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Isaiah, Language, Teaching

Isaiah 6:1-8, [9-13] – Those pesky seraphim again

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[1] In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw adonay sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. [2] Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. [3] And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

[4] The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. [5] And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts!”

[6] Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. [7] The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” [8] Then I heard the voice of adonay saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

[[9] And he said, “Go and say to this people:

`Keep listening, but do not comprehend;

keep looking, but do not understand.’

[10] Make the mind of this people dull,

and stop their ears,

and shut their eyes,

so that they may not look with their eyes,

and listen with their ears,

and comprehend with their minds,

and turn and be healed.”

[11] Then I said, “How long, adonay?” And he said:

“Until cities lie waste

without inhabitant,

and houses without people,

and the land is utterly desolate;

[12] until Yahweh sends everyone far away,

and vast is the emptiness in the midst of the land.

[13] Even if a tenth part remain in it,

it will be burned again,

like a terebinth or an oak

whose stump remains standing

when it is felled.”

The holy seed is its stump.]

——————–

This is the Old Testament selection to be read aloud on the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will precede a singing of Psalm 138, where David wrote, “Though Yahweh be high, he cares for the lowly; he perceives the haughty from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.” That pair will be followed by a reading from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, where he wrote: “I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received”. All will accompany a reading from Luke’s Gospel, where the Apostle said, “And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”’

In the above translation, it is important to see where I made adjustments in the text. In six places the NRSV [and I assume others as well] had translated two different Hebrew words as having the same meaning, as “Lord.” In those six changes I made above, three times Isaiah wrote the word “adonay” and three times he wrote the word “Yahweh,” which are clearly two different words. The NRSV, however, has seen two different words and presented them all as exactly the same. This is incorrect; thus, I have changed the text to show the truth.

Because this reading is potentially thirteen verses in length, with verses nine through thirteen being optional [the Church’s presentation of translations within brackets], the Church did not number any verses. One is left to assume the bracketed verses are 9 – 13, and the unbracketed verses are 1 – 8. To clarify where the verse break are, I have inserted the verse numbers in bold type, within brackets. This will assist the reader in my interpretation, as seldom do I take the NRSV translations as ‘the Gospel.’ At best, they are paraphrases, which means their translations do little to expose the truth of that written. When they then boldly alter text wrongfully, it becomes vital that seekers of truth never take an English translation as the whole truth.

This reading selection is possible to be read aloud and preached on two different dates in the Episcopal lectionary cycle [three years, A – B – C]. The first date is the first Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B, which is also called “Trinity Sunday.” The second date is the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, in Year C. On both dates verses one through eight are mandatory reading material. Only on this date after the Epiphany are verses nine through thirteen offered as possible to be read aloud, and-or discussed.

I have written about this reading twice before, both times when the reading came up on Trinity Sunday. In 2018 and 2021, I wrote commentaries and posted those views on my website. The 2021 – Trinity Sunday, Year B, interpretation of Isaiah 6:1-8 can be read by searching this site. The 2018 – Trinity Sunday, Year B, interpretation of the same reading also can be read by searching the name and number of the reading on this site. Neither of these assessments address any of the bracketed [optional] verses that are only made available for reading today – the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. Today’s commentary will only slightly address the first eight verses, because I have written about them prior, at length. The primary focus of this commentary will be placed on the optional verses. However, I need to address a whole-view opinion about differences that will be found in my two prior commentaries that are linked above.

In 2018, I was reading English translations with a much higher level of acceptance, such that I (like the vast majority of Christians) had been taught to see “the Lord” written in English translations and refer to Yahweh as such. At the end of April 2021, I saw this reading in an entirely new light, one which was quite dark. With that new insight, I still did not bother to adjust the NRSV text to show Yahweh, rather than “the Lord.” This means my observations on this one reading selection can now be seen as reflecting my evolution as a vehicle of Yahweh; and, that, by itself, becomes a reflection of a typical path of ministry, where a servant of Yahweh is allowed to see new insights as one’s commitment is proved, through length of service. All that I have expressed in commentary has been led by insights from a higher Mind than I possess, which says the longer one follows the light of Christ in, then the more one’s mind will become illuminated. Nothing I was shown prior becomes wrong. All I was shown later becomes my eyes adjusting to the obscurity that is divinely placed on Scripture by prophets of Yahweh, with the darkness of poor translations into English more clouds that must be divinely removed.

One thing that I have been led to understand is relative to the use here of “adonay.” This is clearly a Hebrew form of “adon,” which is in the plural number [not singular], where “adon” means “lord,” with “adonay” [or “adonai”] meaning “lords.” Genesis 19:18 can be seen as an example of “adonay” being translated as “my lords.” [“And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords,” when he spoke to the ‘angels’ that came to warn him to leave Sodom and Gomorrah.] Regardless of what Jews say that “adonay” means to them, the truth is it is not the same as “adon.”

In my personal evolution of understanding, “adonay” has been slightly confusing, when seen as so similar to the plural Hebrew word “elohim,” which means “gods.” The singular form of that is “el,” which means “god.” Neither “adonay, adon, elohim, or el” deserve capitalization, because none are direct references to Yahweh. All are the creations of Yahweh; and, all are divine and purely spiritual, such that it was angels who were the “gods” [rather than the translated into English “God”] who carried out Yahweh’s plan for the Creations. Still, when Yahweh created His Son [call him Adam-Man-Jesus], he placed a divine angel [elohim] into flesh, which is the ‘prototype’ named in Genesis 2 & 3, as “Yahweh elohim.” While one is an “el,” all human souls that will marry with Yahweh’s Spirit, to be Anointed by Him [made Christs], will then find their transformations being from natural souls in bodies of flesh to souls divinely married to an angel soul in that flesh. All who are reborn as Yahweh elohim [Jesuses reborn] becomes ministers of Yahweh on earth. Because those ministers are necessary to gather the lost sheep and return those souls to the fold of Yahweh [more souls to marry Yahweh], those leaders – those Yahweh elohim or those in the name of Jesus Christ – are then “lords” of the wayward, as Yahweh adonay.

