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God has provided that the blood, as a vital power, automatically and ceaselessly carries on its work within us. He has so inseparably bound together the Holy Ghost and the blood that we may rely on Him to make the power of the blood ceaselessly effective in us by the power of the Spirit.

~Andrew Murray

The blood possesses its power to cleanse and to make us fit to serve the living God by the Eternal Spirit who was in our Lord when He shed His blood. This does not mean merely that the Holy Ghost was in the Lord Jesus and bestowed on His person and His blood a divine worth. It is much more than that – it indicates that the shedding of His blood was brought about by the Eternal Spirit, and that the Spirit lived and worked in that blood. As a result, when the blood was shed it could not decay as a dead thing, but as a living reality it could be taken up to heaven, to exercise its divine power from thence…

~Andrew Murray

The blood and the Spirit are inseparable, for only through the blood can the Spirit dwell in man.

~Andrew Murray

The Spirit and the blood bear witness together…

~Andrew Murray

The Holy Ghost

He is the Blood of Jesus

Derick Virgil, PhD

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that you refuse not him that speaketh.

Hebrew 12:24, 25a

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© 2011 Derick Virgil, PhD. All rights reserved.

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First published by AuthorHouse 08/18/2011

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Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Emphasis within Scripture quotations is the author’s own. Please note that the author’s style capitalizes certain pronouns in Scripture that refer to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and may differ from other publisher’s styles.

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

The Hypothesis

Introduction

The Blood of Flesh Has a Voice!

Chapter 1

Adam’s Stain / Our Stain

Chapter 2

Water into Wine

Chapter 3

The Spirit, The Water, & The Blood: Symbols of the Overcoming Life

Chapter 4

The Witness is The Blood

Chapter 5

The Life of Your Flesh is in Your Blood!

Chapter 6

The Ghost of His Flesh is in Our Blood

Chapter 7

The Holy Ghost: The Blood, The Altar, The Sacrifice and The Fire

Chapter 8

The Soul (Mind) of Jesus’ Flesh is in the Believer’s Blood

Chapter 9

We Must Be Filled to Overflowing!

Chapter 10

Jesus Paid It All! His Soul Saved Our Souls!

Books on the Blood:

An Allegorical Picture of Our Communion with God

For My Ma, Lubertha Virgil, my Spiritual and Natural Mother

&

My Big Sister Valarie –

Open arms and wisdom were all I knew from you two.

Save a place for us at God’s Table.

Love You Always.

Acknowledgements

This book would not have been possible without the help and inspiration of many people. To the following, I give my sincerest thanks: My Pop, Mack Virgil, Educator, Principal, Deacon, and my greatest role model; my sister and brother –in –law who have been continuous supporters, Anita and Mike Perkins and my inspirations, my niece Natalie and nephew Aaron; My cousin and prayer partner, Minister Crystal Whiting, her husband Mike and family; I appreciate you. My little brother, the Dentist in Dallas, Darian L. Hampton, DDS (www.thehamptonsdental.com); Proud of you man! My friend and editing partner, Lory King; You’ve done so much – thank you. Marvin Eans – Man this cover! How did you know?! Awesome!

My younger brothers in the fight to realize God’s dreams for us (whose names read like a list of Bible heroes!): David Taylor, Joshua Curtis, Noble Headley, Courtney Bowlds, Keenan Davis, Frank Scott II, Jeremy Webb, Terrell Jones, Harry Pickett, Tone-Tone Webb, Shawn Davis, Ryan Davis and Geroedt Huggins;

My brothers in the faith that have impacted my life: Pastor (and cousin) Bill Carver III, Pastor Paul Blue, Commander Michael Davidson, Pastor Michael Whiting, Minister Frank Bailey, John Allen, Byron Daniels, Pastor Dr. Bernard Grant, Pastor James P. Tharrington, Jr., Augustus Corbett, Esq., Elder Quinton Smith, Pastor Patricio Wilson, Pastor Rodney Barlow, Pastor Lester Woods, Pastor Howard Sanders, Minister Travis Jones, Elder Tony Watkins, Stuart Bamby, and Larry G. Peterson Sr. (Painter-Man!);

Thanks to my friend Frederick Van Swearingen for his help in clarifying the Physics and Math principles…thanks to all my friends at WSSU, BSU, Mizzou, and NCA&T;

Thanks to Rita Pompey for your editing help also! Thanks to Dr. Candace McAlpine, MD for explaining to me what blood actually does in the body. I appreciate you Dr. C!

My Pastors and Teachers that have influenced me directly for the good over all of these years: Bishop Hector McEachern Senior and Grandma McEachern (My late grandfather and grandmother), Bishop Lonnie Sessoms, Pastor J.O. Williams, the late Pastor R.E. Williams, our current pastor, Dr. W.E. Parker (and my family at Pleasant Grove Church of Christ, Fayetteville, NC,) Apostle Otis Lockett (and my family at Evangel Fellowship, Greenboro, NC and Triad Christian Center, Highpoint, NC), Peter Awute, Bishop Mark Chironna, Bishop Wellington Boone, Bishop Larry Jackson, Pastor Bryan Crute, Bishop Garland Hunt, Pastor Woodrow Walker, Dr. Joseph Ripley, Bishop Raphael Green ( and my family at Metro Christian Worship Center in St. Louis, MO- thanks for the support Pastor Ray), The Late Pastor Williams and the present Pastor JJ Jackson of Kings Temple in Clarksdale MS, Pastor Freeman, Pastor Roderick L. Williams, (and all my church families in Columbia, MO) Sr., Bishop S. Michael and Pastor Denise S. Millben (and my family at Christ Temple Global Ministries, Muncie IN), Pastor Frank Scott Senior, Sister Vicki Shields, Sister Doris Hutchison, Sister Lessie McLaurin, Sister Bea Foster, Pastor Kathy Williams, Pastor Kevin Woodgett, Bishop Tudor Bismarck, Bishop J.C. Hash, Bishop Sheldon McCarter… I thank you for your integrity, love and training.

Thanks to these Teachers and Ministers that have added to my life indirectly but immensely: The Late Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Charles Capps, Charles Stanley, the Late John Osteen, Jack Hayford, Pat Robertson, The Late Oral Roberts, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Marilyn Hickey, Myles Monroe, TD Jakes, Noel Jones, Creflo Dollar, Bill Winston, Perry Stone, Chuck Swindoll, Michael Murdock, Joel Osteen, Robyn and Marilyn Gool, Jefferson Edwards, the late Rabbi Abraham Joshua Herschel, Dr. Cornell West, Joyce Meyers, Dr. Ben Carson and many others.

A special thanks to my Aunts and Uncles, cousins, “c-nieces” and “c-nephews, ” brothers and sisters-in-law especially: The Progenitors: Aunt Lois Butler, Aunt Emma Willis, Aunt Eva Smith (she’s an author too!), my late Aunt Inez Carver, Uncle (Pastor) Lloyd Butler (one of my greatest mentors), Uncle Hector McEachern, Jr., Uncle (Coach)William Carver, my late uncle Jimmy McEachern, my late Uncles Aldro Virgil and Uncle T. and all of their families. And for every friend and family member I didn’t mention by name, while I often have you on my mind and in my prayers, I always have you in my heart.

For Andrew Murray, the preeminent forerunner in understanding the Power of Jesus’ Blood, and a man after God’s own heart, whose writings and work inspired this work greatly…he saw this truth…

For John G. Lake, also an inspiration, whose work is undisputed and a true evidence of God’s Life in the flesh of man…

For Billy Graham, our modern-day Moses…

And Most of All, To the Father God, His Son, Jesus Christ and the Precious Holy Ghost, Our Omnipotent and Loving God - thank You for the opportunity to hopefully re-present an accurate snapshot of the Eternal Life you provide for us and in us through Your Blood. Any and all Glory belongs to You.

Derick Virgil, Winston-Salem NC, September 28, 2008

Yom Kippur, Jewish Day of Atonement

Preface

The Hypothesis

Perhaps the most powerful application of blood evidence is the ability to absolutely eliminate a person as a potential suspect in a crime.

~ George Schiro, Forensic Scientist

God reveals Himself to those who wait on Him, seek to know Him, and set their thoughts on Him constantly…

~ A. W. Tozer, Christian Writer, Pastor

In television dramas about Crime Scene Investigations, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation® for example, one of the fascinations for most people watching the show is how blood is such a great witness to the crime. Though the crime scene may be “clean” and though there may seem to be no sign of the transgression, the blood of the victim is often the most powerful witness of a violent crime or murder. Once it is discovered, it can lead you to the truth of who is the perpetrator and who is the victim; who is innocent and who is guilty. Well, there is a mystery concerning a 2000 year old violent crime (though perpetrated through legal means) that requires just such an investigation…

“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus…”

This phrase from the popular Baptist hymn by composer/ preacher Robert Lowry is a veritable staple of the Christian belief system. Every Bible believing Christian understands generally that Jesus’ shed blood redeems a sinner from sin.

Christians understand that faith in Jesus’ sacrifice of His Life gives believers a right to eternal life. That is good, solid, common knowledge within “the Church” or the “Body of Christ.” It is based on these scriptures as well as others…

I John 1:7 ~King James Version (KJV)

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Revelation 1:5

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood…

It seems Christians have just assumed, correctly I believe, that this process of being washed by “the Blood of the Lamb” is a mysterious spiritual process by which the Blood of Jesus covers, cleanses and redeems us from sin. Christians know that this process of redemption has to be a spiritual event, because I do not believe that any Christian has ever expected to literally be covered with the sticky, red substance that flowed from Jesus’ physical veins on the cross!

It must be a spiritual event!

And it is!

But what is this spiritual phenomenon that allows Jesus’ natural (yet heavenly) Blood to come to me as a Christian from the cross for my redemption 2000 years later? And how does it redeem me? Well, I wanted to know, so I asked God about that, as well as some other things. After all, the Bible does say in James 1:5 from the New Living Translation (NLT)…

If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.

My series of inquiries really began in 1976 and I believe I have received some answers. Some of the more specific questions I asked were:

• How are we as mortal men, born in sin, actually saved from Adam’s sin and made to be relatives, the sons and daughters, of the Divine Father God through this sinless Blood of His Son?

• Why must we be “washed” by Jesus’ Blood, what does that mean and how does that occur?

• What is the “Blood of Jesus” such that it becomes the “currency” that “redeems” our souls?

• Why did Jesus turn the water into wine? Does this have anything to do with blood?

• What is the significance of Moses turning the waters of Egypt into blood by the power of God? Is it prophetically related to Jesus’ sacrifice?

• What are some of the effects of praying in “unknown tongues,” or “praying in the Spirit” or a praying in a personal heavenly “prayer language?” What is that all about really? How is this related to the “Blood?”

• What must we know and have faith in to ensure our participation in the “Rapture?” What is the Rapture?

• What is the Holy Grail? To what should it truly refer?

• Why is the Holy Ghost represented in scripture as a dove?

I believe God has practical answers for these questions and more. That is why this book was written; to reveal these mysteries of the ages. I wanted to share with you what I believe God shared with me.

For years we have known that “the Blood of Jesus” is pivotal in our redemption as Christians but have seldom even considered what exactly this “Blood” is and why “It” is so significant. This book invites readers to come with the author on a virtual Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) at the foot of the cross and across the pages of Scripture to examine and determine the true nature of Jesus’ shed Blood! So let us begin immediately with evidence collection.

The Book of Romans in the Bible explains our (Mankind’s) situation like this…

Romans 3:23-26 ~ New Living Translation (NLT)

23 For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

24 Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins.

25 For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times.

26 And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.

A different version of the Bible says it like this…

Romans 3:23-26 ~The Amplified Bible (AMP)

23Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives.

24[All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,

25Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation[1] by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.

26It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time (in the now season) that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies and accepts as righteous him who has [true] faith in Jesus.

This section of scripture explains a great deal to us concerning our human condition and its origins according to the Bible, but for now, simply remember that because of Adam’s disobedience (referenced in Genesis 3 also), man needed God’s help to save him from the sad, sinful future that our earthly father, Adam, condemned us to have. Adam’s sin separated all of our lives from God because we all came through Adam’s “seed.” It turns out that apparently a universal correction for this could occur only through the sacrifice of a Holy Life or Blood to redeem or reclaim our tainted blood so that we could commune with our Heavenly Father directly again as Adam once did. Adam’s sin severed our familial blood relationship with God; in other words, our special ability to commune and communicate with our Creator as His children was broken. There was one problem with this. God was not finished communing and communicating with us or having us as His family.

Jesus dying on the cross corrected Adam’s mistake in that universal way and now, all we must do to talk to God one on one again as our Heavenly Father is to look up to heaven and ask God to accept us in Jesus’ Name, since Jesus died in our place. Because Jesus shed His Blood, we can have a new one-on-one multidimensional relationship with the Creator of the Universe as our Father! This is wonderful, but what is it in Jesus’ Blood that makes this true according to Scripture?

Basic Foundational Ideas

I actually had always wondered, very literally, as a child growing up in the church, “How does Jesus’ Blood wash me? What does that mean? Do I get red from it? Does the Pastor get some from somewhere and wash me in it in the baptismal pool? And how does Jesus live in my heart? Does He shrink, multiply himself and live invisibly inside me and others?” As a young boy and Christian, I honestly did not understand the concepts. I am sure other people do not understand the concepts either.

It seems we have just accepted being saved by “The Blood” as a symbolic reference to our being cleansed from sin through Christ’s sacrifice and our acceptance of that truth by faith. I believe that while this is true, “The Blood” goes deeper than that. To understand how deep this goes, there are some foundational ideas and underpinnings you need to know before getting into the meat of this book. The book brings together a few general principles of logic, physics, language and original words of the Bible to reveal some interesting parallels and some undeniable realities.

So…HOW DEEP DOES IT GO?

Leviticus 17:11 states,

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 maketh atonement for the soul.

Genesis 9:4 says,

But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

And Deuteronomy 12:23 adds,

Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.

This is my premise. Our “life” or “ghost” is in our blood. I believe the same is true for Jesus. Therefore, I believe that Jesus’ Blood exists in us through the person of the Holy Ghost when we receive Jesus by faith. His Blood in us, thereby, makes us truly the sons and daughters of God once again.

Noting this, I believe that this is a very specific reason Bible translators of earlier centuries were compelled to use the name of “Holy Ghost” (emphasis on “Ghost”) for the third person of the Trinity in addition to the phrase “Holy Spirit” in the New Testament.

A simple and brief etymology of the Hebrew term “life” or “nephesh” in the above Old Testament passages brings some light to the usage of the term the “Holy Ghost” in the New Testament by scribes in earlier translations of the Bible. It was a clue as to how the Holy Ghost would exist in the physical man Jesus.

The transliterated word for life in Hebrew in the above scriptures is “nephesh.” This word, “nephesh,” in addition to meaning “soul” according to The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Classic Edition (Hardcover) (1890, 1990) by James Strong, as referenced in its Hebrew Lexicon at number 5315, also has many additional meanings/synonyms, one of which is … “ghost.” So we could read Leviticus 17:11 (above) as the following…

For the soul of the flesh is in the blood

Also,

For the ghost of the flesh is in the blood.

Substitution of the word “life” with one of these other synonyms is allowable under certain conditions. If a word has the same meaning (i.e. is a synonym of the term), generally and obviously, the synonym may be used in its place. In fact, for those math and logic experts out there[2], this idea agrees logically (within Biblical knowledge) with the three very basic, foundational mathematical properties of equality (or identity in studies of logic, Simpson, 1999; Quine, 1951, 2003) which include the following:

The reflexive property which states…

For any quantity a, a = a.

(Or… “Nephesh” equals “Nephesh” and “Life” equals “Life”)

***

The symmetric property which states…

For any quantities a and b, if a = b, then b = a.

(Or… if Nephesh equals Life, then, Life equals Nephesh. Likewise, if Life equals Soul then Soul equals Life. In the same way, if Soul equals Ghost, then Ghost equals Soul. They are numerically and logically identical; the same can be said of God, the Father and Jesus, His Son based on St. John 1:1, 14).

And then finally…

The transitive property which states…

For any quantities a, b, and c, if a = b and b = c,

then a = c.

(Or, if Life equals Soul, and Soul equals Ghost, then Life equals Ghost).

So, because “nephesh” equals “life” and “life” equals “ghost,” the “ghost (2010)” or the “sentient or conscious manifestation of the flesh” (sentient, 2010), the soul, is also the “blood” of a man based on the aforementioned scriptures. So the better or more appropriate question to ask instead of “What is the Blood of Jesus?” based on this simple word etymology of “nephesh” above could be, “Who is the Blood of Jesus?”… since the life of a man is the ghost of a man and that “ghost” resides in man’s blood according to the Hebrew.

Could it be that the Holy Ghost or the “Soul” of Jesus was actually the Blood of Jesus? If Jesus was a “flesh man” that had Blood, then yes. Jesus, the “Word,” that was God, “was made flesh…” according to St. John 1:1 and 14 which state…

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Because Jesus was a “flesh man,” in His Blood as a mortal man dwelt His “Ghost” or “Life” according to the Hebrew text.

Now, if the “ghost” and “soul” of a man is his blood, is the Holy Ghost the Blood of Jesus? Is it He that covers us? Is it He that cleanses us, washes us? Is it He, the Holy Ghost, that quickens us? (Romans 8:11). Is it true that while Jesus was made flesh, the Holy Ghost was made into His natural Blood? We are about to find out…

In this journey through the Holy Bible, scriptural evidence will be shown to prove - that theoretically, - the Holy Ghost is the Blood of Jesus. This theory basically proposes that because man is a triune being made in the image of God according to Genesis 1:26 and 27 that Jesus, as a man, was of the same makeup: Triune. That means that because Jesus was Spirit, Soul and Body as a man, the following was true in a multi-dimensional sense: The Spirit of God the Father was resident in the man Jesus as Jesus’ Spirit; The Word of God was resident in the physical Man Jesus as Jesus’ physical body and the Holy Ghost is resident in Jesus’ veins as His Life or Soul or Blood.

While Western cultures tend to believe that the soul resides in the brain area and some eastern cultures believe that the soul resides in the brain/heart area, the soul or “ghost” of a man or the life of a man is found in the blood of a man according to the Jewish culture based on Leviticus 17:11, Genesis 9:4 and Deuteronomy 12:23 (for more, see Chapter four). That would mean subsequently that according to the Hebrew - the “Soul” of Jesus is also equivalent to The Holy Ghost.

I will present the truth of scripture as primary evidence and scientific facts as secondary support for this theory and hypothesis and then leave it to you for prayerful consideration. At the end of this book, we will have to concur that the Hebrew and Greek words of long ago in scripture seem to command our attention and coincide with one another and other natural truths in too marvelous a fashion to ignore the messages they hold. Scientific parallels make these ideas all the more intriguing. Make sure to read the entire book before making a judgment call.

This theory explains why there was an essential representative need for blood as a lesson for us in Old Testament Jewish symbolic cleansing and covenant rituals. The book explains why there was a need for blood at all - based on our knowledge of the Law of Moses and the Fulfillment of the Law by Jesus as is alluded to in the following verses:

Romans 5:20, 21 (NLT)

20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful kindness became more abundant.

21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful kindness rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Galatians 3:22-26 (NLT)

22 But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God’s promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.

23 Until faith in Christ was shown to us as the way of becoming right with God, we were guarded by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until we could put our faith in the coming Savior.

24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian and teacher to lead us until Christ came. So now, through faith in Christ, we are made right with God.

25 But now that faith in Christ has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

26 So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 5:17 (KJV~ Jesus speaking)

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Hebrew 9:10-14, 22 (NLT)

10 For that old system deals only with food and drink and ritual washing — external regulations that are in effect only until their limitations can be corrected.

11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that great, perfect sanctuary in heaven, not made by human hands and not part of this created world.

12 Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever.

13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ritual defilement.

14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that lead to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission[3].

Matthew 26:28 (Jesus speaking)

For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

This book discusses how we could actually become a part of the family of God, down to the DNA according to an understanding of the words in scripture and very basic logic and physics. When we, by faith in the Word of God, choose to believe in the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, we apparently receive a spiritual, yet literal, transfusion from the Soul of our Savior (the Holy Ghost, Jesus’ Blood) that connects us once again to the “pre-fall,” Adamic bloodline of the spiritually pure family of God. This is why we can be “adopted” back into God’s family. However, this is a spiritual adoption that makes us the literal, spiritually “blood born” family members of God (Romans 8:14-17, St. John 3:3). This book will discuss this process.

Without attempting to explain the unexplainable parts of the scientific process of the Holy Ghost’s transformation from “Spirit-form” to Blood (Luke 1:30-37) at the conception of Jesus’ Life on earth as a human and then from Blood back to “Spirit-form” (St. John 19:30-35) at His crucifixion, the book will attempt to explore the powerful and practical ramifications of this reality and revelation (The Holy Ghost as the Blood of Jesus) to the present day believer in Jesus Christ.

Two General Notes to Theologians

One controversy that this book could inflame is that of a portion of the 7th verse and the 8th verse in the King James Version of this passage: I John 5:5-9 (the underlined portion)…

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

Though some say that a portion of this scripture (I John 5:7 and part of verse 8), called the Johannine Comma[4], is without authoritative validity for inclusion in the Bible, I do not agree. I believe this passage is valid. There are arguments for this passage’s inclusion (that I won’t go into in this book) that are more than valid. By virtue of what these verses say alone, this passage could assist this book’s argument of the Blood of Jesus being the Holy Ghost, especially with the juxtaposition of the “three witnesses on earth” and the “three witnesses in heaven” in verses 7 and 8. I do not rely on this set of scriptures alone, however, to create validity for the hypothesis. Regardless of the validity of this particular passage in First John, the argument of this book, The Holy Ghost: He is the Blood of Jesus, validates itself even without this particular scripture passage via many other scriptures in the Bible.

A second general note is that this theory is not to be confused with what some Roman Catholics believe to be transubstantiation or what they believe as the changing of the bread and wine in our communion or Mass rituals to the actual Body and Blood of Christ. The following Greek terms alone, however, even though they are related to that Catholic tradition of the transubstantiation and the Eucharist, could be used to describe, by definition, what happened to the Holy Ghost upon Christ’s conception (Luke 1:35) and then His death (St. John 19:30); this is as related to the terms alone however, and not relating to the Catholic practice/belief. The Holy Ghost changed from Ghost to Blood at Jesus’ birth and then from Blood to Ghost at Jesus’ death. That sort of a change would be, in this writer’s opinion, a truer usage of the term transubstantiation. Metousiosis is a Greek term (μετουσίωσις) that means, literally, a change of essence. It was coined as a translation of the Latin word transsubstantiatio (transubstantiation), which likewise means a change of substantia (or substance).

I personally do not believe that the bread of communion and wine of the communion table become the actual flesh and Blood of Jesus (Eucharist). I do believe that there was a “metosiosis” or “transubstantiation, ” however, of the Holy Ghost into the Blood of Jesus upon conception in Mary’s womb, and then again at His death from “Supernaturally Innocent” natural human Blood to the Holy (or sanctified) Ghost or Soul of Jesus. This could be considered the process of sanctification of the offering (Jesus’ Blood) behind the veil or “behind” Jesus’ flesh as is spoken of in the Bible (Hebrews 10:19-21, 29). Jesus’ Body was our ultimate sacrifice; Jesus’ Blood, His Soul, was the offering. I would still encourage Catholic believers in Christ to read this book, however, because of their clear love for God the Father, Jesus His Son and the Holy Ghost and His function in the Church.

More about This Book…

A number of ideas will be repeated throughout the book in different contexts and ways in order to provide added clarity to the ramifications of this revelation. I attempted to write this book so that the “churched and unchurched” would be able to grasp the principles, so there is quite a deal of explaining that goes on about a few basic beliefs of the Christian Church. This book is entirely based on reliance and full faith in the text of the Holy Bible and the belief that the Bible is indeed the Holy and inspired Word of God, Who is The Supreme Creator of All, The God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob (Genesis 50:24, II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 2:20-21).

I believe that the Bible is a book of past proofs, present practicality and prophetic precision that are primarily discerned by one’s total acceptance, actions, and application of the Text and the Spirit of the Text in one’s daily life. The ancient languages of the Bible are mined here such that revelations that have always been in the Bible are brought to the surface. While I do include some personal perspectives and experiences, this book is not merely anecdotal. It is based soundly on a clear and as much as possible, an objective assessment of scriptural text. The examination of the ancient definitions of the words “life,” “wine,” “blood” and “dove” alone, with no extraneous interpretation, prove, by themselves, certain truths that through logical connections reveal obvious conclusions.

Also, in this book, references to “The Holy Spirit” in the New Testament of the Holy Bible that are commonly understood to be references to the Third Person of the Trinity by most theologians will most often be mentioned in this text as “The Holy Ghost” in an attempt to alleviate confusion.

Just like in a CSI…

Just like in a crime scene investigation, at the beginning of this book, a clear collection of solid, concrete scriptural evidence is revealed. Blood has clearly been spilled. Facts near the middle of the investigation then, will seem to crowd the investigation as a large amount of circumstantial (secondary) evidence is introduced and may seem to muddy the water a bit in the evaluation of the case. This information, however, will eventually help us see the solved case. At the end of this book’s investigation, obvious evidence once again will emerge and become clear as the case comes to a close. Suffice it to say that the case will eventually be closed and many things that were mysteries before will become conclusive proof for a verdict and sentence or an acquittal by the end of the book.

While a crime scene investigation is an appropriate analogy for parts of this book in one sense, one could also apply an “Indiana Jones®” analogy to the book as well. While on the surface, it may appear as if the greatest mystery has already been revealed by the title, other spiritual mysteries unfold as the pieces of an elaborate Biblical puzzle come together. The truth of the Holy Grail and even revelation about the Ark of the Covenant and Noah’s Ark and their relationship to one another are uncovered. So a piece of advice to you my adventure-seeking reader is that as the evidence begins to mount up, be prayerful, take notes, follow along in your Bible and start to put the pieces together yourself. You will undoubtedly make your own discovery of a lifetime.

If you are reading this book with no prior knowledge of the Bible, you may need to have a Bible you can understand nearby to understand the context of the discussion. The New King James Version® (NKJV) and the New American Standard Version® (NASV) are good examples of very accurate and readable Bibles. In this book, I primarily use the Authorized King James Version (KJV), in some instances The Amplified Bible® (AMP) as well as the extremely readable New Living Translation® (NLT). While I encourage you to have your own Bible readily available while reading this book, most of the scriptures referenced within this book are actually included in the discussion within the text of the book to make study more efficient. For each assertion, I also try to provide at least two scriptures to validate that principle’s soundness of doctrine based on the Bible’s “let every word be established by two or three witnesses” principle (Deuteronomy 17:6, Matthew 18:16, II Corinthians 13:1). Unless otherwise noted, scripture references come from the KJV. Scriptures that I believe to be vital to understanding this theory are also bolded. Brackets or parentheses are used within some quoted scripture passages to provide a context of who is speaking or being referenced in the passage. The reader is encouraged to verify those passages.

For those familiar with the Truth of the Bible, please read prayerfully and with the expectation that you will receive a blessing by the time you finish reading this book. I have prayed that you will and believe it will happen. Ultimately, this is a book that reveals principles that will require the Christian to act in faith toward the Word of God in the Bible, having accepted it as the Truth of God. It is the job of the Holy Ghost to teach us and to lead us into all truth (St. John 16:13 and St. John 14:26). May He do so in this book and may we understand our salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice more clearly is my prayer. For those new to the Bible, hang on! This will be a ride you won’t forget. This is a book about a love that reaches out to you beyond dimensions.

A “Crime Scene Investigation” requires witnesses and evidence. This book offers evidence of the greatest Witness to the greatest crime and the greatest miracle in earth’s history; these events are both one in the same. The crime was the death of an innocent Jesus, the Son of God, on the cross. The miracle was God’s granting of access to eternal redemption to all of Mankind through the obedient act of Jesus giving Himself to die. The Witness of all of this, The Holy Ghost, has never lost His power to redeem and is One with the Father God and God’s Son, Jesus by Blood. Just like we often must show our receipt in order to receive the redemption price of an item and to prove that we actually have a right to it, we must show the same to God. Our receipt, our proof of having had our sins paid for, our authentication, and our ticket to our “Ark of Salvation” is our faith in Jesus and our verbal acceptance of the Blood of Jesus. Jesus is the receipt, the “Redemption Note;” the Word, and The Word is written and sealed in the universe’s most indelible ink, the Life of God, the Blood of God, The Holy Ghost. Found sealed in our hearts on the Day of Redemption, this Redemption Note will save our souls.

~ DMV

God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.

Colossians 1:14 (NLT)

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 1:13 (KJV)

And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4:30

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

I Peter 1:18, 19

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony…

Revelation 12:11a

Introduction

The Blood of Flesh Has a Voice!

A blood source can now be statistically narrowed down to one person out of several million or even several billion.

~ George Schiro, Forensic Scientist

Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory

Bend from the lofty perch of your own disciplines and listen with regard to disciplines not your own. If you are an engineer, listen to the artist; if you are a physicist, listen to the philosopher; if you are a logician, listen to the religionist; and especially if you are in a position of power, listen, listen.

~ Chaim Potok, American Jewish Author and Rabbi

As was mentioned in the preface, in CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) television dramas, one of the fascinations for many people watching is how, regardless of how tidy the crime scene may be, regardless of how there may seem to be no signs of the transgression, the blood of the victim, in particular, is often the most powerful witness of the crime.

Actual CSI teams understand that there are chemicals such as luminol - (a simple compound comprised of some of the most basic elements of life - carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen) - and fluorescein, a similar compound, that for some reason, when they apply them to blood or surfaces that do not indicate that blood has been spilled on them by general, visual, physical inspection… that if there is blood present, the affected surface will glow like a lantern, leaving a veritable (DNA and literal) trail to the perpetrator(s) of the crime as well as to the victim of the crime (Lyle, 2004).

The blood, in this way, “speaks!” According to Kristen Lomasney of www.science.howstuffworks.com, the following is true:

In a crime scene, large pools of spilled blood are easy to spot. But what about blood that’s been washed away? Enter luminol.

What Does Luminol Do?

Much of crime scene investigation, also called criminalistics, is based on the notion that nothing vanishes without a trace. This is particularly true of violent crime victims. A murderer can dispose of the victim’s body and mop up the pools of blood, but without some heavy-duty cleaning chemicals, some evidence will remain. Tiny particles of blood will cling to most surfaces for years and years, without anyone ever knowing they’re there.

The basic idea of luminol is to reveal these traces with a light-producing chemical reaction between several chemicals and hemoglobin, an oxygen-carrying protein in the blood. The molecules break down and the atoms rearrange to form different molecules. In this particular reaction, the reactants (the original molecules) have more energy than the products (the resulting molecules). The molecules get rid of the extra energy in the form of visible light photons.

Luminol is a chemical that glows greenish-blue when it comes into contact with blood — even traces that are years old. To be exact, it reacts to hemoglobin, an oxygen-carrying protein in red-blood cells. Luminol is so sensitive, it can detect blood at 1 part per million. In other words, if there is one drop of blood within a container of 999,999 drops of water, luminol will glow.

Investigators typically use luminol at crime scenes where no blood is visible. They spray the chemical over a wide area in near-total darkness, so any reaction is obvious. Officers then photograph or videotape the result, using a flash technique that picks up the glow while making the area around it visible and identifiable on film, so the context of the crime scene isn’t lost.

But does a glow mean there’s blood present? Not necessarily. Luminol reacts to some metals, paints, cleaning products and plant matter. However, the chemical’s reaction to each differs in intensity; metals, for example, cause an immediate glow that quickly fades, while blood glows longer.

A specialist can tell the difference, and then perform more conclusive tests to determine whether the blood is human.

Luminol also can point the way to further evidence or even to how events might have unfolded. For example, if luminol sprayed on a carpet produces a glow, officers might peel back the rug to reveal a floorboard soaked with blood. Or perhaps the glow discloses the direction in which a criminal walked or dragged a body, or whether the victim was shot from behind or above.

So, to anyone thinking that a carpet cleaner or a sponge and soap will erase evidence of their crime, take note. This is one stain that cannot be “shouted out.”

Also,

To perform a luminol test, the criminalists simply spray the mixture wherever they think blood might be. If hemoglobin and the luminol mixture come in contact, the iron in the hemoglobin accelerates a reaction between the hydrogen peroxide and the luminol. In this oxidation reaction, the luminol loses nitrogen and hydrogen atoms and gains oxygen atoms, resulting in a compound called 3-aminophthalate. The reaction leaves the 3-aminophthalate in an energized state — the electrons in the oxygen atoms are boosted to higher orbitals. The electrons quickly fall back to a lower energy level, emitting the extra energy as a light photon. With iron accelerating the process, the light is bright enough to see in a dark room (Lomasney, 2006).

It is indeed interesting that the way blood helps to identify the true victims and violators in a crime scene investigation is by way of light! The Bible says Jesus and the Holy Ghost are the Truth (St. John 14:6, I John 5:6) and that the Holy Ghost actually leads us into all Truth (St. John 14:17). St. John tells us also that Jesus is the Light of the world (I John 1:4). Truth exposes a lie just as Light exposes that which was once in the dark. Light reveals Truth. Apparently science and the Bible agree that Truth can be determined by way of light!

So there is “light” in our blood! A man who has shed the blood of another man can never be free from that murderous stain (Genesis 9:6, Proverbs 28:17), for the blood stain apparently has a “voice” that can be seen and will be “heard” (Genesis 3:8, Hebrews 12:24)! Though not in an obvious and natural way, like, say through the use of vocal cords, natural blood does have the ability to communicate in a special, possibly spiritual, or multi-dimensional[5] way. It has recently been proven that DNA even vibrates (produces sounds) through viscous liquids (like blood) on low level frequencies (van Zandt, 2008). This is not a new idea according to the earliest accounts in the Bible. According to the Bible, the blood of a man does indeed have a voice that can speak in heaven and on earth (multi-dimensionally). Look at the crime scene account of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:1-11:

1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen ?

7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

8And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

10 And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.

11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

Cain sinned by murdering his brother. This was the first recorded Biblical murder and God, we find, was the first crime scene investigator while Abel’s blood became the key witness! God allowed Cain to realize that though Cain thought he was alone and that he had committed the crime in secret, the very blood of his brother now testified as a witness to Abel’s innocence and Cain’s guilt. Also, through this, God revealed that the blood of Abel that Cain had spilled had a “voice,” even after Abel’s earthly demise. The Hebrew for voice in this passage is transliterated (interpreted) as “Tsa`aq” or “to call aloud.” Abel’s blood witnessed the murder and reported it to God.

The blood of man not only carries out the physical duties of providing oxygen to cells and removing waste from organs (Handin, 2003, Public Broadcasting Network, 2002 ), it also, apparently, has a “voice.” Its voice speaks of innocence and/or guilt and is of great natural, as well as spiritual, significance.

T.D. Jakes makes the astute observation in his teaching CD, The Blood Speaks, that this passage of Cain and Abel is the only place in scripture where God gives us a picture of a bleeding lamb and a bleeding man in the same context. It becomes a foreshadowing that ultimately the Man Jesus would become our “Lamb” or sacrificial substitute to save us from eternal separation from God. This is related to the Jewish practice of Passover [6] which, for Christians, foreshadows Jesus’ sacrifice of His Life for us; thus He is called the “Lamb of God” in the Bible (St. John 1:29, 36, I Peter 1:19).

It could very well be that this situation with Cain and Abel was a perfect opportunity for God to present to us an example of what God would allow Jesus to endure in order for man to be redeemed (saved) from sin. A special son (Abel), that presented a perfect sacrifice, was killed by his own flesh and blood (Cain); but Abel’s innocent blood, though Abel had died, still lived and had the capacity to testify to the special son’s innocence and righteousness (Hebrews 11:4) as well as to the guilt of the guilty.

The Bible declares that Jesus is such a special Son, and that His Blood truly speaks (Hebrews 12:24, 25). It is His Blood that testifies, even today, of Jesus being a Man of righteousness who walked the earth, Who was also God in the flesh. What we will discover is that the Voice of Jesus’ Blood belongs to the person of the Holy Ghost according to the Bible. It is His Voice (Hebrews 3:7) because the Holy Ghost is the Life of the Word of God… written, spoken and incarnate! He, the Holy Ghost, is the Blood of the Lamb.

Reasons for This Book: My Perspective and Bias

One of the goals of this book is to speak specifically to believers in Jesus Christ that they might know with more clarity the reason and resource, the person and the power of the Blood of Jesus Christ within them.

While I do not claim to be a Theologian or a Physicist, an Anthropologist or a Criminologist, a Hematologist or a Phlebotomist, I do mention general references from these areas because they seem to naturally flow together. While at first, certain areas of commonality in different areas of research seemed coincidental, after more consideration and Bible study, the science of blood, forensics, history, and Biblical words in Hebrew and Greek seemed to agree too much to ignore. Even some movies in popular culture seem to mesh with my study as they have reflected certain realities that suggest certain curiosities in the modern day mind and soul of man. This invigorated my time in Bible study. Actually, I see this book as an extended personal Bible study where I have asked God some questions in a childlike way and where God has revealed certain concepts that seem to naturally fit into answers for some of my most baffling questions. I am inviting you to join me in this study.

I believe that the Bible is God’s Word to man and is God’s instruction in practical Truth to us. While I am an academic by trade, this book I have written is really a result of my own personal, systematic, exegetical (Exegesis is the practice of letting the text “speak for itself,” (Dictionary, 2007)…) and etymological (Etymology is the study of word origins (Dictionary, 2007)…) study of the Bible. This book is also just as much simply notes taken by one human being who asked God “Why are things the way they are?” in this strange journey we call Life. It is also a book by a believer in Jesus Christ that has experienced some things both explainable and unexplainable. Like many of us, I am a seeker of Truth. I, personally, have found Supreme Truth in Jesus, but like every other human that has dealt with suffering - I still often ask the question of “Why?”

“Why?” is the question I asked of God and thankfully in ways my finite mind can grasp, I believe He has answered many of my questions. In the King James Version of the Bible, it says in II Peter 1: 2 and 3 that “Grace and peace [can] be multiplied to us through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord, …as [H]is divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue” (brackets, italics and bolding mine). I desire such grace and peace, so I continue to seek after knowledge of “Him” (Isaiah 26:3, Matthew 11:29); not just for the sake of gaining knowledge, but in order to know our Creator better. I want to know God in a very real and personal way.

In the Amplified Bible (AMP), James 1:5 reads in this way…

If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.

This is what I attempted to do. I asked for wisdom with some basic questions such as “Lord, How does Your Blood wash us?;” “Why did You turn the water into wine as Your first miracle?” and “Why did my sister and mother die when they were so sold out to You and we did everything the way we thought You would like ?” All I can say is that if you ask God a question, be ready, because the answer may come and it may not be what you expect. Suffice it to say, however, that God, while He does not have to explain Himself, He often will if we ask Him. I often pray with pen and paper (or something to write with) handy because of this sort of faith. You often will receive when you expect to receive (James 4:2, Hebrews 11:6). Having the pen and paper available when I pray is my act of faith that says to God, “I believe you are going to say something to me!”

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Ultimately, this book’s mission is the same as The Blood’s mission; to help believers in Jesus understand that they have added ability to obey God’s Word! With this added fuel to their faith (and in their veins!), it will help believers to believe and understand that the “greater works” that Jesus said we would accomplish in His Name (St. John 14:12) are truly possible because we serve a risen Savior Whose very Blood flows through our natural veins in a spiritual but very real way! In other words, this book will help believers understand that they are literally the sons and daughters of God (I John 3:2, Philippians 2:15), based on their faith in Jesus and His Blood, and Its infusion into their souls.

For those of you who do not profess a personal faith in Jesus Christ, hopefully the subject matter will intrigue you as a good (though different) mystery novel might. My truest prayer would be that you will find such a unique quality to the subject matter that you might possibly desire to experience for yourself the truly divine essence of such a mystery as it unfolds. That of course would be totally up to you. Even if you are an atheist, I appreciate you for having even picked up the book!

What Will We Understand From This Book?

Christians serve a Savior that not only changes water to wine, but One who also can change sinful, natural, human blood to pure, clean, spiritually enlivened blood, without spot or blemish – without sin! He changes that which is without the substance of true life to that which has life abundantly. How and why? From this book, one will begin to truly understand what that miracle was all about (water to wine, St. John 2:1-11), as well as what the bread and wine of communion actually represent (I Corinthians 11:23-34). We will realize how important the communion table truly is. We will understand what “living water” is really all about (St. John 4:10-14, St. John 7:37-39)!

We will also understand, as illustrated in the following scripture, that while the spirit of a man and the soul of a man are deeply intertwined, they are not necessarily one in the same.

I Thessalonians 5:23

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In this book, we will come to find that some way, somehow, that the Holy Ghost was changed at Jesus’ conception into the physical, natural Blood of Jesus (Luke 1:35).

We will discover that at Calvary (the crime scene), Jesus’ Holy Blood was transmutated [7] or changed back into the “Holy Ghost,” having been sanctified or separated through the veil of Jesus’ flesh - (Hebrews 10:19-29) for a special work. Because of this sanctification, or time of residence and legal entry into the earth through Jesus’ human body as Jesus’ Blood, Jesus’ pure lifestyle, and then the Holy Ghost’s transformation back into “Spirit” form, we will discover that the Holy Ghost along with the rest of the Trinity can now dwell in every human (upon request) to cleanse and continually produce purity through obedience because He, the Holy Ghost is One with the Father and the Son. He, the Holy Ghost, is pure, unabated Life.

We will further discover then that through our obedience and fellowship with one another, we can literally have Jesus’ (spiritually transmutated) Blood, the Holy Ghost, flowing through our veins, increasing [His] present progressive intention of transforming our souls and flesh to Christ-likeness via our obedience (James 1:25, Philippians 2:12, I John 1:7).

We now have the choice to receive the “Life-Blood” of Jesus (the Holy Ghost and the entire Trinity as well) within our very being by faith by simply believing in Jesus, confessing Jesus as Lord and by choosing to receive Him and by living for Him (Romans 10:9, 10). Just as Adam rejected God by choosing to disobey God (and thereby losing his vital connection to God) and deciding to live for himself, we can now choose the opposite of Adam’s choice and restore our own connection. Adam disobeyed God by eating of the cursed Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. For Jesus, dimensionally speaking, His Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was His cross.

Understanding the Cross to Understand the Blood

Understanding the dimensional significance of the cross of Jesus is pivotal to understanding the Blood of Jesus. Jesus’ cross was a cursed “tree” just like the tree Adam ate from in disobedience to God’s command (Genesis 3:1-6, Galatians 3:13). In order to correct Adam’s mistake and save Mankind, Jesus’ task was to take the full penalty of Adam’s choice by choosing to innocently die on a “tree” that caused death to enter the world. Jesus could choose to accept its cost for us or reject the cost the cross required. Thank God He accepted its cost.

By dying there, He re-opened the door to eternal life for us. The cross becomes a “dimensional doorway” where in one direction lays the unblemished Garden of Eden and God’s eternal presence with us, while in the other direction lays the decadence of our present day world and worse than that, Hell; a place of eternal separation from God. Our action of verbally/consciously choosing to accept Jesus’ sacrifice determines where we land in the eternal scheme of things. God has, for our sakes, condensed Eternity into a simple choice and placed eternal death and life in the power of our tongues (Proverbs 18:21). For Adam the choice was an oral bite; for us the choice is an oral belief.

As Jesus hung on the cross, the cross became for us in a “dimensional” way the “Tree of Life.” The fruit of Jesus’ “tree” include Jesus’ Spirit, Body, and Blood (The Trinity) all of which provide eternal life. Just as Adam could live forever after eating from the first “Tree of Life” in the Garden of Eden, we gain eternal life also as we partake of the fruit of the second “Tree of Life,” the Cross of Christ (Proverbs 18:21).

We can now, as Adam and Eve could, choose our own “knowledge of good and evil” and eat of that “tree” and live with the consequences (Hebrew 10:29), or we can choose to eat of the “Tree of Life,” or the fruit of Jesus’ Bloody Cross and thereby live forever (Genesis 2:17, 3:17; Romans 8:11). Galatians 3:13, 14 says…

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

So… to choose Christ (and we must consciously and verbally choose Him) and His sacrifice and to choose to live for Him, is to, by faith, choose the abundant life that He makes available through the Blood of His cross (Deuteronomy 30:19, Joshua 24:15, St. John 10:10, Acts 2:38, and Colossians 1:20-22).

Colossians 1:20-22 (NLT)

19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,

20 and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.

21 This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions,

22 yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

So we literally become “joint heirs” with Christ by way of a “spiritual transfusion” of sorts through Jesus’ sinless Blood! The Holy Ghost is that Blood! Let’s find out why this transformation was necessary and how this is so. Does the Bible agree with this assertion… this hypothesis? Let’s try to find out prayerfully by looking at what else the Bible says about this idea. It is probably best to start at the beginning.

Chapter 1

Adam’s Stain / Our Stain

“Sin had left a Crimson Stain; He (Jesus) washed it white as snow”

~ From the Hymn Jesus Paid It All by Elvina Hall (1822-1899)

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

~ Isaiah 1:18

The sin of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, tainted the being and blood of every man and woman, every living soul on earth, according to the Bible. Our entire being, spirit, flesh, and blood, inherited the sin that these two committed and doomed us to a “life” or more accurately stated, “an existence,” separated from the True Life and presence of God. This separation meant spiritual death and ultimately physical death. Their transgression was based on their disobeying the first mandate God gave man in the garden, which was…

Genesis 2:17

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Their disobedient actions produced this final pronouncement to Adam:

Genesis 3:17-19

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

According to scriptural principle, “the soul that sins (disobeys or turns away from God) must die.” In other words, when you leave your source of life, you will lose your life as these scriptures detail…

Ezekiel 18:4

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Ezekiel 18:19, 20a

19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.

20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Because Adam was the first of us, his sin doomed all of us.

Romans 5:17

The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over us, but all who receive God’s wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

Because of the seemingly unfair sentence Adam’s transgression placed on humankind, God provided a way of redemption for us through His Son’s sacrifice. Through faith in His Son, we would be able to be “re-born” (St. John 3:3) and have a new sinless bloodline through Jesus that connected us once again to the Father. According to scripture (Hebrews 10:19-22), Jesus’ Blood becomes the payment and contains the sinless prerequisite to get us back into right relationship with God. Jesus’ Blood is the Anti –Stain to Adam’s stain. It is the life of our flesh as Christians (Genesis 9:4). The Life in His Blood saves our “souls,” our blood (Leviticus 17:11).

Now while we consider this revelation, one must remember that because man is more than just spirit, man’s salvation would have to be one where his spirit, soul and body would be saved. The nature of man is not celestial (or spiritual) alone but also terrestrial (earthly). In order to save the whole being of man, God’s salvation of Mankind would have to be complete, including man’s spirit, flesh, and blood.

Because Adam was given authority over the earth and Adam gave this authority over the earth away by disobeying God, all Mankind had to be reconciled with our Creator. In order to “save” man, God, because of His Own just Law, would have to gain entry into the earth through another man that had God’s Bloodline and reclaim the authority that was lost through the first man, Adam, by paying the cost for that authority through this “New God –Man.” Another “God Man” like Adam would have to give up His Pure Life freely in submission to God to regain the Pure Life that the other lost through rebellion toward God. This would return the lost authority to the New God-Man in a multi-dimensional way and allow Him to help all other lost men (or the other men that were separated from God, even those yet to be born) to return to God. Jesus was this “Second Adam” or New God-Man. Apparently there are universal laws that God created that all creation must abide by and this was a major example.

Now, how man (Adam) existed before his fall from grace can only be assumed, extrapolated and considered from what we can gather from scripture. But however it was, it was the perfect state in which we were meant to exist if Adam had never failed and this “Second Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45) would have to be similar to that perfect state.

What were Adam and His Blood Like Before “the Fall of Man?”

The “First” Adam’s Composition on Earth

Based on scripture, before the fall, Adam was able to commune with an invisible God whose nature is Spirit. Adam was also made in this God’s image. So, based on this knowledge, we know Adam was made as a spirit being with a flesh body (Genesis 1:27, Numbers 16:22). We know that God made Adam’s flesh from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7 and Genesis 3:19). We know that before the Fall of Man, Adam’s flesh was without sin, and being without sin (or without rebellion toward God) and because Adam ate of fruit from a certain tree called the Tree of Life, he was immortal (Genesis 3:22; also consider St. John 11:26). Because he was vitally united with the source of his life through relationship and obedience, his life would never end. The World as we know it was quite different than it appears now.

