TWO TREES
IN THE GARDEN
In the middle of the garden of Eden were planted two trees - the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. As we will see in this writing, Yahweh holds some amazing truths for us in these two central garden plantings, central not only in their locations in the original garden, but equally central in the long term works of Yahweh in mankind. In these two trees, we find represented all that Yahweh will perform in the restoration of His kingdom. And most interestingly, as we will see later in this writing, this entire matter of the kingdom of God leads us to the laws of God revealed in physics. But let us begin this study by examining the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Our study of this tree is by no means exhaustive, but only introductory, for the Scriptures hold far more testimonies concerning it than we can consider in this writing.
THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil had the unique and far reaching
effect that Adam and Eve's partaking of its forbidden fruit meant the death
of all mankind. For 6,000 long and sorrowful years, men have died
for Adam and Eve's part in eating from that tree's forbidden fruit.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, along with Satan's deceptive
and corrupting presence and influence, has meant the undoing of carnal man
from creation.
Because of its wholly encompassing adverse impact upon all men for the
entirety of their 6,000 years of history, it is urgingly incumbent that
man understand what that eventful and solely determining tree meant.
What was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? What did it represent
in those first foundational times of mankind? Why was it contrasted
in the garden with the tree of life? What does that tree mean for us
today, for the future? These are all questions, and more, that are
well worth pondering, and will be addressed herein.
How does one approach such an important and encompassing matter as this
tree of all men's demise? Let us start by considering what this tree
represents for man.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil goes far beyond being a simple
tree of a particular flora. Although it was indeed a specific kind
of tree with an edible fruit (to be considered in this work), this tree represented
far more than a natural fruit forbidden to man. By its own name we
understand that partaking of this tree was to bring a knowledge of both good
and evil. What could this mean?
To understand this, let us reference a writing composed over 400 years
before Moses received the Genesis account on Mount Sinai. There is
a writing entitled The Book of Creation, whose author according to
all records was Abraham. In this ancient writing, the five dimensions
of this world are identified. In chapter one, verse five of The
Book of Creation we read concerning these five dimensions - there is
"A depth of beginning / A depth of end, A depth of good / A depth of evil,
A depth of above / A depth of below, A depth of east / A depth of west,
A depth of north / A depth of south" (The Book of Creation, translated
by Aryeh Kaplan [Samuel Weiser, 1990], page 44).
First, let us identify from this ancient account the purely natural three
dimensions of space. These are - "A depth of above / A depth of below,
A depth of east / A depth of west, A depth of north / A depth of south."
Here we find the spatial dimensions of height, width, and depth. “A
depth of above / A depth of below” - height. “A depth of east / A
depth of west” - width. “A depth of north / A depth of south” - depth.
Next, Abraham identified another dimension that, though being a mystery,
is likewise based on or accounted by equally natural parameters. "A
depth of beginning / A depth of end" is clearly the fourth dimension of
time (to be considered later). But most importantly in this amazing
account, we find another dimension uniquely identified as "A depth of good
/ A depth of evil." What could this be? This fifth dimension
is a higher dimension than space and time, and is the dimension of a spiritual
kingdom that coexists with the natural world, though its origin is not of
this world, but by its placement here on earth in carnal men is therefore
distinctly earth-based. As we will see, this fifth dimension is the
spiritual kingdom of God on earth. (More on these and other dimensions
later in this writing.)
The kingdom of God is a kingdom not of this earth, but is from above, not
natural but spiritual. This kingdom seeks to conquer the natural kingdom,
not by carnal means but by love and good, not by death but by life, not
by force but by yieldedness, that the new kingdom might totally replace
the old, not of this world nor in any way receiving the participation of
the things of this world, but wholly replacing these earthly things in a
much greater and liberated fulfillment of the earthly (John 18:36-37).
But until the perfect fulfillment of this kingdom comes to earth, the visitation
of this heavenly kingdom here on earth in carnal men produces a mixed kingdom
- that which is from above mixed with that which is of this world, the Spirit
mixed with the carnal, both the good from above as well as the evil of this
world. Thus we see the fifth dimension expressed here on earth:
not the perfect good only from above, but the visitation of the good among
the evil, producing a mixed kingdom of good and evil. The spiritual
fifth dimension of carnal, earthly man is thus profoundly identified by
Abraham as "A depth of good / A depth of evil." This mixed fifth dimension
is exactly what existed in the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, and is precisely what man has experienced in the church
for 2,000 years. The fifth dimension is the kingdom of heaven Yahshua
provided to man upon His resurrection, and has been on the earth in carnal
man for 2,000 years as the church.
