At the Fall, humanity shut its eyes to the realm of the spirit. Denied its true identity with God and only accepted its earthly physical existence. Its godly spirit was always there, but was denied. The Cross proved to us that we were blind and that we are now empowered to regain a revelation of our true identity.
God is the God of the living (2 Sam 12:23, Ecc 12:7, Matt 22:32, Mark 12:27, Luke 20:38). Therefore, we cannot literally die spiritually, for our spirit is eternal. But we can be so blind to our true spiritual identity that we can be dead to its influence.
Often ‘spiritual death’ is described as when a person is alive physically, but no longer has an awareness of the revelation of God in their lives. We separated our true identity, in our own minds, from that which God created in us. There were two trees in the garden: the tree of Life and the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The tree of Life was always accessible to Adam and Eve. They were walking and talking with God, they were experiencing the union, the oneness with Him. But there was also the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil which Adam was not to eat from. If you eat thereof you will surely die, the Lord told Adam. When Adam and Eve ate from this tree, they had not executed judgement against satan. They closed their minds to their true identity, that being the offspring of God in His image and likeness. But God did not leave them, he called out for them. After the fall in Gen 3:20, Adam named the woman Eve (life) in the face of death. Gen 3:24 tells us there was no access to the tree of life anymore, and Adam and Eve were banished out of the garden. But in Revelation 2:7 (Mirror) to the church in Ephesus we can read, “to the individual who continues to see their triumph mirrored in mine, I will give to feast from the fruit of the tree of life in the paradise of God. Paradise (from para closest possible union and eido to see)”. We are seated in heavenly places with Christ, in close union-oneness, there we are partakers again of the tree of life. This all happened with the cross and Resurrection of the Christ. Our true identity was restored. When we continue to Rev. 22:1-2 (Mirror), “He pointed me to a river with crystal clear living waters, flowing out of God’s throne, endorsing the reign of the lamb”. A prophetic picture of the new Jerusalem, a picture of redeemed humanity where rivers of living waters shall flow from their innermost being (John 7:37) vs 2 and the tree of life is the central theme throughout the city as well on each side of the river, producing twelve varieties of ripe fruit all year around. The leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations. We are for the healing of the nations. Out of us rivers of living waters will flow.
Because of the fall, Adam and Eve, and humanity thereafter, felt alienated in their own minds from God (Col. 1:21). God did not alienate himself from humanity. In the eternal God there is no death.
