Commentaries:
God would not allow Adam to eat of the fruit of the tree of life after he sinned. The Holy Spirit was cut off from mankind until God made it available again through Christ, the second Adam—but then only to those God would call into His church, which began on the day of Pentecost in AD 31, and which has continued down through the centuries to this very day. The Holy Spirit will not be poured out on all mankind until after Jesus Christ returns (see Joel 2:28).
What and Why the Church?
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Adam and Eve could have eventually gained eternal life and become spirit by eating of the fruit of the Tree of Life. This plainly shows that Adam and Eve did not have immortality inherent in themselves!
The Tree of Life symbolized the Holy Spirit—the way to eternal life. Adam was created incomplete. He was created to need the Holy Spirit of God in order to live forever. Had Adam and Eve eaten of the fruit of that tree, rather than of the forbidden tree, they would have received God's Spirit as a begettal. The Holy Spirit would have helped perfect the very character of God in them, and finally changed their mortal bodies into spirit-born sons of God!
Adam, however, had to choose whether or not he would accept the free gift of the Holy Spirit. He chose (I Timothy 2:14, first part), by disobeying God, not to receive the Holy Spirit and was consequently cut off from access to the Tree of Life! Here is yet another proof that no man has eternal life inherent within himself.
Just What Is Man?
Now the separation is very clear, and mankind is cut off from God and from the Holy Spirit. The episode in the garden of Eden, as it is recorded, makes it clear that humanity took itself away from God, not the other way around. In addition, Genesis 3 gives no indication that Adam and Eve wanted the breach to be healed. All they did was justify themselves—Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Reconciliation and the Day of Atonement
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Revelation 16:13-14
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