Genesis 3:22 | Pastor Burns' Study Notes
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: — Genesis 3:22
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The promise of Satan was technically true in a limited and tragic sense. Adam and Eve did come to know good and evil. But they knew it from the wrong side. Their moral nature was now corrupted by sin.
God blocks access to the tree of life. If Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree of life in their fallen state, they would have lived forever in a sinful, corrupt condition.
So even here, we see mercy.
Death is part of the judgment of God, but for the redeemed, death is also a mercy. It means we do not remain forever in sinful flesh. One day the believer will put off this corruptible body and receive a glorified body.
God was not being cruel by blocking the tree of life. He was being merciful.