Mythology Buster

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.

Mat 1:1

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Χριστός,”Christ”

Christ = “anointed”

Heb 6:1

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

2Jo 1:6

And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 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. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 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.

“He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”

A number of times in scripture, a saying is used:

… ”But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree…”

Another saying is used, which is like it:

Jer 31:32

“…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. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. ”

The very word “Christ” means “anointed”. But as it pertains to Jesus Christ, and to as many in whom Christ is, it is the Spirit of God of which we speak. It should not be reduced in meaning to any lesser thing in the mind. It is not a little oil in a flask stored under a lectern, to be daubed on someone’s head. It is not that “special” quality that constitutes the calling or authority of God in a select cultus of priest or clergy. It is not some wisp like presence that can come and go from a gathering, as if the Spirit of the Lord comes and goes at beck and call. The Spirit of Christ lives and abides in them that are his.

When Jesus was about to end his great work, he spoke how that he came from the Father, and returned to the Father. And further, how that he would not leave us orphaned (without a father), nor forsaken, nor in any way , shape or form, as a headless, cowering people, huddled in fear until he “comes back”. He said “I go to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”. Everything Jesus spoke on this matter, by way of promise, he fulfilled expediently, or as he put it as he spoke concerning the matter, “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence”.

Malachi, speaking by the Spirit, said that the Lord would send his messenger who would prepare the Lord’s way before him. And that then, the Lord, whom we seek, would suddenly come to his temple even the messenger of the covenant, whom we delight in. John the baptist was that messenger, and Jesus Christ is that Lord. For John bare witness that the Spirit came to Jesus, and abode with him. When all the fullness of the Spirit was given to him, he became both the temple, and the Lord. When Jesus later uttered the words, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days”, he was speaking of himself, that is, the temple of his body, and all that abode therein, would again dwell therein forever. Consider carefully that in him dwelt all the fullness of the godhead bodily. When Jesus was raised up, the temple was rebuilt. And he was subsequently glorified exactly as he had said before; “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was”.

The Spirit of God, who is a spirit, is that “Cloud” into which Christ was received up. Jesus did not depart from one point of the creation to another. He was received up of the Father.

On the full day of Pentecost, that is, the fulfilling, once and forever, of everything shadowed before by the religious feast, everything that Jesus spoke of concerning how that he would not leave us fatherless (orphaned), he would never leave or forsake us, & etc., all were fulfilled when in the temple which was no more a temple, a small group of people who were not as yet a people, were gathered together in one accord, and there came unto them, as the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and with the appearance “as it were” of flames upon their heads, that same Spirit which had raised Christ from the dead, now to dwell forever, in a people…in the “clouds” of heaven, if you will. From that day and forward, until this very present moment, many souls were and are, added to the Lord daily. (Acts 5:14).

“He that abideth in the doctrine of the Anointed, he hath both the Father and the Son”.

Any thing; any entity, any “church”, any teaching, any spirit, that resists and refuses to confess that Jesus CHRIST is come in a people, exactly as Jesus promised he would, is another Christ, and a deceiver. The apostle Paul wrote and warned carefully, with many tears, everyplace he spoke for three years, of “Another Jesus, another spirit, another gospel”(2Cor11). Christ in you, is the hope of glory. Not Christ somewhere out there in the nethersphere, not Christ waiting in parts unknown, to begin a trip back to planet earth, not Christ in an “anointed” priest or pastor. None of these concepts will avail you anything. Only Christ IN YOU, provides any hope that where he is, there you are also, and when and as he is revealed, together with him , and as he is revealed, so shall you be revealed also.

Now, all are not yet revealed as it shall be revealed, but when he shall be revealed, then shall we who are in him, and he in us…then shall we be revealed together with him in glory. And this glory is not a light show, or Hollywood special effects. The Glory which which He ( and His people) are glorified, is the Father. The book of Revelation, is the book of ἀποκάλυψις. It is pronounced “ä-po-kä’-lü-psēs”. The “apocalypse”, the “Revealing” is, and should well be, a fearful contemplation for this present age. But it should not be so viewed of the Lord’s people. The very opening words of the book of Revelation (revealing) teach you all of which I write, in a nut shell:

