THE WORD OF GOD IS NOT A BOOK,
BUT A LIVING PERSON, JESUS CHRIST,
John 1:1
For many Christians, the Bible is simple a "BOOK" just like any other book, so that if we are capable of reading the language, then we should be able to understand what it is saying. Such an attitude has resulted in much confusion, among God’s people. Paul declares to Timothy, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." In Job 32:8 we find another interesting statement, "But there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding." The word "Inspiration," simply means it is GOD BREATHED.
Everything on this earth that has breath is being sustained, and a correspondence is maintained by God breathing in them. Knowledge and information is passed between God and man also by means of the breath of God. To use another analogy God and man are not "Hard Wired," so that means that there must be a spiritual link that connects us to God. A Radio has the capacity to tune in to the transmitter of a Radio Station and be able to pick up the signal without a hard wire connection between the Radio and the Station. We now have "Mobile Phones" that do not require a hard wire back to some Phone connection, but has the capacity to pick up the signal from towers scattered over the country, just like a wireless.
In the same way the connection between God and man is the ability put within us whereby we can hear his voice and receive knowledge and direction through the SPIRIT. However, we do not function constantly in our life on a spiritual frequency, but often one that is natural. This means that a man can live his whole life without hearing the voice of God even though God dwells in every man. Having laid this foundation let us explore these things further. There were men who discovered that it was possible for a man to actually hear from God and to receive information that he wanted to be made known to mankind. These are the ones that Paul spoke to Timothy about, confirming that what they had written was what God had BREATHED into them, the words and knowledge he wanted recorded.
From this we understand that just as a book on medicine is written in medical language, which is only intelligible to Doctors, so a book that is generated by the SPIRIT can only be understood by those who have the same "Breath" breathed into them. I pick up a book on electronics and I do not understand what the signs and symbols mean, so if I was asked to speak on electronics everybody would end up confused not because I wanted to confuse everyone, but I would not know what I am talking about. Can you not see that the reason for the utter confusion in the religious world is that a man says, I understand English so give me a Bible and I will tell you what it is saying. That man is ignorant of the fact that the book called the Bible DOES NOT SPEAK. It does not say a word. The man is using what we call the mind to interpret the letters and words that are ink on the paper, and that is what he will tell you. Now that is not illegal and nor is it wrong if you want to learn some academic subject, but it is very confusing when you use the Bible that way.
People look at the "CHURCH" in the world today and ask the question, "Which Church or denomination is right?" They are all different having different doctrines and different rules or laws to which you must adhere to be a member. So, many people walk away from the Church without realizing many times they are walking away from God also, for there is a big difference between the Living God of all creation, and the God the traditional Church presents. Here we are discovering the reason for the confusion. In the beginning Man was spoken into existence as God breathed out the words, "Let us make MAN," and there was the man. Breath is required if we are to communicate through words. There are three words in our English language that are translated from the ONE Greek word, "PNEUMA," and those three words are, SPIRIT, WIND, and BREATH.
It is interesting that in the Hebrew language those same three words are also translated from ONE word, "RUACH." These three words define the mystical connection between God and all of his creation, even down to the animals. The elephants began to get agitated and trumpeted one hour before the tsunami hit Asia. How did they know when humans were ignorant of what was happening until they were in the wave of destruction. The birds disappear before the storm arrives, for there is a spiritual connection involved between them and their creator. But so often, man fumbles along in the darkness as if he has no connection with the divine.
"Inspiration," is not some magical power that we can conjure up but is the BREATH OF GOD breathing IN US that results in a divine knowledge or wisdom being made available to us to accomplish something that God needs to do. In the scriptures, we see that God breathed the words into certain men, who were required to record them for all mankind. One day the religious leaders sent out spies to gather information about what Jesus was saying, that would provide evidence that would allow him to be brought to trial for treason. When they returned to their masters, their only comment was, "We never heard another man speak like this man." It is recorded of Jesus that, "His Words are SPIRIT and LIFE." The truth is that the GOD BREATHED word will never return to God, without first having accomplished what that word was sent to do.
John begins his Gospel by saying, "In the beginning was the WORD," which is the Greek word LOGOS and means, a word uttered by a living voice, and embodies a conception or idea. God spoke out of his infinite mind in creation, and that word found expression as MAN who is spirit and in the likeness and image of God. Therefore the "Word of God" is not simply words that are spoken, but a PERSON who is CHRIST. So we can see that when God speaks whatever he says is intended to bring forth an expression of the Christ. John continued by saying, "And the WORD was with God (Face to Face) and the WORD WAS GOD." So after creating the heavens and the earth, the pinnacle of all creation was to be an expression of himself that is called MAN. But that man was at that point, a true spirit form with no visible body. That man was CHRIST the only Son of the living God who would remain in the (Invisible) spirit world until the time appointed when he would be revealed as the Savior of the World.
But as the Son of God, his role was to see what the Father was doing in the spirit realm, and then bring it to pass in the earth realm. He now brings forth a manifestation of himself but because he was to dwell on the earth he needed to have a body that would make him visible. So he forms the body from the dust of the earth complete in every detail, except it had no life. We are told that the Lord God the Man of Gen 1:26 who is Christ, now BREATHED INTO the NOSTRILS of the body formed from the dust of the earth the breath of life which he had received from God. This was ADAM who was placed in the Garden of Eden who was the same spirit as the man in Gen 1:26. This man was put to sleep in which he lost consciousness of his true identity which was established in Creation. He now discovers he is no longer alone but the woman has been taken out of him and presented to him as a separate entity. He recognizes that she is bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh for she was taken out of him, so he calls her "Woman."
The female part of Adam, which is the woman, begins to function on her own, which is not what God created in the beginning when the male and the female functioned together as one. This woman had lost that spiritual connection to Adam, which she had in the beginning so she had no way of tuning into the voice of God. The woman who now represents the SOUL is separated from Adam who represents the spirit, and so she has lost her connection with the spirit. It was at this point that another voice was raised in her, that came from within but it was the voice of the snake, which represents the CARNAL MIND. Of course the Garden of Eden is an allegory and not literal so it enables us to understand how man functions as a "Living Soul." The "Snake" we are told is more subtle than all the beasts of the field, and represents the natural or Carnal MIND. This is what has kept mankind in darkness and under a hypnotic spell for so long. God had told Adam that he could eat of all the trees in the Garden except the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for the day you eat thereof you will surely die.
There had been no death in the Garden so Adam had no previous knowledge of it, but the snake saw its opportunity to possess Adam through the woman and thus to be able to produce his own heritage. But Eve is functioning alone with no input from the Spirit, so the snake threw doubt on what God had said, asking the question, "Did God say you shall not eat of every tree in the Garden?" Eve exercises her natural mind to challenge the assumption of the snake, being far more subtle than she is, so the carnal mind becomes the one that wins the argument. Eve convinced herself that she would not die if she ate the fruit of the forbidden tree; in fact she believed she would be as God. So she ate of the fruit and took it to Adam to share with him.
Adam had the ability to make a choice being under no pressure to eat the fruit, for he never spoke to the snake so it had no influence over him. But because he had the foreknowledge of God he realized what Eve had done, therefore it was necessary for him to partake of the fruit with her, or there could be no redemption for anyone. Therefore he ate the fruit with his eyes wide open knowing exactly what it would cost him, but he did it willingly to become ONE with you and me. We recognize that Christ is that Spirit that dwells in every man, so we all have the breath of God breathing in us, yet for so many there is no consciousness of any divine activity within them, for they have no spiritual awareness.
In Job 32:8 he reminds us that "Wisdom" is an expression of the Christ dwelling within us, so he says, "There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. Here we are told that the communication between God and man is through the SPIRIT and not through the natural mind. Listen to Job again, "Job 28:12 But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man knows not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith, it is not in me: and the sea saith, it is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold; neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire the gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it; neither shall it be valued with pure gold. Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
There are really two questions here; the first is WHERE is the source of wisdom, and secondly how does it get from its source to find expression in me? Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living (Souls), and kept close from the fowls of the air. Destruction and death say, we have heard the fame thereof with our ears. God has ordered its pathway and he knows where it is stored. For he surveys everything concerning MAN from the END to the very beginning, and establishes it.
Let us answer the two questions posed here by Job regarding wisdom, the first being the source of wisdom. It may come as a shock to many people and perhaps especially those who present themselves as ministries to God’s people that Wisdom is not to be found in the natural man. Job spoke about the "SPIRIT" that is in man, but he declares that it is the "Breath of the Almighty" that gives them understanding. Here is another translation, Job 32:8 "But there is a spirit in mortals; and the inspiration of the Almighty is that which teaches." This is more accurate and helps us to understand more clearly what Father is saying to us. God breathing his word into us is not simply dropping words of wisdom on us, but it must be taught to us. So wisdom comes from God through the "Word" imparted by the spirit.
We come to the conclusion that apart from God man is no better than the brute beasts of the field. Some of the heinous crimes perpetrated by man in the world today have so often brought forth the response that such a person "Is an animal." The second question is probably more important than the first, for it concerns the way in which the Wisdom of God is delivered to man. Job tells us that the communication of wisdom is through the spirit in us receiving understanding. If we are to hear what the spirit is saying to us here, we must go back to the Garden of Eden, for it is here that we find the answers that have eluded us for so long. In Gen 2:21 we read that the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept. In so many cases I believe Adam is still sleeping being ignorant of his true identity and the knowledge of God. Jesus said concerning Lazarus "He is asleep."
So we can see that the separation of the soul and spirit has brought about a dynamic change to the way we function as a person. Man had now become a LIVING SOUL expressed as that woman that Adam called EVE functioning as a separate entity from Adam, the spirit. Since that time man had no divine connection to the spirit and therefore he has lost the inspiration of the almighty that he should have had, giving him wisdom and direction in his life.
Now we need to hear the truth concerning these things or we will remain in the sleep state and walk in the darkness of ignorance. Gen 1-3, represent an allegory, which does not mean that we can treat them as a fairy tale with no truth. But it means that we cannot read these chapters and interpret them as being LITERAL. An allegory is writing in which abstract ideas are personified, conveying a different meaning from that which is expressed, so that it becomes a continuing metaphor. First of all let us be clear that it was not possible to separate the FEMALE from the MALE, because CHRIST is spirit and spirit cannot be divided, for that is impossible, you cannot have half a spirit for there is no such thing.