We also know that Adam (Man) had a soul or the capacity of free will or volition. We know this because God gave Adam a command that Adam had the power to obey or disobey according to his soul which was comprised of his mind, will, emotions, personality, memory, imagination and intellect (Genesis 2: 2, 7, 16, 17). After Adam sinned, his “soul” needed salvation. This soul resided in his blood as we see in these scriptures, mentioned before but repeated below…

Leviticus 17:11

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement (a covering) for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Genesis 9:4

But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

It is important to note and remember that the Hebrew word for life, soul, and ghost are the same here - “Nephesh” [8] - which means that the “life” and what we call the “soul” of the flesh are the same and are in the blood based on the above scriptures. The life, the blood, and what we call the “soul of a man” are one in the same according to the Bible. The “soul” of a man includes man’s mind and will, intellect, memory, personality, imagination and emotions as mentioned previously: all were tainted in the fall of Adam (Romans 5:14, I Corinthians 15:22).

Based on what we know about Adam before the fall, we apparently also were originally meant to be perfectly blended Spirit/Soul/Body creatures with God-like abilities, immortal souls and bodies. In other words, we were single or “whole” in our makeup and not divided.

Before the fall, in addition to feeding us physically, our food also fed us spiritually and apparently mentally. We can base this on the names of the trees in the Garden of Eden (i.e. the Tree of Life, Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Genesis 2:9). Adam’s words based on Adam’s works (choices) could determine a thing’s purpose and nature, could create things, could cause movement, and could keep the living alive and cause the living to die. Scriptures in the Bible that suggest these perpetual and universal ideas also are found in the following scriptures:

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Luke 4:4

And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Matthew 21:18-22

18 In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry,

19 and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs on it, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.

20 The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

21 Then Jesus told them, “I assure you, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,’ and it will happen.

22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Genesis 2:19

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

Romans 4:17

(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were:

Daniel 10:12

[An angel speaking][9] Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

There was a “Tree of Life” and a “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Apparently eating from these physical trees did more than nourish our physical bodies back then (Genesis 2:16, 17). Eating from these trees apparently was connected to Adam’s choices, his growth and spiritual maturity as well as his physical existence (Edwards, 1985). We still have a symbiotic relationship even now with plants and trees as they take in our carbon dioxide and as we breathe in their oxygen. This is a residue or a remnant of our beginnings; a remnant of what Adam was and what we were initially meant to be.

The “Tree of Life” apparently ensured our physical immortality as we ate from it (Genesis 2:9). As a result of the curse, the ground no longer provides the richness it once did in order to accomplish such a feat of immortality, but now we must contend with the food of the earth for it to benefit us, even if in only a natural way. Even the way we grow crops (hybrid crops, hormones, chemical additives, etc.) affects our food’s ability to help us in a negative way, and thus we have to “sweat” or work hard to make sure we benefit from it (Genesis 3:17-19, Leviticus 19:19).

Death (“Thanatos” in the Greek) means a separation from Life (See Appendix B). When Adam and Eve fell, they were separated from the “Tree of Life” and the presence of God. Adam’s sin also somehow within him separated his spirit from his soul and his soul from his body and ultimately the Spirit of God from his soul. We have ultimately, because of the fall, become divided creatures within ourselves and have affected the earth around us as well. We will soon realize that in order for God to save us, He would have to allow the same sort of separation to occur to Him, at least within “Time,” (separation between the Father and the Son, separation between the Son and the Holy Ghost – the greatest sacrifices ever known, see Appendix B). Thus Jesus’ admonition for us to “re-member Him” in communion takes on an additional meaning…He allowed Himself to be separated not only from His Father, but from the Precious Holy Ghost of God (I Corinthians 11:23-29).

It is our calling to “re-member”[10] or put the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost (Psalms 22:27, I John 5:5-8, Luke 22:19) “back together” in our hearts and minds by faith during our existence in “Time.”

I Corinthians 11:24, 25

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

Though the “God-Head” or the Father, Son and Holy Ghost have certainly never left one another eternally, they allowed this “separation” to occur in “Time” for our sakes that we might be saved and not have to enter Eternity without the one who made us, God. (See Appendix B: The Meaning of Life). Now, understanding all of the aforementioned, the blood (because the life of the flesh dwells there according to Leviticus 17:11 and Genesis 9:4), must be considered as the seat of the life, the soul and consciousness of man. Communion represents a re-union of sorts of the entirety of God’s family (See Appendix C).

Some would say that the human being, then, is a tripartite being, with the Spirit being the innermost part of man, the flesh being the outermost part of man and the soul (which is comprised of the mind, will, emotions, memory, imagination and intellect) - or “the blood” being the mediator or intermediary between the spirit and flesh (I Thessalonians 5:23, Genesis 2:7).

I agree with this assertion that we are triune beings as a description of how things are today especially as Christians; however, I believe that before the fall, Adam and Eve, as individuals, were “single.” What I mean is that I believe that the voice of their spirit, the voice of their flesh and the voice of their blood were “one voice” before their act of disobedience; so when Adam’s spirit, soul and body “spoke,” “they” spoke as one.

Adam’s fall separated him internally and changed his blended Spirit, Soul and Body into a Tripartite: spirit, soul and body. Our confusion as humans often stems from the multiple voices of each part of us calling for different remedies for different hungers in addition to external voices. For example, for the Christian, when the flesh calls for natural food, often the spirit of a man calls for a fast; the soul then argues with both and says you should read up on fasting and eating before you make a decision. When Adam disobeyed God’s primary command, he lost his ability to focus and to be single minded to the truth or the Voice of God.

Job 23:13

But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul (Nephesh!) desireth, even that he doeth.

Matthew 6:22

The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

Luke 11:34

The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

James 1:8

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

James 4:8

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Adam and Eve’s choice to eat the fruit was an action of their whole being. Scriptures that most relate to this idea include:

Proverbs 23:7

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Proverbs 16:30

He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.

In any case, in our current state, it must be then that with our spirit we connect with God, with the flesh we connect with the earth and within the blood are the elements for the function of sentient (consciously and volitionally aware) life and correspondence between God, our own spirit and our flesh.

In addition, a rather odd truth must be mentioned. Based on the following scriptures, we must conclude that the “unsaved person” or the person that has not accepted by faith and open or at least conscious confession the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal redeemer, is “dead” spiritually and must be “born again” (St. John 3:3).

Romans 3:22-26 (NLT)

22 We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.

23 For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

24 Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins.

25 For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times.

26 And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.

Ephesians 2:1

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Colossians 2:13

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

This means that the unsaved person is not as cognizant as it concerns spiritual things because their spirit, the part of them that is to connect with God is dead or absent. This was the state of fallen Adam and Eve and why they could no longer see certain things (God) and why other things were suddenly visible (his flesh, Genesis 3:8).That is possibly why some of you reading this book right now may not quite “get” what is being said. You must first be spiritually alive in order to understand certain spiritual concepts. As I Corinthians 2: 14- 16 (NLT) says…

14 But people who aren’t Christians can’t understand these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means.

15 We who have the Spirit understand these things, but others can’t understand us at all.

16 How could they? For, “Who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who can give him counsel?” But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

You CAN “get it,” however, if you keep reading! Read on! Don’t stop now!

I Corinthians 2: 13, 14 (KJV)

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

In 1829, William Kincade, while I don’t necessarily agree with his complete belief system, explained very clearly, in a book on his ideas about Christian Doctrine, how “dead sinners” can be made alive through a conscious choice:

[Some would] argue, that if sinners are dead in trespasses and sins, that it is therefore impossible for them to act [in] faith till they are made alive, and renewed by the Holy Spirit; for, say they, how can a dead man put forth a living act? To this I answer, that although sinners are dead, in a moral point of view, yet they are not dead in an intellectual sense: they are still rational and accountable beings, capable of believing evidence, and of obeying God, or rebelling against him. If they were too dead to believe, they would be too dead to disbelieve. It is as much of a living act to reject testimony, when it is offered, as it is to receive it….That persons who are dead in sin are not too dead to believe the gospel, appears from the words of Christ in the following passage. “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” [St.] John xi.25. (p.278)

Because of this “dead” state, the yet unsaved or unbelieving are not “tri-une” beings like Christians but “two part beings” or “bi-une” beings until salvation through Christ. The person who has been “born again” has been just that – their spirit has become alive to the Voice of God (the Holy Ghost) and that “Voice” is merged with the blood of the new believer where the person’s own “soul voice” exists, their blood. That person then is “in the image of God” once again in terms of having a triune reality. This means, we then have a spirit, soul and body that are active toward God and that can now be engaged in activities that consciously honor God based on our individual choices to act on His Word because we can more clearly hear His Voice resonating on the inside of us.

Now, because of Adam’s choice to disobey, the consequence of immediately dying spiritually and eventually dying physically and returning to the dust from whence he came, became real (Genesis 2:16, 17, Genesis 3:6, 7). Before this fall, Adam apparently had extreme mental potential (i.e. naming of all the animals in existence, etc) and a strong physical vitality as long as he obeyed God and ate from a physical tree “of Life.” (See Genesis 2:19, 20, Genesis 3:22). Man, before the fall, apparently also had a unique connection to God and a genuine innocence concerning right and wrong (Genesis 3:6, 7).

Also, in the very beginning, the only wrong we know of for humans was to eat of the forbidden fruit on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:16,17; 3:2,3). Unfortunately, that’s just what Adam did.

The “Second Adam’s” Composition on Earth

Jesus, in His Life before His death and resurrection was also supernatural in a similar way as Adam was before the fall of man. This was evidenced by His ability to walk on water, heal the sick, speak to natural things and affect them, raise the dead, etc. during His Life. Jesus was supernatural (obviously) in a different degree of expression after His resurrection.

Legally speaking, if one is innocent, certain rights are afforded them if wrongly accused (Exodus 23:7, Deuteronomy 19:10).

The same is legally true “in the Spirit.” This is a dimensional and universal principle apparently. We will discover that this (Jesus’ death while innocent) is the universal travesty of justice that allowed Jesus to defeat death, hell and the grave as a sinless, innocent Man (based on His Blood and His Life of obedience), though He was abiding in a body loaded with sin at the cross (though not His own sin; He took on ours in a dimensional way through His ability to choose).

Any crime scene investigator would agree that an innocent person does not deserve to die or be punished for a crime they did not commit. Accused rapists that are later tested through blood and/or DNA samples and found innocent are often immediately released from punishment; their innocent “blood” speaks as a “witness” that they were innocent of the accusation. They are then usually liberated and compensated for having been wrongly accused. Ironically, time doesn’t affect blood’s ability to speak either. DNA from blood can be tested years later and still allow the innocent to go free. Blood apparently has a voice that is not controlled by the variable dimension of Time (See Appendix B).

Jesus was born sinless and remained sinless until the cross and after His resurrection until this day remains a sinless God-Man. Because of His unique status as a God-Man, like Adam, He was not only to be judged like ordinary man, but He had to stand before a more universal sort of court, similar to Adam because His blood emanated purely from God and therefore could represent ( or be an advocate for) any person in flesh. This Blood also could only be adjudicated only through the court of its Creator, the One Whom created the laws that governed it. God and sinful man can judge a sinful man based on manmade laws. A perfectly pure man could only find true justice through a Judge that is Perfectly Pure, God alone.

Genesis 18:25 (NLT)

Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the innocent with the guilty. Why, you would be treating the innocent and the guilty exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

More universal and far reaching repercussions took place in each of these incidents (Adam’s disobedience {death} and Jesus’ death) where dimensional realities were affected.

These sorts of universal consequences take place whenever the Word of God or the Voice of God is involved with a decision involving mankind and the earth. The first universal effect of this sort that we know of before Adam sinned occurred when the Voice of God uttered “Let there be Light!” …and consequently there was light (Genesis 1:3). When that “Voice” resides in man’s blood, that man’s words and choices have monumental effects as well. We must therefore watch what we say (Proverbs 18:21)! Even when an unbelieving person says certain things, there are powerful repercussions because of our still lingering lineage of having been created in God’s image and being of His lineage. Again, Jesus’ Blood was and is the universal proof or witness (Job 16:18, 19; Genesis 4:10, 11; Hebrews 11:4, 12:24, 25; I John 5:6) of Jesus’ innocence. His advocacy for us can render us innocent as well, but we must decide for ourselves individually to let Him represent us or not. Just like choosing a lawyer, we must agree consciously to speak through Him and His Words and be represented by Him.

Mary’s Contribution

Mary (by God’s grace) provided the physical body of Jesus from the processes of her womb for purposes of death (Hebrews 2:9, 14). God provided Jesus’ Blood for purposes of Life, His and ours (Luke 1:33-35, Leviticus 17:11, Genesis 9:4). God blessed Mary for being open and obedient to being the first human since Adam to actually hold the Blood of Christ (Pure Blood) within her natural body (as Jesus dwelt in her womb). Because of that honor, Mary, while human, was indeed a blessed and highly favored woman.

Luke 1:26-33

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Luke 1:42

And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

Reverend Perry Stone states the following in his book, The Priesthood and the Blood (2007) concerning Jesus’ Immaculate Conception:

So when Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary, His flesh was formed and the Holy Ghost overshadowed Mary, the same thing happened when God placed the life force into Adam’s body. Overshadowed means breathed! Breathed! The Holy Ghost put blood in the body of Christ and it was the same blood type that Adam had. It was perfect blood. It was incorruptible blood. That was blood that did not know sin.

I also believe that the Holy Ghost Himself was that Blood in Jesus as well as that Breath that filled both Adam and Jesus’ veins at their conception. Rev. Stone’s revelation, however, is remarkable and you should read his books in order to supplement this book’s revelation, especially as it concerns Jewish culture and its parallels to Christ’s sacrifice (www.voe.org). As blood is known to carry oxygen or our “breath”- throughout the body (Handin, et al., 2003) - it is no great leap to consider the Breath of God and the Blood of God as one and the same also.

Suffice it to say, especially as it concerns Jesus’ Blood, that we will discover that blood does indeed have special properties. While natural blood in general sustains existence and removes impurities (literally) - (Handin, et al., 2003) - as is attributed to the Blood of Jesus for sin (His Blood removes the impurity of sin)…we must also understand, even if one can only agree in an agnostic, scientific or even a legalistic way, natural blood also has the ability to prove one’s innocence or one’s guilt after an offense or even death. Blood does not and cannot lie.

Again, the CSI programs illustrate this every week. What we will find from a literal interpretation of the Holy Bible, and even symbolically from ancient Jewish culture, is that the blood has always had the universal ability to redeem a soul from death, and/or prove or attribute innocence such that death or imprisonment is no longer a legally binding or fair consequence for the innocent. Once innocence is proven through two or three witnesses( Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15; Matthew 18:16 ), the sentence of death or imprisonment no longer is a proper or allowable sentence, and thus frees the otherwise guilty soul from the consequence of death or prison and requires restitution. One of those witnesses can be blood.

We will find that the Blood of Jesus was innocent and proved His innocence and continues to prove His innocence as the Holy Ghost is the spiritual and was the natural Witness and Voice to these truths. Even though Jesus’ flesh could be the carrier for the sin of Mankind just like every other man’s flesh (because of Mary’s contribution, played in the conception of Jesus as a physical human, Psalms 51:5, Galatians 4:4, Job 25:4-6), upon death, the fact that Jesus’ Blood was pure and innocent of Adam’s stain gave Jesus’ Blood and flesh special universal and eternal rights of innocence that could not be retained by any other human being. All other human beings had tainted flesh and blood. Jesus’ Blood (was and is) pure, which makes Jesus the truest anomaly of all human kind.

His Blood and His Blood alone had the unique ability to revitalize His once (though unjustly laden) sinful, human flesh such that His death sentence not only was canceled, but it was also reversed in a universal way. This gives Him all power over such a sentence for Himself and whomever comes to Him and chooses to live for Him by faith (because in fact, we were also unjustly laden with sin we did not initially commit but Adam chose for us.) Jesus gives each individual person a way of escape (if we desire it, I Corinthians 10:13) from our “Adamic” sin nature by choosing to believe in Jesus and what He did for us. Our volitional ability to choose this gives us a way to reveal our true and personal heart’s desire to serve God above all else. On the day of redemption, our hearts and the blood that flows through them will not lie to God about that choice; but we, as Jesus and Adam had to, must choose. We now have the same opportunity as Adam, to obey or to disobey God in this action.

Though Jesus’ flesh form also had a sinful flesh nature that he had to fight to keep in line just like we do (He was tempted at all points like we were, yet without sin… Hebrews 4:15) remember, His Blood (Holy Ghost) and Spirit (The Father God) were completely without sin. Based on the Bible, we must also argue that his flesh held no sin either until its dimensional consummation of all things on the cross. In any case, He was tempted at all points like we were, yet without sin of His own. Jesus understands what we are going through.

The following scriptures testify of Jesus’ Immaculate Conception but also His corporeal humanity:

Hebrews 2:9

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Galatians 4:4-7

4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit [Ghost or Soul] [11]of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Matthew 1:18

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Luke 1:26 - 38

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Even Mary verbally accepted Jesus into her life (verse 38 above).

Mary’s acceptance of God’s will allowed her to become a part of a divine DNA impartation. According to a number of scientific sources, the DNA of a person is determined by a combination of the mother’s genetics and a father’s genetics (Handin, Lux, & Stossel, 2003). According to DNA in the COURT ROOM, A Trial Watcher’s Guide (GeneLex Corporation, 1994, 2000),

The genetic information contained in the DNA is organized and packaged into chromosomes, much as printed information is organized into volumes. Just as a specific passage in the encyclopedia can be identified by specifying a volume, page, and line number, a specific genetic passage or location, known as a locus, can be identified… A significant difference between the way information is stored in the cell and in an encyclopedia is that there are two copies of the information in each of the cells, one from the mother and one from the father. These two copies of the genetic information which are largely identical come together at the moment of conception when the sperm and the egg join together. All of the child’s cells contain DNA derived from this original fertilized cell, half from the mother and half from the father. It is this basic principle of heredity, first discovered over 150 years ago, that allows us to reliably perform parentage tests.

Apparently a single drop of blood or a hair or some other tiny portion of biological matter from a person is all that is necessary to gain such a DNA sample (Lyle, 2004; Lazer, 2004)). That sample can determine the person’s identity and then even parentage if the parent’s DNA is available for comparison (Lyle, 2004).

Through faith in the Holy Bible, the scriptures of Jesus’ Holy Conception and from the information mentioned above we conclude then that the DNA or the genetic code of the Holy Ghost was imprinted into the genetic code of the embryo in the womb of Mary, in addition to Mary’s, making Him the Son of God and The Son of Man, as He often refers to Himself in scripture. Though DNA can be found through those other means(hair, skin tissue samples, etc.), blood, however, is often the most immediate identifier at a crime scene investigation because of its glowing attribute (Lyle, 2004).

E.W. Kenyon (1969), a minister ahead of his time in many ways, quoted a truism from a physician that remains true to this day. In his book, What Happened from the Cross to the Throne, Kenyon states,

Physiologists have proven beyond a question that the mother does not impart her blood to the babe that is formed. Let me quote from “The Chemistry of the Blood” by M.R. De Haan, M.D., pages 31 and 32: “It is now definitely known that the blood which flows in an unborn babe’s arteries and veins is not derived from the mother but is produced within the body of the foetus (fetus) itself only after the introduction of the male sperm. An unfertilized ovum can never develop blood since the female egg does not by itself contain the elements essential for the production of the blood. It is only after the male element has added life to the egg…Since there is no life in the egg until the male sperm unites with it, and the life is in the blood, it follows that the male sperm is the source of the [blood generation within the fetus]” (p.19).

Since this report, science has also discovered that the Y chromosomes in males are only given to their sons from their fathers (Lazer, 2004).

I believe that the production of life (and thereby blood) comes from the seed of the father. Subsequently, Jesus’ Life came from God. Coupling faith and science together, we then must agree that the Blood of Jesus had and still has the powerful genetic material of Our Holy God resident within it because of the virgin birth.

The Bible continues to point to Jesus’ uniquely fashioned, joint lineage as Son of God and Son of Man. The following scriptures also speak to both His unique humanity as the Son of Man and His unique Deity as the Son of God. Note the following scriptures where Jesus is mentioned as the Son of man:

Matthew 12:32

And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

John 6:53 [12]

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

He and others testified that He was the Son of God as well. Look at Luke 1:35…

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And Luke 4:9, 41

9And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:

41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

And St. John 3:16 - 18

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And finally Matthew 16:13 - 17 …

13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist : some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Only the Life of a “God - Man” like Jesus, could atone for the sins of a God - Man like Adam as well as all those that had been born of the “seed” and blood of Adam. Unfortunately, this atonement would have to be with Jesus’ own Life-Blood.

The Bible says that without the SHEDDING OF BLOOD there is no remission or forgiving of sin (Hebrews 9:22, Hebrews 10:18). This apparently is a principle that relates to human-kind in particular but makes sense in a general way. To sin is to separate humans from the Will and thereby the Life of God, which is our source of true Life. Separation from Life equals death. Our life is in our blood. Lost life (due to sin) or “lost blood” requires new pure Life or Blood to live again. That pure blood must come from a pure source. Old testament rituals represented Christ providing the Pure Blood and Life for us. The blood that was sacrificed in the Old Testament was always that of a pure, guiltless and innocent animal and would only temporarily protect the one who sacrificed the animal from their sinful transgression until the next sin occurred (Leviticus, Chapter 4). In the Passover, the sacrifice was a lamb “without blemish” (Exodus 12:5) that was stretched in a “covenantal” way on a configuration of wood that ironically resembles a cross.

Minister Perry Stone (2007) once again has an excellent teaching on how the ancient Hebrew practices of blood sacrifice foreshadowed Jesus’ sacrifice. Thus the mention in St. John 1:29, Revelation 12:11 and other places of Jesus being the Lamb of God seem once again to correlate.

Jesus’ sacrifice and offering of His Blood allowed all men to become free by choice ( or as they choose Him), just as Adam became sinful by choice and just as Jesus was obedient to the death of the cross by choice.

Philippians 2:8

And being found in fashion as a man, he [Jesus] [13]humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus’ sacrifice allows a man to be free, once and for all of the burden of Adam’s sin, after a man, of that man’s own volition, chooses Jesus as his personal redeemer. Jesus, as was stated earlier, becomes, in His resurrection - in a universal, dimensional sense, the doorway (St. John 10:9, Ephesians 2:18) through which all the sons and daughters of sinful Adam can now walk back through and find their place in God’s dimensionally limitless and sinless Eden or Kingdom once again.

This rising action by Jesus corrects Adam’s “fall.” Adam became, by way of his flesh and his choice, the “doorway” through which every man had no choice but to walk through. Because of Adam’s mistake, (not unlike a “crack baby’s” plight, whose mother made unwise decisions) every man was now to “live” or really only to “exist” in a tainted flesh body, in a sin tainted world with sinful flesh and sinful blood; blood that supplies only what one needs to exist on earth in “Time” and no longer what one needs to truly “live” and commune with the God of Eternity, The Father of Creation. Jesus, by virtue of His flesh, His Blood and His choice to die for us, gave us the right to be sin free and to commune one-on-one once again with our Father God by choice!

The Allegorical Connection with Passover

This understanding provides us with another view or dimensional understanding of what the Passover ultimately signifies (Exodus 12). By way of a sinless, innocent lamb’s blood spread on a doorway, the “death angel” was defeated and supernatural life was found inside the doorway of those Hebrew houses in Goshen (Egypt) as they consumed that lamb’s flesh. This was during the occurrence of the last plague of Egypt before the Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to leave Egyptian servitude (Exodus 12:21-32).

Outside of the doorway, however, was and still is (in a universal, dimensional way) death. The only difference between the two doorways is on which side of the threshold one chooses to stand. Again, in a dimensional sense, Adam was the doorway for all men out of God’s presence and into sin (since we all came “through” his seed). Jesus is the dimensional doorway (St John 10:9) out of sin and into salvation by faith, back into the Life and presence of God (and thus the truth presented to Nicodemus by Jesus in St. John 3:3 that we “must be ‘born again’” because we were dead in sin, Romans 6:13 and Romans 8:10).

We can choose to step into “the doorway” (Jesus, by way of His Cross) by faith and live and be cleansed from the ultimate sin of Adam and protected from eternal separation from God, or we can choose to remain outside of the door - “Way” (Jesus is the Way, Truth and the Life, John 14:6) and remain in darkness, separate from God, and die. Which side of the doorway we stand on is completely up to us.

Again, our ability to choose is preeminent. The Israelites, after Moses told them God’s instructions for the application of the blood, also had to decide for themselves whether or not they would apply the blood of the Passover Lamb over their own doorposts or not. The consequence for not obeying God was to die the death of the Egyptians. Our choice is similar. Choosing Christ allows a person to have a renewed familial communion and connection with the God of the universe. To reject the sacrifice of Jesus (or to not choose at all) and to live our own way is to be separated from our Source of Life and the Voice of God.

Moses directed the Children of Israel to put this lamb’s blood on their doorways to be protected from the “death angel.” It is interesting that the blood sign that ends up upon the doorways in Goshen ( Exodus 12:1-32) that provided protection from the death angel, written in blood, would have probably looked similar to the symbols for both the physics symbol for Pi (π) and figure in Hebrew for “The Spirit of the Lord.” In Physics and mathematics, “π” or Pi appears routinely in equations describing fundamental principles of the Universe. Its numerical and decimal representation also has no end (3.14…), which could also be used to represent the Spirit of the Lord or the Holy Ghost or Life Everlasting.

According to Rabbi Michael L. Munk (1983), this Hebrew symbol that would have looked like the Pi symbol (π) is transliterated as “Heh” or “Hey” or “The Spirit of the Lord.”

Below are a picture of this Hebrew character and a definition:

It symbolizes Divinity and Gentility. This letter appears twice in the full Name of God and, together with yod, forms the Divine Name YAH. According to tradition, the World to Come was created through utterance of the letter yod. This World was created through the sound of hey, which is pronounced as a mere exhalation of breath, requiring little movement from tongue or lip.

God was obviously expressing to us through this occurrence of the lamb’s blood on the door, in a deep way, that only those under the protection of the Everlasting Life of God (Jesus’ Blood or Life, the Breath of Life), as represented by an innocent lamb’s blood, would not only escape the death that would come as a consequence of the Egyptian death angel but also the final death of eternal separation from God on Judgment Day as well.

There was, before the fall, a sinless quality about Adam’s blood that allowed him to live with a relationship with God as no sinful man could because of a unique connection to God which was severed or separated at the moment of Adam’s disobedience.

Jesus was the only man to enter the world after Adam that retained that unique quality of bloodline inheritance and communion with God. His obedience to God insured the purity of His Blood and thereby our re-admittance into the family of God if we so choose. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice and His sinlessness, His obedience allows us to be indwelt with the same Life flow that flowed within Him.

Each person’s individual acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice as our way of redemption apparently allows the individual to receive a type of spiritual “blood - transfusion” via the Holy Ghost. This transfusion allows our natural human blood to be fused and cleansed with the Blood of Jesus. It reunites us to the Father in a spiritual way, so that we can once again commune with the Father God as Adam did in the Garden of Eden before his error and in the way that Jesus communed with God in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-39)… as Father. This cleansing involves a choice of obedience we must make and fellowship with God and other believers (I Peter 1:2, I John 1:7); we will discuss this fellowship with fellow believers later in the book.

Just as Adam’s flesh and blood was tainted by a choice of disobedience to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:6), and just as Jesus’ Blood remained pure by His obedient choice to submit to God’s ultimate command to live a holy human lifestyle and to remain on the Cross of Golgotha (Mark 14:36), our blood apparently can be cleansed by our obedient choice to make Jesus the Lord and Savior of our lives.

Ultimately our flesh will be saved as well through this choice (Romans 8:23, I Corinthians 15:52) if we continue in obedience to God’s commands by way of His empowerment through constant fellowship with Him in His Word and prayer.

The otherwise “cursed tree” of the cross becomes the Tree of Life for us, similar to the way that the “serpent-staff” that Moses posted in the wilderness became healing to the Israelites. That which was cursed (the serpent on the post, Genesis 3:14) became a source of healing and life for the masses if they looked to it. Read of this account in Numbers 21:4 – 9…

4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.

5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”

6 So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”

9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

Looking to this serpent staff, this prophetic symbol of Christ’s Cursed Cross, brought healing to the people afflicted by the fiery serpents. The revelation of this action of placing the brazen serpent on the pole by Moses is not meant to be understood that God was honoring the serpent which is cursed in Genesis 3:14. Instead, prophetically, because Jesus would allow the sin of the world to come upon Him while on the cross (which would make His flesh temporarily as repugnant as the devil, the old serpent, Revelation 20:2), all who look to Jesus in submission, surrender and expectancy will receive healing, life and that more abundantly.

St. John 3:14- 17

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

St. John 12:32, 33

32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

St. John 10:10

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

There is, therefore, as was mentioned earlier, great universal value in Jesus having died on a cross or “a tree.” Actually, a “cross-reversal” takes place. As scripture shows, as it concerned their respective “trees,” Adam was to be obedient to the command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Genesis 2:16-17

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Jesus, in similar fashion, was to be obedient to die a death on the “Tree” of the Cross…

Philippians 2:7, 8

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Galatians 3:13

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

These two “trees,” the cross and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, ultimately, we find, become one spiritually in, again, a dimensional way (I Peter 1:13, 14; Luke 3:18, Hebrews 5:8, 9, Romans 5:12-19). Both had redemptive and corruptive qualities based on the choice of the particular Man related to them. Jesus’ “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” or the cross then became our “Tree of Life” after His perfect submission to its requirement (His death while innocent for Adam’s sin) - if we would but take of the fruit of it. We must also follow in His example of obedience.

Colossians 1:20 - 23 (NLT)

19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,

20 and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.

21 This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions,

22 yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed by God to proclaim it.

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

So just as Adam sinned by eating from a forbidden or cursed “tree,” in contrast, we are made free by “eating” or verbally receiving by faith with the words of our tongues the “fruit” of the “cursed tree” of the cross of Golgotha’s Hill, changing His cursed tree to our “Tree of Life”(Deuteronomy 21:22, 23; Matthew 27: 23; Mark 15:22; John 19:17). Jesus is that fruit.

Matthew 4:4

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

John 1:14

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Our confessing Jesus as Lord is eating the fruit of our Tree of Life in the dimensional way of Eden. So, more specifically, what exactly is this fruit we must take from the “Jesus Tree” or the cross in order to gain healing and eternal life?

The fruit, both celestial (spiritual) and terrestrial (earthly) that fell away from the Cross-Tree while Jesus died on this “cursed tree,” our “Tree of Life,” include;

• His Spirit or the Father left Him (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34 – ““My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?””);

• The Ghost of His Blood, (Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46, John 19:30), and as the soldier pierced Him, “Water and Blood” (St. John 19:34, St. John 7:37-38, I John 5:6), or His own sentient consciousness and His natural Blood (or the physical remnant of the Holy Ghost in His veins) physically left Him;

• Then finally His flesh (Jesus, The Word) came down from the tree as well (St. John 1:1, 14, St. John 19:38, Matthew 27:59).

These are the fruit of the tree. Accordingly, if we, by faith and through our own volition or choice and voice, “eat” or receive (by believing in our hearts and by confessing with our mouths) Jesus’ Spirit (Father), His “living” water and blood or Soul (Holy Ghost), and His flesh (Jesus, God’s Word) as our sacrifice and offering (Romans 10:9 and 10), we are redeemed. Remember, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue; they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21, St. John 6:51-66). The fruit of our tongues are our words, the very proof of life, for the words we speak ride on the air we breathe. Jesus is the Fruit of God’s Tongue, the Bread of Life, the Incarnate Word (St. John 1:1, 4, 14, St. John 6:28-48). In this Bread of Life dwells the true Breath of Life. So, to receive Jesus is to receive Life as well as Light and enlightenment. Jesus is the Light God spoke of in the “Genesis” or beginning of all things.

Genesis 1:3

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

John 1:4 (Speaking of Jesus)

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

John 8:12

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Communion: The Word and the Wine

Communion, then, becomes highly symbolic, where eating the bread is representative of reading, receiving, retaining, saying and obeying God’s Word or His “Logos” in Greek (which is Jesus, St. John 1:1 & St. John 6:53) and drinking the wine is representative of His Blood or His Ghost or Soul which we receive first through salvation and then in an enhanced way through the Baptism of the Holy Ghost which most often is accompanied by the speaking of unknown tongues.

We now can understand better the scripture in Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of their Testimony…” to mean… “And they overcame the devil through surrender to The Holy Ghost and obedience to and declaration of the Word of God (Jesus) which was found to be true in their obedient lifestyle or testimony.” The controversial statement Jesus said in St. John 6:47-58 below begins to make more natural sense now also…

47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

48 I am that bread of life.

49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead .

50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof , and not die .

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

53Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.

54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed.

56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him.

57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me even he shall live by me.

58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.

Jesus was obviously not speaking of cannibalism and/or vampirism (more on this later) in this passage, though some of His disciples at the time believed that possibly.

St. John 6:66 (this is an aside but interesting numbers here for this particular verse, see Revelation 13:18)

66From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Instead, He was prophetically and dimensionally speaking of this sort of spiritual fruit from our Tree of Life, His cross. That spiritual fruit was Jesus. Now compare the passage in St. John above to St. Luke 4:4 and Deuteronomy 8:3 when Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness and the place in scripture He was quoting,

Luke 4:4

And Jesus answered him, saying, it is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.

Deuteronomy 8:3

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

So the Word of God, Jesus and manna are dimensionally the same according to these scriptures…

St. John 1:1, 14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The allusion given in these scriptures is of God’s Word being, in a dimensional way, bread or manna and Jesus; the substance of Life. God’s Word is basically what was in the fruit of those trees in the Garden of Eden as well apparently.

The symbolic meaning of eating the bread of communion that Jesus speaks of is that we are to continually study the Word of God- to consume it. In kind, the Word will consume us like fire (Jeremiah 20:9, Jeremiah 23:29). In other words, we will be like the Word (Philippians 2:5, I Corinthians 2:16). We will begin to think like Jesus.

And then the Spirit (the Holy Ghost), Who gives us practical understanding of God’s Word, is equated to the wine of communion in Ephesians 5:18 which reads…

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit…

And then in I Corinthians 12:13

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

The allusion Paul gives in these scriptures in Ephesians and First Corinthians is that of the Spirit being like wine; however, both are to be considered in a spiritual way. The Greek term for drink (transliterated as “potivzw”) in the Corinthians scripture implies metaphorically “to imbue, saturate one’s mind,” (Bauer, Walter, 2000), but more literally means “to give to drink, to furnish drink, to water, irrigate (plants, fields etc.)” (Bauer, Walter, 2000).

So then, if the wine is to be the metaphorical equivalent to “blood” as we mentioned earlier in communion, we have the meaning of the second portion of Jesus’ statement in St. John 6: 53. The metaphorical meaning in drinking the wine (or grape juice) of communion is that after receiving God’s Word (the bread), we are to saturate our minds with God’s presence by invoking Him and calling upon Him through prayer that the Holy Ghost (the wine, the Blood) would bring Life to His Words on the pages of the Bible and on the “tablets” of our hearts (Jeremiah 31:32-34,Worship in Spirit and Truth, St. John 4:23, 24, ). The Holy Ghost ( Wine) brings a resurrection of the dead written Word within us (much like Jesus rose in his earthen tomb) and Christ is brought to life in we who as earthen vessels (2 Corinthians 4:7) now hold the ”Blood” and “Flesh” of God within them. Communion represents how Jesus lives in us (Romans 8:11); He, living in us, is our Hope of Glory.

Colossians 1:27

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory

Symbolism of the Holy Ghost as a Liquid

It is indeed interesting the frequency of allusions to liquid that are made toward our experiencing the Holy Ghost. This is noted throughout this book. In Luke 1:15, the angel speaking of John the Baptist implies the liquid nature of the Holy Ghost…

15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.

Even in Joel 2:28 the prophecy about the Holy Spirit implies a liquid form,

28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

These metaphors of liquid for the Holy Ghost are significant. Noting this, let us now consider what Jesus was trying to tell us through His first miracle of turning the water into wine during the Wedding in Cana in St. John 2:1-11. Why did Jesus turn the water into wine and what does this have to do with His Blood? Let us explore the true reasons behind this miracle right now!

Ephesians 5:18

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit…

Chapter 2

Water into Wine

If we are drunk with old wine, our minds are dull and we do not desire new wine. But it is the vibrancy of the new wine, its power of expansion that is its greatest feature.

~ Watchman Nee, Christian Philosopher

And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which seals the covenant between God and his people.

It is poured out to forgive the sins of many.

~Jesus speaking to His disciples, Matthew 26:27, 28, NLT

The miracle of the water becoming wine, this being Jesus’ first miracle, carries much symbolism. To many it may seem to be a random occurrence, but it is much deeper than is first evident. We know that Jesus did not waste any opportunity to teach us and this was a prime example of a powerful lesson that could help us a great deal.

This miracle reminds me in a strange way of the iconic figure of Moses and God using him to raise the rod over the waters of Egypt, in Exodus, turning the waters into blood…

Exodus 7:20

And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

In Hebrew, the transliterated word for blood, “dam,” and pronounced as “dawm” is also used to represent “wine” (Bible Study Tools, 2007). One of the principles of equality/logic that we learned earlier applies here also:

The symmetric property:

For any quantities a and b, if a = b, then b = a.

In this case, for blood and wine, if blood equals wine, then wine equals blood, at least it does in the original language of the culture of Jesus and the Jewish people, Hebrew.

So, Jesus, at this point in time through this intriguing miracle of turning the water into wine, reveals to His disciples and others that at least one thing was true: Jesus was at least on the same level as Moses in terms of ability and His relationship with God. Moses had a divine revelation of the “Blood of the lamb” in the event of the Passover as well. More will be spoken of this in later chapters. We note that after this particular miracle however (Jesus’ first), the disciples first believed him, probably because of this association of the blood and wine in their native language and the similarity with this event at the wedding with the event of Moses and the waters of Egypt. No one had done such a miracle since Moses…turning water into blood or wine. This act alone made the disciples take notice of the man, Jesus, as a Man with an extremely special relationship with God.

St. John 2:11

This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

This makes this particular miracle even that much more significant. We will return to this verse at the end of the chapter.

Whatever the scientific process was that Jesus illustrated by turning the water into wine, and the scientific process God illustrated through Moses by turning the water to blood, I am suggesting that the same sort of transformation occurred with the Holy Ghost as Jesus’ Blood in the conception of Jesus in a human (Mary’s) womb and then again at Jesus’ death. The Holy Ghost of God became the Life of Jesus’ natural flesh, His Blood. That Blood became the Holy Ghost “proper” (or as we more commonly know Him in His spiritual form) again at Jesus’ crucifixion just as the blood changed back to water in Egypt after an appointed time.

In reading the account of the water into wine, one must also keep in mind the symbolism innate in communion, as well as those Biblical references to Christ being the groom and the church being the bride (Isaiah 62:5, St. John 3:29, Ephesians 5:25, Revelation 21:2, see Appendix C). The occurrence at the Wedding in Cana gives us some insight on what God purposed to do within Jesus’ Blood and then later in us, those who would believe on His holy Life, death and resurrection.

Let’s look at the account again, studying each verse of scripture, from St. John the Second Chapter:

St. John 2:1-11

1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.

5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew ;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Notice the first two verses again:

1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

I have to believe that Jesus was in a prophetic state of mind during this wedding. Thinking prophetically, the “third day” could allude to the day on which Jesus would rise after His crucifixion. The second part of the first verse states that the mother of Jesus was present. This could very well foreshadow in Jesus’ mind when Mary would later be present at the cross, the place of His Passion. This sort of prophetic thinking could have left Jesus somewhat emotionally unsettled in His holy yet human psyche. His Blood was to be shed for us.

These scriptures could also prophetically refer to Jesus’ return for His marriage with the church noting that Cana of Galilee sounds a lot like “Canaan Land” or the Promised Land or “the Kingdom” which is to be comprised by the church at the time of His return (Revelation 19:9). When we read “and both Jesus was called and his disciples to the marriage…” we can assume that it is possible that in Jesus’ mind during the wedding, this reminded Him of that future prophetic day when He would return for “His bride,” His bride being comprised of the people that make up His church, all of His disciples (as well as we, His present day disciples, Ephesians 5:25). All in all, I believe it was a day full of remarkable and allegorical significance, especially to Jesus.

The third verse then states:

3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

We need to think of Old Testament covenant while looking at this statement by Mary, the mother of Jesus. Understanding that wine in this culture was many times a symbol for blood, even in its word usage, we note that every sacrifice for sin was atoned for by the shedding and covering or sprinkling of blood.

A primitive root of the Hebrew word blood (transliterated as “dawm”) actually is transliterated as “Duwach” which means “to rinse, cleanse away by rinsing, cast out, purge, wash, washing” (Bible Study Tools, 2007). Duwach is also a primitive root for the Hebrew words, Adam (to be or grow red, also the first man), damn (“damam” or “damah” -to condemn, to cause to die or be silent); and astonish (“daham”). So blood has to do with life and death, being cleansed or condemned.

God chose blood as an atonement vehicle because it is the cleansing, life giving essence of every living creature. Apparently blood is also the one remaining thing in the composition of man’s complex makeup THAT CANNOT LIE, which is both physical and “other-worldly,” and cannot be truly created by man!!! These are attributes similar to Jesus’ indelible makeup as Son of man and Son of God based on Numbers 23:19, I Corinthians 15:40 and Hebrew 6:18…

Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

I Corinthians 15:40

There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

Hebrews 6:18

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Wine, in this miracle, represents blood as well as the gift of life. In essence, through blood animal sacrifices, that is what they were offering back to God in the sacrifices of old; the representative essence of their lives through the sacrifice of an innocent animal’s blood so that they might remain in God’s life sustaining presence.

Noting that God had given life to man, the law of sacrifice gave meaning to the law of reciprocity or the law of “sowing and reaping”: Give and it shall be given (Luke 6:38, John 3:16, Galatians 6:7). As God had given pure Life, pure and innocent life was given back to God in those sacrifices when sin occurred (though symbolic and that of an animal’s) so that the one for whom the symbolic sacrifice was made, the human’s natural life, would not be taken away for violating God’s laws of life. Sin, which means in Hebrew “to miss the way or mark or to miss the path of right” (Bible Study Tools, 2008) violated God’s dimensional laws of Life, so there had to be pure life given to make up for the violation, or else death would have to follow. In Adam’s case, God showed mercy and took the life of animals, skinned them and possibly with the skins still fresh with the blood of the dead animal, covered and clothed man (Genesis 3:21), so that man could continue to at least exist with a semblance of God’s presence on earth until Christ came to give man a chance to receive again that Life in man that Adam had lost through disobedience.

The Old Testament sacrifices of the Jewish Nation were symbolic, however, of the ultimate sacrifice (Jesus’) that would be necessary to save us completely. His sacrifice would satisfy all penalties for sin, so that literal, individual major or minor sacrifices for individual sins would not have to be made ever again. A true sacrifice of pure life without sin, pure blood without infirmity to atone for Adam’s major transgression, had not been, through the Old Testament Covenant and sacrifices, sacrificed in the purest way yet unto God. Those sacrifices did, however, hold back God’s judgment of His people for a time.

I boldly assert that wine in this miracle represents blood because of the interchangeable terminology often found in Hebrew texts between blood and wine. Often in conversation apparently, the Jewish people (and people of the region, even possibly in Aramaic) would use the term for blood when speaking of wine, as is illustrated in the scriptures below:

Genesis 49:11 (KJV)

Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

Isaiah 49:26

And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer , the mighty One of Jacob.

Though translated in Greek in the New Testament, the Hebrew word Mary possibly used for wine when speaking to Jesus about the need for it was probably the word also used by Israelites figuratively to denote “blood…” (“dawm”) as it is used in the verses above and below,

Deuteronomy 32:14

Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.

Ezekiel 19:10

Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters…

So… in Mary’s statement to Jesus at the wedding of, “They have no wine,” Jesus probably prophetically heard every one of her words as a reference, not to the wedding feast that was currently being celebrated or the wine that was lacking in that celebration, but to the purest sacrifice for sin which would be required through His eventual death ~ a daunting thought to the human-Jesus, Son of Man now officially entering into His divine ministry as Son of God, as this would be His first miracle. The “wine” of His veins would be required.

So, when Mary said the statement, “They have no wine”[14] to Jesus, whether Mary knew it or not, she actually said to Jesus something of this nature prophetically…

They, Man-kind, have no pure blood to cover their sin! They have no pure life to offer the Life – Giver, your Father, God. There is no sacrifice for them to save their souls. Their own blood is too corrupt – animal’s blood was symbolic but not entirely effectual, just temporary. When will you give yourself as a sacrifice for them? They long for cleanliness, they long for a true covering. When will you give your life for them? When will you suffer, agonize, bleed and die on a horrible cross of affliction for their sin? When will you sacrifice your blood for their lives? They have no blood!

Having read Mary’s simple statement “they have no wine” in this way, it is easier to understand Jesus’ otherwise seemingly angry retort or strangely stated reply to his mother in St. John 2:4 of,

4 Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come!

Jesus had just begun His ministry on earth and it was not yet time for the Lamb of God to be sacrificed for the sins of Mankind (St John 1:29,36; Revelation 19:9). That time would come three years later. His hour had NOT yet come to shed His blood for us…yet the haunting prophetic reality of this was a daunting, shocking reality and possibly an epiphany for the “Son of Man” this moment in His Life on earth apparently.

But when the time came, Jesus acknowledged this as the time for Him to give man “pure wine.” This is in Mark 14:41 where he states, “…the hour is come.” Surely our God had placed before Jesus a cup (His Body actually) in which His Blood (wine), wine from the true vine (St. John 15), had filled and now was to be poured from for our sake.

This is why He asks the Father in Mark 14:36 “to remove it” from Him if possible.

Mark 14:35, 36 (NLT, Jesus speaking)

35 He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by.

36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.”

Thank God though that for our sakes Jesus was “filled” and did pour out from the Cup of His flesh for us. His flesh, His physical Body was indeed the Holy Grail! His glorified body would be the vessel that would travel to heaven and present the Holy Ghost, His own Blood in a spiritual form, to God over the Heavenly Holy of Holies, as His Witness.

St. John 20:17

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

In the 5th verse of St. John 2, we see that another symbolic message is to go forth. We see in this verse that the servants (possibly his disciples) were to do whatsoever He said for them to do. This could symbolically refer to us as His disciples as well as the twelve, for we are to do all that He commanded and commands us to do (John 14:15, 21).

Once again we look toward the Old Testament as context for the 6th verse in our passage which states,

6 And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

As read in the books of the Law, in Jewish culture, vessels were often used in purification before eating and for various rituals of cleansing. An open vessel was even considered unclean (Numbers 19:15)! We can, after reading about this usage of vessels and after realizing the symbolism of Isaiah 36:26 (a “stony heart” being replaced by a “heart of flesh”) that these vessels of stone could refer to us, the “unclean,” sinful and estranged people of God, as well as referring to our hearts.

Now… in verse 7 it states,

7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

Consider the water in these pots as a symbol for the Law of the Old Testament or the “Word” that Jesus came to fulfill (Matthew 5:17, Romans 3:21,22, Ephesians 5:26) In the Old Testament, the People of God were to know, retain and to obey the law in order to become and remain sin free. David said in Psalms 119:11…

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

And in Joshua 1:8 we read the admonition of God to Joshua concerning His Words,

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Had the ancient Israelite people been able to retain the Word in the way that David mentioned or focused on it as Joshua was supposed to, and been completely obedient to it, they would have been free of sin or “clean.” This, unfortunately, was not completely possible or even almost impossible as we can tell from even King David’s life, who was one who truly loved God and devotedly (generally) endeavored to keep God’s Word; yet He still fell prey to sin.

Just as water has no organic “virtue,” in that it came from no living thing per se, the law also had no “virtue” in and of itself, by itself to cleanse the people or give them the power to keep themselves from sin or sinning. More than anything it showed them, like washing with water does, how dirty or evil they truly were. The Law[15], by itself, could not save us. Paul makes this clear in his books to the Romans and Ephesians, as is referenced in these verses…

Romans 2: 22-25

22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?

24For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

25For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.

Romans 8:3-11 (NLT)

3 The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.

4 He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.

6 If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.

7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.

8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.)

10 Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God.

11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you.

Ephesians 2:8

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Even Jesus said His Life is the key to having the power of the Word made manifest in our own lives:

St. John 5:38-40

38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.

39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

The very act of the Jews having to “put” the Law (in this analogy, the water in the pots) within themselves and having to follow every precept completely was a virtually impossible task in itself! Still they were to fill themselves “to the brim” with His Law, God’s Law. Now keep this in mind as we look at verses 8 and 9 of our main text. Though this was an actual occurrence, it was extremely symbolic…

8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew ;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

As Jesus said, “Draw out now,” He had already changed the water within the stone vessels into wine. Seeing this, we see at least three possible symbolic and allegorical meanings from this true event from scripture. First, we see that after accepting Jesus and obeying His instructions (or the Word of God), the Law we have accepted within ourselves as His servants and His “vessels” (II Corinthians 4:7, Hebrews 9:21), can be changed in a moment into love (if we use wine as a symbol for the Love of God which fulfills the Law of God (Matthew 22:37-40). That which was without life (logos or words on the page, or in this scripture passage, allegorically, water in a clay pot) is changed into something of life (in Greek “rhema” or revelation, Romans 3: 21-31, or wine in the vessel). A transformation that changes the condition of the inner man occurs as we “bear to the governor” or obey Jesus’ Words (just as Jesus changed the condition of the substance inside of the water pots).

