Drawing a parallel to the test given to Christians by God, could it be that access to the tree of life was going to be granted to Adam and Eve if they passed that test. |Adam and Eve | Christians | | -------- | -------------- | | Test was to resist eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil |Test is to have faith in the Son of God | | A serpent tricked them to eat from that tree | An ancient serpent makes war on all Christians who keep the commandments of God | |There was a tree in that garden called the tree of life, though access was blocked after they sinned|Jesus grants access to a tree of life which is in the paradise of God| Since the devil acted independently to cause the fall of Adam and Eve then it can be conluded that God was against this scheme by the devil which raises the question, was the tree of life there as a rewad if Adam and Eve stood by what God commanded them? *Genesis 3:22* >And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever

I am trying to figure out if the paradise mentioned by Jesus several times in scripture is the same garden that Adam and Eve lived in till they were sent out. The first mention of this paradise is the scene at the crucifixion of Jesus where he tells the thief at the right that the he will be with him in paradise after he repented. **Luke 23:43** >Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” The second mention of the paradise of God is in the book of Revelation which was shown to John By Jesus who appeared to him while he was in jail in the island of Patmos. Jesus promises the saints who overcome the world the right to the tree of life which is in the paradise of God. **Revelation 2:7** >He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. This same tree is mentioned being in the garden of Eden and is protected by a flaming sword that turns in all directions. **Genesis 3:22** >And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever. So if the tree of life is one, can we conclude that the Garden of Eden is the Paradise of God? And if that is true then did Adam and Eve live in a spiritual paradise of God in the flesh before being sent forth from the garden? Adam and Eve being sent from a spiritual dwelling to a physical dwelling here on earth is not impossible because Jesus who is the second Adam left his spiritual dwelling and came to the physical world to be crucified, this movement between the two worlds is not new. Besides the saints with their resurrected bodies inherit the garden.

We know a couple of things from the account in Genesis: 1. There are two trees, the tree that grants eternal life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 2. Adam and Eve were apparently mortal before eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good an evil: > the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” (Genesis 3:22) So according to Genesis, it doesn't seem that the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil caused human mortality. The existence of a tree that confers eternal life isn't proof that there was mortality, but it seems pretty pointless to have such a tree unless there is mortality. Then we have the punishments that we levied. None of them were death (the promised punishment). But the reward promised by the serpent actually arrives. Why did God tell Adam and Eve that the consequences of eating the fruit were different than the actual consequences that occurred? In Christianity, Christ is the sacrifice that atones for this original sin. Does the question of whether God was being honest when describing the tree and the consequences of eating its fruit matter? I'm curious about the general, historical view of this issue in Christianity.

In a comment to another question, someone commented that the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil are "clearly" symbolic and not actual trees. I was surprised by that position. I think it's certainly possible that the trees are symbolic, but it's not obvious to me that God didn't use actual trees in Eden. I am curious about what different denominations say about the literalness of the trees in Eden. I see three possible options: 1. The denomination teaches that the trees were actual trees 2. The denomination teaches that the trees were symbolic of something else 3. The denomination doesn't say definitively one way or the other I would like an overview of which of the above positions is taken by different denominations across Christianity. *I think that this question is following the guidelines on overview questions as described here , but let me know if it needs to be adjusted to be on-topic.*

Is there one off-limits tree in the Garden of Eden or two? Genesis speaks of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17) and then later talks of the tree of life (Genesis 3:22). Are they the same tree or two different trees?

In 1 Nephi 8, in the Book of Mormon, the prophet Lehi has a dream/vision in which he sees a Tree of Life. This dream is retold to his family. His son, Nephi, was particularly interested and desired to know not only if what his father said/saw was true, but what the interpretation of the "Tree of Life" was. In chapter 11, the interpretation is revealed -- it is symbolic of the love of God. Also, the fruit of the tree is symbolic of eternal life. Elder Jeffrey R . Holland (modern apostle) taught that the tree of life is a symbol of Jesus Christ. He said: “The images of Christ and the tree [are] inextricably linked. … At the very outset of the Book of Mormon, … Christ is portrayed as the source of eternal life and joy, the living evidence of divine love, and the means whereby God will fulfill his covenant with the house of Israel and indeed the entire family of man, returning them all to their eternal promises” (Christ and the New Covenant , 160, 162). Anyway, is the Tree of Life antidote common in other Near Eastern mythologies?

In Genesis 2:9 (RSVCE) we read: > And out of the ground the Lord God made 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 the knowledge of good and evil. We further read in Genesis 3:2-3: > And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” My question is: How did the tree of life serve its purpose, if Adam and Eve were forbidden from eating its fruit? Are any teachings from the side of Catholic Church available on the topic?

According to Young-Earth creationism, what was the purpose of the Tree of Life? Genesis 3:22 says that it would make whomever were to eat from the tree immortal. But according to Young-Earth theology, all creatures, Adam and Eve included, were already immortal prior to eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And as soon as they did so, God banished them from the garden, at least in part, to prevent them from eating from the Tree of Life. So why create this tree in the first place? What is its purpose?

The other day I overheard a professor briefly mention an ancient Hebraic document known as the "Narrative of Zosimus" that wasn't known to Western scholars until the late 1870's. As his reference was tangential, I didn't gather much information beyond the fact that the story line/narrative concerned a "righteous" family that was instructed by God to leave Jerusalem before the Babylonian destruction, and that they were led to a land preserved for them. Additionally, their journey to the "blessed" land involved: a dark mist, an ocean, a great tree that bears sweet fruit, etc. (I can't remember all of it exactly, I apologize). Also, the account detailed that the family supposedly recorded their history on metal plates. 1. **Is there more information about this ancient text?** 2. **Where can I find an English translation of the text so I can read for it myself?** While I realize that this is an ancient text that predates Christianity (supposedly, I don't have information on it), what struck me as particularly interesting was that it seemed to contain many, many parallels to Lehi's "Tree of Life" dream in 1 Nephi in the Book of Mormon. 3. **Is there a correlation between these two texts? Are the parallels remarkable or just coincidental?** 4. **What have non-LDS scholars researched and stated about the Narrative of Zosimus?** 5. **Have any LDS scholars noted the extreme similar nature of these texts and conducted research on them? Have they proposed any theories to explain why they are so similar?**

The fig tree is used many times in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Why? What is so special about them that the Bible is not or is telling me? Is there any other kind of tree that is more used? Could the tree of life be a fig tree? I think this tree has two kinds of fruits: the obvious and a sweet seed. Jesus cursed the fig tree on the book of John because it didn't even have the sweet seed, right? I'm not asking about a specific doctrine. Just nuts n bolts about fig trees and spirituality.

If Adam and Eve were created perfect and without death (immortal), then what is the significance and purpose of the Tree of Life in the middle of the Garden of Eden?