What is it to be human?

@sonship said
@SecondSon

Don't look for or contemplate where a physical tree of life is today.

In Him was life. The focus now should be in the resurrected Christ in whom is life and who is the life. He is the bread of life. He is the life of God and the resurrection and the life.

It is Christ in whom we find the life of God - the eternal life.

The mysterious ...[text shortened]... symbolic to point us to Jesus Christ.

The last Adam became a life giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45)

I am not contemplating or looking for the tree of life sonship.

There is no "mystery" tree of life, and there's no indication in the text that it is "gone". The text says the way to the tree of life is blocked or guarded by two cherubim and a flaming sword.

I am perfectly aware that eternal life is in Christ.

@divegeester said
SecondSon insults me and accuses me of awful things. Have you ever, even once addressed him over this?

You started it. Every time I post in a thread you come along and ridicule me first. It happens every time.

You hold grudges.

@fmf said
What do you perceive is the intent behind SecondSon's incessant put-downs?

I'm sorry if I have butted in before you had a chance to say something to SecondSon too under your own steam.

Since you think you're so astute why can't you see that it is divegeester that starts the insulting?

@secondson said
Again, perhaps this time it will sink into your head, there are not two trees of life in the Bible. You said wrong. You are in error.

There is one tree of life mentioned twice in the Bible.

Digest that.

Wow amazing.

So this literal tree is initially installed in a literal garden east of Eden where it is ready to dispense a literal fruit which (when eaten, chewed, swallowed and digested in the stomach, ilium, duodenum and large intestine before being excreted as waste matter), will provide the consumer with eternal life. It is then guarded by a literal flaming sword and hidden from the entire world (two people).

This same literal tree is then visible again in the future but this time standing on literally both sides of a literal river where it’s photosynthesising leaves can somehow provide literal healing for all nations.

But if I suggest that this literal “tree” with roots and leaves and life giving fruit is actually a symbol of the Lord, Jesus Christ who is the author of life, the life, the healer of nations .... I’m in error.

OK good call Josephw.

I can see why they don’t let you teach in your church .

@divegeester said

I can see why they don’t let you teach in your church .

Can you quit it with the innuendoes?

You started in on me back on page 3, 12th post.

@fmf said
It's all in the content of the post you are desperately, desperately, desperately trying to dodge. Nothing sbout "mermaids" in it.

Nonsense I am attempting to address your points, giving a large number to shift through then claim I am purposely avoiding one is a very cheap shot!

@fmf said
My opinion about being human is in my post about being human on page 2 in reply to your question, a reply you have blanked out for nigh on 20 thread pages.

What you are responding to now is the perspective of a Christian leader from a post you are desperately trying to dodge.

Hmm. Page 2 not page 1? Do you want a response or a reason to accuse me of avoiding what I am sure is a great point by you?

You should get specific about what post of yours you think is being ignored! On page 2!

@divegeester said
Wow amazing.

So this literal tree is initially installed in a literal garden east of Eden where it is ready to dispense a literal fruit which (when eaten, chewed, swallowed and digested in the stomach, ilium, duodenum and large intestine before being excreted as waste matter), will provide the consumer with eternal life.

Isn't that what the scriptures say? It is.

What's so difficult about that for you to see it's literal? Adam was driven out of the garden to prevent him from eating the fruit of the tree of life. Why else would the way back to the tree be blocked if it was a metaphorical tree?

Do you think all the other trees were metaphorical trees too?

Fine. If that's the way you see it I don't really care. We can simply disagree and let it go at that.

Out of curiosity though I would ask this one thing. When Jesus fed the thousands with the two fish and five loaves of bread, as He broke the bread and it was distributed, was what was distributed literal fish and bread?

@divegeester said

This same literal tree is then visible again in the future but this time standing on literally both sides of a literal river where it’s photosynthesising leaves can somehow provide literal healing for all nations.

Ezekiel 47:1-12 Zechariah 14:8 Revelation 22:1,2

You should read them.

For your information, a tree is a tree is a tree. When a tree is used as a metaphor the text says "as a tree" or "like a tree". Otherwise the tree is quite literal.

When the text says river it means river unless the text says "as River" or "like a river". There are numerous examples throughout scripture.

@secondson said
Isn't that what the scriptures say? It is.

What's so difficult about that for you to see it's literal? Adam was driven out of the garden to prevent him from eating the fruit of the tree of life. Why else would the way back to the tree be blocked if it was a metaphorical tree?

Do you think all the other trees were metaphorical trees too?

Fine. If that's the way you ...[text shortened]... read, as He broke the bread and it was distributed, was what was distributed literal fish and bread?

Why do you keep asking me these questions, I reply honestly and then you call me a liar.

@secondson said
Ezekiel 47:1-12 Zechariah 14:8 Revelation 22:1,2

You should read them.

For your information, a tree is a tree is a tree. When a tree is used as a metaphor the text says "as a tree" or "like a tree". Otherwise the tree is quite literal.

When the text says river it means river unless the text says "as River" or "like a river". There are numerous examples throughout scripture.

Putting your fingers in your ears and shouting “it’s what it says, it’s what it says”, is not debating secondson.,

@secondson said
For your information, a tree is a tree is a tree. When a tree is used as a metaphor the text says "as a tree" or "like a tree". Otherwise the tree is quite literal.

Well, I guess the Seventy weeks of Daniel 9:24 must also be literal, since it says "weeks" and not "as weeks", or "like weeks".

@divegeester said
Why do you keep asking me these questions, I reply honestly and then you call me a liar.

When I call you a liar, I'll say you're a liar.

@bigdoggproblem said
Well, I guess the Seventy weeks of Daniel 9:24 must also be literal, since it says "weeks" and not "as weeks", or "like weeks".

Don't be silly. That's a terrible example to use as a rebuff.

Everyone knows that a "week" means 7 years. Why in the world would it say "as a week". It's a simple idiom like many others in the scriptures.

There are numerous idioms, allegories, metaphors and symbolisms used throughout scripture, and anyone that can exegete correctly knows they must consider the context and compare scripture with scripture to arrive at a sound interpretation.

@divegeester said
Putting your fingers in your ears and shouting “it’s what it says, it’s what it says”, is not debating secondson.,

And neither is your penchant for skirting the discussion with deflections like the one above.