Mythology Buster

THE WORD OF THE LORD
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made…

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth…

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God…

Christ is the living Word of God. He has never been anything less than the Word of God. He is the true bread from heaven. The manna which fell in the wilderness was not the bread of heaven, but it did tell of Him before. And that manna had two expressions. First, six days in the week. it was collected. It was as the “daily bread” Jesus alluded too; “Give us this day, our daily bread”. It was in fact given, but had to be sought for, collected, brought home and consumed. Always there was enough. Just enough to get to tomorrow. It was not suitable for storage. If you attempted to collect more than a day’s worth so you did not have to collect any tomorrow, it stank and bread worms. The exception was the Sabbath. On the day before, enough was to be collected for that day, as well as the Sabbath. This was a figure of rest. Once the children of Jacob set foot into the figurative land of promise, the manna ceased to fall as before. Neither did it fall again. But a portion was collected and hidden in a golden pot, and it entered the Holiest place once, and for all.

When the WORD became flesh, news reached Herod that one had been born to be King of Judah. Inasmuch as Herod was appointed king of Judeah by the Roman senate, it is no wonder “Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him”. When Jesus was nailed to a tree, tormented and murdered, as far as Herod and all Jerusalem believed, a rather inconvenient period of time was now nothing but history. An on a certain day, Herod put on his royal robes and gave an oration. The people were moved. I don’t know what Herod said, but it must have been powerful and convincing, for the people proclaimed “It is the voice of a god, and not a man”. The people had chosen: yesterday’s bread is the bread for them. Herod fell down dead, eaten from the inside out, by the worms he bred. And I guarantee you that a short time later, he stank.

So then, what of the Word? With the time of the WORD made flesh now past, how do we know Him? The scriptures say, and experience says, we can know Him no more after the flesh. Herod signified, in his last disposition, the attempt to go back to yesterday’s manna, after the Bread of Heaven had entered into His rest. So, where is this hidden manna? What did Jesus mean when he said the overcomer would receive the right to eat of the hidden manna? Hidden where?

In the times before Moses and the written commandments, we read how that “The Word of the Lord” came to many individuals:

Genesis 26:5 (KJV)

“Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” ( notice that this happened some 470 years before Moses.) ( Jesus, on the cross, took Moses out of the way, and yet Jesus says if we love Him, we keep HIS commandments)

The Word of the Lord came to Joseph as the revelation of Christ in resurrection, for Joseph’s star of his dreams was not the star he was in Jacob, but the star he received (in a figure) when he came up out of the pit his brethren cast him into to die. What Joseph was shown, and preached, and what his brethren hated him for, was the resurrection. It was Christ in you, to which all other stars and sheaves and places of origin bow. Joseph’s star was the resurrection. His sheaf, his “bread” the bread of heaven, the Living Word within. His Father, THE FATHER, to the chagrin of Jacob and Rachel. We read how that David wrote of Joseph in the Psalms, how that until The Word of the Lord came to Joseph, The Word of the Lord tried him. In other words, until the things the Lord had revealed to him were fulfilled in him, he was tried and tested severely, whether he belied it or not.

Samuel was born to a barren mother and dedicated to the Lord. While serving the type and shadow of things, the Lord began to call to him. At first, he thought it was Eli, the priest. Eventually he learned it was the Lord. And finally, the Word of the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh, and Eli, and his two sons died, and the lamp went out in the “house of the Lord” and the ark departed from Israel. But all Israel knew that the Word of the Lord was in Samuel.

John on the Isle of Patmos saw the Word of the Lord as standing within. Elijah learned the Word of the Lord was that small , still voice, found nowhere but within.

Indeed, if you read and believe the things Jesus said, as recorded in John 14, you understand the He, Christ, The Word, came expediently on the full day of Pentecost, exactly as He said he would.

The Word of the Lord, is Christ…The Anointing, The Teacher, The Comforter, The Paraclete (the one who walks along side) The bread of heaven is the hidden manna who lives and abides within. He does not come and go; He lives and abides. The bread of heaven does not go into the mouth as a ritualistic piece of dead flesh. It goes OUT of the heart, via the mouth, as the Living Word. Christ in you, the hope of glory, is the Same Word that was , and is, from the beginning.

Herod and all Jerusalem are in error. The Word of God is alive, powerful, and come. The end of the age will be catalyzed with the WORD. Living speech. That Word and Power are in the earth now. We are one loaf in the Lord.

“…for it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks in you…”

“He that is joined to the Lord, is One Spirit”

“…As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.”

BALAAM’S DONKEY

Num 22:21 KJV – “And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again. And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.”

This is from the account of Balaam, a man gifted of God , who agreed to misuse his gifts for personal gain. The story, as all things in the scriptures, is many faceted. It is, among other things, an allegorical warning about a gifted individual, riding the backs of others, for personal reward. A gift of God, in Christ, is for the benefit of the body. It is a warning to religious “leaders”. Often, the ones they “ride” have more sense and sight than they do, yet they persist in forcing the people down a ruinous path, ignoring the misgivings of the people, and driving them on to ruin. The Lord makes a difference, sparing the ridden, and drawing His sword against the rider.

The events did take place, and did involve a real donkey. So, another facet of the account, is the regard the Lord has for the life of an innocent animal. The ‘angel’, or ‘messenger’ of the Lord was ready to kill Balaam, and spare the life of the animal. This gives you insight into the Lord’s ‘ways’, His thinking. What did Abraham say? “Shall not the judge of ALL the earth do right?

Balaam and the animal both had eyes. Balaam and the animal both had a voice, that is, an inner voice, an inner dialog. We all have it. God ‘loosed’ the tongue of the animal, giving her the ability to voice her inner dialogue. God similarly ‘loosed’ Balaam’s vision, to perceive things that , unaided, he could not see, while curiously, the animal could see, without help. Everything the animal said, she said. It was not God speaking through her, as is commonly, and errantly taught by religious figures. I assure you, Balaam never beat God with a stick.

Jesus rode the foal of an ass , in a figure, into glory. He will not steer us where we should not go. He does not take us anywhere for personal gain. He does so for our sakes. He has chosen us to ride into kingship with Him. He is offering us, the reward of His journey. Curious…the animal Jesus rode, He said was tied up. He said to loose her, and bring her and her colt to Him. Our days of service to religious taskmasters, end in Him.

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The error of Balaam is further expounded in the Book of Jude, and the Book of Revelation.

The Book of Jude is written to a particular people, as is the Book of Revelation. They are not meaningful to the nations at large:

“Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ….”

Jude speaks to the saved by way of warning. He goes on to expose and define individuals who HAVE CHOSEN a path, a path which was told of old, and which many throughout history have chosen for themselves.

“…But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever….”

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw….”