This fruit of both good and evil on earth, the spiritual fifth dimension
of the earth, is all that is available for spiritually hungry earthly man
to eat of until man can be born from above, not of this world, but born
into new, undefiled, incorruptible, supernatural bodies from a new, totally
heavenly origin - Jerusalem above. Until man becomes "born from above,"
as Yahshua declared to Nicodemus (John 3:3), carnal man is limited to solely
eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Only when man
can be born from above does he have the opportunity to eat from the alternate
tree in the garden of Eden - the tree of life. This tree of life is
in clear contrast with the death-resulting tree of the knowledge of good
and evil. The tree of life, in contrast with resulting death, is found
in resurrection when men will no longer die. Up to now this life has
been forbidden from man. The cherubim that was stationed at the eastern
gate of the garden, holding "the flaming sword which turned every direction,
to guard the way to the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24), has continued to this
day to forbid the entrance of carnal Adam man. Thus we see contrasted:
Carnal man whose only relationship with the spiritual is a fifth dimension mix of good and evil resulting in physical death,
The tree of life that has clearly been forbidden to carnal man and cannot be partaken of except he be born from Jerusalem above into an incorruptible heavenly body.
This is the clear contrast of the earth-based tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, and the thus far restricted tree of life, barren Jerusalem
above (Galatians 4:27).
Much has already been written in THE ISSUE and THE ISSUE - II
concerning the church's receipt of the restored kingdom of God. Clearly,
the church received the restored garden kingdom that was initially given
to Adam and Eve and corrupted by them. Yahshua restored that kingdom
via the only link back to the garden, and that was through the all-important
vow of the Nazirite (see page 1 of THE ISSUE). Yet even as the
initial garden kingdom was corrupted by its recipients partaking of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil with the result that Adam and Eve died,
likewise the church has eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil spiritual fifth dimension, the kingdom has been corrupted, and Christians
continue to die. And once again, no one, up to now, has eaten from
the tree of life. Christians have the promise of that life, yet none
have partaken of it, and likewise continue to die.
For two thousand years, the carnal church has known and shown forth the
corruption of good and evil. As spoken of by Yahshua, the church-obtained
kingdom of God on the one hand has received the good - the "good seed" in
the field, the mustard seed, and three pecks of meal. But in keeping
with any earth-based kingdom, the church has equally experienced the evil
- the tares, the birds of the air, and leaven (Matthew 13:24-33). And
it is this mix that is offensive and clearly contrary to the laws and ways
of Yahweh. Let us briefly note a few examples of this sure fact.
In the letters to the seven churches, Yahshua writes to the Laodicean church
- "you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot.
So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out
of my mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16). But this rejection by Yahweh of
an offensive mix seen here in the church is not some new whim, for we equally
find in His laws His rejection of that which is mixed. In Leviticus
19:19 we read - "You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle;
you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment
upon you of two kinds of material mixed together." It is this offensive
and forbidden mix of both good and evil that is exactly what man has accomplished
and experienced in the kingdom of God for 2,000 years. Can Yahweh,
does Yahweh accept it? Absolutely not! This mix of good and evil
is not only offensive, but equally illegal to Yahweh, and results in man's
death, rejection, and prohibition from the tree of life first resurrection!
This matter of the church eating from the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil was uniquely seen in THE ISSUE - II per the highly prophetic
account of Solomon receiving the "kingdom of Yahweh." As discussed,
Solomon was a picture or type of the first Remnant who initially received the kingdom
of God. These, of course, were those who on Pentecost received the
promised former rain of the Holy Spirit, experiencing a highly unique work
in Jerusalem up until the stoning of Stephen. And remarkably significant
and appropriate, at the very beginning of Solomon's reign, what was it he
asked for in his dream but the ability "to discern good and evil" (1 Kings
3:9)? Solomon in prophetic type sought to eat from the fifth dimension
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, from which the first Remnant ate,
followed of course by the breach church period. Solomon is a clear
pattern of the church's partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil.
In light of the great importance of this tree of all men's demise, Yahweh
has provided a number of other important and remarkable testimonies to it
that necessitate examination. These are most beneficial to consider.
In this writing we will now look at three of these. First, considering
not only the great and sorrowful inadequacy, but even the associated ill
consequences of knowing both good and evil, we see from a dream given to
Pharaoh of Egypt how both good and evil fare out together.
To begin with, Yahweh has given us several specific testimonies that this
subject account relates specifically to the church. For example, how
much time has the church thus far had in its ministry upon this earth?
