"Then I, John, say the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.... And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (Revelation 21:2, 22:1-2)

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THE TREE OF LIFE

Rt. Rev. George de Charms

Lesson: Revelation 22:l-14

In the book of Revelation we read about how the disciple John saw a wonderful city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. Through the middle of the street of the city, and on either side of the river which flows through it, there grows the tree of life. This was the same as the tree of life which grew in the middle of the Garden of Eden. It is a wonderful tree, unlike any that you have ever seen—a tree that cannot grow in this earthly world. It bears twelve different kinds of fruit every year, a different kind every month. Its fruit is more delicious than anything you can imagine, for everyone who eats of it becomes filled with happiness from the Lord. All the angels are happy, because they eat of the fruit of this tree. And it not only makes them happy, it also makes them very wise. Those who eat of the tree of life are far wiser than any person on earth—wiser even than Solomon, who was the wisest man who ever lived.

For every angel who keeps the commandments of the Lord because they love Him, it is like a fruit grows on the tree. When the angels do the things which He commands them, it is as if the Lord causes fruit to grow in great abundance on the tree of life and then allows the angels to draw near and eat of that fruit and so to become happy.

And as it is with the angels, so also it is with people on earth. If you keep the commandments of the Lord, then it is as if fruit is growing on that tree for you, and when you come into the other world you will be allowed to eat of that fruit, and it will make you very happy.

But every time you break one of the Lord’s commandments, then it is as if an angel with a flaming sword appears, who guards the way to that tree, so that you cannot draw near to enjoy its fruit. For if you should eat of that fruit without having the love of the Lord in your heart, it would be as if you had died. This is because the things of heaven and those of hell are opposite to one another, and they cannot be mixed. If anyone had something from hell in his heart, and then tried to eat from the tree of life (which brings the joy of heaven) those two things would be so mixed together that it would be like he was destroyed.

Now, not only fruit grew on this tree, but also leaves, and these leaves were wonderful. For if anyone who was in evil and wished to come out of it and to obey the Lord and learn to love Him, took the leaves he would be given power from the Lord to fight against evil spirits, to overcome evil loves, and to do the will of the Lord.

For this reason it is said that “the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” But only those who have really tried to obey the Lord in this world can be given those leaves in the other life and so be able to eat the fruit of the tree.

So, if you wish to taste of the fruit of that wonderful tree in the other world, you must keep the Lord’s commandments here, for by keeping them here you will learn to keep them in the other world, and when you keep them there, you will be permitted by the Lord to draw near and eat of the tree of life.

“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). 


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