One thing which John saw, is one like unto the Son of man, walking in the midst of the assemblies, bearing witness. The witness is of that which is good and acceptable, and that which is bad and in need of abandoning. By this witness, the Holy Spirit speaks in the assemblies, among the host of of other voices (which do not belong there). To the assembly described by “Pergamos”, he says:

“…These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate…”

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It is the doctrine (teaching) of Balaam that is of particular note. For in the account, one can see two Israel’s…a natural and a spiritual; a shadow and a real. Balaam, a gifted man, somewhere in his life, chose a ruinous path. He went from being a man of integrity, to a man for hire. (as Jesus said, “the hireling cares not for the sheep…). Balaam was hired to curse Israel for Balak, king of Moab. The account is found in Number 22. And Balaam did his best, three times, but in the effort, Balaam saw someone “afar off”, someone “not at that time”. And each time, Balaam spoke of the one he saw:

“…And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!..”

“…And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain….”

“…And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted…”

So then, Balaam sees an Israel against which there is no divination. That is to say, an Israel whom the Father can not possibly be moved against. And Balaam sees a people against which there is no enchantment or curse. Then, amazingly, in the very next chain of events, we see the children of Jacob, the nation of flesh, fall into foolishness:

“And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel….”

Who did Balaam see afar off? Certainly not this people who angered the Lord so quickly. Balaam saw Christ. He saw the one who at the very time Balaam saw Him, was present and would later expound what had happened to the natural nation who were so easily brought down. The one Balaam saw afar off who could not be cursed, saw Balaam go on to teach Balak how to get what he hired Balaam to accomplish.

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There is only one Holy Nation. One that is not reckoned with the nations of men. It is Christ, the resurrected, glorified son of man, and them begotten to God in Him. And today, we see in the assemblies, multitudes in the valley of decision. Multitudes straining to hear the small still voice often drowned out by the shepherds, teachers and leaders for hire. This ruinous way was fore ordained of old. But what was not fore ordained, is who would walk in it. That is a matter of choice.

He that has an ear to hear, let him hear.

The Forerunner

(KJV) 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

A point, a plane and a cube. The transition from one to the next is relatively easy to comprehend. A point, mathematically, has no volume…no displacement. It is a single dimension. In a one dimensional world, a flat plane would be theorized to exist. It would be difficult to entertain mentally because one would be asked to believe that a plane contains an infinite number of points, each possibly a one dimensional world of it’s own. A plane is, nevertheless, a reality. And a plane is in fact another dimension. A plane is a two dimensional place and can be viewed as a world of it’s own. Curious that the plane, as a place of abiding, can be described accurately and truthfully to the one dimensional world as a world of many worlds…a house or habitation of many houses. A plane extends in every direction within it’s two dimensions infinitely. In a two dimensional world, since it extends in every known direction infinitely, it would be hard to comprehend three dimensions, as the concept of infinity seems to fit fine in the two dimensional world. One would be asked to believe that there is more than infinity…more than everything. In fact, one would be faced with the concept that in three dimensions, there are an infinite number of planes, an infinite number of worlds like your own, each extending infinitely in every direction. Infinity of infinitude. A heaven of heavens. Of course three dimensions are not a theory, but a very real thing so familiar to us, that we don’t give it a second thought. Now, here is a strange thought. If one were to willing to teach a three dimensional world to a two dimension dweller, the explanation would necessarily take the form of shadows, likenesses, parables, allegories & etcetera. Given time, and a broad spectrum of these tools, it would be possible to convey a reasonable mental facsimile to the 2D dweller, but the 2D dweller would still be in need of faith in what was being revealed. You see, it is always simple and easy to examine and comprehend the world you are confined to. It is simple and easy to comprehend the worlds contained in the worlds contained in the world you are confined to. But try to imagine a fourth dimensional world. It is not so easy, is it? Nevertheless it is real. Just as real as the 3D world so familiar to you. And it contains an infinity of 3D worlds.

Now, what do we say about travel from one place to the next? What if I were somehow elevated from a one dimensional existence to a 2D, and even a 3D. To be elevated from one to the next could not be accurately described as having “gone” anywhere. If I am suddenly changed from a 1D dweller to a 2D, I still dwell in the 1D world I came from. So I have not simply “gone” away. In fact, I now fill all 1D worlds. From the perspective of the 1D world, I have not merely gone somewhere, I have gone EVERYWHERE, without having left. The same example holds true from 2D to a 3D transformation. And yes, from a 3D to that which is beyond.

Paul wrote some very beautiful things to help us comprehend by faith, the reality of the resurrection. And Jesus is in fact, the resurrection. If you read
1st Corinthians, you may begin to comprehend that the resurrection is not a matter of traveling from one place to another, so much as filling places previously closed to you. In resurrection, the dweller does not merely go from one place in the cosmos to another. He/she goes where Christ is and has gone. Peter also described Jesus as an anchor to your soul, a forerunner, going before you, into that within the veil. The resurrection is not travel in the conventional sense. It is the removal of limitations and barriers. It is multidimensional, not linear, not merely moving from point A to point B.

Jesus has given you life. Not as flesh has given you, but the life he has of the Father. The life from flesh has an end. His life does not.

Jesus has also given to us of the Spirit. He, the Spirit, is the Teacher, and is the voice that speaks from heaven, the voice to which we do well to take heed. But what can the ideas and contemplation of dimensions show us about communication? Curiously, a voice that speaks to the two dimensional dweller from the three dimensional speaker does not seem to come from outside of the hearer. It would appear to come from within. And it would not take the form of an audible voice. In terms of “cause and effect”, there would be affect with no externally discernible cause. It is elijah’s ” Small, still voice. It is that which was foretold of Christ, that he would not ” lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets”. It is Peter’s Daystar “arising in your heart”. It is the unction you have received of the Holy One, by whom you “know all things and need not that any man should teach you”. It is the Wind (The Teacher) blowing where it listeth (purposes). Nicodemus heard the sound of it, but did not know whence it came, or where it went. The teacher, regardless of the one dimensional thinking of the religious authorities if this world, will teach what He will, to whom He will, whenever He will, leaving the Nicodemuses to scratch their heads and ask ,”How can these things be?”

Jesus , I think, knew of the tendency we can have to fear the unknown. Knowing that the Holy Ghost was to be our teacher, a teacher previously unknown to the vast majority. Knowing that we were to transition from being disciples of men to disciples of He who is invisible, immortal and the only wise. Knowing these things, Jesus comforted us concerning the simple way we receive Him as teacher in this capacity. He said to ask. And having asked, you need not fear. If our children ask for an egg, we will not give them a stone. If they ask for a fish we will not give a scorpion, nor a serpent.

….” how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask?”

In the history of natural Israel, we find that the prophet Samuel marked a pivotal time. Until the days of Samuel, the nation had functioned like no other nation in the earth. It had no visible king, and it had no stationary, fixed temple to which the population came and went. The Lord was king, and He was content to go about figuratively, in a tent.

