The life in the tree of life does not consist of body cells burning oxygen. Rather, it is an energy that can animate the material form apart from the bloodstream. Whereas the bloodstream of man is a corruptible source of energy and renewal, the energy and renewal that come from the tree of life are of the incorruptible Life of God. They are not subject to decay. It is our point of view that the Tree of Life is Christ.

What was God's concern?

Adam was in a state of condemnation before God. The sentence of physical death had been passed on him. Eating of the tree of life would have brought an eternal source of energy and renewal into Adam's body while he was in a state of condemnation before the Lord God.

One might ask, how could a creature of God be without Divine Life in his spiritual nature, and under condemnation before God, and yet have eternal energy and renewal in his material form? The answer may be that the Spirit of Christ gave eternal energy and renewal in the material form, but due to sin the Spirit of Christ withdrew leaving an eternally animate body. It is possible that the fallen angels once possessed the Life of Christ. After they rebelled against God the Presence of Christ withdrew leaving them eternally animated but cut off from the Glory of God.

In the tree of life is contained Divine Life—that which is imperishable. If that Divine Life had entered the material bodies of Adam and Eve, transfusing their elements and systems with imperishable life, their bodies would have endured forever without aging—even though their spiritual personalities were separated from God and under the sentence of condemnation. They would have been satanic—powerfully alive but utterly corrupt.

It was God's goodness that prevented Adam and Eve from receiving imperishable life into their bodies. For if they, being in a state of fear and condemnation because of their disobedience, had received eternal energy and renewal in their material form, they would have been living on the earth in their rebellion and condemnation to the present day. By this time, approximately six thousand years after their creation, they would have become monsters of lawlessness similar to Satan and the fallen lords of the spirit realm.

Therefore by physical death the Lord God separated their spiritual nature, their soul and spirit, from their physical body. He placed their soul and spirit in a waiting area of the spirit realm and gave their bodies back to the dust of the ground. God placed a "heaven" between their spiritual nature and their perishing physical form, just as God divided the waters from the waters with a firmament on the second day of creation.

God does this with the Christian. He raises our reborn inner nature to His right hand in Christ but he leaves our sin-prone mortal body on the earth. Our inner nature is kept separate from our mortal body by a "heaven."

To be continued.