In these words, Christ leaves no alternative to attain to life, but through Him. We must eat - that is we must partake of - His divine perfections, if we are to have true life. There is no life except through Him, for Christ is the "bread of life" ; He is the "light of life" ; He is the "Prince of life" . He is the "Spirit of life" , the "promise of life" , and the "Word of life" . Indeed He is the very "tree of life" bringing forth "fruits of righteousness" whose "leaves" are for the "healing of the nations" : (139:1)

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7 (139:2)

Here Christ, through Whom comes "everlasting life" , speaks symbolically of Himself as the "tree of life" planted in the garden of creation, the world of being, symbolized in His blessed words by the "paradise of God" (139:3)

We first read of the Tree of Life in Genesis, a tree which if eaten of, one would "live for ever" , but whose exalted reality was beyond the reach of man because it was protected by a "flaming sword which turned every way" (139:4)

This sacred Tree, destined in the fullness of time to bear "twelve manner of fruit" , and through which the "Blessed" who "do his commandments" may "enter in through the gates into the city" , is a symbol of the eternal Christ Figure, the Manifestation of God (139:5)

The PROGRESSIVE REVELATION of the Manifestation of GOD as the TREE of LIFE-
This sacred Tree, the symbol of the Prophet, has manifested itself in degrees to humanity. It has appeared in history at critical stages, at those times when needed most by man. And at each of these stages, the glory it has shed has been according to the ability of humanity to receive His grace, according to its capacity to reflect His glory, and not according to the infinite essence of the Prophet Himself. We must bear constantly in mind, that the Manifestations of God are equal in their knowledge, their power and glory. In the heavenly realm, their stations are identical. It is only in this realm that they appear to vary in the intensity of their revelation of the divine spirit they embody. The light of the sun appears to vary as it rises, yet its blazing radiance is, in fact, constant; so too, with the Messengers of God (139:6)

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