Category: Jesus


MY EXPERIENCES IN HEAVEN AND HELL

Filed under: Golgotha, heaven, hell, Jesus, judgment day, spirtual warfare, The Lake of Fire, the second death — 4 Comments
January 18, 2023

The New Earth on the First Day as the Morning Star Rises

POINTS FOR REFLECTION

I understand that the experiences I shared pertaining to the spiritual warfare over me, are foreign to most. You can read them here:

My day of death

When You Disbelieve The Devil’s Existence…

Entering The Spiritual Realm

MY JOURNEY TO SPIRITUAL GOLGOTHA

IN HELL – CONFRONTED BY THE DEVIL

SWIMMING IN THE LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE

Standing On The Seat Of Judgment Before God

I also understand that these chronicles are more readily accepted when they are authenticated by bible scripture. I, therefore, will introduce a few scriptures here to fulfill this desired result. I hope that in examining this material, you may find, like I did, a real glimpse into the reality of the spiritual realm.  

A CORRELATION TO THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST

The experiences of that night terrified me, and yet people just never talked about things like this, and rightfully so. Most people would think you were crazy for talking about what I experienced. Therefore, I did not want to think about what happened, let alone tell anyone about Entering The Spiritual Realm. It wasn’t until years later, after I was born-again, that I really began to understand what God had done for me. He showed me the truth about what exists on the other side of this reality and how my actions on earth would determine my spiritual destiny. God loved me enough to give me a second opportunity to make the right choices and this changed my fate. I did not deserve this opportunity, but He gave it to me out of His love for me. I knew that if He did this much for me when I did not deserve it, He would continue to bless me afterward. Eventually, I publically declared Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. Everything improved for me after that. God placed favor into my soul, and I grew closer to Him than I could have imagined. I began reading the Bible daily and gained new insights into my spiritual encounters. In the book of Revelation, I found uncanny similarities, correlations, and insights into what happened to me. The following sections present some parallels found in the book of Revelation. 

PROOF OF THE LAKE OF FIRE

The orange plasma that I reported swimming in (see SWIMMING IN THE LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE) is mentioned in the book of Revelation. It is the eternal destination of Satan, the beast, the false prophet, death, Hades, and everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life.

Revelation 20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

THE JUDGMENT OF WORKS AND THE OPENED BOOKS

In my spiritual reality, I stood in a gray place while being judged (Standing On The Seat Of Judgment Before God.) I heard the voices of the beings that searched for records of the good works I had done. I also experienced the pain I had caused others as the sins of my life passed before me. 

The Judgment Seat of Christ

Is there a reference to being judged in the Bible? Are records kept to assist in the judgment? The answer to both of these questions is yes. Everyone will be judged by their works: 

Revelation 20:11 – 13 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things, which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

THE SECOND DEATH

Since only truth existed in the place of my reflection, I somehow understood that the pending judgment before me was regarding the second death. On earth, I did not know that such a thing existed. Is there evidence of the second death in the Bible? Yes, again, it is explained in the continuation of the passage above. The second death is the end of hell and death. The result is to be the total elimination of evil. There will also be the elimination of death, pain, and tears. Sadly, however, there will be no more chances for repentance as only those whose name is in the Book of Life will remain:

Revelation 20:14 – 15 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

THE SAVIOR

On that night, I swam in the lake of fire and brimstone and later walked in the halls of Hell where I faced the beast IN HELL – CONFRONTED BY THE DEVIL. I knew there was no escape from these places, so how did I get out? I also sustained the reality of the second death, but who has power over death, to let live or let die? The answer is Jesus! The following words from the book of Revelation are the words of the resurrected Jesus: 

Jesus “The Way, the Truth and the Life,” Rises from the Dead

Revelation 1:18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of hades and of death.

THE JUDGE

In my recollection, I stood while being judged. To whom do I owe my redemption? Who sits on the throne of judgment? 

Revelation 7:10 And crying out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!

I was returned to a life that day despite my stained garments. Who has the power to forgive sin?

Mark 2:10 – 11 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins; He said to the paralytic, I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.

I stood in a place where only truth existed and was asked, “Why should you live?” But, who is it that will judge the living and the dead?

2 Timothy 4:1 I charge you, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom. 

The answer is that Jesus, the Christ of Nazareth, is our Lord and Savior. Even though I had made poor choices, Jesus covered me with His blood and kept me from the second death I deserved. 

Jesus Sheds His Blood on the Cross

My story provides insight into the meaning of our lives because it accurately describes the consequences of poor choices. I had made the poor choice of disbelieving in the devil’s existence, and God revealed the truth to me. The truth is that the devil, hell, the lake of fire and brimstone, the judgment, and the second death are the consequences of poor choices. God, Jesus, heaven, and life everlasting are the consequences of our faith in Jesus Christ, the son of God. 

A CORRELATION WITH PSALM 30

As you know from reading my seven prior postings listed at the top of the page, I entered the emergency room of a major hospital on November 7, 1986, believing that all would be well soon, not knowing that MY DAY OF DEATH was knocking at my door. Nor did I know that God would miraculously deliver me from a long string of attacks and calamities. 

A correlation to my experience exists in Psalm 30, a psalm of David. In this psalm, David honors God for saving him from his foe, healing him, delivering him from the grave, and saving him from being cast into the pit (MY JOURNEY TO SPIRITUAL GOLGOTHA.) My experience shows that God also did these things for me, and therein lies the correlation. Let us start by reading a portion of Psalm 30.