“The UNVEILING of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him, to show to His Servants…”. The Lord, by His Spirit in His Servants, does teach them concerning all that they have in Christ, and all that shall be revealed of Christ in them, in due season. The book of the Revelation is not according to man’s chronology, but the Lord’s. It is not carnal, it is Spiritual. It is not for the world, or for humanity at large, it is for His Servants, and it concerns that upon which all the creation travails and waits upon…the manifestation of the sons of God. Jude, writing in the preamble to the book of the Revealing, tells you that the Lord “Cometh with ten thousands of His Saints…”. The door to this unspeakable inheritance is still open. Whomsoever will, is bidden, and is free to “come” and drink of these waters (learn of the Spirit yourself) freely. Truly, our fellowship is the Father and the Son. This is the meaning of being under your Vine and Fig. Jesus is the Vine, we the branches. The Fig is used throughout scripture, to depict the father, who alone can reveal Christ in you, for who and what Christ is. (Consider Nathaniel under the Fig tree)(Consider Judges 9).

Jesus, when it was known that he spoke of going away, was grilled with questions then, just as now, concerning his “returning” and “restoring” the fallen nation of Jacob’s offspring. Things have changed little over two millennium. The expectation of a man sitting upon a piece of furniture and making flesh behave, has not yet been let go by the multitudes. All the dashed expectations of the disciples who left the place of the crucifixion for Emmaus, largely are still held onto, the expectation that Jesus was going to sit on a chair and make everything all better. When asked, Jesus said it is not given to us to know the times and seasons the Father has put in His own power. (A day or an hour that will be decided upon when it is decided upon, can not be known before). But Jesus went on to say , “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come unto you…”

Let the reader understand…the “Power”, the Spirit of the Father, the one who shall decide, what and when He decides, is in a people, and shall be revealed from a people. Standing about gawking up into space, or trying to ferret out a day on a calendar that does not exist, is absolute futility. Look for His coming, yes, but look for it from whence it will come. The Kingdom of God is within you.

1Co 3:16

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

The above saying, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, to a carnal , not spiritual people, trying to help them. In both his writings to them, Paul reveals they are carnal. There are more “Know ye not?” sayings to Corinthians, than in any other book of scripture. A people who thought carnally, and were largely clueless as to what was in them.

The transition from Hebrews 6:1, to 2 John 1:6 is a growing process. It leaves the carnal behind, and presses into the substance of Christ in you , the hope of glory. This journey is made with THE TEACHER. We are called to grow into Him, in all things. This, each individual does, holding to the Head. We , each of us hold to the Head, by the Spirit of Christ in us. Every one under his/her vine and fig. Every individual fulfilling the doctrine of CHRIST, every individual who has BOTH THE FATHER AND THE SON.

By the Anointing, you are attached to everything Christ is.

Mar 6:39
And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green (G5515) grass.

Rev 6:8
And I looked, and behold a pale (G5515) horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Rev 8:7
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green (G5515) grass was burnt up.

Rev 9:4
And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, (G5515) neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

The verses above all have one thing in common. It is the word “green”. The word is from the Greek “Chloros”, from which we have our word “chlorophyll”, which is the substance in plant life that facilitates photosynthesis, the converting of water and carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen. I do not know why translators translated “chloros” to “green” in three verses, and “pale” in another. I believe the failure to see from the beginning of the book of Revelation, that the book is written in significations…signs, symbolic meanings and metaphors, etc., played into it, though I do not know. To anyone who can not see through signs and metaphors, a “green” horse is inconceivable. The word “chloros” is used for the pale green of new plant life, the yellow-green of new growth. Look at a thriving plant in Summer and you will see the “pale” green of the new growth. So, to the mind that is inflexible, a “chloros” horse must be a “pale” horse. But the truth is, there are no horses at all in Revelation 6. A horse is used, among other things, to depict a vehicle, a conveyance, upon which something is transported abroad. The fourth and final “conveyance” of Revelation 6 is the GREEN horse, it is the GREEN issues we hear so much about. Jesus once chided the Scribes and Pharisees who were always asking for a sign. Jesus told them they could read the sky and see what the weather would be, but could not discern the signs of their times. The “green” issue is a sign of our times. Every civil and religious authority in the many headed conglomerate that has arisen out of the sea of humanity, is now, or will shortly be, riding on this “horse”. A lot of human suffering will follow this power grab. For the objective is not to “save” the planet, It is to control the planet, and everything that lives and breathes on it. The same things were shown before in Daniel’s day, manifest in the life and dreams/visions of Nebuchadnezzar. It is noted, that Daniel stated that the understanding and interpretation of these things , were for their sakes to whom the understanding was given. Namely, Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael. From the first dream, Nebuchadnezzar never understood the meaning. The vision was about the non-descript stone that brought the image down, and the clay in the feet. Inasmuch as it was shown Nebuchadnezzar that he was the head of gold, he presumes the vision to be about him. Hence the next thing he does, seeing the demise of the first image, is to build another image ALL of gold. He could not conceive of a world in which he was not the potentate, the spokesman for the heavens, and the most important, glorious, and imposing thing on the planet. In the first dream, clay enlightened by the stone destroys his image. In the second image, faith of three men walking with one “like unto the son of God” destroys his image. The third episode is like the first two. His mind is depicted as a great sprawling green tree that everything must lodge in and function in. It too, is hewed down in the dream, which is fulfilled when he looses his mind for a time. He never, at any time seemed to grasp, that the power and the kingdom are the Lord’s, and that , as the Lord proved to Nebuchadnezzar, the Lord choses from the basest of men, and sets them in authority:

