TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles - The Two Trees

Episode Date: December 31, 2021

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Rick Wiles and the team at TruNews. All this week we are presenting special holiday editions of the Godcast, sharing some of the best of Rick's teachings related to the Advent Season. Also featured is the worship team of New Zion Assembly, as they share seasonal, uplifting praise to celebrate the birth of the King of Kings.

Well, welcome to a special Christmas week edition of True News. I want to talk to you today about two trees. These are the two most important trees in the world. Now, I'm not talking about Christmas trees, but these two trees are the reason angels sang over Bethlehem when Jesus was born in a manger. What happened that first Christmas night? Let's read Luke chapter 2, verses 8 through 14. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord

came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them. And they were afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign under you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. The angels delivered good tidings. Good tidings means an announcement of something good that has happened. Joy is great delight, happiness. The angel told the shepherds that heaven was announcing that something awesome had just happened. This event would bring great delight and happiness to all the people in the

world. The announcement was not restricted to just the Jews. It was for every race, every tribe, every nation on the planet. These good tidings of great joy for all the people of the earth were proclaimed by angels to declare that the war that started over two trees thousands of years earlier had come to an end. The heavenly announcement was the proclamation that God desires to be reconciled with fallen humanity. God and mankind had been separated for thousands of years because of two trees. The angels sang the wonderful news that the hostility between mankind and God that had existed since the Garden of Eden had come to an end. Almighty God sent a multitude of angels to earth to proclaim that to humanity that there was now peace between heaven

and earth. And God is bestowing divine goodwill toward any man or woman or child who will accept his forgiveness, redemption, and salvation from Adam's sinful fall. Adam was the first human being, and Eve was the second. Adam was not created, he was formed. Adam was not formed in the Garden of Eden, he was formed outside the Garden of Eden, and God placed him in it. The land outside the garden was a barren wasteland. Genesis 2 verses 8 and 9 says the Lord planted a garden eastward in Eden and there he put the man whom he had formed.

And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Those are the two trees. God made every tree growing in the garden to be pleasant to Adam's eyes. Likewise, he made the fruit of the trees good to eat. There were, however, two special trees in the garden. The first special tree was the tree of life, and the second special tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Two trees. One tree gave life. The other tree produced death. Eve was formed in the garden. God put Adam into a deep sleep and removed a rib bone from Adam's side to form his wife, Eve. Adam and Eve were given one divine commandment to obey.

Do not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve had no awareness or knowledge of evil. The only thing they knew was God's goodness. Evil came into the universe when iniquity, sin, was found in an angel named Lucifer. Lucifer was an angelic being who had been created by God in a perfect state. His heart, however, became corrupted on account of his jealousy and envy over the love God had for Adam and Eve. Lucifer thought that he deserved that much love and affection. Eventually, his wrong thoughts conceived sin and he was defiled. And he could no longer be in the presence of God who is holy and without sin. So Lucifer was cast out of heaven and he was thrown

down to earth. He lost his beauty and he became hideous to behold. He lost his position of authority. Furious over his expulsion, Lucifer sought to get revenge on God. He sought to hurt God, to bring pain. What could he do that would hurt God? Lucifer's warped mind reasoned that he had to do something that would force God to expel Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, this little heaven on earth. Well, what got Lucifer booted from heaven? Sin was found in his heart. Therefore, Lucifer knew that he had to introduce sin into the hearts of God's man and woman whom God loved dearly. Iniquity is sin. Lucifer knew that if he could persuade Adam and Eve to sin against God, God would have no other choice but to expel them from the garden. Why? Because the one true holy God of the universe cannot be in the presence of sin. If God found

sin in the hearts of Adam and Eve, he would be compelled to break off his daily fellowship with them. So Lucifer entered the garden in the form of a serpent. He became Satan, the apostate angel. Apostate is one who leads people away from truth so that they violate God's commandments. Satan, the serpent, spoke to Eve. Now, apparently Eve was not startled by a talking snake. Now, personally, and this is just my opinion, I think animals in the Garden of Eden talked. The serpent talked in the Garden of Eden to Eve. And after Jesus Christ returns, animals will talk again.

