But you’ll need something special for your quest.
Got a few tricks up your sleeve? Is your sleight of hand quicker than the eye?
Hmm… maybe it’s all just hocus pocus.
Yet, you’ll need faith to believe. (Do you believe in magic?)
2 Peter 1:4-9
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
What happened to the human race?
You might be unhappy, in despair, and simply waiting for death.
Or, you might have enjoyment in your life, buoyed by financial security, where you’re fortunate to have daily and weekly routines that keep you somewhat contented as you age – even living vicariously through your grandchildren.
However, in an increasingly corrupt world, we know that danger lurks, and even if you’re having the most pleasurable time – hazards like car accidents, stabbings, disease, and financial chaos could/will destroy everything.
So many of us have that nagging feeling that there has to be something better – that we have so much more potential.
Yes, the human race has unlimited potential. You have unlimited potential… but it doesn’t seem that way.
What went wrong?
As we busied ourselves with our routines and selfish goals, we turned away from what life is about.
Life is a quest. We see our destination from afar. Our destination is something much better. With unlimited potential we can find our way to that world.
But most turn away. Why? Because something phenomenal comes with a considerable price.
To journey on this quest, we need to pay the price and take up our cross.
If we pay that price, we can unlock our unlimited potential. We can journey as we please, with true freedom. We can navigate this world of our fallen nature, breeze through hell, have fellowship with the heavenly – always bringing our experiences to the imputed righteousness of Christ. A magical experience.
You might marvel at the power of the Lord. Jeremiah 32:17
Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee
Psalm 102:25
Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
Even atheists may be in awe of the wonderment of creation.
But, in our day to day lives, only so much seems possible.
In contrast: Luke 1:37
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
While amazing potential to unlimited complexity does exist… Isaiah 55:8-9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Jeremiah 51:15-18
He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.
When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.
Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
In a world of repetitive fast food, boring dead-end jobs, fellowship regulated by social media, and walls that of course will be off-white, wouldn’t it be great to visit the heavenly?
What would we call that? Magic.
Amazing, special, unexplainable moments would manifest.
That which defies expectation would be a natural, yet, still endearing experience.
Bombshells of the unimaginable would become ours… in the most intriguing way.
Magic.
But, you might say that we don’t need God, Christ, the Holy Spirit or any of this for ‘magic.’
And you would be completely correct. Exodus 7:10-11
And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
Revelation 13:13-14
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast;
Many seek the power of the Satanic to work magic in their lives.
May pursue the demonic to achieve wealth, power, sexual delights.
With the internet, you can easily find a Luciferian group, or guiding sage, or tarot card reader.
Do you want an executive job, a fancy house, the desire of the opposite sex? Your dreams can be realized with a channel to the supernatural power of Satan.
Revelation 16:14
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles…
But, you might say that you are not interested in the Luciferian.
You might be Christian, or perhaps atheist or agnostic… and you’re not interested in this brand of magic.
Wow. We don’t usually have visitors as sophisticated as you.
You, my friend, have an eye for quality.
Fortunately, we have another plan that we can put you into with E-Z monthly payments. Act now, as quantities are limited.
Bright lights, big city.
In our world of machines, you could be an inventor of the latest hot new thing, an e-sports champion, a social media influencer, or a cryptocurrency billionaire.
Your visions of beach-house property with catering servants could be your future.
(This offer is not available in Alaska, Hawaii, or anywhere French.)
Act now to double your order at no extra charge (perhaps a double portion?).
A mansion. A beach vacation. An expensive yacht. The admiration of your peers.
All is possible in this world. (But probably not.)
As you struggle to achieve the above by navigating our mechanized world… you might achieve fleeting moments of happiness… but true joy escapes you.
With your own efforts – ‘good’ works, perhaps including some supernatural, demonic incantations, any treasures that you seek will not create long-term happiness. At best, we can settle into a routine buoyed by financial comfort.
Our boring, bland, dull world (the algorithmic, mechanized fallen from God) simply is not creating joy.
Why not?
Because you are not you. The unique you.
This leads us to the question. Who are you?
You are a physical body. You have hands, legs, a torso, etc.
And you have something to activate your body. You can walk, talk, and move as your mind or consciousness or mentality dictates.
The Bible calls the mind or consciousness or mentality or personality: the soul.
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.
Our soul (this mind/consciousness/mentality/personality) can be thought of as our will, our intellect, and our emotions.
Your will says: “I want.”
Your intellect says: “I think.”
Your emotions say: “I feel.”
And your soul wants to please your body by giving it things like decent food and a comfortable home.
That is, you make the decision to eat tasty, gourmet food or you make the decision to turn on the heat in the winter.
The soul also wants to please itself – perhaps by being entertained or intellectually challenged.
That is, you make the decision to watch your favorite television show or complete a crossword puzzle.
(That which is of the soul – the soulish – isn’t necessarily sinful, as we have valid needs and wants for the body and soul. But all sin is soulish/fleshly/carnal.)
You might be in a fortunate position in life in that you have been able to enjoy many pleasures of the world: travel to exotic locations, great hotels, sexual pursuits, culinary delights, artistic enjoyments, etc.
But, after decades, you might feel that the joy of eating great food, or drinking the alcohols of the world, or learning about the latest scientific discoveries may not be as pleasurable as before.
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
You might just be happy to slip into the repetitive routines of life.
But, as you wistfully look back on your life, you’re not that happy. Perhaps you’re falling into nihilism, or perhaps you’re just a bit bored.
Something indescribable in your life would be great. Some sort of X-factor in your life is missing. Something fascinating. You need to find the magic in your life – a quest to find something beyond – something truly magical.
Deuteronomy 18:10-11
There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
To explore beyond our natural world, you might look to super-natural.
That would seem logical.
You might get involved in the paranormal (beyond normal) or explore what various sages have to say about what the future holds for you.
And, as you get involved with horoscopes, tarot cards, and spell-casting… you are back where you started. Why?
Because everyone involved in these occult groups is looking for money, consumer items, a powerful job to appease your pride, a group that understands you so that you are not feeling lonely, new information to appease your intellect – that is, something ‘soulish.’
Like before, you’ve made the decision via your soul to look for something to appease the body and the soul. In our quest, this is not the magic that we are looking for.
Rather than this supernatural, you might seek fulfilment, that yearning deep inside of you, via joining a political movement, a social group, or following self-help guru like a psychologist or philosopher.
And that lack within you is fulfilled… temporarily.
Again, you are appeasing your soulish nature (appeasing body and soul). You appease your pride by adhering to the rules and norms of the group – currying the favor of your fellow members, your desire to fit in and be comfortable.
Hebrews 11:24-27
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Are these groups meeting the needs of the unique you? No.
At these groups, you have a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that is no more complex than simple dust and ashes.
The speaker talks with tools of flattery, repetition, intonation, building up to crescendos – all of the usual psychological techniques that:
1) make you just another boring face in the crowd – where your name is a number (as the approach is one-size-fits-all).
2) are soulish: appeasing your desires for a comfortable home, entertaining life, material goods, uplifting feelings, intellectual stimulation, etc.
And the marketing materials that brought you into this group were soulish.
They spoke of our new soulish gods of comfort and convenience.
They had glossy pictures of pretty people that we want to approve of us. Just six E-Z payments for the complete course that will make a confident, new you! Relax and listen to the teachings in the comfort of your own home.
That growing rag-tag group of resistors to the machine got you interested via appeal to soulish desires of escaping danger and finding self-preservation. They said there was a ‘red alert’ and you need to take action now to stop the evil people.
Stopping the machine has never been easier – from the convenience of your smartphone.
You later clicked on those Youtube videos as the headline scared you into finding the solution to some climate crisis, invasion of immigrants, or the potential death of millions.
But then you became sensible, and found God.
That local church hired a marketing company. The brochure said that you could learn about them from the comfort of your own home – via the convenience of an internet connection.
They have a product called being ‘saved.’ Okay, the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach of an altar call, saying the ‘sinner’s prayer’ and then salvation might be soulish (convenient, emotionally-fulfilling, visually appealing decorated church)… but it’s very efficient. The machine approves.
God wanted you to approach him in a unique way, as unique as you are.
Perhaps via your statistical/mathematical criticism of evolution, or your love of the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, or via your hatred of the demonic experiences in your life, or via a personal encounter with the Lord.
And, as you attend church service, the experience again is soulish.
The music of the band appeals to the pleasure of ears and the fellowship is of prideful self-congratulations.
Why are you there? The brochure with the catchy slogan listed soulish blessings and prosperity and the pride of being God’s people.
We’re on the right side of history! Yay!
Yes, you can enjoy the roller coasters, the pop culture, the various parties… for a time.
You might even enjoy soulish pleasures vicariously through your children or your grandchildren as they win trophies at school.
But, eventually, you will have that lack. Why? Because you aren’t you.
Yes, you have a body and a soul (mind/consciousness/mentality) that activates the body.
But you also are spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Have you made the decision from your soul to activate the spirit and seek the spiritual? Isaiah 26:8-9
Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Our spirit links us to God. John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Isaiah 38:15-16
What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.
O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.
God’s Holy Spirit linked to our spirit: Galatians 4:6
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
While we can sense our body and we know that we have a mind or soul – we cannot naturally sense our spirit. John 3:8
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.
The only way we can link to our spirit is the wisdom and knowledge from the Word of God. John 6:63
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
The only way that we can live beyond a world that is more and more dull, as the efficiency of the machine causes us to be more and more routine and similar to each other, is to have something special – proper magic in our lives.
As you become more and more familiar with the Word of God, you can see more and more what is soulish and what is of the spirit. Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged 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.
By recognizing new a sensibility of the spirit, you aren’t limited by the common sense of the world.
You don’t conform to this world, and your soul (mind, personality) is renewed and you can affect God’s change via your bodily actions. Romans 12:1-2
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.
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.
Soulish desires and spiritual desires are in opposition to each other. Galatians 5:16-17 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Our world is a paradox.
To survive and thrive, you either choose the common sense of the world where you trust in your bank account and your career – or you trust in God.