Secondly, we (as servants and vessels) see that we are no longer told to “fill ourselves” but to “Draw Out” of ourselves. In other words, we are being told by this miracle that that which Jesus would create in us (His Word or the Law into Love) – was not just to stay there, inside of us. The love we have received from the Lord and the revelations we have received of Him through His Word should be reflected and given out in regular day to day living, first back to God (the “governor”), and then to others who have not yet received this gift of power and unconditional love. This is the purpose of a disciple of Jesus.

Matthew 12:29-31

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Third, He said, “Bear unto the governor of the feast.” Yes – “the governor” gets a return first and then the “wedding guests.” Our Father God, Who has masterminded our “marriage” with Jesus, could be considered the Governor of our marriage feast and the one to which we must “draw out now” our love and return it to Him; the love first birthed by His love for us. Also, we see that Jesus, in sacrificing Himself for us, manifested to us that which the symbolic “watery” blood of animals could not do. The pure, virtuous, “wine-like” Blood of Jesus satisfies the longing for pure Life that the Father deserved and desired in return from man.

For as God gave us life, which was from His nostrils, His lips, and His lungs, Pure Life was given back to Him through Jesus’ sacrifice of His flesh and Blood. As Spirit had given unto flesh, flesh was finally able again (since Adam’s fall) to give back to God the spirit and life that should never have been separated from God in the first place.

When God created man, we were originally supposed to commune with God continually; Him giving us life, and we giving our lives back to Him in worship, dedication and commitment. It was to be that after God breathed into us and as we exhaled in praise to Him for this gift of Life, we would return His Breath to Him in a never ending cycle of communion and Life.

Now, we can finally do this because the broken sin trait of our blood has itself been broken, and now our blood’s “life-flow” which was dammed (or “blocked” as well as “damned” or condemned) by sin is now free to flow back to us, and then back to the Father, through Jesus. This is prophetically represented through verse 10 as God (symbolically if you think of God in the place of) the Governor, speaks to Jesus (as the ultimate bridegroom), of His plan of redemption.

Verse 10 of St. John 2 states,

10 And [the Governor] [16]saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

In this short speech, the governor seems to say, if we consider an allegorical or even prophetic meaning,

“In the beginning, God and man had perfect fellowship, no “bad blood” between them, then man’s blood was corrupted by sin through disobedience: now that fellowship is restored with your pure Blood, which has been kept pure within You through obedience, and this Blood You presently will give for them.”

Verse 11 states:

11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Truly, Jesus manifested the glorious multifaceted significance of His coming, dying, and rising in this one simple miracle. In changing the water into wine, He showed what God, through His magnificent wisdom, would do for men to redeem and return man to Himself. Jesus changed water into wine; the law into love. God’s intention was to love us back into His presence, in spite of the broken laws. For God so loved the world that He would give us His Son’s Life (Blood) so that we would not have to die eternally (St. John 3:16).

If nothing else, the disciples also now saw Jesus as one who was at least on the level of Moses; one who had such a relationship with God that the supernatural and the miraculous were readily available to testify of that relationship.

What we are discovering also is that not only did Jesus change water into wine but also that that miracle represented a greater work Jesus would perform for us and in us as our heavenly High Priest later. More on His being High Priest for us as it relates to the Blood will be discussed later in depth, especially as it relates to what Moses did on the altar before the Levitical priesthood was established, but now we will mention this only as a general preview.

Suffice it to say, that by becoming human and dying on the cross, Jesus created the legal voucher (His Blood) that allowed the Father God to redeem our lives from Satan. Jesus’ Blood, His Life, (that which was before in the form of the Holy Ghost that came upon Mary and through the power of the Highest (Luke 1:35, Matthew 1:20), left His physical body as He gave His Life on the cross and that “Life of His flesh” changed from Blood to Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit form (the third person of the Trinity); Living Water changed to Spiritual Wine.

The Holy Ghost then, as the Soul of Jesus, having been resident within Jesus in a physical way as His Blood and after dealing with Hell, could testify to The Father God, the Judge of all Men, of Jesus’ sinlessness on earth, from motives to mission, heart to hand, womb to tomb. This testifying would occur in the heavenly Holy of Holies as Jesus presented the Holy Ghost to The Father God. Jesus went to God as our Advocate and High Priest and He would present the Holy Ghost as His Witness, His Blood.

Upon hearing the testimony of Jesus’ Blood ( like Abel’s), God could then send the Holy Ghost to dwell in the blood of every man upon request and fulfill the prophecies of Ezekiel 36:25-28, Joel 2:28-30, and John 14:15-17. These prophecies are printed below…

Ezekiel 36:25-28

25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

29 I will also save you from all your uncleanness’s:

Joel 2:28-30

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.[17]

St. John 14:15-17, 26

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance , whatsoever I have said unto you.

There will be more discussion on this later as well. Ultimately, we must stay attached to the True Vine (Jesus) if we are to partake of His True Wine; His Life giving flow.

St. John 15:1-5

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Jesus was taking the place of Moses as the ultimate spokesman for God; where the servant (Moses) was, now came the Son (Jesus).

Hebrews 3:4-6 (NLT)

4 For every house has a builder, but God is the one who made everything.

5 Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house, but only as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later.

6 But Christ, the faithful Son, was in charge of the entire household. And we are God’s household, if we keep up our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

Hebrews 3:7 (KJV)

7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith , To day if ye will hear his voice,

St. John 8:35, 36

35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

While Moses introduced God’s Mind to the people through the Law of God, Jesus introduced us to God’s Heart through His Loving Gift: Jesus sacrificing His Life, The Life of God, that we might live (St. John 3:16, I John 4:9).

Jesus’ miracle of turning the water into wine represented God’s purpose of reconnecting the bloodline of Mankind to the Bloodline of God. Through that bloodline that initially flowed in Adam - that intimate connection - God had full fellowship with us, His God-breathed creation and His earthly family. Jesus restored that internal, spiritual, blood-connection through His sacrifice.

The visual pictures of the Passover meal (Exodus 12), this wedding feast in Cana, the last supper Jesus shared with His disciples (Matthew 26:26, Mark 14:22), and the communion/even Mass ceremonies that we take part in today (I Corinthians 11:24) are all to be symbolic expressions of what we were and are supposed to participate in from the foundation of the earth: Communion, Interaction and Fellowship with Our God and one another (Luke 4:4; see also Appendix C).

These pictures represent the ultimate oneness we as the church will experience that will be the ultimate fruition of Jesus’ prayer for us in St. John 17 before He went to the cross; that we might be one:

St. John 17:21

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

In Revelation 19:9, John speaks of the day when at the true marriage supper of the Lamb these ceremonies will come together in the greatest of all communion tables.

It is our prime directive to commune with our God in Spirit and Truth until then (John 4:23, 24). The Holy Ghost, we will discover, allows us to commune with our Triune God in a very real way, through our Spirit (I Corinthians 14:2-4, Jude 20,21), soul (I Thessalonians 5:23, St. John 14:26) and body (Romans 8:8 -13, Romans 12:1-3). As we practice communion with God now, not only in the ceremony, but in the actual reading of His Word, praying in His Spirit and in the doing of His Word in our lives, we will hasten His return for this magnificent feast of fellowship with God and man. Ultimately, this pivotal miracle of turning the water into wine was a precursor to and a foreshadowing of the greatest “reunion” ever planned.

The more we study, the more we will find that there is an obvious and intricate connection between the Spirit (the Father), the Water (the Son, the Word of God) and the Blood (the Holy Ghost, His Soul; I John 5:6-8). Let us now examine more closely this relationship; a relationship that when we accept it, renews us, cleanses us, flows through us, gives us eternal life…and allows us to overcome our “life issues” (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25, Luke 8:43). It turns out that ultimately all of our life’s issues are issues of “blood.” It takes the Spirit, Water and Blood of the Holy One to make us whole.

Matthew 9:19-22

19 And Jesus arose , and followed him, and so did his disciples.

20 And, behold , a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said , Daughter, be of good comfort ; thy faith hath made thee whole . And the woman was made whole from that hour.

Chapter 3

The Spirit, The Water, & The Blood: Symbols of the Overcoming Life

Tell me how it is that in this room there are three candles and but one light, and I will explain to you the mode of the divine existence.

~John Wesley, Theologian

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the son of God?

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7 for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water and the blood: and these three agree in one.

~ I John 5:4-8

But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forth with came there out blood and water.

~ St. John 19:34

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

~ Revelation 12:11

As we just read, the Bible says that we overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony. What exactly does that mean? Well, we must be born of the Spirit (St. John 3:5) which is commonly called being “saved” or “born again.” Based on our earlier discussion, this could be considered as having been endowed with the Blood of the Lamb. This state of being refers directly to the acts of faith described by Jesus in St. John 3:3-17, a portion of which is below…

St. John 3:5, 7 (Jesus speaking)

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

St. John 3:14-17

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

…and what Paul described in Romans 10:8 -11…

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

So the process of being born again holds with it the notion of receiving a new bloodline. But in addition to overcoming by the “Blood of the Lamb,” or the Holy Ghost, we must also have the “Word in our testimony” according to the scripture in Revelation above in order to “overcome.” What exactly is the “Word in our testimony?” Well, as we’ve discussed earlier, the Word is Jesus; He is the equivalent in a supernatural, dimensional way to His written Word, The Holy Bible (St. John 1:1, 14). So the phrase, “The Word in our testimony,” would simply mean that there is a direct relationship to the level of application of the Word of God in our daily lives to our success. The phrase could also be described as our “living and openly acknowledged and expressed experience (testimony) of our ability to overcome trials in this life through God’s Word. Coupled with the “Blood of the Lamb” phrase, the two phrases together mean that this application and victory through the Word of God hinges on our yielding to the operation of the Holy Ghost in our lives through God’s Word.

Other Symbols

The Word is also represented by water according to the Bible as we discussed in Chapter 2 of this book, in the above mentioned verse, St. John 3:5 and as we can see in Ephesians 5:25, 26…

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Water, interestingly enough is also, according to scripture, a symbolic equivalent to the Holy Ghost as we can see in verse 6 of I John 5 and St. John 7:38, 39…

38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Water also refers to our Father God as the Source of this Living Water as He states through Jeremiah in Jeremiah 2:12, 13 and 17:13 (the LORD, the fountain of living waters). The “Spirit” also represents the Father God as well as the Holy Ghost in numerous places in the Bible such as in the verse directly above. This could get confusing if we let it, but we won’t.

Recognizing the fact that the Trinity is three in one yet one in three, there ARE – throughout the Bible, corresponding cross references of each symbol referring to each person in the Trinity. I will not exhaustively go through all of these references in this book. Please know however, that those references are THERE for each: the Spirit, the Water and the Blood, and all agree in One (I John 5:6-8). For our purposes presently, let’s agree that the “Blood of the Lamb” is indeed a reference to the Holy Ghost while the “Word in our testimony” is a reference to the Word of God (Jesus) that is being practiced and lived out in our lives daily as believers; it could refer to our being “living epistles (or letters) read of all men” (II Corinthians 3:2).

Because the Trinity is an inextricable yet perfectly independent consortium of an equi-existent unity of One yet Three, we will not be able (until possibly when we get to heaven) to understand the true complexity of our Triune God. So, suffice it to say, every part of One is essentially every part of the Other. So within the Bible we can very simply equate, through scripture, the analogous nature of each representative symbol for one person of the Trinity to another in the Trinity.

However, our God, within His Transcendent Tri- Unity, has three separate identities with separate functions that bring harmony to His infinite existence and preeminence as the One and Only God, “ I AM” (Exodus 3:14), at least as it relates to us as humans in this dimension of existence called “Time” (See Appendix B). Once again, the properties of logic and mathematic equality represent this phenomenon as …

The transitive property which states…

“For any quantities a, b, and c, if a = b and b = c, then a = c.”

What must be understood for this property in the context of this subject matter is that while a, b and c are one and the same for this equation (God) they also remain “a,” “b,” and “c” (Father, Son and Holy Ghost); uniquely identified yet completely unified.

Our plan at this point in particular is to relate the clear function of each symbol (the Blood and the Word) as stated in I John 5:4-8 and Revelation 12:11 as they relate to our overcoming this life’s trials and tribulations. This chapter also discusses many of the other symbols of the Trinity that ultimately all relate to the same thing, the cleansing ability of Blood of Jesus. Because the Trinity are one, the Blood becomes an all inclusive sort of entity. The master plan for this chapter is to clarify the assertion that the Holy Ghost is indeed the Blood of Jesus Christ and how through this Blood of Jesus and through His Words, we can be victorious in our lives on earth.

In considering the relationship between the Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost to the Spirit, the Water and the Blood, we look at I John 5:4-8 with awe. We see in this passage that the Holy Ghost is clearly equated and juxtaposed with the Blood. Other references that could allude to this connection between the Blood and the Holy Ghost are found in the following two scriptures in Hebrews…

Hebrews 9:14 (Douay-Rheims Bible (RHE))[18]

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who by[19] the Holy Ghost offered himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?

Hebrews 10:29

Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

As we look again at I John 5:6, 7 and 8 and juxtapose them, one to the other, we also establish that the Father and Jesus and the Holy Ghost are related to the Spirit and the water (the Word) and the blood, respectively.

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7 for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water and the blood: and these three agree in one.

There is an instance in the Bible where a soldier pierced Jesus in the side while Jesus was on the cross. This is another scripture to consider in this parallel analogy or comparison:

St. John 19:34

34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

35 And he that saw it bare record and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.

A prophetic picture of this particular crime scene incident is found in the Old Testament as Moses was required to strike the Rock so that the Children of Israel could drink water from the Rock, where the Rock was a shadow of Christ and His being made a sacrifice…

Exodus 17:6

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Numbers 20:8

Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

I Corinthians 10:4

And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Water and Blood left Jesus’ Body. Why, aside from the obvious? Thinking spiritually, in principle, this occurred because He tasted of the “bitter cup” which figuratively was represented by that vinegar (in Matthew 27:48 and Mark 15:36; “Oxos” in Greek which means “sour wine”) which, though often of the same origin as wine, seems to represent “sour, or bitter, dirty wine” or, based on our earlier discussion, “dirty blood” or the state of our blood after Adam’s fall and before our redemption by Christ. Basically, the vinegar could have represented the sin that was resident in our veins after the fall from grace by Adam while wine would represent the pure, clean blood that fell from our Savior’s body on the cross. As He drank the vinegar, it could have been representative of His taking upon Himself the sins of Mankind in a dimensional way. As sin poured in, Pure Life flowed out…

St. John 19:28 – 30, 34

28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.

30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

34 but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

Note also that the crucifixion occurred during the Passover celebration for the Jews. It is interesting that Hyssop, (the same plant that was used to apply the lamb’s blood to the probably wooden {see I Kings 6:33} door posts of the Israelites houses for protection from the angel of death during the original Passover and for the sprinkling of the people by Moses, see Exodus 12:22 & Exodus 24:8) was what reached up and no doubt brushed the bloodied face and the wooden cross of our Savior as He took the bitter cup. We will revisit the use of hyssop later.

Hebrews 9:19

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

St. John 19:29

Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.

Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophetic Passover practice. Pure Life and tainted life, Pure wine and bitter, the best wine and the soured (or “leavened” in Hebrew, a symbol of sin for Israelites) could not remain in the same fountain (Psalms 36:9 and scriptures below).

James 3:11, 12

11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Revelation 21:6, 7

6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

The acceptance of the vinegar by Jesus and the Water and Blood leaving Jesus was a literal and symbolic rendering of the Son taking on the sins of the world and the Father God and the Holy Ghost vacating from Himself in The Son of Man because of it. As He drank the vinegar, He took on the sins of the world. As a result, the Water (The Word, which is God the Father as well as God the Son – St. John 1:1 , Ephesians 5:26) and the Blood or The Holy Ghost (St. John 19:30) left Him because God cannot dwell in an unclean temple. Jesus then truly thirsted because His Living Water was leaving His mortal body for a time.

I Corinthians 3:16, 17

17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

18 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

II Corinthians 6:16

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

I Corinthians 6:19

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

This is why Jesus died. “He gave His Life away, for all our sins to pay;” He voluntarily took the sin of the world (represented by the vinegar) into His body or flesh. Then all that was and is “His Life” left His physical Body because He received the sin of the world into the flesh body prepared for Him by God in the womb of Mary.

This, His Flesh, was His cup; again this was the Holy Grail (that which carried the Blood/Wine/Life of Jesus). The description of His body as a “cup” also represented the responsibility he was given to give His flesh and Blood for us as a sacrifice and an offering. Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 26:39, and verse 42…

39And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt…

42He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

As He drank the vinegar, He took on the sins of the world. Jesus voluntarily took our sin and died that we might overcome through that which came forth from Him - The Spirit, the Water and the Blood (I John 5:4; Revelation 12:11).

The Spirit (St. John 3:5, I John 5:4) was given that we may be reborn.

The Water or the Word ( Ephesians 5:26) was given that He ( Jesus) might cleanse our minds and bodies of the filth of the vinegar, Adam’s original sin, and the filth the world has placed there (Romans 12:1, 2). Also, that water was given so that our tongues might speak out that same pure water of the Word to cleanse one another (James 3:11, 12; St. John 15:3, Colossians 3:16, James 5:16) and bring life and health to all our flesh (St. John 7:38, 39, Proverbs 4:20-22, and Proverbs 18:21).

Jesus gave His Blood, the Ghost (St. John 19:34, Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46 and St. John 19:30 ), that we might be empowered in our flesh to live holy lives without sin and be witnesses of Christ in word and deed (Romans 8:10-16, Hebrews 9:14, Acts 1:8) through the power of the Holy Ghost.

The Blood and Baptism

According to Robertson (1960) “I John 5:6” in Greek is indicative of the following:

“It is the Spirit that beareth witness” or (to pneuma estin to marturoun). The Holy Spirit [Ghost] [20]is the third and the chief witness at the baptism of Jesus and all through his ministry.

The symbolism of the Spirit, the Water and the Blood also gives reference to the significance behind water baptism (Matthew 3:11). Water baptism is literally and symbolically meant to identify oneself with Christ in His death and resurrection as one is immersed in water (as in burial) then raised from the water (as in resurrection from the dead) and it is also simply an act of obedience to Jesus’ command (Mark 1:8, Acts 1:5, Acts 8:36-38) but it is also to represent our baptism in that which came forth from Him. What came forth from Him? ; Again – The Spirit, the Water and the Blood.

I Corinthians 12:13

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Acts 11:16

Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.

John 15:7

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Revelation 1:5

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Jesus Himself told us to be baptized in the name of the Father (the Spirit) the Son (the Word, the Water), and the Holy Ghost (the Blood).

Matthew 28:19

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

In addition to natural water baptism, this command was to instruct us to be immersed in God’s saving grace (Romans 10: 9, 10), immersed in His Word for the transforming of our minds (Romans 12: 1, 2) and then immersed in the Blood (the Holy Ghost) wherewith there is power to overcome (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, Revelation 12:11), all while “loving not our lives unto the death!”

Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

The idea of “not loving our lives to the death” is not indicatory of martyrdom (though that is one minor interpretation) as much as it represents being so consumed by God’s Spirit, Word and Will, that our own agendas are displaced. God can use a person alive more than when they are dead (Psalm 6:5, Psalm 30:9, Psalm 88:11) The idea is that we are no longer living for only ourselves but for God. Just as baptism is not literal death but representative of death and a choice, our “death” to our fleshly way of living and thinking is that we are to choose God’s way of life over our own way of living and thinking (Isaiah 55:9, 58:13). Adam chose not to follow God’s way and Jesus chose to follow God’s way. We are to follow Jesus’ example.

While the Revelation 12:11 scripture can refer to martyrdom, it can also allude to a more supernatural way of living…similar to what is mentioned in the following scripture passage…

Hebrews 11:32-35

32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

I believe that there is a level of living in the power of the Holy Ghost (the Overcoming Life) that has yet to be experienced in full by the majority of believers living today because of our sometimes limited mental conception of His Power in us. We can choose to accept a higher level of living; it is found in total submission to Christ through the work of the Holy Ghost in us.

Jesus said that we would receive power after the Holy Ghost came upon us (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8). If this is true, we live in times when we all could use a visual demonstration of God’s power. I believe the key is in getting to know the Holy Ghost and the Word of God (the Blood of the Lamb and the Word in our testimony). If we will continue this sort of fellowship with God through study, praise, prayer and obedience to Him, accordingly to the Bible, we will see great exploits occur (II Chronicles 16:9, Daniel 11:32, Acts 5:12, Revelation 12:11).

Later in this book, I’ll speak of one such “exploit” that happened to me. Jesus tells us to expect such exploits through the Holy Ghost (the Comforter) in St. John 14:12-17 (Jesus speaking)…

12Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

15If ye love me, keep my commandments.

16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;

17Even the Spirit of truth [The Holy Ghost]; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Other Related Symbols of the Trinity

In the Elements of Nature

as Noted in the Bible

God’s Ways are certainly higher than ours. The Bible advocates that we seek to know Him in order to overcome the problems of this life. One way He explains His higher ways to us is through this use of symbols in scripture that represent the way He operates. Some are simply symbols, while others are more like dimensional realities (His Blood/ Holy Ghost). Both end up being clues to what we once were and what we are to be. Reading the following passage from Isaiah 55:6-13, we find more symbols of the Trinity:

6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Having read the passage above, think about this; Where did Jesus’ Blood and Water fall to from the cross of Golgotha? - To the earth (St. John 19:34). Where did our flesh originate? -The earth (Genesis 2:7)! What bears witness in the earth? -The Spirit, the Water and the Blood (I John 5:7, 8)! We can only overcome through our immersion in the Spirit (The Father), The Word (Jesus) and the Blood (The Holy Ghost); that means seeking after God must be a focused priority (Joshua 1:8, Jeremiah 29:13, Amos 5:4, Isaiah 26:3, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 7:24). We overcome by moving in fellowship with the Spirit (the Father), knowing our righteousness in Christ by way of a continual cleansing knowledge of His Word (The Water) and by working as witnesses in obedience to His Word and being empowered, purified, and directed by His Blood (the Holy Ghost). The earth reflects our symbiotic relationship to God. Read these verses from Ecclesiastes 1:5-7 and St. John 3:8…

Ecclesiastes 1:5-7

5 The sun (Think Spirit or Father) also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

6 The wind (Think Breath of Life, Blood or Holy Ghost) goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

7 All the rivers (Think Word, Water, or Jesus)[21] run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

St. John 3:8 (Jesus speaking)

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Our natural blood is our natural life flow (Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:11, 14; Public Broadcasting Network, 2002). Without it, we would die. Water is essential to life. Without it, in approximately three complete days in warm conditions, one can die (Bryant, 2009). That is very ironic - three days- the same number of days Christ was in the tomb. Without the Spirit in us, we would be dead also; not having the Breath of Life, we would not exist, period.

It’s amazing what the Sun, Water, and the carbon dioxide from the wind can do for a withered branch if it is exposed consistently to them – just as long as it is still connected to the main branch that is living! This is a living analogy of the life that the Trinity gives through Jesus. That is why Jesus said we, as branches, could do nothing unless we are connected to Him, the True Vine (St. John 15:1-5). The process of salvation is the process of our re-connecting to or being grafted into the Vine. A non-believer exists in a withered state because of this lost connection (St. John 15: 6, Romans 11:16-23).

To make these abstract ideas more practical, to “overcome” as is stated in Revelation 12:11, involves the following: In order to overcome as a Christian, it takes more than just casual visits to church every Sunday and Wednesday, every other Sunday, on Christmas or on Resurrection Sunday (commonly known as Easter).

In order to completely overcome “in earth as it is in heaven,” one must receive the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit through the salvation that faith in Jesus supplies (Romans 10: 9,10, 13), allow for the infilling of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 3:11b, Luke 11:11-13, St. John 20:22, Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, Acts 2), and be immersed in God’s Word every day (Matthew 3:11a, II Timothy 2:15, 3:14-17, St. John 15:7,8, Joshua 1:8), so much so that the believer is obedient to God’s Word by general practice and no longer does his own ways, finds his own pleasures, or speaks his own words (Isaiah 58:13, Galatians 2:20, Revelation 12:11b, Proverbs 21:2, Proverbs 16:23-25).

This is how you overcome the difficulties of this life (Proverbs 3:5, 6). We overcome through strength that is obtained by spending time with, knowing and obeying God through Christ. That means by any means necessary – reading or listening to the Bible on iTunes®, mp3 or 4, DVD, radio, and finding somewhere and some way to pray, everyday- then obeying God’s Word and Will as we learn it and come to know it! This is how we flow in the “river of life.” This is when our own personal “nature” becomes a natural conduit for the flow of the true river of Life that flows from God.

Once again, this is a place where the last phrase of Revelation 12:11 very practically comes into play, “And they loved not their lives unto death.” Reviewing this idea again, an “overcomer” has died to or has “overcome” the ways of the World and himself or his own selfish ways and is alive to serve the purposes of God. Once again Galatians 2:20 says it best, this time from the New Living Translation…

20I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

This type of behavior is based on total submission to Jesus and in hearing and obeying Him implicitly every day as best as possible through the power of the Holy Ghost. Allowing the “Blood of Christ” to move across the earth through us like the wind, covering and cleansing that which would be cleaned by Him through our words (John 15:3) and our actions of obedience to God’s Word is the overcomer’s task.

We are to be as free as the wind (another representation and symbol of the Holy Ghost) of Pentecost (Acts 2: 1-3) or the winds spoken of in Ecclesiastes that goes about by its circuits (Ecclesiastes1:6) working as witnesses by His power. And when we speak, it is to be as Jesus spoke to the disciples in Luke 24:32 when the disciples said of Him when he spoke to them after His resurrection, “… Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” As God said through Jeremiah the prophet, our words should be like the Fire (another symbol for the Holy Ghost), revealing the power of His Blood (the Holy Ghost) to cleanse all unrighteousness by consuming whatever would blind those who do not know of His power…

Jeremiah 5:14

Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

St. John 15:3 (Jesus speaking)

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

For we know God the Father, Who is Spirit, saves us through His Son, Jesus (St. John 3:16-18). Then Jesus, His Son, the Water and the Word, cleanses us through our learning of Him and our modeling His lifestyle on earth (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus’ Blood, the Holy Ghost, then quickens us or makes us alive with supernatural power to live in these physical bodies without always surrendering to sin (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8; Romans 8:1-14).

Romans 8:11 -14

11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Like bleach added to the wash cycle of a heavenly washing machine, the Holy Ghost mixes with the cleansing agents of the Water (Jesus, The Word), the turbulence of the spin cycle (the trials in our lives), and the Heat of the Fire (God the Father), to make us whiter than snow as we endeavor to be obedient to Him (Psalms 51:7, Hebrews 9:22, 10:22, Isaiah 1:18, Revelation 7:14)! We come out clean and ready to go to another level of glory! So… the more believers allow themselves to be totally consumed by the Word and Blood of Christ (the Holy Ghost), not only will we experience success in this life, but we will also then eventually be without blemish and thereby become ready for the prophesied return of our Savior.

The writer of Hebrews noted the soul-cleansing power of the Holy Ghost and the Word in Hebrews 10:4-25 where the “sprinkling” is the Blood (The Holy Ghost) and the “water” is the Word (also in Ephesians 5:26) in verse 22 below:

Hebrews 10:22

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

The “sprinkling” in this verse is a reference to when Moses, before the High Priests officially took over this task annually in the Holy of Holies, sprinkled the ark and the people with the blood of the covenant in this ceremony for the ratification of the national covenant for Israel recorded in Exodus 24:

6And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

7And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.

8And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

Why would God have Moses throw blood on people unless there was a more significant symbolic and supernatural meaning behind it? There is a more significant meaning behind it! This passage is extremely illustrative and significant in the explanation of the purpose of the blood. It was a prophetic event that symbolized not only our sins being covered by Jesus’ Blood, but of His “Blood” coming upon His People in Pentecost through the baptism in the Holy Ghost. This event and passage will be discussed later in more depth. Suffice it to say for now that the “sprinkling” in Hebrews 10:22 was related to Moses’ actions in this passage in Exodus 24.

In reference to the last portion of Hebrews 10:22 (“and our bodies washed with pure water…”), Ephesians speaks of the pure water of the Word…

Ephesians 5:25, 26, 27

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word…

27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

We truly overcome by the washing of the Word in our lives and the Blood of the Lamb as our covering and empowerment. Our immersion in them both as a lifestyle should be our desire if we wish to overcome in this life. In fact, we get clean by just hearing God’s Word; you can actually sense its cleansing effect as it causes peace to cover your mind (St. John 15:3, Isaiah 26:3). I’ll often just turn on my audio version of the Bible to receive this cleansing effect regularly. Separate from my study time and in the background, the Bible being read audibly can be more soothing than the sound and fragrance of a summer rain to my soul.

The Holy Ghost is not only to be there to envelop us like a soothing rain but also to dwell within us like a river of living water…

St. John 14:16, 17 (Jesus speaking of the Holy Ghost)

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

John 7:37 - 39

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Just as Jesus voluntarily drank of the “bitter cup,” fully cognizant of what He was doing (for He refused the first cup that would have made Him less conscious of His choices- - vinegar and gall, Matthew 27:34), we must also voluntarily drink and commune from the “sweet” cup (The Holy Ghost) from Jesus, the True Vine (St. John 6:53-58). The “drink” in the “cup” is the Life of God. All must be within us; The Spirit (Father), The Water (Jesus, the Word) and the Blood (The Holy Ghost). Our “bitter” cup ends up being the trials we must endure in this life. The “sweet” cup gives us the power to endure the bitter (Acts 1:8).

The Holy Ghost is a Gift as was Jesus; both are Gifts from God (Luke 11:11-13, St. John 3:16). The Breath of Life was God the Father’s first gift to us - the gift of existence (Genesis 2:7). All of our Triune God must be voluntarily received through accepting Jesus in order to overcome. We will only “overcome” this world’s system of hardship and pain as we submit completely to God, our Triune God, and allow Him to live in us and through us. Thereby, we become His sons and daughters. Romans 8:14-17 (NLT) says accordingly…

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

15 So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family - calling him “Father, dear Father.”

16 For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children.

17 And since we are his children, we will share his treasures – for everything God gives to his Son, Christ is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

We are “overcomers” ultimately then by accepting Jesus and His Word and by walking in obedience to The Holy Ghost, or – in other words – we overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and The Word of our testimony (Revelation 21:7, Acts 2:16-21, I John 5:4, 5). In addition to helping us remain clean through the bitter cup of our being obedient in spite of trials and sufferings of life, the Holy Ghost is also the main Witness to our “son-ship” and “daughter-ship” in the family of God.

Romans 8:16, 17 (KJV)

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

The Holy Ghost was also the primary Witness on earth of Jesus’ holiness as a man. He would ultimately testify to God the Father of Jesus’ sinless earthly existence. The Holy Ghost is ultimately what was represented by the blood that Moses sprinkled on the book of the Law and on the people. He is the actual blood at the crime scene of the cross of Jesus. And just like the blood of Abel, shed by Cain, the Holy Ghost is THE BLOOD WITNESS that cracks this cold case wide open.

Chapter 4

The Witness is The Blood

The Blood and the Spirit proceed together from the Lamb, and together they bear witness to Him alone.

~ Andrew Murray, Dutch Theologian, Christian Author

The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life;

Job 33:4

After reading the first chapters of this book, one might ask after having considered the prior discussion, that…if the Blood of Jesus is the Holy Ghost…

• “Then what is the Spirit of God? I thought or assumed that Jesus’ Spirit was the Holy Ghost?”

Well, because They (The Trinity) ARE one in the same, there is merit to this idea. For the purposes of our redemption however, God required Himself to be restrained by certain dimensions and parameters as it concerned us in order to redeem us and indwell us once again. Those parameters included His Word and Time (see Appendix B).

Simply put and as a review, in this theory, we can consider the following as the “Tri-partite” or the “Trinitarian,” multi-dimensional makeup of Jesus, the Son of God - the Word made flesh:

• Jesus’ Spirit was/is akin to the Father God,

• Jesus’ physical Body is akin to God’s spoken and written Word and is the Son of Man – the physical person Jesus, and

• Jesus’ Soul or Nephesh or Life or Blood, is the Holy Ghost.

• While All are One, on earth- in Jesus, They found unity in His bodily tri-partite makeup.

During the overshadowing of Mary by the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:35 -Jesus’ conception), the Holy Ghost became Jesus’ physical Blood in order to witness Jesus’ sinless physical life from womb to tomb in a physical form so that upon Jesus’ death, that Blood, reconstituted again as the Holy Ghost “proper,”(or in the Holy Ghost’s spiritual form) could literally “testify” to the Father God upon a heavenly altar, of Jesus’ sinless life on earth (in the same way that Abel’s blood witnessed of Abel’s innocence to God from the account in Genesis 4). For Moses, the blood was sprinkled on the altar; this was the symbolic. For Jesus, the Blood spoke at the True Altar in God’s own throne room in heaven; this was the True.

That Blood could then be “re-commissioned” to live inside of us( in a dimensional way) and to legally reside in believers upon request, cleansing their blood once and for all from Adam’s stain and daily as they dwell in God’s Word and Presence and are obedient to God in a sinful world. Because of Jesus’ sinless life on earth, His unjust death gave Him re-established rights over the flesh of those that submit intentionally and voluntarily to His Lordship.

Upon request, when we request Jesus to be Lord of our lives, the Holy Spirit can then establish our physical bodies as temples of the Godhead; The Father, Son and Holy Ghost. He can then go about the task of cleansing our Soul and Body, reconnecting us to the Father in the same way that Adam was connected to God before the fall and just as Jesus is before and since the resurrection.

The Holy Ghost can “dwell within” us in “a new and living way.” Having been blood in a holy Man (Jesus) before, yet now Spiritual Blood so to speak, the Holy Ghost is truly a power to be reckoned with (Romans 8:27, but especially Hebrews 10:14-29, and v. 20 in particular).

Hebrews 10:19, 20

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

In essence, after we believe in Jesus for our salvation, the Holy Ghost regains the right, lost by Adam, to dwell in man once again as He dwelt in man in the beginning, in his veins. The only hindrance to our “total sanctification” and purity presently on the earth, (body, soul and spirit) is the fact that our bodies were still born physically into sin (Psalms 51:5) and will only be completely sin-free after our bodies give in to the just judgment that all sinful men’s bodies must undergo: death in the grave. This is a consequence that all humans will experience except for those that will participate in the catching away of the saints (I Thessalonians 4:17), or more commonly referred to as the “rapture.”[22] Death is the final enemy to be defeated. The scripture references below agree with these assertions:

II Samuel 14:14

For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

Ezekiel 18:4

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Ezekiel 18:20

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father; neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

I Corinthians 15:20-26

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.

21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Hebrews 9:27, 28

27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

I Thessalonians 4:16, 17

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

We Are Witnesses Because of the Holy Ghost Within

Also upon request, if we ask for the baptism of the Holy Ghost, we then become conduits through which we can also become witnesses to others of God’s power of the Holy Ghost’s work in us and Jesus’ finished work on the cross in another supernatural or dimensional way. (Luke 11:11-13, Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, St. John 15:26, 27, I John 5: 6- 12). On earth, low and behold, it becomes as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

In particular, our bodies become as it is in the Holies of Holies, and as we speak in tongues, we actually partake in the Holy Ghost’s pleading (a legal process to God on our behalf as the Blood of Jesus, making us “temples” of the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 6:19), and become witnesses of Christ’s work in us, through the Holy Ghost. After all, the true incense from the temples of God on Earth is, according to the Bible, the prayers of the saints (Revelation 8:3, 4). Job describes this process prophetically in the scriptures below…

Job 16:18-21

18 O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.

19 Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.

20 My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.

21 O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour

We become witnesses because The Witness now dwells in us (Hebrews 10: 8-29, St. John 14:16,17 ). As we allow the Holy Ghost to speak through us, He witnesses to the Father God of Jesus’ righteousness in us and over us. One way we allow the Holy Ghost to witness to God through us is through unknown tongues (Acts1:8, Acts 2).

I Corinthians 14:2 (AMP)

2For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit[23] he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding].

We also allow this witness to be shown through the gifts of the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 12:3, 4), and the Fruit of the Spirit (the Holy Ghost, Galatians 5:22-25) via our actions of obedience. Ultimately, when we are obedient to God’s Word and to His directives for us, we testify that we love Him and are His. These directives come from the Holy Ghost. When we follow these directives, this is a witness as well. The scriptures below illustrate such directives and how they are revealed to believers:

Acts 1:2

Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

St. John 14:21

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

St. John 15:26, 27 (Jesus Speaking of the Holy Ghost)

26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

St. John 16:13

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

I John 5:6-12

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

11 And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

The “Blood” literally speaks to us and through us. As a witness in a trial, the Blood testifies on behalf of or “pleads” – “of Jesus’ innocence and our innocence because of what Jesus did for us during His life on earth and through His death on the cross. The Blood is made active in us individually by our verbal acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice as well as our subsequent actions and associations (James 5:20, Ephesians 1:13, I John 1:7). We now can understand what “pleading the Blood” means more clearly.

Pleading the Blood

Many believers of Christian Pentecostal or Charismatic denominations have heard of this before, but what exactly is “Pleading the Blood?” Back in the times of traditional Pentecostal churches, mothers of the church like Aimee Semple McPherson and Katherine Kuhlman and church fathers like the one-eyed preacher of Azusa Street, William J. Seymour, Bishop Charles Mason of the Church of God in Christ denomination, and Missionary John G. Lake would call on the Blood of Jesus to deliver people from devils, sickness and disease (Mark 16:9-20).

They called this “Pleading the Blood.” Often this would be accompanied by speaking in tongues as the Holy Ghost gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-3). This was an extremely accurate use of the phrase and I believe it was a total revelation of God’s Holy Ghost to these faithful believers in Jesus Christ. There are some other revelations concerning this phrase however. Ironically, while one of the synonyms for “plead” is to “pray,” as we know from many legal dramas on TV and modern court proceedings, “pleading” is also a legal term.

According to The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language (2007), pleading means, “to present as an answer to a charge, indictment, or declaration made against one.” The charge made against us (the human race and subsequently Jesus because of our sins having been placed upon Him on the cross) was that we as humans had sinned, and thusly were fit for death and not fit to have authority over the earth, according to God’s Universal Law (Ezekiel 18:4, 20). The Holy Ghost pleads “not guilty” to the Father God as it relates to our “crimes” which caused Jesus to go to the cross. The Holy Ghost pleads “not guilty” to God for us as well if we have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice through our own personal “confession” [24] of our guilt (another legal act) and His payment for it. According to the law, Jesus acted as our “surrogate” or substitute (surrogate, 2010).

“Witness” is obviously also a legal term. According to West’s Encyclopedia of American Law (2005), a witness is the following:

A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about a crime or dramatic event through their senses (e.g. seeing, hearing, smelling, touching) and can help certify important considerations to the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event firsthand is known as an eye-witness. Witnesses are often called before a court of law to testify in trials (West’s, 2008).

According to this crime scene investigation, the Holy Ghost was literally present as Jesus’ Blood to witness the innocence of Jesus throughout His Life, both inwardly and outwardly, spiritually, in His Soul and physically. He was also a Witness at this crime scene of the ages, where this innocent Man died for men’s sins He did not commit.

This Man was the second “God Man,” Jesus, and the One for whom, after it was determined that He was indeed innocent by the powerful Eye-witness of His Blood, the sentence and curse over Adam (the first God-Man) and Adam’s seed was reversed and thereby individually applicable to other claimants in this case (those of us that choose to believe and receive the advocacy of Christ). Jesus was then able to confer His innocence to those who will claim Him and trust Him for vindication by their volitional choosing. After all, all of Mankind was unjustly made sinful by the choice of one man…so, it was only fair that one Man lift that burden (Galatians 1:3,4, I John 2:1,2). After this lifting, our Savior ( our lawyer, our Advocate, our representation) now has the power to help us live as He did as a man through the same power of the Holy Ghost (Romans 8:11), His pure spiritual Blood, flowing through our veins after having been received through the breath of our confession. But just as one must indicate that they will accept a court appointed attorney, we must identify Christ as our Advocate by our verbal acceptance of Him.

Jesus, as our “advocate,” another legal term which can mean “lawyer,” can now assist us after we trust Him, even if we miss the mark (or sin) after salvation.

I John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I John 2:1, 2

1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Proverbs 28:13

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

We must also admit or “confess” to our own sins or else have to deal with perjury and libel in the Court of God. The Holy Ghost, as both a Character Witness in Jesus (His Blood) and a direct Eyewitness, provides testimony that vindicates Jesus as not being guilty of the sins He accepted upon His physical body on the cross. By virtue of God’s not guilty verdict, The Blood’s testimony then also vindicates us; those who have accepted Christ’s Lordship and advocacy.

Pleading the Blood then is the ability of the Holy Ghost or Jesus’ Blood to speak for Jesus and us in other languages (known, unknown, spiritual and dimensional) to God through us to testify of Jesus’ Righteousness and of our righteousness in Him based on His sacrifice and our choosing Christ as Savior by faith (see Acts 2:4-11 and the scriptures below).

I Corinthians 13:1 (KJV)

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

II Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Romans 8:26, 27 (AMP)[25]

26 So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the [Holy] Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.

27 And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the Spirit [what His intent is], because the [Holy] Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will. (Also, see Acts 2)

In the Romans 8 passage above, Paul is explaining exactly this truth. The “He” the passage speaks of is the Holy Ghost, for He knows us through Jesus and God the Father because He is One with Them. Verse 27 describes what the Holy Ghost actually did (that first time after Jesus’ resurrection) after having arrived in the Heavenly Holy of Holies in Jesus to witness or testify before God of the Holiness of the Son of God on earth. Verse 27 also describes what the Holy Ghost does through us now when we pray in tongues (in the Spirit) in private to God. This is just as Abel’s blood spoke from the earth to God of his sinlessness after his death, in a language we only can assume was spiritual and multi-dimensional in nature.

Genesis 4:8-11

8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

10 And he said, “What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.”

11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

Hebrews 11:4

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Hebrews 12:24

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Every believer, whether they speak in tongues or not, I believe, is “covered” by “the Blood” and is indwelt by the Blood or the Holy Ghost upon conversion (John 3:16, 17, Romans 10:9, 10, Acts 2:38). It is still extremely important, however, to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost after salvation if one is to truly be a power filled witness (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, Acts 2,3). While the “receiving” of the Holy Ghost (as well as the Father and Jesus) initially occurs in our salvation by faith,

John 14: 17- 20

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

… receiving our “baptism” of the Holy Ghost with tongues (St. John 20:22 KJV) is a separate event (though again, in some cases this is almost simultaneous, though salvation always precedes the baptism). This “baptism in the Holy Ghost” (which was always accompanied by the believer speaking in other tongues in the Bible) helps us to rest and to help others through a strange, dimensional and unique means to strengthen of our holy lifestyle, our testimony and our witness (Isaiah 28:11, 12, Acts 1:8).

This is my reasoning for believing this: Jesus had pure Blood (The Holy Ghost in His veins) before His baptism by John in water as a man…so technically He was a “saved man.” After the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove (more on the dove in Chapter 10) came upon Jesus, which could be perceived as His “baptism in the Holy Ghost” as a man (Matthew 3:11-17, Luke 3:21, 22, Mark 1:9, 10, St. John 1:33), Jesus began His ministry and, as a man, was endowed with the power to witness to men in the administration of God’s Power with miracles and signs following. He literally began His earthly ministry witnessing of the Kingdom of God only after a time of consecration and then by walking in the Power of the Spirit or the Holy Ghost (Luke 4:14) only AFTER His experience with “the Dove.” (Get ready for Chapter 10 to find out what the word for “dove” actually means! Try not to skip ahead!)

Luke 4:14

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

Jesus is our example. Jesus, while with His disciples after the resurrection, who were obviously believers already, told them to “receive ye the Holy Ghost” also (St. John 20:22). I believe all believers in Jesus should consider receiving this secondary experience of the baptism of the Holy Ghost as well. Jesus said we would become witnesses after the Holy Ghost had come upon us in Acts 1:8 and in this passage in Acts, He was speaking to those that already believed in Him. It is as if through salvation, the ignitable Fluid Fire of Jesus’ Life - Blood, the Holy Ghost- is spiritually injected into our veins (via the Holy Oxygen of God {Genesis 2:7} as we verbally receive Christ in the aspiration of our breath to form the words of acceptance) and then through the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, God ignites this ignitable Fluid of Life. Pentecostal experiences, such as healing and unknown tongues, then follow us as we begin to “glow” with this inward power (Exodus 34:29,30, Ecclesiastes 8:1, Mark 16, Acts 2:3, and Acts the 6th chapter). Believers are enabled to become this sort of a witness in a secondary action by the Holy Ghost, best shown through examples in Acts and described as the “Baptism” in the Holy Ghost ( Acts 2, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 19:1-6) and characterized by John the Baptist as a “baptism in fire” as well (Matthew 3:11, Luke 3:16).

It is by faith and positive expectation that one receives this Gift, but God, not being a respecter of persons (II Samuel 14:14, Acts 10:34, Luke 11:11-13) makes this baptism in the Holy Ghost available to every believer, though receiving this expression of the Holy Ghost is definitely by choice and request as well as a diligent seeking of God and action on our part (Hebrews 11:6).

Receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost with the Evidence of Speaking in Tongues

This particular and secondary experience in the Holy Ghost is made available to any believer in Jesus by the believer[26] simply asking God for the Gift of the Holy Ghost (Luke 11:11-13) [27]and thanking God for this Gift audibly (out loud) in one’s native tongue until the words in your native language change to His (The Holy Ghost’s) language of choice for you.

It is a matter of trust, faith, patience, surrender and action. It may be accompanied by emotional responses like crying or shouting or exuberant emotion, but possibly not. Receiving the Holy Ghost with the evidence of tongues is not based on a wild demonstration of exuberance, though the event may affect different individuals in that way. It is based on the Word of God and some of those scriptures are (of course) mentioned repeatedly in this book. Some people have the erroneous idea that a person loses complete control of themselves when they “catch the Holy Ghost,” especially in reference to some of our more rural, “back hills,” or urban churches or that it is a “flaky, super-deep” experience, which it is not. Also, the Holy Ghost is NOT a demon or a “ghost” in the Hollywood-sensationalized idea of the word “ghost.” Receiving the Holy Ghost is NOT an uncontrollable “possession session” regardless of what some may portray the event as being.

This event is, more than anything else, characterized by the peace the receiver experiences as the third person of the Trinity is totally received in His fullness in the life of the believer. Again, receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost can be an extremely emotional experience or not, though often tears are present in that moment and, as it was in the first Pentecost, where some people thought that the receivers were drunk (Acts 2), the event can stimulate some exuberant expressions of joy. However, this is simply a powerful, supernatural event in the life of any believer who freely receives and experiences the event. After having accepted Jesus as Savior, being grounded in the Word of God and speaking in tongues, there are few receivers of this experience that will repudiate the Holy Ghost’s reality and affect in their lives. Those who experience this baptism hardly ever question again whether or not they are “saved” or are “Christians.” The powerful effect of this event (in my personal experience) leaves all of those questions in the dust… you just know that you know that God is real and that now, in some supernatural and dimensional way, He lives in you. It is a supernatural event (I Corinthians 2:8 -16 NLT, I John 5:10 KJV).

Receiving this “baptism” is a matter of your mind and will (soul) completely accepting God’s will as far as this event is concerned. It is also a matter of a person’s tenacity to thank God themselves, out loud with their voice, their mouth, and their lips until the literal tongues of a new heavenly language flow out of one’s mouth like “rivers of water from their belly” (St. John 7:38, 39, Isaiah 50: 4, 7). God will not force you to use your tongue in this event; you must speak under your own power. It is best preceded by audible praise to God by faith for this impartation, in advance of its actual manifestation.

Forgiving others that have wronged us, forgiving ourselves, as well as renouncing ties to any occult or witchcraft or secret sinful activity needs to precede this “baptism” also. There is another example of how people have received the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues mentioned later in the book that relates directly to the mention of the Blood of Jesus. Ultimately, Christians, Evangelical or Pentecostal or of any other denominational persuasion, however, cannot allow speaking in tongues to remain a point of division! Because of this belief and the following scripture, (I Corinthians 12: 3-13) I cannot (and will not) argue that all believers in Christ are supposed to speak in tongues, though I believe it is available to all. As Paul says in verse 11 of this chapter 12 in I Corinthians, the Holy Ghost ultimately decides the distribution of these gifts, and not us.

Hebrews 2: 3, 4

3 What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on to us by those who heard him speak,

4 and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so.

However, Paul also says that there is no sin in “coveting the best gifts” (I Corinthians 12:31) The very best gift however is Love (I Corinthians 13), the embodiment of the Blood of Jesus, because the Bible literally says that we are cleansed by His Blood because fellowship with God causes us to walk together in love, fellowship and unity, regardless of how different we may seem to be. As we walk in obedience to the revelation of God’s Word and in fellowship with our fellow believers, we are made clean (St John 3:16, I John 1:7).

I John 1:7 (NLT)

But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.

Also, it is important to also note that speaking in tongues is a gift and does not mean a person is a spiritual giant once they do this. Spiritual maturity is shown more through the “Fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-25). “Gifts of the Spirit” are tools that give us ways of helping the Body of Christ (other believers), tools that help us to overcome works of evil (I Corinthians 12:3-13, Romans 12:6-8) and tools that help us to help other people in general. Note the following scripture passage:

I Corinthians 12:3 - 13

3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

While there is mention of a gift of tongues in I Corinthians 12:10 and I Corinthians14: 3, I believe this particular gift is a separate gift in addition to the gift of unknown tongues (I Corinthians 14:2) which is available for every believer. I believe this particular “gift” refers to the unusual and random abilities of 1.) Speaking in another known language not didactically learned by the speaker as well as 2.) “Prophesying” under the power of the Holy Ghost, where future events are told in another language and then with an interpretation occurring not long after, in an assembly or a gathering of people. I believe the unknown tongues (I Corinthians 14:2) is the private prayer language available to every believer so that they might pray to God in a more direct way. Alas…this is fodder for a different discussion and another book. In any case, let us be sure to obey Paul’s instruction in I Corinthians 14:39b: “Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.” Likewise, let us not criticize those believers who do not or do not yet speak in tongues or those who do.

Also, we find reasons for gifts in Ephesians 4:7-13.

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8 Wherefore he saith , When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

9 (Now that he ascended , what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

So this gift of tongues that accompanies the Gift of the Holy Ghost becomes a gift that flows from us like living water and touches and helps those around us as a life giving rain does to the desert. It gives life.

St. John 7:38, 39

38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

A Witness in Liquid Terms

It is interesting that this interaction with the Holy Ghost is also characterized by the terms “fill,” “baptism,” and “drink.” These are obviously more allusions to the Holy Ghost as some sort of liquid into which we are to be submerged and filled with. These could be direct attributions to His once being the Liquid that literally flowed in the Son of God’s veins and that now covers us, washes us and fills us in a spiritual way (See Chapters 2 and 9)! Once again, the Holy Ghost is called “living water” on a number of occasions (St. John 4: 10, St. John 7: 38, 39).

An interesting thing to note here also is that before He came in the physical body of the Christ, The Holy Ghost also influenced the believers and prophets of old in the writing of the Word of God…

Judges 14:5, 6

5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.

6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

II Peter 1:21

…For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Jesus then makes reference to the power of the Holy Ghost not only being with us but also in us in a special way after Pentecost:

St. John 14:17 (Jesus speaking)

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Because of the Holy Ghost’s influence on the scribe of this sacred text before, during, and after Christ’s Life on earth, the Bible then becomes the Word of God written in Blood (The Holy Ghost), by Blood and through the Blood. This Bible is God’s covenant in Blood with us or His Blood oath to us that He will save us from sin if we choose His ways over sin. His Way is Jesus, the Word and His shedding His Blood or His Soul for us is our mediation tool to reclaim our former status lost initially by Adam (symbolized by the covenant between God and Abram (Genesis 15). In other words, the Bible is the Word of God inspired by the Holy Ghost, written by the Holy Ghost and through the Holy Ghost. God’s Word is Jesus’ Soul in paper form or the Logos (Hebrews 4:12) of God. The Holy Ghost provides the applicable, proceeding, relevant, present revelation of the written Word of God at this moment for you and me (The Rhema of God, Matthew 4:4) as we become attentive to hearing His voice in prayer (Hebrews 4) after reading His Word. The Holy Ghost is truly the “Life” of the Word of God and once one receives the baptism of the Holy Ghost and is obedient to His leading, the Holy Ghost helps one to understand what His Word (the Bible, Jesus) means in a practical way. The Holy Ghost is “Jesus in us, the Hope of Glory…”

Colossians 1:27 (KJV)

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Colossians 1:27 (NLT)

For it has pleased God to tell his people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory.

Personally speaking…

On a personal note, after I received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost at age 15 with the evidence of tongues after my sister, Anita, prayed with me, I began to understand the Bible like never before. I also have, ever since, had an interesting craving/ hunger for the Bible. This was because The Teacher, The actual Author of the Bible Itself was now resident inside me - in a strange yet special, audible but inaudible way within me. (That’s the best that I can describe the experience and the present day function.) It is as if my conscience got super-charged with a holy perspective based on the amount of Bible that was in me already. His “Voice” was now in my blood!!! Have I always obeyed that Voice? No…and that has usually been to my detriment. I have found that the more I obey that Voice, the easier it is to hear. My life seems to work out better as well.

For those that desire to know the “Voice of God,” studying God’s Word before and after having experienced the infilling of the Holy Ghost, and then obeying consistently what one hears is the “sure-fire” way to know “The Voice.” Reading the Bible allows a person to know God’s language of truth. Once you know his language, it’s easier to understand His Voice ( The Holy Ghost, (Hebrews 4:6). The results of this sort of obedience then helps one to have more of a desire to obey more consistently God’s Words and what one hears in prayer or in conversation with God. (After all, that is what prayer is, conversations with God.) The Holy Ghost truly then becomes the Spirit that will “lead you into all truth” (St. John 16:13)!

The Holy Ghost is the Voice of God! You will begin to recognize Him when He speaks more as you obey what you already know is God’s Word.

Isaiah 30:21

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

St. John 16:13

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Hebrews 12:24,25a

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that you refuse not him that speaketh.

We now begin to understand more of the scriptures in St. John 14 that refer to the entire Godhead dwelling within us as we act in obedience and how the Holy Ghost helps us understand the Word of God! Read below…

St. John 14: 15-17, 20, 21, 26

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you…

20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

21 He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him…

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

So with the Word (Jesus, the Truth) and the Holy Ghost (the Spirit of Truth, The Blood, The Breath of God, and The Comforter) abiding in us, the Father God also takes up residence within us by way of our choice as well. St. John 17:21, 22, Jesus prays…

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory[28]which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

As we accept Christ in our hearts and renew our minds in His Word through reading and obedience to It (Romans 12:1, 2), we express our love and devotion to Jesus. The Holy Ghost then works through this process to continually reconnect our bloodline in a spiritual way to God’s bloodline. Then the “Inward Witness,” or the Holy Ghost (St. John 14:17), can lead us into all the ways of Truth. He can only lead, however, if the Word is in our hearts. It is as if the Holy Ghost is our GPS but the Bible, the Word of God, is the software inside of the GPS that allows the GPS guidance system to “speak” to us. The software plus the hardware are then of course connected to the great “Eye in the sky” which can see and direct us to where we need to go…another picture of the Trinity leading in the way we should go…

Isaiah 30:21

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Acts 8:27-29 (NLT)

27 So he did, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship,

28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

29 The Holy Spirit (Ghost)[29] said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”

30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah; so he asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

I John 2:27

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Romans 9:1

I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

It is this leading that helps us to overcome obstacles in life and to be witnesses of Jesus’ sacrifice for us to God and others. The Holy Ghost’s leading comes from within us. So where does the Holy Ghost literally reside in us after we have received Him? Let’s talk more about the life or the soul of man being located in the actual blood of man and that being the dwelling place where the Holy Ghost actually lives inside of us.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Chapter 5

The Life of Your Flesh is in Your Blood!

Jesus Christ became Incarnate for one purpose, to make a way back to God that man might stand before Him as He was created to do, the friend and lover of God Himself.

~ Oswald Chambers, Theologian

Early Twentieth Century Scottish Protestant Christian Minister and Teacher

11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement.

14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood there of: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.

~ Leviticus 17:11, 14

According to the scriptures above, the life of ANY flesh is in the blood. Jews are forbidden by scripture to eat the blood of any beast for this reason.

Blood is a powerful thing. So what is the spiritual significance of the natural blood of man?

Remember that in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:17) the command given to man was “do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for once you do, you shall surely die.” We notice that Adam’s flesh did not immediately expire when he disobeyed this command, though it did later. I believe the animal whose fur they were clothed with (Genesis 3:21) was physically killed immediately instead of Adam and Eve. Since the principle of life applies to their blood also, the animal’s physical blood could legally take the place of or be a “surrogate” for the human’s, but only for a time, apparently, according to universal laws (“surrogate,” 2010). If that is true, that occurrence was God’s first act of mercy and grace toward man. According to God’s decree, sin requires death or one’s separation from life. Something else did die immediately in the human however, because God cannot lie…

Psalms 89:35

I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie:

Titus 1:2

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Hebrews 6:18 (NLT)

So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence.

Apparently, the life-line to God in man’s flesh was destroyed or lost or “died.” The “Life of God” in Adam and Eve’s original blood was separated from the blood of man after man disobeyed God. The blood of man then was changed in its constitution and became sinful and less than supernatural.

The flesh of man was now able to die because the Everlasting Life of God within his blood had to vacate his blood because of his disobedience. Thus, man brought death into the world by his disobedience:

Romans 5:12

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Now our only hope is in Jesus’ Blood, which reestablishes us as the Blood-born relatives of God. Note this full passage from Romans 5:5 – 19 (NLT). This is the Biblical characterization of the condition of man and the remedy. It is important to read this full passage…

5 And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

7 Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good.

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment.

10 For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life.

11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.

12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. And though there was no law to break, since it had not yet been given,

14 they all died anyway – even though they did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. What a contrast between Adam and Christ, who was yet to come!

15 And what a difference between our sin and God’s generous gift of forgiveness. For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin. But this other man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through God’s bountiful gift.

16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but we have the free gift of being accepted by God, even though we are guilty of many sins.

17 The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over us, but all who receive God’s wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brought condemnation upon everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness makes all people right in God’s sight and gives them life.

19 Because one person disobeyed God, many people became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many people will be made right in God’s sight.

[30]

I believe that Adam’s blood was, before the fall of man, before the sin of man, not blood as we know it today. I believe it had its basic nature of providing oxygen and/or life, but because man was perfect, I do not believe it had impurities to remove.

I believe, before the fall, what was in Adam’s veins was a “spiritual blood” (similar to celestial plasma which is ignited energy; we’ll talk about this in a moment) without impurity, animated by God who blew into Man’s nostrils (and man became a living soul, Genesis 2:7). This spiritual substance (possibly simply Light, the Glory of God, the Breath of God or The Holy Ghost without measure- (St. John 3:34) exited or was removed and changed into or was replaced by the viscous liquid we know today as “blood” after Adam and Eve sinned. Our original blood could have been part physical and part spiritual, and brilliantly clear like water which is possibly why Jesus referred to the Holy Ghost as “Living Water.”

St. John 7:37, 38, 39 (KJV)

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Plasma

The types of plasma that exist today are terrestrial (of the earth) and celestial (of the cosmos). One exists in the earth, the other exists in space. The similarities between the two are strangely intriguing.

Consider the following scripture passage before we continue which references this strange celestial and terrestrial material:

I Corinthians 15:40, 41 (KJV)

40 There are also celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

Sir William Crookes stated in his evening lecture to the Royal Institution on Friday, April 30th, 1897 (this was published later in Philosophical Magazine, volume 44, page 293), that this celestial state of matter (plasma) was first identified in a “Crookes tube,” (a mechanism developed to study ionized gas) and was called “radiant matter.” The nature of the Crookes tube “cathode ray” matter was subsequently identified by British physicist Sir J.J. Thomson in 1897), and was dubbed “plasma” by Irving Langmuir in 1928 possibly because it reminded him of the “terrestrial” blood plasma (Langmuir, 1928).

Other forms of this plasma include “celestial” plasmas such as lightning and space and astrophysical plasmas such as the Sun, stars and the solar wind (ISTP, 1998).

There is a phenomenon called “The Earth’s plasma fountain” where oxygen, helium, and hydrogen ions which gush into space from regions near the Earth’s poles glow with radiant color and light. The aurora borealis (“the northern lights” commonly seen in Alaska during certain seasons of the year) is actually this plasma energy pouring back into the atmosphere (ISTP, 1998). Ironically, these celestial plasmas glow naturally just like blood glows after luminol or florescein have been applied (See Introduction). Similar chemicals and ionic activity are present in luminal and this luminescent reaction as well.

Could a similar “light or glory” of the universe at some point have dwelt in our very veins? Could the key to eternal life hinge upon getting this sort of radiant energy back into our veins? According to Dr. Gerald L. Schroeder (1997), a biblical scholar and M.I.T.-trained physicist, says in his book The Science of God,

As science has discovered, radiant energy does not experience the flow of time. Radiant energy, such as the light rays you are seeing this very moment, exists in a state that might be described as an “eternal now,” a state in which time does not pass. (This is a concept we can write about but not intellectually grasp because all of our existence is within the flow of time.)(p.56)[31]

Could this “radiant energy” be that which was in Adam’s veins as “plasma” before his relationship with God was disturbed by Adam’s disobedience and was that which made him eternal?

If Einstein’s theory of E=mc2 actually just means that everything is energy anyway (energy = matter at the speed of light-squared) would the equation mean that because we are essentially of the same material (Energy) and that both plasmas are indeed the same, only one (currently) is without the illuminating presence of God? Is God the missing variable in men’s veins now? When God said “Let there be light,” is that when Life was created? It makes sense that the first thing God made is the fastest thing (Light); it had a head start (Genesis 1:3). Are we indeed children of that light?

I Thessalonians 5:5

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Einstein’s theory of relativity, while it defines matter and energy, it does not define light. It uses light as a measure of time. E=mc2 says that Energy equals matter within time, that time being the speed of light squared (or c2 …really fast!). It does not define light because light can’t be defined…it is too fast to truly study. Even the Physics explanation of light as electromagnetic radiation waves and particles is only a description based on scientific speculation and not truly an explanation (Cassidy et. al., 2002). One of my next books could be called Einsteinian Biblical Theory where I will discuss my Theory of ~ “Reverto ut Radix quod Ago” ~ which is meant to mean in Latin generally that “all things must return to their Source in order to truly live.” It would mean that if our source is indeed God, then we in some way eventually must return to Him or else cease to “live.” In that book, I will attempt (with assistance) to use the following equations along with others: Life = Energy + Light, while Life = God; Light = Faith (which is “The substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” according to Hebrews11:1) and Words = Light or Illumination (Hebrews 1:2, 3, Romans 10:17); after all, the ability to “know” is the ability to “see” which requires “light.” I’m beginning to believe that even the Physics term the “quark” (the building blocks of atoms which we cannot see) and faith are one and the same. But that, again, would be another book.

Scientists have known since the early 1980s that Earth’s upper atmosphere leaks oxygen, helium, and hydrogen ions (atoms that have gained or lost an electron) into space from regions near the poles (ISTP, 1998). It is even interesting that some scientists have (possibly unintentionally and unknowingly) worked with both types of plasma. The late Dr. Arthur Robert Kantrowitz (1913 - 2008) was a professor and researcher in plasma physics and engineering science who, with his brother, dreamed of building the first artificial heart. He worked as an aeronautical physicist and helped what would later be NASA to create research on pulse energy and plasma physics. Ironically, he also invented the intra-aortic balloon pump for the human body, which…

…he and his biomedical research team designed and developed at Avco Everett Research Laboratory (AERL) with collaborative clinical evaluation by cardiologists at Massachusetts General Hospital. In fulfillment of Arthur’s boyhood dream, the pump is still used worldwide to treat heart failure (Chi Lin & Teare, 2009).

Is it a coincidence that this remarkable scientific mind worked on celestial plasmas, yet naturally gravitated toward work that had to do with the plasma that flows in our veins? Could this sort of cosmic energy actually be related to what was in man’s veins initially?

As the Holy Ghost certainly is the Breath of God, one could conclude that Adam, the first man, actually had the Holy Ghost, in a supernatural, celestial plasma type of form in his veins before he fell. Then after Adam fell, the Holy Ghost, the Breath of God, departed. It is true also, as I mentioned earlier in this book, that Adam and Eve, after they ate of the forbidden fruit, discovered that they were naked. What were Adam and Eve covered with before their fall such that they perceived that they were covered? Could some sort of light have emanated from them, from the inside-out, so brightly that it covered their body and genitalia like fur covers an animal? Ironically, science now says there is a faint glow[32] that emanates from humans even now (Choi, 2009; Kobayashi, Kikuchi, & Okamura, 2009). It would make sense to assume that this “glow” originates with the blood because of its known luminescent qualities when mixed with other elements like luminol. Was the blood meant to glow even more brightly than it does now? Was it a clear, glowing substance that shined through them and covered their physical bodies?

This sort of thinking could also be why Isaiah indicates that after God forgives us, our “sins” change from “scarlet” or “red like crimson” to “white as snow” or “wool.” Is this a reference to the multi-dimensional state of our blood? Was it once a clear, whitish substance?

Isaiah 1:18-20

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, and plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

It is as if with sin, the human body has been dimmed of its original glory and regenerative properties. With God’s forgiveness, we are made “children of light” once again as we walk “in the Light” of God’s Word.

Ephesians 5:8, 9

8For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

9 (For the fruit of the Spirit [Holy Ghost] [33] is in all goodness and righteousness and truth ;)

Psalms 119:105 (David talking/praying to God)

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

I Thessalonians 5:5

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

I John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

It is still true that without blood, man’s flesh certainly “de-animates” and becomes lifeless…but the condition that occurred immediately after the fall not only indicated this sort of a change but also a condition of spiritual aloneness and separation from God that man had not known before the fall.

Jesus experienced this “aloneness” in a temporary way on the cross when the sin of the family of Adam was heaped upon His flesh and subsequently the Father and the Holy Ghost left Him. Thus He cried, “My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46).” Just as Jesus in that moment on the cross ( and only that moment until He says it is finished,) mirrored what happened immediately after Adam fell, Jesus’ condition after His resurrection actually mirrors what I believe Adam was like before the fall only in a greater and different way because while Jesus’ Blood (soul) had been tested just like Adam’s blood (soul) was tested by the fruit hanging on a tree, (the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil v. the Cross or Tree of Golgotha; see Chapter 1), Jesus’ Blood was found to be without sin because He choose to be obedient to His Father. He then became the fruit of that tree of a Cross that we are to partake of that we might have eternal life. The cross that Jesus hung upon, as was stated before, became our Tree of Life while for Jesus it was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Dimensionally[34] speaking, as was mentioned before, these trees were one in the same.

Jesus said to doubting Thomas after His resurrection that He was flesh and bone (as if to say that His Blood had been poured out, St. Luke 24:35-43; St. John 20:19-23, 24-29). After Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus exhibited extreme supernatural abilities. Jesus apparently could come through locked doors without them opening because in the above mentioned passages, the disciples made sure to explicitly mention the fact that Jesus entered the room while the doors were still shut!

He then ate a physical meal! Jesus was a new Adam; the second Adam.

I Corinthians 15:45-47

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

Because Adam referred to Eve in the Hebrew as “flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone (Genesis 2:23),” and not “blood of my blood,” I do not believe that for either the first or the second Adam there was within their veins, in their glorified states (Adam, before the fall and Jesus, after the resurrection) what we now know as “natural,” red, blood. I believe the very Breath of God (The Glory of God, The Fire of God, The Blood of God, vis à vis The Holy Ghost) plus a pure physical element traveled through their veins as blood; and because Jesus was obedient until the end, His Blood will “never lose its Power” because “It” is still pure. “It” is Holy.

When sin entered Adam and Eve’s life, that “Breath of God,” the Blood of God, flowing in their veins exited or left their veins. A new sort of “existence fuel” took “The Breath’s” place or what was left in their veins only allowed a temporary existence until death. Jesus’ veins now carry what Adam’s did before the fall, only glorified all the more because of His obedience and resurrection. Thus while Adam was made a living soul or “Zao Psuche” in Greek meaning “a life with the Breath of Life within,” Jesus was made into a “Quickening Spirit” or “Zoopoieo Pneuma” in Greek which means a “living soul that produces more living souls!”

“Pneuma” is also the word in Greek used to describe the Holy Ghost or the “Nephesh” of Man (Bible Study Tools, 2009) in the New Testament.

I Corinthians 15:45 (KJV)

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

I Corinthians 15:45 (NLT)

The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam – that is, Christ – is a life-giving Spirit.

Our natural blood retains a residue of the properties of divine health or eternal life in the way it heals itself – after all, doctors only seem to be able to speed up the process of healing, and not create the healing (Alliance for Aging Research, 2001). The blood clots of its own accord; the wound heals by “itself” (Handin, et. al, 2003).

What we must understand is that if we truly believe the Bible, we were meant to be like Adam before his fall…immortal. He had the very Breath of God in his blood! (Genesis 2:7). Jesus has this abiding presence of the Holy Ghost in His veins presently. Here is an account of the resurrected Jesus talking with his disciples…

Luke 24: 35-40 (NLT)

35 Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.

36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. He said, “Peace be with you.”

37 But the whole group was terribly frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!

38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why do you doubt who I am?

39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do!”

40 As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his feet.

Noting this, questions like the following must be answered…

• What allows Jesus to walk on earth as a resurrected man and then live on in “heaven” if there is no more natural blood in Him? (St. Luke 24:48-51, St. John 20:25-27)

• What allowed Him to transcend natural boundaries of the flesh? (St. Mark 16:19, St John 20:19, 26 )

• What flows through His veins now as the resurrected “Son of Man” in Heaven? (Colossians 3:1)

• How can He sit at the right hand of God the Father now in a glorified, yet flesh Body when God said no “man” can see Him and live? (Romans 8:34)

• What will make us like Him when it is all said and done? (I John 3:2, I Corinthians 15:49, Philippians 3:21)

Read the following full passage from I Corinthians, Chapter 15 verses 35 to 58 before continuing. We have already read portions of this passage in the discussion before but their cumulative impact is significant. All of these discussions build upon the other so that we may gain a complete understanding of the Holy Ghost under the moniker or name of the Blood of Jesus and how our relationship to Jesus should be characterized when it is time to meet Him again. I use the KJV below for the significance of the choice of words used in the translation of original texts…

I Corinthians 15: 35-58

35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

37And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. [35]{Think of the governor’s speech at the wedding of Cana, St. John 2}

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

It is good to know that our godly endeavors on earth will not be in vain. But ultimately the question is, after we accept the free gift of Jesus and the baptism of the Holy Ghost, what actually lives in our veins that will make us like Jesus when He comes again; wholly terrestrial but also “holy celestial?”

Chapter 6

The Ghost of His Flesh is in Our Blood

For where you find the blood of the cross, you will find the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

~ Benny Hinn, from his book, The Blood

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

~ Leviticus 17:11 KJV

And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

~ Ezekiel 11:19 KJV

When the Holy Ghost enters a life, He lives in the blood flowing through our veins: He is the earthly yet heavenly Witness that Jesus never sinned on earth (Job 16:18, 19, I John 5:6, 7). He, the Holy Ghost, is the Power that helps us to live sin-free on earth as He lives in our veins in a spiritual way, as a part of our blood (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, Romans 8:26, I John 5:6-11). Mind you, once again, this is dimensional thinking; this is how the Kingdom can be within you as Jesus says in Luke (Luke 17:21). Just as a seed must die to release the dimensional and multiplicity of power within it… {for a forest lives inside one seed if you think about it – Myles Monroe (2007) does an excellent teaching on “Purpose” that mentions this concept (I Corinthians 15 35-40)}… Jesus died that we might receive, each of us, individually upon choosing Him as Lord and Savior, His Spirit (The Father), His Body (The Word), and His Soul (The Comforter, His Blood, The Holy Ghost; St. John 16:7, Hebrews 2:9-18, Romans 8:14-19) within. Thus – His life being sown in the tomb for us provided the mechanism for many more like Him to be born with His Blood living within them. He is the ultimate example of seedtime and harvest…

Genesis 8:22

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

St. John 12: 23, 24

23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Remember Jesus’ own parable of the sower. The sower sowed the Word (Mark 4:14). The seed is the Word of God (Luke 8:11). According to St. John chapter one, verses one and fourteen, Jesus is the Word made flesh. He was the seed from which we, the sons and daughters of God would spring (Romans 8:23-29, Joel 2:28). There were three times the Word is sown into Man’s terrestrial existence. God sowed Jesus into the earth of Mary’s womb. And in three trimesters, that seed sprouted. Once that seed became mature, it was sown once again, this time into the earth of a borrowed tomb.

The Seed was The God-Man, Jesus. He was sown into the earth of that borrowed tomb for three days. When Jesus said it is finished, His Blood, the Holy Ghost in Blood form, became the Energy, the Fire, the Glory, the Spiritual equivalent to the Blood of God, more white hot than any Hell-fire, and being the Soul of Jesus, went to Hell on our behalf as Jesus’ body was taken off the cross and placed in the tomb. After suffering first for a brief period, The Holy Ghost as the Blood of Jesus conquered in a supernatural way the Fires of Hell, the devil, his imps and cohorts, death, and the grave. This Holy Fire, this Holy Plasma…the Holy Ghost, then shot back up (in a supernatural, dimensional way) into the physical veins of our Savior’s flesh body in a form similar to the substance that existed in the veins of the first Adam before his fall…an Energy, a Glory, a celestial plasma, a Shekinah[36] that would travel in the Holy Grail or vessel of Jesus’ flesh to the Holy of Holies in the Heavens. This Holy Ghost would then speak on the behalf of Jesus’ Holiness to Almighty God, the Father, as Abel’s blood once did. Job even prophesies of this Witness in Job 16:18, 19…

18 O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.

19 Also now, behold, my Witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.

The truth of the matter is that in order for the man Jesus to appear before a Holy God in the Heavenly Holies of Holies in the form of man’s flesh (as our High Priest), Jesus had to be Holy Himself as a Man or else He, Jesus, including God and the Holy Ghost would have had to, according to God’s own decree, self destruct. Read these verses…

Exodus 28:43

And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

Exodus 33:20

And He said Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

Hebrews 2:9-11

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

11For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Hebrews 2:16-18

16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Hebrews 3:1

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Hebrews 4:14, 15

14Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

15For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Isaiah 40:8

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Titus 1:2

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

There therefore had to be physical and spiritual proof before a Holy God that from the time of Jesus’ conception in this earthly form to the time of His death that HE WAS SINLESS. The Blood (The Holy Ghost) was God’s Witness and Proof of Jesus’ holiness in both realms – the physical and the spiritual.

After the Holy Ghost (the Soul of Jesus) had been “tried in the fire” of Hell for Adam’s sins and our sins; judged based on sins Jesus did not commit, the sinless Blood (the Holy Ghost) upon returning into Christ’s body, made Jesus’ flesh (that had taken on the sin of the world) in the tomb sinless as well. The curse of man had been reversed. Jesus’ physical life status of death had to be reversed as well.

It then holds that a third sowing of the seed must be done by every individual man through his own personal choice; this is the decision to sow the Word into one’s own heart by accepting Jesus as Lord. It is then when the Blood of God is reintroduced into the blood stream of man and the resurrection to our former estate can occur; we then become like Adam was and Jesus is once more, the sons and daughters of God. Much like Adam it seems, we as pieces of clay (Genesis 2:7, Isaiah 64:8) must be breathed into by the Words of God (John 20:22) in order to become a “quickening spirit” (I Corinthians 15:45). This also reminds me of the clay “firkins” or vessels that contained water which turned to wine at the command of Jesus.

The soul of a man is connected with both the spirit and body of a man. The blood of man is a bridge from the spirit to the flesh of the man; it connects the parts. It testifies of the man’s life, innocence and/or guilt in spirit, soul and body (Genesis 4:10; Hebrews 11:4). The same was true for the man Jesus. The fact is that the ONLY way Jesus could be proven as having had NO SIN at all, would be that there be an additional, honest witness in the earth, physically and spiritually from birth to the grave that could not only testify to Jesus’ sinless actions as a man, but also His sinless thoughts, intentions and motives in addition to Himself (Hebrews 4:12, Romans 8:26, 27).

Deuteronomy 7:6

At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

Deuteronomy 19:15

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

Matthew 18:16

But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

Jesus Himself could be One Witness but there had to be another.

This Witness would have to be able to testify to Jesus’ sinless nature from the inside out, spiritual to the physical, from the beginning until the end of His human life on earth. This means that there had to be a witness that was not only sinless and completely honest Itself/Himself, but also that this particular witness would have to be present at every moment in the earthly life of Jesus Christ, including in the womb as well as on the way to the tomb in order to judge the motives and intents of His heart. Jesus Himself said if a man has lusted in his heart he has sinned. That meant that Jesus would be judged by God for His life on the earth in the same manner.

Matthew 5:28 (Jesus speaking)

But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Jesus, the Word made flesh, would be one true witness:

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

And…His own Blood would be the second witness:

Hebrews 10:15 - 17

15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

Blood not only has this characteristic honesty, but as we have also discovered, blood itself has a voice and testifies to the innocence or the guilt of those who spill it and of those inside of whom it resides (Genesis 4:9, 10; Hebrews 12:24, also, see the Introduction). Blood is the Ultimate Witness of Life and Death.

If the life of the flesh is the blood, and Jesus’ Flesh is the Word of God, again the question must be considered, what is the Life of the Word of God? The answer is - that the Life of Jesus’ flesh is that Life which God breathed into the first Adam to create a living soul. The answer is - that which Jesus also breathed on the disciples after the resurrection in St. John 20:22; the Breath of God:

22And when He [Jesus][37] had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

The Life of the Word of God is the Breath of God (see St. John 6:63, Genesis 2:7, St. John 20: 22, Acts 17:26, Genesis 6:17). The Breath of God fills every believer upon their confession of salvation and belief in Jesus Christ (I John 5:10). The Breath of God is that same rushing mighty wind that fell upon the disciples at Pentecost and that falls upon every other believer that now asks for the Baptism of the Holy Ghost (Luke 11:11-13), and is a deeper immersion into that Blood which could be now characterized as Holy Spiritual Fire, just as John prophesied (Matthew 3:11, St. John 1:33).

John 1:33

And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

Luke 3:16

John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

HE, the Holy Ghost, was represented by the flames that burned above the heads of those at the first Pentecostal Outpouring of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1-4). That Holy Fire, that celestial plasma, attaches Himself to our blood/our souls in this dimensional and Pentecostal action and begins the process of blood/soul sacntification as we obey Him.

Philippians 2:12

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out [or fully complete, AMP] your own salvation with fear and trembling.

This is just as Adam was commissioned to do but failed to do and just as Jesus was commissioned to do and succeeded! (See the next chapter for more on this Fire that dwells within).

The flames of fire above the heads of the people that received the Holy Ghost at Pentecost indicated something that was alluded to earlier…the Celestial Fire of God, The Blood of Jesus, The Breath of God, The Glory of God, The Holy Ghost that now would indwell man. This is where the burning of the ceremonial sacrifices and the covenantal practices of the Old Testament begin to have significance for us as it relates to the Holy Ghost. So new questions emerge…

• Why was it necessary to see flames or tongues of fire above the heads of the believers that just received the first outpouring of the Holy Ghost as they spoke in other tongues during the first Pentecost celebration after the resurrection (Acts 2)? Was that just a random occurrence?

• How did that occurrence relate to the ceremonial fires of the burnt offerings in the Old Testament?

We are about to find out.

Midpoint Review

Let us review the situation together, and you can present your case if you have one.

Isaiah 43:26 (NLT)

The Holy Ghost is preparing believers in Jesus to meet their Heavenly Father and Lord and Savior by first cleansing them from Adam’s sin and then in a more on-going way. He, the Holy Ghost, works in us according to our obedience of God’s leading through His Word and Spirit just as Adam’s immortality was based on his obedience to God not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Jesus saved us completely by giving His Life. That Life is in His Blood and is the Holy Ghost. Our acceptance of this free gift of salvation and our obedience after salvation and then our communion with Him (time spent with God) allow Him to dwell in us more fully through the Holy Ghost. As we yield to His leading more and more, He fills us more and more with His Glory and His Life.

The Life of the Flesh of Jesus (The Word of God) is the Holy Ghost; therefore the Blood of Jesus is the Holy Ghost (Genesis 9:4, Leviticus17:11).

Leviticus 17:11

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 maketh atonement for the soul.

Jesus was the only one that could redeem Mankind because He was made of flesh, a sinless human Soul, His natural human yet perfectly pure Blood, and God all at the same time. Jesus was the Trinity incarnate. Jesus’ Spirit was the Father God (When you saw Him, you saw the Father – John 14:9), Jesus’ Flesh was the Word of God (And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, St. John 1:14), and Jesus’ Blood or Life or Soul (which is, remember, the same word in the Hebrew, “Nephesh,” which means one’s mind, will, personality, emotions, imagination, and memory) is the Holy Ghost.

Once again, the intricacies of the Trinity are truly beyond our earthly perception, but we know that “They” are complete in One (see below, esp. in verse 9).

Colossians 2:8-12

8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

9 For in Him (Jesus Christ) [38]dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

The Holy Ghost is the Soul of Jesus Christ!

When Paul tells believers in Corinth and Philippi that we have “the mind of Christ,” and that we should stand fast in “one mind,” the definition of the word “mind” in Greek (nou’ß) refers to “higher powers of the soul” (Bible Study Tools, 2009). Remember that “Nephesh” means soul also.

I Corinthians 2:16

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Philippians 1:27

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Titus 3:3-7

3For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Our blood must be saturated with the Soul of Jesus, His Blood, His Holy Ghost, His Mind.

Once again, we must understand there is a reason for the descriptions of the Holy Ghost as liquid (“shed,” “washing,” “drunk,”etc…) as in Titus 3:6 and Ephesians 5:18 and other scriptures.

Ephesians 5:18

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

These references of a liquid form for the Holy Ghost are because the Holy Ghost dwelt in Jesus as Jesus’ Blood. This speaks (again) to the clarification of Jesus’ saying that we must “eat His flesh” and “drink His Blood” (Matthew 26:26, St. John 6:53-58). To reiterate… these were not cannibalistic or vampiric statements!

By saying “eat my flesh” Jesus meant we must abide in His Word or study His Word constantly (Matthew 4:4, 11:29, St. John 15:7, I Timothy 4:12- 16, II Timothy 2:15, II Timothy 3:16, 17). By saying, “Drink My Blood,” He meant that we must stay in the presence of the Holy Ghost constantly through prayer and obedience (I Corinthians 14:4, Romans 8:14, 26, 27, Ephesians 5:18, and Jude 24).

How could a Triune God dwell bodily in the one Man, Jesus? This is how: as Spirit (The Father God), as the Word of God (His Body, Jesus) and as the Soul (Blood or Holy Ghost, I John 5:5-9). All can now be spiritually/ dimensionally located in our blood stream as well – for the life of our flesh is there. When the Blood of Jesus left Jesus’ body while on the Cross, His Blood did not decay. His Blood was changed. It was the equivalent to Jesus’ separation from the Father from the foundation of the World (I Peter 1:20, Revelation 13:18).

It was the emergence of the Ghost of God , the Spirit of God that had now experienced the incarnation of Himself in the Flesh of His own Word, Jesus…and He (The Holy Ghost) speaks(Hebrews 12:24-29)!

The Blood of Jesus is simply…

…another name for the Holy Ghost!

We find in the Bible that the names of God would change in reference to our experiencing new things with Him…He became Jehovah Jireh, “God our Provider,” to Abraham when God provided the ram instead of his son Isaac for a sacrifice (Genesis 22:14)…He became El El Roi, “the God Who Sees,” to Hagar when “He saw” Hagar’s plight in the wilderness (Genesis 16:13). When God became Man – He became Jesus Christ to us, or “Yeshuah Hamashiah” or Jesus, Our Messiah (Matthew 16:16).

Now, when the Ghost of Jesus left Jesus’ Body at Jesus’ crucifixion (St John 19:30, Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46), He (the Blood, the Ghost of the Man Jesus) became the Holy Ghost once again (remember, Holy means separated unto God for a special task), but because of that particular work of sanctification in the body of Jesus, the Holy Ghost is also now to be recognized as “The Blood of Jesus.” I believe Jesus rose immediately after the Holy Ghost, His Life, returned to Jesus’ veins from Hell (Romans 8:11, Hebrews 9:14).

Jesus was to go to the Father in heaven after three days in the tomb and His resurrection so that the Holy Ghost could testify on Jesus’ behalf as His Blood, which cannot lie. As our High Priest, Jesus could not be touched yet, thus He had to admonish Mary Magdalene not to touch Him (Leviticus 21:10-12, St. John 20:11- 18).

St. John 20: 17, 18

17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

This is when He as High Priest went into the True Holy of Holies in Heaven (first symbolized by the Holies of Holies with the Ark of the Covenant that Moses instituted) and released the Holy Ghost (the Blood) as His Witness to testify to the Father God on His behalf, just as Abel’s blood testified of Abel’s innocence to God from the Ground to Heaven (Genesis 4:10, Job 16, Leviticus 16, St. John 15:26, 27). The Holy Ghost also testified that the penalty for the sins of Adam and all men had been paid for by the Holy Ghost’s going to Hell (as the Soul of Jesus) on their behalf. God accepted this testimony.

To review just a bit more, soon after the resurrection we find Jesus breathing on the disciples and telling them to “receive the Holy Ghost” and telling them to wait in the upper room until they be endowed with power from on high from the Holy Ghost (St. John 20:22, Acts 1:4-8). We see that happening in Acts 2:1- 4. It says in verses 2, 3 and 4 of that passage:

2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting

3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire and it sat upon each of them.

4 and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

I believe Pentecost is where the Holy Ghost was first poured out in a different spiritual form from the Heavenly Holy of Holies as One Who could dwell in the flesh of all men who would ask Him to come in as a gift and a Witness. (We will see in the next chapter Moses’ action that symbolized this.) The Holy Ghost could only come in this particular way and be released to live in us after having lived in Jesus’ physical body on Earth and after Jesus’ passion and resurrection.

St John 14:16, 17

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you.

17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

St. John 7:38, 39

38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

St. John 16:7

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Now, it becomes even clearer how Jesus could live in every believer…Jesus’ Life (The Blood, though now as the Holy Ghost) joins with our life (blood or ghost or soul) and we become a part of His family through a spiritual yet literal adoption/transfusion process. For again as Leviticus 17:11 says…

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 maketh atonement for the soul.

Chapter 7

The Holy Ghost: The Blood, The Altar, The Sacrifice and The Fire

The Holy Spirit cleanses these temples of ours and comes in to dwell. ~ Maria Woodworth-Etter,

famous evangelist in the founding years of the Assemblies of God denomination.

6And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.

8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

~Exodus 24:6-8

And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

~Exodus 24:17

11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself;

12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incenses beaten small, and bring it within the veil:

13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony that he die not:

14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

~Leviticus 16:11-14

The Altars of Moses and Aaron have special prophetic and symbolic significance as it relates to the Holy Ghost as the Blood of Jesus. The altar of Moses spoken of in Exodus 24 is a literal representation of who Jesus was on the cross and what Jesus did for us after the resurrection, while Aaron’s sacrifice, mentioned in Leviticus 16:11-14, was a continuation of this process of foreshadowing. The fires of all of the altars spoken of in this book of the Bible seem to represent the Holy Ghost, He Who flows through the veins of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Just as Moses and Aaron sprinkled the blood on the altar, Jesus would present the Holy Ghost to The Father God, our Judge, at a heavenly altar so that He, the Holy Ghost, as the Blood, could witness to the Truth of Jesus and allow the innocent to be made free. Just as Moses read the Word of God to the people, Jesus would witness that God the Father had given Jesus to the people as the Word made flesh. And just as Moses sprinkled the blood on the people with the Hyssop branch, so would The Father Himself pour out the Holy Ghost, Jesus’ Blood, upon His people, after the Word of God made flesh was blessed, broken - bloody on a cross and finally given for our sins. Even in the way Jesus shared communion with His disciples was His way of illustrating the symbolism of God’s communion with man through the eventual sacrifice of Christ Himself, just as the sacrifices of old were to symbolize; the sacrifice’s body was blessed, broken and given…

Matthew 26:26

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

Mark 14:22

And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

Luke 22:19, 20

19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

Luke 24:30

And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

These symbolic gestures in Jesus’ communion with His disciples speak of how His body would be blessed for us, broken for us and given for us. The bread represented Jesus’ body while the wine of communion represents His Blood being sprinkled on or received by the people as He was poured out on the day of Pentecost and ever after.

The Holy Ghost, as the physical Life or Blood or Soul of Jesus, having first left Jesus upon death, reconstituted Himself as the “sanctified” or “separated” Holy Ghost from Jesus’ natural Blood, then went to Hell as the Soul of Christ, suffered for three days, defeated the enemy, then retrieved the keys of death, Hell and the grave because Jesus was unlawfully killed (Ephesians 4: 1-10, I Peter 4:6). The Holy Ghost (Jesus’ Soul) then returned to the veins of Jesus’ flesh body in a form of Fiery-Life and quickened Jesus’ mortal flesh and made it alive once again (1 Peter 3:18-22). The Holy Ghost now flowed through Jesus’ physical veins once again. This time, however, He flowed even more powerfully than He had flowed before the Fall of Man through the once sinless veins of Adam because of Jesus’ obedience.

In Jesus’ resurrected veins, the Holy Ghost became “ Life without measure,” and not as natural blood but as “Spirit-Blood” for lack of better terminology, aka – the Fire of God (The Holy Ghost).

Then Jesus, immediately after He rose with all of that power coursing through His veins and after He spoke to Mary Magdalene at the tomb (St. John 20:11-18),…

St. John 20:14-18

14 She glanced over her shoulder and saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him.

15 “Why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

16 “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned toward him and exclaimed, “Teacher!”

17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.”

18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.

…returned to the Heavenly Holy of Holies as our High Priest and presented from the cup of His Body the Blood of Sprinkling, that is, the Holy Ghost, the Life of His Flesh, to the Father God, the Judge of all (Psalms 50:6, Hebrews 12:23), Who would then witness and speak on His and our behalf.

Then, in the great court room of heaven, the “Blood” was “sprinkled” on the Altar of God, the actual Mercy Seat of Heaven. In other words - the Holy Ghost, who had earlier resided in Jesus’ physical body as Jesus’ Blood and was now the Holy Ghost in spiritual form again, agreed with Jesus, the Son of God, and spoke to God the Father as a testimony on Jesus’ behalf and our behalf.

The Holy Ghost spoke to the Great I AM as Jesus’ Witness - just as Abel’s blood did on behalf of Abel - that Jesus indeed lived sinless in the flesh from the womb to the tomb, in thought and in deed and that He covered our sinful deeds in the flesh. This is what the sprinkling on the altar (esp. on Moses’, Aaron’s and Elijah’s altars) with the blood represents: the Holy Ghost speaking to God, the Judge of All, as a Witness for Jesus’ Innocence.

This revelation gives meaning to the entire prophecy of Job 16:3-21. If you read verses 3 – 21, it could be read as a prophecy of Christ’s experience on the cross, similar to Psalms 22, and then in verses 18 and 19 Job speaks prophetically as if he knows a deeper reason for the crucifixion. Read the passage from Job below…

Job 16:3-21

3Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest ?

4I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul’s stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you.

5But I would strengthen you with my mouth and the moving of my lips should assuage your grief.

6Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged: and though I forbear, what am I eased?

7But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company.

8 And thou hast filled me with wrinkles, which is a witness against me: and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness to my face.

9He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.

10They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me.

11God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked.

12I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark.

13His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground.

14He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant.

15I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust.

16My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death;

17 Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure.

18 O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.

19 Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.

20 My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.

21 O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor.

The Holy Ghost, our “ One,” after testifying and pleading our case to the Father, was re-commissioned by the Father to take the Godhead into the hearts and bloodstreams of men upon their individual choosing, to be made again like Adam before the fall, fit for communion with God, person to Person. The Holy Ghost was then poured out by the Father on the people (that waited in the upper room out of obedience) at Pentecost (sprinkled on the people, Exodus 24, Acts 2:1-3) as is prophesied in Joel 2:28-30, after having been sanctified through the veil, that is, Jesus’ flesh (Hebrews 9:19, 10:20).

So while the sprinkling of the blood on the altar symbolized the Holy Ghost witnessing to the Father, the sprinkling on the people by Moses with the blood symbolizes the pouring out of the Holy Ghost on the people during Pentecost.

The events that took place at the altar of Elijah best parallels this second sprinkling and that which occurred on the day of Pentecost. First, the sprinkling on the altar occurs and then as the sacrifice is consumed by the fire that falls from heaven, we see a clear analogy to what happened in Acts, from the rushing mighty wind to the consuming fire juxtaposed with the flames over the heads of the believers in the upper room of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-3). Read the following scripture account of Elijah’s miraculous and prophetic altar sacrifice:

I Kings 18:21-39

21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

23Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:

24 And call ye on the name of your Gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

25And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your Gods, but put no fire under.

26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a God; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.

31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:

32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.

33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.

34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.

35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.

36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

Now we can compare this prophetic event to the activities on the day of Pentecost. Let us read that account below…

Acts 2:1- 22

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

10Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

The fire that appeared over the heads of the disciples on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-3) and the sound of a rushing mighty wind reminds us of the sacrificial fires at the altars of Moses and the High Priests as well as the fire that came down from heaven to consume Elijah’s sacrifice.

As Christians, the God we serve is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24, Hebrews 12:29). As we present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-3), He sanctifies our temples (I Corinthians 6:19, 20), as He did for the Tabernacle of Moses (Exodus 40:34) and Solomon’s Temple (II Chronicles 7:1-3). He comes down and makes His abode with us … then we truly become lights to the world as a witness (Philippians 2:15, Ecclesiastes 8:1) because His Glory falls upon us and in us. We literally appear different to the people of the world as we practice this sort of sacrificial lifestyle because as He burns out that which is not right and that which is given to Him as a sacrifice (our own will and way, Isaiah 58:13, Isaiah 30:33,) He dwells with and within us… and that wisdom shows…we begin to glow…we become peculiar, set apart, different.

Ecclesiastes 8:1

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

Psalm 111:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Psalm 97:11

Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.

Titus 2:14

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

I Peter 2:9

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

II Peter 1:19 (NLT)

Because of that, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. Pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a light shining in a dark place — until the day Christ appears and his brilliant light shines in your hearts.

This is all done in a new and living way, through communion, a dialogue, talking and fellowshipping with God as Adam did in the beginning before Adam fell, in the “cool of the day.”

Genesis 3:8

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Psalms 34:18

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psalms 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Isaiah 1:18

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 57:15

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Prophetic Indicators

Speaking of fire, I believe that even the flaming sword and the Cherubim “that protect the way to the Tree of Life” mentioned in Genesis 3:24 are a prophetic occurrence relating to our process of returning to this sort of communion with God. It was also, I believe, a true occurrence and the closing of a dimensional doorway as Adam and Eve were forced to leave Eden, a place that was not like our present world; it was dimensional because while there are clear indicators of where it would have been on the earth geographically (Genesis 2:10-14), we cannot find it now. It was as if they walked out of a different “dimension” (almost like in the science-fiction television show “Stargate®”). Our residual dependence on trees and plants in our current world seems to point to the validity of a more “highly formed” “Tree of Life” in a rudimentary way.

Genesis 3:24

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

While those were the last days of man in this dimensional earth kingdom called “Eden,” the prophetic/symbolic meaning of these supernatural gatekeepers can allude to our submitting ourselves as voluntary living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-3). As living sacrifices, we must be submitted to the Sword of the Spirit (Hebrews 4:12, Philippians 6:17) or the Word of God and the Purging Fire of the Holy Ghost with that Word/sword before we are given access to the power of eternal life found on our Tree of Life (Jesus’ Cross in analogy – Galatians 3:13, Deuteronomy 21:23) in our present Eden or the Kingdom of God to be found in our present day world.

I believe the Cherubim mentioned in the Genesis 3:24 passage represent the devils or demonic forces that are dimensional and generally unseen as well but do have some effect in our seen reality as we can see in some documented cases of demonically possessed people and other evil events around us. God utilizes these demonic entities to purify and purge us as we go through the fires of various personal trials (Isaiah 30:27-33 and Isaiah 33:10-24). I believe these “cherubim” have something to do with many of our hardships as humans in general – largely due to Adam’s irresponsibility in his governance of the dominion that God gave him. We are able, however, to overcome these hardships or be powerful over them through the Blood of the Lamb (The Fire of God, Jesus’ Blood, The Holy Ghost) and the Word (Sword of the Spirit, Jesus, The Bible) in our tests which become our “Testimonies” (Revelation 12:11, I Corinthians 11:23-26).

Revelation 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Acts 4:29 -32

29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

II Corinthians 2:14

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Even Abraham experiences a prophetic communion that speaks of this sort of “God- worshipping,” powerful people that would be His inheritance (which would refer to any obedient person that has received Jesus as Lord with knowledge of His Word and Power in addition to the Jewish people). In Genesis 14:18 after Abraham and his men defeat those that stole his brother and his goods from Abraham, Melchizedek, King of Salem, brought forth bread (the body, the Word) and wine (the Spirit, the Blood) in celebration of the defeat of Abraham’s enemies. I believe Abraham’s victory is an example of the “overcomers” spoken of in the first chapters of Revelation, the elect of God, you and I, as we submit to God’s Word and obey the Holy Ghost in all we do. Their communion that day pointed to Jesus and the Holy Ghost in our lives as “overcomers.”

I believe that Jesus offered the sacrifice of Himself on the cross so that we could return to our rightful place of superior human authority over the earth - similar to the dominion Adam had before the fall. To redeem our lost dominion, He gave up the Ghost (Mark 15:37) and His Holy Ghost (Nephesh) as His Soul went to Hell[39] on our behalf (Colossians 2:10, Ephesians 4:8-10).

In that burning, filthy place, the Blood of Jesus, now the Holy Fire of God, and who is the Holy Ghost (Hebrews 12:29), redeemed us from Hell’s torture, took the power or authority of Hell away from the devil (the keys, Matthew 16:19, Revelation 1:18 ), and with a speed faster than normal light, led the captive souls of hell that had faith in God but had not yet experienced Christ’s redemption yet toward freedom (because they could now “see” the True way out of darkness because of His Light- and experience redemption! Ephesians 4:8, 9, Colossians 2:15).

Ephesians 4:8, 9

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

The Holy Ghost then re-entered Jesus – reanimated His body as light, fire and power in His veins, traveled with Him to Glory, gave His good report of Jesus having been holy from womb to tomb, in thought and deed, to the Father God and then was re-commissioned as the Holy Ghost by the Father God to fill us to overflowing if we would just ask Him (Luke 11:11-13).

This subsequently allows us to be presented as the sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:15-17). This is also why we are forbidden to blaspheme the Holy Ghost as we read in the following scriptures…

Matthew 12:31, 32

31Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Luke 12:10

And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

The Holy Ghost is the actual part of Jesus that went to Hell to take our punishment and redeem our souls! He is the Soul of Jesus! We should reverence the Holy Ghost in a brand new way after gaining this understanding of what He actually did for us. Just like Jesus, the Holy Ghost, the Soul of Jesus, paid an awesome, unimaginable price for our redemption.

At Jesus’ death, the Father God’s Spirit in Christ separated from the blood and flesh of Christ because of the sin of the World that Jesus had taken upon Himself (I Corinthians 3:16-19). This is the same event that transpired with Adam when he sinned. The difference was that Adam disobeyed and sinned – Jesus obeyed and only received our sin.

Jesus was nailed to the cross, put in a tomb, and when He gave up the Ghost, This - the very Soul of Jesus (the Holy Ghost, or the transformed Blood or Life of Jesus) went to Hell for you and for me. The Holy Ghost was transformed into the Holy Fire of God after a time as simply the Soul of Jesus in Hell. This Liquid Fire is what is in Jesus’ veins right now as we speak…the Fire of the Holy Ghost! This is the form the Holy Ghost took when He re-entered Jesus’ physical Body and raised Him from the dead. This is what enters our souls (our natural bloodstream) upon salvation and is activated in a different way during the baptism of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2, 19:1-7). The Holy Ghost could also be called the Light or the Power of God.

I believe the description that follows in the Book of Leviticus of how the High Priest was to go in to the Holy of Holies with the incense, hot coals, and blood of the sacrifice behind the Vail (veil) is representative of this transformation within Christ of the Holy Ghost as Fire (or Glory), Prayers (Incense) and Blood (Life).

Note the following as we look first in Hebrews and then in Leviticus: we will see that our prayers are represented by the incense of the altar in Revelation 8:3, 4 and the Holy Ghost is represented by not only the blood, but also the hot coals from the altar (the Fire of God!) and the veil is representative of Jesus’ flesh (Hebrews 10:20).

Once again, I believe that in the scripture below, in Hebrews 9:7, 8, the phrase “The Holy Ghost this signifying,” modifies or is describing “blood” in the phrase, “not without blood.” (Remember also that this Greek term for blood used in this passage {transliterated as “Haima”} means blood but also grape juice or wine ~ this will be even more significant in the last chapter of this book.)

Hebrews 9:7, 8

7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

Hebrews 10:19-22

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

21 And having an high priest over the house of God;

22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Leviticus 16:12 - 16 describes the representative act that High Priests would practice that precipitated the true sacrifice of Jesus as our High Priest, as stated above in Hebrews. This holy activity of the High Priest would be realized in Christ. Read this passage below:

12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:

13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:

16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

Hebrews 10:19-21

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

21 And having an high priest over the house of God;

Jesus’ “veil” or flesh had to be torn by God in order for the Holy Ghost to be revealed in a new, powerful and redemptive way. This would open access to the Glory of God to every man as a temple in which God could dwell; that the God of Glory could now dwell in any man that would ask and receive Him, as he dwelt in Adam before the fall. Isaiah mentions this prophetically…

Isaiah 66:1, 2

1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Hebrews 6:19, 20

19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Thus in the Gospels we are told that the veil of the Jewish temple that separated common man from the holiness of God’s presence - in the moment of Christ’s death on the cross, that veil was “rent” or torn from the top to the bottom; and it was not torn by man - it was too thick and too high to have been ripped in half by a man. Access had been granted to every man by God, through Jesus to God through Jesus’ sacrifice. This was the meaning of the veil being torn. Not only do the priests have access to God now, but every man through Christ has access now because of His sacrifice.

Matthew 27:51

50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

Mark 15:37-39

37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

Luke 23:45, 46

45And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.

46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

This also points to the reason for the flames above the heads of those disciples waiting in the upper room at Pentecost. I believe this occurrence was representative of the return to Mankind of that Light or Glory that emanated from the first Adam and Eve before they fell or had clothes. The Glory of God that was once hidden behind the veil of the temple and accessible only to Jewish priests at the Ark of the Covenant was now free to dwell inside penitent men’s veins once again. The Glory of God was man’s original covering, from inside out. Animals have an artificial semblance of this with their fur. It grows from the inside out. The flame above the people of Pentecost’s heads signified the return of the Glory of God in the flesh and veins of human kind! We have become the residence of God once again. This is why Paul refers to us as “temples.”

I Corinthians 6:19, 20

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

II Corinthians 6:16

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said , I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Understanding that the Blood of Jesus (the Holy Ghost) flows through your veins and is activated by your faith helps us understand that we have great (often) untapped power waiting for use at our fingertips, literally. The great commission of Jesus given to believers to lay hands on the sick and to see them recover (Mark 16:18, Acts 28:8) becomes more believable (see Appendix D).

The Power of the Holy Ghost in the Believer

Thank God for the Blood! Those involved with casting out demons (it still occurs) will tell you that devils tremble and leave a person’s body when you call on The Blood in the authority of Jesus (Mark 16:17, Acts 5:16, Acts 8:7, Acts 19:11-15). Those demons remember it was the Holy Ghost under the moniker of The Blood, the very Soul of our Savior, Jesus, Who defeated them in Hell and obtained our eternal salvation. He is the very Visage of the Death Angel to them, while to us The Holy Ghost is the embodiment of the Power of God! He is as the Pillar of Fire for Moses and the children of Israel and the Darkness to the Egyptians all at the same time (Exodus 14:19, 20). Peace for one and confusion to another…much like Pentecost and the Tower of Babel…similar occurrences with different purposes.

Pentecost and Babel:

Their Dichotomous yet Prophetic and Parallel Relationship to each other and Passover

The sound of a rushing mighty wind and the tongues of fire above the believer’s heads at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) were also both reminiscent of the actual Passover (which was celebrated during Pentecost) as well as the final activities at the tower of Babel-only with opposite results.

Just as the Death Angel (in Egypt) came and destroyed those not under the blood of the sacrificial lamb and spared those that were unified inside the bloody doorposts, The Holy Ghost of God came down and brought new-Life to all those who were unified in the upper room (Acts 2:1-3) and who have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice of His Blood on the cross. The Holy Ghost put the Blood (Himself, the Soul of Christ) on the doorposts of their hearts (Exodus 12:7 and 8, Hebrews 10:14-18, Jeremiah 31:33, 34) in a new way such that they, as well as we, can now be vessels through which the Holy Ghost can Himself witness through us to God and others of the Holiness of Jesus as we ( earthen vessels, II Corinthians 4:6-7) speak in His language – which is a testament to Abel’s blood’s example of blood speaking from the earth (Genesis 4:9,10; Isaiah 28:11).

The tower of Babel incident in Genesis 11 also presents a prophetic picture of Pentecost with a reversed result. Here is the account of Babel from Genesis 11:1- 9:

Genesis 11:1-9

1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Now compare that experience with a portion of the Acts account of Pentecost, Acts 2:1-11:

Acts 2:1- 11

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

10Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

There was an opposite result with the Tower of Babel as compared to Pentecost because where as God visited the people of Babel to separate them because of their unity in disobedience, this time God, through the Holy Ghost came down to bring the people of Pentecost power to remain unified because of their obedience in waiting.

Both visits brought languages (Pentecost and Babel), one to separate people (Babel), and the other to unify people through the language of the Holy Ghost (Pentecost). The Pentecostal event seems to possibly have occurred to prepare us to do what the builders of the tower of Babel were prematurely attempting to do: rise above the earth to Heaven…only this time it would be in the rapture. More on this idea will be discussed in a later chapter.

Remember also that the sacrificial lamb of Passover was to be burnt (cooked) with fire and consumed (Exodus 12:8-13). This seems to relate not only to the Holy Ghost/Christ’s suffering in Hell for us, but also more practically to the significance of reading, hearing and obeying God’s Word (the Lamb) while always being under the influence (like Wine), in the presence of and praying with, through and to God through the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the Fire of God that prepares the Word (the Lamb) for us and in us so that we might ingest and digest what the Father has to say to us in communion with us (See Appendix C).

So now, we can understand that the fire above the heads of the disciples at Pentecost represented the presence of the Holy Ghost as a consuming fire coming from the prayers of the saints and the newly built temples of the Glory of God, built within us (Isaiah 57:15). With the infilling of the Holy Ghost, as we abide in the Word, and as His Word dwells inside us (like the ten commandments in the Ark of the covenant above which the Glory of God resided – I Kings 8:9, Revelation 8:3), the Holy Ghost can reveal His current practical will to us (St. John 15:7, 8)!

So it truly is as Jeremiah prophesied it would be …the Holy Ghost is truly like “fire shut up in [our] bones!”(Jeremiah 20:9). Ironically, the marrow of our bones is where our natural blood is manufactured (Handin, R. I. et al. , 2003, Public Broadcasting Network, 2002 ). Therefore the Holy Ghost dwelt not only in the veins of our Savior, but His Bones as well (II Kings 13:21, Psalms 34:20, St. John 19:32, 33).

God, who is a consuming fire, can “consume” us once we offer ourselves as living sacrifices to Him (Hebrews 12:29, Romans 12:1-3, I Chronicles 21: 26, II Kings 1:10, 12, Galatians 2:20)) and as a sacrifice freely given to Him, we will be worthy to have our names written in the Lamb’s book of Life and partake of that Tree of Life – the True Vine (St. John 15). Being a “living sacrifice”(Romans 12:1) is as simple as being obedient to God’s written and revealed word and being available to receive the revealed Word from God in prayer. Much like Jesus on the cross, we become the temple, the altar and the sacrifice all at once as we live for God in this way (I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, 9:13; Romans12:1-3).

Our voluntary dialogue with God in prayer, while it is a sacrifice of our time, becomes the source of our greatest strength. These prayers become like the incense that the Old Testament priests offered to God (Revelation 8:3, 4). Real “communion” ends up being a sharing in the Life of God with God Himself. Our practice with the bread and wine becomes a symbol for this communion. Our time in Communion with God allows us to be consumed by God. Much like Moses’ burning bush and the three Hebrew boys, in the process of being consumed and dying to our sin, we are renewed in Life and live much more power-filled lives.

Isaiah’s Prophecy

Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah chapter 33, verses 13 through 22 seems to combine the idea of right living with the fiery cleansing power to be expected when the Holy Ghost is made manifest in the saints in the present day “Kingdom of God.” The idea of the Lord manifesting Himself as rivers of living water is considered and God as Judge is declared within these prophetic verses also (…especially verse 21 and St. John 7:38).

Isaiah 33:13 -22

13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? Where is the receiver? Where is he that counted the towers?

19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue that thou canst not understand.

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

21 But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

This prophecy seems to indicate that the Holy Ghost uses His holy fire power to cleanse us in a supernatural way (verses13, 14 and 15). The reference to the rivers and streams also seems to point to the “living water” of the Holy Ghost. The reference to “stammering tongues” reminds us of the Day of Pentecost as well.

This sort of visitation in this passage also reminds me of the Altar of Elijah once again because of the visitation of the Fire of God. In this Old Testament miracle, the Fire of God consumed the sacrifice of the servants of God:

I Kings 18:21

And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

I Kings 18:38

38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench

39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God…

Romans 12:1

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

It was as if the fire that fell on Elisha’s sacrifice was a foreshadowing of what happened to the people at Pentecost. The only difference at Pentecost was that the people themselves at Pentecost were represented by the sacrifice! When God, asks us to be “living sacrifices” in Romans 12:1-3, He is actually only asking us to be as the Holy Ghost is…for the Holy Ghost never died but was changed through His experience in the Body of Christ (physically) and as our substitute in that horrible place, Hell. The Holy Ghost can dwell in each member of the “Body of Christ” which refers to believers in Jesus, because that was His home on earth when Jesus was on the earth, the literal Body of Christ! We are now considered Jesus’ Body on earth! He connects us such that, just like in a regular human body, “every joint supplieth” (Ephesians 4:16 a KJV) or is connected and flows together because the Holy Ghost, The Blood of Jesus flows within us to the rest of us.

Ephesians 4:15, 16 (NLT)

15 Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

16 Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Again – this is a “dimensional” saying ~ a dimensional truth. It can only be appreciated in a dimensional or a spiritual sense. Our “communion” together, the act of drinking the wine and eating the bread in ceremonies together, literally symbolizes the commingling of our blood as covenant and true brothers and sisters in Christ, sons and daughters of God, the bringing of the “members” or “re- membering” of His “ flesh and blood “ relatives back in unity once again. Jesus’ Blood, the Holy Ghost, is the Agent presently in the earth that cleanses us and makes us a part of the Family of God once more and no longer lost sons and daughters.

I Corinthians 10:16

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

Luke 22:19, 20 (Jesus speaking)

19 And he took bread, and gave thanks , and brake it, and gave unto them, saying , This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you

I Corinthians 12:12

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

I Corinthians 12:27

Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

The Holy Ghost went into the Fires of Hell for us as the Soul of Jesus into the clutches of Death, but Death could not hold Him. How can Death hold True Life? Ultimately Jesus’ Life was given, not taken. Jesus allowed the flesh of His body to die by accepting the sin of the world and by allowing the Ghost of His flesh to exit. Jesus’ flesh could only die because of Mary’s contribution. And through the mechanism of death, Jesus and His Holy Life (the Holy Ghost) redeemed our lives by going to Hell, and taking what was destined for our souls because of Adam’s sin, indescribable separation from God. At some point on the third day in Hell, I believe the Holy Ghost, the Soul of Jesus, also said, “It is finished”[40] and obliterated the authority of the grave, the devil, Hell and Death to hold a soul against that soul’s will when that soul desires to live for Christ.

Genesis 1:31, 2:1

31 And God saw every thing that he had made , and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

St. John 19:30

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

I Corinthians 15:55, 56, 57

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 2:9,10,14,15

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. …

11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren…

***

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is , the devil;

15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Revelation 1:18 (Jesus speaking)

18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

In Pentecost, the people were consumed by this Power from on high and the Fire falling and flickering upon the heads of the believers was an evidence of the True and Living God among a multitude of believers. These believers testified of the goodness of God and were literal witnesses of God to the unbelievers surrounding them because The Witness now “in-filled” the believers mortal flesh…

Luke 24:49

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued [41] with power from on high.

John 14:17

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Acts 1:8

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Hebrews 10:12

12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;

13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

17And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Just as the sacrifice of Elijah was consumed, just as the people of Pentecost were indwelt by the Holy Ghost and just as the ropes were burned off of the three Hebrew Boys as they walked in the fire of Nebuchadnezzar, untouched by the fire (we will talk about this next), so will the Holy Ghost destroy the bondages, the sins and the iniquities, habits and hardships, pains and pressures that hold us back from becoming the sons and daughters of God that we are destined to be, as we dwell in the presence and power of the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost as the Blood will also bring us into greater unity “in Christ” as the Church and with our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also soon usher us into a greater time of deliverance and power than we have ever previously known in the coming months based on the date of the book’s publishing.

The Three Hebrew Boys’ Deliverance in Fire

The Hebrew boys experienced deliverance literally as their bondages were removed by the fire. Apparently walking in their “trial by fire” also brought them extremely close to the “Son of God!” A segment of their story follows from Daniel 3:23-30…

23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any God, except their own God.

29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

The three Hebrew boys were a literal example and foreshadowing of the Power of God to preserve through the Holy Ghost (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30) and to deliver through the Holy Ghost (Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61:1) based on a strong personal choice and decision. There is no doubt that the fires of Nebuchadnezzar led the three Hebrew Boys to pray before and while they were in the fires of the furnace. Their experience is akin to what we will experience as we spend time specifically praying in tongues in the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 14:2, Jude 20) regardless of challenges we may face. All of their issues; problems with a supervisor, problems with peers at school or work, strongholds and bondages, closeness to their Savior; all of these issues were resolved as they “walked in the Fire.” As we walk in communion with the Holy Ghost we will experience the same:

Matthew 3:11 (John the Baptist speaking)

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Luke 3:16

John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

Walking with the Holy Ghost, we will be made whole and made free. For us, this is akin to the three Hebrew boys walking in the fire. It is a scientific fact that ultraviolet or white fire can extinguish orange or red fire (Answers.com, 2009, North American Mfg. Co, 1978). The Fire of the Holy Ghost is so pure that it is hotter than ultraviolet fire and can extinguish the hellish fire of any trial you are presently going through. It is so hot that you will not feel the pain of your trial if you give yourself to prayer in the Holy Ghost and to dwelling in God’s presence long enough. In Revelation 8:3 and 4 it says that the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints. So…what else can we expect to find if we spend time praying with the fiery power of the Holy Ghost consistently in this way?

Chapter 8

The Soul (Mind) of Jesus’ Flesh is in the Believer’s Blood

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

I Corinthians 2:16 KJV

Will you speak in tongues when you are baptized in the Holy Ghost? Yes, you will, but you will do an awful lot more than that bless God. An awful lot more than that! You will speak with the soul of Jesus Christ. You will feel with the heart of the Son of God. Your heart will beat with a heavenly desire to bless the world, because it is the pulse of Jesus that is throbbing in your soul. And I do not believe there will be a bit of inclination in your heart to turn around another child of God and say: “You are not in my class. I am baptized with the Holy Ghost.” That is as foreign to the Spirit of the Son of God as night is from day.

~ John G. Lake, Business Man & Missionary

Jesus saved us by dying on the cross and shedding His Blood. The Holy Ghost, the Blood, Mind and Soul of Jesus, went to Hell and suffered our penalty for three days before liberating the captives in chains in Hell and returning to reanimate the body of Jesus in the grave.

If the Holy Ghost was Jesus’ Blood, Mind and Soul - just as the Holy Ghost raised Jesus from the grave, the Holy Ghost can make you alive as well in a new way (Romans 8:11).

This section of the book will discuss scriptures in the Old Testament, Hebrew and other New Testament scriptures that speak symbolically of the Holy Ghost being presented at the heavenly mercy seat, speaking (just as Abel’s blood did) of the sinless life and innocence of Jesus, as His and our Witness.

Jesus, through this transmutation of His Blood back to the Holy Ghost, gives The Father, Jesus and the Holy Ghost access[42] to literally come into a believer’s Spirit, Body and Blood and cleanse her or him from Adam’s stain and begin a sanctification process in the mind of the believer (Romans 12, 1, 2; Hebrews 9:13, 14) that starts in the physical yet spiritual blood of the believer!

I believe this is the process (Salvation through Jesus, Receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, the study of God’s Word and our obedience to the Holy Ghost in praying, believing and obeying) through which we might reestablish ourselves as the new Adams and Eves, perfectly blended Spirit, Soul and Body citizens of the Dimension or Kingdom of God …

Romans 14:17

…For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

We are to be the type of citizens of a Kingdom that regularly perform the “greater works” Jesus alludes to, that only His brethren would be empowered to do (St. John 14:12, Mark 16:17-20). Basically, it is as if we are ambassadors to this world; emissaries from another place, another dimension, to show the people of this place the Power of Our King and to invite them to become citizens also.

When we receive Jesus in salvation (Romans 10:9, 10, He literally saves our “souls” or our “lives” (“Nephesh” in Hebrew), or in other words, our blood. The Holy Ghost enters our life through our blood and as we request (Luke 11:11-13), receive (St. John 20:22) and yield (Acts 5:31, 32) to Him in obedience to the Word of God, we will begin to “glow” as if the Holy Spirit becomes the luminol for our soul and we literally become the “lights” to the world (Ecclesiastes 8:1, Matthew 5:14-16, Acts 6:5,10,15).

The “Sun of Righteousness” begins to rise in us with healing in His wings (Malachi 4:2) and as we touch the sick they will get healed (Mark 16:18, Acts 3:1-11, see Appendix D). After all, the Kingdom is where the King is, and if He abides in us (John 15:7, 8) then the Kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:21)…and in the Kingdom of God – Biblically speaking, there is no sickness.

Matthew 4:23

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Luke 9:2

And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

Luke 9:11

And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

The more we abide in Him (St. John 15: 7, 8) the bigger the Kingdom within us expands to make itself known to others around us, just like “new wine” expands as it ferments. Suddenly – His Kingdom comes, His will is done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4)!

Luke 17:20, 21

20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Blood in the Tabernacle

As Wayne A. Barber, Eddie Rasnake and Richard L. Shepherd mention in their Bible Study workbook, Life Principles for Worship from the Tabernacle (2002),

The epistle to the Hebrews makes it clear that the earthly Tabernacle was only a picture of the true Tabernacle that is in heaven. The earthly Tabernacle and all that went with it (The Law, the priesthood, and the sacrificial system) are “only a shadow of the good things to come…” (Hebrews 10:1).

For some reason, while we have understood that the earthly examples of worship through the Tabernacle and the Temple involved earthly sacrifices and were “shadows of things to come,” we have often fallen short of understanding what the blood in these sacrifices represented. While we know it stood for Jesus’ shed blood as a man, what did His natural blood as a man actually foreshadow in heaven? The writers of Hebrews and Isaiah help to clarify what the symbolism in the sacrifices of ancient Jewish culture actually represented. The following passages provide context for the discussion to follow:

Hebrews 9:22-24

19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with

water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Isaiah 1:10 - 20

10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

11To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

The blood in the sacrifices of old definitely represented Jesus’ shed Blood but we often fall short of understanding that while God did indeed need to “see” Jesus’ natural Blood for our redemption on earth, He did not need “to see” Jesus’ natural, physical, earthly, red, shed blood in heaven. He needed to see the Blood but not in the form it was on the earth. Just as God was truly more concerned with our obedience to Him than literal sacrifices (verses 16-20 above in Isaiah 1), what The Father God DID indeed need to see and hear from in Heaven was One who could witness of Jesus’ sinless Life; One Who had been with and within Jesus from womb to tomb; One Who could testify to God of His Son’s sinless Life, (inwardly as He thought and outwardly as He acted) on Earth so that every Word could be established.

St. John 14:16, 17 (Jesus speaking)

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you.

St. John 15: 26, 27 (Jesus speaking)

26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning

I John 5:5-9

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the spirit is truth[43].

7 For there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of His Son.

10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself ( see St. John 14:17 above): he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Romans 5:9-11

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

After reading verse 11 of Romans 5, remember, Leviticus 17:11 which states,

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 maketh atonement for the soul.

Remember, the word for “Life” in Hebrew in the above scripture is nephesh. Nephesh, according to Strong’s Concordance, in addition to meaning “soul” also has the meaning of … “ghost.”

So (once again) we could read that portion of scripture as …

For the soul of the flesh is in the blood

Also…

For the ghost of the flesh is in the blood.

And as we now know with an understanding of Abel’s account, the blood can speak. Let’s read Genesis 4:8-10 again…

8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

10 And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.

The reason the blood speaks is because the blood is the seat of the soul (or the “ghost” or the personality and intellect and sentient nature) of the person. As opposed to common western wisdom of the soul residing in the brain alone or possibly in the heart and mind together as some eastern people groups believe, according to Jewish culture, your blood carries your soul while certain functions of the soul emanate from the heart and mind. Your blood is the essence of your life; it is the bridge between the flesh and the spirit.

That is why our speech is often dualistic; for example, when we speak of our heart “breaking,” we are referring to our “soul” but in the next breath, when we speak of someone having a heart attack, when are speaking very literally of one’s physical heart muscle that pumps physical blood. Both are real. When we “know” a thing we have become intimate with knowledge of a thing or concept. In the Bible, when Adam and Eve “knew” each other, they conceived Cain and Abel; they became intimate. Whether we know it or not, we are referencing our biune/triune natures through such dualistic speech (having a spirit, a body and a soul). On a very practical level, think about it like this, when you get angry, you do not only feel anger in your mind (head) or your emotions, you get hot all over. Your blood “boils.” This is because…

your soul (mind) is in your blood.

While intricately connected with both the flesh and the spirit of a man, the blood can be separated from the flesh of a man through physical death and from the spirit of man by the disobedient sin of Adam or the sin or disobedience of Mankind in general toward God. The sacrifice of Jesus’ Blood saves us from Adam’s sin and our own and unifies our spiritual and “soulical” natures.

The giving of ourselves to God’s will (which is our reasonable service, Romans 12:1-3) and confession and repentance daily if we sin ( I John 1:9, I John 2:1,2) helps to perfect us and mature us toward Christ-likeness.

Again, I believe that whatever was in the veins, heart and mind of Adam before the fall was some variant form of the blood we have now – only it was without the taint of sin; something more like water only infused with the Spirit, the Breath of God. It was something that nourished the physical body with eternal life and something that provided access for the spirit of man to have eternal fellowship with God…living water if you will…

St. John 7:37, 38, 39

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.

38 He that believeth on me as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water

39 But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.

And…

St. John 4:7- 15

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

I believe sin tainted Adam’s blood and separated us from the truest “life flow” that the Father God provided. The blood of Adam and all Mankind “died” to the eternal life that it was privy to before Adam’s fall. Blood’s function now became one of a temporary sustainer of physical existence as opposed to the provider of eternal life.

The death God spoke of in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:17) didn’t affect the physical body as quickly as it severed our relationship and “soul” connection with God.

So to man, or in man’s eyes, through our limited vision, God seems to have lied about their dying if they ate from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, physically speaking. But God had not lied! He cannot lie. If nothing else, God exercised supreme grace upon man and physically killed an innocent animal instead of man immediately. Sin apparently requires death in this world. Deeper than that, man was separated from the very Life of God that was evidently present in man’s blood stream before Adam’s fall; this was true death – separation from God…physical death followed.

Eternal Life is possible only with a connection to God Himself. Physical existence is possible in Time (see Appendix B) in a body for a limited period only since the fall of Adam. The “Living Water” that was in Adam’s heart and veins before the fall and before it changed into what we now know as blood, would be what resides in Jesus’ veins since His resurrection.

While in the physical, earth-bound body of Jesus, the Blood that flowed through His veins was Jesus’ “Ghost” or “Soul” according to Leviticus 17:11 and Genesis 9:4. Jesus’ Soul left Jesus’ bloodstream after Jesus decreed “it is finished.” I will repeat the verifying scriptures from each of the Gospel accounts below:

Matthew 27:50

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

Mark 15:37

And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

Luke 23:46

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

St. John 19:30

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

He, the Holy Ghost became “Holy” in the earth or “separated, set apart for a work” first after having been separated from the Father to participate in the conception of Jesus and second, after having served time in the physical body of Christ in a different way- a new and living way - set apart to make all people that choose Jesus holy (Hebrews 10:20).

So, the Holy Ghost was and is always HOLY. But in the sense that this would be the first time He was separated from Jesus AND the Father for work on the earth after Jesus’ death, you could consider His leaving Jesus’ body at Calvary as a different consecration or separation. Note also that according to Strong’s Concordance (1990), the word “holy” means separated unto God for a particular work.

Just as Jesus remains one with the Father but was separated (or consecrated and sanctified) by human birth for work on the earth in Time, the Holy Ghost is still one with the Father and the Son, but separated (consecrated and sanctified) by Jesus’ life and death for work in Hell, Heaven and on the earth for work as “the Blood.” “Consecrated and sanctified” simply mean dedicated and separated for a special work. Ironically one of the definitions of “sanctified” according to Strong’s Concordance (1981) is:

“…To purify internally by the renewing of the soul !”

This is just what the Holy Ghost does in us. Because He was once Blood on the earth in the Body of Jesus, the Holy Ghost, now consecrated and sanctified by God in His Spiritual Essence to dwell in men’s veins, can merge with our blood (souls) spiritually and purify us internally by the renewing of our soul (i.e., our mind, will, emotions, imagination and memory, the seat of sentient existence, Romans 12:1, 2; Ephesians 4:23; our blood, our life)! He begins to merge that which was separated in the fall of man.

Thus, we can be saved completely, Spirit, Soul and Body! This is contingent of course upon our choice to obey God’s Spirit and to do His Will, just as Adam and Jesus had to spend time with and be obedient to the Father God’s Will.

Matthew 7:21-24

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them , I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

After the “Holy” Ghost had been sanctified through the veil of Jesus’ flesh – and then testified of Jesus’ sinless life in the true Heavenly Holy of Holies, the Holy Ghost was commissioned by The Father God and Jesus to go to earth at Pentecost to fill those that believe.

He baptizes those who are willing to be used as vessels and they literally became and still become witnesses to Jesus’ sinlessness especially whenever they speak in tongues, to God, (I Corinthians 14:2)…for the utterances that the Holy Ghost gives when we speak in tongues are simply the Blood crying out to God concerning Jesus’ Holiness and our redemption by Him from the earth (Genesis 2:7, 4:10; Acts 2:3, 9).

It is the Voice of Jesus’ Blood, crying out from the earth (as Abel’s blood cried from the earth) through we, who are earthen vessels (II Corinthians 4:7), vessels just like in the miracle of water to wine (see Chapter 2). The water pots then, in the first miracle that Jesus performed, become a type and a shadow of who we were before the fall of man and then who we became after the fall of man. It can also demonstrate that Jesus can make that which is without life (natural water), organic and living (wine).

I Corinthians 4:6, 7

6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness , hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Now when we “receive the Holy Ghost” as commanded by Jesus in John 20:22, we basically receive (as was stated many times previously for emphasis) a spiritual transfusion of what was Blood but what could now be termed as “living water,” a real but spiritual expression of the Holy Ghost Himself into our very veins and thereby our lungs, heart, mind and body; something (and Someone) that courses through our entire being along with our natural blood doing more than purifying our flesh as natural blood does but purifying our mind, hearts, wills, emotions, intellect, imagination, and memories as we submit to God’s Word and meditate on it to obey it. This is how the “Blood” washes us. As we walk in obedience in the Light or illumination of His Word and with one another in unity… we are cleansed by the Blood!

I John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

I Peter 1:22

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Hebrews 10:15 - 23

15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

21 And having an high priest over the house of God;

22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

I Corinthians 6:19

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

There is a reason why we are called the Temples of the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 6:19). He literally dwells within us if we have believed on Jesus as the Son of God and have received Him as our Savior. In addition to this, if we have received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, we can also be literal witnesses to God of Jesus’ sinless sacrifice on the cross and our righteousness in Him in our lifestyle and whenever we speak in tongues (Acts 1:8,9, Jude 20). This is because whenever we speak in tongues, we allow the Blood to “cry out” from the earth that we are made from, just as Abel’s blood cried out!

Also, just as Abel’s blood was received by the earth and justified, we, in these earthen vessels we call flesh, can receive Jesus’ Blood (the Holy Ghost) and thereby be justified because of His innocence (Genesis 4:10; Isaiah 28:11, 12; 33:19; Acts 2; St. John 14:17, St. John 15:26, 27.)

II Corinthians 4:6, 7

6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness , hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

And now… Because His Blood literally flows through our veins in a spiritual way with our natural blood, Jesus’ Soul resides within us and He lives quite literally in us as it states in Ephesians 3:16, 17, in the Amplified Version…

16May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].

17May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

And because death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21) we can overcome death by our voice, our choice, our breath. That is how He can live in our hearts; through a simple, vocal choice to believe and receive Him by faith.

Romans 10:9, 10

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Suffice it to say that the following is true for the believer that has confessed Jesus Christ as Lord…

WE ARE RELATED TO GOD BY WAY OF A DIMENSIONAL AND UNIVERSALLY LEGAL SPIRITUAL TRANSFUSION OF JESUS’ BLOOD INTO OUR BLOODSTREAM.

AFTERA PERSONAL, VOCAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AGREEMENT FOR THIS TRANSFER FROM THE BREATH THAT WE EXPELL, HIS SOUL IS INTEGRATED INTO OUR SOULS VIA A BREATH OF GOD INTO OUR LUNGS AND THEN THAT BREATH OF GOD ENTERS OUR BLOODSTEAM AS WE BREATHE IN OUR NEXT BREATH.

AFTER THIS AUDIBLE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF JESUS AS LORD, LIKE AN ASTHMATIC’S INHALER, IN OUR VERY NEXT BREATH, WE INHALE THE BREATH OF GOD AS ADAM ONCE DID LONG AGO AND WE EXPERIENCE THE NEW LIFE OF A LOVING GOD INTO OUR TOTAL BEING, SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY. WE “TASTE” THE SPIRITUAL FRUIT OF OUR NEW TREE OF LIFE BY FAITH, AND WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT “THE LORD IS GOOD” (PSALM 34:8)!

Genesis 2:7

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Job 33:3, 4

3 My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly.

4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Romans 8:9-18

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Just as Jesus is the mediator between God and Man, the Holy Ghost, as the Blood of Jesus, is the mediator between Jesus and Man.

The definition of “Adoption” [44] in verse 15 according to Crosswalk.com (2008) reference includes (but is not limited to) the following…

…the nature and condition of the true disciples in Christ, who by receiving the Spirit of God (Holy Ghost) into their souls (blood) become sons of God. [45]

It IS the Holy Ghost who connects our DNA and our genetic code and blood line to the DNA of God and the Blood line of Jesus and He enters us as the Breath of God! His Blood then cleanses our blood from Adam’s original sin and then all current human sin by way of our obedience to depart (repent, forsake)from sin daily and then to spend time with God in prayer daily as well!

Jude 1:20

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

I John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

I Peter 1:17-23

17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The Holy Ghost is Literally in Our blood

To illustrate further the fact that the Holy Ghost is down-loaded into our natural circulatory (blood) system upon our confession of faith, let us look at Galatians 4:4, 5 and 6 and some definitions of terms used in the scriptures in depth:

Galatians 4: 4-6

4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Let us look at the Amplified Version of verse 6:

Galatians 4: 6 (AMP)

6 And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father!

Reading this scripture with the appropriate amplification, we see that Paul was telling us all, through his letter to the Galatians that the Holy Ghost truly enters into our hearts and by virtue of that, we are the sons and daughters of God. The reasoning for our son/daughter-ship becomes even clearer when we take a closer look at the Greek term used in this passage for “hearts.” According to BibleStudyTools.com (2008) the term for “hearts” used in this passage is transliterated from Greek as “Kardia” which means the following:

1. the heart

a. that organ in the [flesh] body which is the centre of the circulation of the blood, and hence was regarded as the seat of physical life (brackets mine)

b. denotes the centre of all physical and spiritual life

c. the vigour and sense of physical life

d. the centre and seat of spiritual life

1. the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors

2. of the understanding, the faculty and seat of the intelligence

3. of the will and character

4. of the soul so far as it is affected and stirred in a bad way or good, or of the soul as the seat of the sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions

e. of the middle or central or inmost part of anything, even though inanimate

This definition is consistent with what we have discussed throughout this book. The “heart” for the Hebrew consisted of the physical circulatory system as well as the seat of the “demi-soul.”

I use the Latin prefix “demi” meaning “half” because the soul ends up being part spirit, part physical – only not truly “half” but more accurately an amalgamation or a mixed unit of the two: Blood and Spirit; Terrestrial Life and Celestial Life. Again – I put forth the supposition that before the fall of Adam, our bodies, souls and spirits were whole and not separated. The heart (soul) was part physical and spiritual - the combination of which contributed to what the soul was…only as a unified whole. This explains our constant dualistic societal use of the heart representing an emotional organ as well as a physical organ ( i.e. “ She broke his ‘heart’” and “She had a ‘heart’ - attack”).

We have to understand that we were not meant to be the way we are now. We were to be as Adam was in the beginning: without sin or “super-natural.” Our bodies, our food, our perception of life and what True Life is have all been skewed and disturbed by sin. Our present bodies are not the glorified bodies they were to be, had Adam not sinned. We were to be eternal, supernatural beings! While we are Spirit, Soul and Flesh now, at one point Adam was completely unified within himself.

Back then, in the Garden, before the fall, food did something more than fuel his physical body for growth (Adam was – at some point at least - an eternal adult - he did not age!); food could apparently add to his knowledge spiritually as well as naturally and continue his eternal physical existence as well. This could be the deeper reason for the co-existent nature of life we live with the trees and plants now. This could be the reason why even now, if not for the oxygen that comes from trees and plants now that humans use to breathe and the carbon dioxide that comes from humans that plants use for photosynthesis, all life would die. There is even now a symbiotic relationship between the tree and the human, like there was in the Garden of Eden, though this relationship exists now on a very natural level.

The earth and the plants and the animals are also lesser now because of the fall of man. They are also waiting for us to claim our Blood-borne inheritance. Read the passage below…

Romans 8: 19-28 (NLT)[46]

19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.

20 Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse.

21 All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.

22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

23 And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost) within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

24 Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don’t need to hope for it.

25 But if we look forward to something we don’t have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.

26 And the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost) helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost) prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

27 And the Father who knows all hearts (kardia in Greek) knows what the Spirit (Holy Ghost) is saying, for the Spirit (Holy Ghost) pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Because of the entrance of sin, we are living in a “lowered” earth (dimensionally speaking) than it was at the beginning. I am almost inclined to believe that possibly even the earth’s tilt on its axis was caused by the fall of man… (~ this is just a thought, conjecture~) …could it be that the earth was perfect in temperature, time and space before the fall? I and others believe that could be possible (Peterson, 2008).

A Movie Analogy and Dimensions

All of the zombie movies are perverted types of what we are without Christ, the living dead searching for true Life to feed on. Even vampires could be a perverted type of what humans are – “blood sick” - in need of new, living blood in order to survive. Actually vampires are more likely a sick, twisted view of Christians by the devil in this way: by way of a transfer of the Blood of Jesus one to another by way of our tongues (witnessing) - which could be symbolized by the biting on the neck, we gain eternal life and supernatural power, which IS a scary thing if you are the devil facing humans that know they have the power of God residing in them. While this is merely my speculation, I believe the whole vampire idea is a realization of Satan’s fear of Mankind; at least a fear he has of those humans who truly know God and the power and authority He has placed within them. We can, based on the Bible and experience, cast devils out and do supernatural acts because of this power God has placed inside of us (Acts 19:12-16, St. John 14:12 )! Possibly this explains our fascination with Dracula, the Twilight® saga and other vampire myths…because we realize deep down that there is something otherworldly about our blood and our need for it, even blood’s connection to true love.

John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

With the sacrifice of Jesus and the shedding of His precious Blood, we literally are healed of a “soul/blood sickness” that has limited the expression of True Life through us and over all that exists in the earth. Jesus knew that He could walk on water because He had true dominion over it as Adam did at the beginning because His Blood is pure. His Soul is pure. Jesus’ dominion as a natural man was sure because of this vital connection to the God of the Universe and His knowledge of the abilities, dimensions and rights afforded to Him and privy to Him because of that connection. That connection allowed Jesus to communicate with God as His Father and not just as God.

Through His sacrifice, we can now, upon accepting this love offering of His Life by a verbal pronouncement, can then communicate with God in the same way, as Father. The Holy Ghost is truly the ‘Spirit of Adoption.”

Mark 14:36 (Jesus speaking)

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Romans 8:15

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Galatians 4:6

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Jesus understood and communicated His power in this world that we can see as well as in “His Kingdom” which often manifested uncommon occurrences on the earth, but is generally unseen. Dr. Paula Price (2002), a minister that studies the prophetic in the Bible, describes the supernatural ability to communicate with God and man dimensionally as an attribute of blood. She says it like this…

“Blood being the life agency of all flesh (Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:11) means that it is the only currency that occupies time, space and eternity at once. Therefore, to shed blood is to release a communication that extends beyond the natural spheres of existence” (p.95).

As some theoretical physicists, like Dr.’s Lisa Randall (2005), Brian Greene (2003), Michio Kaku (1994) and others believe, there could be other dimensions beyond the four that we know are present: height, depth, width and time. Jesus knew that there are more dimensions than the ones that are apparent to us. He said just this to Pilate when He was on trial and being asked if he were King. Jesus saying He was king would have been treason to the government of Caesar and would have been enough to crucify Him. His reply to Pilate was this however…

John 18:36

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

The Greek for Jesus’ word “world” is transliterated as “Kosmos” (Strong, 1981) or our word “Cosmos” which means “the celestial [universe]” (Dictionary, 2007).

Though Randall and other physicists could say that this is not related or separate from the dimensions they speak of, I believe we are talking about the same thing. Hugh Ross (1999), an Astro- Physicist and Christian is at least one theoretical physicist that agrees with this connection. A suddenly closed, now unseen dimension could be the explanation of what Adam and Eve could and could not see and do before the fall and what they could and could not see and do after the fall of man (Genesis 3:7). Paul makes mention of dimensions in an indirect yet direct way walk in Romans 8 and Ephesians 3 as well as in Colossians 1: 12-17…

Genesis 3:7

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Romans 8:37-39

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present , nor things to come ,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 3:14-19

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Colossians 1:12-17

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

16 For by him were all things created , that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

I believe the fall of Adam into sin caused a division between at least 5 dimensions: the (now) invisible Kingdom of God on earth and the (at least 4) comprehendible dimensions (time, depth, height and width) that are a part of our daily lives. Time could itself have the three dimensions of Past, Present and Future. It could be that “light”- itself- is another dimension as well. Adding the three levels of heavens mentioned in the Bible would agree with Physicists’ hypothesis (like Brian Greene’s (2003)) that there could be at least eleven (11) “dimensions.” Using these terms as connective language between Physics and Scripture, it could also be true that Biblical and scriptural language and words for “dimension(s)” could be “Light,” “Kingdom” and “Worlds…” as is mentioned in the following scriptures:

St. John 1:4

In [H]im (Jesus) was life; and the life was the [47]light of men.

I Timothy 6:16

Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

I John 1:5

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

I John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Matthew 6:10

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Matthew 13:11

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Matthew 13:31-35

31Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,[48] The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

32Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

33Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.[49]

34All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

35That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Luke 17:20, 21

20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.[50]

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Hebrews 1:2

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Hebrews 11:3

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Jesus also said that as His followers, we are lights also…

Matthew 5:14

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

St. John 12:36

While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

Ephesians 5:8

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

It is extremely ironic that current science has also discovered that humans actually glow (Choi, 2009; Kobayashi, Kikuchi, & Okamura, 2009)! There is apparently a faint glow that we emit…this makes sense if our blood can glow…and we know it can.

Colossians chapter 1 verses 12- 20 (NLT) summarizes what I am trying to say nicely. Paul writes…

12 always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God’s holy people, who live in the light.

13 For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.

14 God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation.

16 Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see – kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him.

17 He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.

18 Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so he is first in everything.

19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,

20 and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.

The “Kingdom of God” was no longer visible to man after the fall. Jesus said that His Kingdom was within us (Luke 17:21). I believe that this was a dimensional statement where Jesus let us know once again that our origin was beyond what we could see. Because of Adam’s mistake, we became divided in our vision and divided within ourselves.

The power in Jesus’ Blood flowing through us gives us the opportunity to be just like Him and to live in this world while evidencing the power of another (St. John 14:12, Ephesians 3: 16-20)! His Blood, as we will come to realize by the end of this book, is a spiritual sealant of sorts; it is powerful enough to not only purify the spiritual taint found in our blood before salvation, it is also powerful enough to mend a rip in the continuum of space, time and eternity and connect us with the God of Eternity once again.

There are many telltale signs of theoretical Physics and God being on the same “wavelength” in the Bible itself. For example…Dr. Michio Kaku (1994), Theoretical Physicist said, “We now believe that the Mind of God is music resonating through 10 dimensional hyperspace.” The Bible says in Zephaniah 3:17 - “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save , he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. “ For years during the middle ages people struggled with whether or not the world was flat when years before, penned in God’s Word in Isaiah 40:22 are the following statements of truth as we discovered through science later…

21 Have ye not known ? have ye not heard ? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in :

When Isaiah says “that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain,” in verse 22, one that knows theoretical physics might immediately think of the “branes” or “hyper -surfaces” that Lisa Randall (2005) speaks of in her work, Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions. It is as if these dimensions have been hidden from us behind a curtain.

In II Kings 6:14-17, a dimensional event takes place with Elisha and his servant where a “curtain” covering another “kingdom” or “dimension” was pulled back:

14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about .

15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early , and gone forth , behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do ?

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see . And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw : and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Believing that the Bible is like God, the Trinity, in that each book is individual and unique but at the same time unified, Elisha’s request to God about his servants inability to see makes me believe that a deep relationship with God can allow one to see things that I believe Adam could see before his eyes were “opened” (when in fact they were closed to things in the spirit (Genesis 3:7). In fact, it is as if with his fall, while he was enabled to see base level things, his ability to see “dimensional” things or “heavenly” things “diminished” greatly.

Miraculous things can occur when the principles of this particular kingdom (love, faith, giving, righteousness, peace, etc.,) are literally applied and followed. Jesus’ Blood is a Key to the Kingdom (Matthew 16:19). He told Peter He would give the keys to Him. As Peter proved by starting to walk on water (a dimensional or otherworldly action), all it takes to even do Jesus’ works and move beyond our own dimension is a belief of Jesus in our hearts; a confession of faith and obedience to God’s Word (which denotes an acceptance of Jesus’ deity and a recognition of God’s authority).

The account of Peter walking on water can be found in Matthew 14:23-33 (NLT)…

23 Afterward he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.

25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came to them, walking on the water.

26 When the disciples saw him, they screamed in terror, thinking he was a ghost.

27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “It’s all right,” he said. “I am here! Don’t be afraid.”

28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you by walking on water.”

29 “All right, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

30 But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

31 Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him. “You don’t have much faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

32 And when they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.

33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

For Peter, like Abraham, his faith was accounted to him as righteousness (Romans 4:13-22); in other words, the penalty for his sinful soul or blood was excused for a time (since Jesus had not yet died)…so that Peter could be like Jesus at that moment of faith, and walk on water as Jesus did (Matthew 9:28-30). Peter’s blood became infused with the Life of God because of his action of faith and obedience to the words of Jesus! His faith unlocked access to walk in another dimension temporarily. Ultimately, Jesus gave Peter this vital Key to the Kingdom, on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost first was given. And Peter, indeed, became one of the Pillars or Rocks of the early church that day as 3000 souls were added to the church as a result of his message (Matthew 16:19, Acts 1:8, Acts 2, Revelation 21:14). Faith in Jesus’ divine origin and ultimate sacrifice provides one with dimensional power.

All we must do is accept Jesus as Savior by faith and then we are given the potential to be like Him and perform miracles like Him because His Life is spiritually deposited into our human veins via the Holy Ghost (Mark 16: 16-18) upon our acceptance of Who He Is. The faith to do such acts comes only after having spent time in God’s Word and in His presence such that His presence is on us as it was on Moses (Exodus 34:34,35, Ecclesiastes 8:1)! The baptism in the Holy Ghost establishes this in our hearts a bit deeper because of the supernatural act of speaking in tongues (Acts 2; Acts 19). When a believer truly receives the baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues, it is an undeniable proof to the believer in Jesus that in him dwells the supernatural power of the God Head.

More Movie Analogies

We have abilities that have yet to be tapped. Because of our inundation with the false implication of the powerlessness of priests over demons in movies like the Exorcist and other anti-Bible Hollywood propaganda, we have had very few opportunities to hear and know the “practical supernatural” that exists within our grasp. We are similar, however, to the Hollywood heroes in the movies The Matrix®, Spiderman®, Unbreakable®[51] and Powder®[52] where they do not initially know their innate ability, but when they find out, they do amazing things. At the end of Powder, there is even a picture of what might resemble the prophesied rapture event. Jesus healed people and cast out demonic spirits as a natural act of His supernatural nature and He said we would be able to do the same (John 14:12)!