During the days of Samuel, the nation forsook that which made it unique in the earth, and desired a king like the rest of the nations, and later, a temple that it would call the Lord’s house.

In the book of Acts, we find Samuel squarely in the middle of this transition:

“For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.” (Acts 3)

“Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it. And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness. And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land to them by lot. And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus…” (Acts 13)

So then, we see that Samuel, and all the prophets until John (the baptist) spoke of this one to come. For Jesus said, “The law and the prophets were until John…”. As we read in Acts 3, the law testified of this savior, for Moses spoke of Him. And Samuel and every prophet to come after him spoke of this savior, who is revealed to be Christ.

In desiring a king, the children of Jacob were wrong. But the Lord spoke to Samuel to give them what they wanted. “For (said HE) they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me…”:

“Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” (1 Samuel 8)

“And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh; And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands…”  (1 Samuel 10)

Anyone can read and see the short and inglorious reign of natural kings in Israel. It ended in a divided, weak and sinful nation. But remember, the nation had not been without a king. Simply without one like the rest of the nations. This rejected king would be manifest again, foretold by the law, and by all the prophets, from Samuel until John. And amazingly, the people would again seize upon him as a man, and attempt to make him a king, as they had done in the days of Samuel:

“Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” (John 6)

This same king whom they rejected once, refused to be made a king in the same errant way they had sought so many generations before. He knew this. His coming and His reign are from within.

The book of Matthew begins with a description of a book, not of pen and ink, but of Divine inheritance. The Word made flesh, but not to be made in one alone:

“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.” (John 1)

Pivotal in the above verse is the fact that David came into the picture squarely in the days of Samuel. And though Samuel is not named, without dispute, it was a pivotal time. If one cares to count the names given in Matthew 1, it becomes clear that the man Jesus does not add up to the fourteenth from the captivity, not the forty-second from Abraham. The man Jesus is the thirteenth from the captivity. To fulfill all that Moses testified, and all the prophets from Samuel until John spoke, there must follow, another generation. A people must be begotten to God in Christ. In this people, Jesus Christ dwells as King. How many are these people? As many as receive Him:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments (do what I say). 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.” (John 14)

Jesus , speaking of Himself, said that unless a seed falls into the earth and dies, it abides alone. But if it does, it brings forth much fruit (many seeds). Jesus did not come to go out in a blaze of solitary glory. He came to lead many sons unto glory. (Sons being generic-neither male nor female). This is attainable and available to all, without reservation. “Whosoever will, let him come”.

So why the title “THE GREATEST KING”?  It is established that Jesus is a king like no other. He, by the same Spirit that raised Him, dwells in a people. He will not lay down what He is, to become something else. It is strongly encouraged that you read Judges 9. Compare the Fig, the Vine and the Olive to the Bramble. Compare the Godhead bodily in a people, to a potentate ruling over people (which is almost always what they desire). In Samuel’s day, they rejected the Lord, who reigned invisible from the heart, and started down their ruinous path.

Christianity (so called) today , is on the same disastrous path. The collective leadership of the Jews, rejected Jesus and proclaimed to have no king but Caesar. The rag tag walled cities of Christiandom are likewise losing what little they have, and heeding the siren call of a false father, a false land, a false way.

The scriptures declare that the greatest natural king Israel ever had was neither Saul, nor David, nor Solomon. It was Hezekiah. He refused to change who and what he was. He destroyed the brass serpent that Moses had made, because the people fell into idolatrous worship of it. He saw the cities of Israel fall, one by one, to the invading Assyrians, until their armies pressed about the walls of Jerusalem and it’s king. From outside the wall, in their own tongue, the people heard the taunts of the invaders promising death and ruin to those who believed Hezekiah when Hezekiah said “Trust the Lord”. From inside the wall, the king spoke, saying “Trust the Lord”.

In this, the end of an age, we see a besieged people. Each individual, a walled city. Each witnessing the fall of other cities one by one, until the decision comes to his or her own gate. Do I believe that my king is in me?

2 Kings 18 is worth a very careful read. Take courage. Your King is in the house!

“[[A Psalm of David.]] The earth is the LORD’S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.” (Psalm 24/ ((John 14))

The moon passes between the earth and the sun. The obscuring of the sun, and the ensuing period of darkness is called OCCULTATION. The word has many applications. If an event is scheduled that is of interest to many, and another event is purposely scheduled simultaneously, for the purpose of drawing you away from the first event, it is an occultation. The apostle Paul spoke of “another Jesus, another spirit, another gospel”, which (said he) is not another (not real). In a few words, the gospel is “Christ in you, the hope of glory”. The apostle Peter wrote, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto you do well to take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy came not in the old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”.

Jesus said (being asked concerning his coming) , “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name , saying, I am Christ (anointed); and shall deceive many”. And in another place, “The kingdom of God comes not with observation (careful looking and observing): Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, Lo there! for , behold, the kingdom of God is within you”.

The man Job, and the book of Job contain many surprises, including lessons on the principle of occultation. Job’s three friends had many perceptions about the Lord and His ways. Job also had many things to say about the Lord. When you near the end of the book, you will find that, concerning Job’s three friends, the Lord said that they had not said the thing about the Lord which is right, as had Job. And concerning Job, the Lord, after hearing all Job’s complaints and conclusions, said, “Who is this that darkens council by words without knowledge?”. Job had said many things which , in and of themselves were right, but he did not understand. When you get to the end of the book of Job, and learn of the Lord’s assessment of Job and his three “friends”, as to what they had said between themselves, you may well want to go back and read it again and look for the occultations.

The book of Jude contains a very excellent use of the principle of astronomical occultation. He refers to false individuals as “wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever”.

To briefly expound; the phrase “wandering stars” does not refer to stars at all. For it is from the word “planetos”, or planets. We now know the many differences between stars and planets. Two thousand years ago, they both were objects of light in the sky, but stars did not stray from their appointed place in the night sky…at least not the vast majority. Some did roam about in the night sky, which gave rise to the name “planetos”, or wanderer. This characteristic is what was observed back then. A few stars moved around. Jude spoke that, to them was reserved the blackness of darkness forever. I don’t doubt that , by revelation, Jude knew they were not even stars, and gave no light at all. But he did know they were not in the heavenly message. In any event, the planets went on to be given names and god like status. Astrology (not to be confused with astronomy) mingles stars and planets in an attempt to “divine”. The Lord has used the stars, particularly the Mazzaroth, the twelve constellations, in scripture, to convey a message.  And among the twelve, the mystery of the circle, as to where it begins and ends, is revealed. It begins in Virgo and ends in Leo. Joseph’s dreams depicted stars, sun and moon. But no planets. Daniel was told that they that do know their God will be strong and do exploits. And they that lead many to righteousness will shine as the stars of heaven forever. So here we have a great lesson every time we look into the night sky. You can not see the stars without seeing any planets that happen to be in view. But if you are to read the stars, you must learn to completely discount anything that is not a star.