Are you conformed to the world’s common sense or did you renew your mind? Matthew 13:49
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just
The Word of God is a double edged sword. Revelation 1:16
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword The Word of God, dividing soul and spirit, will show you what a soulish desire is and what a spiritual desire is in your life.
If you seek only the soulish to appease the desires of your body and your personality, then you will be forever cut off from God.
Flesh = Carnal = Soulish Romans 8:5-8
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
To connect to God, you must turn away from the soulish towards seeking the spiritual. John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Proverbs 16:25
There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Romans 8:9-10
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.
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
To seek the spiritual, rather than the soulish, is to be not guilty under The Law. Romans 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
The spiritual man judges properly, not as an accuser, not as a busybody. 1 Corinthians 2:15-16
But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Part of being soulish, and not being spiritual, is living in delusion – ignoring the reality of the spiritual. Ephesians 4:17-18
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart
From Andrew Wommack Ministries:
What should you do with your life?
What is man’s purpose?
Mankind is to be on a quest.
God wants man to seek, to search – a voyage of discovery and growth. Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Philemon 1:6
That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 92:12-15
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Psalm 72:7-8
In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
A proper quest is not easy – and is not about what is too simple, becoming boring and bland. The quest is not for food, drink, materialism, feel-good moments, or the adulations of our peers. Our quest concerns seeking the spiritual, not the soulish. Matthew 6:31-33
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
But, the Queen of the South will judge you. Luke 11:31
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
The men of Nineveh will judge you. Luke 11:32
The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
The Queen of the South traveled far in her quest – to find something special – the magic – from the wisdom of King Solomon.
The men of Nineveh valued the preaching of Jonah – and immediately discarded the soulish to seek the spiritual. Jonah 3:5-8
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:
But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
And you now have something greater than King Solomon and Jonah. You have the words of Christ and all 66 books of the Bible.
But the Queen and the men of Nineveh judge you, as you don’t seek the spiritual.
You went to a political action meeting, which of course is going to save the world, and as you enjoyed the catered party, and the well-stocked bar, and the congratulations of your peers, and the speakers who relied on vocal intonations and inflections, which got the crowd to cheer: you only sought the soulish, not the spiritual.
Or, after finding that glossy advertisement with the new buzzwords that make you feel as if you’re on the cutting edge – you visit that counselor who will help you with your marriage or your personal problems.
You speak of your feelings and your goals, and how to achieve by your own efforts.
You’re making great, personal progress – if your cheque clears! Congratulations!
Not you, as you are better than that.
You went to a church with an affable preacher who has a glossy book – and you said a feel-good prayer, and you are now born-again! Yay!
Now you can appease your pride by judging others.
The church gets through the boring sermon in record time, and you can sing those enjoyable, feel-good songs. With social time, you can get compliments and congratulations, as you endlessly wait for some rapture insanity before Christ actually returns.
(Fasting and sackcloth are for prehistoric times!) Luke 6:24-26
But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Does this church use the Word of God as a sword? Yes. But the sword is two-edged, and most churches divide asunder the soul and the spirit – but prioritize the soul – sticking to only those well-known, feel-good Bible verses.
Soulish churches: Amos 6:1-7
Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!
Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?
Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;
That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;
That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;
That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.
God forever is to be associated with three men: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Acts 7:32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
Exodus 3:16
Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt
Would most Christians consider Abraham to be a ‘good’ person? Probably not.
He was a bit of a liar. Genesis 12:11-13
And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
And again: Genesis 20:2-3
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
Isaac similarly lied:
Genesis 26:6-7
And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:
And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.
Abraham went forward with his own ‘good’ works to have an heir, which was promised by God. Genesis 16:1-3
Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
And Abraham laughed at the idea of his heir coming from Sarah – rather than Hagar. (Hagar bore the son, Ishmael – the forefather of Islam.) Genesis 17:17-19
Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
Why was Abraham exalted by God?
God presented Abraham with a quest (when Abraham was previous named Abram). Genesis 12:1-3
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
God knew all about Abraham and knew that he would command his family, but God exalted him because God also knew Abraham would finish his quest. Genesis 18:19
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Psalm 139:1-4
O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
To reach the completion of his quest, Abraham had strength – the material, physical, fleshly, carnal strength of the world. Genesis 13:2
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
However, Abraham also had a strength beyond what the material world called strength.
Strife emerged between Abraham’s men and Lot’s men.
Lot was Abraham’s nephew. So, Abraham, being senior, and being the man with God’s blessing, could have had first choice regarding land allocation. Genesis 13:7-9
And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. But, Abraham gave Lot the first choice.
Beyond soulish (material, physical, fleshly, carnal) strength, Abraham had spiritual strength.
Abraham had the strength of yielding. Acts 20:33-35
I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
The strength of yielding and stopping: When we are presented with a quest to climb the mountain, perhaps the most difficult task is to wait at the bottom of the mountain. Romans 8:25
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Lot was a righteous man.
2 Peter 2:7-8
And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
But, in that moment, Lot’s view was soulish.
Lot ended up the in the ill-fated land of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 13:10-13
And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
In Hebrew (the original language of the Old Testament), the name ‘Lot’ means veil or covering.
When the ‘veil’ was removed from Abraham – he could see north, south, east, and west.
Abraham could see what was previously hidden. Genesis 13:14-15
And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
That is, Abraham, with spiritual strength, had unlimited potential. He could see upwards and go north, south, east, and west.
That which is soulish/carnal/fleshy is not necessarily sinful. We all need to eat, sleep, find some entertainment in life, etc.
But all sin is soulish/carnal/fleshly.
Accordingly, Lot was a righteous man, but was not, in that moment, spiritually led in his quest.
When Lot (the veil) was gone, Abraham could look upwards with new sight connected to the heavenly and unlimited potential upwards and all directions. Genesis 13:14
And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes…
In contrast, Lot looked upwards without being told to do so by God. Genesis 13:10-11 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
Similarly, we all so many times try to be spiritual and end up with the soulish.
Logically, Lot looked and found a lush, abundant land – but ended up with the doomed Sodom and Gomorrah.
To understand what happened, we have to go back to ‘the garden of the Lord.’
A while ago, mankind lived only with good.
God saw good. Genesis 1:4,10,12,18,21,25,31
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
…And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
…And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
…And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. …And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
…And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
…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.
The human race simply didn’t know about good and evil: shame, dedication, guilt, failure, crime, blessings, benevolence, sacrifice, pettiness, kindness, bias, esteem, accountability, etc., etc.
Adam didn’t even know that, when, for the first time in history that things were not good – what was needed was a naked woman. Genesis 2:25
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Genesis 2:18,21-23
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
…And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
But when humans ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil… Genesis 2:16-17
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
…we could see good and evil like God.
Genesis 3:4-7
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 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.
Genesis 3:22
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever
By seeing good and evil, Adam and Eve immediately became accusers.
Adam accused Eve and Eve accused the serpent. Genesis 3:11-13
Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
With sight knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve not only became accusers, but they also focused on the material world, the flesh, the physical – that which is seen. 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.
Genesis 3:10-11
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked?
To affect change towards good, we focus on what we can sense. Accordingly, our solution is our own ‘good’ works – which never considers the spiritual.
We end up prioritizing the sleek, new book from another hero who will save the world – or another talking head with nice hair, or a good radio-friendly speaking voice, and that affable intonation.
Our favorite charity has the usual marketing campaign that has the pictures of cute children, the catchy slogan, and appeal to urgency: Act now! All of this is soulish – and boring as it’s the same over and over again – the tried and true psychological techniques of persuasion.
And, as the machine perfects its efficiency – the world becomes more and more repetitive and boring with the repeated colors from the fast food companies to make you hungry, the exaggeration of clickbait to make you pay attention, and the bland, lowest-common denominator, processed food.
Proper wisdom will not necessarily have a glossy, pop culture-friendly exterior. 2 Corinthians 10:7,10
Do ye look on things after the outward appearance?
…For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.
2 Corinthians 11:6
But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things.
Proper wisdom lives in the realm of the spiritual – untainted by the soulish wants and needs. Proverbs 3:13-15
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Worldly wisdom is soulish – cut off from the spiritual. James 3:15
This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Our world’s logic and common sense is the law of the jungle: get what you can, while you can, with your own strength. The weak will have to fend for themselves.
(If we donate to the poor, it will be for the tax receipt and the commendation of our peers, at that self-congratulatory party.)
In the digital age, with so much information to sense, we learn and learn, become more sophisticated, but never become properly spiritual. 2 Timothy 3:7
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
We see and sense so much like Adam, Eve, and Lot, but we never see as Abraham saw, guided to the spiritual. Abraham’s vision is hidden from us. 2 Corinthians 4:18
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Cut off from God and the spiritual by time he wrote Ecclesiastes, a backslidden King Solomon still had his soulish wisdom and intelligence.
With the soulish, he could only see the physical – that which was ‘under the sun.’
Yet, being so wise, he knew that this all was vanity (meaning futility, frustration).
All that which is seen (by soulish eyes) is not new, but the same-old, same-old, repetitious, boring.
Ecclesiastes 1:2-10
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
Strength seen in the sunlight and nourished by the sunlight – the world’s strength, is physical – what we can soulishly see as strength – expressed in the power of wild beasts. Revelation 13:2
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Habakkuk 1:8-11
Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.
If your quest is successful, you will find something special, something hidden from the world – hidden from the soulish strength of the wild beasts. Isaiah 35:8-9
And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there
Job 28:3
He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
Job 28:7-23 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:
The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.
He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.
He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.
But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.
It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
Luke 10:21
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
God created all – and rules over all good and evil. Psalm 104:20-26
Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.
The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
Philippians 2:10-11
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
But in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve only had to deal with the good.
In our complex, nuanced world of pain, optimism, heroic moments, tears, disease, euphoria, and fame – a world difficult to navigate, we inevitably become soulish, simplifying the world, pursuing our goal of becoming a simple label – simple like ashes and dust.
By turning from the soulish to the spiritual, your life has unlimited potential.
What does having ‘unlimited potential’ mean?
It means that we can run the full distance. Our blade extends from the humanity of red to the heavenly of blue. Truly purple reaching beyond the sky. Proverbs 25:3
The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.
