There were many trees in the Garden but two in its midst. The lesser known one was the Tree of Life. That same "Tree" was crucified instead of mankind for their sins (the other "trees"): "Who his own self (Jesus) bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Pet 2:24). The Cross was a "tree". (Hang onto that thought for a few minutes as I proceed.)
Trees are similes for different forms of life. The Tree of Life represents Jesus Christ (Rev 22:2), the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil represents Satan, and the other trees were those soon to become people which Adam was to "dress and keep" (Gen 2:15) and represents "neighbors" who Adam was to love.
We again find "trees" when men are saved at the end of time. Some will essentially be replanted in the Garden (regeneration) while others are burned up.
And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. (Rev 9:24)From that verse, we can see that "but" is used in conjunction with "any tree" and "men" of which only the righteous would not burn. That passage is again the simile between other men and trees. Those "trees" which will be burnt up are referred to in the Book of Luke: "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire" (Luke 3:9).
Our job as sons of Adam are to dress and keep "trees" in reference to others; even the bad "trees" with whom we disagree. That is the Great Commission which is how the Greatest Commandment is accomplished. If we fail our job, God will tend to the "trees" himself. Jesus is the judge: he takes an axe to the un-regenerated trees and casts them into the lake of fire. That happens when we fail to do our jobs as God wants that "none should perish" (John 3:16).
We can see those "trees" back in Genesis. Those same "trees" are found in the Revelation and the gospels. Likewise, Jesus can be identified as The Tree of Life in Genesis, the Revelation, and the gospels. Where is Satan? Of course, in Genesis, he is represented by the forbidden tree. I believe that in the Revelation, it is Lucifer or Satan who is represented by the fig tree: "And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind" (Rev 6:12). Lucifer is "day star" who fell down from heaven (Isa 14:12) . Thus Satan can be identified as a fig tree.
In the gospels, we also find a fig tree. Jesus withered a fig tree away in the gospel parables (Mat 21-18-20). That fig tree represents Satan's destruction. We even find that mentioned in the Law: "And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us" (Jud 9:1). There, the "trees" (sinners) implore the "fig tree" (Satan) to reign over them. That verse is a precursor to choosing one master over the other to serve (Mat 6:24).
I have now identified the trees of the Garden. Note that Adam and Eve attempted to cover their shame with fig leaves which they had sewn together themselves (Gen 3:7). Right there was mankind's problem. They tried to cover their own sins by the fruit of Satan's tree. People still endeavor to do that. The Pharisees were noted for that, and not by accident, Jesus called them vipers, remembering who it was back in the fig tree in the midst of the Garden. The Tree of Life (Jesus) knew the outcome of the story way back in the Garden. He knew that the fig tree would wither and die, and then be burned. Not only that, he knew that those who covered their own shame would die with the "fig tree".
Jesus said, "You must be born again," to Nicodemus (John 3:7). Using the analogous situation of Moses and the serpents, Jesus implied how to be born again: Rather than fighting the snakes alone, Moses listed up a motionless brass serpent on a pole. Those who looked up at the snake and beheld it, were safe. They made it through the wilderness and were eventually saved from the serpents. Hence, being born again is diminishing oneself as God is elevated. Who killed the viper on the pole? God did!
Theologians see the pole as the Cross and the brass serpent as Jesus Christ because it surely appeared red in the sun (the blood). I submit, that the pole may also have represented the Serpent crucified in his tree which of course would be done by Jesus Christ. Rather than mankind battling the Serpent, I believe that the story represents the Serpent being killed. Who killed God? No one. He killed the Serpent. As Adam was effectually killed back in the Garden and died a physical death, Jesus's death on the Cross crucified the Serpent in his tree.
We know there were three "criminals" on that day of judgment, and only one was entirely innocent. Jesus Barabbas whose name means "Yeshua, the son of the father" was freed. He represents people or "the other trees". He sinned greatly but by grace he was released from punishment. If he burned with Satan, that is another story which we don't know, but Barabbas was kept safe from dying that day. What he did later was whether the crucifixion of the real Jesus - the Son of the Father had an impact on him!
Of course, the center "Tree" was the Cross of Jesus. The visible part of the Tree of Life died on the "Tree" that day. We know that the Holy Spirit aspect of God did not because Jesus, at his death, "gave up the Ghost" (Mark 15:37). Likewise, the Father aspect of God didn't die because Jesus implored why had He forsaken him (Mat 27:46). Hence, God didn't die on the Cross but His Flesh did, and when the Flesh died, the Ghost of Jesus arose to return another day (Acts 2:3).
The Tree of Life lived on in new incorruptible Flesh and still stands in the Garden in Heaven, which I surmise arose at the time of the flood just as Jesus did later (Rev 2:7).
On one of the other "trees" one of the malefactors went to Paradise that day with Jesus. Jesus took all the sins of mankind and dumped them in Hell. The thief on his cross looked at Jesus on his "pole" and was born again (which Jesus said all must be) right before he died. Jesus went to Hell that day for that thief, dumped his sins off there, and then went to Paradise where he safely took that repentant thief. It seems that only Jesus's body laid in the tomb but we know his Ghost left him and went somewhere. He seemed to be busy dispersing sin and taking that born again soul to Paradise! That thief represented those who are born again - looking up at the dead Serpent on his pole or "tree".
The thief who jeered Jesus represents the Serpent. In the literature, The Life of Adam, Jacopo de Voragine contends that the True Cross was made from the trees of three seeds from the Mercy Tree which were planted in Adam's mouth. That legend follows closely with my own insight from which I wrote my own book, The Skull of Adam, without foreknowledge of those legends. We don't know what genesis that tree had but evidence of the fragments of the True Cross indicates that it was of multiple woods - three in number. I personally believe that the true True Cross would have been made from the wood of an olive tree which I believe the Tree of Life was!
What about the thief's "tree" or "pole". It makes sense using scripture that it must have been a fig tree. Thereon, the thief withered and died, and his soul cast into Hell that day. Thus, Satan's body was vicariously crucified that day as well but not to save mankind from sin but to destroy sin. Sin lost its power that day!
Satan has helpers and soldiers. They usually do his dirty work because his presence is limited by God. Satan doesn't make people do anything. He can merely tempt and deceive, but he is only found to be busy with elite people in the Bible. He was with Adam, Moses, and Jesus at his temptation. Likewise, Satan had to be somewhere on crucifixion day because that was the most important day in history!
We know where Jesus was on the first day in the Garden and on his "tree" on the day Satan attempted to kill God. We know that Satan appeared as the Serpent in the Garden. Where was he on crucifixion day? He was standing someplace nearby watching the Serpent (the thief) vicariously die on his pole. He was inciting sinners to crucify God! He surely saw himself there because he had seen it before: him dead on Moses pole!
There are but a few who have the right to eternal life. That is a right from the Constitution of the Kingdom of God called the Abrahamic Covenant. Mankind's right to life is lifting the Serpent up on his pole and recognizing who killed him; not us but God Himself whose Flesh died that ours will not!
Being born again is the right to eternal life as can be seen in scripture:
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Rev 22:14)That Gate is straight (must be born again) and path to it is narrow (by faith).
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