I can show you in the scripture, the revelation of Jesus Christ says, John heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them saying to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever. So the way I see it, animals talked in the garden and animals will talk in New Jerusalemusalem and that's uh why i think adam didn't run or that's why eve didn't run away uh to adam screaming adam you got to come see there's a talking snake here in the garden she wasn't startled by it at all satan the talking snake introduced doubt about god's word into eve's mind, and she took the bait. Eve doubted what God

told her and Adam about not eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3 says, now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die? Then the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die for God knows that in the day that you eat of it, your eyes will be open and you will be like God knowing good and evil. Satan, the devil is still using the same lie on humans today. He's got the

same bag of tricks because well, humans still fall for the same tricks. And some of you watching me right now, you're separated from God because you would rather believe a talking snake than believe Almighty God, the creator of the universe. Just as Adam and Eve doubted God's word, you too are doubting God's word to mankind, his holy Bible. Some of you are arguing with your friends and family who are Christians. You argue that a book written thousands of years ago cannot be a reliable guide for daily living today. You tout your college education as the reason that you reject an ancient religious manuscript and fables believed by your grandparents. You may think you're super smart,

but what you're really doing is believing the lies of a talking snake, and that talking snake is still laughing at your gullibility. Eve saw that the tree was good for food and pleasant to see. She also perceived that it was a tree that could make her wise like God. She took the fruit and she ate and she handed it to Adam and said, eat some too. And he did. And their spiritual eyes were open and they instantly became aware of their nakedness. They hid when they heard God walking in the garden. The Bible says Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden. Why did they hide from God?

Because God cannot be in the presence of sin. They instantly knew that they had done something wrong and they were ashamed. Their sin would not permit them to be in fellowship in the presence of God like they had done so daily. Their fellowship was broken and dissolved by their sin. Now, when God found them hiding, he said, Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat? So Adam blamed his wife. He said, the woman you gave me made me eat the fruit and Eve blamed the serpent. The devil made me do it. Well, nothing has changed in thousands of years.

Men still blame their wives and women still blame the devil. The end result was Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Instead of harvesting abundant fruit, Adam was cursed by being compelled to work and sweat to make something grow in the wasteland outside the garden. The serpent was cursed and told it would travel on his belly and eat dust. And Eve was told she would suffer pain and childbirth and that her husband would rule over her. All of this because of two trees, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. Now, God never told Adam and Eve that they could not eat the fruit of the tree of life. He said of every tree of the

garden, you may eat freely, 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. God gave Adam and Eve two trees and one commandment. They were ordered not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but they were permitted to eat the fruit of the tree of life. They had a choice. They had two ways to go, but they made the wrong choice. They went the wrong way. There were two trees. They chose the wrong tree and they paid a horrific price for the wrong choice. Yes, the devil got his revenge on God for expelling him from heaven. Now, thousands of years later, God introduced a plan for the redemption of fallen humanity.

God sent his son, Jesus, to earth in the form of a human baby. I'm talking about Christ, Jesus, the only son, Jesus, to earth in the form of a human baby. I'm talking about Christ, Jesus, the only son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages. The Apostles' Creed says, for us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven. He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and he was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. The third day He rose again, according to the scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom shall have no end. Well, the Son of God chose to become the

Son of Mary, a human. He voluntarily left his glorious heavenly estate in another dimension to enter our limited dimension of time, space, and matter. Jesus wrapped himself in human flesh inside the womb of a virgin woman that he made. Nine months later, he was born into the human race as a man, Emmanuel, God with us. And now you know why the angels sang glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. Heaven's hostility toward sinful mankind had ended. Heaven announced that the Prince of Peace had arrived. He had been born to save mankind from eternal damnation. Now look at me. I want to ask you a very serious question. How long are you going to believe a lying snake? That snake

has lied to you all your life. He's told you lies about your heavenly father, and he's lied to you about God's word, the Holy Bible. The snake's lies have kept you separated from your heavenly father. He loves you more than you can comprehend. Your father desires to be reconciled with you. He desires to talk with you. He yearns to bless you in this life. Your father has provided a way for reconciliation. His son Jesus was required to pay a ransom to purchase your spiritual freedom from the bondage of that lying snake, Satan. God made a way for you and for me to be reconciled to him. He sent his son Jesus to earth to be born into a human body. And that's why we're celebrating Christmas. Jesus lived 33 years without sinning one time. Jesus kept the commandments.

He resisted the lying snake's temptation to violate the holy commandments. Jesus was crucified by the Jews and the Romans, and he died on a tree. Why did he die on a tree? Because mankind was lost on a tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, God redeemed mankind on a tree at Golgotha, the place of the skull, the place of death. Death entered the human race at a tree and life returned to the human race at a tree.