“This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”

The other three “horses” and their “colors” also teach you something. Bread is white, wine is red, tarnished silver is black. The picture is of an image, not unlike what Nebuchadnezzar saw. A religious/political entity composed of components of descending importance, and increasing numbers. It is the colors of a priesthood. Silver often in scripture depicts redemption. Tarnished, or corrupt silver, is black. Let the reader understand.

The great “green” horse of Revelation will also come down. Consider carefully, that the book of the bible ends with a great, rootless tree. It does not draw living water…it dispenses it. It’s leaves are for the healing of the nations. It’s leaves do not convert outer light into food and oxygen, they convert inner light. It does not bask in reflected light, it shines “as the stars of heaven”.

It too, is a signification. It is not a tree, it is a resurrected, glorified man, and all them raised and glorified with Him. This is also signified before, in Aaron’s resurrected almond rod. That rod was raised rootless, leaf, branch and flower, along with an entire crop of almonds…a generation raised with it. In that condition, it was placed in the ark of the testimonies of God. To do this, it passed between the show bread and the golden lamp stand. The lamp stand was made to emulate a fruiting almond, as you may read and find. Similarly, the manna in the golden pot placed in the ark, also passed between the lamp stand and show bread, which show bread too, merely stood until the true and greater things were fulfilled in the ark.

Christ in you, is the resurrection (as Aaron’s rod depicted) and the Life (as the manna in the golden pot depicted). The false horsemen of Revelation 6 are overcome by the White horseman and horsemen with Him, of Revelation 19. All are clothed with his righteousness, there is no descending order. All have the bread of His word in their mouths, springing forth from the abundance of their hearts. The miracles of the loaves and fishes is comprehended in the latter end of the events, when the baskets full are gathered in. These baskets of supply came from the formerly needy.

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it proceed the issues (wellsprings) of life.

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. It does not belong to the rider and riders of the green horse. They will learn this. The meek will inherit the earth, the wicked will be cut off from it. They will learn this too.

OFFENSE…THE ANTI-PEACE

Mat 24:6

And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.All these are the beginning of sorrows.Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Jhn 14:26

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

“Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another”.

The true prophet is the Comforter.

The use of the word “offense” is widespread in the gospels and new testament. It is worth studying. The word is from the Greek:

σκανδαλίζω (skän-dä-lē’-zō):
1. to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, metaph. to offend

A)to entice to sin

B)to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey

1.to cause to fall away

2.to be offended in one, i.e. to see in another what I disapprove of and what hinders me from acknowledging his authority

3.to cause one to judge unfavorably or unjustly of another

C)since one who stumbles or whose foot gets entangled feels annoyed

1.to cause one displeasure at a thing

2.to make indignant

3.to be displeased, indignant

The root of the word is “Skandalon”, which is the trip stick, or trip mechanism of a trap. Reading Matthew 24:6 , one finds a progression:

“Then shall many be trapped, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another”.

When understanding the meaning of the word, certain sayings make a little more sense:

“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

Even in nature, there is the example, as gruesome as it is, of a trapped animal that will gnaw off it’s own limb, in order to escape from a snare. The animal probably has no real concept of who and what is behind the situation it finds itself in, but the intent is to either make a meal, or a garment out of it.