Of course it has had two full periods of time, or 2,000 years. Therefore
in testimony of the thus far completed period of the church, when did Pharaoh
have his dream? In Genesis 41:1 we read - "Now it happened at the
end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was
standing by the Nile." These "two full years" are a clear prophetic
testimony of the thus far two full 1,000 year periods (or 2,000 years) of
the church.
In equal prophetic testimony of the church, the Nile is a prophetic picture
of death, even as is the sea. In the Nile the baby boys of the Israelites
were cast. Baby Moses, the prophetic first Remnant, was preserved
from the Nile river of death by a miniature ark. Not only do we see
the 2,000 year testimony of the church in the "two full years" of Pharaoh,
but in the Nile River we also see the death testimony of the two parts, or
2,000 years, of the church that, according to Zechariah 13:7-9, is cut off
and perishes by death. Thus we see here two clear testimonies that
this dream relates specifically to the thus completed two parts or 2,000
years of the kingdom-of-God-receiving church that has continued to die.
We will consider an additional testimony of the application of this account
specifically to the church, but let us now see what Pharaoh's dream was and
how it specifically relates to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
In Genesis 41:17-24 we read Pharaoh's account of his dream. The words
translated "good" and "evil" here are the identical Hebrew words used in
"the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
"In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile; and behold, seven cows, fat and sleek came up out of the Nile; and they grazed in the marsh grass. And lo, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very evil and lean of flesh, such as I had never seen for evilness in all the land of Egypt; and the lean and evil cows ate up the first seven fat cows. Yet when they had devoured them, it could not be detected that they had devoured them; for they were just as evil as before. Then I awoke. I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk; and lo, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them; and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. Then I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."
Additionally, Joseph's response to Pharaoh highlights even more the contrast
of good and evil. In verses twenty-five through twenty-seven we read:
"Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one and the same. And the seven lean and evil cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind shall be seven years of famine."
Thus we see the clear contrast: seven good cows and seven good ears
are consumed by seven lean and evil cows and seven thin ears. Herein
is the ongoing and ever present problem of good and evil: the
evil consumes any progress made by the good! How much evil is needed
to overcome the good? Ecclesiastes 10:1 tells us - "Dead flies
make a perfumer's oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier
than wisdom and honor." Likewise, a little evil goes a long way in
devouring any progress made by good. This is certainly clear when we
look at the painful and destructive consequences of a little evil in "good"
men's lives today. (Anyone can cite their own examples, from the famous
to the obscure.) And equally, this is true with the church whole.
Often people seek to defend the church by recounting the good it has done
and does do, as though the good wholly justifies the church. But it
does not take long to examine the church and see anywhere from gross to
obscure evil that has and continues to take place. Who can number
the pastors, priests, bishops, elders, deacons, evangelists, singers, teachers,
and other church leaders who have been caught in sexual or financial sins?
How many people have been hurt by church fights and splits? Who can
justify the wealth and even gaudy pomp or worldly showiness of a money-conscious
church, whose initiator and example was a poor carpenter's son who in His
ministry had no place to even lay His head? Who can justify 22,000
schisms or denominations in what should be a unified body of Christ?
If Christianity teaches truth, which schism is it then that has the truth,
since they all differ so much in what they teach? If they represent
the truth of God, since there are such differences, how much of what is taught
is evil error? With all their differences, they cannot all be right.
Of course, this is only a beginning in noting just some of the present-day
more overt and obvious evils within Christianity. Additionally, history
holds accounts of error, injustice, crime, violence, deception, worldliness,
and corruption that is recognizably appalling! (One must remember,
the body of Christ has to be taken as a 2,000 year old body, not simply what
exists today.) So, how much more evil is needed for one to openly confess
that the church thus far has been a mix of good and evil? And if this
is true, then we certainly see Yahweh's assessment of the consequences of
a combination of these two practices - the evil in fact devours the good!
Note in this account of the good and evil cows and ears that, very significantly,
there were seven of each. Of course here we see that each seven represented
seven years of abundance or leanness. But in fact, what occurred in
this natural occurring account is simply a living parable, a preluding,
foretelling, natural account, of a truth that is to be manifested later
on a higher spiritual level. In that the natural precedes the spiritual
(1 Corinthians 15:46), and "That which has been is that which will be, and
that which has been done is that which will be done" (Ecclesiastes 1:9 and
3:15), it is clear that what happened here in this dream given to Pharaoh
is a prophetic, revealing picture, pattern, or type of that which was to
be.
