Walking With Christ

Genesis 2:17
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.(ESV)

When people picture the Garden of Eden, they often reduce it to two trees:  the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Yet Genesis 2:9 tells us there were many trees, all of them “pleasant to the sight and good for food.”  The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was not biologically unique—it was spiritually significant.  Its power wasn’t in its DNA.  It was in what God said about it.

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🔍 The Possibility

Here’s the theory:  What if the species of that tree still exists today?
What if it wasn’t biologically destroyed, but spiritually decommissioned?  Let’s be clear—this isn’t about mystical fruit or a secret garden conspiracy.  It’s about understanding what made that tree different in the first place.

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📖 Biblical Foundations for the Theory

1. God never cursed or destroyed the tree itself.
   There is no mention in Scripture of God eliminating the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil after the fall.  Unlike the Tree of Life, which He actively guards (Genesis 3:24), there’s no indication that the Tree of Knowledge was locked away or hidden.
2. Its danger was tied to disobedience, not inherent properties.
   The tree was off-limits because God said so.  It became the focal point of a test of obedience, not a magical relic.  There’s no indication that the fruit itself was toxic or supernaturally infused.
3. Once the knowledge was gained, there was no longer a need for restriction.
   Adam and Eve ate the fruit.  The effect happened.  Humanity’s eyes were opened (Genesis 3:7), and from that moment forward, mankind has operated under the knowledge of good and evil. The condition has been inherited, not re-earned.

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🧠 What Would That Mean Today?

If the tree was simply a species—say, a fig or pomegranate or something long since crossbred—then it could very well still be out in the world today, just another fruit-bearing plant.  But its spiritual significance is gone, its danger fulfilled in the fall.

We’re not at risk of eating the fruit again because we already live in the reality it ushered in.  The test is over.  We failed.  The knowledge is in us.  The judgment has already fallen.

This lines up with James 1:15:  “…when sin is fully grown it brings forth death.”(ESV)  The tree bore fruit.  We ate.  Now we die.

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⚠️ But What About the Tree of Life?

This is where the contrast sharpens.

• The Tree of Life was guarded(Genesis 3:24).
• It will appear again in the New Jerusalem(Revelation 22:2).
• Its power was never fulfilled—only postponed.

That tells us something:

• The Tree of Knowledge brought irrevocable consequence.
• The Tree of Life holds restored promise.

So the Tree of Knowledge may still exist biologically, but it no longer serves a purpose.  Meanwhile, the Tree of Life awaits fulfillment in the redeemed creation.

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🧭 The Theory, Simply Stated

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil may still exist in the world in natural form.  But its spiritual function ended the moment Adam and Eve ate from it.  Its power wasn’t in what it was—it was in what it represented.  And that part of the story is already written.

For clarity, we don’t, can’t, and shouldn’t know what type of tree the forbidden fruit came from.  Even though it’s possible, I don’t think the forbidden fruit was a fig.