And the angel said unto me: . . . Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?
And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. (1 Nephi 11: 21-22)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son ... (John 3:16)
The Tree of Life first appears in the books of Genesis and Moses. It represents eternal life. Our first parents were cast from the Garden so that they would not eat the fruit of the tree and live forever in their sins. Most believers in the Genesis story picture God casting out Adam and Eve as a sorrowful punishment. While it might have felt sorrowful to them, it was a blessing given by a loving Father. His entire plan was based on agency and redemption. Were they to live forever in their sins, the entire plan would be thwarted. The Tree of Life in this story also represents the love of God.
The image of this tree over millennia has come to represent God, God's love, and human immortality in cultures all over the world. I believe that Adam and Eve would have taught their children the story often enough that it was carried over thousands of years of human memory. There is a tradition of a Garden and a Tree of Life to be found in Buddhism, Islam, Judaism (particularly in the Kabbala) and Christianity. Ancient Egyptians knew the symbol as did the Vikings, the Greeks, the Romans, and many cultural groups for Mesopotamia, India, and Asia.
We are blessed with a greater understanding of this iconic symbol because of Lehi's vision and Nephi's understanding of the vision. Just as the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil brought sin and death into the world, so then the fruit of the Tree of Life brings exaltation and eternal life. That the importance of the Tree of Life even in Ancient America is represented by the stela to the left. I have little doubt but that the stela was carved by descendants of Lehi. If you look closely, you can see many other symbols from Lehi's deam, including the river of water, the great and spacious building with its pride and riches and more.
Studying the Tree of Life in the context of the Creation and the Fall makes things clear when we see it again in Lehi's dream representing the love of God, the Savior and Eternal Life. In the Book of Mormon, the prophets always taught about the Creation and the Fall along with the Atonement of Christ. Until one understands the Fall and accepts the fact of our world being fallen, one cannot understand or appreciate the incomparable reality of the Atonement. In Lehi's dream, he saw his family's progression from the dark and dreary wilderness, which represents the fallen Earth, through many trials, to the Tree of Life. Knowing the significance of this tree helps me to understand Lehi's sorrow over the choices his older sons were making.
In the Book of Mormon, the prophets always taught about the Creation and the Fall along with the Atonement of Christ. Even today, Latter-day Prophets frequently teach the Creation and the Fall when they teach the Atonement. Elder Bruce R. McConkie once called these events The Three Pillars of Eternity. Just before his death, Elder McConkie revisited this theme when he talked about three gardens.
Partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Life is a meaningful and powerful journey on so many levels. Feast of the Word. Feast on the Fruit. Keep you eyes on the prize, Eternal Life with our Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
©January 2020, Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson
The image of this tree over millennia has come to represent God, God's love, and human immortality in cultures all over the world. I believe that Adam and Eve would have taught their children the story often enough that it was carried over thousands of years of human memory. There is a tradition of a Garden and a Tree of Life to be found in Buddhism, Islam, Judaism (particularly in the Kabbala) and Christianity. Ancient Egyptians knew the symbol as did the Vikings, the Greeks, the Romans, and many cultural groups for Mesopotamia, India, and Asia.
We are blessed with a greater understanding of this iconic symbol because of Lehi's vision and Nephi's understanding of the vision. Just as the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil brought sin and death into the world, so then the fruit of the Tree of Life brings exaltation and eternal life. That the importance of the Tree of Life even in Ancient America is represented by the stela to the left. I have little doubt but that the stela was carved by descendants of Lehi. If you look closely, you can see many other symbols from Lehi's deam, including the river of water, the great and spacious building with its pride and riches and more.
Studying the Tree of Life in the context of the Creation and the Fall makes things clear when we see it again in Lehi's dream representing the love of God, the Savior and Eternal Life. In the Book of Mormon, the prophets always taught about the Creation and the Fall along with the Atonement of Christ. Until one understands the Fall and accepts the fact of our world being fallen, one cannot understand or appreciate the incomparable reality of the Atonement. In Lehi's dream, he saw his family's progression from the dark and dreary wilderness, which represents the fallen Earth, through many trials, to the Tree of Life. Knowing the significance of this tree helps me to understand Lehi's sorrow over the choices his older sons were making.
In the Book of Mormon, the prophets always taught about the Creation and the Fall along with the Atonement of Christ. Even today, Latter-day Prophets frequently teach the Creation and the Fall when they teach the Atonement. Elder Bruce R. McConkie once called these events The Three Pillars of Eternity. Just before his death, Elder McConkie revisited this theme when he talked about three gardens.
©January 2020, Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson
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