The message is pretty clear. If I allow myself to be offended by everything and every one around me, it is I who am in a trap. The progression that follows, if I do not extricate myself, is to hate what I see in another person, and then set my hand to some work and effort to extinguish the thing about them, and all like them, that “offends” me. The prospect of successfully navigating through this life, without falling into the trap that brings me expressely into the “land of the offended”, is a daunting one, but I can not escape the exhortation:, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”. Jesus was tempted in every possible way you or I can also be tempted, yet without sin. He overcame it all, and became the Prince of Peace. By his Spirit does he send , in and unto any that will have it, his peace, which is not as the world defines peace. So, within my own borders, I have peace. Always, I endeavor, to keep that peace, and not be snared by any “offense”.

Jesus said to the tempter, “Get behind me, you are always an offense to me”. In spite of this, Jesus endured, and was never “offended”. He was never taken in that snare. Never. Consider that once, something Jesus had said or done, offended a group of religious authorities. His own disciples asked Jesus whether he cared that he had offended them. The answer, “But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch”.

Had Jesus “cared” about the trap they were in, he would have had a foot in the same snare, being in a state of “offense” about their “offense”. If you read of Jesus’ initial wilderness experience one on one with the tempter, you find that the tempter “departed from him for a season”. The resumption of it often manifested itself in the mouth of disciples. The same example is laid down in the book of Job, beginning in a heavenly arena, and concluding in the mouths of his three “friends”. Jesus, however, was never taken in it. Even in the act of betraying Jesus, Jesus called Judas “friend”.

“Let them alone”:
“ἀφίημι αὐτός ἀφίημι”
“We have our path, they have theirs”.

In other words, Jesus undertook no effort to find some common ground, some point of commonality. To look for such will lead to the same ditch that they blindly feel their way along, holding tightly to one another, and being herded by whatever course the “ditch” is taking.

We have His peace, the world has it’s form of peace. The two are incompatible. The world’s peace has no place of acceptance for what is in me. It is a tough road to navigate, but the alternative is a trade off. I am not willing to make that trade. I have learned, to the extent possible, to live peaceably with all men, without imposing myself on any, nor giving ground within. The parting of Abraham and Lot is a very interesting study. They could no longer live together. So it was preferable to separate, that to fight. It is very notable, that AFTER that Lot was departed from Abraham, the word of the Lord, by promise, came to Abraham. Abraham ended up dwelling in his own “tent door”, Lot ended up “sitting in the gate of Sodom”, which means he was a judge and an “elder”, involving himself for the good (so he convinced himself) in the affairs of the place. The tent door is a picture of your own heart. The gate of Sodom, a picture of the blind leading the blind. Remember the admonition, “As it was in the days of Lot, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man”. In the days of Lot, all the promise of God, as a seed, abode by faith, in the heart of one man. The same one who abides in your heart by faith. The same one who says “Let not your heart be troubled”.

CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY

Jhn 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

Jhn 14:3 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.

Jhn 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Jhn 7:15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.And this will we do, if God permit.

2Jo 1:7 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.Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.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.If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Waters below, waters above. The photograph is of Mount Hermon as seen from the shores of a lake, probably the Sea of Galilee. Jesus no doubt saw this very scene. It was said in scripture, that Jesus sometime resorted to a mountain alone to escape the sea of humanity and his dealings with it. Though not specifically identified, the mountain he resorted to , in truth, was the Father.

The snows of Hermon when melting, seep into the limestone constitution of the mountain, and emerge as springs seemingly springing from the mountain. The source of the Jordan, it’s headwaters, once gushed from a cave in Hermon, but now have slowed to a trickle, reminiscent of the declaration of prophecy, concerning the drying of the Euphrates, signifying that the mystery of God should be completed.

Jesus once took three disciples with himself on one of these times of resorting to a mountain alone. There these three witnessed something which Peter later wrote of :

“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 God the Father honour 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.”

You may directly juxtapose this account with words of the prophet Isaiah, who is speaking of Christ, who alone, is the Israel of God:

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.”

