by John L. Mastrogiovanni, D.Min.

Copyright © 2013

Copyright © 2013

John L. Mastrogiovanni, D.Min.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations in a review or lecture.

“Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.” (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

"Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group."

"Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

"Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

THE MIRROR: The Bible translated from the original text and paraphrased in contemporary speech with commentary by Francois du Toit. Scripture taken from THE MIRROR. Copyright © 2012. Used by permission of The Author.

Foreword

A Brief But Necessary Introduction

Section - I

"The Primordial Priesthood"

Chapter 1 “Exploring a Mystery”

Part 1: Comparisons

Part 2: Meeting Melchizedek

Chapter 2 “Theophanies and Messiahs”

Part 1: Melchizedek and Jesus, a Theophany?

Part 2: What is “Christ”?

Chapter 3 “The Infinite One”

Part 1: It’s A Description

Chapter 4 “Melchizedek... Hard to Explain…”

Part 1: Prologue to a Paradigm Shift

Part 2 - Changing the Paradigm Template

Part 3 - The Paradigm Shift

Section - II

“The First Principles…

Foundations of Melchizedekian Reality”

Chapter 5 “In the Beginning...”

Part 1: Adjusting the Spiritual Template

Part 2: The First Principles Template

Part 3: In “Beginning”

Chapter 6 “Two Living Personas”

Part 1: The Land of Receiving

Part 2: The Heaven of Giving

Chapter 7 “The Light and the Darkness”

Part 1: The Creature’s Fulfillment

Part 2: The Day Called One

Chapter 8 “The Faces of Lucifer”

Part 1: Genesis Revisited

Part 2: The Anger of the Lord

Part 3: “I Will Be Like God”

Chapter 9 “The Two Trees”

Part 1: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Part 2: Original Sin

Part 3: Thrones of Life and Death

Chapter 10 “The Adam and Religion”

Part 1: The Creation of the Adam

Part 2: The Function of the Adam

Part 3: The Fall of the Adam

Part 4: The Birth of Religion

Chapter 11 “The Reign of Death and the Cross”

Part 1: The Death Sleep Descent

Part 2: The Cross and the Tree

Part 3: Residual Impression of Resemblance

Section - III

“The Doctrine of Melchizedek”

Chapter 12 “The Shattered Vessel Reformed”

Part 1: In The Garden Again

Part 2: Waving the Spiritual Red Flag

Part 3: Resurrecting and Reforming the Vessel

Chapter 13 “The Order of Melchizedek Revealed”

Part 1: Melchizedek Again

Part 2: Transitioning Priesthoods

Chapter 14 “The New War”

Part 1: The Ax is Laid to the Root of the Trees

Part 2: A New Warfare

Part 3: Lawlessness and Legalism vs. Likeness

Chapter 15 “The Foundations of A New Reality”

Part 1: Repentance of Dead Works and Faith Toward God

Part 2: Doctrine of Baptisms

The Baptism of Death

The Baptism of the Body

The Baptism of the Spirit

Part 3: Laying on of Hands

Part 4: Resurrections and Eternal Judgment

Section - IV

“Melchizedek…

The Power of An Endless Life”

Chapter 16 “Heaven and Hell , Worlds Apart in the Same Place?”

Part 1: Revisiting the Origins

Part 2: Knowing the Unknown

Part 3: Fire and Water

Part 4: Hell and Glory

Chapter 17 “Being a Melchizedek”

Part 1: The Story of the Eternal Priesthood

Part 2: The Journey of a Melchizedek

Part 3: A Final Destination?

Part 4: The Melchizedekian Garment

Part 5: Reconciling All Things To Himself

A Final Thought on All Things Melchizedek

Endnotes

I was delighted to be asked to read this manuscript. I read it with a sense of joy, which increased as each chapter opened up new vistas of insight and wonder at the wisdom of God displayed through the ages in touching the heart of mankind. I also read it with sadness, as it brought to close proximity the challenges that the Church today faces in (re) presenting the Christ to the world.

To contemplate the love of God showered upon this earth, one finds themselves intimately wrapped up in a divine birthing of love and a desire for shared intimacy between ‘heaven’ and earth. In “Melchizedek”, we are humbled that He who gives so freely, who rules so powerfully, in both the spiritual and physical realm, invites us in as partners to such a generous lifestyle, as He bows to us and offers us connection with the Divine.

The Church, as it emerges from the Kingdom of God is on a journey of radical transformation. Yesterday’s manna is no longer of any use for today’s challenges to win the world for Jesus and build authentic community expressions of agape love. In this book, Dr. Mastrogiovanni informs, illuminates and intrigues readers as he diligently explores this figure at the heart of redemption’s story.

He has made exegesis accessible to the lay reader. In so doing, he opens a treasure house of precious gems that oft lay covered amidst the years of tradition seeking to relay the pure Word, which sometimes covers its more plain and true meaning. The words of the prophetic ministry, be they written or spoken, should always point us from where we are to where we are going in the purposes of God. This book does that through its rooting of our walk with God on First Principles.

John gives the reader and the church a key to unlock the DNA of God’s grace in the mysterious and profound individual who, whilst only appearing a few times in the pages of scripture, breathes Life throughout every page. At times, when reading this treasure trove, the reader may hear the words of Peter, the Apostle, when speaking about Paul’s letters, echoing in their ears – that “they were at times challenging to receive.” (2 Peter 3:15-16)

As John unfolds the beauty of Hebraic block logic, a world of meaning, purpose and riches will open up for the reader. It brings awe and adoration for God’s wisdom and creativity centered in this Person of Melchizedek, the King-Priest of Life.

Stay the course! Read this book! Then read it again slowly; then read it again on your knees.

Ian Llewellyn-Nash

Prophetic Minister,

Issachar Ministries

Back in the early 1980’s, after responding to the call of God, I found myself newly married to my wife, Karen, driving to Bible college in Dallas, Texas with all our belongings packed in a little U-Haul (then called a JarTran). During my schooling, on one pressured Thursday night, things began to change. I was pressured because, like most other college students who were married and working part-time, when I received an assignment on Monday that was due Friday, I did everything else and waited till Thursday night to do it. The assignment was to translate a verse of scripture from the original languages, either from the New or Old Testament. Well, being it was last minute, I did what any clear thinking Bible student would do. I opened to the first verses of the Bible in Genesis and quickly translated them. Simple! Assignment done, right? Wrong! When I clumsily translated those first three verses, I found what was written in them was somewhat different than what is in my New King James or New International Version of the Bible. I finished the assignment, turned it in the next day, and never gave it another thought. Well, not really. What I uncovered stayed in the back of my mind for some time.

Within a couple of years, Karen and I had finished school and returned to California to pioneer a church. As a young pastor, I was deciding what curriculum to use for a new members’ class. After considering several, I found most wanting. Not because the theology was a problem. They were pretty status quo. What bothered me was that the leaders and congregations that espoused such curriculum had some real issues. Moral failure of senior leaders, ministers who were so spiritual they were untouchable to the congregation, and one that had arguments over things like what color the cushion on the piano bench should be. (No kidding.) So I thought, “What good is a new members’ class if the leaders who should be experts in those principles are in such questionable condition?” (Needless to say, I had much to learn about ministry and those things can happen. But still…a piano bench!)

In an instant, God brought me back to the haunting thoughts I’d had over the last several years. I thought back to my days in Bible college and that infamous Thursday night when I translated those verses in Genesis. From there, along with the key foundational tenets of Christianity, our New Foundations class was born. The classes were about forty-five minutes each, which I taught once a week for nine weeks. The classes were called, “The Genesis Factor,” using the first three chapters of Genesis as the premise to everything that would follow both in the Old and New Testaments. Nevertheless, the more I studied, the more I uncovered. Now, each of the nine classes are about 2½ hours long. When I travel, I have compacted the teaching into a three day seminar called, “Genesis Factor Lite.” (My good minister friend, Tim, and I jokingly say it’s like the Miller Lite beer commercial, “Same great G-Factor taste, yet less filling!”)

While teaching “G-Factor” over the years, I realized I needed to deepen my understanding of Scripture from the source, meaning rabbinical scholars themselves. I’ve spent many hours reading, participating in live classes and, thanks to the internet, have even attended live classes by those who taught in Israel. What I’ve since realized is that the depth didn’t come from learning the Jewish language and their religion, but in understanding the nomadic/Hebraic way of thinking. When coupled with the Spirit, the scriptures began to open more than ever. Though the symbology of Hebrew is very important, the thought process is even more so. With that essential realization, understanding that the Holy Spirit used the Apostles, who were Hebrews in the truest sense, to pen the words of the New Testament, made a world of a difference. While they used Greek to communicate to a Western world, they never changed the lens through which they saw spiritual reality. In other words, the Apostles’ spiritual thinking was Hebraic, though they wrote in Greek. They even wisely manipulated Greek philosophy and mythology to communicate their ideas to their Western audience. But in spite of the wonders of the Greek text and suggestions of its tradition, the writers still thought from their Hebraic roots with the unction of the Spirit. Some of us in the Church world have gotten stuck in the Greek concepts, thus forming our theology from that stand point, and not realizing the Apostles were only using it to communicate a point, not form a Greco-Roman-Christian theology. They never intended to start a new religion, they only intended to preach Christ.

Unlike Greek, Latin or any other language commonly used to communicate the Scripture, according to virtually all Jewish scholars, Hebrew was fashioned specifically for the Scripture, right down to the letters of the alphabet. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he says to “study” (as the King James translates) or as others translate, “Be diligent to show yourself approved to God…rightly dividing the word of truth” and soon after “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16). The “word of truth” and “Scripture” he referred to was what we call the Old Testament. At that time, there wasn’t a canonized New Testament, nor would there be for another 300 years. Yet somehow, this wonderful Gospel of Grace in Christ, which gives way to Divine Life, is born from what appears to be a legalistic, ritualistic, irrelevant treatise. However, when seen by the Spirit through Hebrew eyes, the Old Testament is the real substance of the New.

An important aspect was learning from those who taught or referenced more than five-millennia of historical Semitic and Christian theology.

This book, is an abbreviated collective spanning over a quarter of a century of study, prayer, and teaching with, of course, the New Testament as the center piece. It’s important for the reader to know, that the topic of this King-Priest, isn’t easy to explain. As the writer of the book of Hebrews states, “…of whom we have much to say and hard to explain” (Hebrews 5:11). Thus, we do spend a reasonable moment laying the theological foundation of the Melchizedekian priesthood, so we can understand what it means for us to participate in it as Christ does.

For the sake of flow and continuity, I’ve numerically annotated key ideas, using endnotes detailing why and how certain concepts were obtained. (I encourage the reader to use them.) However, may the reader never miss the ultimate intention of the author. While it’s tempting to read and potentially gain some knowledge, that really isn’t the point. Rather, the book’s purpose is to touch our inner spiritual sensors and awaken them to realities beyond, through its biblical concepts and ideas. It’s to open to us the heavenly places in which we are seated in Christ and live life from that place. It’s not about spiritual gifts, ministry offices, or signs and wonders, but “sensing” the Living Christ, and the corporate us within Him, and to express a measure of Divine Likeness in our lives and ministries. It may be a good idea to prayerfully read through the book once and then read it again with all the detailed endnotes. What’s important isn’t whether you remember a Hebrew or Greek word or some historical reference, but to be provoked to reach for a perception of reality you may not yet sense.

In addition to the endnotes, the purpose of the verses written in Hebrew and Greek is to offer those who desire further study to access the verses in their original language. Following the original languages are transliterations for those who would like to try to pronounce the verses to hear what they sound like. Most important is the translation that follows in italics. If the reader wishes, feel free to skip over the original and transliterations, and just read the translation and continue.

It’s my prayer that your life will never be the same after encountering the inspiration within the pages of this book. That Jesus Christ, the understanding of His immeasurable grace, and the reality of His presence in all His people will truly be amplified to you.

Together As One,

John Mastrogiovanni

[Note: Throughout this book, when bold or underlined text is found within scriptural references, it has been added by the author for focus and emphasis.]

One of the most important characters in all of scripture, besides God the Father, the Holy Spirit and the Messiah Himself, is a man whom we in modern day seem to know little about. Yet, according to scripture, Melchizedek[1], a king-priest who mysteriously appears on the scene encouraging God’s covenant with Abram, is a person of such significance that our Savior claims to be part of his high priestly order. So who is this Melchizedek? What is the Melchizedekian order of king priests? And what is the doctrine of Melchizedek mentioned in scripture?

The significance of answering these questions is in direct correlation to the needs of the Church today. For us to progress to the next phase of corporate spiritual development, we need to further grasp our identity, which is found in our origins and purpose. An interesting aspect though, is that while our origins are found in Christ Jesus, He finds His priestly origins in Melchizedek. There is a common misbelief that we really don’t need to know anything about Melchizedek as long as we know Christ, which can’t be further from the truth. That would be like reverting to the days when Church leadership said the gifts of the Spirit are no longer applicable because we have the Bible. Today, there are many whose answer to change is to settle for rearranging what they know and applying it in new ways to utilize buildings, programs, and social media. The same applies to the “event of ministry” which becomes a quest for manifestations of spiritual gifts, prophetic words, healing, and the rearranging of authority within our hierarchy. And let’s not forget sermons which can be reduced to sound bites and, of course, the ever-present issue of growing attendance.

While our relevancy to the world around us may in part be found through technological changes and spiritual exhibitions, it doesn’t mean we have developed into the next phase of the corporate Christ, which will transform the world around us. Consider the dilemma by looking at the past. Just over a hundred years ago, most denominations did not allow women to minister from the pulpit in a public forum. However, God seemed to see fit to call women and anoint them for that purpose, creating a conflict within the Church that brought times of serious struggle and instability. While the world was preparing to give women the right to vote, the Church was arguing over their right to speak. Women who attempted to preach were called Jezebels, while their husbands and the pastors who allowed such behavior were labeled weakling Ahabs. Some said things like, “Well, that’s because the women of the world want the right to vote and be like a man. Now that demon is trying to creep into the church!” In most cases, with the use of scripture, women were put in their so-called place for fear of disobeying God. Yet, God had another point of view. He kept calling women and moving through them. When God decided to liberate women it was on all fronts. He was giving a voice politically in America and a voice in the Church. The problem was, the world was ahead of the curve. While the collective Church, the liberators of humanity, should’ve been at the forefront, they were last to give women such liberty. In some church circles today women still can’t speak in the public forum, and that’s in the Western world.

Eventually, we in the Church, pressed unknowingly by the Spirit, had to go to the Bible and revisit the scriptures. Through genuine humility many started to see them with a fresh set of eyes. Though the scriptures really didn’t change, something within us did and we could see the intention of God. We saw women’s issues from a Divine perspective and because of our inner transformation, what had always been there was opened to us. Not only did we grasp what was said about women being called and anointed, we even found nestled within the verses women prophets, pastors, and even apostles.

By the power of His Spirit, God had to move His Church into the next phase of development. He had to open a greater revelation of Himself to us, so that through us another dimension of the Light of Christ could be revealed to the world. This happens on a regular basis with us and God. We’re really not in charge of the revelation we bring to the world. Rather, He’s in charge and we are to be a mere reflection. Yet, if Church history has proven anything, we, the ones who claim to hold the answers for the world, usually make the change with our heels dug in all the way.

We now face another of those transforming times. From terrorism, to the global financial crisis, to gay marriage, the Church is being pressed to find not just a theological answer, but a manifestation of Christ that is truly from the world above. Thus enters Melchizedek.

Part 1: Comparisons

In the forthcoming pages, it will be evident that an understanding of what appears to be an obscure priestly order is instead an obvious part of the missing essential. It’s within this priestly order that a revelation of the Eternal God is opened to us, along with an equally important revelation of who we are in Christ, as well as who we are to each other, and most importantly who we are to the world. Yet, if those reasons are not significant enough to explore the dimensions of Melchizedek, at the very least we should reach for some understanding because this person was significant enough for our Lord to be ascribed to his order. The writer of the book of Hebrews states:

“For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For He testifies: ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.’ For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: ‘The LORD has sworn and will not relent, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek,’ by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.”

(Hebrews 7:14-24/NKJV)

To better understand the Melchizedekian priesthood, let’s first explore the contrasts between the two priesthoods mentioned in the Bible: the Melchizedekian and Levitical (the Levitical being the order that came about in Moses’s brother, Aaron, at Sinai).

First, Melchizedek has nothing to do with the tribe of Levi. This is a major indication that we’re dealing with something completely separate from the Levitical order with its Commandments, earthly Tabernacle (including the Temple of Solomon) and Mosaic Covenant. For that matter, Melchizedek existed before there were any tribes of Israel and according to Hebrews, Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek through Abraham. In other words, Melchizedek supersedes Levi and everything related to his priesthood.

This brings us to our second contrast. According to the scripture, This Melchizedekian order has no reliance on blood-lineage . Until this point, the only priests that existed in connection with the Law were those of the bloodline of Aaron, the tribe of Levi. The scripture says, “...for they have become priests without an oath...” This is directly refers to the fact that the Levitical order was handed down by blood succession, from father to son. If you were born of the tribe of Levi, you were automatically a priest. You didn’t get a choice, if you were of that bloodline that was your purpose in life and anything else would be secondary (Exodus 27:21).

In the case of the Melchizedekian order however, human bloodlines have nothing to do with the priesthood (Hebrews 7:3). This is not to say that Jesus Christ being of the lineage of Judah doesn’t have significance, but with regard to being part of the Melchizedekian order, bloodlines have no bearing. Rather, the Melchizedekian order requires an oath, which implies a covenantal origin rather than succession of lineage. This opens the priesthood to any ancestry, as long as one meets whatever qualifications the covenant necessitates (Hebrews 7:21).

The third contrast is the duration of the Melchizedekian priest. The epistle points out that the Levitical priesthood had many successive priests because they were mere mortals, but the Melchizedekian order continues forever by the power of an endless life (Hebrews 7:16). The implication put forward is, to be of the Melchizedekian order, one must be immortal.

The fourth and final contrast is that the Melchizedekian priesthood replaces the Levitical, and in so doing it requires that the Mitzvot (Laws/Commandments) themselves be replaced (Hebrews 7:12). There is a mental shift that needs to take place regarding the Commandments, as well as the temple and priesthood that served both. For the most part, these have been annulled in the Christ (the Messiah), as being “weak and unprofitable” (Hebrews 7:18-19). One could say that in its place the Melchizedekian order, considered a “more excellent ministry,” brings a more profitable hope through a better covenant with better promises (Hebrews 8:6). While this idea of replacement may be prevalent in our thinking, we must keep in mind that the Melchizedekian order was the original and existed before the Levitical priesthood ever did. In reality, it was the Levitical that temporarily overshadowed the original and our Lord Jesus restored things to the original Divine intent.

Before we continue, let’s recap the contrasts of the two orders:

The Levitical Order

Established with the Commandments

Must be of the blood-lineage of Aaron Levi Succession was necessary because of physical death

Served within the Tabernacle of Moses (including temples that followed till the destruction of Herod's temple)

The Melchizedekian Order

Did not serve under the Commandments

Entered priesthood through a covenantal oath

(succession did not matter)

Order requires immortality

Service did not require physical temples

Superseded Levi

In addition to all this, if we were to study the events surrounding the inception of the Aaronic/Levitical priesthood, we would find that Aaron came into the picture as a result of man’s (Moses’s) reluctance to respond to the appeal of God. The scripture tells us that God spoke to Moses at the burning bush about His calling; Moses hesitated and contended with God (using his physical impediment as a reason). In that moment, the scripture says, “…the anger of the Lord was kindled…” which has tremendous theological ramifications. For one, the anger of the Lord, when it comes to traditional interpretation in scripture, is always related to His judgment and not His blessing. As a result, God chooses Aaron as Moses’s mouthpiece.

“So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: ‘Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. ... So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.”

(Exodus 4:14-16/NKJV)

Of course this arrangement between Moses and Aaron created as many, or more, problems than it solved. The most famous is when Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. With Moses absent from the scene, Aaron became useless as a leader. As soon as he felt the pressure of the peoples’ complaints, he made a golden calf to appease them. To make matters worse, he called the golden idol by the name of the LORD, Yahweh, and Israel had a wild feast (Exodus 32). Moreover, bringing Aaron into the situation in the first place made him the spokesperson, which placed yet another barrier between God and His people (more on this later). Thus, the Aaronic/Levitical priesthood served as a shadow of what God’s true intentions were.

“For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.”

(Hebrews 10:1/NKJV)

Notice the scripture says in the New King James version “...not the very image...” In the New American Standard it reads “…not the very form…” and in the New International it states, “…not the realities…” The point is that the Levitical priesthood, its Temple and Laws, do not reveal the reality of God. On the other hand, the Messiah, who is of the order of Melchizedek, is called “…the image of the invisible God…” (Colossians 1:15) Hence, the true intention, image, form and reality lie in the order of Melchizedek.

At first glance, one could try to argue that the equation is simple; just look at Jesus in the Gospels and you will understand the Melchizedekian priesthood. However, such an oversimplification brings up several difficult problems, which we’ll examine as we continue. The Apostle Paul said:

“Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.”

(1 Corinthians 5:16/NKJV)

When it comes to the Heavenlies, swift answers and oversimplifications almost never work. The Apostle clearly tells us we are no longer to know Christ merely through the Gospel stories. This doesn’t mean that we throw way the Gospel, which opens the door to us. Rather, it means that to stay there regardless how well we know the stories with all their nuances, will only hinder who we are supposed to become. After all, God did see fit to add the books of Acts through Revelation. As we develop spiritually, the truths of scripture transform from historical events and Words of God penned by His prophets and apostles, into revelations of images and forms of Divine Reality.

“If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing.”

(2 Corinthians 4:3/NLT)

In this short preliminary comparison, we find that the Melchizedekian priesthood is extremely different than what we originally thought. Now consider this: The high-priest who went into the Holy of Holies to offer the sacrifice was of the Levitical order and not Melchizedekian. So what does that mean? Most of us have presumed that the high-priest of the temple who offered the sacrifice was a shadow of Christ. But evidently not. Unlike the Levitical order, of which the scripture speaks quite frequently, this sparsely spoken of Melchizedekian order is greater and farther reaching. It existed prior to the establishment of the Commandments and the Temple, and even the Abrahamic covenant. Yet, it still exists today and will continue long after this Heaven and Earth fades away.

Part 2: Meeting Melchizedek

So what is the story of Melchizedek? His first appearance is as strange as his references are vague. He arrives just after Abram’s victory over the forces of Chedorlaomer[2] in the valley of Shaveh.[3] By Hebraic definition, Shaveh means to equalize, and is related to the word Shayah[4] which means to forget. This is a very important place. It’s a place where all things were equalized and what existed prior was to be forgotten. Melchizedek enters just when Bera, the king of Sodom, requests his countrymen from Abram. The scripture describes the encounter:

“And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’ And he gave him a tithe of all. Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.’ But Abram said to the king of Sodom, ‘I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich – except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”

(Genesis 14:17-24/NKJV)

This king-priest appeared seemingly out of thin air and approached Abram. Prior to this point, there was no mention of Melchizedek; he was not listed among any of the kings that fought with Chedorlaomer, nor was he allied with Abram in the battle. Abram brought only those from within his own house and did not have anyone allied with him (Genesis 14:14). So why would Melchizedek come to this meeting if he was not directly connected to the battle?

At first, one would think that Melchizedek ignored the king of Sodom upon his arrival. However, Bera didn’t seem to acknowledge him, either. After Melchizedek pronounces the blessing on Abram and offers him a very “New Testament” looking gesture of covenant, the bread and wine, Abram responds by giving him a tithe of all the spoils. As quickly as Melchizedek appeared, he vanishes. Abram and Bera continue speaking as if nothing happened.

The Torah is consistently deliberate in the details of environment, genealogies, and verbal interactions, so we cannot assume that the king-priest took Abram aside and had this discussion in private. Nor did it occur at some other time than Abram’s encounter with Bera. The Hebrew language clearly points to the fact that all three were there together, or some supernatural anomaly occurred at the very same time.

The mystery deepens when the king of Sodom needs to be told by Abram what had happened. Abram tells Bera that he just raised his hand in covenant to the Lord (Yahweh) and would not keep the spoils of war. It’s as if Bera, though standing right there listening and watching, heard and saw nothing. At the very least, he clearly did not understand what was happening. This is reminiscent of Paul’s encounter with the resurrected Christ (also a Melchizedekian High Priest) on the road to Damascus:

“And the men who were journeying with him stood speechless, hearing indeed the voice as a sound only and not understanding the words, moreover not seeing anyone.”

(Acts 9:7/Wuest)

Could it be that Melchizedek, who belonged to an order demanding an endless life, was immortal? To build on that thought, not only is the Lord Jesus Christ a high-priest of this order, but the apostles tell us that we too, the Christian, are also of this king-priestly order. The Apostle Peter writes:

“But as for you, you are a race chosen out, king-priests, a set-apart nation, a people formed for [God’s own] possession, in order that you might proclaim abroad the excellencies of the One who out of darkness called you into participation in His marvelous light…”

(1 Peter 2:9/Wuest)

What a powerful statement. Through being united with Christ, we, the members of His Body, the Church, are also of this king-priesthood[5]. This is something the Levitical order could never claim. The lineage of kings and the lineage of Levitical priests were totally separate. The Levites never ruled as kings.

Just as puzzling as Melchizedek appearing on the scene and quickly disappearing, is that he’s only mentioned directly two more times in the entire Bible: once more in the Old Testament (Psalms 110:4) and once in the New Testament (Hebrews 5:6-7:28).

This challenges us to leave the world of types and shadows for explanation and enter into the world of Divine intent and image for revelation. Jesus tells us:

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

(Matthew 5:14-16/NKJV)

Jesus is telling His priesthood to be a revelation of Light in the world, not a message of shadows. We were not created to be Light and then be put under a basket, which creates shadows and allows darkness to prevail. Rather, we were created to light up the whole house, in other words, to shine in the entire world! When we look to the Levitical priesthood, with its Laws, Sabbaths, Tabernacles and Temples, we only observe the shadow. Paul states in Colossians 1:15, that Christ is the image of the invisible God. Yet he also points out in the same epistle (Colossians 2:17) that the Laws, rituals, festivals and Sabbaths are only “…a shadow of things to come.” God’s intent for the Church is to shine as the Light of the true Divine Image, not to be a shadow.

This is the dilemma for us today. In our quickly changing, progressive world, we really don’t grasp the difference between shadows and Light. While being grounded in what we believe is important in one respect, the same grounding can become an impediment to forward movement and development. As a friend of mine once said, “One of the greatest enemies the established in God have, is their establishment.” In other words, we rely on our learned experience, rather than the freshness of the Spirit. While most of us would be offended to think that we stand in the shadows, thus putting the Light under a basket, many times we inadvertently have. Jesus said it this way:

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.’ These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.”

(John 12:35-36/NKJV)

The key here is walking while you have the candle lit, because the darkness always follows close behind. This is the case with the revelation of God and the progression of His creation, whether sinner or saint. The Light is forward-moving and like the cloud of angelic presence that appeared to the children of Israel in the wilderness, when the cloud moved (Numbers 9:17), they were to follow. If they didn’t follow, they would be without the light and would lack everything afforded them. In the same way, the revelation of Christ is forward moving. If we slow our pace, we’ll be in the shadows before we know it and won’t even realize how we got there. What’s worse, the very thing that causes us to slow down and put the Light under the basket is often what God illuminated yesterday. Many times, the illumination of yesterday becomes the darkness of today. Thus, one essential quality of the Melchizedekian priesthood is that it’s continually becoming and ever unfolding, like God Himself.

Before we immerse ourselves in the foundational doctrine of Melchizedek and the spiritual realities this king-priestly order provides (to us and, most importantly, to the Church of the future), we must make a few more minor adjustments to our thinking by exploring a few more concepts.

FOCUS POINTS

…we must keep in mind that the Melchizedekian order was the original and existed before the Levitical priesthood ever did.

…the Levitical priesthood, its Temple and Laws, do not reveal the reality of God. On the other hand, the Messiah, who is of the order of Melchizedek, is called “…the image of the invisible God…” (Colossians 1:15) Hence, the true intention, image, form and reality lie in the order of Melchizedek.

…one essential quality of the Melchizedekian priesthood is that it’s continually becoming and ever unfolding, like God Himself.

Part 1: Melchizedek and Jesus, a Theophany?

Theophany - A visible, but not necessarily material, manifestation of a deity to a human person (Merriam-Webster).

In Christendom[6], the word theophany specifically means a manifestation of Jesus Christ prior to His incarnation, in other words, spiritual appearances of Jesus in the Old Testament prior to the virgin birth. In many Christian circles, when the Old Testament refers to “the Angel of the Lord”[7] or “Melchizedek” it has been accepted that a theophany occurred. Yet the actual language of scripture, let alone the theology of both the Old and New Testaments seem to suggest otherwise. So, is Melchizedek actually Jesus Christ pre-incarnate? To give a quick rabbinical answer: Yes and no. To endeavor to truly answer the question, we must rethink some of our religious[8] concepts about God.

In a time of prayer several months ago, I was impressed in my heart with this statement: “Religion occupies the space where revelation doesn’t exist.” All of us have different degrees of religion in our life based on the amount of revelation we have received. It’s important to note that years in ministry have little to do with the measure of revelation we’ve unwrapped. As a matter of fact, if we’re really developing, the longer we are in true spiritual service, the more aware we become of how very little we know. In many cases, religion fluctuates within us. Depending on the amount of egotism we emanate, it can increase, diluting revelation. In the same way, religion can decrease in revelation’s presence, depending upon the level of altruism, or God-likeness, we emanate. In effect, this is the key to all that follows in this book; the contrast between religion and Likeness. Based on where we are collectively in the Church today, we must strive to understand another aspect of the science (for lack of a better word) of spirituality and all that stems from it. It behooves us to develop and become the Church of the future that Christ desires, resulting in a clear herald of the Living God to the emergent World. To this end, we are going to examine whether or not Melchizedek is a theophany, starting with Christendom’s current traditions and working our way back.

Looking at the three segments of scripture where Melchizedek is mentioned, there is a theological challenge as to whether or not a theophany of Jesus occurred. In the Genesis account, Melchizedek appears on the scene with bread and wine, two significant New Testament symbols. Most Christians base their assumption that Melchizedek is Jesus primarily on these symbols. But is it really the case? Using a proper Hermeneutical[9] approach, it would have to be the other way around. We would have to say that Jesus actually used Melchizedekian symbology at the Last Supper, hence referring back to the priesthood that Abram encountered and to which Jesus is affiliated. From a scholarly standpoint, this would be the correct approach. Herein is where our religion creates conflict with potential revelation. As a pastor friend of mine once said, “It’s interesting how we affirm the proper principles of Biblical interpretation, until they upset what we want to believe.”

The next time Melchizedek is directly mentioned in scripture is long after Genesis, in Psalms:

“The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. The LORD has sworn and will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.’”

(Psalms 110:1-4/NKJV)

This passage in Psalms is known as King David’s Proclamation of the Messianic Reign. Notice that the proclamation states that the Lord has sworn that You, the Messiah, are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. It says that He is “according to the order,” but there is no verbiage that indicates the Messiah is Melchizedek. In addition, the Hebrew language is very clear:

(Nish’ba Yahweh v’lo yinacheem attah-choheen l’olam al-div’ratiy mal’kiy-tsedek) “Has sworn, Yahweh, and does not sigh as being sorry, You are a priest toward-forever upon her order of Melchizedek.”

The words for “after the order of” are, (al-div’rahtiy) meaning, upon her order (the feminine singular construct state), which will make even more sense later as we open the doctrine of Melchizedek. The Complete Jewish Bible translates this verse:

“ADONAI has sworn it, and he will never retract – ‘You are a cohen forever, to be compared with Malki-Tzedek.’”

(Psalms 110:4/CJB)

According to the language, the phrases after the manner , to be compared with, or upon her order, have no correlation to the Hebrew word, (attah) which means, you are. In other words, if the text was telling us that the Messiah was Melchizedek, it would have to employ, (attah-Melchi-zedek) “You are Melchizedek.” But it doesn’t.

The author of Hebrews 7:17, writing in the Greek language, quotes the Psalms passage:

(sú hiereús eis tón aioeina katá tēn táxin Melchisédek.) “You are a priest toward the eternal-age according to the fixed succession of Melchizedek.”

(taxin) in Greek means, in the fixed succession of. The New Testament writers were clear in their verbiage. Remember, they were Hebrews utilizing the Greek language to speak to the culture of the day. They weren’t Romans promoting Greco-Roman mythological or philosophical concepts. They were Hebrews sharing Hebraic concepts, employing the Greek language and borrowing from Greco-Roman thought to make their point. Even in the Greek text, they in no way connect Melchizedek and Jesus as being the same person. Yet, when I first answered the question, I did so with a good rabbinical, “Yes and no.” So here we are with the “no,” but what of the “yes?” Properly addressing it will change some key things we perceive about ourselves and Christ. So before we discuss the Yes part, let’s finish the No.

Why do we make Melchizedek, Jesus? We have no problem accepting that Jesus is a High Priest; our challenge comes from a conceptual standpoint and possibly a limitation of our perception of spiritual reality. Why? Because we have a hard time accepting that Jesus would be placed in the succession of someone else. After all, He is the Christ, a member of the Godhead, how can He be after the priestly order of someone else, whether man or epiphany (a spiritual manifestation)? Therefore our simple solution becomes not one of revelation, but of religion or belief. It’s just easier to make Melchizedek a theophany of Jesus because of the bread and the wine, hence we do not have to struggle with the apparent wording and we quickly eliminate our conceptual dilemma of our “Heroic Syndrome[10].” What’s interesting about Jesus is that He doesn’t have the heroic ego we often desire Him to have. “Jesus won’t stand for that! Let’s break the power of the devil! Let’s come against that in Jesus’s name!”

The writer of Hebrews sheds light on why this confusion of theophany occurs:

“Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.”

(Hebrews 7:3/ NIV)

If we mechanically translate this from the Greek it would read like this:

(apátoer amētoer agenealógētos, mēte archēn hēmeroein mēte zoeēs télos échoen, afoemoioeménos dé toe¡ huioei toú theoú, ménei hiereús eis tó diēnekés.) “No father, no mother, no genealogy, neither origin of days, neither absolute-life end, having resemblance moreover the Son of God stays a priest perpetually .”

The scripture says the Messiah is made after the order of Melchizedek, yet Melchizedek is also made in similitude of the Son of God. This is undoubtedly a new idea. Melchizedek is made in the resemblance of the Son of God, Jesus, who is after the order of Melchizedek. Truly they are not the same, yet at the same time they are so similar it’s hard to tell them apart. Herein is the key to this king-priesthood; while there is a distinction, we should not discern separation. In the same way, we are of this king-priesthood, and while in one respect we are distinct, there should be no discernable separation. As the scripture says:

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.”

(1 Corinthians 12:12/NKJV)

The last phrase, “so also is Christ” has a different emphasis than most translators give it. (hoútoes kaí ho Christós) “…so also the Christ.”

Here, the Body and the Christ are one in the same, yet each member is distinct. While many translations add is to the phrase, the word (estin) is, isn’t present. Adding is dilutes the verse, making an independent comparison between the Body and Christ. But leaving is out, it becomes clear that the Body with many limbs is not just parts, but also the Christ.

The next challenge is the Biblical definition of “Christ.”

Part 2: What is “Christ”?

Both the Church and the World use this word daily. Some pray by it and others swear by it. Nonetheless, this word Christ is used. Has it become so familiar that it no longer means what it truly means? For starters Christ is not Jesus’s last name! Rather, it was a significant attachment that was added to His name. As a matter of fact, sometimes in scripture it appears before the name, Jesus, and other times after. In some cases “Christ” appears without the name Jesus attached at all. One misnomer many of us are under is that Christ means Savior, but it doesn’t. The name Jesus means Savior. Jesus comes from the Hebrew/Aramaic name, (Yeshuwa) a simplified version of (Yehowshuwa), which is the name Joshua[11], meaning Yahweh will save. In the Gospel of Matthew, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream saying:

“But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.’”

(Matthew 1:20-21/NKJV)

The New Testament word Christ, (Christos), is simply a Greek rendering of the Hebrew word Messiah, (mashiyach). Once again, if we were to look at the word and apply basic biblical scholarship, we find that Messiah has its first real appearance in its root form, (mashach), which means to smear with oil, to anoint. Both words, (mashiyach) and (mashach) are never nouns, but used as adjectives and verbs. Only in the New Testament has it been migrated over and used as a noun. In Hebrew form, a noun describes a function, not a title or position. For example: In Hebrew the word king, (melech) is used as a noun. But it’s actually a description of what such a person does. It literally means to reign. When we say King David in the Western world, we refer to a position. But in the Hebraic-Eastern mind it refers to a function, and could be interpreted as David who is reigning. This is why, in the story of David’s ascension to Israel’s throne, we find him reigning before he actually held what we would consider the position (1 Samuel 16:13-14).

The word (mashach) to smear with oil, first occurs early in the book of Genesis.

“I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.”

(Genesis 31:13/NKJV)

At this point Jacob has fled the wrath of his brother Esau after coercing him and their father Isaac into giving him the blessing of birthright. After running all day, night falls and Jacob decides to make his bed in a field called (luz), meaning almond tree, one of the symbols of the Tree of Life. He takes a stone and uses it as a pillow as he rests (Genesis 28:10-22).

The word anointed is associated with several things in this scripture. First is the stone upon which Jacob lays his head. Second is Bethel, (beytel), the House of God. Third is the dream itself, which revealed the Heavens being opened and a great ladder with angels ascending and descending upon it with (Yahweh) at the top.

Jacob originally landed in this place simply to make camp and rest. However, when he laid his head on his pillow-stone, he had a Divine encounter through a dream. When he awoke, he called the place the House of God, then he took the pillow-stone and poured oil upon it. (Genesis 31:12 states this was an anointing.) When we put this all together, we have the anointed stone becoming the foundation of the House of God; the place that opens Heaven and makes Divine access available for those who rest their head upon it in faith. It’s no wonder this is the first time the root for Messiah is used. In the New Testament, Jesus relates this very instance to Himself:

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’ And He said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’”

(John 1:50-51/NKJV)

Clearly, Jesus is stating that He is the anointed Rock, the Foundation of the House of God, upon which the Heavenly realm ascends and descends. The Apostles also held this association in their teaching as it relates to other scriptures and ideas.

Peter says:

“…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

(Acts 10:38/NKJV)

“…let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’”

(Acts 4:10-11/NKJV)

Paul says:

“...for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

(I Corinthians 10:4/NKJV)

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,”

(Ephesians 2:19-20/NKJV)

In the last verse, Jesus Christ is called the Chief Cornerstone upon which the House of God is built. The name Christ is applied to Jesus because He is God’s Anointed. Nevertheless, the name Christ/Messiah has implications even more significant that can’t be overlooked. In addition to the fact that such an anointing opens Heaven and grants Divine access, the most significant meaning is found in its consistent usage throughout the Old Testament. In total (mashiyach) the adjective is used 39 times and the verb is used 70 times. Here are some of those usages:

“The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed.”

(1 Samuel 2:10/NKJV)

“Samuel also said to Saul, ‘The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD.’”

(1 Samuel 15:1/NKJV)

“Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, ‘The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.’”

(2 Samuel 2:4/NKJV)

From the point of 2 Samuel 2:10, when Hannah offers her words of praise, (Mashiyach) will be used 35 of its 39 times and will from there always be directly connected to the word (melech) king. To take this point further, 33 of the 35 times, will either have the name of a king or the word itself in the same sentence. Of the 33 times, 8 of them are directly related to the prophetic proclamation of the coming Messiah.[12]

In the Hebraic mind the word messiah is synonymous with king. When you referred to Messiah, you referred to reigning and vice versa. Of all the Old Testament kings, there was only one, King David, who was chosen by God to reign over Israel. Even though Saul was David’s predecessor, he was never God’s choice, rather the people’s egocentric choice (1 Samuel 8:5-7). God always intended to be the King of His creation and for creation to reflect His rule. Consequently, God saw this demand of the people as a rejection of Himself. One could say that Saul was a false king, and by extension, Saul was then a false-messiah, or false-christ [pseudochristos], Matthew 24:24). This does not mean Saul was a bad man, or demonic, but in this context, he was not God’s intention. However, since Saul wasn’t within the parameters of Divine intention, it created many problems for himself and Israel. It was after this that God raised up one whom He chose to anoint. That anointed choice, His “Messiah,” was none other than David. More importantly it was King David’s throne that would bring forth the ultimate intention: “Jesus, The Messiah,” the one that David prophesied in the Psalm who would be after the order of Melchizedek! Thus, Isaiah says:

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

(Isaiah 9:6-7/NKJV)

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.”

(Luke 1:31-32/NKJV)

The issue of the word messiah being synonymous with king is found throughout scripture, and is most pronounced in the New Testament.

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.”

(Matthew 2:1-4/NKJV)

“Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, ‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.’”

(Mark 15:31-32/NKJV)

“And they began to accuse Him, saying, ‘We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.’”

(Luke 23:2/NKJV)

The lineage of the “Messianic King-Priests” is Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Jesus, and US! For that matter, it was King David who connected Melchizedek to the coming Messiah. It’s as if David understood something that no one else did. Because of the anointing on David’s life, he was able to grasp the concept of the Melchizedekian order and God’s ultimate intention for what was coming. There is no question that David attained a place of enlightenment and worship that the Levitical priests couldn’t. Most significantly, besides his distinctive throne, David was able to present the representation of God’s presence (the Ark) without the Mosaic Tabernacle. David erected his own, one not ordered or designed by the Commandments of Moses, nor where the Levitical high-priest presided.

“So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.”

(1 Chronicles 16:1/NKJV)

David’s tabernacle was one of Divine access for all, pointing back to the Anointed Foundation Stone. There was no outer court, nor inner court, nor veil. There was just the Ark of God’s Presence and all worshipped God before it. The scripture says David gave burnt offerings and blessed the people in the name of the Lord giving them bread, meat and raisins (1 Chronicles 16:2-3). This sounds mysteriously priestly of King David, doesn’t it? Some confuse what David did here and what he did years earlier when he took the showbread from the tabernacle of Moses (which was unlawful when done by a non-priest), as somehow being Levitical. Rather, David had a dimension of the Melchizedekian order on his life because of his pursuit of righteousness through faith (1 Samuel 22:14, 24:17). David was not ministering in an Aaronic/Levitical order, but in an order that superseded Aaron through Divine intent: the order of Melchizedek. When we look at the events surrounding the tabernacle of David, which is a further development of David’s Messianic kingship, we see another characteristic of the Melchizedekian order. It’s a priesthood of direct access to Divine Presence.

Moreover, the tabernacle of David is ascribed to the coming Messiah-King-Priest and it’s this kind of tabernacle, along with David’s throne, that would be restored and reestablished.

“And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, ‘Men and brethren, listen to me: Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: ‘After! this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the LORD who does all these things.’”

(Acts 15:13-17/NKJV)

The writer of the book of Hebrews stated that Melchizedek was made like the Son of God and a forerunner of what was to come. In the same manner, the throne and tabernacle of David were all forerunners of God’s intention.

To summarize, let’s review in respect to the present-day. First, it was God’s ultimate intention to establish a tabernacle that would allow direct Divine access for all who would rest themselves upon its Foundation Stone in faith.

“And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

(Ephesians 2:17-22/NKJV)

In addition to a “Living Tabernacle” that would offer direct access, God’s intention was also to establish a Kingdom directly under His benevolent rule:

“And listen! You will become pregnant and will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great (eminent) and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His forefather David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob throughout the ages; and of His reign there will be no end.”

(Luke 1:31-33/AMP)

“All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.”

(Ephesians 1:20-23/The Message)

The Kingdom and the Tabernacle, the Throne and the Divine Presence are all blending together. Notice that, in the Melchizedekian order, the kingly throne is in the tabernacle of priestly service.

“In mercy the throne will be established; and One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David…”

(Isaiah 16:5/NKJV)

Finally, because the Living Tabernacle and Benevolent Eternal Throne are one, those who are of the Eternal Kingdom-Tabernacle are, of necessity, also of the order of Melchizedek. They are king-priests made in the likeness of the Son of God; a king-priesthood without fleshly succession, but eternal in the Spirit without end. One enters this king-priesthood not through law, ritual, sacrifice, or moral perfection. Instead, he enters through faith, which is the foundation stone of the entire structure.

“Because of this it is contained in scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a Stone, one chosen out, a Cornerstone, highly honored and precious, and the one who rests his faith on Him shall positively not be disappointed. For you therefore who are believers is the honor and the preciousness [of the Living Stone], … as for you, you are a race chosen out, king-priests, a set-apart nation, a people formed for [God's own] possession, in order that you might proclaim abroad the excellencies of the One who out of darkness called you into participation in His marvelous light, who at one time were not a people but now are God's people; who were not subjects of mercy, but now have become objects of mercy.”

(1 Peter 2:4-6, 8-10/ Wuest)

So, my beloved king-priests, it is time for us to open the Melchizedekian Order, enter in, and become the Church of the future.

FOCUS POINTS

Religion occupies the space where revelation doesn’t exist.

In the Hebraic mind the word messiah is synonymous with king.

…it was God’s ultimate intention to establish a tabernacle that would allow direct Divine access for all who would rest themselves upon its Foundation Stone in faith.

…because the Living Tabernacle and Benevolent Eternal Throne are one, those who are of the Eternal Kingdom-Tabernacle are, of necessity, also of the order of Melchizedek.

One enters this king-priesthood not through law, ritual, sacrifice, or moral perfection. Instead, he enters through faith, which is the foundation stone of the entire structure.

“And Melchizedek, King of Total Wholeness (Completeness), brought forth bread and wine and He, the priest, of Power Most High.”

(Genesis 14:18/A Literal Translation)

The Melchizedekian king-priest order is like no other priesthood in the known world. Whether Aaronic/Levitical or pagan, the Melchizedekian order stands in a place all by itself. The crucial element of its priesthood is that it brings a revelation of the Divine through a Living Temple. Neither the Temple of Solomon nor the Tabernacle of Moses, with all their symbolic elements, ever openly revealed the One that gives Life to all. At best their symbolic elements only pointed us in the right direction, like a compass. While a compass is important for a journey, it is not the destination. Once you arrive at your destination the compass is no longer necessary.

As we further investigate the Melchizedekian king-priesthood and its actual temple, we will find similarities to the Aaronic/Levitical and even some pagan priesthoods and practices of worship; but not the fullness. With that in mind, if the reader finds similarities in other priesthoods and beliefs systems, it is not the author’s intent to validate another priesthood or belief. However, it could be said that other priesthoods and belief systems borrowed from Melchizedek, being that it’s the source of all.

When Melchizedek arrives on the scene and meets with Abram, the scripture describes the essence of his king-priesthood. It says he is the priest of (El Elyown), God Most High. This gives us the first impression of what the priesthood represents and the revelation it brings.

Further on in Genesis, when Abram speaks to Bera, the king of Sodom, he makes the following statement:

“But Abram said to the king of Sodom, ‘I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth.’”

(Genesis 14:22/NKJV)

Abram swore, raised his hand in covenant to (El Elyown) God Most High, and ascribed a Divine Name to this God Most High. Before we discuss the Divine Name, let’s briefly speak of the description, God Most High, (El Elyown). The Hebrew word (el) really means strength or power. The reason we use the word “god” is because of the Septuagint[13], which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament. God (theos) is the closest we can come to describing the Hebrew word (el), but the Greek concept of god and the Hebrew concept are actually quite different. The Greek gods had human-like attributes. They looked and acted very similar to a common man or woman, except with supernatural powers. The challenge for us in the Grecko-Roman-Western world is that the Greek concept of god is usually an individual living high on a mountain, like Olympus, who is out of touch with mere humans. For that matter, if they interact with lowly humanity it’s only to accomplish some higher purpose, sometimes using humans like pawns in a chess game.

In the Hebraic world, and most importantly the world of Melchizedek, it’s quite different, right down to the words used to describe “God.” The Melchizedekian world refrains from word usages such as “god and goddess,” as those would be considered idols. Why? Because the Divine of Melchizedek doesn’t live on mountain tops, in the depths of the sea, or in the center of the forest. It doesn’t even live in the heavens above the clouds. Rather, the Divine of Melchizedek is infinite. There is no beginning or end, and the span of the universe cannot contain It[14], yet every rock, blade of grass, and cell within all living creatures draws life from It. This same Infinite Being knows each star in the universe by name, while at the same time the number of strands of hair on our heads (Psalms 147:4; Matthew 10:30).

The phase (El Elyown) really could be translated, the Power Above All. The phrase itself seems to depersonalize God. In truth, it’s not meant to depersonalize this Power, but to emphasize there is still much that is unknown about “what appears to be known.” This employs a spiritual principle used by the prophets of old and the Apostles, which is, you cannot speak of what wisdom you don’t have.

When Melchizedek speaks to Abram, who was a newly growing believer, he uses the phrase (El Elyown), Power Above All. On one hand, this phrase was something Abram could understand, yet it also suggested that Abram had much more to learn. If you think of it, (El Elyown) is both an answer and a question at the same time: “I understand that this Divine Being is the Power Above All, but how can I comprehend a Power that is Above All?” Within that paradox, Melchizedek uses a Divine Name that surpasses all other names in the Bible for (we usually pronounce this as Yahweh).

In most Bible translations, when the word “Lord” appears, either with a capital “L” or with all the letters in capitals, “L-O-R-D”, it’s an indicator that a different word was present in the original text. The reason for the spelling emphasis is because of Hebrew tradition. Instead of pronouncing the actual word formed by the letters in the verse, another word is substituted when read aloud. In this case, it’s (adonoy), which means “my Lord.” The Christian who doesn’t read Hebrew never sees what the original text says and, more importantly, doesn’t extract its meaning. While the tradition was to substitute the word verbally, it was never intended to replace the written word. Nonetheless, translators in virtually every translation did replace the word. They inserted the word “Lord” and removed the original. The translators attempted to indicate that a substitution had taken place by using the capital “L” or all capital letters. Though well-meaning, it failed to get across what the scripture meant to convey. To the Grecko-Roman-Westerner, it only solidified that “the Lord” was another form of saying king, god, or one who rules; like Zeus or Jupiter, who rules not only the world, but even the gods. It enforced and encouraged the notion that this god is simply higher in stature than those of Olympus, Asgard, Valhalla, etc., yet equally out of reach. So we changed terms and adjusted the playing field. We made this “God” simply the only god, and made all others false gods or demons. At the same time, Heaven or the Kingdom of Heaven became the new name for what Olympus once represented. While there is a truism here, the truth of what really exists in the spiritual world remains obscured by this kind of thinking and language.

Some translators, as in Robert Young’s Literal Translation, employ the word “Jehovah.” Not only is this a flawed attempt at a phonetic transcription, it seriously fails to convey the true meaning of what’s actually in the scripture.[15] In the end, the effect of using “Lord” misdirects the reader's perception of what the scripture is communicating. Worse yet, by employing the word Jehovah, it reduces this Infinite Being to another “god” even though we proclaim that he is the only true god. This sets us up to argue like a group of preadolescent school boys fighting about whose dad is stronger and can beat up the others. “My god is stronger than your god!” “Well my god is Zeus!” “My god is Jehovah and he is higher than yours, the Bible says so!” “That don't mean anything! My god is Allah!” “Shut up!” “Make me!” “Oh yeah? My god is Odin and he’s bigger and stronger than all your gods!” “Take it back! Jesus is stronger and can crush all your gods!” Then a tussle ensues, like many of the religious wars over the millennia.

Part 1: It’s A Description

What really appears in the scripture is what is known among Western theologians as the (tetragrammaton), a Greek word meaning, the word with four letters. The four Hebrew letters are (yud), (hey), (vav), and (hey). Together they form which, if we did pronounce it, would sound like Yahweh. However, the Name wasn’t intended to be pronounced, not because God is so holy that mere humans shouldn’t say it, but because the name is more of a description than a title. For example, David refers to this when he speaks of “The name of the LORD.”

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”

(Psalms 20:7/NKJV)

The issue is in the total breakdown of translation. The scripture is not telling us “...remember the name of the Lord,” which would create a question for the reader, “What name is David referring to?” The verse reveals the name in the text and more importantly, what the Name describes. Later in the Jewish religion, rather than verbalize (adonoy) “my LORD,” they would verbalize the phrase (hashem), which literally means, the Name. In Hebraism, a name is more than just a title or a verbal identifier of a person, place or thing. The word “name” (shem), actually describes the spiritual essence or the character of an entity. This is why (shem) is in the middle of the word, (neshamah), which we would translate as spirit or essence (Job 26:4, Proverbs 20:27). Also (shem) is found in (shamayim) which is the word for Heaven, which tells us that the heavens are the world of the spirit. Thus the (shem) is not a name or label, but a description of spiritual reality.

In simple translation, is Existing . If you personify it you could say, He Exists. While for us in the western world names are nouns, this is not the case in Hebrew. In Hebrew, virtually all nouns are rooted in verbs. The actual word is an imperfect tense verb. Thus, it’s not so much a “He” that exists[16] as a Divine Being who has an endless existence outside of time and space. As one Hebrew scholar[17] explained it, “God is not a Static Being, but a Dynamic Becoming."

Nonetheless, even the definition “Existing” doesn’t describe what is written. is a contraction of three other Hebrew verbs: (hayah) which means was, (havah) which means is, and (yehyeh) which means shall be. At best you could say the Name reveals, Was, Is and Shall Be, which is exactly how the Apostle John reveals the Name to us in Revelation.

“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!’”

(Revelation 4:8/NKJV)

Our Hasidic brothers and sisters would describe as (Ein Sof) Limitlessness One, which is probably the best way to define it without pronouncing the Name (simply making it a label) or using a series of words.

One of the key elements in the last chapter was that the God of Melchizedek allowed direct access. Here we find that the Power Above All is not a god who lives in tents or buildings made of brick and mortar, but an all-encompassing Limitless One to whom all humanity can have access. He’s a Divine Being with an intention of building His Temple, not made with hands and tools by human effort, but made of the collective union of us all, each a living stone forming a Living Tabernacle.

With this in mind, we must re-emphasize the mystery we explored in Chapter 1. It makes perfect sense that (Yahweh El Elyown) Existing (Was, Is and Shall Be), Power Above All, has a king-priesthood, which existed long before the Commandments, the Mosaic Tabernacle, the Temple of Solomon, and the Aaronic/Levitical priesthood, all of which required a blood lineage succession. Rather, the Melchizedekian order is a king-priesthood with no beginning or ending, where blood succession is not applicable, where temples are not necessary, and commandments do not exist. Rather, we find an endless, eternal, Limitless LIFE!

When Melchizedek approached Abram in Genesis 14:19, he uses this phrase:

“And he blessed him and said: ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;’”

(Genesis 14:19/NKJV)

The last three words (koneeh shamayim va'arets) are the key. In simple terms, they mean “Owner of heavens and earth.” But the word (koneeh) suggests something that is quite significant. Not only can it mean possessor, owner and buyer (even redeemer); the letters tell a significant story. The (kuf) is the letter than points us toward the horizon. It’s the place where the sun rises and sets. It’s a place where LIGHT is sent forth (dawns) and gathers (dusk). The (nun) is the seed. It represents perpetuity, and the Messiah, who is the Divine seed. Lastly, the (hey) means look, revelation, expression, or a passage (doorway) into revelation. When you put this all together, you have “Where Light gathers and is sent forth perpetually and is expressed and revealed.” That description totally embraces the idea of Christ, who is the Light of the world, who was sent from the Father of Lights, came to this world, redeemed us, and returned from where He came (John 5:37; 12:26; 20:17; Galatians 3:13; James 1:17).

Then we add the last three words as we know them, “...heavens and earth.” Was Melchizedek really speaking of the sky and the planet? After all, looking at this from a Hermeneutical standpoint within the cosmology of that time, they didn’t think in terms of a huge rock called “earth” orbiting the sun. Rather, they thought of the sky as the vault where all that is spiritual in Creation exists (the stars or hosts of Heaven being a representation of them). In similar fashion, the earth is simply that which is below or, better said, the lowest point of that same Creation. So, based on the language, Genesis 14:19 tells us:

“And he blessed him and said, blessed Abram to Power Above All, where the source of Light is perpetually expressed (in all Creation) above and below”.

The following verse concludes Melchizedek’s salutation and completes the basic framework of who and what is.

“’And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’ And he gave him a tithe of all.”

(Genesis 14:20/NKJV)

(uwbaruwk eel el’yon asher-migeen tsareyka b’yadeka vayiten-lo ma’aseer mikol.) A word that appears in both verses 19 and 20 is “blessed.” In Hebrew, the word is (barak). What’s striking is that this word doesn’t simply describe getting some gift from God, but it describes an action that God is doing. In addition to blessing, (barak) is also the word for knee and is translated as such 25 times in the Old Testament.

Grasp the dynamic of what Melchizedek was opening to Abram. This amazing Infinite Being, the One who Was, Is and Shall Be, POWER ABOVE ALL, is bowing His knee to Abram and offering him Divine connection. That should just blow your mind! The next time you sense you’re being blessed by God, consider what is really happening: This amazing Infinite Being, the One who Was, Is and Shall Be, POWER ABOVE ALL, is bowing His knee to YOU! What love! What grace! What connection to the Eternal!

Herein is the formation of the spiritual foundation of the Melchizedekian order. He arrives with the bread and wine, which are symbols of the New Covenant, but are also very practical. They are sources of refreshment, celebration and sustenance. This King-Priesthood, having both the privilege and power to rule the spiritual and physical realms, humbly bows the knee in covenant. It presents Creation with the Life-Source and Power Above All, not requiring predetermined perfection, nor moral correctness, nor worship; only desiring the recipient to receive refreshment, rest, and rejoicing. However within this bowing, within this covenant, within this refreshment is a joining of the same Order, and within this connection comes a Mystery. Jesus called this “the mystery of the Kingdom” (Mark 4:11). So what is this mystery? That’s what we will explore further. The order of Melchizedek, as an expression of the Limitless One, bowing to Creation and giving it covenant, sustenance and rejoicing, has a goal, to raise the receiver to the status of the Giver.

Focus Points

…the Divine of Melchizedek is infinite. There is no beginning or end, and the span of the universe cannot contain It, yet every rock, blade of grass, and cell within all living creatures draws life from It.

…the Melchizedekian order is a king-priesthood with no beginning or ending, where blood succession is not applicable, where temples are not necessary, and commandments do not exist. Rather, we find an endless, eternal, Limitless LIFE!

…blessing, (barak) is also the word for knee…This amazing Infinite Being, the One who Was, Is and Shall Be, POWER ABOVE ALL, is bowing His knee to YOU! What love! What grace! What connection to the Eternal!

The order of Melchizedek, as an expression of the Limitless One, bowing to Creation and giving it covenant, sustenance and rejoicing, has a goal, to raise the receiver to the status of the Giver.

“And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest ‘according to the order of Melchizedek,’ of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.”

(Hebrews 5:9-6:3/NKJV)

Part 1: Prologue to a Paradigm Shift

[18]I have often wondered if the reason the Order of Melchizedek is “hard to explain” to believers today is because we have similar difficulties as the religious Jews in the days of the early Church. As we look through the cultural lens of the Greco-Roman world, the explanation becomes even more problematic because we have never perceived god as defined by the scripture.

When we consider what we’ve learned so far, if Melchizedek is not of the order of Aaron/Levi, then why do we continuously compare Jesus to the Aaronic high-priest who goes into the Temple and offers sacrifices? If we use that analogy, which is common in the Christian Church, does the character of Jesus lend itself to the image of a high-priest with a dagger in his hand about to slaughter an innocent lamb? Of course not! Yet the argument ensues over certain scriptures that say things like:

“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

(Hebrew 9:11-12/NKJV)

“For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another — He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”

(Hebrews 9:24-28/NKJV)

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus...”

(Hebrews 10:19/NKJV)

When these passages from the book of Hebrews are read quickly, it appears that Jesus Christ is a High-Priest like Aaron who offers sacrifices in the Holy of Holies. The first key difference, however, is that the temple referred to wasn’t physical, but spiritual. Hebrews 9:11-12 states He is a High Priest (after the order of Melchizedek) of a more perfect tabernacle, not made by the hands of man “not of this Creation.” In Greek, it actually says (ou taútes teis ktíseos), meaning “...not of this sphere of Creation.” The tabernacle Christ enters into has nothing to do with this physical realm. The temple in this realm is a mere pattern. The scripture then adds that Christ entered the Holy Place “...with his own blood...” This king-priest enters not to offer a sacrifice, but to be the sacrifice. To be totally clear, in the pattern on earth, the Melchizedekian high-king-priest is symbolized in both the Mosaic Tabernacle and Solomon’s Temple, but it’s not as the Levitical high-priest with the dagger; He’s the Lamb that is slain by him!

The second passage (Hebrews 9:24-28) says that Christ entered into “Heaven itself, to appear in the presence of God for us, ...now, once at the end of the ages...Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many...” In the Levitical system the High-Priest doesn’t pay for sin, the offered Lamb does. In the Levitical system the High-Priest isn’t slaughtered for sin, the Lamb is. In the Melchizedekian Order, possessing the very essence of the Divine nature, He offers Himself.

The third passage (Hebrews 10:19) illustrates the bottom-line by saying we have boldness “to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus.” The reason the order of Melchizedek can proclaim King of Righteousness (King of the straight path), King of Salem (King of Complete Wholeness), is because this Order offers itself in sacrifice to both the fallen and the Divine, as both the fallen and the Divine! The only way we can come to complete wholeness is by walking the straight path, which is completely impossible by human effort or any priesthood of this sphere of creation, whether pagan or Levitical. Rather, we must be like Abram, engrafted into a Divine order that obtained Righteousness through faith, being raised up to the status of the Divine, becoming Divine and then self-sacrificing like the Divine. Moreover, the Levitical order could never claim Righteousness, nor Wholeness, in this same regard. When looked at with a new set of eyes, the Levitical order has been given the holy role of revealing something completely different to us: Death (2 Corinthians 3:9).

Part 2 - Changing the Paradigm Template

The reason it’s so difficult for us to receive the teaching of Melchizedek is, as the writer of Hebrews says, “...you are slow to learn” (Hebrews 5:11/NIV). When someone is dull or slow to learn, it’s usually because of two basic reasons. The first is an unwillingness to let go of concepts and thoughts they already have, either from fear or pride. The second is because their current state of awareness is unable to comprehend what is being offered. What’s interesting about the first reason is that it also aids in the second. But if the first reason is not present or is removed, the second reason quickly changes. When people do not see true spiritual reality and what’s to be obtained by it, it’s rarely because they are of subnormal intelligence. Jesus said that we have to become like a little child to receive this (Mark 10:15). In fact, what Melchizedek is about and the realm which he’s from are things that can only be obtained by spiritual transformation, not by intellectual powers. That’s not to say that the study of scripture isn’t part of the process, but it’s the concepts the scriptures refer to that create the need to see and hear in a manner that is not common to us.

In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus makes the following statement to His disciples:

“And He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.”

(Luke 8:10-12/NKJV)

To the disciple of Christ it’s given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom. Or you could say, to those in the order of Melchizedek, the mysteries are open. Yet, by the time we reach the book of Hebrews we seem to be the ones who seeing do not see and hearing do not understand. Why? Knowledge and study of scripture can be misleading without the life-bearing inner condition of the heart. In the Old Testament it proclaims:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

(Psalms 119:105/NKJV)

This is a truth no one would argue with. But if the “Word” that lights the way is the scripture, then it would follow that the more scripture we commit to memory, the more enlightened we will become, right? But Jesus catches us again:

“But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”

(John 5:38-40/NKJV)

This is clearly for the Pharisees, those to whom the Oracles of God were given, who studied and knew scripture better than anyone, yet Jesus said, “...you search the scriptures” and they didn’t have Life, the Word, abiding in them. How could this be? Suffice it to say, the ability to perceive the Living, Light-Giving, Life-Yielding Word, is entirely about the condition of the heart. As in the parable of the “Sower Sows the Word,” it’s all about the ground the seed is sown in.

In the parable, Jesus describes different types of ground (Mark 4:14-20), which represent different conditions of the heart. However, there’s an interesting turn when Jesus defines what the “Word” is. Traditionally, we’ve said that the Word which is sown is scripture. But Jesus says:

“And He said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground...’ (Mark 4:26/NKJV)

Now all of a sudden the “Word” is not simply scripture, but the “Kingdom of God” itself! Nevertheless, how we perceive the Kingdom is an issue of the of the heart. It was never about hours of study alone. Jesus also said:

“Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, See here! or See there! For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.’”

(Luke 17:20-21/NKJV)

This is all about what is taking place within you. Anything that seems to be taking place in the physical or corporeal world is only a reflection of the eternal, infinite world within you.

Part 3 - The Paradigm Shift

If a person is color blind and can’t see the color red, the world is totally different for them than for the one who sees red. (Red, green and blue are the colors necessary to create the visual light spectrum.) The person who can’t perceive the color red will only see shades of yellow and blue, ranging from dark to light with no divergent colors like green, orange or purple. In a similar manner, this is our spiritual dilemma more times than we would like to admit. We can’t comprehend what we don’t perceive, and we don’t perceive because of the condition of our heart (our spiritual eye). This heart condition has nothing to do with being a bad person or a good one. Nor does it have anything to do with our moral status or with how many Bible verses we know. Please remember, years of study, ministry, church life, plus any other knowledge you pack in, won’t necessarily correct spiritual color blindness. Before any of that can be fruitful in the Divine sense, we must first deal with our inner receptacle that receives the Light, which we call “the heart.” To understand what is going on with our spiritual Light receiver, we need to explore how it was originally designed from the beginning. The writer of Hebrews says it this way:

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God...”

(Hebrews 5:12/NKJV)

So what are the first principles of the oracles of God? One might think they would be the Beatitudes, the Parable of the Sower, understanding mind, will and emotions, or the doctrine of the Trinity. In reality, they are the first three chapters of the book of Genesis. It’s there that everything begins and everything is designed. The first three chapters of Genesis are the seed bed of all revelation and it’s there we form the template of not only scripture, but even the Melchizedekian king-priesthood. Why? Because in spiritual reality, we have never actually left the realm of the first three chapters of Genesis!

Focus Points

This king-priest enters not to offer a sacrifice, but to be the sacrifice. …in the pattern on earth, the Melchizedekian high-king-priest is symbolized in both the Mosaic Tabernacle and Solomon’s Temple, but it’s not as the Levitical high-priest with the dagger; He’s the Lamb that is slain by him!

Anything that seems to be taking place in the physical or corporeal world is only a reflection of the eternal, infinite world within you.

The first three chapters of Genesis are the seed bed of all revelation and it’s there we form the template of not only scripture, but even the Melchizedekian king-priesthood. Why? Because in spiritual reality, we have never actually left the realm of the first three chapters of Genesis!

Part 1: Adjusting the Spiritual Template

"And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits."

(Hebrews 5:9-6:3/NKJV)

One of the most telling parts of scripture is the above passage in the book of Hebrews. While on the surface it seems straightforward, it’s actually quite ambiguous. Clearly the verse says, “...called by God as High Priest ‘according to the order of Melchizedek,’ of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God...” The Melchizedekian Order is not easy to explain without a direct understanding of the first principles of the oracles of God[19]. So the natural conclusion is, no understanding of the first principles, no explanation of the Melchizedekian king-priesthood. This is why we have converted Jesus’s high-priesthood to the Levitical order and attributed all kinds of personality traits from that order to Him. As a result, we have shrouded and distorted Christ by religion.

If the Levitical entered a tabernacle that veiled the Holiest of All, and Christ came to open it, things can get complicated very quickly. It’s almost like spiritual peek-a-boo: We open the curtain for a moment, then we close it, open it, close it, open it just for a sec! Then close it! Is it Jesus, or is it Aaron? “Oops! Now you see Him, now you don’t!” All of which is very confusing for humanity. Now, many may say, “That’s not true! We understand that the Law and the Levitical priesthood are from the Old Testament, and we know we aren’t to be under the Law.” This sounds good, except we have redefined the structure of Levi and placed it into Christianity. This will become very clear as we continue.

So what are the first principles of the oracles of God? Are they the foundations listed at the end of Chapter Four? “Repentance of dead works, faith toward God” and so on? Not at all. In fact, those foundations hinge on an understanding of the first principles. Without the first principles, the foundations are virtually always skewed. Before we discuss the first principles, let’s resolve a piece of Chapter Six so we can work into the first principles with the proper focus.

“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection...”

Another way to translate this could be, “Through which, leaving of the chief expression of Christ, to completion let us carry on...” Listen to that statement, the chief expression of Christ. That’s more than just principles to live by, but the reality of Christ expressed in and through our lives. With that in mind, think of what this verse is really saying. We are to leave the chief expression and then go on to perfection! Perfection? You mean we are called to more than just being an expression of Christ? How can that be? Most of us are just trying to figure out whether we’re truly living the basics. As ministers, our concern is whether or not we’re preaching clear theological truth. (While the bulk of this book approaches the basics in a fresh innovative fashion, we will also discuss the next phase of spiritual development, or what going on to perfection could be like.)

The expression of Christ is the key to everything. It’s the foundation of our ability to move forward in our personal and corporate spiritual lives. More so, it’s the catalyst the Father sent to energize the completion of His “ultimate intention” (which is another way of saying, “going on to perfection”). In contrast, the expression of Christ has nothing to do with whether or not we’ve attained anything academically. In fact, many of us unwittingly believe the assumption that if we are academically, intellectually, or theologically correct, we will reach the Divine Expression (Christ). Actually, it’s the opposite, and that’s the enigma! The more emphasis we place on what we know, the more we veil ourselves from Christ. Sound strange? This is where it all begins and the “first principles of the oracles of God” are the source. Once the first principles are “sensed” then we can lay within our lives the foundation of Christ in a functional context. Beyond that is God’s desire for us to go on to perfection.

Important Note: While the following pages may seem to bring knowledge and appear academic, that’s the least of their intention. Rather, they’re to take us on a journey affecting our spiritual sensors, gently nudging our hearts to change their ability to receive our perception of ourselves, God, and reality. Consequently, developing the way we sense spiritual reality will dynamically change how we express Christ in the world we live. What may appear as academic – the usage of the Hebrew language, block logic, hermeneutics and so on – is really meant to challenge our traditional thinking. Over the years, when a new or different concept of Christ or God was presented, I as well as many other ministers have been asked, “Can you show me that in the Word?” Thus what follows is just that: a showing in the scripture, because some ideas are different from our Greco-Roman upbringing.

Returning to the color blindness analogy, can you imagine what it would be like if, for some reason, your eyes were not fully developed? Let’s say because of that, you can’t see the full range of color thus, for all intents and purposes, you are color blind. Though you’re capable of seeing, there are limitations. There are dimensions and important nuances you will never see. This affects everything from how you live to how you communicate. You could live for thirty years in that condition and become proficient in every area of life as you perceive it. But regardless how proficient you become, you are still lacking that undeveloped area of sight. But what if, decades down the road, a Divine spark occurs and your eyes continue to develop until they reach their full potential? It’s like seeing a new world for the first time. You can finally see the entire color spectrum, which changes everything! Not only can you see what you couldn’t before, but you have a new understanding, a fullness of reality that changes how you view yourself, God and everything else! This is what grasping the concept of the first principles of the oracles of God does. It opens the order of Melchizedek to us and causes us to connect to Christ in ways we may not have connected before. In understanding the first principles, it reveals at least three things:

1. It reveals the Loving and Gracious King-Priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ that we have: the Melchizedekian order.

2. It reveals spiritual reality as it is, both in the worlds of Darkness and Light, causing us to obtain the same spiritual qualities that Christ possesses.

3. It reveals our Divine purpose and function in this life and in the World to Come.

Part 2: The First Principles Template

The first principles of the oracles of God, truly begin where it all begins: Genesis 1:1.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

(Genesis 1:1/NKJV)

(b’reeshiyt bara eelohiym et hashamyim v’et ha’arets) “In beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

What we commonly refer to as “In the beginning...” is more than just a clever way of saying, this is how it all started. Some even read this statement as a chapter subheading that comes before all the creation stuff. Yet within this verse is the formation of everything.

If we only read Genesis the way it appears in English (or some other translation), we are headed for a series of conceptual conflicts, and what’s within the text stays locked away[20]. For example, how can there be an “earth” in our contemporary understanding, if there was no real physical substance yet, such as land or sky (firmament)? Think of it, if there was no sky, then was the entire universe a massive ocean? After all, the scripture says that the sky divided the water below from the waters above. Or is the scripture referring to something else? Where did the waters come from? Were they always there? Are the waters, earth? Later, on the sixth day, when Adam was created (Genesis 1:27-31), was He really formed after the plants, which were created on the third day (Genesis 1:11-13) and after the animals which were created on the fifth day (Genesis 1:20-23)? It seems to say that, but then why, when Moses supposedly recounts the order of Creation after our familiar “seven day list”, does he state the first creation was Adam, who comes long before any herb, tree, fish or animal[21]?

“This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.”

(Genesis 2:4-7/NASU)

If we compare the seven-day depiction in Genesis Chapter One with the chronology of events in Chapter Two, we run into a total sequence breakdown. If we were to chart the progression, it would look like the following chart.

Figure 1

If we attempt to connect the days and events, our chart would now look like this, see Figure 2.

Figure 2

Needless to say, it doesn't match up. Why? Because what we commonly call the Seven Days of Creation has nothing to do with the creation of a planet called Earth, based on our modern cosmology, nor anything physical in the way we currently know or perceive. If we simply let the text speak for itself, the entire seven days are about God finding a place to rest (Genesis 2:2). The act of Creation is about God creating a dwelling, made up of this massive arrangement. However, if you consider “when” God rested, it didn’t occur until “the Adam,” His Image and Likeness, was finished. God could not rest until His Image was complete. So here we ask an unsettling question based on our current understanding of Genesis: If human beings are the sons and daughters of Adam, the Image and Likeness of God, does humanity now truly reflect by their behavior that Divine Image in Character? Obviously not! So, if the Image is incomplete, then we are all still in Day Six and God is still very much at work!

The first chapter of Genesis is like a table of contents. It’s a summary or synopsis of the entire creative process from beginning to end. God has been forging Himself a dwelling made of living stones, so He and His creation can dwell together and be One. When God finally rests in that Oneness, we will see the Seventh Day or the phase of completion. When God is resting, it means He is moving from one dimension and from one age to the next. The book of Revelation shows us the beginning of this Day.

“...and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. ... But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.”

(Revelation 21:10-11; 22-23/NKJV)

For some us, our minds have already experienced a runtime error (that’s the dreaded blue screen with white letters we used to get when an older version of Windows crashed our computer). The only answer is to reboot. Just shut it off and start over. This is the point when I must ask that you take anything you thought you knew about Genesis or the first principles of the oracles of God, and please put it on a mental shelf. We are going to embark on a voyage through unfamiliar waters. Yet, you may have already sensed some of the things we’ll discuss, and they’ll ring within you. You may say, “I knew that! I always felt that, but I couldn’t find an exact scripture for it.” If we keep listening to what seems unfamiliar with our spirit, we may find that, deep down, we’ve known those things all along.

Part 3: In “Beginning”...

It all starts with the very first word in Genesis 1:1, (bareshiyt) or what we translate “In the beginning...” (bareshiyt) has a very interesting word right in the center of it, (rosh), which means head. This is why the phrase is interpreted as beginning, because it comes from the idea that “in the head” all things begin, like a melting snow cap is the head of a river. You can follow that parallel with a leader being the head of a regiment or, most importantly, a thought being the source of a mental image or action. The first word of the Bible, before the existence of any physical universe or anything else we perceive in the natural world, proclaims: (ba) in (rosh) head (iyt) [feminine abstract state], “In the Head!” In other words, “In the Mind.” Everything that begins, begins there! Beginning in the mind of God doesn’t mean that it starts there and then moves on to another place. Rather, we are speaking of which is not a God on some distant mountain or world, but the Source. We are speaking of the Ultimate Realty. When the Apostle John refers to the Ultimate Reality, he writes:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

(John 1:1/NKJV)

The Greek phrase John employs is (En archei ein ho lógos). What we translate as beginning (archei) in this verse is also translated as principality in Ephesians 6:12 and what we translated as chief in Hebrews 6. In other words, the chief or ruler IS the Beginning. You see, Beginning is not just a starting line painted on the ground. Beginning is a Person. Beginning is the Source and Creator of all Life. Thus, when the scripture says, “In the Beginning...” It’s saying, “In the Source... In the Creator... In the Ultimate Reality... In the Infinite Existing One...” Then John writes, the Word, (lógos), the Divine Thought and Expression. In other words, “In the Mind of Ultimate Reality is the Divine Thought Expressed...” The definite article the isn’t present. To properly translate (bareshiyt), which doesn’t come over to English very easily, we would actually say, “In Beginning...” This strengthens the point that beginning is not simply the starting point in time, but the starting person, the Creator and Source. It is within Beginning.

The second, even more difficult, concept for us to grasp in traditional Christendom is the masculine and feminine aspects of God. But if you simply let the scripture say what it says, you cannot help but reboot your thinking. The “Beginning” is feminine. So to translate (bareshiyt), you would say “In (her) Head.” In effect, her mind is the womb, the birthing place of Creation.

Let’s do a mental exercise to explore what both Genesis and John’s Gospel are saying. Close your eyes and try to picture Infinite Light. In other words, Light filling your mind in all directions. This represents Then within your mind, withdraw a portion of the Light in the center. Where there is no Light there is now darkness. Then create a small opening in the top of the darkness and allow a ray of Light into the dark sphere and create a world. In that world create trees, flowers, maybe a river, and so on. Then create some animals, birds, even a few insects flying around from flower to flower. Now stop. At this point, the entire universe, the world you created, exists entirely in your mind. If you didn’t think of the flower or animal it would not exist there. What if, when you thought of a creature, you made it self-aware, as well as aware of the flowers, rivers, and trees? Now, if you didn’t think of that creature and give it the ability to be aware, it wouldn't exist. You became the creator of that universe, the source of that entire reality, the source of all that exists there.

If you take this to the next logical step, anything you perceive right now exists in your mind. If none of your five senses were functioning, you wouldn’t have any awareness of this physical dimension. It wouldn’t mean you don’t exist, but it would mean this physical dimension didn’t exist to you. Your five senses are simply sensors of the physical world. But the actual experience of that slice of reality all takes place in your mind. To use a more spiritual term for the mind, you would say your Soul. Everything is subject to your sensors and how you interpret what is there. In our fallen, underdeveloped state, we sense the physical world to the measure we’re able and call that existence . But there’s an entire world we’re connected to that we don’t sense, for a number of reasons.

If you were to lose one or two of your senses (sight, smell, taste, touch or sound), you would never say you ceased to exist. You would just say, “I can’t taste or see that.” On the other hand, just because you come into this world being unable to perceive God or the spiritual world, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. If you didn’t have any of the five senses and couldn’t sense the physical world, it would still be appropriate to say that a physical world exists. Now, you could argue that if you can’t see or hear color or sound, they may exist to others, but they don’t exist to you. The key point is, while our perception defines reality to us, it doesn’t validate its existence. The same is true with the “Ultimate Realty.” Just because I don’t sense it, or only sense one aspect of it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Actually, this higher reality, what we usually refer to as the spirit world, it is more real than the physical world, because the physical world came from it.

So what does this mean to us in respect to Genesis? It’s a way of relating to the first verse. In the same way that reality exists in our mind, we exist in that Mind who is Ultimate Reality. In short, all of Creation exists in that Ultimate Reality called “the Mind of God.” You are living in that Mind right now. Every breath you take, every move you make, is within the Mind of God, just like the creatures you made in your mind.

“...for in Him we live and move and have our being...”

(Acts 17:28/NKJV)

This doesn’t mean that God is on some distant planet or mountain, and at some point He thought of you, and because of that you exist far below on planet Earth. Actually, God “thinks” (present tense) of you and because of that you exist. If He didn’t think of you, you would cease to exist!

In the famous movie, “It's a Wonderful Life,” there came a point when Jimmy Stewart’s character, George Bailey, was removed from the world he knew and the world became a completely different place. Even worse, when he meets his wife, Mary, in this alternate timeline, she doesn’t recognize him. The more he pursues her, the more harassed and scared she becomes. It’s not that she’d temporarily forgotten him and all she needed to do was remember. To her, he never existed in her life at all. She really didn’t know him because he was a total stranger.

In more practical terms, if God had a physical brain inside a skull like ours, we would be the thoughts traveling around inside it. Consider what Genesis is telling us: there’s no existence outside of . If you were not in the Divine Mind, you would not, could not and cannot exist! But the good news is, you’re reading this book, so evidently you are very important to God, and God has been thinking about you all your life! You are, right now, living in the Mind of God, the Ultimate Reality.

You may wonder how I came to this. Besides decades of learning from different Christian and Hebraic teachers and sources, one point is key. When it comes to scriptural interpretation, there are some guidelines that are congruent to what the Spirit reveals, which is the most important component. The first is the Hebraic rule called the “Law of Roots and Branches.” The idea is simple, nevertheless profound. Everything in the surface stories of scripture are a physical branch, relating to something our natural-physical senses can comprehend. Their purpose is to point the way to a spiritual root, the spiritual source, or true Reality. Thus, the branch points the way to the root, but the branch itself is not the root. This is to point the heart, the inner sensors, in the direction to perceive the eternal world. When pointed in the direction of God and reality, our inner-man reaches out trying to focus his eyes, often for the first time. The only way the root can be perceived is with a change of our inner spiritual sensors. Then, incorporating Hermeneutics, we can safely open our hearts and sense the spiritual world.

Without this inner development, you can only study to the limits of your inner ability to sense. Even though you may uncover something you didn’t know about words or language, it’s just “new information,” it’s not a revelation of a root. As stated in previous chapters, revelation changes your perception of reality, while information adds to what you already perceive. On the other hand, how many times have you read a passage in the Bible, then three years later come back to the same passage and it jumps off the page with completely new insight and revelation? Why does this happen? Because your inner state has changed and you grasp a clearer aspect of the root. The more your inner state changes in Christ-likeness, the more the roots become evident.

This is why Jesus said:

“In seeing they do not see...”

(Matthew 12:13)

This is the inner paradox of our desire to know clashing with our desire to become. The deception is that, the more we know, the more we become. In actuality, the more we desire to become, the more we become. Knowledge is a byproduct, not the primary goal.

Jesus also told the Pharisees:

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life…”

(John 5:39-40/NKJV)

Not only was searching the scriptures insufficient, a deception occurred. By searching scripture alone, the person thought they attained. Please note, they didn’t just read, they “searched.” But to what end? In coming to Christ we find the starting point for all things. However, this coming or arriving at the knowledge of Christ is not simply a date on our calendar when we accepted the Savior. Unfortunately for some this knowledge becomes the attainment, rather than the beginning of “a becoming.” When we assume that we have attained by knowledge, we wind up falling back into the trap of the Pharisees. The Apostle Paul says:

“For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

(2 Corinthians 3:6b/NKJV)

This is the dichotomy we are always faced with. Without a fresh measure of inner transformation, our approach to anything deemed spiritual, even the holiest of words, scriptures, prayers, study or deeds, will prove to be Death. To put it another way, it will result in the formation of a religion and not a discovery of reality. The frightening thing about such religion, is that it becomes a deceptive false-reality. We would presume there isn’t a follower of Christ who would want to bring Death, yet it happens every day to all of us if we are not intentional about our development and resting in the work of Christ.

Let us proceed in breaking open the first principles...

After we accept that the Beginning is the Source of all, and all Creation literally exists in Her Mind or Womb, the creation process unfolds. The next phrase is commonly known to us as “...God created...” Yet, like the first word, there is more than meets the eye. The actual phrase is (bara elohiym) “fattened [the] Powers.” Fattened? Yes, the word we have translated as create is actually the word “fat.”

“...to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?”

(1 Sam 2:29/NKJV)

The word (bara) fat is also used as a verb and an adjective in fourteen other scriptures. So why is the “Divine Powers,” the Source of all, “fattening”? First of all when you fatten something, you are expanding or broadening what already exists. You could say God created something out of nothing and you wouldn’t necessarily be wrong. Nonetheless, God did form Creation using something other than what we consider nothing. That something is His own substance. Creation was made by the substance of His own Divine Thought. Like in the earlier example, when we made an entire world in our mind, we expanded our thoughts to do so.

The phrase (bara elohiym) is in the masculine concrete state. In other words, the Powers Fattened is a reference to the masculine attribute of and (bareshiyt), In (her) Mind in reference to the feminine. In effect, you see the masculine aspect of what we call God, impregnating the feminine. These are not two separate gods, as in our Greco-Roman-Western concepts, but two attributes of the same Infinite God. The result is the expansion of that Mind or Womb much like a pregnant woman. But to birth what? Creation! However, because it is spiritual, it doesn’t leave the Source like we experience in the natural world. It continues to grow within the Mind of God, the same way a tree stays connected to its roots, yet keeps growing. You may think, “But we are not trees. We are people.” Not according to John the Baptist and Jesus.

“…and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

(Matthew 3:9-11/NKJV)

These verses tells us a lot. The fruit we bear should resemble the root. But if it doesn’t, it’s removed. It sounds crazy right now, but these trees have the capability to actually choose what kind of fruit they’ll bear!

The opening verses of Genesis have a totally different connotation than what we’ve believed based on the Western tradition of Christendom. The typical image is of an old, gray haired man sitting on a throne with a dove hovering over his head and a younger version of himself standing nearby declaring, “Be it so!” and the physical universe comes into being. Instead, we now have a picture of this Being, seriously beyond our ability to comprehend, who fills all in all, a Living Person who is Limitless Eternal Power, having two distinct attributes, masculine and feminine. Then, by their total union, a spiritual, not physical, Creation comes into being, larger than any physical universe.

Focus Points: Part 1

…the “first principles of the oracles of God” are the source. Once the first principles are “sensed” then we can lay within our lives the foundation of Christ in a functional context.

…the entire seven days are about God finding a place to rest (Genesis 2:2). …“when” God rested, it didn’t occur until “the Adam,” His Image and Likeness, was finished. God could not rest until His Image was complete.

The “Beginning” is feminine. So to translate (bareshiyt), you would say “In (her) Head.” In effect, her mind is the womb, the birthing place of Creation. In the same way that reality exists in our mind, we exist in that Mind who is Ultimate Reality.

The deception is that, the more we know, the more we become. In actuality, the more we desire to become, the more we become. Knowledge is a byproduct, not the primary goal.

…the Powers Fattened is a reference to the masculine attribute of and (bareshiyt), In (her) Mind in reference to the feminine. In effect, you see the masculine aspect of what we call God, impregnating the feminine. …two attributes of the same Infinite God. The result is the expansion of that Mind or Womb much like a pregnant woman. But to birth what? Creation!

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

(Genesis 1:1/NKJV)

Part 1: The Land of Receiving

What the scripture has told us so far is, “Within (her) Head (the Divine Mind, Thought, the Womb), the Powers created, fattened (expanded).” We know that the expansion is what we call “Creation” but of what specifically? The final phrase of the verse is significant. We normally translate it:

“...the heavens and the earth.”

The scripture already told us that the vault of the sky, the firmament with all their hosts, doesn’t exist yet. So what is the scripture speaking of? What is (et hashamayim v'et ha'arets)? To make it easier to grasp, we’ll work backwards. We normally translate the word (ha'arets) as the earth, or the land. However, (erets) also means crushed, shattered, a broken piece of pottery; thus a potsherd (ratsats). From a physical perspective (a branch of the intended root) and the cosmology of the day, it totally makes sense. Back then, this physical realm wasn’t a massive rock orbiting the sun. It was the opposite location and quality of the heavens. Simply put, the heavens were above, this realm below. To the physical eye, the terrain appeared damaged, with many broken rocks, bodies of land split by water, deep valleys, and high mountains with cracked openings in them. The landscape appeared to be shattered or smashed. Don’t forget that to nomadic people in the Middle East, the land was harsh and unforgiving, with windstorms and earthquakes, dry scorching heat, and only the occasional body of lush green vegetation and fresh water. It’s understandable why the word used describes a broken piece of pottery or a broken vessel. The word expands and reveals even more as it describes the essence of its condition with its spiritual meaning, (ratsown), desire to receive. In addition, if you take the first letter of (erets) land, or broken pottery, and simply put it on the end of the word, (ratsa), you have the word, pleasure; a child root of the original word. Hence, what we have called Earth, is actually a spiritual quality called the “Desire to Receive Pleasure.” Look at some of the many verses that describe the function of the Earth. Remember, biblical Hebrew is all about function and action. Notice what the quality called “Earth” does:

“So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”

(Genesis 4:11/NKJV)

“For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven.”

(Deuteronomy 11:11/NKJV)

“For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God.”

(Hebrews 6:7/NKJV)

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.”

(James 5:7/NKJV)

“...and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood...”

(Revelation 12:16/NKJV)

All the verses above describe the nature or the spiritual root of the word Earth (or Land) as “that which receives.” So the word employed to describe the status or quality of the spiritual reality of Genesis 1:1 includes the will or desire to receive. It wasn’t a physical planet, or corporeal world of matter, at least not yet. Rather it was a Creature, a Being whose name we will reveal later, but whose description is, “The Desire to Receive Pleasure.”

Part 2: The Heaven of Giving

In contrast to (erets) is the previous word in the verse, (hashamayim), heavens. While (erets) receives, (hashamayim) bestows or gives.

“…but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven.”

(Deuteronomy 11:11/NKJV)

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you.’...”

(Exodus 16:4/NKJV)

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth...”

(Isaiah 55:10/NKJV)

“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”

(John 3:13/NKJV)

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven.”

(John 6:51/NKJV)

“Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons...”

(Acts 14:17/NKJV)

“And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain...”

(James 5:18/NKJV)

In the verses above, we see Heaven giving. It bestows rain, it bestows manna, it even bestows Christ. But (hashamayim) isn’t only bestowal. It has a word within it that is significant and actually forms the word (shem), name. In Hebrew, a name is not a title or label, it’s a description of an essence and its function. For example: Abraham, (Avraham), father of multitudes; Joseph, (Yowseph), increases; Jesus, (Yeshuwa), delivering; Hannah, (Channah), favored or grace. All these names describe the person’s spiritual essence or force. To put it another way, while these were at one time real people who lived in this physical world, they were also spiritual qualities and those qualities still exist today. They’re attributes of the Heavenly realm. When you look at biblical characters, you’re reading a historical account of events and people from long ago, which are the branches. But you’re also looking at the spiritual qualities and forces of God, which are eternally available and interact with us today in the same manner they did then. For example, God’s favor is upon you! There may be times when you feel as if your life is empty and going nowhere, but as you accept His favor as reality in your life, it will impregnate you with your heart’s desire and produce a dynamic present and future! Look at Hannah (Channah) who was the embodiment of favor. Though her life appeared barren, she gave birth to one of the greatest prophets who ever lived. When you put this together, the (hashamayim) is the world of Divine spiritual qualities.

But it doesn’t stop there. Another vital aspect of the heavens is air. Air is what we breathe, it’s what gives us life. Thus the word (neshamah), is breath. It’s also occasionally translated as spirit. (Notice the key word in the spelling, [shem], name, essence.) The heavens (air) are the source of breath (spirit), from which come all spiritual qualities, the essences that rain Life. However, what gives Life to the Heavens? What gives breath or air? What causes that which bestows life, to possess Life itself? It’s the masculine and feminine attributes uniting together! “The Powers that fattened within her Mind!” When we speak of the Heavens giving breath or spirit, giving the essence of life to all, we could also say it gave “names” to all. Because the Source that gives Life to the Heavens is the Ultimate Existence, the Ultimate Name! This is why our Hebrew brothers and sisters call God (hashem) The Name Existing!

What is Genesis 1:1 really telling us, both in language and over thousands of years of Hebraic thought? “Within (her) Head (the Divine Thought, Mind, Womb), the Powers created, fattened, expanded, the Desire to Bestow Life and the Desire to Receive its Pleasure.” At this point there were only two spiritual qualities, two personas that filled all of Creation. One persona was the Will to Give, the very outgrowth and Life-Giving attribute of the Divine, the Powers, the Beginning, God, . The other was the complete opposite spiritual persona, the Will to Receive. It’s similar to the mental exercise in the last chapter, when we pictured Light filling our minds and going in all directions to infinity. But then we withdrew that Light and created the opposite quality, Darkness, the absence of Light.

To summarize, what’s described in Genesis 1:1 is the creation of two personas, two Living entities occupying one reality. The reality is the Mind of God, the two Creatures, with the Will to Give and the opposite quality, the Will to Receive.

Stop for a moment and consider how we’re so used to names being labels, unlike the Hebraic idea of forces or entities. It’s difficult for most of us to see beyond a label, even though it should be simple. Still, we pick and choose when we do it, because we are selective. We don’t have much of a problem seeing the word “Heaven” as both a label and a spiritual function. After all, from a scriptural perspective, we know there are several ways of looking at Heaven. It can refer to a bluish sky with clouds and a yellow sun. If we take the now-retired space shuttle into orbit, the bluish sky turns into a dark universe filled with stars, planets, galaxies, asteroids and comets, a space we also call the heavens. On the other hand, when scripture speaks of the Heavens, we also think of a spiritual place where God, angels (even fallen ones) and souls, exist. In present day, most would agree that the Bible doesn’t speak much of the physical heavens. Most of the time, it refers to the home of God, the realm of the spirit. We know that when it comes to the word Heaven, scripture speaks of spiritual realities, not simply natural things. (An inadvertent application of roots and branches in interpretation.) However, the same applies to what we call “Earth.” What is amazing is that the nomadic Hebrew of thousands of years ago, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, understood this and used the physical world to describe an entire reality beyond.

The key issue is that “the Will to Bestow” (Heaven) and “the Will to Receive” (Earth) are not inert objects. They are descriptions, functions, beings. They are living creatures much like a human body, and we live in them today. In the same manner that the human body is full of systems, networks, and cells all making up a single creature, so are they. Because we only see the word Earth as a label for a planet, a name like John, Bill, Mary or Susan, we don’t see it as a living creature. After all, when we make fun of someone, we’re usually describing how they function. “Oh, here comes Miss Selfish!” When we greet someone, we never say, “Here comes the neurological system with lungs, circulatory system, and digestive tract.” But when we think Hebraically and actually see the words on the pages of scriptures, we actually see all these relationships. Just like when we read the word , we don’t simply see a name, we see a description: Existing, that which Was, Is and Is to come, and much more. In the cosmology of several thousand years ago, there was no concept of this being a planet or the third rock from the sun. This Earth was simply the realm below and everything in it was a shadow of a deeper living reality.

“Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it!”

(Isaiah 44:23/NKJV)

The Earth, beyond any physical world of matter and corporeal substance, is a spiritual quality, the Will to Receive, and it was (and is) a living creature. The key is, it’s a description of the creature’s function. In the Hebraic mind, not only did they use words that describe the function of something, but the naming of a creature also described the essence, atmosphere, and circumstances surrounding that creature’s formation. Thus spiritually, everything is connected. It’s important to grasp this concept because thinking like the writers of scripture, who were inspired by the Spirit, aids us in grasping the Mind of the Source of the inspiration.

“...And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, ‘Because I have asked for him from the Lord.’”

(1 Samuel 1:19-20/NKJV)

Hannah (Channah), graced or favored, had no children and was clearly not going to have any based on the circumstances, though she desperately wanted one. Through a series of prayers and events, she miraculously conceived and bore a son. She called him Samuel (Shemuw’el), God has heard, because she asked the Lord for a child, and He heard her prayer. This description doesn’t stop with Hannah and her prayers. Samuel became a great prophet who “heard from God.” The spiritual essence of the circumstance and the nature of the being reflected the true spiritual quality behind it. You will find this applies to locations in scripture as well. A place would often be named because of circumstances and the spiritual qualities that occurred or appeared there. When you move beyond the personalities in the story of Hannah and Samuel, you also see the working of those spiritual forces. We are graced and favored by God, not because we have done good or bad, but because He is the Source of Life and is the Ultimate Giver. Though our lives may seem barren and unfruitful, He will hear our prayer and we will give birth!

You may be thinking, “Okay so I can grasp Heaven as the Will to Give. But what of the Desire to Receive?” Why would God create a spiritual creature that has the opposite quality of Himself? Because, in order for Him to bestow, there has to be someone to receive. Let’s take this further. God’s intention was not simply to give and that be the end of it. His intention was to create a creature like Himself, one who chooses to give as well. Not a lesser, but an equal giver. As we will see later, the Adam is a good example of this. The man and the woman were not just receivers, but were made in God’s image and likeness, thus givers as well. They were to be equal in quality and form.

But how can this be? How does God form His equal? First, God had to create the opposite in quality, the Will to Receive. But if all He did was program it to give back automatically, it wouldn’t be a relationship of equality, it would be a simple program, a robot, for a lack of a better word. So within the Will to Receive there had to be the choice either to receive and bestow as well, or to receive for itself alone.

In modern psychology, if a relationship exists where one only gives and the other only receives, it’s considered unhealthy or broken. But God also gave this Will to Receive the ability to choose. Thus receiving and giving are not just a programed Will, but a Desire. Thus a potential paradox exists. In simple terms, if the Creature is Receiving for Itself Alone, it will remain in the same spiritual state with the same spiritual quality. The scripture in Genesis will shortly call this Darkness. But if the Creature chooses to give like its Creator, it achieves a similar status as the Giver. In other words, THE CREATURE BECOMES A CO-CREATOR! Together, both are giving and receiving of each other in the pleasures of Divine Life!

Focus Points

…what we have called Earth, is actually a spiritual quality called the “Desire to Receive Pleasure.”

The key issue is that “the Will to Bestow” (Heaven) and “the Will to Receive” (Earth) are not inert objects. They are descriptions, functions, beings. They are living creatures much like a human body, and we live in them today.

…if the Creature chooses to give like its Creator, it achieves a similar status as the Giver. In other words, THE CREATURE BECOMES A CO-CREATOR! Together, both are giving and receiving of each other in the pleasures of Divine Life!

“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”

(Genesis 1:2-3/NKJV)

Part 1: The Creature’s Fulfillment

When creatures of darkness are depicted in movies, books, and other forms of art, we find everything from vicious, destructive monsters to romanticized vampires, as well as many diverse accounts of a beauty and a beast. All these allegories have some degree of truth in them. We can’t create anything, even in fantasy, that’s not rooted in some slim aspect of reality.

The scripture continues:

(v'haearets hayatah tohuw vabohuw v'choshek al-p'neey t'hom), “and the Desire to Receive Pleasure (Earth) was confusion (a wasteland)[22] and a ruin,[23] and darkness[24] was over the face the deep tumultuous roaring.[25]”

The latent state of the Will to Receive Pleasure was like a raging monster. Like any desire unmet and unfilled, it became ravenous lust. (Remember, this is the state and description of what we translate “Earth.”) If not filled with Divine Light, the Will to Receive Pleasure is completely the opposite quality: Darkness. It’s a voracious desire seeking fulfillment. It’s an unquenchable, starving desire, craving anything it supposes will satisfy. But we need to understand, it’s designed that way! It’s designed to be fulfilled by only one kind of Pleasure, the Source, the Beginning, the One who Was, Is and Is to Come, . This is why, as we will see in the coming pages, its fall is so devastating. This Desire will be disconnected from the Source which fulfills it. Mankind today is much the same. Without direct connection to the Source, God, we are nothing but destructive desires ingesting anything and everything. We are forever trying to pacify and quench that which cannot be appeased except by what it was designed for: the Divine Infinite Pleasure. This dark craving is called the deep, the abyss, or bottomless pit because of its sense of unending longing. It’s infinite in its desire to receive, as much as God is infinite in His desire to bestow. God created such an infinite desire because that’s what would be necessary to accommodate an infinite God. It’s no different than picking the right sized shoe for a foot, or having a shirt tailored to fit a body. God had to make a Creature that could receive His distinction.

The scripture then says:

(v'ruach elohiym m'rachepet alp'neey hamaiym) “and the Wind of the Powers, She flutteringly-rested over the face of the Chaos.[26]”

Here again we have the feminine and the masculine creating together. The word for wind is (ruach), the primary word continually used to describe (ruach hakodesh) Holy Spirit. The essential factor is that the description of the Holy Spirit is always in the feminine gender. The Spirit is always referred to as she, never he.[27] This becomes very important as the scripture unfolds.

Soon, the Divine Feminine and Masculine will unite again. The result of this union brings a phrase so powerful it will change everything forever. Here, She flutters like a bird hovering over her nest. As She floats before this raging Desire to Receive, it now has the name (hamaiym) waters or chaos. The Hebrew pronunciation for waters is the source for our word mayhem. The roaring abyss, the unquenchable desire, is in a state of mayhem, disarray. It’s amazing how accurate the scripture is! This commotion is the result of “desire” unfulfilled. In this condition, it’s a chasm of craving, never satisfied. It needs, so it bellows with tumultuous yearning. If left unquenched, it will destroy anything in its path as it tries to fulfill itself. HOWEVER! Within the moment that the Darkness, this Desire, was created, God fulfilled it.

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”

(Genesis 1:3/NKJV)

(vaiyomer elohiym y'hiy owr vay'hiy owr) “and said the Powers exist Light and exited Light!”

The word we translate as light (owr) literally is flame. God doesn’t allow the Desire to go unfulfilled, rather, as soon as He creates it, He fulfills it. Like the flame of a candle gives light, this Divine Flame emanates the Divine Light. The union of the masculine “the Powers,” and the feminine “the Holy Spirit” form the Light. This is truly the greatest statement in the entire Bible, let alone all of Creation. The union of the two form a third attribute, the fulfilling Light.

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

(John 1:4-5/NKJV)

“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

(2 Corinthians 4:6/NKJV)

The statement “exist Light” (or literally, exist flame) has nothing to do with the big bang or the sun. If we still think Genesis Chapter 1 has anything to do with a physical universe, we’re in for trouble. If we think this is the sun or something which results in a “lit sky” in a physical world, we must keep in mind it’s still “Day One.” If we think this is the sun or some extraterrestrial light, how do we respond to Genesis 1:14-19, which speaks of a light in the firmament created to illuminate the day and a lesser light to rule the night, on the Fourth Day? What if we look at this as Moses did? He received revelation from the Spirit and penned it in the language formed to communicate it. The Shining Light is the Ultimate Divine Light. The Light IS the (mashiyach) Messiah, Christ! Later in the world of time and space (the physical world), Christ will come and be called (Yeshua) Jesus, Delivering or Saving and (Immanuweel) Emmanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23-25). Christ is the Eternal, Everlasting Light. He is the Divine Flame that illuminates all things!

“There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”

(John 1:9/ NASU)

“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

(John 9:4-5/NKJV)

Christ is the personification of the union of the Divine Masculine and Feminine, which we commonly call the Godhead. Consider the progression from the standpoint of functionality. In the previous chapter we found that Beginning is a She, the Powers is a He, and through Their union, the Mind of God expanded like a pregnant womb. Now, in the similitude of birth, the Son, the Light, is revealed. He’s the Word of the Powers, which is also the Flaming-Light that radiates fullness of to all Creation.

“...also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order]. He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power...”

(Hebrews 1:2-3/AMP)

The Eternal Christ is sent into the roaring, chaotic, cavernous, darkness, the Desire to Receive Pleasure, and fills it. The infinite Desire has been met by the Infinite Messiah.

“And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.”

(Genesis 1:4/NKJV)

(vayar elohiym et ha'owr kiy tov vayav'deel elohiym beeyn ha'owr uwbeeyn hachoshek) “And saw the Powers, the Light burning functional; [28] and distinguished the Powers between the Light and between the Darkness.”

Why would the scripture make this statement? Why would it be necessary to distinguish between two spiritual qualities which were opposite each other? Because they were ONE! Think of a dark room where there is no light. When you turn on the light, the darkness isn’t there anymore. The light fills the darkness. You never see pieces of darkness floating through the light. Where the light is, darkness is filled. Nonetheless, God is making the distinction between the Desire to Receive Pleasure and the Light, which is the fulfillment of that pleasure. Why? Because in their union, they appear as the same. One fills the other, while one receives and reflects the Other.

We need to jump ahead several chapters in order to explain what happens at this point regarding the “dividing.” The Creature must resist its desire to receive for itself alone and change the desire from receiving to giving in the similitude as the Light. Through its act of receiving to give, and in particular to give back to the Source (reflecting the Light), it takes on the nature of the Light. This is the reason for what is translated distinguished.

The word distinguished in verse four is (badal), which literally means to separate or an object that divides. Throughout scripture we find another word describing the result of this “action of separation,” which is the word (kodesh), which means to be holy or set apart. (badal) is what can be used to make something holy, or to do the setting apart. In other words, to set apart something, you must use something to separate it. In the spiritual world where there is no time or distance, what can separate spiritual qualities? By letter definition (badal) gives us a clue. The (bet) is the letter for house, or the dwelling of God. The (deleth) is the door, it also represents one who is bowed over or humble. Finally (lamed) is the hook. This letter is interesting because it’s the only letter in the aleph-bet that is above the line. That’s why it represents the heart that is hooked or connected to above. When you put these together you could say, the house door that is connected above.

So what does a door do? It either allows something out of the dwelling or keeps something in. It also keeps things out of the dwelling, or allows things in. Thus, the door is the decision maker and the intention of this door is to be connected “Above.” Another way to look at it would be to access the dwelling of God, one must be like the door; bowed over or humble. When we are humble or bowed over in worship, this gives us access to the world Above. What’s the scripture telling us? In the spiritual world, the expression of your humility determines your spiritual quality. Thus the dividing, separating element is what’s released from our life. This is why the word (bada) devise, is a root of (badal). What you devise in your heart, or “your intention,” is what divides or separates one quality from the other. If you devise in your heart to be selfish and receive for yourself alone, you separate yourself from the Light and remain in Darkness. If your intention is to humbly receive and give, like the Light, you reflect the spiritual quality of the Light. This now gives us a clearer picture of the New Testament verses:

“...Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

(James 4:6-8/NKJV)

By doing that you’ve separated yourself from the Darkness and have become Light. The Apostle Paul said this:

“You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:5-8/NKJV)

The son of Darkness is drunk. While some have used this to say that we shouldn’t drink alcohol, the key to this drunkenness is selfish fulfillment; true Darkness. It’s all about me! It’s the Desire to Receive Pleasure for myself alone. Paul clarifies this by saying that we are to be sober, putting on the breastplate (which represents the heart), the intention of faith and love along with the helmet or thoughts filled with the hope of salvation. These are all intentions, which in the physical world results in deeds. However, in the spiritual world “intention is the deed.” Jesus made this very clear.

“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

(Matthew 5:28-29/NKJV)

Consider a practical example of this concept. You’re in an open field in the dead of night. The cloud cover is so dense that you can’t see any stars or the moon in the sky. It’s so dark you can’t see your own hand when you stretch it out in front of you. If you then take a flashlight, switch it on and shine it toward the sky or out in front of you, you still won’t see a thing. You only know the light is on because you flipped the switch. But its beam appears to be absorbed by the darkness.

You would expect that when you turned on a light, it would dispel the darkness. But that’s not the case. Something else is required to dispel darkness in addition to the light source. Our first hint comes from how we see light beams. If you were to toss dirt in the pathway of the beam, a shaft of light would appear. Why? Let’s take it one step further. You erect a tent in the middle of that same field. If you sat inside the tent, you wouldn’t really know you were in the tent, because it would be just as dark as the field. But, if you switched on the flashlight, the entire space would be filled with light. Why? Because the sides of the tent reflect the light. Even where there’s no direct light, the wall opposite the light beam would still glimmer. Maybe not as brightly, but it would glow nonetheless. Why? Reflection! For the darkness to be filled with light, the light requires an object to reflect it. When there’s something reflecting the light, like the tent walls, or dust in the air, it divides the darkness from the light. This division is not a dissection, but a transformation in quality. In that moment, not only is the inside of the tent lit like midday, but from the outside those in the dark can see a glowing tent and find refuge.

When the Darkness changes its intention by choice, thus resisting selfish desire and taking on the joy of giving, it takes on a reflective quality and the Light fills it. When it reflects the Light, it receives and shares the same characteristics of the Light in quality and substance. The Light and the Darkness are united, not as opposites, but in oneness; the Will to Receive has become the Will to Give.

Part 2: The Day Called One

“God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.”

(Genesis 1:5/NKJV)

(vayik’ra elohiym la’or yom v’lachoshk kara lay’la vay’hiy-erev vay’hiy-boker yom echad.) Remember, Hebraic thought occurs in a form called block logic. In other words, to understand a concept, it’s like looking at a child’s toy block, which of course has six sides. On one side you may have the (bet), the second letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet. On an adjacent side you may have the number 2. On yet another, you may have a picture of two teddy bears. Yet on another, a picture of an apple being cut in half, and so on. The significant point is that each side is expressing the same concept but in different ways. This is how the Old Testament (or Tanak) is written. As we will see that the creation story is really several ways of telling the same story. They are all different sides of the ONE bock. Thus, one of the attributes of block logic is relational thinking, unlike Greek or Western thought which progresses along a linear course.

God already spoke the eternal words, (y’hiy owr) “exist Light!” Then He does something that resembles what the Adam will do later: He gives the Light and the Darkness a “name,” Remember, the realm of the Heavens (hashamayim), by description has the root word (shem) name, in it. In that realm, creation can’t occur without speaking its function (or we would say naming it). God gives both Light and Darkness a description of their essence.

Let’s backtrack through the verse so we can understand what’s going on. The scripture says,

(vay'hiy erev vay'hiy boker yowm echad), “and was dusk and was dawn day one.”

The scripture seems to be straightforward. A “day” is a 24 hour period, one full revolution of the earth. However, in the cosmology of the day, such a thing wasn’t known. So what did Moses mean when he wrote what he did? Here again, we must employ what we understand about the realm of the spirit and apply biblical principles of interpretation; in this case the principles of Roots and Branches and a good dose of Hermeneutics. On a simple logical plane, how can there be a 24 hour period if there is no sun or moon yet? Furthermore, since when is a day from dusk to dawn? That would only be a description of night time. If a day was a full 24 hour period, shouldn’t it say from dusk to dusk? Or dawn to dawn? Or is the scripture telling us something else?

The last phrase of the verse is usually translated, “...and the evening and the morning were the first day.” The problem for us is the idea of a first day. Why? Because we’ve been taught in Sunday school that God made a planet called Earth and everything on it within seven days. But the scripture doesn’t say “first.” When we reach the seventh day, there’s no dusk or dawn, nor is there a night or day; there’s no mention of either.

“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

(Genesis 2:1-3/NKJV).

The scripture is consistent. If it followed the pattern set before, it would say, “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested. So the evening and morning were the seventh day.” But it doesn’t! Do we really have seven days as in 24 hour periods? Surely on the seventh day this is not the case. How could it be? If God, the emanation of the Light is resting, placing the fullness of His presence in His Living Temple, which we’ll call the fullness of Creation (at this point), surely there would be no night or evening. There is a wonderful picture of this in the Book of Revelation.

“There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”

(Revelation 22:5/NKJV)

This tells us that day seven had nothing to do with a 24 hour period. It seems to suggest an eternal state of Light. Things are not as they seem, rather once again, Moses is using the physical world, the branches, to try and explain spiritual realities, the roots. No wonder when it comes to the doctrine of Melchizedek and the first principles of the oracles of God, “they are hard to explain.”

So what of the first day and the subsequent others? If the seventh day seems to have no day or night and the other days are not really a 24 hour period, what’s going on then? The best place to start is with DAY ONE, or as many of our translations say, “…the first day.” The Hebrew word for first is (rishown), but that’s not the word employed in Genesis. The word in Genesis 1:5 is (echad), which means one. So why would Moses use the word one rather than first? Because there is only ONE DAY! You will find this pattern throughout scripture. For example, rather than say “the first of the month,” many times you will find the word (echad) one used. Why? Because what we would call the first of something in a linear form of thought, in Hebraic thinking is really one, the whole with segments. In other words, on day one, the entire month of Tishri occurs, not just the first part of it. Every segment is Tishri day! Even the word “month” (chodesh) in Hebrew doesn’t mean what we think of on the Gregorian calendar. (chodesh) literally means new. You could say that, “On the first day of the month…” would be better translated as in Ezekiel 46:6: “In the day of the new moon…” There is only one month called Tishri and it has 30 aspects. If this is still hard to grasp you need to remember that in Hebrew, we must think multi-dimensionally. Probably the best way we can address this would be by using the most famous verse in the Old Testament, something that every Jew recites daily.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!”

(Deuteronomy 6:4-5/NKJV)

Throughout the Old Testament we find God revealing Himself in a myriad of ways. He comes to Abram as (Aniy el shaddai) I am God with the Breasts [also translated, I am God Almighty ], Genesis 17:1. Later He reveals Himself as as (Yahweh yeeraeh) The Lord who Sees , Genesis 22:14. Further on, He reveals Himself to the children of Israel as (Aniy Yahweh roph'eka) I Am the Lord who Heals You , Exodus 15:26. There are many more revelations of Himself that occur throughout scripture. In the Greco-Roman-Western mind, we would say there is one god who is almighty, then a god who sees or provides, and then another god who heals. The key is, there is only ONE God with many facets. In Christianity, the doctrine of the Trinity ascribes to this as well. There is the Father, the Spirit, and the Son; they are ONE, there aren’t three, yet you can argue there are. But it’s God who reminds us in both the Old and New Testaments, He is One!

The best way we can describe this spiritual concept in the physical is by using the concept of “block logic.” You have a block. How many sides are there? Six. How many blocks are there? One. Add them together 1 block + 6 sides = 7. There are seven aspects or revelations, but there’s really only ONE complete revelation! Consequently, there aren’t seven days of creation, there is only one. For that matter, as scripture progresses, so does the sides of the block. You can have a 10 sided block, 12, 24, 32 and so on. There are as many sides to the one block as it takes to reveal its fullness.

When we started talking about the first principles of the oracles of God, we found in Hebrews Chapter 6 that the focus was to discuss the “Chief Expression of Christ.” There is one Chief Expression or foundation, but it’s spoken of as six aspects; Repentance of Dead Works, Faith Toward God, Doctrine of Baptisms, Laying on of Hands, Resurrections, and Eternal Judgment. These six aspects are what form the multifaceted foundation of the Chief Expression of Christ. The scripture is consistent.

Genesis 1:5 continues,

(v'lachoshek kara laiylah) “…and to darkness called Night.”

Remember the progression of the previous verses. God said, “...exist Light.” At this point the Darkness, the Desire to Receive, the opposite quality of the nature of God, was now filled with the Light. It was filled because it was reflecting the same nature as the Light by choosing to give. The Darkness is called Night (laiylah), which by letter definition is the description of “reflection.[29]” When resequenced the letters form a very important name (description): (heyleel). The pronunciation of the word sounds a lot like (halal), which is praise. Needless to say, the most well-known Hebrew word we all say is (halelu Yah), Praise the Lord. It’s interesting that the word Night (laiylah), is connected to praise. In the Hebraic cosmology, the moon and stars were emanations of the Source of Light, the Sun. All aspects of the Heavens, whether Day or Night, were to be a praise to God.

“Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars of light! Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens!”

(Psalms 148:3-4/NKJV)

“Night” is a description of the opposite quality of the Light, yet it’s made the choice to reflect the Light, and as a result is filled with the Light. To put it another way, the Night was created by God to receive and reflect the Light. Yet, while (halal) praise is important, we must remember that Night, Earth, Abyss, Emptiness, Water or Chaos, all describe different forms of the same thing: (ratsown) the Desire to Receive Pleasure. When that Desire is reflecting back to the Source it’s a true praise. Still, the name (heyleel), the original word that was mentioned, is more than just a rearranging of the word night and more than just a derivative of the word praise. (heyleel) is the name “Lucifer, Day Star, Morning Star.” Night (laiylah), is Lucifer (heyleel) re-sequenced.

(Isaiah 14:12)

“...O Lucifer, son of the morning!” (NKJV)

“...Lucifer, who didst rise in the morning.” (DRV)

“...morning star, son of the dawn.” (CJB)

“...O shining star, son of the morning!” (NLT)

“...O Day Star, son of Dawn!” (ESV)

The entire next chapter deals with the subject of (heyleel) Lucifer and why it’s important to fully understand what this Creature is and the significance of understanding him in this context. But at this point, Night, Darkness, Earth, Water, Emptiness, Abyss, and the Desire to Receive Pleasure are all aspects (or sides of the same block) describing the same thing: the essence of the Creature which is called Lucifer.

The next part of the verse says, (vayik'ra elohiym la'owr yowm) “…and He called, the Powers, to Light, Day...” Why is the Light called Day? If the Night represents reflection, encrypted with the function of praise and is a description of the Creature Lucifer, then surely (yowm) Day is a description of the Light itself. The letters define the word: the (yud) is the closed hand, the infinite point where all Creation beings. The (vav) is the tent peg, that which joins Above and Below, representing the Light that comes down from above and touches the lower world. The (mem) is water, which represents several things. First, water reflects that which shines onto it. Second, as in an ocean or lake, it has two dimensions: what’s on the surface and what lies beneath. Because of this, it also represents the wisdom of the Torah (God’s Word) where there is a surface meaning, but there is a deeper realm underneath with vast expressions of Life. When you put these all together, you have the infinite point where all creation begins, where the Light comes down from above and touches the water (the chaos) which reflects the Light. By the chaos reflecting the Light, everything under the surface becomes a world teaming with Life.

Another interesting aspect of the word (yowm) Day, is that the three letters which comprise it are connected to two very important words. The first two letters, the (yud) and the (vav), are the two differentiating letters in the Divine Name, The (mem), not at all by accident, is the first letter in Messiah mashiyach). The Day is a description of the Messiah (mashiyach), the Light of . Each Hebrew letter has a numerical value. About the value of (yowm) Day is 616. There are only a few words with that numerical value in scripture. The first and most important is (hatorah) The Torah, God's Teaching or Word (often translated as the Law). The spiritual significance of this word is derived from two Hebrew words. The first is the letter (tav), which when placed before a word is the feminine gender and can mean she. (Torah happens to be in the feminine gender.) The next word is (yowreh), meaning former rain. Its root word is (yarah), which means flowing water. Thus we have, “She flows like water.” This brings us back to the Divine feminine aspect giving birth, the Holy Spirit. Comparing roots to branches, even in the natural world when a child is born there is first a flowing of water. (This will become significant in our discussion of the Adam.)

When we consider that the Hebrew relates all these concepts in Genesis 1:5 – the Day, the Word of God, the Light, the Night, the flowing of water, the description of Lucifer as the Morning or Day Star, and the Holy Spirit – we must consider this scripture:

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

(2 Peter 1:19-21/NKJV)

The Apostle Peter connects all the spiritual dots for us in his second Epistle. First, it speaks of the prophetic Word, the flowing Torah. Then he refers to it as the Light that shines in the Darkness. Then the Darkness is transformed by reflecting the Light, so the Day Dawns, the rising Morning Star. Then it speaks of the Scripture (back to Torah, the Light) given not by man, but those moved of the Holy Spirit.

Now you may be thinking, “Wait a minute! What does Lucifer, the Morning Star, have to do with dawning in our hearts? You must be mistaken. Satan is not supposed to arise in my heart. Isn’t the Morning Star supposed to be Christ?” Yes absolutely! But what made the Night, Earth, Waters, Chaos, Emptiness, Abyss, and the Desire to Receive, into the same spiritual quality as the Source? The Day! The Light! What made Lucifer “the rising Morning Star” was the Light. However, when he stopped reflecting the Light, he then became Darkness with all the destructive aspects mentioned earlier. He became the opposite nature and quality of God, which can also be called Satan, the Adversary. The dynamic of Genesis and the Epistle of Second Peter, describes to us the Divine Intention. Now you and I are to reflect the Day, the Light! When we do that, Christ’s reflection arises in our hearts and we become the Light, the Dawn and the Morning Star giving Light to the World!

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

(Matthew 5:14-16/NKJV)

In the eternal realm of the spirit, where there is no time or distance, there is only ONE DAY. From the Beginning, the Mind of God expanded like a pregnant woman, creating the womb-like void, and within the Creature called “Darkness,” the Desire to Receive. Into the Darkness, God spoke His nature, the Light! He called the Light, Day, the Messiah! The Darkness reflected the Light and it was called Night. As it reflected the Light, the Morning Star, Lucifer, rose in replicating the likeness of the Messiah. Along with the stars, the sparkling hosts of Heaven united together with a reflection of praise in the Light.

Nothing has changed since then. That’s the eternal state. The Light shines and it’s reflected back by Creation. The Light shines in the Darkness and the Darkness reflects the Light. Yet, there is much more to the story. At the highest state of Heaven, for the Limitless One, the end is in the beginning and the beginning in the end (Isaiah 46:10). His intention is the result and the result is the intention. God lives in the culmination and sets in motion what is necessary to cause the culmination to exist. Like twinkling stars, the Heavenly praise is continuous and everlasting. Yet as more are raised in unity, the brighter the Night becomes and turns into Day. As the end is in the beginning, that One Day has come, is here, and is coming…

Focus Points

The latent state of the Will to Receive Pleasure was like a raging monster. Like any desire unmet and unfilled, it became ravenous lust. (…this is the state and description of what we translate “Earth.”) If not filled with Divine Light, the Will to Receive Pleasure is completely the opposite quality: Darkness. It’s a voracious desire seeking fulfillment.

The Light IS the (mashiyach) Messiah, Christ! …Christ is the personification of the union of the Divine Masculine and Feminine, which we commonly call the Godhead.

In the spiritual world, the expression of your humility determines your spiritual quality. …What you devise in your heart, or “your intention,” is what divides or separates one quality from the other. …in the spiritual world “intention is the deed.”

When the Darkness changes its intention by choice, thus resisting selfish desire and taking on the joy of giving, it takes on a reflective quality and the Light fills it. …it receives and shares the same characteristics of the Light in quality and substance.

…the Darkness, the Desire to Receive, the opposite quality of the nature of God, was now filled with the Light. It was filled because it was reflecting the same nature as the Light by choosing to give. The Darkness is called Night (laiylah)…

When resequenced the letters form a very important name (description): (heyleel). The pronunciation of the word sounds a lot like (halal), which is praise. (heyleel) is the name “Lucifer, Day Star, Morning Star.” Night (laiylah), is Lucifer (heyleel) re-sequenced.

Night, Darkness, Earth, Water, Emptiness, Abyss, and the Desire to Receive Pleasure are all aspects (or sides of the same block) describing the same thing: the essence of the Creature which is called Lucifer.

(yowm) Day is a description of the Light itself. …In the eternal realm of the spirit, where there is no time or distance, there is only ONE DAY.

“I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; And the heavens, they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, And all the hills moved back and forth. I beheld, and indeed there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled. I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were broken down At the presence of the Lord, By His fierce anger.”

(Jeremiah 4:23-26/NKJV)

Looking back at Chapter 5 - In Beginning , the first Chapter of Genesis is much like a table of contents, explaining the One Day in six aspects encompassing the entire Creation, beginning and end. Using the same block logic throughout Scripture, God continues to repeat different aspects of events over and over to expose their different facets. It’s not just to fill in the blanks, but to give us a multi-sided, spherical view. No wonder they say a picture is worth a thousand words. When it comes to Scripture, you could say that Block Logic is worth a thousand pictures.

Consider this: with a picture you see only one two-dimensional plane of a three-dimensional object. If you took a picture of your best friend, you’d probably take a picture from the front, but it doesn’t give a total perspective of the person. It’s only one side. But if you took a picture of your friend, Charlie, from the front, left, right, back, top and bottom, you would have a full six-sided picture of your one friend. Then you put the pictures in one of those plastic cube-frames so you can flip it over and over, getting a view of Charlie from different angles. Yet, because you live in the physical world, even if you had a six-sided picture, you could only see one side at a time. Can you imagine if you placed the cube frame on your desk and only looked at the bottom side? You would think, “What a strange creature. He only has feet.” Then if someone asked you, “Hey, do you know Charlie Cubic?” You might say, “Yeah, I do. He’s a strange creature. He only has feet.” And what if you turned the cube-frame each week and didn’t realized you were seeing different views of the same person? Clearly the top and bottom would look very different. So would the front and back. The only similar views would be the two sides. Then if someone asked you, “Do you know Charlie Cubic?” You might say, “Yeah, I do. He’s a strange creature, only has feet. But I’ve been learning more about him, and I’ve found there are other odd creatures. There’s an opposite of the foot creature, Charlie. It’s the head creature, so I call it the Giant Head. Then there’s a man-like creature that has a face and body. He seems nice. Then there’s a deformed creature that has no face, just hair! Scary! I did find two creatures that look similar to the face creature. They must be related, maybe twins.” We might chuckle at the idea of approaching a cube frame in such a foolish way, but how often do we approach scripture this way?

Scripture communicates in this multidimensional, block logic manner. While scripture takes us on a journey through each side of a description, it assumes we’re putting them together, viewing each side as a collective. This is challenging for us Greco-Roman thinkers, especially if we’re new to utilizing our spiritual senses. We view everything from a “step logic” or linear perspective. We take information and add it like a staircase, one thing building on top of the other in a rational progression. But the Bible can’t be looked at in only that way. It’s a spiritual book, and while it relates to us in a chronological manner, it also has its roots. It has a spiritual perspective which is multifaceted, block logic. Scripture expects to be seen from a “prophetic view,” which gives us the capability to see all sides at the same time. The technical term for the phenomenon when your senses blend together and give you a multi-sensational, 360^0 perspective is “panoscopic-synesthesia[30]”. . Here again, we visit Genesis from another view of the same sphere.

Part 1: Genesis Revisited

Jeremiah 4:23-26 is almost identical to Genesis 1:2:

(ra-iytiy et ha-arets v'hineeh towhu vabowhu v'et hashamaiym v'eiyn owram) “I saw the Desire to Receive Pleasure (Earth) and behold confusion (a wasteland) and ruin, and toward the Heavens and nothing (no) lights![31]”

Jeremiah’s view expounds on the destructive aspect of the matter. Remember, the Earth (erets), is descriptive of a broken or shattered piece of pottery. The key to the etymology is the Desire to Receive Pleasure. Jeremiah speaks here of the mountains trembling.[32] In Hebraic thought a mountain is the ground rising up, trying to reach the Heavens. By letter definition, it’s the head looking upward. The word trembling is the eyes in the head looking chaotically with the teeth clenched. Think of the emotional portrayal that is being communicated here. The shattered Desire to Receive is stretching and reaching toward the Heavens, searching through the chaos for fulfillment. Then it says that the hills rolled swiftly, like waves of the sea upon themselves.[33] This is another example of the chaos or mayhem the Desire to Receive experiences as it seeks unrequited fulfillment. The scripture tells us there is no “Adam” (more on that later) and no beings in the Heavens (no birds, no stars, which represent the Heavenly Hosts). Everything is a wilderness and all is broken apart. It’s a perfect picture of the empty Desire to Receive with a shattered identity. The result is devastating. It becomes destructive and everything is consumed by its hunger. Here it’s reaching for the Heavens, knowing that is where the ultimate pleasure resides, but it’s not reflecting the Light. It’s an intense selfish desire, craving to fulfill itself alone.

How did this happen? This section of scripture concludes with:

(v'cal araiyv nit'tsu mip'neiy Yahweh mip'neiy charown apow) “...and all (his arrogance) his cities[34] were broken from faces of Yahweh and from faces of his burning breath.”

What brought the destruction? What caused the breaking? Is it what , or is it really who? At first glance it seems to be But earlier Jeremiah says:

“The lion has come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place to make your land desolate. Your cities will be laid waste, without inhabitant.”

(Jeremiah 4:7/NKJV)

We’ve had mountains rising, waves moving to and fro, and a wasteland with no Adam nor hosts in the heavens. All is truly in a state of Darkness. In Jeremiah 4:7, we have a lion rising, the destroyer, to make (erets) the Earth (the shattered, Desire to Receive), (l’shamah), which we translate a desolation. In Chapter 6 - Part 2: The Heaven of Giving , we looked at the word family of (hashamayim), Heavens. From there, we discovered that the words breath and spiritual essence (or name) are all connected. This word, desolation, (l’shamah), is part of the very same family. It’s not simply an issue of being desolate, but literally a hot wind blowing over the land causing the desolation. This is the lion, a hot breath, which arrives and brings barrenness. Consider again the picture of an earth which is totally parched and dehydrated. It now consumes the rain and gives nothing in return. In other words, the Desire to Receive is completely empty and void of produce. It’s in a state of total ingestion. There is no desire to give, only to receive for itself. It’s a complete wasteland.

Part 2: The Anger of the Lord

This hot, burning wind has several descriptions in Hebrew. In Jeremiah, the burning breath is commonly translated, “His fierce anger.” This is the state of the Desire to Receive, craving to consume the Light and not reflect it. At the same time, this description applies to a destructive lion. Psalms reveals that the lion goes hand in glove with such arrogance:

“They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance. They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground. They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a great lion crouching in cover.”

(Psalms 17:10-12/NIV)

We see this same description for “sin” in Genesis, when Cain became angry that his offering wasn’t accepted.

“And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches[35] at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

(Genesis 4:6-7/AMP)

Lion, Arrogance, Sin, Destruction, Hot Burning Wind or His Fierce Anger, these are all sides of the same block. They are all faces of the same creature . One of the more common scriptural phrases in reference to this is “the anger of the Lord was kindled.” The first time it appears is during the discourse between an angel of the Lord and Moses at the burning bush.

“So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: ‘Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.’” (Exodus 4:14/NKJV)

The word anger in Exodus is the same as hot breath in Jeremiah. Added to that phrase is (vayichar-aph) “…and (ignited) glowed hot the breath.” In other words, it was fired up, or began to rise up (like a mountain). This phrase is repeated over and over in the Old Testament and is regularly connected to some form of self-centered desire. In Moses’s case it was his self-consciousness over his lack of eloquence. What a situation! The God of the Universe is speaking through an angel in a burning bush and all he can think about is his inabilities? Really? To modern Christendom, the encounter would be enough to start a television program called “Fireside,” along with the 10 x 17 framed autographed 3D photo you can purchase with a $250 donation, a twelve month subscription to the “Aflame” newsletter, and for an additional $20 the instructional book, How to Find Your Burning Bush . Of course, depending on the motivation, starting all this can be just as self-centered as denying the Lord’s initial invitation, just like Moses.

Many times we view “the anger of the Lord was kindled” as God’s response against rebellion or disobeying a commandment. But that’s not the case. If we look at Cain’s story, when he gave his offering there was no code of obedience, no law, no commandment, no external criteria about how to offer what he had. He simply brought the fruit of what he received. Remember, this all comes down to one’s spiritual quality: Light or Dark, Day or Night, the Desire Give or the Desire to Receive. It’s erroneous to think the problem was that Abel gave a lamb and Cain gave only vegetables. The issue was never about “the thing” they gave, but the attitude in which it was given. Later in the Old Testament, vegetation is clearly an acceptable offering (Leviticus 6:14).

In the case of Cain, it all had to do with his heart. Was he reflecting the Light he received? His offering only brought to the forefront what was already within him. In spite of this, the love and grace of God (the Light) reached out to Cain and tried to encourage him to adjust his heart and avoid what could befall him. The real issue was that Cain envied his younger brother. (We see this repeated with Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Joseph and his eleven brothers, all in the book of Genesis.) The moment God didn’t recognize Cain’s offering, He requested an attitude change. When He did, Cain’s inner state came to the surface: anger. God didn’t recognize the offering because there was no reflection of Himself in it. God didn’t recognize a faithless, angry heart. Nevertheless, God desired Cain to attain resemblance and pointed out his issue. Being self-centered, Cain saw it as a comparison between himself and his brother, not the compassion God extended and not an issue of reflection. So Cain took it out on his brother. God’s warning of a lion was clearly attached to Cain’s self-centeredness with all its attributes: envy, anger, murder, etc. God encouraged Cain to rule over his inner state of selfishness, but in the end, Cain murdered his brother. How interesting that after the fall of the Adam, the first attempt at giving and reflecting God-Likeness was met with murder and death.

The Lion, Arrogance, Sin, Anger of the Lord Kindled, and Desolation are all important faces of the same block. But there is one more necessary name before we see the whole block.

“Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah.’”

(2 Samuel 24:1/NKJV)

This is even more telling. The anger of the Lord was aroused (or kindled) and it actually moved or (soot) seduced David to take a census of Israel. The anger of the Lord can seduce? If this was really God, seduction is not part of His character. So who is this “anger of the Lord?” In the depiction of this event in First Chronicles, it reveals “Who,” another side of the same block.

“Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.”

(1 Chronicles 21:1/NKJV)

A face we are most familiar with!

(vaya'amowd saataan al-iys'raeel vayaset et daviyd lim'not et iys'raeel) “And rose up Satan (the Adversary) over Israel (straight to God) and seduced David (Passionate Love) to evaluate Israel.”

Satan or the Adversary is the lion, the anger of the Lord, the hot breath, the desolation and all the other sides of the block. What immediately comes to mind in today’s Christian theology is, “What? Satan is God’s anger? He’s working with God?” Not exactly. That would be a very linear way of looking at it. Let’s take a moment to step back from our Greco-Roman approach to theology and put the scripture within the context and logic in which it was written.

The concept of Satan also being the anger of the Lord is only one side of the same block. Someone who doesn’t possess a panoscopic view of the situation might see it solely as God being angry. On the other hand, you can say it truly is the “god of this age” who became angry (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). First Chronicles tells us that Israel (iys’raeel), which has several words encrypted in it, is the object of evaluation. One of the key phrases within Israel (iys’raeel) is (yashar) which means to go straight and (el) which is strength, or what we commonly translate God. Remember in Hebrew the word God is not used the same way it is in the Western world. Like the word (elohyim) the Powers, (el) is Strength, accordingly, the Strong One. Thus (iys'raeel) means “to go straight to the Strong One.” A more modern paraphrase would be, straight to God. The word (iys'raeel) is more than just a new name for Jacob[36] or a nation of people. It’s a description of one who goes straight to God with no detours. This indicates a way of life. John the Baptist expounded this point when He said, “Make His paths straight!” (Matthew 3:3)

First Chronicles is telling us that Satan, the Adversary, seduced “Passionate Love” (David) who would normally go straight to the Strong One (God), to evaluate whether or not this was the path he should go. On the surface, David was numbering Israel to measure his military strength. But the deeper meaning is that, by numbering his military to get an account of his strength, he wasn’t putting his trust in the Strong One.

Let’s fast-forward and look at what many call the “Temptation of the Woman” taken from Genesis Chapter 3. To summarize, the Serpent asks the Woman if she can eat from all the trees in the garden. Her response is, “No, we can eat from all but one.” Then the Serpent declares, “That’s because God knows if you eat from the forbidden tree you will be like God.” One of the most important aspects of this temptation is that the woman was already in the image of God, but the Serpent got her to see things differently. In effect, she thought, “If my purpose is to be like God and I haven’t yet eaten of this tree, am I lacking an aspect of my identity?” By reaching out to the tree, she actually took ownership of the delusion that she wasn’t in the image of God. The product of this delusion was living life as a fallacy. She now chases a path that no longer goes straight to God, but attempts to reach the same goal by a different, never-ending way. This is exactly what David did. Rather than realizing he was strong in the Lord, he was seduced into finding the strength of his identity in the numbers of his military. It’s simply another face of the same creature.

The Adversary, Satan, is the Lion, the Anger of the Lord, Sin, Arrogance, Desolation, the Hot Burning Breath, the Desire to Receive for the Self Alone, the Wasteland and Darkness are all the same Creature. If the Night at one point was glittering with stars reflecting the Light, then how did it go from Night to total Darkness? From reflection to desolation?

Part 3: “I Will Be Like God”

We’ve found that the word Night in Hebrew has within it both the words praise and Lucifer. In the book of Ezekiel, we see yet another face of the same creature in the Genesis story:

“Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: ‘You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.’”

(Ezekiel 28:11-15/NKJV)

In this scripture Ezekiel is told to take up a lamentation for the King of Tyre or (melek tsor) “King Press.” The press described here is that of pressure created by tightness. Many times it’s translated enemy[37] or adversity. Satan is adversity to the nature of God, and this is what it does. Like a snake, it tightens around you and creates pressure. David was seduced. One of the greatest seductions we fall prey to is not the sexy guy or girl, nor the 50% off sale, or even a large amount of money. It’s often much simpler than that. Merely put us into a tight place, let us feel the serpent-like squeeze of a situation’s grip, and we can be seduced to do anything to relieve the pressure.

The description of this enemy-pressure is first said to have been the seal of perfection, full of wisdom, and (uch’liyl yophiy) “fully bright.” At one point this creature was fully bright. Again, the scripture is consistent. At one point, he was reflecting the Light. He was in Eden, God’s Garden, and was covered with a rainbow of precious stones, again another indication of reflection. Sapphires, rubies, diamonds, and all gems, are beautiful because they reflect light. This creature glistened brightly with many colors, reflecting all the facets of the Light. It adds

(m'lechet tupeiykah uwn'kaveiykah baak b'yowm hibara'akah conanu) “...ministry of your drums and your pipes in you in the day of your creation we established.”

This is an indication of the praise connection built within this creature. The description points to the total reflection of the Light in both sight and sound. This is an excellent definition of the phrase “Hallelujah!”

He’s then called something that is quite unique, (aat c'ruwv mimshach hasocheek) “You are a cherub anointed to cover (protect)...” This creature’s responsibility was to cover a very special place in Eden. He’s actually designated anointed, something that’s unique to a king.[38] This is why he was given “Ministry” (m'lechet), which is a derivative of three words king, kingdom, and angel.[39] We discovered previously that the Light is none other than the (mashiyach) Messiah. This creature is called the (mimshach) anointed. This is the noun form of the verb (mashiyach) Messiah. It makes total sense, as creature is a reflection of the Light in both sight and sound. He’s anointed, or messianic, because he reflects the Source, the Messiah Himself. No wonder this creature gets the same description as the Messiah in Isaiah and in the Epistle of Peter, “Son of the Morning, Day Star, and Morning Star.”

He was complete from the day of his creation (ad-nimtsa av'latah baak) “...until there appeared a distortion (iniquity) in you.” A distortion? In the traditional English Bible, the translation is iniquity . Iniquity is often mistaken for another word, transgression . To transgress means to break the law. Iniquity, on the other hand, is that part of us that motivates us to transgress. In other words, it’s our INTENTION! Now we’re right back where we started. To become a reflection of God, we must divide the Light from the Darkness. In other words, place a quality in the path of the Light so it can be reflected. The deciding factor of one’s spiritual quality is not in the deed, but the intention. Our intention is the point of reflection or its absence. The Apostle Paul said,

“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”

(1 Corinthians 13:3/NKJV)

The outward expression of what appears holy or good has nothing to do with our spiritual quality. Either we’re reflecting the Light, being Christ-like as a result of our intentions, or, even though we appear to be doing all the right things, we’re living in Darkness, also because of our intentions.

The passage in Ezekiel concludes with the Lord saying that this creature has been thrown down from God’s mountain into destruction. In other words, the creature, because he no longer reflected the Source, fell into destruction. He fell away from the Morning Star, and into the void of Darkness.

This brings us to the fulcrum of the fall of Lucifer and where the story really begins.

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’”

(Isaiah 14:12-14/NKJV)

When we looked at the first sentence of this scripture, we found that the Darkness, when reflecting the Light, was called Night, which is a play on the words Lucifer and praise . When the Desire to Receive’s intention is to Give, it becomes like the Source. In receiving and giving, the Light comes and is reflected, filling the Creature and all Creation. However, we must remember that, in its root, the Desire to Receive Pleasure is the “opposite” spiritual quality of the Christ, the Light. With its Desire to Receive, it was given a Will to Choose, giving it the status of a living being. By choosing to reflect the Light, which includes the facets of Life and Love, it takes on His very Image.

But something dramatic happens in these verses. Lucifer says five times, “I will ascend... I will exalt... I will also sit... I will ascend above... I will be like the Most High!” This is not a choice of becoming through reflection. It’s the decision to become by taking! It’s a choice to receive for itself only. It’s self-centered and selfish. It’s the desire to be like, without the transformation of the intention. It has nothing to do with the Giver, but its own taking. Rather than Likeness through reflection, it’s the selfish desire of Likeness through replacing! This is the dangerous substance from which the Lion, Arrogance, Darkness, Desolation, Wasteland, the Adversary, Sin, Satan and the Anger of the Lord, is made.

All these faces are one Creature, one Creation. Isaiah shows us the state of affairs. The Creature isn’t reflecting anything. So if we called this Creature by a name that encapsulated everything in our modern vernacular, what would we call it? Many in the religious world call it “sin” which is technically correct. But most (including the Levitical priesthood) define sin based on breaking laws and commandments, and bad behavior. No, we’re speaking of the spiritual quality of sin. So what is it? Lucifer reveals it to us in two simple words, “I WILL.” You can condense it even further to a one-letter word, “I.” The best word in our modern vocabulary to describe this Creature is EGO.[40] It’s all about me! What I want! My gratification! Me being the center of the universe! Think how it permeates all of fallen Creation. Every war, every divorce, every fight over the budget, every instance of pornography, every corporate take-over, every animal or human that devours another, every aspect of survival of the fittest is about this nature of Darkness called Ego.

The Apostle Peter said,

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about your dev ut like a roaring lion, seeking whom roaring lio m he may devour."

(1 Peter 5:6-8/NKJV)

All the key phrases are in Peter’s writing: adversary, devil, roaring, lion, devour. It’s all there. It all describes the nature of Darkness, the nature of Satan, which is nothing more than the Ego. While it seems so simple when it appears to be one small three-letter word, “Ego”, or even one-letter “I”. Yet it’s what makes Satan, Satan, and the Serpent, the Serpent. When I reflect Christ, I am merged with Him and I reveal Christ-likeness. But when I am egotistical, self-centered, and selfish, I replicate Satan, the Adversary of God. The traits of this Creature permeate all of us. We’ll roar, we’ll devour, we’ll be arrogant, and we’ll please ourselves at the expense of others. We’ll be a lion seeking someone to devour so we can feel superior, and we’ll be contrary just to be different. We’ll even present ourselves as the anger of the Lord, correcting others with scripture, religion, and a misuse of God’s authority.

You may say, “Yeah, but I’m saved! I received Christ twenty years ago. I’ve been washed by the blood. I’ve been filled with the Spirit. I’m called to the ministry. I even pastor a successful church.” Exactly, all things that Christ has done for us and freely gives to us. But that doesn’t mean we are reflecting His nature back; all it means is I have learned to use what He has given me. Receiver beware!

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out demons? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.[41]”

(Matthew 7:22-23/WEB)

The key is what’s being reflecting back to the Source, not our outward behavior. Of course, one affects the other, but ultimately from appearances we’ll never know. It’s not about getting a heavenly plane ticket so we can go to Heaven when we die. It’s definitely not about acquiring Hell-fire or rapture insurance! Actually if you think about it, when we die it only reveals where we have been residing. Yes, Christ has saved us through His bestowal of grace. Yes, we are seated in the heavenlies with Christ right now (Ephesians 2:6). But just because we are spiritually seated by His work, does not mean we are revealing His Likeness through our intentions. He sees our intentions, not our external acts. This is the difference between walking by faith, and a life of works. Yet humanity sees our acts, not our intentions. But this is not about just “being saved.” This is about living in Christ-Likeness, or to put it another way, manifesting the Kingdom. To truly reveal Christ, our acts and intentions need to be congruent. While we may fail in our actions, our intention (faith) in Christ will never fail, because it’s based on what He has done. If we act appropriately, but our intentions (faith) are based in fame, recognition, or self-approval, then we’re not manifesting being seated in Christ and there is no reflection.

Understanding the depths of this spiritual reality is to realize that fallen Lucifer, the Lion, Arrogance, Desolation, Satan, Sin, and the Ego, is known by one persona that transcends all the others: the Serpent. The Serpent is the Darkness. In the same way that Day One is followed by all six other aspects of that day, the Serpent has many faces. Resembling the Masculine and Feminine traits of God united, the Light (the Christ), there’s a united root that brings forth the Serpent as well. This root is known as “the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” As the Masculine and Feminine traits of God manifested the Light (Christ), so the does the knowledge of “Good” and “Evil” together manifest a third, the Serpent (Ego).

So we must ask ourselves, “If we know that the man and woman partaking of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden caused the fall and brought Death to all, then why do we believe knowing good and evil and preaching about it will bring LIFE?” It won’t! Never has, never will!

Focus Points

…the Earth (erets), is descriptive of a broken or shattered piece of pottery. The key to the etymology is the Desire to Receive Pleasure. … The shattered Desire to Receive is stretching and reaching toward the Heavens, searching through the chaos for fulfillment. … It becomes destructive and everything is consumed by its hunger. … It’s an intense selfish desire, craving to fulfill itself alone.

…the lion, a hot breath, which arrives and brings barrenness. There is no desire to give, only to receive for itself. It’s a complete wasteland.

The Adversary, Satan, is the Lion, the Anger of the Lord, Sin, Arrogance, Desolation, the Hot Burning Breath, the Desire to Receive for the Self Alone, the Wasteland and Darkness are all the same Creature.

The deciding factor of one’s spiritual quality is not in the deed, but the intention. Our intention is the point of reflection or its absence.

Lucifer says five times, “I will ascend... I will exalt... I will also sit... I will ascend above... I will be like the Most High!” This is not a choice of becoming through reflection. It’s the decision to become by taking! It’s a choice to receive for itself only.

…we’re speaking of the spiritual quality of sin. … Lucifer reveals it to us in two simple words, “I WILL.” … The best word in our modern vocabulary to describe this Creature is EGO. …it’s what makes Satan, Satan, and the Serpent, the Serpent.

When I reflect Christ, I am merged with Him and I reveal Christ-likeness. But when I am egotistical, self-centered, and selfish, I replicate Satan, the Adversary of God.

…just because we are spiritually seated by His work, does not mean we are revealing His Likeness through our intentions. He sees our intentions, not our external acts. This is the difference between walking by faith, and a life of works.

…fallen Lucifer, the Lion, Arrogance, Desolation, Satan, Sin, and the Ego, is known by one persona that transcends all the others: the Serpent. The Serpent is the Darkness.

As the Masculine and Feminine traits of God manifested the Light (Christ), so the does the knowledge of “Good” and “Evil” together manifest a third, the Serpent (Ego).

Previously we found that God keeps telling the same story over and over to show us the different sides or the multiple faces of Himself and His Creation. We have observed the contrasts: Spirit and Abyss, Light and Darkness, Day and Night, Heaven and Earth, Desire to Give and Desire to Receive, the Messiah and Lucifer, along with many other expressions. After taking a good look at Lucifer and his faces, we can’t move on to speak of who we are (the Adam), without returning to the root from which all these faces come.

“The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

(Genesis 2:8-9/NKJV)

This eternal existence called “Eden” contains within it a spiritual condition or “status” called the Garden. It might sound like a strange way to describe what the Garden of Eden is, but it’s a more accurate way of presenting it so we can grasp the spiritual perspective. We usually think of it as a nice, plush, Taj Mahal type palace-paradise, or a pleasant, grassy field with flowers and a naked man and woman prancing around. Yet, after all we’ve discussed regarding the Light (Christ, the Desire to Give) and the Darkness (the Creature, the Desire to Receive Pleasure), we can see it’s not a coincidence this eternal existence is called Eden (eeden), which means, Pleasure. The entire purpose of it all, regardless of what sides (or faces) we see, or what manifestation is apparent, the endgame is God blessing His Creation with an abundance of pleasure. Even by letter definition (eeden) is very telling. (ayin) represents the eyes. The (dalet) is the door and a humble man bowed over. Then there’s the final (nun),[42] which is the seed and throne of the Messiah. Combining the letters we have a description of the eyes in humility open like a door beholding the perpetual seed, the Messiah’s throne . It’s a description of bathing in and reflecting the Light of Christ forever. If that’s not Paradise, what is?!

Within this eternal existence of (eeden) Pleasure, is a designation called “the Garden”. Again, in Hebrew the word is quite telling. Garden (gan) in simple terms means fenced. But the letters tell us more. (gimmel) is a foot, meaning to walk. The word (gimmel) comes from the word (gamal), which means camel, thus the walking. It also means how one is treated positively or negatively . Once again, as in the word Eden (eeden), we have the final (nun), which is the seed and throne of Messiah. When put together they are the gathering point, positively or negativity of how one interacts with the seed, the throne of Messiah. In other words, while Eden is the radiance of the Throne, the Garden is the state where Creation can receive the eternal Seed and choose to reflect the Messiah. It is the central place where everything pivots.

The scripture tells us that in the center of this Garden are two Trees. One is the Tree of Life and the other, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They are called Trees because of what a tree represents as a branch in the physical world, and how that relates to the spiritual root. In Hebraic thinking “tree” is (eets), it’s a root word from which comes (oots) meaning counsel or plan. Another significant aspect is when (eets) appears in the feminine (atsah), it means to shut (or blink) the eyes. Consider then the trees:

“This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations.”

(Isaiah 14:26/NIV)

“He who shuts his eyes to devise perverse things and who compresses his lips [as if in concealment] brings evil to pass.”

(Proverbs 16:30/AMP)

Hence, the trees in the center of the Garden are telling us several things. The most important is, “If you open your eyes to one, you shut your eyes to the other.” You cannot partake of both trees at the same time. It’s either one or the other, never both. This is why Jesus says,

“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other...”

(Luke 16:13/NKJV)

As for the concept of shutting the eyes, once you’ve partaken of a particular tree, all the plans and counsel you devise comes from that root. Jesus tells us,

“For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

(Luke 6:44-45/NKJV)

Once again, we are given a dichotomy, like Light and Darkness and the Heavens and the Earth, we now have two trees. In the beginning we explored how withdrew His infinite Light and as a result created the opposite quality, the Will to Receive. Similarly, the two trees didn’t just appear in the midst of the Garden as contrary realities. Rather, there were events that created the contrast. Like all the scriptures in the previous chapter that discussed the faces of Lucifer, we again have a tree given the privilege to reflect by choice. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is another face of Lucifer. Nevertheless, we learned from the previous faces the choice is always the same. Here the tree that was intended to reflect Life, became Death by its own choice. Note the following verse:

“but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

(Genesis 2:17/NKJV)

How did this happen? How could what’s intended to bear Life, produce death? How can a tree choose? From a spiritual point of view, nothing in God’s creation is inanimate. Creation is a Creature!

“...‘Whom are you like in your greatness? Indeed Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with fine branches that shaded the forest, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs. ... I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches, so that all the trees of Eden envied it, that were in the garden of God.’ Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have increased in height, and it set its top among the thick boughs, and its heart was lifted up in its height, therefore I will deliver it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations, and he shall surely deal with it; I have driven it out for its wickedness.’”

(Ezekiel 31:2-3; 9-12/NKJV)

This tree was given the privilege of reflecting the greatest of all in the Garden of God. But then “...its heart was lifted up in its height...” This is yet another telling of Isaiah’s “Day Star” and Ezekiel’s “Anointed Cherub.” In one, the Day Star chose selfish desire and lifted himself up, which actually brought him to Sheol. The other was the Anointed Cherub, in whom distortion was found, causing him to lose the privilege to walk in the fires of Eden. Here we have a Tree, in whom at one time all the heavenly birds made their homes, now filled with Ego, the result of which is Death.

In Hebraic thought, trees are symbols and metaphors of people, living beings with complex systems of life. For example:

“And do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

(Matthew 3:9-10/NKJV)

“So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, ‘I see men like trees, walking.’”

(Mark 8:23-24/NKJV)

“He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

(Psalms 1:3/NKJV)

“To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

(Isaiah 61:3/NKJV)

We must remember that the scripture said all the trees of the Garden were pleasant to the eyes and good for food. “The Adam” was told they could eat freely of them all, except for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:9, 16).

The ultimate product of a tree is its fruit. Think of what this all means. A tree is a living, moving creature, though it seems to stand stationary. But it’s actually a complex system of life in which many things occur. Its most noticeable part besides its leaves, is the trunk. The trunk stands upon its roots and upholds the branches with all its fruit and foliage. If you were to take apart the trunk, you would find a major micro-vascular system, something like our circulatory system. Water and minerals are carried from the roots through the trunk and branches and delivered to the leaves and fruit. Photosynthesis takes place as it bathes in the sun. Through the leaves, the tree absorbs carbon dioxide (as well as some other harmful gases) and releases oxygen. Through this process, glucose is manufactured, feeding the tree and aiding in the production of fruit. The glucose also travels down the trunk to feed the roots. What’s interesting about a tree is that, when it’s healthy, it has transforming power. It takes the carbon dioxide, which is deadly to humans, and transforms it into oxygen, which gives life. The creation of fruit is so the tree can reproduce itself. Whether apple, pear, orange, or some other produce, seeds are formed within them. Within each seed is all the genetic programming necessary to create a replica of the entire tree. The intention of the fruit is to carry the seeds for planting, usually by being eaten and transported by the carrier. In Genesis a principle is established that tells us this.

“And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ... And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.’”

(Genesis 1:12, 29/NKJV)

Trees bear fruit after their own species and the seed within the fruit creates replicas of their likeness. The purpose of God telling the Adam to eat of all the trees in the Garden was so he’d become their likeness. Considering everything in the Garden was an emanation of the Creator, by eating of all the trees, especially the Tree of Life, the Adam would emanate the fullness of God. The only concern was the distorted tree also in the midst of the Garden. However, this tree’s transforming power had the opposite effect. It took Life and brought Death. Unfortunately, the principle of eating and becoming its likeness would also apply; which is exactly what happened.

Part 1: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

In the moment when the Serpent tempted the woman and she partook of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the most profound truth was revealed regarding the fallen condition of human existence.

“Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”

(Genesis 3:4-5/NKJV)

The Serpent begins by contradicting God’s explanation of what would happen if the Adam ate from the tree. The Serpent said that if they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you will not die. Many of us have defined spiritual death as “separation from God.” But how is one really separated from a Being in whose Mind they exist? How is one separated from an omnipresent, limitless Being? Even David says in his Psalm,

“...If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.”

(Psalms 139:8/NKJV)

If separation is what really happened, then the rest of the story would be elementary, but that’s not the case. If we consider that the word tree embraces the shutting of the eyes from one to the other, then separation has nothing to do with time or distance, and everything to do with awareness. Hence, if we partake of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, we shut our eyes to the Tree of Life. In other words, we are no longer aware of its existence. It’s not that the Tree of Life or are somewhere far away, separating us by some grand distance. It’s much more profound. We’re completely unaware the Tree of Life or exists, even though it’s directly before and around us. The consequence of eating this fruit is an illusion we call separation. Again, this state has nothing to do with living far away from God, or that an event took place in the remote past that separated us through time. It’s because our senses are shut down and unable to sense God.

In a way, God is like a radio or television transmission. Radio and television waves are being transmitted right now. They’re all around us, they even go through us, yet we’re totally unaware of their existence because we can’t sense them. Your favorite song or television show may be transmitting right now, but you’d never know it unless you turned on the appropriate receiver. What if a radio or television were part of your corporeal makeup? Like a sixth sense. Right there among tasting, smelling and touching, you would be able to watch and hear any broadcast just by dialing in your sensors. You could be eating breakfast and watching the traffic report in your mind before ever getting into the car. But then, what if that sense stopped functioning? You would be just as you are today. You would need some kind of apparatus to help you perceive. That’s in effect what the Bible is. It’s the record of those who had their sensors reactivated and the transcript of their reception of the Heavenly broadcast. This is not applicable to just anyone that hears from the spiritual world and is transmitting what they hear. This is about recalibrating our sensors and dialing in to perceive the Source of Life. The writers of the Bible reported stories, events and sayings, but, if our heart desires to pursue God in humility, the biblical transcript has encrypted within it the ability to help repair and reprogram our receiver and aid in our ability to perceive God.

Let’s follow this thought so we can truly grasp what happened in the Garden. Consider what kind of existence you would have if you lacked any of the five senses. If you couldn’t perceive physical reality through sight, smell, touch, taste or hearing, how would you know if those aspects of reality were there? What’s reality anyway? What if somehow you were in the middle of the street without your five senses and you were struck by a large truck? How would you know you were hit? You wouldn’t! You didn’t see it, you didn’t hear it, and you definitely didn’t feel it. To you, the entire event never occurred. Why? Because reality is actually a figment of the imagination. It’s how you imagine, or interpret, what your fives sensors are telling you. In one respect, the only reason we perceive the physical world is because we sense it. If you didn’t have functional sensors, and never sensed the moment the truck struck you, you could have been imagining you were on the beach on the Riviera sipping iced tea. You’d be completely oblivious to what happened in the physical realm. If you didn’t sense it, it never existed or occurred. In the same way, when we partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, we shut down our sensors of God (the Tree of Life) and that entire existence. Our awareness is barren of Divine Life.

If you partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and then were able stand aside for a moment and look at yourself from the perspective of the Tree of Life, what would you see? Let’s pretend you’re the Tree of Life for a moment watching the woman in the Garden partake of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. How does she appear as you watch her entire sensory system of your existence shut down? Her eyes close as if in sleep and she falls lifeless to the ground. Sound familiar? Needless to say, it would take a lot more to get her attention than shouting, “Wake up!” In her state, her eyes can’t see, nor her ears hear; she’s incapable of sensing you in the realm of Life. Her reality is in motionless, lifeless sleep. She is unconscious of you. In one respect, she’s aware or knowing, but no longer of the fullness of reality. To you and your realm, she’s dead. She’s in a “Death Sleep.”

Sound familiar yet? Eyes closed, senses dormant, slumbering in a spiritual paralysis from Life. Think of all the fables and mythologies that have been written about a woman in a death sleep: Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Brünnhilde, to mention a few. No wonder God said that the day you eat of it, you will (mimenuw mowt tamuwt) “...from hence dying you die.” This “death” has nothing to do with physically ceasing to exist. It’s about being dead in the ability to sense God. The Apostle Paul used this analogy in the reverse in regard to us embracing Life through Christ and shutting our eyes to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

“...far be it from me to be glorying except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom to me the world stands crucified and I to the world.”

(Galatians 6:11/Wuest)

Can you picture it? Humanity, like Snow White, trapped in a death sleep. In such a slumber we dream of a world where we can see, hear, touch, taste and smell, yet remain oblivious to the Ultimate Reality. Some think we live many lives. We imagine being an ancient king or queen in one life, a great hero in another, and a poor person begging for food in yet another. Whether in one life or many, we’re unaware of the real eternal world.

“Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.’”

(Ephesians 5:14/NKJV)

Part 2: Original Sin

How does the Death Sleep occur? It occurs by the simplest of selfish desires, “In the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” This is the original sin. While many have theorized what the fall of the Adam may have been, it wasn’t merely disobeying God, nor eating some poisonous fruit. It definitely wasn’t engaging in sexual intercourse as some have said. There’s a long explanation for that, but it would require different bodies than they had.[43] Lastly, some have said their sin was pride. While pride may be the closest on this brief list, it’s something more. It’s the delusion that if I know good and evil, I will be like God. It’s the notion that by “the knowing” of good and evil, I will be like God. Or its reciprocal form, “Because I know and determine what’s right and wrong, there is no need for God.” The eventual product, is that we really can’t sense God or Divine Life and at best have a faint memory of such things. We dream that we are god of our world, determining for ourselves what is right and wrong. It’s like after eating a piece of bad fruit before going to bed. All night long, with an unsettled stomach, we experience flashes of what we experienced the previous day and dream aberrations of them.

From the first moment the Adam ate of the tree till now, humanity, and especially the religious, believe that if we know good from evil we will somehow attain godliness. It seems to make good sense, doesn’t it? The more I know good from evil, the more I can abstain from what’s wrong and acquire what’s right. The more I know and do good things, the more I resemble who I think is God. The less evil I do, the less I resemble what I think is the Serpent, the Devil or what evil is. Really? Think again. It’s within those very ideas that the Serpent’s mission is accomplished. Thinking such keeps us trapped in the Death Sleep, dreaming illusions of attaining godliness through the knowing of good and evil. When that’s our focus, we can read the Bible, be gifted prophetically, heal the sick and so on, while completely misconstruing what’s happening. Our biblical interpretation becomes about right and wrong and our gifting is seen as something we’ve attained because of some form of right living.

This is why the Law and the Levitical priesthood sit on such dangerous ground. This is why the Law is called “the ministry of Death,” because its source is cut from the same Tree, the Tree of Death, or the Knowledge of Good and Evil:

“...but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?”

(2 Corinthians 3:5-9/NKJV)

Right, wrong, good, evil, moral and immoral are all attributes of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, putting humanity in the Death Sleep. There we dream of attaining the status of God and all the while true Godlikeness is concealed from us in plain sight. This is the real magic, the real enchantment, the real deception. The Ego, the Serpent[44] along with its dwelling, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, is the most powerful magic in which humanity is imprisoned. It transforms reality into an illusion with a chimera of existence, void of all that is Divine. It fashions the forces of a false magic, made up of warlocks and witches, demons and goblins, cults and the occult. It’s enforced by the religious who point a finger and say such things are “wrong” and “evil” so we shouldn’t do them. While one calls the religious ignorant and the other calls the occultist demonic, the real magic tightens its grip. In their unwitting vanity they strengthen the real enchanting spell of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Then the secular delusion clangs its knowledge, “See how foolish the religious and the mystical are! They can’t cope with reality, so they make up delusions of God and demons.” Meanwhile, all are gasping for the breath of Life as they remain in a spiritual coma.

This is the real Darkness, the egoistic fantasy brought about by “Original Sin”: the knowing of good and evil. It’s the assumption that knowing makes us better people. It’s the outlook that knowing sets us on a path to Godlikeness. To the contrary, such a knowing triggers all that’s opposite, activating Death in every respect. To the Tree of Life, such a person exists in a state of oblivion. Remember, it’s not that the Tree of Life, God’s Throne, and the Waters of Light aren’t before us! They are right in front of us and They surround us! But They’re concealed from us, because we can no longer sense Them. Thus we live in a stasis called the Death Sleep. In such oblivion, we dream narcissistic hallucinations, imagining a consciousness called “the world we live in.” In true reality, the Tree of Life resides closer than our own breath. The problem is, we aren’t breathing real Life’s breath. We just imagine we are.

Part 3: Thrones of Life and Death

Both trees have similarities in their scriptural explanations. One of the more significant is that both have thrones.

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, bright as crystal, going forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb: in the midst of its broad place, and of the river on this side and on that, [is] a tree of life, yielding twelve fruits, in each several month rendering its fruits, and the leaves of the tree [are] for the service of the nations; and any curse there shall not be any more, and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him,”

(Revelation 22:1-3/YLT)

In resemblance to the way Ezekiel explains his heavenly vision using counterparts of the physical world, the wheel within a wheel and eyes all over (Ezekiel 10:9-12), here the Apostle John is faced with the same daunting task. The scripture first describes the Throne of God and the Lamb having the water of Life, bright as crystal issuing from it. It’s as if the Light supplied from the Throne is like liquid-Light. He then describes the Tree of Life straddling the river. In other words, this liquid-Light force is what feeds the roots of the Tree of Life. Then it states the produce of the Tree is healing for all the nations. Within the description the number twelve is mentioned, which is a biblical reference to government. Putting this together, the Tree of Life is rooted in the Infinite Source of Life, from which issues a benevolent government, a reign sustaining the vitality and fulfillment of Creation.

“and they shall see His face, and His name [is] upon their foreheads, and night shall not be there, and they have no need of a lamp and light of a sun, because the Lord God doth give them light, and they shall reign — to the ages of the ages.”

(Revelation 22:4-5/YLT)

Consistent with everything we’ve spoken about, we find that as we behold this multifaceted reality of Life, we behold God’s Face. In the beholding, His Name (His Essence) appears upon our foreheads. In other words, we are in a state of reflection: Likeness. In this state we are “One.” Remember, when Christ came in our form, in the form we call “a man,” He came in a manner we could comprehend. He came in the form of a “Fallen Man.” In Revelation, we are in our true intended form. We are in the form of God, and we reflect Him. The paradox is in the question, “Is the reflection God or not?” The answer, “Of course its God, you can’t have a reflection without the Source!” You may say, “Yes, but that’s just the mirror!” But no! The mirror by itself is not the reflection. The mirror can’t generate a reflection on its own, not even from memory. It can only reflect what’s there. In other words, while the mirror is required for the reflection, the object reflected is itself the Source; they are one in the same!

The scripture says there’s no night and no need for a physical light, which would only be a faint glow compared to the true illumination that comes from the Son. He is the Light. Here it’s evident everything is connected. All these characteristics make up the whole. Consider the flow: from the Throne, to the waters, to the roots, to the fruits, to the expression reflected on our foreheads. The Source and the Reflection are connected in perfect Oneness.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil also has a throne. Remember what Lucifer said:

“…I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.”

(Isaiah 14:13/NIV)

The Ego desires to take its throne and raise it above all those who reflect the Light and sit in the place of It doesn’t get more graphic than that.

As in the realm of the Tree of Life, the same is true in the world of the Tree of Death. From the throne of Lucifer issues the waters of delusion, providing food from the satanic roots to the thorny fruits of knowing good and evil. This makes a suitable home for the enchanting Serpent, offering a false sense of “godlikeness.” Lucifer, Satan, the Serpent, Death, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil…there is no difference. They are all one. Because of Western mythology, we have a picture of Satan being somewhere outside of us, and in most cases, very far away. Some believe Satan lives in Hell, imagining the fiery caverns of the underworld somewhere near the earth’s core. Though some in the religious world claim that our perception of Satan has evolved from the primitive horned creature with a pitchfork and pointed tail, we still need to think further. We still use phrases like, “Oh, that’s the devil!” Or, “You are going to go to Hell where the devil lives.” Or, “You don’t want to open the door to the devil and let him in.” The devil appears external in most people’s thinking. Why? Because our Ego tells us the devil is separate from us. “Of course the devil is external. He couldn’t be in me. I’m good! I’m Christian!” Really? Can you imagine? Our egos, the very essence that makes Satan who he is, tells us the Devil is separate from us? What a delusion! And the dreamy narcissistic world of our imagination lives on.

It’s like Satan is the water and we are the fish within the water. Fish are unaware of the water they live in. It’s their atmosphere, their environment and milieu. The same is true with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It’s the daydream we live in.

“Wait a minute! Are you saying Christians can be demon possessed?” This is not about demonic possession. This is about the realm we live in, or better said, have fallen asleep in and are dreaming our perceived reality. Sadly, we confuse (daimonion) demons with (diabolos) devil. Our theology becomes flawed and fragmented, mainly because of Western thinking and biblical translation, in particular the King James Version. For the last half millennia we built our demonology from that point of view. In the King James Bible the word devil is used interchangeably with two Greek words: daimo/nion (daimonion) demons and (diabolos) devil.[45] Spiritually, these are two very different things. (daimonion) Demons are intuitive, base cravings. They are tedious entities or forces that fasten themselves to, and express themselves in, lust, anger, some illnesses and the like. They thrive on our base nature. For example, the scripture speaks of a spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:11), a spirit of an unclean demon (Luke 4:33), a spirit of fear [timidity] (2 Timothy 1:7), and a spirit of divination (Acts 16:16). The last one, divination, means to falsely appear as prophetic. This isn’t any different than any other demonic matter, though it can appear more titillating. If you read the scripture you find the woman who had the demon only spoke what was obvious. The issue was how and why she said it. She really wasn’t foretelling anything. For that matter, in Hebraic thinking, many of us “create” our own demons by the way we think, the words we speak and the deeds we repetitively do.

Demons are like remora fish. They feed off of larger marine animals like sharks, eating parasites from the body and micro-pieces of their host as prey. In other words, demons attach themselves to our fleshly desires and feed off our hurts and dysfunction. Herein is the issue: You can’t tell the difference between the craving and the force. One is a “reflection” of the other. It’s just not any more complicated than that.

The (diabolos) devil is something different and a substantial part of spiritual reality. Literally “devil” speaks of the entire system, even though it’s a living creature. Remember, every created thing is a living creature. Even the rocks can cry out (Luke 19:40). Like a living cell exists in our body, so do we exist in these dark systems. Devil is descriptive of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Egoistic Serpent within it. Satan (the Serpent) is both creature and system. Another way to look at it is that he’s the ocean in which the large fish and the remora live. The one supports the existence of the other.

As we are transformed from our base nature to the Divine nature, demons are cast from us. On a broader scale, we are actually cast out of the devil, changing our perceptive residence from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil to the Tree of Life. It’s like we were translated from salt water to fresh. This is why, though we may be purged from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil with its Serpent and be engrafted in the Tree of Life, we can still contend with base desires and the demonic. It’s not about good and evil, right and wrong. It’s about flesh in contrast to Spirit (Galatians 5:17). As in the remora fish example, it’s as if we were taken from one body of water, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and translated into a completely different one, the Tree of Life. While we may have changed our residence, sometimes the demonic is still attached to our fleshly desires. The Good News is, because we are breathing New Life, we can overcome and conquer both our flesh and the demonic.

We’ve been placed in the System of Life, so real challenges arise when we leave and return to the System of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Sad to say, this is the real warfare and it’s where most of us find ourselves. Taking what should be recalibrating Life from the scripture and manifestations of the Spirit, we religiously reset them in the frame of Death. There our fleshly, egoistic desires are turned into right and wrong, do’s and don’ts, good and evil. As a result, we think that if we know what’s right and wrong, we will attain godliness and overcome. We redefine true Righteousness, turning it into a standard of being right and not being wrong. In so doing, we empower the base nature along with the demonic, and leave ourselves helpless to selfish craving.

“I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.”

(Romans 7:9-11/NKJV)

It’s here that religion is born. Not just pagan religions or polytheistic ones containing gods and goddesses, but monotheistic ones as well. Not only religions that worship creation, like trees, plants and stars, but those that claim to worship the Creator, like Islam, Judaism, and yes, even Christendom. If you think about it, Christendom (the Christian religion) is truly the Serpent’s greatest masterpiece. It preaches about Christ and teaches a type of grace. But not without the dark wisdom added, saying, “We can’t have greasy grace! We can’t have bad behavior. If you behave badly, especially if you repeat the behavior, we doubt if you were ever really saved. There must be something seriously wrong with your spiritual life. Keep that up, and I fear for your soul!” You may think, “Are you saying immoral living is okay?” No! But before we can even talk about what’s Christ-like and appropriate living, we must first settle within ourselves Christ’s eternal question.

“He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone…”

(John 8:7/NASU)

Focus Points

This eternal existence called “Eden” contains within it a spiritual condition or “status” called the Garden. …it’s not a coincidence this eternal existence is called Eden (eeden), which means, Pleasure. The entire purpose of it all, regardless of what sides (or faces) we see, or what manifestation is apparent, the endgame is God blessing His Creation with an abundance of pleasure.

…in the center of this Garden are two Trees. One is the Tree of Life and the other, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. “If you open your eyes to one, you shut your eyes to the other.” You cannot partake of both trees at the same time. …the word tree embraces the shutting of the eyes from one to the other, then separation has nothing to do with time or distance, and everything to do with awareness. …when we partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, we shut down our sensors of God (the Tree of Life) and that entire existence.

…when the Serpent tempted the woman and she partook of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the most profound truth was revealed regarding the fallen condition of human existence. …the Death Sleep… …the simplest of selfish desires, “In the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” This is the original sin. It’s the delusion that if I know good and evil, I will be like God.

Right, wrong, good, evil, moral and immoral are all attributes of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, putting humanity in the Death Sleep.

Lucifer, Satan, the Serpent, Death, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil…there is no difference. They are all one.

It’s here that religion is born. Not just pagan religions or polytheistic ones containing gods and goddesses, but monotheistic ones as well. …those that claim to worship the Creator, like Islam, Judaism, and yes, even Christendom.

“This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. 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 being. The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.”

(Genesis 2:4-8/NKJV)

In the second chapter of Genesis, the setting is nothing but the ground and a mist; no plants, no trees, no animals, etc. We discovered earlier that the word “Earth” is another way to say shattered pottery with the description of the Desire to Receive Pleasure. We also found that Lucifer, in his fallen state, is the Darkness, the desolation, Satan, the Ego, the Serpent, and the Desire to Receive Pleasure for himself alone. If the Earth is a broken Desire to Receive Pleasure , and in its broken state looks out for itself alone, then the ground is the lowest level of that condition. The word ground in Hebrew is (adamah). When Lucifer made his ultimate egoistic statement, “I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14b), in Hebrew he said, (edameh la'elyown). Notice the first word (edameh) is spelled exactly like (adamah). The only differences are the vowel markings, which in a proper (torah) scroll don’t exist. The “ground” and the statement “I will be like...” in effect are one in the same. You can’t get any lower than the substance of the ground, which is the complete opposite of the Heavens, the Desire to Give.

Another correlation of the word (no vowel markings) ground and “I will be like” is that it’s descriptive of the process of usurpation. For Lucifer to make good on his statement that he will sit on God’s throne and be like the Most High, he must first remove God from His throne. In other words, for Lucifer to be raised up, God must be thrown down to the ground! However, the opposite happened. Being that the selfish Ego, Lucifer, is the opposite spiritual quality of God, the more he desired to rise, the farther from his objective he became.

“Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.”

(Isaiah 14:15/NASU)

Sheol is another word for the grave (which we will discuss in detail in a later chapter). And where is it? In the ground! But the description goes on to say, “…to the recesses of the pit.” Which means, “Not only will you be brought to the ground and buried in it, but if there’s something lower than a pit, you’ll be brought to the bottom of that too!” This is the idea of the “dust of the ground.”

The scripture then says that from the ground came a mist. The word mist is (eed). Look familiar? It’s the first to letters of the word “ground” and the phrase “I will be like...” This is no accident. (eed) mist is root for the word (ood), which means to rake fiery embers, often translated as firebrand.

“‘I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; yet you have not returned to Me,’ Says the Lord.”

(Amos 4:11/NKJV)

To expand on this meaning, the word (eed) means to agitate, like a person poking burning embers in a fireplace. It describes ash being turned up as the embers are moved around. With the same pronunciation, the word (which comes from ) means calamity, destruction, ruin, disaster, vengeance, trouble, misfortune, doom, terror, downfall and peril. [46] So what’s this (eed) mist that is rising from the (adamah) ground? Could it be the rising ash of the burning Egoistic rage, the description of Satan that we discussed in Chapter Eight? It’s the “...hot wind blowing over the land causing the desolation.”

If put in the context relative to everything else in Genesis, “but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground." could very well be looked at from this perspective,

(v'eed ya'aleh min-ha'arets v'hish'kah et-kal-pa'neey-ha'adamah) “And ashes, rising up from the earth (the Desire to Receive) and quaffed the whole face of the ground (the Ego).”

In other words, as true Egoism and Desolation have no reflection of the nature of God, it’s self-serving, taking whatever it can to fill its thirst. Clearly, it’s agitated, like the waves and mountains described in Jeremiah. It burns with one particular desire over and over, to ascend or “rise up” and be like God! Thus, “a mist went up from the earth…” But every time it rose, it descended and watered , and was drunk up by the ground.

Part 1: The Creation of the Adam

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

(Genesis 1:26-28/NKJV)

The most definitive scriptures describing the creature called Man occurs in the first chapter of Genesis. In Hebrew it says:

(vayomer elohyim na'ahseh adam ba'tsal'meeneu kid'mouteeneu va'yir'deu) “And said God, ‘Let's do Adam, in our shadow and like our likeness and they will trample...’”

The phrase “Let’s do Adam” is more literal than the more common translation, “Let us make Man...” When we think of God “making Adam” it often creates a Sunday school type picture of an old, white haired man forming someone similar to Frosty the Snowman, except with mud and a little more proportioned.

In reality, it’s a unique statement. All the preceding times in the creation process, God simply spoke, but this time God says, “Let’s do...” Think of what’s transpiring. Existing (Was, Is and Shall Be) is saying, not only will we speak this, but we will become this. To be fair, the idea of God doing something occurs several times prior to the creation of Adam, although it’s not easy to see in translation. The first is “…God made the firmament...” (Genesis 1:7), then “…God made two great lights…” (v.16) and finally, right before the creation of the Adam, “God made the beast of the earth…” (v.25). The significant difference these statements is that the first three are (vaya’as Elohim), literally, “And made, the Powers…” When it came to man, the statement was (vayomer Elohim na’aseh), literally, “And said the Powers, we do…” It would be fair to say that up until this point, God created by speaking. Now, with the creation of the Adam, God is not simply speaking. God is telling us that, like an actor, He will be playing the part. “We will do Adam…” For the Adam to exist, We (the Godhead) must be involved! Everything else came into existence by God speaking, but the Adam will exist because God will breathe into him the Breath of Life. God will place Himself in the Adam in an entirely different way than with the rest of creation and He’ll become what makes the Adam, Adam.

For many, this affirms the doctrine of the Trinity, and I would agree, but not in the conventional sense. If we’re consistent with the language of scripture, then we must be equally consistent here. We found in Chapters 5 and 6 that the entire concept of creating has to do with the masculine and feminine aspects of the Infinite uniting together. In the first three verses of Genesis, (elohiym) the Powers, the masculine aspect of expanded or fattened the feminine (roshiyt) Beginning. We also learned that (ruach hakodesh) Holy Spirit, which is always in the feminine, was fluttering over the face of the chaos about to give birth to the Light. Lastly, in their Oneness, the (elohiym) Powers, said “Light be!” which was and is the revealing of the Son, the Messiah, the Christ.

Genesis 1:26 describes the completed Creature as the Image and Likeness of God, the Adam. Keeping in mind that the seven days of Creation describe the entire plan of God from beginning to end, we can see when we look at the sixth phase that God’s intention is to create a Creature that will be the ultimate reflection and container of the Light.

The phrase “Let’s do Adam” really isn’t talking about a guy made out of mud. After all, the physical world as we know it doesn’t exist yet. Rather, it’s a description of the Creature in its fullness. The word (adam), like all other Hebrew words, is first a function. By letter definition we initially have the (aleph), which describes strength, and that which is above reflecting below and that which is below reflecting above.[47] Followed by the (dalet) which represents an open door and a humble man bowed over. Lastly, there’s the final (mem), which describes two things: first flowing of water (or blood), and second, the (torah), the scripture. The portrayal of (torah) or the Word of God, is water because it has a surface, but when you dive below you find within its depths an entire unseen world teaming with Life. When you put these letters together you have the strong one, who is a reflection of above and below, the humble man who comes through the open door flowing with water and blood, the Word of God. This is an amazing description. It literally describes Christ to the letter (pardon the pun). Christ Jesus is the Strong One (God) who came as a humble man, through the doorway of water and blood (which occurs at human birth) and is a reflection of above and below. Jesus, Emanuel, the Word of God made flesh!

The Adam is a description of the fullness of Christ, including the prophetic past, present and future. It’s a portrayal of the Light and the Darkness being divided. Christ shining upon and within the Adam is the narrative of the reflection of God. But it doesn’t stop there! The scripture continues by telling us (ba'tsal'meeneu kid'mouteeneu) “...in our shadow and like our likeness...” The word shadow, which we normally translate image, in Hebrew is the word (tselem). In ancient Hebrew lettering it’s depicted as [48] which means shadow. The first letter (tsadi) depicts a man laying down The second (lamed) is a shepherd’s hook meaning connected above. Lastly, the final (mem) is the flowing water The idea of a man laying down who is hooked or connected above and flows is a description of a shadow. The concept is, if you’re standing in a field, your shadow is always connected to you; you stand above and the shadow is on the ground. Your shadow can never move without the source (you) making a move. This is a very important description of what the Adam is! He’s so connected to above that he’s a replica of the Source. The Adam is “the Shadow of Light.” It’s not a shadow that obscures light, like a human shadow in a field, but a ray of laser-light! He’s the manifestation of the Source, he’s the Shadow of Light, or a Replica of the Source! They are so intertwined that, you could say, the Source is in the Adam, and the Adam is the vessel, or garment of the Source.

Building on the idea of being a Replica of the Source, consider the following. The phrase “in our image” (ba'tsal'meeneu), literally translated in our shadow, is in the masculine tense. The next phrase, “in our likeness” (kid'mouteeneu), is in the feminine tense. God makes it clear that His likeness is both masculine and feminine. This is why He says:

“...in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

(Genesis 1:27/NKJV)

The Trinity begins with masculine and feminine aspects, which form the third, the Light, the Son, the Messiah: Christ. But as we know, the presence of the Light in the Darkness is not enough. There must be a quality that reflects in order for the Light to be seen. Thus the Adam, in its fully functioning form, does just that. The Adam provides the reflecting quality and thus is a reflection of God. That reflection is both male and female. Nothing more, nothing less! The Adam was NEVER a guy, but a THEY! Like the Christ, who’s the Oneness of the Divine masculine and feminine, so is the Adam!

To underscore this point, throughout the first two chapters of Genesis both the man and the woman are called, “the Adam.” Because of translation inaccuracies in most English Bibles (as well as other western translations) there’s confusion with the words Adam (the function), man (a male person), and Man (all humans). When English speakers see Man with a capital, we assume the writer is speaking of Humanity. When we see man with a small “m” we assume the writer is speaking of a male person. The issue becomes messier when we throw in the word Adam, which we assume refers to a person’s proper name. Most all translations have interchanged the meanings, and most of the translations aren’t consistent with each other. Now, it’s completely random as to what the Hebrew originally conveyed and what the translations are now communicating. On top of this, the actual word for man (a male person) in Hebrew is (ish) not (adam). For example, here is the same verse from three different major translations. Note the unintentional confusion:

“And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’”

(Genesis 2:23/NKJV)

“The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.’”

(Genesis 2:23/NASU)

“The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.’”

(Genesis 2:23/NIV)

Notice the New King James (identical to the old KJV in this instance) states, “And Adam said...” The New American Standard and the New International Versions simply say, “The man said...” If we go by the first, it appears the man’s name is Adam and the woman doesn’t have one, or we assume her name is Eve because we know that will be the case later (though she doesn’t receive that designation until after the fall). The other two versions imply that the “man,” meaning the male person, spoke. On top of this the concluding statement is “…taken out of man.” The New International Version states it’s a man, meaning male person, while the New King James and New American Standard say it’s “Man” claiming Humanity. Do you feel like you’ve been through a maze and are getting a brain cramp? Then how about this: none of them are communicating what the scripture really says.

(Vaomer ha'adam zot hapa'am etsem meeatsamaiy uwvasar mibsariy lezot yikaree isha kiy meeish luwkachah zot) “And said the Adam this (is) the pulse, bone from my bone and flesh from my flesh, and this calling (herself) woman, for from man this to have received.”

The grammar is really rough when it comes over to English, but it contains several important points. The first is virtually EVERY time the word Adam is used, it has the definite article in front of it (ha’adam), in other words, “The Adam.” That’s why throughout this book I use the form the Adam when speaking of the pre-fall creature that’s the Image and Likeness of God. I want to be consistent with the first three chapters of Genesis. After the fall, things change with the usage of (ha’adam), but most importantly it’s a description of their function, not a guy’s name.

Secondly, the word (hapa'am) literally means thumping hoofs. In some cases, it describes the striking or keeping of time, or the heart pounding in the chest.[49] It’s a way of describing rhythm.

The third aspect is the phrase “...bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh...” which repeats the pattern that has been established from the beginning: bone is in feminine tense and flesh is in the masculine tense.

Finally, the phrase which is normally translated, “...she shall be called, woman...” can be a bit troublesome because it’s in what’s called in Hebrew, the “niphal voice” of the imperfect tense. The niphal voice is the reflexive mood of a verb. A good example of its meaning would be, “the fish cooked itself,” or, “I threw the ball to myself.” Because the verb is in the imperfect tense you wind up with something like, “...calling herself woman...” Though it sounds strange to us, it’s consistent with everything else. The Adam, being male and female, is calling this part of itself, woman. The verse concludes with “...from man this to have received.” In other words, this was taken and returned. You could say that the Adam found the rhythm of walking in unity. You could also say that the phrase “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” describes a musical rhythm or song, the first love duet. When the Godhead said, “Let’s make...” it was a reflexive or internal discussion. So was this duet. They were both, the Adam.

“Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”

(Genesis 5:2/KJV)

Part 2: The Function of the Adam

Returning to the initial scripture in Genesis 1:26, when speaking of the Adam having dominion over , the phrase (va’yir’deu) “And they shall trample...” is really not about dominion. If this was descriptive of a king reigning or ruling the scripture would have used the word (mim’shalah, for an example see 1 Kings 9:19[50]). This is very different, describing forced submission , or literally to spread out by pounding. This is not a picture of the Adam ruling, but conquering. Conquering what? Conquering the Ego! The Serpent! The Desire to Receive for Oneself Alone! Satan!

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”

(Genesis 2:15/NKJV)

The last part of the verse actually says (leav'dah uwl’sham’rah) “...to serve her and to guard her.” What a statement! The Garden of Eden, the Pleasure of God, is referred to as a “her” and the Adam, the Image and Likeness of God, is told to serve and guard her. God has no other desire but to pleasure His Creation. To maintain and cultivate such pleasure, He creates a being called the Adam, the perfect reflection of revealing the union of the masculine and feminine, giving and receiving, and giving again. The purpose of this Being is to be filled with and replicate the Light (Christ) to all Creation and to ensure the experience of Divine Pleasure.

“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

(Luke 12:32/NKJV)

“…for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

(Philippians 2:13/NKJV)

Jesus might as well have said, “...it’s your Father’s Garden of Eden to give you the Kingdom.” Think of it. Giving us the Kingdom is part of the Divine pleasure! It’s part of living in the realm of the Garden. Consider that the key aspect of the Heavens is the Desire to Give. When we receive the Kingdom, we are actually pleasuring God. When we share the Kingdom, we increase His pleasure by both sharing the Kingdom and becoming like Him by giving the Kingdom. Think of all the divine, ultimate, fulfilling pleasure that’s going around. God receives pleasure by giving, we receive pleasure by receiving, we become like God by giving which pleases Him again, and we then sense the pleasure of being like God and share! This is a regular Garden of Eden, Garden of Pleasuring, going somewhere to happen: spreading, filling and replenishing the “Earth,” the Desire to Receive!

There is, however, an aspect of Eden within and beyond the Garden that is still in Darkness. It’s that part with Desired to Receive for Itself Alone. It’s that self-centered realm of the Serpent. It’s from that egoistic realm that God created the Adam, blew in them the Breath of Life and placed them in the Garden. In so doing, God commissioned the Adam to cultivate the Divine Pleasure and to actively guard the Garden, keeping it free of the Ego or the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone. The scripture continues this idea by saying:

“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it...’”

(Genesis 1:28/NKJV)

The phrase, “...fill the earth and subdue it...” is right in line with the command to conquer the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone. In Hebrew, the phrase is (uwmil’uw et harets v’chib’shuha) “...fill the (Earth) Desire to Receive and take it captive...” This is a command to fill the Desire to Receive with its true fulfillment, the Image and Likeness of God, by taking captive, or literally “trampling under foot” the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone, which is the Ego. The function of the Adam was to Receive Pleasure for the sake of and simultaneously conquer the Ego. Through the act of receiving and then giving an aspect of what’s received, raises the screen, the mirror, to reflect the Light. In that moment, the Light and the reflection are One. This is what the Adam is: the Light (Christ) filling the Vessel and illuminating creation.

Think of how this works in a practical way during our day-to-day lives. We are often faced with the two Desires, or the two Trees. In one case, there is the Holy Desire, which says, “I desire to please God by becoming like Him. I desire to receive what He has and share it with others in both word and deed.” But the Serpent is also within us, saying, “I want to receive what God has and keep it for myself, or only share it as long as I get the credit and praise.” Once this begins, it creates an even bigger battle between the two trees. The Tree of Life says, “I will share with all people of all kinds, regardless of their status or gratitude. I share because that’s who I am. I share because it’s my good pleasure to give.” The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil retorts, “I’m not going to share with that person because they may misuse what I give them. After all, I must be a good steward of what I have. I will share with that other person because I know they will appreciate what I do for them and won’t misuse my gift. Plus, they will thank God properly.”

The authenticity of “Godlikeness” is first found in its interest in the Desire to Give. It’s not about how a person receives or if they are eligible to receive; it’s about the Desire to Bestow. It doesn’t put religious do’s and don’ts into the equation. It simply gives because that’s who it is by nature. It’s about Who it reflects, because that’s where its identity comes from.

“...be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

(Matthew 5:45b-48/NKJV)

Now you may be thinking, “But wait! Jesus also told us not to cast our pearls before swine.[51] Surely Jesus doesn’t want us to take the valued aspects of the Kingdom and just give them to sinners or to those who will squander it.” Actually, it’s the opposite. The context of that verse is all about “judging others,” thus the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Jesus is telling His disciples:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”

(Matthew 7:1-5/NKJV)

The statement, “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye,” is a two-edged sword. I remember years ago preaching this verse to our congregation. I jokingly walked up a woman in the third row and looked in her eye, pretending to be a judgmental Pharisee. In that moment the Spirit caught my attention and said, “What do you see?” Then it struck me: I saw a reflection of myself! The speck in my sister’s eye is actually a reflection of the plank in my own eye, myself. In removing the plank from my eye, amazingly, the speck I thought was in my sister’s eye mysteriously disappears. The second edge to this blade is the contrast of the plank and the speck. The word plank, sometimes translated beam, is the Greek word (dokos) which is a wooden log. Wood comes from trees, and guess from which tree this log comes from? But wait, it doesn’t stop there. The word translated speck is actually (karfos) which means twig or splinter. Surely this is an issue of reflection. The twig in my sister’s eye is nothing more than the wooden log I took from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

This even goes further. Jesus talked about seeing clearly enough to remove the speck or twig from your brother’s eye. Consider this, even if there really is a twig of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in your brother’s or sister’s eye, Jesus isn’t giving you permission to observe your spiritual sibling’s flaws and point them out. When any of us do this, we hit ourselves over the head with the log of the same Tree! This is all about removing the twig, not pointing it out. The only way I can remove such a twig is by sharing the Tree of Life.

Before He spoke of the parable of the log and the twig, Jesus shared this idea:

“No one who has kindled a lamp hides it or places it under a bowl; rather, he puts it on a stand, so that those coming in may see its light. The lamp of your body is the eye. When you have a ‘good eye,’ [that is, when you are generous,] your whole body is full of light; but when you have an ‘evil eye,’ [when you are stingy,] your body is full of darkness. So take care that the light in you is not darkness! If, then, your whole body is filled with light, with no part dark, it will be wholly lighted, as when a brightly lit lamp shines on you.”

(Luke 11:33-36/CJB)

Jesus shifts the understanding of the disciples from good and evil to generous and stingy, then goes right back to Genesis with Light and Darkness. In the same way, He graciously moves our thinking from the one tree to the other. The real issue is about the Light. It’s about being a Giver, one who Bestows, not one who receives and keeps for himself, which is Darkness. You may be thinking, “Okay, but there’s still good and evil, right?” Actually, no. The Kingdom of God doesn’t require such a concept. In God’s Kingdom there is only Life! The word translated as good in most versions isn’t even any of the Greek words used for good . It’s the word, (haplos) which means, liberally, generous or freely. The Apostle James says:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

(James 1:5/NIV)

Notice God gives generously, not looking for someone’s faults when He gives. Why? Because the Tree of Life doesn’t behave that way.

This is a powerful truth. When you are delivered from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and your foundation is “Life Based,” the faults of the receiver become irrelevant.

It’s common to think, “Well, I’m not going to just give the hard-earned money God gave me to a bum on the street! He’ll probably use it to get drunk or get drugs.” That may be true, but why do we filter our giving through justification? It’s amazing how wise religion sounds! “I don’t want to give to someone and support his drug habit. I would rather buy him food or give him a voucher.” But most of the time, that’s not how it happens. More often than not, we pass by the beggar on the street and think, “I really don’t have time to stop and buy him a meal, and I am definitely not going to hand over money!”

As long as we don’t take what the Spirit intends and filter it through our Pharisaical garments of right and wrong, good and evil, we are potentially in a Life-giving place. On the other hand if “I” have to place conditions around my giving when I’m moved to do so, then it becomes about ME and MY FEELING GOOD about the situation, so “I” feel satisfied about what “I” am doing. When I come from that place within my heart, I put the Light under a bowl; I conceal the Light and the only thing that’s seen is the bowl, resulting in Darkness. On the other hand, what if I freely gave money to the man on the street, regardless of how he desires to use it? Look at the internal dynamic of this situation. If I discerned from my position as a child of the Light, I might find this is the first time someone has given anything to the man from the true Source of Life, Christ.

Think of the spiritual ramifications of that! “I freely gave” like my Heavenly Father gives the rain and the sunshine. I didn’t justify or evaluate the receiver, I just gave because Compassion told me to. But what if the man takes the money and buys drugs? It’s terrible, right? Maybe not. Maybe for the first time in his life, there is a supernatural power at work in his life that is greater than his addiction. I may never see the result of this Life-giving moment, but the spiritually potent act of kindness is farther reaching than a momentary feeding. While giving is important and feeding the hungry is necessary, that’s really not the point. This is about being like God in the moment.

Part 3: The Fall of the Adam

The Adam’s purpose was to fill Eden with the Image and Likeness of God by serving and guarding the gift of Divine Pleasure. One of the ways to do this was by conquering and subjugating the Ego, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Serpent, the Desire to Receive for Oneself, the Darkness.

It was during the confrontation with the Ego that the Serpent did something unheard of. He didn’t just lie, he attempted to use the lie to divide God’s Image and Likeness, the masculine and the feminine. Sadly, we know the outcome of the story: the Serpent succeeded. By convincing the Adam to ingest the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, it caused them to fall into a ruin of unconsciousness, is the dream state we all live in now. It’s a state where every second of our so-called “consciousness” is passed in a Death Sleep. Egoistically, we dream that we exist as a product of evolution, in which Mankind is evolving into his greatest state. Worse than that dream is the religious one. We believe that the more we know good from evil, the more pleasing we’ll be to “the god” that we believe in.

“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.”

(Genesis 2:7/KJV)

The creation of “the Adam” (ha'adam) is as important as their fall, because the one has its roots in the other. Prior to the fall, the male and female are both called the Adam. They’re a perfect Oneness, just like the Creator. But once the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil enters, everything starts to fragment just as it did previously with Lucifer. When we look at creation, all things are formed from the ground, the Desire to Receive. But when it came to the Adam, he wasn’t created from the ground. He came from the dust of the ground.

Isaiah said that Lucifer would be cast down, and what was described as the ground in Genesis represented the egoistic desire, “I will be like…” However, God declared to Lucifer that he would go down the lowest. Consider the phrase, “dust of the ground.” This is not just “I will be like…” If possible, this is even lower than that. It’s the rubbish of the ground!

(vayiytser Yahweh Elohim et ha’adam aphar min-ha’adamah) “And formed, Yahweh the Powers, the Adam, dust [ash] from the ground.”[52]

The word dust (aphar) is the same word for powder, ash and rubbish. In particular, “burning rubbish.” For example:

“Then I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it and ground it very small, until it was as fine as dust; and I threw its dust into the brook that descended from the mountain.”

(Deuteronomy 9:21/NKJV)

“…What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?”

(Nehemiah 4:2/KJV)

When we explored the verses in Jeremiah regarding the condition of the ground, we found a hot burning wind that blew over the earth, scorching it and causing it to be a desolation. This was the decisive end product of the fall of Lucifer. It was the unquenchable Desire to Receive for Itself Alone that absorbed everything. Death is the best description of its wake. God took from that state, breathed into it His Breath of Life, and the Adam became a Living Soul. The “soul” is the key to everything! The Soul is the Will to Receive. By God making the Adam, He took from the deep, dark, craving of self-centeredness (the Ego, the burning desire), and put His Life back into it. The Adam had to be made of this! He had to have the component of the Desire to Receive and transform it into the Desire to Give in order to be a reflection of God. He had to desire pleasure in order to receive the pleasure God offered in being a reflection of God. This is the culmination of the scriptures we’ve discussed so far. It’s God making a Living Soul, the Adam, the reflection of Himself. But once again, to be alive, a choice is given: receive and transform the Ego into Giving, or receive for yourself only.

The Adam stands before the two Trees with the choice before them. Which do they receive? Life, transforming the Ego into Giving and becoming the Image and Likeness of God? Or Not? Enter the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When the Adam partakes of this tree, there are two immediate products: self-justification and Divine accusation.

First, the male justifies himself:

“Then the man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.’”

(Genesis 3:12/NKJV)

In other words, “It wasn’t my fault, it was HER fault!” But within the self-justification in blaming her, there is also a Divine accusation. The male didn’t just say it was “her” fault, but actually, that it was God’s fault. He basically said, “It was your fault God, because you gave me this woman, and that’s why this happened.” And the Egoistic nature, the Serpent, attempts to raise its throne to the Heavens once again.

Within the self-justification and Divine accusation, there is also a horrific curse.

“To the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.’”

(Genesis 3:16/NKJV)

(v’el-iysheek t'shuwkateek v’huw yim’sal-bak) “...and toward your man you’ll long, [53] and he’ll dominate you.”

Please note the last part. If there was ever a CURSE more dreadful, it isn’t found even in the Grimm fables. Except this is no fable, this is reality. Because of the fall, the curse is that the male aspect of the Adam will dominate the female. THIS IS THE AUTHENTIC CURSE! This is the point at which it all begins. The perfect union of the two resembling the Divine is broken and one rules over the other. (Satanic mission…accomplished.) Hierarchy, control, classifications, roles, serving the master, dictating to the lesser, and the Death Sleep called “this reality” have all begun.

This fallen state of “Original Sin” has been made worse over the centuries because of the misinterpretation and misuse of Paul’s writings. The carnal mind believes that men should be the “head” of women and women be “submitted” to men. We try to justify how this works. Some say a woman should be submitted only to her own husband, others say a woman needs to be submitted to all men. Then it extends to our Christian worship. Some say a woman shouldn’t minister in the congregation, others say she can minister if she is under proper covering. One claims the covering must be an actual doily on her physical head. Another says it means she needs to be submitted to the covering of a man, either her husband or, if she is unmarried, to a male pastor. But, regardless how you carve this Tree of Right and Wrong, Good and Evil, it’s all Death. Some doctrines are just more religiously acceptable to certain groups than others.[54]

In reality, Christendom[55] (meaning the Western cultural/religious system) has propagated the Genesis curse,[56] though we would never admit it. When it comes to women, if Christ wasn’t allowed to be involved with the Christian religion, we’d probably demand women to wear a burqa![57] In some parts of Christendom, we are not far from this. Some still forbid women to wear makeup, jewelry (except their wedding ring), or certain colors of dress or hair styles. The concept is to be modest and not be worldly. The famous scripture that causes the misunderstanding, 1 Timothy 2:9, describes attitude, the gaudy apparel of prostitutes, and ritual attire.

“…in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing…”

(1 Timothy 2:9/NKJV)

The key phrase in the text is, “modest apparel,” which really isn’t dealing with clothing. That comes later. Yet, this scripture has been so misunderstood and misused, Christendom truly has demeaned women in the name of holiness. The phrase in Greek is (katastolē kosmíoo) means honorable demeanor.[58] If we desire to use the word clothing or attire, the verse is speaking of being clothed with a demeanor or attitude, not the clothing itself. However, you could say that such a demeanor would be reflected in the attire. But compared to what? The phrase, “with propriety and moderation” is again not about dress, but demeanor. The Greek phrase is (metá aidoús kaí soefrosúnēs) which means, with reverence and soundness of mind. This is all about how to present oneself in contrast to prostitutes and pagan sacrificial rites. Finally, he mentions a certain kind of weaving of the hair with gold and pearls, which was specific to the worship of Diana. The pearl set in gold represented the moon, which was the symbol of Diana, the moon goddess. Keep in mind that Timothy was the pastor of the Ephesian church, where they used to worship Diana.

To put this scripture in context, we would have to apply it to each particular culture and setting. For example, in the USA, a Satanist is known to sometimes wear all black, and a large, silver chain with a pentagram. Paul would say to Pastor Timothy today, “Women who are walking with Christ, let them express good demeanor, not dance in the ritualistic manner from the Satanic church, and not wearing all black with silver pentagrams.” This is not intended to be a new law, just to remove confusion and distraction during worship. In another culture, wearing black and silver may be a high honor to God, but wearing long white gowns with no make-up could be the attire of temple priestesses.

Because of the liberty from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the realities of grace born of the Tree of Life, what one wore was of little consequence. All were accepted into the church, whether poor or rich, regardless of attire. Paul’s communication was specific about not confusing the worship of Christ with the worship of Diana. For that matter, the entire epistle of the Ephesians takes all the symbols of Diana worship and redefines them into Messianic concepts.[59] To the distress of many modern believers, most of the symbols in the epistle come from Greek mythology, including the famous spiritual warfare scriptures.

The verses in Timothy were never meant to be applied with broad strokes, but within their specific context. They were never intended to create a new religious law in which women couldn’t wear culturally acceptable clothing, gold, pearls, or have a nice hairdo. When such verses are taken out of context and applied with the concepts of right and wrong, bondage and even oppression ensue.

Returning to our original point, the curse of men ruling over women was born. It was at the moment when the woman was tempted and the man, in full rebellion, believed they needed to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil to be like God, that Death in every respect came into being. We now add a new word to all the phrases that describe the one face (block) with all its sides: Darkness, Earth, the Desire to Receive for Oneself, the Serpent, Lucifer, Satan, the Ego, and…RELIGION.

Part 4: The Birth of Religion

Religion[60] is born within the expectation that I will be like God through the knowing of good and evil. It’s basically a system of right and wrong, do’s and don’ts. It suggests that if I follow the rules obediently, I will please God and be like Him. It’s the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil all dressed up for Christmas.[61] (Please note the endnote!) It has flashing lights, pretty ornaments, maybe a star on top and don’t forget the manger scene underneath (after all, we’re Christians). We may even leave out cookies and milk for good ol’ Saint Nick. (We do want to leave a good impression.) Throughout the year he’s been keeping track if we’ve been “naughty or nice” and, hey, we don’t want hot coals in our spiritual stockings! We want our gifts (prophecies, healing and prosperity) and blessings under that wonderful “Tree.” We’ve been working hard by being good all year long. Yes, leave it to us Christians, we figured out a way to work for a gift, in spite of what the Word of God teaches. But regardless how pretty we make it, with tinsel, garland or whatever trimming a person’s religion requires, it’s still the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: the Tree of Death. In other words, it’s a delusion ratified as the pathway to God, but it ends in burning destruction!

Within the Tree of Death’s structure, not only is there the falsehood that knowing good and evil will make us like God, but the deception that we’re not already like God. When the woman partook of the Tree, it’s as if she said to herself, “I thought I’d been created in the likeness of God, but evidently, I was wrong. If I don’t partake of this Tree with the Serpent, I’ll be lacking.” It was in that moment when the female-Adam, who was already like God, reached out to gain what she already had. That’s when the fall occurred. It was in reaching for what she already had. There the quest of being like God through the knowing of good and evil began. Hence, every time we pursue Godlikeness through the knowing of good and evil, we embrace the lie that we must attain something that Christ has already freely given to us. But in reality, when we reach out for something we already have, we lose it because Christ already gave it to us! Sound crazy? It’s like the old story of the dog with his bone.

There once was this happy dog that pranced around his owner’s farm because he was given a most wonderful bone, and it was all his! Every day he would carry the bone in his mouth with a big smile, showing it off to all the farm animals. One day, he went to the lake to show the geese his wonderful bone. He crossed over on a little bridge. As he looked down from the bridge, he noticed another dog that also had a wonderful bone just like his! Well, he immediately got off the bridge and went straight to the lake. Approaching the water to take a better look, he noticed the closer he got, the bigger and bigger the dog’s bone became! He realized that the bone he had probably wasn’t the most wonderful bone on the farm, and that this dog, who looked a lot like him, clearly had a bigger one! So he thought, “I will just drop my bone and snatch that dog’s bone. I’ll truly have the most wonderful bone on the farm then!” In a flash he jumped in the lake and dropped his bone while reaching for the other one. There was a lot of splashing, growling, head bobbing and water sprinkling everywhere. The nearby geese laughed as they saw the commotion. Finally, he stopped thrashing and waded out of the lake. He said to the geese, “What happened? That other dog must have been really fast. I never even grabbed his bone, though I swallowed a lot of water.” The geese laughed and laughed. He looked again into the lake and saw his opponent staring back at him. But now, that dog didn’t have a bone, either. The geese laughed until they couldn’t breathe. Finally, one said, “Hey silly! That was your reflection. You reached for your own bone, and when you did, it fell into the lake! Now it’s all the way down at the bottom.” Well, the happy dog wasn’t so happy anymore. He walked away grumbling, “Those stupid geese. If they would’ve said something, I wouldn't have lost my wonderful bone! It’s all their fault!”

There are two important things that the scripture and our little story tells us. First, when we reach out for something we already are or have, we fall under the delusion that we aren’t who we truly are and that we weren’t given what God said. Secondly, there is another very important sensation which becomes part of our perception of reality. Not only do we believe that we are unlike God, but by being unlike a Holy God (in a religious sense), we believe we must be very distant from Him. You may be thinking, “But you don’t understand the spiritual warfare, the cravings, and the demonic forces I contend with! Clearly I have a long way to go to be like God.” Such things actually mean very little in the dynamics of spiritual reality. In the end, they all become part of the illusion. Since when did a fleshly desire, a demon, or the Serpent tell the truth? According to Jesus, (diabolos) the devil, is a liar and has been one from the beginning (John 8:44).

The delusion grows when we ponder that God is not only out of reach, but if we dare to approach Him, it must be done in a special way. Otherwise, He may not accept our methodology and we’ll be in danger of the consequences. In other words, if we’re “unholy” and aren’t like God, He will not accept us. So now we’re back to obtaining holiness through our moral conduct and religious ritual in the hopes that we will become acceptable to God. To paraphrase the great philosopher, Forest Gump, “Religion is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get!” True with religion, but not so with God!

Today’s average Christian might say, “I don't believe that. I believe we are saved by grace. Christ paid the price so I can enter God’s presence.” While we may believe that from a theological standpoint, our daily practices seem to say otherwise. After pastoring for 30 years, I can tell you first hand that many Christians feel less than accepted by God, or distanced from Him, because of how they live their day-to-day lives. They say things like, “I need to get right! I need to read my Bible more! I need to listen to more praise music and worship more.” If that’s the criteria for spiritual success, then the Early Church of the first few centuries would’ve been the most unspiritual group ever. After all, they couldn’t do a “Through the Bible in a Year” program with a special bookmark to keep on track. There was no Old and New Testament nicely bound together for them to pick up at the local scroll-store. In reality, the Old Testament was only available in synagogues, in which the early Christians were no longer accepted, and it would be hundreds of years before the New Testament was compiled. Yet, in the most horrific time of persecution, and with very little, they prospered spiritually. On the other hand, in our Western world today we have so much: myriads of Bible translations; versions on CD, mp3’s; television stations, YouTube, websites; and of course books in both printed and digital form. With all this available to us, you’d think we would be highly victorious people. But not when Original Sin still abounds!

The average Christian today believes that we have God’s Spirit within us, but that it’s only a token of God, a small aspect of who He is. God is really a holy, righteous, perfect being and we’re light-years away from such perfection. Thus, while we believe we have God’s Spirit, our awareness (sensation) is that God is still somewhere far away in Heaven, in a place we will hopefully go to someday.

Religion falsely creates the sensation that God is beyond us and needs to be worshiped because if we don’t, He’ll be angry and bad things will happen. Conversely, we believe that if we worship God, then blessings and good things will happen. All of this comes from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil with the Serpent hissing in our minds. How many times do we ask ourselves, “Did I pray enough? Did I worship enough? Did I read enough of my Bible today? Maybe I shouldn’t have done that, or maybe I should have done this?” All this questioning is rooted in what “I” could have done or shouldn’t have done. In the very questioning, we unwittingly exalt our “self” as the one on the throne. (And the Ego hisses its rants and raises its throne once again.)

In all the scriptures mentioned earlier regarding the faces of Lucifer, we find that the Ego is always conforming Christ and His Gospel into the Serpent’s self-centered, religious image. Then, pardon the pun, “You can’t see the forest through the trees.” What we should be seeking is that all Creation be transformed into Christ’s Image, which was the purpose of the Adam from the beginning. When we believe less than God’s intention in Christ, we’re Egoistic, we are “being” the likeness of Satan. I didn’t say Satan lives in a distant spiritual world and we just pretend to be like him. This is more than demonic craving; this is a state of being. Demons are not even in the league of the Ego, the Serpent! Jesus made this very clear.

“I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]”

(John 14:30/AMP)

Jesus said that Satan was coming to Him, but that he had nothing in common with Him. There was nothing in Jesus that belonged to Satan. In the same manner that God looked for His Image in Cain and didn’t find it, Satan was looking for his image in Christ and couldn’t find it, either. For Cain this was defeat. But for Christ, it was a major victory! What does this tell us? What’s in us attracts the same. A key spiritual principle is revealed here, “What defines closeness is likeness.” Closeness has nothing to do with proximity in the spiritual world, but has everything to do with likeness. We are talking about a dimension where there is no time or distance. When I am like Christ in nature, then I am one with Christ in manifestation. This is why demonstrations of healings, miracles, casting out demons and the prophetic, mean very little in the Divine scheme of Likeness. These are tools freely given to every person, but when we place our sense of spirituality on these, Christ says, “I never knew you.” Why? Because He doesn’t place any sense of His Image upon those things. Rather, they are tools in a tool belt.

The Spirit once said it to me this way, “John, My people are so dazzled by the gifts or tools of the Spirit, they run from one meeting to the next, wanting see this or that minister use them. They are overwhelmed by one’s use of his spiritual screwdriver, how another uses her spiritual hammer. Some just want to be touched by the person with the tool. So they will buy their books and CD’s so they can learn to use their own tools just like the person they are mesmerized by. But while all this is going on, My people become so entranced by the tools, they forget what they’re supposed to be building.”

Our spiritual manifestations of prophecy, miracles and the like, are no different than feeding the poor (which is similar to the earlier scenario about giving money to the man on the street). I can bring a dish to a hungry man and he receives a meal. But for me, if I did it to feel good about myself or so others can see what a great giver I am, I become Satan personified. Or, if I am so moved by the thought of feeding the hungry that I become more interested in the process of dishing out portions and start correcting everybody, offend those I work with, something is broken. But, when I give purely for the sake of the receiver, then joy is experienced because Christ expressed Himself and all are filled with Divine Pleasure.

The scripture says something about overcoming Satan that has the potential to destroy every religious cell we ever had or will have:

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

(Revelation 12:11/NKJV)

The Blood of Christ has power in our lives, yet not enough to overcome the enemy alone. The word of our testimony is very powerful, but not enough to overcome the enemy in our lives either. Both the Blood and the testimony require a life that is not just willing to die, but is actively dying. Sometimes it’s easier to give up and physically die, than to die to our Egos.

The Blood made the way and the testimony is the path we have walked. But it’s the consistent death to the Ego that makes it possible to continue on the path which the Blood of Christ made available. We mustn’t love our lives, even to the place of death. Please understand, while dying physically for Christ and the Gospel means a lot, this verse is actually talking about people who lived for Christ, but died to their Egos. They were willing to die, while they lived.

If there’s one thing in this world that we all want to avoid, it’s death. It’s interesting, because we actually exist in a Death Sleep and all the while we’re afraid of dying. Why? The Ego fears existing in a world where it can’t fulfill itself. The Ego requires feeding itself with whatever pleasure it can find. Like a drug addict, it goes from one fix to another. God blesses us with many of these pleasures, but because the Ego only thinks of itself, it doesn’t see the God who bestows, it only sees the pleasure it finds. Thus, the Ego is terrified by the thought of not having its self-centered pleasures, which it considers “living.” To have its self-centered pleasure means to live and gain gratification. In order to do that it must be in control! It must be enthroned over whatever it can, in order to ensure its self-actualization. So when the Ego thinks of physical death, it trembles. Why? Because it believes it will cease to experience pleasure for itself. Thus, the Ego will do whatever, with whomever, to ensure it can exist as long as possible.

Ultimately, the Ego is aware of anything that doesn’t pleasure it. The only time it willingly undergoes discomfort is if it thinks it will gain some pleasure on the other end. It fears death because it cannot control its inevitability. There are two events in this life that are beyond our control: the day we are born and the day that we die. Satan, the Ultimate Egoist, uses this fear of death to keep us in bondage. He keeps us in a state of self-seeking, self-aggrandizing, self-preserving, self-centered existence.

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

(Hebrews 2:14-15/NKJV)

To those in the Death Seep who dream with the Egoistic illusion they are fulfilling their lives, physical death is terrifying. It means the illusion will be gone and they will have to wake up. It means all the self-centered things I dreamt about will no longer exist and will I awaken in Darkness.

The person who is connected to the Tree of Life is one who’s not in the Death Sleep. When it comes to leaving the realm of the physical, he is simply changing form and entering a greater awareness. It’s like taking off your pajamas and putting on your clothes so you can begin your day. The person who reflects Life and not a religious illusion, is opening his spiritual eyes to true eternal reality. He sees reality, which many call the “World to Come.” But for those reflecting Life, it’s not to come, they’re already living in it! For them, physical death changes nothing. They realize a world which previously was a spiritual vision as a greater reality.

The following verses describe this beautifully. While they tell the true story of Peter’s deliverance from prison, they also suggest what it’s like to be in the Death Sleep. You could say that the Death Sleep is living in this corporeal world, governed by the fear of judgment through what’s right and wrong. However, there’s Good News! The Light comes and our prison doors are opened and we are free to enter the Heavenly city, the World to Come. How? It begins from the Death Sleep, when the Light first comes, transforming the Kingdom within us. Then the inner chains of this world, with its rules and commandments, fall off. (They are referred to as “...what the Jewish leaders planned to do...”) Therefore, in our current state of existence, we live between two worlds. The Apostle Paul says, “For now see in a mirror, dimly...” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

We do see a real vision of who we are, yet it’s shrouded by the natural, Egoistic physical world. So we walk in a spiritual vision of our true reality, seated in the Heavenlies with Christ (Ephesians 2:6). Nevertheless, the day eventually comes when we shed the prison of this physical existence, and put on the garments prepared for us, which some would call our glorified bodies. It’s at that moment we no longer live in a prison cell. At that moment, we’re basking in the Light and the chains of the corporeal fall off our wrists. Now, the gates are open and we enter the city of true reality, called “Life.”

“The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, ‘Quick! Get up!’ And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, ‘Get dressed and put on your sandals.’ And he did. ‘Now put on your coat and follow me,’ the angel ordered. So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. Peter finally came to his senses. ‘It's really true!’ he said. ‘The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!’”

(Acts 12:6-11/NLT)

To the non-religious, egoistic man or woman, this world is all there is. They live in the illusion of temporal amusement and plan for the next self-gratifying, pleasure-filled experience. They live their lives on the basis of right and wrong, good and evil, as it pertains to their pleasure. If it doesn’t feel good, it must be evil or wrong. If it doesn’t feel bad, then bring it on, it must be right and good!

The religious man, on the other hand, is Ego at its all-time high. In one respect, he’s higher than a heroin addict. He gets his gratification and pleasure by knowing good and evil, right from wrong. He believes that “in the knowing” he gains sight, but he is blinder and more drunk than the non-religious man. At least over time, the non-religious-egoist realizes some of the desires he was trying fulfill are destructive and he needs to seek help. The non-religious egoist seeks help so he’ll stop doing the things that keep him from obtaining other forms of pleasure.

Not so with the religious man! He is way too right to be wrong! After all, he’s on God’s side, so he believes God condones his perspective. He really believes this about himself as he reaches for another fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This fruit is even worse than those potato chips, “You really can’t eat just one!” The religious man keeps going back for more. As you see the tail of a little Serpent, the fruit of the Tree, being sucked into his mouth, he’s already reaching for another. He operates in what he calls evangelism, telling others of their sins and how they need what he has. He claims to raise a holy standard, speaking out against “those sinful people.” He points to those bound by their fleshly desires, telling them that harsh judgment awaits. With his snakey breath, he claims that the same God who condemns them, will really love them, if they just repent. What a mind blower, love and condemnation all in the same sentence? Only in a Tree where good and evil, right and wrong abide as a reality, can this be. “Listen sinner! Satan has you bound by those evil things you do. Don’t you know that Hell is hot and waiting for your soul? God will not tolerate you in the Day of Judgment. A fiery condemnation from Him awaits you. But this same God who is your damning judge, loves you and wants you to obey His commands. So repent and get right with God! He wants to save you.”

Once again, the religious throne exalts itself, reaching for the mountain of God. The problem is, many of us have helped raise it and exalt it.

Focus Points

When Lucifer made his ultimate egoistic statement, “I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14b), in Hebrew he said, (edameh la'elyown). …the first word (edameh) is spelled exactly like (adamah). … The “ground” and the statement “I will be like...” in effect are one in the same.

The word (adam), like all other Hebrew words, is first a function. … The Adam is a description of the fullness of Christ, including the prophetic past, present and future. … Christ shining upon and within the Adam is the narrative of the reflection of God.

…the initial scripture in Genesis 1:26, when speaking of the Adam having dominion over , the phrase (va’yir’deu) “And they shall trample...” is really not about dominion. … This is not a picture of the Adam ruling, but conquering. Conquering what? Conquering the Ego! The Serpent! The Desire to Receive for Oneself Alone! Satan!

God commissioned the Adam to cultivate the Divine Pleasure and to actively guard the Garden, keeping it free of the Ego or the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone.

The authenticity of “Godlikeness” is first found in its interest in the Desire to Give. It’s not about how a person receives or if they are eligible to receive; it’s about the Desire to Bestow. … It simply gives because that’s who it is by nature.

This was the decisive end product of the fall of Lucifer. It was the unquenchable Desire to Receive for Itself Alone… God took from that state, breathed into it His Breath of Life, and the Adam became a Living Soul. The “soul” is the key to everything! The Soul is the Will to Receive. … He had to have the component of the Desire to Receive and transform it into the Desire to Give in order to be a reflection of God.

Because of the fall, the curse is that the male aspect of the Adam will dominate the female. THIS IS THE AUTHENTIC CURSE!

…a new word to all the phrases that describe the one face (block) with all its sides: Darkness, Earth, the Desire to Receive for Oneself, the Serpent, Lucifer, Satan, the Ego, and…RELIGION. … Religion is born within the expectation that I will be like God through the knowing of good and evil.

Within the Tree of Death’s structure, not only is there the falsehood that knowing good and evil will make us like God, but the deception that we’re not already like God.

“And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:20-21/NKJV)

We’ve briefly discussed the key aspects of the Fall. First and foremost is the belief that we will become like God by knowing good and evil. Now, we’ve come to the conclusion of the pre-fall existence and will observe the Fall as it happens.

There’s one last definitive statement said by the man that sets in motion everything that follows the eviction from the Garden. Until now, the Adam, the reflection of the masculine and feminine aspects of the Divine, were in perfect union. At the moment of the Fall, however, they’re seriously disjointed because of the woman’s ingestion, and the man’s self-justification and Divine accusation. But, in the language of scripture, something astonishing is about to happen: the woman is about to acquire her own name. She’s no longer Adam, but will be known as Eve. Sadly, the male keeps the stigma of the word Adam, but with a total shift in its meaning.

We discussed that the word in Hebrew for man is (ish) and the word for woman is (ishsah). In looking at the letters of each of these words, we find an enigma. There are three letters, two of which are identical and one different. The two identical are the (aleph) and the (shin). The differing letters are the (yud) and the (hey). Remember that the man and the woman are in perfect oneness, just like the Godhead. Thus, they are His Image and Likeness. What is compelling about these descriptions is what they reveal. Note again the words and letters for man and woman:

When we put the two differing letters together we have (yah), God’s Name! Their union IS a revelation of the Divine. When we remove the differing letters, both words have the identical letters remaining.

What remains is the word (esh) which means flames or fire. When we think of what these little words are saying, they tell us the entire message of the Gospel. First, the Adam comes from the fiery flames of the Egoistic Serpent, formed by the “ash,” the dust of “I will!” Then God places Himself within the dust of the flames and the Adam becomes a Living Soul. They are in perfect unity, not because of physical marriage, but because of spiritual Oneness, functioning together to reveal (Yah) Divine reality. However, if we remove that aspect of God from the equation, we once again have (esh), the eternal fire, the place from which we came.

If we flip the word (esh) backwards, it looks like this If we add the letter (nun), which represents the Divine seed, the Throne of Messiah, we have the word (nasa) which means forgive, literally to carry away. Again, the message in man and woman united reveals God. When God is removed there are only flames, but if you reverse that through the Messiah, there is forgiveness or literally, the carrying away and forgetting.

Still, the most important aspect of the revelation of God is yet to come. When Adam names his wife Eve, the revelation is complete. Eve is actually Greek, taken from the Septuagint. In Hebrew, Eve is (chavah) meaning Life-Giver. As we look at the letters in her name, the last two are (hey) and (vav). When you put those letters together then add the two letters from man and woman’s union, you complete the Divine name As Eve completes the Divine revelation to a fallen world, not only is she (chavah) the Life-Giver, but within that is a revelation of how she will accomplish this. She is the agent through which the redeemer will come. She will be “giving life” to the Messiah who will crush the Serpent’s head. (chavah) when used in verb form, (chavah), means to declare and reveal.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.”

(Psalms 19:1-2/NKJV)

Genesis 3:20 says, “...because she was the mother of all living.” In Hebrew it says (kiy hiv hay'tah eem kal chiy) “...for she is mother of all life.” The word (eem) mother, literally means strong water or glue. In the same way that (av) is father, meaning strength of the house, (eem) mother, is the glue that keeps the house or family together. (chavah) the Life-Giver, is the glue that keeps the Divine family together. It’s through her the Light of revelation comes. Not only is this true spiritually, but in very practical terms; the Christ, the revelation of the Father, will build the family. Consider the Apostle Paul’s words:

“And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

(1 Corinthians 15:45/NKJV)

Who is Paul referring to? Sure, in one sense it’s Christ, but not without directly referencing Eve (chavah) the Life-Giver, through which the Savior would come. For that matter, another very important biblical fact must be unveiled. When the Septuagint translated the Hebrew (chavah), the word Eua (eva) was inserted based on the theological point of view of Genesis 4:1.[62] The real issue is if we knew what the Septuagint actually said, compared to the Hebrew, it would blow our theological minds! The actual word that’s chosen in the Septuagint for Genesis 3:20 isn’t Eua (eva):

The word employed is (Zoe), Life in the absolute! In other words, “And Adam called his wife, Life Eternal…” This is the same word that’s referred to throughout the New Testament to describe what we receive through Jesus Christ. (zoe) is translated, eternal life, everlasting life and at times just life, though referring to it in the absolute sense.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

(John 3:16/NKJV)

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

(John 17:3/NKJV)

Can you imagine? Eve, or better said, Zoe, is referred to throughout the New Testament over and over as the Life-giving power in Christ Jesus. So why employ the word Eua (eva)? Because Eve addresses the other aspect of the Hebrew word, to reveal. The name Eve or Eua (eva) is the root of a very special word in Christendom, evangelism.

Part 1: The Death Sleep Descent

“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.”

(Genesis 3:21/NASU)

For many years I looked at this scripture and made a major assumption that it never said. I assumed that God killed an animal as a covenantal sacrifice, took the skin and made garments for Adam and Eve. There are two problems with that assumption. The first and most important is that the scripture never made such a claim. Yet, for many years this has been a popular assumption among theologians and Bible teachers due to trendy commentaries.[63] In recent paraphrase versions of the Bible, it appears the assumption is even added.[64] However, what the scripture actually says is this:

(vaya’as Yahweh elohiym la’adam uwl’ish’to cat’not or vayil’bisheem) “And did (made), Yahweh the Powers, to Adam and to his wife coverings of skin and wrapped them."

If we fall prey to the depiction that the Adam was just a physical being like us today, then it seems to follow suit that God must have killed an animal to make the garments.[65] The problem is, things were very different prior to the Fall! We already discovered that being formed from the dust of the ground is more than being formed from the powdery stuff that collects in the corner of our closet. The dust of the ground was the lowest form of the Desire to Receive; it’s the Desire to Receive for Oneself Alone. It’s the “I will be like...” statement of Lucifer in Isaiah. It’s the very essence of the Serpent, and God took of that essence, breathed into it the breath of Life and the Adam became a Living Soul.

Another central aspect (which supports the fact that the Adam was not physical prior to the Fall) is the substance of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. Clearly, they weren’t physical trees, they were systems (or realities) of existence. We found that in Ezekiel’s explanation that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was lifted up in pride and was going to be dealt with accordingly.[66] In the same way that these Trees were not physical, neither was the substance the Adam was made of, or anything else in the Garden. These were and are spiritual realities that exist in a domain of Limitlessness, However, when the Adam partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, something happened to their state of existence. They were transformed from a creature reflecting Light, back to a self-centered creature of Darkness. They returned to the substance from which they came, the Serpent, the dust of the ground. They were falling from the Garden of Light and Pleasure, to the Egoistic dark substance from which they were taken. Notice the words of the scripture:

“therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.”

(Genesis 3:23/NKJV)

They are returning to “till” (le’avod) to serve the base desires from which they were taken. They’re no longer cultivating the Desire to Receive for the sake of Giving. Rather they’re returning to serve the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone! We clearly see this in the man’s act of self-justification and Divine accusation.

Because of this God does something that causes everything to change. Rather than keeping them eternally trapped in Darkness and shackled to the Tree of Death, God wraps the Adam and all creation subjected to them, in “flesh”. Adam and Eve are now corporeal beings existing in what we call the physical world. God didn’t kill an animal to clothe the Adam. He clothed them in bodies of flesh, thus the animal they’re wrapped in is called, “Human”. Along with them, all the creation called Eden falls, encased in a world of time and space. The Garden that communicated Divine Pleasure to all, which was held together by the homeostasis of the man and the woman reflecting the Light, was fractured. Now all of creation eagerly awaits a manifestation of the Adam to once again rise so they may find the equilibrium of true Life.

“The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”

(Romans 8:19-21/NIV)

This is why the Apostle Paul told us that all Creation was subjected to “frustration,” which in Greek literally means, (mataiótēti) inflated with empty pride, ego. Because the Adam partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, all Creation under their service fell with them into the Death Sleep. The animate, the vegetation, and the inanimate all struggle with dreaming empty, egoistic realities. One devours the other, one usurps another, one runs from the other, and even the rocks split and quake. Whether a viral microorganism devours its host, or a lion consumes an antelope, destruction upon destruction is cried, for the whole land is plundered (Jeremiah 4:20).

It’s here in the New Testament we find a most revealing statement, “...the creation was subjected to frustration (empty pride), not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it...” Who subjected the creation to this egocentric death sentence? God? NO! It was the Adam! Some translations capitalize the word, “...the One (or Him) who subjected it...” assuming it was God that forced the submission. But it wasn’t.

“that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

(Romans 8:21/NASU)

“that everything God made would be set free from ruin to have the freedom and glory that belong to God's children.”

(Romans 8:21/NCV)

“Yet there was always the hope that at last the Creation itself would also be set free from the thraldom of decay so as to enjoy the liberty that will attend the glory of the children of God.”

(Romans 8:21/WEY)

It’s powerful that the Weymouth translation chooses the word, thraldom, because thrall or enthrall means to control or to hold spellbound.[67] The curse or spell that followed was a result of the Adam’s choice and action; God simply stated what the consequences would be. God didn’t say, “I curse you...” Rather God said:

“So the Lord God said to the serpent: ‘Because you have done this...’ Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree...’”

(Genesis 3:14, 17/NKJV)

God made it plain, “Because you have...” this will be the result. The only place in these verses where it appears that God is actually stating something is with regards to the woman:

“To the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children;’”

(Genesis 3:16/NKJV)

You might be thinking, “Okay, God, how come she gets the severe end of the stick? She was the only one that actually told the truth when confronted. The man justified himself and even accused You! How come so harsh?” It has everything to do with good ol' fashion Biblical exegesis in context. God was NOT saying, “You bad girl! Look what you did. The poor boy is a victim of your deceptions.” No! God was informing the woman that He created a war between her and the Serpent because she would be the vessel through which redemption would come. Context is everything:

“‘And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.’ To the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children;’”

(Genesis 3:15-16/NKJV)

In the case of this particular verse, the closest credible translation I could find, besides the Hebrew text itself, is Young’s Literal Translation. Otherwise, we fall into the trap of Greek Stoicism and 16th century culture:

“Unto the woman He said, ‘Multiplying I multiply thy sorrow and thy conception...’”

(Genesis 3:16/YLT)

The Hebrew reads this way:

(el-haishah amar har’bah ar’beh its’voneek v’heeroneek) “To the woman said, (increasing) I’m really increasing your toil and your pregnancy...”

The phrase really isn’t, “He said,” not that it can’t be implied. God is speaking and a translator can use such license. But when we add phrases or even a single word to a text, the emphasis can change. Though “He said” is not grammatically wrong, it does change the emphases. So let me suggest the following. God was simply continuing His thought from His discussion with the Serpent. It wasn’t that he spoke to the Serpent and then turned to the woman and started a new idea. Actually, God speaks to the Serpent and continues the balance of the conversation with the woman.

God says to the Serpent (my paraphrase to communicate the concept): “I am declaring war between you and the woman. Her seed is going to crush your head and you will only crush His heel.” Then he continues the thought with the woman. “(Because I just declared a war between you and the Serpent) I’ve seriously increased your toil (in life) and definitely in bringing forth Life, the Serpent killer, your seed, the Messiah!”

The statement, “Because you have done this...” is not said or implied to the woman. There is only the statement that there will be an increase of toil, both in her life and in bringing forth Life. God said this because it is the direct result of the war between the Serpent and her seed. Remember, she was honest; there was no accusation in her words. She openly confessed her failure, unlike the man.

Then God says to the man “Because you have done this...”

"…Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

(Genesis 3:17-19/NIV)

The ground that the Adam served in the Garden of Pleasure is now cursed by his actions. This is not the ground from which they were created; this is the holy ground of the Garden in which they were placed. Now the entire Creature, the Adam and all connected to them, are cursed! Now the Garden will become like the corrupted ground, like the Serpent, the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone! This is exactly what the Apostle Paul was saying when he referred to “...the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption...” (Romans 8:21/KJV)

The issue of toiling to produce all the days of his life has little to do with working hard and getting little in return. If this was referring to the results of our vocations in this life, then how does Bill Gates arrive at $67 billion, Warren Buffet at $53.5 billion, and J. K. Rowling $17 million by their “toil”?[68] From the average bloke’s standpoint, they are not reaping thorns and thistles! So you may think, “Well no, but spiritually...” Exactly the point! This has nothing to do with the physical world and everything to do with spiritual reality. God is telling the man, regardless how hard you try to control your Ego (the satanic nature), you will reap the fruits of it. You will plant seeds of self-centeredness and you’ll reap selfishness.

Thorns and thistles in Hebrew is (v'korts v'dar'dar). Thorns (kowts) are a powerful symbol in scripture. The definition is to cut off, to end.

“...they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes...”

(Joshua 23:13/NKJV)

“...thorns in your eyes...” What a horrible picture! But more importantly it means, cut off your sight. Isn’t this exactly what partaking of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil did? It “shut our eyes” to the Tree of Life. Remember, you can’t behold both trees; either you have your eyes open to one and closed to the other, or visa versa. In a practical sense, if you were to walk into a thorny bush that was the same height as you, your first instinct would be to protect your eyes by closing and covering them. Consider the picture of a person with his eyes closed because of a thorny presence. Once again, we have the imagery of sleep. Spiritual thorns are a way of describing the enchantment that forces our eyes closed.

Then the scripture says, “and thistles” (dar'dar). By definition (dar or dor) means to circle around or a revolution of time or place. Thistles were used to make an enclosure for sheep or other such animals, similar to our modern day barbed wire fence. The ground yielding thorns and thistles conveys that the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone will cut off your sight and close you in. This is exactly what Jesus was referring to in the parable of the Sower:

“Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

(Mark 4:18-19/NKJV)

The anxiety of this world, the delusion of riches and the lust for other things “choke” the Living Word, the Divine reality. Remember how the Hebrew mind describes pictorially. Though penned in Greek, the writer is drawing a picture for us. The “thistles” that encircle us and choke are much like a serpent constricting its prey. As we slowly suffocate, we end up closing our eyes (thorns) and falling into unconsciousness. Thus, we are unfruitful. Hence, the Death Sleep!

There is much we can discuss in these verses, but let’s remind ourselves of the end:

“For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

(Genesis 3:19/NKJV)

That which makes the Serpent, the Serpent, what makes Satan, Satan, is the dust of the ground. God reminds the man, he is that and to that he will return. What a horrific statement! What a death! No wonder the man follows God’s words by profoundly saying:

“The man called his wife Havah [life], because she was the mother of all living.”

(Genesis 3:20/CJB)

In the fallen state, the man retains the name, Adam. However, he’s no longer a Divine image; now he becomes the image of the Tree he just partook of, Death. Now he’s replicating the satanic image. We saw this by his self-justification and Divine accusation. While one can argue that the woman can be equally egoistic, the man is hopeless in this state. Nothing he sows, including the seed from his own loins will produce Divine life. This is why God said to the Serpent, “I will put war between your seed and her seed...” Realizing what God said to the Serpent and the woman, the man looks toward her and says, “You are the LIFE-Giver, you are the mother of all that is Eternal Life.” In reflective terms, “You and your seed are our only hope!”

You may be thinking, “But our hope is in Jesus and He was a man.” I agree, but we must look at all the aspects of what has occurred here. The woman was deceived and she partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But the man was not deceived. He partook willingly (or more accurately, arrogantly). He thought that he would be able to liberate himself, the woman and Creation on his own:

“...by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay...”

(Romans 8:20-21/NIV)

Note the phrase, “...in hope that the creation itself will be liberated...” This wasn’t about salvation born of God or any aspect of the Divine world. It’s the thought of liberating itself. This is the Ego of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil at its best! “I can save myself!” And why wouldn’t he think so? The man was blaming God for giving him the woman in the first place. Why trust Him? Just when you think it can’t get worse, the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone, has added the Desire to Save Itself Alone. When the man presumed that he could save the entire Creature (himself, the woman, and the Garden) by himself, he subjected it to death. This entire realm of “Life” was now plunged into the Death Sleep!

While the man arrogantly believed he would liberate himself and the Creation, God revealed the true results of his actions. In summary: You listened to the mislead woman and partook of the Tree I told you not too; in arrogance you believed you could liberate creation on your own. Though the woman was honest about how and why she partook, you blamed her and accused Me. Because you’ve done this, you will only reap selfish, egoistic, narcissism in your self-made efforts to liberate Creation. For from the Ego you came and to it you’ll return!

This is why the man’s seed reaps corruption and the woman’s is the vessel of the Savior. Understand this principle: because a “man” was author of the Divine accusation, he bears a major weight of the consequence. The woman also bears the consequence, but the dynamic is not the same. While giving birth in the corporeal world can be life-threatening, it’s also life-giving and the woman doesn’t have to die to make it happen. For the man, however, if there is a path to redemption, the only recompense is an exchange in both spiritual and physical death for himself and the Creation.

We still need to consider the fundamental consequence. The effect of the man’s act sent all into the Death Sleep (Darkness) and trapped them in the corporeal world. It’s ludicrous to believe that in such a state we can find our way back to spiritual consciousness. But you’d be surprised what the Ego will believe. The Ego spans everything from believing man is the highest form of nature and God doesn’t exist, to the extreme opposite in which self-mutilation is a form of piety. In this condition, an individual fallen man cannot bear the redemptive burden. Why? Because the author of the violation wasn’t in a fallen state. He was in a divine state at the time of the Fall, so the only one who could redeem the fallen had to be Divine as well. To put it another way, it was a falling Divine man, the Image of God, that made the accusation, then another Divine man will have to be exchanged as ransom. Sound familiar? This is why the Death Sleep is such a prison. You cannot free yourself. If a Divine man caused the offense, a fallen man cannot pay the penalty for it.

Part 2: The Cross and the Tree

The woman’s task is to produce a Divine man in the fallen realm. On the other hand, the Divine man (which the Life-Giver brings forth) must bear the judgment of the accusation that was made by the previous Divine man. A parallel path must be walked to accomplish this. In the same way that God was accused without cause, the coming Divine man must also be accused and punished without cause.

“But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”

(John 15:25/NKJV)

The burden upon the man is insurmountable; he accused God and this propensity continues in humanity today. One of the key moments where this all culminates is when Jesus is taken prisoner and tried by the Romans. That is when an accusation and an exchange takes place; Barabbas is released in place of Jesus.

“Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, 'Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?' For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, ‘Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.’ But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ They said, ‘Barabbas!’ Pilate said to them, ‘What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said to him, ‘Let Him be crucified!’ Then the governor said, ‘Why, what evil has He done?’ But they cried out all the more, saying, ‘Let Him be crucified!’ When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.’ And all the people answered and said, ‘His blood be on us and on our children.’ Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”

(Matthew 27:15-26/NKJV)

In the verses above, the second sentence is most profound. “And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.” Most English translations, since the time of the 1611 King James Bible project, leave out a very important word from the Greek text, right between the words called and Barabbas. What’s worse is that the exemption is intentional. You will see why.

The word, or better said, the name which has been left out is astonishing. It’s (Ieesoun), Jesus. The full name of this “notorious prisoner” is Jesus Barabbas. This is why Pilate differentiates between the two. “Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’” The reason for adding “Jesus, who is called Christ” is because there was another “Jesus” present. Sounds bizarre, doesn’t it? It’s actually not. Once again, the scripture is communicating the same story, just in a different way. It’s block logic with roots and branches. While the trial actually happened and the events that followed occurred, we must go to the spiritual root of the branch for the complete picture.

This notorious prisoner had the first name Jesus (Yeshua), meaning delivering or he delivers. But his last name is even more overwhelming. Barabbas which is Aramaic, literally means (bar-abba) Son of the Father! Pontius Pilate was asking, “Whom do want me to release to you? The Deliverer, Son of the Father, or The Deliverer who is called, Messiah?” There were two deliverers who are the Sons of the Father? One was a murder and the other the Anointed One? Yes! The great exchange is about to take place. The Son of the Father, for the “other” Son of the Father. The first son, the creator of rebellion and murder, will be exchanged for the other Son, the willing sacrifice. The second is doing what the first didn’t and because the second fulfills the Divine intention, there will be no need for a third or fourth. For this reason, the second will be known as the Last.

In the exchange, the two ultimately become one. The first phase of this union is the exchange itself. The first becomes the last and the last becomes the first. Christ will take the full punishment of what the first Adam incurred because of his accusation and self-justification. In this world of time and space, Jesus Christ will hang on a cross, falsely accused by those who justify themselves. The first accuses the Last, and the Last humbly submits to redeem the first. The Divine man on the cross says to the Father, “forgive them...” while the fallen man of dust (the flaming Desire to Receive for Itself Alone, the Serpent) cries, “…crucify Him!” The man on the cross bares the punishment of the accusation, while the Father forgives the accusers. In that moment, the Divine becomes the accused, so the accused can become Divine. The Christ is now the Adam and the Adam is now the Christ. The exchange is complete! In that moment another phenomenon occurred: Christ enters the Death Sleep as the fallen Adam. Accordingly, the second joins the first, though in Death Sleep, the two are now one.

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. ... So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

(Romans 6:5-7, 11/NRSV)

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.”

(Ephesians 2:14-16/NKJV)

Because Christ is now in union with the fallen Adam, whatever applies to the existence of Christ, now applies to the Adam. In the same way that Christ is united with the Adam in the fall, the Adam is united in His resurrection.

“[He], even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus...”

(Ephesians 2:5-6/NKJV)

United in Death, united in resurrection! The accuser becomes the redeemed and the redeemer becomes the Eternal King reigning over Death, Hell, and most importantly, anything that resembles the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In the union of death, Christ becomes the First Adam and through the resurrection He is also the Last Adam.

“Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

(Revelation 1:17-18/NKJV)

At this moment, Pontius Pilate is the moderator between the accusers and the accused. While there are some that place blame on the Jewish nation for the crucifixion of the Christ (and through such erroneous belief have created an unwarranted, anti-Semitic point of view from some Christian sects), it actually took all of us to do this murderous deed. After all, we were all the first Adam. It was religion that accused and condemned, it was the polytheist and atheist who were the executioners and the bystander that carried the means of execution. In other words, Judaism, the custodian of the Divine Law, accused and condemned. But it didn’t just represent itself, but all religions. If the Divine Law couldn’t redeem,[69] then no other law or religion could. Then we have the Romans, who fell into two groups, one that believed in many false gods and the other that didn’t believe in a god at all. Finally, you have the innocent bystander, who was simply watching another public execution and was compelled to carry the cross.

Of all the participants in the crucifixion the bystander seems the most innocuous, but let’s pause for a moment to ponder him. You can pick which is worse as you process these thoughts, but consider this. There’s religion, Christendom or any other, with its laws and rules that condemn the soul. Then there are our false beliefs or gods which we create in our minds, not only leading us away from Divine reality, but misleading others when we tell them to mimic our devotion. Such self-made beliefs destroy, hinder, or even kill any sense of spiritual reality within ourselves or in the listener. Thus these false beliefs/gods become the veil that blinds the minds of people.[70]

But the bystander! How many movies have been made about the crucifixion where Simon of Cyrene[71] is depicted as the reluctant nice guy in the crowd, compelled by those mean ol’ Romans? “Well he probably was a decent, respectable guy, just passing by, who stopped because of the crowd and watched another public execution.” From the bystander’s point of view, “it’s just another typical day in Jerusalem [yawn, sigh]”. But then Jesus stumbles and is clearly too weak after all the flogging to carry the cross further. So those despicable Romans grab Simon, who was minding his own business, and demand he pick up the cross and carry it for Jesus. With some shoving, pushing and maybe a strike or two of the whip, Simon picks up the cross and starts the journey with Jesus. In some films, Simon looks sorry for Jesus. In others, Simon is depicted as carrying the cross as an act of compassion after being forced into it by the Romans. Some denominations have even gone so far as to say Simon is the first saintly Christian. Really? A nice decent guy? A good deed? An act of pity? A saint? But that’s the point! That very attitude is what’s necessary to become the vehicle of an execution.

By being a bystander while religion and self-centered beliefs decree judgment and death, we finalize the murder. It’s like polishing and loading the gun for the Mafia hit-man who’s assigned to assassinate someone. But we find plenty of ways to justify ourselves. “Hey I really had nothing do to with it! I didn’t pull the trigger and I didn’t order the hit. Actually, I felt sorry for the guy who was gonna get it.” Passivity is the self-deceiving participant in religion’s act of murder. The bystander justifies himself and maybe even feels sorry for the guy he’s helping to his death. Sound familiar yet? “Hey you don’t understand. I was outnumbered. There were too many Romans! Now, I don’t agree with what they were doing, but I had to do what they said, or I could have gotten hurt. I’ve got a wife and kids to think about!” Simon was the only one selected, but how many more bystanders were there? There was crowd. How many in the crowd possibly felt the same way? We’ll never know because no one took the leadership to find out.

Being a bystander is easy. You just keep your mouth shut and go with the powers that be (maybe even grumble under your breath, showing your disapproval to the other bystanders close by). Hence the deception of the Serpent in Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil strikes again. Like the man in Garden, the bystander says, “It’s not my fault! It was those Romans that made me do it.” You may be thinking, “But Simon was forced, so He’s innocent.” Think again. He was there. If he wasn’t, he would be innocent because he would be “unknowing”. But by being there he was “knowing” and he did nothing. He didn’t even try to leave. By staying he was able to participate. Not to mention he actually carried the Roman equivalent of the electric chair for Christ. This is similar to the man in the Garden who observed the discussion between the Serpent and the woman, and did nothing.

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”

(Genesis 3:6/NKJV)

Notice that last statement (vatiteen gam-la'ishah imah vayochal) “She gave also to her husband with her and he ate.” The man was right there, not on the other side of the Garden making mud pies. They were “one” and he was aware and did nothing. Thus, he soon participated and finalized the death that came. The fruit of this attitude was the egoistic notion that he could liberate the Creation after its fall. How many times does this bystander, self-justifying innocence say, “I didn't mean it,” or, “It wasn’t my fault,” then ponders a way out of the spot they end up in? We all do that sometimes. But remember we’re ultimately speaking from the realm of the spirit, the root. This isn’t about something happening in front of us in the physical world. Rather, we are talking about the spiritual workings within ourselves. You can’t be a bystander within your own heart. You can’t claim “no-fault” for the actions, desires and attitudes you possess. For example, to say to someone, “I didn’t mean it when I said your mother was ugly,” is a lie. Yes you did! You either believe she’s ugly or you said it because you knew it would hurt the person you said it to. You may say, “Well, it slipped out of my mouth.” But the truth is, it came from within. Most of what “slips out” in anger or fear has been residing in our thoughts and feelings. Jesus said that out of the abundance of our heart the mouth will speak.[72]

Part 3: Residual Impression of Resemblance

When we finish this journey and reach the horrific crucifixion, Jesus in this physical world is nailed to a cross, but in the spiritual world He is nailed to a Tree .

“who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed.”

(1 Peter 2:23-24/NKJV)

The very Tree that set this entire drama in motion is the very Tree upon which Christ is crucified. Christ is impaled on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, where Death attempts to consume Life. Yet, by Christ being crucified upon the Tree of Death, he destroys all the rules of good and evil against humanity conjured by the Serpent and instituted by its Ego.

“Having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.”

(Colossians 2:14/NIV)

“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’ But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’ Yet the law is not of faith, but ‘the man who does them shall live by them.’ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

(Galatians 3:10-14/NKJV)

Jesus hung on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, so we’d no longer be under the curse of works, trying to attain righteousness by the measure of our rights and wrongs. This doesn’t just refer to the curse of the Mosaic Law, but the curse of any “right and wrong” or “good and evil” system. There is no system, including a holy or unholy, righteous or unrighteous approach to the New Testament that can justify us before God. None!

This is where REAL FAITH comes in! Many of us believe a contradiction. We first think that by believing in Jesus all our sins are forgiven and we are granted eternal salvation. Okay, so far so good. But we still have to make sure we do “good” and shun “evil” or God will be angry and we’ll lose His blessing and favor upon us. So what just happened? By making those statements, I have begun eating the fruit of the Serpent once again. What’s seriously wrong with this picture? As Genesis 3:1 says, “Now the Serpent was more cunning than any other beast of the field...” No sooner do we catch a glimpse of transformational salvation by faith, the Serpent slithers his way back in and we return to believing that we’ll be like God if we know good and evil. On the contrary! This is where true faith must enter the picture. True faith arrives when I accept the love of God from a totally humble place. It’s when we PERCEIVE through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we see that He destroyed the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and all the religious regulations that emerge from it. It’s then we will avail ourselves to true transformation. True transformation can only come through our connection to Christ. As soon as we institute a rule or regulation, regardless of how Christian it sounds, we fall back under the power of that which Christ destroyed. In other words, what brought you salvation, keeps your salvation. The principle doesn’t change.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

(Ephesians 2:8-10/NKJV)

Notice the first part of the verse, “...by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of ourselves...” It begins by grace, it’s maintained by grace and there’s no end to this grace! “...it is the gift of God, not of works...” Once a gift, always a gift! It wasn’t by our works of right and wrong, good or evil that granted us such salvation. Neither will it be our works of right or wrong, nor good or evil, which keeps such salvation. Don’t confuse our colloquialism of holiness with its Biblical definition and its relationship to the work of Christ. For hundreds of years and in many denominations, holiness is our effort to abstain from sin and do what is right. But if there are no ordinances, no laws, no written codes against us, then neither is there sin! Sin only exists when the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is a reality in our lives and in the doctrines that form our religion. When we reinvent ordinances for holiness, we empower our ability to boast and when we can boast, we are back in the world of the Serpent, the Ego. But don’t think that no laws means that Christ is promoting lawlessness. Because both are equally Egoistic!

In light of saying we are not to be partakers of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in any form, how come the verse continues to say, “...created in Christ Jesus for good works...”? First of all we cannot be afraid to use words like “good and evil” or we’re back to the bondage we just came from, only in another crafty, legalistic form. On the other hand, we can’t simply redefine what is legalistically good and evil by calling it Life and Death. That’s merely a theological ploy. It’s about truly migrating from the reality of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil into the system of the Tree of Life and abiding there. By the context, Paul is very clear that this has nothing to do with legalism, law, works, or even knowing right from wrong in the religious sense. Being “...created in Christ Jesus...” has nothing to do with performing good works and abstaining from evil ones. It has everything to do with resemblance and likeness. This is about realizing the Divine man or woman you are in Christ, the Image and Likeness of God. Jesus said:

“Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.’”

(John 5:19-20/NKJV)

“He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”

(John 14:9-10/NKJV)

The “good works” that we are created for, are not good as is the written code or simply good for good’s sake. They’re also not good because some religion says they are right and good. This is about the rediscovery of the latent Image and Likeness of Christ within. There’s no demand or command on anyone to do good or what is right in some moral way in the name of Christ. Rather, there’s the mandate to discover His Likeness within and to live from that place. It’s not about “doing” it is about “being.” This is about truly discovering your reality in God. It’s not about feeding the hungry because God said so, or not stealing because God says it’s wrong. It’s feeding the hungry because you see Christ within feeding the hungry. It’s not stealing from your neighbor, because Christ within isn’t stealing!

The subtlety of the Serpent suggests, “You know, Christ doesn’t do this or that, so you shouldn’t either.” Or, “You know, Jesus would do that, so you should do it. You’ll feel better about yourself if you did.” If we respond to that voice we just fell from the reality of grace to the realm of flesh and ego. As the Apostle Paul writes:

“Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.”

(Galatians 2:21/MES)

Listen closely, “You know He doesn’t... So you shouldn’t... You should...” Hear the separation? We are back to thinking “I’m not the likeness of God, but if I just do this, I will be.” The Serpent is nasty! It’s not about what “I” know “He” does or doesn’t do. It’s about the Divine One in me, through Christ, doing what the Father is doing; we’re one in the same. How can Christ do something that the Father doesn’t conceive? In the same way, as we learn the living reality of Christ within, we do what we see and say what we hear. Not as an external observer, but from an inner unity. We’re never to do what we do, say what we say, because of any egoistic motive. If we act because it feeds our pride or our sense of unworthiness, we are not acting in Christ.

We are accepted in Christ, and the power of His Cross (His death on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) allows for our failures along the way. You may be thinking, “But what about sin? What about adultery, fornication, malice and the like?” They are no longer “sins” that can sever our relationship with God or the Divine within us. The more important emphasis is on what Christ has done. We are no longer to fear the rights and wrongs, or the good and the evil. We are to only to resist the base egoistic nature and yield to the Divine nature within! Now we do what we do, and say what we say, because we see the Father, the DIVINE WITHIN doing them. Thus, we raise the reflector against any egoistic or self-centered desire by the rest of faith, so the Image and Likeness of , the Father, can been seen.

Focus Points

When Adam names his wife Eve… Eve is actually Greek… In Hebrew, Eve is (chavah) meaning Life-Giver. … The actual word that’s chosen in the Septuagint for Genesis 3:20 isn’t Eua (eva)… The word employed is (Zoe), Life in the absolute! In other words, “And Adam called his wife, Life Eternal…”

…when the Adam partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil… They were transformed from a creature reflecting Light, back to a self-centered creature of Darkness. They returned to the substance from which they came, the Serpent, the dust of the ground.

They’re no longer cultivating the Desire to Receive for the sake of Giving. Rather they’re returning to serve the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone!

The effect of the man’s act sent all into the Death Sleep (Darkness) and trapped them in the corporeal world.

The woman’s task is to produce a Divine man in the fallen realm. On the other hand, the Divine man (which the Life-Giver brings forth) must bear the judgment of the accusation that was made by the previous Divine man.

The first son, the creator of rebellion and murder, will be exchanged for the other Son, the willing sacrifice. … In that moment, the Divine becomes the accused, so the accused can become Divine.

In the union of death, Christ becomes the First Adam and through the resurrection He is also the Last Adam. “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead… (Rev. 1:17-18/NKJV)

Passivity is the self-deceiving participant in religion’s act of murder.

The very Tree that set this entire drama in motion is the very Tree upon which Christ is crucified. Christ is impaled on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, where Death attempts to consume Life.

Being “...created in Christ Jesus...” has nothing to do with performing good works and abstaining from evil ones. It has everything to do with resemblance and likeness. This is about realizing the Divine man or woman you are in Christ, the Image and Likeness of God. … It’s not about “doing” it is about “being.”

“Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ And they said, ‘What is that to us? You see to it!’ Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, ‘It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.’ And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 'And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.’”

(Matthew 27:3-10/NKJV)

In this chapter we will tie together everything we’ve learned in the last seven, so we can proceed and discuss walking in the Melchizedekian priesthood.

There is an old nursery rhyme: “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.” There are a couple versions of the rhyme, all dating back to about 16th century Britton. Originally, as history would have it, Humpty Dumpty was a very large, heavy cannon assembled high up on a wall. During battle the wall was struck by an enemy cannonball. Due to the oversized and overweight Humpty, both wall and cannon came crashing down. There was no way the king’s men could rebuild the wall and reassemble the huge cannon, much less have their horses drag its large remains up another wall. Later, a drink made from ale and brandy took on the same name. It was quite potent and if you had too much, you were going to fall over and not get up for a good long time. The version most of us are aware of comes from the Mother Goose nursery rhyme book. Our friend Humpty Dumpty is a large, manlike egg sitting on a wall who falls over. Needless to say, trying to put a broken egg back together is impossible. What’s interesting about this famed nursery rhyme is that it seems to be an uncanny parable of Genesis. The Adam, the Living Soul, a vessel fashioned to reflect the Image and Likeness of had a great fall. When the vessel fell, it shattered into countless pieces and clearly no one could put the Adam back together again. Herein enters the odd verses of Matthew Chapter 27.

This section of the New Testament contains an anomaly that should cause us to stop and look for what’s hidden in plain sight. The concepts of roots and branches, block logic, an hermeneutics again come into play. Yet, when read as a simple story, it seems pretty straight forward.

In summary: After the Lord’s Supper, Jesus and the disciples walk to the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus moves to a private place to pray and shortly thereafter, Judas Iscariot arrives with Roman soldiers. With a kiss, Judas betrays Jesus and they take Him prisoner. Jesus then appears before Pilate. He’s exchanged for Barabbas, flogged, beaten, and crucified. Meanwhile, Judas realizes he’s done wrong and returns to the Pharisees to give back the money he was paid for the betrayal. They refuse to take the money back. Judas is appalled and while leaving, he throws the money on the temple floor. The Pharisees take the money, not wanting it to go to waste, and purchase a field to bury strangers. The Gospel writer then references the scriptures fulfilled by these events.

Let’s look at this from a standpoint other than just historical, corporeal events. Being that this is happening in the spiritual world, another perception of reality comes into play. After the Last Supper where does Jesus go? To a garden! Here we have another face of the same block and another branch revealing the Eternal root. The name of this garden is Gethsemane which is of Aramaic/ Hebrew origin. In Hebrew (gat shemeniym) means oil press.[73] Before we go any further, let’s create a mental picture of what an oil press is.

Back in Jesus’s time, making olive oil was a labor intensive process. First the olives were harvested, many times by striking the olive tree with sticks, causing the fruit to fall to the ground. Once the olives were gathered they were placed in a vat with a large mill stone. As the stone rolled, the olives were crushed, separating the pits from the pulp. The pulp was then gathered, placed in specially woven baskets, and pressed again. The oil would seep through the weave and down into a reservoir where it was left to separate. Finally, the oil was skimmed off by hand.

Part 1: In The Garden Again

Consider the picture of what Jesus went through in Gethsemane. The Gospels tell us that He was greatly oppressed by sorrow. He sweat clots of blood[74] and was betrayed with a kiss. While many see the cross as the place where Jesus shed His blood, we must remember that He initially shed His blood in the Garden. This is where the “press” began and later culminated on the cross. Like an olive, Christ was oppressed in the Garden where His blood was being separated from His body. This is an important facet of the events taking place. In the book of Leviticus, there’s a paragraph that many of us use regarding the forgiveness of sin, and is necessary to be introduced at this point for the sake of clarification.

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’”

(Leviticus 17:11-12/NKJV)

It’s the first part that seems to misdirect the emphasis, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood…” If you take a translator’s liberty, it’s fair to say “…the life of the flesh…” meaning that which gives the body animation. But that’s not a literal or precise translation. The phrase should say, (kiy nephesh habasar badam), “For (the) soul of the flesh is in (the) blood.” Notice it said, (nephesh) soul, not (chayiym) life. If we return to Genesis 2:7, we find the scripture telling us that God breathed into the Adam the breath of life and he became a “Living Soul.” The product of the breath of God is the animation of the soul. The soul here is the key. If we were to translate the Leviticus verse the way it was originally written it would say, “The soul of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls; for it is that blood that makes atonement for the soul.” (Beginning modified by the writer, NKJV) It makes better sense to use the word soul based on the context of the verse. Clearly the blood is a type for the soul and what it contains. It’s the corporeal branch to the spiritual root; the breath or Light of God in the soul. Saying the soul of the flesh is in the blood and that blood makes atonement for the soul, clarifies the meaning. Not to mention this can then be applied to covenant ritual as well, where blood is shed and shared. As we referred to previously, think of Christ offering the wine to His disciples at the Last Supper and implying, “This is my soul of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:28)

It’s the breath of God in the Soul that animates the Image and Likeness of God (the Adam). As we see Jesus sweating clots of blood from His body, like an olive in an olive press, He’s being pressed by the weight of sin. In similitude in the spirit world, we see the Image and Likeness also crushed and shattered into fragments, causing the Light/Breath of God to be forced out. In the same way that an olive contains olive oil, the body has blood. The Living Soul (the Adam) has the Light/Breath of God. The Garden of Eden (Pleasure) has now become the Garden of Gethsemane (Pressure) where the Light is being extinguished, removed and pressed from the Divine Image.

Here Jesus has already started the process of identification with the first Adam. He’s going through what the Adam experienced. He began shedding His blood, meaning the Soul was shattering and the Light could no longer abide in the Vessel. When there isn’t a vessel to reflect the Light, darkness quickly moves in. In Gethsemane, darkness arrived in the form of something very sinister, Judas. With a kiss, like the Adam, Jesus slowly plunges into the haze of the Death Sleep. He’s taken and beaten so more olive oil, blood, soul-life spills out, and the darkness becomes thicker. Then, falsely accused before all, Christ bears the accusation and consequences of what the man did in the Garden. The phantasm of lifeless slumber descends. Impaled on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the final Life-Breath would be exhaled, extinguishing the Light. Christ, united with the First Adam, wrapped in the grave clothes of Darkness, sinks into the clutches of the bewitching Death Sleep.

While we looked at the Light scattering and observed the Living Soul crushed into shards, the Darkness arrived in the form of Judas. Why Judas? In the Garden of Eden, the Adam was the container and reflector of the Light, the Image and Likeness of God. As we look back, we initially found (heyleel) Lucifer (the Daystar or Morning Star) as the reflection. But through his ego, he fell and became the dust of the earth (the Desire to Receive for Himself Alone). It was from this dust God created a Soul, a vessel to contain and reflect His Image and Likeness once again: the Adam. However, through temptation and yielding to self-will, the Adam egoistically partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; so they shattered and returned to dust.

As we look further, the key conditions of the Soul when reflecting the Light are praise, gratitude and celebration. The word (heyleel) Lucifer has its root in the word (halal) which is praise.[75] When the Adam was containing and reflecting the Christ, he was in a state of praise and celebration of the Light. This was why he was a reflection. Now consider that Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas (Yehuwdah) in Hebrew means, praise and celebration . Literally, it means to stretch out the hands. When we stretch out our hands in worship, it’s symbolic of transforming our Desire to Receive into the Desire to Bestow; it’s raising up the attribute to reflect the Light. In effect, our hands extended are symbolic of the screen that reflects the Source. It’s like a projection screen which reveals the image projected upon it from a source. Celebration and praise, with the symbol of our hands extended, is a type of that expression.

“While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’”

(Luke 22:47-48/NIV)

The interwoven tapestry of scripture is amazing. The Garden, a state that should’ve been a celebration of the Light, becomes the scene of crushing betrayal. It’s no wonder that the word kiss in Hebrew (nashak) has the numerical value of 450, which is the same value of (pasha) which means, revolt. From the standpoint of numbers, the word Gethsemane has a numerical value of 1403. In Genesis, there’s an incident where Jacob disguises himself as Esau (his older brother), and appears before their father, Isaac, to receive the birthright blessing. The verse reads:

“Then his father Isaac said to him, ‘Come near now and kiss me, my son.’”

(Genesis 27:26/NKJV)

In this special verse the father calls his son to himself. He says to Jacob, “Come near now and kiss me…,” then pronounces the blessing over him. What’s interesting about this verse is that if you add up all the numerical values of each word (shown above), they equal 1403, the same number as in the word Gethsemane. It’s no accident that both the blessing and the revolt come in the form of a kiss. In other words, praise and celebration should have been the intimate kiss of blessing between both the Vessel and the Light. But in Gethsemane, it became a violent rape, shattering the Vessel and extinguishing the Light.

When praise revolts against the Christ – in other words, when the Adam ceases to reflect the Light – it implodes with self-adoration and self-exaltation. The Light can no longer be seen, and the state of Darkness, destruction, desolation and the roar of the hungry lion becomes reality. In that moment the Christ is nailed to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and something significant happens to the Adam. The Adam is told:

“You will eat bread by the sweat of your forehead till you return to the ground — for you were taken out of it: you are dust, and you will return to dust.”

(Genesis 3:19/CJB)

Lucifer shattered and became dust when he rebelled. Now the Adam, who was taken from that same dust, the substance that makes the Serpent the Serpent, what makes Satan, Satan - the Ego - also shatters and returns to the dust from which it came. “…you are dust, and you will return to dust.” Like a shattered mirror, it only has momentary sparkles of light, and the Image it once reflected can no longer be discerned. The difference in this situation compared to the fall of Lucifer, is that each fallen aspect of the Divine Soul is now encased in a body of flesh and blood, trapped in the corporeal world which conceals true reality. With a faint glowing ember within, each human born in this world of time and space is a fragment of that Divine Soul. You are a fragment, I’m a fragment, the woman at the market is a fragment, and the man that drives down the street is a fragment. All are pieces of a shattered Vessel, the Divine Soul, lost in Darkness, lost in egocentric, self-centeredness, enchanted in a Death Sleep, believing they are the masters of their own universe.

Part 2: Waving the Spiritual Red Flag

The Gospel of Matthew says:

“Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ‘They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me.’”

(Matthew 27:9-10/NIV)

Here is where the spiritual red flag abides. Matthew tells us that this verse is from the book of Jeremiah, but there is no such verse. The verse is actually from Zechariah:

“Then I said to them, ‘If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.’ So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’ — that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter."

(Zechariah 11:12-13/NKJV)

The verse in Jeremiah regarding “the potter” is this:

“The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: ‘Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.’ Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.”

(Jeremiah 18:1-4/NKJV)

What’s amazing about this section of the Gospel is the inspiration of the Spirit through Matthew. To be able to assemble all the interwoven ideas encrypted in such a small section transcends intellectual capability. First the obvious is the mention of Jeremiah and its redirection to Zechariah. In Jeremiah we see a potter forming a vessel from clay. In Hebrew it says:

(vanish'chat hak'liy asher huw oser bachomer b'yad ha-yotseer) “And was corrupted the vessel, which he did in bitumen in the hand of the potter...”

Bitumen is a word we don’t normally use, but it’s an accurate description of the Hebrew. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, it’s a formation of a tar-like substance that results from heat refining. If you remember, the Adam was created from the dust of the Earth. When we explored what the dust was, we found it was the ash that ascended from the fall of Lucifer.[76] This vessel in Jeremiah is created from a similar type of substance.

Like the words kiss and revolt, bitumen (chomer) is a transformable world. If you simply change the letter sequence to (rechem), it becomes the word womb. In other words, the Desire to Receive, the Ego, was originally designed to be the place of reception of the Divine Seed (which is another way of saying the masculine aspect of God). This directs us back to the initial three words of Genesis, which told us that the Powers fattened Her Womb (or Source) and gave birth to Creation.[77] Taking this thought a step further, the numerical value of (chomer) as well as (rechem) is 248. In Hebrew the word (hibar'am) has the same numerical value and means they were created,[78] referring to the Adam.

God initially created the Desire to Receive so His Creature would receive the Light and reflect it back. By reflecting or Giving the Light, the Likeness of God is revealed. Another face of the same block would be receiving the Divine Seed within the Divine Womb and birthing the Likeness of God. Clearly a womb being a recipient of a seed resembles the Desire to Receive when functioning according to design. Another face of the same block would be God breathing the Breath of Life into the dust of the ground. Whether it’s Light into Darkness, planting the Divine Seed in the Divine Womb, or breathing Life into the dust of the ground, it all speaks of the intention of reflection. The Darkness is to reflect the Light, the Divine Womb is to birth Likeness, and the dust of the ground is to live as the Divine Image. In like manner, we must have a desire to receive and erect the reflecting screen or mirror, which is praise and celebration. The central issue is transforming the Desire to Receive into the Desire to Give to become the reflector of His Nature.

The scripture continues:

(v’shav vaya’aseehuw kliy acheer ca’asher yashar baeiyneiy hayotseer la’asot) “And (he) restored (it) and he did a vessel after, right in his eyes, the potter did.”

It’s powerful that the word used is restore. Surely the Adam was corrupted through the Fall, but God restored it and formed a new Vessel from the same fallen substance to reveal His Likeness.

As we merge these thoughts with the Zechariah scripture, we find that this “piece of pottery” was valued at thirty pieces of silver. The number thirty in Hebrew is the letter (lamed), the twelfth letter in the Aleph-Bet. The significance is that the number twelve in scripture symbolizes governments. The number thirty is the value of an adult female (Leviticus 27:4). Thus, through the blood of Christ (as we will see even in more detail), He purchased His wife, His Bride and She is His expression of government and Likeness!

Now we move to the scripture in Zachariah which says, “And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’ - that princely price they set on me.” The key phrase is, “...Throw it to the potter...” There is a triple meaning to the world potter in Hebrew. (yatsr) first means potter, but not without its root, formation (yetsiyrah). Needless to say the potter “forms” the clay. However, there is yet a third connection. The word (otsar), which means treasury. So what does the potter do? He forms his treasure. It’s no accident that Judas would “throw” the thirty pieces of silver in the temple and the chief priests would say that they could not return it to the “treasury” (Matthew 27:6).

So what is the treasury in the eyes of God?

“You are my private garden, my treasure, my bride, a secluded spring, a hidden fountain.”

(Song of Solomon 4:12/NLT)

According to Solomon, God’s treasure is His Garden and His BRIDE. The Garden, the treasury, the vessel, the government and the Bride are all connected. Judas (Celebration and Praise), appalled by what he had done, attempts to return the money to the priests. The priests refuse to put the money back in the treasury from where they took it. Now, it’s a violation of the Law, blood money. (This is a good example of how religion behaves. It’s okay to take the money from the treasury to pay Judas to betray Jesus, but then it becomes “unlawful” to return it once the deed is done. Why? Because legalistically, the money remained clean until the act was committed. Religion strikes again!) So what do the priests do? They purchase a field called the Potter’s Field.

The Potter’s Field was located on the south side of the Hinnom Valley. Potters would go there to extract clay and when their creations didn’t form properly, they would throw them back into the field, thus its name. Over time, the potsherds would naturally erode and return to clay-dust. On a larger scope, the reason for discarding pottery in the Hinnom Valley was that it was part of a large burning garbage dump. The Hinnom Valley (original form: [79] when brought into the New Testament and penned in Greek, is the word (ghehennah), which we translate as Hell.

The red flag being waived by the Spirit through Matthew opens to us the central meaning of the passion of the Christ. The betrayal of Jesus in the Garden by Judas, culminating in the sacrifice on the cross, purchases the Potter’s Field; the place where the Shattered Vessel, the Broken Image abides, in the valley we call Hell.

Part 3: Resurrecting and Reforming the Vessel

If we fast-forward through the events surrounding the Cross we will come to the glorious point of the Resurrection. According to the Gospels, the synopsis of the story is as follows:[80]

The women who supported Jesus arrive early in the morning just after the Sabbath. As Mary Magdalene enters the tomb she sees it’s empty. A man dressed in white proclaims that Christ is risen, but the women at first are puzzled by his words. Mary leaves the other women runs to the disciples. She tells them that the Lord is missing, though someone said He has risen. Peter and John run to the tomb and also find it empty. Peter leaves in disappointment. John chooses to simply believe that maybe a miracle occurred, whatever that means, and leaves as well. But Mary Magdalene remains behind, determined to get answers.

At this moment something peculiar is about to take place. Herein lies the Divine Root of these corporeal events. If we were to follow traditional beliefs, only men are to govern in the Church. This belief was sometimes stretched in regard to a married couple, and a man would speak to the husband before the wife, because the man is the head. Well, Jesus now breaks all the religious rules at His resurrection, reestablishing the reality of the pre-fallen condition in the Garden. He doesn’t reveal Himself to disappointed Peter to encourage him, nor does he reveal Himself to John as a way of rewarding his belief. Why? Because Christ is now fulfilling the Divine pattern. He will speak with a woman first! And where? In the Garden as its gardener, picking up the spiritual course where Adam and Eve left off.

“But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.’ Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, ‘Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to Him, ‘Rabboni!’ (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'’ Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.”

(John 20:11-18/NKJV)

Mary is persistent. She refuses to accept the circumstances in simple belief. She is after a Divine answer. How many times have we either accepted the state of affairs as they are or fallen back on some belief? Neither produces what God is trying to develop within us; that we would perceive Christ as He is in true reality. Acceptance of the state of affairs doesn’t transform our perception of anything. All it does is rivet our connection to this world. Simple belief, on the other hand, may seem to be a starting point, but what it actually does is erect a structure without a foundation. At best, it calms our fears, but it’s only believing without any connection to why the belief is so. Many religions, including Christendom, are born of simple belief, then followed by a host of apologetics born to protect that belief. These apologetics are mistaken as a foundation, but they’re actually walls with a moat around them, protecting what is extremely vulnerable. Mary is different. She’s unaccepting of the state of affairs and unwilling to settle for a simple belief. She’s in pursuit of something greater: reality!

Mary meets the angels again in the tomb. Seemingly indifferent to their supernatural presence, she demands answers. Why is she indifferent? Because in her former life, she was a pagan priestess who was home for seven demons. She’s very familiar with the supernatural and wouldn’t find it unusual to speak with such beings. If those of us in the Western religious world claim to speak to the spiritual world, we are either labeled as an unsavory psychic, or mentally unstable. While both of those two extremes could be true, today we seem to think a fit spiritual life is personified either by being overly emotional or overly intellectual about it. Yet both of those approaches fall short of what’s happening at the tomb.

Over the last 25 years, rather than being overly emotional or intellectual, the average Christian settles for a marketed religion. In some ways, this can be a contemporary way of practicing an old form of idolatry. If Mary’s experience happened today we would create a shrine with a gift store containing doll-house-sized replicas of the tomb (moveable angel action figures sold separately) for the low price of $19.99. But for Mary, and those who are pursuing reality, the angels’ answer (and all the other extremes) is simply not good enough. She wanted the answer!

No sooner does Mary turn from their presence than she sees a man, a gardener, who asks her the same question. Her response is the same, “…tell me where You have laid him…” What’s remarkable is that she doesn’t recognize Jesus, even though she’s staring right at Him. It’s not until He calls her by name that her eyes are opened and she can see Him as He is. Note these words: She was incapable of seeing Him as He truly was. Her eyes had to be opened! When it came to true spiritual reality, Mary’s eyes were closed. She was in the Death Sleep like everyone else. She could see a man, even hear and see angels, but she couldn’t see the Divine until she was awakened from the spell of the Death Sleep.

“He shall kiss the lips, who answereth right words.”

(Proverbs 24:26/Douay-Rheims)

“His words are kisses, his kisses words. Everything about him delights me, thrills me through and through! That’s my lover, that’s my man, dear Jerusalem sisters.”

(Song of Solomon 5:16/ MESS)

The Message version paraphrases the words of the woman perfectly here. “His words are kisses, his kisses words…” When Jesus called Mary by name, it was like kissing His sleeping bride awake. Mary came to true spiritual life in that moment. Up until then, she, like all the disciples, saw the Christ clothed in flesh. Now she was capable seeing the Christ beyond flesh, and in reality. It was the union of the Last Adam coming into the fullness of Eternal Life.

After the Fall in the Garden, the man and the woman splintered and plunged into an enchanted Death Sleep. Even in this slumber, the woman had a Divine call. With a spiritual war raging against an unseen enemy (the Serpent), she, whose true name is (Zoe), brought forth Eternal Life in the form of a man called, Jesus. The Divine man, Jesus, suffered the judgment of false accusation and condemnation, which the first man hurled against God. In taking the first man’s place, impaled upon the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil through selfless Divine Love (the complete opposite spiritual quality of the Serpent and its Tree), Christ opened a path back to the Tree of Life. Buried in the “tomb of Earth” (the Desire to Receive) the Death Sleep could not hold Him, and the Desire to Receive for Oneself Alone was transformed into the Desire to Bestow, the nature and quality of Thus, Christ came forth from the grave, the womb of the Earth.

“The grave, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water — and the fire never says, ‘Enough!’”

(Proverbs 30:16/NKJV)

The scripture says the earth, the grave, is a barren womb. No wonder in the corporeal world, Sarah, Jochebed, Hannah, Elisabeth, and of course the Virgin Mary, were all the focus of Divine attention. They were all types of the spiritual root. All were barren, meaning none of them could bring forth “Life” through natural means; they all had to encounter the (Shekinah).[81]

Because many of us in the Christian world aren’t familiar with Jewish spirituality, the only understanding we have of the (Shekinah) is that it represents God’s glory-cloud. But there’s more to the description than just that. First, the (Shekinah) represents the feminine attribute of God. It’s the tangible manifestation of (ruach hakodesh), the Holy Spirit. Second, one of the key manifestations of (Shekinah) occurs when a man and woman are in the act of sexual intimacy. At the moment of orgasm the (Shekinah) descends and assists with fertilization. Consider now the Angel Gabriel’s words to young Mary:

“Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’”

(Luke 1:34-35/NKJV)

While many of us in the Western world are astounded by an angel appearing and making an announcement of miraculous events, to Mary, Gabriel’s explanation made total sense. While there’s absolutely the miracle of Divine conception, Mary understood what it meant for the Holy Spirit to overshadow her. The puzzling aspect for her was that this was supposed to occur during the intimacies shared by a husband and wife. But as soon as the angel gave his explanation, she accepted that the (Shekinah) would overshadow her. To her, if that was to be the case, then pregnancy was inevitable, even without a man, because the (Shekinah) was the vital component.

Thus, the Virgin Mary, who at this point in her life had never encountered a man, in effect had a lifeless womb. As an extension of the feminine quality of (Zoe) and through an encounter with the Holy Spirit, she brought forth the One who would crush the Serpent’s head. In spirituality, the grave, the earth, and the barren womb are all types of the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone. Like Satan, the ravaging lion, they are types that consume and give nothing in return.

However, in this Garden, there is a Divine reversal. The grave, the tomb, the earth, that spiritual womb, burst forth with LIFE! The first man who was once dead, is alive again through union with Christ. But the story doesn’t end there. The new man, the Gardener, must also awaken His Bride from the Death Sleep. She fulfilled her part by bringing forth Divine Life into a world of Death. That resurrected Life will now awaken His Bride with the very thing that betrayed Him, a kiss. In the spiritual world His kiss is His Word (Song of Solomon 5:16) and such a touch from His lips awakens all those in the bewitched slumber. While the Limitless One is hidden in plain sight, the Breath of His lips extended to a receptive heart opens the eyes, awakening them to the Tree of Life.

It’s while in this intermediate state that Christ gives Mary Magdalene the Divine Commission to share with His disciples. I say “intermediate state” because she will be the first to embrace the Christ in both the physical and spiritual worlds prior to His ascension. Think of it, why would Jesus choose Mary for this? Because Mary, a branch representing the Eternal Root, the Church, is supposed to occupy the same intermediate state. We are to be both physical and spiritual, both earthly and heavenly. We are to live in the corporeal world while seated in the heavenlies with Christ (Ephesians 2:6). We are to be the Bride who’s in preparation and yet united. We are to be in this world of Death, yet teaming with Divine Life! We are to receive the Light of Christ and raise up the anti-Ego mirror/screen, dividing the Light from the Darkness. We are to reflect Christ and yet be Christ in the earth realm. We are to call humanity by name, offering the Divine Kiss, the Living Word, which will awaken them to see the Divine Life as it truly is.

Another telling aspect is Mary’s last name, Magdalene. Like her spiritual root of the woman in the Garden, whom after being named Zwή (zoe) also takes on the name Eua (eva),[82] meaning to reveal or to make known. Magdalene is the feminine gender of the Hebrew word (mig’dal), which in simple terms means tower because it raises up. However, besides the word tower, (mig’dal) it’s also the word for pulpit or platform.

“…and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose…”

(Nehemiah 8:3-4/NKJV)

Magdalene is the platform through which the Divine Word is heralded. The reason for Mary Magdalene is to complete, or bring full-circle, the purpose of Eua (eva). Eve’s true name being (zoe), Life in the Absolute, yet (zoe) must be brought forth through Eua (eva), the revealing or making known of that Life. Here in the Garden we find “the Magdalene” who’s the platform that’s established and the first to herald the resurrected Christ. It couldn’t be a man, it had to be a woman to fulfill the Divine pattern. Mary Magdalene in this intermediate state of perceiving spiritual reality while part of the corporeal world, will go to the Apostles and proclaim what she has seen and heard. Through her attainment, she will “birth” in them what is necessary for the coming visitation. This is why the Early Church called Mary “Apostola Apostolorum” (The Apostle of the Apostles).[83] Her mission now is to be the “Life-Giver” and call them forth to Life. Thus, the Apostles (and eventually all those who are “Called Out”) will rise to the same intermediate state. Together as a corporate Body, they become the Divine Image and Likeness in this earthly realm.

In so doing, the Genesis Curse is broken and the spiritual war manifesting in a man ruling over a woman is foiled. In God’s Kingdom women have completely equal status with men. Though one is feminine and the other masculine, both attributes are Divine, each having a unique perspective of Divine Life. Together they can govern, proclaim and serve. Why? Because in the full view of spirituality, both the male and female genders in this corporeal world are feminine in the heavenlies; we are His Bride!

To make a final point, in the entire resurrection dialogue in John’s Gospel, we can ask, “What was Mary Magdalene seeking?” The obvious answer is Jesus. But the text keeps referring to “…where they have laid Him.” She wasn’t expecting at first to see Jesus alive and well, but she was seeking His dead, broken body. Another aspect of the Magdalene being the platform of the “Life-Giver” is that she doesn’t only seek to herald a message, but also to find “His Body.” The Bride’s commission is to herald and assemble all its parts into one complete Living Vessel: the Last Adam!

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.”

(1 Corinthians 12:12/NKJV)

The Apostle Paul tells us that the Body is one, though it has many members. He then adds, “…so also is Christ.” This is a powerful statement. It actually reads (hoútoes kaí ho Christós:) “…in this manner and the Christ.” In other words, the Body IS the Christ, the Christ is not only the person Jesus. Jesus is the firstborn among many that follow (Romans 8:29), but all are to grow up into Him which is the head – Christ (Ephesians 4:15). Each aspect of the Body is as much Christ as the head. One aspect is no more or less than the other.

Please keep in mind, like the man and woman in the Garden, while there is a distinction, there is NO separation; they are ONE. The body is always referred to as feminine in its function. Why? Because the feminine is that part of the Divine that can reach into the Will to Give, the Father, receive His Seed and Give back, birthing Divine Life. The feminine aspect of the Last Adam is that which raises the reflective quality and manifests the Divine Image and Likeness. Without this feminine attribute, which we can now call the Desire to Receive and to Give or Bestow, the Light would not be seen. The Body receives Life and Gives Life, and the Divine Man is now complete in His Heavenly Woman, His Body.

Focus Points

Lucifer shattered and became dust when he rebelled. Now the Adam, who was taken from that same dust, the substance that makes the Serpent the Serpent, what makes Satan, Satan - the Ego - also shatters and returns to the dust from which it came.

…each fallen aspect of the Divine Soul is now encased in a body of flesh and blood, trapped in the corporeal world which conceals true reality. With a faint glowing ember within, each human born in this world of time and space is a fragment of that Divine Soul.

The central issue is transforming the Desire to Receive into the Desire to Give to become the reflector of His Nature.

God’s treasure is His Garden and His BRIDE. The Garden, the treasury, the vessel, the government and the Bride are all connected.

The betrayal of Jesus in the Garden by Judas, culminating in the sacrifice on the cross, purchases the Potter’s Field; the place where the Shattered Vessel, the Broken Image abides, in the valley we call Hell.

Christ is now fulfilling the Divine pattern. He will speak with a woman first! And where? In the Garden as its gardener, picking up the spiritual course where Adam and Eve left off.

In taking the first man’s place, impaled upon the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil through selfless Divine Love (the complete opposite spiritual quality of the Serpent and its Tree), Christ opened a path back to the Tree of Life. Buried in the “tomb of Earth” (the Desire to Receive) the Death Sleep could not hold Him, and the Desire to Receive for Oneself Alone was transformed into the Desire to Bestow, the nature and quality of

The new man, the Gardener, must also awaken His Bride from the Death Sleep. She fulfilled her part by bringing forth Divine Life into a world of Death. That resurrected Life will now awaken His Bride with the very thing that betrayed Him, a kiss.

“Of far greater significance and even more apparent is the fact that Jesus is mirrored in Melchizedek in whom the new priestly office arises. This new office is not based on the law of precepts constrained by the frailty of the flesh, but by the authority of an indestructible life (as demonstrated in his resurrection). Thus scripture confirms his perpetual priesthood exactly according to the pattern of Melchizedek. This new order brought about an immediate end to the previous inferior and useless system of laws and commandments. In its ability to reunite mankind with God, the law did not succeed even once; that is why it was superseded by the introduction of a far superior hope, a new order in which we are perfectly represented before God.”

(Hebrews 7:15-19/MIRROR)

Part 1: Melchizedek Again

At the beginning of this book, we saw that the patriarchs of Genesis – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph – never offered a sin sacrifice for their failures. The reason? They were in covenant with the gracious king-priesthood of Melchizedek. In that priestly order, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil isn’t the system which governs its ratification; rather, it’s the Tree of Life. However, once the Ministry of Death[84] came, which is made up of the commandments, the anger of the Lord (Satan), and the Levitical priesthood with its sacrifices and temple, the order of Melchizedek faded into the background. In the faded milieu of the Divine, there were still times when the Order of Life would emerge. It usually occurred in one’s pursuit of God’s heart through faith. King David is the best example, though there are many others.

In the broader picture of humanity and eternity, like a barren womb, Life will break forth out of Death destroying it from its roots. When the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was at full strength, revealing itself in the degenerated state of the Pharisaical and Sadducaical approach to the Law, Christ came. I say “degenerated state” because whatever glimmer of Life there was at that point faded so far into the backdrop that it seemed totally obscured.

Consider how God spoke to Abraham. God simply spoke. There was no need for a sin sacrifice, no need for a temple, and no need for rules of approach. It was just Abraham, Sarah, and the Spirit. Then the Torah with its commandments was instituted, bringing with it a tabernacle with a veil of concealment between God and humanity. While the tabernacle of Moses had a veil, at least it was somewhat sheer so a “faded” image of the Ark of the Presence could be seen. However, by the time we progress to Solomon’s temple, the veil becomes a curtain several inches thick which entirely conceals what’s in the Holy of Holies. As we fast-forward through the temple history timeline, through repeated destruction and reconstruction, we have Herod’s version of the temple. Not only is there a curtain, but it conceals nothing but an empty chamber (several hundred years earlier the Ark had been stolen and was never found). The point is, in Abraham, God spoke and revealed Himself, Spirit to spirit. But through the commandments, God and His revelatory Order of Melchizedek were concealed. By the time Jesus arrives on the scene, there is nothing but an empty chamber. In other words, an empty religion.

Before we continue, it’s important to remind ourselves of a key point from the first Chapter. There’s a difference between the Torah and the Commandments. While the commandments are contained in the Torah, the Torah itself is larger than just the commandments. Jesus said:

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

(Matthew 5:17-20/NKJV)

The Law mentioned in the New Testament doesn’t refer to the Ten Commandments alone. It refers to the Torah, or as we say from the Greek, the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible written by Moses. Jesus, being a good Jewish rabbi, makes the distinction quite well in Luke 24:44.

“…all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”

(Luke 24:44/NKJV)

This is a common itemization of what we call the Old Testament. In Hebrew, the Law of Moses, which is called the Torah the Prophets (n’viy’iym), and the Poetical books (k’towviym) form an acronym known as the (TaNaK). The Tanak is the entire Hebrew Bible. When Jesus spoke of the Law, He spoke specifically of the Torah. From the book of Acts forward the use of the word “Law” sometimes encompasses the prophets and poetical books as well.

Jesus did come to fulfill the Law or the Torah. He makes it clear that Heaven and Earth will not pass away till all is fulfilled from it. What does this mean, as it relates to the Melchizedekian king-priesthood, which has nothing to do with the Levitical or its commandments? The Torah is the Divine revelation of God to Moses, which also contains the commandments (the original ten, then added by another 603). If there was a way to work your way to Heaven, this was it. Being perfect in the commandments meant you fulfilled the necessary requirements of good and evil, right and wrong to attain the status of God. But the commandments actually did the opposite. By showing us the requirements, they showed us our failure. The commandments are a product of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the ministry of Death. Until the current state of Heaven and Earth are done away with, they still stand. In particular, they stand for those outside of the Melchizedekian order. But, if we jump to the end of both the Bible and this book, we see that God’s intention IS a NEW Heaven and Earth. He’s not looking to keep any of the commandments functional in the World to Come. Why? Because NO Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil with its serpentine resident will be there!

Jesus continues with an interesting statement. He tells us to teach the breaking of a commandment makes a person the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. He claims you may be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven, but you’re still there. He didn’t say that a commandment breaker was headed to Hell. You would think He had by how sin is preached in the Christian religion. After all, how many times have we heard that people are going to Hell for breaking the commandments? You would think it would be worse for someone if they were taught to break them. But we have much to learn about the Melchizedekian order.

He concludes with our righteousness having to exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. Then He spends the remainder of this chapter plus two more, naming many of the commandments and showing how He comes from a priesthood that supersedes any of them. He reveals the nature of Ego and self-centeredness, and that is the criteria for true evaluation. It’s not simply about do’s and don’ts, or right and wrong; it’s about Life and Death.

Jesus’ ministry is all about the Melchizedekian king-priesthood confronting the Levitical, the commandments and its temples of worship. He shows how the ultimate rule book will never truly bring anyone into the status of God-Likeness because the entire system is based on a nature that contrasts the Divine. However, Jesus did come to fulfill the Torah concerning Himself. Did this mean He kept every commandment perfectly and because of that He was the able to die a sinless death? Actually, Jesus “seemed” to break a key commandment at one point and defied the traditions of the Pharisees and Sadducees, upon which the rest were built. To be totally honest, many of us in Christendom would have reacted the same way to Jesus as the Pharisees did. We too like to pick and choose which laws don’t apply, which laws we want to keep in the name of holiness, and then how those laws are applied in the Christian culture.

“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, ‘Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!’”

(Matthew 12:2/NKJV)

The disciples broke a couple of rules here. First, they picked corn on the Sabbath and second, they ate with unwashed hands. The commandment breaker is picking corn on the Sabbath, because it’s a form of work. Jesus responds to the Pharisees (my extreme paraphrase), “Yes they do, and even the Torah says it’s okay. Remember King David? Those rules are not applicable to my priesthood.”

“Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. … For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

(Matthew 12:6, 8/NKJV)

Jesus did not explain away His disciples’ conduct, He just said in effect, “A new order is in town.”

Then there were the equally upsetting disciples whose non-compliance to the Jewish religion compounded the issue.

“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

(Matthew 15:2/NKJV)

Like in any religious system, the fallen egoistic nature usually takes its tenets and adds to them. For example, the Law of Moses does state that the priests must wash their hands and feet before approaching the altar. If they don’t, they’ll die (Exodus 30:19-21). What the elders did was take from this command and expound on it for purification reasons for all Jews. This is similar to what some have done in Christendom by saying that, because fornication is a sin, we’ll make a rule in our local church that there should be no one-on-one-dating. To go on a date the church must approve of it. Then we add more rules, that if you do go on an approved date, you cannot hold hands until you’re engaged. You would think this is a good precaution, keeping folks from premarital sex, right? But actually Jesus condemns this kind of rulemaking (Matthew 15:1-9) and the Apostle Paul reveals that such empowers sin. (More on this later.)

We also saw in Chapter One that the order of Melchizedek didn’t require a succession of carnal bloodlines, but a covenant that welcomed any to participate. However, there is a progression of a covenantal family revealed in the expansion of this Melchizedekian order.

“And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.”

(Matthew 1:16/NKJV)

It’s no accident that the revelation of the Melchizedekian priesthood begins with Abraham’s faith, followed by Isaac and Jacob, but fades into the background after the death of Joseph. Then it’s revealed again through Christ, begotten of Mary whose husband was also named Joseph, whose father’s name is Jacob. The spiritual progression begins where it left off.

When the covenant built on faith faded into obscurity and the Law with its commandments took supremacy, faith’s king-priesthood of Melchizedek faded as well. But when faith returned, it abolished (Ephesians 2:15) the commandments, its Levitical priesthood, and the split between priesthood and royalty. Christ united all things under a covenantal family of faith, along with its eternal king-priesthood. Therefore, the Melchizedekian king-priesthood faded away with Joseph, the son of Jacob. Then it reemerged some 1500 years later, picking up where it left off with Joseph, the son of Jacob, who is the husband of Mary. A total continuity is expressed both in name and practice, to reveal the covenantal family of faith. In addition, the long list of bloodlines in both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke is not intended to reveal the Melchizedekian lineage, but to reveal that Jesus is a legitimate King even by natural lineage and could (and does) have a right to the throne of Israel. In Jesus Christ, we find total continuity of the covenantal family of faith in Melchizedek and the fulfillment of the Law’s requirement of blood-lineage.

When Moses and the commandments came into the picture, there was a splitting apart of both priesthood and royalty. In Melchizedek both priesthood and royalty were one. The Levitical never ruled as king, and the kings never functioned in the priesthood of Levi. But through Christ, all things were reconciled, including the split of the priesthood and royalty. Thus, through the Melchizedekian order, Christ made both Gentile and Jew one new man, and the priesthood and royalty, one new order. This is why the scripture proclaims we are a royal-priesthood, a holy nation (Ephesians 2:14-22; 1 Peter 2:9-10).

Part 2: Transitioning Priesthoods

“Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. … Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

(Luke 24:13-16, 28-31/NKJV)

There are many sermons that can be preached about the disciples on the road to Emmaus. What I would like to bring out is the progression of the revelation of Christ from Mary Magdalene’s discovery, to the two disciples from the road that broke bread with Him. The Magdalene reveals the reuniting of the masculine and feminine aspects of the Last Adam, with the emphasis on the commissioning of the woman as the initial Life-Giver to the disciples. After that, Christ appears on the road to Emmaus. Keep in mind, He hasn’t revealed Himself to any of His remaining eleven disciples at this point.

The first significant aspect of this branch of the Divine Root is Emmaus itself. According to Josephus, the name refers to a location where people would bathe in mineral water hot springs for healing.[85] Yet, the concept of “hot springs” should give us a clue about the true meaning of the word and what it represents. (Emmaus) is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew word ((chammat), which is used approximately 127 times in the Old Testament. In each instance, it implies anger, burning or the venom of a serpent.[86] If Emmaus (the burning from a venomous snake bite) became the name of a place where people would bathe in hopes of healing, it seems reminiscent of Moses lifting up the fiery brazen serpent on a pole. At that point, all who’d been bitten by the serpents near the land of Edom and then gazed upon the pole, were healed (Numbers 21:4-9). According to the Gospel of John, this was the branch to the spiritual root of Jesus being lifted up upon the Cross (John 3:14). In the same manner, the road to Emmaus is no different.

The disciples on the road show us that they were on a path toward healing, but still under the veil of types and shadows. Nonetheless, since the Melchizedekian order has broken through (annulling the power of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil), types and shadows are no longer required. Since the resurrection, when types and shadows are used, they only shroud reality. The path to the Tree of Life is now open. Now it’s an issue of opening the spiritual eyes of humanity to see what is hidden in plain sight.

The scripture says that as they approached the village, evening had come. Dusk in the Hebraic mind is a description of the close of the current day and the birth of a new one. Thus, the dusk of an age of commandments, ritual priests, types and shadows, along with its temples and sacrifices, was at its close. As in the night of the forming new day, we find the disciples (similar to Mary Magdalene before meeting the Gardener) spiritually sleeping and having their eyes closed to the resurrected Christ. It wasn’t until they entered the house of Cleopas and broke bread with Jesus that their eyes were opened.

As we lead up to the two disciples breaking bread with Christ, we find Jesus intentionally asking them about the events of the recent days. Though they tell of the crucifixion, they don’t perceive of whom they’re speaking. For that matter, they affirm the angels’ dialog with the women and the fact that the disciples who went to see what happened, didn’t see anything.

“Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”

(Luke 24:22-24/NKJV)

Note the key phrase, “Him they did not see.” The assertion from the previous scriptures tells us that Mary Magdalene was the first to see him, then shortly after the other women that were with her saw Him “as they went” (Matthew 28:9-10). Needless to say, they saw him on a path or a road.

Continuing with our two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus then affirms the prophetic scriptures from Moses forward (Luke 24:25-27). Yet even then, they didn’t perceive they were in the presence of Christ! Consider this – telling the story of the Passion and even having all the scriptures expounded, didn’t open their eyes! While it may have been part of the process, it didn’t grant the end result. Why? Because knowing the story of the Passion and even having a knowledge of the scriptures doesn’t fully open eyes. Worse yet, if that’s all we know, we fall short of Christ’s intention and become the communicators of another religion rather than spiritual reality. Thus, we will reinvent the very Tree that Christ destroyed[87] and humanity will not see the Christ through our veiled religion. It’s in our religious self that we allow our “inner Pharisee” to rise and call humanity’s opposition “spiritual warfare” or persecution for the cause. Of course it’s neither, it’s the fallen world’s egoistic reaction to already being weighed down with all the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil presents. Such religion adds more straws to the camel’s already broken back.

Civilization can’t bear a so-called “savior” (who it desperately needs) which only adds more of a burden and a consciousness of sin. The message heard by many is, “Christ loves you and died for your sins,” followed in the same breath by, “But if you don’t receive Him, you need to know He is coming back and He’ll be really pi**ed-off!” Then we add to their burdens when they supposedly come to Christ, and we say, “Now that you are in Christ, you can’t do this and you can’t do that. Here are a set of Christianized rules you need to live by. Oh and don’t forget, though He loves you, He does has mood swings. You don’t want to get God upset and endanger your salvation or hinder your potential blessings.” When we communicate stuff like this, Christ and His true king-priesthood are shoved behind a veil once again.

As the journey along the road to Emmaus continued, the two disciples and Jesus entered the house of (Cleopas) and things changed. (Cleopas) in Greek is a compilation of two words. They are (kaleo) to call aloud, to invite, coupled with the word (pater), father. When you put them together you have (Cleopas), the invitation or call of the Father. It wasn’t until they entered into the house that they heard the “Invitation of the Father” and broke bread together. It was in that moment, their eyes opened and “He vanished.” Why did He vanish? Why didn’t He stay and tell them more? Because when we truly see spiritual reality, we become one with it. The external reality of Christ is no longer necessary, because when we see Him as He is, we become Him and He becomes us. The revelation of Christ was not just to them, it had become united within them.

At different times, the trinity of Mary Magdalene, Cleopas, and the unknown disciple (who was with Cleopas on the road) arrived where the apostles were staying. Why do I say trinity? Because once again, the branch of natural events reveals the eternal Root. The first sent was Mary Magdalene: the Divine Feminine, the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giver, the Bride of Christ, who represents “the Beginning” and that which fluttered over the Darkness. This fundamental Divine nature was discovered in the very first word of Genesis and extended in the Likeness of Eve (Zoe), who after the fall names her firstborn, “I have begotten.”[88] Then Cleopas: the Call of the Father, representing the Divine Masculine, who in union with the Spirit invites all to join Him in His House with His family through His Son. Finally, the “unknown” disciple, who, like the Son at this point, is not discernable until the onlookers’ spiritual eyes are opened. Needless to say, when Mary and the two disciples share their message, the apostles’ eyes remain closed. Conversely, here they are closed not because of ignorance, but hardness of heart.

“Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.”

(Mark 16:9-14/NKJV)

Note the progression. With Mary Magdalene, there was no rebuke for her inability to see. Why? Because she was a diligent, humble seeker. Then He revealed Himself to the women on the road. There’s no rebuke or reprimand here, either. He tells them, “Rejoice,” and “Don’t be afraid!” with the commission to “Go!” (Matthew 28:9-10). Then He meets the two men on the road to Emmaus. When it comes to them, Jesus said, (ó anóētoi kaí bradeís té kardía) “O unperceiving and slow (sluggish) of heart…” Here, the attitude shifts from seeking and celebration, to sluggish of heart. By the time we reach the apostles, we depart from sluggish and arrive at hardness. The Life-giving news is, people with hard hearts can still discover Christ and be leaders. But the point of revealing this process is so we can take an account of what can happen when we are called to great responsibility. With great responsibility comes the need for great humility. Consider that the founding apostolic ministry begins with a reprimand from Jesus, NOT a pat on the back. There was no, “Atta boy, you guys have really earned your place! You are real spiritual giants! Receive the office of Apostle!” NOT!

Christ appears and opens the eyes of the apostles. But there’s no flowery garden as there was with Mary Magdalene, nor are they humbly worshiping at His feet, like the women on the road. Neither was there a Bible lesson followed by the breaking of bread, like with the two on the road to Emmaus. Nope, not here! Here, there is no small rebuke when Jesus arrives. At this point, you’d think being one of the apostles would be glorious. After all, they walked with Jesus for over three years, saw the miracles, heard the messages, even cast out demons and healed the sick themselves (Matthew 10:1). They went through the “Jesus School of Ministry.” But not so! Instead, the apostolic ministry opens with unbelief, hardness of heart, and a rebuke from the One who left them in charge. Why? They didn’t believe “the sent woman” and the two “average” disciples. To those of us today who believe that only a man can be an apostle, or that an apostle is some high and lofty position that is attained by earning it, think again! Take a clue from Jesus’s rebuke: if an apostle hasn’t found the humility to submit to the authority of whomever Christ has sent, who in this particular case is the “culturally and politically incorrect” woman and two every day disciples, then the apostle is not ready to govern over His Church.

Once the rebuking was over, Jesus reappeared to the apostles and spoke peace to their hearts and minds. He showed them His scars and then breathed on them:

“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

(John 20:19-22/NKJV)

Jesus breathed on them. Truly, this is the ongoing formation and reconstruction of the Vessel, the Adam again, and the Last Adam at that. Jesus breathes on them the Breath of Life, similar to what the Father did to the Adam in Genesis. But it doesn’t stop there. Think of the spiritual actions taking place. The First Adam was captivated in Death, but through union with Christ on the Cross, “as One” They/He was resurrected by the Breath of Life blown into His spiritual lungs. Now, standing before His disciples, Christ exhales into more fragments of His Body, who then inhale the Breath of the Spirit. Soon those same disciples go into all the world, breathing the Breath of Life upon humanity. With each breath, hearts are awakened to the reality of the Living Christ. Grasp the idea for a moment of inhaling and exhaling the Breath of Life. It shows us that the Creature, the Last Adam, the Body of Christ is “breathing” – it’s ALIVE!

Now the circle is complete. The Garden with its Gardener and His Bride are once again together. The reforming of the shattered Vessel, the Invitation to the House of the Father, the Last Adam inhaling and exhaling the Breath of Life. The dusk of the Ministry of Death and dawning of the New Day, the Ministry of Life. The Kingdom has come, is come and is yet to come. The gates of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil are now penetrable through the unveiling of Divine Reality and the path to the Tree of Life is open. Now a new warfare emerges, a new warfare for a new era. There’s no longer a battle between good and evil in the traditional sense, but something broader and greater: the warfare of dividing the Light from the Darkness, by erecting the Image and Likeness of the resurrected Adam and transforming the Darkness into the Light. Revealing the Divine Body, the living inhaling and exhaling fullness of Christ has come, is come and is yet to come!

Focus Points

…the gracious king-priesthood of Melchizedek. In that priestly order, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil isn’t the system which governs its ratification; rather, it’s the Tree of Life.

Jesus’ ministry is all about the Melchizedekian king-priesthood confronting the Levitical, the commandments and its temples of worship. He shows how the ultimate rule book will never truly bring anyone into the status of God-Likeness because the entire system is based on a nature that contrasts the Divine.

…since the Melchizedekian order has broken through (annulling the power of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil), types and shadows are no longer required. Since the resurrection, when types and shadows are used, they only shroud reality. The path to the Tree of Life is now open.

…when we truly see spiritual reality, we become one with it. The external reality of Christ is no longer necessary, because when we see Him as He is, we become Him and He becomes us. The revelation of Christ was not just to them, it had become united within them.

…standing before His disciples, Christ exhales into more fragments of His Body, who then inhale the Breath of the Spirit. Soon those same disciples go into all the world, breathing the Breath of Life upon humanity. … Grasp the idea for a moment of inhaling and exhaling the Breath of Life. It shows us that the Creature, the Last Adam, the Body of Christ is “breathing” – it’s ALIVE!

Revealing the Divine Body, the living inhaling and exhaling fullness of Christ has come, is come and is yet to come!

No sooner did Jesus breathe the Breath of Life on His disciples, than He gave them a curious commission. While most refer to the conclusions of Matthew, Mark and Luke, which collectively tell us to go into all nations and make disciples, healing the sick, casting out demons and so on, John’s Gospel points us toward a very Melchizedekian way to do this.

“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

(John 20:23/NKJV)

So how do we forgive sins? Do we utilize confessionals or some kind of decree over people that only apostles or ordained ministers can bestow? Of course not! While this has been a tradition for centuries, it doesn’t mean we have to continue on in it, especially as we further develop into the fullness of His Body. The confessional concept as we currently know it, originated in Eastern Orthodoxy in roughly the 5th Century. While confessing sins to another is absolutely biblical (James 5:16; 1 John 1:9 for example), there is no requirement for the person hearing the confession to occupy a special office, nor is it mandatory it be done publicly. The only real public dealings are for two matters. The first is for elders who have in some severe way violated the standard of character promised to the congregation (1 Timothy 5:19). The second is for believers who refuse to reconcile with others after they’ve followed the prescribed pattern of reconciliation (Matthew 18:17). The tradition of hearing confessions and public repentances really began in the third generation of the Church from approximately 200 AD. Please note, there is nothing “right or wrong” with confessing our failures to another (and if necessary, to the group). It can be a great place of accountability for one’s spiritual development. However, we must take into account what it means to “confess our sin.” There is a good chance that what we think it means, may not be what the Spirit in scripture meant at all.

From a more protestant point of view some say, “When you preach Jesus and the person repents of all their sins, God will forgive them and they will be saved. That’s how you forgive sins.” It’s amazing how logical that sounds. “All I need to do is admit that I have done bad things based on the code of commandments in the Law of Moses, recognize Jesus is the sacrifice for my penalty, and I will be saved.” Okay, that’s pretty standard. The problem is in what we wind up believing, perceiving and practicing. If every time we fail we return to the Cross to repent, thinking if we don’t we are in trouble, we may be missing the point. Many times in years gone by, I have said to members of the congregation, “If you ask God to forgive you, He will.” I cringe that I did such a thing! As if to suggest that God is a really nice guy and will forgive you if you ask, but if you don’t, He will have to hold it against you. I then tried to reconfigure my message as I came across scriptures that suggested what we’ve been talking about. “Well, God in Christ has already forgiven you legally. But technically…you need to appropriate that forgiveness for that failure into your life.” Both approaches sound pretty standard. It all sounds so close to whatever truth we were sensing. I was trying so hard to fit the Gospel of Christ into the world of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But you cannot change the root of a tree by bending its branches over another tree or replanting it in a different garden! No, the tree branches must be cut and engrafted into a different root. On the surface it sounded good. Violation of commandments, Christ is the sacrifice, receive that and you’re saved. Then if you mess up and violate a commandment again, you can appropriate the forgiveness He has already offered and that particular sin will be forgiven. If not, God will have to hold it against you and you may have opened the door to the devil. You can’t harbor unrepented sin. How did the Gospel of Christ get reduced to that?

Here is where the new warfare emerges. Both the confessional and the repentance points of view fall short of the revelation of Jesus Christ. It’s amazing how quickly the supposed Gospel is transformed into the resurgence of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If the criteria is there, it’s not the Gospel, nor the redemptive work of Christ, nor of His king-priesthood. Jesus didn’t die on a cross in order to atone for (or cover) your failure to keep the commandments; the blood of animals would be sufficient for that (Exodus 30:10). Nor is the Cross a place where God says, “Okay I forgive you this time, but don’t do it again or else!” If we have to repent for the written code each time we fall short, even if it’s a new Christian version of the old code, we haven’t met with the High-Priestly Order of Melchizedek. We’d be back under the Levitical priesthood with all the trimmings. Like fancy marketing, we just repackage the Levitical order of things with a new carton and put a Jesus label on it. Let’s not fall victim to a fragmented theology. As stated before, how many times do we proclaim we’re not under “the Jewish Law,” but we wind up reinventing and creating new laws in the name of Jesus? According to the book of Hebrews, doing this puts the Son of God to an open shame. This is not why Jesus left us the power of His Name.

Part 1: The Ax is Laid to the Root of the Trees

The scripture says:

“For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure.’ Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come — In the volume of the book it is written of Me — To do Your will, O God.’”

(Hebrews 10:1-7/NKJV)

The scriptures refer to the blood of bulls and goats, which is a direct reference to the Levitical priesthood, its sacrifices, and that they couldn’t take away sins. However, the context regarding “sins” in the book of Hebrews is not really about commandment violations, but about our consciousness of sins. The verse said (suneídesin hamartioein) “awareness of not having a portion, nor being part of”.[89] This is about “awareness” of being connected to the whole, not forgiveness for a violation of the code. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is on a completely different playing field than that. The Mirror translation words it this way:

“But in the very repetition of these ritual sacrifices the awareness of guilt is reinforced rather than removed. The conclusion is clear: animal sacrifices failed to remove both sinfulness and sin-consciousness (guilt). … This is final: I have deleted the record of your sins and misdeeds. I no longer recall them. (Nothing in God’s reference of man, reminds him of sin.) Sins were dealt with in such a thorough manner that no further offerings would ever again be required. Nothing that we can personally sacrifice could add further virtue to our innocence. Brethren, this means that through what the blood of Jesus communicates and represents, we are now welcome to access this ultimate place of sacred encounter with unashamed confidence.”

(Hebrews 10:3-4, 17-19/MIRROR)

In the same way that Mary Magdalene, the two on the road to Emmaus, and the apostles all had to have their eyes opened, we too must see Christ as He truly is and how His king-priesthood functions. The Cross of Christ doesn’t make a way of forgiveness because we broke the commandments. If that’s the case, we’ve reduced Christ to simply being a lofty animal sacrifice. With no intention to blaspheme, I say lofty animal sacrifice because we would never admit we redefined the crucifixion to that level. Rather, we spin our meaning and make it theologically acceptable. We say, “One animal sacrifice was insufficient to forgive us over and over under the Law, so one had to be sacrificed each year. But Jesus died once, so we don’t have to keep sacrificing over and over.” Can you hear the Serpent hissing in the background with that explanation? Not yet, so listen again. What we really mean is, “Each time I mess up, I can go to the altar of the Cross and get forgiveness without having to bring another sacrifice for every transgression I commit.” Can you feel the Serpent constricting around your chest? Probably not. I know I didn’t. I was quite comfortable living that way. But in this mindset, we still need forgiveness over and over. The “repetition” of us going to the Cross with that mind-set still doesn’t remove us from a sin-consciousness. Thus, we have reduced the Cross to the ultimate animal sacrifice, and removed the power of what it really is. Why? Because in this mentality our consciousness hasn’t been purged of the code or our failure to keep it. We go back again and again, asking for pardon, because in our cognizance the code still exists.

The Cross of Christ is more far-reaching than forgiveness from breaking the commandments. Rather, it abolishes the code completely. Can you imagine? There are no laws anymore. Our carnal reaction is, “No! That can’t be true. There has to be the Law. If not, Christ died in vain.” Really? By Christ’s death on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, He not only destroyed the record of our failures, but the code and the source of the code!

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.”

(Colossians 2:13-14/NIV)

“He rendered the Law inoperative, along with its commandments and regulations, thus creating in himself one new humanity from the two, thereby making peace,”

(Ephesians 2:15-16/ISV)

The Cross of Christ didn’t just forgive us concerning the written code, the Cross took away the code! “He rendered the Law inoperative. He canceled the written code.” There is NO LAW. No code. No commandments. No regulations in Christ. The Apostle Paul either said what he said or he didn’t. “He took, ‘it’ away, nailing ‘it’ to the Cross!” This it isn’t our sins or failures. The it is the Law with its commandments, and under that canopy are all rulebooks of all other religions as well. The result of this powerful Gospel is, where there’s NO CODE, there’s no longer a CONSCIOUSNESS OF SINS. More literally, there is an end to the awareness of not being a part or portion of the whole. This goes against everything we have ever thought, because we read these verses and compartmentalize what is really there based on our religious beliefs. Sound crazy? Let’s get crazier on the authority of God’s Word. It’s amazing that every time this is said, a fleshly fear strikes the carnal heart saying, “That’s lawlessness! You are saying Jesus is advocating lawlessness? Are you saying immorality is okay? You are giving people permission to sin. You are saying we can do whatever we want and there be no consequences.” Really? How did we wind up there? How did we find ourselves fighting for the Law with the fear of lawlessness? We wound up there because we are still feeding on the poisonous fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We are desperate to hold onto a false reality that says, “If I do what is good and shun that which is evil, I will attain Godliness.” And the Serpent strikes again!

Part 2: A New Warfare

The spiritual warfare we’ve been fighting should not have been between us so-called Christian soldiers and those who practice immorality based on our Christian regulations. The new warfare is first within ourselves and relocating our identity from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil to the Tree of Life.

The battle is simple, yet profound. We can believe the lie that we’re not in the Image and Likeness of God and reach out for Likeness through the knowing of good and evil. Or, we accept reality as it truly is, that we are already His very Image and Likeness and take the journey with Christ to reveal that in our lives. There’s no middle ground; it’s either one or the other. You’ll either love the one and hate other, or vice versa, but you can’t have two masters (Matthew 16:13).

To be clear, we are not only saying to throw the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil into outer-darkness, we are saying to fling its “source code” into oblivion as well. The source code is none other than the Ego. It’s that substance that makes Fallen Adam fall, the Serpent, the Serpent and Satan, Satan. We must resist this from the source (James 4:7). If we do, something transformational happens.

Let’s not do what the Corinthian church did; they threw the Tree of Right and Wrong out the window, but they never flung away its source code. The result was terrible. They started by a sectarian positioning of themselves into a ministry they were under (Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and etc; 1 Corinthians 1:12-13; 3:1-4, 21-23). Then there was a man having sex with his father’s wife (1 Corinthians 5). The problem here wasn’t just the behavior that needed to be dealt with, the issue was the church’s attitude toward it. They weren’t mourning that this was going on and that a member had to be removed because of it. They could care less! But it didn’t stop there. They were suing one another left and right. It continued as they took the mentality, “Hey, I’m free and nobody is going to put me back into legalistic bondage. So I’m going to ‘Idol-Burgers, Beef and Spirits’ and have one with cheese!” (1 Corinthians 8)

The issue wasn’t the meat or the idols, which means absolutely nothing in Christ. The problem was their attitude with those who were weak in their faith in Christ. Those who are spiritually weak are those who still live from the world of “right and wrong.” Those who have matured have left the world of right and wrong and embraced the Tree of Life by faith. But, when the weak see a church member sitting in an idol’s temple eating an idol-burger, it causes them to stumble. Either they believe it’s acceptable to return to idol worship, or they’re offended by what they think is religiously wrong.

But the Corinthians’ issues still didn’t stop there. Though women were free to prophesy and minister the Gospel, as Christ Himself revealed, this was not so in Corinth. They had to have hierarchy (1 Corinthians 11:1-16). They proclaimed that Paul taught them this pecking order with all its symbolism, such as women having to wear head coverings and who was over whom in authority.[90] But Paul clearly said, “I never taught such a custom.” On that topic, Paul was quite sarcastic with Corinth. No sooner does he throw out the hierarchy and head-covering notion, than he says, “…I do not praise you…” (1 Corinthians 11:17). He continues that when they come together they are worse, not better. He chides them because they get drunk and are gluttons, and because of this the poor are not considered. Not to mention that this is the Love Feast of Unity, featuring the Lord’s Supper. Paul’s concerns seem to be never ending. Then he’s on to the misuse of the Spirit’s grace, and back to resolving the disunity in which the Corinthian church prevailed.

Understand, these are a people who got the message that in Christ there is NO LAW, but clearly missed the part about NO EGO, EITHER. The Cross of Christ annihilates the Law with its Commandments, rules, regulations, ritual priesthood, temples, sacrifices, and types and shadows. But the Cross also crushes the Ego, the “I will,” the Desire to Receive for Oneself Alone, the need for “self-gratification.” The Cross shows us that the way to the Tree of Life is actually the opposite nature. We must expunge our egoistic, self-centeredness and discover Christ-Likeness, which is found in the Divine Nature already residing within us.

As Paul pointed out to the Corinthian congregation:

“I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”

(1 Corinthians 15:31/NKJV)

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

(2 Corinthians 3:18/NKJV)

Part 3: Lawlessness and Legalism vs. Likeness

Being that the Christ has abolished the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil with its Serpent, and by extension religious laws and the Ego they feed, where does this leave us? Surely we don’t want to fall back into the trap of legalism, only with the Christian label. Nor do we want to empower our egos into lawlessness, labeling that as freedom in Christ. The key is to understand that in spiritual reality, legalism and lawlessness are opposite poles of the same sphere. To put it another way, they are trenches on either side of the same road. The issue here is getting off the path altogether and finding the new one in Christ. The name of this new path is “Likeness,” which is where we started in Genesis and where it all ends. The Melchizedekian king-priesthood is about mirroring Christ. It’s about raising up the screen (Genesis 1:3) and becoming the Divine Reflector and thus becoming Christ in this lower world.

Without the fluff of religion, we are left with only two perceptions: reality and illusion. Divine Reality says we are already in the Image and Likeness of God. The illusion says we are far from Likeness, which is proven by the cravings of the body with its unregenerated soul. Once again, we face the new warfare. It’s not about fighting demons and fallen angels, at least not yet. It’s about deciding, “Who am I? Am I of Christ or of this world’s system?” It’s asking the question, “Am I of the Spirit or of the flesh? Am I from Above or from Beneath?” Understand that the world’s system of flesh and being from beneath, has nothing to do with one’s morality. That’s the illusion. Morality is a product of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We are speaking of something far greater than morality. It’s from a higher dimension, the realm of reality, the realm of Likeness. When we live from Likeness, morality takes care of itself. But when we make morality our aim and testimony, we misrepresent the intention of Christ, concealing Him behind the veil and propagating the illusion in which the world already lives.

The first step to understanding reality and illusion begins with our understanding of what the Cross did, which in the sixth chapter of the book of Hebrews is called “the chief expression of Christ”. But before we explore what that is, we have to first redefine three key words that keep appearing in the New Testament. We must allow the writers of the New Testament, our founding apostles and prophets, to bring to light what these words mean and not impose our religious views upon them. These words are sin, righteousness and grace.

“For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."

(Galatians 2:18-21/NKJV)

The Apostle Paul redefines sin (transgression). Sin is no longer the breaking of laws or moral codes, Jewish or otherwise. It now reverts back to its original meaning in the Garden: the desire to attain Godlikeness through my own egoistic effort. It’s the inner Serpent that says, “By my efforts I will obtain Godliness.” Why is this? Because if I build another set of rules, regulations, and moral codes, even with a Christian label, “I build again things which Christ destroyed.” When I do this, “I make myself a transgressor” of the work of Christ and of the foundational tenet of His Melchizedekian king-priesthood. From this Serpent comes our “inner-Pharisee” along with his religion, which heralds the deception, “We can be made righteous by our works.”

“For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.”

(Romans 4:2/NKJV)

If Abraham, who was in covenant with Melchizedek, is called the father of our faith in the New Testament (Romans 4:11-16), we need to take notice. The very phrase, “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about,” reveals that faith doesn’t have an ego. Rather, the egoistic Serpent empowers works, and works empower the Ego; they feed each other. So if the father of our faith didn’t have anything to boast about, then neither should we.

The next phase of this spiritual dark state is the belief that says, “I should do this, I shouldn’t do that. I need Jesus because I’m such a sinner and going to burn for it.” It’s amazing how half-truths can become whole lies. Reality is, “I am created in the Likeness of God, and every time I feed my ego through self-gratification, self-preservation, self-justification and self-exaltation, I hide the Divine intent of my existence. In Christ, the pathway is open for me to comprehend who I am.”

Herein is the serpentine trinity of self-gratification, self-preservation, self-justification and self-exaltation. I say “trinity” because self-justification is the other side of the self-exaltation coin. In effect, they are one face with two expressions. When we think of these and what they desire, we know they equal “lawlessness.” From narcotics to sexual perversion and everything in between, it can be put under the category of lawlessness. We know how the fallen nature is too. We’ll protect our right to that vice, we will justify why we should have it, and we will do what we must in order to be gratified. These can be small things, like that extra biscuit we ate at dinner, or getting in debt buying what we couldn’t afford but felt we just had to have. The list of lawless desire can get very long very quickly. Yet, what we must remember is that legalism (religion) is on the same road as lawlessness, just on the other side of it. Our inner-Pharisee is the most deceptive of all. What does his religion subtly comprise and sanction? It embraces self-preservation: “Come to Christ or burn in Hell!” or “If I obey these rules, I will avoid the devil.” It enjoys self-gratification: “I do the right things, so God smiles on me, unlike those people who don’t!” Finally, it relishes in self-exultation: “I know what’s best for others because I’m right with God!” Lawlessness and legalism are the two twins who were separated at birth.

If sin’s definition reverts back to the Garden, then so do the definitions of righteousness and grace. Most in Christendom we have defined righteousness as “right standing with God” and grace as “unmerited favor,” or “getting what you don’t deserve.” Of course if I’m going to claim that grace is getting what I don’t deserve, I must have the other side of the same coin called “mercy,” which is “not getting what I do deserve.” From a corporeal, egoistic point of view, these definitions sound good. But is that what they really mean? How did we come to these definitions? Context is very important.

“And Jesus was increasing in wisdom and in years, and in grace before God and men.”

(Luke 2:52/BBE)

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

(Luke 2:52/NKJV)

If grace is God’s unmerited favor, or getting what you don’t deserve, then how does Jesus grow in grace and favor with God? Surely Christ wasn’t out of favor. When we’re tainted by our religious definitions, everything is skewed. In the New Testament there is only one Greek word for grace or favor, (charis).[91] Grace comes from the word (chairo), which in the King James Bible is translated, rejoice. To be more literal, the word (chairo) means to feel pleasure and expressed emotionally . The first time (charis) is used in the Septuagint is in Genesis 6:8:

It’s the Greek rendering of the Hebrew:

(va’noach matsa cheen ba’eeyineey Yahweh.) “And Noah found grace in the eyes of Yahweh.”

The word grace (charis) is paired with (chen) which literally means pleasure experienced in beauty. Isn’t this what it’s all about? The beautiful Garden of Divine Pleasure!

By letter definition the word becomes interesting. The (chet) represents a wall or a doorway. The next letter (nun) means seed, perpetuity, and most importantly, the Divine Seed, the Throne of Messiah. [In Aramaic, the word (nun) means fish. This one of the explanations of the early Christian symbol .] When we add the (nun) to the (chet) we have an emphasis on the Divine Seed. By letter definition we see the doorway of the Divine Throne. Jesus said, “I am the door…” (John 10:7). In (chen) we see the opening found before the Throne of Messiah. Grace is NOT “getting what you don’t deserve.” Grace is the door to the throne room, the opening (of the eyes) to the Light. Grace is the unveiling of the reality of God. Grace is the “pleasure” experienced by the opening of our eyes through Christ, when we see that we are the Image and Likeness of God. This is what we were designed for from the beginning and God’s intent has not changed. We are who we are!

The verses that said Jesus increased or grew in grace meant exactly that. He increased as the revelation of the Image and Likeness of God (Colossians 1:15) to humanity. Jesus was born in the likeness of sinful man (Romans 8:3). Yet, He overcame sinful flesh by the power of the reality of who He was! Sinful flesh was inconsequential to the reality of the Image and Likeness of God. Jesus never “sinned.” It wasn’t an issue of not breaking commandments. It was the issue of never ceasing to be a reflection of the Father. Thus, Peter opens his second epistle with:

“as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature…”

(2 Peter 1:3-4/NKJV)

And he concludes with:

“but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”

(2 Peter 3:18/NKJV)

Having settled that the grace of God is the delighting in the expression of the Likeness of God in and through a person, how do we define righteousness? If righteousness is “right-standing with God,” what does that mean? The concept of right-standing comes from a Western British/European legal term describing how one is found within the confines of the law. This was imposed by the Greek word (dikaiosune) which means equity. To the stoic Greek, equity means to be just according to the law without bias or favoritism. If grace was supposed to be the unmerited favor of God, then how can I receive the equity (righteousness) of God if it has to be done without favoritism? This unfortunate concept has been adapted into some commentaries and erroneously applied to verses that don’t speak of law. In a famous commentary of the last 50 years it defines righteousness as “…legal terms signifying justice in conformity with the legal corpus…”[92] How can that be when Noah, Abraham, and the rest of the patriarchs were all considered “righteous” long before there ever was a law? Because righteousness in the New Testament comes from its Hebrew root, (tsaddiyk), which means, to walk the path. The issue was not about being legally correct, it was about walking the path of God.

“And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

(Genesis 15:6/NKJV)

(va’he’emin ba’Yahweh vayach’-sh’beha lo ts’dakah) “And [he] trusted in Yahweh and he thought (devised) to him the walked path.”

As far as God was concerned, Abraham was walking the path God laid out for him. It is possible to stumble on this path and still be righteous. The question is, are we on the path of Life? The path of religion, which includes its twins of legalism and lawlessness, is the path of Death and Darkness. The path of Life doesn’t have rulebooks fueling egoistic self-centeredness. Abraham walks the path of humility, revealing the Image and Likeness of God.

Consider all the mistakes made by Noah, Lot, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (to name a few) yet none of them were called unrighteous. Even Lot, who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah and was ready to allow the men of the city to have relations with his daughters, is spoken of in this way:

“and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked”

(2 Peter 2:7/NKJV)

Our righteousness or our path to walk comes from trusting in God. We must return to the Garden and take our definitions of sin, grace, and righteousness from there. If the original sin was egoistically believing that “if I embrace the knowledge of good and evil I will become like God,” then grace is “the acceptance that I am already in the Image and Likeness of God.” Righteousness is then walking that path. The forerunner who showed us how to walk that path was Jesus Christ Himself. The purpose of His Cross and resurrection was to annihilate the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, breaking the power of the Egoistic Serpent. It shows us the path of Life in the Divine Nature of humility and compassion. As we discover this we unveil the reality of being the dwelling place of God.

“In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.”

(Proverbs 12:28/NKJV)

As we then return to the statement that Christ makes to His disciples, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” How then are sins forgiven or retained? There is a double-edged sword here. The first edge of the sword is that we forgive sins by communicating that both the offense and the rules that created the transgression have been removed through faith in Christ.

“But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. … Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me.”

(Romans 7:8, 11/NLT)

To tell someone he’s forgiven, yet not remove the written code that gave rise to his failure will only keep a sin-consciousness. When sin-consciousness is present it encourages the repetition of sin. It’s like trying to walk the path in Darkness. We cannot modify our external behavior without first transforming our inner perception of reality. (We’ll examine this in the next chapter.)

The second edge of the sword is our perception of the “sinner” and the “sinful world.” If I live “code free” and pursue the Divine Nature without failure, then I must see others in the same way. If I claim freedom but apply the written code to others, I become the veil that shrouds the face of Christ from humanity (2 Corinthians 4-2-4). I haughtily become the “god of this world” and instead of being a mirror of Light, I obstruct the Light.

“Lips of righteousness are the delight of kings; and he who says what is upright is dear to him. The wrath of the king is like those who give news of death, but a wise man will put peace in place of it. In the light of the king's face there is life; and his approval is like a cloud of spring rain.”

(Proverbs 16:13-15/BBE)

Focus Points

…we accept reality as it truly is, that we are already His very Image and Likeness and take the journey with Christ to reveal that in our lives.

Those who have matured have left the world of right and wrong and embraced the Tree of Life by faith.

The Cross of Christ annihilates the Law with its Commandments, rules, regulations, ritual priesthood, temples, sacrifices, and types and shadows. But the Cross also crushes the Ego, the “I will,” the Desire to Receive for Oneself Alone, the need for “self-gratification.”

The name of this new path is “Likeness,” which is where we started in Genesis and where it all ends. The Melchizedekian king-priesthood is about mirroring Christ. It’s about raising up the screen (Genesis 1:3) and becoming the Divine Reflector and thus becoming Christ in this lower world.

Sin is no longer the breaking of laws or moral codes, Jewish or otherwise. It now reverts back to its original meaning in the Garden: the desire to attain Godlikeness through my own egoistic effort.

In Christ, the pathway is open for me to comprehend who I am.”

Lawlessness and legalism are the two twins who were separated at birth.

…righteousness in the New Testament … means, to walk the path.

If the original sin was egoistically believing that “if I embrace the knowledge of good and evil I will become like God,” then grace is “the acceptance that I am already in the Image and Likeness of God.” Righteousness is then walking that path.

“And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest ‘according to the order of Melchizedek,’ of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.”

(Hebrews 5:9-6:3/NKJV)

The simplest way to describe the difference between Christ-Likeness (the Melchizedekian priesthood) and religion (including Christendom and whatever forms of piety it promotes) would be this:

“Religion gives us rules to live and fail by with the pretense that we will attain godliness. Union with God through Christ gives us the freedom to pursue Likeness without failure.”

Now that we have an overview of the Melchizedekian first principles of the oracles of God, we are to leave the milk and explore the meat. But the writer of Hebrews tells us that we can’t do that until we embrace six aspects of a foundation called the “chief expression of Christ.”

Before we look there, let’s clear up a murky statement made by most translations. The mid-section of the above scripture says, “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” After all the talk about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and removing ourselves from its Death, why would the Apostle say, “…have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil?” In the Greek language there are over a half-dozen words that we translate as good. The word evil has about three major ones. Thus, not all concepts of good and evil are the same. When it comes to the word good , the two most common Greek words are (agathos) and (kalos).[93] These words may seem similar the surface, but they are quite different. (agathos) means virtuous, usually in the sense of moral correctness or military skill. (Note the emphasis on correctness and skill or ability.) (kalos) on the other hand, means beautiful and was used by Greek philosophers long before the New Testament in a neutral sense relevant to the onlooker. As Plato states, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” (kalos) has more to do with what is relevant in the seeing.

In a similar manner, the Greek word for evil comes across in translation with its own issues. The three most common for evil are (blaspheme), (poneros) and (kakos). We’re familiar with the first word, (blaspheme), when one speaks evil of or curses God. Actually, the word is broader than that and means to speak negatively of anyone. In a literal sense, it means to hinder the thoughts of a person regarding another. A good modern day translation would be slander. When you blaspheme, you are putting negative thoughts into the mind of someone regarding someone else. The result is that the person hearing the slander then sees the one slandered with a tainted point of view. The second word, (poneros) [which is the opposite of (agathos)], means toil with heavy labor , to be in anguish, even diseased. If good is virtue, meaning correctness and the skill to perform that which is correct, this word means not to have correctness or the ability to act with precision or skill. In other words, this one means to labor to the point of exhaustion and still fall short. The last word is (kakos) [which you can tell from the pronunciation finds its contrast with (kalos)], meaning worthless, having no value or beauty, to be irrelevant.

So, the verse in Hebrews 5:14 would read:

(teleíoen dé estin he stereá trofei, toein diá tein héxin tá aistheteiria gegumnasména echóntoen prós diákrisin kaloú te kaí kakoú.) “and fullness is whom is of stable nourishment. Those through practice, have their means of perception exercised naked[94] to hold a distinction of relevance and irrelevance.”

The challenge in becoming spiritually mature is to sense the difference between the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. To sense what is relevant and irrelevant to Life. This refers to the nature of things rather than the correctness and performance of things. For example, Jesus said:

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.”

(Matthew 12:33/NKJV)

Literal translation:

(Ē poiésate tó déndron kalón kaí tón karpón autoú kalón, é poiésate tó déndron saprón kaí tón karpón autoú saprón: ek gár toú karpoú tó déndron ginoeisketai.) “Either make the tree relevant (beautiful) and his fruit relevant (beautiful), or else make the tree useless (rotten) and his fruit useless (rotten); for by the fruit the tree is known.”

Why would Jesus make such a statement? Because knowing a tree by its fruit is relative to its ripeness, not its correctness at any given point. If we judged a tree by correctness of flavor and texture, many trees would be uprooted and discarded, because the flavor and texture was incorrect. But Jesus is talking about relevance here. It takes a while for fruit to ripen and acquire the appropriate texture, or to find its beauty. If you pick the fruit before it’s ripe, it’ll be sour and hard. If you leave the fruit on the tree too long it will be overripe and start to decay. In both cases the tree is doing what it’s supposed to do. But if we only judged by correctness of flavor and texture in any given moment, we would misjudge the fruit and the tree. How often do we judge people by correctness and not by relevancy? Many times, people do things incorrectly because they simply haven’t matured or ripened yet. Rather than see them based on their potential and help them cultivate their fruit, we judge them on their present level of correctness and cut them off before their time. There are also times when we don’t pick fruit in its season, and these wonderful blessings become problems in the church. Here again, it’s not because they’re incorrect, but because they have been on the tree too long. They should have been picked, set in position, or sent into ministry, but now that they are overripe, they’ve become discouraged, discontented, and disagreeable.

God desires us to discover the meat, or the perfection, we are meant to attain. To do this we must exercise our spiritual senses, not to discern what is right or wrong, but to perceive what is relevant and irrelevant in reflecting Likeness. We’ll discuss what this looks like as we conclude our exploration of this wonderful king-priesthood. However, for us to actually go on to perfection, we must have a sure foundation. We begin by understanding the six aspects of the foundation of Christ’s expression. Although it can appear that there are six separate ideas, it’s not the case. In the same block logic form, there is one complete whole with six unique aspects, just like the six aspects of the Day of Creation, which of course equals seven. Here we have the block which is the expression of Christ with six distinct faces. The following is a brief overview of each of these faces.

Part 1: Repentance of Dead Works and Faith Toward God

The writer of Hebrews continues, “…not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God…” We’ve discussed key points of this aspect in previous chapters, but let’s look at it from a proactive point of view. What’s interesting is that the scripture says, “…repentance of dead works…” Anything done apart from the Tree of Life is a DEAD WORK. Whether it’s good or evil, whether it appears right or wrong, it’s all Death if it doesn’t come from Life. One of the most difficult things to get across to the religious mind is that, just because it’s good or right doesn’t mean it’s Life-Giving. For that matter, if something appears to be evil or wrong, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s Death, either.

So what is a dead work? It’s anything that is born from an egoistic root. Jesus made that clear when he said that if a man lusts in his heart, he has already done the deed (Matthew 5:28). Why is this important? Because thought is the fabric of the spiritual world. All things were created in (Logos) the Word, the Divine Thought, so it follows that our thoughts are as much spirit as anything else. You might say, “Oh my, this is more bondage than before. Now I have to worry about my thoughts?” On the contrary, once you identify who you are and who you are not, things become simple and peaceful. The Apostle Paul expands on this idea:

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”

(1 Corinthians 13:1-3/NKJV)

This is a radical statement, but what is Paul really saying? It doesn’t matter what I do or how good it seems, it all means nothing if I’m not reflecting the Divine Nature of Love. Any and all things I do to feed my ego, profits me nothing. Do I speak in tongues and prophecy, so “I” can feel good about “me” and “show how anointed I am?” Do “I” study scripture and share “my” knowledge so I can feel good about “me” and “show how knowledgeable I am?” Do I use my faith to move mountains and get stuff for “me” and “show how spiritually strong I am?” Do I give to the poor, so I can feel good about “my” act of piety, “showing how godly I am?” Will “I” even lay down “my” life in a situation, so in that moment “I” can feel good about “me” and “show to others how humble I am?” If I do, it means nothing! It’s all dead works. It’s all works of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. On the other hand, when I speak in a tongue or prophecy, do I do it for the sake of the receiver? When I study, do I do it to discover more of who I am in God and to be a reflection of His Likeness that will empower others? If I move mountains by faith, is it for a greater virtue than just myself? If I give to a person in need, do I rejoice with the recipient with no need of the credit? If I give my life, do I do it selflessly? When my inner state is about that which is greater, I raise the screen, the mirror, the reflector, and the Limitless One is revealed. The act may look the same in the corporeal world, but in the spiritual realm it’s the difference between Darkness and Light.

The fundamental matter is to change our inner perception of reality, not just our outward behavior. The Apostle Paul said that if “I do” all these things but don’t have the Divine quality of Love, it means nothing. If we do something without the Divine Nature in the physical world, then nothing of Divine relevance has happened in the spiritual world. This is the challenge. If I do what I do by the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, I will always fall short, being controlled by the base nature. The Apostle Paul made this profound statement:

“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.”

(Romans 7:15-18/NKJV)

Notice the phrase, “But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” The religious mindset stops here and says, “Paul! How can you say that? Are you excusing yourself of sinful behavior? Are you telling me I can do all kinds of ungodly things and say it’s okay because it really wasn’t me?” Once again we fall under the shade of the Tree of Death, our eyelids closing under the heavy drowsiness of the Death Sleep.

The New Century Version says: “But I am not really the one who is doing these hated things…” The Complete Jewish Bible says, “It’s no longer ‘the real me’ doing it…” How can he say that? Even though Paul didn’t use our modern word, Ego, for Lucifer’s motto, “I will do what I want to do to gratify me,” that’s exactly what he identifies! Sin is no longer a transgression, but the dark force behind it.[95] This a direct reference to the first principles mentioned earlier. Sin isn’t the breaking of laws and regulations, it’s the egoistic nature, the Desire to Receive for Oneself Alone. The egoistic nature is not who Paul really is, and through Christ, Paul has found his true self. Notice he says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good (morally correct) dwells…” While we’ve over-spiritualized the sin nature (the Ego) in modern theology, we must see it from the source. Though in one sense it’s spiritual, its true roots are in the corporeal world. The Weymouth Translation says, “For I know that in me, that is, in my lower self, nothing good has its home…” When we recognize that our flesh and the base nature within it is NOT the real ME, our entire lives’ emphasis will change. When we perceive (not just have a belief about) that we live in the worlds above with and in Christ, that’s where we’ll find our TRUE SELF. When we do, we manifest in this physical world as a reflection of Christ. While in one sense my act of giving may appear to be the same externally, in the spirit realm the brightness of Christ shines and that’s what contains the transformational power.

“Whoever finds his [lower] life will lose it [the higher life], and whoever loses his [lower] life on My account will find it [the higher life].”

(Matthew 10:39/AMP)

So, how do I recognize this base, lower nature, and comprehend the higher one? We have developed in this lower world believing that the Ego is our identity and all that comes with it. We have developed believing, “I’m an individual who needs God, but to get to Him I have to jump through all these religious hoops.” Or, “I’m the master of my own universe and I don’t need anyone. I’m god of my life and can do what I want, when I want.” The answer to the question is quite simple, but it’s the most profound reality in all of reality. Christ is the answer. He has fulfilled what was necessary and finished the work. He’s the beginning and the end of it all. Because of Him, there is nothing we can do to earn this Divine connection or to lose it. We can’t fail and we can’t succeed in obtaining it. We must rest in the reality that Christ is the door and the prize! In finding Christ, we find our true selves.

You may say, “Okay, fine. Fifteen years ago I accepted Christ. I know He saved me and He’s Lord. But how do I reflect Him in this world? How do I become a manifestation of Christ? How do I change my desire to receive for myself alone into the desire to give and be a reflection of God?” A good rabbi many years ago told a story that describes this inner transformation. It goes something like this:

“There once was a very hungry man. All he could think about was satisfying his hunger. One day he entered a room and found the perfect meal. Everything was tailor-made for his palate; every flavor perfectly crafted just for him. Day after day he went into this room and feasted until he couldn’t eat any more. He gratified himself with every flavor. Then one day, as he entered the room, it occurred to him that this was set daily, but how did it get there? The meal was replenished and not even a trace of waste remained. It was as if someone was preparing, placing and even cleaning up the meal every day.

“Then it struck him, there was someone, a Source, a Master Chef, who did this. In that instant, he felt shame. He wanted to thank the Master Chef for all the wonderful meals, but he realized he had nothing to give in return for this blessing. As the shame increased, he decided he would either stop coming, or figure out something to give the Master. He looked through all the rooms of his house and found nothing worthy of the meals being provided.

“The shame increased even more. He realized that until this point, he had done nothing but receive selfishly for himself. So much so that he hadn’t even realized there was a Giver till now. In that moment he knew he was completely opposite in nature than the one who was giving. The Master Chef was a Giver, but the man was nothing but a selfish receiver. A taker!

“The next day he entered the room and as before, everything was set out and perfectly prepared. A voice said, ‘Eat and be full!’ But the man politely said, ‘I can’t.’ ‘Why?’ questioned the Master. Standing and gently pushing his chair under the table, the man said, ‘I have nothing to give you in return. I can’t pay you and saying ‘thank you’ is only good for the first time. This has been going on for years.’ The Master smiled and said, ‘I know you think that, but it’s not true.’ The man held back his growing anger. This Giver seemed unaware that the more He encouraged him to eat, the more shame the man felt. ‘You are the Source of everything,’ the man said. ‘What can I give you that you don’t already have?’ The Master answered, ‘You!’ Then the man ran out of the room, shouting, ‘That’s the point! In myself, I have nothing to give you. The more you speak, the more shame I feel. Stop!’

“All night long the man tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He was so hungry and he wanted to experience the pleasure of that wonderful food again. He got out of bed and tried what food he had in his house, but none of it was close to what he experienced with the Master Chef, the Master Giver. The next morning, he slowly entered that special room. The Source of all said, ‘Wonderful to see you! Please eat and be filled.’ The man sat and began to cry. ‘I am so hungry and I have nothing to give you! Part of me wants to stay and receive, the other part wants to run because I have nothing to give.’ A battle raged between his hunger and his shame. What he didn’t realize was that his hunger and his shame were coming from the same place within him: his self-centeredness. He said, ‘If I eat, I feel more shame. If I don’t eat, I get hungrier!’ The Master said, ‘You have so much to give. Please eat.’ The Master Giver took a plate and placed it in front of the man. The Master said, ‘I love it when you enjoy what I’ve made for you.’ The man again said, ‘I can’t! I am selfish and have been eating only to gratify myself. For a long time, I didn’t even acknowledge your existence.’ The Master smiled, ‘When you eat what I have tailor-made just for you, it greatly pleases me!’ Finally, the man realized what the Master was asking of him. He grasped that there was something he could give to the Master. To receive from the Giver was to PLEASE the Giver! By receiving to please, he was giving! As this revelation occurred, the man’s nature transformed. The man started to cry again, but not because he was ashamed. Now, he was filled with joy. The man ate and ate, enjoying every bite like never before. The food tasted even better than he’d imagined it could. You see, he didn’t just enjoy receiving the tasty food, he was receiving a new, greater pleasure: the pleasure of giving to the Giver!

“Something else miraculous happened. By giving to the Giver, the man was transformed from a receiver into a giver. Not only did he learn he had something to give, but by giving pleasure to the Giver, he obtained the same status, and was now a giver too. When he had his fill, he left the room. But now, it was all different. He tried to bless and give to everyone he met. With every passing moment he became more and more like the Giver. It got to the point where you could hardly tell them apart. When his friends noticed the difference, he would lead them to their special room with the Giver. They may have eaten selfishly for a while, but he didn’t care. He enjoyed them eating and knew it was only a matter of time. As soon as he saw the Light go on in their eyes and they realized that someone was giving, he would unveil the Infinite Giver to them. Each perceived the Master at their own pace. They too would experience a change in nature, from selfishly receiving for themselves alone, into becoming givers. This went on and on and was preached in all nations, transforming people and expanding the Kingdom one person at a time!”

“…raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly realm in the Messiah Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the limitless riches of his grace that comes to us through his kindness in the Messiah Jesus. For by such grace you have been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of God and not the result of actions, to put a stop to all boasting.”

(Ephesians 2:6-9/ISV)

A dead work is when I receive or do for myself alone. It’s doing anything good or evil that feeds my self-centeredness. Faith toward God is not a directional statement, it’s about perceiving God-Likeness. When we read the statement “faith toward God” it sounds like “direct your faith Godward,” but it’s more than that. The phrase is, (písteos epí theón), of faith superimposing (or by extension, overlaying) God. In Young’s Literal Translation we find an attempt to translate the verse, but it sounds rough.

“…not again a foundation laying of reformation from dead works, and of faith on God,”

(Hebrews 6:1/YLT)

This is all about moving away from trying to attain, and resting in what one has become. You may think, “Hey my wife says all the time I work too hard and I need to rest. She says I need to do something fun for myself. Does that mean if I rest and do something fun, I’m gratifying my ego?” No, but think of it in these terms. You may overwork because of a selfish desire or a fear of not having enough. Both motivations are egoistic. It’s worth questioning your intention. You may even say, “But I’m working for her and our family!” And the deception continues. Try asking her what would bless her. You may find that she would rather have you around longer and live with a little less, than to not have you, or worse, put you in the grave at a younger age because you worked yourself to death. The spiritual warfare in the moment is not about attaining more prosperity and waging war on poverty. It’s far more profound than that. It’s about resting to bless your wife. This is where the transforming power of your spiritual life can take on a new level. Think of it, you get to rest and do something fun, and bless your wife at the same time. You know what will happen next? You’ll get so much joy by blessing her, you may even do the dishes and vacuum the carpet. Your wife may say, “Hey, I thought I told you to do something fun.” But you know what will happen? You’ll say, “Honey, does it bless you and give you joy when I do the dishes?” You know she’ll say, “Yes.” Then you can say, “Then honey, I am doing something fun!”

This may sound overly simple, but the transformative power of God is that simple, and that profound. You may find yourself giving over and over, even while living in difficult conditions. This is the secret of repenting of dead works and having faith “on” God. It’s to do all we do, for no other reason than to please the Source. Explore receiving the blessings God has for your life, not because you have a covenantal promise or a biblical right, but to please Him. Some of us give praise to God when we receive a blessing from Him, which is great! However, when we receive and give God thanks, that’s only half of the equation toward living a spiritual life. If we stop with gratitude, and sadly many of us do, we’re not much different from those who gave thanks to their gods and goddesses in the pagan world. After all, having an “idol burger” at the idol’s temple was about giving thanks for the harvest or yearly solstice.

This is not about giving God appropriate accolades for His gift, or worse, worshipping God to get a blessing (Matthew 6:7). It’s about the realization of His Image and Likeness. If I realize that in my receiving I actually please God, and I now receive in order to please Him, I have transformed from idolizing to imaging. We are to emulate Jesus, who did what He did and said what He said to please the Father. As a result, He was the reflection of the Father. When we do the same, we too become such a reflection. We’re not similar to Christ, but we actually become what we reflect. Just as Jesus said, “The Father and I are one,” and “If you’ve seen me you have seen the Father,” (John 10:30; 14:9), so can we say, “The Christ and I are one,” and “If you’ve seen me you have seen the Christ.”

Part 2: Doctrine of Baptisms

We enter this world in the form of an individual (which is a fragment of the Adam - the shattered Vessel), encased in a body of flesh that has no other desire but to receive pleasure for itself. Our fragment of the fallen Soul, detached from its entire self, seeks to fill the void though whatever means it deems satisfying. Yet the only true fulfillment is to be reconnected to the whole, to be ONE with God’s original intent for Creation. What’s hard for the natural mind to comprehend is that what connects us to Creation is the Creator Himself. Christ, the Light, is what connects us to each other. Christ is the door, the prize and the glue; Christ is all in all.

The phrase “doctrine of baptisms” sounds so deep and theological. It’s not that deep, but it does require a change in how we see the spiritual world. When we think of the word doctrine, we think of many complicated precepts, almost like complex arithmetic. But in the entire book of Hebrews the word doctrine (didachés) is rarely used in this sense.[96] Up until this point, it wasn’t used at all. The first time it appears is when the writer says “…you need someone teach you again the first principles…” The secret to the book of Hebrews (and really all scripture), is that gaining knowledge is not as imperative as experiencing the expression and transforming power of Christ. The key to the “teaching” is to first connect to Christ.

The word baptism comes in several forms in the New Testament, however the word itself, (baptismoón), generally means to immerse or submerge. In the New Testament there are technically four types of immersion. One of those isn’t in fact New Testament, meaning it takes place before the resurrection of Jesus, which begins the New Covenant. That non-New Testament baptism is John the Baptist’s. Unfortunately for most in Christendom, John’s message is what’s preached as baptism with a subtext of the other three.

So what is John’s baptism? In short, the Apostle Paul says:

“He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ And he said to them, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ So they said, ‘Into John's baptism.’ Then Paul said, ‘John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.’”

(Acts 19:2-4/NKJV)

So now we ask, “What’s this ‘baptism of repentance’ Paul is referring to?” Mark says:

“John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”

(Mark 1:4/NKJV)

John the Baptist was the cutting edge preacher of His day. He preached cleansing from sin through repentance. Even more than the repentance from sin, the sin would actually be remitted. Remittance isn’t an atonement, meaning to cover over the failure, but a complete removal of it. Until then, the Tanak (the Old Testament) didn’t proclaim remittance. It proclaimed that through the sacrifice of animals our sins would be covered over. With the status of atonement, the sin was still present, but the consequence not imputed. This points back to the issue of sin-consciousness. With sin still present, we’re still approaching God with that mentality.

Here John proclaims, if you are immersed in faith regarding the coming Messiah, your sins will not merely be covered over, they will be completely removed! This was such a radical concept for that day. Nonetheless, it was an immersion in what was to come. For them, it was still repentance in reference to the 613 commandments, not the transformation of a consciousness.

New Testament baptism has three components, or three facets, of a whole:

1. The baptism of Death.

2. The baptism of the Body.

3. The baptism of the Spirit.

What’s fascinating is that they don’t have to occur in any particular order. There is liberty to experience all three as they occur in the life of a person in any sequence. In virtually every case, more than one happens at a time. Throughout the book of Acts we see the arrangement change.[97] To have a set sequence would only reopen the corridor that Christ has closed, leading to legalistic works and methods. Rather, to be in Christ, the path (righteousness) is open to a way of becoming and being. This is what all these New Testament baptisms are about.

The Baptism of Death

Paul the Apostle said:

“Therefore, through baptism we were buried with him into his death so that, just as the Messiah was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too may live an entirely new life.”

(Romans 6:4/ISV)

When we are immersed into Christ, we are immersed into His death. Christ died on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and He died to the Serpent that gives it sustenance. In the same manner, we are to be immersed into the same death. We are to die to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We are no longer to pursue godliness on the basis of right and wrong with all the qualities self-centeredness brings. With that in mind, look at what else Paul says:

“What should we say, then? Should we go on sinning so that grace may increase? Of course not! How can we who died as far as sin is concerned go on living in it?”

(Romans 6:1-2/ISV)

Paul is clear. In dying to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, it doesn’t mean we can now let our egos rule and simply do as the Desire to Receive for Ourselves pleases. Instead, in dying to the Tree, we also died to its source, the self-centered, self-gratifying Ego – the Serpent. In dying to good and evil, it’s not about having the liberty to do whatever my ego craves. It’s about becoming what I was designed to be: the Image and Likeness of Christ.

-

“The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your skin but by presenting you through Jesus' resurrection before God with a clear conscience.”

(1 Peter 3:21/MES)

To be baptized into Christ is also to be baptized into His resurrected Life; a Life that emanates from Above in His Likeness, born of humility and resulting in transformational compassion. It’s a life that recognizes that all judgment and condemnation has been absorbed in the Death of Christ. Therefore, such a Life doesn’t live in any form of judgmentalism, as Paul said:

“I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.”

(1 Corinthians 4:3-5/NIV)

What a statement, “I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear…” This is what the book of Hebrews describes when it states, “…no more consciousness of sins.” A true manifestation of the baptism of Death, is to live in a resurrected Life that has no consciousness of sin. Being dead to the Ego and all its self-justifying attributes means having died to anything that resembles the lower world. You may say, “But doesn’t that mean I can sin and not care?” No. What it means is that I have identified the ego, and recognize that’s not who I AM. Rather I AM one with Christ, and when the ego speaks, I recognize it for what it is. It doesn’t define me. If I give in to selfishness, I see it as part of my journey and use it as resistance training. It becomes something that will help reveal who I really am over time, not defining who I am now. Of course, if my selfishness wounds someone else, part of my revelation of who I AM is to go to that person and humbly repent for any offense I caused. Which brings us to the next baptism.

The Baptism of the Body

This has nothing whatsoever to do with the physical body and has everything to do with the reconstruction of the Vessel, the spiritual Body of the Last Adam, the Body of Christ. When we discover what it is to die to the Ego, we also discover our higher selves in Christ. In Christ we are no longer individuals, we are part of a far greater Being. As the Ego decreases, Christ increases (John 3:30).

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”

(1 Corinthians 12:12-13/NKJV)

Being baptized into the Body is being immersed back into the whole. It’s actually connecting with the real you. You are not an individual encased in a corporeal earth suit, you are an aspect of an eternal Creature called the Last Adam. You may say, “Well I believe that, but I do still live in an individual body, right?” Respectfully, no. You live in Christ in the higher worlds and are an expression of the Whole in a corporeal body. This is why Jesus is deliberate when He says, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” The Apostle Paul says, “For as the body is one…so also Christ.”[98] The entire Kingdom of God is within you and so is the fullness of Christ. The body, with all its members, is one. That body is also Christ and Christ is in you. The egoistic attributes of the corporeal world tell us that reality is my interaction with the five senses and these give me a sensation of self. But as I subjugate the ego along with its Tree (Galatians 5:24), I discover spiritual sensors that have been hidden in the noise of my individuality.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

(Romans 12:2/NRSV)

Notice Paul said, “…that you may discern…” The key word is (dokimázein), which literally means to recognize as genuine after examination. Another way to word this would be, “…Nevertheless, change into another form by the renewing of your mind, that you may recognize the genuine after examining the desire of God; the correct and pleasing and fully brought to conclusion.” Recognition requires our ability to sense reality in Christ. This is not just through our gifting, but by discovering and developing the spiritual sensors we have. Part of that discernment is sensing the “Whole.” When we try to see this from an egocentric standpoint, we see ourselves as part of a group. However, when we “perceive” from our new form in Christ, we sense ourselves as one Being in Christ expressed in many persons. You may wonder, “So what’s the difference?” The key is that all are in you and you are in all. This sounds incomprehensible to the carnal mind, but hear the words of Jesus:

“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, … I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one…”

(John 17:21 & 23/NKJV)

The Christ, the Kingdom, the Body with all its parts are in you and you in them. This is the baptism of the Body. We are immersed in one, and one is immersed in us. We are in Christ, who is the Whole, and Christ is in us, which also is the Whole.

The Baptism of the Spirit

The earlier scripture said, “…all been made to drink into one Spirit.” From the beginning, water has been a symbol of the Spirit. By drinking “one” Spirit, we are all One. Having a direct connection to the Baptism of the Body, which is all being One, the Baptism of the Spirit is an attribute of the One being expressed in the Many. This is the open door of Grace we have in Christ. It has nothing to do with the moral correctness of the receiver, nor the spiritual attainment of a minister. It has everything to do with the grace of God and the tools He’s given us to develop and build His Kingdom. When it comes to the Spirit, the Throne of Christ has an open door policy.

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

(Acts 2:1-4/NKJV)

There have been many wonderful sermons and manifestations of this verse throughout the Church world and it’s hard to add to what God has said and done. Yet to continue with this line of thinking, the verse says “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come…” This is a Hebraic statement. How does a day “fully come?” One could say that a day fully comes when its midday. That isn’t totally accurate, but does point us in the right direction. Paul says, “…when the fullness of time had come…” (Galatians 4:4), and he says “…the fullness of times…” (Ephesians 1:10). Mark, quoting Jesus, says, “…the time is fulfilled…” (Mark 1:15) and John, also quoting Jesus, says, “…My time has not fully come.” (John 7:8).

A day or a time fully coming originates from the first principles we discussed before. It’s the revealing of the Whole. In the same manner that there is one day with seven aspects in Genesis, a day fully coming is when all aspects have been disclosed. The same applies to time. The fullness of time occurs when all the aspects of the whole have been realized. We have said in the past that time is an illusion, something limited to this corporeal world. Thus, in the world of timelessness, the spiritual quality is complete and in its “whole form.” But in the physical world of space and time, the way such is revealed is in sides and slices. This can occur consecutively or sporadically. In the fullness of time, however, the whole has been revealed. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the last revealing is the whole, but what it does mean is if you were to assemble all the sides and slices revealed through time and space, the Whole has been revealed.

When we add the word Pentecost to “day” and “fully come,” we find what is full. In simple terms, (pentekoste) means 50th. The number 50 in Hebrew is the (nun), which represents the seed, perpetuity and the Throne of Messiah. When the fullness of the perpetual or eternal Seed, the Throne of the Messiah, had come, all were filled with the Spirit and all began to speak in a united Heavenly language, prophesying from the world Above. Pentecost occurred on the day of the Feast of Harvest. It was exactly 50 days after Passover, which was a solemn Holyday. However, the Feast of Harvest was one of great rejoicing. Interestingly, while this Holyday celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments revealed on Sinai, it’s done with leavened bread. Leaven throughout scripture is the symbol of sinfulness (Leviticus 6:17). Like the Passover, one would think any celebration of the commandments would be with unleavened bread. But not so! The commandments not only reveal sin, they empower it (as Paul pointed out). This Holyday is celebrated with leavened bread because leaven is no longer an issue in the way it was before. The leaven or sin matter has been resolved in Christ, who’s the High Priest after the Order of Melchizedek. Because such things are not an issue, the realities of the Spirit are poured out to all. This is why on the Day of Pentecost Peter refers to Joel’s statement:

“But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.”

(Acts 2:16-17/NKJV)

It’s hard for Christendom to accept that the Holy Spirit has been poured out on ALL FLESH, but she has! All flesh means all flesh, in the Greek in Acts 2:17 and in Hebrew in Joel 2:28.[99] Our religiosity has made the Spirit exclusive, saying only the holy and chosen can receive. But that’s not the case. For those who have responded to the call of Christ and thus are the “called-out-ones” (the Church), such could never happen if the Spirit was unavailable to some flesh. The Spirit can speak to both those in Christ and those who haven’t discovered Him yet. The Spirit can speak in all kinds of ways with dreams, visions and influences; the condition of the leaven in a life is of no consequence. The key to Pentecost is that both leavened and unleavened can receive of the Spirit. The difference between those who have come to Christ and those who have not is that those who have come are offered the opportunity to experience total union and filling with the Spirit. They are able to be an expression of the Whole, which is Christ, in all worlds both Above and Below.

As you can see in the Doctrine of Baptisms, Christ (Death), Body and Spirit are all connected. You cannot have one without the other. They are One with three expressions. They are One with three sides and slices of the Whole. What’s so amazing is that we are the fullness of that expression. Through Christ, we are the One and we are the Many. We are the Body and we are the Spirit. We are the Death and the Resurrection. Christ IS ALL and IN ALL.

Part 3: Laying on of Hands

The laying on of hands is no different than any other expression of Christ. The spiritual perception comes before the physical act. As Peter said that water baptism has nothing to do with washing dirt from the skin and everything to do with a clear conscience, the same applies here. While the physical laying on of hands is important and does become a point of contact for our faith, we mustn’t suppose that the physical can impart the Divine. Rather, it’s the Divine that imparts. When the spiritual perception is upside-down, we once again are in danger of religious bondage. One of the more famous religious doctrines that has replaced what the laying on of hands is intended to accomplish is the “transference of spirits.” All of a sudden we’re afraid to get too close to Sister Cooties, because we believe the spiritual condition of her life will transfer to or influence ours. Where does such teaching come from? Where does such belief originate?

“Or if a person touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean livestock, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and he is unaware of it, he also shall be unclean and guilty. Or if he touches human uncleanness — whatever uncleanness with which a man may be defiled, and he is unaware of it — when he realizes it, then he shall be guilty.”

(Leviticus 5:2-3/NKJV)

This is from the Levitical priesthood, and is taught in other religious systems. In the Melchizedekian Order there is no such fear of uncleanness or transference. The only time it becomes relevant is when we “believe” it’s relevant.

“I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”

(Romans 14:14/NKJV)

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil has convinced Christians that they are similar to Levitical priests and should be concerned about such things. In so doing, we give “Life” to “Dead” things, we empower the powerless, and we rebuild what Christ has destroyed. In Christ and His king-priesthood, uncleanness means nothing. It has NO effect. As we proclaim in the famous song, “There’s power in the Blood!” Well, is that true or not? It’s time to get the fear of transference out of our theology and become the king-priests we are called to be.

So what does laying on hands refer to? In simple terms, it’s giving Life through activating faith. In the New Testament it’s primarily used for healing, affirmation and ordination. The foundational scripture this teaching comes from is:

“God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, and there His power was hidden. Before Him went pestilence, and fever followed at His feet.”

(Habakkuk 3:3-5/NKJV)

The key verse is the fourth, “His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, and there His power was hidden.” But before we look at that in depth, it would be good to mention the surrounding verses. If we quickly translate the verse prior, it would say, “God came from [the] right hand, and [the] Holy from a mount of clarity.”[100] The ending section can also be read, “Toward His face walked order and went out coals of fire toward His feet.”[101]

What is sandwiched between these two statements is very powerful. (va’nogahh kaor tih’yah kar’nayim miyado lo va’sham chev’yon uzoh) “And Her brightness is like Light, She was shining rays from His hand to Him and there concealed His strength.” The first half of this verse is all in the feminine gender, until it speaks of the hands themselves. Therefore the feminine aspect of God is His brightness and within it His hidden strength. The continuity of scripture remains steady from the first verse of Genesis, to Christ and His Bride. Here, “She” is the secret to His power. The subtle root to the ministry of the laying on of hands is the revelation of God’s power residing in His Bride.

Within these verses we have the right hand of God, the symbol of purpose and intention coming forth with clarity. Within His hand and that intention is revealed His Bride, which is His brightness. We are in the Garden again. Unlike when Judas betrayed Jesus (Judah, meaning to stretch out the hands),[102] here it’s the attribute of reflecting the Light. The status of the Bride is to elevate the reflective attribute, the raising of the hands. Together they are in a state of celebration! Because of that, pestilence which is spelled the same as the word for order and prophetic utterance (to speak), leads the way. While one may assume pestilence is negative, it implies the destruction of one order and the arrangement of another. In other words, as the brightness of His glory goes forth, it brings destruction to the system of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and makes way for the new order of the Tree of the Life. This section of scripture concludes by saying that coals of fire went forth from His feet. The very idea of burning coals implies cleansing and forgiveness. It implies change and transformation.

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.’”

(Isaiah 6:6-7/NKJV)

This truly is a new order, an order of cleansing, of impartation, of healing, of affirmation and ordination into the purposes and intentions of God. Yet, with this order comes responsibility. Just because we have removed sin and uncleanness in the Levitical sense doesn’t mean people stop making mistakes and sometimes very serious ones. This is why Paul admonishes Timothy that spiritual leaders should not move hastily in ordination. He also shared positive things, such as church leaders should be financially supported and be counted worthy of double honor. Still, he says:

“Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins; keep yourself pure.”

(1 Timothy 5:22/NKJV)

“Don’t appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily. If a person is involved in some serious sins, you don't want to become an unwitting accomplice. In any event, keep a close check on yourself.”

(1 Timothy 5:22/MES)

When we are hasty in appointing someone to leadership and he falls into error, those who appointed him are responsible for the oversight in the matter, or at the very least to participate in the fallen’s restoration. So if a person we appointed has a moral failure, we have to take responsibility for the restoration of the one we ordained, his family, and the congregation. This is rarely an easy thing and often becomes quite intense.

Part 4: Resurrections and Eternal Judgment

This is good place to begin discussing how we relate to one another, an aspect of eternal judgment we many times overlook. In the doctrine of Baptisms, we see that we are One, and when it comes to laying on of hands, we have a responsibility to each other. Whether we are new in Christ or have been in Christ for a long time, our connection in relationship is of the utmost importance. In the Melchizedekian order, sin and uncleanness are no longer a concern from an eternal damnation aspect, but there’s still the issue of how we treat one another.

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.”

(Romans 14:19-23/NIV)

If the foundational key to all things Melchizedek is Image and Likeness bound together in Divine Oneness, then how I treat my brother or sister (which can also include those outside the Church), is of supreme value. It brings to mind something the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart some years ago.

“You know that your sins are forgiven because of the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. So nothing, not even your own failures, can remove you from the Father’s hand. You know that the manifestations of the Spirit are also by grace and not by works. They are tools gifted to you for your edification and that of others. If these things be true, then the only way you can actually gage your growth spiritually is by how you treat your brother. How you relate and interact with others is the key to everything.”

The connectivity of the Body, and how we find connection within the expression we call the local church, is Christ’s highest priority. For the sake of this discussion, we will call it “the Group”. Why Group? Because whether it’s the local church we attend, a bible study at work, a prayer meeting at a friend’s house, or a large convention of believers, it’s all the Body of Christ. The Group is wherever we are, with whomever we are, and where we find our sense of spiritual connection. The power of the Group is always greater than the power of a person by himself. When I find true connection in the Group, I am never alone and the Likeness of Christ in which I walk is greater than what I can ever manifest by myself. This is why when two or more are gathered, Christ is in their midst (Matthew 18:20).

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

(Philippians 2:3-4/NKJV)

When we think of eternal judgment, we usually look at it from the perspective of God’s judgment of humanity. While that is totally valid and applicable, another aspect of eternal judgment is how “we” judge from an eternal perspective. While Paul told us not to judge even ourselves before the time, there comes a point when we must take an account. Paul again admonishes us:

“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?”

(1 Corinthians 6:2-5/NKJV)

This judgment is not about revitalizing the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, or Right and Wrong, but it concerns the Tree of Life. It’s about dealing with day to day situations that impact the eternal aspects of all we’ve been talking about. It’s about pruning our trees to bring Life. One of the most powerful ways to do that is to recognize every interaction we have with another is potentially a revelation of Christ through us in the corporeal world. This is why we must find ways to reconcile with each other, have patience while another’s fruit matures, and be peacemakers for those who are at odds with each other. Jesus sees this as so important that He says:

“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

(Matthew 5:23-24/NKJV)

In so many words Jesus tells us, “Before you worship, before you pray, before you give, before you minister, before you do anything that seems to be for Me, think on this. The greatest thing you can do for Me is be reconciled to your brother.” This is far more important than any theology or manifestation of gifting. This reflects on our eternal values and the system in which we live, either Life or Death. As we enter the discussion of resurrection and eternal judgment, we must first and foremost realize that it all begins with how we relate to the Whole.

When we think of resurrections and eternal judgment, we think of new glorified bodies, Heaven with eternal bliss, and Hell with eternal damnation. Within the Hebraic scriptures we really don’t see these as vivid images of an event off in the distant future. It’s not until we move to the New Testament and its employment of the Greek language, that we find the drastic difference between a Heaven to gain and a Hell to shun. Why such an Olympian bliss compared to Inferno’s misery? Where do these ideas come from? Are they truly teachings of Jesus and the Apostles? Or have they come from linguistic issues related to their Western philosophical or mythological roots that over the last two millennia redefined them out of their scriptural context?

For the last millennia, these beliefs have been fundamentally the standard in Christian Eschatology. Hell is an eternally burning fire where unbelievers go and are tormented forever. If you are a believer, you get to go instantly to Heaven when you die. Regarding resurrection, there will be one major resurrection at the end of the ages and all will be judged before a Great White Throne. Believers will return with Christ to this planet in their glorified bodies at His Second Coming, while unbelievers will have to wait in torment until the Final Judgment. The issue will be whether or not their name is written in the correct book.

Some interesting thoughts before we continue:

Hades (sometimes translated, Hell) is thrown into the lake of fire that burns forever, thus Hades (Hell) isn’t the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14), so what is it?

While most Christians would proclaim they don’t believe in reincarnation, to get another body (glorified) and to return to planet earth with Jesus at His Second coming is a type of “re-incarnation” regardless how you approach it. The key difference is how this appears in the order of Melchizedek (thus in Christ) compared to religions that teach reincarnation. In the New Testament, the key word is not reincarnation, but resurrection. On the surface, they may appear to overlap each other, resurrection is uniquely different. While most Christians today would disagree with the following statement, I highly recommend that we ponder it: Since the second and third generation of Christendom, most teaching regarding resurrection is a reworked version of reincarnation. It seems the further away we’ve gotten from the first generation church and its Hebraic roots, the more we’ve lost. Our modern day Christian view of resurrection compared to reincarnation really only has one major difference: rather than living many life cycles through reincarnation, in resurrection you are judged once and then receive one more, a glorified body that lives forever. This is close, but scripturally, resurrection has much more form and substance than that.

The challenge before us is to let go of Christendom’s absorption of Greek mythologies and medieval dogmas, all of which are absent of their Hebraic roots. Though not all are contrary, we do need to rethink what pertains to Christianity based on the biblical Melchizedekian foundations discussed so far. The use of Greek concepts in the New Testament was for the purpose of relating to the Hellenists in their language and cultural understanding; it was to communicate to them in their terms, so they could be elevated to spiritual truth. However, as Christendom progressed through medieval times with its creeds, coupled with its clear Anti-Semitism,[103] the concept of resurrection and eternal judgment became skewed. We must remember that New Testament scripture is mainly comprised of epistles (letters) that require an understanding of whom they were written to, and why they were crafted in the manner they were.

When it comes to the issue of resurrection and eternal judgment, we cannot discuss the one without the other. They go together like hydrogen and oxygen in water. If you change the composition you no longer have water, and if you separate them, water doesn’t exist. The same is true with these two sides of the same coin.

So what is eternal judgment? When does it start and when will it be over? The fact that the judgment is “eternal” means there is no beginning and no ending. Eternal judgment exists in the timelessness of now. It’s not an event in the distant future, it’s simply a state of Divine Reality. From our perspective in the corporeal world, it’s another slice of the eternals breaking through into the world of time and space. Like the Kingdom of God, eternal judgment has occurred, is occurring, and will occur. This is not about being judged someday in the distant future, but from a spiritual perspective, it’s all about the ever-present moment. The literal phrase is (krímatos aioeníou), meaning perpetual decision.

There’s a fundamental difference between the Greek mythos approach and the Christian/Melchizedekian approach. The Greek deals with these realities from the perspective of a future judgment and afterlife. The Melchizedekian approach is from the standpoint of each person existing simultaneously in the corporeal and spiritual worlds. One could say the same applies to Greek mythology, since the gods are in the spiritual world and mortals in the physical. However as a mortal in that mythos, you only occupy one place at a time. Even if a mortal contends with the spiritual world, he does so as a mortal. In the Christian/Melchizedekian, the total man who is fully spirit while in the corporeal world, contends in the spirit as spirit.

There are eleven different words in the New Testament that describe judgment and each has a different connotation, employed for different reasons.[104] In this case, (krímatos) is a decision based on the evidence for or against a crime. It’s where we get the English words for crime and criminal. The second word is (aioeníou), which means forever. In other words, this decision is made from eternity past, present and future. It is made from a state of timelessness. It doesn’t matter when in the world of time you entered into a relationship with Christ, God sees that you always were in Christ and forever will be in Christ. This is why our sins, or crimes, are remembered no more (Hebrews 10:17-18). If there’s nothing to remember, then as far as God is concerned, you have always been sharing in the Divine union!

The difficulty comes from taking the Greek meanings of words from the New Testament and erroneously inserting the Greek mythos with their definitions. In Greek mythology, judgment is something that comes at the beginning of the afterlife. The implication is that you are experiencing “the judgment of your eternal destiny.” Upon death, a person went to the underworld and was judged by three deities who are sons of Zeus. Aeacus was the one who held the keys of Hades. The person’s earthly deeds decided whether he went to Elysium (paradise) or Tartarus (torments). In some cases, an in-between place was chosen, known as the Fields of Asphodel. This is a foggy, gloomy place where the dead exist in a state of oblivion between Elysium and Tartarus.[105]

When we look at the imagery, we see what’s been adapted into Christendom. We have three deities, the Trinity. One of the members of the Trinity, the Son, (like Aeacus) has the keys of Hades (Revelation 1:18) and pleads on our behalf. The decision dictates whether the person goes to Heaven (Elysium) or Hell (Tartarus). According to traditional protestant theology, if you were a believer in your earthly life and did good works, you went directly to Heaven with no fear of damnation. For Catholics, if you were a believer but had sinful problems in this life, you went to purgatory (the in-between place) to have your sins purged and then you went on to Heaven.

So what does resurrection and eternal judgment look like from our New Covenant in Christ? Of the different words used for judgment, one is bh=ma (beema), which is known as the “judgment seat.” The word is used twelve times and is one of the lesser words to define judgment. As it relates to Christ, it’s only used once, and relating to God, only once.[106] bh=ma (beema) was a platform in the public square used by the Greeks and later adapted by the Romans. It was the public address system of the day. Many heralds were commissioned to the bh=ma (beema) to proclaim announcements to the populace. In addition, similar to our public trials covered by the media, parts of trials were often held there. Legal arguments were usually heard in private, but verdicts and testimonies were almost always held in the public square.

The Apostle Paul used the word to relate to both the Corinthian and Roman churches about living a Christ-like life. As we’ve seen, the Corinthian church got the message regarding no legalism, but failed to remove their egos, their self-indulgence, from their lives. The Roman church was the opposite. They were very legalistic. Their approach was similar to our Jewish brothers and sisters, believing that if you obey the rules you will be like Christ. Neither lawlessness or legalism will ever attain Likeness, only the crucifixion of the Ego (the nature of self-centeredness) and discovering a Life from the worlds Above. What the Romans and the Corinthians did understand was their mythology. So Paul employs the (beema), the judgment seat concept to help them come to terms with their notion of grace and law. Once he uses the idea, he doesn’t leave it at that. Instead, he brings the explanation to an understanding of what true spiritual reality looks like.

The message to the legalistic Roman church was:

“You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.”

(Romans 14:10/NIV)

The employment of the (beema) idea was to get the Roman congregation to stop judging one another. But Paul doesn’t leave them with the belief that someday in the distant future they are going to be judged by God. In other words, this wasn’t used to continue the Greek mythos as Christian doctrine. Rather Paul returns to the original concepts he shared earlier with the Roman church:

“Concluding then that our righteousness has absolutely nothing to do with our ability to keep moral laws, but that it is the immediate result of what Jesus accomplished on mankind’s behalf. This gives context to faith and finds expression in unhindered friendship with God! Jesus Christ is the head of this union! … If God could love us that much when we were ungodly and guilty, how much more are we free to realize his love now that we are declared innocent by his blood? Our hostility and indifference towards God did not reduce his love for us; he saw equal value in us when he exchanged the life of his son for ours. Now that the act of reconciliation is complete, his life in us saves us from the gutter-most to the uttermost. Thus, our joyful boasting in God continues; Jesus Christ has made reconciliation a reality.”[107]

(Romans 5:1, 9-11/MIRROR)

Many in Christendom misapply this verse, interpreting it to say that when we received Christ we were forgiven of all our past sins, but after that, Heaven keeps a new tally of our good and bad deeds. If that’s how we view the Gospel, then the Gospel isn’t very good news. Think of it, we can get our spiritual slates wiped clean, but if we mess up again, we’re back where we started, being judged by God. Of course, we say, “Yes, but there’s still the Cross of Christ. If we ask for forgiveness, then He’ll forgive us.” So now, after being cleansed initially, we’ve taken our plea for forgiveness into the potential afterlife judgment. Standing before God’s judgment seat? If that’s what we believe, then Christ is once again nothing more than a glorified animal sacrifice, and there is still a consciousness of sin.

Some sects of Christendom have tried another approach. They say, even though we’re forgiven for all our sins (past, present and future), we still have to come to the “knowledge of the truth,” so we still must give an account for all our deeds. This is even more problematic. Not only is there a sin consciousness, but there’s an ambiguous acknowledgement of forgiveness at the same time. We can’t have it both ways. If we are forgiven for all our offenses and must still appear before the judgment seat, that’s actually an injustice. Consider that Paul, who’s actually speaking to Romans, would get a retort from an advocatus in Latin saying, “Ne bis in idem” (Not twice [for] in the same thing). You can’t be tried a second time for the same or similar charge once you’ve been convicted or acquitted. This is called double jeopardy. This was true in both Greco-Roman and Jewish cultures, as wells as most common law countries today.

Other sects have tried to figure how grace fits in with the judgment seat idea. (Reflectively, it doesn’t! If the premise is based on works of good and bad, it always “frustrates the grace of God,” [Galatians 2:21]). The explanation for this view point is usually that it refers to how many rewards one gets in the afterlife. (Often pointing to 2 Corinthians 5:10, which we will speak of shortly.) Again, this is Greek mythology flavored with Judaism. Conversely, Paul is letting them know that everything we do right now is before God, and if what we set our minds to is of the flesh, we’ll reap of the Tree of Death. But, if we set our minds toward the Spirit, we’ll reap of the Tree of Life (Romans 8:5-6). After using the (beema) comparison, Paul concludes his message to the Romans by revealing that faith is the “deciding” factor. Please note the use of the phrase, “before God,” as if before the (beema) in saying:

“Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.”

(Romans 14:22-23/NKJV)

Paul’s explanation contains a powerful notion: that legalism is flesh-empowering, as in the case of the Romans (Romans 7:5). But when he addresses the Corinthian lawlessness, it is called equally as fleshly! To the Corinthians he writes:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

(2 Corinthians 5:10/NKJV)

Similar to the Romans, Paul seems to be saying that, even after we’ve come to Christ, we will stand before God and again be judged for everything done in the physical body. Really? Again, that’s double jeopardy. Paul continues to tell the Corinthians:

“Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…”

(2 Corinthians 5:11/NKJV)

“We know what it means to respect the Lord, and we encourage everyone to turn to him.”

(2 Corinthians 5:11/CEV)

Whether our Bibles say terror, fear or respect, if we are going to be judged by our “works, both good and bad,” then why persuade people to Christ? Why not just persuade men to do more good works from the Law of Moses? Simple done deal! Why complicate it with, “You’re forgiven, but if you mess up you’re not and you’ll need to be forgiven again. But if you ask for forgiveness, you’re forgiven. But, you still have to give an account! You may be rewarded or maybe not. Depending upon your account, you may still get in, but as if by fire.” (Lucky you didn’t get stuck! If you did it would be Hell!)

If we make receiving Christ another work and not a true faith encounter, then Christ is added to the long list of “things we need to do to be acceptable to God.” In that case, not only do I need to do all the right things, I need to worship the right deity in fear of his wrath. However, that’s not the context. Paul is communicating, “Knowing the fear of the Lord (or seeing, thus reverentially perceiving the Lord, from the Hebrew which is the beginning of wisdom, Proverbs 9:10) we persuade men.” Paul was employing the bh=ma (beema) concept for a completely different reason than threatening them with impending condemnation:

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

(2 Corinthians 5:14-15/NKJV)

The judgment is that, in Christ, we have all died. And if all in Christ are dead, then we cannot be judged by any law.[108] We are all dead in Christ, and we cannot forget the doctrine of baptisms; this is all one foundation! The good and bad are not about moral correctness, but our living in Likeness as the one who died and rose again. Paul concludes this idea by saying:

“That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

(2 Corinthians 5:19-21/NKJV)

Paul is clear: This not about doing good or bad, especially by some moral code. It’s about not accrediting anyone’s failures and being reconciled to God through Christ. This is about living as the Image and Likeness of Christ in the corporeal. The Corinthian failures weren’t because of their lack of morality. That was only an outgrowth of their inner spiritual condition. The issue was that they never reckoned their “self” crucified in Christ. They never dealt with the substance of the satanic nature, the Ego. But there is always time!

Here’s the contrast between the Eternal and the world of time. The ultimate purpose for the illusion of time is to be a tool to correct and transform us into His Likeness. It’s about discovering the path of faith and walking it. He who knew no sin, became sin, so we can become those who walk the path of Likeness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The idea of a judgment seat was used to relate to the Greco-Roman culture and lead Corinth to the reality of Christ Likeness. It wasn’t meant to affirm their mythology as Christian doctrine. It was a way of using what they understood to bring them into the knowledge of the truth.

Eternal Judgment is this: our true reality in God through Christ has forever been settled in the eternal world and nothing we do can change that. It was accomplished by Christ, not us. If we didn’t establish it, then we can’t reverse it.

There’s a principle which is sometimes mistaken for judgment, which is known as “sowing and reaping.” In truth, it has nothing to do with where we are seated in Christ or our eternal destiny, but everything to do with our spiritual development. It’s simply part of the tool of time to bring the reality of Christ into our corporeal world and bring us into greater transformation.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

(Galatians 6:7-9/NKJV)

There is no time or distance in the spiritual world. In the world of time, however, slices of true reality reveal themselves at different points. Because of this, there are things we might do today in the corporeal world which may not affect us for decades. This is true both positively and negatively. Some of the so-called warfare in our lives today is a product of what we sowed in days, months and even years gone by. This doesn’t mean we need to be forgiven again or that God is judging us again. Rather, it means we are reaping what we sowed. The function of the spiritual principle of sowing and reaping (seedtime and harvest) is something that the Desire to Receive (the Earth) has been operating in since its creation. Prior to the fall it was for the purpose of producing the reflection of the Light (Genesis 1:28). After the fall, the principle was still in play, but now it would yield things other than Life. It would yield whatever was sown, like good and evil. In other words, Death.

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.”

(Genesis 8:22/NKJV)

You may think, “I have done some bad things! Why do I have to go through all that if I’ve been forgiven?” That’s just it, from the perspective of the worlds Above, you don’t! Instead, you have an opportunity to develop into a greater appearance of Christ. In other words, the lesson we seem to have failed in the past can be readdressed today in a time of reaping. Better still, if we are cognizant of the initial self-centeredness in a matter, and make our inner-correction in humility, we would never have to deal with a reaping. If we distrust the voice of “self-centeredness” (our egos) we will not be called into question (1 Corinthians 11:31)[109] or have to be reinstructed in faith (selfless trust in Christ). In other words, if we intentionally address our egoistic intentions with disbelief in our Likeness and receive His Likeness by grace through faith, we’ll increase. When we revert back to works or any selfish ambition, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is ready to give us a harvest in kind.

The purpose of sowing and reaping is to produce the desired harvest. But when we sow an undesired seed, an undesired harvest is the produce. The positive dynamic of being in Christ is that, even if we sow an undesired seed, we can address it and transform it. How? By not being part of the system of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We do this by removing ourselves from dead works and stepping back into the realm of faith. In particular, this is done by forgiving others and being reconciled whenever possible. Not only does the undesirable crop cease to grow, but we’ve sown further seeds of Likeness. Just as the Adam was “terraforming” with LIFE prior to the Fall, now after the Fall we are terraforming once again through Christ.

“Those who understand that their righteousness is of Christ and that it does not come as a reward for their ability to keep the law, have discovered that their flesh with its dictates and lusts were co-crucified with Christ. Because faith defines us and not flesh, we take our lead from the Spirit in our daily conduct.”[110]

(Galatians 5:24-25/MIRROR)

Realizing that in God’s Kingdom there is no double jeopardy, nor any doctrine of salvation by so-called grace with perfection through works, we must anchor ourselves in Christ. The crucifixion of our Ego and the embracing of His Grace is the foundation of the transformation. We obtain Likeness through transformation, not by adapting to a new set of rules in fear of judgment.

Because of this, our perspective of the final judgment must change as well. The final judgment, which appears in Revelation 20:11, seems to be a problem as it compares to the rest of scripture if we base it on teaching we’ve had in the last millennia. The scripture reads:

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.”

(Revelation 20:11-12/NIV)

This scripture takes us back to the Garden in Genesis and even beyond.

(Kaí eídon thrónon mégan leukón) “And I saw a throne of great light (whiteness)…”

(éfugen hé gé¡ kaí ho ouranós kaí tópos ouch heuréthē autoís.) “…vanished the earth [the Desire to Receive] and the heavens [the Desire to Give] and no place found for them.”

What does this mean? For the earth and heaven to vanish, is to return the state prior to Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.”

In Revelation, John tells us all things are reverting back to their state prior to “Light Be,” which was before the Adam, prior to the creation of the Will to Receive (Lucifer). The reversion is prior to the creation of Heaven and Earth, yet there is a progression regarding the development of the existing Creation (or Creature). A true “restoration” is occurring. The reversion brings a restoration, which brings another progression of Creation’s fulfillment. Another way to grasp this is that when is fully revealed, there is no Darkness or Light as we know it. Paul said to the Corinthians there will come a point when Christ’s mission of bringing all things under His rule is complete, and He will give the entire Kingdom back to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24-25). We see that occur here.

To say there is no place found for either Earth or Heaven is to say that the full reality of the Limitless One is revealed. At this point the dead could not stay dead, because ultimate Life is in its fullness. Thus the dead rise. There are two sets of books open. One of works and the other of Life. To be judged by works is to be judged by the system of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. To be judged by the other was to be judged by the Tree of Life. Remember, this is in the world of timelessness. This is the highest state of the revelation of God. In Hebrew, it’s called (yachidah), which literally means, singularity, Oneness. In other words, everything is brought into total cohesion with God. There’s no spiritual world or corporeal world. There is only One, the full revelation of the Infinite One!

“Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

(Psalms 139:12/NIV)

After all this, do we accept the mythological picture of a long line of people (like in front of a soup kitchen during the Great Depression) who appear before the Trinity (the three Greek gods), each receiving the verdict of their eternal destination based on which book their name is written in? If you’re in the Book of Life, then you’re clear and Heaven-bound, but if you’re in the other book, your works are judged. Regardless of how it’s weighed, everyone without Christ always falls short in the balance. The impending doom of the lake of fire, or Tartarus, is their destination. Is that the way it really happens? Is this the work of Messiah? Is this the work of Jesus Christ? Is this the nature of the Creator? If it is, then where is this Hell and lake of fire? Is there a place like Hell outside of the Infinite One? How can there be a place outside of an Omni-Present, Endless God? Even King David, one who understood what it meant to be in the Melchizedekian king-priesthood, said:

“If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.”

(Psalms 139:8/NKJV)

“If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.”

(Psalms 139:8/NASU)

Are the fires of Hell the very fires we were taken from in Genesis? The very egoistic spiritual state that God created to reflect the Light?

Before we can proceed with the answer, we must speak of the resurrection of the dead. This is more than another incarnation when souls get their bodies back to appear before the throne of the Great Judge. That would be similar to a convict in prison whose lawyer brings him a proper suit to wear for court. Is the Creator of all things that shallow? It almost doesn’t make sense to get a body back only to be thrown into a lake of fire to be burned.

“For we know that all the rest of creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time. However, not only the creation, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit also groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.”

(Romans 8:22-24/ISV)

“For in this also we groan, desiring to be clothed upon with our habitation that is from heaven. Yet so that we be found clothed, not naked. For we also, who are in this tabernacle, do groan, being burthened; because we would not be unclothed, but clothed upon, that that which is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”

(2 Corinthians 5:2-4/Douay-Rheims)

Consider what Paul is telling us. We are waiting for the “redemption of the body.” Rather than a reincarnation, resurrection is the redemption of the body. It’s like the redemption of our spirit, where we migrated from Darkness to Light. In the realm of the soul, we are being transformed from the domain of the Serpent (Ego) to the Domain of Christ (Divine Likeness). The same is true with the body. We don’t have these fleshly bodies because the Adam was created this way. Rather, we have these fleshly bodies because of the Fall. Prior to that we, as one Creature, wore garments of Light. Our garment was the Light, Christ Himself. At the Fall, as we became Darkness, God “clothed us” with these meaty, animal-like skins to place us in a world of time and space for the purpose of transformation. In the moment we receive Christ, our spirit is translated from Darkness to Light and we are seated in the Heavenlies in Him. From a Heavenly perspective, not a corporeal one of time and space, we are already ruling on thrones as One. This is why the Melchizedekian order is a KING-priestly order. Yet there is a completion of redemption still occurring. Like the Kingdom and Eternal Judgment, which has come, is come, and is coming, the same is true with the redemption of the total Creature. You could say that, through receiving Christ, we have been resurrected in spirit, we are resurrecting in soul, and we shall be resurrected in body.

The issue of bodily resurrection is not simply a reincarnation, or a rising of the corporeal body, but the acquisition of the Body of Light we were originally designed for. This is our spiritual, immortal, incorruptible body of glorious Light (1 Corinthians 15:42-54; Matthew 17:2). So how does this occur? Spiritual terraforming! As we transform our souls from the Serpent’s nature of Ego and shut our eyes to the system of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, our internal terraforming (where the Kingdom of God currently abides), presses the mortal to change. Thus the more internal terraforming, the more we groan for the heavenly body. As we internally transform, we reflect Christ in these corporeal bodies, sharing and revealing Him to those around us. As they too receive Christ, their internal terraforming commences. As a whole, the Soul transforms, and its draw for the true dwelling continues. Even those who have passed on before us, not having received the fullness of the promise of the full Body of Light, draw on us like a great crowd in an amphitheater.

“God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.”

(Hebrews 11:40/MES)

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…”

(Hebrews 12:1/NKJV)

The beginning of Hebrews Chapter 12 is difficult for anyone to translate. It says,

(Toigaroún kaí hēmeís, tosoúton échontes perikeímenon hēmín néfos martúroen,) “Accordingly then ‘we’ are held-surrounded by a mass of immortal-god-like-cloud witnesses…”

The key word in the sentence is (néfos). It’s the only time in the New Testament the word appears. The common word for cloud in both Greek culture and the New Testament is (nephele), which means mist or cloud. (néfos) is very specific and comes from a cult of antiquity known as Orphism. Briefly, Orphism celebrated the clouds as those who have attained Divinity by being liberated from the process of reincarnation. They attained this through the complete purification of the soul. It’s by no accident the following sentence is:

“…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

(Hebrews 12:1-2/NKJV)

Here the writer of Hebrews speaks to the usage of the word by phrases like “lay aside every weight” and “sat down at the right hand of the throne”. In Orphism, as well as most of the Greco-Roman and Hebraic beliefs of the day, reincarnation occurs because we have weights of imperfection that keep us bound to the world of flesh. Thus, we keep returning in many lifecycles until those imperfections are removed. The Orphism cult believed that through their special initiation, the soul was purified to the point where they no longer needed to return in another lifecycle. They attained Divinity and were not “weighted down” to return to earth. Once again, employing the language and mythology of the day, this scripture tells us to lay aside every weight and the sin that ensnares us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Why? Because once anyone is in Christ, reincarnation is no longer necessary. Our souls are purified by the Cross, attaining true Divinity similar to the Orphism mythos, and are now seated with Christ at the Right Hand of the throne of Above.

The other enlightening phrase is (échontes perikeímenon), ‘we’ are held-surrounded. While the amphitheater is a good way of seeing the sentence, a better way of looking at it might be as “immersed in a pool.” (The word we in the Greek is emphasized, to impose the thought of being corporate.) By being immersed, we are surrounded completely by the water, as in baptism. It’s that close! We are encompassed. WE are HELD by what SURROUNDS us. The concept could also be illustrated by our physical atmosphere. On average, there is about 1.03 kg of mass and 2.28 lbs of force to a column of air about one square centimeter. That is literally what holds us together. If you were to completely remove that atmospheric pressure of mass and force, your physical body would explode or “shatter” into dust. Sound familiar? Returning to the doctrine of baptisms for the moment, we spoke of the baptism of the Body, meaning becoming ONE with the Whole. This scripture directly describes that. It says they are drawing us forward, seeking completion because their fullness is not obtained without us. In spiritual reality, We are One!

As the process continues there’s a greater demand for this natural realm to transform as a Whole. It isn’t an issue of a pending resurrection of bodies of flesh, but a united Body of Light. However, it doesn’t stop there! The entire physical realm, which fell from Eden along with us,[111] is also groaning to be returned to its original state. There will come a point in the world of time and space, when the reality of the Eternal World will break forth, transforming Heaven and Earth. In that moment the current Heaven and Earth vanishes back to the state prior to its creation, in total union with God. What will remain is what’s been accomplished in Christ as the completion of the Creator’s intention. The scripture calls it, “A NEW Heaven and Earth.”

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’”

(Revelation 21:1-3/NKJV)

As we elevate to the higher worlds in Christ, we also elevate this fallen, fleshly, corporeal existence. The birth pains of the corporeal world increase as the spiritual domain compels it to transform. When the full reality of breaks forth and the corporeal is elevated and transformed, then in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, those who remain are changed, the dead are raised incorruptible, the mortal puts on mortality, and Death is swallowed up by LIFE! (1 Corinthians 15:54, 2 Corinthians 5:2).

So when do we all appear before the Great White Throne? In one sense we are there right now, transformed into the Image and Likeness of Christ. We are in the Book of Life and will not be touched by the second death, the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:6). Those who have not yet discovered Christ are also before the Throne being judged by the system they desire to be judged by, the System of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

“Therefore, you have no excuse—every one of you who judges. For when you pass judgment on another person, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, practice the very same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who act like this is based on truth.”

(Romans 2:1-3/ISV)

The truth of God’s judgment is according to Jesus:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

(Matthew 7:1-3/NKJV)

In the world of time and space, a reality of the Eternal realm is forth coming because the inner terraforming is not yet complete. When that occurs, the New Heaven and Earth (another aspect of the creation of the Desire to Give and the Desire to Receive) will be revealed. So what of those headed toward the Lake of Fire? Are they there for eternity, or is the Lake of Fire eternal and their time temporary? Does God, the Ultimate Restorer, have a plan beyond that state?

Focus Points for Repentance of Dead Works and Faith Toward God

Religion gives us rules to live and fail by with the pretense that we will attain godliness. Union with God through Christ gives us the freedom to pursue Likeness without failure.

…we must exercise our spiritual senses, not to discern what is right or wrong, but to perceive what is relevant and irrelevant in reflecting Likeness.

Anything done apart from the Tree of Life is a DEAD WORK. Whether it’s good or evil, whether it appears right or wrong… When my inner state is about that which is greater, I raise the screen, the mirror, the reflector, and the Limitless One is revealed.

Sin isn’t the breaking of laws and regulations, it’s the egoistic nature, the Desire to Receive for Oneself Alone. … When we recognize that our flesh and the base nature within it is NOT the real ME, our entire lives’ emphasis will change.

We must rest in the reality that Christ is the door and the prize! In finding Christ, we find our true selves. … This is all about moving away from trying to attain, and resting in what one has become.

We are to emulate Jesus, who did what He did and said what He said to please the Father. … When we do the same, we too become such a reflection. We’re not similar to Christ, but we actually become what we reflect. …so can we say, “The Christ and I are one,” and “If you’ve seen me you have seen the Christ.”

Focus Points for Doctrine of Baptisms

We enter this world in the form of an individual (which is a fragment of the Adam - the shattered Vessel), encased in a body of flesh that has no other desire but to receive pleasure for itself.

…the only true fulfillment is to be reconnected to the whole, to be ONE with God’s original intent for Creation.

The Baptism of Death

…we are to be immersed into the same death. We are to die to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We are no longer to pursue godliness on the basis of right and wrong with all the qualities self-centeredness brings.

To be baptized into Christ is also to be baptized into His resurrected Life; a Life that emanates from Above in His Likeness, born of humility and resulting in transformational compassion.

The Baptism of the Body

This has nothing whatsoever to do with the physical body and has everything to do with the reconstruction of the Vessel, the spiritual Body of the Last Adam, the Body of Christ.

Being baptized into the Body is being immersed back into the whole. It’s actually connecting with the real you. … You live in Christ in the higher worlds and are an expression of the Whole in a corporeal body. This is why Jesus is deliberate when He says, “The Kingdom of God is within you.”

…as I subjugate the ego along with its Tree…, I discover spiritual sensors that have been hidden in the noise of my individuality.

When we try to see this from an egocentric standpoint, we see ourselves as part of a group. However, when we “perceive” from our new form in Christ, we sense ourselves as one Being in Christ expressed in many persons. … The Christ, the Kingdom, the Body with all its parts are in you and you in them.

The Baptism of the Spirit

The Spirit can speak in all kinds of ways with dreams, visions and influences; the condition of the leaven in a life is of no consequence. The key to Pentecost is that both leavened and unleavened can receive of the Spirit.

Through Christ, we are the One and we are the Many. We are the Body and we are the Spirit. We are the Death and the Resurrection. Christ IS ALL and IN ALL.

Focus Points for Laying on of Hands

So what does laying on hands refer to? In simple terms, it’s giving Life through activating faith.

The subtle root to the ministry of the laying on of hands is the revelation of God’s power residing in His Bride.

The status of the Bride is to elevate the reflective attribute, the raising of the hands. Together they are in a state of celebration!

Focus Points for Resurrections and Eternal Judgment

…the foundational key to all things Melchizedek is Image and Likeness bound together in Divine Oneness, then how I treat my brother or sister (which can also include those outside the Church), is of supreme value. … “How you relate and interact with others is the key to everything.”

…recognize every interaction we have with another is potentially a revelation of Christ through us in the corporeal world.

The fact that the judgment is “eternal” means there is no beginning and no ending. Eternal judgment exists in the timelessness of now.

It doesn’t matter when in the world of time you entered into a relationship with Christ, God sees that you always were in Christ and forever will be in Christ. This is why our sins, or crimes, are remembered no more (Hebrews 10:17-18). If there’s nothing to remember, then as far as God is concerned, you have always been sharing in the Divine union!

…if we set our minds toward the Spirit, we’ll reap of the Tree of Life (Romans 8:5-6). After using the bh=ma (beema) comparison, Paul concludes his message to the Romans by revealing that faith is the “deciding” factor.

The judgment is that, in Christ, we have all died. And if all in Christ are dead, then we cannot be judged by any law.

Eternal Judgment is this: our true reality in God through Christ has forever been settled in the eternal world and nothing we do can change that. It was accomplished by Christ, not us. If we didn’t establish it, then we can’t reverse it.

The ultimate purpose for the illusion of time is to be a tool to correct and transform us into His Likeness.

Just as the Adam was “terraforming” with LIFE prior to the Fall, now after the Fall we are terraforming once again through Christ.

For the earth and heaven to vanish, is to return the state prior to Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.”

To say there is no place found for either Earth or Heaven is to say that the full reality of the Limitless One is revealed. At this point the dead could not stay dead, because ultimate Life is in its fullness.

…we have these fleshly bodies because of the Fall. Prior to that we, as one Creature, wore garments of Light. Our garment was the Light, Christ Himself.

"Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.”

(Revelation 14:9-10/NKJV)

In the last chapter, we asked the question, how can Hell be outside of God? How can there be a location outside of the Omni-Present, Endless Creator of all things? How can something or someone exist “beyond” God? If we return to our biblical, Melchizedekian foundations, all created things are in the mind of God. How then can something like Hell be created outside of the mind of God? With that thought, how can God, who IS Love, conceive of eternal torment and be pleased with it? The above verse tells us that those who have rejected Christ and accepted (who we traditionally call) the Antichrist, are being tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Lamb and His angels. Consider this! Most Christian’s won’t go to a horror movie, claiming that Jesus would never sit and watch dark, supernatural wickedness, with terror, shock, torture, and cruelty. If Jesus won’t sit through a horror movie, how can He, the Lamb of God, watch souls being eternally tormented in His presence? How can the one who loved so much and gave His life, behold such a thing and not be haunted Himself?

To add to this hellish dilemma, there’s a scripture that seems to say just the opposite:

“These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

(2 Thessalonians 1:9/NASU)

In the same manner that Revelation says such are tormented in His Presence, this verse seems to say that they are “away from the presence of the Lord…” So which is it? Are they tormented in His presence or far away from His presence? Or, is this simple block logic, where the Apostles John and Paul are telling us something from a perspective that is “Above” the mere branches and from their root; which brings us back to where all this began in Genesis.

The Adam is told by God, “For dust you are and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19b). We discovered that the dust was fiery ash of the ground, the burning Egoistic nature of the Desire to Receive for Itself.[112] If there’s a potential origin to the Lake of Fire, this is it. It’s a returning to our original state prior to receiving the Breath of God. It’s a revealing of the (aphar), the dust we came from, the dust we are, and the dust to which we shall return: the burning rubbish. Remember, the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone is what made Satan, Satan, and the Serpent, the Serpent. They are all ONE flaming, scorching, selfish Desire: the Ego. But that’s only one side of this block. Within this scripture, we have six sides, some obvious, some not so obvious. The real question is, where did this all come from? How did such a state of being come into existence?

Part 1: Revisiting the Origins

It begins with God’s first creative act, the union of “the Powers” and the “Holy Spirit” which formed the (owr), the Divine Flame, the Light (Christ). As the flaming Light went forth, it was to be reflected by Lucifer. But rather than doing that, Lucifer decided to receive for himself alone. In trying to absorb the Divine Flame for Himself, the creature Lucifer could not contain it and shattered! He splintered into living creature dust! Each hot piece, burning with selfish desire, glowed with the reminiscence of the Divine Flame that once gave it Life. The Lake of Fire is this Desire to Receive for Itself Alone, it’s the shattered Lucifer, the hot coals of burning dust. But where did its flame come from? The only place it could, the Divine Flame Himself! The emanation of the Presence of the Lord, the union of the two forming the Light-Flame. God is the Source of the Light, God is what gives the Fire its Flame.

“Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around.”

(Ezekiel 1:27/NKJV)

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”

(Hebrews 12:28-29/NKJV)

The Fire of God is His glory, the essence of His Nature.[113] No wonder the fallen Lucifer burned for it and the Adam was made from it to reflect it. It was from the glory of the Will to Receive was created. Lucifer was the first intended to reflect the (owr) Divine Light-Flame. He was fashioned as the Will to Receive and was the expression of the Desire to Receive. His mission was to receive and reflect (owr) the Divine Light-Flame. But in creating this Desire to Receive, Lucifer was given the choice to reflect the Light-Flame. Without the choice to reflect and give, Lucifer would not have been a living creature, let alone the Divine Reflector. But Lucifer chose only to receive, thus the Ego (the Desire to Receive for Himself Alone) was revealed. Lucifer wanted to receive the pleasures of the Light-Flame selfishly.

“You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.”

(Ezekiel 28:14-15/NKJV)

In so doing, Lucifer, the first Vessel, burst and in his shattering the Divine Light-Flame could no longer be reflected. The only thing left was the shattered ruins of the creature Lucifer. These ruins were now the incinerating dust of the earth; the egoistic Desire to Receive for Itself Alone, now called Satan, is everything adverse to the nature of God. Not only was there no reflection of the Light-Flame shimmering back to God, like a dark cloud of soot filling the noonday sky, God, the Source of the Light-Flame, was obscured. Like the veil in the temple concealing the Light of the Ark of the Presence, Darkness now became the abode of the incinerating dust of the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone (Earth).

“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth…”

(Isaiah 14:12/NASU)

The concept of a supernatural being ascending in the form of ash from the hot coals of earth is not new to biblical, Western, or Eastern mythologies. In recent years, this idea was expressed in the epic series, “Lost,” in which a plane crashes on an island that’s defended by a powerful and evil smoke monster. When necessary it would take on the human form of certain dead people to accomplish its purposes. It’s modeled after a Greek mythological creature called Typhoeus, with 100 snake-like heads. He was the son of Gaea (Earth) and Tartarus (of the nether world). He was cast into the underworld by Zeus and lived under Mount Etna (on the island of Sicily). He caused great volcanic eruptions and projected himself through the smoke-like ash. As the Romans adopted Greek mythology, much of this volcanic god’s activity was associated with Vulcan. In the East, the same god is personified as Set of Egypt. Set was also the master of storms, disorder, warfare and lord of the desert.

God took the substance of that burning dust, breathed into it His Breath of Life, and created the new Vessel of His Likeness: the Adam. continued to emanate the Light, the Flame of His Presence, His Glory, the Christ! Christ in the Adam and the Adam reflecting the Christ. The Adam’s mission was to transform the Ego from Receiving and fill it with Giving. It was to subdue the egoistic Desire to Receive for Itself (Earth) and to do that, the Adam first had to do it within himself. (Remember, the Adam was made from it.) Thus, “…fill the earth and subdue it…” (Genesis 1:28/NKJV). As the Adam did this, they reflected the Light-Flame (Christ), giving back to the joyous pleasure He gave. In this state, the intention of God was fulfilled within Eden; the Creator and the Creature in rapture of Divine ecstasy, giving and receiving of each other in the Garden of Pleasure!

However, because the Adam didn’t completely subdue the Serpent (the Egoistic Desire), the roots of all Spiritual Warfare occurred. The Serpent spoke, as only selfishness could, saying, “If you eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you will be like God.” The Ego suggested that the Divine ecstasy they lived in was insufficient, that there was something lacking within their reflection by hinting they were not “God” enough. The Adam accepted the notion that they were lacking in Likeness! In that moment they partook of the Tree of Death and took on the self-exalting vision of the Serpent. Being that they believed they weren’t God enough, they ingested the satanic desire to pursue it for themselves. Remember, one of the key ingredients that made Jesus the Image of God, was the fact that He didn’t pursue it, He rested in it.

“Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be possessed by force.”

(Philippians 2:6/CJB)

The Adam no longer existed in a state of rest in the reality of their Likeness, which gave them the reflecting Image. In a flash, they ceased to “be” through resting and ingested the seed of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They transformed into the desire to become through “possessing.” They destroyed the reflection. No longer did they reflect through effortless being, now like Lucifer before them, they desired to become through their effort.

A mirror can’t reflect except by effortless existence. It has to just be. If a mirror could have a desire like the Adam, and it desired to replicate an image of the source on its own, then whatever it created would replace the original reflection with something other than the source. Even if it succeeded as an exact replica, two things would be true. First, it would be completely independent from the original and it would have to exist by its own effort, “by the sweat of its brow.” Second, it would be just that, a replica, a knockoff, a forgery, a counterfeit. Being that it wouldn’t be an original, it couldn’t produce what the original has. As in the world of Fine Art, a counterfeit has no value, not even if it looks exactly like the original. This is the difference between religion and reality. Even if the religion exactly replicates Divine Reality, it’s still a forgery. This is why religiosity is so deceptive.

When the Adam partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they went from the “rest of reflecting” to the “calculated pursuit of replacing.” In that instant the Adam went from a state of pleasure to plunder.

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’ — therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.”

(Genesis 3:22-23/NKJV)

One key phrase of the verse is, “…lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever…” In Hebrew it says:

(v’atah pen-yish’lach yadow v’lakah gam mee’eets hachayiym v’achal vachay l’olam) “And now, turning he reaches his hand and takes also from the Tree of Life(s) and eats and lives to forever (concealed).”

Not only does this describe a reaching forth of the hand, it also implies “to send away with his hand,” which suggests the removal of the Tree. This is not to say that the Tree of Life can be removed, but it’s a way of describing what the Adam’s nature has become. They’re no longer in the Likeness of God, the Benevolent Giver. Now they’re a lustful consumer, just like the Serpent. The Adam is no longer the giver of pleasure, but the taker of plunder. To quote Jesus regarding Satan, you can also say the same of the Adam in this condition, “He was a murderer from the beginning…” (John 8:44). We see the fruit of this when Cain kills Abel.

The last part of the verse is even more revealing and concerning, “…and lives to forever (concealed).” Not only is there an issue of the Adam living eternally in the Death Sleep, but the phrase to forever (l’olam) literally means to conceal. The idea of forever, is that the object is so far in the distance that you can no longer see it. Hence, forever means, not able to see. For example, Job 28:21 says, “It is hidden from the eyes of all living…” This is what the fallen Adam has become. Both the man and the woman are in a Death Sleep where true reality is concealed from their sight. This pattern of the Heavenly condition is exactly what the veil of the tabernacle (and temple) represents. Though God is Omni-present and directly before us, in our fallen state He’s totally concealed from us. With a simple intention everything changed. It went from the intention of resting in being the Image, to the intention of pursuing it. In that moment it was like drawing a curtain at the end of a play. What had been right before us is now gone.

“And he made the veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and wove cherubim into it.”

(2 Chronicles 3:14/NKJV)

The veil was made of: blue, which symbolizes the Heavenlies; purple, which symbolizes royalty; crimson, which symbolizes atonement, sin and drunkenness; and fine linen, its whiteness symbolizing cleansing and purity. Lastly, we find Cherubim woven into the veil tapestry. There are several things to point out here. First is that Lucifer is called “the anointed Cherub that covers” (Ezekiel 28:14). This statement reveals that he first is a Cherub, and second that he covers. If we return to Genesis, we see that Lucifer originally covered or concealed the Darkness by reflecting the Light-Flame. Now in his fallen state, Lucifer conceals the Light-Flame by obscuring it with the Darkness. Lucifer, now as Satan, covers or conceals our ability to see the path of Tree of Life.

“So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”

(Genesis 3:24/NKJV)

(vay’garesh et-haadam vayash’keen mikedem l’gan-eeden et hak’ruviym v’et lahat hacherev hamit’hapechet lish’mor et-derek eets hachayiym.) “And banished the Adam, and placed from afore to the Garden of Eden, the Cherubim (imaginary figure) and the flaming-magic transforming dagger to guard the path of the Tree of Life(s).”

By literal definition Cherubim (hak’ruviym) simply means, imaginary figure. This is followed by (v’et lahat hacherev hamit’hapechet) and the flaming-magic transforming dagger. This is the veil in more practical terms. Though the veil in the tabernacle is woven with angel-like Cherubim, the Cherubim simply represent that which is imaginary. The Cherubim are anything we can imagine, magically transforming themselves into whatever will hinder us from seeing the Tree of Life. They will become anything our egos desire! Do you believe in secularism, a philosophy, a religion, or a god? The Cherubim will become that in your imagination! Zeus, Buddha, Allah, Odin, a Force, Science, Humanism, Hinduism, Christendom (the Christian religion) and on and on it goes, turning every which way, transforming like a flame of fire into any shape, belief, dogma or creed! It will even take on the form of me, myself and “I”, making you “the god” of your own universe. The whole time, we are in an enchanted sleep, dreaming whatever god we fashion from our own egoistic image and likeness. Satan the fallen anointed Cherub, becomes whatever fills our craving. Does lustful lawlessness fulfill your desire? Then that becomes the image of your affection and you will pursue it. Does religious dogma fulfill your desire? Then that becomes the image of your affection and you’ll pursue it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s lawlessness or religiosity. The imaginary figure will become whatever will conceal the Tree of Life.

In addition to this imaginary figure, there is also the flaming-magic transforming dagger, or as some translations say, a sword. The idea of flaming-magic comes from the Hebrew word (lahat), which has a dual meaning. First there’s blaze, describing how flames are constantly changing shape. Second is magic, or as the King James Bible translates it, enchantment (Exodus 7:11). The implication is that this magic is done covertly or undercover, which once again directs us to the Cherub that covers. In Exodus 7:11, the New American Standard translates it as, “…and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts.” Like the shape-shifting Cherub, we also have a magical, transforming dagger. The dagger is an instrument of death. In other words, it’s designed to keep us in the state of Death.

Remembering that Hebrew is a pictorial language, this dagger forms another picture. In its description, the word (haphak) is used. It means to transform, literally to turn over on itself. A way to picture this would be a dagger flipping over and over in different directions, in effect creating a prickly barbed-wire-like barrier to the path of Life. Several thousand years ago when Moses penned Genesis, they didn’t have barbed wire fences, but they did have something similar:

“Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, and wall her in, So that she cannot find her paths.”

(Hosea 2:6/NKJV)

A hedge of thorns to wall one in so she cannot find her path. Sound familiar? When we discussed what the male-Adam reaped as a result of the fall, we found it was “thorns and thistles.”[114] It was quite clear the thorns were intended to shut the eyes. Here again, we have a forcing of the eyes to close. Our egoistic self-centeredness is the enchantment that closes our eyes to the path of Life.

The Adam knew its only reality was to be the Image and Likeness of God, and so did the Serpent. Convincing the Adam to partake of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the conjuring elixir, the magic potion that encased them in the Darkness of Death. The spiritual quality of the Serpent, the incinerating dust (from which the Adam was created), overcame them and now they became the reflection of Satan. Thus they became the sustenance of the Serpent and the Serpent became their source. The antithesis of what was intended for God (the Creator) and the Adam (the Creature) within the Garden was now instated. Satan became their enchantment in the Death Sleep. The Adam now reflected Satan’s nature, dreaming the egoistic delusions of pursuing godlike grandeur. They were once a reflecting Vessel of the Divine Light-Flame, but now they shattered into self-centered pieces, like their new source. As the Divine Soul splintered and fell like lightening falls from the sky, God, in His desire to preserve them and offer an opportunity for restoration, clothed each fragment in physical, fleshly matter. The physical world to which we are accustomed took form.

Part 2: Knowing the Unknown

So what does this all mean? It’s the biblical foundation from which we can discuss the place we normally call “Hell.” In scripture, the spiritual reality called Hell, Hades, Outer Darkness, Gehenna, the Grave, Tartarus, and Death, all are different sides of the block called, She’ol (she’ol).

We have discussed much of the Death Sleep and have a perspective on what that face of reality looks like. But as a reminder, if our spiritual eyes are closed, even though we are in His presence, we cannot perceive ; He is hidden in plain sight. Herein is the key to this place we call Hell. In Hebrew, the word (she’ol), was first used in Genesis 37:35[115] and was translated as the grave. What’s interesting about this usage is that the first time the word is mentioned it already comes with a suggested understanding of its meaning. To be in the grave, thus physically dead, is to be in a permanent state of sleep. Once again, the idea of the Death Sleep comes through. But what’s most significant is that the word (she’ol) literally means, unknown.[116] This is not to be confused with word, (kever), which is the sepulcher or grave in which dead bodies are laid. (she’ol) is a description of the state a person is in who’s laid in the (kever), grave. (she’ol) refers to what lies beyond the grave as understood by those of us who are alive in this world. In other words, it’s unknown to us because we can’t perceive it with the corporeal senses. If we haven’t experienced any plane of spirituality or transformation, the only information we have is from those who have attained perception by walking with God. Those who attained the highest revelation would be the writers of the Bible, ranging from Moses to the Apostle John. However, we who receive Christ can also perceive that world like they did by developing our spiritual sensors through the Holy Spirit and study of the Word. But even then, as the Apostle Paul says:

“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”

(1 Corinthians 13:12/NKJV)

While connected to the corporeal world there will always be a limitation to what we can perceive. On the positive side, through our unity and collective connection to each other, we can see a greater expanse of it.

When we recognize that the word (she’ol) means unknown, the context of many verses change. First of all, when someone is “unknowing” he or she is in Darkness.

“If I wait — She’ol [is] my house, In darkness I have spread out my couch. To corruption I have called: — 'Thou [art] my father.' 'My mother' and 'my sister' — to the worm. And where [is] now my hope? Yea, my hope, who doth behold it? [To] the parts of She’ol ye go down, If together on the dust we may rest.”

(Job 17:13-16/YLT)

Note the phrases that are all together. “If I wait - unknowing is my house… In darkness I have spread out my couch… To corruption or the pit I have called… and …to the worm (to quick breeding deceit). To the parts (literally, separation) of the unknown they go down, in the dust we rest.” All the attributes of the Desire to Receive for Itself Alone are outlined here, just like in Genesis.

“For a fire is kindled in My anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell; it shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.”

(Deuteronomy 32:22/NKJV)

(Kiy-eesh kad’chah b’apiy vatiykad ad-sh’ol tach’tiy vatochal erets viyvuwlah vat’laheet mos’deey hariym) “For fire kindles in my passionate breath, and burns over the depths of the unknown. And eats earth’s (the Desire to Receive’s for Itself Alone) fruit, and blazed foundations that rose.”

Here the word Hell is used rather than the grave, but it’s (she’ol) nonetheless. The translation changes not because of the Hebrew, but because in the Septuagint, the word Hades is inserted, (héoes hádou kátoe). Even more dramatic are the various Latin translations culminating in St. Jerome’s Vulgate, in which the word Inferno appears (ardebit usque ad inferni). To the Greek and later the Roman, the perception of a blazing fire in connection to the grave meant the writer must be referring to the Inferno. Hades, the brother of Zeus, was the lord of the underworld, which is depicted as a place of flaming torment, so we adapted that concept. Though Hades himself never actually tormented a soul, (that was left to Erinyes, or Furies as he was called in Roman mythology), Hades was merciless and unmoved by those who were tormented and pleading for relief.

So why use the word Hades? By actual definition, Hades is the closest Greek word there is to (she’ol). Hades literally means, Unseen. This goes back to everything we’ve talked about and perfectly describes the scripture as it is. From a biblical perspective, Hades is not simply an inferno, but the blazing, flaming, transforming dagger that keeps our spiritual eyes closed so divine reality is unseen and unknown to us. No wonder Jesus declared:

“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

(Matthew 16:18/NKJV)

This makes far better sense than any past theological approach. Why would Jesus tell the disciples that the gates of Hades (or as some translations say, Hell) would not prevail against them? Especially if Hades is only a place where the lost are tossed after death. Or, is Jesus telling us that we exist in a state of Hades now and that we are in a Death Sleep, living in a world where the Eternal God is concealed and unseen to us? If, like Peter, we recognize that Jesus is the Christ, then upon that Rock of revelation (opening of the eyes), the gates of the Unseen and Unknown will not prevail. In other words, we’ve been given the keys to the Kingdom and now have the ability to open doors to the spiritual worlds that were once concealed to us. We can pass the veil untouched, opening our eyes to the path of the Tree of Life and live from that reality. We are NOW seated in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus!

“Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

(2 Corinthians 3:16-18/NKJV)

Hades is the Greek equivalent to (she’ol) by simple definition. Whether we use one or the other, it refers to being unseeing and unknowing, a description of the spiritual quality of Darkness. So what of Hell as a place of flames?

Part 3: Fire and Water

In the King James New Testament, the word Hell is used 23 times, covering a range of words, such (Hades), (Gehenna), and ([Tartaroo] from Tartarus).[117] What’s intriguing is that, in the Gospels, Jesus did most of the teaching on Hell. The Apostle Luke mentions it only twice in the book of Acts, and only when quoting the Old Testament in reference to (she’ol) the Unknown. The Apostle James mentions it once in his epistle, using (Gehenna), and Peter used it only once, employing (Tartaroo). Paul never mentions Hell in any of his epistles, which is especially interesting since he wrote two-thirds of the New Testament. The closest Paul comes to making mention of some kind of punishment is in the earlier scripture, “…pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord…”

When Jesus taught on the subject, He was very clear about what He meant from a Hebraic mindset. In each teaching He shared an aspect of the whole, revealing (she’ol) the spiritual world of the Unknown. We’ve already discussed the meaning of (Gehenna) previously with the emphasis on the Potter’s Field.[118] Yet it’s important to point out that beyond the Gospels, the word is only used once in entire New Testament which is in the epistle James and has no reference to an actual location. Rather it’s a description of what the word actually means and applied accordingly.

“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”

(James 3:5-7/NKJV)

The Ego is directly pointed out, “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.” Then it says that the tongue sets on fire the course of “nature.” The actual Greek word used is (genésoos) which means the beginning, the origin, the source, birth. The rest of the verse says, “…and it is set on fire by Gehenna),” the burning rubbish. This is a reference to Genesis. It describes the Serpentine egoistic-arrogance, the proclaimed “I will exalt myself…” Then he describes the nature of that ego as a fire and a world of iniquity (selfish desire). James tells us it sets on fire the “cycle of life” and it’s set on fire by the burning rubbish, the very substance from where the Adam, We, were formed. James clearly uses the word to describe what the “tongue” can do. But it’s not talking about some kind of eternal Inferno that sinners are sent to. If you think about it, Hell is what comes out of us, not where we go. It comes out of us because it’s already within us; it’s a reflection of where we are.

When Gospel writers Matthew, Mark and Luke wrote using the word (Gehenna), they always used it in reference to the place of burning rubbish. In similar form, when Matthew and Luke refer to Hades (Mark doesn’t employ the word), it’s always true to the meaning, the Unseen,[119] not the Greek god or its mythology.

“And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.”

(Matthew 11:23/NKJV)

The phrase, “And you Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades,” is the same phrasing referencing Lucifer in Isaiah, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds… Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol…” (Isaiah 14:14-15/NKJV). There are several points to be made regarding this verse. For one, Jesus tells Capernaum that they are being arrogant, thus the Ego is doing what it does, and the result will be the same as always. The Ego never succeeds, but descends into Darkness, the world of the Unknown (or the Unseen). The Ego always clouds the ability to perceive God. In the very desire to be exalted, the reverse happens. While attempting to enter the Holy of Holies egoistically, the veil closes and God cannot be found. You could say that a type of judgment occurs. But it isn’t God pointing the finger and saying, “Damn you! Off with him to the Inferno to be tormented!” Rather, it’s the very product of the spiritual quality itself. You can’t enter the realm of with the opposite spiritual quality. We’ll discuss this further in the upcoming section in Part 4: Hell and Glory.

The other issue that comes with our concept of Hell is judgment. Judgment isn’t some future event, it’s our spiritual state right now. We are all “born blind” in this corporeal world. We, as shattered pieces of the Whole, the Adam, encased in fleshly bodies, have fallen into Darkness. We are in the state of unseeing and unknowing concerning the Source of Life. So you may ask, “Are you saying we are living in Hell now?” Consider this, if we connect to Christ, receiving salvation through faith, we are seated in the Heavenlies with Him (Ephesians 2:6). Therefore, when we die physically it will be revealed where we already are; in the Heavens in Christ. Then it stands to reason based on the scriptures that if we’re not in Christ, where are we? If when we die it’s revealed where we have always been, the math is simple. If one is an unbeliever, it’s not just because he or she rejects Christ. It’s because their eyes are veiled and they don’t see. Thus they live in the world of the Unseen and the Unknown. This is why we, as Christ’s Church, must storm the gates of Hades, the world of the Unseen, and liberate the captive. It’s not just about where they are going, it’s about where they are! Understand, we are in a stasis encased in flesh, so eternal Darkness doesn’t have to be our permanent residence.

“So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.”

(Luke 16:22-25/NKJV)

There are some keys in these verses that we must take into account before we continue. Theologians have debated whether this was a parable using real life people, or an actual depiction of what occurred during the four days that Lazarus was dead. In the end, it doesn’t really matter, the issue is what Jesus was trying to open to us. When we speak of Abraham’s bosom we think only of a person’s chest or heart. While that is a wonderful sentiment and applicable, the Greek phrase for Abraham’s bosom is (kólpon Abraam). The first word (kólpon) actually means bay, a small body of water.

“When day came, they could not recognize the land; but they did observe a bay with a beach, and they resolved to drive the ship onto it if they could.”

(Acts 27:39/NASU)

The contrast is a beautiful beach with cool water, in comparison to an Unseen flaming-hot world of total dryness. The contrast continues with the concept of the rich man who had an abundance of wealth and food in the corporeal world, while Lazarus had nothing to eat. Yet, because the rich man was selfish (the Ego strikes again), and gave nothing to Lazarus, the tables were turned in the spiritual world. Once they died their true condition was revealed. Lazarus was at the Bay of Abraham with an abundance of cool waters, and the rich man was in total dryness. In the corporeal world, Lazarus would ask for the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s abundant table. Now, Lazarus is in a spiritual reality of abundance with an entire bay of cool water. In this revelation of reality, it’s the rich man asking, “…that he may dip the tip of his finger in [the] water and cool my tongue…” At one time Lazarus asked for a crumb from a table of abundance and now the rich man is asking for a drop of water from waters of abundance. Consider the difference even in the source of their particular abundance. The rich man had only a table, but Lazarus has an entire bay!

Then Jesus gives another detail to the picture: a great gulf, or better translated, a chasm between the two spiritual realities. Even if Lazarus wanted to give a cool drop of water to the rich man, he couldn’t. Why? Because only in this corporeal world, in this place of stasis, can we transform our inner condition. Once we leave the corporeal world and fully unveiled in the eternal, where there is no time and distance, there is no way to employ the transformational tools that are granted to us in this world. We may not think this world has much to offer us, being that we are trained to think of “going to Heaven” and “shunning Hell.” But in truth, this physical world, even with all its horrific challenges, is a place of great mercy. It’s here amidst all the poverty, sickness, hatred and fear that we can still storm Hell’s gates, bringing transformation to our spiritual condition and liberate others in the process!

Jesus then adds a caveat to the story. If we take this as an actual event, He creates a further theological quandary for modern Christendom.

“Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”

(Luke 16:27-31/NKJV)

In the chronology of scripture, this teaching takes place just prior to the death and resurrection of Lazarus. Could Jesus be prophetically telling the Pharisees, who will be present and what shall happen at the time of these forthcoming events (Luke 16:14)? We know that Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43). Interestingly, the Pharisees response to the resurrection of Lazarus was:

“But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.”

(John 12:10-11/NKJV)

So who was Jesus speaking of when he spoke of the “rich man”? None other than the Pharisees themselves! Just prior to prophesying this event, the scripture defines for us who the rich man is:

“Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.”

(Luke 16:14/NKJV)

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus refers to the Pharisees as blind guides and hypocrites.[120] Surely this is a symptom of being on this side of the veil of concealment. Though the Pharisees studied the scriptures seeking eternal life (John 5:39), they did not perceive it. They were living in the realm of Hades, the Unseen and they were definitely unknowing.

“Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.”

(Matthew 16:3/NKJV)

Think of Jesus telling the woman at the well that He could give her a fountain of Living Water springing up to everlasting Life (John 4:13). Also consider when He proclaimed on the great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, “…He who believes in me…out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38).[121] We recognize that the water is a biblical type of the Holy Spirit. It gives us eternal Life and aids our transformation into agents of the Spirit flowing with Her rivers. But for some reason, when we think of flames or Hell in regard to torment, we automatically go back to Greek and Roman mythology and see it as an Inferno located far away from a place called Heaven.

Note: In extreme cases, there are those who incorporate this mythology into Christian thought, making Heaven and Hades material places, just like physical Earth. Why? As astronomy changed its understanding from our planet being the center of the Universe to a Solar System based cosmology, some Bible teachers tried to adapt this to the scriptures. They took the myth one step further, calling Heaven an actual planet where God lives.[122]

If rivers of Living Water flow from our innermost being (or as the KJV says, “belly”), then in recognition of the Pentecostal experience we say that one manifestation of that flow is speaking in tongues. It makes total theological sense that James would then site Hell (Gehenna) as something that comes from the tongue, setting on fire a world of iniquity. Both the domain of the Spirit and the domain of (Gehenna) are within us. It’s not about a physical location, it’s about our eternal spiritual state. While the physical world gives the illusion of existence in time and space, reality is much broader. In this corporeal world, Christ died on a Cross over two thousand years ago. In spiritual reality, He became “us” (the fallen Adam) to free us, not only from where we’d someday be in time and space, but where we are eternally, right now.

In the depiction of Abraham’s bosom, (the bay of cool water), there’s a contrast to the rich man’s torment in Hades, the Unseen world. One aspect was the heat from a blaze. Sound familiar? These contrasts to each other speak of their spiritual roots and realities. Most important in Jesus’s prophetic discourse is His friend, Lazarus. Using a person with the name Lazarus is no accident. In Hebrew, Lazarus is (el’azar), which literally means Helper of God. In a short while Jesus will tell His disciples of a Helper that will be sent from the Father. This Helper will fulfill what Christ promised, issuing forth rivers from our innermost being, the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17). While Jesus prophesied actual events, He was opening a vast revelation to us. The cool water of the Bay of Abraham is the place of God’s Helper, the Holy Spirit, from which the rivers flow. Still, in and among the Pharisees who were rich in their religion, the Helper wasn’t allowed even a morsel of their lives. They wouldn’t acknowledge the Spirit, they would not entertain the Spirit, and of course they would never dine with the Spirit. But once their condition was revealed as “whitewashed tombs” (pretty on the outside, filled with death on the inside), they were begging for just a drop of what the Spirit had to offer.

So what of the flames and the fire? Was Jesus relating Roman or Greek mythology to the “very Jewish” Pharisees? Definitely not! The parable (or prophetic word), clearly states He was speaking to Pharisees. Though we can presume that the Pharisees were aware of Greek and Roman mythology, you can rest assured neither they nor Christ were espousing it as Divine Truth at this point.

“Ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I — I say to you, that every one who is looking on a woman to desire her, did already commit adultery with her in his heart. But, if thy right eye doth cause thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast from thee, for it is good to thee that one of thy members may perish, and not thy whole body be cast to gehenna. And, if thy right hand doth cause thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast from thee, for it is good to thee that one of thy members may perish, and not thy whole body be cast to gehenna.”

(Matthew 5:27-30/YLT)

Here we have one of the most telling teachings of Jesus from a Hebraic thought process.[123] First He quotes a key commandment from the Torah. But then He addresses the heart, “…everyone who is looking on a woman to desire her, did already commit adultery with her in his heart.” The first lesson is that spiritual activity doesn’t take place when the physical act is consummated, but when it occurs within us. This is no different than Christ’s teaching on faith when He says, “…if you should say to the mountain, ‘be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and not doubt in your heart…” (Mark 11:23). In other words, if you see in your heart where the Kingdom of God is, it has already taken place in the spiritual world. When we recognize this is a reality in the spiritual world, that realm will literally move Heaven and Earth to bring it to pass. Jesus concludes, “…whatever things you desire when you pray, believe you have received them and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24) Spiritual reality is the source of the physical world, even in its fallen state.

The second point is that Jesus reveals the spiritual quality of the desire when He speaks of the right eye and the right hand. The phrase in Hebrew, “…right eye…” would be (v’eeyn y’miynow). The word right (miyn) is connected to the root word of (t’mounah), which means similar to or like. Thus the right eye or right hand is a way of saying, seeing, and doing like God. In other words, if you aren’t seeing or doing like God, then you’re lusting or taking for yourself. So He tells us to remove that which keeps us from reflecting God, or we’ll be in danger of the heap of burning rubbish. The Message translation words it this way:

“You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile.”

(Matthew 5:29/MES)

This is a direct reference to the burning rubbish referred to in Genesis, which was the spiritual egoistic quality of Satan. Remember, this is the substance from which the Adam was created and God breathed into it the Breath of Life. He’s telling the Pharisees in so many words, “You are deceived and wear a mask! You do the right things externally, but in your heart, in spiritual reality, you aren’t even close to the likeness of God. Because of that, you are blind, and true Divine Life is concealed from you.”

Now we can understand what Jesus taught regarding (Gehenna), the valley with the burning rubbish (the Potter’s Field), and Hades the world of the Unseen. The burning rubbish is exactly as we learned in Genesis: it’s unfulfilled Ego, the fiery desire to be like God through fulfilling the Self. It’s the cry of “I will…” the roaring, raging, lustful Desire to Receive for Oneself Alone.[124] But when we are in that reality of selfish burning rubbish, we can’t “see” God, or “know” God. What’s worse is that we’ll seek out every carnal desire and not just lust internally. We’ll burn to give form to what’s in us, even if that means taking from others. We become the god of our own universe, taking what we want, when we want! Then, it becomes worse still and we become religious. We get our egoistic fulfillment from believing that what we know about good and evil will make us like God. We learn rules and regulations regarding what’s right and what’s wrong. As we do such things, we fulfill our Ego in another way. We tell others they should be following the same rules of right and wrong, and be like us. Then the twin brother of lawlessness strikes its final blow with religious arrogance. We then tell others that they should give up the bondage of selfish pleasure for the bondage of religious pride. Many of us have actually done that. Like the Pharisees, we do all the correct things outwardly, while inwardly we burn with a new form of self-gratification, now through self-exultation. Neither selfish pleasure nor religious pride will bring us to our true selves. Only by resting in a faith-reality that bathes in the Light of Christ will the reality of our true identity be made known and satisfied.

Jesus adds a final aspect to this spiritual dimension of (Gehenna) and Hades. He says:

“But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

(Matthew 25:26-30/NKJV)

In our block logic approach to (she’ol), we’ve spoken of Tartarus,[125] (Gehenna) and Hades, noting how each intersect with the other, and all refer to the “first principles” in Genesis. Now Jesus connects another face of the whole “...outer darkness.” If everything we discussed created a question regarding the biblical description of Hell in contrast to Greek mythology, this statement definitely takes us back to the first few verses of Genesis. Our original description of Darkness was the absence of the Divine Light (the Christ). Can you imagine what this is like? When discussing the Serpent, we found that the reason everything in the corporeal world is separate is because of the egoistic nature. Everything is about self-gratification, self-justification, and self-exaltation. The ultimate condition of the fallen creature is having the sensation of SEPARATION. We feel separate from each person, we feel separate through the illusion of time and distance. We feel physical distance between our friends, our job location, the cashier at the market, even from our living room to our bedroom. Sometimes it gets even deeper for our inner-person. Though we may be married to the love of our life, though we may be lying next to each other in bed, we still may feel something wrong, that there’s an inner “distance” between us. While we lie there wondering and thinking, the clock slowly ticks. Though we have clocks on our wall to tell us what time it is, we sense time by how we feel in the moment. If we’re having a lot of fun, we look at the clock and say, “Wow! Time sure is flyin’!” If we’re waiting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles and when we finally get to the window we’re told to get in another line and talk to another person, we look at the clock and say, “Ugh! This is taking forever!”

The ultimate realization of our egoistic reality is when the illusion of time and distance are removed. In the state of not knowing or seeing, the only realization we have is total darkness. It’s not just a sensation of distance or the clock ticking slowly, it’s the realization of ultimate distance, where nothing can be seen in any direction. Couple that with the simultaneous realization of timelessness, where there is no clock at all, and you have a description of the ultimate Hell (using the word loosely). It’s a spiritual state called, ALONE. When you are in total darkness, you can’t discern anything around you. The only sensation you have is of yourself. If the grave is a way of describing (she’ol), then imagine being in pitch black darkness, like being buried alive in a coffin. No water, no food, no friends to talk to, no demons to tickle or prick you, only the awareness of yourself. The real torment is being totally alone. The only thing available to you is your ego. It will remind you of what you could have had, what you should have had, and how your own selfishness put you in this situation. This is the power of Darkness, the Serpent in its truest form! It creates the self-centered lust, then condemns you for having it! That, my friend, will cause real weeping and gnashing of teeth, taking you through a range of emotions from crying to total anger. This is the state of the burning rubbish. It’s unrestrained ego in total isolation with nothing to gratify it. It only knows of where the glowing flame once came from, an obscure, distant memory of the Heavens and the Source of Life.

In Genesis the scripture spoke of the Darkness as chaos, the abyss, the bottomless pit.[126] With this in mind, note the following scripture in Revelation:

“And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.”

(Revelation 9:11/NKJV)

(échousin ep' autoein basiléa tón ángelon téis abússou, ónoma autoei Hebraïstí Abaddoe¡n, kaí en téi Hellēnikéi ónoma échei Apollúoen.) “They had over them a ruler the angel of the abyss, whose name Hebraically is Destruction abaddown) and in the Greek has the name, Destroyer.”

This Destroyer, who appears several times in both the Old and New Testaments is named Abaddon (abaddown).[127] The meaning of this word is powerful. In Hebrew it’s a description of destruction, but it comes from the word, (badad), which means, alone. This is where we derive the English word “bad”. Isn’t it interesting how we deal with our children when they do something bad? We tell them that they’re getting a time out. They have to sit in a chair and do nothing but think about what they did. Outer Darkness is like a spiritual time out. You are all alone, you cannot see anyone, and there is no hope of getting out. All you can do is think about what you have or haven’t done.

When you add the (aleph) to the beginning of the word, you have, (abad), which means, lost. Consider the words of Jesus:

“…for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

(Luke 19:10/NKJV)

It’s more illuminating to know that the word lost in the verse is (apoloolos), a verb form of Apollyon. The idea of destruction, or lost-ness, or worse yet, eternal aloneness, is what Jesus was speaking of when He taught of being in outer darkness. When Jesus spoke of the rich man seeing Lazarus, He used the phrase, “…he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” From what we learned, the Hebrew phrase (l’olam), which refers to concealment, is often translated as forever, or far away. Jesus uses this idea to communicate what the rich man saw when he lifted his eyes. He was in the realm of forever, concealment or the Unseen. He had an awareness of what he could have had and now was asking for it, “…he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off… he cried and said…”

Part 4: Hell and Glory

As we return to the original scripture sited at the beginning of this chapter we find an anomaly that can only be explained in modern terms using quantum mechanics. However, for the sake of those who’ve never dabbled in the sciences, let’s use this picture. In the past, we compared the Light shining in the Darkness to using a flashlight that requires a reflector to dispel the darkness.[128] Here we’ll speak of the Darkness from the standpoint of the absence of Light. In other words, not having any perception of the Light.

Picture yourself in a very bright room. There’s light all around you. But you have your eyes closed and your hands are over them, blocking any light from getting through. You are in the Darkness, while being in the Light.

This is the easiest way to describe how we can dwell in the Light and still be in Darkness.[129] This is another way of saying you can’t enter the realm of in the opposite spiritual quality. Until there’s a transformation in my spiritual ability to perceive, regardless what I do from a self-centered aspect, my eyes stay closed. Thus the eternal God is hidden in plain sight.

Now take into account the biblical concept of the Light-Flame. If the Light is God’s Glory, a fire from the loins upward and downward, an all-consuming fire, then ALL creation is in the all-consuming or all-encompassing presence of God. The issue is, He’s concealed from one person, as in the temple with a closed veil, or totally revealed to the person who sees, as when the veil is wide open. One is consumed by his own burning hot Ego, the very attribute given by God that could have been transformed to receive so he could reflect the Divine Image. The other, however, has transformed the Desire to Receive through rest in faith and is encompassed by reflecting Christ, the Eternal Source of all Life. What’s most amazing is that the one who is receiving and reflecting the Light basks in His presence. This is called perfected Love. The other who only has an unfulfilled Egoistic desire, abides unknowingly in His presence. This is called the torment of fear.

“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.”

(1 John 4:17-19/NKJV)

This approach to the scripture makes total sense out of what previously could be perceived as two contrary points of view. Now the two are in harmony; they are two opposite sides of the same block.

“He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.”

(Revelation 14:10)

“These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

(2 Thessalonians 1:9/NASU)

They are spiritual perspectives. To God, all are in His presence, even those in the torment of not knowing they are. Remember, He is and will forever be, Omni-Present. But to the “lost”, the one alone, he’s far away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. They’re in a state of (she’ol), they are Unknowing and Unseeing.

There is one more indication of Heaven and Hell being in the same place but in different realities. It’s found in a word we usually equate with being in the Hellish state along with the fire, and that’s brimstone. We just read in Revelation, “…shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of…the Lamb.” The Greek word for brimstone is (theíoo), the neuter form of the masculine word (theos), God. Once again, it’s an issue of perception. To one, its eternal glory in the fiery presence of God. To the other, it’s eternal Darkness, alone in the presence of fiery brimstone.

For the Melchizedekian king-priesthood, this is how he perceives reality. It’s an awareness of spiritual existence not simply as a destination, but as a state of being. To dwell in the Melchizedekian order is to be living in the world Above where Christ sits. There, eternity is ever unfolding to us as we expand our connection to Him through realizing our connection to each other. Before King David proclaims that the Messiah will come after the order of Melchizedek, he speaks of all of the Messiah’s people of the same order:

“Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; in holy array, from the womb of the dawn, your youth are to You as the dew.”

(Psalms 110:3/NASU)

What a statement, “…from the womb of the dawn…”. We spoke in detail how the womb was the source of the reflection of the Light.[130] David, who walked in a form of the Melchizedekian order, tells us that these are those without Ego. They “volunteer freely” and from that place deep within, reflect the Light, “the womb of the dawn.” The last phrase that David pens says, (l’ka tal yal’duwtiyka), “…to you covers your birth.” The last phrase is (yal’duwtiyka), referring to “your youthful origin.” Contextually, David again referred to the womb. Next he’s referring to the source of our existence, from where we emanate. He mentions the (tal), the dew, or literally the covering. Remember how God divided the Light from the Darkness? To do that, the Adam had to resist the egoistic Desire to Receive for Itself Alone and construct a (masach), a reflective screen.

“You shall make a screen for the door of the tabernacle, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver.”

(Exodus 26:36/NKJV)

The screen at the door of the temple was made of the same ingredients as the veil which was in front of the Holy of Holies, but without the cherubim. The Veil (parochet), hindered one from seeing the Ark of the Presence and any fiery-Light that emanated from it. However, if the veil was removed, then the fiery-Light would fill the temple, reflecting off the (masach), illuminating the temple and the area around it.

David was telling us who the order of Melchizedek is and what it does. They are children of the Light. They are those who without ego or selfish ambition are in the service of the King. In the spiritual realm they, through their resistance to the Serpent, remove the veil from their lives and erect a screen, a mirror. In so doing, they fill themselves with the Light “To do Your Will, Oh God,” extinguishing the Darkness in their own lives and becoming a beacon of Light for others!

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

(Matthew 5:14-16/NKJV)

Focus Points

…the dust was fiery ash of the ground, the burning Egoistic nature of the Desire to Receive for Itself. … The Lake of Fire is this Desire to Receive for Itself Alone, it’s the shattered Lucifer, the hot coals of burning dust.

The Adam’s mission was to transform the Ego from Receiving and fill it with Giving. It was to subdue the egoistic Desire to Receive for Itself (Earth) and to do that, the Adam first had to do it within himself.

When the Adam partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they went from the “rest of reflecting” to the “calculated pursuit of replacing.” In that instant the Adam went from a state of pleasure to plunder.

…the spiritual reality called Hell, Hades, Outer Darkness, Gehenna, the Grave, Tartarus, and Death, all are different sides of the block called, She’ol (she’ol). … the word…literally means, unknown.

Hades is the closest Greek word there is to (she’ol). Hades literally means, Unseen.

If, like Peter, we recognize that Jesus is the Christ, then upon that Rock of revelation (opening of the eyes), the gates of the Unseen and Unknown will not prevail.

James clearly uses the word to describe what the “tongue” can do. … Hell is what comes out of us, not where we go. It comes out of us because it’s already within us; it’s a reflection of where we are.

…Christ died on a Cross... In spiritual reality, He became “us” (the fallen Adam) to free us, not only from where we’d someday be in time and space, but where we are eternally, right now.

The ultimate condition of the fallen creature is having the sensation of SEPARATION. We feel separate from each person, we feel separate through the illusion of time and distance. …a spiritual state called, ALONE. When you are in total darkness, you can’t discern anything around you. The only sensation you have is of yourself.

If the Light is God’s Glory, a fire from the loins upward and downward, an all-consuming fire, then ALL creation is in the all-consuming or all-encompassing presence of God.

To one, its eternal glory in the fiery presence of God. To the other, it’s eternal Darkness, alone in the presence of fiery brimstone.

For the Melchizedekian king-priesthood, this is how he perceives reality. It’s an awareness of spiritual existence not simply as a destination, but as a state of being.

“…To begin to appreciate the significance of Melchizedek, we must first appreciate the meaning of his name: King of Righteousness and King of Peace. (He is the one who administers God’s promise and guarantees his ability to restore us to blameless innocence and wholeness!)”

(Hebrews 7:2/MIR)

You and I are a royal priesthood, a holy nation in Christ. We are the kings and priests of righteousness and peace. At least this is what we are intended to be based on what Christ has purchased in us and for us. The reason for all the Hebrew and Greek gymnastics performed in the previous chapters was to settle, as best as possible in one book, the origin and formation of the doctrine of the Melchizedekian king-priesthood. But in this final chapter, I’m going to remove most of the technical issues of words and phrases in Hebrew and Greek, and just talk “Melchizedek.” If the previous chapters have proven anything, it’s truly that the doctrine of this order (as the writer of the book of Hebrews says) is hard to be explained, especially if we’re dull of hearing. So what makes us dull? What makes us clear of seeing and hearing? How do we manifest a Melchizedekian king-priest in the world today?

Part 1: The Story of the Eternal Priesthood

Before there was the world of form and matter, before the world of time and space, there was Christ. Because there was Christ, there was the origin of the order of Melchizedek (the order of the King of Righteousness). This is why before there was Moses, a tabernacle, a Levitical priesthood, or a Law with a total of 613 commandments, there was just Melchizedek of God Most High, a king-priest of Christ. In Melchizedek, as in Christ, there is only Life. There is no Death, there is no belief that knowing good and evil will make us more like God. The only reality is that to be in Christ is to already be like God, regardless of any base desires or egoistic cravings.

In the beginning there was Christ, who was and is the Light. The Christ didn’t require any rules to be the Light, nor did he need to perform any rituals to be the Light. He was the Light simply because the Father and the Spirit were united and formed the Light. The same is true with the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek wasn’t a priest because he fulfilled any rules or performed any rituals. He was the priest of the Light because Righteousness and Peace said so. He was righteous, not because he did right, but because in Christ, he just was. He lived in peace, not because he performed commandments and rituals, but because in Christ, he was one with God.

In the beginning, God desired to share His Light, His Son. So He created the desire to receive it and reflect it. This desire was the first installment of the Melchizedekian king-priesthood, an order that receives the Son and reflects the Son. This is why it’s always hard to tell a Melchizedek from the Son; is it a theophany or not? When a true Melchizedek is present, you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

This order of Melchizedek was conferred upon several throughout the ages, but one was highlighted for us way back in the beginning with a covenant between Abram and a person revealed as Melchizedek. He was called Melchizedek, not because that was the name given by his corporeal parents, but because that was his identity in Christ. He came to refresh and bless with bread and wine, while Abram gave a gift, a tithe, representing the creative force of God, to bless and honor the Source. There was no need for a sin sacrifice, or a payment for some penalty, because there was no law to break, or penalty to bear. There wasn’t even a race of people, a creed, or a lineage you had to espouse. Rather, there was only a reflection of the Garden, both giving and receiving, one blessing and refreshing, the other blessing and honoring. The reflection was so clear you couldn’t tell the One from the Other. A simple resemblance of the Garden as it was intended. So who is Melchizedek? Was it this person or that? It really doesn’t matter who he was before he acquired the designation “priest of the God Most High, King of Righteousness.” What matters is, he was a receiver and a reflector of the Son.

But it didn’t stop there. Abram believed in the same Most High God and became God’s friend. Through covenant, as in a marriage, Abram had his name changed and became Abraham. But that wasn’t all. A powerful pronouncement came to Abraham, and it wasn’t because he kept a list of rules, or made sacrifices for his and his family’s sins. Rather, it just was. He was now Righteous, exactly like Melchizedek. Abraham was now a recipient of the Son and began learning how to reflect the Son. As he did, two more pronouncements were made. The first was that his seed would be the blesser and redeemer of the nations, the revelation of Christ in this world. The second was that he would be the father of faith in the rebirth of the order of Melchizedek. So it was, Abraham was now a Melchizedek and he blessed his son, and his son blessed his son, and his son blessed his sons, and so on. But there were many fractions of the Adam that had to be touched and welcomed into this blessing of reflection. Most all humans wanted to be like God. But they believed blindly that if they knew good and evil they would attain a “god status,” either by finding acceptance from God, or by being their own god. Yet both approaches were a counterfeit of the reality.

To prove the point, God placed His Melchizedekian king-priesthood into the background and established the Ultimate Rule Book. With an essential Ten Commandments, which were soon followed by an additional 603, it established the criteria. With it came the ultimate legalistic priesthood to oversee the rules and a temple that concealed God from the people. You could only enter the temple and potentially experience God if you kept all the rules, sacrifices and instructions, thereby being “holy enough.” All other religions made by human effort pale in comparison to this rule book and priesthood. Regardless of what a religion tried, it was impossible to become like God. So God made this Ultimate Rule Book and proved that if anyone was going to attain Godlikeness through their own efforts, this was the way to do it. Needless to say, the harder anyone tried, the more they failed. Why? Because God-likeness isn’t attained by knowing good and evil, or by doing one and shunning the other. This proved that even the Ultimate Rule Book written by God and engraved on stones, cannot make you God-like. So, God returned to His original purpose and intent. He sent His Son!

The Son didn’t come to condemn those living in the world for their religion, race, creed or dogma. He came to do what He intended from the beginning: simply to give LIFE! The only foreseeable need was that the Melchizedekian king-priesthood had to be rekindled. Besides Himself there wasn’t another that would simply receive and reflect. So the final task of His ministry would be to reassemble, re-ordain and reinstall the king-priesthood. But before He could do that, He had to settle the religion issue with all its rules and regulations. If He didn’t His Melchizedekian order could potentially be tainted by the subtle, self-centered compulsions of religion. To prevent that, He had to allow Himself to die under the power of the Ultimate Religion, absorbing the failures of all mankind found in the Adam. In dying such a death, He would once and for all destroy the Ultimate Rule Book. So He allowed Himself to be crucified, wiping away the sin of mankind and destroying every rule in the book, which collectively said, “If you do good and not evil, you will be acceptable and be like God.” Being that He didn’t live by the rule book, but by reflecting His Father, the Death brought by all the rules could not hold Him in the eternal grave. So He rose on the third day, once again as the Light and now High-Priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Free from rules, religions and cultural protocols, He ordained His first priest, a woman who was formerly a religious prostitute. She was the first to walk as a Melchizedek, heralding the message to His disciples. Then He went to two average disciples, not from the inner circle of His earthly ministry, but two guys on the road who were just trying to figure things out. He ordained and commissioned them to go to His disciples and tell them the message. His disciples, especially the remaining eleven who considered themselves the inner circle, didn’t believe the commoners, let alone a woman. So Christ, the High-Priest of this new order, appeared to them all. He told them that before any titles of authority would be given, before there would be any sense of overseeing people, and definitely before they’d be commissioned to make more king-priests, there had to be a laying down of the Ego. There had to be a laying down of the source of all religion and Death. He clearly explained that this is not a religion, this is about attaining God-likeness by accepting and resting in faith. When resting in that reality, they would reflect His Likeness without fear of failure. There were no rules to keep, sacrifices to be made, or rituals to uphold. There was only resting in resembling His Likeness. He made it clear that no person, no Serpent, no egoist, no creed, and definitely not those who propose a list of rules, will attain Godlikeness. It can only come from those who are of the order of Melchizedek, resting in faith of the Source, the Light, the Christ. By resting in Christ, there was no effort in their own strength to help them be the Image and Likeness of God. It was accepting that in Christ, Likeness just was. It’s that simple, and that profound! When you accept it’s just so, you accept the reality of the Son. When you resist, working by your own efforts, gratifying your own ego, you become a religious, counterfeit replica. When you reflect the Son, you can genuinely make other king-priests of the Most High God. You can’t lead others into the rest of reality, if you yourself don’t abide there. Once again we are back in the Garden, being fruitful and multiplying, replenishing the Desire to Receive and reflect the Light. As this increases, the Earth is full of His Glory! As this surge continues, the New Jerusalem, the Lamb’s Bride, the reality of the Melchizedekian home, descends as the Earth, the Desire to Receive ascends, and “Behold, the Living Tabernacle of God is with Men…” (Revelation 21:3).

Part 2: The Journey of a Melchizedek

For all of us the journey begins with understanding two things: Life and Death. We aren’t looking at those terms from a corporeal sense of birth and dying, but from the viewpoint of Divine Life and sensuous Death. Divine Life is exactly what it says; it’s the definition of the Eternal Limitless One, revealed in the Flame of Light. To have such Light is simply to receive it by recognizing the Son, the manifestation of Divine Life to this world. But the intention of God is not simply to receive, but to be. The intention of the Limitless One is for us to be the Son as well. For us to be the Son, we must resist the desire to try to be a god or be like god on our own. You may ask, “Why would God give us such a desire if He wants us to resist it?” Actually, He doesn’t want us to resist the desire to be a God or like God, which is being united in the Son. He just wants us to resist the desire to do it on our own. He wants the joy of elevating us to the unity of His form, which is His gift.

This is where the struggle enters. Because we come from a broken world, a broken system tells us we need to do it ourselves. This is the sensuous Death. This is really what sin is. Remember, the word sin appears long before there was the Ultimate Rule Book or religion. Sin was and is this desire to do it on our own. Whether we gratify ourselves with our lusts or gratify our desire to be acceptable by good works, it’s all sin, sins, and sinfulness. It’s all Death. Thus, sin is not what we do wrong, it’s the desire to do anything to satisfy our efforts in the pursuit of being like God.

The journey of a Melchizedek king-priest is simply this: enjoying every Divine Pleasure that comes from being in the form of God. It’s being welcomed into the membership of the Trinity. Well, what was once called the Trinity. It’s no longer Three-in-One, now it’s ALL-in-ONE. This sounds absurd, especially to our religion, but it’s true nonetheless. God never intended eternal reality with only Three aspects of His Limitlessness. The Light requires much more! God always included all of us within the Three. So now it’s not only Three, it’s all as One.

You may ask, “How can I return pleasure and honor to God? Especially if accepting the Son is the only effort on my part? How do I simply reflect the Son? Is it through my giving? Is it through my preaching? It is through my singing at church?” No! The way we give Divine Pleasure back to the Limitless One, is by allowing Him to have the joy of giving it. He’s blessed because you are blessed! It’s like a child who eats his favorite sweet because his mother takes joy in giving it to him. When we receive what is freely offered, which is to be equal with God, it pleases the GIVER! This is the relationship of Grace and Faith. Grace is the pleasure of God in giving His Likeness to us, while faith is us receiving such grace with the intention of pleasing God.

But this journey has its temptations which say, “No! No! No! We are not to be equal with God. After all, Jesus, who was equal with God, did not see it as something to be grasped, but made Himself of no such reputation and came in the form of a servant. The Bible says so.” Well, you would be absolutely right, except about one thing. Doing that very thing is what made Him equal to God. He did not try to grasp it, He humbled Himself, not giving into the egoistic desire to reach for it. This is why He was the Son of God, the reflection of the Father. If it had been possible, the more He humbled Himself, the more of the Father He would have revealed. But He was the most humble, surrendering to the death of the Cross. However, the same is true for us. When we live the Melchizedekian Life, the more we empty ourselves of the egoistic desire to grasp Godliness by our own efforts, the more we become and manifest the Son, who reveals the Father, and we attain equality with God.

“Okay, fine. No good works, I get it. So you’re saying I don’t have to go to church, I don’t have to give, I don’t have to sing songs, I don’t have to do anything. I can just sit back and be like God. Right?” You are absolutely correct, if you mean that by doing or not doing these things you will help your efforts in attaining God-likeness. In one sense, you are correct, there is nothing you can do to attain, you can only accept by faith. But here’s the thing, if you attain Godlikeness, what does that Likeness look like? It looks like the Son. The Ego is transformed into receiving to give and you start reflecting the nature of the Son. The Son sang songs, prayed prayers of gratitude, and stayed connected to the disciples, always acknowledging the Father for making Him who He was. When you think of it, the Son didn’t just go to church, He helped start one. And that church is still growing. He didn’t just give tithes, He gave offerings too. He even paid taxes, and for that matter loved giving so much, He gave His life so others could have Life. But it didn’t stop there. He LOVED being a Son so much, that He did all He could to spread that Sonship around to others.

But it didn’t stop even there. He understood that being Jesus, the Son, was not the end game. He knew as the Christ, the Eternal Limitless God, the Flame of Light, the revelation of Love, the Tree of Life, that reflecting the Father as an individual wasn’t enough. Being Limitless meant it involved ALL. This is why in the fullness of all, or as we would say, “In the end,” Jesus will no longer be Jesus (Yeshua), the deliverer. Yes, you read that right. There is a point when deliverance is no longer necessary, so the Christ as Jesus is no longer necessary in that form. Sounds like heresy doesn’t it? But it’s scriptural. The Apostle John says in Revelation 3:12, “And I will write on Him My new Name.” What do you think that name is? Zechariah 14:9 tells us:

“And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be — ‘The Lord is one,’ And His name ONE.”

Christ is all in all, the Divine intention is for ALL to be in One, not just Three-in-One. The final aspect of the Melchizedekian king-priest is that he or she sees all as Divine. A Melchizedek can see the Light in the eyes of everyone. He can see the Light in those who live in the reality of Christ, and in others who are unknowing and unseeing, living in Darkness. This order of king-priests sees every person as part of the Vessel, the Last Adam, expressions of the Body of the Christ, discovering Divinity. Some discover this reality daily, others are still unknowing and unseeing, living as individuals, as gods of their own universe. This is why the Melchizedekian king-priest can’t just sit at home and be some sort of replica of god. A Melchizedek must seek all who are lost! In effect, it’s seeing the redemption of each person as restoring an aspect of his greater being, the Whole. A Melchizedek sees each person as a living stone, as material for building the Divine Temple. Not one made with the effort of human hands, but the assembling of a Living dwelling place for the Limitless God.

Part 3: A Final Destination?

Anyone who sees creation solely in this world of time and space sees some kind of eternity past, the creation of Adam in the Garden, the Fall and the population of corruptible man on a planet called Earth. He sees a flood, patriarchs, the institution of the Law, the Tabernacle and Temple with priests and prophets, finally followed by the coming of Christ as well as His death and resurrection. He sees the starting of the Church with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the sending of the Apostles. He sees the fading away of the Baptism of the Spirit as the Church becomes an institution. Then there’s a revival of the Spirit, healing, miracles, the establishment of the prophetic, and souls continuing to be saved through it all. He also sees, at some point in the future, a catching away of the Church, a rapture of sorts, pre, mid or post, followed by the official second coming of Christ. He sees Christ as King reigning for a thousand years, then a releasing of Satan once again to deceive those who were born after the second coming. He sees another great war and Christ being victorious once again. Then a great judgment of all who were dead. Those in Christ move on to the New Jerusalem, and those who aren’t are thrown into the Inferno to burn in torment with the devil, the antichrist, the false prophet and all the fallen angles and demons. The follower of Christ gets to live happily ever after and soar off into the Son set.

Yes, that’s the story for one who perceives with the five senses and has studied theology. It reads like a Greek myth or a fairytale. It can easily be understood by the natural mind, not requiring any real spiritual eyes to see. The only requirement is to accept it as truth. Yet, those who wrote the verses from which such a story came, were not of this world. They were holy men of God who wrote and spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. To perceive what was written requires some measure of eyes that see and ears that hear through the higher dimensions from where such was written. With that in mind, we are not sons and daughters of God, mere Christians in a world of time and space. We are of the order of Melchizedek, the king-priesthood of the eternal world. We exist in what was, is and will be, all at the same time. While there are aspects of the story outlined above that may be chronologically accurate, sadly the chronology isn’t as important as the slices of the eternal, timeless world they reveal.

In the eternal world, everything that we perceive as chronology is actually in a state of kairos[131], the eternal state of now, boundless-timelessness. There’s only the transformation of qualities from Darkness to Light. The fall of the Adam, the shattering of the living Soul, is still occurring and being encased in flesh in a world of time and space. Yet Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, died at the foundation of the world (in the world of time that’s roughly 2000 years ago, which hardly seems as the foundation of the world). Yet in the eternal world, His death and resurrection is now, redeeming the broken pieces, assembling the Last Adam, His body. While some are in Darkness and others are being transformed into the Kingdom of Light, they’re also judged in Christ as redeemed and cleansed.

Each living stone being assembled enjoys the Flaming Light of God’s Glory, while others in the Unknowing and Unseeing realm are tormented by it. As the souls (or soul fragments) are transformed from Darkness to Light in the world of time and space, the eternal world seems to descend a little closer and this corporeal world actually ascends toward its original eternal state. The Christ and His Kingdom have always existed, they exist now, and they will always exist. As each soul is redeemed, it moves from torment into the Flaming Light, what we call the New Jerusalem. Through redemption, through each internal transformation, the dwelling of God merges a little more, elevating the corporeal world back to the world of Light. In the world of time and space, there will be a cataclysm of the two words blending into one. In the eternal world, there will simply be a completion of this phase of Creation. In the world of time and space, there will be a revealing of the Eternal God. In the eternal world, there is a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH. In the world of time and space, the old is done away with, and all things have become new. This is literally another revelation of the Desire to Give Life and the Desire to Receive and Reflect It. The king-priesthood of Melchizedek is about being a Divine Becoming and a Divine Being. To a Melchizedek there is no end, no riding off into the sunset, no finality, only the continuous creative force of God’s everlasting, ever fashioning Life. For this order, it’s not about a destination, but an existence. There is no end, only the next phase of newness, or beginning.

Part 4: The Melchizedekian Garment

The Melchizedekian king-priest can peek into all these realities, which we commonly call prophetic. But it’s more than just prophecy or seeing something in the spirit, it’s wearing a king-priestly garment and walking in the authority of another reality. It’s being Heavenly minded in such a way that can only mean earthly good. The Melchizedekian king-priest doesn’t walk in denial of what is happing in the corporeal world, but peeks into the eternal and sees the purposes of God at work. When applicable, he or she fulfills their purpose in the moment in whatever manner is revealed by the Spirit. To be of this order, one perceives they are part of an eternal continuum of Divine Life, a never ending, unfolding revelation of the Christ. Not sporadic outbreaks of God, but a constant disclosure of Light, whether in this realm or the higher. The Melchizedekian king-priest is a revelation himself, thus the momentary perplexity of theophany. The basis for all things Melchizedek is Love. Not just a love that says, “I love the idea of being in love and what that means to me.” But a love that says, “My joy is your joy. My passion is your passion. My purpose is your fulfillment.” He wears Love like a garment. It’s the stitching that holds everything else together. Regardless of function, gift or revelation, it’s Love that brings perfection to all things.

To a Melchizedekian king-priest, the purpose of participating in the congregation is not to get personal blessing, healing or deliverance. Rather, it’s the total commitment to selflessly use the force of his faith for the group and to help with their desire to reflect Christ. This may result in healing, deliverance and blessing, but our faith is used for others and Christ-likeness. Can you imagine the power of such a group? Everyone together in faith for you and for each other? This is the true meaning of the prayer of agreement, the true meaning of gathering together in His name. It’s about developing my desire to receive, and to receive for you like it was me. Because in the grander, eternal scheme of things, it is Me. According to Christ in the Gospel of John, me is we, we is He, He is us, and He is me. He is the Father, the Father is the Spirit, and We are One. All ministry, whether apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher, whether husband, wife, parent or child, is an expression of the Limitless God. Whether we serve food at a church gathering or clean a house for one who’s ill, regardless of position or function, we are all part of the same garment, woven together by Love to empower each other to reveal His Image and Likeness. A Melchizedekian king-priest is never over someone’s faith, he is only a helper of their joy!

Part 5: Reconciling All Things To Himself

But what of those who didn’t come to Christ? What of Satan, the fallen angles and the demonic forces that are all in the Lake of Fire? In recent years there’s been talk of universalism and that all will ultimately be saved. Much of the conversation is inspired because it appears many are getting that peek into the nature of the Ultimate Restorer, the Limitless One Himself, the Christ. Yet many times the theology appears thin. Where the notion of redemption is beyond this world and seems to take a leap, is in saying that it will all just happen. When the lost appear before Christ, they will just get the idea and acknowledge the Savior. But if that were the answer, we have to draw lines through many scriptures that pose, at least on the surface, a contrary view.

But what if they’re not contrary? What if block logic is applied and seeing with the Hebraic mind? What if we apply what we learned from “Beginning” with the first principles of the oracles of God? When the book of Revelation draws to a conclusion, there are statements made like:

“And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.”

(Revelation 21:26-27/NKJV)

“Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.”

(Revelation 22:14-15/NLT)

Wait a minute! We all thought this is the end. Or is it really? Clearly the tabernacle of God is revealed. But there are still those who are not in it. There are those who are “outside the city…” If we we’re going by chronological timelines, this occurs after the new heaven and new earth. If we’re seeing by the eternal world, the world of boundless-timelessness, it’s just another phase of Creation. Clearly there are those who are in the Lamb’s presence, in His glory within the city and yet, there are those who still are unseeing and unknowing, standing on the outside.

Either way, it appears things aren’t over yet. If there is a new heaven and a new earth (like everything else that is cyclical in Hebrew, block logical with its hermeneutical roots and branches), there appears to be another cycle of Creation. Or at least it could be a possibility. Consider the conceivable. It’s not just about another opportunity to receive Christ, it’s about living another life in a new heaven and new earth. It not about reincarnation in this world. But in the same way we who are in Christ receive a new life in the eternals, clothed as the Body of Christ. We enter a new phase, ruling and reigning with Christ, as Christ, and in Christ. So now we must be scripturally consistent. If there is a new heaven and new earth, there’s potentially another reaching into the fiery dust. A reaching into those outside the city. A reaching into those lost, shattered souls and God again breathing the Breath of Life. Clearly the scripture says ALL THINGS BECOME NEW. It could be like repairing a computer program, then rebooting the system in order to finish the process. Once it’s up and running, God starts working where He left off. Then, after the new appears, the choice to be a reflection or not is afforded.

Maybe the order of Melchizedek will appear again in that world, as it did in Genesis with Abraham. After all, the scripture said he had no mother or father. Maybe it was an inference to the king-priesthood itself or maybe it meant what it said. Not that it was Christ, but that Melchizedek was not of our world. Sound unsettling? Maybe he was from a heaven and earth before ours. Born there, eternal here. If there’s a new heaven and new earth in the closing verses of Revelation, who’s to say our Genesis is not a new heaven and new earth from an expression of an eternity before ours? Does this sound heretical?

But the scripture does say there will be a new heaven and new earth. Why do we think ours is the only one? (Of course when the Ego rules, ours has to be the most important.) We definitely know ours is not the last. Could each cycle of heaven and earth be an opportunity, a further gathering of that which was lost? Why not? It’s totally consistent with the character and nature of Christ. Surely we cannot see Him sitting on His throne watching those tormented in flames laughing in hysterical pleasure at their suffering? “Hey you got what was coming to you!” Could the Christ who died the death He did because of the Love He has, rest in knowing there are souls suffering still in their lostness? He did come to seek and save ALL that were lost. Did He fail? Or, is His Love okay with settling for, “I gave them free will, and that was their decision. Too bad.” Sure, we egoists, those of us who have lived by the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, make it okay. We justify it by God being impartial, that His justice has no bias. Really? Where do we get this? Sending your own Son to die for those who don’t even acknowledge your existence is hardly non-biased or impartial. Actually, it’s insane. But that’s the Love of God. He’s insanely in Love with us! Even when the only option is a brutal death on a cross, He’s that crazy in Love. Can you imagine that this was the only viable and acceptable path? You can’t turn off that kind of crazy Love in the name of objectivity. If you could, you’d change it so the ultimate rule book, the Law, would have been enough. Why go through the trouble if the result would be the same? But we make up stuff and say things like, “Well He’s God, He can be loving and objective at the same time.” Try again. In so many words the scripture does tell us that He’s objective and not a respecter of persons, but to what end? The Creator is only objective about His plan and not a respecter of any but of His own intention. What is His intention? To fulfill His desire to Give through Love, even if it meant the Cross.

For the moment let’s accept the conjecture that in the new heaven and new earth, through free will, creation is again given the opportunity to discover Godlikeness through Christ, but in a new way. You might say, “Wait a minute! That could go on for cycles and cycles, many new heavens and new earths, over and over till all come willfully to the revelation of Christ.” So? In eternity you have all the time in the world (pardon the pun). It’s just like going to sleep and getting up the next day. After all, a day is 1000 years and 1000 years just a day. So by that clock we spend a few years on the eternal mission field.

But what of Satan? Is he eternally doomed to suffering? Let’s take our conjecture further, beyond the realm of a new heaven and new earth. Remember the burning dust that was clearly once the Morning Star and became the one called the Serpent? Think of it, even from the beginning, God reached into that and breathed into it the Breath of Life. Even after the fall of Adam, the Cross and the resurrection, Christ “Breathed into us, His disciples, the Breath of Life and said, ‘Peace be to you. Receive the Spirit.’” If we’re made from the substance of fallen Lucifer, and transform by the renewing of our minds, what happens to the Serpent? Isn’t the commission of God to the Adam being fulfilled? Isn’t this subduing the fallen nature, replenishing the Desire, and transforming the intention? Isn’t it transforming the substance we were created from back into a reflector of Light? Through our redemption, isn’t the Serpent transformed along with us? Never mind our Christendom mythology, God is reaching into the dust and breathing Life. In the new heaven and earth, each time God reaches into the burning lake of fiery soot, isn’t that dust being redeemed? When a person turns to Christ, isn’t that substance being transformed as well? Could it be through the very process of God taking from the satanic substance, making it into a person, and the person coming to Christ, is a redemption even for Lucifer? Is God, the Ultimate Restorer, restoring the Morning Star?

If we look at the opening verses of Genesis, consistently seeing them the way they really are, the logic isn’t a far leap at all. With each new heaven and earth, more are redeemed by choice. As they are transformed from the kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of the Son, Satan’s power weakens. But not because we have overpowered him by being bigger and stronger. But because with our transformation, he transforms as well. Could this be the reason for releasing Satan from the pit after the return of Christ, as it says in Revelation? Or is it just a poor decision on the part of Christ, letting the murder out of jail? Or is it in knowing full well that we, along with future creations of a new heaven and earth, transform the substance we are made from? After all, that’s what transform means: migrating from one form to another. Thus, that which is satanic within us transforms along with us. From the form of Darkness to the form of the Morning Star, the reflector of Light?

For the moment, it matters little whether or not the supposition of the new heaven and the new earth affords the lost another opportunity to receive Christ, or whether through our transformation, Satan is ultimately restored into being the Morning Star. It’s a possibility based on scripture with a different approach than usual. What matters most is a clear revelation of the Melchizedekian king-priesthood to all. A priesthood that is full of grace and truth. One that lives to give Life, not preaching good and evil to empower the Ego and attain Godliness through works. The day of being dull of hearing is over. It’s the time of seeing and hearing again:

“You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it's obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the Cross was certainly set before you clearly enough. Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it?”

(Galatians 3:1-3/MES)

There is so much more that can be spoken of regarding Melchizedek and the gracious king-priesthood we have in Christ. There’s much more to say about our liberty from religion and our true righteousness. There’s even more conjecture we can make about Melchizedek, Christ, and being a Restorer of all things in the World to Come. So how do we conclude speaking of that which is Infinite? We can’t! So I leave you with one more thought as we take our leave:

“Let’s celebrate God! He lavished every blessing heaven has upon us in Christ! He associated us in Christ before the fall of the world! Jesus is God’s mind made up about us! He always knew in his love that he would present us again face-to-face before him in blameless innocence. He is the architect of our design; his heart dream realized our coming of age in Christ. His grace-plan is to be celebrated: he greatly endeared us and highly favored us in Christ. His love for his Son is his love for us. Since we are (fully represented) in him, his blood is the ransom that secures our redemption. His forgiving us our sins measures the wealth of his grace. This grace shown towards us communicates a wisdom and discernment of our worth that completely surpasses any definition. The secret is out! His cherished love dream now unfolds in front of our very eyes.”

(Ephesians 1:3-9/MIR)

[1] Melchizedek, literal definition: King of the Straight Path. The common translation in most versions is, King of Righteousness. In one respect this is quite correct; the problem is our interpretation of the word righteous. Since about 1500 AD the concept of being “righteous” became vague at best. The word itself comes from the Middle English “right-wise” and lends itself to the idea of doing right things. In Biblical Hebrew (which is the conceptual foundation of both Old and New Testaments, righteous is not about the “rightness” that one has accomplished, or the being in “right standing with God”. It most definitely does not promote the concept of being without sin as an accomplishment; but it does afford the process itself. Abram was a perfect example of this. In his life he “walked the path” with God through faith. He didn’t do everything rightly, as a matter of fact, he made some grave mistakes. But the fact that he walked the path was the key. Thus, he was (tsadak) righteous. Righteousness literally means to walk the path. You can walk the path and stumble, but the key is you’re still on the path.

[2] Chedorlaomer, was the king who gathered together Amraphel of Shinar, Arioch of Ellasar, and Tidal of Goyim and conspired to conquer five cities, one of which was Sodom. Abram would lead a campaign against all these kings and defeat them. It is at the Valley of Shaveh where the settling of this war’s affairs would take place and Abram would meet Melchizedek.

[3] The Valley of Shaveh also known as the "Valley of Kings" in Genesis 14:17, is not to be confused with the location in 2 Samuel 18:18, where Absalom erected a memorial. While they are attributed the similar name, they not located in the same region. The Valley of Shaveh in Genesis is unique to that time.

[4] Shayah is used in Deuteronomy 32:18, Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, And have forgotten the God who fathered you.” NKJV

[5] The phrase “king-priests” in 1 Peter 2:9 is translated in several versions as “royal priesthood.” They both are correct, but for the sake of Biblical continuity the phrase, (basileion hierateuma) literally translates as "kingly priesthood," which is identical to the concept of the Melchizedekian priesthood.

[6] The phrase “Christendom” throughout this book is used to describe the historical Western European, including the Americas and similar regions, where the Christian religion prevails (Advanced English Dictionary definition.) This word is not to be confused with the use of Christianity in the true sense of the word (meaning “those who are Christ-like”) or the pursuit of spirituality.

[7] The phrase “the Angel of the Lord” appears approximately 66 times in the Old Testament. However, in Hebrew the article “the” (hey) never appears in any of the phrases. If it did, the phrase would look like this, (hamelek), but in each case it doesn’t. Thus the proper translation should be “an angel of Yahweh.” Thus the concept of the Angel of the Lord signifying a theophany is solely an issue of an interpretive insertion, not what the actual words of scripture say. If the necessary requirement for a theophany to be depicted is the article, then a theophany never occurred because the article isn’t there.

[8] In this context, the word religion does not have the traditional meaning, “the service and worship of God” (Merriam-Webster). Rather, it is used in the colloquial sense within general Christianity today, meaning, “the legalistic and ritualistic approach to serving God through human effort without or minimal Divine revelation.” In many cases, one’s religion is based on personal rules or accepted rules within his or her community (large or small) of worship. The key to “being religious” is that it’s built on a system of right and wrong, rather than a vibrant, dynamic spiritual life.

[9] Hermeneutics is the accepted set of theological principles and processes, which have been handed down since the days of Ezra, of how the scripture is to be interpreted. One of the key principles of this process of interpretation is called the Law of First Mention. In simple terms the Law of First Mention is the principle where a first mention or occurrence of a subject takes place and thus establishes an unchangeable pattern which can be expounded upon, but not changed, in the mind of God throughout Scripture.

[10] In this context, the idea of Heroic Syndrome abounds within Western culture. We are forever seeking a flawless person (by our standards), who will always win, always be on our side, and always be impervious to any foe. We have also done this in our theological approach to Christ, making Him a Super-Superman who, unlike Clark Kent, is even impervious to Kryptonite. This was the very problem John the Baptist and our Jewish brothers and sisters had with the coming of Christ. They could not perceive that Christ would need to be baptized. John even tried to prevent it (Matthew 3:14). They could not fathom that their Messiah would come in the manner that He did, born in a manger, the simple son of a carpenter. Rather they expected a great, kingly hero (John 12:37-40) who would instantly set things right. But Jesus said, “Let it be this way now, because we should do everything righteousness requires.” (Matthew 3:15/CJB) Thus, not only was Jesus baptized, but He had to be part of the Melchizedekian king-priestly order. He did this not only for His sake, but ours as well.

[11] The name Jesus comes from the Greek word (Iesous), which comes from the Hebrew (Yeshua). Some have erroneously accused the New Testament of identifying Ihsou=$ (Iesous) with the Greek phrase “Ie Zeus” which is supposed to mean “Hail Zeus.” This is incorrect. we were to say, “Hail Zeus,” it would be worded (chalazi Via), which resembles neither the spelling or pronunciation of (Iesous). The reason for the deviation from the pronunciation of (Yeshua) is that Greek does not have a sh sound, which is the sound of the second letter in (Yeshua). When translating into any language, such deviations in pronunciation and accommodations are made. The entomology of Jesus is simply: (Yehoshua), to the condensed Hebrew/Aramaic (Yeshua), to the Greek (Iesous), to Latin Iesus, to the German Jesus (in German the j is pronounced as a y, so it is pronounced the same as in Latin and Greek). We English speakers kept the German spelling and use the j pronunciation, giving us the name Jesus we’re familiar with today. There is no secret occult mystery of paganism hidden in the New Testament or any such thing. It is simply a linguistic pronunciation issue.

[12] In Biblical numerology, the numbers, 8, 33, 39 and 70 are all significant, especially as related to the Messiah. The number 39 is the number of scourging in scripture. When the punishment of scourging was given in the Law, they were told not to exceed 40 stripes in order not to degrade the individual (Deuteronomy 25:1-3). What the Jews did by tradition, as an act of mercy and to prevent them from reaching the point of degradation, was reduce the number from 40 to 39 (2 Corinthians 11:24). Needless to say, the Messiah was scourged (John 19:1, Isaiah 53:5) which opened the way for our salvation and healing. The number 33 is significant because it was the age of the Messiah when he was crucified and resurrected. Jesus began His ministry at the age of 30 (Luke 3:23), ministered for three years, and was then crucified (or “cut off,” Daniel 9:26), thus He lived 33 years. The number 8 is significant because it’s the Hebrew letter (chet) which represents a door, new beginnings, and new life. The Messiah rose from the dead on the eighth day, the first day of the new week (John 20:1). He also proclaims He is the door (John 10:7). Lastly, 70 is the Hebrew letter (ayin) which means the eye, which was the extension of the government of God that Moses established (Numbers 11:16). Jesus would also send forth 70 disciples to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom (Luke 10:1).

[13] The Septuagint (Latin, meaning “the Seventy interpreters”) is one of the first translations of the Hebrew Bible. There is some discrepancy in its date of origin, but most agree it was approximately the second century. The challenge with any translation of the Hebrew is that the three dimensional aspect of the language is lost. For example, the word (av) which is generally translated father, can also mean stand, pole, and fresh fruit or green plant. This word, though made up of two letters, tell us a story of why the inter-related meanings make sense and why the words can be interchangeable. For example: the letter (aleph), which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in simple terms means strength. It also describes that which is above reflecting beneath, the Divine paradox. We get that from how the letter is made. It is made up of two (yud) and a (vav). The top (yud) represents the Divine world, then separated by a (vav), the lower elongated (yud) is the reflection of the one above like a body of water reflecting the sun. The (aleph) is also silent, meaning it represents the unknowable. Thus the first letter in the word we translate as God is (elohiym). So why does the word (av) mean pole? The first letter represents the aspect of a pole that has a top (above) and a bottom (below) directly joined by the shaft itself. The second letter (bet) represents a house, and the word (bet) actually means house. Thus it describes what the tent pole does: it holds up the house and to do this it must be strong. You can also say strength of the house. The strong pole’s function is to make the house stand. In a more spiritual and social sense, the father is the strength of the house and causes it to stand. Lastly, a green plant looks like a pole when it comes out of the ground. Also, when plants are green they are hard to break, unlike plants exposed to the hot sun or removed from their roots. Like the tent pole , a green plant (Job 8:12) is strong. The point here is that, in translation, these letters and word relationships are all lost. We would never in Greek, Latin or English connect the words father and green plant. Yet in Hebraic thinking they make total sense.

[14] The reference to the God of Melchizedek as “the Divine” and “It” is not to be disrespectful or to depersonalize “Him.” This Infinite Being is a person and will later be referred to as such. However, because of almost 1800 years of this God of Melchizedek being Westernized and being made to fit into the framework of what we in the Western world have seen as god (Jupiter, Zeus, Odin and the like) we automatically perceive this Divine Being as a person ruling from some distant place, mountain, or planet, like Asgard or Valhalla, interacting with humanity only when necessary. But this is not the God of Melchizedek. While every aspect of (El Elyown) is a person, this Divine Being is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, the source of all existence, yet He is relational, friendly, and approachable. In still another sense, He is unfathomable and unknowable. Using the words Divine and It simply stretches the limit of our thinking, so we don't reduce God into our image, but challenge ourselves to elevate our inner image to His as He originally intended.

[15] Refer to endnote above on Septuagint.

[16] In the Hebrew language there are only two tenses of a verb: perfect and imperfect. Perfect means a completed action, and imperfect means an action that is beginning or ongoing. In English and most Western languages our basic tenses are past, present, and future. Because Hebrew is a language of function, verbs deal with whether or not an action is being performed or has been completed. Many times we translate a Hebraic perfect tense verb as past tense, and an imperfect tense verb as either present tense or, more commonly, future tense. When a appears before a verb it is always imperfect and in the third person masculine gender. But the masculine aspect is not as important in the designation. For example: “...when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire...” (Jeremiah 36:23/KJV) The actual Hebrew reads, The phrase “he cut it” could be more accurately translated as “cutting.” So the verse would more literally read, “...as Yahudiy proclaimed, cutting three and four flaps with a record-knife and casting toward the fire...” While this sounds a bit strange in English, the Hebrew is painting the picture of actions occurring. In English we emphasize the passing of time and the person performing the act, “he cut it...” In Hebrew the emphases is more on the action of cutting and in some cases the passage of time is indefinable. Many modern translations remove the emphasis of the usage of action and function, and insert an inference that is not present in the text. For example: the New American Standard reads, “the king cut it.” While you can infer that the king did the action, because Jehudi was the king, the actual Hebrew doesn't say that. Why does that matter? In this example it may not seem important to the reader, but emphasis in a verse, especially in more critical passages, can alter the way a person conceptualizes what's there. Unfortunately, not only does the New American Standard add the phrase the king, but so does the New International Version, the New Living Translation, the Message, English Standard Version, and many more. The Amplified version also adds king, yet is the only translation where this addition would make sense, because it “amplifies” what's in the text. The reader expects more than what the text actually says. In addition, the Amplified Bible specifies when it is adding or broadening the text.

[17] Daniel C. Matt is one of the foremost scholars of the commentary of the Torah, called the Zohar. He has so far completed six volumes of this immense project, which has been hailed as “a monumental contribution to the history of Jewish thought.” He was a professor of Jewish spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

[18] The following chapters are condensed and taken from the author’s course “The Genesis Factor, A Journey Into Spiritual Reality.” The course has been taught and developed for over 25 years. It was originally intended as a nine week, basic foundations course for the church Dr. John pastored. However, because of its content, Dr. John has been traveling through the USA and overseas teaching this course to those in the fivefold ministry and church eldership in a concentrated version, “The Genesis Factor Lite.” There are current plans to take the nine week version and put it on video media.

[19] In some circles, the first principles of the Oracles of God have been seen as a reference to the six foundational aspects listed in the following chapter (Hebrews 6:1-3). This is not the case. The language clearly tells us what it's referencing. The word used in the New Testament for oracles is (logioon). It comes from the (logos) family, which specifically means Divine Thought or Divine Expression, a designation for Christ. However, (logioon) is used only four times in the New Testament. The first three times it always referenced the (Torah), the first five books of Moses. Example: “This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us.” (Acts 7:38-39/NKJV) The fourth time the word is used, the Apostle Peter tells us that we should proclaim Christ with the same kind of authority as (Torah). When it comes to the phrase the “first principles” (stoicheía teis archeis) it is referring to the chief spiritual forces or elements that hold the world in its current fallen state. It’s used only seven times in the New Testament and every time it’s in reference to what keeps us in bondage. As we explore all the places these phrases occur, taking into account that they are referring to the first (or chief) forces or elements, they point back to what we would refer to as the first three chapters of the book of Genesis. It’s in the first three chapters the oracles unfold, showing us what our purpose was, what forces or elements brought us into bondage, and how Christ would bring redemption to us. However, the common approach to the first three chapters of Genesis doesn’t match the language and several millennia of Hebraic thought.

[20] When I was taking Hebrew, I asked one of my teachers, “What is the best English translation of the Bible?” He replied, “There isn't any. Reading a translation is like trying to kiss your wife through a brick wall.” Ouch! In many respects however, he’s right. Hebrew is a three dimensional language, and letter definitions and word associations are all lost when we translate it into another language. If you, the reader, have an interest in the Hebrew language, I’d like to suggest finding a translation of the Hebrew language to give you a starting point. Dr. Jeff Benner has wonderful tools available for the beginner. He has begun translating the Old Testament in a format called “A Mechanical Translation” which can help the first time reader. His website is: www.ancient-hebrew.org

[21] As the writer of this book, I would love to tell you I’ve uncovered some secret Bible truth that has never been revealed before, but I can't. Though I do believe God has given us some revelation to assemble, what I can tell you is that many of these concepts have been around in Hebraic/Semitic teaching for approximately 4000 years.We may find the need to rethink accordingly and possibly readjust the template of how we see the spiritual world, and our place in it. This is where it all begins and without this adjustment, Melchizedek cannot be understood. We will find we need to adjust from where we fell, what we fell into, and to what we are being restored to.

[22] The word (tohuw) is translated approximately twenty times in the Old Testament and only twice is translated without form in the sense that we understand the word today. The rest of the time, it’s translated as waste (Deuteronomy 32:10), vain things (1 Samuel 12:21), wilderness (Job 12:24), and confusion (Isaiah 24:10), just to mention a few. The words without form or nothing in that day were the result of an event or absence. For example, darkness is the absence of light. The wilderness would be the absence of someone tilling the ground or the effect of an event like a fire. It’s the result of something. When we think of void or nothing, we think of something that doesn't exist at all. In Hebrew the word for the nothingness type of void is (ayin). For example: “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.” (Isaiah 45:5-6/KJV)

[23] The word (bohuw) is a natural progression of the previous word (tohuw). It means box or in the form we are more accustomed to, ark (teebah). This word is translated both ways approximately 31 times, but only three times as the Genesis word, void. The connection to a box (or ark) is the idea of something needing to be filled. In The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible , Jeff Benner calls it, “A void within oneself needing to be filled.” (page 63) Similar to its predecessor, it describes something that was once filled and desires to be filled again. When you think of the phrase, (tohuw v'bohuw), it describes a wasteland and a ruin, something that once was filled and is now empty, desiring to be filled again.

[24] The word (choshek), darkness, is exactly what it says, dark, obscurity, the absence of the Light. This is the condition of the “Will to Receive Pleasure,” it’s in a state of confusion, a wasteland, a result of the absence of the Light. It’s a ruin, which was once full but is now empty and desires to be filled again. In modern science, that’s what we would call a black hole. It will try to fill itself with whatever is within proximity, but the only thing able to fill it is the Divine Light that withdrew its presence to create it.

[25] The word (t’hom) in simple translation means deep. But what kind of deep? We get a hint from the plural form: (t’homot), which sounds a lot like our word “tumult.” In its root form it’s pronounced (huwm), meaning to roar like a lion. Note these two verses: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1/KJV) “Because the Lord hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:” (Jeremiah 51:55/KJV) The deep is not just being down under water, but it’s the raging turbulence that roars within it. It’s a description of the deep craving that, when goes unmet, is (haamam) destructive. All these words are the same, but in different forms. The deep is not merely several hundred feet deep in the ocean, but a tumultuous, raging, roaring, destructive desire. In Isaiah 28:28 it’s translated “break,” which brings us back to the “earth” being a broken piece of pottery, a broken will to receive.

[26] The word (hamaiym), which means waters, is also chaos. It's the plural form of (mah) which means what or something unknown. The Will to Receive Pleasure is in a state of unfulfillment. It's in chaos because it no longer has its desire fulfilled.

[27] In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit and all her attributes are in the feminine gender. For example: (Chokh’mah) wisdom, “Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares.” (Proverbs 1:20/NKJV) One of the most famous descriptions of the Spirit is when she descends upon the tabernacle or on a particular place. “Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” (Exodus 40:34-35/NKJV) The description of the “cloud resting” is known as the (shekinah), the feminine attribute of God. It’s a combination of two words, God’s name (Yah) and (sheken) which is the word for place. The actual word (shekinah) doesn’t appear in scripture, but it comes from the Talmudic and Kabbalistic writings. The first generation Apostles, being all Hebrews, completely accepted this identification and the word has stuck with Christian theology to present day. The thing that hasn’t moved easily with the Church of the last millennium is the feminine designation of the Spirit. There are two reasons for this. The first has to do with the creation of the Catholic Church after the conquering of Rome and the establishment of Constantine as Emperor in 306 AD. At that time, the anti-Semitic beliefs of Europe were very strong and Constantine abolished the Catholic Church’s connection to any aspect of Judaism. (See Eusebius, Vita Constantine Lib. iii., 18-20) It was at this point that a more pagan approach to Divinity was embraced, elevating Mary (the mother of Jesus) to the status of the Queen of Heaven. While this may have been an honest theological misunderstanding, the doctrine of the Trinity was contrasted to the doctrine of Mary, making Father, Spirit and Son all male. Secondly, this misinterpretation of the Holy Spirit as male is reinforced by the Latin language where the word spirit is in the masculine gender. In the Greek language, spirit is in the neuter form. While these were simply languages of the day and had no connection to the foundational biblical language of Hebrew, they were esteemed highly. Consequently, when translators translated the famous King James version of 1611, they referred to both Greek and Latin texts. When a reference to the Holy Spirit occurred, the phrase was translated as masculine. From a scholarly standpoint, this would only be a foreign language issue. But now it’s an ingrained aspect of Christian theology to the point that some would be offended if you correctly referred to the Spirit as She. Regarding linguistic issues, for example, the Hebrew word beginning in Genesis is clearly in the feminine gender. However, if you translate beginning into Spanish you have the word principio, which is masculine. Being that Hebrew is the biblical language formed and developed with the process of transcribing the writings, the concepts and designations are intentional. However, when the scripture or a discussion of the scripture occurs in a language other than its parent language, genders do change. The usage of the Greek language for the New Testament was simply the Apostles wisely using the common literary language of the day. There would be no way for them pen the word Spirit and somehow make it feminine when the gender of the language they were using was neuter. However, this did not mean they changed their theology. It’s clear that the Spirit, when spoken of in the New Testament, still does all the feminine aspects of God as described in the Old Testament.

[28] In Hebrew the word good is somewhat different from its Greco-Roman counterparts. In Greek, good is translated from two basic words: (agathos) and (kalos). The first refers to that which is correct, while the second inviting or beautiful. Therefore you can have something that is (kalos) beautiful, but not at all (agathos) correct for you. Because of this the Western concept of good comes through. However in Hebrew the word good is (tov), which is a description of something functioning properly. By letter definition we have (tet), which describes a container, or a woman who's pregnant. next is (vav), which describes a tent peg, that which joins the tent skin to the ground, the Light from above that extends to the world below. Finally is the (bet), the house, the dwelling of God. When you put them together you have that which contains the Light from above in God's dwelling below. The Will to Receive Pleasure was fashioned to be the container, the dwelling of God, for the Everlasting Light. God saw the Light functioning as it was designed, which is to fulfill the Creature. In more practical, prophetic terms, it seems to be a picture of the virgin birth. The pregnant woman who is the house of the Light from above.

[29] (laiylah) by letter definition is first, (lamed) which represents the hook or connection. It reveals the heart that is connected above. Then comes the (yud) which is the closed hand, the Divine potential, the infinite point where all creation begins. The (lamed) is then repeated, followed by the (hey) which means look, the Divine expression, or revelation. When you put these letters together you have the heart connected above to the infinite point of Creation, the heart connected above expressing the Divine revelation. This is truly a way of expressing reflection. Below is connected to Above (the Source) and through that connection, expresses the nature of the Source to Creation.

[30] Panoscopic-Synesthesia is a combination of two words. Panoscopic, which means 3600 all-around view. In this state, you not only see one side of the mountain, but all sides of the mountain at the same time. Synesthesia, is when the senses blend together where you can, for example, smell color, feel aromas, hear shapes, and see sound. There are examples of this in scripture. Panoscopic: “As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces...” (Ezekiel 1:10-11/NKJV) Synesthesia: "And all the people are seeing the voices, and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking..." (Exodus 20:18/YLT)

[31] For a detailed description of how we arrived to this translation, please refer to “Chapter 7 - The Light and The Darkness” footnotes 1 and 2.

[32] (ra-iytiy hehariym v'hinneeh rowashiym) “I saw the mountains and behold tremblings..." In Hebraic thought a mountain is the ground rising up to reach the heavens. By letter definition it’s the head looking in an upward direction. The word trembling is the eyes in the head with teeth clenched, looking toward the infinite point (the Source of Creation) among the waters.

[33] (v'chal hag'vaowt hit'kal'kal) “...and all the waves swiftly upon themselves.”

[34] (v'cal araiyv) is normally translated, “and all the cities..." ” The word city is (iyr) and can be correct in this case. However, it shouldn’t be translated “the cities,” but “his cities.” His could be the King, or Israel, which is always a collective person. Nonetheless, there are some structural aspects that need to be taken into account regarding who the “his” is. The subject of the paragraph is “I beheld the earth...” After that statement the scripture speaks of the mountains, which refers to a rising up. A form of the word (har) mountain is (yahiyr) which means arrogant or proud. The word city (iyr) has another form which is (oor), which means to awaken or to open the eyes. There are even more layers to this word as the Genesis story unfolds, because it also means skin and nakedness. Consider that the first selfish or prideful act of the man and woman in the garden was to partake of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and their “eyes were opened.” When you put this together “his cities” can also be a representation of “arrogance” based on the accomplishments he attained, which from the larger context, creates the undercurrent of the entire chapter.

[35] The phrase “...sin crouches...” in Hebrew is (chatta roveets), which describes an animal laying down and is used several times in relationship to lions. “He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?” (Numbers 24:9/NKJV)

[36] “And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.’” (Genesis 32:28/NKJV)

[37] The word (tsor) appears in many verses as enemy, adversity, besiege, etc. Genesis 14:20; Numbers 24:8, Exodus 23:22; Deuteronomy 2:9, 19, 20:12, 20:19, 32:41, 33:7; 1 Samuel 23:8; 2 Samuel 11:1, 20:15, 24:13; 1 Chronicles 12:17; 1 Kings 7:15, 15:27, 16:17, 20:1. It also is used to describe a sharp rock, like flint, to be used as a dagger or knife.

[38] For the sake of clarity, the concept of being anointed as stated earlier in “Chapter 2 - Theophanies and Messiahs” is in reference to kings. Once the Law was instituted a different anointing was put in place for the priest and the prophet. It was an anointing to tend the Levitical Order, and the prophetic judgment of that covenant. This is not to be confused with the Melchizedekian, which existed before, manifested in David and found its fulfillment in Christ and His Church.

[39] King (melek), Angel (malak), Kingdom (malkuth)

[40] Ego is being used in the colloquial sense to describe total self-centeredness. It’s not being used in a technical Freudian manner like that of Id, Ego, and Super-Ego. We are using the word to define a spiritual context, not solely a psychological one.

[41] Many translations define the Greek word (anomia) as lawlessness, but it’s really better served as iniquity. While that’s correct in one sense, we again confuse it with the word transgression (parabaino) which implies the breaking of the law. The issue here is not breaking a commandment, or living a life of broken commandments. It’s not about fulfilling the law by keeping it. Jesus made this clear in Matthew 23:27-31. The Pharisees and Sadducees kept the law, but their inner life was empty. Lawlessness is ultimately about the intention, not the act.

[42] I specifically mention the “final nun” because in Hebrew several letters have designations for the beginning and middle of a word which are separate from how they appear at the conclusion of a word. For example, in the word “Nun” the first letter is identical as far as pronunciation and description, but it’s drawn differently at the beginning compared to how it is drawn at the end of a word.

[43] For a brief explanation, Jesus said, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.” (Matthew 22:30-31/NKJV) Jesus also says this in Mark 12:25 and Luke 20:35. If we are being restored from where we have fallen, then physical sex is a nonissue.

[44] The word Serpent in Hebrew is (nachash) which by pronunciation alludes to its meaning, to hiss. It also means to enchant or put under a magic spell.

[45] In the King James Bible the word devil is translated approximately 136 times. Of those times, only 36 are translated correctly.

[46] “Calamity, destruction, ruin, disaster, distress, vengeance, trouble, misfortune, doom, terror, downfall, peril. Apart from one reference in Ezekiel 35:5, all twenty-two occurrences of appear in poetical sections. Its use in Deuteronomy 32:35 is part of the Song of Moses, and 2 Samuel 22:19 is identical to Psalms 18:19. The expression “day of calamity” constitutes one-third of the references. It is parallel to “doom” in Deuteronomy 32:35, “day of wrath” in Job 21:30, and “the time of their punishment” in Jeremiah 46:21. Note that Ezekiel 35:5 has “the time of their calamity” parallel to “the time of their final punishment”. (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.)

[47] See footnote 1, Chapter 3 - The Infinite One, for a detailed description.

[48] One of the key reasons why ancient Hebrew lettering was abandoned and the Aramaic lettering formed, was simply due to ease of writing. For example, the reason Hebrew and Aramaic is written from right to left has nothing to do with anything spiritual. Some have said fallen man writes from left to right and God writes the opposite from right to left. Not at all! The reason was quite simple and practical: the chisel was placed in the left hand and the hammer in the right. When striking the chisel with the hammer the angle was always to the left. Eventually some of the symbols became very difficult to chisel in the ancient form, so without changing the definition of each of the letters an easier form (the Aramaic) was adapted.

[49] In most versions of the Bible, out of the approximately 120 times (hapa'am) is translated, it’s usually translated “now” less than a half-dozen times. In Hebrew the word now is (na) which means at this moment. (hapa'am) on the other hand implies more. For example, “And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Now I will praise the Lord.' Therefore she called his name Judah...” (Genesis 29:35/NKJV) This could describe a beating of the hands in the air or a type of dance with the thumping of the feet. It implies more than just saying she will praise the Lord, but the act of praising. Another good example is where the word appears twice in one sentence, “She is boisterous and rebellious, her feet do not remain at home; She is now in the streets, now in the squares, and lurks by every corner.” (Proverbs 7:11-12/NASU) The context is that this woman, who’s a harlot, “...her feet do not remain at home...” is walking (thumping her feet) in the streets, then walking (thumping her feet) in the squares.

[50] "all the storage cities that Solomon had, cities for his chariots and cities for his cavalry, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion." (1 Kings 9:19/NKJV)

[51] “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” (Matthew 7:6/NKJV)

[52] The word (aphar) is described as follows: An abundant amount of powdery substance as dust or ash. (Ancient Hebrew-Lexicon of the Bible, by Jeff Benner) “…the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?” (Nehemiah 4:2/NASU)

[53] The phrase (ta'shuwkateek) means, desire or longing. Some translations, like the New Living Translation, "And you will desire to control your husband..." and the New English Translation, "You will want to control your husband..." completely insert the concerning prejudice that has been placed upon women from the days of Greek Stoicism and later by 16th century European culture. Unfortunately this has been carried into present day, and even inserted into so-called translations. To make the point that the word translated in Genesis 3:16 means desire and has nothing to do with control let's research this a bit further. The same word is used only twice more in the Bible, one of which with regards to a relationship between a man and a woman, "I am my beloved's, and he desires me!" It's interesting that the New English Translation didn't insert "want to control" there, though it virtually says the same thing as in Genesis. The other time the word is used is when God describes the desire of sin toward Cain, "And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." (Genesis 4:7/NKJV) The word is describing a desire or longing , nothing more. "...sin lies at the door and it longs for you, but you should dominate it." The fundamental point about this longing is that it's a strong, passionate desire. It's actually the opposite than what is implied by control, "I long for you so much, I cannot control myself." This makes total sense, and it's true to the Hebrew phrase's description. First, "Your passionate desire will be for your husband." Second, "Sin's passionate desire is for you." Third, "I am my beloved's and he has passionate desire for me!"

[54] In Ephesians 5 and 1 Corinthians 11, Paul is actually referring to Aristotle’s writing called, “Politics”. The 1 Corinthians 11 section is a mockery of Corinthian practice, not an affirmation of Divine order. Paul’s opening statement is “I praise you for remembering everything I told you and for holding to the traditions that I passed on to you,” (1 Corinthians 11:2/ISV). To take Paul seriously here is absurd! Remembering everything? Paul has spent the last eleven chapters dealing with everything from division, incest, adultery, and the like. This isn’t Paul praising, but being sarcastic. He ends the section by saying, “But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.” (1 Corinthians 11:16/NKJV) This is very much about culture and liberty found in Christ. One must understand that Aristotle was a student of the famous Greek Philosopher, Plato. In Plato’s teaching, he referred to the spiritual aspects of creation and human living. Aristotle, a medical doctor, challenged his teacher’s ideas, removing the spiritual aspects from them, except in minimal form. Thus he taught from a pragmatic natural perspective. In the first section of “Politics”, Aristotle tells his audience that there is a social order to creation. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “He was the author of a philosophical and scientific system that became the framework and vehicle for both Christian Scholasticism and medieval Islamic philosophy.” Around the same time there was another philosopher named Zeno of Citium (Cyprus) who was the founder of what we call the Stoic School of Thought. Aristotle and the Stoics believed that women were inferior to men, because men had this great capacity to reason, like the Divine Mind (the source of the word [logos] as taught by Heraclitus). Since women did not have this reasoning capability, they needed a “head”, a mind. A man!

[55] See footnote, Chapter 2 – Theophanies and Messiahs.

[56] For more information on this issue see, The Divine Womb, Chapter V: The Ultimate Woman - The Church; Part Two: The Church and Greek Philosophy , pages 125-148.

[57] A burqa is what Muslim women wear in the Middle-East. It covers the face and body completely. Its purpose is to hide the sexual beauty of women, resulting in modesty, and to keep men from carnal desires. In that culture, a woman is beaten if part of her body or face is exposed, even if by accident. In Islamic countries there's what is called "modesty or moral police" which monitor such things. In some cases, a violation results in death.

[58] According to 1 Timothy 2:9, women are to appear in a “respectable/worthy demeanor” in worship. The parallel statement in v. 8 suggests their total demeanor, which can be expressed in clothing… (from Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament © 1990 by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. All rights reserved.)

[59] For more information on this issue see, The Divine Womb, Chapter V: The Ultimate Woman - The Church; Part Two: The Church and Greek Philosophy , pages 138-144.

[60] In most dictionaries, religion is defined as the service and worship of God or the supernatural. A commitment or devotion to a system of attitudes, beliefs and practices (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Yet throughout this book we will be using the word in the colloquial sense, considering the previous definitions as made by fallen man.

[61] Just for clarification, as the writer of this book, I love Christmas and Christmas trees. It is a wonderful time of the year when we can express the pleasures of giving and receiving. I am only using this as a way to make a point, how the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil gets laced into everything.

[62] "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, 'I have acquired a man from the Lord.'" (Genesis 4:1/NKJV)

[63] “[God made coats of skins] It is very likely that the skins out of which their clothing was made were taken off animals whose blood had been poured out as a sin-offering to God, for as we find Cain and Abel offering sacrifices to God, we may fairly presume that God had given them instructions on this head nor is it likely that the notion of a sacrifice could have ever occurred to the mind of man without an express revelation from God.” (from Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.) One of the great challenges we have when it comes to the interpretation of scripture is inadvertently assuming concepts and then forming doctrines as a result. Please note key phrases above, “It is very likely... we may fairly presume...” For many of us, whether laity, theologian, or writer, we may presume all we want from what we ascertain in scripture, but we should state it as a presumption and not a doctrinal fact. To build a concept that formulates fundamental doctrine, like sin-sacrifice and covenant, upon which salvation stands, is very dangerous.

[64] See Genesis 3:21 in the following paraphrases and neo-translations: NEW LIVING TRANSLATION ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale CharitableTrust; CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION ®, Copyright © 1995 American Bible Society; EASY-TO-READ VERSION, Revised Edition, copyright © 1987, 1999, 2005 World Bible Translation Center; GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION, Today's English Version, Second Edition, Copyright © 1992 American Bible Society; GOD'S WORD Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations Bible Society; NEW CENTURY VERSION, Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Copyright © 1992 American Bible Society; TODAY'S ENGLISH VERSION, First Edition, Copyright © 1976

[65] When we interpret scripture solely from a “branch” perspective, as pointed out in a previous chapter, we start running into trouble quite quickly. Not to mention if we are going to use the Law of First Mention of Hermeneutics, we also violate the law by doing what I call backwards hermeneutics. This happens when we have an instance in scripture that occurs later and then we try to relate it to scripture in reverse. In other words, if something occurs in Numbers, we go back to Genesis and say, Genesis probably meant what Numbers is saying. On the other hand, when the scripture specifically states a particular meaning and relates it backward itself, then the scripture has brought the definition to what occurred and created the relationship itself. For example: “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6/NKJV) In this scripture the Apostle Paul relates “the Light” that was commanded to shine out of darkness, to “the Light” that is in the face of Jesus Christ, which is now shining in our hearts. Paul relates the Light as Christ to Genesis, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3/NKJV) When we look at scripture from this standpoint we will find it’s not “backward”, though it may appear that way in our minds. We’ll find this is a development of thought through the scripture which brings us where it does within the New Testament. At that point it’s safe to go back and find the connections and see how God developed His revelation. The Adam receiving their physical bodies (coats of skin) sets up the eventual need for human blood sacrifice.

[66] See Chapter 9 - The Two Trees, the section dealing with Ezekiel 31.

[67] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Copyright 2013 - thraldom can also be spelled thralldom.

[68] Net worth totals taken as of May 2012 from Forbes Magazine. This not to say that Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, or J.K. Rowling are not altruistic or benevolent. It’s just to make a point by saying that the Genesis curse is not simply referring to a physical world, but to the Garden itself.

[69] “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-5/NKJV)

[70] “But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:2-5/NKJV)

[71] “Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.” (Matthew 27:32-33/NKJV)

[72] “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45/NKJV)

[73] In Aramaic, the spelling of Gethsemane is almost identical to the Hebrew except with out the (final mem).

[74] “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44/NKJV) The phrase, “His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down” is i(drw\$ au)tou= w(sei\ qro/mboi ai$$$$mato$ katabai/nonto$ (hidroe¡s autoú hoeseí thrómboi haímatos katabaínontos) which literally means, “…His sweat as if clots of blood fell down…” The emphasis in the verse is on the clots of blood. While it is startling to think of such pressure where someone sweats droplets of blood, try grasping clots of blood! This seems almost inhuman, but that is the point.

[75] Refer to Chapter 8 - The Faces of Lucifer , Part 3: I Will Be Like God.

[76] Refer to Chapter 10 - The Adam and Religion , fourth paragraph. In addition, even Strong’s Concordance 2563/2564 suggests “bitumen” as a description of clay.

[77] Refer to Chapter 5 – In Beginning , Part 3: In “Beginning.”

[78] “He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.” (Genesis 5:2/NKJV)

[79] Originally (Giy Ben-Hinnom) “Valley of the Son of Hinnom”, first mentioned in Joshua 15:8. It was where both the pagan and idolatrous Hebrews offered their children to Moloch as a fiery sacrifice. By literal translation “the Gorge of the Son of Great Wailing.”

[80] The Four Gospels seem to each have a different aspect of the resurrection story. The synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) all present a similar case, but from a general point of view. The Gospel of John, however, has a completely different approach in writing style and content compared to the others. This is why John’s Gospel is not classified as a synopsis. Throughout John’s writing, he never approaches an incident from an overview perspective, but with telling detail. The same is true with His version of the Resurrection. While the entire resurrection story in the longest version of the synoptic Gospels (Luke) totals twelve verses, John’s account is almost double that with interactive dialogue.

[81] Refer to Chapter 7 – The Light and the Darkness , Endnote #6.

[82] Refer to Chapter 11 – The Reign of Death and the Cross , Introductory paragraphs.

[83] One of the most important theologians of the 3rd century, Hippolytus of Rome, first coined the phrase. He was a disciple of Polycarp, who was the personal disciple of the Apostle John, the writer of the Gospel, the three epistles that bear his name and the book of the Revelation. For more details on this refer to the author’s book, The Divine Womb – The Prophetic Purpose of Women in the New Millennium; Chapter 2 – Gestation – Mary Magdalene .

[84] The “Ministry of Death” (also called the “ministry of condemnation”) is the apostolic expression that Paul uses to describe the Commandments, the Levitical priesthood, its sacrifices and its temple. “But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.” (2 Corinthians 3:7-11/NKJV)

[85] Works of Josephus: Wars of the Jews – Book IV, Chapter 1:3 “But Vespasian removed from Emmaus, where he had last pitched his camp before the city Tiberias, (now Emmaus, if it be interpreted, may be rendered "a warm bath," for therein is a spring of warm water, useful for healing,) and came to Gamala; yet was its situation such that he was not able to encompass it all round with soldiers to watch it; but where the places were practicable, he set men to watch it, and seized upon the mountain which was over it.”

[86] Examples of the usage of ((chammat): “Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides.” (Genesis 27:44) “I will send wasting famine against them, consuming pestilence and deadly plague; I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.” (Deuteronomy 32:24) “Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears.” (Psalms 58:4) (All preceding verses, NIV) “For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the Lord was wrathful against you in order to destroy you, but the Lord listened to me that time also. (Deuteronomy 9:19/NASU)

[87] “Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God.” (Galatians 2:18-20/NLT)

[88] Throughout the Old Testament, religious tradition usually has the father naming the children. But a significant anomaly occurs in Genesis. The first time a child is named, it’s done so by Eve, the woman, and not Adam, the man. (va’ha’adam yadah et-chavah ish’tow vatahar vateeled et-Kayin vato’mer kaniytiy ish et-Yahweh) “And the Adam knew Eve his woman and she conceived and she birthed Cain, and she said, ‘I have gotten a man with Yahweh.’” The phrase (kaniytiy) is the name (kayin) Cain. If we employ the Hermeneutical Law of First Mention, this sets a Divine precedent for the future. This is no different than, “So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, ‘The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.’” (Genesis 29:32/NKJV) Ruben meaning, Look a son, from the statement, “The Lord has surely looked on…” Note also that the sons of Jacob were named by Leah and Rachel, not by their father.

[89] Definitely the most misunderstood word in the New Testament. When we think of sin, the usual definition ascribed is “the missing of the mark.” This is taken from the Hebraic word, (chata’ah) which literally means, measuring cord. It was a cord that was used to measure how far an object was from another. Thus, if you attempted to hit a mark and missed, this cord would be used to measure how far off you were. When we think of missing the mark, we usually think of the commandments. When we fail to keep them, we miss the mark or we sin. Because of the commandments and the missing of their mark, this has become the “commonly” accepted definition. However, the word (chata’ah) existed long before there were the Ten Commandments or the additional 603. So what was the mark we were missing if there wasn’t Law and its commandments? The only answer is the Garden and the Adam, who was supposed to be the Image and Likeness of God. The only line of measurement prior to the Law was Likeness. Either you were His Image or you weren’t. Needless to say, none of us after the fall were. By letter definition the Hebrew opens to us an expanded meaning. The first letter is the (chet), which is a wall or closed doorway. Then the (tet) which is a container, usually representing containing something good that’s hidden, like a pregnant woman. Then there is the (aleph) which is strength, the strong leader and that which is above represented beneath. It is the first letter in the Hebrew words for God, Adam and strength. The last letter is the (hey) which means stop and look, the open door and revelation. When you put these together, you have the closed door, behind which is contained the hidden good, the strong leader that is from above reflected beneath, look at the revelation, to the door. The concept is this (chata’ah) condition walls up, or keeps the door closed, preventing us from seeing the strong leader which is from above. In short, it’s the Likeness of God that can’t be seen. Sin is really about us not seeing and resembling the Image of God. When we move to the New Testament, this concept is employed by the Apostles when they use the word, (hamarteései). This word has two parts. First is the (alpha) a negative particle, which means it negates what follows like the English words, no or not. The next word is (meros), which means portion, share or part of something, like a part of the human body. Thus the word (hamarteései) or its root (hamartano), means not part of, or having no share or portion. We adapted the legalistic definition rather than its true definition based on the Hebrew word prior to the Law. Note: “Secular Greek. From the root (s) mer, ‘to get or have a share,’ méros means ‘part’ in such varied senses as ‘district,’ ‘department,’ ‘army division,’ ‘political party,’ ‘party at law,’ ‘portion,’ ‘allotted destiny,’ and ‘fixed time or place.’ … Philo teaches the Stoic harmony of the parts. The parts share in the totality only for the sake of the totality, and the truly perfect good is a whole.” (from Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, abridged edition, Copyright © 1985 by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. All rights reserved.)

[90] This is probably one of the most misused scriptures in the entire New Testament. But if we let the language and context speak for itself, it will make sense. This opening statement wasn’t a commendation, but sarcasm. “I praise you for remembering everything I told you and for holding to the traditions that I passed on to you.” (1 Corinthians 11:2/ISV) Really? If we believe that, then we need to re-read the entire epistle up to this point. From the outset Paul said, “…I plead with you, brethren…that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you… for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 1:10; 3:3-4/NKJV) This is no commendation from Paul (or as the Greek literally says, an applauding), this is the continuation of the correction. To be clear, the correction is NOT about the stoic order of hierarchy, which would be Zeus over the gods, the gods over man, the man over women and so forth, which the Corinthian church repackaged as God over Christ, Christ over man, man over woman. This comes directly from the Greek culture, not from the Melchizedekian priesthood and certainly not from Christ. There is clearly no such order in Christ whatsoever. In conclusion, Paul says, (Ei dé tis dokeí filóneikos eínai, hēmeís toiaútēn sunétheian ouk échomen oudé hai ekklésíai toú theoú.) “If but any person seems to be fond of strife, we truly do not hold this custom, nor the called-out of God.”

[91] The word (charis) is used approximately 156 times in the New Testament. Of that number, 136 times the words grace or favor are used. The other 20 times words like, thanks, gift, benefit, and liberality are used. (charis) comes from the word (chairo), used approximately 75 times in the New Testament, translated usually as rejoice. In secular Greek it means to feel pleasure or joy. In Greek philosophy this is actually regarded in a negative fashion because of the belief that emotion clouds the Divine Thought.

[92] Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.

[93] The word good appears approximately 248 times in the King James New Testament (using the KJV as the benchmark, being that most modern protestant theology still comes from it as a source). Of those appearances, (agathos) occurs approximately 99 times and (kalos) occurs about 80 times. Thus of the 248 times the word is used, 179 times can fall into either of these two categories. The remaining 69 fall into the categories of other words that can mean something similar or are compound words using (agathos) or (kalos).

[94] The two Greek words used for “means of exercised naked” are (aisthete¡ria gegumnasména). (aisthete¡ria) refers to the organs we sense with. In the physical it would be the five senses, but here we are speaking solely of the spiritual senses, and how we comprehend that reality. The word (gegumnasména) directly references Greek athletics. When the athletes competed in the original Olympics in Greece, they did do so completely naked. The purpose was so all could observe the conditioning and fitness of the body as it performed. In the same manner, the writer of Hebrews is referring to our spiritual senses of perception being properly conditioned. The reference to Greek athletics has a twofold meaning. First, that the mature person is properly conditioned. Second, it refers back to the Garden where the Adam was naked and not ashamed. The state of nakedness was a state of wisdom.

[95] Many older translations of the Old Testament refer to the force or craving behind a transgression as iniquity. Thus, transgression is the breaking of a commandment, and iniquity is why you broke it. The Good News in Christ is that “…He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities…” (Isaiah 53:5/NKJV). In Him, it’s all covered!

[96] The word (didachés) only appears four times in the book of Hebrews: 5:12, 6:2, 8:11 and 13:9.

[97] A study on this topic is at least an entire chapter in itself. However, here are a few examples. The standard would seem to be baptism in water first, followed by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. After all, this is what the disciples experienced. They were baptized in water and then were filled with the Spirit in Acts 2. In Acts 8:14-17 we see people baptized into Christ, followed by the laying on of hands and being filled with the Spirit. However, just when you think you have the process worked out, God changes the sequence. In Acts 10:44-48, while Peter is preaching in Cornelius’s home, the Holy Spirit falls on the listeners, they speak with tongues and prophecy and Peter turns to the Jewish believers that came with him saying, “‘Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?’ So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” (NLT) At this point in the Jewish/Christian community, rules and regulations about coming to Christ and receiving the Spirit were being established. The problem is that, in Christ, rules of any kind will result in methods and works, not a revelation of the expression of Christ through the person. So God intentionally upset the sequence that was familiar to them, revealing that Grace is still Grace.

[98] Please refer to Chapter 12 – Shattered Image, Splintered Likeness: Part 3 Resurrecting and Reforming the Vessel for proper translation of “…so also [is] Christ.”

[99] Most English translations site the address of the verse as Joel 2:28, however in the Tanak (the Hebrew text) the address is Joel 3:1.

[100] (Eeloha mitereeyman va’kadosh meehar-paran seelah kissah shamayim hodo uwt’hillato mal’ah ha’arets)

[101] (la’phanayv yeelek daveer va’yeetsee reesheeph la’rag’layv)

[102] Refer to Chapter 12 – Shattered Image, Splintered Likeness, Part 1: In the Garden Again.

[103] “…by the 4th century, Christians tended to regard Jews as an alien people who, because of their repudiation of Christ and His Church, were condemned to perpetual migration (a belief best illustrated in the legend of the ‘Wandering Jew’). When the Christian Church became dominant in the Roman Empire, its leaders inspired many laws by Roman emperors designed to segregate Jews and curtail their freedoms when they appeared to threaten Christian religious domination. As a consequence, Jews were increasingly forced to the margins of European society. Enmity toward the Jews was expressed most acutely in the Church’s teaching of contempt. From St. Augustine in the 4th century to Martin Luther in the 16th, some of the most eloquent and persuasive Christian theologians excoriated the Jews as rebels against God and murderers of the Lord. They were described as

companions of the Devil and a race of vipers. Church liturgy, particularly the scriptural readings for the Good Friday commemoration of the Crucifixion contributed to the enmity. … The idea that the Jews were evil persisted in the Protestant Reformation. Luther’s reliance on the Bible as the sole source of Christian authority on fed his fury toward Jews for their rejection of Jesus. ‘We are at fault for not slaying them,’ he wrote. ‘Rather we allow them to live freely in our midst despite their murder, cursing, blaspheming, lying and defaming.’ Such views were emphasized by the Nazis. They were renounced by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1994.” – Encyclopedia Britannica, Digital Edition 2013.

[104] The word judgment is used approximately 76 times in the New Testament, and there are eleven different words used to describe it.. Their meanings range from an opinion to a court room. The three most common words are (krima), meaning decision, (krisis), meaning that process which makes a decision, and bh=ma (bema), meaning a platform in a public square. These can be related or not, depending upon the context.

[105] See Homer’s Odyssey, Book 11

[106] In some translations it appears that bh=ma (beema) is used twice as it relates to Christ: Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:10. However, in Romans 14:10, other than the Textus Receptus, the phrase (bé¡mati toú theoú) is, “…the judgment seat of God.”

[107] In one sentence Paul sums up the previous four chapters. “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” [KJV] The word, eirene , means peace, to join. God does not love us more now that we are reconciled to him; we are now free to realize how much He loved us all along! [Col 2:14, Rom 4:25] Reconciliation comes from katalasso , meaning a mutual exchange of equal value. The Thayer Definition is: to exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value. “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” [RSV] – Toit, Francois Du (2012-07-02). Mirror Bible, Mirror Word Publishing

[108] “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ... But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” (Romans 7:4, 6/NKJV)

[109] This powerful statement made by Paul has been used to create fear within believers to the point where they’re either afraid of being condemned, or are self-condemning, which only serves to reintroduce a sin-consciousness. The Lord’s Table should be the place where all these are eliminated from our minds, both condemnation and sin-consciousness. “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” (1 Corinthians 11:31-32/NKJV) (ei dé heautoús diekrínomen, ouk án ekrinómetha: krinómenoi dé hupó [toú] kuríou paideuómetha, hína me¡ sún toe¡ kósmoe katakrithoe¡men.) “If but ourselves were discriminating (or doubting), we would not be called into question. Being evaluated [discerned] but of the Lord, we are instructed (like children) [so] not that with the system we would be condemned.” It’s interesting to point out the word (diekrínomen) is the same word that is used in Mark 11:23 “…whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart…” In Romans 4:20 “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief…” In James 1:6 “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea…” Doubt and waver in the NKJV is the same word as judged in 1 Corinthians 11:31.

[110] Galatians 2:20; see also Galatians 5:18, The Christ life is the dominant authority in the universe! – Toit, Francois Du (2012-07-02). Mirror Bible Mirror Word Publishing.

[111] See Chapter 11 – The Reign of Death and the Cross, Part 1: The Death Sleep Descent.

[112] See Chapter 10 – The Adam and Religion

[113] “The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.” (Exodus 24:17) “And you said: 'Surely the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives.’” (Deuteronomy 5:24) “When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” (2 Chronicles 7:1) [All verses from NKJV.]

[114] Refer to Chapter 11 – The Reign of Death and the Cross; Part 1: The Death Sleep Descent.

[115] “And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, ‘For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.’ Thus his father wept for him.” (Genesis 37:35/NKJV)

[116] she’ol) means unknown, because it comes from the root word (sha’al) which means to question or inquire. In other words, one who is unknowing will inquire of one who knows the answer.

[117] To be precise, of the 23 times in the KJV, (Hades) is used 10 times, (Gehenna) is used 12 times, and (Tartaroo) is used once, in 1 Peter 2:4.

[118] Refer to Chapter 12 – The Shattered Vessel Reformed; Part 2: Waving the Spiritual Red Flag.

[119] In the Gospel of John the word Hell is never used.

[120] Hypocrite comes directly from the Greek word (hupokrites), which is the actor in Greek theater that wears the mask. Many of us are familiar with the two masks, one with a smile and the other with a frown, representing comedy and tragedy. Masks similar to that were used by actors in Greek theater who in some cases had several parts or narrated the story. The main actors would not wear masks and were called (poietes), which is where we get the word, poet. In Greek theater the poet was the actor who gave form and shape to the text of the play. This is why the Apostle James writes: “But be doers (poets) of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22/NKJV) Thus, James was not advocating works from the standpoint of simply doing what the text says. If that were the case we would be in danger of being a (hupokrites) Rather, he would have us become (poietes), giving form and shape to the Word of God, by becoming before doing.

[121] “On the last day of the festival,” Hoshana Rabbah, literally, “on the last day, the great, of the festival.” Greek megalē (“great”) corresponds to Hebrew rabbah. The seventh, last day of Sukkot was its climax. Throughout the seven days of the festival a special cohen had carried water in a gold pitcher from the Pool of Shiloach (Siloam) to be poured into a basin at the foot of the altar by the cohen hagadol. It symbolized prayer for rain, which begins the next day, on Sh’mini Atzeret; and it also pointed toward the outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh on the people of Israel. The rabbis associated the custom with Isaiah 12:3, “With joy shall you draw water from the wells of salvation.” (In a suggestive reflection of how the holiday used to be celebrated, today's Moroccan Jews pour water on each other at Sukkot.) On the seventh day the water pouring was accompanied by cohanim blowing gold trumpets, L’vi’im singing sacred songs, and ordinary people waving their lulavs and chanting the Hallel (Psalms 113-118), which includes in its closing verses: ‘Adonai, please save us! [Hebrew Hoshia‘ na or Hoshana] Adonai, please prosper us! Blessed is he who comes in the name of Adonai! We have blessed you out of the house of Adonai.God is Adonai, and he has given us light.’” (Psalm 118:25-27) (from Jewish New Testament Commentary Copyright © 1992 by David H. Stern.)

[122] In light of all the wonderful things that Finis Jennings Dake gave to us theologically in the Pentecostal world at the beginning of the 20th Century, one of the most unbiblical statements he made and upon which built an entire Christian mythology with no theological or linguistic reference, is in his writing, Eighty-nine Proofs of A Divine Trinity. “If all other spirit beings have spirit bodies, could not the members of the Trinity also have spirit bodies? The 284 passages on spirits in Scripture prove that spirit bodies are just as real and capable of operation in the material worlds as are flesh bodies. There is no such thing as a world of creations made up of invisible substance. The so-called spirit world must be understood simply as spirit beings inhabiting material worlds created by God. Heaven itself is a material planet (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 11:10-16), having cities, mansions, furniture, inhabitants, living conditions, etc.” (from Dake Annotated Reference Bible © 2007 by Dake Publishing. All rights reserved in U.S.A. and Other Countries.) For the record, when checking the 284 references Dake equates as proof to spirit beings having spirit bodies, there are none. He himself uses the phrase “spirit bodies” or “spirit body” in reference to particular verses only eleven times. They are; Genesis 19:10 (which references angels in physical form, not as spirits); Exodus 33:18, 20 & 23 (when God speaks to Moses regarding His glory, and Moses not seeing His face. Note reference after this list of verses); Numbers 12:8 (where Balaam’s donkey saw the Angel of the Lord. It’s interesting that Dake chose this verse to validate his point, because if it was a form that could be seen, then clearly Balaam should have seen it); Psalms 138:4 (“…they hear the words of your mouth.” Dake actually attempts to make his point by this rationalization, “If God is an abstract, bodiless Being (as some teach) where would His words come from?” [Ibid]); Luke 22:3 (This is where Satan enters Judas. Dake actually contradicts the scripture by disposing it in his note, “Satan, as an angel, could not possibly enter physically into Judas, for he has his own personal spirit body as big as a man.” [Ibid]) John 4:24 (“…God is a spirit…” though there is no mention of a spiritual or physical body of any kind in the verse); John 5:18 (“The Jews sought all the more to kill Him… [because He made] Himself equal with God.” Dake again rationalizes, “Before becoming man, Jesus was equal with both the Father and the Holy Spirit. He had a spirit body and all the natural attributes and powers like them…” [Ibid] So how do we derive a spirit body from the phrase, “equal with God”, unless we assume something the scripture doesn’t state?); 1 Corinthians 15:44 (“It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” Here is probably the best case for Dake’s argument because the scripture actually states, “spiritual body,” but if we take this to mean only our physical body becoming a spiritual one, we have to take the verse out of context. The context of the verse is in reference to being “in Christ” rather than being “in Adam”. See 1 Corinthians 15:22); Colossians 1:15 (“He is the image of the invisible God…” Jesus Christ is the physical image of the invisible God, exactly what it says, however Dake makes this statement in his note on this verse, “That God has a body, a spirit body, like angels and other spirit beings is clear from note, John 4:24.” [Ibid] He validates his point by referencing his previous footnote where there is no mention of a spiritual body of any kind); Revelation 4:2 (referencing the Apostle John being in the Spirit and seeing a throne set in Heaven. Dake again inserts a “belief” he has into the commentary, “God as a person can sit on a literal throne, for He has a spirit body as all spirits. …If people without their bodies can be clothed, exist in spirit form and be confined to material places such as hades and the altar in heaven; and if other spirit beings can be confined to tartarus and the abyss, etc., it is reasonable to believe that God as a Spirit being can sit on a literal throne.” [Ibid] How do we surmise that Heaven and Hades are material places? How can spirit be material? Even if you choose to believe it, the conclusion is still a “belief,” still concluding with “it is reasonable to believe…”). The purpose of taking the extent of this exploration is that from this position on spirit bodies, Dake leaps to the conclusion that Heaven is a planet. “The age of the ages — from the end of the Millennium (Revelation 20:4-10) into all eternity when God will move His capital city from the planet Heaven to the planet Earth to reign forever” (Ibid). This is very Greek in its belief system and truly espouses the mythology with its multiplicity of gods and goddesses. It simply redefines Zeus as the Trinity and Olympus as the New Jerusalem. For the record, here is how over 4,000 years of Hebraic thought interpreted Moses seeing God’s face: My face. This simile refers to a complete and unadulterated perception of God. To achieve this was impossible, but God would allow Moses to see Him from the back (v. 23), meaning a vague degree of perception. The distinction between these degrees of vision is like the difference between seeing a person's face clearly and merely glimpsing him from behind.” (The Chumash: ArtScroll Series / Stone Edition, Copyright 1993 by Mesorah Publications.)

[123] In speaking to the Pharisees and chief priests, when Jesus referenced the right eye and hand, they knew the famous scripture from Zechariah, “Woe to the worthless shepherd, who leaves the flock! A sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye; His arm shall completely wither, and his right eye shall be totally blinded.” (Zechariah 11:17/NKJV)

[124] Refer to Chapter 7 – The Light and the Darkness; Part 1: The Creature’s Fulfillment.

[125] Refer to Chapter 15 – The Foundations of a New Priesthood; Part 4: Resurrections and Eternal Judgment.

[126] Refer to Chapter 7 – The Light and the Darkness; Part 1: The Creature’s Fulfillment.

[127] (abaddown) appears in the Old Testament six times: Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; Psalms 88:11; Proverbs 15:11; and Proverbs 27:20. All these scriptures include some kind of reference to (sheol). In the New Testament the same is applicable in verb form and is used approximately 90 times, translated as destroy, perish, spilled and lost.

[128] Refer to Chapter 7 – The Light and the Darkness; Part 1: The Creature’s Fulfillment.

[129] In quantum theory, the easiest way to explain this is through an experiment known as Schrödinger’s Cat. “We place a living cat into a steel chamber, along with a device containing a vial of hydrocyanic acid. There is, in the chamber, a very small amount of hydrocyanic acid, a radioactive substance. If even a single atom of the substance decays during the test period, a relay mechanism will trip a hammer, which will, in turn, break the vial and kill the cat. The observer cannot know whether or not an atom of the substance has decayed, and consequently, cannot know whether the vial has been broken, the hydrocyanic acid released, and the cat killed. Since we cannot know, according to quantum law, the cat is both dead and alive, in what is called a superposition of states. It is only when we break open the box and learn the condition of the cat that the superposition is lost, and the cat becomes one or the other (dead or alive). This situation is sometimes called quantum indeterminacy or the observer's paradox : the observation or measurement itself affects an outcome, so that the outcome as such does not exist unless the measurement is made. (That is, there is no single outcome unless it is observed.) We know that superposition actually occurs at the subatomic level, because there are observable effects of interference, in which a single particle is demonstrated to be in multiple locations simultaneously.” Written by Ivy Wigmore and Margaret Rose, 2011. For a fun, visual explanation, see this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOYyCHGWJq4&noredirect=1

[130] Refer to Chapter 12 – The Shattered Vessel Reformed; Part 2: Waving the Spiritual Red Flag.

[131] (kairos) The now moment. The decisive point. Can be a point in time or a span of time. The chronology is irrelevant. In Hebrew, the word for prayer, for example: “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight…” (Exodus 33:13/NKJV) is (na) which means pray and is also the word for now. To pray is enter into the eternal now.