Mythology Buster

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
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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.

THE WAY OF PEACE

Heb 2:10

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Psa 23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Job 10:20

Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

Isa 9:2

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
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Day and night,Light and Matter,Spirit and Flesh. Reading the account of creation in Genesis, as told Moses, and as he so wrote, it is declared that in the day God created man, in His likeness and image created He him, male and female created He them. Light and dark can, and do mean different things. And in man was the power to become. In the midst of the garden, was the tree of life. This garden is not a geographic location, but is described only as being found by moving in a direction…Eastward. Eastward is the motion of the face of the earth that causes the sun rise. Eastward is the descriptive direction of a spiritual truth, that the light shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The day dawns and the Day Star arises in the heart, leading and guiding unto all truth. He is the truth. Christ is the fullness.In Him is hid all the treasure of knowledge and wisdom, and you , by the Spirit, have access to His fullness.

In the garden was also planted another “tree”. It was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Man was charged that in the day he ate of that tree or touched it, he would surely die. And so, the great adversary, the tempter came. He asks a question. May you eat of all the trees of the garden? The answer was, “Of the trees of the garden we may freely eat. But of the tree which is in the midst of the garden has God said we may not eat or touch, lest we die”. The conditions were at work for deception. Somehow, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was now central in the mind, not the tree of life. This error of thinking was present in Eve before the tempter asked the first question. For the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was “also” in the garden, but was not the central thing by any means. How it became so in the mind, I do not know.

So the man and the woman took of the fruit and did eat. And so, in the day they ate, they died. It may have taken a long space of years for their flesh to lose it’s animation, but they were assuredly and completely dead. The “fall” as it is called, was not from flesh to flesh. It was from something higher, something created in God’s likeness, something with the power to become what was seen, handled and tasted in due order, to dead yet animated flesh. So great was the depth and degree of the fall, that what man former was, was no longer discernible in the “garden”. What the Lord formerly saw of man in the garden simply was no longer there. Adam began as dust, was raised and elevated to a place of potential…a place of the power to become like that of which he was fashioned after, and he fell again to the lowest and basest form of his origins. “For dust thou art, and to dust shalt thou return”. It is this basest , lowest form of man, now going about in skin, as any other animal, that is named as the serpent’s meat.

The fear of death can be stifling. It can be incapacitating. The primal urge to preserve one’s flesh is powerful. In light of the fact that fallen flesh is the serpents meat, it is no coincidence that the solution to man’s woes alway seem to boil down to death. Death to all who do not belong to the particular camp and segment of fleshly distinction. We are right…ours is the way…all others deserve death. All who do not conform to our way of thinking, deserve to be exterminated. What a banquet…what a grand buffet for the one who is given flesh for his meat. The problem with this form of thinking is that no flesh is justified in the Lord’s sight. All have sinned. All have fallen short of the glory of God. What Adam presently is, is what the scriptures call the region and shadow of death. Every man and woman born into the world must navigate the valley of the shadow of death. To successfully navigate it, one must come to fear no evil. Them who are all their lifetime, in bondage due to the fear of death, and him who had power over them through this fear, must overcome this.

To make the message short and concise, Jesus had to taste of death for every one of us. But more than this, He gives to us to have life in ourselves as He has life in Himself. The life of the Father…unending, perpetual, needing no maintaining via food, drink, or protection from calamity. Indissoluble; not able to be broken down and extinguished. Honor, immortality, eternal life. Christ in you. There is no camp and distinction of flesh that is 100% right, and all the others 100% wrong. All of these camps, I must navigate as I pass through this valley, and to be successful, I can not pitch my tent in any of them. The way of peace is not known to them. To love them that hate you, persecute you and spitefully use you, is a tall order. Nevertheless, love them I must. If I live all my life in the fear of what may happen to my life in this world, whether by calamity, disease, natural forces, man made destructions, what have you…if I obsess over these things, fret over them, cast up mental contingencies and plans of reacting to what may come, rather than walk in faith from day to day,
I have to wonder if there is any wisdom in this. Studying the life that David navigated through faith, I have to conclude that the Lord will make a way, and his grace will be sufficient for me, and see me through each and every trial, as the need arises. The problem with contingencies is that things change. But the Lord does not change.Contingencies formed by limited foresight  are tenuous. The Lord has no limits of vision. And His way is to meet every need, as the need arises. The electric receptacles in my house connect my house to all the supply I need. Bolts of lightning do not jump out of the wall. But the power is there. When the house is cold, the furnace is supplied. When dark, the lights are available. If I want to cook, the stove works. What my energy needs are…are met. No more…no less. This “way of peace” is not known to the world. It can not be taught to the world. His peace is not the world’s peace…it is not the “death to the infidel” mantra of carnal religious, political and social thinkers. The only death requisite to bring us into His peace, was His own death. No one else need die.