Psalm 30: 1-5 I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried out to You, and you healed me. O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. 

Let us honor God for His great mercy and love! I completely relate to the message of Psalm 30. So much so that I modified it to become my individual prayer of thanksgiving for all my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has done for me. I present this personal version here, so please read along with me in thanksgiving and praise: 

I will exalt You, Oh Lord, for You have lifted me up and have not let my enemy, the devil, rejoice in victory over me. Oh Lord, my God, I have cried out to You, and You have healed me from a great affliction of which there was seemingly no hope. Oh Lord, You have lifted my soul from the grave of death and saved me from the eternal damnation I truly deserve. You have kept me alive and spared me from the fate of the Lake of Fire and Brimstone and the everlasting torture and agony of the second death. Sing praises to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks to the remembrance of His holy name; His name is JESUS, THE CHRIST OF NAZARETH. For His anger is but for a moment, but His favor is forever. Oh, weeping and sorrow may endure for a night, but joy everlasting comes in the morning, and a new life begins. 

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A CRUEL TRICK

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Golden Lampstand, Jesus the Holy Place, Possess the Vision, spirtual warfare — Leave a comment
May 23, 2014

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

One of the important traditions our family kept was our frequent visits to my grandmother’s house. I remember one such occasion when I was probably three or four years of age. For some reason my uncle set out to test my intelligence. To accomplish this, he held a new shiny dime in one hand and a new 1943 penny in the other. The unique characteristic of the 1943 penny was that it was made of steel, not copper like other pennies, apparently due to the shortage of copper during the war. These pennies when new were just as shiny and bright as a new dime. Here is a picture of one of these penny’s that will give you an idea of just how much they looked like a dime.

1943 Steel Penny photo: 1943 Steel Penny SteelPenny.jpg

He held the dime between his right thumb and forefinger and the penny between his left thumb and forefinger. He carefully explained that the dime was much more valuable than the penny (although I was not sure of what this meant.) He then placed them both directly in front of my face and asked me to choose the
one I wanted.

Initially, I reached for the dime based on what he told me. But when my hand moved toward it, he moved the penny closer to me and then jiggled it back and forth in front of my face. The penny flashed streams of light before my eyes when he did this. My thoughts were that the penny seemed to be much more fun than the
dime. I picked it out of his hand.

He rushed to proclaim my stupidity to everyone else in room, stating that I would never amount to anything. I felt duped and betrayed. I became extremely angry at my uncle. In fact, I wanted to punch my uncle right in the nose and teach him a lesson about playing such a cruel trick on me. But then, somehow I knew that it would do me no good, so I held back.

In retrospect, this event was just a precursor to the truth that life would always present me with choices. Some bad choices would look good and some good choices would look undesirable. It would be up to me to discern the truth and make the right choice and receive the best possible reward. I was beginning to find out that poor choices would result in paying the consequences. As you read on you will find that much of this book is dedicated to communicating the horrible consequences of my poor choices as well as the wonderful rewards for the wise choices I made in my life. These stories communicate the spiritual truth of the world around us.

Please note that even Jesus was tempted and had to make choices that were pleasing to the Father.

Jesus is Tempted on the Mountain

Jesus is Tempted on the Mountain

So the lesson here is that there are misguided people in the world that will
attempt to deceive the children of God and destroy our creditability. In order to protect ourselves we must have spiritual discernment because the proper choices in life are critical to our overall welfare, our relationship with God and ultimately, our salvation. Anyone seeking guidance in this regard, may find the following series of hyperlinks very helpful. I pray that Jesus enlighten your pathway.

Love,

Papa Joe

 

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

Jesus-is-the-Light-of-the-World

Applying-Jesus-the-Golden-Lampstand-to-our-Lives

Jesus-and-the-Golden-Altar-of-Incense

Jesus-is-the-Golden-Altar-if-Incense

Jesus-Resists-the-Devils-Temptation

Jesus-Heals-the-Sick-and-the-Lame

Jesus-Casts-Out-Demons

Jesus-is-Victorious-over-an-Evil-Establishment

Jesus-is-Victorious-on-the-Cross

The-Victory-of-Jesus-Empowers-us

Victory-in-Spiritual-Warfare-Through-Jesus-our-Golden-Altar

Spiritual-Warfare-Requires-Prayer-and-Fasting

Jesus-Prays-before-Battle

Your-Prayers-at-the-Golden-Altar-have-Great-Power

Put-on-the-full-Armor-of-Jesus

Jesus-Leads-us-to-the-Spiritual-Promised-Land

Jesus-our-Tabernacle-Leads-us-to-the-Promised-Land

Jesus-Leads-us-to-the-Promised-Land

The-Purpose-of-Spiritual-Warfare

The-Spiritual-Warfare-of-Jesus-Requires-Unity

Why-we-Should-enter-into-the-Spiritual-Warfare-of-Jesus

Have-Perfect-Faith-in-Jesus

Perfect-Faith-brings-down-the-Giants-before-us

Jesus-is-the-Holy-Place-of-Empowerment-and-Truth

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Jesus, the Fulfilment of the Law

Filed under: Covenant, Jesus, Uncategorized — Leave a comment
August 13, 2013

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Jesus, the Fulfillment of the Law

Jesus said:

17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

One has to ask the question, what does Jesus mean when He said: ‘to fulfill?’  A definition found in an online dictionary provides insight.

ful·fill also ful·fil  (fl-fl)

tr.v. ful·filled, ful·fill·ing, ful·fills also ful·fils

1. To bring into actuality; effect: fulfilled their promises.

2. To carry out (an order, for example).

3. To measure up to; satisfy. See Synonyms at perform, satisfy.

4. To bring to an end; complete.

So based on this definition we can see that Jesus is saying that the law and the prophets must bring their promises to actuality. Therefore, prophetic prophesy must become a reality and God’s intention for the law, (to make covenant with the people and to dwell with them on Earth) is realized.

