Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
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This is the Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for Year A, Proper 25, the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost. It will next be read aloud in church on Sunday, October 29, 2017. This is important because it tells of the death of Moses and his legacy among the Israelites.
This reading becomes a confirmation of the dream state analysis I presented for the readings from Exodus 31 and Exodus 33. It also speaks about the use of “face,” which has been omitted from English translations of the First Commandment. The proper translation should state: “Thou shall have no other gods before me to face.” Because we are told here, “Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,” that element (meaning one cannot even wear his or her own face before God, as that acts as another god before God) is key to grasping the depth of this whole reading.
The thirty-fourth chapter of Deuteronomy begins by stating, “Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan.” Simply from the imagery that comes from those segments, creating one statement, one can easily hear or read those words and think Moses went to some high elevation and God opened his eyes to see long distance. Without knowing how high Mount Nebo is (it is 817 meters, or 2,680 feet above sea level), one can think this is similar to going atop Lookout Mountain (see Rock City, elevation 2,389 feet), where one can see U. S. seven states. However, this is not how to read verse one.
To get the big picture, one has to focus on the word “Pisgah.” This is not a proper place, although some may offer conjecture that this is the name of another mountain in Moab, presumably beyond Mount Nebo. The word “pisgah” means “cleft,” in Hebrew. This means Moses did not go to the “top” of a specific ridge on Mount Nebo, but he went into a cleft at the top of Mount Nebo. Any capitalization then written or implied acts to show this was not an ordinary “cleft,” but a most important one.
This is then a reference to Exodus 33:22, where the LORD told Moses, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” The Hebrew word used there is “bə·niq·raṯ” (root “neqarah”), which means, “a hole or crevice,” implying a “cavern or cleft.”
As I explained (hypothesized) in my interpretation of that Old Testament reading for Proper 24, Moses became one with God when in that cleft, as his body became encased in the “rock” that was God surrounding him. Thus, being in a “cleft” of the LORD implies being in that holy dream state, where prophetic visions make one see through the face of God. It is only after coming out of that state, when the results of the Holy Spirit’s presence can be seen, such that that becomes identified as the “back side of the LORD.” This same meaning should be inferred in Deuteronomy 34:1, upon “Pisgah.”
By realizing that, one can now look at the map below and see the breadth of vision that was allowed Moses, while in a holy dream state atop Mount Nebo. Due east of Mount Nebo is Bethlehem, 35 miles away. The “sea” was twice that distance, 70 miles away. It was 80 miles, north and slightly west, to Bethsaida, at the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, the southern edge of Naphtali. It was roughly 58 miles to the southwest where Zoar was located. The purple circle that I have added to the map then represents a panoramic view with a radius of 80 miles. That distance captures all of the places mentioned in the first three verses of Deuteronomy 34.
It might be possible to see the distant tops of mountains that border the valley of the Jordan River (and Gilead was a mountain range east of the Jordan River, between Manasseh and Gad); but was Moses limited to such a pedestrian view? If “Pisgah” does indeed mean “cleft,” then one can realize how God showed Moses much more than a vista of the Promised Land.
When we then read the LORD telling Moses, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there,” we are returned to the element of “Seeing,” which began Exodus 33 and was the theme of that reading.
The translation, “I have let you see it with your eyes,” comes from the Hebrew “’et·tə·nen·nāh her·’î·ṯî·ḵā ḇə·‘ê·ne·ḵā,” which (as variations of three words) is more like three statements being made: “I will give” (“nathan: to give, put, set”), “I have caused you to see [it]” (“raah: to see”), and “with your eyes” (“ayin: an eye”). The allowance of God is a gift of the Holy Spirit, which then becomes the cause of a vision (acceptable variation allowed from “raah: to see”). This “sight” was then seen by Moses in his mind’s eye.
When it then shows (by the English translation above) an exception to this “gift” of “sight” by God, as “but you shall not cross over there,” it gives the impression that God was teasing Moses. He was showing him all the bounty of the Promised Land, but then saying, “You can’t go there.” That is the wrong impression.
The Hebrew actually says, “wə·šām·māh lō ṯa·‘ă·ḇōr,” which is better translated as “and there not do cross over.” If anyone remembers the TV show Crossing Over with John Edwards, then one should be familiar with the term “crossing over” as it is relative to death.
A viable use of “abar” (the root of “ṯa·‘ă·ḇōr”) is “pass on” or “pass away.” Since the next verse states, “Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab,” the meaning of “and you shall not pass away there, at the Lord’s command,” says God told Moses, while in a prophetic vision state, “You will die before setting foot on this land I am showing you.”
Because the verse that follows states, “Moses then died,” the assumption is that Moses died as soon as God told him that. However, the end of a verse with a period (mark of “complete stop”) and the beginning of a new verse with a capitalized first word (new thought) does not mean take a deep breath and then immediately continue. To see how considerable time can pass between such transition points, I recommend looking at the Last Supper verses. That evening took at least six hours of time.
Because of this realization, there is the distinct possibility that Moses awoke from that dream state atop Mount Nebo, knowing his future; and he was then able to make a few arrangements about his burial and inform key personnel about the coming change. According to lore, Nostradamus told his assistant (Chavigny) he would be found dead in the morning, and he was. If you recall, Jesus made a few preparatory comments to his disciples, prior to his dying. Therefore, it is reasonable to think God would not suddenly take the life of Moses away from him.