Jesus, speaking to the first disciples and apostles, began to speak of this. He said how that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of men, and that they would crucify Him, and he would rise again the third day. Then Peter actually began to rebuke Jesus, saying this will never happen to him. Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind me Satan, you are an offense to me: for you savor not the things of God, but of men”. Jesus was not calling Peter “Satan”, but Jesus was identifying where Peter’s thinking at that moment, was coming from. To “savor” one’s food, where the adversary is concerned, hearkens all the way to the fall. Falling into a snare of the adversary often results in falling into some camp of thinking…some distinction of fallen man, be it religious, or political or social.

It is written, “Having begun in the Spirit, are we made perfect in the flesh?”

To the churches who have been duped into taking up the causes of flesh: “Remember from whence you are fallen”.

To the faithful: It’s a jungle out there. The Lord made a way for you to navigate it. The place to which you are risen, and seated in Christ is in the heavens. It is not carnal. The throne spoken of , and quoted above in Isaiah 9, is not a piece of furniture in a stick and stone edifice, in an earthly city. It is what David saw what he saw the resurrected , glorified Son of man, and said, “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand”. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.

DIFFERENT ISRAEL- DIFFERENT HOUSE

Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Hos 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

Mat 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

1Pe 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,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.

Isaiah 11 speaks of the redemption. The purchasing of a people to Himself, the right of the Kinsman Redeemer. In this prophetic declaration, Isaiah says:

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt”.

A rod out of a stem…a branch out of a root. A declaration worthy of contemplation. A tree hewed down shall sprout a branch. A branch growing out of the root. A root is a source of supply to a tree. It gathers nutrients and conveys them via sap. Clearly, the Spirit of the Lord is the “Root” of which this Branch shall grow….”And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him”. In Christ Jesus, post resurrection, do the faithful drink of the supply of the one in whom all the supply dwelt:

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning”.

The Spirit of the Lord of whom Isaiah spoke, Jesus also is speaking. And in his declaration, Isaiah hearkens to the events of Jesse’s life. Jesse is the son of Obed. Obed is the son of Ruth by Boaz. When reading the account in the book of Ruth, you will find the principal of the Kinsman Redeemer at work. It was often referred to as “Raising the name of the dead upon his inheritance”. Naomi’s two sons died, leaving her without a namesake. Her daughter in law, Ruth, would not leave her, but eventually returns with her to Ephratah (Bethlehem), where Boaz becomes Ruth’s husband and Naomi’s Kinsman Redeemer, buying and restoring to Naomi, all that was lost to her when her two sons died. Referencing the marriage of Boaz to Ruth, the people of Bethlehem (Ephratah) declared:

“We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman”.

When Ruth conceived and gave birth to Obed, the people declared a thing:

“And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed…”

Notice that it was recognized a son was born to Naomi by Ruth. This is just as Seth, the man of figurative resurrection was given to Eve to take the place of Abel, whom Cain slew, which if reading, you find the generations of Adam go on to be declared in Seth. No further mention of Cain is made in Adam.

Perhaps of greatest note in Isaiah’s declaration is that this branch who sprang from Jesse’s root will build a house, but not build again, the house to which he formerly belonged. For of this one to be born in Bethlehem, did the people bless and prophesy, calling his house LIKE the house which Rachel and Leah built, but not the same house. If Christ , in resurrection , sits at the right hand of the Father, and David calls Him Lord, how is He David’s son? and therefore, how is His house David’s house?