In complicated world of good and evil: exhilaration, poise, grumbling, terror, goofiness, hedonism, bliss, calamity, chaos, vengeance, triumph, misunderstanding, etc., etc. – we unfortunately soulishly navigate by logic and common sense and trying to simplify this crazy world.
We never make it upwards to the goodness of garden of Eden and the heavenly.
However, with unlimited potential, we don’t have to conform to the boring, traditional logic of the world.
We aren’t conformed to being labels and we are not bound by any rules or laws.
By being spiritual, we can leave the soulish devolution, kiss heaven and navigate everything in between.
Those who access the spiritual via the wisdom of the Word of God can succeed in becoming a unique person – an individual by holding onto the bedrock. Matthew 7:24-25
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:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
We can navigate this crazy world without being corrupted. Matthew 10:16
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
We can go as we please, up, down, left, right – this community, that community – confident that we are on the path that will bring us to the perfection (maturity, completion, fulfilment) of who we are. 1 Corinthians 9:20-22
And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
Zechariah 10:12
And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.
As we navigate this crazy world, we can even dine with evil – and confidently know our quest ends upwards in the kingdom of God (rather than corruption downwards). Psalm 23:4-5
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
1 Timothy 1:20
Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
In a cockamamie world of information overload, new technologies, cautiousness, outrage, spite, daydream fantasies, and glee – how can we possibly get started?
Really? You don’t know? You cannot be serious. Disappointing. Get out your alphabetical Bible concordance and turn it to T&A.
In start of our Bible, everything was good.
Genesis 1:4,10,12,18,21,25,31
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
…And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
…And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
…And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. …And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
…And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
…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.
But, all of a sudden, it was not good.
Even though Eden featured beautiful plants, and helpful animals, it simply was not good. Genesis 2:9
And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food;
Genesis 2:18
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an helper suitable for him.
Genesis 2:20-22
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an helper suitable for him.
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Our purpose is to create visual beauty – and beauty is indistinguishable from righteousness.
When we use the Word of God as a sword to divide the soul and the spirit – we walk on water.
With the wisdom of the Word of God, we see the importance of beauty.
We see that in the garden of Eden, it was good, and suddenly it was not good. And this condition changed with our pinnacle of beauty: woman. When all of her own beauty is seen – she is nude – like the nude woman Eve. Genesis 2:25
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
But as we turn from the soulish to the spiritual, in our walk on water, brave men anger the Scribes and Pharisees of this world, and view the nude woman, the tits and ass, the pornography.
We experience her beauty, and realize, that yes, it relates us to Christ who demands that the bride of Christ remove the clothing of her old ‘good’ works.
We then see the body of the bride of Christ as a woman’s body – whose parts need to be refined as we focus on improving the legs, fingers, eyes, knees, shoulders, tits and ass.
Further in our walk on water, we see the beautiful animals. Proverbs 28:1
The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Job 39:13 Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?
And, we see the ugly creatures. Jeremiah 8:17
For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.
Lamentations 4:3
Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.
Revelation 18:2
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
We see the ugliness of barren deserts restored to life, and the ugliness of faded health restored to vibrance. Isaiah 35:1-7
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
Like Adam and Eve, we know of good and evil. We can see beauty and ugliness.
We can see winners and losers. Punishment for losing the battle against sin: take your beating and we can see your ugly scars. Deuteronomy 25:2-3
And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.
Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.
Judges 7:25
And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.
Victory:
Deuteronomy 20:17
But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee
As we walk on water, we see the majestic, beautiful lion win victory. Numbers 23:24
Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.
Proverbs 30:30
A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;
2 Chronicles 9:19
And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.
Only the strong lion prevails. That is the logical, sensible conclusion in the last book of the Bible. Revelation 5:5
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
The lesson is that the strength of a rugged, virile lion will win the day.
(Edit: the ultimate lion that seizes the day of victory is actually a weak, little lamb that got killed – torn apart with ugly, disgusting wounds and dried up, grisly blood. If you could ignore that strong, virile lion lesson stuff. Thanks.) Revelation 5:6
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
When you turn from the soulish to the spiritual, you discover a different sort of strength.
As with Abraham, strength in weakness:
1 Corinthians 2:3-5
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
This strength that comes with the wisdom of the Word of God is not apparent to us normally.
Our normal world of ‘getting what you can, while you can’ doesn’t know of this strength. 1 Corinthians 2:6-9
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Our normal senses (like Adam and Eve with their ‘eyes opened’) cannot understand this strength. 1 Corinthians 2:10-14
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
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.
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.
This spiritual strength is not self-centered; spiritual strength is about how much of others’ weakness you can bear. Matthew 18:21-22
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
1 Corinthians 3:2
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
John 16:12
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Hebrews 5:11-13
Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Patience is not a weakness, but an expression of spiritual strength.
Proverbs 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
Proverbs 25:28
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
Spiritual strength, this hidden strength accessible in the Word of God, is not a strength in personal networking, understanding our customers’ goals, fitting in with your crowd, or refining our efficiency.
This strength is far more complex – beyond the logic of our soulish need and wants.
This strength is hidden from: the ‘law of the jungle,’ looking out for number one – the strength of the world.
This spiritual strength builds and sustains civilizations.
This spiritual strength creates fellowship where we cover for others’ weaknesses. And our interdependence fosters more fellowship. Romans 15:1-2
We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
This spiritual strength is of unlimited complexity, as we do not race to have confidence in ourselves, or be the first to market to ‘buy low and sell high,’ and purchase the newest and largest whatever to impress the neighbours. Rather, we individually find our place and learn from each other.
And what is our place? Our place is to serve each other – and we grow with proper intimate fellowship – a fellowship far beyond the usual plastic smile of corporate and pop culture.
Our reasoning is a new sensibility of growing to help the weak. Isaiah 1:17-19
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
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.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land
You might contribute to your retirement fund. You might save money away. Later, you withdraw money with earned interest. Sensible. You pay for food, rent, and leisure pursuits for your soulish needs. You appease your body and mind.
All of this makes sense, and you know how it works. Money in bank, money out of bank – simple and easy to figure out.
You might help your family and friends with favors and then one day they will return the favors and help you out.
Everyone does the above as it makes complete sense. It’s completely reasonable.
But you are just like everyone else. Boring.
At the end of your life, you hope that you were better at being like everyone else than everyone else. Efficiently.
Abraham, on the other hand, yielded to his nephew Lot – someone who Abraham might never see again (due their split) to be recompensated.
Because Abraham had the spiritual strength of giving (without any notion of that gift coming back) – God was willing to entrust Abraham with riches. Genesis 13:16-18
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
Again, with his son Isaac, Abraham did not do the sensible, reasonable, soulish act.
Abraham did something nonsensible, ridiculous.
God promised that Abraham would be the father of many. Genesis 17:4-5
As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
God promised that Abraham’s barren wife Sarah would birth Isaac – and the covenant would be through Isaac, and Isaac’s children. Genesis 17:21
But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
And then God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (as a burnt offering).
Abraham immediately complied by rising up early in the morning to do so. Genesis 22:1-3
And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
What?? That makes no sense. That’s even less logical than giving the best land to someone you might never see again.
But doing that which made no sense – the strength to give up – resulted in a magical development. Genesis 22:16-18
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Because Abraham was willing to give up his only son, the strength of yielding allowed him to walk with the strength of the Lord. 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.
Abraham did not know that this willingness to give up his son Isaac would magically bring him into the pattern of God sacrificing his son Christ, but Abraham trusted God and, in his quest, followed along. Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Psalm 37:5
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Reality is that we cannot anticipate God’s plans for us. Psalm 40:4-5
Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
Job 5:8-9
I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number
Psalm 92:5
O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.
But what is ‘magic’?
Magic is when something amazing happens that we cannot explain by our soulish senses.
When the magician pulls a rabbit out of the hat, we applaud as we don’t know quite how he did that. Headwear normally does not create small mammals.
When the magician saws his assistant in half, and yet she somehow lives and is unscathed, we applaud.
Torso sawing usually leads the 11 o’clock news.
Abraham offered Isaac as a burnt offering, which made no sense to the soulish, but resulted in progeny that cannot be numbered.
When Jesus turned water into wine… it did look like magic trick. John 2:3-10
And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
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,
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.
But this magic trick set a pattern of what we are supposed to do, as this trick is our job.
In our walk on water, we change the water of the Word into the wine for the party.
When I was arrested as a Blade Runner, the culmination of the encounter was: “I need the old Blade Runner. I need your magic.”
For our magic, we need what is old: the Word of God, all 66 books, has been around for a while.
However, for the new, we run forward in our actions in life.
Yet, God doesn’t need any more Old Runners. He has enough. They run forward with the Word (not waiting to follow), using the Word for their soulish purposes, but will sputter and die as old men.
Jeremiah 23:21
I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
Operating in present time, the now, you, as a Runner, have the Word of God.
We are clean with the Word – the Old – as Christ said. John 15:3
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
But to not fail as a Runner, we need to follow Christ. John 15:4-7
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.
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.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
We need to follow Jesus and press forward. Philippians 3:12-14
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Christ came not only by the Word, but also by blood sacrifice.
We need the ‘blade’ that sheds blood. Hebrews 9:22
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
In addition to the water of the Word and the blood, when the Holy Spirit bears witness, we bring heaven to earth. 1 John 5:6-8
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.
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
We need the ‘blade’ that splits the soulish and the spiritual. Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged 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.
The ‘blade’ that splits the ‘old’ and the ‘runner’ marks the thin path through which we are guided by the Holy Spirit.
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.
John 16:13
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth
Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Galatians 5:18
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
The blade kills evildoers in our path. Romans 13:4
But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Isaiah 49:2
And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
When we are on our proper path, guided by the Holy Spirit to the Lord – our walk on the water of the Word – the old demonstrated to be timeless as we run forward – the magic results. 2 Peter 1:12
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
We have unlimited potential to navigate the hellish, reign in the heavenly, and everything in between.
As we turn water into wine, the magic trick, we are changed into the people God wants us to be. Ephesians 4:22-24
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Colossians 3:9-10
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him
We progressively are sanctified (becoming saintly). 1 Corinthians 6:11
…but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
2 Timothy 2:21
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
The new man – the result of the magic trick – can fit in to be part of new construction of a permanent world. 1 Peter 1:22-23
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:
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
For magic to come into your life – that is, to perform the magic trick – what do you have to do?
