Other Means of Communications
He may use an angel. He may use a jackass if He so desires as in the case of Balaam. God often sends us dreams and visions which require interpretation. The dream or vision may or may not contain words. But even if it contained words, God may use them differently than we normally would.
When Peter in his vision of a blanket full of all sorts of unclean animals heard a voice saying, “Peter, arise, kill and eat,” those words were not really referring to actual animals. (Acts 10:9-36) Neither did He expect Peter to actually kill these animals and eat them. When Peter went to Cornelius’ house, Peter received the true meaning of that vision and the words. Jews considered gentiles unclean animals. They often called them “dogs.” The Holy Spirit was telling Peter that God had cleansed the gentiles – He had broken the wall of partition. It was acceptable not only to eat with them, but to communicate with them, to exchange words, to receive from one another. When we listen to someone else, are we not taking a part of them and adding that to our being? In that sense, are we not “eating” them? We see here that God was not using the words “kill” and “eat” in the natural human sense of those words. Under the Old Covenant sense of warfare, they literally killed their enemies with the sword. They took territory through putting to death the inhabitants. But under the New Covenant, we conquer by laying down our lives and winning our enemies with love. And we do not plunder them -- we win them into the kingdom of God through love and thereby “inheriting” the heathen. Every natural type and shadow of the Old Covenant many of which seem almost barbaric and gross become beautiful realities of God’s love and mercy.
Under the New Covenant, we do battle with spiritual warfare, not with natural weapons. Nor do we physically kill. Jesus “destroyed” the works of the devil through His own death. Through His own death, Jesus killed death.
“Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades (Hell), where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:54-56)
Jesus “killed” so to speak the works of the devil. Jesus “spoiled,” that is, conquered and took possession of Satan’s possessions, and gave them to His body. In that sense, we may now “kill and eat.” (Col 2:10-23) The heathen are our inheritance (Psalm 2:8; 79:2) We are to plunder Satan’s kingdom of souls lost in darkness. However, if we interpret verses like this with the carnal mind, we may think, (as some modern Jews and Christians believe today) that God is saying to kill unbelievers and take their physical possessions. In Israel today, there are many Jewish settlers who feel Biblically justified in killing Palestinians and stealing their land because certain verses of Scripture command them to do so according to their fleshly interpretations. And tens of millions of Christians support these Jews in this endeavor.
The Bible is full of many verses which are often taken literally and turned into total nonsense as a result. This sometimes affects millions of Christians as well as the world we are called to influence. For example, Jesus said,
“Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:24-25)
In another passage, Jesus says,
“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.” (John 6:53)
From a semi-literal interpretation of these verses, some denominations of Christianity teach that when Christians eat the bread and wine/grape juice at the Eucharist or Communion, they are actually eating the very flesh of Jesus Christ and drinking His blood. While most Christians do not carry their literalism to this extreme and do not fall into this gross misinterpretation of the meaning of these verses, there are many other passages of Scripture which ARE taken too literally and not understood by the true Spiritual meaning. Millions of Christians today still don’t understand the import of “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:33)
Much more needs to be said regarding literalizing things, words, visions, etc which really must be seen spiritually. However, that is beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say in regards to spiritual eating; crackers and grape juice doesn’t cut it. Neither does a lamb chop, bitter herbs and salt water (modern Jewish Passover ritual). The Father gave Jesus food to eat, “My food is to do the WILL of Him Who sent Me and to finish His work.” (John 4:34) As we can see, the food from heaven is much more substantive, spiritually speaking, than the rituals religionists substitute for it. (for more information on the food from heaven, read our “The Bread of Life” booklet.)
God may speak to us through the gift of speaking in an unknown tongue. There are many different teachings about this gift and I can’t cover them all nor go into what I believe. Suffice it to say, in church this speech must be interpreted.
