Words of Hope Daily Devotional
The Tree of Life
Read: Revelation 2:7; 22:1-5
To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev. 2:7)
The original Tree of Life was in the Garden of Eden, along with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, their innocence was lost; their relationship with God and his world was ruptured. Sin not only affected them; it affected the whole creation. Yet God was merciful; he clothed Adam and Eve, and gave them a promise that one day evil would be destroyed by a Son of Eve. Then God drove them out of paradise, and placed an angelic guard at the gate to bar their reentry.
That doesn’t sound like mercy. But it was. God himself explained why: “ ‘Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—’ therefore the LORD God . . . placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life” (Gen. 3:22-24). Imagine if Adam and Eve had been able to go back and eat of that other tree. Think about it: eternal life in a fallen world, everlasting struggle with our own sins, with dysfunctional relationships, with the frustrating contrariness of nature; above all, everlasting life apart from God. That’s not paradise. That’s—quite literally—hell.
So there is no way back to Eden. We can only go forward. But for all the faithful, the tree of life awaits in the garden city, the new Jerusalem.
As you pray, thank God for keeping his promises to us.
About the Author
Rev. David Bast
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, includingWhy Doesn't God Act More Like God,Christ in the Psalms, andA Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
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