Bible Discussion Thread

In verse 24 the bible says "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

To keep the way of the tree of life, does that mean to keep the way open or to keep the way closed? Two trees were in the midst of the garden and only one of them was forbidden. Does that mean they could have eaten from the tree of life at any time?

Hi Jerry. In answer to your first question, I believe that "to keep the way of the tree of life" is to keep the way "closed". The Hebrew word for this means: "to keep, to watch or preserve". So, the placing of the cherubims with flaming sword was to secure or guard the way(s) to that tree (of life) so that no one could ever take of that fruit & live forever in a state of irretrievable corruption. The fact that Adam & Eve disobeyed God by eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil, made their spirits corrupt through sin, but at least there was hope for them in lives & death. If the Tree of Life was then eaten, their state of corruption in sin would have been final & irredeemable.

While Adam & Eve were pure & innocent, I believe that they could have eaten the fruit of any of the trees ( Genesis 2:16,17), except the Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil. But once they sinned by disobedience to God, the eternal life that they had would have been taken away and left them in a state of eternal death & separation from their Maker.