Post Four:
From the First to the Last — What Was Lost, and What Will Be Restored?
In our previous studies, we examined the male and female in God's image, the Last Adam, and the provision given before the seventh-day rest. We also began following a pattern that returns throughout Scripture: what God establishes, what He provides, and the life that follows His blessing.
Now we return to the garden.
When people discuss Genesis 3, attention often turns immediately to the forbidden tree, the serpent, and the disobedience that followed. But there was another tree in the garden, one that deserves just as much attention.
The tree of life.
What happened to it? Was it destroyed when the man and woman were sent from the garden? Or was the way to it guarded for a purpose that would become clearer later?
Two Trees in the Garden
Genesis 2 describes YHWH (יהוה) planting a garden in Eden and placing the man there. Among the trees were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The man was permitted to eat from the trees of the garden, with one prohibition concerning the tree of knowledge. Read Genesis 2:8–17.
Notice that the tree of life was already present before the serpent spoke. Life was part of God's provision from the beginning.
The prohibition concerned the other tree. The instruction was given, and the consequence of disobedience was stated.
Why do we so often begin with the forbidden fruit without first considering what God had freely provided?
And what might these two trees reveal when we compare them with the different sources of nourishment, wisdom, and life described elsewhere in Scripture?
The Voice That Changed the Direction
Genesis 3 begins with the serpent questioning what God had said. The woman responds, but the serpent contradicts the warning concerning death and presents the forbidden fruit as something desirable. She sees, takes, eats, and gives to the man, who also eats. Read Genesis 3:1–7.
Before the taking, there was a voice.
Before the disobedience, there was a change in what was believed.
That is worth remembering because Scripture repeatedly warns about deception, false voices, and the importance of hearing God's Word.
Jesus later describes his sheep as those who recognize his voice and follow him, while refusing to follow a stranger. Read John 10:1–5.
Could the garden be showing us something about the danger of allowing another voice to replace what God has already spoken?
The issue was not that God had failed to provide. The issue was listening to a voice that encouraged taking what He had forbidden.
We will return to the serpent's deception and its consequences in our second series, The Counterfeit. For now, I want to follow the question of life and restoration.
The Woman and the Promise
After the disobedience, YHWH (יהוה) addresses the serpent and speaks of enmity between the serpent and the woman, and between their respective seed. Read Genesis 3:14–15.
The words introduce a conflict that reaches beyond the immediate act of eating.
A woman.
Her seed.
The serpent.
His seed.
And enmity between them.
In our earlier studies, we examined the prophetic woman as distinct from Eve, comparing her role with the woman protected in Revelation 12 and the singular Bride associated with Christ. That relationship becomes important as we follow the promise through Scripture.
Notice that Revelation 12 also describes the serpent, the woman, and her remaining seed. The dragon pursues the woman, who receives protection, and afterward turns to make war against the remainder of her seed. Read Revelation 12:13–17.
Why do these figures reappear?
Could Genesis be introducing a conflict that Revelation shows from another perspective?
We do not need to force every scene into one continuous chronological sequence to examine the repeated persons, actions, and relationships.
The Tree of Life Was Not Destroyed
After the man and woman eat, Genesis records something that deserves careful attention.
YHWH (יהוה) speaks of preventing the man from reaching out, taking from the tree of life, eating, and living forever. The man is then sent from the garden, and cherubim with a flaming sword are stationed to guard the way to the tree of life. Read Genesis 3:22–24.
Notice what Scripture says.
The way to the tree is guarded.
The account does not describe the tree being destroyed.
This distinction matters. Access to life was restricted, but the provision of life had not been erased from God's purpose.
If the tree of life is guarded in Genesis, why does it appear again in Revelation?
And what must take place before access is restored?
These questions bring us toward the Last Adam, the cleansing of those who belong to God, and the final invitation to receive life.
The Cherubim — Guarding the Way
Genesis 3:24 describes cherubim stationed at the east of the garden, together with the flaming sword that turns every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Later, when YHWH (יהוה) gives instructions for the sanctuary, two cherubim are placed over the mercy seat, their wings covering it. God appoints the place between them as the place from which He will speak to Moses. Read Exodus 25:17–22.
These accounts place cherubim in different settings, yet both invite us to examine the relationship between holiness, God's presence, and what He permits people to approach.
In the garden, the way to life is guarded. In the sanctuary, the cherubim overshadow the mercy seat, where God appoints a place for meeting and speaking.