What can be said of Christ and Antichrist? Antichrist is an occultation. It is not a slew footed, red, horn headed man. It is another Christ, which is not another. Another church, another body, which are not another. Another Jesus, another spirit, another gospel, which are not another. It is something to take your gaze off the real thing. One, however, is within you. One without. Jesus spoke plainly about that. I hear very frequently, when speaking with individuals, how they will often bring up the subject of Antichrist. They are looking with narrowed scrutiny, for the appearance of something that appeared in the earth, almost as soon as Jesus ascended up to the Father. Consider these words written by the apostle John over 2000 years ago:

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the desire thereof: but he that does the will of the Father abides forever. Little children, IT IS THE LAST TIME: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even NOW are there many antichrists; whereby we know it is the last time. THEY WENT OUT FROM US, BUT WERE NOT OF US; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out that they might be revealed that they were not all of us.”

Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. He that is in the world has clothed himself with wandering stars. It is not unlike the old child’s tale about the King’s New Clothes. The whole thing is naked as a Jay bird (as they are told in Revelation 3) Laodicea is another of those pesky compound words. You may research it. It boils down to “the people believing what they are shown”. The truth is, the church at Laodicea was shown nothing at all, for they perceived they had everything and needed nothing. Jesus said they were miserable, wretched, poor, blind and naked. Whoever was leading them was selling them a bill of goods. They were thoroughly occulted from seeing Christ, by whatever they were being sold.

The day will dawn, and the Day Star will arise in your hearts. In saying no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation, you are being shown that the scriptures are not interpreted from any external source. They are revealed by the Author in you…the one who inspired them will lead you into His thinking. There is no need of interpretors, because you have the Author. And He has not authorized any private interpretation.

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Job 38:36 (KJV)
Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?

Psalms 51:6 (KJV)
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Proverbs 20:27 (KJV)
The spirit of man [is] the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

Proverbs 20:30 (KJV)
The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so [do] stripes the inward parts of the belly.

Jeremiah 31:33 (KJV)
But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV)
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

John 7:24 (KJV)
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

2 Corinthians 5:12 (KJV)
For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.

2 Corinthians 10:7 (KJV)
Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he [is] Christ’s, even so [are] we Christ’s.

OCCULTATION

An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer. The word is used in astronomy. It can also refer to any situation wherein an object in the foreground blocks from view (occults) an object in the background. In this general sense, occultation applies to the visual scene observed from low-flying aircraft (or computer-generated imagery) wherein foreground objects obscure distant objects dynamically, as the scene changes over time.

.BLB Lexicon
Results for H894 – Babel
בָּבֶל
Transliteration: Babel
Pronunciation: bä·bel’
Part of Speech: proper locative noun
Root Word (Etymology): from H1101
Outline of Biblical Usage:
Babel or Babylon = “confusion (by mixing)”

Root word:
BLB Lexicon
Results for H1101 – balal
בָּלַל
Transliteration: balal
Pronunciation: bä·lal’
Part of Speech: verb
Root Word (Etymology): a primitive root
Outline of Biblical Usage:
to mix, mingle, confuse, confound
(Qal)
to mingle, confuse
to mix
to give provender, feed (animals)
(Hithpoel) to mix oneself (among others)
(Hiphil) to fade away
BLB Lexicon
Results for H1101 – balal
בָּלַל
Transliteration: balal
Pronunciation: bä·lal’
Part of Speech: verb
Root Word (Etymology): a primitive root
Outline of Biblical Usage:
to mix, mingle, confuse, confound
(Qal)
to mingle, confuse
to mix
to give provender, feed (animals)
(Hithpoel) to mix oneself (among others)
(Hiphil) to fade away

Job 38:1 (KJV) 1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Job 38:2 (KJV) 2 Who [is] this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

1 John 2:18 (KJV)
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 John 2:22 (KJV)
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

1 John 4:3 (KJV)
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

2 John 1:7 (KJV)
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of the Lord, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?”.

This “know ye not” question, along with nine others, appears an unprecedented ten times in the first letter to the Corinthians.

Know you not that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Your glorying is not good.Know you not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

Know you not that we shall judge angels? how much more the things that pertain to this life?

Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind.

Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ , and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

What? know you not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, He said, shall be one flesh.

What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own?

Do you not know that they which minister about the holy things live by the things of the temple? and they which wait upon the altar are partakers with the altar?

Know you not that they which run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? So run (in this manner run), so you may obtain.

In this letter to the Corinthians, Paul opens with an appeal for the unity of the Spirit, and descries the divisions that are found to be among them, asking, “Is Christ divided?”. Paul goes on to say that, while there are divisions among them, they are carnal. And that they can not be spoken to as to spiritual individuals, but to carnal. This letter of Paul to the believers at Corinth, is to a carnal bunch, and is an effort to help them.

It is of great note, that unity of the Spirit, IS the Spirit. And the union described, is that of every member; every individual in Christ, holding to the Head. Again, in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul makes the appeal to depart from childish division:

“And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting (maturing) of the saints,for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth cease to be children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working of the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (From Ephesians 4:11)

The “joint” or union that produces for all, is the union of every individual in Christ, to Christ, by the Spirit of Christ in him or her. If we have received the Spirit of Christ, we, each of us, have received a measure of who and what He is: a measure capable of producing fullness. So, what has become of this? when did this that was delivered to us in the gift of the Father, the Spirit of Truth, in whom we all have access; when did this become carnal? when did division enter in?

The prophets told of it before:

“…for dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may number all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my my garments among them, and cast lot for my vesture.”

I would like to expound the meaning of “dogs”. It is used to depict and describe a male temple prostitute…the vile and fallacious notion that one can periodically visit a temple, pay money to a man for a relationship with “heaven” through that man, and the fruit of that union becomes some gift from above. Without getting into specifics, needless to say, multitudes upon multitudes have been duped into this “way”. But be warned…no man comes to the Father except by the Son. If I have not the Spirit of Christ, I have no part of him. The book of Revelation describes a great harlot and her bed, and how that she, they that have rolled in that bed with her, and all that has been so conceived and brought forth, will be burned up. It is this harlot of which Paul speaks to the Corinthians (and of which the Lord speaks, saying “Come out of her my people, lest you be partakers of her judgments”.) Make no mistake about it…she and her children will be killed with death.

That being said, one more truth needs to be established. The body of Christ is His own. It is his Vesture. A vesture and a nation of kings and priest unto God. On His vesture is written King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That Vesture is a people He has raised and quickened together with Himself in resurrection. KNOW YE NOT THAT YE ARE THE TEMPLE…?