So we must look at the "Allegory" to listen to what God is saying to us here. In the allegory Adam represents SPIRIT and the "Female" represents the SOUL, which are separated the one from the other to begin to function independently. But in the beginning the Spirit and the Soul functioned together, with the SOUL having the womb through which MAN was to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. However, the true "SEED" of the woman or the SOUL is in the spirit, therefore she cannot reproduce according to the divine will but can only reproduce the SEED of the SERPENT. The reason for this is that the Serpent’s "SEED" was planted in the "MIND" of the Soul representing EVE in the Garden of Eden. This happened when Eve lost the argument with the snake and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This means that while we believe that we were separated from Adam (Spirit) in the Garden of Eden, we will have a sense of separation from God in our present lives.
This is evident when we speak of God up in the sky in some ethereal heaven, or praying to God that is out side of ourselves. The "Soul" of man consists of three main aspects and they are, Mind, Emotions and the Will. Let us consider the mind, because the other two, the Emotions and the Will receive their activation from the Mind. The Soul of man is a part of the SPIRIT, for it is not physical, and is invisible for no one has seen their Soul. However, the function of the soul is directed by one of three laws according to the scripture and this will determine how we live our lives. Paul speaks of one of those laws in Romans 7:22, "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man," and the Inward Man is Christ. The Psalmist says in, Psalm 37:23, "The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way." This is true when a man is governed BY THE LAW OF THE LORD THROUGH HIS CHRIST MIND.
The Mind of MAN was created by God in the beginning so that he would be, "In the likeness and Image of God." For God to be able to create all things even the Atoms and the millions of living creatures as well as the heavens and the earth, he must have an INFINITE MIND, therefore man was designed with the same capacity. But when the WOMAN (Soul) began to explore a knowledge system that had nothing to do with God, the carnal mind took control of her. From that very moment the mind of the woman became "Carnal" or "Natural" and no longer spiritual, because it was based upon a pseudo knowledge system based upon the five natural senses of the soul, Sight, Hearing, Touch, Smell and Taste that are not based upon TRUTH. It is through this counterfeit knowledge that man declares his own reality.
At the end of Creation God inspected all that he had created and pronounced it VERY GOOD, for there was no such thing as evil. Once you introduce evil into your understanding you have violated truth. The words "Good and Evil" are not absolute terms for whenever you use the adjective "GOOD" it is a comparison term, and it poses the question, "Good compared to what?" If I say, "That was a "GOOD" cup of tea, I am saying it was good by comparison with other cups of tea I have had. We need to remember that the Mind of man is not "Robotic" with abilities that would automatically function, or we would all become an "Einstein." Some have been gifted with the knowledge of Music and so became great composers, while others were gifted in different ways bringing forth wonderful inventions that enable mankind to do extraordinary things.
The Apostle also speaks of a different mind, Romans 8:7 because the carnal Mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." This is the same "Mind" of man but Paul refers to it now as being CARNAL. Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, (that is) I have the nature of flesh that is subject to sin. This is the same as ADAM declaring to God, "I AM NAKED." I have the nature of FLESH because my mind is functioning under the LAW OF SIN AND DEATH, which is the nature of the unregenerate man. Adam began life in the Garden of Eden with his mind being governed by the Law of God as it was given to man in the beginning. But when the SOUL of man was separated from him and became a separate entity as the WOMAN, the mind no longer came under the direction of the spirit but declared its own reality, for it was separated from Adam the spirit.
We are then told that Eve the Soul began to function on her own and the Mind that was originally under the control of the Spirit, came in contact with the serpent. Eve had never had anything to do with the serpent before this, because it was not some slithering snake talking to Eve, but it was simply her "Mind" that was separated from the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, asserting its own natural knowledge as reality. This "Mind" was no longer controlled by the Spirit, but is now under the control of the woman, functioning independently from Adam who had been united to her in creation. Another "LAW" had now taken control of the mind of Eve because the Law of the Spirit of life in Adam was now being over-ruled by the law of the flesh to which she had not submitted. But it did not happen without a battle for the Law of the Spirit had been well planted and had never been questioned until this moment.
The battle for supremacy was in fact the battle between the divine authority that had been in control of her life up to this point, and a new mental energy that was emerging as Eve ponders her unquestioned allegiance to God under which she had previously lived. It all had to do with authority and who would control the future of this woman that Adam called Eve. The snake in the allegory set out in the scriptures personifies this authority, but is actually the will of the WOMAN opposing the WILL OF GOD. We would naturally consider that God was far stronger than the Woman so there could be no doubt what the outcome would be, but the woman won and declared that she would NOT DIE if she ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Eve relied on the carnal mind instead of God, declaring "MY WILL instead of God’s will."
Never forget the warning given to Adam, when he was told that, "The "Serpent" was more subtle above every beast of the field which Jehovah God hath made, and he saith unto the woman, 'Is it true that God hath said, Ye do not eat of every tree of the garden?" The challenge here was to Eve asking her, "Do you really believe God?" For her to deny that God had told them that they could eat the fruit of all the trees of the Garden would have been too much, but that was not the question, for her memory would have saved her. BUT do you really believe that you will die if you eat that fruit.? This required her to explore the whole activity of the mind without any input from spirit, and the snake knew this.
In the Allegory the snake speaks of a superior WISDOM that is why it is the symbol of the Medical Fraternity mounted on a Pole. So here is our introduction to the "VOICE" of the Snake. This is no ordinary snake that has been divinely gifted to be able to speak, but let me present to you the SATAN of the Bible, who is declared to be the ACCUSER OF THE BRETHEREN, who accuses us day and night before God. Beloved when the Snake deceived Eve it deceived all of mankind who would be BORN OF THAT WOMAN and that includes everyone. The voice of the snake is the voice of the natural or carnal mind that challenged God’s authority in Eden for control of the MIND that is the authority centre for the whole being of man.
Now we are beginning to see how the mind has control over what we think and what we do. Here is Paul’s experience in Rom 7:18-23, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I really desire I do not do, but the evil, which I do not want to do, that is what I do. Now if I do that which I really do not want to do, it is no more the "I" of my true identity that does it, but sin (a controlling force in my mind) that dwells in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present and opposes me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."
This helps us to get an insight into the mind of the man that has been impregnated by the serpent in Gen 3, and its effect has not changed to this day. The subtlety of the snake lies in the fact that we do not have any consciousness of its activity, for to us our mind appears to function normally. Our sense of loneliness, or lack of the consciousness of God’s presence we put down to our circumstances, or lack of knowledge, so we seek for answers, which many times are irrelevant. There is a LAW operating in the carnal mind of mankind today, including the Christians, which declares that you will not obey the will of God for you are, perhaps unknowingly being governed by the LAW OF SIN AND DEATH. If you understood this and began to rebel against it then of course you would set about to cancel it out, but for most Christians they do not consider their life to be unusual or in any way even sinful. That is the subtlety of the Snake.
Paul tells us in Romans 8:5 "For they that are after the flesh are of the same mind and agree with the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit live in harmony with the things of the Spirit. For to function out of a carnal mind will result in death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is an enemy of God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can it be changed. So then they that are functioning out of the carnal mind cannot under any circumstances please God." Now we realize that the carnal mind IS DEATH, it is a poison for which there is no antidote. The "Infection" that has put the poison into the mind of man, is a "Knowledge System" that challenges everything concerning TRUTH." Remember what God said to Adam in the Garden of Eden, "The day you eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, IN THAT DAY YOU WILL D-I-E."
It is so remarkable to me that many Christians today have embraced the concept of good and evil without considering that this has robbed mankind of experiencing the Life we received in creation. Good and evil constitutes another life that does not flow from God but is the life lived by a MORTAL HUMAN BEING. But we have been so used to living in the wilderness that many Christians cannot even imagine what Jesus was talking about when he said, "I have come that you might have LIFE and have it in abundance."
When Jesus Christ came preaching that the Kingdom of God is IN YOU, it hardly raised a stir among the people and it is not very different today. The "Good News of the Gospel" is that we have never been excluded from the presence of God, nor from his bountiful love and mercy, but calls upon mankind to focus on another life that has been available for 2000 years. This Life is "ETERNAL" and has its source and continuous flow from God, and was demonstrated for everyone to see, by Jesus Christ during his life here on earth.
The Gospel contains a clear invitation to return from the wilderness of our experience to the care and provision of our heavenly Father. There will never be a repeat of what happened in the Garden of Eden, for we are no longer coming to Mount Sinai reminding us of our past failure, but to Mount ZION the CITY of our GOD.
A New Heavens and Earth.
"Father, open the eyes of your people that they might SEE and understand that the NEW HEAVENS and the NEW EARTH are a reality for us today."
John, who was a prisoner of Rome on the Island of Patmos, but who lived as a free man in another world, which he saw in a vision, recorded it for us so that we could enter into that same reality. There could never be a release from the slavery of this world of good and evil, until we have been released from its power. We will put in order the issues that must be dealt with before we can be free to enter into the New Heaven and Earth. There is no simple transfer from darkness into light. The darkness itself must be exposed and its power must be seen to be destroyed. There are three basic issues that we will deal with in this study, in order to understand how we can be released from the bondages that presently prevent us from walking into the liberty and freedom of the Sons of God.
The first one is the raising up of the KING who is represented as the birthing of the "Man-Child" by a people on the earth. The next one has to do with the destruction of the "Beast" that rises out of the sea of humanity. Finally, we need to see that "Babylon" which has imprisoned so many, who has tried to walk with God, is finally destroyed and its power removed never to rise again. In all these issues we are not looking at a calendar and certain consecutive dates in the future, but we must recognize all the works of God were finished FROM THE BEGINNING. It is important to note that all of the opposing forces to our walk and development in God are WITHIN US and not external to us.
