I said earlier, right or wrong, that the tree of life is like Christ. God is the tree and the fruit is the tree made accessible for Man by the form of fruit. We eat it like Christ's flesh and blood , and get God in us to manifest Him through us into the physical. Jesus is like the fruit of life hanging on the tree of the cross.

Also the fruit of life is seen in Revelation 5 as the sealed book in the hand of God. And the high priest, Jesus, entered the holiest of heaven and plucked the book like fruit from the hand of God like he was a tree and gave it to John to eat in Revelation 10. It's eternal life. The word. Same as Christ being the word and New Adam.

Re: Why I Am A Futurist
 

ya, me likey. So, A&E had access to this tree in the GoE, knew the difference in good v evil--which is not the knowledge of good and evil--and freely chose to elevate "self" over obeying God.

Re: Why I Am A Futurist
 

Re: Why I Am A Futurist
 

Yeah. Great way of saying it. I think so.

Re: Why I Am A Futurist
 

I meant SEED BED. lol Or garden plot.

Re: Why I Am A Futurist
 

Not sure if I mentioned this or not, so disregard if I did.

I wrote a book based on the concept of some parallels I saw in Genesis and Revelation. Take a Bite of Eternal Life.

John saw Heaven opened and we know it is the true holiest of holies according to Hebrews 9. No one could go to the throne and take the sealed book. Just like no one could enter the holiest, except one. The High Priest. Jesus goes in as high priest, takes the sealed book and we read people are redeemed as a result.

I believe Revelation 4-5 is a spiritual symbolic picture of what happened after Christ resurrected when He made atonement. That's why He's a lamb having been slain but standing. Resurrected.

The lion, ox, eagle and man -- living creatures in Ezekiel, beasts in revelation 4:7, stand for mankind. They cried they were redeemed by the blood, and we know animals and angels are not redeemed. Rev 5:9-10. Their images were on the four banners of Israel's four tribes that were around the four compass points of the tabernacle. Dan=eagle. man=Reuben. Ox=Ephraim. Lion =Judah. Three of all twelve tribes assembled and camped under one of the four banners. Numbers 2.

So they stand for God's people.

And taking the sealed book from the hand of God was like Adam plucking fruit from the tree of life, had he obeyed God. Jesus is last man Adam.

And the four beasts that were by the sea of glass that blocked access before the throne were like the cherubims on the veil blocked access before the mercyseat of the ark. (Two more cherubims were on the mercyseat itself). And cherubims also blocked access to the Garden's tree of life.

So, the picture is Jesus doing what Adam should have done.

And Jesus gave the sealed book that He opened to John in Revelation 10 to eat, like it was fruit of life. THE WORD is eternal LIFE.

Re: Why I Am A Futurist
 

awesome! don't know how i missed the Num2 ref lol--just there last week. ty!

Re: Why I Am A Futurist
 

:thumbsup

Re: Why I Am A Futurist
 

I was just perusing this thread and found this. I don't think I ever saw this post to me! My bad!

And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision, and that plainly on a tablet, that he that reads it may run. For the vision is yet for a time, and it shall shoot forth at the end, and not in vain: though he should tarry, wait for him; for he will surely come, and will not tarry. If he should draw back, my soul has no pleasure in him: but the just shall live by my faith.5 But the arrogant man and the scorner, the boastful man, shall not finish anything; who has enlarged his desire as the grave, and like death he is never satisfied, and he will gather to himself all the nations, and will receive to himself all the peoples.
(Habakkuk 2:2-4)

Paul was quoting Habakkuk from the Greek, as I here provided from Brenton's translation.

According to A. R. Faussett, this was around 610 BC, some 600 years before Christ. Paul however applies it to the brethren he was writing to:

Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
(Hebrews 10:35-39)

It seems that Paul was teaching 'you need patience so you might receive the promise'. His exhortation to be patient (and persevere) is then backed up by a reference and quotation from Habakkuk. He then carries the quotation to 'if any draw back' etc, and then states we (the faithful) are not of them that draw back but are of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

So then, it seems Paul did not refer this passage of Habbakuk to any particular eschatological event, but instead referred to it as expressing a principle that one should wait patiently and expectantly for God's word and promise to be fulfilled.

Looking at the actual prophecy, it appears to be referring to the coming of Messiah to receive all nations to himself. Even if you believe this took place in the first century AD, it was still over 600 years - almost 700 in fact - after the prophecy was given. Which means 'yet a little while' does not necessarily mean 'within YOUR physical lifetime' or any such thing.

In fact, this is a good evidence for historicism, as we see prophecies not necessarily being 'immediately' fulfilled but beginning a fulfillment quite some time after the prophecy was given.

I think the point of Habbakuk was not a specific time frame, but of the certainty of the Promise coming to pass. And I believe Paul drew on that point from the prophet, and applied it to the brethren he was writing to.

And it applies to us, as well. I do not believe Paul was saying 'Jesus is coming in our lifetimes' and honestly I don't see how anyone - regardless of eschatological position - could get that from that particular passage in Hebrews.

The larger context - that of persecution and the Lord executing vengeance upon the persecutors - indicates Paul was applying a 600 plus year old prophetic expression to their current persecution, saying that the Lord would indeed soon execute vengeance upon their persecutors (the Jews), . Which happened in 70 AD when the Lord's Olivet prophecy came to pass in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.