The Fulfillment of the Prophetic Promise

What this means is that an order made to deliver something has to be carried out. So when the words of God are delivered by one of His prophets, the fulfillment comes when his statement becomes a reality.

In the case of the law, it is fulfilled when the purpose of the law is achieved. The purpose of the Ten Commandments was to change the behavior of Israel such that would enable them to enter into a covenant relationship with the Father, in which He would be able to dwell with them as He did in the Garden of Eden.

Adam and Eve in the Garden

Adam and Eve in the Garden

The Promises of God must be brought to an end by way of Competition

So, in these two cases, the fulfillment of God promises must come to pass. Therefore, the prophetic message has to become reality. The people’s promise to abide to the commandments delivered by Moses must be achieved.

Those things that once existed in the law for example, must be brought to an end.  Jesus is the fulfillment of the law as He was able to live in accord with the law. Because He lived a perfect life He was able to dwell on Earth with men, being God and therefore fulfilling the promise of the law and the Mosaic covenant.

Moses and the Ten Comandments

Moses and the Ten Comandments

For those who believe in Him He is the fulfillment of the Tabernacle’s function and purpose. He has fulfilled the rigid rules of the law by simply commanding us to love on another as He loved us. He has fulfilled the blood sacrifices for the forgiveness of sin with the blood sacrifice of His own body and blood. For those who believe in Him, He has fulfilled the Mosaic covenant with the New Covenant of His body and blood.

God gave Moses the specifications for building the Tabernacle and therefore it was built in accord with a heavenly model.

Jesus, Moses Discuss the Fulfilment of Tabernacle Prophesy

Jesus, Moses Discuss the Fulfillment of Tabernacle Prophesy

As such it has to also be fulfilled in the life and words of Jesus. In addition, the portion of the law that provided guidance for the priest who provided services at the Tabernacle who also have to be fulfilled as well. In fact, every component and every object found in the Tabernacle must have their promise fulfilled in the life of Jesus. In thinking about the Tabernacle in this way we see it as a prophetic blueprint for the future. This blueprint when fulfilled results in God dwelling with men in such a way that all of its functions, purpose, and attributes of it are realized. The good news is that Jesus fulfills all of these conditions and we therefore can validate that He is the Christ.

This web site goes into great detail demonstrating this truth by referencing scripture. Go to our home page (https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/) to access the index into our writings on these subjects.

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The Tabernacle Foretells of Jesus, “the Way” to the Father

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Tabernacle, Spirituality, Tabernacle — Leave a comment
May 6, 2013

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

The Tabernacle Foretells of Jesus, “the Way” to the Father

This posting is the third in a series of communications designed to reveal what Jesus was referring to when He stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14: 6.)” Today’s posting is going to focus in on the spiritual meaning of “the Way.”

In our first posting we looked at the parables of Jesus and gained insight into the reality that we can best understand them by looking for their spiritual interpretation. We also learned that all the words of Jesus are to interpreted as parables. To review this posting please follow this link:  The-Messages-of-Jesus-are-Understood-by-the-Spiritual-Interpretation-of-His-Parables

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit

In the second posting we analyzed the words of Jesus,  “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14: 6,)” from a parabolic perspective (an analogy that uses earthly objects as references in communicating a spiritual truth.)

In doing so we identified that the Tabernacle was the only possible earthly reference to John 14: 1-6 above. This is because the Father dwelt deep inside the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle, and for that reason it was the only place for man to come into the Father’s presence.

the-holy-place

Next we identified a spiritual analogy to the Tabernacle in the book of Revelations:

“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God (Rev 21:2-4,)”

We used the this scripture to prove the existence of a spiritual Tabernacle in Heaven. Accordingly, we concluded that this is the spiritual truth that Jesus was communicating to His disciples in John 14: 1-6. We also concluded that that Jesus is stating that He is the fulfilment of the Tabernacle and therefore we must drill down into the details of the Tabernacle for answers to the meaning of “the way, the truth and the life.”

the bride of christ

To review this posting in detail, simply follow this link: The-Way-to-the-Father-is-Through-the-Spiritual-Tabernacle-Called-Jesus

The Parabolic Nature of “the Way” is Revealed in Hebrews

Let’s start by looking at a scripture from Hebrews as it validates the parabolic nature of the Tabernacle:

Hebrews 9: 8-15

New King James Version (NKJV)

the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.

Priest Before The Ark Of The Covenant

Priest Before The Ark Of The Covenant

This scripture states that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first Tabernacle was still standing, but rather, it was symbolic for the time of reformation, which is the spiritual reformation brought by Jesus. Accordingly, this scripture validates the symbolic or parabolic qualities of the Tabernacle.