The lack of character, the travesties that occur behind our own “Christian” closed doors, also have robbed the Christian of exhibiting the power of God to heal and do other things through them as the scriptures say we should be seeing (Mark 16:15-20, St. John 14:12). Often there have been “internets,” “inner-nets” (unforgiveness, bitterness, prejudice, etc) and “dinner- nets” (irresponsible stewardship of our temples by overeating – the sin of the Garden of Eden ironically) that have entangled us so that our souls have been vexed to ineffectiveness like Lot who, though he was a righteous man, was vexed[53] or rendered an ineffective Man of God (Genesis 19, II Peter 2:7). We do not have to wallow in such muddied ineffectiveness however. We may have been made from the dirt but with Jesus’ power flowing through our veins and as we are obedient to His Words, we can be changed from glory to glory.

St. John 15:7

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

II Corinthians 3:17, 18

17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We are beginning to understand that God’s redemption of man was of the entire, whole man – Spirit, Soul and Flesh/body. It is a “redemption” or a recovery of that which was lost. We lost our first estate, our spiritual and dimensional authority; our place of authority in Eden (Genesis 2, 3). Jesus’ Blood returns us to our original dominion status.

I believe that even our fixation on comic book superheroes (especially in this era of CGI movies, which are great fun ) like Superman® (trademarked by DC Comics/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.), Ironman® (trademarked by Marvel Comics/ Paramount Pictures, Inc), The X-Men® (trademarked by Marvel Comics/ Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation), Spiderman® (trademarked by Marvel Comics/Columbia Pictures, Inc ) and others, are all deep longings within us to be what we were originally meant to be…whatever it was Adam was before he fell…super-human…God-like or truly made in the image of God… extremely powerful beings.

In fact, the Bible says we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27; Genesis 9:6) and then Jesus says that with God all things are possible if we believe (Matthew 19:26, Mark 9:23, Mark 10:27, Mark 14:36). Even the desire to fly is a strange yet strong urge in many of us - from the flying ability of these superheroes to the point of man actually creating all types of airplanes and then to even some people actually jumping off cliffs in flying squirrel outfits to glide to a valley below. Like the antagonist in Unbreakable says I believe “deep down we know something is not quite right.” We are supposed to be more than what we are right now…not “Gods” but possibly as the Bible says “the sons and daughters of God” (I John 3:2, II Corinthians 6:18); sons and daughters in the household or “kingdom” of God.

As a similar analogy, you are sort of like “Neo” in the movie trilogy The Matrix® (1999) if you are a Christian. (Many of you that are believers will remember the talk concerning this movie trilogy and its spiritual connotations when it first came out awhile back. If you have not yet seen the movie, you may want to watch it for its symbolic significance). I will explain the gist of the movie and then relate Neo, the main character, to present day believers.

In the movie, Neo, the main character and protagonist of the Matrix movie trilogy, while living in a world that was obviously all around him, he discovers that dimensionally, there was another invisible reality we will call the “Super Real World;” a world that was more real than the world he was consciously able to see. Once he realized that the Super Real World was the world that created the world he now existed in and could see (which was called the “Matrix” in the movie), he found that he could super-impose the rules of the Super Real World on the lesser world of the “Matrix” to overcome its boundaries. In other words, because he knew certain laws in the “Super Real World,” he was able to override principles of the lesser world, the Matrix.

The Super Real World was actually the world that created the Matrix. For example, because the Super Real World rules said he could fly in the Matrix, even though Matrix rules said he could not… he could fly while in the Matrix as long as his mind focused on those principles that were beyond his visible reality. His mind could change the computer generated code of the Matrix to allow him to fly in the Matrix while everyone else was limited to traditional modes and codes of transportation. Because his truest existence was outside of the Matrix, and because he now knew this (Hosea 4:6, Proverbs 29:18) he overcame the rules inside the Matrix system. He realized that he was a part of the Creator’s Kingdom and not simply a part of the Matrix’s “mind-blinding, mind bending” world system. The same happens to be true about the “kingdom” of this world and the Super Real World of the “Kingdom of God.” God’s Kingdom created what we can now see as well as the dimensions beyond what we can see. To become one with God is to gain access to that Super Real Kingdom and the power within it that can change the realities of this visible world.

Are You a New Believer in Christ?

If you are a new Christian, even though you belong to the Kingdom of God, you do not really yet know the extent of the power that dwells inside of you. But once you find out, the things of this earth will not be able to limit you or to hold you back from receiving the treasures of heaven because you will have found the most important key to the Kingdom and that key is now within your blood. You have access to the power of Jesus because you not only know Jesus; you are also related to Him through His Blood. His Blood now flows through you…and all that He did on earth, like Peter, if God says you can do it and you have the faith to believe it, you can do it.

Colossians 1:12-14

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Romans 8:14-16

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

St. John 14:12 (Jesus speaking)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

This all means is that you are a “son” or a “daughter” of God when you openly acknowledge Jesus as Lord of your life. And now, like Neo in the movie the Matrix, you have the ability to superimpose the laws of God’s Kingdom on the laws of this world…and overcome all sorts of obstacles to the surprise of those around you. Just like Joshua knocking down the walls of Jericho “vocally” (Joshua 6), Gideon and his 300 warriors overcoming thousands( Judges 6), Samson’s supernatural strength (Judges 15:4), the three Hebrew boys living through the fire (Daniel 1-3), Moses parting the Red Sea and prophetically announcing the plagues (Exodus15), Elijah calling down fire from heaven (I Kings 18), Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:29), Paul healing the sick (Acts 28:8), Jesus raising the dead (St. John 11:43), even Philip being translated (Acts 8:39, 40) etc…you can experience the miraculous. Nothing is impossible with God, if you can believe as the following scriptures attest.

Matthew 19:26

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Mark 10:27

And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

Luke 1:37

For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Galatians 4:4-7

4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Galatians 4:4-7 (NLT)

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.

6 And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father.

7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you.

Once you truly discover that literally, supernatural, celestial royal blood from your Creator now flows through your veins, you will never be the same. This revelation is a dream and a vision that was announced a long time ago…

Joel 2:28-31 (KJV)

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

My Testimony

I personally know this to be true because in 1990, I experienced something that cannot be explained in common everyday terms. It really happened and I cannot explain it except by virtue of the fact that there are witnesses that saw it occur and that it truly was miraculous. This testimony is evidence that your confession of faith, the baptism in the Holy Ghost, obedience to God’s Word and consistent time spent in prayer can yield great dividends.

This testimony is not a boast of personal spiritual prowess. While my lifestyle at the time was extremely consistent in prayer, obedience and confessions, this testimony is simply proof that grace and salvation is not only ethereal but real, if we would just step out on faith.

I was a senior undergraduate student and a resident assistant at a university in North Carolina. I had just moved into the residence hall that also housed college football players. Since my 11th grade year in high school, I had been saying Biblical confessions or affirmations “religiously” based on Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…,” and Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise up against you, you shall condemn…,”as well as Luke 10:19, “…nothing shall by any means hurt you…,”Proverbs 16:30, Romans 4: 17 and others. I did this as a habit every morning and night with very simple faith, believing that God’s Word was true and that He would do just what He said He would do if I was obedient and bold enough to proclaim that I was His child. Daily confession got these scripture truths into not only my thoughts but also into my “heart.”

Well, one night, early in the fall semester of 1990, I had just arrived back at the dorm (or residence hall) from a function for our campus ministries where I sang a solo to welcome our freshmen to campus. I proceeded to call and talk to my father on a payphone on the main football player residence hall hallway. As I talked I noticed that a number of the players were running around and the freshmen football players were going through a ritual hazing activity…so suffice it to say that alcohol, whipped cream and other various and sundry items were everywhere and a number of the players were drunk and “high” on something.

About five players approached me and asked why I was on the phone. I told them in a pretty direct way to quiet down because I was on the phone with my father. They left but soon returned with five more and they became more belligerent. They proceeded to tell me to get off of the phone. I told them “when you can show me the receipt for this building and this phone then I will do it but until then, Shut-up! I’m trying to talk to my Pop.” (I had to repent for that later because of the unfortunate pride in the statement…Thank God for grace!) One of the players jumped at me at that moment but another grabbed him before he touched me and pulled him away. Thank God!

At this point the football players got “a bit” riled up and from 5 to 10, the number escalated to about 40 or so. Our resident dorm mother, Mrs. Moore came out and tried to calm the players down but to no avail. My one friend that was a Christian and on the football team was standing off a bit down the hall. My father told me over the phone to “Go to your room!!!!” I told him, “Oh it’s ok Pop,” but then I looked around. My hand began to shake. This predicament had quickly gotten out of hand.

At this point I remember thinking, “God, I can’t beat up one of them much less this whole team!” Then I thought about my life up to that point. “I have been saved by faith since I was eight years old…” I remember thinking. “I received the Baptism in the Holy Ghost at 15 with the evidence of speaking in tongues as a high school sophomore and never questioned my salvation again. – But my salvation has been only by faith up until now. Didn’t salvation mean literal help and assistance? Didn’t it mean to be taken out of harm’s way? What good is salvation if it does not mean practical salvation? Didn’t God deliver Daniel from the lion’s den? What about all those confessions I’d been saying from the Bible? Was that all for nothing? Didn’t He deliver the three Hebrew boys from the fiery furnace…? Daniel from the lions?” Then, I remember asking God something like this– I believe I thought it… “God, I’ve lived for You by faith for years but I need You to save me now…literally…I need my faith to become sight.”

All of a sudden, I heard a voice over the noise the football players were making (at this point they were breaking bottles and basically forming an alcohol/drug induced mob).This voice was so clear that I thought it was my father on the phone. The voice said, “You started in the flesh, you will end in love. Now get my name in it.” I asked my father, “Pop – what did you say?” (The voice was so clear that literally I thought it was my father’s voice, like Samuel did, see I Samuel 3:1-12) My Pop said, “I said GO TO YOUR ROOM!!!” (Excuse the text messaging right here but, LOL!) Then I heard THE voice say again…“You started in the flesh, you will end in love. Now get my name in it.”

Now…I had read about missionaries calling upon the name of Jesus and something miraculous happening to protect them from a book on angels put out by Guideposts, a magazine my parents used to receive. So I felt calm all of a sudden. So while I didn’t quite understand the “you started in the flesh you will end in love” portion of the voice’s message, I knew I needed to get Jesus’ name in the midst of the commotion literally and quickly somehow. It occurred to me that there was even a scripture that said all who “call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 13:10), so if the Bible were literally true, this instruction made literal sense. The noise and anxious behavior of the football players was at a fevered pitch. A football player came from around Mrs. Moore who was standing on my left and said in my face while holding a bottle of Old English (liquor), “I think you need to get off the phone!”

My hand stopped shaking. I had a peace that truly passed understanding. Football players were going nuts and packed in the narrow hallway apparently waiting for someone to throw the first punch. I told the football player, “Well, I think you need to deal with my Savior.” He started to laugh hysterically and said out loud, “Deal with your savior? Deal with your savior?” I said with a loud voice, “Yes, Deal With My Savior, JESUS!!!”

What happened next was sort of like a remake of St. John 18:6…

As soon then as he (Jesus)[54] had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

All of the football players (all 40 or so) were thrown against the wall quickly and seemingly pushed out through the doors to my left that went into the residence hall lobby. The main antagonist was saying as he backed away in a manic sort of way, “I read my Bible Man!!! I go to Church!!!” They all fell through the door and then it was silent.

The only ones remaining in the hall were I, Mrs. Moore, my friend, John A., on the football team and three of the other football players. (I would later find out that they were the team captains. There had been three that year.) I was feeling pretty good and hung the phone up after telling my father I was ok. He had heard the whole thing transpire.

All of a sudden I heard that same voice say, “You started in the flesh, now you’re going to end in love, tell those three guys you love them.”

While I didn’t want to sound like a punk (lol), I was not going to disobey this Voice. I searched for words to say quickly and came up with something like, “Hey you guys, I don’t have any problems with you guys, I was on the phone with my Father, that one guy was making me disrespect him – but as far as you all are concerned, I love you guys!” They kind of chimed in together, “Oh you’re cool with us man, you’re cool. But it was [name of first football player] that was really angry.” With the help of my friend on the football team I found that guy and before I could say anything, he said to me, “Man we get stressed out on the field you know man with the coaches and all man, but you’re cool, I read my Bible, I go to church.” He was shaking my hand the whole time.

This kind of thing also occurred when I was attacked by a pit bull once that next year. I said Jesus as it ran toward me and the thing flipped over and ran away whimpering.

This is why I believe like I believe. This really happened. That was the Voice of Jesus; the Voice of the Holy Ghost; The Voice of God that I heard!

At the time, my prayer life was extremely consistent, intense and a big part of it was spent praying in tongues and for other people. Not in a flaky, overly deep way, but just in a very consistent, honest way. I am actually trying to at least get back to the level of devotion I had back then –to the place in God I was back then and then to surpass it. I remember having such peace on some days that it made me feel as if I was floating.

I could “hear” God’s voice, because like in any close relationship, I had an honest, open, communicative relationship with Him daily that allowed me to be honest with Him every day! When I say “I can hear Him,” I do not mean an audible voice (generally), but I do mean a very strong inkling or impression or even (like the football incident) a voice heard internally only by me (but very clearly) to do one thing or another. After spending a great deal of time with anyone, you recognize their voice, whether that be over the phone, or otherwise. In the same fashion, time spent in studying the “Truth” can help you see a lie (John 14:6). (In this particular situation with the football players however, the voice sounded extremely clear and almost audible for whatever reason.)

Study in God’s Word and in prayer and then obedience to at least His black and white directives found in the Bible can yield unbelievable results in this way. As you obey the black and white issues, like “thou shalt not steal” (for example, ~”thou shalt not steal” paper from the office copier :) ~) the gray areas (like “Should I go to this movie or not?” or “Should I marry this person or not?”) become clearer. Ultimately, if you study the Truth (God’s Word), you will be able to recognize a lie. This principle is what banks use in training bank tellers on how to recognize counterfeit money; they study real money, not the fake. Jesus is Truth (St. John 14:6, Matthew 6:33 & Matthew 11:29) and the Bible is the Truth ( “Thy Word is Truth,” John 17:17). The Holy Ghost will help us study Jesus if we ask Him to help us (Matthew 11:29, St. John 14:26, I John 2:27, James 1:5).

As Christians, we are supposed to have given Jesus our lives; so we have to give Him our time; dedicated prayer time and not just time between errands in the car (though this is really good also).

Our time with the Lord in prayer ends up being the most important part of our relationship with God and our Christian experience; it ends up being the most important part of our lives. After all in the end, Jesus’ primary concern, in spite of the shows of power or spiritual wonders he may work through us, will be whether He knows us or not.

Matthew 7:21-23

21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

He will be concerned about whether or not we did what He said for us to do individually in addition to the general instructions to us all in His Word. His concern will not primarily be how many prophecies we gave or how many good works we accomplished or how “spiritual” we acted (however that is) however but how obedient we are in spending time with Him.

We must act as Jesus did. We must spend time with God ( We must do what He says for us to do.)

St. John 5:19-21

19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

We indeed have power that has yet to be truly tapped into (though some have I am sure), but we must also consider the priority of spending time with the Power Source. Time spent with God in prayer and obedience to what he says in his Word and in prayer is the most important part of a Christian’s life and the Holy Ghost is a vital part of that relationship.

Some Philosophical Thoughts

Though I have a great deal of disagreement with Henry David Thoreau’s general religious belief system, he said some things that resonate as true. I happen to believe that as we take time to pray and put God’s Word before us and then begin to do what He says and to speak what He tells us to speak, we can see things happen for us according as God wills. Jesus’ Blood running through our veins makes it even easier to see how what we say and believe can come to pass. Jesus told the sea to be peaceful and it became so (Mark 4:39); He told the fig tree to die and it withered away (Matthew 21:19-22), and we have His Blood in our veins?!!! We were made in God’s image and have His Life in us. God said “Light be; and Light was (Genesis 1:3)!” Jesus spoke and things happened. It follows suit that as we walk as Jesus walked and do as we hear the Father tell us in the same way Jesus did –just like the other sons and daughters of God in the Bible, we will see the miraculous also.

This idea is exhibited in these words that were written by Henry David Thoreau (1943) while secluded at Walden’s Pond:

I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined; he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings.

In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. (p.341)

My philosophical yet spiritual (and hopefully prophetic) addendum to Thoreau’s statement is this…

Castles in the air exist, Mansions if you will, where the Rest of God resides, the Kingdom. Your dreams take you there, your imagination allows you to stare into ETERNITY and to see the Glory of God in that dimension. You become a son or a daughter of God like His Son and like His Son, you can rise from the death that chains you and return to the Garden that was equipped for you, the Rest of God. The unspoiled Adam becomes your brother as you experience the freedom of Eden in the presence of heaven on earth because your castles in the air have become His kingdom come, His Will being done on earth as it is in heaven; for The Kingdom is within you. The King is in you and now circulating within you is the formula for eternal life in your veins, the composition of which is glory, the essence of which is living and the name of which is Comforter. Comforted Kings and Queens, Priests of the Most High, rise to your Rest (Hebrews 4:9) and be blessed in His presence forever. He Is Word; His Words are Spirit, His Spirit is Life, His Life is His Blood and Soul and they reside in your blood and soul and you are saved through that interchange of Word, Spirit, Life, and Soul that is His Blood. The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost have made their abode in you …

St. John 14:23, 15:7:

23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

My belief is not so much the name it, claim it, believe it, receive it sort of doctrine as much as it is a “Get to know God, do what He says and live His life through you and you will fulfill His will for your life and thus, prosper in His perfect will” sort of belief system. After all He did say in Matthew 6:33…

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Jesus was put on a cross and that was God’s will.[55] He died in God’s will so that we might live. We must be able to accept God’s will. Our prime directive is to get to know and love God, love people, and to do that through Jesus Christ, as we are empowered by the Holy Ghost as He flows through our lips in prayer and in our veins as the Blood of Jesus!

Another Personal Note

Another personal note would be that my own experience with the Holy Ghost has been one of a special friendship.

I remember reading something similar to this in Benny Hinn’s book “Good Morning, Holy Spirit!”(1998). Since I experienced the baptism of the Holy Ghost when I was 15 and realized that the Holy Ghost was a “He” and not an “It,” I began to address Him respectfully but as if He were right by my side every moment and as a friend. I know He has been disappointed with me many times, but in times when I needed comfort, like when my oldest sister passed in 2000 and especially when my mother passed in 2007, His comfort has been more real than that of close personal family members and friends (that I love and that did help greatly). I appreciate the Holy Ghost for that comfort.

Even when I rebelled for a time after these family members died (because it hurt and I did not understand, still does sometimes), I can truthfully say I have still never felt alienated by Him. Though I have felt alone before, I have always known that I was not truly alone. I have discovered that I can go to a secret place of prayer (Psalms 91, Isaiah 26:3, Matthew 6:6) and gain peace like the world has never known.

Matthew 6:6

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Philippians 4:6, 7 (NLT)

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

While there is a preponderance of drugs out there, meditation styles, etc… they offer only a counterfeit “high” as compared to the “high” that the Holy Ghost through Jesus Christ truly gives. I get this “high” in my prayer times with God. It is real and every other “high” is a counterfeit for this experience. It is the only addiction with no bad effects! This is what Paul means when he says …

Ephesians 5:18

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

And David when he says…

Psalms 16:11

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

In a future book, I will talk about this secret place, “The Rest of God,” the place where you will find the “rest” of God, literally; the part of Him that you may have never known before. It is a place of supernatural peace; a place that we desperately need to find in times like these. When one enters that private place of prayer consistently enough, that “Rest” or that “peace that passes all understanding” accompanies them throughout the day. Philippians 4:6, 7 speaks of this…

6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

It is a place of peace and righteousness that most have either forgotten, neglected or never knew; however, there remains a “rest” for the people of God (Hebrews 4). This “Rest of God” is both a place and a state of being. A “dimension,” if you will, that is found in prayer.

The Holy Ghost, as the Blood of Jesus, is literally the key to entering into the Rest of God, the place where the Glory of God resides (see Appendix C). The Holy Ghost is the Glory of God; the Power of God. This “Rest” is the Kingdom of God.

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 11:29

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Luke 1:35

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Hebrews 3:7

7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice,

8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

Hebrews 4:9, 10

9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Acts 1:8

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The Holy Ghost dwelling in your bloodstream is the same as if Jesus lived in you because the Holy Ghost is Jesus’ Blood, His Soul – mind, will, intellect, emotions, imagination, memory and personality. We can dwell in “Rest” because of this.

The Holy Ghost is Christ in you. The Holy Ghost is the Hope of Glory. He is the Glory; the Light that once emanated from and covered Adam that we pray will cover us once again. This is the Hope of Glory. (Note both the King James version and the New Living Translation version of the Colossians scripture below).

Colossians 1:26, 27 (KJV)

26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

(NLT)

26 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to his own holy people.

27 For it has pleased God to tell his people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory.

Colossians 2:8,9 (KJV)

8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

(NLT)

8 Don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ.

9 For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body,

We are the temples that the Glory of God as the Holy Ghost is now supposed to fill…

I Corinthians 6:19

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

That Wind Wielded - Liquid Fiery - life which once visited temples made by men is meant to live inside of you. II Chronicles 5:14 says…

So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

II Chronicles 7:1-3

1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.

2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house.

3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

It makes sense also that if our bodies are now temples of the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost is the Blood of the true Day of Atonement sacrifice, Jesus, that blood from the symbolic animal sacrifices was always spilled in and into the temple. We are those temples where Jesus’ True Blood dwells. So if the Glory of God is the Holy Ghost and The Holy Ghost is the Blood of Jesus that must fill us then…

Chapter 9

We Must Be Filled to Overflowing!

And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

~Acts 4:31

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

~Acts 2:4

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. But this precious treasure – this light and power that now shine within us – is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.

~ II Corinthians 4:6, 7, NLT

God commands us to be filled with the Spirit, and if we are not filled, it is because we are living beneath our privileges.

~ Dwight L. Moody, Preacher, evangelist and publisher

Speaking in tongues is not some spiritual badge of honor. It is an indispensable tool that God has given you to help you live a victorious and powerful life. It is a tool you desperately need.

~ Gloria Copeland, Author of To Know Him

The “Comforter,” as the Holy Ghost was referred to by Jesus in St. John 14:26, could only fill us to overflowing after He had been made Holy (or set apart) through Jesus’ flesh for a special, separate work in the earth (Hebrews 10:19-22, St. John 16:7) (…thereby Jesus gave up the “Ghost” {Luke 23:46} and we receive the “Holy Ghost” … {St. John 20:22}). While in the grand scheme of the universe, the Holy Ghost has always been the “Holy” Ghost, this was a special sanctification on the earth for our sakes…

St. John 14:26

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

St. John 7:37-39

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

St. John 16:7 (Jesus speaking)

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (the Holy Ghost)[56] will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Now we understand why the Comforter could not come until Jesus went away. The Holy Ghost was being sanctified through Jesus’ flesh in order to do a particular work of sanctification in our own flesh (Hebrews 10:19, 20)! In order to live in Mankind and redeem man, the Holy Ghost had to live in a man that was Holy enough to hold Him in His flesh, without disobeying God until death. This is where Jesus’ parable of the new and old bottles for wine comes into play. This parable helps explain the process to us.

Matthew 9:17

Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Mark 2:22

And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

Luke 5:37

And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.

This statement was made after some Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus why His disciples didn’t fast. His reply used the analogy of a wedding. He said in the verses before these, in each of the Gospels’ accounts[57] of the parable, that the children of the bride chamber do not fast while the groom is present but they will when he goes away. Jesus then gives the parables of the old and new garment and the old and new wineskins. Luke seems to have the most complete account. It says…

Luke 5:36-38 (Jesus speaking)

36And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.

37And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.

38But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.

39No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

This parable seems to remind us of the “water into wine” miracle (which probably occurred not long before the telling of this parable because this parable seems to be mentioned in all of the Gospels very near the “water to wine” miracle, at the beginning of each Gospel; see Chapter 2 of this book also).

It was not possible for the Breath of God, the Blood of God, to dwell in man after Adam’s fall because man’s flesh had the taint of “old” rebellion and sin in it. God cannot dwell in an unclean temple or an “old wine skin.”

I Corinthians 3:17

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

The flesh of man with the taint of sin had become as an old wineskin; a vessel unable to hold the more powerful Life-filled substance. New wine is more powerful and acidic generally and would eat through the weakened material. The rebellion of man had corrupted and tainted the strength of the flesh of man. Rebellion and God cannot dwell in the same place. That is exactly why the devil could not stay in heaven after desiring God’s position unrighteously (Ezekiel 28:16, Luke 10:18).

In order for God to have the vital life connection He had with Mankind before the fall of Adam, apparently because of universal laws, a new line of man with Holy blood had to be reintroduced into the earth that was initially pure like Adam’s. This may have something to do with authority given to humans on the earth and a universal and dimensional principle which requires (generally) only humans to correct human problems in Time on earth (Genesis 1:26, Matthew 8:5-13, Matthew 16:18, 19). So Jesus had to come in flesh and take our punishment in our place; to take the penalty for the man Adam’s sin, for all of Mankind.

II Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

This start of a new line of Holy Blood on earth (Jesus), which also had the Breath of God within (like Adam did initially), would have to live without sin, without rebellion and be tried and proven in the “fires” and trials of the rebellious earth system, in order to replenish the earth with God-fearing men of flesh and blood that could hold the Life of God inside them as well. This was actually Adam’s first mandate as well (Genesis 1:28).While Adam was told not to eat of the fruit of the tree, Jesus’ mandate was to become one with the fruit of the “tree.”

I Peter 2:24

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

In other words, this pure flesh and “holy” Blood Man would have to die first, however, to re-grant the right to contain Holy Blood to all men. Why? Why would Jesus have to die to make this possible?

Well, in addition to simply reversing the universal process of the singular primary human curse by doing the opposite of Adam, I believe Milton (1667) in his Paradise Lost had a large scale answer as to why Jesus had to die that we would live. To strongly paraphrase Milton’s epic poem, he said that based on God’s all-knowing judgment, this event was needed because the greatest expression of Love (God) would have to be demonstrated so that Mankind and all other created beings related to earth somehow (angels, demons, beings in related dimensions, etc…) would understand and know that God is Love, apart from Him is the absence of Life. It was also to show that God could be trusted.

True Love and Life could not be truly experienced by humankind unless their opposites existed (Hate and Death); True Love/Life could not exist (or we could not be conscious of them) unless the freewill to choose between Life and Death existed and trust (faith) in either was allowed (Deuteronomy 30:19, Joshua 24:15, I Kings 18:21. Proverbs 1:24-33). Of course God did not need this to happen for Him but for us so that we could truly choose to love Him and live for Him without the sense of coercion or force. Choice is essential in true love.

Joshua 24:15

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve ; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell : but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Proverbs 1:29

28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

II Corinthians 5: 19-21 (NLT)

19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

In the dimension of Time, apparently, the greatest expression of love for a man is found in St. John 15:13 which reads…

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Because Jesus, as a man, lived a Life more abundantly in Time, the Holy Ghost can give us that Life more abundantly also and replace the legacy of eternal Death that dwells in our natural, unredeemed blood-line because of Adam’s failure (See Appendix B), and thereby, later, give us a right to Eternity with God.

When one accepts Jesus by faith, by a decision, just as Adam gained death by a decision of disobedience, we can gain eternal life by an obedient decision. Our “death” to doing our own ways satisfies this, the greatest love act, toward the Father God according to the following scriptures…

Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

II Corinthians 5:14 (NLT)

Whatever we do, it is because Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live.

Jesus was our role model in giving up our own rights for a greater good. He is also the means or the door through which we can allow the Holy Ghost to enter our souls and thereby we enter into the dimensional reality of Eternal life. Our individual and verbal acceptance of Jesus as Messiah allows a supernatural transfer to take place; Our once sinful souls in this sinful flesh are given the ability to commune with God, spirit to Spirit, soul to Soul, once again with our conscious acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice. Our flesh is to be redeemed day by day as we commune with God and then at some point in the future, completely.

I Corinthians 15:53

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

II Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)

And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.

Water Baptism is a symbolic expression of the day our flesh will become perfect. Until then, we have to work out our daily adherence to His Word with “fear and trembling.”

I Peter 3:16-22

18 Christ also suffered when he died for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners that he might bring us safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

19 So he went and preached to the spirits in prison –

20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.

21 And this is a picture of baptism, which now saves you by the power of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Baptism is not a removal of dirt from your body; it is an appeal to God from a clean conscience.

II Corinthians 5:1-5 (NLT)

1 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.

2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.

3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.

4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. (A picture of baptism also…)[58]

5God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit (Ghost).

Philippians 2:11-13 (KJV)

12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

This same verse in Philippians 2:11-13 above in the New Living Translation reads like this…

12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.

13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Another Review

Now We Understand…

• When John the Baptist said, “ …but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God. (St. John 1:33, 34)”…

– that The Holy Ghost is “living water” that can not only over-shadow or cover us but also infill, envelop, and baptize us (Luke 1:35, Acts 13:9)! Baptism in general has always given the imagery of cleansing. Baptism in the Holy Ghost is a Deep Cleansing of our hearts by Jesus’ Blood (Ezekiel 11:19, Ezekiel 36:26). Time spent with Him in prayer and God’s Word cleanses us.

St. John 15:3

Now ye are clean[59] through the word which I have spoken unto you.

St. John 6:63 (NLT)

It is the Spirit (Pneuma in Greek or “Holy Ghost”) who gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Luke 3:16 (NLT)

John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am — so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (in KJV, Holy Ghost) and with fire.

Now We Understand…

• When the Apostle Paul says, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be ye filled with the Spirit ; (Ephesians 5:18)” …

– Paul seems to intimate[60] through analogy that the Holy Ghost, the Soul of Jesus, was “liquid-life” in the flesh body of Jesus. We can now receive this liquid-life literally in our veins (in a dimensional way) via an act of faith toward Jesus’ sacrifice! It was this deep work within us that Jesus wanted to illustrate in His turning the water into wine, a substance often compared to blood in Hebrew culture. This was what The Father God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost intended to do in us – to change our “abundant life-lacking” blood into blood enriched once again by the Life of God; to put the Blood of Jesus in our blood.

Now We Understand…

• When the prophet Joel says, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; (Joel 2:28a)”…

– he says “pour out my spirit upon all flesh…” because the Life of God, the Holy Ghost would dwell in Jesus’ flesh in a liquid form while He was on earth before Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. This Blood would be literally spilled but spiritually poured out on all those who ask to receive the Holy Ghost as a dimensional fire into their being which was represented by the tongues of fire over the heads of the believers in the upper room…

Acts 2:1-4

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Isaiah was truly a prophet as well, relating this same truth years before…

Isaiah 32:15

Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.

Now We Understand Also…

• When John the Baptist prophetically says “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with Fire. (Matthew 3:11)”…

– that his “Fire” description of the Holy Ghost baptism describes the spiritual and “dimensional” form that the “The Blood” or the Holy Ghost was in before Jesus’ birth and then after Jesus’ resurrection from death. This is the form of the Holy Ghost that re-entered Jesus’ body and quickened His flesh to life again after three days. I believe the Holy Ghost is the very Glory of God that emanated from Adam and Eve’s veins, shone through their flesh (like Moses after he received the 10 commandments directly from God) and covered Adam and Eve in the Garden before they sinned.

Again I will say I believe that the Holy Ghost as Light, or “Fire” was in their veins and His Light; The Glory of God was their covering. Their obedience and knowledge of God’s actual Words was the “luminol” (see Chapter 1) for their souls and made them glow. It seems we have come full circle. The tongues of fire above the first believers to receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost indicated this return of a supernatural “Life/ light” placed within us. These inaugural receivers of the Holy Ghost baptism became that day literally “lights “in this world and I believe they glowed with the Power of God emanating through them, similar to Moses when he left the presence of God.

Exodus 34:29, 30

28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

Psalms 36:9

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

Ecclesiastes 8:1

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

St. John 1:4-9

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

St. John 8:12

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Even Jesus telling us that we as His disciples are “lights” in the world (Matthew 5:14, Luke 16:8) and the parable of the foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), that did not keep their lamps full of oil and burning waiting for the bridegroom to come for them (another reference to the Holy Ghost as the Light in our veins or vessels - blood vessels!) are significant. These references directly tie into our need to be full of the Holy Ghost through first receiving Christ, then asking and receiving the Holy Ghost and then in the diligence of maintaining our prayer and praise life with God as well as obedience to God’s Word and Voice. This also has great relevance to His return! More on this soon…

Possibly this revelation of the Light of the Holy Ghost showing through us and these Biblical references to light are where Luke gets the term “Dayspring” when speaking of Zacharias’ (John the Baptist’s father) prophecy of Jesus and the Holy Ghost within Him ( Luke 1:78).

Luke 1:78 (KJV)

Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us,

Maybe this is what Peter refers to when he mentions the rare Biblical term of “Daystar,” from the Greek transliterated, primary term, “Phos[61],” in this passage (once again, the Greek term “kardiva” is used here for “hearts”):

II Peter 1:19- 21

19We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the Daystar arise in your hearts:

20Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation,

21for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but by holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The Glory of God was living in man’s blood. As a consequence of Adam’s sin, the Glory departed (I Samuel 4:21)…this was equal to death. Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly (St. John 10:10).

With this sort of “glorified blood” in Jesus’ veins after the resurrection, He was no longer limited to earthly boundaries because, His Blood, the Holy Ghost, had overcome the boundaries of Time, Flesh (sinful or righteous), Spirit, Death, Hell, the Grave, Earth and Heaven…and every dimension.

Romans 8:37-39

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus said in St. John 16:7 that…

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you…

Jesus had to be broken so that the Comforter could heal the broken hearted by returning and actually enriching our very bloodline.

This could mean that all of the references to the Holy Ghost as a liquid are to identify that which He was as He existed in the Son of Man; as He existed in Jesus the “Flesh -Man.” He is the Blood of Jesus, the very Soul of Jesus, and our very lives are to testify that Jesus lives because the Holy Ghost is resident in us. And because He is the Blood and Soul of Christ and lives in us, Jesus lives in us also. Because Jesus is One with the Father (St. John 17:11, Romans 12:5, I Corinthians 12:13), God the Father also “lives” in us. We are God’s Sons and Daughters because of Jesus and His Blood.

After we receive Him and the more that we obey Him, our blood line becomes more and more saturated with His Glory. Through this “new and living way,” we have become the Sons and Daughters of God.

Hebrews 10:19 - 25

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

21 And having an high priest over the house of God;

22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised ;)

24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

I John 3:1, 2

1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

II Corinthians 6:16 - 18

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

We are a “Royal Priesthood”

Not only have we become the Sons and Daughters of God, but also a holy and royal “priesthood” that is spoken of in I Peter, Chapter 2:

I Peter 2:5

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

I Peter 2:9

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

Revelation 5:8 – 10

8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

As we gain an understanding of what the Holy Ghost does in us as the Blood of Christ, we can begin to see how this “priesthood” assignment is carried out through us. Though we do not intend or need to practice the symbolic priestly rituals of the Aaronic Priesthood, just as the symbolism of the Passover Lamb was fulfilled by Jesus, we are to fulfill the truth behind at least two of the symbolic practices of the priests of the Old Testament – in the truest, most spiritual way. We do not have to offer sacrifices of any kind literally anymore, only the sacrifices of our love, praise and time with God and in the intercession for the lives of others.

Psalm 51: 16, 17

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Jeremiah 33:11

The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say , Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.

Hosea 14:2 (NLT)

Bring your petitions, and return to the LORD. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you the sacrifice of praise.

Mark 12:32-34

32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

Hebrews 13:12-16 12 (NLT)

12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates in order to make his people holy by shedding his own blood.

13 So let us go out to him outside the camp and bear the disgrace he bore.

14 For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come.

15 With Jesus’ help, let us continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by proclaiming the glory of his name.

16 Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasing to God.

I Peter 2:5 (NLT)

And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are God’s holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ.

The most general rule of thumb we should follow as present-day Holy Ghost filled believers/ “priests” in Christ as it concerns this revelation and the symbolic responsibilities of the priests of the Old Testament follows.

We first must realize that Jesus, our High Priest (Hebrews 3:10, Hebrews 4:14, 15), through His death and the shedding of His Blood, fulfilled the reality of every symbolic sacrificial practice of Jewish culture including the most significant carried out by the high priests on the Day of Atonement. On that particular day, once a year, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies alone with bullock and goat blood to beg forgiveness for the people’s sins in the presence of God (Hebrews 9:1-6). That priest would offer the innocent blood of a goat in order to atone for the sins of the people. Jesus did all of this for us in the true heavenly Holy of Holies. He died on the dimensional altar of the cross, then He came before God in God’s Heavenly Courtroom with His own pure Blood (The Holy Ghost) which spoke and testified of Jesus’ innocence (Hebrews 12:24, 25).

Hebrews 9:7, 8 (KJV)

7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

Now, in the above verses of Hebrews 9:7 and 8, I (personally) read the “a.” portion of verse eight (“The Holy Ghost this signifying”) as referring to “blood” in the “b.” portion of verse 7 (“not without blood,” ) where the word “signifying” means “representing.” In other words, I read the passage as if it says that the Holy Ghost (the Blood of Jesus) was represented by the innocent animal blood that the earthly high priest offered on the earthly Holy of Holies. Verses 11 through 14 seem to verify this…

Hebrews 9:11-14

11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come , by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say , not of this building;

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit (Greek: Pneuma or the Holy Ghost) [62]offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

In addition to this true High Priest sacrifice by Jesus, the most important of sacrifices, there were also the symbolic burnt, grain and drink offerings, the peace offering, sin offering and the guilt offering. What was the spiritual significance of these offerings? They were to cleanse the wrongdoer of sin. For all of these offerings in general, we can take them to the Father through the Blood of Jesus (the Holy Ghost) to have the effect of restored fellowship and communion with the God Head (burnt, grain and drink offerings) as well as atonement, reconciliation and forgiveness (peace, sin and guilt offerings). In other words, Jesus’ sacrifice fulfills the true meaning of every symbolic Jewish sacrifice.

There are two other offerings, however, mentioned in Exodus 29 and 30 that symbolically seem to represent something we must do as kings and priests in this new era of the Kingdom of God in the fulfilling of Jewish Priests symbolic work. This has to do with something Jesus could not and will not do for us. While Jesus’ sacrifice covers the shedding of the lamb and bullock’s blood for these sacrifices also, the action of the priests performing morning and evening offerings have to do with our freewill desire to spend time with God in prayer ( for ourselves and others) and communion with God daily, in the morning and at night, without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17). Remember, choice is essential to true love, so our choice to do this daily is evidence of our love for God.

I Timothy 2:1 (NLT)

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks.

James 5:16 (NLT)

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.

The offering of these priestly sacrifices have to do with believers developing a hearing ear and an obedient heart relationship with God, yes through Jesus’ sacrifice but also through our own discipline as disciples of His. Because Jesus is The Way to the Father (St John 14:6) and The Door to God the Father (St. John 10:9), we can now fellowship with the Father God, but we must cultivate that relationship of our own volition…of our own freewill in prayer and acknowledgement. We must, of our own accord, meet and talk with God the Father through Jesus on a daily basis. The Holy Ghost will help us do this. He offers the invitation in the Old and New Testaments…

Isaiah 1:18

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Hebrews 4:14-16

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God; let us hold fast our profession.

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Revelation 3:20 (NLT, Jesus speaking)

“Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.

After all, we are, as the scriptures in I Peter and Revelation testify, a kingdom of priests and kings, having been given this sort of authority. Our work as “priests” is basically to intercede on the behalf of others; our work as kings is to reign in this life…to overcome. Let’s talk more of these priestly duties.

‘THE DAILY SACRIFICES’

According to Exodus 29 and 30, The High Priest was to offer a bull and one goat (another goat was to be released into the wilderness as a scapegoat), and a ram as a burnt offering once a year on the Day of Atonement for his sins and the sins of the people. This sacrifice represented the sacrifice of Jesus for our Adamic sin nature. Just the fact that the primitive Hebrew roots for “bullock,” parar, means “to be broken”, “goat” or `azaz means “strong” and altar or zabach means “sacrifice,” tells us that our sin trait was broken when Jesus’ flesh was broken ( not His bones, St. John 19:31-41 ) and we were made strong by the sacrifice made by Jesus, our “strong man,” on one “mighty tree” (both of which are definitions of the “Ram” or ‘ayil in the transliterated Hebrew).

A different blood sacrifice, the “daily sacrifice” of offering a young steer or “bullock” and two lambs was offered once in the morning and once in the evening by the priest (not the once a year atonement offering by the high priest, but the general daily offering). The offering of this sacrifice is representative, I believe, of our responsibility to intercede on the behalf of others as well as ourselves daily. A portion of this offering’s description is below: the full description of this sacrifice can be found in Exodus 29.

The practice by the Jewish priests of sacrificing the bullock represented symbolically the praying believer’s life (blood) sacrificially being given back to God daily through communion with the Father. This means that we are to sacrifice our way of life and thinking for His (Isaiah 58:10-14) While all sacrifices were included in the atonement of sin that Jesus provided through His death and shed Blood, the act of sacrificing a lamb in the morning and evening by the common priests represents the present day believer’s need for a daily sacrifice of prayer for his family, friends and others.

As we pray in tongues in particular, (in the Holy Ghost), it is the Blood of Jesus crying to God from these earthen vessels (our bodies, Genesis 2:7, II Corinthians 4:7). As we pray in tongues, this process in addition to our hearing and obeying God’s Word, cleanses us from daily sin (if there is any) and thereby keeps the purity of the “altar” or our sacrificial position of fellowship with God and if we are praying for others it provides a “covering” or protection for those others. It is a way to be “covered” by the Blood. This is also a way to “Plead the Blood” over the lives of others. Job interceded symbolically by actual sacrifice for his children in this way in Job 1:5…

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about , that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said , It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Praying in Tongues for Others

I believe that praying in tongues can be the most powerful way to intercede in prayer for others. We do not really know how to pray for another person, but The Holy Ghost, Who knows all, (Romans 8:26) does. This process of sacrificial praying, especially for others in other tongues, allows us to be broken of our selfish desires and ready for the master’s use, especially in supporting others in prayer and in other ways. Prayer can often be very selfish otherwise.

I find that generally my ( and other’s) first inclination in prayer is to pray for ourselves before we pray for others, and even then our prayers in our own language for others and ourselves are limited and based only on our finite and limited knowledge of what we think and assume they need. The person themselves may not even truly know what they need. Praying for others in tongues as the Spirit leads is much more effective. As Romans 8:26 says in the New Living Translation (NLT) of the Holy Bible about the Holy Ghost…

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

Praying for Others Continually

Exodus 29:38, 39

38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually.

39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:

Because the unused root for the term “lamb” in Hebrew (“Kebes”) means “to dominate,” I think this has reference to after having prayed in the above ways, this sort of consecrated living allows us to dominate or overcome the issues and trials of this life. Prayer for others ironically often has the effect of helping the one praying, as it does in Job 42:10…

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

So to reiterate, based on the above discussion, While the High Priest sacrifice of the bullock, goat and ram represents the overarching sacrifice of Christ for our sins, these two symbolic daily practices of the Levitical Priesthood using the blood of a bullock and two lambs for daily sacrifices seem to represent the daily sacrifice of praying in the Holy Ghost (in other tongues especially), but even more especially, praying on the behalf of others. This is also similar to how Moses would spend time with God to help his people.

These two sacrifices, more properly considered as “offerings” were the daily sin offering (spoken of above) and the daily incense offering ( to be discussed in more detail next): both were to happen in the morning and in the evening. One could be considered as our role of intercession for others (the daily sin offering) and the other as our daily communion with God ( the daily incense offering). The primitive root of the word “offering” is `alah, which aside from having a connection to the word for God means the following…

“to meet, visit, follow, depart, withdraw, and retreat”

(Bible Study Tools, 2008).

These offerings have everything to do with our daily communion, prayer life and communication with God. They were symbolic of what our present day prayer and worship lives should be like: daily, consistent, focused and by way of the sacrifice of Jesus and His Blood (The Holy Ghost). God wants to talk to us morning and at night. Healthy families communicate like this – consistently, on a regular basis.

These two activities are the worship responsibility of the modern day “sons and daughters of God” and “kings and priests” of God’s Kingdom. It is realized today through (at least) a daily, morning and night time regimen that present-day believers in Jesus Christ, as the kings and priests of this time of grace, can participate in through praying in tongues as well as praying in our understood languages and praising God: they are literally The Sacrifice of Prayer (I Timothy 2:1- 6, Ephesians 6:18, Romans 12:1, I Corinthians 14:14-15) and The Sacrifice of Praise (Jeremiah 33:11, I Peter 2:5, Hebrews 13:15).

I Timothy 2:1-6

1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and honesty.

3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Ephesians 6:18

…Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Romans 12:1

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

I Corinthians 14:14,15

14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.

15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

Jeremiah 33:11

The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.

Hebrews 13:15

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

I Peter 2:5 (NLT)

And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are God’s holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ.

These priestly exercises have certain characteristics. This responsibility becomes a process of prayer (for others and ourselves), praise and obedience so that we may be “washed in the Blood of the Lamb” and freed from the daily stain of sin. It also helps to keep us in vital contact with Our Father God.

This daily sacrifice of prayer and praise should not be optional, but instead an essential part of the daily practice of the disciple of Christ; not as a ritual or a legalistic obligation, but as consistent time of talking with God as our concerned Father in order to maintain constant communion with our Father, our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). Continual prayer and praise in the Spirit (or in the Holy Ghost) cleans us, covers others and connects us to God. Praise glorifies God.

These actions done in tongues allows the Blood to do the same through us in a different way; it allows God’s Glory to change us (even physically) to being more like Jesus as we are obedient to Him (Exodus 33:17-23).

I believe Isaiah could be called a “Prophet of the Holy Ghost” in many ways because of the following verses that seem to reference this cleansing process of praying in tongues and receiving Words from God (prophecies) in tongues…

I believe this scripture passage represents the cleansing power of prayer in the Holy Ghost, again with the coals from the altar representing the Fire of the Holy Ghost:

Isaiah 6:5- 8

5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

In this next passage, Isaiah seems to prophesy of the previously discussed “Rest” that the people of God will experience through this type of praying in tongues (Matthew 11:28, Hebrews 4).

Isaiah 28:11, 12

11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

And here Isaiah seems to prophesy of Zion (a term used in the Old Testament to refer to the people of God, in the midst of whom, God dwells); Zion: a people who, through another tongue, become the tabernacles of God…

Isaiah 33:19

19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

Now, a discussion of the ceremony of the Jewish Priesthood’s incense offering follows with its symbolic meaning. We as the temples of God must offer worship to God, now that we have access to His throne through the Blood of Jesus.

The Daily Incense Offering:

Prayer, Obedience, Praise and Worship

‘THE GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE’

It was in the tent-tabernacle, at the Golden Altar of Incense which was straight ahead, before the veil of the Holy of Holies where the High Priest or common priests burned incense perpetually unto God. This third piece of furniture in the Holy Place on which the holy incense was burned was made from acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold. It stood higher than any other article of furniture in the Holy Place, 2 cubits (3 feet) tall. It was one cubit square and it had around the top of it was a crown of gold.

It had four golden horns just as the bronze altar in the courtyard. Lower down on each side there were golden rings to insert the poles for carrying. Exodus 30:1-10 gives the explicit description…

1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.

2 A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.

3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.

4 And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal.

5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

6 And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.

The golden altar was used for burning incense, which twice every day, once in the morning and once in the evening, was offered by the priest after he had tended the wick and oil on the holy lamps. Its horns were also sprinkled with the blood of the sin offering.

The incense was a mixture of three rich and rare spices, which cannot be identified today.

These were blended with frankincense and beaten to a fine powder and then salt was added. It was totally forbidden for this formula to be used by any private individual. It had to be used only in the worship of God in the Holy Place.

THE INCENSE

Exodus 30: 34-38

34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:

35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:

36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.

37 And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.

38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

The incense was burnt on pieces of hot coal, which the priest removed in a censer or fire pan from the altar of burnt offering in the courtyard. These two offerings were connected because of this.

A “censer” apparently was a shallow bowl or pan with a handle on it. It could also be used for removing the ashes from the altar or gathering up the burnt parts of the wick from the lamp stand.

The golden altar was used for burning incense ONLY. The incense apparently produced a scent in the Holy Place after it was poured out on the burning coals. It was the offering of the person whose sins had been forgiven and atoned for by blood and who then went on to express the fragrance of love and worship (praise), which was most pleasing to God. The incense was to burn at all times (prayer without ceasing, I Thessalonians 5:17), but the priests tended to it in the morning and at night.

