From the most ancient times people have sought some sort of food or drink that could bring them eternal life. No doubt, this is a result of the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, the home of the first man and woman. They turned away from their Creator to follow their own way. The Bible calls this "sin" - and so sin came into the world bringing with it misery, sickness and eventual death to us all.

It was never the will of our Creator for men to achieve eternal life apart from Him:

So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24

Though cast out of the Garden, away from the fruit of the tree of life, people have continued through the ages to lust after eternal life apart from God. Pagan myths involving immortality obtained through consuming food from the gods are common to many pagan cultures, attesting to the truth of the Genesis story, and the continuing desire of fallen men to attain eternal life apart from the Creator. 

Ambrosia - In the ancient Greek myths, ambrosia is the food or drink of the Greek gods, often depicted as conferring longevity or immortality upon whoever consumed it. Ambrosia is very closely related to the gods' other form of sustenance, nectar ... in Homer's poems nectar is usually the drink and ambrosia the food of the gods. In the Greek myths, mortals were generally forbidden to eat the food of the gods, but some managed to attain it, often by outsmarting the gods in some way. Could this be a perverse account of man's continuing quest to cheat God, to achieve immortality on his own terms?

The elixir of life - Along similar lines is the myth of the elixir of life, also known as elixir of immortality and sometimes equated with the name philosopher's stone, is a potion that supposedly grants the drinker eternal life and/or eternal youth. This elixir was also said to cure all diseases. Alchemists in various ages and cultures sought the means of formulating the elixir. The concept originated in ancient India or China where the concept preceded that in Europe by millennia. In European alchemical tradition, the Elixir of Life is closely related to the creation of the philosopher's stone. According to legend, certain alchemists have gained a reputation as creators of the elixir. The philosophers' stone was the central symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection at its finest, enlightenment, and heavenly bliss. Efforts to discover the philosophers' stone were known as the Magnum Opus ("Great Work"). This concept is key to Freemasonry.

Fountain of Youth - The Fountain of Youth is a mythical spring that supposedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus (5th century BC), the Alexander romance (3rd century AD), and the stories of Prester John (early Crusades, 11th/12th centuries AD). Stories of similar waters were also evidently prominent among the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean during the Age of Exploration (early 16th century), who spoke of the restorative powers of the water in the mythical land of Bimini.

The legend became particularly prominent in the 16th century, when it was attached to the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, first Governor of Puerto Rico. According to an apocryphal combination of New World and Eurasian elements, Ponce de León was searching for the Fountain of Youth when he traveled to what is now Florida in 1513. The legend says that Ponce de León was told by natives that the Fountain of Youth was in Bimini and it could restore youth to anyone. 

Apples of Eternal Youth - Golden apples of eternal youth are another version of this myth prominent in various cultures throughout history. The apple myth has been so pervasive that even today many people believe that Adam and Eve "ate the apple" - apparently being influenced by the persistent Apples of Eternal Youth myths. The Bible itself doesn't say the forbidden fruit was an apple, nor does it say the fruit from the tree of life was an apple. The fruit is not specifically named in Scripture.

Of course, all of these myths pursued by the pagans have been unable to add so much as one day to the life of any person. There is only one source of eternal life - one "food" that gives life. Yeshua put it like this:

"I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” John 6:51

No, there is no eternal life apart from our Creator. Life is in Yeshua, and no other. Join us tonight at tsiyon.net, at 8 pm cst, to consider Yeshua's terms and offer of eternal life.

Shalom,

Eliyahu
Tsiyon.Org