When we are then told, “Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated,” this firmly states that Moses and God were still of One-being, until the day Moses “gave up the ghost.” Moses was filled with the strength and longevity that the Holy Spirit brings. He was fully capable of seeing as a prophet of the LORD, and he was fully capable of acting on every command the LORD gave. In this case, the LORD commanded it was time for the physical presence of Moses among the Israelites to leave them.
The death of Moses, in this light, has to be seen in direct comparison to Jesus of Nazareth. Moses lived 120 years, which is a numerological 3 (1+2+0=12 > 1+2=3). The number three is symbolic of the Trinity, as well as “initial completion.” The children of Israel had reached a stage of training, where their most holy teacher had to let them graduate and take forth what they had been taught to the next level. Jesus lived 33 years, which is a numerological 3 elevated to the spiritual status of an 11 (3 x 11=33). This means Jesus was on a higher plane spiritually than an ordinary 6 (3 + 3 = 6).
Additionally, Jesus was transfigured on the high mountain and Moses appeared beside him. Both Moses and Jesus were representatives of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in one being). Both obeyed the commands of the Father. Both were able to talk with God with “unimpaired vision” of what was before them. Both were doing the work of the LORD, without any weakness of Spirit.
When this reading from Deuteronomy 34 goes on to state, “Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him,” the same way that Moses touched Joshua spiritually is then comparable to Peter standing (with the other ten Apostles), as Jesus had “laid hands upon him” similarly. Where as Moses touched one (Joshua), a Trinity led to a Trinity. An an elevated Trinity, Jesus touched eleven, leading to eleven Trinities. All who were touched became filled with the “spirit of wisdom.”
By adding, “the Israelites obeyed [Joshua], doing as the Lord had commanded Moses,” this says the disciples of Moses became the disciples of Joshua. Joshua taught and the Israelites learned and believed. This is also how the Jews converted to becoming Christians, with everyone doing as the LORD commanded, via the Holy Spirit. As was Moses, so was Joshua, and as were the Israelites. As was Jesus, so were the Apostles, and as are, and always will be Christians.
It is so easy for Christians today to see Jesus Christ as the Son of God, seated at the right hand of the LORD, and think less of those holy men who came before Jesus. However, to read, “Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,” one has to see Moses as the equivalent to Jesus, with this truth stated about Moses being tied to Israel, prior to their fall.
Jesus can have the same truth stated about him, as “Never since has there arisen a prophet in the world like Jesus, whom the LORD knew face to face.”
The element stated as “face to face” is in Hebrew “panim el- panim.” The “el” word is read as a prepositional prefix added to the first “panim,” but the noun “el” means “god,” which can be ignored or read as a clue about how to read this three-word statement. As a preposition, “el-” means, “to,” but also “into” and “towards,” with the implication being “against.” As such, the statement says the LORD knew Moses because Moses allowed his “face” to change “into” the “face of God.” His “face” was “towards” God, as subservient, to the point of being pressed “against” the “face” of God, so his own “face” was lost. What the LORD’s Mind needed to be transferred, as the knowledge of Moses, it entered that person so Moses’ “face” shone like the sun. Jesus was known by God in the same way, but less physically obvious. Still, Jesus is said to be the “light,” as he shines the “face” of God so all can see the truth.
I will leave it up to the reader to draw comparisons to the statement that Moses was “unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform.” It should not be hard to do that now.
You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
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This is the Epistle selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for Year A, Proper 25, the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost. This will next be read aloud in church on Sunday, October 29, 2017. This is important as it sheds more light on the motives and actions of true Christians, in relationship with other true Christians.
In the past interpretations of Paul’s epistles, I have made reference to “segments” of his long-winded “sentences.” I use that terminology because of my having been enlightened in how to read the complex letters of Nostradamus, which are part of the posthumous publications of his work The Prophecies (Les Propheties). In that regard, I have stated the need to slow down one’s natural reading process, from normally quite fast, to very slow. This means breaking the text down into “segments” (the words between punctuation marks, either directly written or implied in some way), so those words can be more deeply inspected for meaning.
One “sentence” of Nostradamus has a lot of internal marks.
Because the letters of Nostradamus are so difficult to read, due to a very limited number of period marks (among other difficulties), I have found it easier for the readers of my Nostradamus publications to grasp the deeper meaning by breaking down pages of block text into segments, dictated by the presence of punctuation marks. This process allows the actual text to be more clearly presented, and it prevents the automatic processes, of a brain taught to read text fast, that make auto-corrects of inconsistencies in tense, number, and gender, so that we are trained to quickly paraphrase complexities of writing into understandable language.
While Nostradamus was commanded by God to write extremely complex epistles, Paul was meant to be understood, making the two prophets seem only similar in their penchant for long, run-on statements. However, as the source influence for both was God’s Holy Spirit, meaning both were writing in a holy language, with its own purposeful syntax applied, Paul’s epistles can be broken down into segments, in the same way that I have done previously with the text of Nostradamus’ letters.
The translation of 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 listed above is the New International Version of the original Greek text. This is a valid translation, based on the syntax of normal Greek being applied to the syntax of normal American English, where certain syntactical liberties are naturally taken. When translated in this way, one reads what normal Paul wrote, in a letter sent to normal Thessalonians. However, we know neither Paul (and his apostle companions) nor the Thessalonians receiving this letter were normal; as they were all true Christians, each filled with the Holy Spirit.
