The scriptures in Genesis 2 and 3 about the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and about Adam and Eve are some of the most misunderstood scriptures in the Bible.

You have to live by every word of God, the whole Bible, and rightly divide the word of truth.

The Tree of Life is the One who later became Jesus Christ.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is Satan.

The fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is the teachings of Satan.

Eve was deceived and did eat, devour, the teachings of Satan.

The word eat in this instance is comparable to Ezekiel being told to eat the roll and go speak to the house of Israel.

Ezekiel 3:1-5

The word eat in this instance is comparable to Jesus telling the Jews in John 6:47-58 to eat His flesh and to drink His blood.

Jesus did not mean for them to literally eat His flesh and drink His blood. He meant for them to devour His teachings and believe in Him.

This is also comparable to John being told to take the little book from the angel and eat it up. John is then told that he will have to prophesy again before many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.

Revelation 10:1-11

Who Or What Is the Tree of Life?

The Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden was the One who later became Jesus Christ.

The Lord God commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because in the day which he did, he would surely die.

Genesis 2:15-17

15 “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”

16 “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:”

17 “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

Satan deceives Eve.

Genesis 3:1-7

1 “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

2 “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:”

3″But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

4 “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:”

5 “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.”

7 “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

The Lord talks to Adam and Eve after they eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:9-13

9 “And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?”

10 “And he said I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

11 “And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”

12 “And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”

13 “And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”

Adam ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and brought the death penalty upon all mankind.

If Adam had eaten of the Tree of Life, he would have lived forever.

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:”

Eat Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #398: consume, devour.

Adam and Eve did not literally eat the fruit of a tree.

To eat of the Tree of Life means to consume or devour the teaching of the one who later became Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The key to understanding the Tree of Life is in John 6:31-60.

Carefully read and study these verses:

John 6:31-60

31 “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

32 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.”

33 “For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.”

34 “Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.”

35 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

36 “But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.”

37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

38 “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”

39 “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”

40 “And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

41 “The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.”

42 “And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?”

43 “Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.”

44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

45 “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”

46 “Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.”

47 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

48 “I am that bread of life.”

49 “Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.”

50 “This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.”

51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

52 “The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”

54 “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

55 “For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”

56 “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”

57 “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.”

58 “This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.”

59 “These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.”

60 “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”

Jesus tells us He is the bread of life and He who cometh to Him shall never hunger; and he that believeth in Him shall never thirst. Jesus also said whosoever eats of His flesh would live forever.

Jesus did not mean for us to literally eat of his flesh.

He that believes on Jesus Christ has everlasting life.

Eternal life is not possible without Jesus Christ. If Adam could have eaten of the Tree of Life and lived forever, then the Tree of Life has to be the one who later became Jesus Christ.

The one who became Jesus Christ was the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden of Eden. He was in human form.

Genesis 3:8, “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”

Adam had to eat or devour the teachings of the one who later became Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Who or What is The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?

Satan was the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden and He was in human form.

Adam disobeyed the Lord God, and his eyes were opened. Then he knew good from evil.

Genesis 3:6-7

6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

7 “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

Lucifer was in the Garden of Eden and was perfect in his ways from the day he was created until iniquity was found in him.

Ezekiel 28:12-19

12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.”

13 “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.”

14 “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”

15 “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

16 “By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.”

17 “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom because of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”

18 “Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.”

19 “All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.”

Lucifer was without sin and was one of the highest angels. He disobeyed God, becoming Satan.

Lucifer was god of this world when he rebelled against God becoming Satan. Because of his rebellion against God, Satan must be replaced.

II Corinthians 4:4: “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

I Corinthians 2:12: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”

Luke 4:5-7

5 “And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment.”

6 “And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.”

7 “If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.”

The Lord God created Adam to replace Satan. Satan knew this and he set out to destroy Adam.

Satan was in the Garden of Eden in human form as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to cause Adam to disobey the Lord God. Adam and Eve did not literally eat the fruit of a tree. Satan deceived Eve by His teachings. Adam was not deceived.

I Timothy 2:14, “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”

Adam, without God’s Holy Spirit, was overcome by Satan.