Now, this is most important to realize, because this reading is Isaiah [a Yahweh elohim servant as a prophet] having a prophetic dream about the other kind of elohim, who are themselves adonay of a different direction. Because being a Yahweh elohim and being a Yahweh adonay demands a divine possession of spirit [and a soul is eternal spirit, trapped in human flesh], that aspect of divine possession means demonic possession is another kind of elohim that can possess natural souls in bodies of flesh. These elohim are those fallen ‘angels’ that are called Lucifer, Satan, or the Devil. In Job we read about Satan being one of the “sons of elohim” [“bene haelohim“], before the celestial battle that condemned a third of the ‘angels’ [elohim] to the earth. In fact, on earth the bad angels are more likely to become the “lords” over human souls in flesh, than human souls in flesh are accepting of Yahweh’s elohim, so one can become a prophet, apostle, or saint. That makes this reading most important to discern truthfully.

In my 2021 commentary, where I pointed this dark element out, I made mention of how those who define Hebrew words define the use of “seraphim” as primarily having an evil connotation, as a fiery serpent, dragon, or monster. Still, with that negative definition, sometimes the “seraphim” can be angels that are most high and serve Yahweh. Christians, especially, hold seraphim in the highest regard, as the angels that protect the throne of Yahweh – with that solely based on a misinterpretation of this selection in Isaiah 6. In that dual definition [mostly bad, some good], the reference to ‘seraphim” being good refers to this reading and this reading only. It makes more sense to adjust that definition to being wholly negative, as this reference shows how souls in human flesh have great difficulty determining just which of the heavenly entities are good angels and which are bad. Isaiah saw fiery serpents, dragons, and monsters here, knowing he was only a soul in a body of flesh, inferior to all angels.

In Genesis 1 the word “elohim” is used thirty-two times, with each translated into English as “God,” implying Yahweh. In reality that usage says Yahweh created many elohim, which were all His angels; and, it was His angels that did all the work of Creation. What view is only read in the apocryphal Book of Enoch, where he told the story of the ‘fallen angels,’ where a third of the elohim battled against Yahweh’s command to serve man on earth. Those which lost that war were then cast into the realm of the Earth and forced to remain there. It is then when a soul is trapped in a body of flesh [that is made of the worldly realm’s matter] that the evil elohim become the “seraphim” that love to lead souls away from marriage to Yahweh. That danger is what Isaiah was shown in this vision.

With that said, I will let all brave-hearted readers to read my commentary posted in 2021, which is entitled: Isaiah 6:1-8 – A view of how wickedness lords over the religions of the people. At this point, I will address only the amended text that appears in the first eight verses, before I begin to analyze the verses beginning at nine.

This divine vision [or dream] begins when Isaiah says King Uzziah has died, with Isaiah writing, “I saw adonay [the lords] dwelling over a throne.” That is a statement that the divinely married soul of Isaiah [a Yahweh elohim] was shown who was in control of Judah [the Southern Kingdom] after Uzziah’s death. Relative to the prepositional use of “over the throne” [from “‘al- kis·sê”], Isaiah then tells the reader that the “adonay” were “seraphim” [“śə·rā·p̄îm”] that “had taken a stance above it” [from “‘ō·mə·ḏîm mim·ma·‘al lōw”]. This says the “seraphim” are the “adonay” he saw in his dream or vision.

When Isaiah then describes the “seraphim” as each having “six wings” [repeated, so “six wings” is stated two times], this is then added to him saying “two” three times, where “two wings” covered a face, covered the feet, and two were used for flying. In all, the number “two” becomes important to see as a statement of divine duality. This is saying the “seraphim” are elohim that are the angels of the earth [the fallen angels and the elohim who serve mankind, as commanded]; but, because they are all elohim created by Yahweh, they all serve Yahweh completely. The division between good and bad is not relative to a seraphim’s love of Yahweh, but instead how one serves mankind, as commanded by Yahweh. These are then those who either possess souls in bodies of flesh, enslaving them to do their will (against Yahweh), or those who assist mankind as guardian angels. They are divided as the testers of faith or the supporters of faith.

When Isaiah then says, “And one called to another and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory,” this says all of the angels served Yahweh. The repeating of the Hebrew word that means “holy, sacred,” said three times, is symbolic of the initial completion of the world created by the elohim [as commanded by Yahweh]. The proclamation says there is a spiritual presence that has been sent by Yahweh into the material plane, which is a “host” of angels [elohim]. That above joined with that below is two, with the third being those of mankind married to Yahweh – a soul possessed by an angel. Those with the presence of the Yahweh elohim [Isaiah’s soul being a witness as such], means three holies says “Yahweh’s presence is full in the world.”

When this proclamation is made, Isaiah cries out that he is unworthy of being there, seeing himself as a sinner in a body of flesh, among all these divine, eternal entities. When he makes his presence known, one of the “seraphim” comes to him with a coal from the altar fire [using holy tongs] and touches Isaiah’s lips, which purifies his presence among the elohim. It is this that becomes the metaphor of the dream-vision that says the soul of Isaiah has become one with that angel, which is the notification that his soul has divinely married Yahweh, with that “seraph” becoming his inner presence [and that “seraph” can be seen as the soul of Jesus, symbolically]. By purifying his lips, Isaiah is then fit to speak for Yahweh … the purpose of a prophet.

It is then that Isaiah wrote, “Then I heard the voice of adonay saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Here, the use of “adonay” says the inner divine presence is the voice of Yahweh in the mind of Isaiah, speaking to Isaiah as now being one of His elohim. Not only is Isaiah expected to see himself as one of the “Holy of Yahweh,” he is expected to be a teacher – a voice of Yahweh for others to be led – which means Isaiah has joined the ranks of the “lords” of mankind, expected to lead the souls of the lost sheep back to the fold of Yahweh. Thus, it is the inner voice that is Jesus’ soul merged with Isaiah’s soul that says, “I am here” [where “I AM” must be seen as a statement of the presence of Yahweh], so the divine soul of Jesus said, “Send me” [in the flesh of Isaiah].

In verse nine, when Jesus speaks as the “adonay” [singular “adon”] of Isaiah’s soul-body now purified, saying, “go and tell the people here” [translating “haz·zeh” as “here”], “here” must be seen as Judah, where the throne controlled by Uzziah is now lost, so the “people” are those who are led by worldly elohim that have hovered over that “throne,” preparing to lead Judah to ruin. It is because of that bad shepherding by demon spirits achieving leadership positions that the inner voice of Yahweh told Isaiah, (basically) “They have ears that cannot hear and eyes that cannot see.” In other words, Judah was directionally lost; and, Isaiah was now a prophet sent by Yahweh to speak to them and show them how they were going the wrong way.

Verse ten is then the voice of Yahweh (through the soul of Jesus) telling Isaiah to go among the “people” and keep their brains from controlling their thoughts. By speaking the word of Jesus – divine prophecy – the “peoples” would be forced to listen to their souls and hear with their hearts. Simply by the presence of one like them – a human being of flesh and blood – with a divine presence surrounding that flesh – the inner Yahweh elohim – then the “peoples” would be able to understand the warning of going the wrong way.

In verse eleven is found the last presence of the word “adonay,” where this can now be seen as Isaiah asking, “How long should I lead the peoples as a Holy Lord … a Good Shepherd?” The answer is then told as, “Until they have utterly destroyed themselves and everything they hold near and dear to them, of a worldly value, has been lost.” This is Yahweh knowing that Judah will fall in ruin, being overrun by the Babylonians. In other words, Isaiah was told to keep prophesying to the Judeans as long as one still has ears and eyes.

In verse twelve is the last reference to Yahweh, where it is His voice that told Isaiah (through His Son), there were “men” [“hadam”], in great numbers, who are distant, but moving to remove all the Jews and take over their land. The “peoples” will then be enslaved to “men,” not to Yahweh, their God. As long as Isaiah is telling the “peoples” how wrong they were, being in need of changing their ways, to ignore that warning meant the “peoples” preferred to follow the will of “men.” So, if following the will of “men” is what the “peoples” want, then Yahweh will move a great number of foreign “men” to force their will upon the ‘peoples.”

The final verse of this chapter and reading says that Yahweh knows, therefore Isaiah must speak this prophecy to the “peoples,” that utter ruin is coming from the “peoples” allowing their “throne” – which they asked Samuel for a long time prior – to be influenced by demon spirits possessing their leaders, making them become evil “adonay.” The marriage that united the “peoples” with Yahweh, back when Moses led them out of slavery in Egypt [into slavery as the wives of Yahweh – His elohim, like Isaiah], was being broken day by day. If the “peoples” do not listen to the prophets sent by Yahweh [call them divine marriage counselors] and see the error of their ways and change back to the agreements of the Covenant, then the “peoples” [the Jews] can forget about any claims they ever had before, about being ‘God’s chosen “peoples.”’ That tree will be forever cut down and burned to a low stump, so something productive and fruit bearing can grow in its place.

Now, the truth of this reading applies to anyone who thinks he or she has become “God’s chosen people.” God chooses souls to become His wives; not the other way around. Those souls become married to Yahweh’s Spirit, in the same way Isaiah’s soul was purified by the coal from the altar fire – the altar of marriage, where self-will is burned to nothing in that soul’s complete submission to Yahweh – the Holy Husband. In today’s farce of a religion calling itself ‘Christian,’ the reality is the “peoples” are acting exactly the same as were the Jews of Judah … the nation of peoples headed to complete ruin. Everyone who will read this interpretation will treat this warning as if their ears are blocked and their eyes cannot see these words. The same end awaits the tree calling itself “Christianity,” if it is not bearing fruit that gets off its asses and does as Isaiah did.

Ask the question: “How long must I be a servant to Yahweh?”

The answer is this: “As long as it takes for your flesh to turn to dust and release your soul for Judgment.”

If you can’t commit for that long, then expect to reap the rewards of all who fall prey to demonic possession. I hear its pretty dark and hot there.

Language, Psalms, Teaching

Psalm 138 – Smacking down the enemy of self with the right hand of God

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1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *

before elohim I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple

and praise your Name, *

because of your love and faithfulness;

3 [2] For you have glorified your Name *

and your word above all things.

4 [3] When I called, you answered me; *

you increased my strength within me.

5 [4] All the kings of the earth will praise you, Yahweh, *

when they have heard the words of your mouth.

6 [5] They will sing of the ways of Yahweh, *

that great is the glory of Yahweh.

7 [6] Though Yahweh be high, he cares for the lowly; *

he perceives the haughty from afar.

8 [7] Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *

you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;

your right hand shall save me.

9 [8] Yahweh will make good his purpose for me; *

Yahweh, your love endures forever;

do not abandon the works of your hands.

——————–

This is the Psalm that will be read aloud in unison or sung by a cantor on the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will follow an Old Testament reading from Isaiah, where the prophet was shown a vision of angels assigned to the world by Yahweh, where he declared, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts!” That pair will then be followed by a reading from Paul’s first letter to the true Christians of Corinth, where he wrote: “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain.” All will then accompany the Gospel reading from Luke, where we read, “When [Jesus] had finished speaking [to the crowd, as he was on a boat just offshore], he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

This is an eight-verse psalm, not nine. For whatever reason, the Episcopal Church has seen a need to turn verse two into two verses. That adds a non-existent verse, which I have removed and noted proper verse numbering in bold type, between brackets.

Also, in the first verse of this psalm, the NRSV has mutated the word “elohim” so it has been improperly translated as “O Lord.” The truth of the word written has it stating the plural number, where an English translation should be as “gods.” The plural number demands the lower-case, because many “gods” would be lower in status than Yahweh. The word “elohim” has special meaning, as an angel of Yahweh, but it does not demand capitalization and must be known as plural, not singular. Therefore, it has been restored to the Hebrew written.

In six other instances, the word “Yahweh” has been improperly translated as “the Lord.” That written has been also restored, as can be seen in the bold type appearing in the above translation. The bold type should serve to force one’s eyes to see the truth of the name of the One God believers profess belief in. To be “in the name of God,” so one can say, “In God’s name we pray,” that means one needs to know what that name is first. Calling Yahweh “the Lord” says, “I am not one with God, because he is just some Lord external to me, who I do not know.” Learn the name!

I have written before about this Psalm 138. That commentary can be accessed by searching this site by name and number of the reading. I wrote about it as the Psalm in the Ordinary after Pentecost, Year B (Proper 5) readings; when it last came up in the lectionary cycle. In that three-year cycle, this Psalm will be read during four Sunday services: Epiphany 5C; Proper 5B; Proper 12C; and, Proper 16A. That repetition says this Psalm 138 is recognized as important to grasp. It should be as well-known as is a hymnal favorite, regularly sung by congregations.

It can be discerned that this Psalm 138 is sung during periods recognized as when ministry has begun. The period that is after the Epiphany can then be recognized as the internship of ministry that equates to when Jesus sent out the twelve and seventy, in pairs. This means Psalm 138 should be viewed as a song of praise by one whose soul has married Yahweh and given birth to His Son, making one be the vehicle of a new ministry of Jesus. Therefore, praise is sung.

In the first verse is where the mystical word “elohim” is found. It is so mystical it caused the NRSV to stick in an “O Lord” that is nowhere to be found written in the Hebrew text. It is an assumption that David was singing to Yahweh, based on the regular placement of that specific name in these eight verses; but faith should not be based on a religion that worships translation services’ assumptions [they also love capitalizing Hebrew words, when Hebrew has no capital letters].

The totality of the Hebrew written in verse one is this [transliterated]: “lə·ḏā·wiḏ ’ō·wḏ·ḵā ḇə·ḵāl-lib·bî ; ne·ḡeḏ ’ĕ·lō·hîm ’ă·zam·mə·re·kā .” That literally translates to state: “of David I will praise you totally my heart ; in sight of elohim I will sing praises to you .”

When one knows that “elohim” is a statement of divine possession, where it refers to all souls that have divinely married with Yahweh’s Spirit, so they are all reborn as His Sons on earth – all angels in the flesh who serve Yahweh totally – then it is easy to see him singing that his “heart” – which also is a statement of his “inner man” or “soul” “praises Yahweh” as one of His “elohim.” It is the presence of “elohim” and it known to mean one who retains Yahweh as His angels on earth that Yahweh can be intuited or assumed.

Now, in verse two [which the Episcopal Church has divided into two verses] the Church also [not the NRSV] has capitalized the word “shem” twice [written as “šə·me·ḵā” and “mə·ḵā”], so it shows above as “Name” [rather than “name”]. Here, it must be understood that the Church recognizes this use of “name” as being a divinely elevated “Name,” which becomes the Church’s way of saying David [a name] was giving “praise” because his soul had taken on the “Name” that comes from divine marriage. Just as a wife takes on the name of her husband [as a sign of possession, her then being the property of the husband], David took on the “Name” of Yahweh in Holy Matrimony; and, that divinely elevated name is “Israel,” which means: one “Who Retains Yahweh as one of His elohim” [with “el” being equated to one of the “elohim”]. Thus, David sang praises that were relative to his marriage to the Spirit of Yahweh.

In verse three [which the Church denotes as four], it can become confusing to hear, “When I called, you answered me,” as that makes it sound like a wife owning her husband, or a master calling his or her slave [like an owner whistles for a dog to come], when the opposite is the intent of those words. What David means is that his being possessed by Yahweh makes it so that every time he calls out or speaks, it is Yahweh speaking through his mouth and lips. David has absolutely no control over Yahweh, because his soul is in the name of Yahweh. It is not the other way around. This is the way David likes it, because Yahweh possessing David’s soul gives David’s “soul strength” [from “ḇə·nap̄·šî” written, meaning “in my soul”].

When David mentioned Yahweh by name, four times in the three verses four, five and six, he spoke of the power that came from all who were the possessions of Yahweh. No human position of power could begin to compare to that David was enlightened to, as a wife of Yahweh. Not even “kings” [and David was a human king] could ignore the advice of a Yahweh elohim. The power of divinity hone from them to all they came in contact with. Just as the shepherd boys sang praises to Jesus, after being led to find him by an angel, so too are all who are a comparatively “lowly” raised by the presence of the Almighty. Simply feeling that presence within one’s being makes one sign praises to Yahweh.

Verse seven sings of all fears being erased by this divine possession. One’s own flesh becomes one’s own worst enemy, as the flesh always seeks self-pleasure and always attempts to lure the soul away from Yahweh. The presence of Yahweh’s Spirit makes one His “right hand,” so the soul keeps the body in check. This then becomes the state of righteousness that Yahweh brings to be; and it is that pure state that allows a soul to be assured of eternal life.

As a song of praise to be sung loudly on the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, it sings of one’s amazement of ministry. Going out into the world with the presence of Yahweh within one’s soul, as His Son Jesus reborn, it an exciting new way to see the world. All of the beauty is clearly visible, along with all of the alarming sounds of warning. One knows salvation is voluntary and cannot be forced. Thus, all one can do is make the voice of Yahweh available, so if it asks a question, then Jesus will answer. All one has to do is be there; and, that is the delight of the after the Epiphany time period.

1 Corinthians, Language, Teaching

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 – Do you feel lucky?

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I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you–unless you have come to believe in vain.

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them–though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

——————–

This is the Epistle selection to be read aloud on the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will follow a reading from Isaiah, where he had a vision and saw seraphim above the throne of Israel [not Yahweh’s throne in heaven – there is no such throne], to which he wrote: “each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.” That will be followed by a singing of Psalm 138, where David wrote, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.” All will accompany a reading from Luke’s Gospel, where Jesus told Simon-Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”

I wrote about this reading less than a year ago. Those observations can be read by searching this site by name and number of this reading. I wrote about this as it was then presented as a reading for Easter Sunday, in the Year B (scheduled April 4, 2021). Today [after the Epiphany] and then are the only two times this reading will be read aloud in Episcopal churches. Since I wrote deeply about this reading less than a year ago, I will not repeat that depth here now. Instead, I will assess these words from an after the Epiphany perspective on ministry.

As an after the Epiphany reading, it is important to see this as a time of internship, after one knowns one’s soul has married Yahweh and given birth to His Son Jesus – the gift of Christmas, confirmed on the Epiphany. The “Epiphany” reflects a personal experience, when one knows that one has been forever, divinely changed. The excitement of that new “’Christmas gift’ is one wants to go out and give it a try. This becomes a time that is symbolic of Jesus sending his still ‘in-training’ disciples out into temporary ministry … ‘to get their feet wet.’ This is how one should see how Christmas is the birthdate of John the Baptist, with Jesus born on the eve of Pentecost [six months later]. Thus, the ‘trial period’ is when one’s soul has been saved and then goes into ministry as the precursor of Jesus [as John first], who then comes later, when one’s soul graduates from ‘disciple school’ and enters into a lifetime of ministry as Jesus reborn.

In this ministry, it should be realized that all of the ministers who are Spiritually reborn as Jesus will include both males and females, just as there were male and female followers of Jesus of Nazareth. This ministry is not about a physical change having occurred. A physical change in human beings can be when puberty hits, and the neuter child matures and becomes either an adult male or adult female. A spiritual transformation is an outpouring of unseen Spirit, with no observable changes in the physical body [no sudden hair growth in previously smooth places]. A spiritual possession by Yahweh is absolutely and completely soul related; and, there are absolutely no souls that have sex organs.

Only physical males and females have need to procreate. Yahweh’s plan of Creation was so worldly creatures could multiply and populate the earth. The souls giving life to worldly creatures is like adding electricity to a pre-programmed machine. The machine does what the machine is built to do. The machine does not act because the electricity is leaned towards masculinity or leaned towards femininity. Electricity, like Yahweh, is an outflow of life; so, a soul is like electricity … an extension of Yahweh to make dead machines come to life.

Angels [saved souls] released from their bodies of flesh do not reproduce and cannot reproduce. All that is spiritual is of masculine essence – it penetrates the material realm. All that is physical is of feminine essence – it receives the spiritual realm. The electricity is masculine and the machine is feminine. Thus Yahweh breathes in [He penetrates] the spirit of life [a neuter gender soul] into a body of flesh [the receptor that is dead without life placed into it]. As neuter gender souls in feminine bodies of flesh, they take on the essence of that which is feminine, when a soul is trapped within a body of flesh. In this way, souls in the flesh all [males and females] become the brides of Yahweh and the mothers of Jesus’ soul resurrected in those mommy souls. Until a soul becomes an angel released [the until death should you part thing], the soul in flesh remains feminine, until it receives a masculine addition to it – a Spiritual masculine addition.

This means that everyone who walks the face of the earth as a human being [a soul animating dead matter] is either male or female physically … for the purpose of reproducing on earth. All souls, however, regardless of their human gender, are going to end up released from their bodies of death as souls that are eternal. Only the bodies of flesh are temporal. This means souls in bodies of flesh are called mortals – they are born to die. They are all born to eventually release the body of flesh back to the earth.

A soul released that has not married Yahweh and given rebirth to His Son is called a failure. It was neuter soul placed in feminine essence, for the purpose of adding Spirit, to become masculine essence in the realm of death. A soul that fails to achieve this addition of the masculine Spirit has failed Yahweh; therefore, those failed souls do not go to heaven [for long]. All souls released from a body of death will enter the outer realm of the spiritual for Judgment. When found a failure, that soul will then be re-placed back into a new body of dead flesh [the one cell variety]. This is reincarnation.

Over great periods of linear time [only existent in the material realm] an eternal soul most likely will be female in reincarnation and then at other reincarnations be male. Depending on how many failed lives that soul has lived, over great epochs of linear time, one soul can be female many times, as well as male many times. A soul that has struggled with releasing the influence a body of flesh has over that soul can become confused and think its sexual orientation of its last life [or past lives when the same human gender for many lives], this is a test of Yahweh placed on those souls, for them to find the way to resist all sexual influences and finally receive the Spirit. With the Spirit the soul is then capable of rejecting influences to sin and earth eternal life with Yahweh.

The soul is always neuter. Only the flesh has sex organs. If a soul has been saved from all this repetitive ‘restarts’ it will remain with Yahweh in heaven for eternity. Because Yahweh is the Father, thus the masculine essence of the Spiritual, all souls who abide with the Father must be His Son. If all are His Son, where all call Yahweh their Father, then all saved souls are “brothers.” Because there are absolutely zero sex organs in heaven, there are no ‘sisters’ there. The feminine realm is only the material realm, meaning all souls placed into that realm take on the femininity of that material realm. All souls in human flesh – both with male and female sex organs – are ‘sisters.’ As such, the souls in human flesh are all potential ‘brides-to-be’ of Yahweh; and, they are all potential ‘mothers’ of His Son Jesus. Thus, Paul was not writing to the saved souls in temporal bodies of flesh in Corinth [who were undoubtedly both of the male and female varieties] about physical matters. Paul was writing to them only about spiritual matters. Therefore, ALL of the Corinthians to whom Paul wrote were “brothers” in Spirit.

None of the female Christians in Corinth saw their souls as being ignored by his writing that word. Their souls knew they were “brothers” because their souls had given birth to the masculine essence Jesus. Jesus can then be seen as the Savior because he is the much needed addition of masculine Spirit that will transform a neuter soul and grant it eternal salvation.

Now, this is a simple matter to grasp. The confusion comes when the pricks that run all the churches have been elevated into positions of authority, while having absolutely no experience of the Spirit of Yahweh within them. The times when Apostles led churches are long gone. They were all crucified by Rome or burned at the stake or executed in Inquisitions.
They have been made as rare as unicorns. Therefore, when none of the leaders of churches are filled with the Spirit and then reborn as Jesus, then none of them will have a clue why Paul wrote “adelphoi” and did not add “adelfés.”

Because they do not know why, they do not explain why [as I have just done]. By not being able to explain why there are no “sisters” being pointed out by Paul, these pricks begin making up Scripture to suit their personal needs [those of unsaved souls in degenerate flesh]. Those ‘needs’ are to keep the cash, checks, and tithes coming into the coffers of the churches [to pay for all the things the pricks love to surround their heathen souls with]; and, they know in these modern times that the menfolk have long given up on religion, only driving their aged wives to the church on Sundays. Thus, to keep the women seeing how they are such an integral part of a thriving religious organization, the pricks pander to the feminine egos. One easy way to do that is by adding a nonexistent “and sisters” to what Paul wrote.

That simple addition diminishes the whole value of what Paul wrote. Those souls in desperate need for a masculine Spirit addition are told nothing about that need. Paul, as a saved soul who wrote to other saved souls, wrote the truth to help those who read his words today. Those to whom Paul wrote [males and females] all knew they were “brothers” spiritually, because human gender did not mean squat. Today, the blind pricks lead the blind seekers to the great pit of death, where another reincarnation awaits them all [at best].

I wrote that less than a year ago; but it bears repeating again. Divine Scripture is only written by souls married to Yahweh, who had given rebirth to His Son Jesus – being Jesuses reborn – so they all wrote the Word of Yahweh. All who think changing one iota of divine Scripture will not condemn their tiny souls to eternal damnation [no more reincarnations to start over again] will be in for a HUGE SURPRISE. This is where remembering what “mortal” means … brothers and sisters.

In the Greek text written by Paul, the single word “adelphoi” is written between comma marks, which sets that one word apart from all the rest in this chapter. That one word was singled out for a divine purpose. That divine purpose is to force those who read this letter to contemplate the meaning of “brothers.” That contemplation has to come from every one reading the letter being of different genders. When Yahweh is saying, “Contemplate why only ‘brothers’ is written,” only the blind and ignorant would say, “Well, I guess Yahweh forgot to tell Paul to add ‘and sisters.’”

As a newbie minister sent out in internship in this ‘after the Epiphany’ time period, if all you do is go from church to church saying, “Paul did not write “and sisters,’ and here is why,” then let that be how you see the reactions that come back to you. Either people’s hearts will open and welcome what insight you bring, which they had never seen before, so they too can begin to court Yahweh and seek His proposal for divine marriage; or, the people will run you out of the church on a rail, cursing you for having dared to speak for God [when they do that by adding “and sisters”]. Then, one either enjoys the comradery of new fellowship or one knocks the filthy dust off one’s sandals and leaves that unholy place, where rejection permeates all souls in flesh there, allowing their judgment days to be when the truth smacks them across the soul. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. Each soul decides its own fate … but if someone told them Yahweh sent them with an important message to be heeded, and that message was not heeded. Well, they made their reincarnation bed, so let them lie in it.

With that, I leave you to read what I wrote in-depth about this reading selection from Paul last Easter Sunday. If that is not enough, then try this: Talk to me about what it is you seek. Being silent will haunt you when it is time to lay your bag of dirt in the ground and stand naked [and sexless] before the throne of Judgment. Silence gives your soul a thirty-three percent chance of losing everything, forever. In the words of Dirty Harry, “You have to ask yourself, ‘Do I feel lucky?’”

Okay, let me add a little more to this.

When Paul wrote that “Christ died” [“Christos apethanen“], the translation of “died” is misleading. The word “apothnéskó” means, “the separation that goes with the “dying off (away from).” This means the “Anointment” of Jesus by Yahweh was “separated when the body of Jesus returned to death, when the soul of Jesus went away from” that body. To read Paul as saying, “Hey guys, my man ‘Christ’ – us cool religious dudes can call Jesus ‘Christ'” is wrong. Jesus was a soul in a body of flesh, whose soul was “Anointed” by Yahweh. That soul is always “Anointed,” thus always a “Christ” – The Christ. So, when that soul of Jesus is resurrected within one of those neuter souls in bodies of flesh – the addition of the masculine Spirit – Jesus lives again and the Christ is in whatever body of flesh a saved soul occupies.

That is when Paul began a series of statements that say Jesus “appeared” [“ōphthē“]. That word is a form of “horaó ” [3rd person singular – Aorist Indicative Passive], which means “he was seen, perceived, attended to,” with the deeper meaning relative to this [HELPS Word-studies]: “often with metaphorical meaning: “to see with the mind” (i.e. spiritually see), i.e. perceive (with inward spiritual perception).” This means the soul of Jesus – as The Christ – became the inward spiritual perception [the masculine addition of Spirit]: in Cephas [Simon-Peter]; in the twelve; in “more than five hundred brothers at once;” then in James; and, then all the apostles [which is in addition to all listed prior]. After all those souls, Paul then wrote, “he became my inward spiritual perception” [“he appeared to me”].

This is not Paul talking about some ghostly form of Jesus, or some spirit that had physical form of some kind being seen by those who were the first true Christians – all having been reborn as Jesus, all having been Anointed by Yahweh as His Son resurrected – so ALL had that masculine Spirit added to their souls. When Paul said his soul was “least of all,” well by golly gee, that is why he changed his name from Saul to Paul [a word meaning Small].

Everyone today is smaller than Paul, if one’s soul is led around by a brain that thinks like the pricks hired by religious organizations, paid off with the money you small people give them, so they can keep your souls smaller than Paul. What Paul was writing to the true Christians he met in Corinth was more for us today, by telling them then [in a letter], “Always remember when Jesus was first reborn into your souls,” That is a Christmas to always remember; and, to receive this reminder in writing is the Epiphany of knowing one soul reborn as Jesus is not the only soul that has his masculine Spirit added. It is the realization that one’s soul has been saved that sends it out in the world with that Good News.

Language, Luke, Teaching

Luke 5:1-11 – Aye Aye, Captain!

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Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

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This is the Gospel reading that will be read aloud by a priest on the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will follow a reading from Isaiah, when Isaiah volunteered, “Here I am. Send me,” leading Isaiah to ask, “How long Yahweh?” to which Yahweh said, “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is utterly desolate.” That will be followed by a singing of Psalm 138, where David sang: “Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; he perceives the haughty from afar.” That pair will precede the Epistle reading from First Corinthians, where Paul wrote: “For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

It is important to keep in mind the Gospel of Luke acts as the story of Mother Mary, relative to her eyewitness accounts [divinely inspired to recall] of Jesus. In this regard, Luke is the one Gospel that I see which seems to follow a different order of events in Jesus’ life, differing from the accounts of the other Gospel writers. None of that acts to weaken any of the others, as everything must be taken as the truth being told. Still, from having just read Luke’s forth chapter, when Jesus was tested in the wilderness, before appearing in Nazareth to be rejected, and now picking three of his disciples [who would have been with him in Nazareth], this should be seen as a mother’s emotionally driven memory of divine events in Jesus’ life, of which she was not present to witness everything.

Relative to this seeming disorder of events, much of the detail offered in this account in Luke is very similar to the details stated in John’s Gospel. In John’s Gospel, however, Peter and his partners catching a load of fish so heavy it began to sink the boat is told in his last chapter, which seems to me to be a dream sequence, rather than a real event witnessed. In a dream, John could have been shown a much earlier event, which is the one detailed by Luke, where the central element that connects to John’s dream is the sincerity of Peter. Here, Peter is said to tell Jesus, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” In John’s dream, Peter sees an old man on the shore that looks nothing like Jesus, but he knows it is him, going to meet him. What follows is Jesus questioning the love Simon Peter had for Jesus, where the word “philos” becomes a view of love that leads to sins.

Where this account of an event differs is when the scene of Luke’s fourth chapter has moved to the Sea of Galilee, called the lake of Gennesaret. Not far to the south of Capernaum is the ancient place called Gennesaret. I was the place that lent its name to the western plain along the northwestern shore of the sea. By using this name, it is likely that the docks where Jesus was standing, where “the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God,” means two things. First, Jesus had other negative experiences in synagogues [especially those around Capernaum, where Jesus had moved before beginning his ministry], so he was making a large flatland area be where he preached in the ‘open air,’ no longer welcomed in the synagogues. Second, it says his fishermen disciples [Simon, James and John of Zebedee] still had their ‘day jobs,’ where their fishing boats were moored at a place where large wharfs had been build. So, Jesus was there [as stated in Matthew and Mark] to get those three to follow him full-time, while he already had people drawn to hear him speak and teach.

In this reading that tells of “two boats,” it is vital to grasp that these boats were not small row boats. They were boats with sails that were fishing boats, built to accommodate fishermen. It would be these boats that were owned by Simon, James and John [along with their families – fathers, sons, and daughters] that would be used in the crossing of the Sea of Galilee to the docks on the eastern shore, where Jesus would regularly preach to the multitudes [the sermons on the mount and the feedings of five and four thousand]. It should also be noted that Jesus himself was not a trained boatman. Thus, when on one of the boats during a storm, Jesus was asleep, not manning a position. The boats became one mode of transportation, which is first shown as being used here, when Jesus asked Peter to let him preach from his boat; so, he asked him to position the boat off the shoreline, anchor it, so Jesus could speak to those crowing the docks. That would help those who were fishermen and were trying to clean nets after having worked all night long. It was because Peter did this to help Jesus that Jesus then helped Peter by telling him to drop his nets.

In the exchange between Peter and Jesus, where Peter initially rejected the idea of reloading the nets, after having fished all night long and then taken the nets off the boat to clean them, he reflects the natural way of human beings, when it comes to Scripture. It is natural to read these verses about Jesus and think, “Yeah, that worked for them then, but nothing like that ever happens to me.” Following a reading about Jesus being rejected in Nazareth, we are finding him being politely rejected by his own disciple. Peter identifies himself as a disciple by calling Jesus “Master” [“Epistata”].

The word “epistata” is rooted in “epistates,” which means, “superintendence, attention,” (Strong’s Definition) while implying, “master, teacher, chief, commander.” (Strong’s Usage) The capitalization elevates this word to a divine level of meaning, where Peter called Jesus a “Commander,” which should be seen in nautical rankings as the Owner of the fleet. This identification can now be seen as an investment issue, where Joseph [the ‘adoptive’ father of Jesus] had wealth, which was used by the sons of Mary to purchase boats, for the purpose of using them to fish, thereby providing both food and income to the family. As such, HELPS Word-studies says this about the word: “properly, the legal standing of ownership referring to the master-in-charge, i.e. the one fully authorized (aptly acknowledged as the leader).” By seeing this as Jesus being the ‘boss’ of the “two boat” fleet’s sailors [most likely relatives employed in the fishing business], Jesus acted like the first pope making a decree, which Peter begrudgingly complied with. Peter was probably thinking, “What does this land lover know about fishing?”

The result of the suggestion [seen as an order] says Jesus was indeed the “Master,” as not just the son of Joseph, but the Son of God [Yahweh]. Jesus was not speaking from any fishing expertise, but speaking as the Son who only spoke the Word of the Father. Yahweh was going to lead every fish in the Sea of Galilee – as their “Master” – to the nets of Peter, so the catch would be more than “two boats” could safely take on board. Because Peter’s soul immediately knew Jesus was much smarter than he was, so Peter’s soul knew Jesus knew his heart, when he was thinking Jesus was just some guy trying to act big, when he had no knowledge about fishing [most likely, that time of day was when nobody ever caught fish]. So, it was with great guilt that Peter prostrated himself before Jesus, begging him to “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

This admission of Peter [as divinely inspired as it was] needs to be seen as the power of confession. Without Peter having done nothing wrong outwardly, other than mildly protest that casting their nets was just what they finished doing … all night lone [with no luck], it was his inward guilt that was his sin. Peter then reflects those who easily and naturally reject the voice that says, “Give it one more shot,” from a perspective that thinks, “You have no clue what I do and what my failures are.” Peter’s confession before Jesus was from his knowing Jesus was the hand of Yahweh on earth, who knows more than he will ever know. Unlike the Nazarenes who attempted to throw Jesus off a cliff, because they naturally thought they knew what it was they were doing [when they did not], Peter admitted his sins and submitted his body to Jesus and his soul to Yahweh.

More than the catch of a lifetime meaning lots of money in their pockets, where Peter, James and John gave out a shout, “Thank you Jesus!” [like so many who think worshiping Jesus will bring them material windfalls], the catch of fish became meaningless. It meant more to the three disciples to see that Jesus was a guidance that had come into their lives, where his lead was from a much higher power than any the three had ever known. From that day onward, they put their complete faith and trust in what Jesus told them to do. This is what submitting one’s soul to Yahweh means, as this is the first step in an eternal love affair. Jesus stand in everyone’s ‘boat’ as the Word of the Gospels. Jesus is speaking to every reader through the words of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Every reader is just like Peter, as all see Jesus as the Commander who says, “Do this” and “Do that,” when in the hearts of the readers are whispers, “You don’t know the half ….” Everything Jesus says comes from Yahweh, and Yahweh knows ALL.

When Jesus then told the three, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people,” that says two things. First is says complete trust in what Jesus says must happen. It is the trust that leads to divine marriage of a soul to Yahweh – one receives the Spirit. When that Spirit has penetrated one’s soul, then the soul of Jesus will be resurrected within – twin souls in one body of flesh. That divine possession will make Jesus the “Master” of one’s ‘boat’ [body of flesh]. As such, the second thing is – once one has become reborn as Jesus – then he will lead your body of flesh [like a disciple that is an Apostle-Saint] into ministry. There one will fish for souls, to repeat the whole process.

As the Gospel reading to be read aloud on the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, the dawning must be that having Jesus within one’s soul will bring insight that must be trusted. As novices learning to enter ministry, the temptation is to overthink everything. One tries to figure out, “What would Jesus do?” That is too much self-importance and not enough faith and trust. When one’s soul has indeed married Yahweh and one’s soul now has a ‘brother’ in Jesus, with his soul now leading one’s flesh, the tendency is to do as one has always done – figure things out. The period after the Epiphany is to begins leaving the decisions up to a much higher power. It might lead to some embarrassments and it might lead to some failures; but this is when one needs to learn how to just the power of the Spirit, so one learns how a Saint really works.