In order to see the holiness of this epistle more clearly, I advise the readers here to open a separate window and read along in the Interlinear Bible presentation of 1 Thessalonians 2, which shows the Greek, a standard translation for each word, and the root word that is linked to that word’s usage and definitions, as indicated by Strong’s Concordance (and others). With that guide to assist you, please read now the above eight verses in segmented fashion, reflecting on each segment before leaping rapidly to the next.
(Literal Translation of Interlinear Bible – Viable Literal Translation from Strong’s)
1. You yourselves indeed know, – Your selves truly know,
brothers, – brethren in Christ,
the coming of us to you, – the entrance of ourselves to you,
that not in vain has been; – that [entrance] not pretentious was born;
2. but having previously suffered and having been mistreated, – except suffered previously and having been injured,
even as you know, – just as you know,
in Philippi, – in Philippi,
we had boldness in the God of us, – we spoke freely within the God of us,
to speak to you the gospel of God, – to talk with you the good news of God,
amid much conflict. – among many [who] struggle.
3. For [the] exhortation of us [was] not of error, – Indeed a calling of us not of delusion [or wandering, sin],
nor of impurity, – nor of uncleanness [impurity],
nor in trickery; – nor in deceit [or guile, treachery];
4. but just as we have been approved by God, – but according to the manner we have been tested by God,
to be entrusted with the gospel, – to be given faith in the good news,
so we speak; – in this manner we proclaim;
not as men pleasing, – not as humans approving,
but God, – on the other hand God,
the [One] examining the hearts of us. – he proving [or testing] the intentions of us.
5. Never indeed at any time with word of flattery were we [coming], – not for once a word used for advantage or gain,
even as you know, – just as you know,
nor with a pretext for greed – – not in an excuse for covetousness —
God [is] witness; – God a witness;
6. nor seeking from men glory, – not desiring from humans praise,
nor from you, – not from you,
nor from others, – not from others,
[though] having authority in [it] burden to be, – having the ability by weight [or burden] to be,
as Christ’s apostles. – as the Anointed One’s messengers.
7. But we were gentle in [the] midst of you, – However our birth an infant in the middle of you,
as if a nursing mother would cherish her own children. – like as if a nursing care-giver would foster her own children.
8. So yearning over you, – In this way desiring earnestly for you,
we were pleased to have imparted to you, – we well-pleased to have given shares to you,
not only the gospel of God, – not only the good news of God,
but also our own lives, – but also our own souls,
because beloved to us you have become. – because beloved by God to us you have been born.
I will just make a couple of comments, beyond stating the obvious: The above text is from holy men to holy men, conceived by God in apostles and received by apostles who were enlightened by God to its true purpose. That truth lasts forever, to all who read these holy words, in all times: past, present, and future. The epistles of Paul are in a Holy Bible, for that reason – they are holy documents; and it requires the assistance of God to fully understand the holiness of their words.
That said, look at how the Greek word “adelphoi” was written and then translated as “brothers and sisters” in the New International Version above. That one word in Greek means, “A brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian.” (Strong’s) It is translated a number of times in the New American Standard Bible to be: “believing husband (1), brethren (170), brethren* (13), brother (111), brother’s (8), brothers (40).” (NAS)
As a typical statement of male apostles writing to male apostles, at an historic time when female apostles were never addressed as the caretakers of a church, it then becomes a modern paraphrase to change the essence to “brothers and sisters,” due to the allowance of female priests these days. However, that is not grasping the deepest spiritual meaning of this particular one-word statement, surrounded by two commas.
The word “adelphoi” means both the writer(s) and the recipient(s) were related. As such, the epistles were intended to both males and females, with both sexes referred to as “brothers.” They were not physically related, which means the differences in sex organs are inconsequential in this address. The relationship was solely Spiritual. All were brothers because all had been reborn as the Son of God, Jesus Christ. To reduce this to “brothers and sisters” is to put women back into a subservient role to men, as if only men could be filled with God’s Holy Spirit. That is not the intent of this word’s spiritual intent.
Mary has a halo in this work of art. Was it because she was holy? Or was it because the Son of God was within her womb? Think about that for a moment.
Second, the repeating of the segment that says “kathōs iodate,” translated as “just as you know,” says that Paul was not telling the Christians of Thessaly anything new. Because all were equally filled with the same Holy Spirit of God, the elements stated by Paul about the sufferings experienced and injuries caused, prior to becoming apostles of Christ, and the purpose their lives had taken on, after becoming apostles of Christ, were dawnings that all understood.
For this reason, Paul wrote that segment twice here (as influenced by the Mind of Christ to write) because the same statement is made to each reader, for as long as this epistle will be read. Understanding the steps of apostlehood is “even as you know.” If you are a fast reader, and everything Paul wrote seems to be “Greek to you,” then you know little of being an apostle of Christ (a true Christian). If you read Paul and believe this epistle was written to you, then the experiences recounted here as “just as you know.”
With that said, I will leave this letter to speak for itself, with the presentation I have shown an aid towards understanding. If anyone has questions or comments, then feel free to post them for all to see. I will answer any comment that specifically references the internal text of this posting.
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
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This is the Gospel selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for Year A, Proper 25, the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost. It will next be read aloud in a church by a priest on Sunday, October 29, 2017. It is important because here Jesus stated the First Commandment as the most important, with loving your fellows that are also devoted to God the next greatest commandment, from which obedience to all other laws follows naturally.