The Lord God sent His only begotten son, Jesus Christ (the last Adam), to replace Satan as the god of this world.

1 Corinthians 15:45 “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”

Jesus Christ, filled with God’s Holy Spirit, overcame Satan and when He returns, He will replace Satan as god of this world.

Revelation 11:15: “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

Why Was Adam Driven Out of The Garden of Eden?

Adam was commanded by the Lord God that he could eat freely of any tree of the garden except of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:16-17

16 “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:”

17 “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

After Adam disobeyed the Lord, he was cast out of the Garden of Eden “…lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” – forcibly take what wasn’t freely offered anymore.

Genesis 3:22

Adam was cast out of the Garden of Eden lest he kill the one who later became Jesus Christ. If Adam had killed Jesus Christ, he would have lived forever in sin.

What Is the Way of the Tree of Life?

The way of the Tree of Life is obedience

Disobedience In the Garden of Eden:

Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden because of their disobedience.

Genesis 3:24: “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.”

Genesis 3 is hard to understand.

Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

The serpent, the snake, was the most subtle beast the Lord God created.

Satan is subtle like a snake.

The Lord God calls Satan “That Old Serpent” because Satan is like a snake.

Revelation 12:9: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Revelation 20:2: “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,”

In the Garden of Eden there were two serpents: Satan “That Old Serpent”, the devil, and a regular snake.

A snake is also called a serpent. Therefore, you had Satan, ‘That Old Serpent’, and a regular snake in the Garden of Eden.

The first part of Genesis 3:1 is about a regular snake, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.”

The Lord God is making a statement. He is talking about a beast of the field which he had created. He is not talking about a spiritual being which is in human form.

The Lord God told us how subtle a regular snake is in order to compare Satan to a snake.

The last part of the verse is about Satan, “And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

This is Satan speaking to Eve and he is in human form.

The word ‘He’ is a masculine pronoun. When you talk about a snake speaking you would say ‘the snake said’ or ‘it said’. You do not say ‘he said’ when talking about a snake.

Eve devoured Satan’s teaching and was deceived.

Eve gave to Adam. Adam was not deceived but he went along with his wife. Adam as head of the household did not perform his duty and correct his wife. Adam willfully followed Satan and whomever you follow is your god.

Romans 6:16, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

Adam disobeyed God and brought the death penalty upon all mankind. Every person is born in sin inherited from Adam and the wage of sin is death. Satan now owned mankind.

The Lord God bought mankind from Satan with the life of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

1 Corinthians 7:23,”Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.”

2 Peter 2:1, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”

Because of Adam’s disobedience, the Lord God said unto Adam in Genesis 3:17-19:

17 “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;”

18 “Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;”

19 “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

Because of what Eve had done, the Lord God said unto her in Genesis 3:16: “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”

The Lord God also placed a curse on the snake (serpent) because of its disobedience in Genesis 3:14.

How did the snake (serpent) disobey the Lord God? We cannot be sure but most likely in Genesis 2:19 when the Lord God brought all the beasts and fowl unto Adam to name, the serpent (snake) probably did not come at the Lord God’s first command.

The serpent or snake probably had legs or wings. Because of its disobedience the Lord God placed a curse on the snake.

Genesis 3:14: “And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:”

In this scripture the Lord God is talking to the snake (serpent). The snake is compared to cattle and beasts. Satan does not crawl on his belly and eat dust.

Satan is god of this world at this time.

Satan had already been condemned after he rebelled against God so the Lord God is not putting a curse on Satan.

Conclusion:

The Lord God was in the Garden of Eden in human form. Genesis 1:27 tells us God created man in His own image. Genesis 3:8 tells us the Lord was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.

Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Genesis 3:8: “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”

The one who became Jesus Christ was in the Garden of Eden as the Tree of Life. Satan was in the Garden of Eden as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

They were both in human form.

Adam and Eve were commanded not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Eat: Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #398: consume, devour.

To eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Satan) would mean to consume or devour Satan’s teachings.

Eve ate of The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (devoured the teachings of Satan) and gave to her husband.

Adam, Eve, and the snake disobeyed the Lord God in the Garden of Eden.

Eve was deceived by Satan but Adam deliberately disobeyed the Lord God.