence for his work for the Lord. He was acting in the presence of God.
After Moses had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, God called him to the mountaintop, where he remained for forty days. While he was on the mountaintop, he was thoroughly infused with the shekinah glory of God. As he descended along the side of the mountain, the glory of God radiated from his face (Exo. 34:29). On this mountaintop Moses experienced the full enjoyment of God as the tree of life. Although the tree of life had disappeared from unbelieving men, it nevertheless appeared to a person like Moses. Moses enjoyed God as the tree of life on the mount of glory.
Moses, like Noah, received a vision of God's building. While he was in the glory on the mountain, God gave him a detailed pattern of His dwelling place on the earth (Exo. 25:9). If we are one with God as we minister and work for Him, our work will not be a labor, but an enjoyment. When I speak for the Lord, I enjoy Him immensely. Once I have completed a message, I feel satisfied. Every ministry that is of God and according to God is actually a kind of food to the minister. Moses served God and enjoyed God in this way.
When we speak about the children of Israel, it is easy to have a poor impression of them. If we recall how they worshipped the golden calf in the wilderness, we will think of them as pitiful indeed. However, everything in the universe has two sides. For instance, we have both day and night. Furthermore, in every home there is a living room and a place to keep the refuse, the trash. In the Bible we can find both positive and negative things, depending on where we look. For example, Abraham, who was so good, had a concubine and was not as wonderful as we think he was. But we should not look upon the negative things so much as on the positive things. This is especially true as we come to the history of the children of Israel.
For a period of forty years the children of Israel journeyed in the presence of the Lord (Exo. 13:21-22; Num. 14:14). They had the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. The Israelites did not journey according to their opinion, but simply followed the movement of the pillar. Actually, there were not two pillars, but just one. In the day the pillar was like a cloud and in the night it was like a fire. During the day God shaded the people, protecting them from the bright sunlight. During the night he gave them light to illuminate their way. This pillar was God Himself. Therefore, during the forty years in the wilderness the children of Israel enjoyed the presence of God. They also ate manna, the heavenly food, day after day, meaning they enjoyed God as the tree of life. Thus, even in the wilderness we see the line of the tree of life. Although we may have a negative concept about the children of Israel in the wilderness, they nevertheless experienced the tree of life, enjoying God day by day.
Would it not be wonderful to experience such a pillar of cloud and pillar of fire and heavenly manna in Orange County today? However, our portion is much better. We have the Holy Spirit as the pillar of cloud and the Bible as the pillar of fire. We also have the Lord Jesus as our heavenly manna. As we journey through the wilderness of Orange County, the Lord is present with us, and we enjoy Him as the tree of life.
When God called Joshua, He encouraged him, assuring him that He would be with him as He was with Moses (Josh. 1:5-9). The Lord told Joshua to be strong and courageous, for the Lord would be with him wherever he went. Joshua was a person who enjoyed God. As long as we enjoy God's presence, we can be a Joshua today. God is not far from us; He is with us all the time. Thus, we, like Joshua, can live, walk, and work in the presence of the Lord.
Gideon's outstanding characteristic was that he fought the battle in the presence of God (Judg. 6:12, 16). He not only lived, walked, and worked in the presence of the Lord, but fought with the presence of the Lord. We all must be like this. In one sense our daily walk is a walk, in another sense it is a work, and in still another sense it is a warfare. Whether we walk, work, or fight, we must be in the presence of the Lord. To be in the presence of the Lord simply means to have the enjoyment of the Lord as the tree of life. Gideon enjoyed God as the tree of life.
Samuel was another wonderful person in the Old Testament, a man who prayed for the children of God continually. The Bible says that Samuel told the people that he would not sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for them (1 Sam. 12:23). When Samuel learned that King Saul offended God, he was grieved and cried to the Lord the entire night (1 Sam. 15:11). Therefore, the Bible refers to Samuel as a man who called upon the name of the Lord (Psa. 99:6) and as a man who stood in the presence of God (Jer. 15:1). All of this reveals to us that Samuel was a person who prayed continually, who called on the name of the Lord, and who stood in the presence of God. By standing in the presence of the Lord and by calling on the name of the Lord, he enjoyed the Lord, partaking of Him as the tree of life. This motivation and enjoyment made him such a wonderful person in human history.