As this reading begins, we read, “When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees.” Matthew’s twenty-second chapter begins with Jesus telling the parable of the wedding banquet, followed by the test by the Pharisees as to whether or not Moses said paying tribute to Rome was legal. Prior to this reading was the approach by the Sadducees, who tested Jesus about seven sons marrying the same woman (repeatedly widowed without child), as to who would claim her as their wife in heaven, after all had died. All of these tests of Jesus are to be seen as the inspection of a sacrificial lamb for imperfections. Because Jesus continually sent his inspectors away humbled, each time he was found without blemish.
Again, these inspections are taking place in the Temple area, as the Jewish Holy Week of the Passover Festival is only days away from beginning. That commanded ritual required eight days of pious recognition of God having saved them, that year beginning at 6:00 PM on Friday – a Jewish Sabbath evening. Thus, four days of inspection becomes Monday through Thursday, with Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey and her colt on Sunday – the first day of the week. Sunday was then 9 Nissan, with Monday through Thursday being 10-13 Nissan, and Friday (the day of preparation for the Sabbath) being 14 Nissan. Passover always begins on 15 Nissan.
The multiple inspections of Jesus that were done each day is then a statement that the commandment given by God, through Moses, was important:
“Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household.” (Exodus 12:3) “Y our lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight.” (Exodus 12:5-6) “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD–a lasting ordinance.” (Exodus 12:14)
To put this in perspective, Jesus was not the only guy who had people running around calling him a prophet and possibly the Messiah. People thought the same about John the Baptizer (since killed). There were others as well. In a way of protecting the people from following a false shepherd, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Temple priests (all the Big Brains of Jerusalem) had taken it upon themselves to inspect all potential Christs for blemishes. In that way, they played a valuable role, just as did the leaders of the Israelite families in Egypt, who could not allow a diseased sheep or goat to have its blood shed to save lives. This was in spite of them being blind to themselves needing to be inspected.
In this reading, the inspection is a question posed to Jesus, about which of the 613 laws of Moses is most important for a Jew to obey. We then read, “[Jesus] said to [the legal beagle inspecting], “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment.”
Before going beyond this point, it is important to grasp how well this statement by Jesus, about the First Commandment, fits that which was written.
The Hebrew of the First Commandment (Exodus 20:3) says: “לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל פָּנָי,” as “lo yih’yeh le’kha e’lo’him a’hhey’rim al pa’nai,” literally translated as, “NOT he~will~EXIST to~you(ms) “Elohiym POWER~s” OTHER~s UPON FACE~s~me other “Elohiym Powers” will not exist (for) you upon my face.” (Source: Ancient Hebrew Research Center) This is usually translated for English-speaking Americans as: “You shall have no other gods before me.”
(Notice how the literal translation places focus on the word “panim,” which clearly states “face.”)
Knowing that the question to Jesus was posed by a “lawyer” (“nomikos”), which is not someone versed in Roman laws, but Mosaic Law (all 613 of them), such an authority would know Hebrew and the text stated above (“lo yih’yeh le’kha e’lo’him a’hhey’rim al pa’nai”). Thus, he would not have floating in his legal mind, “You shall have no other gods before me,” as an official inspector hoping to find an ugly blemish on Jesus. Therefore, when Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” that lawyer was processing, “Does love of Yahweh, from your heart, soul, and mind, mean you do not wear the face of any other gods?”
When Jesus then went on to state, “And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” … there was that “love” word (“Agapēseis”) again. Who can argue with the “love” word, especially when Exodus 20:6 says, “but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments”?
Hmmmmm. “Group think!” the lawyer must have thought, as he motioned to the other Pharisees standing there … speechless.
“Let’s put our heads together guys. Was that a blemish?”
As they were talking amongst themselves, Jesus asked them a legal question:
“What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
After having mentioning the prophets, whose prophecies were further amendments to the Law, coming from the LORD, they (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Zechariah, and Amos, along with some Psalms of David) were the primary ones who foretold of a coming Savior. Still, as a concept of Judaism, rather than a prophecy etched in stone (as was Mosaic Law), the standard answer was that instantly known by the Jews of the Second Temple: “The Messiah was to be a future Jewish king from the Davidic line.”
From that standard teaching that the Pharisees had memorized, they probably said in unison, “The son of David,” as a knee-jerk reaction, uncontrollable when that nerve was struck. Undoubtedly, Jesus asked a question to which he knew what the answer would be, setting up his next follow-up question.
Jesus asked, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”?”
He quoted to them Psalm 110:1, which begins by stating, “Of David a Psalm said.” Jesus used the words of David himself, which the Pharisees regularly belted out in song, while drawing special attention to themselves in the synagogues. So, they knew the words Jesus quoted.
They had just never really pondered what those words meant, until then, when Jesus used that as evidence that challenged their concept of a Messiah.
When David wrote, “Yah-weh la·ḏō·nî,” the “LORD of my lord,” this is similar to the repetitious use of “Yahweh elohim” in Genesis 2 – “LORD of lords” or “God of gods” – and the use of “ĕ·lō·hê hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm , wa·’ă·ḏō·nê hā·’ă·ḏō·nîm hā·’êl” in Deuteronomy 10:17 – “God of gods, the Lord, Lord God.” Because the First Commandment refers to “elohim” – as “god powers upon a face” or “gods before me” – the Pharisees had just stepped into a trap that had them putting a human face (a descendant of David) on the Anointed One – the Son of God.
When David sang, “The Lord said to my Lord,” the Pharisees understood that “The Lord” was God (Yahweh) and “my Lord” was the Messiah, who “sat at the right hand” of God, as God’s Son, the Lord of David. Therefore, it was impossible for the Messiah to be some human to be born as the Messiah, simply from bloodline and heritage. God, and thus His Son, was more than flesh and blood.
When Jesus then asked the Pharisees, “If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?,” they just got real silent and walked away, too afraid to say anything else.
The funny thing is that was a trick question asked by Jesus; but the Pharisees were not filled with any Holy Spirit to answer. They could have said: “The Christ can be any human whom God chooses to be His Son. If the LORD is my Lord, as David said, then David was one in a long line of God’s chosen Messiahs.”
Adam was one. Abraham was one. Moses was one. Samuel was one. Elijah was one. Jesus was one, and so on. The presence of the Christ (Greek for “Messiah“) Mind means the the presence of the LORD within a human kingdom, making the LORD “my Lord.”
Therefore, the trick answer to the trick question becomes a statement of the two most important commandments:
“Anyone who loves God so much that he or she becomes the face of God on earth (a Messiah), and that face of God loves all others who wear the face of God on their faces, then the Messiah will always be a descendant of the Davidic lineage of Spirituality.”
Not many would know that answer then; but by the Fiftieth Day (6 Sivan), in remembrance of when Moses first delivered the Law to the Israelites, an ever growing number of Messiahs were then enabled to see this inference. The question now is: Are we like the Pharisees all over again (blind), or are we like the Apostles (enlightened)?
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”
Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
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This is the Gospel selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 23. It will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a priest on Sunday October 14, 2018. It is important because Jesus set the standards high for those who want to enter Heaven. He then specifically told his disciples that worldly wealth, possessions and material things are the greatest distractions that will keep those from the eternal reward of rejoining God.
Mark does not make this clear, and neither does Matthew, but Luke’s version of this story identifies the “man” who “ran up and knelt before [Jesus]” as, “a certain person ruler” (from “tis auton archōn”). Because John named Nicodemus as “a ruler of the Jews” (from “archōn tōn Ioudaiōn – John 3:1), using the Greek word “archón” [which means “A ruler, governor, leader, leading man; with the Jews, an official member (a member of the executive) of the assembly of elders”], one can assume this repetition identifies a known character and not a stranger.
I have a strong feeling that it was this wealthy Pharisee Nicodemus that came and knelt before Jesus. Keep in mind, Jesus had gone beyond the Jordan (Bethany Beyond the Jordan) and had not long before been tested by Pharisees about divorce in that place. This encounter would be after that Sabbath (possibly the next), but it means Nicodemus (as a ruler of the Jews) was apprised as to Jesus’ whereabouts and knew where he could find him, outside of Jerusalem. It means this was not a chance encounter.
It is important to realize that the Jewish rulers had varying views on the afterlife. The Sadducees did not believe there was one. They saw studying the Torah and Scriptures as the purpose of a pious life lived, and then you die. The Pharisees believed in Sheol, such that souls left a dead body and congregated in a netherworld, just hanging out until the Messiah came and freed them. I doubt many Pharisees believed in the Messiah as much as they believed in Sheol.
It was Jesus who spoke publicly about “eternal life.” This is why Nicodemus sought out Jesus to question him about that concept.
Jesus was quoted in John, when Jesus was having a confrontation with the rulers of Jerusalem, because he healed a lame man at the pool of Bethesda on a Sabbath. Jesus said (among other things), ‘“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24) This was then something Nicodemus would have heard, quite some time earlier in Jesus’ ministry. Two years later, it is questionable why he felt the need to quiz Jesus about this topic. Therefore, one can assume Nicodemus was trying to trap Jesus into making a statement of heresy.
One thing that supports my belief that it was Nicodemus (a certain man, not an unknown man) is his address to Jesus was similar to that overheard by John, when Nicodemus visited Jesus after night had come. Nicodemus said then, “Rabbi (from “Rhabbi” – Master), we know that you have come from God, a teacher (from “didaskalos” – teacher).” He then said that the proof for his conclusion was seen in the miraculous “signs” Jesus had done, which could only be done by a man of God. Now, we read this certain person ruler” gets on Jesus’ bad side by calling him “Good Teacher” (from “Didaskale”).
The capitalization of “Good” is an error of translation into English, as the Greek shows the address as “Didaskaleagathe,” where “good” is in the lower case. That means there is no importance that is necessary to apply to the word; just the scope of meaning. As such, agathehas two viable uses. One is as a most generic statement of politeness and a the other is intended to be a word that “describes what originates from God and is empowered by Him in [one’s] life, through faith.” That means one word can have very different intentions.
Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good?” because he wanted the ruler of the Jews to explain his meaning behind his word choice. Jesus knew this man was a leader of the Jews, so “good” should be reserved for comparisons to God. However, Jesus also knew the man was a member of a sect that was his enemy.
Jesus immediately ignored the question about eternal life, because this man was recognized. Jesus knew he was one of the ruling Jews who had tried to charge him with working on a Sabbath and had just recently tried to stone him for blasphemy, after Jesus said he was the good shepherd. At that time, Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28)
By asking about eternal life, Jesus knew the disapproval of Nicodemus, as the opinion of Jesus held by the man questioning him was not “good.” Jesus knew “good” was a generic ploy, used to win favor. As such, the question Jesus asked went unanswered, as it was rhetorical, with Jesus immediately knowing Nicodemus was a wolf in sheep’s clothing trying to entrap him.
Jesus then followed his question by answering it, saying, “No one is good but God alone.”
In one sense, Jesus said, “If you think I am good, then you think I am God incarnate as a human being.” Nicodemus had said to Jesus that the rulers of Jerusalem knew only a man such as Jesus could do the signs of understanding, unless he was from God and God was with him. Still, the answer Jesus gave made a powerful statement that one alone (without being from God and with God) cannot be good.
That statement as the answer to Jesus’ question then both slapped Nicodemus in the face by calling him a hypocrite (where the Greek word hupokritésmeans “actor, pretender”). He was pretending to say Jesus was good, when he thought he was bad; Jesus let Nicodemus know he knew his heart and mind. Then, on the backhand, Jesus slapped him again by telling Nicodemus he was bad, not good, because none of the rulers of Jerusalem were from God or with God.
Hypocrites! Get a real job!
The truth of this statement goes beyond the rulers of Jerusalem to forever fit those who pretend to be “good,” but stand “alone,” not being married to God, and not being one with His Holy Spirit.
The Greek words that translate perfectly as “God alone” are “heishoTheos.” The translation demands one omit the article, “ho,” as unnecessary, so the literal becomes “alone God.” However, the same words can clearly state, “one together God,” meaning the only ones who qualify as being “good,” in the religious sense of the word, are those who are like Jesus, having joined as “one with God.”
Think about that when one analyzes Scripture and fails to see the bad guy as oneself. Everyone is like Nicodemus, and not like Jesus, when they pretend to be “good,” as defined by one who goes to church and says, “Jesus is a good teacher.” No one is like Jesus, unless he or she has sacrificed self-ego to make room for God in one’s heart.
When God is in one’s heart, one is then the wife of God (regardless of human gender), which leads to giving birth to Jesus Christ within. Jesus Christ resurrected within one’s being, with the Holy Spirit merged with one’s soul and one’s brain led by the Mind of Christ, makes one “good” in a religious sense. Otherwise, one stands “alone,” not “one with God.” Therefore, Nicodemus was not the only one of his kind.
At this point, Jesus then began to recite the Ten Commandments, which are the most known of the six hundred thirteen commandments listed in the Torah. Jesus began listing them because he recognized Nicodemus as one who taught the law, which meant he had memorized the laws, as a lawyer.
Being a lawyer had made Nicodemus a rich man, while he was still a young man. He was a ruler of the Jews, while much younger than the older scribes and priests of the Temple. Nicodemus was a ‘fast-tracking’ ruler, an up-and-coming go getter, who was fast making a name for himself.
Jesus was young too and Nicodemus saw himself in Jesus. Nicodemus was young enough to appear as still learning, thus he presented himself as ripe for Jesus to fill him in on some things. His wealth, however, was worn on his skin, in his clothing, which was his way of letting everyone know he was an important man of the law, due the respect of those who made him rich. Nicodemus was attempting to lure Jesus with the thought of powerful donations, as a show of how he wanted to follow Jesus secretly through financial contributions. Jesus was young in years, but eternally wise from the Mind God gave him.
When Jesus said, “You know the commandments,” he used the Greek word “odias,” which focused the second person “you” onto a word that means, “be aware, behold, consider, and perceive.” Jesus did not state that Nicodemus knew the meaning of the Law, but instead he implied that he had memorized the letter of the law, by seeing it with his eyes and thinking about it with his brain. By Jesus reciting six laws, Jesus was slapping Nicodemus around some more, like saying, “Yada, yada, yada, this law that law.” (I know, I know, I know, this law that law.) His mentioning those memorized laws was akin to saying, “You perceive the laws like a little child beholds them.”
Jesus then demonstrated he knew the soul of Nicodemus. He told him the laws as children are taught and Nicodemus exclaimed, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” That statement was the truth; such that “ephylaxamēn” meant “I have kept my eye on” what I learned as a child.
Not once, since having learned the laws as a “youth,” did Nicodemus ever progress beyond a child’s understanding of that which he was taught. Think about how well that fits Christians today, who prove their distaste for Bible Study by their staunch resistance to attending and participating in an adult discussion of understanding, trying to grasp what the laws mean.
As a young man, he had gotten rich off his child-like understanding of the laws. It is easy to not break any laws when Jewish customs were designed to lead everyone to legally upstanding lives. Nicodemus had followed all the customary rituals, avoiding overt conflict with the Law. Still, he commonly used deceit (as he was then with Jesus). He committed adultery by loving material objects more than God, while calling himself a teacher of the law. Nicodemus regularly stole from Jews, but he felt exonerated by only taking that which was allowed a lawyer. He also made it a practice to bear false witness on those (like Jesus) who did not think like him. As a teacher, he defrauded the Jews who came to him for learning, because he knew nothing about spiritual matters. Finally, he honored his father and mother with trinkets, instead of love. Jesus then named the laws he knew Nicodemus was obviously guilty of breaking.
Think about how people today are just as blindly justifying their acts against the Law as usual and customary, acceptable because others act in the same ways.
We then read how Jesus responded to the child-like glee of Nicodemus, when he exclaimed how he had kept his brain on the laws since his youth (remember, he was still a young man), by reading, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” This is a good lesson on the meaning of “love.”
The Greek word “emblepsas” says that Jesus “looked into” Nicodemus, which means he went beyond the surface features and peering deep into his soul spirit. That says Jesus knew the truth about Nicodemus. The next statement, separated by comma as a subsequent step from this insight of Nicodemus, says, “Jesus loved” Nicodemus. Knowing Jesus could not have seen a warm, soft heart within Nicodemus, knowing he was trying to set a trap as an enemy, one needs to realize this is a lesson about how one “loves an enemy,” which is different than loving neighbors and loving family.
The word translated in the past tense of “love,” is “ēgapēsen.” As a form of “agapaó,” Jesus then displayed how “love” is to be read in all the Gospels, where Jesus is remembered by child-like brains as a “love” child of God. The implication is how Jesus “loved” an enemy, as Nicodemus was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
One does not “love” an enemy by accepting all that is evil about an enemy as one’s own, offering forgiveness of sin. Jesus “loved” Nicodemus by telling him why he was an enemy, in the eyes of God. He “loved him” by telling him how to change [remembering Nicodemus had asked Jesus how he could be guaranteed eternal life], so God would be pleased with his soul. Therefore, Jesus “loved” by telling the truth, as much or as little as that might hurt, because Nicodemus needed the truth be told to him.
This is an important point that needs to be dwelled upon. Everyone who goes around pretending to be speaking for Jesus by saying, “Jesus said to love everyone,” is speaking from a complete lack of understanding of what “love” means. This example of Jesus showing his “love” for a man who obviously was seeped in the sin of self-worth, as projecting from his self-confidence and his rich dress, was not shown by Jesus saying, “I love your coat! Where did you get it? Can you get me a deal on one just like it?” No. Jesus “loved” Nicodemus by telling him the truth about his going nowhere close to eternal life.
The reading continues by stating Jesus said, “You lack one thing.” Actually, the Greek statement was, “Hen sehysterei,” where the capitalized word [capitalization is an indication of a word of importance] “Hen” says “One.” The capitalization says “One” bears a level of importance that needs to be pondered. When the three words together are known to say, “One you lacking,” this makes “One” refer back to Jesus having said, “one with God.”
This means that Nicodemus “falling short” or “lacking,” in life efforts towards a goal of eternal life, was not because of a thing that was lacking, but a statement that he was not One with God. Jesus so “loved” Nicodemus that he told him in his face, “You are lacking a commitment to God.”
This is not too different from Jesus scolding Nicodemus when they first met, by saying, “You call yourself a teacher of Israel and you do not understand spiritual matters?” Nicodemus was lacking that oneness with God (through marriage of his soul to Holy Spirit) then, and now (about three years later) he still lacked being One with God.
Before anyone today starts whooping and hollering, as if standing behind Jesus, hand on his shoulder, saying, “You go guy! Tell him how it is! I just love how Jesus slapped the Pharisees around!” Think about one’s self. Ask yourself, “Am IOne with God?” If one cannot truthfully answer, “Yes,” then one is the common reincarnation of Nicodemus. If so, one needs to listen carefully to what Jesus then said, which is written next.
Jesus said, “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
This is more involved than first appears [as is all Scripture]. The presence of commas means Jesus gave instructions that are sequential steps that must be taken, if one is to transform a life that is lacking into one that is of abundance. That abundance comes from being One with God.
The first step, as it appears in translation is “Go.” The Greek does not capitalize this word, meaning it is not a statement of an important step that means significantly “leave.” As “go” (in the lower case), one gets the wrong impression that Jesus told Nicodemus to leave him. This is not the case, as the Greek word “hypage” means, “depart, begone, and die.” This means the first step is to “die.” This is not a physical death, as Jesus gave instructions for physical acts must follow. Instead, “die” is a statement that one must “die” of self-ego, of which Nicodemus was full of himself.
Once one has released the brain’s control over one’s actions, such that the soul has been commanded to “Get behind me!”, one is then free to choose to “sell what one owns.” The literal Greek here actually states, “hosaecheispōlēson,” or “as much as you possess exchange.”
While people amass a great many things in a lifetime, with things necessary for life to be maintained, the greatest possession one always has is one’s soul. When one hears talk of “selling one’s soul to the devil,” the meaning implies a barter with Satan for worldly possessions. One then exchanges a spiritual promissory note for materials now.
Jesus was then less concerned with the things Nicodemus had that should be sold, as much as he was instructing Nicodemus to buy back his soul, through breaking his deal with evil. That requires the help of the Father.
When Jesus then said to Nicodemus, “and give to the poor,” the element of giving has absolutely nothing to do with giving things. If it was things that were Nicodemus’ connection to evil, Jesus then could not instruct Nicodemus to give evil to the poor. The cycle of dependency on wealth would just be passed on to others, so the poor become rich by being surrounded by evil things.
The instruction was to share his reclaimed soul’s spiritual wealth with those who were spiritually poor. This is the duty of an Apostle. Jesus was sharing his spirituality with Nicodemus, because, as materially wealthy as he was, Nicodemus was spiritually impoverished. This, again, is how Jesus “loved him.”
When Jesus then said, “and you will have treasure in heaven,” this is the promise of eternal life that Nicodemus first asked about. The promise of a soul going to Heaven is based on first “possessing” (“and you will have”) the “wealth” (“treasure”) that comes from a soul being married to God, through baptism by the Holy Spirit. All of that makes one “a storehouse for precious things” (from “thésauros”), due to the divine (the “heavens” – from “ouranō”) being “in” (from “en”) one’s flesh. This was exactly the same state that was Jesus of Nazareth, being the Son of God. Therefore, Jesus was telling Nicodemus to be like him.