One final definition is called for, and is necessary. The use of the phrase, “cast lot”.

“And they crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them , and upon my vesture did they cast lots” (Matthew 27:35)

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do. And they parted His raiment, and cast lots”. (Luke 23:34)

“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part: and also His coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefor among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled , which says, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots”. (John 19:23)

The Strong’s concordance gives “lots” as being from the Greek word “kleros”.

It is using objects, such as straws or bits of wood, to decide by chance drawings, how to apportion or divide up something. Now, the question arises, is Christ divided? indeed, CAN He be divided? If you do a little digging, you will find new meaning to what was fulfilled in Psalm 22, by the company that pressed about Him and attempted to do this to Him. Read the whole Psalm. Everything you read is addressing what took place at the cross. Kleros is the word from which we have the words “Cleric” and “Clergy”.

The garments the prophet spoke of is a people. The Coat, the cloak, the mantle they “Clergied” is the Holy Spirit, or so they would have you believe. For it is a lie.

Read Ephesians 4:11 and also John 19:23. If you understand grammar and sentence structure, and the use of punctuation, something becomes clear. Ephesians 4:11 addressthe birthing of a teaching body. The sentence is structured as four in one, one being the Teacher. John 19:23 is a mimicry of what the Lord did in resurrection.

Jesus is the Apostle and High Priest of our profession. Jesus is that Prophet which came into the world. Jesus is the one sent of the Father to preach peace and the acceptable year of the Lord. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. Jesus is the one to whom the Father gave the Spirit, who is The Teacher. This is what, in the Spirit, we each receive a measure of. Every one of us, according to the grace of the Father, by faith, receive a measure of everything Christ is; a measure able to produce the fullness.

Ephesians4  is not the declaration of an elitist group of individuals. It is the declaration of Christ in His people, by the Spirit.

The words “Nicodemus” and “Nicolaitan”, are both compound words. Nikos means “rulers, conquerors”. Demos means “people”, as does “laity”. As long as people labor under the illusion that Christ is so divided, they labor under a lie. They labor under the illusion that the body of Christ is carnal.

Nicolaitan means “To utterly vanquish people”. John 3 is an expose’ of the Teacher expounding to the Nicodemus, that one can not be a teacher, without THE TEACHER. And in Christ, all have the Teacher.

Nicene Creed also incorporates the name “Nike”, named for the place where an elitist cult of clergy, presumed to scrabble a few words on a document, and judge you with it. How absurd.

Psalm 22 declares to us, that Christ and a people, a seed, begotten to Him in resurrection, shall prevail over the company of dogs and evil doers. The Lord will be revealed in His people.

Genesis 49:22 (KJV) 22 Joseph [is] a fruitful bough, [even] a fruitful bough by a well; [whose] branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot [at him], and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty [God] of Jacob; (from thence [is] the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) [Even] by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

What separated Joseph from his brethren? What made Joshua unique among his generation when the Lord refused to camp with the people any longer? What made one cleansed leper return to give thanks when nine others went on their merry way?

To investigate the blessing upon Joseph, quoted above, reveals a prophetic picture of one to come. One who would similarly be rejected of his own household, but abide faithfully in the hope of his calling, which hope promised elevation above and beyond the understandings and circumstances of his nation and people, into a place, a calling and household far higher. A calling that did not, despite superficial appearances, contradict the hopes delivered before to his former house, but rather fulfilled them.

Jacob’s house was a patriarchal structure. Promises were made in their father Abraham, that were passed along by reason of birth. The concept of the firstborn son being heir was held and passed along. But this concept, if thought of only in terms of flesh and blood, met with challenges from the very start. Isaac was not Abraham’s first born, Jacob was not isaac’s firstborn. Neither was Joseph the firstborn of Jacob. So, when Joseph would receive an understanding from God, revealed in signs through dreams, Jacob was upset at the notion of the “stars” and “sheafs” of eleven sons bowing to those of one of the youngest. After all, Jacob himself was in a similar state, having supplanted his older brother Esau, and subtly taken from Esau, both birthright and blessing. But would both sun and moon bow to Joseph’s star? would Jacob and Rachel, his father and mother, indeed serve their son? How can this be?

The ONLY way this can be worked out, is if their son somehow embodied the promises made to the fathers; embodied that thing which being made an heir, the heir was abiding in, in hope of inheriting. Jacob was deeply troubled by Joseph’s vision, and angered…but did not dismiss it out of hand. Rather, he hid them in his heart. He chewed on them for a life time, most time of which was spent in the belief that his son Joseph was long dead. This belief was the result of a deception perpetrated upon Jacob by his own eleven sons. ( in studying scripture, you will find that names have meanings. The meanings teach you something. Jacob was alternately called “Jacob”  and “Israel”…”Deceiver”  and “prince/ heir with God”. Jacob’s life was surrounded with intrigues and deceptions, which nature also surfaced in his natural offspring. But another nature, a princely nature, was also found in him, like a treasure hid in an earthen vessel. The thing which separated Joseph from his brethren were his dreams and visions, and his faith in them. He was given them and he believed them. He did not fabricate them, he did not supplant any of his household for them. He received them and told them.

The thing which Joseph’s former house would eventually bow to was his vision, not himself. His sheaf is his WORD. His star the RESURRECTION. It was not Joseph who would be venerated, but the things that were found to be in him:

Revelation 19:9 (KJV) 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The passages from Revelation above reveal to you, that there is a brotherhood, bound by the same Father, and in whom resides and abides the testimony of Christ. Not a static, traditional parroted creed or doctrine about Christ. A far more sure word of testimony. The same Spirit which raised Christ from the dead, dwelling within, making them, by faith, partakers of Christ in His resurrection. This is the gospel and the message we preach. Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Yes, when Joseph was cast into a pit to die, and was raised out of the pit to go before into Egypt to preserve life, he, in a figure, died. The star of Joseph’s dreams is the resurrection. His sheaf, the word of God revealed in him. It is this vision that every knee will bow to, and every tongue will confess. The vision is of Christ. So complete are the significations of these things worked out in Joseph, that he took a wife in Egypt, and she bore him two sons. Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh (forgetfulness) for, “God [he said] has made me to forget all my toil , and all my father’s house”. And Ephraim (doubly fruitful) for “God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction”.

In the course of time, Joseph would be reunited with his old household. And Jacob, blessing his sons in passing, would say something very remarkable, signifying an understanding and complete acceptance of Joseph’s dreams and visions. If you read carefully the blessing, quoted in the first paragraph of this writing, you will find Jacob speaking as Israel. And you will find him declaring that in a figure, the God of Jacob and his fathers, was Joseph’s Father.