Everything that could hold you bound in any way, and able to restrict your growth and development in Christ has already been dealt with. To bring the victory into reality in your own personal life only requires that you "BELIEVE" (that is to have FAITH) that it is already accomplished at the CROSS when Jesus said, "IT, (That is everything that has sought to change or destroy the will and purpose of God on this earth from the "Snake" in the Garden of Eden to DEATH ITSELF) IS FINISHED." This word "Finished" literally means to perform the last act, which completes a process, to accomplish the perfect will of God.
The beginning of our personal release from mortality to immortality begins with the birthing of the man-child in Rev 12. The first command given to Adam was to be fruitful and fill the earth. This he did in Gen 2:7 when he brought forth a manifestation of himself who would be the SEED in all of mankind. The opposition to God on the earth has always been focused on the destruction of that Seed. Now move the clock forward about 4000 years and a "Virgin" in Israel brings forth a seed which is not the "Seed of the Serpent," but the "Seed of God." The divine messenger told Mary, " And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
So we can see that God has fulfilled every requirement to set us free and to overcome all opposition to our walking as Christ in this world. The KING was born 2000 years ago and, "Of his Kingdom there shall be NO END." Christians celebrate Christmas and hold special services to commemorate the birth of Christ, but that event has little or nothing to do with them personally. But this was the birthing of the Christ IN EVERY MAN, for we are ALL IN CHRIST according to Eph 2:10, having been created in him. Herod the King tried to kill him at the time of his birth, just as Pharaoh tried to KILL MOSES who was the deliverer of Israel from Slavery. Religion has majored on the word "SAVIOR" of the world, but this word is not used in Matthew or Mark because in the whole of the Old Testament the concept was on the DELIVERER.
The revelation of God from Genesis is that "God is the deliverer of his people" and it is that concept on which, virtually the whole Old Testament is based as the Hebrews did not seem to have felt the need of a title for God that would sum up this "Saving" aspect of His relation to man. When Jesus began his ministry he did not elevate the concept of SAVIOR, but the KING and the Kingdom of God. This carried on from the "Deliverer" concept of the Old Testament. Israel was 400 years in Egypt many of which were spent in slavery. Their cry that ascended to the Lord was not to be "Saved" but to be SET FREE, so that looked for a DELIVERER. The Passover has been wrongly considered as the sacrificial Lamb of God dying to "SAVE" God’s people. Instead, Passover was the symbol of a slain LAMB that would lead Israel out of the greatest military nation on the earth at that time. Israel never had a gun or a sword but calmly walked out of Egypt with the wealth of the nation, and not even a dog could bark against them. The mighty army of Egypt that followed them perished in the Red Sea without a shot being fired. Such is our deliverer.
Psalm 2 sets the world stage in this battle when it says, "Why do the nations assemble together with commotion (uproar and confusion of voices), and why do the people imagine (meditate upon and devise) an empty scheme." This must have included Pharaoh who heard about the birth of a deliverer for Israel, and ordered the death of every male child, but not only was Moses born but he survived and was raised as the son of Pharaoh in the palace. Finally he fulfilled his destiny by delivering Israel from servitude under Pharaoh, and crushed the power of Egypt’s army.
Likewise when Jesus was born Herod the King at that time tried to find out where he was to be born so he could destroy him, but he also failed just as did Pharaoh. Jesus Christ grew up in obscurity as far as the world was concerned for he could have been mistaken for any man, but known to God’s people. The Psalmist says in Psalm 2:4, "He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord has them in derision and in supreme contempt he mocks them…… Yet I have anointed and installed MY KING (firmly) on my holy hill of Zion." I will declare the decree of the Lord. He said to me, you are my Son, and today (I declare) I have begotten you." (Amp)
Yes, that prophecy applies to Jesus Christ, but also to every one who has HEARD THAT VOICE whoever they are, all over the world. There will be many red faces among those who today consider they are the select of the elect and the ones, who will become the "Man-Child," when that "one" (Many membered body) is revealed to the world as CHRIST. If that Man-Child were to be born in a certain place or through a certain people, it may be destroyed, but it is being birthed IN A PEOPLE in the silence and obscurity of the spirit.
John tells us, that there is something that is appearing in the realm of Spirit, and not in the Middle East, and it has to do with a WOMAN. This woman began her so called existence in the Garden of Eden when the Lord God was said to have put Adam to sleep and removed the female part of his being. This inevitably was the intention of the serpent to frustrate the purposes of God in producing the man-child. Although in creation that Woman was a part of Adam who represents the Spirit, yet in her state of separation she lacked the divine seed to bring forth after the spirit. This woman represents all of mankind for she became the "Mother of all living." The first MAN came out of God, but since that time every other man has come out of that woman. The first man she gave birth to was a murderer and his name was CAIN.
When God spoke to Adam about being "Fruitful," he was not speaking simply about the union of an egg and a sperm as in natural childbirth, but the bringing to birth of man’s true identity, which is Christ. This was revealed in prophecy by the Prophet Isaiah, "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son and shall call his name Immanuel which is God with us." Isa 7:14. Then in Isa 9:6, after King Ahaz had brought Israel into a time of darkness, the hope of salvation was promised and was fulfilled ultimately after 4000 years of human history, just as the Prophet Isaiah said it would be. In fact the destiny of all mankind including Israel was revealed through another woman who was a virgin who birthed the deliverer.
"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 Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace." However, this child that was born represented a people who would fill the earth all having the same seed of divine destiny within themselves. This is the one that Peter identified in Matt 16:16 as "The CHRIST the Son of the Living God." In this, God was fulfilling his own desire when he said, "For you are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." 2Cor 6:16.
The prophecy of Isaiah had now been fulfilled and God had taken up residence on the earth walking as man. He is "EMMANUEL" God with us, and this was confirmed by his ministry for he told the people that the Kingdom of God was within them as a present experience, and it was not some event that would come thousands of years later. Living in that Kingdom today involves the Government of our life resting upon his shoulder, and to us he becomes the Wonderful counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace. No wonder the Psalmist declared, Mercy and Truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm 85:10.
But we must go on, for there is yet to be a manifestation of the Christ that will flow forth from a people on this earth not as a Babe born in a manger any longer but this will be the birthing of the MAN CHILD, the King of Glory with divine power to RULE THE NATIONS. His birth in Bethlehem was as Savior and Redeemer, despised and rejected of men and a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. However, they rejected and crucified him and buried him in a rock tomb, thinking that was the end of him. BUT on the third day the tomb burst open to reveal the power of death had been forever broken, and the NEW CREATION MAN revealed himself in all his glory to those with eyes to see. The "Nations that the Christ is to rule over are not simply the present nations of the world, but are the Nations Israel had to conquer when they took up residence in the Land of Canaan. They are the "Nations" of "Ites" who had settled in to the Promised Land but had no right to be there. God said to Israel "YOU cast them out for I have given the land TO YOU." God acted on their behalf as the DELIVERER.
The cross continues to destroy the power of death for all those who dare to believe we were created immortal, born to rule and reign victorious over sin and death IN THIS WORLD. The resurrection is the end of our false identity as a Mortal Human Being, and the end of the power of DEATH, as the transformation of our MIND destroys the power of the serpent’s deception, being replaced by the MIND OF CHRIST. Now we can say, "For me to live IS CHRIST expressing himself through me? If you have seen me in reality you have seen my Father, for "I" and my Father ARE no longer separate entities but we are O-N-E."
Now we have a people all of whom are walking in the reality of their true identity with Christ dwelling IN THEM, but this is not the end of the story, for so many Christians declare that Christ dwells in them, but there is no evidence for others to see. It is so easy to parrot the statements above without any reality attached to them. It is the Apostle Paul who tells us that our ministry is to birth this Christ bringing him into manifestation in our lives. Not by seeking to imitate Jesus Christ as so many Christians do for that is a waste of time. We must do what Mary did and birth the Christ, but not as a physical experience, but spiritually. Paul said to the Galatian Christians, "My little Children for whom I am suffering birth pangs until Christ is completely formed within you." James 4:19. (Amp)
The "Woman" in the Garden of Eden is what all of mankind has become, "A Living Soul," functioning out of her soul’s faculties, which include the Mind, the Emotions and the Will. The Living soul can never become CHRIST, for the soul functions out of MORTAL LIFE, and so that life has to die before the Christ Life can function instead. You can only LIVE ONE LIFE AT A TIME, either Mortal life or Eternal life, but never can the two function together. This is the whole purpose of the CROSS-, to surrender our mortal life and lay it down on the cross. This has nothing to do with the cemetery for you were IN CHRIST when he died on the cross, so HIS DEATH was YOUR DEATH, which means that 2000 years ago YOU died to your human identity to take up your true identity as the one who walked out of the tomb on the third day. He did not die INSTEAD of you, but he died AS YOU.
Jesus declared that he had power to lay down his life and he had power to take it up again, and we also have the power to do the same. BUT the life he lay down was not the life he took up in resurrection. His body was changed from mortal flesh and blood as he lived on the earth, to an immortal body that nothing on this earth could touch such as sickness, pain or death, he could walk through the walls and appear and disappear, and be here and then appear somewhere else. "Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Rom 8:21. "Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”? Phil 3:21.
Now we come to the time of the true manifestation of that Christ that is being birthed in us today, in Rev 12. John saw this day when in the spirit realm there appeared a SIGN or a SYMBOL of a spiritual reality. It was a WOMAN, clothed with the SUN and with the MOON under her feet, and with a crown or tiara of 12 Stars upon her head. What a picture of the BODY OF CHRIST the WOMAN that was taken out of the man in the garden of Eden, that was deceived by the snake and brought mankind into a wilderness. But NOW there has been deliverance and a transformation, she is clothed in LIGHT, just as Adam was in the Garden before Eve took the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. She has the crown of a KING on her head and the Pseudo reflected light of the moon that she had walked in for so long is now under her feet.
There is another ominous sign or symbol that was seen in this vision and this was a Red (color of fire) Dragon with seven heads and ten horns, which are symbols of power and authority. This "Dragon" is nothing but the serpent from the Garden of Eden pretending now to be a dragon. It represents Satan who accuses the brethren day and night and is the enemy of God. This "Dragon" is on a mission just as Pharaoh tried to kill Israel’s deliverer by killing all the male children, and Just as Herod tried to kill the baby Jesus who was said to be King of the Jews. Now the dragon remains before the Woman who is about to deliver the MAN-CHILD who is to rule the nations.
