What's In Store For Those Who (Truly) Know the Lord

I've been pretty open about my spiritual life. Within that sphere, I am concentrating on being prepared for whatever the near future brings to our nation, and to reach as many people as I can so they know who they are in the Lord. It is important to me that they, too, will be ready to persevere and endure. But it's more than having a "prepper mindset" and knowing how to survive under adverse conditions; although that is of utmost importance, practically speaking. After all, we are still in the world and this fleshly body needs taking care of. And it's more than having head knowledge of the Word. Yes, we should all read the Bible and know what the Word says. But, this is more about having a true and full knowledge of the Lord that comes from experiencing Him through the illumination and revelation of the Holy Spirit.

I write this post from a heart that has seen people seeking knowledge out of a sense of feeling lost in the world and not possessing the true knowledge of who they are in Christ. They are earnestly seeking contentment, identity, purpose, and security from which to successfully traverse the pitfalls that life has thrown at them. They are seeking that bit of knowledge that will help them put all the puzzle pieces of their life into a meaningful and recognizable picture. While I understand that "knowing" God is the component they're missing, and I truly want to see everyone seek Him, I'm aware that it is a free will choice to both, make the decision to want to seek after Him, as well as choosing to receive the invitation when He offers it. My primary focus, today, is on those who have made the decision to accept Him; who want more of Him, but have become dissatisfied with their progress, or lack thereof. 

Because we, as a nation, have slowly drifted away from a God-centered society, people are floundering on their own, looking for something they can't even identify. They don't know how to walk in the way of the Lord, because the fundamentals of personal integrity, moral courage, and honorable character are no longer spoken of as desirable traits. Yet the human spirit hungers for meaning and purpose in our individual lives. 

I have heard the testimony of an Army chaplain, telling me that new recruits would slip out of his Bible study classes to attend the Muslim lessons, or the classes led by Wiccans, because "they are more exciting than what the Bible teaches". And my husband and I have ministered to both young and old who express a curiosity for truth and wisdom, but don't know how to find it. They have not met the Holy Spirit in the Bible, so they have experimented with the occult, other religions, and sought knowledge from a variety of theological perspectives. They come close in their explanations of their belief systems; seeking a "oneness" with their perception of God, but oftentimes coming away disappointed with what they deem hypocrisy, and ending up with a convoluted self-created idea of what constitutes the true knowledge of God.

And I suspect that God has been pretty frustrated, Himself, ever since Adam and Eve didn't follow His instructions for receiving all the knowledge they would need to live beautiful and fulfilled lives. In the Garden, they were forbidden to eat of the tree whose fruit (if eaten) would have allowed them to experience Evil. They already had the knowledge of Good through their experiences with God. In the Garden, we get a pretty good picture of what true [and pure, unmitigated] knowledge is all about -- a life that is lived experiencing God as He reveals Himself through your journey on this earth.

And how does He reveal Himself? It is through His precepts and commandments as well as His promises. As we live and experience life with Him, we see His virtue and the lessons Jesus taught [in action]. We receive the fulfillment of His promises, and our heart and spirit recognize Him through the experience. But it takes a pure heart -- one that is clean and upright -- to properly discern that it comes from God, and no other. That is true knowledge of the Lord; a spiritual connection that recognizes the Source of the experience which results in an intimate, personal relationship. 

But I want to give a word of caution ... I am also seeing a rise in the age-old religious idea of Gnosticism. This is a belief system that emphasizes the seeking of personal spiritual knowledge above the teachings and authority of the Bible or traditional religious organizations. It is also characterized by the belief that matter [man] is inherently evil and anything spiritual is good. Gnostics claim that "salvation is gained through the acquisition of divine knowledge which frees one from the illusions of darkness''. But nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus never claimed that salvation came through knowledge, but by faith in Him as our Savior and Deliverer from sin. 

I think this nation opened the door to this corrupted view of the knowledge of God when we removed Him from our society. Every effort to remove God from the classroom, the courtroom, and the town square only served to diminish the true knowledge of Him. It has allowed the Enemy to substitute false and corrupted indoctrination in its place. And I fear that has led to a lack of trust in the One True God from which all divine wisdom and understanding flow. If our generations have been fed lies about what constitutes God's Truth, and they have no experience with God, it will be easy for them to create their own definition of what it means to "know the Lord". What you get is a human and emotional interpretation that calls the Bible's revelation into question and declares that a person has received special wisdom and revelation by his own efforts. 

So, let me answer the implied question in my title of today's post. For those who have sought the Lord in order to truly know Him, we understand that it is the Lord who will give us wisdom to navigate the coming storm. He will speak through the Holy Spirit -- from Spirit to our spirit -- guiding and leading us each step of the way through the minefield of Evil that is seeking to destroy us. We don't know exactly what it will look like, but if history and Jesus's words in Matthew 24 are any indication, then war, famine, plagues and persecution may not be far away. As Adam and Eve learned, when man rebels against God's instruction, judgment will be the price we pay.

But we also have God's promises, and Proverbs 2 offers us the hope that our souls will so desperately need. Read and mediate upon the promise of God's grace that the true knowledge of Him can bring us...

My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, so that your ear is attentive to [skillful and godly] wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding it [seeking it conscientiously and striving for it eagerly];

Yes, if you cry out for insight, and lift up your voice for understanding; If you seek skillful and godly wisdom as you would silver and search for her as you would hidden treasures;
Then you will understand the [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] and discover the knowledge of God.

[Here is what is in store for us:]

For the Lord gives [skillful and godly] wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores away sound wisdom for the righteous [those who are in right standing with Him]; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity [those of honorable character and moral courage],

He guards the paths of justice; And He preserves the way of His saints (believers). Then you will understand righteousness and justice [in every circumstance] and integrity and every good path. For [skillful and godly] wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will watch over you, Understanding and discernment will guard you, to keep you from the way of evil and the evil man, From the man who speaks perverse things; From those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; Who find joy in doing evil and delight in the perversity of evil, Whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways;

And here is the promise that we can cling to when we are tempted to despair:

So you will walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright [those who are in right standing with God] will live in the land and those [of integrity] who are blameless [in God’s sight] will remain in it; 

But the wicked will be cut off from the land and the treacherous shall be [forcibly] uprooted and removed from it. 