I write these things to all, but primarily to them who, like Joseph, because of their faith in the things Christ has revealed in them, find themselves outcasts among the various sects of “Christianity”. When Joseph told his dreams, it says his brethren hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. They called him a “dreamer”, and conspired against him, even to murder him. It did not help that he was the favorite son. And David wrote of Joseph, that until the word of the Lord came to him, the word of the Lord tried him:

“…He sent a man before them, [even] Joseph, [who] was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him…”

The next time you feel that everything is against you, put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. For thirteen years from the time the Lord came to him by revelation, nothing in Joseph’s life remotely resembled the things he was shown, nor did his downwardly spiraling circumstances indicate any hope of seeing them become effectual in himself. Thirteen is a number depicting confusion. But in his life time, everything Joseph saw and told, indeed happened. And more than that, the very revelation of Christ came to him. Such was the man Joseph, that Pharaoh gave him a name: ZAPHNATHPAANEAH. It means “THE TREASURY OF THE GOLDEN REST”.

I would like to follow a particular branch on the “tree” that is the story of Joseph, a branch that culminates in the last chapters of the scripture, where a people are described. They are a people who have no need of light of sun and moon, no need of candlestick. The light of this people is the Lord Himself and the Lamb. And the light is in them. This branch begins at the point where Jacob sends his remaining sons into Egypt during a time of severe famine, to buy grain from Pharaoh. Unwittingly, it was not Pharaoh whom they would encounter, but their own brother Joseph. And the second time Jacob sent them, he sent a present to Pharaoh with them, some almonds. It was Joseph who received these gifts from Jacob, and the story of the almond is very rich.

The lesson has it’s origins in a place called Luz, where Jacob experienced the dream and vision of the ladder, before he ever had his children. He was fleeing from Esau, his brother, and had his dreams in this place. Upon waking, Jacob anoints the stones he had laid his head upon (and upon which the messengers ascended and descended), calling it the house of God, the gate of heaven. Thereafter the place is referred to as “Luz which is BethEl”. Luz means “Place of an Almond”. It was an almond grove. The name comes from a root word meaning to “awake”. Almonds are early risers, among the first of trees to sense the arrival of Spring, and to bud and blossom. The almond in scripture, is a figure of resurrection. Hence: Luz which is BethEl… “Resurrection which is the house of God”. Jacob’s vision was of the resurrection.

Jacob eventually sends a gift of almonds unwittingly to his own son, whom he thought dead. In the course of time, a branch from an almond tree becomes a walking stick, a staff, in the hands of Aaron. The staff figures prominently in the Exodus from bondage. Also, during a dispute about leadership, the rod of Aaron is raised again to life and brought into the holiest place in the tabernacle as a testimony. It is raised to life, rootless, leafed, flowered and bearing a generation of seed. As it passes into the holiest place, it passes between the man made lamp stand (made to imitate a fruiting almond tree that gives light), and the man made show bread, to take it’s place with the hidden manna in the holiest place. The message is clear. Of all the sons of Jacob to go into Egypt, only a branch of one of them would be cut off in order to facilitate Exodus, be raised again to life with a generation born in it’s resurrection, and that resurrection becomes the only one to come from Jacob that enters into the holiest place. So it is not the children of flesh who are heirs, but of resurrection. And these are not reckoned in Jacob, but in Christ. In them that believe Him, Jesus said, “I go to my Father and your Father, to my God and Your God”.

In the lesson of the tabernacle, there are three forms of illumination, each in it’s place. To light the outer courts are sun, moon and stars. These give rise to day and night, and ritualistic, calendar and astronomy based observances of things to come. In the holy place is the man made lamp stand fueled with olive oil. It is always to be lit, but requires effort and diligence, lest it’s light go out. It resembles a fruiting almond, but is not a fruiting almond. It at no time ever enters the holiest place, and so, abiding in it’s light will perpetually tell you about the eternal, but will never deliver you to it. It is placed in the South of the holy place, against the camp of Gad, which means “Troop/Assembly”. It forever teaches, but never becomes what it teaches. Finally, in the holiest place, there is no natural external form of illumination, and there is no made made source either. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the light of it, and they are within. In reading the book of Revelation, you will come to a people, a company of individuals in the Lord. They have no need of daily, weekly, monthly and yearly ritualistic reenactment of things. They have no need of the efforts and labor of religious professionals to guide them. They are begotten to God in Christ, raised with Him, and by faith, partakers of His resurrection. Just as Joseph saw and foretold, the Lord will come to be glorified in all His saints, and admired in them that believe, as Jude writes. The nations (distinctions and divisions) of them that are saved will see this. They will see the people who had courage and faith to follow Christ, even though it often meant being envied, despised, misunderstood, and even hated of their own generation (as was Jesus). Jesus’ journey did not end at the cross. And neither does ours. He said “Follow me”. And so, you read in Revelation of a people who “Follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth”… These were not content to sit at the base of a cross and lament and wring their hands. Seeing and knowing that Christ is raised, and being commanded to follow, they follow in faith.

The Vine becomes the Almond…many sons are delivered into the Glory of the Father. The branches become sons. The Resurrection changes everything.

In the book of Revelation, the name “Ephraim” does not reckon in the final description of the Christ. It is a finished generation. There is none to follow. Jesus said to religious authorities, that they greatly erred, not knowing the scripture, nor the power of God, that, in that life (in Resurrection), they shall be as the angels of God, and not marry. The prophets declared that a seed would serve the Lord, and be accounted to Him for a generation. The gospel of Matthew speaks of the generation of Jesus Christ. Fourteen (two weeks) is a number of passover, which means “skip over”. Jesus is our passover. From Abraham to David are fourteen generations (skip over). From David to the captivity are fourteen generations (skip over). From the captivity until Christ (who is our passover) are fourteen generations. If you count the names given in Matthew 1, when you get to the man Jesus, you are on the thirteenth from the captivity. Is this an error? No! The fourteenth and final generation are as that generation raised with Aaron’s almond staff. They are the children of the resurrection, having passed (skipped over) from death and flesh, to life. From the time the Lord was raised, unto this moment, and until the Father decides to sum it up, the fourteenth and final generation are them begotten to God in Christ. This is not a generation of flesh. It is a Spiritual house.

Jesus, to this day, stands at the door and knocks. The invitation to be a joint heir together with Him in all the fullness of God, still stands. But when once He begins to shut the door, nothing will ever again open it.

“He that overcomes will inherit all things. He will be my son, and I will be his God”.   REV 21:7

“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things IN THE CHURCHES. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star [the star of Joseph’s vision, the resurrection]. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And let him that heareth say, Come”. REV 22

The fruitful vine (Ephraim) will become the Almond (Resurrection Which Is The House Of God). This is the finished fruit. In Christ, every word of scripture is “Yes and amen”. Every promise is fulfilled. Christ in you, means that in you resides everything in the scriptures that was ever delivered by promise. Holding to Him in faith will separate you from all other distinctions.

