Symbolism in the Tree of Life

I had a very vivid and real image form in my mind last month as I drove to work and considered the symbolism and meanings thereof associated with the tree of life. It was/is a very beautiful image, and I was very saddened that I do not have the skills to draw it. I have, however, asked a former seminary student who has more than enough skill to draw it for me. When she sends me the drawing, I will update this post with the image and a more thorough discussion  of my understanding of the symbolism associated with the tree of life (and better scripture citations).
For now, I am dumping some of my thoughts and notes here as a place holder of sorts.

Symbols:

Cherubim = Cherubs = Angels = Messengers – those who bring us the message of the gospel. They speak by the power of the Holy Ghost and speak the words of Christ (2 Ne 32).

Flaming Sword = The Spirit = The Word of God – the Spirit is represented by fire (Nauvoo temple dedication, Nephi/Lehi in prison, children with Christ, etc) and the word of God is often called a sword (quick and powerful to the dividing asunder). The Spirit is the conveyance of God’s word (2 Ne 32) and so the sword is flaming. Also, God’s words are often referred to as piercing us to the center and piercing our hearts. Fire often represents holiness, purity, and purification, all of which are associated with the Spirit (baptism with fire). Quench not the Spirit! Burning in the bosom.

Tree of Life – the fruit is the love of God and is the fruit of the Atonement and those who partake and remain are granted Eternal Life

Way (path) – Christ is the way, the truth, and the light. The path to the tree of life is the path Jesus delineated, demarcated, and exemplified.

Natural man I have depicted as a black or shadowy doppelganger of ourselves. Our dark underbelly, so to speak.

The imagery:

God instructed Jehovah to place Cherubim and a flaming sword (many messengers; one sword - only one message, only one Spirit) to guard the way to the tree of life to prevent Adam and Eve from living forever in their sins. The other alternatives are dying in their sins and living forever without their sins. That is each of our choice.

As we walk the path to the tree of life, an angel (any one of God’s servants) pierces us with the sword (shares with us the word of God and testifies by the Spirit). This witness and teaching pierces us to the center, pierces our hearts. It brings to our view and awareness our natural man – figuratively driving the doppelganger from us into the light, into view. We then wrestle with the doppelganger as we exercise our agency to decide if we will accept or reject the word as it has been preached to us. When we accept it, we are victorious and the natural man is reduced. We are not able to completely banish the natural man after a single encounter with the word, so most of the doppelganger is reabsorbed into us, but it is diminished – less dark, less imposing, less foreboding. Part of the natural man remain on the ground and is slain by the sword. This process is repeated frequently throughout our life so long as we continue along the path to the tree. The entire path is lined with God’s messengers, sent to bring us His word by His Spirit. They each take a turn piercing our heart with the sword, expelling the natural man, and giving us an opportunity to overcome him. As we continue to accept the word, the doppelganger continues to shrink and fade and weaken. Eventually, we are given the sword and slay the last of our natural man and are then permitted, being cleansed from all sin, to partake of Eternal Life. We then are clothed in white robes to match the fruit. We have been cleansed from the blood and sins of this world.

If, however, we do not accept the teaching of the angel, the natural man wins the contest, becomes larger, darker, and more powerful, though never insurmountable.

Perhaps the angels along the way also bring with them some of the fruit of the tree of life as we are able to partake of the fruits of God’s love before becoming fully cleansed – the analogy breaks down a bit there as we use the tree to represent the love of God (as Lehi describes it) and also the gift of Eternal Life, as Adam beheld it – the two are intrinsically connected, but not equivalent. 

It shall no more be said...

A teacher at our training yesterday shared an insight which I wanted to record and share along with some of my own thoughts.

1 Nephi 21:22-23 (quoting Isaiah 49) says

22 Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

 23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Verse 22 has some beautiful imagery (as Isaiah is prone to do) of the Gentiles, having been lifted up by the Lord shall go out and save scattered Israel, bringing them back in their arms and on their shoulders. This also is reminiscent of the 4 young men who went out to bring back in those perishing in the wilderness at the sweetwater crossing.

Verse 23, though, says that kings and queens shall be heavily involved in the work. This seems a little inconsistent. Sure the rulers of nations may do things to assist and aid in the work, but rarely will they be the ones who are acting as nursing mothers and fathers to the spiritually infantile Israel. What, then, is meant?

Jeremiah further complicates things. In 16:14-15 (immediately preceding the famous missionary passage), Jeremiah says

14 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

 15 But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

For generations and centuries, the children of Israel would use the Exodus as their rallying cry. When they needed their spirits bolstered, their courage rallied, their conscience tickled, or their faith strengthened, they touchstone was always "Remember the great things your God did in bringing your fathers out of Egypt. He plagued Pharoah; He parted the Red sea; he fed and lead them in the wilderness; He drove out the inhabitants of the Promised Land before them. How great is our God!"
What could the gathering of Israel do overshadow that iconic event? Surely the gathering is part of the Great and Marvelous work the Lord is bringing to pass, but for it to be so awesome as to outshine the Exodus?

Deuteronomy 30:3-4 starts to give us some insights.

3 That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.

4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:

Verse 3 is familiar. Verse 4 I had not noticed before - the gathering includes bringing in those that had been scattered beyond the veil. The gathering includes the work being doing in the temple (a careful consideration of which will yield the answer to the question of the role of kings and queens in the gathering).

How great is our God! He has brought us out from the 4 corners of the world, from sin, and from death! He has stretched forth His hand and parted the veil, bringing us through safely to the other side, the world being destroyed on the far side. He has lead us by His had to the land He has promised. Indeed, how great is our God!!