The one of whom we speak is Christ Jesus, filled with the Spirit of God, made our Kinsman Redeemer by His death (paying all debt), and Himself raised by the same Spirit, which Spirit by which we are quickened and built up the very house of which the people of Bethlehem spoke those many years ago. The Israel of God is Christ. The house of His resurrection is a spiritual house. The same Spirit which raised Him (and us with Him) from the dead (if so be that Spirit dwell in you), makes us the house of the Lord. Not any restoration of any former house, but a house LIKE the former houses, which were types and shadows of things to come.

This Spirit of Christ in us, is the treasure in the earthen vessel. And while in the vessel, we, being lead of the Spirit, make our exodus, from the clay to the treasure.

That is the message of Isaiah 11. The glorious highway is LIKE it was to Israel when he came up out of Egypt. The highway is the Spirit of Christ in you.

All remnant of the Lords people, scattered abroad over the earth, have one road of redemption. It does not lie back to their origins and distinctions of flesh. It lies in Christ. As declared:

Rev 5:9 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth”.

SUN MOON AND STARS

“These are the generations of JACOB. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.Now ISRAEL loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.”

The Lord, from the beginning, set many things in the visible sky, declaring them to be “for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so”. And so, from that time until this, Sun, moon, planet, star, falling meteoroids, etc., all were capable of conveying a message written in them. The light given upon the earth is more than the photon radiation we see by. More than the invisible spectrum essential to life as we know it. There is contained within the light subject to the laws of nature, another form of light, in the form of understanding. Light that illuminates the inner being. These forms of light conspire to make us aware of the one great light, the one who is light, and in whom is no darkness. The one who can dawn in your heart and change the fabric of your being, to the extend and end that you may become children of light. Only in very recent history are we become aware of many of the myriads of light giving bodies, radiant entities, massive gatherings of light and energy falsely labeled “black holes”, etc. All have signification in many arenas. The very fact that man is only now looking into things heretofore totally unknown to him, is a message in itself of the proximity of the subject of all true witness…the one who crafted the witness. The use of the words “sun-moon-stars” must not be confined only to the basest objects in the cosmos…the things the apostle Paul named “The weak and beggarly elements”. To do so, is to relegate the understanding to messages repeated over and over again, as a favorite old movie that is fun to watch, but does not change. What must be grasped, is the lesson and subject of the message. When the eternal truth is grasped, the repeating message is seen for what it is…a tool to a greater knowledge and understanding. The gospel of Matthew begins by speaking of the “Book of the generation of Jesus Christ”. A book within a book. One pen and ink, one not. One penned and written at some point in time. Another made flesh at some point in time; made flesh, slain, raised and glorified. Known after the flesh no more, abiding eternal. King David, demanding bread of a priest, was told there was no bread in the house but the show bread, which only a priest may eat. David, understanding the message of the house, and so no longer bound by it, said it will do. David said “It is after a manner, common”. David comprehended that the hidden manna in the holiest place was superior in meaning to the show bread, which was from that perspective, common. Christ in you, the true bread of heaven. The apostle Jude, comprehending Christ in you, refers to the “common salvation”. Salvation, as lofty as it is, is not as lofty as it gets.

When Joseph told his dreams of sun, moon and stars, his father did not look up into the sky. He asked, “What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?”. Therefore, is it reasonable to conclude that henceforth in scripture, sun-moon-stars may have meaning that is deeper, and more abiding that the oft repeated message of the solar system? And does one message void the other? No. But can one be superior to the other? Yes. For that very reason, Joseph suffered. He, by faith, rose above the message that his natural household was. Joseph named his first son “Manasseh”, and declared: “For God, (said he), hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house”. Joseph was made a figure of resurrection. He was thrown into a pit to die, and was raised up out of it because he believed his God, just as Daniel was raised out of the den of lions completely unhurt…he believed his God. Joseph, Daniel, you, me…we live by the faith and life of Him who God raised. We live by the life of Him who lives and abides in us. We live by the faith of Him who is the subject and object of all true witness. If you comprehend this, you comprehend that Joseph’s star was not the tribal star he was born with. It was the bright and morning star, risen in him by faith. Joseph’s star is Christ. This message is further confirmed by Israel, upon Jacob’s death bed. Reading chapter 49 of Genesis is far more meaningful if you know that the two names, Israel and Jacob, are of a treasure in an earthen vessel. And one, while having treasure in an earthen vessel, is advised to exodus from the clay to the treasure in faith, before the clay fails, lest one awake naked. (as it was in the days of Noah). Consider that on Jacob’s death bed, Israel acknowledged that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was Joseph’s Father. That bears chewing on for a while.