VALUATION

Revelation 18:9 (KJV) 9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

Daniel 2:31 (KJV) 31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness [was] excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof [was] terrible. This image’s head [was] of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet [that were] of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

Valuation. What is a thing worth? The world is in the grips of an inverted system of evaluation. A system in which a person’s worth is measured by the abundance of his/ her possessions. The things most highly sought after are given the greatest “worth”. So deep is the reach of this perverse system, that the bodies and souls of individuals is now a commodity, although on the present scale of valuation, they are the least valued. The scriptures have warned of them that would even make merchandise of God’s people. And so they have. A vicious circle of deception by which a handful make a career and living off of the gullible.

You are worth the price that was paid for you. A soul in a clay tent redeemed with a life above value. The stone which the builders rejected gave his life, smiting the image in the feet, liberating the clay from the oppressive merchant systems of men, be they civil, political or religious, delivering a people to the Father, the mountain out of which the stone was cut. He did not interest himself with your possessions, nor did he take any political, religious or social place in this present world, though these things were offered him. He sought not yours, but you.

The apostle Paul is a tremendous example. Before his apprehension, he was a religious monster. By today’s standards he would have been called a terrorist. He actively persecuted the Lord’s people, breathing out threatenings and slaughter, on his way to Damascus with letters of authority from priests, to drag men, women, and children back for trial and punishment. The Lord’s way was not to “take him out” with a cruise missile. Rather, the Lord revealed Himself in Paul, and in this man, defined ministry. For Paul said he did not take any man’s gold and silver, but labored with his own hands, so he could provide both for himself and others, and above all, his word was not bought. He was chargeable to no one. And in finishing his course, he did not establish “Saul Of Tarsus Ministries”. He left behind his clay tent with the words, “You see my face no more”. You will find no placards soliciting funds to perpetuate what should not be perpetuated. Paul’s course is finished, his race over, ours is before us.

You are of great worth, worth the life that was forfeited for your soul. And you will not overcome with silver and gold and someone else’s testimony. You will overcome by the worth of your redemption, the word of YOUR testimony, and by not valuing your life in this world above the life that was given for it.

The great merchant system will fall. Whether social, economic, political, or religious. This system will come down. Christ in you, the hope of glory, will not.

ALCHEMY

Alchemy is an influential tradition whose practitioners have, from antiquity, claimed it to be the precursor to profound powers. As described by Paul-Jacques Malouin in The Encyclopedia of Diderot it is the chemistry of the subtlest kind which allows one to observe extraordinary chemical operations at a more rapid pace-ones that require a long time for nature to produce.[1] Definitions of the objectives of alchemy are varied but historically have typically included one or more of the following goals: the creation of the fabled philosopher’s stone; the ability to transmute base metals into the noble metals (gold or silver); and development of an elixir of life, which would confer youth and longevity.

Though alchemy played a significant role in the development of early modern science,[2] it differs significantly from modern science in its inclusion of Hermetic principles and practices related to mythology, magic, religion, and spirituality. It is recognized as a protoscience that contributed to the development of modern chemistry and medicine. Alchemists developed a structure of basic laboratory techniques, theory, terminology, and experimental method, some of which are still in use today. However, alchemists predated modern foundations of chemistry, such as scientific skepticism, atomic theory, the modern understanding of a chemical element and a chemical substance, the periodic table and conservation of mass and stoichiometry. Instead, they believed in four elements, and cryptic symbolism and mysticism was an integral part of alchemical work.

The ostensible goals of alchemy are often given as the transmutation of common metals into gold (known as chrysopoeia), the creation of a panacea, and the discovery of a universal solvent.[3] However, these only highlight certain aspects of alchemy. Alchemists have historically rewritten and evolved their explanation of alchemy, so it is difficult to define it simply.[4] H.J. Sheppard gives the following as a comprehensive summary:

Alchemy is the art of liberating parts of the Cosmos from temporal existence and achieving perfection which, for metals is gold, and for man, longevity, then immortality and, finally, redemption. Material perfection was sought through the action of a preparation (Philosopher’s Stone for metals; Elixir of Life for humans), while spiritual ennoblement resulted from some form of inner revelation or other enlightenment (Gnosis, for example, in Hellenistic and western practices).[5]

Aaron the alchemist

In the absence of apparent leadership, a people will revert to their last perceived place of origin.

It was spoken by the prophet Zechariah in chapter 13 of his book:

“In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.”

The true Exodus is the resurrection. The journey is one of faith. In the example and shadow of things to come, the Lord, by the hand of Moses, brought the children of Jacob up out of the bondage of Egypt, leading them to a land of promise. A land where each could sit on his/her own inherited land, each under his/her own fig and vine, which is a picture painted before, of Christ leading each individual into a place of fellowship in the Father and the Son. In the shadow of things, as long as Moses was visible, the people moved on, sometimes murmuring and complaining, sometimes near revolt, but moving on nonetheless. There were cases where the people wanted to choose leaders to take them back to Egypt and it’s flesh pots…subsistence level rations for slave laborers who took the vain imaginations of the Egyptian man-god Pharaohs, and built the monuments to the living, racing to complete them before their inevitable demise. I one episode, Aaron himself was lead away with this foolishness.

At the base of mount Horeb, Moses was called up into the mount to receive commandments and ordinances. After a time of invisibility, the people came to Aaron and expressed their ties to Egypt in a subtle way: “… for this Moses, we do not know what has become of him. Up, make us our gods which lead us out of Egypt”.

Aaron responded by taking up a collection of gold from all the people. He cast a golden calf, which he himself added the finishing touches to, with an engraver’s tool. He presented it to the people, who “rose up to play” before the idol and ceremoniously defiled themselves among themselves, all with Aaron’s knowledge and all under his watchful eye. When Moses was again in plain sight, Moses demanded to know from Aaron, exactly what was going on. Aaron told Moses, “I cast the gold into the fire, and this calf came out”. A blatant lie. A lie that Aaron was cornered into telling, because the only other way out of the question was to confess his sin and folly. But of course, Moses didn’t buy it. Moses did not need someone to mystically reveal to him, which from among the pantheon of Egyptian gods, was the one who was leading the people out. The Lord who appeared to Moses, revealed in the burning bush, had no origin or place in Egypt. Moses asked the Lord by what name should Moses say that the Lord had sent him? The Lord said , “I AM WHAT I AM. Tell the I AM has sent you”. Moses, in a figure of Christ to come, came from the Father, was sent, and undertook to deliver a people up to the Father: “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24). So, Aaron, caught in a vile situation hat he created with a lie, attempted to perpetuate the lie, which he did because the story he told Moses had to be the same thing he had told the people when he presented them their calf, that their was some hand of mystery, some unexplainable, unseen power, involved in the making of the calf, when in fact there was none, The calf was entirely of Aaron’s making, funded entirely at the expense of the duped people, who the moment they could not see Moses with the natural eye, quickly went to the next perceived authority figure, and started their religious begging. That calf was no more a transmutation from dust to deity, than a piece of bread mambo jumbo-ed over by a clergyman, is somehow turned into Jesus. The bread of heaven does not enter the mouth and exit from the other end. It enters the ear and exits the mouth, via a journey through the mind. Just as Jesus told his bewildered disciples struggling with the analogy of eating His flesh and drinking His blood…. “The words that I speak are spirit and life”. I can not go to a grocery store and buy a loaf of spirit. Aaron’s calf was a lie, from start to finish. And all who participated in it, bore the consequences.