David was a man who trusted in God and looked to Him (1 Sam. 17:37, 45; 30:6). The secret of David's life was that he desired to dwell continually in the house of God and to behold His beauty (Psa. 27:4, 8, 14). This means that he enjoyed the presence of God. Moreover, he enjoyed God as the fatness and as the river of joy (Psa. 36:8-9). David said, "With thee is the fountain of life." This proves that even in ancient times David enjoyed God's life as the tree of life and as the river flowing within him. This enjoyment of God made him such a great king among the children of Israel.
We are all familiar with the story of Daniel. However, most Christians are just curious about Daniel's prophecies. They want to know about the great image in Daniel 2, the image with the golden head, silver shoulders, brass abdomen, iron legs, and clay toes. They also want to know about the beasts that emerge from the sea in Daniel 7. All of the young people are interested in these matters. Although many years ago I spent a great deal of time studying these things, I eventually came to appreciate other aspects of the book of Daniel even more. Now I like the book of Daniel because in it I see a man who prayed constantly and contacted the Lord continually (Dan. 6:10-11; 9:3-4; 10:2-3, 12). According to Daniel 6, Daniel was preeminent among the governors and princes in the kingdom of Darius. The other governors and princes were jealous and plotted against him, seeking to destroy him. When Daniel learned of this, he went to the Lord and prayed. The aim of the conspiracy of the one hundred twenty governors was to shake Daniel's relationship with God. Nevertheless, Daniel opened his windows toward Jerusalem and prayed three times a day. When Daniel learned from reading the prophecy of Jeremiah that the seventy-year period of exile and captivity was soon to expire, he began to pray (Dan. 9:2-3). Then he received another vision and he prayed continually for three weeks until the answer came (Dan. 10:1-3, 12). Daniel's prayer life issued out of a holy life. He lived a holy life in the heathen land of Babylon. For example, Daniel refused to eat the king's food, the food which was first offered to idols and then used to feed the king and his people (Dan. 1:8). Daniel refused that food, and he enjoyed God very much. He enjoyed God as the tree of life.
As we come to the New Testament, we see that the first person on the line of life in the New Testament was the Lord Jesus. Jesus not only enjoyed the tree of life; He was the tree of life. He Himself said that He came from the Father and that He lived by the Father (John 6:57). He did not live according to knowledge and learning. He lived, walked, and worked according to the Father who was working within Him (John 14:10).
Our destiny as New Testament believers is simply to abide in the Lord and to allow the Lord to abide in us (John 15:5). This means that we enjoy the Lord. The Lord Jesus told us that we must eat Him, for he who eats Him shall live because of Him (John 6:57; 14:19). We must eat the Lord Jesus because He is our bread of life, our tree of life. The tree of life is life presented in the form of food. In John 6 the Lord presented Himself as the life supply also in the form of food, telling us that He is the bread of life (v. 35) and that His flesh is eatable (v. 55). If we eat Him, we will have Him as our life and as the life supply by which we live. This is the genuine enjoyment of the tree of life.
Among all the New Testament believers, Paul was an example of a man who lived out the Lord. In Galatians 2:20 Paul said that Christ lived in him and that the life which he lived he lived by the faith of the Lord Jesus. Paul was saying that he himself had been crucified and buried, and that it was Christ who lived in him. Eventually Paul could say, "For to me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21). Christ was his life and his life supply, for Paul enjoyed Christ as the tree of life.
The church is the Body of Christ. It is impossible for the body not to enjoy the head. The body cannot be separated from the head, for such separation means death. The entire church is the Body of Christ, depending on Christ and living by Christ as life (Eph. 1:23; Col. 3:4). By this we can see that the church may enjoy Christ as the tree of life.
At the end of the Bible we see the consummation of the tree of life — the New Jerusalem. In the center of this city we see the river of life, which proceeds out of the throne of God and the Lamb, and in which grows the tree of life that bears fruit every month (Rev. 22:1-2). Our destiny and our portion for eternity will be the enjoyment of the tree of life and the water of life. The Bible concludes with a promise and a call. The promise is found in Revelation 22:14 which says, "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have right to the tree of life." The call is found in Revelation 22:17 which says, "He who wills, let him take the water of life freely." Thus, the whole Bible ends with eating and drinking, with enjoying God as the tree of life and with drinking Him as the water of life. This is the consummation of the line of life.
What should we do today? We should not do anything. We should simply stay on the line of the tree of life, enjoying God as our life and as our life supply. God will take care of everything. Out of the enjoyment of the Lord as our life supply, we will have our daily life, walk, work, and the building up of the churches. Then everything we have will be according to God's divine element, not according to our own concepts. Now we see the way we must take. May the Lord have mercy on us that we all may continue on the line of life.
