Interesting and thoughtful reply. Thank you.
I wanted to unpack this one a bit...
Seems to me this affirms what I suspected is your apparent position; that the tree of life was useless and ineffectual BEFORE the fall. Did not have the power to grant eternal life UNTIL the fall? The Fall of Man actually gave the tree of life it's power.
Do I have that correct?
Which also brings up the point about eating in general before the fall.. why the need to eat?
Don't plants Die when you eat them? How could there be eating before the fall if there was no death before the fall? And what did the Venus Fly Trap eat? or the Shark?
No it still had the ability, but it would not have been needed because without sin, death would not of happened. You see? So this is proof the test was a real one. Maybe I didn't explain it right?
If they would of ate of it it would not effect them at all. On the other hand, because they did fall, God had to have the tree protected- and God Himself says among the Holy Trinity that Adam would live forever if he ate of it.
Remember there was no prohibition to eat from the tree of life while they were innocent. And just like in the in the garden, the tree of life in the new Jerusalem is protected by 12 angels-one at each gate. So it does have power to grant immortality, even to the fallen mortals.
That is why put two and two together, the new Jerusalem is on earth during the MK. If it was in Heaven, no need to protect the gates, no wat the leaves can be used for the healing of the nations.
22Then the LORD God said,
“Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—
23therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.
24So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden
He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
>Yes, that"s easy. Eating is part of Gods plan! And Veggies!
Just cause a animal has big teeth, that does not make them unable to eat plants. Look at the panda. Some sharks eat plankton, like whales. After the fall, adaptation within a kind was granted. Along with us being able to eat meat, and them.
Bugs and plants don't have the breath of life in them, no spirit. Since the life is in the blood, whenever a plant "dies" or bug, its not what God would call death.
29Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;
30and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth
which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so
7The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land,
from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”
17“Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth,
to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.
1And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
2“The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea,
into your hand they are given. 3“Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. 4“Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5“Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from
every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man.
25There is the sea, great and broad,
In which are swarms without number,
Animals both small and great.
26There the ships move along,
And Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it.
27They all wait for You
To give them their food in due season.
28You give to them, they gather
it up;
You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.
29You hide Your face, they are dismayed;
You take away their spirit, they expire
And return to their dust.
30You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the ground.
It's like you see the realm of the spirit is superior to the material world- even in a resurrection body and the curse is lifted off the earth.