The term, “Holiest of All” used in the scripture above is a reference to the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle. It is  synonymous with the terms, “Holy of Holies,” and “Most Holy Place.” It is in this chamber that the Father would speak with Moses and Aaron, in accord with God’s covenant with Israel.

Now, some interesting things become evident when comparing this scripture to John 14: 1-6. Both scriptures describe “the way,” into the Father’s presence. Hebrews 9: 8-15 uses the phrase, “the way into the Holiest of All,” while John 14: 6 states that “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

The Hebrews scripture communicates that “the way,” to the Holiest of All (where the Father is) through the entrances into and through the three chambers of the Tabernacle (the only possible way into this area of the Tabernacle – see the diagram below.)

On the other hand the scripture from John communicates that the way to the Fathers is through Jesus (the way, the truth and the life,) the spiritual Tabernacle in heaven. Consequently, when we look at the scriptures that define the Tabernacle components leading to the Holiest of all, we gain insight into the spiritual pathway that Jesus called Himself “the way, the truth and the life.”

In addition, there is a word in John 14: 6 that provides insight into the attributes of the Tabernacle that we should be looking for, and that word is “through.” This word indicates that we must enter at some external entrance, and then navigate through the internal components of the structure to get to the intended destination.

Applying this concept of “through,” to the earthly Tabernacle would provide us the earthly analogies necessary to decode the spiritual interpretation of “the way, the truth and the life” as defined by Jesus in John 14. It would also do the same for “the way to the Holiest of All,” as defined in Hebrews 9. So lets take a look at what passing “through” the Tabernacle means at a very high level.

First it means that we must enter at the gate that leads into the Courtyard and then navigate through the Courtyard until we came to the entryway into the Holy Place. Then we would have navigate through Holy Place until we came before the veil that separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. This time we would have to pass through the veil and then navigate to the Father (presence is above the Ark of the Covenant.)

In this regard, it is clear that the things that must be passed through are the entrances to the three Tabernacle chambers and the chambers themselves. Now, if the entrances are each considered to be a part of the chamber they lead into, then at a high level we have just have three major component of the Tabernacle. This corresponds to the three words that Jesus used in John 14 to describe Himself, which are “the way, the truth and the life.”  For that reason these three chambers of the Tabernacle are a primary focus in getting a better understanding John 14: 1-6, and subsequently Jesus.

A cautionary note is required here, as this information taken by itself does not show that these three chambers are the objects of Jesus’ parable. For now they are simply the focus of our search. To acquire a definitive proof we will need to delve deeper into these chambers, looking for clues in the scriptures that reveal the spiritual truths that either verify or disprove this premise.

This is where we plan to pick up with our next posting.

It should be noted that a major portion of this website is devoted to correlating the attributes and functions of the Tabernacle to the words and actions of Jesus. These articles can be found by scanning the index contained on the homepage of this site: Possess-The-Vision.

God’s blessings be with you.

possess-the-vision-front02.jpg

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The Way to the Father is Through the Spiritual Tabernacle Called Jesus

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Tabernacle, Jesus the Tabernacle Courtyard, New Jerusalem, Spirituality, Tabernacle, Uncategorized — 5 Comments
March 5, 2013

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

The Way to the Father is Through the Spiritual Tabernacle Called Jesus

In our previous posting we look at the parables of Jesus and gained insight into the fact that we can better understand these analogies of Jesus by looking for a spiritual interpretation of them. This principle provides the critical foundation necessary to answer a number of questions I have received from readers. To review our posting that delves into this subject in more detail, please follow this link:  The-Messages-of-Jesus-are-Understood-by-the-Spiritual-Interpretation-of-His-Parables

Questions About the Tabernacle and the Claims of Jesus

This postings is just one in a series of communications that are designed to address a number of questions we referenced above. These questions ask for authoritative scriptural references that support the proposition that Jesus is proclaiming to be the fulfillment of the Tabernacle when He stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14: 6.) These questions also ask for scriptural references that support the proposition that the entryways into the Tabernacle are called the Way, the Truth and the Life.

In addressing these requests the establishment of a scriptural foundation is required, that is best provided in a line upon line fashion. Our first posting (link identified above) started the building of that foundation and we continue to build upon it here. All of this is necessary to provide the insight that many of our readers are asking for.

Jesus is the Fulfillment of the Tabernacle

We start by taking a look at the cornerstone of the questions above, namely, the Jesus, “I am…,” scripture:

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:1-6)

Now in our last posting we learned that: All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them (Matt 13: 34.) Since the parables of Jesus are spiritual references delivered by way of analogy to worldly things, we should start by looking for a real world object that will help us understand the spiritual truth of Jesus. In other words, we need to find the real world analogy that Jesus is referring to when He states; “I am the way, the truth, and the life No one comes to the Father except through Me?” Well, since Jesus and all the disciples were Jews, one must consider that their worldly view would have been that the only way to the Father was through the Tabernacle.

The Glory Cloud Covers the Tabernacle

The Glory Cloud Covers the Tabernacle

The following scripture validates this statement:

17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel (Exodus 25: 17-22.)

Priest Before The Ark Of The Covenant

Priest Before The Ark Of The Covenant

In this scripture Moses has recorded the words that God gave Him on the mountain top. In it God communicates with him about how the Most Holy Place (the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle) is to be furnished and arranged. What is clear from reading this scripture is that the Father intends to communicate with Moses from this specific area, deep inside the Tabernacle, as the Tabernacle was built to be the place where God would dwell with man on Earth.

Now, if Jesus was communicating a spiritual message by way of parable in John 14: 1-6, and we know that without a parable He did not speak to them (Matt 13: 34), then the Tabernacle had to be the only possible analogy of His parable. This is true because His dwelling there was a part of Israel’s covenant relationship with the Father.

Moses and the Ten Comandments

Moses and the Ten Comandments

Also, by association, if Jesus is claiming that He is the only way to the Father, and the Tabernacle was their existing way to the Father, then not only is Jesus claiming to be the fulfillment of the Tabernacle; but the terms, the Way, the Truth and the Life, must somehow refer to the pathway through the Tabernacle as well.

To add some support to these conclusions, lets look at John 14: 6 once again: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14: 6.) The word “through” is very important as it gives us a sense that we enter into Jesus at a certain point, and then pass “through” to the other side of Him, where we then come into the presence of Father. This adds support to our case as this is precisely the structure of the Tabernacle built in the time of Moses. At that time the tribes of Israel aligned on all sides of the Tabernacle. There was an entryway that lead into what was called the Outer Courtyard. In the middle of this courtyard was a tent like structure that was called the Holy Place, and it also had a single entrance. The inside of the Tabernacle was divided by a curtain and the area behind the curtain was called the Most Holy Place where the Father dwelt. By the way, this curtain or veil as it is sometimes called, is the same one that was torn in two at the time of the death of Jesus on the cross. In any event, what we see here is that there is a pathway to the Father defined here, and interestingly, there are exactly three entryways that must be passed through to get to the Father. Could these be the spiritual Way, the Truth and the Life that Jesus was referring to? More details on this will be coming in future postings.

The Chanbers of the Tabernacle

The Chanbers of the Tabernacle

So, at this point we have correlated this parable of Jesus to the Tabernacle. We have seen that there is substantial evidence supporting such a proposition. But the Tabernacle is an Earthly object and since we view the words of Jesus as parables, then we must look for a spiritual interpretation, especially since a purely physical interpretation seems unrealistic. So, at this point one has to ask if there is scriptural support for a spiritual Tabernacle? A Tabernacle that resides in a spiritual place like heaven, because if there is, then that scripture would validate much of what we are presenting in this post.

Jesus, the Spiritual Tabernacle

Here is an authoritative scriptural support for a spiritual tabernacle in heaven:

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God (Rev 21:2-4.)

the bride of christ

So, this is what Jesus was talking about. The disciples did not know this at the time as the revelation did not come to John until many years after the death, resurrection and the ascension of our Lord into heaven.

In our next posting we will attempt to dig deeper into the correlations between John 14: 1-6 and Revelations 21: 2-4 and find further strength to support what we have presented here today. We will also take a closer look into what is meant by the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Until then, may all of God’s blessings be upon the readers of this post!

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The Messages of Jesus are Understood by the Spiritual Interpretation of His Parables

Filed under: Jesus, Spirituality — 2 Comments
March 3, 2013

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The Messages of Jesus are Understood by the Spiritual Interpretation of His Parables

Today we look at the parables of Jesus for insight into how we can better understand the messages He has provided us in the Gospels. This understanding is critical in answering a number of questions I have received from readers seeking validation of some of the messages we have delivered.

Questions About the Tabernacle and the Claims of Jesus

For example, a number of readers have asked for authoritative scriptural support that Jesus is claiming to be the fulfillment of the Tabernacle when He stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14: 6.) They have also asked me to provide scriptural verification that the entryways into the Tabernacle are called the Way, the Truth and the Life.

I plan to present answers by way of a number of postings. The strategy is to build a foundation of principles, in a line upon line manner, that lead the reader to the verification that they desire.

Jesus and Parables

The disciples often had difficulty understanding Jesus, just as many of us do today. Often, the reason for this is because Jesus came to deliver spiritual messages about the Father and the Kingdom of Heaven, while we on the other hand, are prone to relate everything to the physical world around us.

Jesus And The Multitude

Jesus And The Multitude

As a result, Jesus would often speak to us by way of parables that paint His spiritual messages in the colors of our real world experiences. The Gospels contains numerous examples of the parables of Jesus. However, it should be noted that parables did not always help in our understanding. In at least one example, Jesus had to explain a parable to His disciples.

Here is a section of  Matthew’s Gospel about Jesus and His parables:

Matthew 13

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Parable of the Sower

1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Disciples are Sent out

The Disciples are Sent out

The Purpose of Parables

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should[a] heal them.’[b] 16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

The Parable of the Leaven

33 Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures[c] of meal till it was all leavened.”

Prophecy and the Parables

34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

“I will open My mouth in parables;

I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”[d]

The Parable of the Tares Explained

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”

37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

This scripture is very revealing in that it presents a number of the parables of Jesus, and then goes on and gives us the translation of some of them so that we can see how His parables work. It shows how He presents a seemingly real life story like the parable of the Tares, and uses it to deliver His spiritual message. In this example He uses the parable to describe the reality of the spiritual forces in our lives and spiritual destination that all mankind is moving toward. The parable presents a case for the purpose of Jesus coming to Earth, which is to sow the good seeds of the Father. It substantiates the reality of the devil and his evil deeds, the work of the angels at the time of the harvest, and most importantly, it presents the fire in hell as the destination for all who follow the works of the devil, and the glory of life forever in the kingdom of heaven with the Father who follow Jesus in the pathways of righteousness.

So, the foundational principle of the posting is that Jesus delivered His spiritual messages via parables. This is true because the scripture states: 34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them.

The founding principle is that these messages should not be taken literally, but rather viewed as spiritual messages. This principle is a key foundation to understanding Jesus, and properly understanding His message: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

The things that are revealed in the parables of Jesus are critical to understanding things that have been mysteries to all mankind. This is true because the scripture states: 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
“I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”[d]

All of this insight into parables and the words of Jesus is critical in helping us understand what Jesus was saying when He stated:, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6.) This in turn will lead to an understanding of why the entryways of the Tabernacle are called the Way, the Truth and the Life.

In our next posting we will provide additional scriptural support that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Tabernacle.  After this, we will take an in-depth look at the Way, the Truth and the Life in subsequent postings. See you all next time. God bless you all.

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How to Judge a False Teacher of the Gospel

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January 4, 2013

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

How to Judge a False Teacher of the Gospel?

I had a reader comment that I was a false teacher. He based his opinion on my statement that Jesus claimed to be the entryways into the Tabernacle when He said; “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”  The problem according to this reader is that there is no direct scriptural reference to support such a statement. So, in this posting I will begin to address these issues. The first thing I would like to present is a statement from Paul that comes from 1st Corinthians 4:

1. Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

st paul on the road to damascus

I am content on Paul’s statement as I am not concerned by the opinions of men and I am prepared to let the Lord be my judge. This is because I have only shared my personal journey with the Lord, a journey that has revealed many things to me and hopefully my readers as well. This journey was motivated by my desire to better understand Jesus, a task that included a quest to understand what He meant when He said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” This quest led me to the answers I have communicated on this site. It was a quest that included a comprehensive search of the bible, and reaching out in prayer asking for answers. Based on this I would say that the teaching of Jesus is that we should not Judge, not even someone we believe to be a false teacher. This is in line with the statement of Jesus that proclaims: “Judge not lest you be judged!” In addition, please understand that I should not be considered by any of you as your teacher, as it is written in Matthew 23:

Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ 8 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ,[b] and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Jesus Speaks to the Multitude

Jesus Speaks to the Multitude

So as you can see that you have only one teacher. Your learning has to come by way of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. My part in all of this is to present my journey with the Lord to you, in the hope that the Holy Spirit will enlighten you pathway as He did for me. In my next posting I will address the other issues identified in the first paragraph. Until that time, may all of God’s blessings be upon you.  Papa Joe

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Jesus and the Covenant of Circumsision

Filed under: Christian Love, Covenant, Jesus, Spirituality — Leave a comment
September 10, 2012

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

In our last posting we took a look at the covenant God made with Abraham, a covenant that became the foundation of the three most prolific religions in the world. This covenant promised that Abraham would be the father of many nations and that the land of Canaan would be their possession.

However, all the men of Abraham’s family would have to be circumcised as a visible sign of the covenant. I have included the scriptures of Genesis 17 that communicate the essence of this message here for your review:

for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan (the Promised Land where there are many mansions) where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God. ” 9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant (the new covenant is a covenant of selfless love), you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised (symbolic of casting away one’s own flesh). 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you (as our love for one another is a sign to others that we follow Jesus.) 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant. ”

Now, one of the things we spoke of last time was that this covenant of circumcision was prophetic of Jesus in many ways. So today we are going to drill down a bit on this idea so that we can see the scriptural foundation for this statement.

Lets start with the act of circumcision itself. Circumcision is the act of cutting away the foreskin of the part of a man that defines him to be a man. God asks Abraham to do this to all the men in his family as a sign that he was in covenant with God. This seems peculiar to say the least and one has to wonder why this would be the case. We hope to address this as we tie the covenant of circumcision to the ministry of Jesus Christ.

As we alluded to in our prior posting, the very idea of circumcision seems outrageous on the surface and yet it contains a powerful message for all the generations that followed. The message is that we were not created as physical creatures but rather as spiritual creatures who were created in the image of God.

Genesis 1:27
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Since God is spirit,

John 4:24
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

then we are also spiritual creatures, otherwise we could not have been created in Gods image. We took on our physical bodies when Adam and Eve chose to know evil. It was then that they discovered for the first time that they were naked and sought to cover themselves. This means that they took on the flesh of their physical bodies.

Adam and Eve in the Garden

It was at this time that God also told the woman that her childbearing would come with pain,

To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” Gen 3:16

and so, what we see here is that mankind took on a major transformation because of our desire to know both good and evil. From that point on we were all born as spiritual creatures encapsulated in physical bodies.

Prior to the fall from the Garden there was never a report of Eve giving birth to children, only afterwards did she give birth to children. The point of all of this is that we are not our bodies!

Interestingly, science proves that we are not our bodies as well. Scientists have proven that each cell in our bodies is replaced every seven years. Therefore, we are not physically the same being that we were just seven years ago. We are not the baby that we were when we were born, nor are we the teenager that we were in our youth. Yet, there is a consistency that continues to be us despite the physical change in the bodies we inhabit, and that consistency is our spirit. This is the message of the covenant of circumcision: our flesh is irrelevant in seeking eternal life with God. This message is verified by the words of Jesus as reported by John the disciple:

John 6:63
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

Therefore, it is our spiritual nature that is important to God as we are to seek God in spirit.

Jesus came to us teaching us by way of parables and therefore one way to view covenant with Abraham is as a parable. This parable tells us that to be in covenant with God we must cast away our own flesh as worthless. In addition, it tells us that the people who we come in contact with must be able to determine that we are in covenant with God as a result of our interaction with them. They must be able to see a visible sign that we have turned our back on our own physical life in favor of a spiritual relationship with God.

Jesus spoke the following words:

Matthew 16:25
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

So how do we do this? The casting away of our own flesh is the giving of our life toward loving one another. This love is not self centered but rather others centered.

John 15:12
 This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

It is a love that is enacted by following the lead of the Holy Spirit of God. When we walk in the Spirit of God we will be led into spiritual warfare where the dominions of power and evil are brought down. It is then that we truly enter into the ministry of Jesus Christ. The reason for this is because at this point we begin to do the things that Jesus did.

John 14:11-13
Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

The Holy Spirit

In this regard Jesus confirms the covenant of circumcision by giving up His own body so that He would receive the punishment that we otherwise would justly deserve. He took on the wiping, the spitting, the beating, the thorns in His head, the nails in His hands and feet, the taunting and humiliation of being hung on the cross so that all of us could achieve forgiveness of our sins and live under the new and better covenant that He earned for us.

This is the degree of love that He showed us as He suffered on the Cross, giving up his flesh willingly for us. This is the example that Jesus gave us. It is proof that the flesh profits us nothing as Jesus was resurrected from the dead and then ascended into heaven to be with the Father once again. This is the example that he left us. This is how He wants us to love one another. To love others like He loved us!

Jesus at the Tomb

Jesus also said that we should do the works that He did in His ministry. That means that we should see answers to our prayers. We should see people healed, demons cast out and people raised from the dead. These things come from the Spirit of God. They are acts of love. To tap into this our spirit must become one with the Holy Spirit of God.

John 17:20-23
 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

This is what is required. We must become one with God in spirit and this in turn means that we have to turn our backs on our own flesh. This is exactly what Abraham and Jesus did. It is what the apostles of Jesus did as they all died marters for the Gospel of Jesus. Truly, it is the narrow path that leads to God.

The Power of Prayer

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God’s Promise is the Basis of Our Relationship

Filed under: Covenant, Faith, Jesus, Spirituality — Leave a comment
August 23, 2012

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

​This posting is the third in a series of communications that look at God’s deliberate actions to reunite with His people. In our first posting we established that it is God’s desire to once again dwell with His people as He did with Adam and Eve in the Garden. Our second posting provided a generalized outline that demonstrated God’s repeated efforts to reunite with us. Today, we will look at one of God’s most influential covenants, one that became the foundation for the three most prevalent religions of the world today.

So, lets find out more about this covenant by looking at the 17th chapter of the Book of Genesis. As many portions of this scripture are prophetic of Jesus, I have inserted notes to identify them. I hope to be drilling down into them in future postings.

A Meeting Of Abraham And Melchizedek

The Covenant of Circumcision

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless (as Jesus walked before the Father and was blameless). 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers (as Jesus made a new covenant with us and greatly increased the numbers of those who walk before the Father and are blameless because of the shed blood of Jesus).”

3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations (as Jesus is the Father of all Christianity). 5 No longer will you be called Abram (Jesus); your name will be Abraham (the Christ), for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan (the Promised Land where there are many mansions) where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God. ”

9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant (the new covenant is a covenant of selfless love), you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised (symbolic of casting away ones own flesh). 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you (as our love for one another is a sign to others that we follow Jesus.) 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant. ” 15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” 17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”

19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.

I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. 23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day.

27 And every male in Abraham’s household , including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

What does the Covenant of Circumcision Mean to us?

Now while this seems like a nice story on the surface, it is very profound when you start to think about what happened here. God communicates with a 100-year-old man whose wife is barren and tells him that he is going to be the father of many generations. How many 100-year-old men do you know that have fathered a child? Most people would say that such a thing is highly improbable. Then God tells Him that His barren 90-year-old wife is to be the one who is going to give birth to his male child. I believe that this is an even more unlikely possibility. So we have a situation here that is doubly improbable, and even impossible to most people I know. Certainly, it would take an act of God to make these promises a reality and we find that Abraham has so much faith that he immediately follow His direction.

From my point of view the act of circumcision that Abraham performed is so contrary to the basic nature of man that I would also believe them impossible. Most men would most likely say something like, “What, are you kidding?” To cut the flesh off the tip of the organ that represents manhood, and throw it away as worthless is counter intuitive from my point of view. To start with, just think of the pain associated with this procedure. I might be able to believe that Abraham would be willing to circumcise himself, but then how did he convince the other members of his family to do so as well? Let’s internalize this for a moment. Visualize in your mind a situation where a member of your family comes to you and proclaims that they have heard from God and that all the men in their family were required to have a portion of their sexual organ cut off as a result. What would you say? Most likely you would say, “you are as crazy as a loon.” So once again we see a circumstance that appears quite impossible, but despite this Abraham does not even question the point with God, but rather simply complies and get’s his family to do so as well. How great a faith is that? For this reason, several of the New Testament scriptures proclaim that Abraham was deemed righteous based of his faith alone.

So when we look at this from a standpoint of God’s promise being the basis of our relationship, what we see is just another example of God directing His people in a way that leads them back into a relationship with Him. God trying to lead us back into a relationship like He had with Adam and Eve in the Garden.