The Golden Altar of Incense speaks to us of our worship of God the Father God, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, through prayer and praise to Him as our King, High Priest and Mediator. To be clear, it was only on the basis of Jesus’ one sacrifice on the altar of the cross that this sort of daily worship is made possible. The coals, which burned the incense, were carried from the altar of sacrifice to the altar of incense.

Although the common priests would burn these holy spices on this incense altar over 700 times in a year, they knew that no priest other than the High Priest could go beyond that point, and only on the Day of Atonement. The daily sacrifices also could be performed by common priests. The High Priest had the right to give these two duties to the other priests, but on the Day of Atonement, he alone bore the responsibility.

While Jesus is our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 3:1), we could now be considered the “common priests” who have been given this (prayer and praise) duty by our High Priest.

The daily sin offering and the daily incense offering, perpetual in their description, are literally and simply a representation of our responsibility as believers in Jesus to fellowship with God daily in His Word, praise to Him and prayer as well as intercession for others.

The literal action on our part is to study the Word of God, to pray and praise in a unified way in our common language and in the Spirit (tongues) each day consistently, especially morning and evening, as kings in God’s kingdom and as priests for our family, nation, the world and ourselves. Again, priests ministered for others primarily and then dealt with their own needs, trusting that God would provide for them.

This sort of consistent behavior may be key to our preparing ourselves as a bride, ready to be taken into the bridegroom’s chamber in what is called the rapture, (Isaiah 62:5, St John 3:29). More on this in Chapter 10.

The Primary Goal in Prayer

In addition to communicating with God, our primary goal in prayer should be to become much more prayerful on the behalf of others as opposed to only ourselves and our own. Once we get delivered from a selfish mentality in terms of prayer and even in helping others, we will begin to see miracles return to the church and our own homes. “J.O.Y.” definitely finds us in prayer (to use a common acronym) when we look to Jesus first, Others second and Yourself last (Matthew 6:33).

I have found that the more I pray in tongues, the more this desire to pray for others naturally occurs. Fasting is a good way to jumpstart a consistent prayer life such as this. Daniel is an example of this.

Daniel 9:3, 20, 21

3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

20 And whiles I was speaking , and praying , and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;

21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.

Seeking God; this is true spiritual warfare. [63]

II Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray , and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Job 42:10

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Joel 2:12 - 15

12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

Luke 2:36-38

36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

I Timothy 2:1 - 4

1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and honesty.

3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

I believe that this could be the most pivotal instruction that this book has to offer to the Body of Christ, and that is that we must take upon ourselves our roles as the priests and kings of God’s Kingdom on this earth. With the help of the Holy Ghost, we must unify in prayer and conduct any good works we feel the Lord leading us to do based on the Word of God and prayer. Ultimately, such unity could result in the same sort of results as when other groups at other times unified and came together with specific language and specific purposes (think of the tower of Babel and Pentecost). What happened when they acted in this way? The Lord “came down.”

Our prayers, however, have to be accompanied by doing the known will of God and obeying Him, the Holy Ghost, as He leads us into all truth:

St. John 16:13

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

James 2:16, 17

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

John 14:21

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Our wills must come into agreement with the Word of God and the Will of the Holy Ghost in order to fulfill these mandates. While Jesus fulfilled the need for Blood payment for Adam’s long reaching sin, we are still obligated to walk in obedience to God according to the Word of God. The following scriptures support this…

I Samuel 15:22

… Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

So…we must pray and praise, yes…but we must act and act in obedience with the help of the Holy Ghost also. To make things even more serious, Isaiah said the following:

Isaiah 1:11- 20

11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

…And David says a great deal when he mentions in Psalms 40:6 – 8 that…

6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,

8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

From these scriptures, it seems to be that God is looking for us to get His Word in our heart, and then for us to do His will and to obey Him. It is impossible to please God without His Word in our hearts because we cannot have faith without His Word. It is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6, Romans 10:17).

Hebrews 11:4-6

4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him:

Now thankfully, there is a remedy if we fall short of God’s will in our attempt to perform His will and please Him. Open confession and prayer are key to remaining clean as the following scriptures show…

Proverbs 28:13

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

I John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Psalms 51:1- 7

1 [Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.] Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

James 5:16

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Pleading the Blood cleanses from sin

Dr. Sandra G. Kennedy of Whole Life Ministries made available a fantastic teaching in 1997 that reveals the ability of the Blood to cleanse us from the “stain” of iniquity that is present in our world today and our own mis-steps if we would plead the Blood (through prayer) in the morning and at evening time.

Her revelation was that the “stain” of sin, even after you have repented and have been forgiven can remain and make a person feel horrible, even though the sin has been forgiven. By pleading the blood, similar to the way that David did, the Blood will rid you of sin’s “stain.” According to Ezekiel and others like St. John, the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God, is here to assist us with those tasks:

Ezekiel 36:23-28

23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

A. Phillip Brown II, editor of A Reader’s Hebrew Bible (2008) sums this issue up quite nicely:

The OT seems to conclude with the prophets repudiating the Mosaic sacrificial system as antithetical to true worship (Isa. 1:11-18; 66:3; Jer. 7:21-23; Hos. 6:6; Amos 5:21-22; Mic. 6:6-8). Such denouncements of sacrifice were, in fact, an exposure of the Israelite’s empty worship, not a rejection of sacrifices per se. God had initiated his covenant with Israel with a call to obedience (Exodus. 19:5-6), and His concern had always been heart-obedience (1 Sam. 15:22). The prophet’s message was simple: sacrifice is worthless if it is not the fruit of a believing heart’s desire to please God. This message still hold true today, religious ritual without a circumcised heart is an abomination to God. On the other hand, a true understanding of the OT sacrificial system should arouse in every believer a heightened appreciation for the mediatorial work of Christ who “by one offering has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14).

We are being sanctified by the work of the Holy Ghost in us and through our obedience. To be completely clear however, according to the New Testament, we are saved only by grace through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice and not because of our sacrifices in prayer, work or otherwise…

Ephesians 2:8, 9

8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Romans 5:1, 2

1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 3:28

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

We have faith because of God’s Word that we read, hear and do or act upon.

Romans 10:17

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

James 2:20

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

We are then being sanctified or set apart or being made Holy through a process only God could explain but which involves an inward work of the Holy Ghost and our outward performance of presenting ourselves as living sacrifices through our obedient acts of worship (which may involve actions on our part – not works toward salvation, but works toward sanctification) toward God.

Philippians 2:13-15

13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

14 Do all things without murmurings and disputing:

15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Just as Adam would have continued to have been set apart, holy and eternal had he maintained his obedience in not eating from the tree, so must we continually deny our flesh and obey God in our activities, asking for and then thanking him for grace when/or if we fall. To say that we are saved by Jesus’ sacrifice but do not have to maintain obedience to His Word would be to blaspheme the sacrifice of His earthly Life by His being obedient to the cross. So we do play a part in our sanctification, though Jesus paid the price for us to have a right to salvation. Without His salvation, our “works” are for naught or for nothing; having received His salvation, however, our works of faith and obedience are accounted toward our sanctification or our “setting apart,” if you will, for the Master’s use. But truly, these acts of obedience are simply our reasonable service and come out of our growing communion with God. Like Jesus, our Savior, we become the priest and the sacrifice, king and servant, all at the same time.

Romans 12: 1, 2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Philippians 2:3-13 (NLT)

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.

4 Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.

5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God.

7 He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.

8 And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

12 Dearest friends, you were always so careful to follow my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.

13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.

Hebrews 10: 24-30 (NLT)

24 Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.

25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.

26 Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received a full knowledge of the truth, there is no other sacrifice that will cover these sins.

27 There will be nothing to look forward to but the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.

28 Anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

29 Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and have treated the blood of the covenant as if it were common and unholy. Such people have insulted and enraged the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to his people.

30 For we know the one who said, “I will take vengeance. I will repay those who deserve it.” He also said, “The Lord will judge his own people.”

I Corinthians 6:9-12 (NLT)

9 Don’t you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals,

10 thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers – none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God.

11 There was a time when some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.

12 You may say, “I am allowed to do anything.” But I reply, “Not everything is good for you.” And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.

Philippians 2:12-16 (NLT)

12 Dearest friends, you were always so careful to follow my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. [64]

13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.

14 In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing,

15 so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them.

16 Hold tightly to the word of life, so that when Christ returns, I will be proud that I did not lose the race and that my work was not useless.

Jesus’ sacrifice of His Blood makes salvation available for us to accept. Just because we are given a gift, however, does not mean we must accept it. Once we accept a gift, in order to use the gift we must also follow the instructions that come along with it. We must choose to be obedient to the gift’s instructions for use if the gift is to be of any use to us.

In other words, in order to enjoy the salvation that God gives us through His Son’s sacrifice on earth, we must be willing to give ourselves totally to Him in service. Thanks be to God that we have access to Jesus and His Holy Ghost in our attempt to maintain the holiness His Life supplies and then to be cleansed again if we stumble. His Blood paid for this right.

I John 1:7 – 9 (NLT)

7 But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.

8 If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.

9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.

Ephesians 1:7 (NLT)

He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven.

I John 2:3 – 6 (NLT)

3 And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By obeying his commandments.

4 If someone says, “I belong to God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and does not live in the truth.

5 But those who obey God’s word really do love him. That is the way to know whether or not we live in him.

6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did.

The Blood of Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and it is living in His Blood, in the Holy Ghost or “in the Spirit” that gives us the ability to walk in that new life and lifestyle and not in the fleshly lifestyle of this common world. Praying for others in love and acting in faith is a big part of this new life. Without the Word and prayer in the Spirit, it is hard, really impossible, to live in this right way.

Galatians 5:14-17 (NLT)

14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

15 But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.

16 So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

17 The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.

18 But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law.

So, finally, as Peter said in I Peter 1:13- 19 (NLT) as it concerns our deeds…

13 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ.

14 Obey God because you are his children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn’t know any better then.

15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God – who chose you to be his children – is holy.

16 For he himself has said, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth.

18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver.

19 He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

Chapter 10

Jesus Paid It All! His Soul Saved Our Souls!

The spirit works through the soul. Only when the mind, will, and emotions are brought into submission can they be used profitably for God

~Watchman Nee

His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure…

And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.

The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God

~Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians, Chapter 1:5-9, NLT

A blood covenant involves the co-mingling of lives so that two lives become one.

~Mahesh Chavda, author of The Hidden Power of the Blood of Jesus

We are coming to the final portion of discovery in this pre-trial crime scene investigation. In the end, every individual reading this must come to a verdict for themselves of whether or not the evidence deserves the stamp of Truth. God has already made His decision.

It appears that Adam, the first man, had spiritual God-given Life in his veins. That Life traveled through his veins as Spirit filled - blood. That spiritual blood turned to natural blood (as we now know it to be) after man sinned. His act of disobedience caused the Glory to depart from his veins and made him primarily physical body and an existing soul.

The Holy Ghost, the Holy Blood and Soul of Christ turned to Spirit-Fire after Jesus’ death, having lived in Jesus’ flesh as a natural witness that Jesus lived a holy life, went to Hell on our behalf, defeated death, Hell and the grave and returned to earth, making Jesus’ body a Living Soul again after His crucifixion. God breathed into Jesus’ dead earth shell, just as God breathed into Adam’s lifeless clay shell in the “Genesis.”

That “Living Soul” of Jesus (or Jesus’ Blood or the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit) is now given to us in a dimensional way when we ask for and receive Him according to the Bible (Luke 11:11-13).

The process of our initially receiving the Holy Spirit is realized in salvation. When we accept Jesus, we accept all that He is which includes the entirety of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The Breath of Life enters our lungs, and then bloodstream, then our inner most man,( body, soul and spirit) in the breath after we have exhaled the words of faith that welcome Jesus into our soul as our soul’s redeemer.

The idea of “pleading the blood” can come to fruition, I believe, after a believer asks for and is baptized in the Holy Spirit and Fire, through the endowment of power, which is often accompanied by speaking in tongues (Acts 1:8, Acts 2:1-3).

The ability to speak in tongues is the literal voice of the Holy Ghost surging through our veins along with our blood, testifying from these, our “earthen vessels” to at the very least the following truths in mysterious but evident language forms:

1. We were guilty of Adam’s sin while Christ was innocent

2. We are redeemed by Jesus’ Blood because of His Holy Life on earth and innocent sacrifice.

3. His Blood dwells in our veins as the Holy Ghost (because His Blood is the Holy Ghost, the Breath of God).

4. We are joint heirs with Christ because of this transmutation of Blood into Spirit and His indwelling our “vessels” by our choice to trust and obey Him.

5. We, our physical bodies, are literally the temples of the Holy Ghost by virtue of the Holy Blood that we have received from Jesus by way of a spiritual transfer or transfusion. The Blood of the Perfect Sacrifice (Jesus) dwells in our blood vessels, His temples on the earth.

6. Because Jesus’ Soul is in the Blood, He dwells within us upon salvation with the entire Trinity.

Surely the Holy Ghost speaks and prays other mysteries through our ability to speak in tongues; however the truths stated above are foundational truths that He speaks through us that witness to the Truth of the Holy Ghost as a Witness to Christ’s living in us and of His sinless Life. Once again, I cannot argue one way or another about whether all Christians should be able to speak in tongues…I do believe it is available to all Christians, but ultimately the speaking…well, that is a decision for the Holy Ghost Himself to determine in some relation to the faith of each individual believer (I Corinthians 12:6, 11, Matthew 9:29).

We can be fortified by this knowledge to know that we truly are related to Jesus by blood through the miracle of the restoration of His own divine Blood within our own. The Holy Ghost speaks and testifies that we are the sons and daughters of God through Jesus’ sacrifice (Romans 8:15-17). We also can benefit in practical ways by praying in tongues in our own private times (I Corinthians 14:2, 4, Jude 1:20, 21). Reading and Hearing God’s Word as well as Prayer are essential and practical practices for every believer in Jesus Christ that desires to reach his or her full potential in Christ on this earth. A Christian without knowledge of God’s Word is like a gun with no bullets - a car with no engine. A Christian who does not then pray and rely upon the Holy Ghost’s power to live is like a gun without the ability to pull the trigger – a car with no gasoline and no one to drive. God’s Word provides purpose to the life of a human. Passion of purpose drives the fires of fulfillment. Fulfillment for a Christian is found in consistent communication with God. The Blood of Jesus allows this communication to occur.

The Use of Hyssop:

Like the Altar of Incense, A Representation of Prayer

If you remember, hyssop was the plant Moses used to sprinkle the book of the law and the people (Exodus 24:8, Hebrews 9:19). I believe the use of “hyssop,” or “Ezov” transliterated from Hebrew (hyssop, 2010), a plant apparently known for its cleansing properties in the Middle East, is also representative of the action of prayer by the Christian Believer especially as related to the following verses and Revelation 5:8 and 8:4. Prayer in the Holy Ghost can cleanse the soul and the use of the Hyssop branch in Jewish history is representative of that.

Hebrew 9:19

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

This verse fits symbolically to what Jesus is for us; He is “the Word made flesh.” So…basically, the “Blood of the Book” makes us clean, or in other words, the Word as viewed through the revelation that the Holy Ghost gives or the Word made alive by the Holy Ghost in us makes us clean.

St. John 1:1, 14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

St. John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

St. John 15:3 (Jesus speaking)

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Hyssop was also the plant used to make the doorposts during the Passover in Egypt bloody by dipping the shrub-like plant into the Lamb’s blood and then onto the doorpost. The choice to apply the blood to the doorpost is symbolic of the choice to commune with the Everlasting God; this choice can literally save our lives as it did with the Israelites during the last plague.

Exodus 12:22 - 24

22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons forever.

This fits symbolically (and dimensionally) to what Jesus is for us also: He is our door to salvation …

St. John 10:9 (Jesus speaking)

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Revelation 3:8

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

David prayed in historic reference to these events and in a prophetic way that God would wash him spiritually, symbolically referring to the priestly practice of sprinkling the blood of the sacrifice with hyssop…

Psalms 51:7

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow,

Then… Isaiah speaks of how this purging takes place, by reasoning or talking with God through the doorway (our LORD Jesus)…

Isaiah 1:18

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Hyssop also brushed the crimson, bloodied face of our Savior as they used it to offer Him a sponge of vinegar on the cross.[65]

St. John 19:29

Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.

Practical Prayer

I believe that Jesus washes us from Adamic sin with His Blood by our accepting Him by faith (through a simple prayer). He then washes us from the daily stain of sin (or the daily defilement that we experience in the world) by our reading and listening to the Word and through time praying to God in the Holy Ghost (in your unknown tongue) as well in our native tongue in connection to our obedience to His Word. The “sprinkling with hyssop” could be considered symbolic of our prayer to God in the Holy Ghost and our submersion in God’s Word and Blood for cleansing from sin…

I Corinthians 6:11 (NLT)

11 There was a time when some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.

12 You may say, “I am allowed to do anything.” But I reply, “Not everything is good for you.” And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.

Romans 8:26, 27 (NLT)

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

Jude 1:20

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

Ephesians 5:25, 26

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

John 15:3

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

IN FACT, the daily sacrifices we spoke of earlier in the Old Testament were to purify the sinner from daily defilement which included every type whether it was sexual, personal, public, religious, or ceremonial. As we pray in tongues, in particular, for determined (yet practical) periods of time, morning, evening, and daily, while remaining constant in the study of the Word, after awhile you can literally feel an almost tangible “flow” of peace cover you; it is literally a “ peace that passes understanding” (Philippians 4:7, Isaiah 26:3).

When I pray in this fashion, I feel refreshed after that sensation comes over me. Usually if I get up before that physical sensation occurs, I often feel as if I did not stay in prayer long enough. {Look for Dr. Sandra Kennedy’s teaching on the Cleansing Blood of Jesus (1997)}. I personally, in the past, before I received this revelation of the Holy Ghost as The Blood, have called this sensation a sort of “peace gravy.”I experience it after spending a certain amount of time in the Word and in prayer in tongues.

This “feeling” is intensified after having fasted from food. After I received this revelation of the Holy Ghost being the Blood of Jesus, it made perfect sense as to why it felt like the term “gravy” was my best description of this experience in prayer. It is the presence of the Holy Ghost, the Blood of Jesus, cleansing me! It is totally a spiritual experience, but I do “feel” it physically when I pray in tongues for a certain amount of time. The feeling could be described as a warm, smooth, “covering” feeling that I feel slowing flowing over my head and settling down on the rest of me like a warm blanket or a warm bowl of cake batter as I pray in tongues, usually while I would pray on my knees. It is as if while we pray in this way, an herb known for cleansing is sprinkling life upon our flesh and into our lungs and veins. It reminds me of the anointing of the Priests of old; it is appropriate then, that this occur to New Testament priests in a spiritual way ( Psalms 133:1-3, Leviticus 8:12, 30, I Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:5, 6 ).

Psalms 133:2

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

Leviticus 8:12

And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.

Leviticus 8:30

And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons’ garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.

I Peter 2:9

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Revelation 1:5, 6

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

I have also found myself praying for others more and more especially in tongues as my needs seemingly have gotten smaller and smaller in comparison to the needs of others all around me. This is the function of a priest- to pray for others. I will often preface my prayers for others with something in my native language of English in the following way…

“Father (God), I would like to pray for {insert name(s) of person(s)} now and I do not really know what is going on with them but You know Holy Ghost, so I will pray in tongues until I sense that You are satisfied. Thank You and this is in your name Lord Jesus, Amen.”

I then proceed to pray in tongues until I sense that “gravy” sensation. Once you get in that “gravy” you will not want to leave. It is the most heavenly, peaceful feeling I have ever experienced. It is a peaceful, cleansing process of the Blood that for me, when done consistently in the obedient believer’s life, prepares a person on the inside and the outside for a lifestyle of Christ-likeness and helps others in ways only God knows. One thereby enters into the intercession of the Holy Ghost as a New Testament “priest.” (See below).

Romans 8:26, 27 [66]

26 Likewise the Spirit [the Holy Ghost] also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit [the Holy Ghost] itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he [the Holy Ghost] that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit [The Father God], because he [The Holy Ghost] maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Job 42:10

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Dr. Sandra Kennedy (1997) explains this cleansing process as an effective means of “stain removal.” Suppose a lady has a white dress but in an unseen place there is a stain that could not be washed out. Even though it has been cleaned, she still feels uncomfortable wearing it because even while no one else may know, her knowing that there is a stain is enough to steal her joy and her confidence. If she can only find a special cleaning or bleaching agent, or a specialist that specializes in this type of stain removal that can remove the stain, her confidence and her joy in wearing the garment can be restored. Praying in tongues, praying in general, confessing the sin to God and a trusted confidant, and reading and obeying the Word on a regular basis washes that sort of a “living-life” stain away from our life and conscience (James 5:16, John 15:3).

Jesus saves us from all sin, while deliberate, consistent prayer in and obedience to the Holy Ghost continues to cleanse us from the stains, the vexation and the defilement of living in this sinful world daily, even if we have not directly participated in the sin (II Chronicles 7:14, 2 Peter 2:7 ). It rids us of stains left by our sins (after we have asked for forgiveness) as well. All of this is by faith, but I tell you, you will feel a literal cleansing peace come over you if you stay in the presence of the Holy Ghost, praying in tongues (and your native language, but especially tongues) long enough!

Isaiah 26:3 (AMP)

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.

Psalms 16:11 (KJV)

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Philippians 4:6, 7 (NLT)

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

I Peter 1:2 (KJV)

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

I Peter 1:2 (NLT)

God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood. May you have more and more of God’s special favor and wonderful peace.

I would argue that praying in tongues (in your prayer language) is NOT primarily for church services!!! It is not to be used as a trumpet to blast an “obvious” indication to everyone of your spiritual maturity (for which it is actually not an indicator). It is to build you up in your most holy faith in God in private and He helps you stay in the love of God through this practice (I Corinthians 14:2 - 4, Jude 1:20, 21)! It (prayer in unknown tongues) is to be done on a regular basis, at home, during private times (I Corinthians 14:4). Prophecy in other tongues is a different topic (which, when it does occur, there should be an interpreter present in the congregation, otherwise it is out of order, I Corinthians 14:37-40). I am speaking here only of unknown tongues. We are to follow Jesus’ example in this as he often went away by himself to pray and recharge Himself in the presence of the Father God (Matthew 14:23, Luke 6:12). The prophetic gift of tongues (not unknown tongues) is another topic.

Jesus also prayed for others and does for us even now (St. John 17, Romans 8:34)[67]. We have allowed so many other distractions (Television, internet, phones, cell phones, movies, the voices of others, excessive shopping, inordinate attention to sporting events, excessive eating, etc.) to steal our time from God. These appliances and activities sap your strength while time in the presence of God builds you up. Prayer can be more restful than sleep! I say we cut off whatever necessary (cable, internet, etc.) in order to get more of God by any means necessary. Quality time with God more than ever before is a precious commodity.

These appliances and activities often defile us with worldly ideas, thoughts, schemes and plans and often lead us into temptation. Consider strongly what you spend your time doing for what you place before you the most will become your God. The voice(s) you allow to fill your ears the most will become your guides. You will gravitate toward the ideas those voices or that voice present(s) to you, whether it be the commercials on T.V. or the voices of the music you listen to or the Voice of God.

That is why it is good to speak to yourself in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs and as well as affirmations filled with the Word of God and the Word of God Itself!

Ephesians 5:18-21

18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the [Holy] [68]Spirit;

19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Colossians 3:15, 16

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Speaking God’s Word out loud, both as affirmations, direct quotations and different musical forms will assist us in hearing God’s voice because we will have been training our ear to hear how the Holy Ghost (the Voice of God) speaks. Ultimately the Voice of God is the only voice that will bring your soul (blood) peace.

An overwhelming presence of other voices in our minds(souls) brings confusion. The Voice of God is the Holy Ghost and is composed of the Word of God! We are to listen to all that the Voice of God says and can do!

Hebrews 3:7-12

7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice,

8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Psalms 29:1- 11

1[A Psalm of David.] Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.

2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.

4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.

7 The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.

8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

10 The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.

11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

St. John 16:13, 14

13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

When we allow so many other voices through our “ear-gate” and never give God time to speak, we can get defiled and we could walk into confusion. Praying in tongues deliberately, at a particular time and place, and not just praying casually on the way somewhere (though that is good also), says to God that you are serious about your time with Him (Matthew 26:40, Psalms 55:17). It also means that He will hear you and you will begin to recognize His voice.

Psalms 55:17

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

When we say “Oh…God understands, I just talk to Him all throughout the day,” that could be, generally speaking, a “cop out” if we do not also set aside particular times of prayer like Jesus did! It is the equivalent to saying, “Oh I’ll just charge my cell phone whenever; the phone company understands that I’ll need their services sooner or later and I’m sure my cell phone will be charged and ready to go when that time comes.” Sometimes the phone needs to just sit alone and be charged up. So must we.

Just as we have been given the gift of salvation and the gift of sins being forgiven, we also have been given responsibilities that go along with the proper utilization of that gift. Yes, the phone company may have created the technology and possibly the phone that you have been given or purchased; but the phone company IS NOT going to make you plug your phone into the wall and make you charge it. They won’t even make you use it. You will have all of the tools to communicate, the right to communicate will have been paid for, but you will have no power to contact anyone, all because you simply would not plug into the source of power for a regular and consistent time of receiving a positive charge.

God has given us free access to salvation through the sacrifice of His Son and through the payment of Jesus’ Blood. God will not, however, make you accept His Son nor will He make you pray; but without prayer, you will be powerless to contact Him or hear from Him (clearly). You get to know another person’s voice through constant communication. If this does not happen, in an emergency, you may not recognize the Voice of The Person you need the most when you need Him the most. Also, the ability to hear a person’s voice is synonymous with their dimensional proximity to you; while they may be a distance away, because the voice can be heard, actions can take place, directions can be given, gifts can be received and distributed.

Isaiah 55: 6, 7

6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Genesis 3:8-10

8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Suffice it to say, prayer is vitally important in the process of being “covered by the Blood” as the following scriptures reveal.

Proverbs 15:8

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

Luke 18:1

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Ephesians 6:17, 18

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Philippians 4:6, 7

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Colossians 4:2

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

I Timothy 4:4, 5

4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

James 5:15, 16

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I Peter 4:7

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

Mark 14:37 9 (NLT)

Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. “Simon!” he said to Peter. “Are you asleep? Couldn’t you stay awake and watch with me even one hour?

I believe it grieves the Holy Ghost that we find it a bother to make special time for Him.

Ephesians 4:29, 30 (AMP)

29Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by whom you were sealed[69] (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).

When some of us say, “I always just fall asleep when I try to pray,” did we ever stop to think that we are laying our heads in the lap of our Heavenly Father and allowing Him to impart or download into us that “peace that passes all understanding?” What I mean is that our mind cannot comprehend some of the things God wants to download into our souls and spirits! Just like you must turn off and reboot a computer for some software programs to be active, maybe he has to do the same with us. We must make the effort to seek Him; God will give us the power for prayer in prayer (Matthew 6:33).

That simple act of plugging our cell phones into the place of power allows the power to flow and remain for a time. The simple act of setting aside time to pray allows God to send His power to and through us but of course it is less impersonal. If we forget to plug in our phone, is it the phone company’s fault that our phone will not connect or answer calls? No. Also, if we need help, and we have not spent time charging our battery in our phone, we can lose our ability to even contact the phone company for help. Also, like cell phones, we can hold that charge only for a time. We have to recharge on a daily basis. As cracked vessels of flesh, the power apparently leaks away. Like the Israelites of old when they collected Manna (Exodus 16:16-21), this communication with God through the Holy Ghost must be a consistent daily process of communion. The Israelites could only collect enough manna for that day and then on Saturday only for two days for Sunday. Remember, the “bread” or Manna represented Jesus as well as the Word of God (Deuteronomy 8:3, St. John 6:46-58, see scriptures below). We have to pray daily (more than ever before) and read our Bible daily so that we might maintain our relationship with God as well as find help in the time of trouble.

Isaiah 55:6

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Matthew 4:4 (Jesus speaking)

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

St. John 6:51 (Jesus speaking)

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

St. John 1:14, 1

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

***

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Hebrews 4:16

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Just like the energy life indicator “bars” on your cell phone indicate time spent connected to the power source, we must continually be “charged” or “filled” with the Holy Ghost in order to be fully ready to do the Master’s work as well as to remained protected.

In addition to this, and to continue the analogy, most of us hardly know the endless features of our “smart” cell phones and simply use them based on prior knowledge or what others have told us about the phone.

If we would just read the cell phone manual (online or hard copy) on how to communicate through the phone, we will find hidden features that one would only know having read the manual; features that would revolutionize our lives, make traveling through life safer while communicating, and save us time and make us more efficient. (By the way, this is in no way an endorsement of cell phone use! It is simply an analogy.)

Until you read the manual on how to operate voice dialing for example, you may be endangering lives if you dial or text while driving, until you read the voice dial feature section of the manual (Hosea 4:6). The reading of the Word of God is essential and required in order to understand how to communicate with our heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost. It is the language of the Holy Ghost! The Word of God literally contains instructions on utilizing the dimensional technology of Glory! In fact, God’s voice will not be clear until a person learns His language: The Bible!

I am convinced that God allowed cell phone technology to be created in order to illustrate the importance of “plugging into Him” through prayer so that our communication with Him becomes established and reliable. He will answer if we “call,” as these scriptures reflect throughout the Bible:

John 10:3-5 (AMP)

3 The watchman opens the door for this man, and the sheep listen to his voice and heed it ; and he calls his own sheep by name and brings (leads) them out.

4 When he has brought his own sheep outside, he walks on before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

5They will never [on any account] follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not know the voice of strangers or recognize their call.

John 10:26-28 (AMP)

26 But you do not believe and trust and rely on Me because you do not belong to My fold [you are no sheep of Mine].

27 The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me.

28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand.

Psalms 55:16

As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.

Psalms 86:5, 7

5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

Psalms 145:18

The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

Isaiah 55:6

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Jeremiah 29:12

Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

Jonah 1:6

So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

Zephaniah 3:9

For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.

Romans 10:12, 13

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Why would we make excuses for spending time in the presence of the One who gave His Life in such a horrible way for us? It does not make sense that we would not make time for God. I am as guilty as anyone else. I have found myself going to movies to “escape” the complexities of life instead of running to the Strong Tower of His Name in prayer. Movies are not all bad depending on the subject matter but nothing should take the place of going to God in prayer.

Psalm 61:3

For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

Proverbs 18:10

The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Jesus is the Rock of our salvation as Christians! Time spent with God in His Word and in prayer is literally the foundation of our salvation.

Psalms 18:2

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Psalms 18:31

For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?

Psalms 18:46

The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

Psalms 27:5

For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Psalms 28:1

Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.

Psalms 40:2

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

Psalms 42:9

I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

Psalms 61:2

From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Psalms 62:7

In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

Psalms 78:16

He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.[70]

Psalms 78:35

And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

Psalms 81:16

He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

Psalms 89:26

He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

Psalms 92:15

To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Many of us have forgotten that the most solid way to stand is when we fall to our knees to pray. This is where we must go for our peace! Instead, we will often go somewhere like to movies to escape our rough situations, then leave the movies or wherever we have gone to in the past as an escape, often empty or disgusted, vexed and defiled.

Many of us have become vexed, much like Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah – even while we (often) have not participated in the decadent abominations or sins of our times, we seem to find enjoyment in watching these abominations occur ( on the internet, TV, videos, etc.) and get defiled by watching.

One of my biggest challenges has been to not defile myself with the filth of this world, especially the internet and cable T.V. There are times when I ultimately have to refuse to have it in my house (yes, even with the Christian broadcasters that need to be there). I must keep myself clean, but I can only do it with God’s help daily by spending time daily with Him in prayer. Those things can be a major distraction for me I have found. Thank God for grace, because we can keep ourselves “pure” if we seek Jesus first (Matthew 6:33, Philippians 4:13). It is a daily challenge however.

Ultimately, we that have a heart to seek after God can end up feeling loaded down with the scum of the earth after watching the trash of the worldly life including the news, the gossip, the sexual perversity, and the raunchy and unclean elements of our world…even having not participated in the filth. When we start to excuse black and white (obvious) sin in our lives because “they’re doing the same thing on T.V.,” it is time to make a serious change and choice about what we truly believe and who we truly live for.

Reading the Bible/Word and staying in prayer continually will make us feel and be free and clean (John 15:3, John 8:32, 36). Thankfully, we can even ask God in prayer to increase our desire to spend time with Him in prayer.

I understand that some have no concept of what “clean” feels like because of the circumstances they may have grown up in. However – salvation in Jesus and a deep abiding knowledge that the Holy Ghost dwells within creates such a sense of wholeness and cleanness within – that it just can’t be described, it must be experienced and that requires total surrender to God in a totally transparent and submitted relationship with Him. (This also reminds me of the movie “The Matrix.” In the movie, Morpheus, Neo’s mentor, in first telling Neo about the Matrix told him (paraphrased), “It is not something you can be told; it is something that you must experience yourself. Take the red pill or the blue pill. You must decide.”)

Once we decide to accept the salvation Jesus offers, we just have to set aside particular times to do pray, in addition to the many random times, and expect God to bless us with His cleansing and communing presence during those times! All of this will prepare us to see Him one day, when He comes. Time spent with God now is preparation to see Christ when He returns (I Thessalonians 5). God simply wants a relationship with us.

A true relationship with God, as described above leads to rapture (joy and escape) in Him as well as the actual event, as described below, of the Rapture.

The “Rapture,” the Overcomer and the Blood?

But what does “the rapture” have to do with the Blood of Jesus? The “rapture,”[71] as an event, is prophetically mentioned by Jesus, Peter, Paul and St. John as a time in the future when God will supernaturally “deliver” the believers out of the world in its worst sinful state; similar to Noah’s family’s deliverance from the flood and Lot’s deliverance from Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). Lot, Abraham’s brother, was vexed by the sinful behavior of others while not participating in the sin himself …

Genesis 19:29

And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

II Peter 2:7, 8

7And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the Day of Judgment to be punished:

As Christians, we must give our lives and our time to Jesus in prayer and in action if we are calling ourselves by His name. The “overcomer,” or those that will overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony (Revelation 12:11) will make this time for God consistently. The overcomer is just what it says it is…it refers to the believer in Christ that overcomes the sin of this world to live dimensionally in the Kingdom of God on earth (because they spend time with Him and obey Him on earth!). The overcomer, according to the Bible can be directly related to the “Man-child” mentioned in Isaiah 66:7 and in Revelation 12:5…as related to Revelation 2: 26 and 27.

Isaiah 66:7

Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.

Revelation 12:5

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Revelation 2:26, 27

26And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

27And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

According to these passages, the “man-child” and the “overcomer” are one and the same. They both will rule with a rod of iron. They are the remnant of the church that voluntarily overcome sin daily in their walk with God without undue persecution or coercion in today’s world. In this author’s opinion, the “woman” of Revelation 12:13 represents the rest of Christ’s Church that will not consecrate themselves to Jesus until they go through the Tribulation period. The overcomers or “man child” (we that are truly contending with sin presently) will be “caught up” to God in the rapture before the tribulation period spoken of in the Bible. See Revelation 12:5 below…

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Revelation 12:13

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

And of course the “overcomers” overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of their Testimony…

Revelation 12:11[72]

And they overcame him (the accuser or Satan) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Confession of sin to God and trusted believers (James 5:16), Prayer in the Holy Ghost, especially in tongues (I Corinthians 14:2), and obedience to God’s Word (I Peter 1:1-3) is how we deeply commune with the God of our salvation; it is how we cling to our Savior’s Words and how we are cleansed from the stains of this sinful world… by His Blood, the Holy Ghost! It is how we overcome!

This is How We “Wash” Our Robes

I believe this, the “washing in the blood” is what is being referred to when we read of the “washing of our robes” as is related in Revelation 7:14:

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the [B]lood of the Lamb.

This is not to be confused with the saints (martyrs) in Revelation that are given robes…

Revelation 6:11

And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

In my opinion, those who are fasting, praying, seeking and obeying right now and are truly, consistently trying daily to live for God are in a form of serious though voluntarily subjected tribulation now and will not be subjected to the forced tribulation to come after the rapture because of their perseverance now. We that are attempting to live right as Christians now are “washing our robes” right now…and you’d better believe there is tribulation involved in trying to live right in today’s society. Present day obedience to God’s Word without coercion is akin to washing our robes. I believe the robes John the Revelator speaks of here are also reminiscent of the glory which once covered Adam and Eve in the Garden – which, as I said once before, I believe emanated from their blood in the same way Moses face glowed after being in the presence of God as mentioned in Exodus 34:29, 30 (NLT) below…

29 When Moses came down the mountain carrying the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face glowed because he had spoken to the LORD face to face.

30 And when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him.

Our consistent praying in the Holy Ghost to God and obedience to His leading and Word is how we are washed in the Blood for the removal of the stains of sin or daily defilement while we are present in this sinful world. I believe this because at this point in Revelation, the tribulation has not occurred and this multitude is already in heaven (Revelation 7). This is akin to our “working out our own soul’s salvation” (Philippians 2:12 NLT)

Philippians 2:12 (NLT)

Dearest friends, you were always so careful to follow my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.

Philippians 2:12 (KJV)

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

This concept seems to also correlate cleanly, clearly and directly with the parable Jesus tells of the widow and the unjust judge in Luke 18:1-8. Here is the parable from the New Living Translation:

1 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up.

2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who was a godless man with great contempt for everyone.

3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, appealing for justice against someone who had harmed her.

4 The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she wore him out. ‘I fear neither God nor man,’ he said to himself,

5 ‘but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this evil judge.

7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?”

If you have lived the best you know how on this earth as a Christian and have gone through unseen (by others) tribulation because of your Godly stand in the midst of other “believers in Christ” that have done very little to hold high His “Blood Stained banner,” do you believe God would leave you here for more outright tribulation? Would that be fair? God is not an unjust judge.

Those who have fought the good fight of faith and that are spending time in God’s presence daily now without coercion and are struggling now because of their voluntary true commitment to Jesus (similar to the wise virgins who were ready for the Bridegroom in Matthew 25:1-13) will have faith when Jesus comes for the catching away of the saints. Remember this has to do with you having His Blood flowing in your physical veins in a dimensional way. Paul speaks of these persons “…meeting the Lord in the air in the twinkling of an eye.”

I Corinthians 15:49

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

I Corinthians 6:14

And God will raise our bodies from the dead by his marvelous power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.

And Paul continues with this topic in a letter to the Thessalonians:

I Thessalonians 4:13- 18

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

It is very interesting to also note that Jesus in a sense was “raptured” or caught up when He ascended into heaven after speaking to His disciples for the last time on earth some time after His resurrection (Luke 24: 49-52).

Luke 24: 51

Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

Acts 1:9

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

As we allow Jesus’ Blood to sanctify us through our obedience to Him and through communion in the Word and Prayer, we prepare ourselves to be a bride ready to be received by her Bridegroom in the day that our Lord comes to receive us, just as He was received into heaven (Mark 16:19, Revelation 12:5). This sounds outlandish to some but no more outlandish than Jesus raising the dead or rising from the dead Himself. It is truly a matter of faith. Either you will believe this or you will not. Faith in the Blood of Jesus, (that is, the Holy Ghost,) and in the Word of God (Jesus) is the key to how we will now and ultimately overcome and defeat the bonds of this flesh and finally put on immortality as “overcomers” ( I Thessalonians 4:17, Romans 2:7, I Corinthians 15:53,54, II Timothy 1:10, Revelation 12:11).

The Holy Ghost in our soul (blood) is the key to our being made whole (St. John 14:16, 17). Our Holy Ghost cleansed blood is the literal key to the Kingdom for our spirit, body and soul, for the Kingdom is within us (Luke 17:21)! Ultimately, this is what must happen in the days to come…We must begin to believe corporately that the Holy Ghost has the power to physically change us in a moment and lift us up and quicken our mortal flesh (because He lives within our flesh, in our veins) beyond what we have ever experienced before just as Jesus was lifted on His last day with His disciples after the resurrection. I know this sounds radical but it is based on the Bible…

Romans 8:11

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Acts 1:9

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

As we begin to pray in a unified fashion in the Holy Ghost and all prayer (Ephesians 6:18) consistently and speciffically for this world and for unity in Truth in the church as the Body of Christ, we will be preparing to be received by Jesus in the rapture. If you as a believer have not yet asked God to receive His Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues and you are a follower of Jesus, why not do so now?

Ye have not because you ask not! (Luke 11:11-13; James 4:2). Once we begin to walk in this sort of obedience, we will naturally see the blind healed, the sick made whole and the dead raised again as well. It is “The Great Commission” to all believers in Jesus Christ from Jesus, Himself (Mark 16:14-20). We are all capable of praying in other tongues. While the Holy Ghost ultimately dictates the distribution of all spiritual gifts, let us not let unbelief be a reason for not receiving anything that the Holy Ghost wants to give us. Jesus openly reprimanded believers for their unbelief in different areas …

Mark 16:14-20

14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

15 And he said unto them[73], Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Mark 16:14 (NLT)

Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their unbelief – their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

Jesus Baptizes Us in His Blood

It is important to also remember that Jesus is the one that actually baptizes us in the Holy Ghost. H.A. Maxwell Whyte, in his book The Power of the Blood (1971), reveals an amazing process for receiving the Baptism in Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues through “pleading the Blood”:

I would like to especially emphasize the importance of pleading the blood for the baptism in the Spirit. I feel constrained to do this because there are so many different procedures prescribed by so many different groups, yet many hungry seekers have tried all the methods and still haven’t received. Isn’t it strange that we have all but forgotten that we can receive nothing from God apart from His mercy and Jesus’ shed blood?

Pastor A.A. Boddy of Sunderland England, on a return trip from the early Pentecostal outpouring in Norway, said that nowhere in Europe where he had been had he seen people receive the baptism of the Spirit so easily and beautifully as by the pleading of the blood of Jesus. This method was therefore introduced in Boddy’s meetings in Parish hall, and people would even travel across the Atlantic to receive the Pentecostal experience by the pleading of the blood – whereas they had failed to receive the [Baptism in the Holy Ghost] by other means employed at that time.

Going to Excess

I realize that many unscriptural methods of receiving the baptism in the Spirit have been introduced by enthusiastic, well meaning people. Some have suggested that the more noise we make, the more power we will get; others have stressed great fleshly excitement and the thumping of pews, chairs, or even the floor as a means of attracting God’s attention. Some have thought that God would be pleased if they deliberately rolled on the floor.

These are some of the excesses that have brought great reproach upon the work of the Holy Spirit. We admit, however, that the coming of the Spirit will frequently cause people to drop to the floor “under the power of God, “ but this is quite different from deliberately throwing oneself to the floor as a means to the baptism! We have been told that the longer one waits, prays, agonizes, and begs for the baptism, the better it is for the supplicant, since it works out something in him that no other spiritual exercise can do. But in so reasoning, aren’t we forgetting that the baptism is a free gift?

Now, let’s examine the scriptural teaching about this matter. Who gives the baptism in the Spirit? None other than Jesus Himself (Matthew 3:11). And where is Jesus? Why He is in heaven at the Father’s right hand (I Peter 3:22). So, obviously, if we are to receive this free, unmerited gift (Greek – dwrea, which means a free, unearned gift or present), we must go to the One who earned it for us and who will give it to all who ask in faith, without any waiting, at anytime. If there is any waiting it is on our part, not on His. …The Bible teaches us that all believers are now kings and priests (Revelation 1:6) and that we can enter in whenever we desire. There is no waiting list, but we must enter in with His blood.

Simplicity Is Best

Let me share with you a simple method for receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which I share with seekers everywhere. First of all, it is important for you to relax every muscle in your body. Let all tenseness and uncertainty depart. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is Jesus’ work, and there is no reason for you to be tense. Then close your eyes and lift up your hands in adoration and worship; be comfortably seated, and take the precious blood of Jesus on your lips and speak it with your tongue, making it your insistent plea. Be positive and believing in your approach.

Of course, you must do this in simple, reverent faith, having an awe of a holy God who will receive us in the presence of His Son only if we plead His blood. The result of this method is marvelous. Within seconds or minutes, the Holy Ghost begins to answer the pleadings of the blood. Opposing and binding spirits begin to draw back, a way is made between heaven and earth, and soon people become bathed in the glory of God. The most natural thing for them to do at this point is to turn their vocal cords loose and speak in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance (Acts 2:4).

…the person who goes into the Holy Place pleading the blood will find that God will manifest His shekinah glory as he did in the Holy Place of Solomon’s temple and he will commune with God with the voice of other tongues. (Whyte, 1971, pp.99-103,104)

Regardless of whether you speak in tongues or not, we still must pray toward this final end…that the church would be in unity of God’s Spirit.

Greater Works

This is the foundation of truth behind the doctrine of “Laying on of Hands” (Please see Appendix D). In Acts, the gift of the Holy Ghost was administered through the laying on of hands (Acts 8:18, I Timothy 4:14, Hebrews 6:2) The Glory of God in our very veins is the way people are to be healed by our laying on of hands. The ministries of John G. Lake, Oral Roberts, Katherine Kuhlman and Benny Hinn, Marilyn Hickey and Gloria Copeland are generally popular 20th century testaments to these supernatural occurrences.

If Jesus’ Blood (the Holy Ghost) flows through our bodies (Colossians 2: 8, 9), then it follows naturally that the Kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:21) because the King of Kings Himself is within us! (I Timothy 6:14, 15, Revelation 19:13-16) In the Kingdom of God, there is no sickness. The more time we spend praying in “The Blood” the more He can help others through us! Again, this is what is meant when Paul speaks of the “Hope of Glory” in us.” Paul is speaking of the mystery of having the Blood of God literally flow through our veins!

Luke 17:21

Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you

Colossians 1:27

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Welcome to the Era of the OVERCOMER!!!

The result of having the Kingdom of God in your body and having your blood saturated with the presence of God is that when you touch others, the properties of this Kingdom flow forth through your physical body. As believers, we have been called to do exploits (Chronicles 16:9)! Daniel 11:32b states that, “… but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits!” Knowing God through personal time with Him through Jesus is the critical factor in this statement. Will you answer this call? A good example of the results of such saturation is found not long after Pentecost, at the gate Beautiful, as described in Acts 3:1-9:

1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

How better to occupy until Jesus returns than to do His works; the same things He did while He was on earth… “to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted , to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised , to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”(Luke 4: 18, 19, Isaiah 61:1, 2). Before the rapture takes place, this world will know the power that exists in believers that will overcome in this way…we will be unstoppable. The time of the Overcomer has arrived.

The Finale

The best way to end this book is on the happy note that eventually, very soon, as we continue to obey the Word of God and to commune with Him in prayer, our physical bodies will soon experience the fullness of “glory” that Jesus also experienced after His resurrection, when he ascended to heaven in front of His disciples. What will happen to us and what we must continue to do is best explained by “Saint” John in I John 3:1-3 and verses 23 and 24…

1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit [74][The Holy Ghost] which he hath given us.

I do believe that our participation in the Rapture – or the “catching away” of the saints - will be at least partially contingent upon our understanding the Biblical revelation of this book…we will be “caught up” only as we believe and have faith that in our veins, literally, dwells the power to purify us and to allow us to transcend the rules of this physical earth and fly as Neo did in the movie the Matrix. (Again, if you haven’t seen the movie, you should!) How else are we going “to meet Jesus in the air?” The rapture ends up being a “dimensional exit” from this world to another for us. As Jesus speaks of people being “taken” or “caught away” while working side by side and sleeping side by side in verses 34 - 36, He answers His disciples like this in Luke 17: 37…

34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

Here, in this scripture, I believe Jesus speaks of His resurrected physical body when He says “body” and we, the overcomers of the Church of Jesus, are the “eagles” (Isaiah 40:31) and this is another illustration of the catching away of the church. Another of these accounts is in Matthew 24: 37- 42 (below) where Jesus mentions that it will be as it was in the days of Noah (Noë in the KJV) when Jesus literally returns in the air in the rapture…

37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

This particular account is powerfully prophetic as it relates to an otherwise obscure verse in Genesis which also pictures a “taking away” (in the Greek, “Airo” or raising upwards) or catching away or a “lifting out” of people from a horrible tribulation; the flood of Noah.

Noah’s Ark and the Rapture

Read this verse in Genesis as it relates to Noah’s job in preparing the ark:

Genesis 6:14

Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

The Hebrew words in the above passage provides a depth of prophetic meaning that is extremely relevant to this theory of the Holy Ghost being the Blood of Jesus and His pivotal role in the catching away of the saints in the rapture. While the late Bible Teacher Dr. Lehman Strauss was teaching on this verse (See A Special Note on the next few pages), he mentioned that, surprisingly, the particular word “pitch” means “atonement” and “that which seals.” This led me to look into this word further. According to BibleStudytools.com (2008), “pitch” or the transliterated Hebrew term “Kaphar” has the additional meanings of:

1. The price of a life, (remember Leviticus 17:11? “The life of the flesh is in the blood”)

2. asphalt, pitch (as a covering and sealant)

3. The henna plant, name of a plant from which a reddish dye is procured as well as …

4. To purge away; reconciliation; to cover over, pacify, propitiate, atone for sin and persons by legal rites; merciful, cleansed, disannulled, appease, put off, to pardon.