Have no fear of the future. Seek true knowledge of the Lord, born from experience and the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Do not lean on your own understanding, but learn of Him through experiencing Him in intimacy and trust. He will not let you down. There are no promises that it will be easy and without suffering. But the journey of experiencing and knowing our Lord is so worth it!

Proverbs 9:10    The [reverent] fear of the Lord [worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.  

 

The Knowledge of Good and Evil: How Did We Get Here?

Have you ever wondered exactly what knowledge God gave Adam when He gave him dominion over the earth? According to Genesis 1:26-28, God gave man authority over the entire earth, with instructions to subjugate it [putting it under his power] and to rule over all the creatures He had created. Man also had dominion over the vegetation, plants, and seed-bearing trees; and over the birds, the fish, the cattle, and all the animals on the earth and under the sea -- over everything that had the breath of life. That's a lot to have control over!

The Bible doesn't give us much more information about the knowledge God gave Adam, but you have to wonder if he didn't receive knowledge such as how the heavenly bodies moved, which would have been invaluable in understanding seasons, and when to plant, and when to harvest the vegetation God had created. Also God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, so would He have given them some rudimentary knowledge on procreation; how much He would value the children they would create; how to build the model for a civil society; and how to educate the growing population about His expectations for the earth to imitate Heaven? 

Remember, this is before man's Fall, so there is no illness nor disease; so no need for medicines. Mankind would not need a justice system because there is no crime. There is no want of anything; God has provided it all and man lives in abundance and obedience. But, oh, there's that tempting Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the middle of the Garden. And the fallen angel, Lucifer, is present in the Garden as what our English interpretation says is a "serpent". The Hebrew word is nachash, meaning "the shining one". The verb "nachash" denotes "to enchant, fascinate, bewitch; or of one having and using occult knowledge". One of the meanings of the word occult is "hidden". 

There is so much that is unspoken in the Bible, and there will be those who will tell me that I am wrong to want to know more than what is revealed. But Proverbs 25:2 says that it is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to search it out. I believe my God delights in my desire to know more of Him. Again, I can hear the voices telling me that His thoughts are higher than mine, and please know that I am not trying to make myself equal to my Creator, but to know how to serve Him better. And if He is waiting [and wanting] me to "search out a matter" to further glorify Him, then I want to be obedient. Finally, whenever I am tempted to give in to a religious spirit that would limit my search, I hear His voice saying, "My people perish for lack of knowledge". 

So, back to my original question in the title of this blog. For thousands of years, man has had access to the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And it seems like the knowledge of Evil is accelerating in our lifetime. So how did we get hear? I'm afraid I have more questions than answers. I know that God created the angels before He created the physical universe, because the angels are worshiping Him as He created the world (Job 38:4-7). And we know Lucifer was a high-ranking angel before he became Satan and was kicked out of Heaven and fell to earth. So, how much knowledge did he have about how God intended the universe to work, and everything in it? 

We know that Satan tempted Adam and Eve to follow in his rebellious footsteps and go against God's command to never eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. So once they were banished from the Garden, and mankind began to populate the earth, did Satan and his cabal of fallen angels begin sharing the "hidden" and "secret" knowledge of God; the sacred knowledge of Heaven that man (in his fallen state) was incapable of being trusted with? And what about the inventions of man that we cannot conceive as being knowledge from Heaven? Inventions such as weapons of war and instruments of killing; enchantments and the majik arts; astrology and the secrets of the zodiac signs; pharmakeia; new religions that led to the worship of idols who demanded the sacrifice of their children? Is it possible that the Fallen Angels shared that knowledge, as the extra-Biblical Book of Enoch suggests?

Where did Nikolai Tesla learn his "other-world views" [as he called them] that the Light of the Universe revealed that man once had real and visible wings and that he wanted to awaken the Energy of the Universe and figure out how it could influence people. Consider this excerpt from an 1899 interview he gave from his laboratory in Colorado Springs:  "Life is a rhythm that must be comprehended. I feel the rhythm, and direct on it, and pamper in it.  It was very grateful and gave me the knowledge I have."  (He speaks of "It" as if it was a person or entity!)  "Knowledge comes from space; our vision is its most perfect set. We have two eyes: the earthly and spiritual. It is recommended that it become one eye. The Universe is alive in all its manifestations, like a thinking animal." Sounds "other worldly" for sure, like it's coming from the second heaven, not the third, where God sits.

Fast forward through the atomic age and then the nuclear age, as today, mankind is threatened with a catastrophic war that could destroy the earth as we know it. That knowledge comes from the Knowledge of Evil. And then there's the interesting development that we have arrived at a place in history where man has developed the knowledge of transhumanism, which is a a philosophy favoring the use of science and technology, especially neurotechnology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, to overcome human limitations and improve the human condition. Do you think that was part of God's plan for mankind when He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden? Seems to me that the human condition was pretty darn perfect when they walked in the image of God! They had everything they needed and there are no indications in Scripture that they experienced limitations.

If they had resisted Satan's temptation, they [and we] would have only possessed knowledge of the goodness of God. But from that earliest moment in the Garden, down through the centuries, and up to this very day, Satan has managed to lure mankind through his inherent selfishness and arrogance. Just as then, we are being tempted to believe we can be greater than God, and we don't need His saving Grace. But God has shown His patience and mercy with man, delivering us from the knowledge of evil that is intended to destroy us. The question is this ... Will God rescue mankind once again? Or do we find ourselves in the midst of the last rejection and rebellion that God will allow? You all know the time in the Bible when God's original creation of man was corrupted, and it resulted in The Flood. How arrogant of men to challenge God's knowledge of Good again! We are filling up His cup of wrath!

I believe we were never meant to possess all the knowledge of God. And I don't know what the world would be like today if our ancestors had been obedient and let God teach them what they needed to know to make earth look like Heaven. My thoughts on this subject are my own, and I do not need God to answer my questions. But I do need to repent on behalf of anytime I [or any man or woman] have sought to supercede His Divine Knowledge with our own inferior understanding. May we all become people of the Word, having "an intelligent heart [that] acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise [that] seeks knowledge". And being wise, let us increase in learning God's Knowledge of Good, and as we grow in understanding it, let us obtain His guidance in making earth look like Heaven. Then we can tell future generations how we got there!

#treeofknowledgeofgoodandevil  #fallenangelknowledge

Ephesians 1:17    [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son]. 

How Hungry and Thirsty Are You?

