Lord's Table - Tree of Life

To those who have been sealed by God the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption.

We recognize the elements in the Lord’s Table represent the broken body of Christ and the sinless blood that was shed for us. We are aware that we ought to examine ourselves before we partake of it. We know who aught to and who aught not to partake in it. We know the covenantal blessings that we inherit by partaking in it. We remember our Lord’s sacrificial death and declare our belief in His second coming. But there is more.

The purpose of this article is to illustrate further the significance of the Lord’s Table for every believer. It is my prayer that you understand the blessed hope we have when we partake of the Lord’s Table.

I Cor 11.23-26 says, ………. The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Tree of LIFE

Tree Of LIFE -> Passover -> Manna -> Lamb Of God (Jesus) -> Lord’s Table (bread & wine) -> Tree Of LIFE

In Genesis 3 we see that soon after creating man, God places man before the garden full of fruit bearing trees and asked him to eat. The first thing God required of man before multiplying or ruling the earth was to eat. God gave man food and asked him to eat. Man needed physical food as well as spiritual food. God placed man in the garden, drew his attention to the special two trees in the middle of the garden, and told him to eat from all, except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

God’s original plan was that man may partake of the Tree Of LIFE. The Tree Of LIFE is the Triune God himself. God made man in His image and likeness but man did not yet have fullness of Life or Eternal Life in him. Therefore, God presented himself as food that man may choose Him and Live. It was necessary that man make that choice out of free will. (this is dealt with in another article)

God’s purposes never changed. John 1.4 says, ‘in Him was life’, speaking of the Word of God or Jesus. Jesus represents the full abundant life of God. When we have Jesus dwelling in us we have Life within us. God desires man to have LIFE in him that he may live to the full potential as Sons of God.

In Eden, man was deceived/tempted by satan into partaking from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In his infinite love God stepped in to undo the consequences – that is what we see throughout OT and NT.

The OT as we know is the shadow or foretaste of the NT fulfillment. OT Passover, sacrifices, atonement, tabernacle etc represented Jesus’ crucifixion, death, resurrection and the resulting redemption of mankind.

In NT we see Jesus commanding all believers to partake of his body and blood in the form of bread and wine, until He returns.

We know our life on earth is not the ultimate end. We look forward to the blessed hope of Eternal Life in Jesus Christ. Revelation 22 gives us a glimpse of the fulfillment of this Eternal Life. Here it speaks of the Throne of God, the River of Life that flows from it and the Tree of Life on its banks. The Tree of Life bears 12 crops for every month and its leaves are for the healing of the nations.

In Eternity, we no longer shall feed on bread and wine but on the original Tree of Life. The same tree our ancestors were meant to eat from but were prevented by sin.

On that blessed day, we shall truly abide in Yahweh God and He shall abide in us. He shall make us His dwelling place and we will dwell in Him. (Rev 21.3, John 15.4) Then we shall have ‘Life and life in abundance’. (John 10.10) It will be the fulfillment of God’s original plan.

Passover & Manna

During the wilderness journey, Israel were led supernaturally in everyway by God. These 40 years, God dealt with them in an extremely personal and intimate manner. Almost reminiscent of God’s walk with Adam in Eden.

God’s original and perfect plan was for man to live a perfect life. For this man needed ‘God in Him’. For this purpose, God presented himself as man’s food in the form of the Tree of Life.
In the wilderness, manna or the bread that came from heaven was their daily food. Exo 16.35 Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell during these forty years. Deut 8.4 They had LIFE inside of them, nourishing them. They fed off God himself. Jesus says that He is the bread that came from heaven.
[John 6.31-33 “Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat." Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."]

However, before they could eat ‘manna’, they had to eat the Passover. (Exodus 12) The blood of the lamb was a covering for their sins protecting them from the destroyer, and the meat of the lamb was nourishment for their body and soul. At the end of the first month their provisions ran out, and God began to provide them with ‘manna’- the heavenly food, daily. (Exodus 16) The following year on the first month, God asked them to keep the Passover every year. (Numbers 9.1, 2)

NT & Passover

Jesus asked his followers to partake of his body and blood, until his return so, when he returns we may partake of the original Tree of Life.

Just as Israel had to keep the Passover even after the manna stopped, followers of Jesus are to partake of the Lord’s Table until we partake of the Tree of Life.

[John 6. 44-58 " No one can come to me (Jesus) unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."

John 6. 60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" Vs 66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. Vs 67-68 "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

Read John 6.25 - 69 with a new heart. ]

When we partake of the Lord’s Table, we eat his flesh and drink his blood which imparts to us eternal life (vs 54). We are to remember that the Lamb of God, Jesus Himself was slain for us and the consummation of this is the eating of the tree of Life in eternity.

We are now partakers of the tree of Life through the flesh and blood of Christ. The importance of water baptism and partaking of the bread and wine becomes now magnified. We partake of God as originally planned by God. Just as the nation of Israel ate manna for forty years, we are to eat the body and drink the blood of Christ until we eat from the Tree of Life.

Choose right

In Genesis, God says, do not choose to eat from the tree of Knowledge. In Deutronomy 30.19 God says, ‘I have set before you life and death, …….. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live’.

Our first parents choose the wrong tree to eat from. We choose right when we eat from the Lord’s Table.

The choice was and is between God and satan. They choose death when they choose the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We choose life when we partake of Lord’s Table.

Before the fall of man, God provided the tree of Life to provide man with Eternal Life.
Under the new covenant Jesus offers his body and blood for those who want Eternal Life,
In New Jerusalem the tree of Life and the river of life give the redeemed ones Eternal Life.