The Tree of Life
He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God
Revelation 2:7
In the book of Revelation Jesus addresses seven churches. These were actual churches in what is now western Turkey.
Some of what Jesus says to these churches has a local flavour to it. Because we’re not familiar with the cities or churches, we most times miss this.
The first letter was to the church in Ephesus. The great temple of Artemis was located here. Within its extensive grounds was a large garden that surrounded a particular tree. The tree featured on the face of coins from Ephesus. This tree was not only a shrine but was central to a system of asylum. Criminals who reached the tree were deemed to be free from punishment for existing crimes.
It is no accident then that Jesus concludes His words with God’s promise of Paradise, a beautiful garden, with the tree of life at its heart. Those who repent (2:5) and conquer (2:7) will have the right to eat from the tree and obtain the life God had always wanted humanity to experience. The tree of life was in the original garden (Genesis 2:9; 3:22) and will feature again in the garden city, the new Jerusalem (Revelation 22:2).
We who have put our trust in Jesus as our Saviour have already experienced God’s forgiveness of every wrongdoing. We are already eating from the tree of life!
To listen to this message, download in MP3 here.