He may give impressions. He may use one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit or one of the “gifts of men” spoken of in the book of Ephesians. His Presence may rest upon a person in such a way that they actually feel His weight, His glory upon them. He may communicate through unutterable groanings. (Rom. 8:26-27) While we may not understand what He is saying or doing, we know God is active in us as we participate in His intercessions through us. He may use symbolic actions like the man who took Paul’s belt, bound himself with it and prophesied that Paul would be imprisoned if he went to Jerusalem. (Acts 21:11) He may briefly open one’s spiritual eyes and allow one to see something others can’t see as in the case of Elijah and the armies of the Lord in the clouds. Those who seek to truly be led by the Holy Spirit must open their hearts and minds to being spoken to by any of these means as well as others. There are many Christians today, who will not allow God to use them in many of these ways. This limits God’s “Word” in them. This is the sin of unbelief which is very prevalent in the church. Being led by the Holy Spirit requires great trust – a trust which many Christians do not have. People love rituals, ruts, rote, regulations. Many of the rituals in religion, I believe, are demonically inspired. It is the demons who love these things. And when one tried to take these empty forms away from people, one will often notice a violent reaction. Try taking Easter, Christmas, Mass or Rosary beads away from some folks and you’ll see violent demonic reaction.
Part of the problem with being led by the Holy Spirit is the many counterfeits which also operate which give an appearance of coming from God. Yes, there are false prophets by the train-load. Yes, it is easy to misinterpret dreams and visions. Peter, himself, seemed to have problems in this area. Yes, there are “false” impressions. Yes, there are leaders whose intend is to draw disciples after themselves. Yes, one can hear inner voices that are not from God. These and many more, are reasons countless Christians do not move deeper into being “led by the Spirit.” We do not want to be deceived. But the fact of the matter is, if we do NOT move into being led by the Spirit and open ourselves to the many ways He communicates with us which are not normal to natural human communication, then we are already deceived. The carnal mind is enmity with the Spirit. And if we do NOT use the means of communication God has ordained in the Scriptures, if we default to the natural mindset, if we will not yield ourselves to the means of communication the Holy Spirit employs which are quite unnatural for us, then we are not advancing the Kingdom of God. We are really working for the devil while pretending to be serving God.
The contrast between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is tremendous (read our “The Pillar Laws of the New Covenant” and “Old Covenant Versus New Covenant”). Literal or natural readings of many passages of Scripture actual cause one to turn evil to good and vice-a-versa. Misreading the Bible can bring spiritual death. Mixing Mosaic Law with the Law of the Life in Christ Jesus has brought spirit death to many Christians. Literal reading of passages meant to be seen in the light of the Holy Spirit often turn the word of God into an abomination. One of apostle Paul’s biggest problem was getting people to see the types and shadows of the Old Covenant by the Spirit, not with natural eyes. At the end of his life, Paul stated that most of his disciples in Asia had abandoned him. Very few Christians, even today, really understand what Paul was saying. That which appears as life in the natural is death in the Spirit and vis-a-versa. In the natural, it is better to receive than to give. Not so in the Spirit. In the Spirit, one must first “die” before they can actually live. “Whoever finds his life, will lose it, and whoever loses (kill, spiritually speaking) his life for My sake will find it.” (Matt. 10:39) See? So much between the natural secular world and the Spiritual world of Jesus are opposites or in reverse. That which the natural world (or religious world) calls good very often is evil in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Getting on Target
“As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.” (1 Tim. 1:3-7, NAS)
Much could be said about Paul’s admonition to Timothy in this verse, but I want to draw the attention of the reader to a couple of important points. Rather than “furthering the administration of God which is BY FAITH,” these men were getting entangled in “fruitless discussions” dealing with “endless genealogies (which the Mosaic Law concerns itself with), and other aspects of laws of the Old Covenant. They had begun in the Spirit but had “fallen from grace” through mixing natural understandings and speculation of the Mosaic law with spiritual things. (Gal. chapter 3, 4, 5) They were Judaized. Paul was so furious over this issue, that he wished those who were deceiving his disciples with these teachings (such as circumcision) would go all the way and castrate themselves completely so they couldn’t spread their poisonous seeds into Paul’s congregations. (Gal. 5:12, Of course, Paul was speaking metaphorically.) This mixture, which began in the first century, has been going on since then. One need not look for a “great falling away” in our generation, the falling away has happened a long time ago. Today is the time of restoration – the time of putting off all these abominable teachings which the church has been full of for hundreds of years.
We must get back to Love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Now there is a prayer. Lord, give me a heart pure enough and a conscience good enough and faith sincere enough for your love to flow purely and freely. Amen. Anything that prevents us from moving in these waters is probably not from Him. Legalism, literalism, etc. is to flowing in the Spirit like cholesterol is to arteries. We must avoid it at all costs if we are to be 100 percent effective. We must allow our hearts to be enlarged to receive and impart the fullness of all His Word and His Spirit Who God seeks to impart to us that They might flow through us. Truly the world, that is, the heathen, are our inheritance. It is truly a joy -- it is true living to bring the Word of Life to the unbelieving world. THIS is our inheritance! This is what Christians are called to do -- to give Life to a dead world! It IS truly better to give than to receive.
Mount of Transfiguration
In the seventeenth chapter of Matthew (also Mark 9:2-10; Luke 9:28-36), we find what Jesus calls “a vision” which He told John, James and John to tell no one until the Son of Man is raised from the dead. In this vision, Jesus is speaking with Moses and Elijah. Then a cloud enveloped them all and “suddenly a voice came out of the cloud saying ‘This is My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased. Hear Him!’” The disciples fell on their faces in fright. Jesus touched them and told them not to be afraid. There is much to say about this particular passage of Scripture, but I will have to pass over most of it because it would require too much space. Suffice it to say, at the age of thirty in the Mosaic tradition, the son who would take over his father’s business would be taken by the father to the gate of the city where the elders met and say to the elders, “This is my son; today I have adopted him.” This was a Hebrew expression meaning the father has made the son a full-partner in his business. The Son’s word in business was as good as the father’s – they were one. In the natural, Jewish men brought their son to the gate of the city to make that declaration to the elders of that city who then become witnesses to that declaration. In the Spirit, God the Father brought Jesus to the heights of Hermon, a symbolic type of the gates of the kingdom of God and declared to the elders of the Old Covenant (Moses and Elijah) and the elders of the New Covenant (John, James and Peter) that from now on Jesus was a full-fledged business partner with Him. Jesus was now officially God’s Word in the earth.
When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, the Father also spoke the words “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased.” But this time on Mount Hermon, He added, “HEAR HIM!” Under the Old Covenant, the voice the children of Israel were to hear was the Law of Moses and the prophetic utterances of the prophets. Elijah, on the mount of transfiguration represented the Prophets and Moses represented the Law. God the Father overshadowed them all and then Moses and Elijah disappeared – they faded away. This symbolized the passing away of the Law and the Prophets. The letter of the Law was being replaced with the Living Word of the Son of God who is ever at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased. Hear Him!” Oh, if we could just fully embrace the fullness of the import of those words!
Jesus was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and his clothes were as light. This is one of many types and shadows and scriptural proof that the Mosaic Law was done away. Yet many denominations of Christianity resurrect parts of it thinking it would be beneficial when in fact it only produces death. This scene occurred on Mount Hermon, the snow-covered Mountain north of Israel which represents God the Father. All the waters that give life to Israel whether in the form of dew at night or the Jordan River originate from Mount Hermon. Its strategic placement, it being snow-covered year around, it being the highest mountain in the region, etc., all speak volumes. This vision speaks of the fulfillment of the type of the “Feast of Tabernacles” found in the Mosaic Law. That is why Peter wanted to build three tabernacles, one for each of the glorious beings on the mountain.
In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant, representing God’s presence in the midst of His people, was contained in tents or tabernacles. Peter’s revelation regarding the Feast of Tabernacles and its fulfillment in Christ was not quite complete. In the New Covenant, it is we, God’s people who become “tabernacles” for the Lord. God lives inside of us, and we are truly moving dwelling places for God’s Holy Spirit. Just like God’s glory traveled with the tabernacles of Moses and abode in David’s tabernacle on Mount Zion, a Christian’s body filled with God’s Holy Spirit is the reality of that Old Covenant type. Every born-from-above, Spirit-baptized believer in Jesus Christ is a living tabernacle (tent) in which the very presence of God dwells, moves and has His being. What an awesome truth! How wonderful the Old Testament Scriptures become when seen through a mind cleansed by the Living Word of Christ! The types and shadows of the Old Covenant Scriptures all end up pointing to the reality of those things which are found in Christ, the Living Word.
The Father said, “HEAR HIM!” “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17) This is how faith comes – NOT by reading the KJV, or the NIV or any other translation. It must be a Living Word. We are NOT saved by our faith in Jesus Christ – we are saved by Jesus’ faith placed in us. It is the “faith OF Jesus Christ that saves, not our faith. If we receive the faith OF Jesus Christ through hearing His voice, then the process we find in Ephesians 2:8-10 has room in our lives:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Dead Works Versus God’s Works Prepared For Us.
“For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:13-14, NASB)
“Cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Here is the great battleground of Christians. For most of us, it is not going back to the sins of the flesh – it is being trapped into a life of producing dead religious works that have an appearance of producing life, yet they are dead. Slavery in Egypt represents slavery to the flesh in the Bible “fleshpots of Egypt”, (Ex. 16:3). But slavery in Babylon represents slavery to religion – doing things that appear to be holy, but which produce no life. Preston Eby, in the 52nd part of his series “From the Candlestick to the Throne,” writes:
“’And by the angel of the church in Sardis write…I know thy works, that thou has a name that thou livest, and art dead’ (Rev 3:1). The Holy Spirit says to the church in Sardis, ‘You have a name -- a reputation and recognition by the people – that you are alive. This name that they have relates to their works. They have a name that they live because they are filled with all kinds of activity, but the sentence of the great Judge of all is, ‘Thou art dead!’ Instead of operating in the power of the Holy Spirit who is the life of the body of Christ, like computerized robots they go from the form of flesh-generated programmed activity that appears to the undiscerning eye to be evidence of life. But their works do not originate out of life, but stem rather from a realm of death – the death of the carnal mind and human zeal.” Endquote.
Although few of us would care to acknowledge it, those carnal, dead works characterize most churches and those who attend them. Whether we care to acknowledge it or whether we are even aware of it, the “traditions of men which make the word of God of no effect” have deceived us all probably even as they deceived most Jews in Jesus’ day. (Matt. 15:6-9) What will it take to break this power? Honesty – an honesty that seems difficult to find among God’s people, especially in leadership.
We briefly touched upon the types of the feasts of Israel in the Mount of Transfiguration section. Some denominations and many churches, particularly of the Messianic Jewish variety or those influenced by them spend considerable time reenacting a modern version of the feast days of Israel, particularly the feast of Passover. They will take portions of the Old Covenant requirements, add some extra-biblical traditions the Elders of Israel added to Moses’ commands, then explain the parts of the ritual which point to the Messiah Jesus and do this year after year thinking that something very spiritual was done. Each of the feast days of Israel points to a spiritual reality which a believer is to enter into. The point of the type was not for it to be reenacted as it was commanded in the Old Testament. The type seen through enlightened eyes of the Holy Spirit should bring a person or congregation to the REALITY of the type!
For example, once one sees a sign which reads “To Jerusalem,” is it reasonable or sane to think one has arrived to the city simply by seeing the sign? Should one make a holy holiday around the day on which you saw the sign and turn it into a ritual thinking God would be pleased with that? Or do you think that God might be more pleased if we followed the direction the sign pointed to and actually GO TO THE CITY!
Jesus fulfilled all the types and shadows of the Mosaic Covenant in Himself. The types and shadows are but pointers to spiritual realities found in the Living Christ. We must enter the reality of the types and shadows of the “words” of the Old Covenant, not repeat bastardized reenactments which bring us no closer to the spiritual reality than visiting a road sign annually which points to Jerusalem. Actually, the road sign will never bring the traveler to the destination to which it is pointing until the traveler LEAVES THE ROAD SIGN. Putting the name Jesus into the ritual won’t bring one any closer to the reality of the type than without it. Dead works is dead works with or without the name of Jesus added to it. One can engage in just as much idolatry using the name Jesus as without it.
Idols can’t see or hear yet we follow them much more than we realize. Dead works is synonymous with idolatry. God spoke to Ezekiel about the idols in the hearts of God’s priests. (Ezekiel 14:1-11) These are akin to the “traditions of men” to which Jesus referred in Matt. 15:6-9.
The Pharisees mockingly asked Jesus, “Are we blind too?” Jesus replied to them, “Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” (John 9:41, NIV) What is Jesus saying? Were they blind? Spiritually, of course they were. But would they acknowledge their sin, their shortcoming? The true meaning of sin is “to miss the mark.” The Pharisees fell far short of God’s righteousness according to the Old Covenant, but they were too proud and self-righteous to see it. If they saw their true depraved spiritual state and acknowledged it, Jesus could have healed them of their blindness. How many of us are in this same condition?
The religious leadership in Jesus’ day could quote Scriptures as well as anyone around. They thought they knew every jot and tittle – and tithed the smallest of seeds. They followed every ritual perfectly. Paul, the apostle to the nations came from this crowd. He could wrestle Scriptures with the best of them. But Paul, one who could write great theological treatises like the book of Romans said,
Gifts of the Holy Spirit Have Ceased?
“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.” (1 Cor. 2:4-5, KJV)
Throughout much of the Church Age, this and many other passages of Scripture have had the power of those words squeezed right out of them through false theology -- through “the tradition of men.” I have heard many pastors teach and preach that the power of the early church is no longer needed. They say God gave the early church great power because it did not have the New Testament Scriptures. These also say that when the New Testament Scriptures were canonized, the power of the Holy Spirit through the gifts of the Holy Spirit were removed from the church. They say the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased – gifts such as the word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophesy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
Tens of thousands of ministers have rendered millions of Christians harmless to the kingdom of Satan through a single theological dogma that the gifts of the Holy Spirit belong in the past – they are not for today. These theologians use a single verse of Scripture for their proof text,
“But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” (1 Cor. 13:10)
They say that “that which is perfect” is the New Testament scriptures. That is an utter lie! There isn’t a single translation that is even remotely perfect. And we don’t have the original writings of the New Testament Scriptures so it is rather dishonest to lead people into thinking we do. And even if we had them, THEY are NOT, “that which is perfect.” The letter killeth” – even a perfect letter can only kill PERFECTLY! It is the Spirit of God that gives life! It is the Living Word that gives life! And He is filled with unbelievable power! But most Christians cannot avail themselves of that power because of so much unbelief in the Church. (Write for my article, “Unbelief, the Christian’s Greatest Sin.”)
Living Words
A perfect translation of the Bible will not bring the truth into our soul if we are filled with traditions of men which make the word of God of no effect nor if we have corruption in our hearts. Some of the most evil men I have encountered in my Christian walk have practically memorized the Bible.
When Jesus was tested of the Devil after the forty day fast in the wilderness, Satan used Scriptures to try to tempt Jesus. I have heard in more than one sermon how Jesus defeated Satan by quoting Scriptures. In two of the three temptations, Satan quoted Scriptures. Jesus replied all three times quoting Scripture. But what was the last Scripture Jesus quoted which ended that spiritual battle?:
"It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Matt. 4:4, NIV)
“Every word that comes from the mouth of God” is far more than the 700,000 plus words found in most Bible translations. Jesus limited Himself greatly for the first part of His ministry because part of His role as the Messiah was to “fulfill” all that the Law and Prophets spoke of Him. Jesus was born under the Law. He fulfilled all the types, shadows and requirements which the Mosaic Law, Prophets and Writings required of the Messiah. That is why Jesus allowed John, the Baptist, to baptize Him, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matt. 3:15) What righteousness? The righteous requirements of the Law and Prophets which pointed to who the true Messiah would be. This was how Israel could determine who the real Messiah was. The Law and the Prophets laid out many requirements which the true Messiah would fulfill. But once He fulfilled them, then they were abolished – then Jesus could it, “It is finished!” He could then inaugurate the New Covenant sealed with His own blood, not the blood of bulls and goats. The New Covenant was a covenant of Living Words, not words on sheep skins or stones.
One of the types in the Old Covenant which pointed to this New Covenant was the gathering of Manna in the wilderness. They could only gather what they could eat that day. Only on the day before the Sabbath could they gather enough to last the two days so they did not have to work on the Sabbath. This speaks typically that we are to receive daily instructions from the Lord. Yesterday’s word is represented by yesterday’s Manna – it became rotten. Denominations which are perpetuated today based upon some men who have long died are feeding their members yesterday’s manna – it is dead! Furthermore, the children of Israel who refused to move with the Cloud and the Pillar of fire DIED in the camp at which they refused to go further. Oh, dear Christian, hear the word of the Lord! Remember this: The Old Covenant – dead letter; The New Covenant – Living Word.
Satan knows the Scriptures. So do his “angels of light” who are often in the form of ministers and Bible teachers. Some of the most evil men I have met were pastors who could almost quote the entire King James Bible word for word. It will require something far more spiritual than quoting Scripture verses to defeat the Devil’s devices against us. The average Christian raised in a typical denomination or Christian movement is more than likely to have been subjected and indoctrinated to a host of ideas and definitions which are contrary to the true Spirit of God, even as Martin Luther was.
The true God of the Bible is much more loving, powerful, merciful, forgiving, wise, efficient and just than any denomination or mind of man has conceived of Him. The Dark Light in fallen man still holds a grip upon the minds of Christians even though most will not acknowledge this or take serious steps to come into the true light of the Spirit of the Son of God, the Savior of the world. But I sense a wave is on the horizon which will sweep away a lot of the “traditions of men” in Christianity which have hindered the growth of those who espouse the name of Christ. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Dark Light or True Light
Let us look at a few verses of Scripture through two different sets of eyes. One set is the Pharisaic, legalistic, tradition-laden mind which is quick to use the Scriptures to condemn others while pardoning themselves. The other mind has been renewed by the Holy Spirit. The traditionalist, who likes to sit on the judgment seat, will read 1 Samuel 2:6 and point out that God kills. The person whose eyes are anointed with the Living Word will point out that after “Gods kills” the same sentence reads “and makes alive again.” They are given the revelation that God sometimes uses death the way an anesthesiologist might use a drug to put one under for the patient’s benefit.
The Pharisaic mind will concentrate on “I wound” in Deuteronomy 32:39 while those governed by the Living Word will focus on the last part of that very same phrase, “I heal.” The mind governed by the Living Word has come to understand that God’s harsh measures are but a means to bring healing and restoration.
The judgmental one will see “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated,” (Rom. 9:13) and use the verse to prove that God hates some people even as they are born. According to some theologians some people are born to be eternal enemies of God destined for an eternal burning incinerator. Love filled eyes will go to the end of the Jacob and Esau story and find God took good care of Esau. And after Jacob, the conniver and deceiver whom “God loved” was humbled at Peniel after his wrestling match, he saw Esau in a different light: “I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.” (Gen. 33:10) (Oh, that modern Israel and modern Jews could learn this by the Ruach Ha Kodesh, the Holy Spirit!) Suffice it to say, God blessed both Jacob and Esau. He simply had different plans for them. Part of God’s plan to bring Jacob to maturity was to have Esau as his enemy for a season.
The tradition blinded believer will see the story of Sodom’s destruction in Genesis as the ultimate expression of God’s eternal wrath. Sodom, to them, represents the grossest of sinners. Yet love-filled eyes will see that the self-righteousness of those who condemn Sodom was twice as ugly to God as was the sin of Sodom. In Ezekiel chapter 16, God said the sin of Jerusalem, the city of God’s priests, a type of modern Christians who are to be a “royal priesthood,” was far more repugnant to him than the sins of the Sodomites. As a matter of fact, according to Yahweh, the sins of Jerusalem, the priesthood of the “chosen people” JUSTIFIED the people of Sodom. (Ezekiel 16:51, 52. It would be good for all Christians to read this chapter regularly to help stay humble.) Sodom, according to Ezekiel will one day be restored to her former estate and be given to Jerusalem as a daughter.
A law-minded, legalistic person’s eyes will always be looking for the worst in people. They will create in their own minds a God of wrath and judgment. This god will be hypocritical, just like themselves. Their minds cannot see God’s mercy except for themselves and those in their inner circle – a circle which is usually very small. A legalist (and Judaism, Christianity and Islam are full of them) will place a God of judgment, wrath and punishment upon the throne of judgment instead of the Slain Lamb which takes away the sin of the world found in Revelation 5:6 (see also John 1:29). The law-centered heart is quick to judge; quick to force God’s hand; quick to put a glistening sword into God’s hands to justify their own murderous hearts. But the Christian who is filled with the love of God reads, “Mercy shall triumph over (exalt over, have victory over) judgment.” (James 2:13)
The Pharisaic mind which floods the three monotheistic religions is short-sighted – it can barely see anything, and yet it is quick to kill – it kills both foe and friend alike. At the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD, far more Jews were killed at the hands of other Jews than at the hands of the Romans. (See Josephus’ “War of the Jews.”)
Summarizing
In summary, the true Word of God is not the Bible, it is Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God and Savior of all mankind. John, the apostle wrote,
“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21:25, NIV)
For millions of Christians, the Bible has been made into an idol. For them, God has become a set of rules and rituals contained on a couple thousand pages of paper covered with a couple pieces of cow, sheep or pig skin. If you don’t believe it, throw a Bible on the floor in some churches and watch the reaction. Visit a Jewish synagogue and watch the rituals performed around taking Torah scroll out of its special closet.
The Bible is letters on a white page. Jesus is the True Letter, so to speak. He is the Word of God, the Father -- He is the Law of the New Covenant – the Law of the Spirit of the Life in Christ Jesus, as Paul states. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, is the white page on which the True Word is written. (John 4:23-24, 14:16-18, 15:26, 16:13-15) Without the “white” or the light it would all be dark and we could not see anything. It is He, the Holy Spirit, that Jesus said He would send that leads us into all Truth. Remember, Jesus was looking for a people who would “worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth.” (John 4:42) The Truth is an Anointed (Spirit) Word. He did not instruct us to create thousands of institutions with tens of thousands of different ideas about God and how to do things to please Him. To the degree one’s Bible translation, Sunday School, Bible studies, sermons, books, etc. help bring us to the Father through the True Word of God, Jesus and His Holy Spirit, these things are helpful. However, much of the activity in most denominations of Christianity are simply man-made traditions void of God’s power and purpose and therefore not only useless for establishing the kingdom of God, but actually a hindrance to it.
Generally speaking, human beings like to live in ruts, we do not like change. Old habits die hard. The old way is usually considered the best. “Give me the old time religion.” Well, the “old time religion” they speak of brings death, not life. I have heard many Christians tell me they are “dyed in the wool” Baptists, Methodists or whatever and that they are going to die in that condition. Well, they need not go to the grave to die in that condition and they are already quite dead according to Jesus, Paul and others who know something about being led by the Holy Spirit.
How can a sincere believer in Christ get in a stream which leads to truly being led by the Holy Spirit and not by some well-worn traditions of fallen men? In the Gospel of Mark we see a man with a son who was terribly demon-possessed who begged Jesus to heal him. Jesus told him that all things were possible to those who believe. Immediately the sobbing, poor man implored Jesus, “I believe, please help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:20-30) If the reader is quite content and satisfied with the “religious stuff” he or she is presently getting or doing, then that’s what he/she will probably die with unless some rut-wrecking disaster comes along and knocks them out of their rut. Books don’t lead, not even correct Bible translations can lead us unless the Spirit of God uses them to speak something to us. It is only the Holy Spirit, the Living Spirit of Truth sent by the Living Word of God who was sent by the Father to redeem all mankind Who is the only one who can LEAD a disciple of Jesus on the path chosen from the foundation of the world for that unique individual. Paul, speaking to Christians said,
“…we have an obligation-- but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD are sons of God.” (Rom. 8:12-14, NIV)
Whether we care to acknowledge it or not, religion, even Christian religion, is mostly of the flesh. The true body of Christ is NOT composed of various denominations which cause believers to divide from one another. The body of Christ is made up of individuals, not organizations whose leadership seek to draw disciples after themselves and perpetuate their system. To the degree one is led by institutions and dead men, he is in the flesh and not led by the Holy Spirit. It has grieved me greatly many times in the past when wanting to share Christ with another person I would meet along the way, to have them only interested in getting me to come to their church or meet their leader or to put their label upon me.
Recently, I met a Christian in a high position with one of the mainline denominations. He had no interest in sharing Christ – he wanted me to join his denomination. This man was as dead to the leading of the Holy Spirit as Martin Luther was prior to his dramatic conversion. This man set himself under the tradition of his denomination – and was dead. “As many as are led by the Holy Spirit…” not dead men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, John Paul II, or even living ones for that matter. There is One Spirit, One Word, One Father and One Body of Christ. It would behoove Christians to begin to acknowledge them and begin to walk away from ANY tradition that moves one away from the One Truth. I find it absolutely amazing that this Christian has probably heard about Luther’s conversion many times – could probably write an excellent article on the subject of faith which was Luther’s cornerstone -- and be spiritually absolutely dead. Amazing. What about you? Do you “know” the real Jesus? Or is He just a great character in a great book? Is He just a Sunday School character? A character used in sermons to illustrate good moral behavior?
Which is the Best Bible Translation
What is the purpose of a Bible translation in the first place? Is it not to know the purpose of our being? Don’t we go to our translation to find out Who God is and why He created us and how we are to relate to others? Don’t we go to the Bible to look for direction for our lives and the lives of those around us? Every Bible translation I know describes a Man riding a white horse Who is called "the word of God." (Rev. 19:13) That Man, the Word of God needs to be riding in our hearts. Will you give Him the reins? Is He really reigning in your heart? Is He extending His kingdom on the earth through you in power and glory? Have you become a “living epistle of God to be read of men?” (2 Cor. 3:2-3) Is the Living Word turning you into a Living Word also? – a living epistle to be read by others?
One of the most successful television commercials was one for hamburgers, “Where’s the beef?” The idea behind the commercial was to emphasize their brand had more real beef than their competitors. A Christian seeking fellowship and seeking to demonstrate to the world that God lives in them should not be afraid of the question, “Where’s the power of the Living God in your life?” There should be signs that God is with us if we are truly walking with the Lord of Glory. If not, the world has a right to ask, “Where’s the beef? Where is your God?”
“But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” (1 Cor. 4:19-20, KJV)
In our lives, in our church, in our denomination – we should ask ourselves, “Where is the power of the Holy Spirit that is supposed to be bearing witness to the Living Word which is supposed to be living inside of me?” Be sincere. God knows when we are faking it. The important question is, “Do WE know when we are faking it?” From the beginning, Satan was a liar and is the father of all lies. Perhaps the greatest enemy we have is our own ability to lie to ourselves and actually believe the lie. Paul wrote:
“The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Tim. 1:5, NIV)
The English word “sincere” comes from the Latin and means “without wax.” In ancient days, dishonest potters would sell pots that contained cracks by filling the cracks with wax and they covering the wax with clay dust to hide the wax. When the heat comes, of course, the defect would be revealed by wax melting causing the water to spill out. The only one who can really check our vessel to see if we have been deceived or have deceived ourselves in the fiery Holy Spirit. Sincere faith is a faith that honestly opens itself to the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit. It is not proud. It does not desire to hide anything but to bring it to the light so that it may be properly dealt with by God.
When Jesus told the man with the demon-possessed son that all things are possible to those who believe, he replied, “I believe, help my unbelief!” May we all have a faith this is ever being submitted to God for inspection. Only God knows how corrupt we truly are. Sooner or later, we will go into the refiner’s fire. Everyone will be salted with fire. Why not volunteer to go to the head of the line. From a spiritual perspective, it will greatly improve our quality of life on earth.
In summary, the Best Bible Translation is one that will conform your life to the incorruptible image of Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed One, the One full of the Holy Spirit without measure. If you want to be “translated” into His marvelous kingdom, then let the true Word of God, Jesus, and His Holy Spirit completely have their way with you. They will indeed lead you into all Truth. And your Bible translation, regardless of which one you use, will be transformed right before your eyes.
