The Two Trees - Part 1

There were two trees in the Garden of Eden that challenged the course of the entire human race—the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. These same two "trees" continue to challenge us. When we become Christians these challenges do not end—they may well increase. Many times we will have to choose between the fruit of these trees. Between them lies the focal point of the dichotomy between the Kingdom of God and the present evil age. 

The Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life are symbolic of two spiritual lineages or "family trees." The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is a history of two lineages. Understanding these lineages can help us to understand the most common errors besetting the entire human race, including those that have continually misled the Church. 

Satan did not tempt Eve with the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge just because of the Lord's prohibition. He tempted her with it because the source of his power was rooted in that tree. Furthermore, the Lord did not implement this  restriction just to test Adam and Eve; He prohibited the eating of its fruit because He knew it was poison. When He instructed Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, He did not say "If you eat from that tree I'm going to kill you" but "On the day that you eat from it you will die." It was not just man's disobedience that brought death to the world; it was the fruit from this tree.