However, the woman who was considered to be separated from Adam, now has been restored to her rightful place IN CHRIST making it possible for the MAN–CHILD to be brought forth. All duality has now gone, as the TWO shall be one, for the man shall leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife and the two shall be one. As soon as the Man-Child was delivered it was immediately caught up into the realm of spirit to God and to the Throne, out of the reach of the dragon, and immediately to his position of power and authority. In this birthing Christ and his Church which is his Body, have become ONE in the Lord God Almighty who will rule as a shepherd over the nations. This brings a change to the earth as God’s need for the opposition is drawing to a close. This event signals a great change that is taking place to the earth, for the woman or the Body of Christ is divinely preserved at this time.
The age-old serpent and dragon was cast down and was relegated to the dust of the earth. But there was also a war that broke out in the heavens of man’s being. The spiritual part of man needed adjusting for the serpent had infected and polluted the mind in the Garden of Eden so there was a skirmish as the snake tried to defend his place in the heavens of mankind. But with the help of Michael the Arch Angel whose name means, "Who is LIKE GOD?" For man was created in the likeness and image of God, so they overcame the serpent by the blood (LIFE) of the Lamb and by the testimony of their lips, because they did not love their lives but willingly laid then down in exchange for life everlasting.
The Beast Rising out of the Sea
In this study we are not going into the details of these visions, which closely relate to the visions of Daniel and their application to the Roman Empire and the emperors themselves. John begins in Rev 13:1 stating that he stopped as he stood upon the Sand of the sea. This refers to a great multitude just as the Lord promised Abraham, in Gen 22:17, "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies." There is a distinction between the "SEED of Abraham," which would be as the STARS of heaven, and the natural seed, which would be as the sand, which is upon the seashore. One was a heavenly seed and the other was natural.
In Rev 12. John had been is looking at the scene from a heavenly perspective, but now he stops to check out the scene from the earthly viewpoint. A "BEAST" that has all the traits of a wild animal, rises up out of the sea of humanity and this represents MAN living under the power of the carnal mind. This runs parallel with Daniel’s vision only he speaks of four beasts, while here there is only ONE Beast, but it has the characteristics of all four that Daniel saw. We need to note that none of these "Beasts" have the power to function on their own, and so they receive their power, position and authority from the "Dragon." So the "Man-Beast" is dependent upon the dragon for its ability to function, and so
However, it becomes evident that this "beast" is simply MAN functioning under the power of Satan or the carnal mind. When ever man believes he is separated from God all that is left is nothing more than the animal. That man is capable of giving way to the animal instinct and can function accordingly.
The "Beast" has ten heads alluding to the fullness of human power and authority, as ten is the number of testing as far as man is concerned. Then the "Beast" also has ten "Crowns" designating his position and his authority. Some of the crimes today against humanity bear all the hallmarks of animalism, and it is difficult at times to understand how any man could do such things.
The world or the Earth wondered after the "Beast" as it suffered a set back, in that one of its "Heads"heads was killed but it was able to recover. We will not go into the historical side of this for that is not our concern in this study. Remember this "Beast" is not physical or material, for this whole book is written in Signs and Symbols.
The beast has grown and developed over the years under the Nazi Regime when millions of Jews were sent to their death in gas chambers and other horrible means. Weapons of mass destruction now do not just kill a few people but whole cities are wiped out with one atomic bomb. However, the work of the dragon today consists of other things besides war that enslave mankind and rob them of Peace, Love and even Life itself, by filling their minds with lies that hide or destroy the Truth. How many people wrongly believe that money will bring health and happiness. Others seek after pleasure as the pathway to satisfaction in Life. These and many other popular suggestions are all dead ends that simply put people on a treadmill that absorbs their time and energy but returns very little. These have lost their way and cannot find the answers to life that they are seeking. But Jesus Christ did declare, "Be of good cheer for I have overcome the world (the COSMOS)." So we can have confidence that this "dragon" is not like a "loose Cannon" on the earth, but it has been overcome experientially by the Lord himself proving that it need not be feared.
God has not abandoned man on the earth but has provided an answer to the power of the dragon. One day, a man named Saul who worked for the religious authority of his day, carried in his pocket papers giving him the right to take any who followed the Nazarene, and kill them. Filled with such evil intent and authority he is traveling towards Damascus, with his team of blood-thirsty men when all of a sudden a LIGHT FROM HEAVEN brought him to the ground, and he heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" Acts 9. Regardless of the papers he had, that gave him authority from the State Saul replies, "Who are you LORD (Master and Owner)?" He recognized he had made contact with a higher authority than the Roman Empire. And the voice replied, "I AM JESUS whom you are persecuting." Saul’s response indicated the change the voice made to him, for he said, "What do you desire me to do?" he was told to go into the city and wait for further orders.
Such is the ease with which God deals with the "Beast" that controls the mind of so many. The mighty Saul, who once was feared by every Christian, now becomes as meek as a lamb in submission to the authority of the King, Jesus Christ. For him the "Beast" has been stripped of its authority bringing about a radical change in his life and behavior. In the Garden of Eden the serpent that is more subtle than any other "Beast" of the field infiltrated the MIND of the Woman destroying its integrity. The Apostle Paul speaks of the CARNAL or Natural mind as the "Mind" that now functions in mankind, until a change is brought about through a renewing by the Spirit of God. The natural "Mind" has no input from God so it cannot know the things that are of God, because they can only be spiritually discerned.
This carnal mind is where the "Beast" sets up his head quarters in man, from which he controls those who do not establish a connection with God and tap into his wisdom. The Apostle John tells us in Rev.13:8, "All that dwell upon the earth shall worship the "Beast", whose names are not written in the "BOOK OF THE LIFE OF THE LAMB." Here we see the contrast between the BEAST and the LAMB for the Beast functions through raw power and brute strength, whereas the LAMB has no natural strength or defense mechanism at all and yet the LAMB WINS EVERY TIME. Why is that true, because the LAMB functions under the authority of the Shepherd that is CHRIST, the KING of the WHOLE EARTH?
I once heard a man say, "An army of 100 sheep under the control of a LION, will always be able to destroy an army of 100 lions under the control of a SHEEP, and that is so true. The Lamb upon the Throne of God is the King of all KINGS, and the LORD of all LORDS. Beloved it is the Lamb that is upon the throne in the Kingdom of our God. So in Rev 14 we find the LAMB who is the first MAN created in Gen 1:26-27, but now he is standing with 144000 whose minds are free from Satanic infiltration and so function as the MIND of the Father. This number is symbolic being twelve which is the number of divine Government multiplied by 12. They are singing a song that only the redeemed from the earth could sing.
These are not defiled by women or the LIVING SOULS, so they were not impregnated with the seed of the Serpent from the Garden, so their minds remained unaffected. These are the FIRST FRUITS of a harvest who are the product of the divine seed, which is CHRIST. This seed is growing day by day in number and will eventually fill the earth and the "Beast" will disappear.
Babylon is fallen
The third impediment to the fulfillment of our spiritual destiny is represented by Babylon which is the Name of a City that had its beginning in antiquity. If we go back to Gen. 10:8 we come to Cush who was the son of Ham, and he gives birth to a son called "NIMROD" which means, "Rebellion." Nimrod was Noah’s Great Grandson and the Bible records that he was a "Mighty Hunter." This man whose name means rebellion now is called a "Mighty Hunter or, "One who seizes and takes control." It is recorded that he established an empire in the area of Babylon and Assyria where he built a walled city, in which he offered protection to those who would come under his authority. In this brief history we can see that Babylon was established on the basis of Rebellion against God, and the enslavement of people to the same cause.
John was shown the destruction of Babylon that is referred to in Rev 17, under the title of the "GREAT WHORE." In keeping with the whole book we need to remember that the writer is using signs and symbols so it is not the literal city of Babylon that is in view here. This "WOMAN" is presented as a PROSTITUTE who has control over a large portion of humanity, who also is encouraged to function as prostitutes. This "Woman" is accused of having committed fornication with the "KINGS of the Earth" causing them to be intoxicated by her subtle advances. These "Kings" are not part of any human royalty, but these are the "Children of the KING of the whole EARTH." So this "Woman" is now facing the Wrath of God, for his children who are citizens of the Kingdom of God have become involved, and the King’s reputation is being brought into disrepute.
In Rev.16:16, God steps in and brings together the opposing forces at ARMAGEDDON the hill or city of Megiddo is in the valley of Esdraelon, and by the waters of the Kishon River. We are told in Jud 5:19 that it was at this place where Israel gained a decisive victory over Sisera, the conquering general under king Jabin of Hazor. Celebrated in Deborah's song. See also Re 20:8ff. and Eze 39:2,4.
It says every ISLAND fled away, but the Greek word used here is "Naus" that relates to a very big ship which indicates that Babylon was the headquarters of a great commerce. Then the Mountains are mentioned, speaking of Babylon’s elevated authority in the world. Both of these aspects of Babylon, it seems were destroyed in the Judgment of God. But then John speaks about a great HAIL STORM with the hail weighing as much as 45kg that caused such devastation. However in keeping with John’s direction that this is not literal but symbolic let us consider what the hail could represent.
Let us look at Isa 28:17-18, "Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place, or Affliction will discover their vain confidence, which they kept secret to themselves." Here we can see that the "HAIL" is designed to remove the hiding place for LIES. A LIE cannot live in the open under scrutiny, but it must conceal itself and so to bring Babylon down God sends the hail to deal with the LIES by which people have been deceived so that they will not believe the Truth. Babylon has presented God as a monster who judges everything we do and will destroy everyone who fails to do what the religious world says they must do. These are the lies that prevent people from loving God, for you cannot love someone who would destroy you.
