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.
When their eyes were opened
56-0420 §49
Remember, there was two trees in the garden of Eden. How many knows that? One of them was a tree of science, the other was a tree of faith. As long as man eat from the tree of faith, he lived. But the first bite he took off the tree of science---knowledge ---he separated himself from God. And he destroyed himself. And every time man bites from the tree of science, he destroys himself. He bit off gunpowder: kills his comrade. He bit off automobile, off the tree of science: kills more people than all the wars put tog...
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 3:E-90
The Reward Promised Revelation 2:7, "... To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree Of Life, Which is in the midst of the paradise of God." This is the future reward to all overcomers of all ages. When the last call to battle has been sounded, when our armour has been laid down, then we will rest in the paradise of God and our portion shall be the Tree of Life, forever.
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §74
Now we find out death was caused ... death is the cause of sin of the woman, come through the woman and not the man. By her way of living her life, and by her, all death comes. Her way of giving life is death. How many knows that? Job 14, if you want to put down the Scripture. If you question this, I got scriptures wrote down for every bit of this. You want to read Job 14 now. It says, "Man that is borned of woman is of a few days and full of trouble." Is that right? "He cometh up like the flower, he's cut down and...
The Queen of Sheba
61-0219 §5
And now, science can only climb so high. Then they have to leave, go back. The tree of knowledge only produces so much. That was set before us in the Garden of Eden, and a human being is prone to live from that tree of knowledge. But it never was God's plan for us to live by that tree of knowledge. The first time man took a bite from the tree of knowledge, he separated his fellowship from God. Every time he takes a bite off that tree, he destroys himself, continually. He bit off gun powder. Look what that does---ki...
The Serpent's Seed
58-0928E §46
All right. Let's read now in Genesis. Now, the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD GOD had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, has God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? ... the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, God has said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth...