BOOK: KILLING GOD

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REVELATION OF WHAT WAS THERE AT FIRST

 

  In two years, I have read and commented on the entire Bible. For two hours each day I have poured over truth. I did that because you would not! John was given a vision of Paradise, for those who have eyes to see but saw not. Revelation is a re-revealing of the creation. The highest philosophical question is, Why me? Why do I exist?  After all the trials and tribulations in the world, John saw why!

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Rev 22:14)

  The curse, for those who endure to the end, is removed. Why seven thousand years to end the curse, when there never needed to be a curse? The curse started with the test:

Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Gen 2:16-17)

  God provided all things that his creatures should have. However, they wanted better things! They ate of the Tree of Death rather than the Tree of Life whose fruits they could freely eat. Thereon were twelve fruits: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, forbearance, gentleness, faith, modesty, self-control, and chastity (Gal 5:22-23, Vulgate). The fruits if the Tree of Death were more:  “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21)

  The curse is? “They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” The fruits of the spirit were there by grace, but the fruits of the flesh were there to tempt. They are the “wages” of sin. Those who are rewarded in those ways have received their rewards already. Like it or not, there are things Christians must do and not do!

  Since all mankind ate of the Tree of Knowledge, carnal knowledge are their wages. With those rewards in hand, there is little peace, joy, charity, kindness and such. Adam and Eve, representing all mankind, had no right to the Tree of Life, and they were cast out of the Garden and from its presence. They had rejected those twelve fruits for the knowledge of lesser fruits and had no right to the Tree of Life: “Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen 3:23-24).

  Much is implied there, but foremost, Adam and Eve were no longer worthy of Paradise, and try as hard as they may, they lost their right to eat of the Tree of Life. They had made their decision! Now, there was only one Way to eat of the Tree of Life, and that was by the blood of the Lamb. They could eat of the leaves of the Tree of Life which are for the healing of the nations (Rev 22:2). They could no longer obtain the fruit until the Leaves were partaken. With that said, the Tree of Life is a metaphor, representing God’s three substances: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The “Root” is the Father, the Living Water that provided Life from below, is the Holy Spirit, and the Body of the Tree of Life represents Jesus. Blind Bartimaeus looked Jesus squarely in the Face and said, “I see men; as trees walking” (Mark 8:24). As his vision emerged, Bartimaeus saw Jesus as the Tree of Life, and that His Leaves would heal the nations.

  When Christians come to see Jesus as the Tree of Life healing the nations, then they are worthy of the Tree of Life. Adam never saw that! He saw desirable attributes. Eve did not see that? She saw only beauty and things pleasurable. Life would have been much easier if our two representatives had seen what John saw! By grace, God offered that view in the Garden Paradise, and offers the same view in the City of God — Paradise restored!

  What must we do to have the right to the Tree of Life? Recognize the Tree for what it is! Recognize it as Jesus. So simple, but yet so hard to see that one Tree for all the other trees in the Garden!

(Picture credit: Shutterstock)

REVELATION – THE GREAT RESET

  The Book of Revelation is about eschatology — the final destiny of mankind. For several years I have written commentary on the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation, but I cannot comment on Revelation because it appears that we are living it. The cosmic curtain is being rolled up as a scroll as each day begins. It was revealed to John the destiny of saints, the destiny of sinners, and the re-genesis of the heaven and earth: “Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.” (Isa 40:21-22). God stretched out the heaven as a curtain to generate heaven and earth to dwell in.

Isaiah not only saw the creation, but the earth cleansed by fire, to wit: “And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree” (Isa 34:4), which is exactly what was revealed to John, “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places” (Rev 6:14).

Existence — Life — is much like a movie projector. What has been seen can be rewound and seen in the reverse. Revelation is Genesis in reverse. Genesis is the story of two “very good” people in delusion and Re-genesis most people suffering the same delusion.

As I sit here with my hacking covid-19 cough, I ask myself, Is this just all a series of coincidences? After all, to the world, genesis is nothing more than a series of unscientific coincidences that defy probability! Is the order (sic) of Great Reset coming from disorder or is it more chaos coming from order? Is it coincidence that the earth is as in the days of Noah and the Great Reset follows the same pattern? Is it coincidence that a plague coincided with the Great Reset, and a flood with the reset of Noah’s time?

I recently wrote of the Great Reset of Church and State. [1] However, I am reminded that the Great Reset of God was a New Creation with the cleansing flood and the New World. God gave mankind a second chance. All but eight perished, but eight was enough to start over since eight is more than two! The Great Reset at the time of the deluge would have been that all perish. That was Satan’s goal and his “Reset.” That didn’t happen; God took charge and reset what He had rolled out in the beginning. Just like that, Satan’s reset was canceled, and God made things good again.

This time, it is the same situation. Satan is planning the reset, but in the end, it is Satan, his angels, and those whose mark is the Beast who will be reset. It seemed to those perishing in the flood that God was defeated. After all, everything that God made was being sucked to the center of the Earth. Was Earth about gone or was it just starting? That’s the same with Satan’s Great Reset. It will be God who does the resetting!

Things were not pleasant in the days of Noah. Most perished. But when the threshing was completed out came a rainbow and mankind was saved from themselves again. The rainbow belongs to God and hard as they try, Sodomites do not live under the rainbow, but fire and brimstone. Just what was it like in the days of Noah? 

In those days, they (the women) shall become pregnant, by they (the sinners) shall come out and abort their infants and cast them out while they are suckling. They shall neither return to them (their babes) nor have compassion upon their loved ones (1 Enoch 99) 

Hell is reserved for sinners: 

This place, O Enoch, is prepared for those who dishonour God, who on earth practice sin against nature, which is child-corruption after the sodomitic fashion, magic-making, enchantments and devilish witchcrafts, and who boast of their wicked deeds, stealing, lies, calumnies, envy, rancour, fornication, murder, and who, accursed, steal the souls of men, who, seeing the poor take away their goods and themselves wax rich, injuring them for other men’s goods; who being able to satisfy the empty, made the hungering to die; being able to clothe, stripped the naked; and who knew not their creator, and bowed to the soulless (and lifeless) gods, who cannot see nor hear, vain gods, (who also) built hewn images and bow down to unclean handiwork, for all these is prepared this place among these, for eternal inheritance. (Book of the Secrets of Enoch 10:3)

Hence, the two most grievous sins are abortion and child sexual abuse. Only the most deceived right now would deny that abortion and child sexual abuse are the most horrid of sins. Those who do those things deserve to perish. In the days of Noah, they did perish, and in the last days, those sinners shall perish as well.

What is astounding today? That Christians who should know, do not know! Christians vote for politicians who openly confess their belief in abortion. So many Christian (sic) pastors either propagate abortion or act as if it is non-existence. They trivialize life! Obviously since few believe in the creation, why would it bother them to see destroyed what God created?

Bill Clinton often used the phrase, “for the children.” Many things in his administration were said to be for the children! Based on evidence that is just now forthcoming, perhaps the little children were for Bill Clinton. There are many pointers that child sexual abuse is more rampant than anyone ever thought. Indeed, even in the days of Noah, the world had their own “PIzzagate” and even in Sodom, all the men wanted was a few hours eating “pizza.”

