Chapter 6 – The Choice
There were two trees planted in the Garden of Eden. The Tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Tree of Life is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I’ll give you three guesses and take away two of who the other tree is… satan. This controversy has been from the beginning and is the reason we live in an unperfect fallen world.
Eve made that choice to allow herself to be seduced by satan. No, it was not an apple that was eaten that day. The bible does not mention the word apple at all.
Genesis 3:13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
The Greek verb that is used in the bible for beguiled here is exapatao, and means to be wholly seduced. Adam was wholly seduced as well.
We are still making that same bad choice. The seduction now is a little less obvious. But, we choose him every day when we prioritize anything over God. That is ultimately choosing satan. And, he is hard at work beguiling you with the things of this world.
Look at your computer and your phones. Where do you spend most of your time? What is the symbolism on those? Is it an apple with a bite of it? Think about it…
Look at Amazon. Almost every product you can think of is now sold on that platform in one form or another. Talk about controlling all of the buying and selling. What does that symbol look like? It looks like a devil’s tail to me.
Another particularly disturbing symbol that satan has adopted is the rainbow. God promised mankind after the flood that He would never destroy the earth again by a flood. Do you know what the symbol of that promise is? The Rainbow.
Genesis 9:13-15 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
We’ve already discussed homosexuality as no worse than any other sin in God’s eyes, but you are still flinging the flag of your sin in God’s face, and it will bring Him down. The rainbow does not belong to the sin of man it belongs to God. Even more than that, it is the Shekinah glory, the very throne of God himself that you are seeing a glimpse of.
It is an abomination to the Lord to use that as a symbol for sin. I would never wave a flag at God of the sins that I’ve committed and I’m guessing you wouldn’t either on purpose. That kind of symbolism is planted among us by the devil himself to offend our Lord. Waving the flag of the very promise of God that he won’t destroy us for our sin. With a flag of PRIDE IN OUR SIN! Really?
Satan uses symbolism just like God does. He tries to copy everything God does.
Back to the trees in the Garden… We’ve discussed how God uses symbolism and parables. I think that is part of the beautiful way that the Holy Spirit uncovers things to your spirit. He calls things to your remembrance.
Now that we have established that there wasn’t an apple tree in the garden. What were those two trees?
Well, the fig tree was satan. Those were the leaves that Adam and Eve covered up their privates with when God came looking for them. Prior to that they were not aware of their nakedness until satan “showed them”.
Side note and weird fact on the fig tree itself. It does not flower, because it is actually an inverted flower. (Remember this for chapter 8 – Jesus, talking about the upside down) It is pollinated by a tiny type of wasp that penetrates the fruit to go in and pollinate all of the tiny flower seeds which are inside and then dies in there. Of course satan’s tree is pollinated by a wasp that must die inside. Makes perfect sense…
Further biblical evidence that this was satan’s tree. It was the fig tree that Jesus cursed, saying after Him that tree would not bear any more fruit.
Mark 11:13-14 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Mark 11:20-22 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Jeremiah 29:17 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
Many think the parable of the fig tree refers to Israel becoming a state which happened in 1948. I do think that is a marker, as God is gathering Israel back together. But, I don’t think it is the subject of the parable of the fig tree. I think that fig tree was and has always been a parable for satan. And, Jesus was warning us.
Luke 21:29-31 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
There was another parable Jesus spoke about the devil’s children, that I think is one of the most important in the bible to understand. I believe his children (the tares) are what Jesus is referring to that was planted along with the good wheat (God’s children). When you see those tares grow up (little fig trees shoot forth) then know the evil ones are fully grown up now. Know that summer is now, and harvest season is coming for them. The kingdom of God is near.
The full text below with Jesus’ interpretation thereof. He doesn’t make you guess at anything.
Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
And then the disciples asked for Jesus to explain the parable to them. Take note, that the Father purposely said to let the tares mature fully to ensure that one of His own wasn’t accidentally taken into the fire. He doesn’t make mistakes and Jesus Himself said He had not lost one.
Matthew 13:37-43 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Ok, so if Satan is the fig tree what tree is Jesus?
Of course, Jesus is the Olive Tree. The olive tree with the pure anointing oil as He is the anointed ONE!
John 15:5-8 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
When I was in Israel, we learned about how olive oil is made. They told us that they had to crush the olives and that eighty percent of what came out of them was “black water”. It struck me, that was like us. Eighty percent of what is in us is sin and corruptible.
We must be squeezed in this life to get rid of that black water. So that we have oil in our lamps for the wedding. You will learn all about this in the last chapter.
One of my best friends passed away from cancer. He sent me this poem one day and I believe it to be so true. So hard and beautiful at the same time. I’d like to share it with you.
Your calling is going to crush you.
If you are called to mend the broken hearted, you’re going to wrestle with broken heartedness.
If you are called to prophesy, you’re going to struggle to control your mouth.
If you are called to lay hands, you will battle spiritual viruses.
If you are called to preach and to teach you will be sifted for the wisdom that anoints your message. If you are called to empower, your self-esteem will be attacked, your successes will be hard fought. Your calling will come with cups, thorns and sifting that are necessary for your mantle to be authentic, humble and powerful.
Your crushing won’t be easy because your assignment is not easy.
Your oil is not cheap.
If we think about it in terms of our Lord and Savior, his body had to be crushed and take on all of the black water in that tree in order to have that unending oil of righteousness available to us. How precious it is…
Just as the serpent had to be raised up upon a cross so did Jesus. Both trees pulled up out of the ground and placed on it for the world.
John 3:14-15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Israel was being bitten by serpents and dying when they came out of Egypt and were in the wilderness. Satan hates God’s children. God told Moses to kill a serpent and put it on a cross and raise it up. Anyone who looked upon it would be healed.
Side bar: I still struggle with why this is our symbol of medicine. Trying to heal ourselves maybe? I’ll leave that one to the Holy Spirit because He is still unveiling that one to me. I also had in my notes from Israel that they worshipped a Greek God called Asclepius for healing that had a rod with a serpent on it that could supposedly heal anything, even raise someone from the dead. He may have been able to heal but only God can give life.
As children of God, we look to Jesus on the cross for our healing. Mind, body and soul. Not to satan, who by the way is only healing the problems he created.
Much like the choice in the garden, we have a choice in our heart. If Jesus lives in you, where do you think the devil wants to be? You are the battleground dear ones. Always have been….
God’s ultimate will is for ALL to come to repentance and to be with Him.
Matthew 18:11-13 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray
The end will not come until the Word of God is sealed in our minds. And, the Word of God, Jesus, is the oil needed for the wedding in the last chapter of this book, Kosmos.
Revelation 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Matthew 25:32-34 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: