Editing Christian eschatology (section)

===The Tree of Life===
{{Main|Tree of life (biblical)}}
[[File:Apocalypse 43. The tree of life. Revelation cap 22 v 2. Mortier's Bible. Phillip Medhurst Collection.jpg|thumb|''The tree of life'',<ref>{{bibleref2|Rev|22:2|NRSV}}</ref> a print from the Phillip Medhurst Collection of Bible illustrations in the possession of Revd. Philip De Vere at St. George's Court, [[Kidderminster]], England]]
The city has a river which proceeds "out of the throne of God and of the Lamb".<ref>[Rev 22:1].</ref> Next to the river is the tree of life, which bears twelve fruits and yields its fruit every month. The last time we saw the tree of life was in the Garden of Eden [Gen 2:9]. God drove Adam and Eve out from the garden, guarding it with cherubim and a flaming sword, because it gave eternal life to those who ate of it<ref>[Gen 3:22].</ref> In the New Jerusalem, the tree of life reappears, and everyone in the city has access to it. Genesis says that the earth was cursed because of Adam's sin,<ref>[Gen 3:17]</ref> but the author of John writes that in the New Jerusalem, "there will be no more curse".<ref>Rev 22:3</ref>

The ''[[Evangelical Dictionary of Theology]]'' (Baker, 1984) says:
{{blockquote|The rich symbolism reaches beyond our finest imaginings, not only to the beatific vision but to a renewed, joyous, industrious, orderly, holy, loving, eternal, and abundant existence. Perhaps the most moving element in the description is what is missing: there is no temple in the New Jerusalem, 'because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.' Vastly outstripping the expectations of Judaism, this stated omission signals the ultimate reconciliation.}}