So the "Hail" is today simply the TRUTH that is marching triumphantly through the world destroying the lies the Religious word has spread, telling the world the Judgment is over at Calvary and now there is no more condemnation. All that DIED IN ADAM are MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
BUT A LIVING PERSON, JESUS CHRIST,
John 1:1
For many Christians, the Bible is simple a "BOOK" just like any other book, so that if we are capable of reading the language, then we should be able to understand what it is saying. Such an attitude has resulted in much confusion, among God’s people. Paul declares to Timothy, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." In Job 32:8 we find another interesting statement, "But there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding." The word "Inspiration," simply means it is GOD BREATHED.
Everything on this earth that has breath is being sustained, and a correspondence is maintained by God breathing in them. Knowledge and information is passed between God and man also by means of the breath of God. To use another analogy God and man are not "Hard Wired," so that means that there must be a spiritual link that connects us to God. A Radio has the capacity to tune in to the transmitter of a Radio Station and be able to pick up the signal without a hard wire connection between the Radio and the Station. We now have "Mobile Phones" that do not require a hard wire back to some Phone connection, but has the capacity to pick up the signal from towers scattered over the country, just like a wireless.
In the same way the connection between God and man is the ability put within us whereby we can hear his voice and receive knowledge and direction through the SPIRIT. However, we do not function constantly in our life on a spiritual frequency, but often one that is natural. This means that a man can live his whole life without hearing the voice of God even though God dwells in every man. Having laid this foundation let us explore these things further. There were men who discovered that it was possible for a man to actually hear from God and to receive information that he wanted to be made known to mankind. These are the ones that Paul spoke to Timothy about, confirming that what they had written was what God had BREATHED into them, the words and knowledge he wanted recorded.
From this we understand that just as a book on medicine is written in medical language, which is only intelligible to Doctors, so a book that is generated by the SPIRIT can only be understood by those who have the same "Breath" breathed into them. I pick up a book on electronics and I do not understand what the signs and symbols mean, so if I was asked to speak on electronics everybody would end up confused not because I wanted to confuse everyone, but I would not know what I am talking about. Can you not see that the reason for the utter confusion in the religious world is that a man says, I understand English so give me a Bible and I will tell you what it is saying. That man is ignorant of the fact that the book called the Bible DOES NOT SPEAK. It does not say a word. The man is using what we call the mind to interpret the letters and words that are ink on the paper, and that is what he will tell you. Now that is not illegal and nor is it wrong if you want to learn some academic subject, but it is very confusing when you use the Bible that way.
People look at the "CHURCH" in the world today and ask the question, "Which Church or denomination is right?" They are all different having different doctrines and different rules or laws to which you must adhere to be a member. So, many people walk away from the Church without realizing many times they are walking away from God also, for there is a big difference between the Living God of all creation, and the God the traditional Church presents. Here we are discovering the reason for the confusion. In the beginning Man was spoken into existence as God breathed out the words, "Let us make MAN," and there was the man. Breath is required if we are to communicate through words. There are three words in our English language that are translated from the ONE Greek word, "PNEUMA," and those three words are, SPIRIT, WIND, and BREATH.
It is interesting that in the Hebrew language those same three words are also translated from ONE word, "RUACH." These three words define the mystical connection between God and all of his creation, even down to the animals. The elephants began to get agitated and trumpeted one hour before the tsunami hit Asia. How did they know when humans were ignorant of what was happening until they were in the wave of destruction. The birds disappear before the storm arrives, for there is a spiritual connection involved between them and their creator. But so often, man fumbles along in the darkness as if he has no connection with the divine.
"Inspiration," is not some magical power that we can conjure up but is the BREATH OF GOD breathing IN US that results in a divine knowledge or wisdom being made available to us to accomplish something that God needs to do. In the scriptures, we see that God breathed the words into certain men, who were required to record them for all mankind. One day the religious leaders sent out spies to gather information about what Jesus was saying, that would provide evidence that would allow him to be brought to trial for treason. When they returned to their masters, their only comment was, "We never heard another man speak like this man." It is recorded of Jesus that, "His Words are SPIRIT and LIFE." The truth is that the GOD BREATHED word will never return to God, without first having accomplished what that word was sent to do.
John begins his Gospel by saying, "In the beginning was the WORD," which is the Greek word LOGOS and means, a word uttered by a living voice, and embodies a conception or idea. God spoke out of his infinite mind in creation, and that word found expression as MAN who is spirit and in the likeness and image of God. Therefore the "Word of God" is not simply words that are spoken, but a PERSON who is CHRIST. So we can see that when God speaks whatever he says is intended to bring forth an expression of the Christ. John continued by saying, "And the WORD was with God (Face to Face) and the WORD WAS GOD." So after creating the heavens and the earth, the pinnacle of all creation was to be an expression of himself that is called MAN. But that man was at that point, a true spirit form with no visible body. That man was CHRIST the only Son of the living God who would remain in the (Invisible) spirit world until the time appointed when he would be revealed as the Savior of the World.
But as the Son of God, his role was to see what the Father was doing in the spirit realm, and then bring it to pass in the earth realm. He now brings forth a manifestation of himself but because he was to dwell on the earth he needed to have a body that would make him visible. So he forms the body from the dust of the earth complete in every detail, except it had no life. We are told that the Lord God the Man of Gen 1:26 who is Christ, now BREATHED INTO the NOSTRILS of the body formed from the dust of the earth the breath of life which he had received from God. This was ADAM who was placed in the Garden of Eden who was the same spirit as the man in Gen 1:26. This man was put to sleep in which he lost consciousness of his true identity which was established in Creation. He now discovers he is no longer alone but the woman has been taken out of him and presented to him as a separate entity. He recognizes that she is bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh for she was taken out of him, so he calls her "Woman."
The female part of Adam, which is the woman, begins to function on her own, which is not what God created in the beginning when the male and the female functioned together as one. This woman had lost that spiritual connection to Adam, which she had in the beginning so she had no way of tuning into the voice of God. The woman who now represents the SOUL is separated from Adam who represents the spirit, and so she has lost her connection with the spirit. It was at this point that another voice was raised in her, that came from within but it was the voice of the snake, which represents the CARNAL MIND. Of course the Garden of Eden is an allegory and not literal so it enables us to understand how man functions as a "Living Soul." The "Snake" we are told is more subtle than all the beasts of the field, and represents the natural or Carnal MIND. This is what has kept mankind in darkness and under a hypnotic spell for so long. God had told Adam that he could eat of all the trees in the Garden except the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for the day you eat thereof you will surely die.
There had been no death in the Garden so Adam had no previous knowledge of it, but the snake saw its opportunity to possess Adam through the woman and thus to be able to produce his own heritage. But Eve is functioning alone with no input from the Spirit, so the snake threw doubt on what God had said, asking the question, "Did God say you shall not eat of every tree in the Garden?" Eve exercises her natural mind to challenge the assumption of the snake, being far more subtle than she is, so the carnal mind becomes the one that wins the argument. Eve convinced herself that she would not die if she ate the fruit of the forbidden tree; in fact she believed she would be as God. So she ate of the fruit and took it to Adam to share with him.
Adam had the ability to make a choice being under no pressure to eat the fruit, for he never spoke to the snake so it had no influence over him. But because he had the foreknowledge of God he realized what Eve had done, therefore it was necessary for him to partake of the fruit with her, or there could be no redemption for anyone. Therefore he ate the fruit with his eyes wide open knowing exactly what it would cost him, but he did it willingly to become ONE with you and me. We recognize that Christ is that Spirit that dwells in every man, so we all have the breath of God breathing in us, yet for so many there is no consciousness of any divine activity within them, for they have no spiritual awareness.
In Job 32:8 he reminds us that "Wisdom" is an expression of the Christ dwelling within us, so he says, "There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. Here we are told that the communication between God and man is through the SPIRIT and not through the natural mind. Listen to Job again, "Job 28:12 But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man knows not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith, it is not in me: and the sea saith, it is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold; neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire the gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it; neither shall it be valued with pure gold. Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
There are really two questions here; the first is WHERE is the source of wisdom, and secondly how does it get from its source to find expression in me? Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living (Souls), and kept close from the fowls of the air. Destruction and death say, we have heard the fame thereof with our ears. God has ordered its pathway and he knows where it is stored. For he surveys everything concerning MAN from the END to the very beginning, and establishes it.
Let us answer the two questions posed here by Job regarding wisdom, the first being the source of wisdom. It may come as a shock to many people and perhaps especially those who present themselves as ministries to God’s people that Wisdom is not to be found in the natural man. Job spoke about the "SPIRIT" that is in man, but he declares that it is the "Breath of the Almighty" that gives them understanding. Here is another translation, Job 32:8 "But there is a spirit in mortals; and the inspiration of the Almighty is that which teaches." This is more accurate and helps us to understand more clearly what Father is saying to us. God breathing his word into us is not simply dropping words of wisdom on us, but it must be taught to us. So wisdom comes from God through the "Word" imparted by the spirit.
We come to the conclusion that apart from God man is no better than the brute beasts of the field. Some of the heinous crimes perpetrated by man in the world today have so often brought forth the response that such a person "Is an animal." The second question is probably more important than the first, for it concerns the way in which the Wisdom of God is delivered to man. Job tells us that the communication of wisdom is through the spirit in us receiving understanding. If we are to hear what the spirit is saying to us here, we must go back to the Garden of Eden, for it is here that we find the answers that have eluded us for so long. In Gen 2:21 we read that the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept. In so many cases I believe Adam is still sleeping being ignorant of his true identity and the knowledge of God. Jesus said concerning Lazarus "He is asleep."
So we can see that the separation of the soul and spirit has brought about a dynamic change to the way we function as a person. Man had now become a LIVING SOUL expressed as that woman that Adam called EVE functioning as a separate entity from Adam, the spirit. Since that time man had no divine connection to the spirit and therefore he has lost the inspiration of the almighty that he should have had, giving him wisdom and direction in his life.
Now we need to hear the truth concerning these things or we will remain in the sleep state and walk in the darkness of ignorance. Gen 1-3, represent an allegory, which does not mean that we can treat them as a fairy tale with no truth. But it means that we cannot read these chapters and interpret them as being LITERAL. An allegory is writing in which abstract ideas are personified, conveying a different meaning from that which is expressed, so that it becomes a continuing metaphor. First of all let us be clear that it was not possible to separate the FEMALE from the MALE, because CHRIST is spirit and spirit cannot be divided, for that is impossible, you cannot have half a spirit for there is no such thing.
