THE TWO TOWERS

The account of Noah’s ark contains many important significations. In his decision to overthrow the age with water, the Lord gave reason for his decision to Noah. Among these, the thoughts of man’s heart were only evil continuously before the Lord. Also, they had forsaken His way in the earth. The Lord was remorseful of having made man. But only Noah, and his family, were found righteous before the Lord. This righteousness was in their faith. In order to facilitate the end of the age, yet preserve Noah, it was necessary that a means of conveyance be devised to get from the age to be destroyed, to the age to follow. That “way” was the ark.

In the age to be destroyed, there are two Enoch’s. In these are depicted the Lord’s way, and the false way. First came the false way. Cain the murderer brings forth a son and names him Enoch. Then a city is built and named for his son. The city is called Enoch. Enoch means “to train, to dedicate, to inaugurate”. Loosely translated, this city, conceived outside of the presence of God, and built in the land of wandering (Nod), was a man made entity identified as the place of learning, dedication, and inauguration.

After these things, in the line of Seth, the figurative man of resurrection, was born a man also named Enoch. He himself walked with God, and God took him. The one Enoch, God destroyed. The other, he took. In this, the Lord signified that His way in the earth is the way of the individual walking in faith, with God. It is not the way of the individual finding a city and system of man’s device, which by name, promises to some how accomplish these things in you. The Lord’s way, which they had forsaken, is that the individual walk in the Spirit, in faith.

After the flood, the ark rested on Ararat, a mountain who’s name means “curse reversed”. This is significant also. The ark had been built of “Gopher wood”. It is not known what that kind of wood is. But trees gave their lives for it, and the life’s blood of a tree is sap. The sap was rendered into pitch, in order to make the ark water tight. Noah was told, “You will pitch it within and without with pitch”. The words “pitch” used in the sentence are actually two different Hebrew words. The first means “ransom”. The second means “cost , or price of the ransom”. So: “You will ransom it within and without with the cost of that ransom”. The cost was the life of the trees.

Upon finding rest from the curse (Ararat) , man was told to be fruitful, spread abroad, fill the earth and subdue it. In the course of time, probably after several generations, as they multiplied and spread across the earth, some of them came to the decision that this was not good. They chose once again to forsake the Lord’s way, to take a name, a common identifier to themselves, build a city, and a tower “who’s top may reach unto heaven, lest we be spread abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (which was what they had been told to do). They had once again, forsaken the Lord’s way, and sought by their own means, to find it communally. This became the tower of Babel, which means confusion. Babylon would later come to be identified as a signification of religion in the scripture. Babylon means “confusion by mixture”. In other words, to find what is “true” you must sift through a lot of what is not true. This is always the ear mark of man’s religions. The danger is in being content to abide in Babylon, and trust that the truth is in it. There is always a spec of truth here and there, enough for people to see and point to, and willingly blind themselves to what is not. The problem is, the Lord abhors a mixture, which is what adulteration means. It is mixing things together that do not belong together.Hence, Abram was called out of the place all together.

In  the course of time, Abram is called out of the land of the Chaldeans. He departs in faith, begets Isaac, the son of promise, who begets Jacob, who wrests inheritance and birthright from Esau. As he flees from Esau toward Haran, he rests in a place called Luz. There he has stones for pillows. His head resting upon these stones, just as the ark rested upon the curse reversed, Jacob had a dream and vision. He sees, resting upon these stones, a ladder reaching unto heaven. Upon this ladder, ascend and descend the messengers of God (in that order). The stones are the crux of the dream. All the message is wrapped up in the stone. In the morning, Jacob declares the place “non other but the gate of heaven” and “the house of God”. He pours oil (anoints) on the stones and calls the place “Bethel”… “house of God”.

I want to emphasize something. The word “ladder” used in the scriptures in Jacob’s vision, is the word “סֻלָּם“, “sül·läm’”. It means to cast up a way, to make a way, a highway. This is the one and only time this word appears in the scriptures. Jacob’s vision is of THE WAY. This way, Jacob names the house of God. It took place in a place called Luz, which means “Almond”. The almond is a figure in scripture, of resurrection. The account of Aaron’s rod teaches you that. This place came to be called “Luz which is Bethel”…the resurrection which is the house of God”.

The title of this writing, The Two Towers, is meant to juxtapose the man made tower of confusion (Babel) and the Ladder, God’s only way, which is the revelation of Christ in you, the hope of glory. The following are excerpts from scripture, for one to read and compare. The crux of Jacob’s WAY is the revelation of the Father, in the Son, in you. The seed of promise is Christ. In that seed is all the fullness of God. Christ in you, is that seed in you:

GENESIS 28

And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put [them for] his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I [am] the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I [am] with thee, and will keep thee in all [places] whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done [that] which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew [it] not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful [is] this place! this [is] none other but the house of God, and this [is] the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and set it up [for] a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city [was called] Luz at the first.

JOHN 14

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

Man’s way is a confusing mixture of fantasy and fairy tale peppered with a few kernels of truth. It can never deliver. Today, the topic of “fake news” is yet another sign to the generation. The sign is a repeat of the same signification at the end of the house of Moses, and the beginning of the household of faith. The living truth abides fully in one who was being judged by a man, Pontius Pilate, who asks, “What is truth?”. Also in that day, the Jewish priesthood disputed and debated about what to do with Jesus. The Holy Spirit caused one of them to speak in the midst of them all…a word of truth uttered in the midst of chaos, deceit self preservation and confusion. That God inspired word, “YE KNOW NOTHING AT ALL”. So, the one in whom abides all wisdom, knowledge and understanding, is allowed to be judged by those who thought this was true of them. But the Holy Spirit says they know nothing at all. This living truth in you, is now allowed to be subject to the world and it’s religious, political and social city and tower builders in order that they may judge it. All of this may be comprehended in Psalm 2. A key to Psalm 2 is knowing where you sit. Are you seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus?

Jesus is THE WAY. He is THE TRUTH. He is THE LIFE. The only possible way for you to have the truth and know it, is that Christ, the anointing, the Teacher, abide in you. The truth is no mere collection of facts. It is the way to the Father. Today we come full circle. The nations and denominations of Christiandom prove to be a confusing tower of traditions and stories, peppered with a modicum of truth, while THE TRUTH, THE WAY and THE LIFE, continue to be what they always were. Jacob’s experience can be comprehend in this exchange:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].

If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

[Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I [am] in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.