The significance of these meanings is incredible in the light of the other revelations in this book, it’s appearance in Genesis, as well as the fact that the Bible uses other terms for basic black tar or pitch, but not in this particular case. This particular type of pitch Noah used was not only used to seal and to make the ark waterproof, but also apparently had some origination from the henna plant, which is/was used in some Jewish and Indian rituals of marriage as temporary decorative coverings for the skin. Henna gives these skin coverings (and as well as the pitch made from it) a reddish hue.

One immediately gets a visual picture of a reddish, gooey, sealant on the rugged wood walls of Noah’s Ark. Selah! (Selah is a word in Hebrew used in the Psalms that is thought to mean “meditate on this!”)

The significance of the scripture becomes even more telling of God’s prophetic implications for the Ark of Noah. When you look then at the word used for wood in this Genesis scripture, ironically the same Hebrew term for wood, “`ets” is used in Isaiah 44:13 which in addition to meaning wood represents the term “carpenter.” Yes…the question becomes, “Could Noah’s Ark allude to Jesus, the Carpenter, who was filled with and covered with the atoning red Blood that seals us until the day of redemption?” I believe it does.

Isaiah 44:13

The carpenter (wood, èts) stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.

Are the related references in these terms coincidence? Do we really believe God had Moses use these words (red pitch=atonement, wood=carpenter) for nothing in his description of Noah’s Ark? For me – the Ark and this scripture become literal symbols and prophecy of at least four events:

• The Passover, where the imagery of the painting of reddish pitch on the wood of the Ark reminds us of the Israelites on the night of the Passover painting the doorposts with the blood of the innocent lamb with hyssop (Exodus 12:13 – also and again, Dr. Perry Stone explains the parallels to this event to the Christian experience beautifully…)

• The Passion of the Christ, where the imagery of Jesus the Carpenter’s Blood (Mark 6:3) dripping down a wooden cross for our sins, providing salvation from the flood-tide of sin. Noah, whose name means “Rest,” representing the rest and peace found in the Savior (Matthew 11:28-30), and…

• The Eventual Rapture or “lifting away” of the Christian Overcomer because…

…this red pitch could also symbolize the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost certainly “seals us” like this pitch waterproofed the ark as well as marks us as His own according to scripture:

II Corinthians 1:22 (KJV)

Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

II Corinthians 1:22 (NLT)

and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment of everything he will give us.

II Corinthians 1:22 (AMP)

[He has also appropriated and acknowledged us as His by] putting His seal upon us and giving us His [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as the security deposit and guarantee [of the fulfillment of His promise].

Ephesians 1:13 (AMP)

In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy [Ghost].

Ephesians 4:30 (AMP)

And do not grieve the Holy [Ghost] of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).

We by no means should ever grieve the Holy Ghost. Read the next Special Note …it is of vital importance to the Body of Christ at this moment in time…

A Special Note:

Part of this particular revelation (on “pitch”) must be attributed to the late Dr. Lehman Strauss (2009). I heard one of his recorded messages on the radio while in my car listening to the Bible Broadcasting Network® (BBN).

One point I must mention here is that Dr. Strauss did not believe in the efficacy of speaking in tongues in the present day. In contrast, I personally believe that anyone, if they ask God, may receive the Baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues today because God is not a respecter of persons (Please read Acts 10 and Acts 19). Strauss did, however, as I do, believe in the awesome power of the Holy Ghost. I also believe that every person who has received Jesus Christ as Savior through faith repentance and confession has been saved by Jesus and His Blood (the Holy Ghost) and the Trinity abide in them because of their belief/faith (I John 3:1-3, 23, 24). However, regardless of what I believe, and I do reiterate, who speaks in tongues is entirely up to the Holy Ghost. To cause division or argument should not be our aim. The aim of Pentecost was to unify not to divide. (Acts 1:14, Acts 2:1).

I believe we all know of Christians that speak in tongues and those that do not. We probably also all know of both types that could walk in a bit more maturity. I do believe the fruit of the spirit is a better gauge of one’s maturity and practice of the disciplined Christian life and relationship to Christ (Galatians 5:22, Ephesians 5:9) than simply speaking in tongues. While I will continue to believe that speaking in tongues is available to everyone that seeks God for the experience of baptism in the Holy Ghost w/ the evidence of tongues, I believe the Body of Christ, the Church, must simply pray for unity in the church in all things instead of talking division and tearing our “brethren” down, whether it be in pride over speaking or not speaking in tongues, faith, prosperity gospel, etc. Will we (please) attempt to be one as Jesus prayed in St. John 17? We will become one by doing as our Savior did in this passage, by praying for each other and not arguing! In essentials let there be unity, and in all things let there be Charity or Love!

Pray for and with your brother even if you disagree with him! Avoid vain babbling and gossiping which create strife and division! (Philippians 2:19, I Timothy1:4) As a request to the Body of Christ at large, would everyone please just pray for those that believe differently and love “in spite of?” Leadership has a responsibility, of course, to correct obvious error or strife openly, but generally speaking, when disagreements occur in conversation, let us immediately pray together for God to give us understanding and not argue in pride against one another. By this, people will know that we are Christ’s disciples; even concerning speaking in tongues. John 13:35 says,

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Let us allow the Holy Ghost to shed love (The Blood) abroad in our hearts by praying for unity in the Body of Christ at large. As Romans 5: 5 and 6 says…

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

In fact, while listening to Dr. Donald R. Hubbard (2010), also on BBN, it occurred to me that if we understand that the Holy Ghost is the Blood of Christ, and that that Blood flows within our brothers and sisters in Christ, blasphemy of the Holy Ghost can be understood in a different way. In I Corinthians chapter 11, Paul tells believers that to take “communion” while there are divisions between us (verse 18) can cause dire consequences (verse 30). The communion table is a direct and literal correlation to the communion or unity and fellowship we are to have with our brothers and sisters in Christ as well as our Lord and Our God. We are the “BODY” of Christ. We must be “healed” before the “Blood” can flow freely just like a natural human body! If we chop off our own hand does it help us ultimately? Let’s pray first instead.

The above mentioned and supporting scriptures follow:

I Corinthians 11:18

18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

I Corinthians 11:26-31

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep .

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

32 But when we are judged , we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat , tarry one for another.

If we now consider Matthew 12:32 which states:

Matthew 12:32

And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

…It would be wise of us to watch what we say about our brother and sister as well as they have the the Blood of the Most Holy One running within their veins. It may be that we blaspheme Him when we talk against them; our brother and sister! The similar scripture in Mark comes after Jesus instructs the people on the danger of division. Look here at Mark 3:24, 25 and verse 29:

24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand…

29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:

We must look at I Corinthians 11:30 more cautiously as Paul’s concern was directly related to the Blood of Jesus and our fellowship with one another.

30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep .

This flows neatly with Paul’s conversation with the Corinthians in the next chapter where he details the fact that we are connected just like body parts…

I Corinthians 12:11-13

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

I Corinthians 12:25-27

25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

So until we love one another in the Body of Christ, how can we express love to those who have not accepted Jesus yet or expect Jesus to come back to receive His bride, the Church, with spots, wrinkles and blemishes on our “robes…” which are washed by His Blood…

Ephesians 5:21 – 30

21 …Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

I Timothy 6:14

That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable,until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Hebrews 9:14

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

I Peter 1:19-23 (NLT)

19 He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

20 God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see. And he did this for you.

21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.

22 Now you can have sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the Good News. So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts.

23 For you have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.

I John 1:7 (NLT)

But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.

Apparently we have to be in fellowship with the “members of the body” for the blood to flow throughout “His body” to cleanse us! It makes natural sense. So as Peter admonishes us…

II Peter 3:14

And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to live a pure and blameless life. And be at peace with God.

Hebrews 12: 14, 15 (KJV)

14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled…

The command to follow peace with all men and holiness is a direct admonishment to fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ without malice and to obey the Will of God. Let us heed the commands of Christ so that our robes will be spotless, white as snow.

So if the argument for the Holy Ghost as the Blood stands up under the scrutiny of the Scriptures, the idea that we must be saved through the atonement (pitch) or “the reconciliation of God and humans brought about by the redemptive life and death of Jesus” (Answers Corporation, 2008) makes perfect sense. Jesus will be the ark that catches us away from the flood of tribulation while the Holy Ghost is the sealant to keep us until that time. The Holy Ghost is also that element that will allow us to be lifted above the “waters” of tribulation that will come upon the world, much like the pitch allowed the ark not to sink but to be lifted above the waves of the flood that destroyed those not in the Ark of Noah. Here are our core scriptures once again:

Leviticus 17:11

For the life (ghost)[75] of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Leviticus 17:11 (NLT)

for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.

Hebrews 9:11-14

11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

End of Special Note

What about the Dove?

Genesis 8: 8 - 12

8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;

9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.

10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;

11 And the dove came in to him in the evening ; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.

This is where this entire revelation of the Holy Ghost being the Blood of Jesus becomes somewhat surreal in the symbolism found in the Bible. We will start by looking at the dove of Noah. The dove that Noah releases to test to see if the waters are “abated from the earth” (Genesis 8:8) can make many Christians immediately think on the time in the New Testament where all of the Gospels speak directly of the Holy Ghost, like a dove, lighting on Jesus…the dove that Noah releases and does not return in verse 12 of Chapter 8 of Genesis above seems to return in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and rest on Jesus…

Matthew 3:16

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

Mark 1:10

And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

Luke 3:22

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

St. John 1:32

And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

So…What is the significance of the Dove?

First let us examine the olive branch that was in the dove’s beak when it returned to Noah in verse 11 of Genesis, chapter 8. The etymology of the “olive” branch reveals that its meaning is “brightness” (from the transliterated Hebrew root word Ziv) which could symbolize the Glory of God that the Holy Ghost is and represents. Ziv, being the word for the second month in the Old Hebrew calendar (Iyar in the newer calendar) literally falls during the time when Pentecost occurred in Jerusalem (Acts 2), which reminds us of the tongues of fire above the heads of the disciples in the upper room in Acts Chapter 2.

In Jewish culture, while Passover would have occurred at the time of Jesus’ Crucifixion, Ziv is close to the time of “Pesach Sheini” or the Second Passover. According to Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center (Lubavitch World Headquarters, 2001-2009)…

14 Iyar (Ziv) - (1312 BCE) - “Second Passover”

A year after the Exodus, God instructed the People of Israel to bring the Passover offering on the afternoon of Nisan 14, and to eat it that evening, roasted over the fire, together with matzah and bitter herbs, as they had done on the previous year just before they left Egypt.

“There were, however, certain persons who had become ritually impure through contact with a dead body, and could not, therefore, prepare the Passover offering on that day. They approached Moses and Aaron … and they said: ‘…Why should we be deprived, and not be able to present God’s offering in its time, amongst the children of Israel?’”

(Numbers 9). In response to their plea, God established the 14th of Iyar as a “second Passover” (Pesach Sheini) for anyone who was unable to bring the offering on its appointed time in the previous month (Lubavitch World Headquarters, 2001-2009).

This could be the significance of the olive branch (meaning brightness, and Ziv – the second month in the old Hebrew calendar); to signify the coming of the Holy Ghost in the brightness of His Glory represented by the tongues of fire over the heads of the people in the upper room (Acts 2) and in representation of a second experience after one receives the salvation of the cross – for which Passover was symbolic, thus the attribution to the second Passover – Pentecost by Jews and Gentiles. This is not to mention the additional possible attribution of the olive branch to represent the peace that the Holy Ghost brings once a person receives Him by faith …signifying that the struggle between man and God has ended…reconciliation has come…

St. John 14:26 (Jesus speaking)

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

St. John 20: 21, 22

21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost…

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Romans 15:13

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Now…Finally…The Dove!

Now…get ready…even deeper than this… when one looks up the Hebraic origin of the word “dove” as used in the Genesis 8:8 scripture one must first quickly remember from the beginning of this book that we discussed that the Hebrew term for blood (transliterated as “dawm”) was often used in Jewish culture interchangeably with terms that meant wine in a metaphorical or figurative way, as is illustrated in the verses below.

Genesis 49:11 (KJV)

Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

Deuteronomy 32:14

Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.

Isaiah 49:26

And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer , the mighty One of Jacob.

This transliterated word for blood in these verses “Dawm” or “dawm” from which we get the word “Adam” or “man” which makes sense because the “life of [Adam’s, man’s] flesh” is in the blood![76]

Remember also the symmetric and transitive property mentioned in the Preface,

Symmetric: For any quantities a and b, if a = b, then b = a.

and

Transitive: If a = b and b=c then a =c.

Now finally…what in the world does this have to do with the “dove?” Well the word “dove” in Hebrew (transliterated as “Yownah”) has the primary word origin of the transliterated Hebrew word of “Yayin” which in Hebrew means…

“Wine.”

Use of this term is used in the “first communion” found in Genesis…

Genesis 14:18 KJV

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine (yownah): and he was the priest of the most high God.

Follow this logic: Luke 3:22 says…

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

…and St John 1:32 (NLT) says

Then John said, “I saw the Holy Spirit[77] descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him.

We know that “nephesh” or “life” equals “ghost.” Now we know that the word “dove” in Hebrew comes from the word in Hebrew that means “wine.” In Ancient Jewish culture, the word for blood (“dawm”) was often interchangeably used to refer to “wine.” So, based on the Biblical thinking in this book and using the reflexive, symmetric, and transitive properties of logic, the following is a logical and progressive understanding of Biblical truth.

• If life (a) = nephesh (b) and nephesh (b) = ghost(c), then life (a) = ghost(c);

So then, if life = ghost and the life of the flesh is the blood (life = blood), then The Holy Ghost: He is the Blood of Jesus (ghost = blood).

Also…

We are told in scripture that the dove represents the Holy Ghost, so accordingly, dove = ghost and ghost = dove

• If the dove = wine and wine = blood, then dove = blood and blood = dove

• Also, If blood = dove and dove = ghost, then blood = ghost and ghost = blood.

Therefore, if ghost equals blood then it is logically sound (Biblically speaking in this case) to agree with the supposition that the Holy Ghost and the Blood of Jesus are indeed the same. Apparently, this is true in a dimensional sense so that receiving the Holy Ghost by faith would be the equivalent to receiving an infusion of the Blood of Jesus into our entire being but specifically into our physical veins.

Selah (or Think on this!)

Noting this revelation, I cannot help but think of the recent research that has come out about the rejuvenating power found in red wine that emanates from the skin of the grape. Scientists have named this element “Resveratrol” and ironically attribute it to having anti-aging or life-giving properties. Apparently Paul already received this revelation as we see his instructions to his mentee Timothy in I Timothy 5:23…

Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.

So wine literally also has physical life giving properties. The parallels to the spiritual connotations are astounding!

So if the times and participants of the “Noahic event” are a direct metaphor that Jesus uses of what things will be like when He returns for us (Matthew 24: 37- 42), we will have to find our lives hidden in the Ark of Christ just as Noah (Noah’s name means “Rest”) and his family found shelter in the Ark of God. Just as Moses (the “Law Giver”) was safely delivered from slaughter in the ark his mother made for him, also sealed with regular black pitch[78] (Exodus 2:3,) , The Law Fulfiller (Jesus, Matthew 5:17) can deliver us and seal us with the “atoning pitch” of His Blood as we “abide “ in Him!

Exodus 2:3

And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.

Colossians 3:2 -4

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory?

Matthew 5:17

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Matthew 11:29

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls [blood][79].

John 15:7 (Jesus speaking)

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will , and it shall be done unto you.

Noah’s Ark also becomes a foreshadowing of what God would call the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 40:20, Deuteronomy 10:1, Hebrews 9:4) which would also be covered with an “atoning” substance (animal blood) and would serve as a powerful earthly reminder of God covering the sins of man in a present, practical way for the Israelites but also in the prophetic representation of our atonement in a greater way in heaven through the Blood of Jesus, God’s Son in the Heavenly Holy of Holies. Within the ark was kept the manna (bread) that fell from heaven, the tablets of the Ten Commandments (both representing the living Word of God) and the rod of Aaron that budded without having been planted (representing the Tree of Life) and of course it would be covered by the atoning blood of the sacrifice (representing the Holy Ghost). IN FACT, the term “mercy-seat”,” or kap·pō’·reth (the golden lid of the Ark of the Covenant) in the transliterated Hebrew (Bible Study Tools, 2008, Strong, 1981) has the transliterated Hebrew term of kaphar as its root which means…

“to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch.”

This is not coincidence. All three arks were covered in and provided “pitch” or a sealant and covering for all that would travel with the “ark.” Each of the arks would carry their inhabitants and carriers to safety and a divine destiny. Ultimately, all three arks represented the Power and Word of God in and on one man, Jesus. They also represent in a powerful way the Father God (Noah’s Ark – huge and life-saving), the Son (Moses’ Ark – of human birth and conception yet a savior) and the Holy Ghost (Ark of the Covenant, pure,bright and powerful).

“Atonement” and “rest” was and is truly found in this Carpenter of Nazareth; we must be found in Him, our “ark of safety” while He must be found in us as the living Word of God (St. John 15:7). And as we in faith reach out for all the Holy Ghost has for us, we will have rest, peace and reconciliation with our Father and our God through His Son Jesus, through the powerful, purifying presence, the pervasive, purgative plasma and panoply[80] of the Holy Ghost.

A Note Concerning Blood Covenants

While I will not exhaustively delve into the ramifications of the blood covenants of the Old Testament, suffice it to say, that from the covenants of Adam (Genesis 3:21), Noah (Genesis 9:16), Abraham (Genesis 15:18) on, these covenants involved either a semblance of blood or the actual comingling of the blood of two different parties.

Almost every culture has a historic understanding of the” blood-brother” sort of co – mingling of blood, where both parties cut their hand or wrist and press the bloodied member against the bloodied member of the other party signifying their new found brotherhood by blood. There is then, of course, the twisted, demonic idea of blood pacts from the story of Faust (1969) and other non-fiction accounts as well. [81]

I believe this common knowledge among cultures concerning blood relationships points to a common origin and a universal common memory of a lost state of “blood relationship” with one another and our Father God.

The symbolic meaning of those Biblical covenants in this writer’s eye could prophetically point to only one thing…that God was promising that one day, His Holy Blood, through Jesus Christ, would one day, once again be made one with Mankind’s blood. He would save our souls (blood) through the Ark of His Son and we would be sealed with His Blood (Ephesians 4:30, I Peter 3:20) until we would be able to commune with Him once again as His sons and daughters at the great marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7, 9). That is what I believe our communion services are truly about…our revisiting of the Blood covenant we have with God as joint heirs, sons and daughters of the Kingdom.

Meeting Jesus in the Air

Paul did indeed speak of our physical bodies meeting Jesus in the air. Once again, Paul said…

I Thessalonians 4:17

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Jesus said greater works shall we do than even He did (Matthew 14:12). Once again, I leave the consideration of these ideas up to you. Just know that with the Holy Ghost and the understanding that He is in your natural veins as the Blood of Jesus, this makes you a joint heir with Jesus (If you have accepted Him) and basically Jesus’ brother or sister and more and more like Him as you continually commune with Him and are obedient to Him. You also have the power to soar like an eagle in this life as an overcomer over all your trials of life and, if you can believe it and have faith on this earth for it (Luke 18:8), literally you will, when He returns, also have the power to soar as an actual eagle in the rapture when the time comes (Isaiah 40:31), and I happen to believe that that time is coming sooner than we think. It is interesting too that in the related scriptures printed below, every term used for eagle (transliterated Hebrew (nesher) and Greek (aetos) relate to an eagle or a vulture that looks like an eagle. I believe this refers to our transformative state from “vulture”-like sinners that eats dead flesh and fresh blood, to “eagle”-like believers, transformed by partaking of the sacrifice of the “body” and Blood of Christ. We are indeed undergoing a transformation as we commune with God.

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait [82] upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Matthew 24:27, 28

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Luke 17:36, 37

36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

Luke 18:7, 8

7And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

8I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Job 39:27- 30

27 Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?

28 She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.

29 From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.

30 Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.

Psalm 91:1-4

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

This book was not meant to embark on an eschatological[83] soapbox about my beliefs about the biblical tribulation period and whether pre- or post-tribulation theories of rapture are correct (I happen to obviously believe in “pre-!”). I actually didn’t even plan this particular ending to this book. It naturally flowed into this final discussion.

This discussion is simply intended to show the rather clear associations that these scriptures seem to reveal about such an event occurring before what the Bible says will be the “end of days” or the tribulation period. It behooves us to be ready regardless. Our decision to accept the truth of God’s Word concerning the things presented in this book ultimately could determine our own case for Eternity.

So…to my beloved brethren, it is time to dwell under the wings of the Creator of all living things. It is time to hold the hand of the God who became man. It is time to walk in love under the wings of the “Dove.” As Jesus said in St. John 20:22 as He breathed on his disciples, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost!”(Matthew 26:27, 28, Acts 19:2 ); for it is He, the Holy Ghost, the Blood of Jesus, Who makes us God’s Sons and Daughters…by Blood.

Important Points to Remember:

• The blood of a man speaks.

• The life of the flesh is in the blood.

• The Life of Jesus (the Word made flesh) was in His Blood; The Life of the Word (Jesus) is the Holy Ghost; The Life of Jesus’ Flesh is the Holy Ghost;

• The Holy Spirit changed from Spirit form to Blood at Jesus’ conception and from sanctified (or Holy) Blood to Holy Ghost upon His death.

• The Holy Ghost is a Witness (one that speaks and testifies on the behalf of another) to God that Jesus lived Holy from womb to tomb because He (the Holy Ghost) was there too; The Holy Ghost is also a Witness that Jesus’ Blood (He) can be appropriated for our sin as an offering that cleanses us because He witnessed Jesus’ sinless life from the inside out, from the thoughts and intents of His heart to His outward behavior, from womb to tomb.

• The Holy Ghost dwells in EVERY believer when we accept Jesus, making us a new creature, born of the Blood of God through a spiritual transfusion; He authorizes us as Witnesses to others when we are baptized in the Holy Ghost.

• The Holy Ghost (the Blood) washes us clean of our sin trait inherited by us from Adam, upon our confession of Christ; He keeps us clean as we pray & obey the Word (Jesus) and His leading (the Holy Ghost’s).

• The Holy Ghost literally connects us once again to the Blood-line of God that we might be joint heirs with Christ and kin to other believers in Christ.

• The Holy Ghost as the Blood provides deliverance as we lay hands.

• The Holy Ghost seals and cleans us (as we obey Him) for the return of Jesus.

Appendix A

Books on the Blood:

H. A. Maxwell Whyte, (2005). The Power of the Blood.

Andrew Murray, (1981). The Blood of the Cross.

Andrew Murray, (1993, 2005). The Power of the Blood of Jesus

Mahesh Chavda, (2005). The Hidden Power of the Blood of Jesus.

E.W. Kenyon, (1969). The Blood Covenant.

Benny Hinn, (2001). The Blood.

Reinhard Bonnke, (2001). The Power of the Blood of Jesus.

Larry Huggins, (2003) The Blood Speaks: Discover the Life-Giving Power of Jesus’ Sacrifice.

Billye Brim, (1998). The Blood and the Glory.

Malcolm Webber, (1992). The Blood of God.

Joyce Meyer, (1995). The Word, The Name and The Blood.

Bob Lamb, (1993). The Overcoming Blood.

Ministry on The Blood on CD:

T.D. Jakes, The Blood Speaks

Bishop Larry Jackson, The Power of The Blood

Dr. Sandra Alexander, The Cleansing Power of The Blood

Appendix B

The Meaning of Life

(An answer in response to a question my little cousin Christian asked me)

To me, the meaning of Life is “Becoming.”

We are creatures that are far too complex to be relegated to this one piece of Existence found in Time. I believe Time is the seedbed for Eternity, at least for us. We were born (or given Life) in Time so that we could Live It in Eternity. Life has to be beyond Time because while people are constantly entering Time through the birth canal, others are constantly leaving it. Life doesn’t end there because we still have it! Life can’t be created by man and its duration cannot be controlled by man - for when death comes, no drug can truly stop it. We, as well as Time itself, have no say in when we enter or leave, we just do and we bring Life in birth and take Life with us in death…So Life must emanate from Something (or Someone) greater than ourselves and greater than Time itself…Time seems to be but a pit stop in the beginning of a journey in Eternity.

The journey is called Life and the destination is also Eternity which has no end except for the perpetual coming into a greater knowledge of God and ourselves. Life also came from Eternity; it only made an early stop in Time. Life is “Becoming;” and through it we begin to understand that there is One greater than we…our Creator who is sovereign.

Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father (God) but by me.” John 14:6…

Jesus died but then conquered death when He rose…He came back from somewhere after death and left again but is coming again. I believe He is the only One that truly has the answer because of this…and the Answer, for me is ultimately Him…

The Great “I am”…God. He is the source of all being; All Life. All Becoming. He is Eternity. He is where Life comes from because He is Life.

He is the Great “Be”…so in order for us to “be,” or Live, we must “come “to Him.

Life, as an action for us therefore, is an Active Lesson on how we must Become for Eternity.

Derick Virgil

Appendix C

An Allegorical Picture of Our Communion with God

Exodus 12:5-14

5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S Passover.

12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the Gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

Isaiah 28:5-12

5In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

6 And for a spirit of judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment,

8for all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

9Whom shall he teach knowledge and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned for milk, and drawn from the breasts.

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

11for with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing; yet they would not hear.

Isaiah 11:10

And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse which shall stand for an ensign (sign) of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek; and his rest shall be glorious

Jeremiah 6:16

Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

Matthew 11:28, 29, 30

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

St. John 10:7, 9, 11

Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep…

9I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture (be nourished)…”

11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

St. John 14:6, 7

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me? If ye had known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

Proverbs 18:10

The name of the Lord is a strong tower! The righteous run in and they are saved.

Hebrews 3:7- 11

7Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice,

8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

Hebrews 4:9- 12

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Welcome

to the Kingdom.

The Word (Jesus) is the door,

His Blood is the Key (the Holy Ghost),

and the Spirit (God, The Father) is the abiding place -

He, the Holy Ghost, is the Key to the Rest of God.

(I John 5:5-9)

Entry is given through study of God’s Word and by praying, especially in other tongues,

where we’ll find ourselves in a new Eden partaking of the Tree of Life.

Communing with The Trinity

Verse seven of Exodus chapter twelve is a picture of the Blood of Jesus on Calvary’s cross as it is symbolized by the Lamb’s blood on the door posts of the Israelites homes in Egypt the night the Death Angel passed over. They were “at rest” because they communed with God without fear in obedience to God. The cross is indeed symbolic of the entry way Christ became for us into the “Rest of God” (Hebrews 4). If He had not died, He would never have given us passage through His Blood into the Kingdom of His Spirit; a Kingdom that is evidenced by a peace that passes all understanding.

Philippians 4:6 - 7

6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

At the Passover table, the Jewish family was to eat particular things in a particular way. According to Exodus 12: 7- 14…

7And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover.

12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the Gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

14And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.

If we would see it, the Passover table and the communion table that Christians regularly practice celebrate is but a natural parallel to the true “communion” or communication and fellowship the church is to have with our God daily. We are to sit and dine with God daily!

The Holy Ghost (and the Rest of God), is found after entering the Kingdom of God through Jesus but then becoming one with Him through matrimony by fellowship in the Word of God and in intimate communion with the Father with prayer especially in other tongues on a daily basis.

A visual allegory could look something like this …

The Father God is at one side of the table…we, the church, are on the other side of the table…He speaks and Jesus, in the form of a fresh loaf of unleavened bread seasoned with bitter herbs appears from God’s mouth hovering above the table, The Word of God, prepared and ready for us to consume, smelling with savor of fresh manna, glowing with the brownness of buttered fire borne essence filling our nostrils with a sweetness regular bread could never have.

The Father lifts the bread up with His eyes, speaks again and His Words form a sword (and the sword‘s hilt {handle area} of course looks like a cross) and the sword joins with the bread (for the blade and the bread are made of the same Thing, God’s Word) and the blessed bread is broken/sliced in half…and as it would happen, a cup appears below it ready to receive the wine which now flows from the center of the broken bread… It (the Wine) is the Holy Ghost. And now, as we, the Church, sit in amazement on the other side, the Father-the gracious Host that He is, offers us the bread, which we take, and then the cup which we take ā (We become the Church as we accept the Bread- the Word, we become sanctified unto good works as we drink the wine). And we who were strangers to God, actually His lost children, come home and eat with our Father once again.

Now remember—we are no longer strangers to God, but his lost children come home and eat with our Father once again. We are no longer strangers –we must continue to eat at this table –every day when Daddy calls us to the table – if you eat the Bread alone – there will not be complete fellowship (reading the Word) –if we sup the Wine alone—it will not be complete fellowship—(prayer in the Holy Ghost -tongues). We must labor to eat a complete meal with our Father every day →for the Rest we seek comes through the Wine (Holy Ghost- prayer, especially in tongues) and the bread (Jesus – salvation and His Word). Then to obey what He says during our communion with Him is to behave as a Son and as a Daughter of God.

As the Bread is cut at the table (the moment of crucifixion), Jesus (the person) actually appears on the right side of the Father and a roasted lamb (Jesus, the Lamb of God) appears on the table at the same time. Simultaneously, wine pours from the center of the loaf into the Holy Grail (which represents Jesus’ glorified body, alive from death forevermore). As the Wine is poured from the Loaf, the Holy Spirit joins us at the table in the form of a Dove engulfed in Light.

I believe the Roasted Lamb represents not only Jesus’ and The Holy Ghost’s temporary torment in Hell, but also what happens to the Words of the Bible as it has been consumed by our minds and meditated on through prayer in the Holy Ghost. It is as if by combining the Burning Fire of the Holy Ghost or Rhema with the Bread of God (the Written Word or the Logos of God) the Roasted Lamb seems to represent the Word touched by the Fire of the Holy Ghost, a combination of the Spirit and the Truth. The Wine of course is also a picture of the Holy Ghost. God raises the cup (emblematic of God the Father raising Christ from the dead, St. John 5:21) and smells the virtue of the wine in the cup. He then offers the bread and the cup to us. As we partake of the Bread and the Wine, the roasted lamb is offered to us for our deeper communion. All four of us must be present in order for complete fellowship to occur: The Father, Son, Holy Ghost, and we the Church, His Body. Why? The Rest of God that we seek is Marriage to the Lamb – it truly is communion with our God…daily.

Prayer in His Spirit, Study in His Revelation of Truth (the Holy Bible), and Obedience to His Revealed Word will gain us entrance into the Rest of God and Communion with Our God forever.

Appendix D

A Practical Application: The Apostle’s Doctrine of Laying on of Hands

The following scriptures talk about the act and doctrine of Laying on of Hands. This was a doctrine that was practiced by Patriarchs of Ancient Israel to confer an oath, confirm a name, a responsibility or a level of authority on a person. The ancient Jewish practice usually entailed placing the left hand on the shoulder and the right hand on the head of the individual.

Genesis 48:14

And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

Numbers 27:15-23

15 And Moses spake unto the LORD, saying,

16 Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,

17 Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.

18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;

19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight.

20 And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.

21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.

22 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation:

23 And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.

Jesus elevated the concept to a spiritual plain. He revealed that by laying His hands on a person, they could be healed. The Apostles saw this was the case with them as well during their walk with Jesus and after Pentecost occurred and was a confirmation of what Jesus had told them…

Matthew 10:1 (AMP)

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

Luke 4:40 (AMP)

Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.

St. John 14:12 (AMP)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Acts 28:8 (AMP)

And it happened that the father of Publius was sick in bed with recurring attacks of fever and dysentery; and Paul went to see him, and after praying and laying his hands on him, he healed him.

The Apostles also discovered that the Gift of the Holy Ghost could be given to another believer through the laying on of hands.

Acts 19:1-7 (AMP)

1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.

4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

7 And all the men were about twelve.

Acts 8:18 (AMP)

However, when Simon saw that the [Holy] Spirit was imparted through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he brought money and offered it to them,

These early disciples also discovered that by simply speaking the Words God instructed them to speak based on their relationship with Jesus and the Jewish scriptures people could be healed, devils could be cast out and the Holy Ghost could be given!

Matthew 8:5-10 (AMP)

5And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,

6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Matthew 17:18 – 21 (AMP)

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out ?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Acts 16:16-18 (AMP)

16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

Acts 10:44 (AMP)

44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.

45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.

Acts 11:15 (AMP)

And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.

The doctrine of laying on of hands has been a doctrine of the Christian Church since its inception. Of course wisdom and discretion should be encouraged.

I Timothy 5:22 (AMP)

Do not be in a hurry in the laying on of hands [giving the sanction of the church too hastily in reinstating expelled offenders or in ordination in questionable cases], nor share or participate in another man’s sins; keep yourself pure.

II Timothy 1:6 (AMP)

That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination].

Hebrews 6:1-3 (NLT)

1 So let us stop going over the basics of Christianity again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start all over again with the importance of turning away from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.

2 You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

3 And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.

As a born again, Holy Ghost filled Christian, the act of laying on of hands is a conferring of power, or authority, healing and/or deliverance. With the knowledge that the Holy Ghost is also known as the Blood of Jesus and that Jesus’ Blood flows through you, praying in tongues while laying hands on someone or yourself can direct the application of Jesus’ Blood to a targeted area. Pray about how this “applying the Blood” to the sick, bound or distraught can assist you in carrying out His mandate to you as His disciple…

Mark 16:15 – 18 (KJV)

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

The Holy Ghost flows through your veins. As you are obedient and spend time with God in prayer and fasting, the stronger your connection to the regenerative power of God you are. The more obedient you are to Him, the more active that Blood can become to the point where you could walk past someone or just speak a word and healing occurs…

Acts 5:12-16

12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.

13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.

14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

This principle comes directly from the HOLY BIBLE. The one thing that is different about Jesus and every other religion is that He says that He is the ONLY WAY to God.

John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

We as Christians will have to decide whether we believe Jesus completely, or settle for only a part of the power. The Bible says that God’s people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge…

Hosea 4:6

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Now all that is left is that we choose to believe, speak and obey what He says.

Deuteronomy 30:14 – 20

14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;

18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Joshua 24:15

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

We can choose to be totally committed to Jesus or not…but total commitment is the only thing that stands between us and the Glory of God on this earth. We can either allow the urges and the pressure of our culture to chain us or allow the discipline of a disciple push us to a higher level. The choice is ours. We are overcomers. Let us overcome.

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In Luma Mountains

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[1] Propitiation refers primarily to the process where someone’s wrath is either ‘averted’ or ‘satisfied,’ resulting in ‘mercy’ being received (Bible Study Tools, 2007).

[2] This book is NOT a mathematical study but please bear with me through the preliminary context information…the wait will be worth it…

[3] Remission = release from bondage or imprisonment forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty (Bible Study Tools, 2008).

[4] The Johannine Comma refers to this portion of scripture (5:7 b “…in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth,”). This portion of scripture was apparently left out of some earlier original Bible texts and subsequently by some more recent translations.

[5] A “dimension” is defined by Physicist Lisa Randall (2005) as “An independent direction in space or time.” Dimensions in Physics involve theoretical planes or “branes” or places of existence beyond height, depth, width and time that, though we cannot see them, could in all probability exist. This could relate to Biblical Truth in many ways. For example, the feeding of the 5,000 events (Matthew 14:21, & 16:9) could have been multi-dimensional events because Jesus brought into “our” plane of existence substance (fish and bread) from another realm of existence (the Kingdom). Jesus and Peter’s walking on water (Matthew 14:25-29) could have involved a multi-dimensional property as well. More on this concept will be mentioned later in the book.

[6] Passover is the religious festival that celebrates the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of the Egyptians. The term is derived from the Hebrew pasach which means “to pass over.” When the Jews were in slavery to the Egyptians, the Lord raised Moses to be their deliverer. Moses told the Pharaoh about the plagues that would descend upon the Egyptian people if Pharaoh would not let God’s people go. Pharaoh refused and the plagues hit Egypt with a fury. The last plague was the death of the first born of each family who lived in Egypt. Since the Jews lived in Egypt, they were subject to this plague the same as the Egyptians. However, the Lord provided a means of protection. If they would take the blood of a lamb and spread it over the doorposts of their homes, the Lord would “pass over” them and the firstborn in their homes would be spared. Exodus 12:13, “And the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Slick, 2009).

[7] Physics definition of Transmutation: Transformation of one element into another by one or a series of nuclear reactions or reactions beyond what we can see (Dictionary, 2007).

[8] “Nephesh” is the word used for life in the above scriptures, Leviticus 17:11 and Genesis 9:4. The word in Greek for life would be “Haima” or “the Seat of Life.”

[9] Brackets added by the author

[10] Definition of “Remember”: 1.To recall to the mind with effort; think of again: and 2. Engineering. To return to (an original shape or form) after being …altered (Dictionary, 2007).

[11] Brackets added by the author

[12] We will speak more of this scripture later in the book.

[13] Brackets added by the author.

[14] In Greek, this word “wine” is the transliterated word “Oinos” but from the Hebrew root “Yayin” which means wine. This fact will be important later in the book.

[15] The Law: Referred to as The Torah by Jewish people - this includes the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of Moses and the first 5 books of the Holy Bible).

[16] Brackets added by the author

[17] Author’s Note: this is literally a picture of a Jewish temple as sacrifices required such activity. ~ See I Corinthians 3:16

[18] The Douay-Rheims Bible is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English. It was the first officially authorized Catholic translation of the Bible in English, and has formed the basis of some later Roman Catholic Bibles in English.

[19]”by” here in the Greek is “diav” which means “by the means of” (Bible Study Tools, 2007).

[20] Brackets added by the author

[21] Parentheses added by the author – noting other symbols for the unity of the Trinity

[22] More will be mentioned on this event in later chapters also, especially Chapter 10.

[23] “Ghost”

[24] According to the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law, a confession is “…an acknowledgment of a fact or allegation as true or proven; especially: a written or oral statement by an accused party acknowledging the party’s guilt …” it states also that “In order to be admissible as evidence, a confession must be voluntary.”

[25] Brackets in this passage are added by author for emphasis of Greek meaning of Spirit - Pnuema – the word used to refer to the Holy Ghost in the New Testament (Strong, 1981).

[26] “believer” = one who has already accepted Jesus as Savior “into” their heart by open confession ( Proverbs 18:21, Proverbs 28:13, Romans 9:9, 10)

[27] Luke 13: 11-13: If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

[28] I believe this reference of “glory” is to the Holy Ghost, the inward personal Excellency of Christ, the Greek “ Doxa” or His inward “ brightness of the stars”

[29] Parenthetical identifier added by the author

[30] (NOTE: The following is my assertion that can only be generally assumed and based singularly on my interpretation of Scripture from the Holy Bible and other areas of general knowledge including biology and theoretical physics).

[31] See also Appendix B.

[32] See more on this phenomenon in Chapter 8.

[33] Brackets added by the author

[34] There will be more on dimensions in Chapter 8 also in this book.

[35] Brackets added by author

[36] Shekinah (n.) The visible majesty of the Divine Presence, especially when resting or dwelling between the cherubim on the mercy seat, in the Tabernacle, or in the Temple of Solomon; — a term used in the Targums (Aramaic versions of the Hebrews texts because Aramaic became the common language.) and by the later Jews, and adopted by Christians (Bible Study Tools, 2008).

[37] Brackets added by the author to provide clarity

[38] Parentheses added by the author for clarity

[39] Hell = A dimensional place where people who do not desire to be with their Creator are sent to after death; the presence of God is not in this place (Matthew 10:28, 2 Peter 2:4).

[40] Dimensionally speaking, in Eternity, “it is finished” was probably spoken by our Father God, Jesus the Son and Holy Ghost at the same “time” because in Eternity, They are always One (Matthew 28:19, Hebrews 3:6-9).

[41] From the Greek “Enduo” which means “to sink into” (Strong, 1981).

[42] …by way of the Holy Ghost’s work in Jesus’ human body as well as the Holy Ghost’s work in Hell (Ephesians 4:7-10, 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended , what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) I take “lower parts of the earth” to mean “Hell.”

[43] See St. John 14:16, 17 and St. John 15:26, 27

[44] The full definition of adoption according to the Greek lexicon based on Thayer’s and Smith’s Bible Dictionary plus others and the large Kittel and the “Theological Dictionary of the New Testament” - adoption= adoption as sons ; that relationship which God was pleased to establish between himself and the Israelites in preference to all other nations ; the nature and condition of the true disciples in Christ, who by receiving the Spirit of God into their souls become sons of God ; the blessed state looked for in the future life after the visible return of Christ from heaven.

[45] Parentheses added by the author for clarity

[46] Parentheses are added throughout this passage to provide clarity for the Greek term “Pnuema” which is used to identify the third person in the Trinity, the Holy Ghost and the Greek term “kardia” which speaks of the heart as a dualistic organ, both emotional and physical (Strong, 1981).

[47] So… if life =light and blood =life…then blood =light? Remember luminal and the transitive property and our blood …

[48] Author’s note: This seems to indicate that the Kingdom is hidden from our natural sight like the presumed unseen dimensions, yet its effects can be seen!

[49] Author’s note: This parable of Jesus seems to indicate that the Kingdom is hidden from sight as well!

[50] Author’s note: The Greek word for ‘within” is transliterated as “En,” or “entos” which means “inside” but also more specifically “within you i.e. your soul” or your “nephesh” (Bible Study Tools, 2008). This sounds dimensional to me. Jesus is pretty clear here that He is not talking about your “run of the mill” type of “kingdom.”

[51] Unbreakable® (2000) is a trademark of M. Night Shayamalan

[52] Powder® (1995) is a movie distributed by Hollywood Pictures

[53] To suppress, as if to hold back from one’s full potential (Bible Study Tools, 2007)

[54] Parenthesis added by the author

[55] Thank God Jesus died that we would not have to die a “hell-encrusted” death. I happen to believe that just like Jesus walked through violent crowds without harm, we can do the same (St. John 8:59, St. John 10:33, Hebrews 11:28-35, Luke 10:19, Isaiah 54:17) The Bible says that God’s people die for a lack of knowledge of God’s Word (Hosea 4:6). If we know His written Word, and act on His revealed Word, we can be protected (Psalms 91).

[56] Parentheses added by author for clarity

[57] The “Gospels” are the first four books of the New Testament in the Holy Bible.

[58] Parenthesis added in this passage for clarity by the author

[59] “Clean” in this verse in Greek (transliterated as “Katharos”) means ““purified by fire” (Bible Study Tools, 2007).

[60] in·ti·mate; (ĭn’të-māt): To make known subtly and indirectly; hint; imply as a possibility (intimate, 2002).

[61]Phos: light ; the light emitted by a lamp ; a heavenly light such as surrounds angels when they appear on earth; anything emitting light ; a star ; fire because it is light and sheds light (Bible Study Tools, 2008).

[62]Parenthesis added by author

[63] A random note to “spiritual-warfare minded” Christians: Speaking of warfare, “Declaring and Decreeing things” is important, but only if God has given the instruction in His Word and through prayer to do so (Jude 1:9, Acts 19:11-17, James 1:9, Matthew 8:5-13 ). Relationship with God through consistent communication with God should come before acts of declaration occur (Jackson, 1999). Otherwise this sort of declaration could be an act of pride with dire repercussions. Even though God’s Word in our mouths remains efficacious and powerful when a believer does not have a close relationship with Him, the “gift” speaks highly of the giver and not the user. Jesus mentions that many will come to Him having done great things in His name and He’ll say He never knew them (Matthew 7:21-23). We must remember that authority (responsibility) and reward come after relationship and right action. Even the verse (Job 22:28) that is used often with this mode of “spiritual warfare” of decreeing a thing states a very important prerequisite in the two verses before it: Job 22: 26-28 – “26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. 27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. 28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.” We must consult God before we speak or do anything, just like Jesus did (St. John 5:19, 5:30, and 8:28).~

[64] In the KJV this portion reads, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

[65] In fact it is “by Jesus’ stripes” or bloody wounds that we can be literally healed and made whole physically and in every way if we verbally receive His sacrifice for us (I Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:5).

[66] Emphasis in brackets by the author; also my interpretation of “he” and use of the term “Spirit” in this passage.

[67] I would suggest that you read a book by John Paul Jackson called Needless Casualties of War (1999) at this point so that we, the Body of Christ can begin to pray wisely for others.

[68] Bracket added by the author according to the Amplified Bible; also refers to the “Holy Ghost.”

[69] We will discuss this scripture more later in this final chapter, especially as it concerns being “sealed.” It has special significance to the return of Jesus and a Noahic prophecy!

[70] See Exodus 17:6; St. John 7:38, 39; St. John 19:34

[71] Though not mentioned in the exact terminology as “the rapture” in the Bible, the event is described in more than one place as a “catching, being taken or a taking away” for which the term “rapture” has come to mean (Matthew 24:39 - 41, Luke 17:36, Acts 1:9-11, I Thessalonians 4:17, Revelation 12:5).

[72] Parenthesis added for clarity by the author – see Revelation 12:10.

[73] Author’s Note: Note that the scripture does not say “some of them!”

[74] Brackets added for clarity by the author.

[75] Parenthesis added by author for clarity and the meaning of the word life in the Hebrew in this passage.

[76] Leviticus 17:11; brackets added by the author for clarity. The Hebraic word origin of “flesh” by the way is the transliterated word “Basar” which means “blood relations and good news!”(BibleStudyTools.com, 2007)

[77] i.e. Holy Ghost (Bauer, 2000)

[78] [Black pitch]- could, as my friend Fred Van Swearingen mentioned to me, could allude to and have represented our sin, our tainted blood that our “deliverer” would take upon Himself for our sakes…a direct analogy of Jesus’ task on Calvary…

[79] Brackets added by the author for clarity

[80] The definition of panoply according to Funk and Wagnall’s Dictionary (1973) is 1. The complete equipment of a warrior. 2. Any complete covering that protects or magnificently arrays – Ephesians 6:10-18, Romans 4:7, 13:12

[81] Author’s Note: This is an aside but I actually believe that tattoos, which are expressly forbidden in the Bible - Leviticus 19:28 – are a diabolical and covert way for the enemy to use the blood of the person getting the tattoo to connect themselves with the works of darkness. Tattoos could also be serving as a desensitization of our culture to a certain “mark of the beast” (Revelation 13:17 and Revelation 14:9) that will be physically required of those that do not escape in the rapture. Thanks be to God that Jesus’ Blood can deliver a person from even this sort of a trap according to I John 1:7, Colossians 1:14 and others, esp. when one gained a tattoo while ignorant of God’s command not to get tattoos.

[82] “Wait” like a waiter serves patrons as well as to “ be patient for” (Strong, 1981)

[83] Eschatological – Refers to the branch of theology that is concerned with the end of the world or of huMankind. A belief or a doctrine concerning the ultimate or final things, such as death, the destiny of humanity, the Rapture, the Second Coming, or the Last Judgment.

Table of Contents

The Holy Ghost

© 2011 Derick Virgil, PhD. All rights reserved.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

The Hypothesis

Introduction

The Blood of Flesh Has a Voice!

Chapter 1

Adam’s Stain / Our Stain

Chapter 2

Water into Wine

Chapter 3

The Spirit, The Water, & The Blood: Symbols of the Overcoming Life

Chapter 4

The Witness is The Blood

Chapter 5

The Life of Your Flesh is in Your Blood!

Chapter 6

The Ghost of His Flesh is in Our Blood

Chapter 7

The Holy Ghost: The Blood, The Altar, The Sacrifice and The Fire

Chapter 8

The Soul (Mind) of Jesus’ Flesh is in the Believer’s Blood

Chapter 9

We Must Be Filled to Overflowing!

Chapter 10

Jesus Paid It All! His Soul Saved Our Souls!

Books on the Blood:

An Allegorical Picture of Our Communion with God

A Practical Application: The Apostle’s Doctrine of Laying on of Hands

References

Table of Contents

The Holy Ghost

© 2011 Derick Virgil, PhD. All rights reserved.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

The Hypothesis

Introduction

The Blood of Flesh Has a Voice!

Chapter 1

Adam’s Stain / Our Stain

Chapter 2

Water into Wine

Chapter 3

The Spirit, The Water, & The Blood: Symbols of the Overcoming Life

Chapter 4

The Witness is The Blood

Chapter 5

The Life of Your Flesh is in Your Blood!

Chapter 6

The Ghost of His Flesh is in Our Blood

Chapter 7

The Holy Ghost: The Blood, The Altar, The Sacrifice and The Fire

Chapter 8

The Soul (Mind) of Jesus’ Flesh is in the Believer’s Blood

Chapter 9

We Must Be Filled to Overflowing!

Chapter 10

Jesus Paid It All! His Soul Saved Our Souls!

Books on the Blood:

An Allegorical Picture of Our Communion with God

A Practical Application: The Apostle’s Doctrine of Laying on of Hands

References