Thus, let us ask the question - Why were there specifically seven years
of abundance and seven years of famine in these good and evil periods?
The answer to this is abundantly too clear. One simply has to turn
to Revelation, chapters one through three, and count the number of churches
there were (represented in the seven lampstands and seven stars) to know
that the church is clearly seen in the number seven. Why were there
not four and four years of good and evil, or six and six? Why not one
and one or five and five? The answer is because God speaks through
numbers, as well as He speaks through words; and the seven years of good
and evil clearly represented the number of the seven-lampstand church.
It is the church that has partaken of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, it is the church that does both good and evil, and it is the church's
good it accomplishes that is clearly overcome and devoured by its evil.
Christianity is the carnal manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth,
and is thus in whole grievously limited to a "knowledge of good and evil"
kingdom resulting in death. And as seen in this first pattern, the
good the church does is devoured by the evil.
As a second remarkably profound and highly revealing testimony to not only
the problem of a kingdom that is a mix of both good and evil, but also Yahweh's
solution to the problem, we will consider the very important foundation-setting
account of Cain and Abel. We use the words "foundation-setting" because
what took place in the beginning years of the earth are patterns or seeds
of what will take place later, even today.
In this beginning account, we clearly see once again the consequences of
having a kingdom that is this mix of both good and evil. Both Cain
and Abel brought offerings to Yahweh, but with differing consequences.
Do we not see evidenced here the same truth in Pharaoh's good and evil cows
and ears? Abel presented to Yahweh a good offering, acceptable to Him;
but, Cain offered to Him an offering that was not acceptable. So, what
happens with this mix of good and evil? Of course, the evil once again
destroys the good - Cain slew Abel. Likewise in the church, the "Cain"
evil slays the "Abel" good. In this early account, we clearly see
a type or pattern of what was to take place in the church - the evil slays
the good.
But equally, in this problem Yahweh has a solution. Even as there
were two contrasting trees in the garden, so there are to be contrasting works
in the kingdom of God. The good and evil of Cain and Abel pictured
the consequential mix of the church period; but, there is another work that
must come afterward to replace the "Cain and Abel" death-resulting work.
This is the "Seth" work.
We find that following the death of Abel and the rejection of Cain, Yahweh
gave another son to Adam and Eve - this was Seth. In Genesis 5:3 we
read a most interesting statement concerning this next son - "When Adam
had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in
his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth."
This is the only son of Adam in which this like identity was declared, and
prophetically reveals exactly what Yahweh will do next - He will create
a "son," or a work, in His own likeness to replace the "good and evil sons."
Eve declared concerning this new son - "God has appointed me another offspring
in place of Abel; for Cain killed him" (4:25). God will equally establish
another work, a second tree, a tree of life "in place of" the present work
of Christianity in which the evil kills the good. Why? Because
the good and evil is corrupt, violent, a mix, and can never produce
fruit consistent with the righteousness of God.
In contrast to the "Cain and Abel" church, this new work, this "Seth",
this "tree of life" will produce the righteous works required by Yahweh;
for we read, very importantly, concerning the offspring of Seth - "And to
Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh (meaning,
mortal man). Then men began to call upon the name of Yahweh" (4:26).
What will be the outcome of establishing this "Seth" work which gives birth
to an "Enosh"? Mortal men, the entire world, will begin to call upon
the name of Yahweh. What we saw in part under Christianity, we will
see in full measure under the work that will replace it. Under Christianity,
men in part called upon the name of Yahweh; under the "Seth" work, the whole
earth will call upon His name. The world will see the new "Seth" "tree
of life" work (in contrast to the death-resulting "tree of the knowledge
of good and evil" work), and in whole will call upon the name of Yahweh.
This will begin to take place in the Millennial reign of Yahshua.
Equally significant and revealing as well, we note that Seth was the offspring
of Adam and Eve from which the Messiah came (Luke 3:38), not from the Cain-Abel
mix. It is the "Seth" work that brings Yahshua, not only as a preluding
"Elijah" does, but also by being the full and complete and perfect representative
of Him. In person they will perfectly represent Yahshua to mortal
men. The Cain-Abel church has equally done this only in slight part
- His body being so abused by its afflictors that it is not even recognizable
as the true Messiah (Isaiah 52:14). But now in the "Seth" work, men
will see a people born of God "in His own likeness, according to His image"!
Thus we see in Pharaoh's dream and with Cain and Abel the shortfall and
wholly nullifying consequence of good and evil - the evil consumes
and kills the good, necessitating that a replacement be established which
will bring Yahshua and produce true representatives of Him.