First things first ... I'm not sure why this website was down yesterday and most of today. And to be honest, after wrestling with it during the last 24 hours, I don't think I'm responsible for it being back up, but I am thankful it is. So, thank you for your patience, and thank You, Lord Jesus, for hearing my prayers!

 

Now, for today's thoughts ... My husband, Mark, and I are so blessed to lead a small group of Believers, whose common goal is to first, seek the Kingdom of God in our lives, and then to carry out our assignments to bring the world back into relationship with the One who created it [and us]. We are growing in our recognition that we are all created with an assignment for the Kingdom of God. We are responsible to be accountable for what we achieve for our King while on earth. That sounds like a tall order, and all of us know that we are unable to do it through our own abilities. 

We are a diverse group; coming from different religious backgrounds and faith journeys. In fact, we often find ourselves in the midst of deep conversations as we reconcile our belief systems with Scripture, and as we delve into what the Church has often labeled "the mysteries of God, or Christ". Yet, speaking personally, Mark and I have found that God rewards us with increased spiritual insight when we determine to solve those mysteries by understanding His Truth. 

In fact, as we have sought to know both the Logos Word and the Rhema Word, it has stirred a desire in our hearts and spirits that cannot be quenched. [NOTE: The Logos Word of God is the ability of the Bible to communicate the logical, literal meaning of God's general will through Scripture. The Rhema Word is when the Holy Spirit "quickens" Scripture to speak to your spirit and, oftentimes, the result is a deeper revelation that is imparted to activate your faith for a specific purpose or understanding]. That searching for more in the Word has lead to a consistent yearning that can best be described by what Jesus says in Matthew 5:6 ... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...

And because of that yearning, I have come to understand righteousness at a deeper level. It is God's standard of purity; the perfect consistency between His nature and His actions. Our God is Holy, therefore He cannot tolerate sin, and His Righteousness demands Judgment. Only through Jesus can we obtain righteousness that is acceptable to God. It is Jesus's purity that God sees in us, when we receive Him and seek more of Him. And the more I seek Him, the more hungry and thirsty I am for Him! I can totally identify with David, when he declared in Psalm 63:1, O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 

Simply put, just like David, I cannot get enough of God! This world offers nothing to satiate our hunger, nor satisfy our thirst like what Jesus provides. And that is what each of us in our small Ekklesia share. We may be at different stages in that journey, but it is our hunger and thirst to grow closer to God, and to seek His righteousness, that keeps us in community. And also what makes us different from many of our fellow brethren in faith.

Every so often, someone who has become dissatisfied or disappointed with the mainstream Church will hear of us and visit, with a sincere hope that their discontent can be appeased. We have learned to be upfront and honest in explaining that we go places in Scripture that will most likely be new and even controversial. We are not interested in maintaining traditional doctrine, if it means keeping God in a box and diminishing a fuller understanding of Scripture. We are by no means trying to corrupt or alter Scripture, but rather to strip away any man-made deviations that have obscured God's Truth down through the centuries. That means we may seek answers to our questions in historical documents; apocryphal books of the Bible; Books that were removed from the Canon; the cultural context of Jesus's time on earth; writings of early Church fathers; and other Hebrew and Bible scholars who have studied the etymology of the Bible --- all while taking our findings back to the Bible and comparing them with what Scripture declares as truth. 

It is our hope that others, who have the same hunger and thirst to know more of our God, will join us. We are not afraid to discover more of His unlimited nature. We dare to ask the hard questions that are often brushed aside in Western Christianity. And we are brave enough to consider the unconventional answer. We have confidence that the Lord knows our hearts and we trust the Holy Spirit to guide us to a righteous and uncorrupted revelation. If someone who ventures into our group decides such willingness to take bold risks to gain more knowledge of God is outside their comfort zone, we let them know we understand and it is okay. We don't fault them. We know that this remnant is not for everyone. Our goal is not to gain a huge following. It is simply to feed our longing to know God and Christ more. 

Ultimately, I can only speak for myself when it comes to the reality of why I think God has created this hunger in me [and I am blessed it is present in my husband, as well]. We discern that now, and continuing into the very near future, it is going to be imperative that we identify the forces coming against God's people on the earth. I want to know God's heart and His will for His people, because our studies of the Bible and its history have shown us that the battle will come against those who have faithfully sought the Lord and His will; those who are able to perceive and enter the realm of His Kingdom here on earth to receive our marching orders. He will need the righteous to stand against Evil as He fights for us. And when we understand how He has acted and revealed Himself through history, ancient writings, and even disputed theology, we will be better equipped to fulfill our assignments and purpose. I pray that those who have chosen to play it safe will awaken in time to join the ranks of the remnant, who, by their steadfast faith, will not flinch or shrink back from their calling. 

Lord, let me dwell in Your shelter, but when called upon, let me stand on the spiritual shoulders of those who came before me  ... Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, and the prophets; the twelve Disciples; all those who have endured persecution throughout the ages for the sake of declaring mankind's victory in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. While in this life, I hunger and thirst daily for You! Reveal more of Yourself to me so that I may nourish others, and create in them the same yearning for You! Let us quench the needs of our very beings at Your fountain of knowledge and revelation, and come away more convinced than ever of the depths of our God!

Psalm 14:2    The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who understand (act wisely),
Who [truly] seek after God, [longing for His wisdom and guidance.]

 

The Tension Between Scriptural Knowledge & Spiritual Experience

 

This is an important topic to me. As Christians become more enlightened to the role they play in the approaching End Times, it is urgent that we understand just how critical our relationship to God through Scripture and Spirit really are. But, you will notice that I used the word "tension" when mentioning the two. I did so because I often find that my fellow Believers fall on one side or the other when it comes to the best way "to know" God's will. And this often causes friction, or tension, when discussing our role in carrying out that will. 

Let me explain further ... Many Christians are adherents of "Sola Scriptura", the theological doctrine which holds that the Bible is the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice. The spiritual aspects of our faith are given little or no attention. Then there's the faction of Christians who uphold that since God is all about relationship, the best way to hear from Him [as to what His will is] is for us to transcend this material world and sit at the foot of the throne to hear from Him directly. I often find myself trying to explain my position that it's not either/or, but both, which are essential for the full experience of our faith walk. One viewpoint is not more correct than the other. In fact, if you don't utilize both sources, then it is my opinion that you are not receiving the full counsel of God.