Zechariah 13 tells of the resurrection. It tells of a people who will not love and make a lie. On the cross, the great Shepherd was smitten, and the sheep scattered. In the resurrection, the sheep who know the Shepherd’s voice follow Him.

Alchemy is a practice by which the practitioners endeavor to attain unto three principle accomplishments. The ability to substantiate matter from one thing to another. The quest for a universal elixir ; one cup that will heal all human ills, and the attainment of panacea. A mystical transforming of Adam’s fallen race and it’s attendant “achievements” , into the garden of Eden.

Alchemy is a golden calf. If there are people that believe these things are even remotely possible, there are sheep for the shearing. The alchemist will continue to ply his trade at the expense of the duped.

Jesus may be invisible to the human eye, but He has not left, nor forsaken His own. On the day of Pentecost, the Promise of the Father, the Spirit of Truth came. The same, who is Christ in you, will lead and guide you to all truth, just as Moses, in a figure, lead the children of Jacob.

Christ, as he told in Zechariah, has a people of His resurrection. A people in exodus…spiritual exodus…being partakers of His resurrection. These He does try and purify, as silver and gold are brought through the fire, does He purify them.

Unto the seventh assembly of churches, in the Book of Revelation, does the Lord say, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and  that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches”.

If you read Zechariah 13, and Revelation 3, you will find they are speaking of the same things.

The Kingdom of Heaven is within you…accept no substitute.
The hidden manna is in you…accept no substitute.
If we know that we are the temple of the Lord, and that the Spirit of God dwells in us…accept no substitute.
If both the Father and the Son dwell with you, make their abode with you, and share their table with you; make no place for another Jesus, Another spirit, another gospel, nor another father. Accept no substitute.

2 JOHN 1:9

“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”

The Father’s house, built in resurrection, is a house of many houses, much as a Father with many sons, has his genetics written in each of them….many sons lead unto glory.

In that house, though there be many houses, in each abides one and the same Father.

ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTE

THEY CLERGIED MY VESTURE-OUR NAME IS CLERIC FOR WE ARE MANY
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Psa 22:18
They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture

Mat 27:35
And they crucified him, and parted his garments, CASTING LOTS: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they CAST LOTS.

Jhn 19:24
They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but CAST LOTS for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did CAST LOTS. These things therefore the soldiers did.
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βάλλω (Ballo) “cast”

1)to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls

to scatter, to throw, cast into

to give over to one’s care uncertain about the result

of fluids

to pour, pour into of rivers

to pour out

2)to put into, insert

κλῆρος (Kleros) “lots”

1)an object used in casting or drawing lots, which was either a pebble,or a potsherd, or a bit of wood

A)the lots of several persons concerned, inscribed with their names, were thrown together into a vase, which was then shaken, and he whose lot fell out first upon the ground was the one chosen

2) what is obtained by lot, allotted portion

A)a portion of the ministry common to the apostles

B)used of the part which one will have in eternal salvation

1)of salvation itself

2)the eternal salvation which God has assigned to the saints

C)of persons

1)those whose care and oversight has been assigned to one [allotted charge], used of Christian churches, the administration of which falls to the lot of presbyters

The word “cleric” and “clergy” come directly from the word “kleros”. It is the idea of drawing straws, rolling the dice, what have you. The idea that Christ was crucified, and left behind an authority  vacuum needing to be filled, and that that “vesture” of office and authority was to be divided up and shared by an elitist clergy cult, is the basis of the Clergy-laity error in most assemblies today. Jesus Christ came expediently, precisely as he told us, when on the full day of Pentecost, the Spirit of Christ, which IS his vesture, came. Yes, the Spirit of Truth, the Promise of the Father, came. And what was accomplished, what was imparted, is clearly defined in Ephesians 4:

“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;One Lord, one faith, one baptism,One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ…”

A measure of this is in every one who is in Christ. One God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in you all. This plainly reveals that NO member of the body of Christ has access to the Father through any other member. That concept belongs to the domain of them who themselves do not enter in to the kingdom, and they prevent them that would, giving themselves to be the very embodiment of the authority of God. That position belongs to ALL who are in Christ…not just some.

The elitist kleros/clergy culture has many voices. Many heads. Many confusing things to say and impose upon others, while seldom, if ever, lifting a finger to move any one of these impositions itself.

The one Lord vs. the many is depicted clearly in the gospels, portrayed by two situations separated by a body of water. On one side, Jesus, with many individuals attending to his words. On the other side of the barrier, a place called the land of the Gadarenes. This name means “reward after”…the idea that everything we are called to and given to know are in the “afterlife”, not the here and now. And that we are shepherded and guided by an elite cult of learned individuals. Jesus once heard the tormented cry of a disciple of this place. He crossed the waters and encountered a man who lived in the tombs. He was tormented with a head full of many voices…many teachers…many doctrines. Though they fettered and chained him, they could not control or contain him. They had no answers to ease his torment, as the basis of their system was “everything will be clear in the bye and bye..all lies on the other side of the tomb”. Given this premise, it is no wonder the tormented soul lived among the tombs. According to the doctrine of the place, it is the closest place to all the answers he sought. Jesus asked, “What is your name?”. The answer is astonishing. “MY name is Legion, for WE are many”. And indeed, it would be quite maddening to attempt to cobble together a single voice out of the myriads of voices vying for his ear. Jesus drove the vile, confusion of voices from the man’s head, and the result is worthy of a painting. The man was found clothed, in his right mind,and learning in peace at the feet of the living Word of God.

It will probably ruffle some feathers, but be that as it may, It would be no stretch to say “My name is clergy for we are many”. (Just as the Lord spoke by Jeremiah):

Jer 12:10
“Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.”

Psalm 133 reveals that the warp and weave of the linen garment of priest craft, is eliminated by the anointing. For by the anointing, does every member hold expressly to the head. The Spirit of the Father was Jesus’ office,his garment, and still is. Christ, as Elijah before in the figure of Ephesians 4, did not divest Himself of the Spirit of the Father. He brings us into this with Himself. Elijah was not dead in resurrection. He did not give up anything. Neither is Jesus now dead, and neither has He ceased to be what He is. And what He is, he shares with each, without surrendering any of what He is.