启二7　 ……得胜的，我必将神乐园中生命树的果子赐给他吃。

　　彼前二24 祂在木头上，在祂的身体里，亲自担当了我们的罪，使我们既然向罪死了，就得以向义活着……。

　　约十一25 耶稣对她说，我是复活，我是生命；信入我的人，虽然死了，也必复活。

　　为着正当的召会生活，和召会生活的恢复，也就是为着基督徒生命正确的长大，我们所需要的，不仅是在头脑里明白教训，更是在灵里吃主作我们生命的粮（约六57）。即使是圣经上的话，也不该仅仅当作道理教导我们的心思，乃该当作食物滋养我们的灵（太四4，来五12~14）。在〔启示录二章七节〕，主应许要给得胜者吃生命树的果子，这指回到创世记二章八至九节和十六节关于神所命定吃的事。在写给别迦摩召会的书信中，主应许要给得胜者吃那隐藏的吗哪（启二17），这是指以色列人在旷野吃吗哪的事（出十六14~16、31）。在写给老底嘉召会的书信中，主应许要与给祂开门的人一同坐席（启三20）。……这指明主渴望恢复神子民吃正确的食物，就是神所命定，由生命树、吗哪以及美地的出产所预表的，这一切都是基督在不同方面作我们食物的预表（启示录生命读经，一四七页）。

　　Rev. 2:7 …To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.

　　1 Pet. 2:24 Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness…

　　John 11:25 Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes into Me, even if he should die, shall live.

　　For the proper church life and the recovery of the church life, that is, for the proper growth in the Christian life, what we need is not merely the mental apprehension of teachings but the eating of the Lord as the bread of life in our spirit (John 6:57). Even the words of the Scripture should not be considered merely as doctrines to teach our mind but as food to nourish our spirit (Matt. 4:4; Heb. 5:12-14). Here in Revelation the Lord promised to give the overcomer to eat of the tree of life. This points back to Genesis 2:8-9 and 16, which concerns the matter of eating ordained by God. In the epistle to the church in Pergamos, the Lord promised the overcomer that he would eat of the hidden manna (Rev. 2:17), which refers to the eating of manna by the children of Israel in the wilderness (Exo. 16:14-16, 31). And in the epistle to the church in Laodicea, the Lord promised to dine with the one who opens the door to Him (Rev. 3:20)… This indicates that the Lord desires to recover the eating of the proper food by God's people, the food ordained by God and typified by the tree of life, the manna, and the produce of the good land, all of which are types of the various aspects of Christ as food to us. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 117-118)

　　〔启示录二章七节〕这里的“树”，原文不是一般所用的字，乃与彼前二章二十四节的木头同字。在圣经里，生命树总是指基督，就是神一切丰富的具体化身（西二9），作我们的食物（创二9，三22、24，启二二2、14、19）。这里是指钉十字

　　架（由树，就是木头所含示—彼前二24）并复活（由神的生命所含示—约十一25）的基督，今天基督是在召会中，召会的终极完成乃是新耶路撒冷，在其中这位钉死并复活的基督是生命树，滋养神所有的赎民，直到永远（启二二2、14）。

　　主对以弗所召会得胜者的应许，是将神乐园中生命树的果子赐给他吃。生命树是在神的乐园中。……启示录二章七节神的乐园，乃是新耶路撒冷，……今天的召会就是这新耶路撒冷的预尝。……现今我们正在享受钉死并复活的基督作……生命树，成为我们今天在召会中的预尝。这种预尝的享受，要引我们进入新耶路撒冷，完满地享受……基督作生命树，……直到永远。主应许以弗所召会的得胜者得以吃生命树，指明他们要在今天的召会生活中吃基督，并在新耶路撒冷中吃祂作生命树，直到永远。我们的经历印证这事。

　　在新天新地的新耶路撒冷享受基督作生命树，是所有神的赎民永远共同的分；然而在要来千年国的新耶路撒冷里特别享受祂作生命树，乃是单单给得胜信徒时代的赏赐。如果今天我们在召会中，胜过召会堕落时一切的打岔，并享受基督作生命树，将来就要得着这样的赏赐。否则，我们虽然能在新天新地的新耶路撒冷里，永远享受基督作生命树，但在要来的国度里却要失去这分特别的享受。

　　生命树总是带我们回到起初。起初没有别的，只有神自己；起初没有工作、劳碌、忍耐，只有神自己。在召会生活中，我们需要一再回到起初，把一切都忘记，单单享受神自己作生命树（启示录生命读经，一四八至一五一页）。

　　参读：启示录生命读经，第十篇。

　　In Greek the word for tree [in Revelation 2:7], as in 1 Peter 2:24, means “wood”; it is not the word usually used for tree. In the Bible the tree of life always signifies Christ as the embodiment of all the riches of God (Col. 2:9) for our food (Gen. 2:9; 3:22, 24; Rev. 22:2, 14, 19). In Revelation 2:7 it signifies the crucified (implied in the tree as a piece of wood—1 Pet. 2:24) and resurrected (implied in the life of God—John 11:25) Christ, who today is in the church, the consummation of which will be the New Jerusalem, in which the crucified and resurrected Christ will be the tree of life for the nourishment of all of God’s redeemed people for eternity (Rev. 22:2, 14).

　　The promise to the overcomers in the church in Ephesus was to eat of the tree of life. The tree of life is in the Paradise of God…”The Paradise of God” in Revelation 2:7 is the New Jerusalem…, of which the church is a foretaste today…We are enjoying the crucified and resurrected Christ as the tree of life…as a foretaste today in the church. This enjoyment of the foretaste will usher us into the full taste…in the New Jerusalem for eternity. The promise of eating the tree of life given to the overcomers in Ephesus indicates that they will eat Christ in the church life today and eat Him as the tree of life in the New Jerusalem for eternity. Our experience confirms this.

　　The enjoyment of Christ as the tree of life in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth will be the common portion of all of God’s redeemed people, whereas the particular enjoyment of Him as the tree of life in the New Jerusalem in the coming millennial kingdom is a reward given only to the overcoming believers. If we overcome all the distractions in the church's degradation to enjoy Christ as the tree of life in the church today, we will be thus rewarded. Otherwise, we will miss this particular enjoyment in the coming kingdom, though we will still enjoy Christ as the tree of life in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth for eternity.

　　The tree of life always brings us back to the beginning where there is nothing but God Himself. There is no work, labor, endurance, or anything else—only God Himself. In the church life, again and again we need to be brought back to the beginning, forgetting all other things and enjoying God Himself as the tree of life. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 118-121)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Revelation, msg. 10