So we must look at the "Allegory" to listen to what God is saying to us here. In the allegory Adam represents SPIRIT and the "Female" represents the SOUL, which are separated the one from the other to begin to function independently. But in the beginning the Spirit and the Soul functioned together, with the SOUL having the womb through which MAN was to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. However, the true "SEED" of the woman or the SOUL is in the spirit, therefore she cannot reproduce according to the divine will but can only reproduce the SEED of the SERPENT. The reason for this is that the Serpent’s "SEED" was planted in the "MIND" of the Soul representing EVE in the Garden of Eden. This happened when Eve lost the argument with the snake and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This means that while we believe that we were separated from Adam (Spirit) in the Garden of Eden, we will have a sense of separation from God in our present lives.
This is evident when we speak of God up in the sky in some ethereal heaven, or praying to God that is out side of ourselves. The "Soul" of man consists of three main aspects and they are, Mind, Emotions and the Will. Let us consider the mind, because the other two, the Emotions and the Will receive their activation from the Mind. The Soul of man is a part of the SPIRIT, for it is not physical, and is invisible for no one has seen their Soul. However, the function of the soul is directed by one of three laws according to the scripture and this will determine how we live our lives. Paul speaks of one of those laws in Romans 7:22, "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man," and the Inward Man is Christ. The Psalmist says in, Psalm 37:23, "The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way." This is true when a man is governed BY THE LAW OF THE LORD THROUGH HIS CHRIST MIND.
The Mind of MAN was created by God in the beginning so that he would be, "In the likeness and Image of God." For God to be able to create all things even the Atoms and the millions of living creatures as well as the heavens and the earth, he must have an INFINITE MIND, therefore man was designed with the same capacity. But when the WOMAN (Soul) began to explore a knowledge system that had nothing to do with God, the carnal mind took control of her. From that very moment the mind of the woman became "Carnal" or "Natural" and no longer spiritual, because it was based upon a pseudo knowledge system based upon the five natural senses of the soul, Sight, Hearing, Touch, Smell and Taste that are not based upon TRUTH. It is through this counterfeit knowledge that man declares his own reality.
At the end of Creation God inspected all that he had created and pronounced it VERY GOOD, for there was no such thing as evil. Once you introduce evil into your understanding you have violated truth. The words "Good and Evil" are not absolute terms for whenever you use the adjective "GOOD" it is a comparison term, and it poses the question, "Good compared to what?" If I say, "That was a "GOOD" cup of tea, I am saying it was good by comparison with other cups of tea I have had. We need to remember that the Mind of man is not "Robotic" with abilities that would automatically function, or we would all become an "Einstein." Some have been gifted with the knowledge of Music and so became great composers, while others were gifted in different ways bringing forth wonderful inventions that enable mankind to do extraordinary things.
The Apostle also speaks of a different mind, Romans 8:7 because the carnal Mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." This is the same "Mind" of man but Paul refers to it now as being CARNAL. Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, (that is) I have the nature of flesh that is subject to sin. This is the same as ADAM declaring to God, "I AM NAKED." I have the nature of FLESH because my mind is functioning under the LAW OF SIN AND DEATH, which is the nature of the unregenerate man. Adam began life in the Garden of Eden with his mind being governed by the Law of God as it was given to man in the beginning. But when the SOUL of man was separated from him and became a separate entity as the WOMAN, the mind no longer came under the direction of the spirit but declared its own reality, for it was separated from Adam the spirit.
We are then told that Eve the Soul began to function on her own and the Mind that was originally under the control of the Spirit, came in contact with the serpent. Eve had never had anything to do with the serpent before this, because it was not some slithering snake talking to Eve, but it was simply her "Mind" that was separated from the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, asserting its own natural knowledge as reality. This "Mind" was no longer controlled by the Spirit, but is now under the control of the woman, functioning independently from Adam who had been united to her in creation. Another "LAW" had now taken control of the mind of Eve because the Law of the Spirit of life in Adam was now being over-ruled by the law of the flesh to which she had not submitted. But it did not happen without a battle for the Law of the Spirit had been well planted and had never been questioned until this moment.
The battle for supremacy was in fact the battle between the divine authority that had been in control of her life up to this point, and a new mental energy that was emerging as Eve ponders her unquestioned allegiance to God under which she had previously lived. It all had to do with authority and who would control the future of this woman that Adam called Eve. The snake in the allegory set out in the scriptures personifies this authority, but is actually the will of the WOMAN opposing the WILL OF GOD. We would naturally consider that God was far stronger than the Woman so there could be no doubt what the outcome would be, but the woman won and declared that she would NOT DIE if she ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Eve relied on the carnal mind instead of God, declaring "MY WILL instead of God’s will."
Never forget the warning given to Adam, when he was told that, "The "Serpent" was more subtle above every beast of the field which Jehovah God hath made, and he saith unto the woman, 'Is it true that God hath said, Ye do not eat of every tree of the garden?" The challenge here was to Eve asking her, "Do you really believe God?" For her to deny that God had told them that they could eat the fruit of all the trees of the Garden would have been too much, but that was not the question, for her memory would have saved her. BUT do you really believe that you will die if you eat that fruit.? This required her to explore the whole activity of the mind without any input from spirit, and the snake knew this.
In the Allegory the snake speaks of a superior WISDOM that is why it is the symbol of the Medical Fraternity mounted on a Pole. So here is our introduction to the "VOICE" of the Snake. This is no ordinary snake that has been divinely gifted to be able to speak, but let me present to you the SATAN of the Bible, who is declared to be the ACCUSER OF THE BRETHEREN, who accuses us day and night before God. Beloved when the Snake deceived Eve it deceived all of mankind who would be BORN OF THAT WOMAN and that includes everyone. The voice of the snake is the voice of the natural or carnal mind that challenged God’s authority in Eden for control of the MIND that is the authority centre for the whole being of man.
Now we are beginning to see how the mind has control over what we think and what we do. Here is Paul’s experience in Rom 7:18-23, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I really desire I do not do, but the evil, which I do not want to do, that is what I do. Now if I do that which I really do not want to do, it is no more the "I" of my true identity that does it, but sin (a controlling force in my mind) that dwells in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present and opposes me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."
This helps us to get an insight into the mind of the man that has been impregnated by the serpent in Gen 3, and its effect has not changed to this day. The subtlety of the snake lies in the fact that we do not have any consciousness of its activity, for to us our mind appears to function normally. Our sense of loneliness, or lack of the consciousness of God’s presence we put down to our circumstances, or lack of knowledge, so we seek for answers, which many times are irrelevant. There is a LAW operating in the carnal mind of mankind today, including the Christians, which declares that you will not obey the will of God for you are, perhaps unknowingly being governed by the LAW OF SIN AND DEATH. If you understood this and began to rebel against it then of course you would set about to cancel it out, but for most Christians they do not consider their life to be unusual or in any way even sinful. That is the subtlety of the Snake.
Paul tells us in Romans 8:5 "For they that are after the flesh are of the same mind and agree with the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit live in harmony with the things of the Spirit. For to function out of a carnal mind will result in death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is an enemy of God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can it be changed. So then they that are functioning out of the carnal mind cannot under any circumstances please God." Now we realize that the carnal mind IS DEATH, it is a poison for which there is no antidote. The "Infection" that has put the poison into the mind of man, is a "Knowledge System" that challenges everything concerning TRUTH." Remember what God said to Adam in the Garden of Eden, "The day you eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, IN THAT DAY YOU WILL D-I-E."
It is so remarkable to me that many Christians today have embraced the concept of good and evil without considering that this has robbed mankind of experiencing the Life we received in creation. Good and evil constitutes another life that does not flow from God but is the life lived by a MORTAL HUMAN BEING. But we have been so used to living in the wilderness that many Christians cannot even imagine what Jesus was talking about when he said, "I have come that you might have LIFE and have it in abundance."
When Jesus Christ came preaching that the Kingdom of God is IN YOU, it hardly raised a stir among the people and it is not very different today. The "Good News of the Gospel" is that we have never been excluded from the presence of God, nor from his bountiful love and mercy, but calls upon mankind to focus on another life that has been available for 2000 years. This Life is "ETERNAL" and has its source and continuous flow from God, and was demonstrated for everyone to see, by Jesus Christ during his life here on earth.
The Gospel contains a clear invitation to return from the wilderness of our experience to the care and provision of our heavenly Father. There will never be a repeat of what happened in the Garden of Eden, for we are no longer coming to Mount Sinai reminding us of our past failure, but to Mount ZION the CITY of our GOD.
A New Heavens and Earth.
"Father, open the eyes of your people that they might SEE and understand that the NEW HEAVENS and the NEW EARTH are a reality for us today."
John, who was a prisoner of Rome on the Island of Patmos, but who lived as a free man in another world, which he saw in a vision, recorded it for us so that we could enter into that same reality. There could never be a release from the slavery of this world of good and evil, until we have been released from its power. We will put in order the issues that must be dealt with before we can be free to enter into the New Heaven and Earth. There is no simple transfer from darkness into light. The darkness itself must be exposed and its power must be seen to be destroyed. There are three basic issues that we will deal with in this study, in order to understand how we can be released from the bondages that presently prevent us from walking into the liberty and freedom of the Sons of God.
The first one is the raising up of the KING who is represented as the birthing of the "Man-Child" by a people on the earth. The next one has to do with the destruction of the "Beast" that rises out of the sea of humanity. Finally, we need to see that "Babylon" which has imprisoned so many, who has tried to walk with God, is finally destroyed and its power removed never to rise again. In all these issues we are not looking at a calendar and certain consecutive dates in the future, but we must recognize all the works of God were finished FROM THE BEGINNING. It is important to note that all of the opposing forces to our walk and development in God are WITHIN US and not external to us.