The worst nightmare of Christians is the world wide web. Christians are to go unto the world and tell the world about Jesus. With the web, the world comes into the homes of even Christians and show and tell them about Satan. Satan knows the lust of the flesh, and the web is full of lust. For those who do not believe in the last days, the web is a picture of the days of Noah and now they are ours.

The Great Reset is inevitable, but its onset is not! Each generation has a choice. Shall they choose the Doctrine of Life or the Doctrine of Sin. Was it by cheating that the onset of the Great Reset was just voted on, or was it because people are so evil that they no longer care? If it was by cheating, then perhaps there is a second chance. However, if people truly voted to “Build Back Better” with socialism, then what they get is what they deserve! Hold onto your heads, deceived ones, because under socialism, heads are the first to roll and last until voices no longer speak against such things!

Misled people are deceived into voting for that insane ideology but the only way to get out of that insanity is for the heads to roll. The only vote left after election day is the guillotine. Shall your vote be for the Beast or will it be for God? The Greatest Reset of all are for the few that will give their heads to God, and those Christians will vote with their own blood!

I noticed recently that a Baptist preacher’s wife admired the book, Dr. Jill Biden. Why would a Christian admire that woman? That worries me! Perhaps, she admires the abortion and same-sex marriage that Democrats propagate. Will she be able to change her heroes when the time comes, but will she stick with the likes of Jill Biden? If it was just a matter of politics, I would not be alarmed, but the Great Reset is spiritual warfare. Never would a true Christian side with the Devil’s side.

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[1] https://kentuckyherrin.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-great-reest-government-reset.html

(picture credit: istock)

Melchisedec

 

¹ For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; ² To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; ³ Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. ⁴ Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

¹¹ If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? ¹² For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. ¹⁵ And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, ¹⁶ Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. ¹⁷ For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec… (Heb 7:1-17)

  Most teachers pass over the significance of this other priesthood. The priesthood up until the New Testament had been Levitical — the seed of Levi who were of the priesthood of Aaron. Until the Law, there seemed be no priesthood at all, but indeed, there was. Levi had not been born when Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedec. The writer to the Hebrews was trying to explain to the Jews the true priesthood of Melchisedec, and that Jesus was a priest of that order. The Hebrews would have been quite familiar with Melchisedec from their Torah (Book of the Law). He was writing about the encounter of Abraham with the King of Salem, to wit:

¹⁸ And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. ¹⁹ And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: ²⁰ And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. ²¹ And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.” ²² And Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth…” (Gen 14:18-22)

What is known from Genesis:

1.       Melchizedek was king of Salem.

2.       He served to them bread and wine in remembrance of something.

3.       He was a Priest of the Most High God.

4.       That God is possessor of heaven and earth.

5.       He blessed Abram of the Most High God.

6.       And Abram blessed him in remembrance of deliverance from the enemies.

7.       Abram had lifted up his hands to the Most High God. 

  First off, theologians misunderstand “king of Salem.” Salem was not the city of Jerusalem as is supposed because the Jebusites built that city and owned it at that time. In Hebrews it is written that Melchisedec, “Is King of Salem, which is, King of peace; ³ Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God.” He could not be priest of the city of Jerusalem. Hebrews validated that; he was King of Peace, and “Salem” means “Peace.”

  That “King of Peace” refers to Jesus, who at His birth was Prince of Peace: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6). Jesus would be King when He suffered death on the Cross because He died to bring Peace to those on earth. Not civil peace but spiritual peace. Priests do that! Jesus is both King and Priest of the Most High God.

  “Abram lifted up his hands to the Most High God.” He did that in the Face of God. Melchizedek is the face, hands, finger, voice, and authority of God. He was a Priest of Peace, and that is what Jesus would be! Envision Abram with Melchizedek. His hands are lifted, surely horizontally as was the custom and his position formed the Cross. Abram was surely paying homage to Melchizedek who would die for the sins of his own and mankind’s. He had delivered Abram from his enemies and would deliver Abram and his seed from eternal death. The Name, “Jesus” is theophoric, meaning “Ya delivers.” Apparently, Abram credited Melchizedek with deliverance from the enemy.

  What did they do first? Melchizedek brought forth bread and wine. Those are the “elements” of Jesus’s body and blood. As the apostles would do much later, they did that in remembrance of Melchizedek delivering them from their enemies. Melchizedek means, “My King is Righteousness” and “King of Peace.” Who is that if not Jesus?

  He Blessed Abram. Note that the translators rightfully capitalized Melchizedek’s blessing of Abram, but not Abram’s to Melchizedek. In that case, Melchizedek infused Abram with the Holy Spirit. In the case of Abram, he gave homage to Melchizedek. God alone infuses with the Holy Spirit, and surely Melchizedek was the identity of God in the Flesh.

  Then look at the additional information in Hebrews: “Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.” That is not in the Geneses account. Where did the writer of Hebrews obtain that crucial information? It was either inspired by God or it came from some other writings. The Books of Enoch were writings about things the angels showed Enoch in the heavens. It was not inspired but witnessed first-hand by Enoch and the writer of Hebrews concurred! Now look at what Enoch wrote for the rest of the story: (The following is quite lengthy but is well worth the read. I tells of the birth of the first Melchizedek. Have removed less significant passages for brevity). 

Behold, the wife of Nir, 〈whose〉 name was Sopanim, being sterile and never having at any time given birth to a child by Nir –

And Sopanim was in the time of her old age, and in the day of her death. She conceived in her womb, but Nir the priest had not slept with her, nor had he touched her, from the day that the LORD had appointed him to conduct the liturgy in front of the face of the people.

And when Sopanim saw her pregnancy, she was ashamed and embarrassed, and she hid herself during all the days until she gave birth. And not one of the people knew about it. And when 282 days had been completed, and the day of birth had begun to approach, and Nir remembered his wife, and he called her to himself in his house, so that he might converse with her.

〈And〉 Sopanim came to Nir, her husband; and, behold, she was pregnant, and the day appointed for giving birth was drawing near….

And Sopanim spoke to Nir, her husband, saying, “O my lord! Behold, it is the time of my old age, and the day of my death has arrived. I do not understand how my menopause and the barrenness of my womb have been reversed…”

And it came to pass, when Nir had spoken to his wife, Sopanim, that Sopanim fell down at Nir’s feet and died…

Now, let us go quickly and let us bury her secretly, and the LORD will cover up the scandal of our shame.” And they placed Sopanim on the bed, and they wrapped her around with black garments, and shut her in the house, prepared for burial. They dug a grave in secret.

And a child came out from the dead Sopanim. And he sat on the bed at her side. And Noe and Nir came in to bury Sopanim, and they saw the child sitting beside the dead Sopanim, and wiping his clothing. And Noe and Nir were very terrified with a great fear, because the child was fully developed physically, like a three-year-old. And he spoke with his lips, and he blessed the LORD. And Noe and Nir looked at him, and behold, the badge of priesthood was on his chest, and it was glorious in appearance. And Noe and Nir said, “Behold, God is renewing the priesthood from blood related to us, just as he pleases.” And Noe and Nir hurried, and they washed the child, and they dressed him in the garments of priesthood, and they gave him the holy bread and he ate it. And they called his name Melkisedek…

“But, concerning the child, don’t be anxious, Nir; because in a short while I shall send my archistratig, Michael. And he will take the child, and put him in the paradise of Edem, in the Paradise where Adam was formerly for 7 years, having heaven open all the time up until when he sinned.”

“And this child will not perish along with those who are perishing in this generation, as I have revealed it, so that Melkisedek will be the priest to all holy priests, and I will establish him so that he will be the head of the priests of the future…”

“And behold, Melkisedek will be the head of the 13 priests who existed before. And afterward, in the last generation, there will be another Melkisedek, the first of 12 priests. And the last will be the head of all, a great archpriest, the Word and Power of God, who will perform miracles, greater and more glorious than all the previous ones. He, Melkisedek, will be priest and king in the place Akhuzan, that is to say, in the center of the earth, where Adam was created, and there will be his final grave. And in connection with that archpriest it is written how he also will be buried there, where the center of the earth is, just as Adam also buried his own son there – Abel, whom his brother Cain murdered; for he lay for 3 years unburied, until he saw a bird called Jackdaw, how it buried his own young. ”And there will be another Melkisedek, the head of priests reigning over the people, and performing the liturgy for the LORD…”

“Don’t be frightened, Nir! I am the LORD’s archistratig. The LORD has sent me, and behold, I shall take your child today. I will go with him and I will place him in the paradise of Edem, and there he will be forever….”

And the LORD will tell him that he should to out to that mountain where stands the ark of Noe, your brother. And he will find there another Melkisedek, who has been living there for 7 years, hiding himself from the people who sacrifice to idols, so that they might not kill him. He will bring him out, and he will be the first priest and king in the city Salim in the style of this Melkisedek, the originator of the priests. The years will be completed up to that time – 3 thousand and 4 hundred and 32 – from the beginning and the creation of Adam. (2 Enoch 71-72) 

  That says much! First off, it reveals how Melchizedek is without father or mother. Sopanim was not a virgin like Mary, but her womb was like Sarai’s, wife of Abram. But also, like Elizabeth’s who became pregnant with John although her womb was barren. Like those much later, Melchizedek’s birth was a miracle. She was impregnated with the waters (semen) of God just as the universe was in the beginning. Sopanim, like the others to come after, was not the mother of Melchizedek in a biological sense but was his spiritual mother. Her womb was on loan from God for incubating the Son of God.

  Although righteous, Nir was not the father of Melchizedek. God was his biological and spiritual Father. It appears that God put on flesh twice; to save mankind from water, and to save mankind from fire. God was through with His vessel, and when Melchizedek was incubated enough, Sopanim died but Melchizedek remained not only alive, but as mature as a three-year old. Like Jesus long after, his adversaries would be hunting someone less than two, but he was born at a maturity of three years old. Perhaps Jesus was well beyond His years all along, as well! “And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?” (Mat 13:54).

  The wisdom of Jesus astonished His friends and neighbors when He was but twelve. Melchizedek astonished them all because he was mature from the womb, even speaking like an adult. What do you suppose he was saying? He most certainly was sharing the Word with Noah and Nir. How else would they know that peril was coming except from the Word of God?

  “He will be the head of the priests of the future.” That is the same role of Jesus. He was a priest on the order of Melchizedek. They both were head of all priests. The archangel, Michael said, “The LORD has sent me, and behold, I shall take your child today. I will go with him and I will place him in the paradise of Edem, and there he will be forever….” In Hebrews, it is written about Melchizedek, “Having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.” Melchizedek was eternal. Jesus is eternal. There are not two eternal beings who are Sons of God. Scripture says that Jesus is God’s only begotten Son. For that to be true, Melchizedek has to be Jesus who came into the World to save Noah and his household.

  The “Paradise of Edem” is the Garden of Eden. Melchizedek was placed there for posterity. As I have written before, the Paradise of Eden is coincidental to the Garden of Eden. Paradise is the same place but in a different realm. That invisible realm is the Place of Peace, or Salem. Jerusalem is the physical realm in which Paradise still exists. It is the “foundation of peace,” and the Foundation Stone is that Foundation of Peace.

  Enoch wrote, “He, Melchizedek, will be priest and king in the place Akhuzan, that is to say, in the center of the earth, where Adam was created, and there will be his final grave.” Akhuzan is the Foundation Stone, it makes the center of the Earth as well as the celestial axis. On that Foundation Stone is where Adam was created. Obviously, the Garden of Eden is not in Iraq, but Israel and Salem and Jerusalem are the spiritual and physical foundation. They coincide but in different realms.

  Melchizedek was kept in the invisible Paradise until God revealed Him again. Melchizedek would not have human flesh, but glorified flesh to allow Him to translate from one realm to another with ease. The virgin birth was providing new glorified flesh for King of Righteousness and King of Peace. Is that heretical? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” (John 1:1-2). Just where was Jesus (John 1:14) in the beginning? He was with God and He IS God! Melchizedek was there recreating after the deluge just as Jesus will be to regenerate the heaven and the earth. God cannot be confined, nor can He be defined by His flesh. I submit that Melchizedek was not a brother to Jesus, and another Son of God, but the only begotten Son of God!

(picture credit: Getty Images)

THE THRESHING

  Revelation chapter nine reveals significant things. First, examine the “star” that fell, to wit: “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit…” (Rev 9:1-2).  Stars in Revelation are angels, who of course, are messengers. This angel was a messenger of death. He is under the control of God to do things for God’s purposes, in this case, God commanded the angel and “locusts” not to destroy those with the Seal of God.

  That “Star” is Lucifer whose title in the English is “Satan.” In Hebrew he is called “Abaddon” and in the Greek, “Apollyon” (verse 11), all which names represent “Adversary” or “Destroyer.” Satan is the destroying angel. Previously, God had sent the Destroying Angel to destroy Jerusalem (1 Chron 22:15), and here He goes again; the destroying angel came to destroy the world at its “navel” in Jerusalem. In the first destruction the Temple was torn down, and in Revelation, the Destroying angel revisits the place of destruction — the Holy of Holies.

  The Foundation Stone is the “celestial axis,” or the “navel of the world.” On that stone was the Holy of Holies, and beneath it an abyss. The Foundation Stone is Mt. Moriah: “Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite” (2 Chron 3:1).  

  That makes sense; Gologotha was the place of redemption for mankind and Moriah was the place of judgment for the faith of Abraham. Because the faith of Abraham was accounted to him as righteousness, the seed of Abraham had the Seal of God upon them. That “Seal” was the Holy Spirit (Gal 3:5-7). Hence, 144,000 Jews will have the Seal of God because they are sealed by God with the same Holy Spirit that God sealed Abraham with. That is the same “Seal” that all the multitude in white robes were sealed. All Christians are sealed in the same manner: “Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephes 4:30).

  That passage has tremendous impact on doctrine. Seals can be broken. God seals, but if the message is vain, then the one who is sealed breaks the seal. Throughout the Old Testament, God kept the Covenant of which the Seal of God was placed, but except for a few, most broke the seal.

  The Holy Spirit (aka Holy Ghost) is the Seal. To be a Christian requires two things (1) persuasion that Jesus is God and He can Save, and (2) that “enlightenment” is sealed with the Holy Ghost:

¹⁵ And as I (Peter) began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. ¹⁶ Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. ¹⁷ Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? (Acts 11:15-17)

  Peter had the Holy Ghost. He questioned whether he could withstand God. He had been sealed, and as such, it was his will against God’s Will. Peter and the others were baptized with the Holy Ghost. That is what sealed them as belonging to God. That is the adoption “papers” sealed where sinners are emancipated from their father, the Devil, and become sons of God. The Holy Ghost makes Gentiles the seed of Abraham with the protection sealed by the Abrahamic Covenant.

  The 144,000 of the tribes of Judah were the biological seed of Abraham, and the Holy Spirit sealed them from the time of the Covenant. Those in white robes, who were “multitides,” wore white because they had been baptized, not by water, but by the Holy Ghost, who cleansed and sealed them.

  What breaks the Seal of God which, by the way, is on the forehead? Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (Mat 12:31). “Blasphemy” is evil-speaking against the Holy Ghost. Why would that be so crucial? Jesus, when He died, “gave up the Ghost” that had experienced dying. God’s Person died, but also, God’s Spirit was transformed to the Holy Ghost of Jesus. That is truly what the Third Commandment entails — taking the Name of God (Jesus) with vanity.  Blasphemy is that notion of vanity. It is cognitive, and as such the Seal of God, to prevent idle-thoughts, is on the forehead.

  The brain belongs to the creature, but the mind belongs to God and is sealed by God. The mind of Christians belongs to God and the brain, to the Devil because it is flesh. The Angel of Death will be released to destroy those without the Seal of God. The Mark of the Beast (Satan) is “666” but the Mark of God, although it too is on the forehead, is invisible. The human mind considers God and the Beast, and is either persuaded or confused as to which way the soul shall go. Shall it be into the abyss, or into the Holiest of Holies, and into the heavens?

  That is why the key to the bottomless pit was in the hand of the “Star.” The Foundation Stone is Ornan’s threshing floor, and on that stone, those with the Seal of God will be threshed out from those with the mark of the Beast.

  Many will be cast down into the abyss, as will the Angel of Death himself. Satan holds the key, and there must be a keyhole. The Foundation Stone has a large unexplained hole in one corner of the flat rock. That hole, perhaps, is the datum to the cosmos since that is the stone on which the cosmos was referenced. In other words, it is the physical cornerstone and Jesus the spiritual Cornerstone. That hole may also be the Devil’s keyhole to open the gate to the Well of Souls below.

  The abyss beneath the Foundation Stone remains unexplored to this day, but it is the door to eternal death. The Angel of Death holds the key to death in the abyss below, but those sealed, have the spiritual key to heaven whose door is also to eternal Paradise.

  Revelation chapter nine is about the threshing of those with God’s Seal from those with the mark of the Beast. Just as with Ornan, those bad seed along with the chaff will be cast into the abyss for burning. However, those winnowed out by God because they are grounded in the Holy Spirit, shall enter heaven. The Foundation Stone was used by Ornan for threshing grain, but its ultimate purpose is to thresh out those not sealed from those who are! For the Abrahamic Covenant, God used the wilderness between Egypt and the Promise Land to thresh out the bad seed from Abraham. With the Promised Land obtained, Ornan’s threshing floor will be used for its intended purpose.

  Now for confirmation: “Ornan” is from “Araunah.” Ornan, or Araunah, was a Jebusite king who once owned that city. It was the king’s threshing floor. However, Araunah has a more significant meaning — “The Lord.” All the time we thought it was King Ornan’s threshing floor but all the while it belonged to the Lord, and the Lord will use that place for His threshing!

(picture credit; Wikipedia; "Foundation Stone:)

CREATION – ESSENTIAL DOCTRINE

   So, you do not believe in the creation of the heaven and the earth.! So, you think that makes no difference! Just who is your God, then? Jesus IS GOD in the Flesh. Jesus is not another Being. He created every thing, “All things were made by Him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). “Him” is Jesus (John 1:14). Therefore, If you do not believe in God, you cannot believe in Jesus because when you see Jesus, He is God that you are seeing (John 14:9). Now for today’s passages:

KEY VERSES: ¹² And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; ¹³ And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. ¹⁴ And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places… ¹⁷ For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Rev 6:12-14,17)

  On that Great and Terrible Day, the wrath of God will show them just who IS Creator! “The heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together.” That seems to show, not who is the Creator, but that God can also destroy. Now compare that process to the Creation:

²¹Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? ²² It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: ²³ That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. (Isa 40:21-23)

  The wrath of God after the last “seal” is broken results in the end of existence for the unrighteous.  What God stretched out as a “curtain,” in the beginning will be rolled up as a “scroll.” The wrath of God is the reversal of the generation process.

  On the fourth “day” God made the heavens (Gen 1:14). That was the age when He stretched the cosmos out as a tent to dwell in. The celestial sphere is concentric to the earth and is as old as existence itself. It forms a dome (firmament) from wherever a person stands on Earth, like a dome-shaped tent. As a tent (tabernacle) the Earth was created as a place to worship God. When the time comes that He is not worshipped in Spirit and in Truth, then the cosmic tent will be put away, so to speak. God will roll it up as a scroll just as He unfurled it as a curtain. (Note that the dome of the celestial sphere appears to be a flat screen because distance makes depth seem flat).

  There is much speculation about the seals. However, the sixth seal is perhaps the end of six-thousand ages. It took six ages to ready the void for mankind, and surely six ages to tear it down. Peter referred to the sacred writings of Enoch when he wrote, “Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet 3:8). That cannot be thrown out as metaphor or rhetoric. It is there for a reason! Peter was referring to the sixth seal. He was speaking of how long God would keep the Earth before it is destroyed. It would be thousands of years; six thousand to be precise.

  The time is at hand. The Jewish year in 2021 is 5781 AM. It is near the end of “day” six, or the end of the six-thousandth-year of the world. God’s day of wrath when He rolls up our tent, the cosmos, is at hand.

  Do not count on the Jewish calendar as being accurate to the year or even the century; it may be today! Look around you; is it not as in the days of Noah when “the windows of heaven were opened” (Gen 7:11), you know, the windows that the curtain covered! The first harbinger was drawing the curtains of heaven and opening its windows. That was a warning for the coming destruction when the heavens ae rolled-up and put away.

  According to Masoretic text the windows were opened on “day” two — 1656 AM (Anno Mundi, the year of the world). That was four “days” ago in God’s time. The Great and Terrible Day is the time of salvation for the righteous and the time of perishing for the unrighteous.

  Anno Mundi was not based on the year of the world but the birth of Adam for whose kind the world was created. God promised Adam, according to sacred literature (Books of Adam and Eve), 5-1/2 days or 5500  years before he is saved. Is that 5500 years until Jesus died for him or is it 5500 days until Adam is glorified at the rapture? Apparently, the rapture is on day six, and the millennial reign of Jesus on day seven, where that “day” interval is one -thousand year, or one millennium.

  That makes sense with the sixth seal as well. The heavens will be rolled up before Jesus’s Millennial Reign. Genesis 3:15 was fulfilled 2021-33=1999 years ago, or two “days.” There are inaccuracies due to many things, it seems that we are nearer the time of our salvation than when we first believed (Rom 13:11).

  The crucial point, though, is that to believe in God’s Plan for our future, we must believe in God’s Plan from the beginning. He will undo what He has done, and rather than make it “very good” (Gen 1:31), it will be made entirely good to perfection. What was not so good about the Creation? Satan sneaked into the Garden, unaware to Adam and Eve, to harm them. When the re-genesis occurs, cherubim will still be there guarding entry to Paradise just as in the beginning (Gen 3:24) and in the ending (Rev 4:6).

(picture credit: Pinteest; "Heavens Rolled Up as a Scroll")

MOLD ME, FILL ME, AND MAKE ME IN YOUR IMAGE

  There is great contention regarding the soterial of water baptism. In other words, does salvation flow from water? Examine the baptism of Jesus. He was baptized in the River of God, but what was said about the water? John remarked, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Mat 3:11).

  Water baptism, called the “Baptism of John” was minimized by John as not soterial. It was not unto salvation, but unto repentance. As such, the Baptism of John should precede the baptism of the Holy Ghost, but not necessarily in that repentance comes anytime. Jesus had nothing to repent of, so He immediately received the Holy Ghost, that no others received with the baptism of John (John 1:33).

  What happened with Jesus? No thing happened from the water, but from the heavens, to wit: The Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). The Holy Ghost came from heaven with shape, not from the water that is fluid. God had again separated the waters from the waters just as the generation (Gen 1:6). From the Hebrew “waters” is literally “semen” or the “Seed of God. One “Seed” is from the waters below (for Adam’s flesh) and the other “Seed” from the heavens above for Adam’s Soul. The same goes for regeneration.

  Jesus did say something about water to the woman at the well. He dismissed the water from the ground as not soterial when He told the woman: “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, ‘Give me to drink;’ thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee Living Water” (John 4:10). Just what is “Living Water?” Well, Jesus explained that too!

³⁷ If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. ³⁸ He that believeth on me, as the scripture h  th said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. ³⁹ (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)  (John 7:37-39)

“Living water,” at the time Jesus spoke, was the Holy Spirit. After His death, because of experience, the Holy Ghost that was in bodily form for Him, had the bodily form of Jesus, and thus the Holy Ghost of Jesus. Living Water flowing as a dove is the baptism of Jesus, or as it is called, “the baptism of the Holy Ghost.” Jesus baptized nobody with water but with Spirit, but all those who were persuaded that Jesus is Lord, He baptized with the Holy Ghost. There are not three baptisms. There are only two, to wit:

¹ And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God…  ¹⁴ Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. ¹⁵ And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. ¹⁶ Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. ¹⁷ Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? ¹⁸ When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. (Acts 11:1,14-18)… I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. (Mark 1:8) 

  Baptism with water is for repentance. Baptism with Living Water is the “Baptism of the Holy Ghost” and is soterial. Luke, called it “sozo” which can be translated either as “safe” or “saved” just as soteria can be translated as “safety” or “salvation” (Strong’s Dictionary). However, this commentary is not about the doctrine of soteria but the means of sozo.

  John’s baptism was minimized by John when He referred to Jesus: As, “mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear.” It is the baptism of the Ghost of Jesus that is mighty for salvation, not John’s. He was not worthy to provide grace but only water for repentance.

  Neither is baptism “regeneration.” To understand regeneration, it is necessary to understand generation. Generation can be found, where else? In the Book of Genesis!

⁶ But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. ⁷ And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. ⁸ And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. (Gen 1:6-8)

  I gather that you have never been taught “regeneration” before in this manner! I would bet that you were taught that it is “born again” (John 3:7) or that you must be saved (from nowhere)! The second birth (born again) is not as you were naturally born from the womb but born of the “water and the blood” (1 John 5:6).

  Let us examine the original water birth first at the generation: From Gen 1:6, God provided the water, not from the “water” from heaven, but the water from the ground. God made Adam’s (man’s) flesh from molded dust from the ground (Gen 1:7). The water was to mold Adam into bodily form. Adam was shapen in righteousness, but due to sin, all mankind were “shapen in iniquity” (Psalm 51:5). Mankind was made in the flesh by God but sinful flesh by Satan whose DNA (seed) was inherited through Adam.

  The process of generation was twofold: (1) Adam’s body was formed with flesh. It was originally formed with glorious flesh (entirely good; Gen 1:31) in the image of God (Jesus by Name). “Regeneration” is made in the image of Jesus, and those reborn become a picture of Him (Heb 6:40; photizo); not as Him (God)! (Gen 3:5).

  Thus, the water at generation was for the flesh, and not for the spirit of Adam. God “breathed unto him the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Out of God’s belly flowed Living Waters. Adam became a living soul; a “cup” in bodily form that would hold the Living Waters of God. After Adam was created, Eve was created, not from Adam’s rib, but from his belly. Out of Adam’s belly flowed Living Waters to provide Eve’s flesh in bodily form with Living Waters. Therefore, the second phase of generation was providing Living Waters from Heaven to generate the new creatures with the souls that provided life via the Holy Spirit of God.

  Now the reader should better understand “generation.” Now apply that to “regeneration:” Since all have sinned, then everyone is born with corrupted flesh. However, rather than God taking perfect flesh and reviving it, He takes imperfect flesh and imbues it with His Spirit. The Spirit of God has experienced death on the Cross in the Flesh of God. Hence, thereafter, the Spirit of God is the Holy Ghost of Jesus because Jesus was glorified (John 7:39). 

  Hence, the Spirit of God that breathed life into Adam is the same Spirit that is the Holy Ghost of whom Jesus said, “Out of His belly shall flow Living Waters” — Waters in the bodily form of Jesus to replace the body shapen in iniquity by the Devil; hence the new creature from the old, to wit: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor 5:17). “In Christ” is the photizo of Christ, a negative image exposed to the Light of God, or” enlightenment” (photizo).

  Adam did not become even “As God” (Gen 3:6) but was covered with the flesh of a lamb (Gen 3:21). [1] Adam and Eve, once covered by the blood of the lamb, were safe until the day they are raised from the dust and become regenerated wherein living souls reunite with new flesh At the Rapture). Thus, regeneration, just as generation, is a process, not an emotional one-time event, and it takes time now for God to remold and make the new creatures. Glorification is synonymous, not with rebirth, but the resurrection.

  Even the glorification of Jesus was time dependent. It commenced with the Baptism of John where the Spirit of God came down on Him, continued with His transfiguration where on the mountain, Jesus had the Breath of God breathed unto His New Flesh, and was finished at His death on the Cross. What was finished? The death of Satan on a tree nearby and the assumption of New Flesh that would overcome death!

  Now back to “the water and the blood” for the soterial: Adam’s flesh was from the water but after he sinned, his soul was safe because of the blood of the lamb that God killed. On the Cross, as Jesus was pierced, out came both water and blood (John 19:34). The blood was to save the souls of Adamkind, and the water to save their bodily form — their image of God, remembering that God used water to mold Adam’s body in the beginning. “Water,” therein, does not mean water baptism, but the resurrection of the body when regeneration is complete!

  Hopefully, you will consider this. There were two main points: (1) That water is not saving, and (2) that regeneration is time dependent; it is a remolding by God, and that takes time. The soul is saved at death, and that is the “gain” of which Paul wrote. The flesh is saved when the dust is raptured (snatched up) and remolded into glorious flesh that is incorruptible and shall never perish!

  (I want to note that we have been taught that the Holy Spirit was in the form of  a dove. That is not true. It was it the bodily shape of Jesus whose motion was as a  dove. Hahlbohm's rendering below is one of the few accurate concepts.)

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[1] Skin of a lamb comes from sacred literature, and although not canon, makes sense for continuity.

(picture credit: "Holy Spirit - Print" by Danny Hahlbohm)

THE MENORAH - One Last Thought

  More about the Menorah: The seven lamps on one lampstand represent seven characteristics, or Personalities, of God in One unified Person. Now consider the key verses:

² …A throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne… ³ and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald… ⁵ and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. (Rev 4:2,3,5)

  Already discussed is that a rainbow, representing the Promise of God, is a Menorah made up of seven colors. Here is where the representations of the seven “colors” are identified as “seven spirits of God.” There are several things identified as the “seven spirits” and perhaps they represent many things. Of the Branch of Jesse, it is written: 

² And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; ³ And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears… (Isa 11:2-3) 

  The seven spirits are the Spirit of the Lord, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of the Lord. His Purpose is Comfort and is the Compassionate Spirit of the Lord. The very purpose of the Branch (Jesus) is compassion! That is the Son of God aspect of Jesus. The Spirit of Jesus when He was glorified (lighted) is the Holy Ghost (John 7:39).

  Wisdom is the “Father” aspect, to wit: “You created all things, and by Your Will they exist and were created… (Rev 4:21). God willed the genesis of all things (Gen 1:1), and Jesus created them (John 1-3,14).

  Jesus understood! About those who crucified, He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Paul said, “Enter not into temptation: the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Mat 26:41). Jesus knew that; He willingly entered into temptation and demonstrated to Satan that His Spirit is Almighty! Speaking of Almighty, that was the might of Jesus. He created all things as Almighty God and had the might to resist the Devil. He also overcame the world, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Because He overcame sin for us, we too can overcome the world, not by our own might but His (1 John 5:4).

  Jesus counsels. His Word is the truth, and He counsels that truth shall make you free. “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6). “I AM” is that He IS the Almighty God, JHWH! That truth is what can make you free (John 8:32) — free from sin and out of the bondage of Satan. Jesus is Teacher, and is called “Rabbi,” as the Master Teacher!

  Jesus is knowledge. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 4:6). He is the Light of the World (Jon 8:12). Jesus is the Lampstand. The Menorah represents Jesus! In the Tabernacle and the Temple, the Lampstand shined from the East. In the hearts of Christians, glory from the Man from the East shines into our hearts. Jesus must be the “Lampstand” and the seven lamps His characteristics.

  Knowledge is the Light from Jesus, and that Light is Truth. Just what knowledge? That Jesus emits the Light (Glory) of God as the Face of God. When you look at Jesus, you behold God! To Philip, Jesus said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father (John 14:9). What the Father knew Jesus spoke. Jesus is the Word of God (John 1)!

  Jesus is God and is to be feared as God, to wit: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor 5:10). Everyone, even Christians, shall stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne Judgment that the One with the rainbow over His head, judges. Jesus is not only the Savior but also the Perisher. He wants that none should perish, but the wicked shall perish, not by His hand but by their own deeds.

  There it is — The Menorah is symbolic of Jesus. The Lampstand is the Triune God, and the lamps are His attributes. When anyone sees a Menorah, it is God manifested, and anytime God shows Himself to the world, that is Jesus. Just who was the Hebrews looking toward when they worshiped? They were looking at preincarnate Jesus.

  Moses knew that when He fashioned the Menorah. He was sculpting an image of God whose image was not to be worshiped. Why is the Menorah lost, or should it be better said, hidden away? Just like Aaron’s rod and the Serpent pole, so as not to be worshiped as the Face of God.

  Christians no longer need the Menorah because we have the Holy Cross. The Menorah represented the future and now it is finished… Jesus gave up the Ghost (John 19:30). With that, the Holy Spirit of God was put out and the old replaced with the new. Now when the Cross is seen, just think of it as the Menorah where the central Light finally dimmed but was relighted at the resurrection of Jesus.

(picture credit: Pinterest)

THE MENORAH - Part 3 of 3

 

Next the Jewish view of the Menorah shall be examined. It was their candelabra that lighted the Temple and similar lampstands that light their religious services in modern times. The exact location of that Lampstand of the Second Temple is unknown but there is an abundance of theories as to its location. The most prevalent that in the mid 400’s AD that the Vandals who sacked Rome took it from there and melted it down for the gold of which is was made. Rather than for its spiritual value, it was for them, its intrinsic value. If so, there is much irony therein because, “the love of money (avarice) is the root of all evil” (1 Tim 6:10). However, look not at gold as “money” but “greed.” To this day many still seek the Menorah for its gold content.

It does have esoteric value to many; that it represents knowledge that is only understood by a few. Jews believe it is their knowledge, Christians their knowledge, and others the knowledge of its value. Perhaps the Lampstand meant the same to Moses and to Jesus. Perhaps the Jews do not understand the full meaning on the Lampstand and neither do Christians.

It represents “wisdom” from the viewpoint of the Jews, and according to Rabbi Isaac from the Talmud, “He who desires to become wise should incline to the south,” facing the south toward the Lampstand. Furthermore, “The seven lamps allude to the branches of human knowledge, represented by the six lamps inclined inwards towards, and symbolically guided by, the light of God represented by the central lamp. The menorah also symbolizes the creation in seven days, with the center light representing the Sabbath.” (Wikipedia; “Menorah). That the Menorah represents creation is probably true. That would make it the symbol of Yahweh, with Him resting in the middle candlestick.

Compare that to the Christian belief — Jesus is holding the “stars” in His hand and hovering over the Menorah, to wit:

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. (Rev 1:12-16)

Of course, the stars in the hands of Jesus, in those passages, represent the seven churches of Asia. But that is symbolism. The “stars” are stars in the same sense as Enoch saw them. John saw the same vision that Enoch saw, but realized that what he saw also represented the seven Churches of the future. Each star in Enoch’s vision surely represents each church in John’s vision. The most obvious is the star (sic) Aries as the church of Laodicia which would be “vomited” out. That happened from the transition from the Law of Moses to the Law of Grace when Jesus was born.

The Church would be prominent, until God had enough again. The transition from Pisces, the Christian era, to Aquarius, the Antichristian era, is perhaps the age right now! All the signs are there, just as in the days of Noah (ca 2300 BC). The dawning of the age of Aries was near that time (Zodiac signs are ambiguous since the width of constellations differ).

Aris is the sign of the ram and perhaps represents animal sacrifice. What was the first thing that Noah did with the termination of the old world the new? He burnt every “clean” beast on and altar that he built to honor “Yahweh saving” them. “Jesus” is theophoric for “Yah saves.” And what did Noah see? A rainbow, and there are seven colors in the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

Noah saw the Lampstand of God. The rainbow is a perfect Menorah when seen from one end to the other! Thus, the Menorah represents Jesus, and that it from Hebrew scripture! They should see their Messiah (Christ) in the rainbow, but to be honest, neither do Christians. In the last days, the rainbow means “lust” and the lust of choice in the ante-deluge times was homosexuality, and specifically pedophilia (Book of Enoch). The dawning of the Age of Aquarius was surely in 1978 when the drag queen Gilbert Baker created the rainbow flag as their symbol.

Jews get their wisdom from scripture:

And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side (Exod 25:31-32)

That is the design of the Menorah, and more detail followed. What was the Menorah for? “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” (Exod 25:8). Furthermore, “Thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold” as God’s earthly throne, and the sacrifices included, “oil for Light” (Exod 25:6). “Light” is the Light of God, and the Shekinah — the “Divine Presence of God” — would be bright when God was Present on the Mercy Seat. His Divine Light (wisdom) would shine on the Menorah, and both, overcome the light by the oil and fuel the central one eternally! The middle Lamp would hold the same oil but remain lit; so, it was the Eternal Light. “Eternal” is the very Essence of God, and surely the center Lamp in the midst of the six represented Existence (JHWH) — the Light that created all the heavenly lights!