Could these details be helping us recognize the importance of God's appointed way rather than one invented by human beings?
It is not enough to desire access to something holy. We must also listen to the One to whom it belongs.
The Last Adam — Life Given Through the Spirit
Paul distinguishes the first Adam, who became a living soul, from the Last Adam, who became a life-giving Spirit. He also distinguishes the image of the earthly from the image of the heavenly. Read 1 Corinthians 15:42–49.
That brings us back to the question of what was lost in the garden and what is being restored through Christ.
The first Adam's descendants are described in relation to the earthly image. The Last Adam is associated with life and the heavenly image.
And Peter describes Christ as put to death in flesh but made alive in spirit, bringing his proclamation and Noah's days into the same discussion. Read 1 Peter 3:18–22.
If the Last Adam gives life, what does that mean for those being transformed into his image?
And could the guarded way to the tree of life be connected with the work accomplished through him?
The connection becomes especially interesting when we examine the restoration described by the prophets.
The Garden Appears Again
Ezekiel 36 describes the cleansing of God's people, the giving of a new heart, and the placing of His Spirit within them. The desolate land is later described as becoming like the garden of Eden. Read Ezekiel 36:25–36.
Then, in Ezekiel's final chapters, the Glory returns to the house, and water flows from the sanctuary. Wherever the river comes, life appears. Trees grow along its banks, bearing fruit continually, with leaves for healing. Read Ezekiel 43:1–5 and Ezekiel 47:1–12.
Notice the movement from cleansing to God's dwelling and then to life flowing outward.
Now compare Revelation 22.
There, the river of the water of life flows from the throne of God and the Lamb. The tree of life bears fruit, and its leaves are for the healing of the nations. Read Revelation 22:1–5.
What was guarded in Genesis is again present in the final vision.
What had become desolate is compared with Eden.
What could not sustain life receives healing.
The restoration is not merely the removal of what is evil. It is the return of life, fruitfulness, and God's presence among His people.
What Was Taken — What Is Freely Given
Consider one final contrast.
In Genesis 3, the forbidden fruit is taken after the serpent's deception.
In Revelation 22, the Spirit and the Bride extend an invitation to the thirsty. Whoever wills may take the water of life freely. Read Revelation 22:14–17.
One account describes taking what God prohibited.
The other describes receiving what God freely offers.
Could this be one of the clearest reversals between the beginning and the end?
The Bride is now associated with the invitation. Those who hear are also called to respond. The water of life is offered without cost.
This returns us to the growing household, the children, the great crowd led to life's waters, and the healing of the nations.
The true provision is not something humanity can seize through its own authority. It is God's gift.
And that raises a question we should not overlook.
If life is freely given by God, why do human beings continue placing themselves in positions where they claim the right to control who may receive what belongs to Him?
Where the Word Leads
We began with two trees in the garden. One was associated with life; the other was forbidden. The serpent introduced deception, the forbidden fruit was taken, and access to the tree of life was guarded.
Yet the story does not end with the guarded entrance.
Ezekiel describes cleansing, the return of God's Glory, and living waters flowing outward. Revelation describes the tree of life, the healing of nations, and the Spirit and Bride extending the invitation to come.
The provision of life has not disappeared from God's purpose.
As we continue, we will examine the Bridegroom and the singular Bride more closely, including why the woman must be distinguished from the multitude that follows her.
For now, consider this:
If the way to life was guarded because of disobedience, what does it mean that the final invitation comes from the Spirit and the Bride, freely offering what humanity could never take for itself?
Perhaps the restoration begins by recognizing the difference between taking what was forbidden and receiving what God has freely provided.
Threads to Follow
- The garden and the two trees: Genesis 2:8–17; Genesis 3:1–24.
- The woman and her seed: Genesis 3:15; Revelation 12:1–17.
- The cherubim and God's appointed presence: Genesis 3:24; Exodus 25:17–22; Hebrews 9:1–14.
- The Last Adam and the heavenly image: 1 Corinthians 15:42–49; Romans 8:29; 1 Peter 3:18–22.
- The garden restored: Ezekiel 36:25–36; Ezekiel 43:1–5; Ezekiel 47:1–12.
- The tree of life and the free invitation: Revelation 21:1–5; Revelation 22:1–17; Isaiah 55:1–3.
The books were opened…
🌿 Studies by Maria Emilia ~ 🗺️ Continue exploring: Visit Bible Books to find studies organized by book of the Bible, along with related studies and links.
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