The Tree in the Midst of the Garden Meaning?
1) Direct Answer
It means the two great choices God set in the very center: the Tree of Life (Christ, God’s own Life and Word) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Satan’s reasoning). In the “midst” of the garden stood life by the Word or death by unbelief.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- The Bible says there were two trees in the midst: “The tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9). Eve later refers to the forbidden one as “the tree which is in the midst of the garden” (Genesis 3:3).
- God’s command: “Of every tree… thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it” (Genesis 2:16–17). The issue was obedience to God’s Word.
- When they chose the wrong tree, “their eyes were opened,” shame entered, and death followed (Genesis 3:5–7; Romans 5:12).
- God then guarded the Tree of Life with cherubim and a flaming sword (Genesis 3:22–24), showing that life is now only by God’s appointed way.
- The Tree of Life is Christ. “In him was life” (John 1:4). He said, “I am the life” (John 14:6). Wisdom is called “a tree of life” (Proverbs 3:18), and Christ is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24).
- Access to the Tree of Life is promised again to the overcomer: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life” (Revelation 2:7), and it appears in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:2,14).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Now notice: it wasn’t an apple. Eating fruit doesn’t open spiritual eyes, bring moral shame, multiply sorrow in conception, or create two opposing seed lines. Yet Genesis 3:15 declares two seeds at enmity, and 1 John 3:12 says Cain “was of that wicked one.” That shows the forbidden “knowledge” was Satan’s corrupt approach to life and reproduction, not a harmless bite of produce.
- The serpent was cursed to go on his belly (Genesis 3:14), meaning he was different before the curse. Through that subtle beast Satan introduced a carnal, unbelieving union, and death followed. Adam and Eve were to live by every Word of God; instead, Eve received the serpent’s reasoning against the Word (2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14).
- So the “midst” marks the center of decision: Will man live by God’s revealed Word (Tree of Life), or by a mixture—good and evil together—offered by the serpent (tree of knowledge)?
4) Reinforcing Statement
You see, the question of the garden is still the question today. Choose Christ the Word and live, or mix the Word with human reasoning and die. The way back to the Tree of Life is opened through Jesus Christ, and the overcomer will eat of it again.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
The Queen of Sheba
60-0401E §1
[Pastor introduces Brother Lamsa.] ... he speaks the language and can read the language and read the original documents in which the New Testament was written. So with him, it is so wonderful that he can read directly from the original script the very words that Jesus and the disciples spoke and wrote. He felt that these translations that we have are not always correct and true. And that's where the criticism comes in, because he criticizes the King James version, and some people think that St. Paul preached from t...
The restoration of the Bride Tree
62-0422 §34
Now, there's so many things to be said, but let's get right down to the Word now. Everybody's feeling good, I hope. And if you're not, I pray that God will make you feel good before this service is over, that there will not be a feeble person in our midst this morning when this service is over. Now, we got to remember that Christ died for the ungodly, and that was us (see), that's us. And He died for us, that He might save us.
Separation from unbelief
55-0228 §26
In the Garden of Eden there were two trees: One was the tree of life; the other, a tree of knowledge. Man left the tree of life to eat the tree of knowledge. And the first bite he took, he separated his fellowship from God. Every time he takes a bite off of it, he destroys himself. He bit off gun powder; look what that did. Bit off automobiles; kills more than all the wars. He's got himself a hydrogen bomb now; wonder what he's going to do with that? See, he destroys himself. God don't destroy anything. Man, throug...
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
58-0323 §14
Not as I'm trying to use that crutches for my own ignorance, my lack of education, I'm not doing that. I'm only trying to make a point to say this: Education's all right in its field, but education and religion doesn't go together, not by a long ways. Education, science, has been the greatest hindrance the Gospel's ever had. In the garden of Eden there were two trees: one was science, the other one was faith. When man left the tree of life---faith---and took a first bite off of the tree of knowledge---science---he...
United under One Head
58-0326 §10
And it is very striking to see how that man wants to be one. The reason that he wants to be one is because that God designed him for that purpose. God designed man, made him up to be one, to work together, to cooperate together. That's the make-up of man. That's the way God made him. But man always wants to have his idea about it. He wants to project something that God never intended him to do. He wants to figure his own ways out. He wants to make his own plans. He won't accept the plan that God made for him becaus...