SEED OF DEATH

1. SEED, TREE or FRUIT, which comes first? The answer is in our common ancestry, God,“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the HERB YIELDING SEED, and the FRUIT TREE yielding fruit after his kind, WHOSE SEED IS IN ITSELF, upon the earth: and it was so” [Genesis 1:11] The debate is settled in the order of creation, TREE came first, followed by FRUIT and SEED in the FRUIT. Nowhere is this axiom more compelling than in unraveling the MYSTERY of the TREE of KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL, “But of the TREE of the KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL, thou shalt NOT EAT of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt SURELY DIE” [Genesis 2:17] Here is the riddle of all ages, DEATH was the SEED hid in the FRUIT! There were two TREES in the midst of Eden and essentially two SEEDS; SEED OF LIFE and SEED OF DEATH. The former is legacy of OBEDIENCE to God, the latter is heritage of DISOBEDIENCE; the SPIRIT of DISOBEDIENCE, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR, the SPIRIT that now WORKETH in the CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE” [Ephesians 2:2]

2. TREE of KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL illustrate the personality of Satan, “Thou art the ANOINTED CHERUB that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; … Thou wast PERFECT in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till INIQUITY WAS FOUND IN THEE” [Ezekiel 28:14-15] Satan was “GOOD” at creation, knew the TRUTH and was as PERFECT as an ANGEL could be until the FIRSTBEOTTEN was presented, “And again, when he bringeth in the FIRSTBEGOTTEN into the world, he saith, And LET ALL ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM” [Hebrews 1:6] The FIRSTBEGOTTEN is Christ, the FATHER revealed in the SON, the fullness of the GODHEAD in a form compatible to ANGELS [Colossians 2:8-9] The INIQUITY found in Satan was PRIDE, he would not worship the GODHEAD revealed in Christ; he denied the revelation of the FATHER in the SON and sold the LIE to others, “Who is a LIAR but he that DENIETH that JESUS IS THE CHRIST? He is ANTICHRIST, that DENIETH THE FATHER and THE SON” [1 John 2:22] The original LIE is the SEED OF DEATH and the LIAR is Satan, for which he and his cohorts were cast down to earth, awaiting perdition [Revelation 12:9] Let every man be vigilant, the LIE is in the world, “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that BELIEVETH NOT God hath made him A LIAR; because he BELIEVETH NOT THE RECORD GOD GAVE OF HIS SON” [1 John 5:10]

3. The two TREES in the midst of Eden reflect the choices before all men. TREE OF LIFE typify fulness of God in Jesus Christ, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.  For IN HIM DWELLETH all the FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD bodily” [Colossians 2:8-9] TREE of KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL is Satan, his SEED is the LIE which in man is SIN, the harbinger of DEATH “For the WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH; but the GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL THROUGH JESUS CHRIST our Lord” [Romans 6:23] SIN is the character of Satan, the reason we can neither please God nor ourselves; SIN in us is the reason we steal, fight, kill, take hard drugs, etc.  [Romans 7:1-20] We are born enslaved to SIN and cannot stop doing those terrible things until we replace SEED OF DEATH with SEED OF LIFE. Here is the GOOD NEWS, SEED OF LIFE is the invisible God revealed in Jesus Christ, “To wit, that GOD WAS IN CHRIST, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their TRESSPASSES unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” [2 Corinthians 5:19] When we come to God through Jesus Christ, we are BORN AGAIN; SEED OF DEATH is removed and SEED OF LIFE germinated in us to EVERLASTING LIFE, “Being BORN AGAIN, NOT OF CORRUPTIBLE SEED, but of incorruptible, by the WORD OF GOD, which liveth and ABIDETH FOR EVER” [1 Peter 1:23]

4. Every SEED carries in it the life of the TREE and brings forth in kind, “… So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast SEED into the ground; … But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the HARVEST IS COME” [Mark 4:26-29] The two SEEDS have grown through time to fill the earth with harvest and God, in His infinite WISDOM waited till harvest-time to separate His HARVEST from TARES, “…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” [Matthew 13:29-30] TARES are products of SEED OF DEATH, some look so much like WHEAT, others like CORN, MILLET, BARLEY, etc., reflecting “GOOD” in diverse religious shapes and “EVIL”, in side-stepping the TRUTH. Whatever the religious coloration, if it is not God revealed in Jesus Christ, it is the SEED OF DEATH. The current haste of contrasting faiths to coalesce in inter-faith conferences is proof of imminent HARVEST and appearance of Christ to receive those who trust in Him, “BE PATIENT therefore, brethren, UNTO THE COMING OF THE LORD. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain” [James 5:7] Beloved, hold on and do not allow your FAITH in Him to falter. Friend, receive the SEED OF LIFE today, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, amen