Everything that could hold you bound in any way, and able to restrict your growth and development in Christ has already been dealt with. To bring the victory into reality in your own personal life only requires that you "BELIEVE" (that is to have FAITH) that it is already accomplished at the CROSS when Jesus said, "IT, (That is everything that has sought to change or destroy the will and purpose of God on this earth from the "Snake" in the Garden of Eden to DEATH ITSELF) IS FINISHED." This word "Finished" literally means to perform the last act, which completes a process, to accomplish the perfect will of God.
The beginning of our personal release from mortality to immortality begins with the birthing of the man-child in Rev 12. The first command given to Adam was to be fruitful and fill the earth. This he did in Gen 2:7 when he brought forth a manifestation of himself who would be the SEED in all of mankind. The opposition to God on the earth has always been focused on the destruction of that Seed. Now move the clock forward about 4000 years and a "Virgin" in Israel brings forth a seed which is not the "Seed of the Serpent," but the "Seed of God." The divine messenger told Mary, " And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
So we can see that God has fulfilled every requirement to set us free and to overcome all opposition to our walking as Christ in this world. The KING was born 2000 years ago and, "Of his Kingdom there shall be NO END." Christians celebrate Christmas and hold special services to commemorate the birth of Christ, but that event has little or nothing to do with them personally. But this was the birthing of the Christ IN EVERY MAN, for we are ALL IN CHRIST according to Eph 2:10, having been created in him. Herod the King tried to kill him at the time of his birth, just as Pharaoh tried to KILL MOSES who was the deliverer of Israel from Slavery. Religion has majored on the word "SAVIOR" of the world, but this word is not used in Matthew or Mark because in the whole of the Old Testament the concept was on the DELIVERER.
The revelation of God from Genesis is that "God is the deliverer of his people" and it is that concept on which, virtually the whole Old Testament is based as the Hebrews did not seem to have felt the need of a title for God that would sum up this "Saving" aspect of His relation to man. When Jesus began his ministry he did not elevate the concept of SAVIOR, but the KING and the Kingdom of God. This carried on from the "Deliverer" concept of the Old Testament. Israel was 400 years in Egypt many of which were spent in slavery. Their cry that ascended to the Lord was not to be "Saved" but to be SET FREE, so that looked for a DELIVERER. The Passover has been wrongly considered as the sacrificial Lamb of God dying to "SAVE" God’s people. Instead, Passover was the symbol of a slain LAMB that would lead Israel out of the greatest military nation on the earth at that time. Israel never had a gun or a sword but calmly walked out of Egypt with the wealth of the nation, and not even a dog could bark against them. The mighty army of Egypt that followed them perished in the Red Sea without a shot being fired. Such is our deliverer.
Psalm 2 sets the world stage in this battle when it says, "Why do the nations assemble together with commotion (uproar and confusion of voices), and why do the people imagine (meditate upon and devise) an empty scheme." This must have included Pharaoh who heard about the birth of a deliverer for Israel, and ordered the death of every male child, but not only was Moses born but he survived and was raised as the son of Pharaoh in the palace. Finally he fulfilled his destiny by delivering Israel from servitude under Pharaoh, and crushed the power of Egypt’s army.
Likewise when Jesus was born Herod the King at that time tried to find out where he was to be born so he could destroy him, but he also failed just as did Pharaoh. Jesus Christ grew up in obscurity as far as the world was concerned for he could have been mistaken for any man, but known to God’s people. The Psalmist says in Psalm 2:4, "He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord has them in derision and in supreme contempt he mocks them…… Yet I have anointed and installed MY KING (firmly) on my holy hill of Zion." I will declare the decree of the Lord. He said to me, you are my Son, and today (I declare) I have begotten you." (Amp)
Yes, that prophecy applies to Jesus Christ, but also to every one who has HEARD THAT VOICE whoever they are, all over the world. There will be many red faces among those who today consider they are the select of the elect and the ones, who will become the "Man-Child," when that "one" (Many membered body) is revealed to the world as CHRIST. If that Man-Child were to be born in a certain place or through a certain people, it may be destroyed, but it is being birthed IN A PEOPLE in the silence and obscurity of the spirit.
John tells us, that there is something that is appearing in the realm of Spirit, and not in the Middle East, and it has to do with a WOMAN. This woman began her so called existence in the Garden of Eden when the Lord God was said to have put Adam to sleep and removed the female part of his being. This inevitably was the intention of the serpent to frustrate the purposes of God in producing the man-child. Although in creation that Woman was a part of Adam who represents the Spirit, yet in her state of separation she lacked the divine seed to bring forth after the spirit. This woman represents all of mankind for she became the "Mother of all living." The first MAN came out of God, but since that time every other man has come out of that woman. The first man she gave birth to was a murderer and his name was CAIN.
When God spoke to Adam about being "Fruitful," he was not speaking simply about the union of an egg and a sperm as in natural childbirth, but the bringing to birth of man’s true identity, which is Christ. This was revealed in prophecy by the Prophet Isaiah, "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son and shall call his name Immanuel which is God with us." Isa 7:14. Then in Isa 9:6, after King Ahaz had brought Israel into a time of darkness, the hope of salvation was promised and was fulfilled ultimately after 4000 years of human history, just as the Prophet Isaiah said it would be. In fact the destiny of all mankind including Israel was revealed through another woman who was a virgin who birthed the deliverer.
"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 Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace." However, this child that was born represented a people who would fill the earth all having the same seed of divine destiny within themselves. This is the one that Peter identified in Matt 16:16 as "The CHRIST the Son of the Living God." In this, God was fulfilling his own desire when he said, "For you are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." 2Cor 6:16.
The prophecy of Isaiah had now been fulfilled and God had taken up residence on the earth walking as man. He is "EMMANUEL" God with us, and this was confirmed by his ministry for he told the people that the Kingdom of God was within them as a present experience, and it was not some event that would come thousands of years later. Living in that Kingdom today involves the Government of our life resting upon his shoulder, and to us he becomes the Wonderful counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace. No wonder the Psalmist declared, Mercy and Truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm 85:10.
But we must go on, for there is yet to be a manifestation of the Christ that will flow forth from a people on this earth not as a Babe born in a manger any longer but this will be the birthing of the MAN CHILD, the King of Glory with divine power to RULE THE NATIONS. His birth in Bethlehem was as Savior and Redeemer, despised and rejected of men and a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. However, they rejected and crucified him and buried him in a rock tomb, thinking that was the end of him. BUT on the third day the tomb burst open to reveal the power of death had been forever broken, and the NEW CREATION MAN revealed himself in all his glory to those with eyes to see. The "Nations that the Christ is to rule over are not simply the present nations of the world, but are the Nations Israel had to conquer when they took up residence in the Land of Canaan. They are the "Nations" of "Ites" who had settled in to the Promised Land but had no right to be there. God said to Israel "YOU cast them out for I have given the land TO YOU." God acted on their behalf as the DELIVERER.
The cross continues to destroy the power of death for all those who dare to believe we were created immortal, born to rule and reign victorious over sin and death IN THIS WORLD. The resurrection is the end of our false identity as a Mortal Human Being, and the end of the power of DEATH, as the transformation of our MIND destroys the power of the serpent’s deception, being replaced by the MIND OF CHRIST. Now we can say, "For me to live IS CHRIST expressing himself through me? If you have seen me in reality you have seen my Father, for "I" and my Father ARE no longer separate entities but we are O-N-E."
Now we have a people all of whom are walking in the reality of their true identity with Christ dwelling IN THEM, but this is not the end of the story, for so many Christians declare that Christ dwells in them, but there is no evidence for others to see. It is so easy to parrot the statements above without any reality attached to them. It is the Apostle Paul who tells us that our ministry is to birth this Christ bringing him into manifestation in our lives. Not by seeking to imitate Jesus Christ as so many Christians do for that is a waste of time. We must do what Mary did and birth the Christ, but not as a physical experience, but spiritually. Paul said to the Galatian Christians, "My little Children for whom I am suffering birth pangs until Christ is completely formed within you." James 4:19. (Amp)
The "Woman" in the Garden of Eden is what all of mankind has become, "A Living Soul," functioning out of her soul’s faculties, which include the Mind, the Emotions and the Will. The Living soul can never become CHRIST, for the soul functions out of MORTAL LIFE, and so that life has to die before the Christ Life can function instead. You can only LIVE ONE LIFE AT A TIME, either Mortal life or Eternal life, but never can the two function together. This is the whole purpose of the CROSS-, to surrender our mortal life and lay it down on the cross. This has nothing to do with the cemetery for you were IN CHRIST when he died on the cross, so HIS DEATH was YOUR DEATH, which means that 2000 years ago YOU died to your human identity to take up your true identity as the one who walked out of the tomb on the third day. He did not die INSTEAD of you, but he died AS YOU.
Jesus declared that he had power to lay down his life and he had power to take it up again, and we also have the power to do the same. BUT the life he lay down was not the life he took up in resurrection. His body was changed from mortal flesh and blood as he lived on the earth, to an immortal body that nothing on this earth could touch such as sickness, pain or death, he could walk through the walls and appear and disappear, and be here and then appear somewhere else. "Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Rom 8:21. "Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”? Phil 3:21.
Now we come to the time of the true manifestation of that Christ that is being birthed in us today, in Rev 12. John saw this day when in the spirit realm there appeared a SIGN or a SYMBOL of a spiritual reality. It was a WOMAN, clothed with the SUN and with the MOON under her feet, and with a crown or tiara of 12 Stars upon her head. What a picture of the BODY OF CHRIST the WOMAN that was taken out of the man in the garden of Eden, that was deceived by the snake and brought mankind into a wilderness. But NOW there has been deliverance and a transformation, she is clothed in LIGHT, just as Adam was in the Garden before Eve took the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. She has the crown of a KING on her head and the Pseudo reflected light of the moon that she had walked in for so long is now under her feet.
There is another ominous sign or symbol that was seen in this vision and this was a Red (color of fire) Dragon with seven heads and ten horns, which are symbols of power and authority. This "Dragon" is nothing but the serpent from the Garden of Eden pretending now to be a dragon. It represents Satan who accuses the brethren day and night and is the enemy of God. This "Dragon" is on a mission just as Pharaoh tried to kill Israel’s deliverer by killing all the male children, and Just as Herod tried to kill the baby Jesus who was said to be King of the Jews. Now the dragon remains before the Woman who is about to deliver the MAN-CHILD who is to rule the nations.
