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No one wants to die. However, death is inevitable; it comes to everyone someday, regardless of age, gender, or position. Where did death begin?
Most people, whether they believe in God or not, may have heard the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Bible tells us that man sinned in the Garden of Eden and death came to all people. Where there is a problem, there is a solution. Just as the clues to the solution of an accident lie at the accident scene, the secret of life lies in the Garden of Eden where the history of death began, right?
Let’s discover the secret of life through the history of Eden and learn about God who is to come as the Savior in this age.
The Tree of Life, the Secret Hidden Since the Creation of the World
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” Mt 13:34–35
Jesus said that through parables He would reveal secrets hidden since the creation of the world. Among the 66 books of the Bible, it is the book of Genesis that records the history of the creation of the world. In Genesis there are many secrets hidden in parables. Among them, let’s find the secret of eternal life.
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Ge 2:16–17
A characteristic of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden was that if anyone ate from the tree, he would die. God forbade Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but they were tempted by the serpent to commit the sin of eating from the forbidden tree, and consequently death came to all people (Ge 3:1–6). However, God put the secret of life—the way for human beings, who came to die as a result of sin, to live—in the Garden of Eden, too.
And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Ge 3:22–24
A characteristic of the Tree of Life was that if anyone ate from the tree, he would live forever. Even sinners, who came to die from eating the forbidden fruit, would live forever if only they could eat from the Tree of Life. So God took decisive action to prevent them from eating of the Tree of Life, by placing cherubim and a flaming sword to block the way to the Tree of Life.
The Forgiveness of Sins Through the Shedding of Blood
The reason God put the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden was that He wanted to show mankind the way of life. After that incident in the Garden of Eden, God taught Cain and Abel, Adam’s sons, the truth—the way to the Tree of Life. This is how the rituals of sacrifice—worship—began.
Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. . . . Ge 4:1–5
Genesis 2 and 3 explain about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life, and in Genesis 4 they are connected to the sacrifice of Cain and that of Abel. Cain gave an offering of his crops to God, and Abel offered God the firstborn of his flock. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice but rejected Cain’s.
Why did God do so? This has something to do with the meaning of sacrificial rituals. The greatest significance of sacrifice—worship—is the forgiveness of sins. Only when our sins are removed can we have the right to the Tree of Life. With the body of sin, no one can have the right to the Tree of Life. So in order for humans to regain access to the lost Tree of Life and to go back to the spiritual Garden of Eden—the eternal Kingdom of Heaven, their sins must be forgiven first. There is something required for the forgiveness of sins.
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Heb 9:22
“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” In other words, the forgiveness of sin is only possible through the shedding of blood. When God showed the way to receive the forgiveness of sins, Abel obediently offered a blood sacrifice pleasing to God, by sacrificing a lamb. However, Cain did not obey God and offered a sacrifice from the crop with his own opinion, so his sacrifice could not be accepted by God.
Jesus, the Reality of the Tree of Life
The blood sacrifice, which God had revealed, continued to be handed down by the spoken word, and it was codified in the time of Moses. God clearly stipulated the method of sacrifice and its meaning in the provisions of the law, and commanded the Israelites to build the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. In the Holy Place, the blood sacrifices of animals like sheep or goats were performed on a daily basis, according to the regulations for the daily burnt offerings, the Sabbath, and other feasts. In the Most Holy Place—the inner room of the temple, there was the Ark of the Covenant. This also shows God’s profound will.
“Then put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. . . .” Ex 25:16–22
When God gave Moses specific instructions regarding the building of the temple, He commanded him to put two cherubim on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. According to the history of Eden, the cherubim guarded the way to the Tree of Life after Adam and Eve sinned, so the sinners could not have access to the tree. Considering that God instructed Moses to make two cherubim, who had guarded the Tree of Life, and to place them on the Ark of the Covenant, we can understand that the Ark of the Covenant represents the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.
Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Heb 9:1–4
The Ark of the Covenant contained the manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant—the tablets of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are the Word of God, and the Word of God in the Bible refers to God Himself (Jn 1:1). The Ark also contained the manna; Jesus compared Himself to the manna, saying, “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:31–35). Lastly, Aaron’s budding staff was evidence that Aaron had been chosen by God to serve as the high priest for the service of the temple; Aaron was the first high priest of Israel. Jesus came as the High Priest in the order of Melchizedek (Nu 17:1–11; Heb 5:8–10).