As representatives of Jesus on earth, we must find the balance and the proper exercise of both methods of growing our relationship with our Creator. Speaking for myself, my relationship with God developed in what felt like a natural progression: I began reading the Word, admittedly from a very surface level at first. But by just taking that step, it was an open door for the Holy Spirit to begin instilling a strong desire to know and learn more. That quickened my mind [and soul], and as I pressed into God more [through His Word], I learned that I could have a spiritual experience with Him. I could actually hear His will for me, just as Jesus heard what to say and speak from the Father ... What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me (John 12:49-50).  From there, as I dove deeper into the Word, I began to seek out the experiences that were being highlighted by the Holy Spirit; my faith grew to the ability to engage my spirit with the Spirit of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I could not have done this without first, exploring the Word with ever-increasing fervor.

So, I am often concerned when I hear Christians advocating for more "going in the spirit" experiences, while minimizing the importance of Scripture for discerning the legitimacy of those "experiences". And I am equally uneasy when I hear Believers deny or criticize our ability to have that intimate relationship with God in the spirit, declaring them to be "un-Biblical". The Bible says that "faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). To me, this verse validates that we can hear from God [which is a spiritual experience], but it starts with seeking Him through His Word, the Bible. Encouraging Christians [especially immature Christians] to explore the spiritual realms without a solid foundational understanding of who God is from His Word, invites the potential for those Believers to "get smoked".  And likewise, discouraging mature Christians from enjoying our status as co-heirs with Christ, while being seated with Him in the Heavenly realms, is to be like the Pharisees, shutting the Kingdom of Heaven in people's faces (Matthew 23:13).

It all comes together for me when I consider how easily the Enemy can keep us confused and in conflict. The Bible is so rich in the knowledge of the Nature and Character of God! Studying it can be a spiritual experience in itself. Yet some Christians only long for the "sensual" encounters they have access to as spiritual sons and daughters. Just consider the foundational belief of our Christian faith, as stated in Ephesians 2:4-6, But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus... We cannot possibly understand the fullness of all that this passage teaches us without first, studying the Bible, and then experiencing the spiritual effects! 

If we tried to go in the spirit where we are seated with Jesus, without the knowledge of the history of all God did to make that experience possible for us, then I submit we could not possibly comprehend the fullness of who we are. And in the end, for me, that is the most important aspect of both Biblical knowledge and Spiritual experience -- to fully know who we are; why we're here on the earth at this time in history; and what Jehovah Elohim, our Creator, expects from us. It is more important, now than ever, that we understand that "all of creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons [and daughters] of God ... to be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God". That will indeed by a spiritual encounter worth experiencing! But the impact of that experience will be lessened if we do not have the knowledge of all that it has cost God to bring that about! May we embrace the fullness of our relationship with God, and know Him in all the ways possible!

Ephesians 3:19    And [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

How God's Sacred Knowledge Got Corrupted

 

I'm going to be honest. I'm kind of blown away by what I discern the Holy Spirit is showing me, and I just hope I can put my thoughts into some kind of order that makes sense. So, I'm just going to launch in to this latest revelation. As I take a break from my exegesis of Genesis, I am going to connect some dots that I had never seen before. Remember, in Genesis 1:28, when the Bible says, And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 

Then in Genesis 2:8-9, the Word says, And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

So, those are two pretty profound statements, and I would daresay that most Christians are familiar with them. But do we really understand them and their implications? And how does that tie in with the title of this blog? First, let me say that I believe the Church has missed the opportunity to stress that God intended us to have power and authority on the earth as He does in Heaven. He instructs us to "subjugate" the earth or "subdue" it, as most versions say. Those words imply conquer, overcome, restrain. This all falls under the command to have dominion [rule] over the earth. 

So, keeping those two passages in mind, I want to give you a quote from Josephus, the noted Jewish historian from the first century AD. It will begin to give you an idea of where I'm going... Josephus is considered by most Bible scholars to be a trustworthy and dependable source of Jewish first-century history, as well as a reliable chronicler of Jewish beliefs, culture, and antiquity. So, it was with great interest that I read this excerpt from his The Antiquities of the Jews: (quoting from the writings of Moses), "Moses says [further], that God planted a paradise in the east, flourishing with all sorts of trees; and that among them was the tree of life, and another of knowledge, whereby was to be known what was good and evil; .... God therefore commanded that Adam and his wife should eat of all the rest of the plants, but to abstain from the tree of knowledge; and foretold to them, that, if they touched it, it would prove their destruction. But while all the living creatures had one language, at that time the serpent, which then lived together with Adam and his wife, showed an envious disposition, at his supposal of their living happily, and in obedience to the commands of God; and imagining that when they disobeyed them, they would fall into calamities, he persuaded the woman, out of a malicious intention, to taste of the tree of knowledge, telling them, that in that tree was the knowledge of good and evil; which knowledge when they should obtain, they would lead a happy life, nay, a life not inferior to that of a god: by which means he overcame the woman, and persuaded her to despise the command of God". (Josephus, Ant. 1.1.3-4).

So, this parallels our modern translations of the Bible, from Genesis 2:8 - 3:6. I find it interesting that in Josephus's sharing of the writings of Moses, it is revealed that the serpent was present in the Garden with Adam and Eve, and knew that God had commanded them not to eat of the tree of knowledge. Furthermore, he knew what knowledge was contained in that tree, both good and evil. And it is clear that he sought to deceive them by promising they could become a "god", implying that status was superior to their human state. Adam and Eve had been commanded by God not to eat of that tree. I believe they had been given righteous knowledge by God in order to properly rule the earth and maintain it for God's Kingdom. But by yielding to the temptation of Satan, they now had access to the ways that knowledge could be corrupted for evil. What did that knowledge consist of?

Gary Wayne, in his book, Genesis 6 Conspiracy, writes that among the knowledge given to Adam by God, [while he was in the Garden of Eden and still innocent], were what has become known as the Seven Sacred Sciences. These seven sciences, when used for righteous purposes, are meant to help man carry out his dominion on the earth. They are Grammar (whereby humans were to speak and write in truth); Rhetoric (the ability of humans to speak in subtle [precise] terms and using the art of virtuous persuasion); Dialectics (a dialogue between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to establish the truth through reasoned argumentation; learning to discern between truth and falsehoods); Arithmetic (the study of numbers); Geometry (learning to measure the earth and all things; related with distance, shape, size, and relative position thereof); Music (the learning of songs and the language of musical instruments); and Astronomy (the learning of the course of the planets and stars).

