“Welcome (Back) To Paradise”
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When we moved into our house, there was a strange tree in the backyard. It had the oddest looking yellow citrus fruit with the skin of a grapefruit and the shape of an avocado. It turns out it was a pomelo tree, but the fruit from it was NOT good!
"... To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7b).
Jesus closes his words to the Ephesians in Revelation with a message of hope. His promise: access to eat from the tree of life for those who overcome the constant pull of sin. This is huge! And it goes back to God's intention from the very beginning when he lived with man and woman in the garden. There he provided for them the tree of life, where they could eat from it and never die (Gen. 2:9; Gen. 3:22). Not only was this fantastic tree there, but God was intimately present with them as well (Gen. 3:8).
Lost Access
But not long after God created them, they fell. They disobeyed the only command God had given and stood before him in their shame. Then God evicted man from paradise, "...lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever" (Gen. 3:22b)! Eternal life is now just out of reach for all humanity, and death stands in its place. But God takes his punishment one step further, guarding the way to the tree with a "cherubim and a flaming sword" (Gen. 3:24). That's right. He means business here!
Access Restored
Now, dying feels like a natural part of living. It's an inevitable event, an upcoming appointment on everyone's calendar (Heb. 9:27). But it was never God's intention for man to die. So, through his mercy, he provides a way back to the tree — back to eternal life. Access is now restored through Christ. As Paul said, "... by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:21–22). And so through Jesus' death and resurrection, he welcomes us back to that life-giving tree where we can eat from it for eternity.
Back To The Eternal Paradise
It's hard to imagine the tranquility and peace that man must have experienced in the garden. And harder still to picture a heavenly paradise in the presence of God. What a gift Jesus offers us today if we will leave behind sin and conquer through him!
May we all remember John's visionary words today, "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates" (Rev. 22:14).