All the things contained in the Ark of the Covenant represent Jesus Christ. They remind us of Jesus as the High Priest, Jesus as the Word of God, and Jesus as the manna—the bread of life from Heaven. Therefore, the Ark of the Covenant that the cherubim guarded, the Tree of Life, ultimately stands for Jesus.
The New Covenant Passover, the Truth by Which We Can Eat From the Tree of Life
Jesus revealed Himself as the reality of the Tree of Life, the secret hidden in Eden.
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” . . . “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.” Jn 6:51–55
For human beings who came to die as a result of eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in Eden, the only way to live was to eat from the Tree of Life. Then Jesus said, “I am the bread of life that came down from heaven,” and, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” Jesus was the very Tree of Life, the way for humans to live forever.
How can we eat the flesh of Jesus, the Tree of Life, and drink His blood? For all this, God established a ceremony—the truth as follows:
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ ” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. . . . While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Mt 26:17–19, 26–28
Jesus broke the Passover bread and gave it to His disciples to eat, saying, “This is my body,” and He gave them the Passover wine to drink, saying, “This is my blood.” So, eating the Passover bread and drinking the Passover wine, as symbols of Jesus’ flesh and blood, is eating from the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. With the body of sin, no one can have the right to the Tree of Life. The Passover contains the blessing of eternal life and the promise of the forgiveness of sins as well. Christ gave His flesh and blood to mankind and taught that whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood can be freed from the sin of eating the forbidden fruit and receive eternal life.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Jn 10:10
Jesus came to give life to the sheep—God’s people; He established the New Covenant Passover through His flesh and blood, the reality of the Tree of Life, and gave them the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. The way of life was opened for mankind who came to die as a result of eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The Savior in the Age of the Holy Spirit Allows Us to Eat From the Tree of Life
Unfortunately, many churches today do not keep the truth of life. Even after Jesus’ ascension, the disciples continued to keep the Passover, but afterward the church became secular under the hindrances of Satan and the Dark Ages came when God’s set times and laws were changed (Da 7:25). In this process, the Passover was also abolished, and the way for mankind to receive eternal life was lost.
Only God can open the way to the Tree of Life. So the Bible prophesied that Christ would come a second time to save mankind.
. . . so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Heb 9:28
The purpose of Christ’s second coming is to bring salvation to humanity. The only way for mortal human beings to live is to eat from the Tree of life. When Christ comes a second time, He must bring the Passover—the truth by which we can eat from the Tree of Life.
On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. . . . In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” Isa 25:6–9
About 2,700 years ago, Isaiah the prophet predicted that God would hold a banquet of aged wine and destroy death forever. In the Bible, the wine that has the promise of eternal life is only the Passover wine. The reason it is called “aged wine” is because the Passover has not been celebrated for over 1,600 years since it was abolished at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325.
The Bible clearly records that Jesus Himself celebrated the Passover and the Apostles Peter, John, and Paul also celebrated it. However, since A.D. 325 no one has been able to keep the Passover. There have been renowned theologians, pastors, and many others who claim to know the Bible, but none of them have been able to reveal the truth of the Passover. It’s because only God can open the way to the Tree of Life.
The Bible tells us that the One who redeems us from the sin of eating the forbidden fruit and gives us eternal life through the Passover is our God. According to this prophecy, Christ Ahnsahnghong has brought the Passover of the New Covenant and opened the way to Heaven for us. Therefore, Christ Ahnsahnghong is God who has appeared to save mankind in the Age of the Holy Spirit, and He is the One who has come in Jesus’ new name (Rev 3:12).
Just as Jesus granted eternal life through the Passover, offering Himself as a sin offering and giving His flesh and blood 2,000 years ago, Christ Ahnsahnghong has opened the way to salvation again by restoring the Passover—the truth that enables us to eat from the Tree of Life, which was trampled on by Satan. I earnestly ask all of you, children of Heaven, to fully receive Christ Ahnsahnghong—the Savior in the Age of the Holy Spirit, who has come to this earth according to all the prophecies of the Bible, and to invite all people to the banquet of the Passover where they can eat from the Tree of Life. By doing so, let us all together participate in the blessings of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.