Adam and Eve in the Garden

In this scripture we find God leading Abraham toward the promised land (Canna), where He planned to dwell with his people from inside the Tabernacle that would be built later by Moses. As we have reported several times, the actions reported in these stories are physical in their nature. They are in fact parables or stories that are told to communicate a spiritual message (one that we can not easily understand), by using analogies taken from the physical world that we understand very well. So for example, God’s directing Abraham to the promised land is simply a parable to communicate that there is a spiritual promised land (heaven or the Garden), that we can aspire toward inhabiting. Jesus reaffirmed this concept on several occasions when he spoke about the kingdom of heaven. Just prior to the ascension of Jesus into heaven He told the apostles that he was leaving to prepare a place for them, one that had many mansions.

The Ascension of Jesus

The bottom line here is that the actions of Abraham to God’s message are prophetic of the life, word and actions of Jesus Christ in every way.

So for example, the act of circumcision, or the cutting away of a man’s flesh serves several points. First, it points to our spiritual nature and tells us that the flesh profits us nothing (like Jesus told us). It also tells us that a sacrifice of the flesh is necessary to live in covenant with God, and this makes it easier for us to understand why Jesus had to sacrifice His life on the cross so that we could live under the new covenant, a spiritual covenant.

It tells us that there is nothing that is impossible for God and that it is in times like these, when things seem hopeless that God comes through. It teaches us that no matter how crazy the things of God may seem to the rest of the world, we must keep our faith and follow His direction. It also communicates that we must display a visible sign so that the world will know that we belong to God. In Abaraham’s day the sign was circumcision and today it is our love for one another. Therefore it is critical that people can tell that we are followers of Jesus by simply being with them.

But all of this is contingent upon us being able to hear from God directly and being sure that we can recognise His voice. So let’s take a look at this and all the other items identified here in greater detail. We will start this communication in our next postings.

Untill then, may all of God’s blessing be upon you.

Papa Joe Gordon

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God Wants to Dwell with us!

Filed under: Covenant, Jesus, Spirituality — Leave a comment
June 29, 2012

 

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

God Wants to Dwell with us!

This posting is the first of a series of communications that look at the actions of God that have repeatedly resulted in the creation of opportunities for Him to dwell with His people. In this regard we see that He created the Garden of Eden expressly for this purpose.

The Garden Of Eden

Later, He instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle to bring His people into closer relationship with Him.

The Glory Cloud Covers the Tabernacle

God then sent His Son who lived with us on earth. He established a new covenant that included a promise that we all have the opportunity to dwell with Him forever in paradise.

Jesus Arises to Heaven

Jesus Arises to Heaven – Mansions in the Background

We initiate this new section because we believe that the actions of God reveal His love for us. The actions of God’s people to His direction are prophetic of the walk of the Christian nation today. We believe that the prior actions of God and His people are often predictors of what is to come. Therefore, we believe that they are prophetic messages are applicable to every church, ministry and individual seeking to carry on the ministry of Jesus. We hope to be able to demonstrate this as we move forward.

Today we start at the beginning in the book of Genesis with the creation of the Garden of Eden, (a place where God could dwell with His people.) I have attached Genesis: 2 (from biblegateway.com) to allow the reader to see what God created for man:

2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created [a] and made.

4 [b] This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. 5  Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to [c]cultivate the ground. 6 But a [d]mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole[e]surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living [f]being. 8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 Now a river [g]flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four[h]rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it [i]flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it [j]flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is [k] Tigris; it [l]flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the [m] Euphrates.

15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not [n]eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper[o]suitable for him.” 19  Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the [p]sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the [q]sky, and to every beast of the field, but for [r]Adam there was not found a helper[s] suitable for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 The Lord God [t]fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 The man said,

“ This is now bone of my bones,

And flesh of my flesh;

[u]She shall be called [v]Woman,

Because [w]she was taken out of [x]Man.”

24  For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25  And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

 
From all of this we can say that it was God’s desire to have a place for us to live that was filled with all the good things that man needed. A place where God the Father could dwell with us and develop a relationship with us. God gave us a purpose and gave us dominion over everything in the garden. It is obvious from all of this that God loves us and wants to dwell with us forever in this paradise. This scripture tells us that this paradise is the end result that God wants for all of us. Even now, He is leading us to choose the Tree of Life (His Son Jesus) so that we can obtain this destiny.

The Ascension of Jesus

Further proof of God’s desire to restore the the Garden of Eden for us is found in the 21st chapter of the book of The Revelations of Jesus Christ:

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will [a] dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them[b], 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Therefore, this current environment that we live in pass away and God will once again create a new place for us to dwell with Him, exactly like it was in the beginning. People who take up their cross for Jesus can become a part of the New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven as a bride. Jesus is the Tabernacle of God (see the-tabernacle-is-prophetic-of-jesus) who then dwells among men.

So, as we stated in the beginning, the scriptures taken from Genesis are prophetic of the actions predicted in the book of Revelations. We can believe that this is true because of the other  attempts to do this are recorded in the Bible. Certainly, the Tabernacle was built to be a place where God could dwell on earth with man (the-tabernacle-is-prophetic-of-jesus.) Ultimately, Jesus came and dwelt with us on Earth. Therefore, the prophetic value of the scriptures pertaining to God’s desire to be with us is confirmed. As a result, we can have confidence that the promises of God’s continued efforts will be in our future.

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