In their original creation [by God] these Sciences were meant for only good, and humankind was bequeathed this knowledge to control the universe, provided they mastered the wisdom given to them and did not use this divine gift for evil. Adam had access to all this knowledge, but when he and Eve ate from that tree of knowledge, they were immediately corrupted and so opened up a path for the knowledge to become corrupted as well. Just as God had prophesied, their disobedience led to their destruction, and they were driven from the Garden. Here's where it gets interesting! The Bible tells us [in Genesis 4] that after their banishment from the Garden, Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. We know that Cain slew his brother Abel, and God cursed Cain and made him to be a "fugitive and a vagabond [roaming aimlessly] on the earth [in perpetual exile without a home, a degraded outcast". 

Josephus, quoting from Moses' writings says Cain "became a great leader of men into wicked courses". He was the author of measures and weights and he changed the world from living in simplicity to a world of "cunning craftiness". Cain vigorously practiced the 5th Science of Geometry or Masonry, building many projects including the Great Pyramids. At this point in history, there's no evidence that Cain and his descendants have used the Seven Sacred Sciences for evil. But apparently that didn't last long, and according to Josephus, "even while Adam was alive, it came to pass that the posterity of Cain became exceeding wicked, every one successively dying one after another more wicked than the former".

Enoch, the first son of Cain,  -- not to be confused with Enoch, the son of Jared and from the line of Seth, who "walked with God, and he was not, for God took him; (Genesis 5:24) -- discovered the zodiac and was the first to initiate worship through religious rites. He is credited in Freemasonry with teaching the sacred mysteries in religious rites and ceremonies. He appointed festivals and sacrifices to the sun and was considered an idol worshiper. Now, how could this "evil Enoch" have received ways and methods to corrupt the Sacred Knowledge given to man by God? Remember the serpent was on the earth, and if we believe that Satan was cast from Heaven to the earth with one-third of the angels, then there was a contingent of evil all too willing to assist men with evil hearts to corrupt anything God has created. But before I come to my conclusion how this is still affecting mankind today, I want to mention the third son of Adam and Eve that the Bible talks about. 

Seth is born in the image of Adam, who was born in the image of God, and his name means "to set firmly in place; appointed; foundation". Just like Cain, Seth would have been taught the Seven Sacred Sciences by Adam. Seth was a farmer and his descendants focused on the 7th Science of Astronomy. The knowledge of Astronomy and how the heavenly bodies moved would have been invaluable in understanding seasons and when to plant and when to harvest. The line of Seth remained righteous in their practice of the Sacred Sciences until the 7th generation, while Cain's line was immediately vile, treacherous and evil from the time God ostracized Cain. Josephus writes, "Now this Seth, when he was brought up, and came to those years in which he could discern what was good, became a virtuous man; and as he was himself of an excellent character, so did he leave children behind him who imitated his virtues. Now this posterity of Seth continued to esteem God as the Lord of the universe, and to have an entire regard to virtue, for seven generations; but in process of time they were perverted, and forsook the practices of their forefathers... for what degree of zeal they had formerly shown for virtue, they now showed by their actions a double degree of wickedness; whereby they made God to be their enemy." 

Can you see the influence of Satan beginning in the garden and running through the ancestral lines of Adam? It appears that from the time his pride, arrogance and disobedience got him kicked out of Heaven, his goal has been to usurp God's creation on earth. Since he had no access to the tree of knowledge, he carefully persuaded Eve, and then Adam, to believe in his own vision of becoming "like a god".  This enabled him to influence their progeny to share that Sacred Knowledge, including the Seven Sciences. The myths and legends from antiquity all reveal the existence of a Snake brotherhood, or secret societies of the Snake. It only took the second generation after Adam (evil Enoch) to see the Sacred Knowledge hijacked and kept for these exclusive and secretive societies. This leads us all the way to Freemasonry, and the symbol of the entwined snakes around the phallus of the god Baphomet. 

But Enoch, the evil son of Cain, was able to do so much more! From astronomy, Enoch created astrology and sun worship. He implemented pagan rituals, ceremonies and rites with a new repulsive religion in which knowledge could only be passed on to initiates and selected guardians of "the truth". Now it also is reported in ancient texts that the nefarious application of the Sciences waned sometime after this Enoch's generation, but was renewed under his great-great grandson, Lamech. His children further contaminated the Seven Sacred Sciences and the entire antediluvian (pre-Flood) world. And here's what we need to understand -- an outside force (fallen angels) partnered with Lamech's descendants to violate the divine rules of creation, further defiling what was left of their innocence, which left their original nature unrecognizable. 

In conclusion, those Seven Sacred Sciences are at the heart and root of what we call "Science" today. The inventions and belief systems that have emerged down through the centuries still carry the corruption brought about by Satan and his fallen angels. Modern Science still rejects the divine truths and knowledge that come from God in favor of man's logic and rationality, and it often serves an evil purpose instead of righteous goals and benefits for which God created them. Now, just as at the beginning of creation, Satan's agenda has been to de-legitimize the ways of the God of the Universe, and entice men to gain power and authority through his nefarious schemes. Solomon got it right when he wrote, “Behold, I have acquired great [human] wisdom and experience, more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of [moral] wisdom and [scientific] knowledge. And I set my mind to know [practical] wisdom and to discern [the character of] madness and folly [in which men seem to find satisfaction]; I realized that this too is a futile grasping and chasing after the wind. For in much [human] wisdom there is much displeasure and exasperation; increasing knowledge increases sorrow." All we have to do is look how Grammar, Rhetoric, Dialectics, Math, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy have been corrupted to present an anti-Christ message to the world. Does our increased knowledge glorify the Lord or ourselves? If the latter, then we must admit we have fallen for the same temptation that our ancestors did in the Garden.

Ecclesiastes 1:14-15   I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a futile grasping and chasing after the wind. What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is defective and lacking cannot be counted.

 

 

 

 

 

Inquiring Minds Want To Know...

I've always loved the study of history, both in the modern age and ancient Biblical history. I've got an inquisitive mind and am not likely to accept a tradition or ritual simply because the masses are willing to believe whatever explanations are given to them. And I have been guilty of spending hours and days chasing down meanings of words and the cultural context of ideas and philosophies. In the past week, here are two that have kept me occupied ...