Also, the Jews believe that the Menorah represents the seven-day creation with God resting on the seventh. The central lamp represents God at rest, and most certainly God on His Mercy Seat.

I would suggest that the seven lamps on the lampstand may have more meaning than that. In my book, On the Origin of Man and the Universe, days are ‘warming” and night a “twisting from warming” (Strong’s Dictionary). Perhaps the seven lamps on the Lampstand represent the whole of the creation (the stand) and the lamps each process of the creation. The six days of work would be each lamp lighted in succession, and then put out with the center lamp remaining lit as God rested.

Peter wrote that “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet 3:8). He was speaking of the creation of the heaven and earth (2 Pet 3:7). Where did Peter get that idea? From the inspired Word of God! Who else was revealed the same information from God? (2 Enoch 58), to wit: “In the days of our father Adam… And He Himself inspected all His creatures which He Himself had created in the beginning of the thousand ages and when after all those he had created Adam.”

Peter used the example “days” to “years” or hemera to etos — ages and years. Rewritten then, that is, One age is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one age. Enoch and Peter were both referring to ages of which one day is also an age. But Peter and Enoch were both making a point. Our understanding of “day” is not twenty-four hours, but one “age” or era consisting of one-thousand years. With that understanding the creation was not 24-hour days but one-thousand-year eras that I called “processes” in my book from warming and twisting from the warming.

Thus, creation is represented by the Menorah with each lamp representing one-thousand years. The knowledge of that is Divine Wisdom and leads to the understanding of the Creator God. Jews worship the Creator God, but the Menorah would also represent the coming Messiah. The difference in Judaism and Christianity is that the center Lamp is out in Judaism but burns fervently in the hearts of Christians. The Lamp of the Shekinah of God burns within the Temple of the Holy Spirit in Christians, and the hope is the Messiah for Jews. With their Menorah gone, they walk in the dark even while the Light shines from heaven.

The Menorah for the Creation is six processes coming to rest, or to equilibrium. Each Lamp is fueled by the Oil of God (Power) for the Energy for each “process.” When the oil is used for the six processes, the central lamp still burns. That is from the beginning to Adam as Enoch said, and represents a period of seven-thousand years.

Now back to Christianity for a moment: From the first Adam at rest to the second Adam (Jesus) at rest is 7000 years. I am referring to the Millennial Reign of Jesus after His work is finished dealing with the world. He rests again for one-thousand years before the “re-creation” begins, or a re-genesis of the heaven and the earth, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away” (Rev 21:1).

Christians should see the Menorah in that Light and Jews as well. More on that shortly.

The six outer lamps not only represent the six church ages, but each age of a thousand years. From the time of Adam until now is nearly six-thousand years. Jesus will come the second time at the end of those ages in the seventh “day” or age. The Menorah represents as well, Jesus the Messiah, resting again with each one-thousand-year age symbolized by their respective Lamps. Pisces for a short time will give way to Aquarius just as Aries gave Way to Pisces. The last “day” and the last lamp to burn out is represented, perhaps, by the Laodocian Church that is spewed out with the transition from Pisces to Aquarius.

For Christians, the center Lamp represents hope, and should as well for the Jews, to wit: “I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” that refers to twelve-thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel!

¹² And had a wall (heavenly Jerusalem) great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel (Rev 21:12)… ¹⁰ And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, ¹¹ Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; ¹² And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel… (Rev 21:10_11)

That is the central Lamp Lighted for the Jews as well! That is what they have been waiting for! That will come about during the seventh age of the Earth counted from the creation of Adam. The date now on the Jewish calendar is 5780 AM. We are in the sixth “day” or sixth Church age, and indeed, their church will return to the Church to which Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets belonged all along! They all rest right now in “Abraham’s Bosom” just as Israel did when Abraham was on his death bed!

I could go on about the Menorah, but to be brief, consider the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden of Eden surrounded by a variety of “trees.” In the Old Testament, types of trees represent people. You research that yourself.

People made up the Churches of Asia, and each Church represents different amounts of spiritual light. Bartimaeus, who had been born blind, when his vision was restored, “saw men; as trees walking” (Mark 8:24). In his dim vision he saw the face of Jesus and saw surely saw Jesus as the Tree of Life. Jews will see Jesus sometime during the sixth day as the Tree of Life! The Revelation of John revealed that! AM 5780 is near the end of the sixth day, and they should be confident that their anxiously awaited day will arrive soon! The Jews are “as trees” and they were created to stand around the Tree of Life. They only await God to restore the Light that He once shined on them.

With that, I believe Menorah of the Second Temple remains extant; that its center Light still shines, perhaps spiritually until Jesus comes to Light it in the Person of God. The Menorah represents not only wisdom but Life itself. It just cannot be put out and melted down. God would not have that!

(picture credit: revleationscriptures.com)

GOOD NEIGHBORS

   I live in a neighborhood in the proximity of Bowling Green on its south side. There is an APP called “Nextdoor” so that neighbors can be, what else? Neighborly. Of course, “neighbor” is a person living nearby, but ostensibly a “neighbor” is a fellow human being who should be treated humanely, or as the Bible says, as you want them to do unto you (Luke 6:31).

  Whether you are a Christian or not, that is the right thing to do! What would neighborly people appreciate? For others to be good neighbors.

  I grew up in a small town made up of 600 good neighbors. Each of us were different: of different races, religions, ideologies, vocations, hobbies, and personalities. However, we were all good neighbors to each other. Why so? Because we are in this together, “this” being our short lifetimes. The least that we could do is to love one another. We did!

  I love my neighborhood. I have coined our neighborhood, “Pleasantville.” This pleasant place is made of many smaller communities and sub-divisions, but yet, Nextdoor made it one community.  Most days, I either ride my bicycle, run, or walk much of the neighborhood from here to Plano to Woodburn to Rockfield to Bowling Green, and sometimes to Alvaton and back. Those communities are our neighborhood. As I ride, walk, or run; I speak or wave to my neighbors. Why would I do that? I want them to be friends.

  Some of them look me squarely in the eye and act as if I do not exist. As I said in Nextdoor, for those, I jump up and down and wave my arms to gesture at them that I am there. (Not when bicycling though.) Others avoid eye contact, and some even walk a different way or seem to busy themselves. They perhaps prefer isolation. Their desire is surely not to be neighborly, or perhaps they fear strangers. But for most people in our community, they are good neighbors. I have come to know many personally, and others we wave and smile at each other. I never ask their religion or politics, but I do ask them from where they come. I enjoy learning about people and their cultures whether domesticates or immigrants. One of my best neighbors is an Egyptian and the Burmese near me are delightful people.

  I desire that my community be in unity, and sometimes outside forces encroach upon us. Some have things stolen and others property damaged. Some throw trash on our streets, surely out of jealousy for our clean and well-kept community. Some speed through intersections and others arrogantly show off their noisy exhaust systems. Things like that take away from the serenity of our community.

 The children in Pleasantville have been pleasant and for the most part respectful. I have seen few incidences wherein I could blame teenagers for anything. Many stop and chat as they pass by my busy intersection. They help make this a pleasant place to live!