Let us now examine a third important witness Yahweh has provided to this
two-part kingdom of God. Once again we find a clear testimony
of these two works in the kingdom - first the mix of good and evil, followed
by the promised tree of life. We have seen that there were two trees
in the garden, two son groupings from the original man Adam (the Cain/Abel
good and evil grouping, and the Seth “according to his image” grouping).
Now we will examine a third highly important testimony.
Even as Adam was the first man, and his offspring testified to the two-part
kingdom of God, so the first man of faith - Abraham - and his offspring
likewise testified to the two-part kingdom of God. Both of these “firsts,”
these initiators in life, and their offspring were appropriate chosen and
highly revealing witnesses of the kingdom of God which would bring life
to man.
But before looking at Abraham and his offspring, we must note that all
of these subject men, along with the garden, are not mere examples of what
we are talking about here, but rather are living prophetic divinely designed
patterns of that which will be. They are foreshadowing, preluding
manifestations of the ways of Yahweh taking place in the natural realm of
individual lives, to be fulfilled later in the higher and vastly more important
realm of the kingdom of God. This is why these testimonies are so
important to examine, especially noting there revealing and highly significant
similarities; the similarities seen here revealing the two parts, the two
“offspring,” of the kingdom of God. Now for this critical testimony
of Abraham and his offspring.
As you undoubtedly know, Abraham had two sons - Ishmael and Isaac.
Abraham had received the promise from Yahweh that he would have a son who
would fulfill all the promises given to him (Genesis 12 & 15).
But the promised son was not born first. Instead, at the urging of
his wife Sarah, Abraham conceived his first born son through Sarah’s Egyptian
maid, Hagar. Ishmael was brought forth, who according to the laws
of Yahweh had every right to receive the promises of the first born (Deuteronomy
21:15-17, or the law of the first born son via the hated wife). But
Ishmael was a mix. Though being the seed of Abraham, he was equally
part Egyptian - part man of faith, and part man of Egypt.
Afterwards Yahweh came to Abraham with the promise that Sarah would conceive
a son. But Abraham already had a son, the first born, and he answered
to Yahweh - “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” (Genesis 17:18).
Would Ishmael “live before” Yahweh? No! Ishmael was a mix - son
of faith/son of Egypt; and even though he was the first born son of Abraham,
he could not live before Yahweh. That promise was to be fulfilled
through the son of Sarah. Thus quite miraculously, Sarah next gave
birth to a son, the second born of Abraham who was to “live before” Yahweh
and fulfill all the promises given to Abraham.
Even as we have seen before in the two trees in the garden, as well as
in the offspring of Adam, here we see once again with Abraham that the first
“born” is to be a mix of good and evil that will not live before Yahweh,
while the second “born” is the son of promise who will fulfill all of the
promises of Yahweh and live before Him.
Let us look more carefully at this Ishmael. Like Ishmael, the good
and evil breach church is a mix. This mix is inherent with the given
circumstances of its creation; for Yahweh provided the kingdom of God to
man while man still lived in this world in earth-produced flesh. Throughout
the Scriptures, Egypt repeatedly and clearly takes on the prophetic picture
of this world, or worldliness. This is the precise problem with Christianity
- it is a mix of the good of the kingdom of God which it has received, with
the evil of Egypt, this world. Christianity is in every regard an
Ishmael mix - in experience, in order of “birth,” and equally in consequence.
Because of this mix, despite any pleas from an Abraham, despite the fact
that it has legal rights as the first born, Ishmael Christianity cannot “live
before” Yahweh. That promise belongs to the son of promise - the second
“born” tree of life Remnant work. For 2,000 years Christianity has
been the supposed son of promise. During the days when Ishmael was
the first and only born son, everyone, including Abraham, thought that this
son would be the fulfillment of the promises of Yahweh. But this could
never be. Even so, as it was in the days of boy Ishmael, today everyone
equally believes that the breach church has all the rights to the kingdom.
But because Christianity is this Ishmael mix, once again the inheritance
will go to the miraculous born unexpected second son, the Isaac second work
in the kingdom of God.
Even as the promised seed Isaac was miraculously brought forth to the surprise
of everyone, so the latter rain will bring forth an Isaac who, apart from
his Ishmael brother, will fulfill all the promises of Yahweh. This
Isaac work will indeed live forever before Yahweh, fulfilling all the previously
made promises, promises which up to now were thought by all to belong to
the first-born Ishmael.
Continue to page 2 of Two Trees... for THE ALL IMPORTANT NAZIRITE VOW