Thursday, May 10, 2012

Eat From The Tree Of Life -Revelation 2:7

Rev 2:7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God

Whoever has the Spirit has the "ears" to hear what the Spirit says. Without them the gospel makes no sense. Each collective or assembly of the church is addressed. It is in community that we experience God, in the loving of each other that we know Him.

Being victorious here means life, the appropriation of Christ's victory. The tree of life is the Son, the Holy One of God. This is the manna from heaven, the bread of life. Paradise is where God is and the victorious one will live in His presence.
What was lost in in the creation story in Genesis is restored in the last chapter of Revelation. The pages between the two passages tell of God's love and plan for us.

Genesis 3:22-24
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 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.

Revelation 22:1-5
Chapter 22
The River of Life
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

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