From death to life

February 29, 2004

Personal Narrations

Joel Akin

Calgary, Alberta

Its been six months of being mostly bed ridden as of Friday and I sometimes wonder how its possible I survived this long. And not only survived but believe I'm coming through stronger. The battles are continuing though. For awhile I thought I had beaten most of the enemy but God says there are still battles to be fought until His return or until He calls me home. I won't say they are easy either. God is saying that I am in a battle and that these are some of the worst I will ever face. Something has been happening over the last week that I cannot put into words. I've never experienced anything like I've gone through this week. One night I must have prayed nearly 7 hours and still its as if I'm surrounded on every side. No one around me seems to sense anything and at times I wonder why? But I have this heart felt belief that the breakthrough is almost here and Satan is sending everything he can to thwart me. Thankfully God is encouraging me even though I'm fighting literally body, soul and spirit.

I'm also continuing to learn some interesting analogies from Scripture on death and life.

When Adam and Eve took on death the tree that they took it from, was in a way cursed. Yes it held knowledge but it was not the knowledge itself that was death but the disobedience which was the factor. Adam chose death because he partook of the fruit that hung from the tree that was off limits to mankind. What was required was thus a tree that could provide life. But there was at this time only one tree that could do that and this was the tree of life which had now become off limits to mankind.

Thus when God cast them out of the garden He knew that the tree in the garden would not be a blessing to them at this stage because they had not only physical but spiritual death as well. The only way that mankind could be restored was to have that spiritual death removed. Our soul had been corrupted and we now were part of the kingdom of death and darkness. Our children and children's children were all part of that spiritual and physical death.

Somehow God had to provide a way to remove the spiritual death before mankind could partake of the tree of life which provided physically eternal life.

But to do that He had to find another tree to produce a fruit that mankind could take of so their spiritual curse could be removed.

But here is the strange part. It had to be a blood sacrifice as life was in the blood but it had to be raised up as on a tree. And anyone who hung from a tree was cursed, as the bible says. Thus blood that was already contaminated by death, even though there was 'life' in it, was unsuitable. Animals were an imperfect offering. Thus God had to find someone who was unblemished and perfect. As there was no one in creation but Him He sacrificed Himself in the form of His son Christ.

Thus, even though the tree was cursed, the fruit that was borne on that tree was life itself and the blood that dripped down like sap to the ground began the first step of the healing for mankind and all of creation. The chance for healing was completed when Christ gave of his body and blood (thus the communion) and when He finished the work by conquering death.

Thus Christ became the first fruits of spiritual life that hung from the tree so that all that would partake of Him would gain eternal life to their soul and thus be allowed to once again partake of the tree of life which is found in heaven and in Eden.

Only those who partook of Him can partake of that tree of life because otherwise they are still under the curse of sin, death and the grave. Now its important to understand some distinctions, here. Satan is still god of this world and death still rules. Creation still groans, suffering and pain are still rampant. But mankind now has a way out IF they willingly chose to partake of this spiritual fruit. Just as Adam and Eve chose to partake of death so now each individual must chose to leave Satan's kingdom and chose life. One would think this was an easy choice but it is not because each day more and more embrace death and reject life. I sometimes wonder if it is so because they do not know there is a choice once again and once again, just as in the garden, we are being tested?

Now I begin to see how intricate all this is and the purpose for hanging from a tree. It is not anything mankind could do for themselves but only something God could do for us.