I'm always fascinated when new terminology seems to take the Body of Christ by storm. All of a sudden, it will seem as if a word or phrase comes into vogue and it becomes the latest buzzword in Christian circles. It may be a term that has been around for awhile, but it is as if it suddenly has a light shined on it, and its popularity soars. Such a word (to me, at least) is kairos. If my understanding is correct, this word (in Biblical terms) refers to "an appointed time"; ostensibly by God. It represents the right season or a fitting opportunity. 

Crosswalk.com gives an excellent example of how the Body of Christ would understand this word in Scripture. For example, in Luke 1:20, Zechariah didn’t believe the news when God’s angel revealed Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, would give birth to a prophet, so the angel told Zechariah he would not be able to speak until this miracle did indeed happen. As the angel said, “And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time” (Luke 1:20). The original Greek used here was kairon, a version of kairos, translated by scholars into English as the “appointed time [or season].” Further in the article, it is explained that kairos is also seen as "the time seen from the divine side." 

I have also heard it referenced many times that this season we are in, the season of birth pangs leading up to the Day of the Lord, is a kairos time -- fixed [in time] by Him, and to be used for His purposes. We may not know the day or the hour of these specific God-ordained times, but we should be sensitive and discerning of them; knowing that they are favorable opportunities given to us [by God], and recognizing that they are given to us to share God's will and His glory.

So, I found it interesting when Crosswalk referred to seeing kairos "from the divine side". Of course the word divine recalls a meaning of "godlike". But, did you know that there is a significance to the word kairos that is not Biblical? Did you know that Kairos was celebrated as a god in Greek mythology?  According to several websites I researched, he was usually considered the minor son of Zeus, and half-sibling to Hermes. The website, Greek Gods and Goddesses, says that Kairos was the Greek god of opportunity, and was in fact, considered a spirit. He personified the favorable moment which comes and passes quickly.

I also found it interesting that in front of the ancient stadium at Olympia there were two altars, one dedicated to Hermes and the other one to Kairos. The stadium was a holy place to the ancient Greeks, where all the sports activities were dedicated to the god, Zeus. Kairos was seen in the intelligence of Athena, in the love of Eros and even in the wine of Dionysus. Later, in the genealogy of the gods, he seems to be associated with all of them, as a manifestation of a specific moment. Now, I do not point out the association of a false god in the Greek pantheon as a way to discredit our Christian notion of a kairos moment; and I do not mean to suggest that the connection equates our Most High God with the worship of false gods. I merely wanted to show you that we in the 21st Century are not always the innovator of our theology. Nor do we always have a full understanding of the context of our belief system.

And speaking of theology, that idea is also evident in the second terminology that I found myself researching with a heart to know more about its origins. It is commonplace among Christians today, during the sacred ritual of baptism to have it spoken over them, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost". Yet, when the Holy Spirit falls on the 120 or so disciples of Jesus at Pentecost, the multitudes of Jews who were there for Passover, heard them telling of the mighty works of God in their own languages. They asked Peter and the apostles, "What shall we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Why would the Bible record Jesus giving His disciples one instruction in Matthew 28:19, and then record Peter, who had received that instruction from Jesus, giving a different command in Acts 2:38? 

Once again, we, in the 21st Century, should not assume that our "formula" is necessarily correct just because we are supposedly an advanced society. I know the differences in these two Scriptures has been a stumbling block within the Body of Christ and caused needless conflict. We can get a historical perspective by understanding the following ... we need to recognize that our Bibles have been translated and re-translated many times. That doesn't mean I am saying the Bible is corrupt. I acknowledge that the Spirit of God will always give us correct revelation and interpretation of God's Word. But it is also true that Satan has influenced men to try to change the understanding of Scripture and it is up to us to search out the truth of what God wants revealed. That being said, in reality, both of the baptism Scriptures can be seen as correct when looked through the lens of historical and spiritual perspective.

Let's look at how the historical and the spiritual intersect. Baptism was nothing new to those participants at Pentecost. It had long been a purification ritual for pagan conversions into Judaism. It was seen and practiced as a cleansing water-washing initiation by different sects of Judaism, by John the Baptist, and by rabbis, who all baptized their disciples. But when Jesus gave His Disciples the Great Commission in Matthew 28, He was distinguishing His baptism from all others, declaring that it was to be conducted with the full authority of God in Heaven, and in all the fullness of Him (as Father, Son and Holy Spirit). It was spoken by Jesus as a command that would bind all nations under the fullness of the Godhead. When Peter was given the opportunity to instruct the multitude gathered in Jerusalem for Passover, his assignment was to bring these Jewish people to and understanding [of], and submission [to] Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus came to the nation of Israel. To expect them to understand that He had ultimately come for "all the nations" would have lost them and impeded the process of their coming to Christ as the Messiah.

So, in theory, both expressions are correct. Jesus is both the Messiah that Israel has been waiting for, and the fullness of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in one person that has come to the nations. It is appropriate to baptize someone in either name or names. I am a woman, a wife, and a sister. But I'm not three separate persons. All those "names" identify me as the one person named Pam. They represent different parts of my identity and character. So it is with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being identified as the ONE, true God. I don't really get worked up over which is the correct usage for a baptism.

But there is another concept I want you to consider. In the First Century Church, Messianic Jews were a significant portion of the "Body of Believers". They accepted Jesus as the Messiah and followed His ways. But as he always does, Satan seeks to cause conflict and division among God's people. That came to a climax in the 4th Century when the Emperor Constantine, who hated the Jews, sought to drive them from Christianity. Knowing their religion was monotheistic (in contrast with the polytheistic nations who worshiped multiple gods), Constantine changed the baptism tradition so that people were baptized in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, rather than in the name of Jesus. He caused confusion by instituting the religious concept of the Trinity (intimating that Christians worshiped three Gods instead of the one God, YHWH, of Judaism).

I bring these two ideas to you in the hope that you can appreciate how important it is that our spirits be at one with the Holy Spirit; seeking His guidance for the context and the culture of Scripture. In the end, neither of these two ideas I've presented should change anyone's faith. But I have found that a fuller knowledge of history and the Bible can enhance our opportunities to witness to someone who doesn't know Jesus, or who doubts in the importance of faith in Him. As Christians, we must be able to defend our faith and be prepared to answer the sometimes unanswerable questions to bring someone into the Kingdom of God. So do not embrace skepticism, but seek Godly knowledge and wisdom. You just may be the instrument God uses to give eternal life to someone.