So, fast forwarding to the book of Jude, I submit for consideration, that the message of the natural sun, moon and stars, while valid and unending so long as natural sun, moon and stars are set in their course…are by absolutely no means, the only valid use of the words. Jacob, Rachel and sons, are also sun, moon and stars throughout the scripture, and throughout the book of revelation. The bright and morning star, the resurrected Christ, is a star of the book. And per Joseph’s dreams and Israel’s declaration, he was separated from his brethren, only to be rejoined in resurrection. There is no other way. The sheaf all else bow to is the word of Christ in your heart. YOUR heart. The star all others bow to and diminish before, is the resurrected Christ in you. In YOU. There are teachers and teachings, none of them new, that pull everything down to it’s basest and lowest format. Jude referred to these, among other things, as wandering stars. There is language of messengers who do not keep their first estate, but are under chains of darkness. The book of revelation speaks of stars falling to the earth. Jesus spoke of the same thing. The heavenly and eternal things will never be fulfilled in or by flesh and blood. If I pull all the meaning of these witnesses down into earthy things only, I deceive you. A wandering star, as per the book of Jude, is a planet. The very words are from “planetes aster”, and our word “planet” is from the word for wandering. Only the stars, true stars, are made an eternal message. Job was admonished regarding Mazaroth, the reading of constellations. Planets, small and relatively powerless, have two things in their arsenal. They are very close to the earth. They are good reflectors. So, they are in a perfect place to mimic a star from the perspective of one on earth, looking up into the night sky. And the fact that they do not appear confined or fixed in place, but locomotive about in the night sky, gives then an aura of freedom not enjoyed by real stars. This, to the untrained eye, makes them seem special. But they are not stars. And the attempt to be part of the message of the heavens, and indeed, add and subtract from it seasonally, is a complete deception. They are vagabond wanderers, pulling the eternal message down to themselves, corrupting it. To read the night sky correctly, one must learn to separate out the wanderers from the eternal message, and discount them. Then, the message of the cosmos becomes a clear message, but seen for what it is. A message. A repeating message about things, much of which are and have been at hand, and no longer a mesmerizing attempt to avert my eyes from the eternal to the always over the horizon “future”. If the eternal is only off in the future…it is not eternal. Hence Jesus said “I am the ROOT and offspring of David”. And again, “Before Abraham was, I Am”.

As a further study for any interested, recall that Joseph is not a camp around the tabernacle, being separate from his brethren by resurrection. Ephraim and Manasseh are not stars of Joseph’s dreams. So around the camp are eleven stars. Recall that John, in Revelation, sees a third of the stars of heaven fall to the earth. 1/3 of twelve stars, is four. In Christ’s hand are seven stars. Eleven minus the fallen to bondage. He Himself is the eighth. Consider that four sons of Jacob are sons of bondwomen. Eight sons of Israel are by wives, Rachel and Leah. (the book of Ruth teaches you that the house of ISRAEL was built by these two women). The evil report that Joseph brought to his father was of the sons of slaves (Zilpah and Bilhah). This message is 100% spiritual (as is every abiding message of scripture). It has nothing whatsoever to do with any tribe of the man Jacob. It is a message of a house of bondage and a free house. And which house I belong to is not a factor of natural birth, but spiritual. It is not out of my control, but totally within it. I CHOOSE which house I belong to, when I choose faith in Christ, and continue in Him, and He in me. The bright and morning star which Christ is, and which he promises the overcomer, the day star arising in your heart, is Christ come in you by faith, translating you by faith, from the clay to the treasure.

A star, fallen from heaven, can remember from whence it is fallen, and so, be restored.