However, the woman who was considered to be separated from Adam, now has been restored to her rightful place IN CHRIST making it possible for the MAN–CHILD to be brought forth. All duality has now gone, as the TWO shall be one, for the man shall leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife and the two shall be one. As soon as the Man-Child was delivered it was immediately caught up into the realm of spirit to God and to the Throne, out of the reach of the dragon, and immediately to his position of power and authority. In this birthing Christ and his Church which is his Body, have become ONE in the Lord God Almighty who will rule as a shepherd over the nations. This brings a change to the earth as God’s need for the opposition is drawing to a close. This event signals a great change that is taking place to the earth, for the woman or the Body of Christ is divinely preserved at this time.
The age-old serpent and dragon was cast down and was relegated to the dust of the earth. But there was also a war that broke out in the heavens of man’s being. The spiritual part of man needed adjusting for the serpent had infected and polluted the mind in the Garden of Eden so there was a skirmish as the snake tried to defend his place in the heavens of mankind. But with the help of Michael the Arch Angel whose name means, "Who is LIKE GOD?" For man was created in the likeness and image of God, so they overcame the serpent by the blood (LIFE) of the Lamb and by the testimony of their lips, because they did not love their lives but willingly laid then down in exchange for life everlasting.
The Beast Rising out of the Sea
In this study we are not going into the details of these visions, which closely relate to the visions of Daniel and their application to the Roman Empire and the emperors themselves. John begins in Rev 13:1 stating that he stopped as he stood upon the Sand of the sea. This refers to a great multitude just as the Lord promised Abraham, in Gen 22:17, "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies." There is a distinction between the "SEED of Abraham," which would be as the STARS of heaven, and the natural seed, which would be as the sand, which is upon the seashore. One was a heavenly seed and the other was natural.
In Rev 12. John had been is looking at the scene from a heavenly perspective, but now he stops to check out the scene from the earthly viewpoint. A "BEAST" that has all the traits of a wild animal, rises up out of the sea of humanity and this represents MAN living under the power of the carnal mind. This runs parallel with Daniel’s vision only he speaks of four beasts, while here there is only ONE Beast, but it has the characteristics of all four that Daniel saw. We need to note that none of these "Beasts" have the power to function on their own, and so they receive their power, position and authority from the "Dragon." So the "Man-Beast" is dependent upon the dragon for its ability to function, and so
However, it becomes evident that this "beast" is simply MAN functioning under the power of Satan or the carnal mind. When ever man believes he is separated from God all that is left is nothing more than the animal. That man is capable of giving way to the animal instinct and can function accordingly.
The "Beast" has ten heads alluding to the fullness of human power and authority, as ten is the number of testing as far as man is concerned. Then the "Beast" also has ten "Crowns" designating his position and his authority. Some of the crimes today against humanity bear all the hallmarks of animalism, and it is difficult at times to understand how any man could do such things.
The world or the Earth wondered after the "Beast" as it suffered a set back, in that one of its "Heads"heads was killed but it was able to recover. We will not go into the historical side of this for that is not our concern in this study. Remember this "Beast" is not physical or material, for this whole book is written in Signs and Symbols.
The beast has grown and developed over the years under the Nazi Regime when millions of Jews were sent to their death in gas chambers and other horrible means. Weapons of mass destruction now do not just kill a few people but whole cities are wiped out with one atomic bomb. However, the work of the dragon today consists of other things besides war that enslave mankind and rob them of Peace, Love and even Life itself, by filling their minds with lies that hide or destroy the Truth. How many people wrongly believe that money will bring health and happiness. Others seek after pleasure as the pathway to satisfaction in Life. These and many other popular suggestions are all dead ends that simply put people on a treadmill that absorbs their time and energy but returns very little. These have lost their way and cannot find the answers to life that they are seeking. But Jesus Christ did declare, "Be of good cheer for I have overcome the world (the COSMOS)." So we can have confidence that this "dragon" is not like a "loose Cannon" on the earth, but it has been overcome experientially by the Lord himself proving that it need not be feared.
God has not abandoned man on the earth but has provided an answer to the power of the dragon. One day, a man named Saul who worked for the religious authority of his day, carried in his pocket papers giving him the right to take any who followed the Nazarene, and kill them. Filled with such evil intent and authority he is traveling towards Damascus, with his team of blood-thirsty men when all of a sudden a LIGHT FROM HEAVEN brought him to the ground, and he heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" Acts 9. Regardless of the papers he had, that gave him authority from the State Saul replies, "Who are you LORD (Master and Owner)?" He recognized he had made contact with a higher authority than the Roman Empire. And the voice replied, "I AM JESUS whom you are persecuting." Saul’s response indicated the change the voice made to him, for he said, "What do you desire me to do?" he was told to go into the city and wait for further orders.
Such is the ease with which God deals with the "Beast" that controls the mind of so many. The mighty Saul, who once was feared by every Christian, now becomes as meek as a lamb in submission to the authority of the King, Jesus Christ. For him the "Beast" has been stripped of its authority bringing about a radical change in his life and behavior. In the Garden of Eden the serpent that is more subtle than any other "Beast" of the field infiltrated the MIND of the Woman destroying its integrity. The Apostle Paul speaks of the CARNAL or Natural mind as the "Mind" that now functions in mankind, until a change is brought about through a renewing by the Spirit of God. The natural "Mind" has no input from God so it cannot know the things that are of God, because they can only be spiritually discerned.
This carnal mind is where the "Beast" sets up his head quarters in man, from which he controls those who do not establish a connection with God and tap into his wisdom. The Apostle John tells us in Rev.13:8, "All that dwell upon the earth shall worship the "Beast", whose names are not written in the "BOOK OF THE LIFE OF THE LAMB." Here we see the contrast between the BEAST and the LAMB for the Beast functions through raw power and brute strength, whereas the LAMB has no natural strength or defense mechanism at all and yet the LAMB WINS EVERY TIME. Why is that true, because the LAMB functions under the authority of the Shepherd that is CHRIST, the KING of the WHOLE EARTH?
I once heard a man say, "An army of 100 sheep under the control of a LION, will always be able to destroy an army of 100 lions under the control of a SHEEP, and that is so true. The Lamb upon the Throne of God is the King of all KINGS, and the LORD of all LORDS. Beloved it is the Lamb that is upon the throne in the Kingdom of our God. So in Rev 14 we find the LAMB who is the first MAN created in Gen 1:26-27, but now he is standing with 144000 whose minds are free from Satanic infiltration and so function as the MIND of the Father. This number is symbolic being twelve which is the number of divine Government multiplied by 12. They are singing a song that only the redeemed from the earth could sing.
These are not defiled by women or the LIVING SOULS, so they were not impregnated with the seed of the Serpent from the Garden, so their minds remained unaffected. These are the FIRST FRUITS of a harvest who are the product of the divine seed, which is CHRIST. This seed is growing day by day in number and will eventually fill the earth and the "Beast" will disappear.
Babylon is fallen
The third impediment to the fulfillment of our spiritual destiny is represented by Babylon which is the Name of a City that had its beginning in antiquity. If we go back to Gen. 10:8 we come to Cush who was the son of Ham, and he gives birth to a son called "NIMROD" which means, "Rebellion." Nimrod was Noah’s Great Grandson and the Bible records that he was a "Mighty Hunter." This man whose name means rebellion now is called a "Mighty Hunter or, "One who seizes and takes control." It is recorded that he established an empire in the area of Babylon and Assyria where he built a walled city, in which he offered protection to those who would come under his authority. In this brief history we can see that Babylon was established on the basis of Rebellion against God, and the enslavement of people to the same cause.
John was shown the destruction of Babylon that is referred to in Rev 17, under the title of the "GREAT WHORE." In keeping with the whole book we need to remember that the writer is using signs and symbols so it is not the literal city of Babylon that is in view here. This "WOMAN" is presented as a PROSTITUTE who has control over a large portion of humanity, who also is encouraged to function as prostitutes. This "Woman" is accused of having committed fornication with the "KINGS of the Earth" causing them to be intoxicated by her subtle advances. These "Kings" are not part of any human royalty, but these are the "Children of the KING of the whole EARTH." So this "Woman" is now facing the Wrath of God, for his children who are citizens of the Kingdom of God have become involved, and the King’s reputation is being brought into disrepute.
In Rev.16:16, God steps in and brings together the opposing forces at ARMAGEDDON the hill or city of Megiddo is in the valley of Esdraelon, and by the waters of the Kishon River. We are told in Jud 5:19 that it was at this place where Israel gained a decisive victory over Sisera, the conquering general under king Jabin of Hazor. Celebrated in Deborah's song. See also Re 20:8ff. and Eze 39:2,4.
It says every ISLAND fled away, but the Greek word used here is "Naus" that relates to a very big ship which indicates that Babylon was the headquarters of a great commerce. Then the Mountains are mentioned, speaking of Babylon’s elevated authority in the world. Both of these aspects of Babylon, it seems were destroyed in the Judgment of God. But then John speaks about a great HAIL STORM with the hail weighing as much as 45kg that caused such devastation. However in keeping with John’s direction that this is not literal but symbolic let us consider what the hail could represent.
Let us look at Isa 28:17-18, "Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place, or Affliction will discover their vain confidence, which they kept secret to themselves." Here we can see that the "HAIL" is designed to remove the hiding place for LIES. A LIE cannot live in the open under scrutiny, but it must conceal itself and so to bring Babylon down God sends the hail to deal with the LIES by which people have been deceived so that they will not believe the Truth. Babylon has presented God as a monster who judges everything we do and will destroy everyone who fails to do what the religious world says they must do. These are the lies that prevent people from loving God, for you cannot love someone who would destroy you.
So the "Hail" is today simply the TRUTH that is marching triumphantly through the world destroying the lies the Religious word has spread, telling the world the Judgment is over at Calvary and now there is no more condemnation. All that DIED IN ADAM are MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
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