2 Timothy 4:2    Preach the Word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
 

Why Paul's Letter to the Colossians Is Also Meant For Us

 

One of my favorite times during my day is when I join my husband in our time in the Word. We each curl up with our Bibles, independently engaging with Scripture for deeper revelation of the God we serve. Please don't think we see ourselves as doctrinal experts or somehow singled out by the God of the Universe to be the recipients of knowledge otherwise undisclosed. On the contrary; we simply delight in those light-bulb moments when we discover something new in a verse or passage that we've read multiple times before, and we come to the realization that God just shined His light on a new precept that aids in the growth and maturity of our faith. What follows is the excitement of sharing that with each other, and with those who "have ears to hear". 

So, I'm afraid you're in for another "spotlight moment" as I share where the Lord led me today. As sometimes happens, I began in the Book of John [which is where I've been focusing my study the last few weeks], but ended up in the short book of Colossians. To be honest, I don't know how or why God led me there, or how the two are connected. But once in Paul's letter to the church at Colossae, I was struck that he emphasized that his letter should be read to the church at Laodicea also. He mentions it several times. Of course, I instantly recognized that Laodicea is pictured as the "church of the End Times", or the state of the church right before Jesus returns -- and I probably don't need to remind you, that He is not particularly pleased with it. So, I wanted to see what Paul had to say in the four-chapter epistle to the Colossians, which he wanted the Laodicean church to be especially aware of. 

Would I recognize the warnings to Colossae and Laodicea as relevant to the Body of Christ today? I warn you ... today's post is heavy with Scripture, but I think it is worth our time to consider that what Paul meant to be read to the physical church of Laodicea in the First Century is also meant for the spiritual Laodicean church in the Twenty-First Century. May we take note of our true spiritual condition!

• Colossians 1:9-14. Because of this, since the day we heard about you, we haven’t stopped praying for you and asking for you to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding. ¹⁰ We’re praying this so that you can live lives that are worthy of the Lord and pleasing to him in every way: by producing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ by being strengthened through his glorious might so that you endure everything and have patience; ¹² and by giving thanks with joy to the Father. He made it so you could take part in the inheritance, in light granted to God’s holy people. ¹³ He rescued us from the control of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. ¹⁴ He set us free through the Son and forgave our sins.

This is what is pleasing to the Lord: to be filled with the knowledge of God's will and possessing His wisdom and understanding so that we bear fruit in the works we do for Him. It pleases Him when we increase in the knowledge of God; when we walk in His power and authority; when we are patient and endure with joy; when we thank our Father for moving us into the Kingdom of Light; and we thank Jesus for redeeming us and forgiving us! According to Revelation 3:14-22, the Laodicean church didn't even come close to what Paul described as pleasing to the Lord. In fact, Jesus says He knows their works and they make Him sick; He wants to spew them out of His mouth [vomit]! 

So, I ask you, as we examine where the church has gone in our lifetime, do you think Jesus is happy with the fruit we've borne for His Kingdom? Have we represented Him well? Does abortion, gay marriage, transgenderism, and child trafficking speak of Him [or our effectiveness in influencing the world]? Is all of that what the Light of the world looks like? Paul intended for his words to call the church of his day to account for their faith and their actions. (And yes, faith should include action)! We must take a good hard look at ourselves in our day!

• Colossians 1:15-16. He Son is the image of the invisible God, the one who is first over all creation, ¹⁶ Because all things were created by him: both in the heavens and on the earth, the things that are visible and the things that are invisible. Whether they are thrones or powers, or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him.

I believe this passage has great power in what it reveals, but I also believe it has been lost on this generation. It represents the wisdom and spiritual understanding that Paul says pleases the Lord, and which the First Century believers were willing to pursue. It reveals a bigger picture of the spiritual realms and Christ's position in regards to them [which I do not think the 21st Century Church grasps or understands; the same fault is found in the Church at Laodicea]. The central point of this passage is that Christ is over all things ... whether in Third Heaven (thrones), Second Heaven (powers; also called dominions], or First Heaven (rulers and authorities). These are all orders of angels in the Celestial spheres, and they can be Godly angels or fallen angels, loyal to Satan. The modern Church's refusal to acknowledge that that these are spiritual beings [in either obedience or opposition to Christ] leaves the Body of Christ ignorant of their own power and defenseless against the power of the dark side. Failure to understand this precept, denies the Pre-eminence of Christ over them all!

• Colossians 1:26, 2:2-3. In these selected verses, Paul refers to "the mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to his saints", and again, "that [your] hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge".  

Here is what Paul meant for the churches at Colossae and Laodicea to understand: there is no longer any mystery or impediment to understanding God. He has revealed Himself through Christ (whom many in the First Century Church encountered in the flesh, and those in this century meet through Christ in us). Christ has opened the door for us, and because we know Him, we can have full understanding and knowledge of God, because He is God!  The treasures that the knowledge of Him give us are no longer hidden, but available to those who are willing to seek Him and receive His revelations. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of men [kings] to search it out [Proverbs 25:2]. 

And if we don't make the effort to gain a full understanding of God, then it should not surprise us that God says, My people perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). God continues His thoughts in Hosea: Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Let's be clear in our understanding -- when people reject HIS knowledge in favor of their man-made knowledge and religion, then God sees us as unfit to carry His message forward as His priest [which is the state of the End-Times Laodicean Church]. That church has forgotten "the law", which means the precepts and teachings of Christ. They are in danger of being forgotten by God.
 

Can you see that the End-Times Church of Laodicea was no longer walking in those "riches of full understanding and knowledge"? They were focused on the riches brought to them by their identity as a world banking center, producer of luxurious woolen garments, and their prosperous drug industry connected to the medical school there. Sound familiar?  They were focused on money, prosperity, and drugs, and apparently had lost the power and passion of their first love. Jesus accused them of thinking, "‘I’m rich, and I’ve grown wealthy, and I don’t need a thing.'  Could His indictment, "You don’t realize that you are miserable, pathetic, poor, blind, and naked" be applied to the Church today? 

• And finally, Colossians 2:8-15, 20-23. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities^[b] and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.... If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— ²¹ “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” ²² (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? ²³ These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

I think Paul makes it quite clear that our faith is more than a philosophy. It is a life! It is not based on having knowledge of abstract principles [such as "God is love"], but it is a personal knowledge coming from real, physical experiences of the love of God through an intimate [and active] relationship with Jesus. That "experiential knowledge" of God's precepts surpasses "the elemental spirits of the world", which are meant only for this sphere. They are meant only for elementary education (as children on milk) and intended to prepare us for higher learning. Yet how many Christians today have stopped growing, satisfied in the elemental [or basic] understandings of their faith?