And again , as Jesus further testified :

“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

Now, what of the events that Peter, James and John experienced, and wrote of? What are the circumstances? While ministering to the multitudes, and wearied with the work of it, Jesus takes these three with him to a place. In this place, the Glory of the Father overshadows all. There appear with Jesus, in similar glorified appearance, Moses and Elijah, conversing with Jesus about the things Jesus would accomplish. Peter fearfully says “Let us build three booths (houses), one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah”. The answer from the Father: “This is my Son. Hear Him”. The Father has one house. But consider what the disciples must have seen Moses and Elijah to look like, standing with Christ in the Glory of the Father, prompting the idea of equal billing. These events , Peter later called this experience, the witnessing of the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, descending from this wonderful experience, they come again to the multitude, finding them, as always, grappling with, and disputing and debating about, some problem of flesh. What Jesus said, leaving the refreshment of the Father, and walking back into this scene, when I first grasped it, shook me to the bones. “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?”.

 Looking at the photograph, I consider the sea of Galilee, the events that played out there, the sometimes raging waves and blowing winds. Then I look at the soothing scene of the Mount Hermon, whose waters provide the only healing, and fresh supply to all beneath. I ask myself, If we are called to be with Christ where He is, and share with Him in the Glory He had with the Father before the world was, can I receive teaching of this, the doctrine of Christ, the mystery of Godliness, which is the fullness of God in a people, if I can not stop thinking of everything in terms of the present world, and the things which are passing away? I don’t believe it possible. If I take everything He teaches me, and apply it to some application of flesh, will I hit the mark? I don’t think so.

 Reading Hebrews 6 shows the same experience that Peter, James and John experienced on the mount. If I have tasted of the one, I can never again find solace in the other. Hebrews 6:1 speaks of “perfection”. It means bringing something to completion… to realize it’s full potential. A baby, 6 months old, is a perfect 6 month old. A 50 year old that lives in a crib and looks like a 6 month old baby is not a “perfect” man. Something is wrong.

Deu 4:47
And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;From Aroer, which is by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon,And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah.

Psa 132:13
For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.

Psa 133:1
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion (WHICH IS HERMON): for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
Jerusalem beneath is neither the city of David (Which is Bethlehem), nor is it Zion. The rest that remains for His people, is the same rest Jesus had, and we have. The Father is the Sabbath. He is our rest, not any ritualistic observance in the ancient city of the Jebusites, not any day of the week. Everything to do with those places is work.

“Hitherto My Father works, and I work also.” (John 5:17)

Jhn 4:21

“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews (Judah means praise/worship). But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.”

Gen 9:12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

TOKEN: ***“sign,signal”

Deu 32:10
He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

Psa 17:8
Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

Pro 7:2
Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

Lam 2:18
Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.

Zec 2:8
For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

APPLE: ***“pupil” (of the eye)

Rev 4:3
And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

Rev 10:1
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

RAINBOW: ***“Iris”

*** definitions per STRONG’S CONCORDANCE
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The “Apple” of the Father’s eye is Christ. The everlasting covenant is with Christ. There is no other everlasting covenant. Christ in you is what the SYMBOLS of Gen. 9:12, and Rev. 4:3 and 10:1 are symbolizing. The SUBSTANCE of the symbols is realized when Christ is seen in the individual. The “clouds of heaven” are not water vapor. The Cloud that overshadowed the mount of transfiguration was not water vapor. Jesus, being glorified, was not received up into water vapor. The throne that Christ in you gives bold access to, is not a chair floating around in water vapor. SYMBOLS must, at some time, be seen through to the substance of their message. Christ is come in a people, and will be fully revealed in a people. Water vapor has nothing to do with it.

Mount Hermon is the headwaters of what you may study in the geography of the land that the Lord moved Abram to, then made clear to Abram, was not the true inheritance. Abraham saw Christ’s day and rejoiced for a reason. The geography of the figurative land of promise is rich in SYMBOLIC meaning, but is no more the land of promise than a cloud of vapor is the kingdom of God. HERMON means “Sanctuary”. Hermon is a snow (water) covered mountain with many peaks…a sanctuary of sanctuaries, a holy of holies, a house of many houses. It is called a mountain of mountains in some languages. It is written, “The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the tops of the mountains”. Psalm 133 will teach you a tremendous lesson concerning what is in you, if so be the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead, dwell in you. By the anointing, we each hold directly and expressly to the head. By the anointing, the warp and weave of the linen garment symbolizing priest and clergy craft is bypassed. By the anointing (not by might nor strength) do we each have fellowship with the Father and the Son, which is our fellowship. “He that hath the doctrine of Christ, hath both the Father and the Son”.

All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily. By one Spirit are we made into one body. This is SYMBOLIZED by the rainbow in the clouds. This is what John saw and signified with a throne, jasper and sardine stone, a rainbow,an emerald, etc.

