Beloved, for each and every one of us as believers to inherit ETERNAL LIFE, we must of necessity pass through the flaming sword or else eternal life in Christ Jesus would become a nightmare. This is the divine plan of God for each and every one of us who has the hope of eternal life. It says in Titus 1:2 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began”.
After the fall, man was sent out of the Garden of Eden (a delightful place) to till the ground that is “ to labour, to work for another, to serve another by labour, to make oneself a servant”. This is a condition to serve all which answers to the earthly realm and not Heavenly. What a pitiable condition of man.
Why Did God Send Man Out Of The Garden Of Eden?
Gen 3:22 says, “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 forever”: Gen 3:24 say, “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”.
Why Did God Have The Cherubims Guard Just The East Side Of Eden?
In Genesis 3:24 says, “He(God) 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.”
According to this verse, only one side of Eden was guarded—the east side. Was it possible for Adam and Eve to have sneaked in another way?
Part of understanding this passage is a consideration of the Hebrew perspective regarding directions. The Jewish people listed directions starting with “east,” unlike Western cultures that typically list the compass points starting with “north.” To say “at the east of the Garden of Eden” could have been a reference to the edge of Eden. Though this is not definitive, it appears to fit the context of the passage.
In addition, the presence of the sword-bearing cherubim stresses that Adam and Eve were forcefully expelled from the Garden of Eden. The word cherubim is plural, indicating several angelic beings, either on the eastern side or the edge of the Garden, who completely blocked the way to the tree of life. The added facts is that the sword was flaming and “turned every way” ( If this per harp were to be a physical location, it would have meant that each angels had a sword) and could also emphasize the strong security God had provided. There was no possibility that Adam and Eve or any other person could later reach the tree of life.
Another possibility may be that guarding the “east side” of Eden is related to Genesis 2:8, which says,
“And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.”
If Eden was in the east, then guarding “the east” would make sense. In this interpretation, guarding the east means to guard the area where Eden was located and east is the area of the rising sun. It also speaks of GOD’S PRESENCE
Either way, the emphasis is that God completely protected the tree of life from any humans who would approach it. Whether the intended idea is protecting “the edge” or protecting “the location” of Eden, God’s Word emphasises that Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden, unable to return.
What that means is Adam and Eve was removed in order not reach out and eat of the tree of life, thereby living ETERNAL LIFE OF SIN and DEAD because for sure a day is coming were all that is call SIN would be completely abolished from the surface of the earth. Glory Halleluyah!
For thus it is written that “ Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; [a]neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [by perversion], nor [b]those who participate in homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God. And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behaviour]” .(1 Corinth 6:9-11) AMP.
Read Also: The Rich Young Ruler
For you to have access to the tree of life which speaks of eternal life in Christ Jesus there must be a cutting away of the earthly tendencies call it the Adamic nature so as to inherit the ZOE, which is Gods kind of life (ETERNAL LIFE) Glory to Jesus! .
Remember that the word of God is this flaming SWORD that must pierce or cut through all our evil intentions. In Heb 4:12 says,” For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.
The Bible mention the tree of life again, when it shows up in the new heaven with the Lord. Revelation 22:1-3a notes,
“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 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. No longer will there be anything accursed.”
At the end of time, God’s people will experience the blessings of a restored creation and renewed access to the tree of life. Shalom!