You have to be the fool.
At Pentecost, the disciples witnessed the birth of the New Testament church in the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers. Acts 2:1-3
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
They spoke in other tongues – that is, foreign languages to proclaim the wonderful works of God. Acts 2:4-12
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
They were not concerned about being dignified.
They found comfort in the strength of the Lord directing their speech – and were unconcerned about speaking in their own soulish strength to please people.
Harnessing the magic will always seem odd to the world, as you’re doing something very nonsensible and undignified like preparing to sacrifice Isaac to please God – when God promised Isaac will have many descendants.
To have the magic work in your life, you’re going to have to endure the mocking – like those who spoke in other languages.
Acts 2:13
Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
The mockers thought in a soulish way, and thought their bodies were full of new wine.
But their bodies were full of good, new wine from John 2 (of the new man who is of the spirit) – the product of turning water into wine – the result of their walk on water to ferment the washing of the Word into the new man.
And we cannot settle for the old wine – the new wine is needed.
As you are the Old Blade Runner – the Old only becomes New by moving forward as a Runner along the thin Blade – demonstrating the timelessness of the Word and the eternal nature of you. Luke 5:37-39
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.
But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
Would the Church consider Jacob to be ‘good’?
Jacob desperately wanted the magic in his life.
Jacob (whose name means ‘heel’ or ‘supplanter’ in Hebrew) would work to grab his brother’s (Esau’s) birthright. Genesis 25:31-33
And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Jacob would then steal Esau’s blessing. Genesis 27:10-12
And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
Genesis 27:36
And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
As Esau had no respect for that which was from God, the magic, God never accepted Esau’s repentance. Hebrews 12:16-17
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
Professing Christians likely wouldn’t consider Jacob to be a good man.
But he desperately wanted that which was of God. He hungered to break through to heaven in his quest. Matthew 11:12
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Soulishly, would we suggest that Jacob should work on his interpersonal skills so that he can be a good father and provider? – and forget this birthright and blessing silliness?
Jacob pressed forward.
He wrestled God for his blessing. Genesis 32:24-30
And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. But this blessing cost Jacob. Similarly, if you do what you have to do to receive the magic, the price will be high. Genesis 32:31-32
And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.
Going forward, with depleted strength in his thigh, Jacob walked forward in his quest with a limp, not with his own strength, but with the strength of the Lord.
Jacob was willing to give up to receive the magic. Hebrews 11:21
By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
(Blade Runners move with legs of the sword of the Spirit.)
Walk in the Lord’s strength: Mark 6:8
And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse
Psalm 71:16
I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.
Psalm 73:25-26
Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
2 Samuel 22:3-4
The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
2 Samuel 22:40-43
For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.
Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.
They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.
Habakkuk 3:19
The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.
Proverbs 30:8-9
…give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
But, we got cars to flip, Jack to sip, broads to tip, cribs to pimp.
Get rich or die trying! Those yachts ain’t gonna buy themselves.
Many preachers teach a prosperity theology.
And, the camel can go through the eye of a needle… if God can trust you with those blessings.
Ezra 1:1-4
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.
And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
Rather than soulishly competing for the latest shiny things, and admiring the zeroes in your bank account, in your quest, the Holy Spirit can guide your application of material assets towards something amazing.
However, with unlimited potential to go north, south, east, west, up, down… your prosperity can be more complex, nuanced, and multi-dimensional than trading of material goods.
In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul wished that his quest would be prosperous. Romans 1:10
Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
To the logical, sensible, and learned Pharisee that Paul was – what was a prosperous journey?
During Paul’s journey around the Mediterranean countries, he endured many beatings, shipwrecks, and multiple perils. 2 Corinthians 11:23-27
Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Paul’s spiritual logic of prosperity was beyond the simple, soulish logic of prosperity (materialism, consumerism, hedonism, keeping up with the Joneses).
Paul’s prosperity of overcoming resulted in the magic trick of a new, cobbled-out Paul and disciples.
Know Paul’s doctrine: 2 Timothy 3:10-12
But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. We commit to looking towards the spiritual, rather than the soulish.
In Abraham’s quest, his blade run – his faith was reckoned to him for righteousness. Romans 4:9
…for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
Faith is about the conviction of truth, fidelity – that is: loyalty.
God knew Abraham and Paul and knew that they were committed to finishing the quest.
And, in your quest, your commitment to finishing your quest will be reckoned as righteousness. 2 Peter 1:10-11
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
To overcome with Jesus, you must be called by the Lord, and your reaction determines if you are chosen. And, you have to maintain that faithful loyalty to the end.
Revelation 17:14
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
With commitment, Paul had finished his quest to glory – perfection (fulfilment, completion, maturity). 2 Timothy 4:6-8
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
In the tabernacle of Moses, as one moves towards God from the Outer Court to the Holy Place and then to the Holy of Holies, you rely less on your soulish, fleshly, carnal sense of sight and rely on God for this sense.
The walls of the Outer Court (Forecourt) were 5 cubits high, which is about 8 feet high. Exodus 27:18
The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of bronze.
People could not see what was going on inside, without entering the tabernacle.
Similarly, you cannot really know what your quest is (what God has for you) until you enter it.
Once you walk inside and are in the Court, you can see via natural sunlight. But, closer to God, in the Holy Place, the only light was from the burning oil in the lampstand. Exodus 39:37
The pure gold lampstand, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light
The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Exodus 30:25,31
And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.
…And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.
Upon entering the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies), there was no sunlight or lamp. To break the darkness, light had to come from God who dwelt on the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant. Exodus 25:21-22
And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat
Exodus 26:33-34
And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.
And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.
In your quest, as you get closer to God, you rely less on your sight and have spiritual sight.
You give up your strength, wisdom, and senses for God’s – and you can do things with miraculous results that just don’t make sense to the soulish mind. The magic.
You have to enter the tabernacle to see what God has for you.
But what God has for you, on your quest, your walk on water, is step by step. Psalm 37:23
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
When we walk in the strength of the Lord, we will receive one step and have to take it before we receive another step.
We won’t receive 100 steps immediately. We are blind to the future soulishly, but see well spiritually.
Elijah had to follow the word of the Lord before he received the next step. 1 Kings 17:2-4
And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
(Notice how God sent ravens to feed Elijah where he was to go, not where Elijah was, during a drought.)
Elijah’s next step: 1 Kings 17:8-10
And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
So he arose and went to Zarephath.
Elijah’s next step: 1 Kings 18:1-2
And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
Elijah only received the next step after taking a step.
Similarly, your quest, your blade run will be over if you refuse to take a step or accept a line of scripture.
But how does this blade run begin? How do we start this quest where you can go with unlimited potential north, south, east, west, up, and down?
You have to do something stupid, foolish. You have to be that fool who would take a step on water.
Notice how the magic demands doing something physical or speaking.
Bringing heaven to earth means bringing the spiritual to the realm of the body, the physical.
Go out on the edge with faith.
Exodus 4:2-3
And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
2 Kings 6:5-6
But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
2 Kings 13:18-19
And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.
And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.
Joshua 8:18
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.
2 Kings 1:10
And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
Jeremiah 20:6
And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies.
1 John 4:15
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
What is the foolish thing that we do? We take up our cross and follow Christ in our quest. Matthew 16:24-25
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
The cross is a burden, affliction.
And, like being outside of the tabernacle of Moses, we really can’t see what God has for us.
But what we do know is that, to the soulish, sensible, reasonable world, to follow Christ would be idiotic, stupid, foolish.
The last sight of Jesus Christ that the world saw was as he died on the cross.
To be crucified was a shameful way to die. Isaiah 52:14
As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men
And, Christ left no earthly items – no wife, no heirs, no money, no clothes, no home. Embarrassing.
He was buried in borrowed linen and tomb. Psalm 22:18
They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
John 19:40-42
Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
The worldly people’s last view and remembrance of the man Christ Jesus was his shameful death and the mockery. To follow Christ would be ridiculous to the soulish mindset. Mark 15:29-32
And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
But, with the completion of the work on the cross, magic resulted. Matthew 27:50-54
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
And, 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;
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
As you see the cross from afar, you have free will to begin your quest or not. Luke 23:49
And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.
To start your quest, you’ll have to be like King David, and physically instantiate your vileness with what you say and do.
You might be a nice, friendly, hard-working person – a decent person.
You pay your taxes, never steal, love your children, and are respected by the community.
And you’re condemned to eternal damnation.
Why?
With the fall from the garden of Eden, we know of good and evil, victory and defeat, winning and losing, the flourishing farms and the desert… but so does the Devil.
Pleasing our bodies’ and souls’ needs and wants isn’t necessarily sinful.
That of flesh, the material, the physical, the carnal, isn’t necessarily wrong – but all sin is of the flesh/material/physical/carnal.
When we logically and reasonably strive to feed our families, we end up purchasing low-cost computer hardware (as our company needs to stay in business in a competitive industry) from a company with low paid Chinese workers who end up committing suicide to end their horrible 18 hour work days.
For our retirement, we end up buying into the well-run mutual fund. But that profitable mutual fund only soars as it exploits people addicted to prescription drugs and high interest loans.
We are evil as our normalized common sense will always lead to a world where we tear each other apart for our soulish purposes.
We end up donating to the relief fund that will end up in the pocket of the warlord who exploits his people.
Micah 7:2
The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
Satan knows the Law. He knows good and evil. He knows victory and defeat.
By crucifying Christ, the Devil thought he had his greatest victory: Luke 23:23
And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.
Matthew 27:29-30
And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
Matthew 21:38
But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
Yes, with the red of humanity, we can see the good and evil, beauty and ugly, victory and defeat – which is fundamental and practical.
This soulish mindset, while essential and natural – and not necessarily sinful – is no better than the Devil’s mentality.
We are evil and condemned to eternal damnation as its logic, as a certainty, leads to our destruction.
The only way the human race can survive and thrive is by connecting to God spiritually – achieving new logic, wisdom, and strength beyond that which will efficiently be reduced to simple dust and ashes.
Even Jesus, being human, was not good. Mark 10:18
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Jesus only was good by connecting spiritually to God. John 5:30
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
When we don’t cultivate the lamb-like nature of sacrifice, we are no better than the Devil who simply cannot understand the joy of giving rather than receiving.
When we don’t step back from the logic of impressing the neighbours as our kids attend the good college, we end up with the simplistic, plastic smile of false fellowship and pleasant sensibilities – no better than the Devil who has a place for everyone in the logical, sensible world of corporate-conforming career achievement, youth-oriented brand names, sensible science education – and we have no time for the party.
The condemned are the ones who are too sensible, with the common sense of the world, to quest towards and attend the party. Matthew 22:1-10
And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
The only way that we can fit into a permanent, harmonious society is by turning from the soulish (looking downwards to the ego, the body, and the material) and looking upwards (to the spiritual – connection to God via the Holy Spirit, with a blood covenant from Christ).
Those who accept 666, the Mark of the Beast, will be linked directly to the machine – an efficient satiation of soulish desires – and no longer able to yearn upwards towards the spiritual.
The Apostle Paul noted that the Devil knows good and evil, beauty and ugly, light and darkness, right and wrong. He knows the letter of The Law to accuse us.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
But what did Paul write immediately afterwards? 2 Corinthians 11:16-19
I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.
That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.
Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.
For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.
Paul wrote of breaking out of the logical, sensible, reasonable Google world where we can label good/evil, happy/sad, win/lose, sensible/illogical.
To break out of the Google world, Paul had to be the fool to the soulish.
To break out of the soulish, and enter a more complex and magical world which cannot be digitized – we have to embrace that which is foolish to the sensibility of the world.
A world of connection to the spiritual of art, comedy, unpredictability, surprises, wilderness, divinity, fascination, individuality, unity – just won’t make sense to the soulish efficiency of the machine.
If we do the foolish, silly thing by taking up our cross and following Christ – what happens?
Like those outside of the tabernacle of Moses, you’ll have to step inside to find out what God has for your individual, unique life.
But we do know that in our quest we follow Christ.
John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me
Luke 5:27-28
And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
John 12:26
If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
In our quest, our primary purpose remains to create beauty.
We follow the beauty of animals like the lion – Jesus as the Lion of Judah. Hosea 11:10
They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.
Revelation 5:5
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
But the Lion of Judah is not beautiful after being the Lamb slain. Revelation 5:6
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Or is it beautiful?
In your quest, as you walk on water – the Word from the Bible cleanses you, you see with spiritual eyes rather than soulish eyes.
You see the beauty of sacrifice, like that of a slain lamb.
You see that, rather than looking out for yourself and your own, servitude and uglysacrifice for your fellow man can result in the most beautiful cultures of joy and fellowship.
In your quest, you see the rise of new ideologies and philosophies. You see the new heroes, gurus, and talking heads on television and the internet.
But, as you learn to see beyond the soulish, and learn of the spiritual, you see the pain of civilization’s collapse, as we are again oriented towards soulish interests.
Even when we try to be spiritual, we fail as when we sacrifice for others without God’s guidance and protection, we lose all we have – and we have to return to soulishly protecting our own money and resources.
We learn that we have to fail, and experience pain along with others, in order to properly be the spiritually led unique person on our own path that God wants. Ecclesiastes 7:1-4
A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
As we refine our beauty in the mirror of the Word, we see that the lamb which has been killed is beauty even with wounds and pools of blood.
We move to a more complex and nuanced world where we break the dichotomies of good/evil, victory/loss, life/death, love/hate.
With unlimited potential, we can meet all sorts of people and have proper fellowship.
We can meet those disease stricken, impoverished, and victims of war and know why we have such plights. John 11:4
When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Our desperation and proper pain must emerge – as this passionate pain is the only way we can properly commit to God without the wavering that will eventually and certainly destroy society. James 1:6-8
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Lamentations 2:11
Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.
James 5:16-17
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
Ephesians 6:18
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
In our quest, we can encounter good and evil and everything in between. We have confidence that we can deal with all filth, disaster, destruction, and horror, as we know that God is guiding us and that our faith (our commitment to finishing the quest) will be counted as righteousness. Psalm 91:5-12
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Conversely, God can trust us with treasures, and we can experience the ecstasies of the world and beyond. Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
With unlimited potential, we can go anywhere to anyone and burst through difficult experiences.
God can give us diverse, varied, and interesting experiences to cobble us out to be a truly unique person.
We don’t have to be that corporate, politically correct, self-censoring, boringlabel. Philippians 4:12-13
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
The children of Israel are God’s chosen people.
1 Kings 10:9
Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.
1 Chronicles 17:21-22
And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt?
For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, LORD, becamest their God.
Exodus 6:6
Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians…
But, scripture specifies that the chosen Jews are a remnant. Romans 9:27
Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved Isaiah 10:20-22
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
Zephaniah 2:9
Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.
Zechariah 8:12
For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
Zephaniah 3:13
The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
Haggai 1:12
Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD.
And, Christians are similarly a remnant. Luke 13:23-24
Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Christians have been grafted into the inheritance.
Romans 9:23-26
And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
Ephesians 2:12-15
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Romans 11:17-21
And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
For so long, people spoke of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Joshua 2:10
For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
Numbers 23:22
God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
But, one day, those on their quest can witness the majesty of the re-creation of Israel that will overwhelm the memory of the Exodus. Jeremiah 16:14-15
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
Jeremiah 23:3
And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
But, with greatness and terribleness, those on their quest can touch not only heaven, but go through hell.
Rather than fall to pieces, those on their quest can delve into the depths of hades knowing God is by their side.
6 million Jews were ruthlessly killed in the Holocaust during World War Two.
Lamentations 4:18-19
They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.
Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.
To create the majestic reformation of Israel, what is noted?
Fishers and Hunters. Jeremiah 16:16
Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.
How does God regather Israel? What created the re-birth of Israel in 1948?
First the fishers put lures in front of those they wish to draw to Israel. Luke 5:10
And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
The fishers were the Jewish leaders, the Zionists, who warned in the 1930s about rising antisemitism and plead for Jews to leave Europe for the safety of pre-Israel.
After the fishers did their job, the hunters emerged, the Nazis who hunted, chasing the Jews away from behind with weapons. Proverbs 6:5
Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Right now, with renewed antisemitism, Jewish leaders are warning the children of Israel to return to Israel. And, the hunters are following behind: the Islamists.
In our quest, navigating through the Holocaust and other horrors (with God by our side) makes us bitterly aware of the nature of humanity without God’s blessing (soulish humanity versus spiritual humanity).
Psalm 139:8
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. Lamentations 4:10
The hands of the pitiful women have cooked their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Leviticus 26:29
And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.
Deuteronomy 28:53-55
And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat…
Ezekiel 6:8-10
Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries.
And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.
And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.
Psalm 105:5
Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
One of the reasons that we struggle to understand God’s ways is that he won’t devolve to become boring and routine – like the rest of us.
For example, when the Philistines stole the Ark of the Covenant, God wouldn’t be boring.
1 Samuel 5:1
And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.
God punished the Philistines with hemorrhoids (emerods) transmitted by mice or rats. 1 Samuel 5:6,9
But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
…And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.
(The King James Version uses the term ‘emerods’ and other versions say: boils or tumors.)
To get rid of this plague, the Philistines had to offer a trespass offering of golden hemorrhoids and golden mice. 1 Samuel 6:4-5
Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
And they laid the Ark of the Covenant of the Ten Commandments upon the cart with their depictions in gold of their hemorrhoids and the plague filled rodents. Because that’s the sensible, rational, and efficient response to any pandemic. As you do. 1 Samuel 6:11
And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.
And when King David sinned by stealing another man’s wife, God’s punishment wouldn’t be boring. 2 Samuel 12:10-12
…because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
God would have King David’s son (Absalom – who tried to usurp David) have sex with King David’s wives (concubines) in front of everyone. High definition porn. 2 Samuel 16:22
So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
Accordingly, men of God will behave in ways that are odd and make no sense to soulish logic and rationality.
Why wouldn’t lions eat those who don’t hit you when you want them to?
1 Kings 20:35-38
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.
Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.
Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.
So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
Psalm 62:8
Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
When we quest towards Christ, we trust God’s refuge as we walk through hell.
We are so safe, we can truly laugh at this crazy world. Psalm 52:6-8
The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
We know that God created roles for men and women. 1 Timothy 2:11-15
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
Women are to be of beauty and sexual pleasure for man. Song of Solomon 4:7-15
Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.
Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.
Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.
How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!
Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
We can laugh at the world’s gender-bending of women into men (and men into women).
When women and girls move from female activities like dance and beautifying to men’s sport like soccer/football, basketball, boxing, track and field, and rugby, we can enjoy their proper comeuppance as transgender athletes displace them.
The world insists on getting women into the workplace via career dreams like being an astronaut, a scientist, or a chief executive (but they end up being average like the rest of us in a data-entry position in the purchasing department, or a wage slave in customer service – lowering her own wage as all of womanhood floods the entire labor market).
We can then laugh with God as he launches his response. Proverbs 5:19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.
1 Samuel 18:27
And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.
Romans 1:27
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman…
What happens when we discard the nature use of women: wearing hot outfits and cultivating those rockin’ bodies?
What happens when we turn sexy hotties ready to married off into men who take men’s jobs and look like men?
Be ready for God’s laughter. (Drum roll please.) Isaiah 19:14
The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.
Judges 9:23
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem;
Right now, Muslim nations surround and threaten to destroy Israel, the land of God’s chosen people.
But, Christians have a better Covenant than the Old Covenant Jews. Hebrews 8:6
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Wouldn’t it be funny if God used Muslim men to force young women and girls in formerly Christian countries to assume their womanly role – in a dark parody of marriage?
Wouldn’t it be a poignant joke if God used invading Muslim men to force females into their sexy role via rape – that is grooming/rape gangs?
Oh, he’s already doing that.
We laugh at the situation – but we primarily laugh at those most accountable. Luke 12:47-48
And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
We primarily laugh at those who have been given much power, but have abused the power.
We laugh at those influencers – those who have a voice, a platform.
We laugh at those who speak with authority (but refuse to fully submit to Christ's authority).
We laugh at the heroes on television or the internet who say they have the answers. The power of speech.
We laugh at those imposters who say, “Follow me.”
Yes, they speak with a blade derivative of God’s wisdom, perhaps even a sword of the Word of God (preachers) – but their sword divides soul and spirit by turning towards the soulish. Psalm 37:12-15
The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
Psalm 59:7-12 Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear? But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision. Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.
The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.
Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield. For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.
Psalm 52:1-6
Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp rasor, working deceitfully.
Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him
When we put some women in men’s roles, it didn’t seem that problematic.
We sowed the wind – just a little bit of gender-bending – which didn’t seem too bad at the time, but, later on, with corruption, we reaped the whirlwind. Hosea 8:7
For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind
Deuteronomy 31:29
For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
But those who think that a little evil is okay are the target of God’s laughter – as they spoke a counterfeitsword of the Spirit connected to God – a counterfeit of the Word of God – a wisdom of the soulish. Proverbs 1:24-27
Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
With unlimited potential, we don’t have to conform to the soulish logic and sensibility that will inevitably create a boring world.
How long will you love the simplicity of the soulish and reject the unlimited potential of the spiritual? Proverbs 1:22-23
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
And the end of those satisfied with the simple, boring labels of the soulish is death.
Proverbs 1:32
For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
Every day we wake up in that room, and we don’t know where we’re going to.
If we’re lucky, and our world isn’t falling apart, we have the same old day after day, boring existence.
From the day we popped out of the womb, we carried this mortal coil.
What we were at birth: either a boy or girl.
What did we want to do as children? We wanted to grow up.
We wanted freedom to explore and do what we liked.
But we were and will always be limited and unhappy.
Why?
Because, with our knowledge of good and evil, we know that evil, that sin, is out there.
And we accuse. That requires some sort of rules or laws.
And rules and laws, by definition, limit what we can do.
The human race will always be frustrated by the contraction between our want of freedom to grow and do as we please, and our desire for law, particularly as accusers.
Legalism by definition is making The Law, or any law, an end in itself, and losing sight of the real purpose for which The Law is given – having a broken heart for a broken Law.
Legalists become entrapped in their own rules, and lose vision of why the rules were given. It’s like not being able to see the forest for the trees.
And personal growth is limited by the rules, and external to who you really are inside.
Those in Christ acknowledge a brokenheart for a broken Law and a broken Law for a broken heart – and thus can use the Law to grow without limits of any law.
The broken Law is written on our hearts and that which is broken is made alive – with our spiritual linkage to Christ and God. 2 Corinthians 3:2-6
Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in fleshy tablets of the heart.
And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
1 Peter 2:4-5
To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
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.
A proper Christian finds the unique person that he is and grows beyond the soulish – in his quest towards Christ – looking toward the spiritual, connected upwards to God.
A proper Christian, as a man or a woman, cultivates who he is or she is – that is – cultivates his masculinity or cultivates her femininity.
Why is gender-bending so popular these days? Because in a world not connected above to God, we soulishly only see the material world and want to break out of rules and law by our own efforts. We grow upwards only by fantasy and escapism.
We gender-bend women into leadership roles (normally reserved for men), and use their prioritization of feelings over the logic of rules and law to ignore reality.
If we can break the male/female dichotomy, the soulish believe that we can have freedom to do what we like. If we can break the only label that we have when we are born, then we can bring our fantasy world to reality. We then try to have government law acknowledge 58 genders and enforce respect of our pronouns.
But, we’ll never be happy as, yes, each law propping people up as ‘pangender’ or ‘transfeminine’ or ‘genderqueer’ also limits you as you now have to enshrine what these terms mean in law for individuals, conversations which will invariably lead to accusation, strife, and open war.
As you climb your version of Jacob’s ladder to heaven, each rung of the ladder as a law saying what ‘gender variant’ is – you will be propped up by what that term means, but also held down by what that term means.
In contrast, proper Christians grow who they are, starting with being male or female.
Many modern day men are very feminized, ‘metrosexual,’ spending hours in the front of the mirror as a woman would.
Appearing presentable after looking in the mirror is one thing… James 1:23
…he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass
Song of Solomon 1:3
Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.
…but cultivating an appearance to be looked at is inherently feminine.
Many modern day men cultivate the feminine by shaving their body, getting a consistent tan with oiled skin, developing curves (ironically by developing muscles), getting hair treatments, and feminized clothing. Deuteronomy 22:5
The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
1 Corinthians 11:14-15
Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
And nowadays women gender-bend by cultivating their desire for feminized men.
The Church condemns the ‘porn’ of the beauty of woman, but ignores the truly perverted pornography that the world loves – that which destroys gender then marriage then family then communities – gender-bending porn – for example, that of ‘boy bands’ – glamorous, feminized, dancing boys.
Woman was made for man. 1 Corinthians 11:9
Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
If a girl, from a young age, cultivates her desires for materialistic, metrosexual boy bands – how can she marry a regular man who is masculine?
Men’s muscularity is for action: craftsmanship, instantiating wisdom in the physical world, war to victory. 2 Chronicles 2:7-10
Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.
Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,
Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.
And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
1 Chronicles 11:10-11
These also are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.
And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time.
Women are to cultivate their orientation to masculine men. Song of Solomon 2:16-17
My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.
Song of Solomon 5:15
His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
Proverbs 20:29
The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head.
Proverbs 16:31
The gray head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.
As the bride of Christ (God’s people) receive Grace by God looking upon us – the physical manifestation of the bride – women – are to cultivate their looks – to be looked upon. Genesis 24:16
And the damsel was very fair to look upon…
Genesis 12:11
...he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon
2 Samuel 11:2
…the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
Esther 1:11
To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on.
1 Samuel 25:3
…and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance
Art has so many critics. How can men cultivate their love for proper feminine women with so many accusers? 1 Samuel 18:6-7
And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.
And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
The accusers will have law and rules, and identify that these women dancing moved their posteriors. They label this butt movement as a ‘twerk,’ or an errant hand movement below her waist a ‘crotch-grab.’
Women, who have a greater physical flexibility than men, for various reasons to be cultivated including dance – might use a horizontal or vertical beam or a rod for balance. But the accusers will label this rod for balance as a pole used by women of ill-repute.
“What more evidence do we need?” say the accusers.
The Hebrew term for ‘Satan’ is the accuser or the adversary/one who resists/opposes.
Human accusers will accuse to resist any proper beauty and art.
If we seek to rise above the boring, same-old – the accusers will always emerge to shut down our connection upwards.
Matthew 19:5-6
And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
The reality is that which is feminine attracts – draws the gaze from everyone.
Feminine hair on a man: 2 Samuel 14:25-26
But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.
Men of God will not necessarily conform to what the efficient, sociably-acceptable, market-friendly norms are.
That which is of God likely won’t have a package created by the soulish, brand-positioning consultants with a catchy slogan.
David was overlooked to be the new king, as he was rather young. 1 Samuel 16:10-11
Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
Adolescent boys, not being completely through puberty, often have feminine features – as was David at that age.
1 Samuel 17:42
And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
Yes, the feminine is to be looked at. 1 Samuel 16:12
And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
And women should cultivate their love for the beautiful woman.
Wait. What? Isn’t that lesbianism? Isn’t that bi-sexuality? No. Romans 1:25-26
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature
This soulish behaviour refers to women changing from their use to becoming the pro-active, heroic women of ‘the future is female’ – against nature, the reality of the Godly.
Yes, this does include lesbian rebellion, but it encompasses much more escapism away from cultivating her feminine nature.
Reality is that beautification of women is paramount.
Woman was created for man, and proper Christian men do not settle for anything less than hotties.
Women need to lead women to their purpose. Titus 2:3-5
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Women need to oil up women. Resources of the world are for her hotness. Esther 2:11-14
And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her.
Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)
Then thus came every maiden unto the king; whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king's house.
In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women…
Genesis 24:47
And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
Men and women appreciate the hottie. Esther 2:15
And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.
We all look upon thee. Song of Solomon 6:4,13
Thou art beautiful, O my love...
Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee.
What is your sexuality? What have you cultivated, developed, and refined over the years?
Are you a man who is cultivating a desire for masculine women? Are you a woman whose desire to help beautify other women has been transferred to an appreciation of men who pretty themselves up?
And who are you generally speaking?
Did you cultivate soulish enjoyment of whatever the machine promoted?
The comedy on television had the laugh-track, so we laughed along.
The music was playing loudly at the club and everyone was shouting ‘Whooo!’ so it must have been fun.
The news program shocked us with the latest stabbing murder, but made us feel good at the end of the program as the cute puppy was rescued.
You say: “I know how to empathise, as I feel for that stabbing victim – in the exact manner that everyone else feels for the stabbing victim.”
You say: “I know how to feel joy, as I feel for the rescued puppy – in the exact manner that everyone else feels for the rescued puppy.”
You say: “I know how to be abased and abound. Honest I do.”
But you’re a replica of everyone else – no different than the news people reading from the syndicated teleprompter – lines given from headquarters to every news station.
As you putter along settling into a life that doesn’t seem to have much meaning… are you living your life as a human?
Or are you more machine than man?
Are your morals and beliefs via programming from the educational system and the media? Ephesians 4:14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
1 Corinthians 12:2
Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
Just like a programmed computer, like everyone else, you think and say: “Do as you like, as long as you’re not hurting anyone else.” – and you don’t realize the we all affect each other in so many subtle ways.
Malachi 2:8
But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law;
Isaiah 3:5
And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
You have been programmed to believe that hard work results in a prosperous life… while the reality is that life for most is a tiresome treadmill of pitiful results. Judges 6:3
And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
Leviticus 26:16
I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
Malachi 2:3
Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.
Isaiah 65:22
They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat…
With the wisdom of the world, you may never realize that sorrow can be a blessing. Psalm 126:5
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Lamentations 5:15-22
The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.
The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!
For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.
Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.
Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation.
Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?
Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.
But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.
With the wisdom of the world, you might desire to completely fearless… and not learn of the blessings of fearing only the Lord. Job 28:28
And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.
Psalm 34:9
O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
God wants two-way fellowship with man. Fellowship and confession is opening up all of your heart to God, to ask those tough questions and examine yourself.
You felt that certain representations of anti-hero ‘Joker’ resonated with you (Joker - movie 2019). That influenced your personality, and become part of your character, your soul (like so many others).
But, after communing with God, you realize that yes, your desire to lash out and enact vengeance like Joker is in parts valid – but you need to unleash revenge in the proper way on your proper quest as a unique person, or you’re just as ruinous as the people you want to attack.
2 Corinthians 10:6
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
You worked hard to find that career or job of yours. But, after a while, work-life isn’t as enjoyable as you thought it would be. You’re just working to pay the bills and have some enjoyment on the weekend.
For your big Saturday night, after listening to the pleasurable music at the club, enjoying the drinks, seeing the latest clothing fashions, and having some conversation about nothing too sensitive, you again enjoy soulish pleasures the next day with the potato chips, sugary drinks, and fast food. You’re going to do it all again next week, and the weeks after that.
After communing with God, you realize that you have been growing, developing, cultivating yourself by expanding your soulish nature – grabbing pleasure via food pleasures, the pleasure of the newest consumer item, the pleasure of arrogance by being the envy of the crowd with your looks or new product – a product which reminds everyone that you have the swagger of that celebrity who endorsed it.
After self-examination via the Word, you see that God wants you to see old man and new man – an old man of selfishness geared towards the body and soul, and a new man who can explore food, fashion, music, material items, the way that God wants you to in a proper quest. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new
The new man can grow upwards to God, examining how our use of money, food, consumerism, representation of our bodies, and fellowship can either grow or destroy our societies.
And renewal of the land resonates with you, as God guides you to the importance of having a pause for yourself to contemplate, and a pause for the lands to regenerate – and for the first time in your life you truly want to break free of the soulish world’s panic culture of working by your own efforts. Exodus 23:10-11
And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:
But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
If you take the Mark of the Beast, you will never be able to spiritually connect to God.
Why not?
Because you will be inundated with the soulish. Your senses will be flooded with soulish stimuli (via your direct link to the machine from technology companies like Neuralink, Kernel, Neurable, Paradromics, MindMaze, or Openwater) – and you’ll never seek the spiritual.
Right now, you’re able to listen to your favorite music and obscure music in matter of seconds. Before the internet, you weren’t able to do that.
And you can access so much video, multi-player games, and knowledge in a matter of seconds.
With Amazon, Ebay, and Uber-type food service, delivery of your material needs has been expedited by logistics and fiber-optics.
Bright lights, big city. As part of the machine, you will be able to access avenues of data for your soulish wants and needs.
Of course, rather than unlimited potential with the spiritual, the machine’s algorithmic avenues are somewhat limited, and it has to be a bit ‘one-size-fits-all’ in accommodating billions of people.
But, that’s okay, because the machine has a solution.
For example, you will learn to love the dancing sensation shemale who isn’t bound by the gender binary.
This curvy and oiled malefemme will delight you with signature moves and bit of transhumanism from our cutting-edge bio-technology and steriods.
But you might say that you don’t want the sweaty lapdance from those chemically-aided, curvy muscles and that semi-clothed penis flopping in your face.
No, that’s where you’re wrong.
Hollywood et al have perfected the soulish stimuli of multi-media to tap your hot buttons. The machine has learned all the lessons to get you to learn to love your new conditions.
The thumping, multi-layered music will play, the announcer will build up to a crescendo, those tried and true techniques of persuasion and normalization will repeat, the crowd will cheer, the comedic moments will be timed to the laugh track, and lights will sparkle to the beat.
How can you not be having a great time?
But why all this perversion of gender/sexuality?
Look back at the decades of demonic Hollywood. Their goal, led by Satan, has always been to destroy the human race. John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy
Break human society by breaking the family. Break the family by breaking marriage. Break marriage by breaking gender. Isaiah 3:12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
Genesis 39:7-9
And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
Mark 10:7-9
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
The independent career woman, the slow fuddy-duddy father, the wise-cracking rebellious children, the masculine and successful daughter, the criminalized and scoffed-at masculine man, the kick-ass tough lady, the feminized prettyboy – have all been more and more featured in mainstream media.
The Devil loves increasing the amount of gender-bending.
Marketing, repetition, and normalization techniques bring the new reality where you will love the femmeboy – you traditional-gender/family-loving bigot, and be on the right side of progress.
Perhaps you already do.
In contrast, after finding our place as a masculine man or a feminine woman, we don’t break the gender dichotomy.
As who we truly are, we can navigate in all directions with unlimited potential.
We exist and enjoy a nuanced world of passion, loneliness, elation, fear, coordination, grandstanding, loyalty, pursuit, scowling, manipulation, rivalry, excitement, delight, etc., etc.
We break the simplelabels, and break simplistic dichotomies of good/evil, victory/loss, life/death, love/hate.
As we’ve seen, while we pursue beauty, which is indistinguishable from righteousness – the beautiful and majestic lion only triumphs as that slain lamb with ugly wounds and the smell of death.
In our quest towards Christ, we learn more and more of the perfection of the work on the cross, the beauty of denying oneself, and yielding for your fellow man.
While the quest is rough, going through the pain to help your fellow man, you can, in time, see the beauty of societies that have been created by your sacrifice. John 15:12-13
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
We break the healthy/illness dichotomy, as we learn, in our quest of meanings and purposes beyond the simple senses. John 9:1-3
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
John 9:35-41
Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. We see the evil of genocide, torture, and even the Holocaust, and know that the beauty of the re-birth of Israel can emerge from the horrors of the Holocaust.
God likens his children of Israel – his example people, as his art – like the pot created of a potter. Isaiah 64:8
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Jeremiah 19:11
And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.
How does the potter create his art? Applied pressure. Jeremiah 18:1-6
The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
The soulish end of the machine is the like our experience with the whore. We just want to reach sexual gratification to complete our physical pleasure – just like completing the rules of legalism. We’ve achieved and we’re finished.
Contrastingly, in the spiritual, we’ve taken The Law onto our heart and grow forwards, like with bride where we can enjoy the physical sex and so much else – learning in fellowship without the finality and limited nature of completing the rules of any law.
As we navigate our nuanced, multi-faceted world of ambiguity, aspiration, indecision, compromise, rage, sophistication, tears, gravitas, liturgy, articulation – importantly, we quest towards Christ.
We bring any fantasy/escapism of the machine to reality. 2 Corinthians 10:5
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
We bring variations of good/evil to the imputed righteousness of Christ.
We bring nuances of victory/loss to our triumph in Christ, as he shares the victory with us.
We bring details of life/death to the resurrected Christ.
We bring colors of love/hate to the love of Christ in the borne cross.
In this quest, as our pot is molded under pressure, we are magically transformed into the unique, individual people that the Lord knew we could be.
Scientists have probed the mysteries of the body and have done a good job mapping biology – and even have tried to assess the brain/mind/personality.
That being said, Adam did a better job mapping animal genus and biology, because he had fellowship with God.
Genesis 2:19-20
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.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field;
To run along the edge of our abilities, we must probe the mysteries of the spirit – beyond the body and soul.
Peter wanted spirit-filled Grace from above. He was willing to be the fool and fail.
Peter was willing to give up all, turning away from the soulish and turning towards the spirit. Luke 18:28
Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.
Peter was willing to do that which didn’t make sense to the logical, rational, soulish mind.
After breaking out of the boring, expected, normal, sensible routines of life, Peter unlocked his unlimited potential, and received the magic. Matthew 14:24-33
But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Peter hanged his righteousness on following Christ, in his quest, not on himself.
As Peter turned, not towards the soulish, but towards the spiritual, the magic resulted – a Grace connection to God. Matthew 16:16-19
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
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. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Magic from Christ emerged with Jesus’ hand holding him up and the wind ceasing – that which Peter could not do by his own efforts.
Moreover, magic emerged as Peter’s example of walking on water established a literal, material manifestation of that which we pursue – the washing of the water, that is, the Word, holding us up – and holding up all of human society.
The magic can be summarized as that which transforms us along our quest as we intake of a broken Law for a broken heart, a brokenheart for a broken Law.
The result is love.
Matthew 22:36-40
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
But this love is not the soulish family love or sexual love that we might see on formulaic media.
King David said: Psalm 139:21-22
Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
King Saul’s rebellion: 1 Samuel 13:13-14
And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.
Yet, David would not kill King Saul (who wanted to kill David). 1 Samuel 24:6-7
And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.
So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.
Luke 6:27-28
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
Proverbs 25:21-22
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.
The soulish mind cannot understand this.
And when Absalom (David’s son) tried to usurp King David, and Absalom was killed – David mourned for Absalom.
Joab then criticized King David for not loving those who served David. 2 Samuel 19:4-6
But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines; In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.
Was Joab’s criticism valid? Yes? No? Maybe?
Our love is much more nuanced and complex than the narrative resolutions programmed into us from the books, stories, and movies from the formulaic Hollywood machine and the education from the government.
Bringing good, evil, love, hate, victory, failure, and everything in between, to the righteousness of Christ – and producing love for God and your fellow man – can be summed up with communion/the Lord’s supper.
Deuteronomy 12:23
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.
With communion, we drink the blood and eat the flesh of Christ – that which is normally disallowed; then we have fellowship with God and man. John 6:53-57
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.
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
Luke 22:17-20
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
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.
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
But there’s an enemy at the party: Luke 22:21
But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.
Christ’s denied himself, and we remember that sacrifice as we follow him to reach the end of our quest. Matthew 26:29
But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
But we might be that enemy. 1 Corinthians 11:27-32
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.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
The way upwards is to go downwards. And with unlimited potential, we can do that.
Matthew 23:11-12
But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
When we examine ourselves with communion in mirror of the Word, we see that broken Law.
After self-examination – the stone of the Law of Moses (those hard tablets of the ten commandments), which could only condemn – that stone becomes the broken Law – the broken earth on which Jesus could write forgiveness. John 8:3-11
And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
But, don’t stop going in your quest. Remember to keep digging through that broken Law: the dirt, sand, soil, until you hit the rock.