  I have posted several things on Nextdoor since I joined. The first thing was that this place should be named “Pleasantville.” Then when someone wrote of the drama in Nextdoor, I wrote that I am, “mellow dramatic.” Words means things! I test people’s reactions. “Melodramatic” means overly dramatic, obviously for attention. By “mellow dramatic” I meant that I am gentle in my drama; that I do not get excited easily. One person got that! She deserves a trophy.

  During the election, all the white political signs were stolen from my street. So as not to be political, I wrote “white signs” rather than which political signs. I did not have a desire to divide the community over politics but did want to point out that alien behaviors had encroached upon our pleasant community. Surely, good neighbors would not steal from other good neighbors, so I assumed that they must be outsiders. I remained “mellow.”

  I meet those who are different from me in politics and religion almost daily. Because they are fellow human beings, I am always pleasant and conversational. If everyone was like me, this would not be Pleasantville but “Stepford” wherein all the people are mellow. I accept the melodramatic because that is their personalities. People are different and that is okay!

  My next comment was about masks. It was not political in nature. One woman got into religion by quoting scripture out of context; that failure to wear masks tests God and she quoted the scripture but failed to look at the context. They tested God by depending on themselves, and not on God.

  I wear a mask when near people, but it is not for me, it is for them. I trust God to keep me safe but I try to help keep them safe. Perhaps I should have let the woman continue in her false belief, then everyone would be content in Pleasantville but not God. I am not a preacher, but scripture, for one thing, is for corrections. I have studied the Bible for 13 years and write a commentary nearly every day. That is around 20,000 hours of learning scripture. That does not make me always right, but God is never wrong. Like I do, that woman got God wrong! I corrected her, and the uproar began. I did not bring religion to the table, but perhaps I wrongly provoked others. That divided some in the community because human nature is not to like correction.

  I had a sign stolen from my yard near the street. I knew that it might be stolen there. However, I put a banner on my shed and nailed it firmly. It was protected by a fence all around. That fence is my “safe space” to keep people from encroachment on my property. I have valuable things inside that fence, and the purpose of my fence is to protect what is mine.

  Good neighbors would never enter that fence, so I assumed that someone outside the community stole my sign. To avoid further violation of my safe space, I posted of the theft in Nextdoor. It seems to have been removed, and I would assume because melodramatic people made it controversial. It was apolitical but I did refer to socialism which is an ideology. The implementation thereof is politics. In my Christian ideology, socialism is anti-Christian. I did jump the wall of separation of church and state which is not even in our laws. Why not? Someone jumped my fence!

  I commented that I am often “armed.” At least two of my friendly (sic) neighbors accused me of wanting to kill people for merely stealing a sign. I had said nothing about shooting anyone. They created that narrative because they are melodramatic themselves. I am “mellow.” People who know me, know that I do not even hunt because I cannot shoot innocent animals, let alone human beings. I still feel sad when I remember, as a child, killing a dove by accident. Yet, those who have never met me essentially called me a” murderer,” or at a minimum “cruel.”

  “Armed” is “armored.” I sometimes wear a side arm for protection. It is armor to keep others from harming me. It is for protection, not provocation or harm. However, I carefully worded that in my comment. I was careful that nobody would take that wrong, but still people did. They judged me without even knowing me personally. “Thou shalt not judge” was broken.

  When I wrote “armed,” I meant with the whole armor of God (Ephes 2:11) because although it might be foreign to my neighbors, God is my daily armor whom I wear. They assumed that I meant harm. If I caught anyone trespassing against me, what would I do? Remember the Lord’s Prayer… that I trespass against them. What would I do? Shoot my gun at a young person? No, I would tell them about the Lord.

  However, without even knowing me, two people said they would pray for me. They assumed that I was mean-spirited. If they had read about me before, or knew me, they would know that I am about as mellow as can be! I pray for my trespasses daily, and there are many. I would appreciate those people praying for me if their context and intents were for good, but perhaps they were insulting me in God’s Name. Self-righteous Christians do that often — they pray that you will be like them in all their righteous arrogance. Did they really pray for me or against me? My bet is that they did neither but made themselves sound spiritually supreme! If they were praying for my correction that would be welcomed, but I perceive that it was that I should perish.

 Who should they have prayed for? The person who stole from me. If they had said that I would have been humbled and thought to pray for the thief as well. I just took time out to pray for the thief, that he or she would come to know the Will of God.

  Furthermore, they should pray for America. Socialism is against our form of government. We have a great neighborhood because of our system of government. Those who do not like the prosperity that we enjoy should move out of the neighborhood or wherever it is that they think is better. Socialism is not political; it is ideological, and the ideology of socialism is against our republic and against God. Therefore, if the self-righteous two people would have prayed for the socialists who burn down cities and shoot people, that would be more logical. Instead, they prayed for me — one of the most obedient people in the neighborhood. Why not pray for the mob? Because they would rather judge those who try to do right.

  People comment on all things in Nextdoor. Who made the rule forbidding politics? It is noble to be apolitical, but almost nobody is! We should accept that… until politics encroaches on our property. I do have arms. I have arms because I fear that my neighbors do not. I have arms to protect me and the neighbors that I consider to be friends. For that reason, my neighbors attacked my Christianity and civility. Some thought the worst about me.  They are not good neighbors! When the mob comes for our property, I will bear arms for that. When they come for yours, I will bear arms for you. Kind words did not keep the mob from Jesus, and kind words to criminals will never keep the mob from their chaos. When, and if they come, I will be there for you; even those who have condemned me.

  When it snowed heavy amounts three winters ago, I put my Christianity into action. I knew only that some elderly and the widows lived nearby. I shoveled seven driveways twice in my neighborhood for people that I had never met or knew only casually. I did that because good neighbors do things to help neighbors. Some wanted to pay me. To that I replied, “That is what neighbors should do for each other.” Good neighbors do not steal from other neighbors nor trespass on their property unless they are doing good things. Stealing is not good. Trespassing to destroy what belongs to another is damning. A good Christian would pray, not for me, but the trespasser for whom I just prayed.

  I am a writer of Christian books as well as history. I write, not for profit, but to spread the gospel of love. As such, I have given my neighbors, near and far, free copies of my books. Likewise, I spend two hours each day spreading love to the world in this Google blog. Somedays, I have 700 people who learn things about God from my commentary. Other days, there are only forty. If only one learns about God and love, then my commission is worth it. 

  I am not a good person, but I try hard to love. People make that extremely difficult because of their melodrama and arrogance. What I do for people is for naught, but I spend my time, not for my sake, but for others. Test yourselves, self-righteous people; how much time do you spend on your great commission? My bet is that you spend more time condemning others, even people that you do not know!

  It turns out that “Pleasantville” is not so pleasant after all. Some people here think that you must be just like them. Folks, that is “Stepford” town. That is a socialist Utopia. I just will not go there! I sorta like Pleasantville. I should hope that you do as well!

  The intent of my earlier post was not to divide people but report a problem in our community. Why would I do that? So that they not trespass against you. Why would I reveal my “arms?” To discourage trespassing. Arms are for protection… not for killing. Melodramatic people often assume the worst. With that said, I will quit Nextdoor because several of my neighbors are not good neighbors.  A few are arrogant condemners, and a few rotten apples can spoil the whole basket of good people.

(picture credit: Bowling Green Area & Visitors Bureau)