The Tree of Life
Copyright © September 13, 2004
by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil,
instead of the Tree of Life which would have made them Immortal.
Since that day when our first parents followed the advice of Satan,
we have all been trapped in a world filled with death and destruction.
We must each decide if we will continue in our first parents' direction,
or choose a new path that leads away from the pit of eternal damnation.
The good news is that God has provided a method for our redemption.
His Son Jesus died on the cross and paid the ransom for our salvation.
When Jesus ate His Last Supper with His eleven friends and one enemy,
He broke a loaf of Bread and He said it represented His broken Body.
Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God, is The Bread of Life for you and me.
Jesus Christ is our second chance to partake of that Life Giving Tree.
However, we still have the freedom to choose just like Adam and Eve.
But if you accept Jesus as Savior, then Eternal Life you will receive.
This Poem Dedicated to My Granddaughter
Isabelle Claire McClintock
Second Child of the Union between Shena Leigh Johnson and Matthew Scott McClintock.
Together they created a beautiful new life.
Dedicated by:
Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
Retired Baptist Church Deacon
and Great-Grandson of a Baptist Preacher.
Date of Dedication of Poem: September 13, 2004
Reference Scripture Verses
Genesis 2:9 - and the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground -- trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:16-17 - And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
Genesis 3:4-7 - "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Genesis 3:22-24 - And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
John 6:35 - Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life."
Luke 22:19-20 - And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."
John 6:32-35 - 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."
"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."
John 6:47-51 - 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."
John 3:16-18 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
John 1:29 - The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
Revelation 2:7 - He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Revelation 22:1-5 - Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com