Notice that in verse 20, Paul reminds the churches of Colossae and Laodicea that in Christ, they have died to these "elemental spirits of the world". He means the worldly knowledge is to be replaced with spiritual knowledge gained through a life spent experiencing Jesus and God -- not "according to human precepts and teachings"; nor through "self-made religion and ascesticism"(a doctrine that adheres to strict regulation as the means to achieving a higher spiritual state). If we are honest with ourselves, we must acknowledge that the modern church is steeped in man-made religion and traditions, developed to control the flesh (including our minds and our actions/works for the Kingdom) and to appear spiritual. But the only way to greater spiritual knowledge is to commit to growing in wisdom through experiencing God and Christ in the spirit -- not in a "head knowledge" that limits the power and jurisdiction of God to transform mankind.

There is a remnant in the Body of Christ today who understands what Jesus meant when He said, "Those who believe in Me will do the works that I do; and even greater works than these will he do"... (John 14:12). We know what it means to walk in the power of Christ in us, and through the Holy Spirit, to defeat demons, heal the sick, call on the heavenly host to battle on our behalf. We know what is is to go before the throne of God and meet with His magnificent Presence. We know the very real power of prayer and fasting to take the fight to the Enemy at a higher level. We know all this because we have experienced it! We do not allow the restrictions of religious regulations or traditions [established in the preceding centuries] to stop us from fulfilling John 14:12. 

We know that the Bible reveals the falling away and the apostasy that precedes the moment God's cup of wrath is full to the brim. We recognize the signs. And we rejoice in our assignments to continually represent Him and His Kingdom; serving Him and our fellow man, so that no man can say we did not share the Good News of our glorious riches and heavenly inheritance coming from our relationship with Christ. We testify to the modern Church that we will be conquerors! It is time for all who profess faith in our Lord to leave the traditions and teachings of man behind, and walk in both true experiential knowledge of Christ and spiritual wisdom. We heed the instructions of Jesus to the Church of Laodicea and we look forward to ruling and reigning with Him in the Millennial Kingdom! Come, Lord Jesus!

Revelation 3:21-22    The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne. ²² He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 

 

 

"Be Still And Know That I Am God" Is More Significant Than Ever

    

     "Be Still".... these are the first words of Psalm 46, verse 10, and represent a new lifestyle and behavior for most of the peoples and nations of the world. This pandemic that has come upon the earth has forced us to slow down and withdraw into a state of solitude. In America, we've never had to be still before; we had the freedom to fill our lives with all kinds of activities and distractions. But this stillness has been mandated by the powers of this world, and leaves mankind with a choice.... what will I fill this solitude with?
     The Psalmist gives us a most excellent option .... we have the opportunity to take our time to get to know God. No more excuses for not spending the time or effort to seek Him in His Word. Instead of looking for ways to fill your quarantined hours with empty pursuits and diversions, why not dust off that Bible that has been tucked away in a drawer, or actually open the one you have prominently displayed on a table as evidence of your Christian faith?
     And the psalm gives us lots of reasons to make getting to know God our number one priority, and in light of the state of the world, why this might be a good time to pursue Him. To begin with, He is a safe and powerful place to find shelter and protection in times of trouble. And I think the fact that over 3 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 in 210+ countries, resulting in over 216,000 deaths qualifies as a time of great sorrow and trouble [if you can believe the statistics put out by the World Health Organization].
     In addition, the Psalmist writes, when you know who God is, and who you are in Him, there is no need to fear, "even if every structure of support were to crumble away" (The Passion Translation). I'd say the loss of jobs, the uncertainty in the stock market, oil prices crashing, and the predicted shortage of food supplies qualify for that scenario. But when you know God, all that plus verse two and three's threats of "earthquakes and the raging roar of stormy winds and crashing waves" [predicted for the 2020 hurricane season] cannot erode our faith in Him.
     We are promised the constantly flowing river of Living Water from the Throne Room of God, which provides sustenance for our souls and spirits during this drought of worldly provision. When we truly know Him, we know He is our Life Force! That river of Living Water flows right from the heavenly city of the God Most High into His holy dwelling places, which is us -- we are His temple on earth!
     I have often remarked to my husband that if devastation came upon this country [in whatever form] and it resulted in our way of life being radical changed to a solitary and survival existence, I would relish the absence of the world system and embrace the chance to begin seeing the works of God all around me. I am prepared that He can bring both ruin and revival, but I truly believe we won't have to strive to see Him in the midst of all that competes for our attention now. He will be easy to behold for anyone who wants to see Him. He will be exalted throughout the world for those who will receive Him.
      Our world situation is the "beginning of the birth pangs" that Jesus says foretell the wars and famines; from the shaken earth; the deception from false prophets; and the lawlessness that will increase. But He tells us that if we can endure and keep our hope through it all [until the end] then we can experience Eternal Life [and deliverance from Death].
     Yet, sadly, I see people who are using this time of stillness and solitude to seek answers through astrology and Tarot cards; through humanistic thinking and rationality; and through their soul, rather than their spirit. It break's my heart to see dear friends and loved ones looking at this world situation through the devil's dirty veil. They have never had a better time in their life to take their eyes off the world and look to the heavens. How can they not consider that there is a Power greater than their own limited mind? They stubbornly cling to the words of men, rather than giving The Word a chance to open up realms of understanding that no man can offer. They simply refuse to surrender what they view as their human superiority to a higher Authority or Power, not realizing that His authority and power [and yes, even the Mind of Christ] can be theirs. And it dwarfs any that they can realize on their own through an astrological chart, a tarot card reading, channeling an occult spirit, or years of psychotherapy and medications. There's a reason the most valuable card in the Tarot deck is called The Fool.
     So, I truly hope that mankind will come out from under the delusion of their own significance and knowledge, and take advantage of this time to actually be still and make an attempt to get to know their Creator. It is important that we listen for His voice -- not looking to the politicians or talking heads for the way forward; and especially discerning the false messages of the false prophets. It is the perfect time for all mankind to be still and experience the presence of God. Be still and know that He is with us in this time of crisis!

Psalm 73:28     But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.