Eve believed a talking snake. Mary believed a talking angel. In the second chapter of the revelation of Jesus Christ, verse 7, it says, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. The Holy Spirit says today that every man, woman, and child who overcomes the lying snake will be given the fruit of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. At the end of this age, when Jesus Christ returns and this present earth will be burned up in fire, God will create a new heaven and earth. God the creator will dwell with us, his human children. Creation

will be restored. This is the restoration of all things. It's when he restores his beautiful, wonderful creation to its sinless, undefiled, perfect state. And the tree of life that once stood in the Garden of Eden will once again stand in the middle of New Jerusalem's main street and on both sides of the pure river of life that flows through this majestic city. Revelation 22, 2 says, And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and from the Lamb. In the middle of its street and on either side of the river was the tree of life, which bore 12 fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the trees, the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of

God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him. They shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there. They need no lamp nor light of the sun for the Lord God gives them light and they shall reign forever and ever. If you are not saved through faith in Jesus Christ, if your sins have never been washed away in the water baptism, you will spend eternity in the lake of fire with a lying, talking snake. Satan hopes you will continue believing his lies about God and the Holy Bible until the day you die. And after your heart stops beating and your brainwaves cease. It's too late to make a decision. Satan knows that he is destined to the lake of fire, but he wants you there for company. Why? Because it's all about his revenge

against God. Satan is a madman. He's driven by hatred of God, and his only pleasure is defiling human beings and separating them from their heavenly father. Listen to me. Over 150,000 men, women, and children die every day. That's over 1 million people each week who go to their graves. And you and I will join them someday. You cannot avoid death, but you can avoid damnation in the lake of fire it's a choice do you believe god or do you believe a lying snake at the resurrection of the dead will you

enter the lake of fire or new jerusalem those who enter new jerusalem shall have the right to the tree of life yes the tree of life shall be there on main street who shall enter the right to the tree of life. Yes, the tree of life shall be there on Main Street. Who shall enter the gates of the new Jerusalem and eat the fruit of the tree of life? The answer is found in Revelation 22, verses 14 and 15. Blessed are those who do his commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city.

But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and whoever loves and practices a lie. My friend, the Bible says that those who keep God's commandments are blessed. Those who keep God's commandments have the right to the tree of life. Those who keep God's commandments may enter through the gates of New Jerusalem, but outside the gates shall be liars, idolaters, murderers, sorcerers, and that includes people playing around with Kabbalah, witchcraft, astrology, and tarot cards. Also, the sexually immoral. The sexually immoral includes people who commit adultery, fornication, homosexuality, sodomy, pornography, acts of lewdness, lust. It includes any and all sexual acts outside of marriage. You have a choice. There are two trees,

the tree of life or the tree of death. Your ancient ancestors, Adam and Eve, made the wrong choice. There are two trees, the tree of life or the tree of death. Your ancient ancestors, Adam and Eve, made the wrong choice. They ate from the tree of death. Don't repeat their mistake. Make the decision right now that you desire to get out from under the curse of spiritual death. Don't believe that lying snake. None of us can escape physical death, but we can escape eternal spiritual death. If you are not a Christian, you are already spiritually dead. You're being offered right now the opportunity to eat from the tree of life. Jesus said you must be born again. When your mother gave birth to you, your body was alive, but your spirit was dead. Spiritually, you came out stillborn, and that's why you must be born

again. Your dead spirit must come alive. Go to the tree where Jesus died for fallen humanity. Go to the cross where he was crucified. Be immersed into the bath of regeneration. Don't believe that lying snake one more day. Your soul was lost on a tree. Your soul will be saved on a tree. Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior. Ask God to forgive your sins. Renounce the works of the devil, that lying snake. Be baptized in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Confess with your mouth to others

that you've been born again by faith in Jesus Christ. My friend, you shall be saved. One day we'll stand before you, Lord Bound with palm branches in hand Clothed in white rose A mighty song voicing your praise From the mouths Of every culture

Nation and Tongue Nation and tongue Musicians join the congregation The king takes the stage And every knee will bow and tongue confess A new song of praise A book of strife composed of worshipers

From every era? From every era. One day we'll stand before you, Lord. There with palm branches in hand, clothed in white robes. A mighty song we voice in your praise From the mouths of every culture, nation and tongue Nation and tongue Musicians join the congregation The king takes the stage Every knee will bow and tongue confess

A new song of praise An orchestra composed of worshippers From every era From every era Thank you. We'll sing holy, holy, holy Is the Lord God Almighty who was and who is yes the Lord God Almighty. Who was and who is, yes the Lord, He will always be here Physicians join the congregation

The king takes the stage And every knee will bow and tongue confess A new song of praise An orchestra composed of worshippers From every era From every era From every era From Elvira From Elvira Musicians join the congregation

The King takes the stage And every knee will bow And tongue confess A new song of praise An orchestra composed of worshipers From every era From every arrow From every arrow

From every arrow