There were many trees in the Garden of Eden. And the only tree that mankind was forbidden to eat from was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet oftentimes, our conversation only veers towards that one tree and we forget there were other trees in the Garden — the tree of life specifically being named. But there were other trees. Is it possible that one of those trees was the tree of liberty? That’s what I’d like to talk about in this post.
Trees are very important in scripture. In fact, they have defined the state of mankind since the Garden of Eden. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil has forever shaped the destiny of mankind. One bite and we lost Eden. Further, that one bite into the forbidden fruit of the knowledge of good and evil has prevented mankind from partaking of the tree of life. The Tree of Life was closed off to mankind because mankind chose to eat of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But the Tree of Life is still there. Is it possible that we have missed those other trees in the Garden of Eden?
Yes. So let’s start with a tree we know still exists — the Tree of Life. In Revelation 22:2, Weymouth New Testament, we read about the Tree of Life, “On either side of the river, midway between it and the main street of the city, was the Tree of Life. It produced twelve kinds of fruit, yielding a fresh crop month by month, and the leaves of the tree served as medicine for the nations.” Notice, the Tree of Life is producing monthly fruit and its leaves provide for healing of the nations. It yields a continual harvest of twelve fruit month by month, and its leaves always provide healing for the nations. Always.
That is significant. This Tree still exists and it’s still bearing fruit…monthly. And the leaves of that Tree provide constant healing for the nations not just individuals. I think we need to expand our thought process regarding scripture. We often limit what God’s saying, doing, or can do. I don’t want to do that. Jesus gave His Apostles (and us) the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, 20, ESV, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
There, we see the regard Christ has not only for individuals but for nations. Teaching nations is God’s way of His people immersing (baptizing) the nations and it’s something we’re called to do as believers. The Church is called to immerse the nations in the teachings of Christ — “all that I have commanded you”. Notice, Jesus, after His resurrection, doesn’t back down from stating who He is — King. Yes, He has given us a command to teach (immerse) the nations in His teachings. That’s the glorious honor given to God’s people on earth right now. Why? Jesus isn’t only coming back for people; He’s coming back for entire nations.
Jesus described two types of nations — sheep nations and goat nations. In Matthew 25:32, 33, Amplified Bible, we read, “All the nations will be gathered before Him [for judgment]; and He will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right [the place of honor], and the goats on His left [the place of rejection]. Notice, He will and does distinguish between nations not just individuals. That means, America and Israel will be judged, as will Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Every nation that currently exists will be judged based upon Christ’s teachings.
While spending time with a missionary friend from Nepal, he said to me, America and Americans are the most generous people. Honestly, I was surprised by His statement. But the more I thought about it, the truer I understood it to be. America and Americans regularly implement the teachings of Christ. We are the most generous nation on earth. There’s no other nation on earth that blesses other nations like America does. None. Not even close. Why does America do that? Why are Americans so generous? We’ve been blessed to partake of the Tree of Liberty.
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”—Thomas Jefferson
Yes, the Tree of Liberty, like the Tree of Life, bears continuous fruit. The fruit of Liberty is generosity. When people become free, they naturally seek to free others. The plight of slavery was broken, not with the American Civil War; rather, it was broken when, at our founding, the Declaration of Independence was signed, for embedded in it, that Declaration had the phrase — “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The founding fathers, seeing the Tree of Liberty, came to understand something invaluable — “the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God”. From that understanding, they discerned the essence of mankind’s inherent right and desire for liberty and freedom. Today, people are still seeking that same liberty and freedom. Hence, the appeal of America. Individuals amongst the nations of the world want what America has — the promise of Liberty. That Liberty was brought to light by a foundational understanding of mankind’s right to it. We, every man, woman, and child, were born with an inherent right and unalienable desire to be free.
Thomas Jefferson, understanding the price of freedom made this statement: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” Why does the Tree of Liberty require blood? Because there are those who oppose mankind’s inherent right to it and seek to oppress others beneath their iron boot. Nations and people cannot be free unless the iron boot is removed from their neck. For that to happen, a fight must take place.
The Tree of Liberty beacons us today. There’s a great deal of oppression in our world. The Great Commission has been given. Part of that Great Commission is to baptize the nations in Liberty. Inevitably, that will lead to bloodshed. As much as everyone wants to avoid bloodshed, due to the evils of some, it’s unavoidable, as Jefferson discerned. Nor does scripture avoid this understanding. Rather, scripture embraces the price the Tree of Liberty requires — blood. In Romans 5:6, NASB, we read, “while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Jesus paid the price required to set all mankind free — His blood.
Dear minister, I invite you to pause from your ordinary message and do what it says in Leviticus 25:10 proclaim Liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants of the land. That message yearns for a preacher. By the way, it’s the same message Christ preached after He defeated Satan in the wilderness: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18,19.
Now, go, and do likewise!
Let us pray!
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