Luke 6:47-49
Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Once you’re secured to the rock, you can have the magic.
Why? Because once you’ve hit rock bottom after truly examining yourself, the only way to go is upwards. Judges 6:20-23
And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.
And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
As you complete your quest, you will not be considered to be ‘good’ as per the world.
Dichotomies have more than the simplistic meaning from the soulish world.
Revelation 6:15-17
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Soulish reasoning cannot begin to understand the Lion, who has given up all as the Lamb slain – the perfect work of sacrifice, and is now infused with such wrath that men great and small beg for mountains and rocks to fall on them.
Christians have the pleasure of destroying the enemy that God has delivered to us.
Deuteronomy 33:26-27 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
Jesus wants to witness his enemies as they are turned into disgusting corpses.
Luke 19:27
But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
Like King David, we can execute two out of three of the vanquished, and keep the third as servants. Because – why not? 2 Samuel 8:2
Then he defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought tribute.
Revelation 19:9
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The Angel of the Lord invites those at the supper of God to eat the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, horses – and all those small and great. Revelation 19:17-19
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
Demas left the Apostle Paul for a pleasant retirement in a condominium. 2 Timothy 4:10
For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica;
A quest is not worth starting unless you reach the destination.
The destination is that true, individual, unique you shaped under applied pressure. James 1:3-4
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
2 Corinthians 7:1
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Colossians 1:28
Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus Alternative translations of perfect are: mature, fulfilled, complete.
The Greek term (original language of New Testament) for perfect 'teleios' can be thought of as a telescope fully extended – going through the necessary stages to reach the goal to function at full ability.
Importantly, don’t settle for ‘good enough.’
The Israelites didn’t want to complete the quest to the promised land, but wanted to give up and settle for ‘good enough’ Egypt. Numbers 14:2-4
…Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
Why did they want to settle for ‘good enough?’ Because they were logical, reasonable, and sensible. They had common sense.
Only two people (in the accountable age of 20 years old and up) survived the Exodus from Egypt to the promised land: Caleb and Joshua.
Why? Because only Caleb and Joshua wholly followed the Lord.
Numbers 32:11-12
Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:
Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.
God previously had Moses send men for reconnaissance of the promised land. Numbers 13:1-2
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.
And these scouts returned with a report that the land was fruitful, but inhabitants were strong and fortified. Numbers 13:27-29
And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
What was the failing of these scouts? They were logical, sensible. They weren’t willing to be foolish and do something stupid like attacking the fortified cities patrolled by strong men.
Being the silly fool by following in faith regarding what God has told you – not being sensible and logical – allows the Lord to work the magic.
Because of lack of faith, this lack of loyalty to quest to the end, Jesus did not perform many miracles, the magic, in Nazareth. Matthew 13:58
And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Caleb fully followed God and argued that the Israelites should fight against these giants. Numbers 13:30-33
And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
The scouts’ problem was that they relied on their soulish sight, not spiritual sight.
Joshua and Caleb did not rebel – and God’s Grace, the magic, would see them through to the promised land. The rest (20 years old and up) died by wandering the desert for 40 years.
Numbers 14:6-9
And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land;
Numbers 14:29-33
Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
The magic does not happen when you soulishly look to solve all of your daily problems by your own strength. Rather than thank God for the victory, you complain about how you can get by.
The magic happens when you thank God and know that God will spiritually harness every one of your problems for your victory upwards with unlimited potential. Romans 8:18
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.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
While reasoning, critical thinking, deductive logic, inductive logic, etc. can be great to an extent – if that’s all you want for your life, then that’s all you will get. You’ll never have the magic appear in your life. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
And the logical you will efficiently cobble yourself out as another boring talking head, saying exactly what everyone is saying to maximize your soulish comforts of life.
You’ll end up just like that soulish preacher with a glossy, new book who never wants to offend anyone by saying anything remotely interesting. Matthew 7:21-23
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.
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?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Your works are of iniquity, because you had it all and you threw it away. You never bothered to know the Lord via your spirit. Any magic that you did have was that soulish, devilish counterfeit.
Deuteronomy 6:5
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
1 Kings 8:48
And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name
1 Chronicles 28:9
And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Loving, serving, seeking God with all of your soul is using your soul/mind/personality to turn away from the soulish (body/soul wants/needs) and turn entirely to the spirit like Joshua and Caleb.
Don’t settle by turning again to the soulish.
The children of Israel wanted to settle for returning to Egypt as they turned towards the soulish: their bodily wants and needs for food. Numbers 11:4-6
And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
John 3:18
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.
Why are you condemned if you don’t believe in Christ?
Why are you not condemned if you do believe in Christ?
Because believing in Christ means that you follow Christ in your quest, as Jesus says: “Follow me.” Revelation 14:4
These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.
This belief/faith is loyalty/fidelity to follow to the end – to complete your quest to maturity/completion/fulfilment/perfection.
Lot’s wife looked back with soulish vision to old sinful, soulish nature. Genesis 19:26
But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Salt being a preservative of food (before modern refrigeration) – she turned back to the soulish wants and needs of eating to save her life (like returning to Egypt for food).
Moreover, she turned into a pillar – the strength of a home.
In Hebrew (the original language of the Old Testament), the word for ‘pillar’ means ‘garrison’ of troops. So, she turned into a preservative of her soulish needs – which she made her strength – like the fortified nature of a garrison.
When we turn back to seek our own soulish wants and needs with our logic, rationality, and sensibility – we eventually create a world where we tear each other apart. Luke 17:32-33
Remember Lot's wife.
Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
By giving up our lives, being willing to die (starve, be killed, lose that prideful self, not seek our own way in life), we turn to the spiritual and seek God, and through his Grace, we can have the magic in our lives, because with a renewed mind we are new people.
In your quest, the key to unlocking the hidden wisdom that opens the gateway to the spiritual, the complete you – is the cross.
Jesus Christ consolidated the message of God in the perfect work on the cross – that is, giving up all for your fellow man.
To break away from the soulish and find the spiritual (and manifest the spiritual in your soul and body), you must sacrifice.
2 Corinthians 4:10-11
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
The goal of Christians is not to get to heaven.
The goal of Christians is to bring heaven to earth.
What does this mean?
Bringing heaven to earth has practical, real solutions for your life: protection, covenant relationships, healing, guidance, renewed strength, and so much more.
We, on earth, have our bodily and soulish wants and needs (food, shelter, intellectual stimulation, entertainment, etc.).
As proper Christians, we meet those wants and needs by reaching up towards the heavenly.
We don’t have a boring, dull, stodgy existence, but an exciting life where magic is a normality, yet endlessly intriguing. 2 Kings 4:42-44
And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD. Deuteronomy 14:26
And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household
1 Kings 8:65-66
And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.
On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.
But that party is not for the sensible, logical, rational people who are copies of each other in that they only want to buy low and sell high, use soulish psychological techniques to win friends and influence people with their plastic smile, and know that their study of science will save the world. Galatians 6:8
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
These boring, stodgy people are not invited to the party, as they would scoff at and accuse the party-goers.
Our people are silly, funny, entertaining, weird, and expressive with masculine, male dancers who athletically lift the graceful, beautiful, flexible, female dancers. Luke 15:23-27
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
Isaiah 2:4
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Hosea 2:18
And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.
The magic happened in Abraham’s life when he yielded to Lot.
Abraham’s decision and commitment from his soul instantiated a decision to be spiritual – not soulish.
This world of ‘what yours is mine’, in a real and practical way, creates a world of beating swords into plowshares.
Ponder on the strength of yielding.
Consider how the most powerful strength in existence is to say, “No, you can go first.” Psalm 119:97-99
O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
We crucify our flesh – when we see our cross that we should bear from afar – and we make the decision from our soul (in the material, fleshly world) to “follow Christ” towards the finale of our quest.
Galatians 5:24-25
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
And this quest is spiritual. The magic will not happen in our lives if we are not guided by the Holy Spirit.
So many times in life, we do seek the spiritual; but, we end up with the soulish.
Where is the record of prophecy to guide us in the Quran, the Book of Mormon, or the Bhagavad Gita?
Matthew 24:6-8
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows.
2 Timothy 3:1-6
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts
A reborn Israel remains controversial.
Zechariah 12:2-3
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
Sid Roth featuring Chuck Missler:
Hidden Code in Genesis 5
Adam: man
Seth: appointed
Enosh: mortal
Cainan (Kennan): sorrow
Mahalalel: Blessed God
Jared: shall come down
Enoch: teaching
Methuselah: his death shall bring
Lamech: the despairing
Noah: comfort, rest
Genesis 5:3-29
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:
And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:
And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
More Chuck Missler:
So many times in life, we do seek the spiritual; but, we end up with the soulish.
We listen to an academic and ponder the Bible or some other texts – and we learn a few actions that we can do in the material world. We make the soulish decision to tell the truth and try to be nice.
Our intellect is stimulated and we have some self-congratulations.
But we never break out of a decaying world.
You just hear the speaker who loves the sound of his own voice, are more confused than ever, and have a week’s worth of academic reading to do.
Or we go to a guru, take some drugs, and have a vision quest.
We meet some bizarre entities and see interesting colors. Afterwards we say things like: “We aren’t afraid of death – but who knows what happens on the other side?”
Useless. Pathetic.
Just like the intellectual masturbation from the academics – you have no real answers or solutions.
If your version of the spiritual cannot provide real solutions to real problems – stop wasting everyone’s time.
But, like the mental patients that we are, we continue to go to these academics and gurus and enjoy the soulish delights from these grifters – where we can pridefully tell people how ‘deep’ we are.
“I’m so spiritual. We talked for three hours and have no solutions – but I have to read a stack of books from intellectuals with cool sounding names and then I’ll be more lost that ever. Time to have a drug trip where I can see something inspirational – inspiring me to be another talking head with no real answers.”
But you got smart. You went to church.
They got you in with the usual soulish appeal of a well-marketed product called ‘salvation.’
You’re saved as long as you keep showing up every week and paying money.
Your church has no revelation, no healings, and no miracles.
Make sure to buy the preacher’s latest grift book to be extra-saved.
Now you’re a ‘Christian’ and you can accuse and look down on others.
