THE VINE TREE

By DR. JIM ELLIS, ThD., PhD.

504 BLANKSTON DRIVE

BOGALUSA, LOUISIANA 70427

E-Mail: Bblpchr@aol.com

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

QUESTION: What kind of tree was it? What kind of fruit?

Things to Consider:

· It was not an apple tree!!

· It was a grape tree!!

· Do grapes grow on trees or vines or both?

· Are we governed by Scripture or tradition?

I. Do grapes grow on trees? The argument is that grapes grow on vines -- not trees. What does the Bible say about it?

Ezekiel 15: 2 Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?

The old King James Bible says "vine tree." Therefore, a vine is indeed a tree!!

II. What is the juice of the grape called?

Deuteronomy 32: 14 Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.

Genesis 49: 11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

The juice of the grape is called "blood." Throughout Scripture there is a continuous connection between blood and wine.

Isaiah 63:1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.

2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?

3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.

4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

This passage is quoted in Revelation 19:

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

III. What does the Bible teach about blood?

Leviticus 17: 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.

13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.

14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.

In Genesis 6 God gave Noah the instructions for building the ark. One of those included the following:

14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Strong's--3722. kaphar, kaw-far'; a prim. root; to cover (spec. with bitumen); fig. to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel:--appease, make (an) atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, to pitch, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile (-liation).

Notice that Noah's Ark was a type of Jesus Christ, and that the "pitch" is the same Hebrew word that is translated "atonement" in Leviticus 17.

IV. What is circumcision?

Genesis 17: 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

Circumcision is a sign of the Abrahamic Covenant.

V. The blood comes from the male in reproduction! Because of The Fall, man became a sinner.

VI. How and Why? Man has bad blood; therefore he is a sinner by nature. How did this happen? If the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were a "vine tree" (which it was), and man didn’t become a sinner until he partook of the the fruit of that tree, he drank the "blood of the grape." The purpose of circumcision as a sign of the Abrahamic Covenant was to remind man of this -- bad blood that comes down the line and produces a sin nature. Is it possible that Adam and Eve did not have blood until they partook of the tree of the know- ledge of good and evil?

VII. Jesus was not born of man. His Father was God and He was begotten by the Holy Ghost. Therefore the blood line was not contaminated. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away our sins. The resurrection body of Jesus Christ was a body of flesh and bone.

Luke 24: 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

VIII. What will our resurrection bodies be like?

I John 3: 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Our resurrection bodies will be flesh and bone -- not flesh and blood. Why? Bad Blood!!

I Corinthians 15: 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

This is strong meat and not weak milk! The average Christian does not really know his Bible and has never heard of such things; so it must not be true. h