To say He was received up into a cloud, is to say He was received up into the Father. To say He cometh with clouds, is to say He was successful in bringing many sons unto glory, and it will be revealed. When once the individual comprehends that the Christ is filled with ALL the fullness of God, he or she ceases to search further for a temple. He or she has passed from a seeker to a finder, and thereafter walks in what they have found. He or she is no more a child, tossed to and fro. The failure to see something does not make it null. Jesus, while still in a body like yours, was asked by a disciple, “Show us the Father”. Jesus said, “Have I been with you all this time and you have not known me?” What is in Him, by faith, is also in you.

Rom 5:10
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

You were reconciled by His death, but you are saved by His very life in you.

THE WINDS AND DOCTRINE OF MAN

AND THE HUMAN HEART

Jesus had just performed a miraculous feeding of above five thousand, with five Barley loaves and two small fish. When it was seen what Jesus had done, and what he was capable of doing, it was decided to take him forcefully, and make him a king. Seeing what was afoot, Jesus removed himself alone into a high mountain. When evening came, and Jesus was not to be found, the disciples entered a ship, left Tiberias, and headed for Capernaum, on the other side of the sea, on their own. Being about twenty or thirty furlongs off shore (roughly 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 miles), the winds began to blow, and the seas became very rough. Then the disciples saw Jesus coming to them, walking upon the water, and they were afraid, supposing they had seen a ghost. He told them not to be afraid, identified himself to them, and was received into the ship.

IMMEDIATELY, the ship was at the land they were headed for…

In the world, ships traverse the seas. In the scriptures, the seas are very often depicting humanity. Storms and wind driven rain can sink ships. Paul, in the book to the Ephesians, compares the doctrine and teaching, the imposed thinking of men, to winds.

It is a simple, but clear message. As we navigate the sea of humanity during our time of sojourning here, ours is not a vessel whose destination is defined by geography and where distinctions of humanity congregate, whether political distinctions, religious distinctions, social distinctions, or any other. Ours is a vessel whose destination is defined by, and fulfilled by who is on board with us.

The ability to walk upon a raging sea and not be concerned by it, is a matter of faith, as Peter learned if you read the account in John 6. In Ephesians, Paul shows us that it is very doable.

Isa 40:7
The grass therewith, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

1Pe 1:24
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

On our little plot in the North Carolina mountains, we have four apple trees and about fifty blueberry bushes. We also have two honey bee hives. As Winter finally gave way to Spring, everything bloomed. The aroma of apple blossoms was very pleasant, as was the smell of so many blueberry blossoms. The sight of them was also very pleasant. Seeing the honey bees working these blossoms gave the expectation of good things to come. Now the flowers, all but a few late stragglers, are faded and gone. In the place where each was visited by the bees, is a developing fruit. In the place where no bee visited, there is now nothing. This seasonally repeated spectacle teaches us about many things. Among these lessons is the fact that every flower bloomed, every flower had it’s moment in the sun, and every flower faded. But only the flowers that were visited and pollinated, have a future. Only the pollinated flowers are followed with the result of having genetic material delivered to it. The future of the flower is fruit. In this great phenomenon is written the message that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Without this word, there is no future.

Jesus, still in flesh, spoke that he must go away, and that he must come again to you. He departed from flesh and comes again in the power of the Spirit, to build his Father’s house. A disciple , troubled by these things, asked “how will you reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”. The answer:”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”. The story related above teaches these truths. What is sown a natural body , is raised a spiritual. There is only one way possible to be with Him where He is, and to see the glory He had with the Father before the world was. Without the Spirit, it is no more possible for me to have a future with Him, than the apple blossom has a future without the work of the bee. The Spirit of Christ, the very word of God in you, is the only hope of glory. The choice is clear. Study the world day by day, and it’s perverse proceedings, and have no future, or, as the Lord said it, “What will it profit you to gain the whole world, and lose your soul?”…or set your affections on things above, commune with the Lord in your heart, believe what He reveals in you, and have a future. He is building His Father’s house.

Psalm 132

A Song of degrees. LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions:How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids,Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood. We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool.Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.For thy servant David’s sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.

So did David speak, by the Spirit of Christ in him, concerning all that would be accomplished by the one David called LORD. The one who comes to us by the same Spirit, to do all that it was told before, concerning how that He would build the Father’s house.

1Pe 2:5
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.