That was the meaning behind the simple statement said in the segment “and come.” After Jesus said to Nicodemus, “go,” he then said, “come,” which means after “dying” of self-ego, then “become” One with God, as was Jesus. It meant to “come forth” with the Christ Mind, which was not limited to only one body of human flesh. While it was limited to ALL who would be just like Jesus the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), Jesus was telling Nicodemus (and ALL who read this Scripture) to “become” him, in duplicate. There is plenty of God to spread around, so ALL can be One with God; but it is up to each individual to choose that arrangement.
This is why Jesus ended his series of instructions with “follow me.” The Greek word “akolouthei” means, “accompany, attend, and follow,” but the English word “follow” is defined as: “To move in the direction of; be guided by,” as well as, “To adhere to; practice” and “To come after in order, time, or position.” [American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition] This means Jesus had no intention of making a disciple out of Nicodemus; but, he encouraged him to become a subsequent Jesus of Nazareth on the face of the earth, as an Apostle of Christ, One with God.
“When [Nicodemus] heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”
The Greek word “stygnasas” is translated as “shocked,” but it also means his face dropped. Nicodemus took on a “gloomy appearance,” “having a somber countenance.” This change of face, from the happy rich, young ruler of the Jews, who called Jesus “good,” was the same change that came over the face of Cain, when the Lord looked with favor on Abel’s offering, not telling Cain, “Oh, and because I love you too Cain, your offering is peachy-keen.”
The truth hurts, so like Cain, who “was very angry, and his face was downcast,” (Genesis 4:5) one can imagine Nicodemus was not simply saddened by the words of Jesus. He was steaming with anger inside. That would be the changed countenance that would go back to Jerusalem and be fully on board with the plotting and planning of Jesus’ murder. The spirit of Cain had been resurrected within him.
With Nicodemus leaving angry, Jesus was left standing with his disciples. They had heard the conversation with a known Pharisee, one who pretended to be a secret admirer of Jesus. Jesus knew their hearts and minds, saying to them, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” However, that “perplexed” them further.
Jesus then said to them, ““Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
This was stating the capitalized spelling of “Tekna,” which meant Jesus knew the brains of his disciples were immature. He also knew they were pure and innocent, as the “Children” of God. They had heard Nicodemus ask the question, “How can I be assured of eternal life,” which was little more than seeming hot air, as words spoken only by Jesus. They too wanted to be assured, but then Jesus was saying eternal life in Heaven (God’s kingdom) was “hard to enter!”
Gulp. Ruh roh.
The reference to “the eye of the needle” was not impossibility, but one that was known to demand hard work. That was the name of a gate into Nazareth, which was too small for a fully laden camel to get through. It was a gate where the camel had to be off-loaded outside the gate, and then the wares would have to be hand-carried inside the gate. The camel could then get inside the gate another way, where it could be reloaded in order to get to the merchants in that area of Nazareth. That would demand a lot of effort. Therefore, the reference meant, “Getting to Heaven requires doing all the necessary work, just like the work required to get a camel through “the eye of the needle” gate.”
The reading then continues, stating, “[The disciples] were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?”’ This says that they were unfamiliar with “the eye of the needle” gate, as they were not suppliers of merchants that used camels. They simply knew camels were large animals and needles had very small eyes. They heard what Jesus said as a completely impossible task (much like children would).
In the Greek, which is translated as “Jesus looked at them,” the capitalized “Emblepsas” is found, which was the same word we heard read about Jesus “looking at” Nicodemus. This is, again, not with physical eyes, but with the All-Seeing Eye of God, as the importance of capitalization would imply. It says that the disciples whispered quietly, so as to not be overheard by Jesus, because asking, “Who can be saved” was a question akin to, “Why are we here?”
They were doing the grunt work for Jesus, thinking that would get them into Heaven. They believed he was a Prophet, greater than John the Baptist. Peter had even spoken in tongues, saying, “You are the Messiah,” but after all their time spent with Jesus there was only hiss word as a promise. Considering all the work they had already done, getting a camel through a needle’s eye was reason to quit and go home.
Because Jesus knew his disciples were talking doubtful language among themselves, he said to them, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” This translation only hints at the importance of Jesus’ words.
The Greek states, “Paraanthrōpoisadynaton.” The capitalized first word is then important to realize as “Alongside” or “By the side of.” That is an important statement of one not being One with God, even though a “man” or “human being” stands close to God, as did the rulers of the Jews. Close was not the same as united as One.
Simply by being important “men” that said they were “by the side of” God, the Pharisees and other rulers of the Jews were not capable of entering Heaven. Heaven only was an opening for those who were not excess baggage, like a camel carrying a load on its sides that has to be removed to get inside. The ones doing the work of the righteous are those who are granted entry into Heaven.
That made “men” like Nicodemus be symbolic of the bundles of wares “alongside” a camel, too much width to get through a tiny opening. While they would not understand these words until the disciples had become Apostles, the Greek here says, “Alongside Jesus of Nazareth (a man),” – not one reborn as Jesus Christ in one’s being – entrance into God’s kingdom was “impossible.” No mere “man” is “incapable” of that “power” alone.
This means that when Jesus added, “But not for God; for God all things are possible,” the point was that those who were One with God, entry into God’s kingdom was not only possible, but assured in advance. While the disciples had not yet matured as those who were One with God, they were the Children of God, with Jesus raising them to fulfill that expectation (with the exception being Judas Iscariot). Jesus, thus, stated that exception to his disciples, because the rulers of the Jews were “Alongside men”; the Children were “subservient boys” in the Eye of God.
We then see how Peter again rose up and spoke for the group: “Peter began to say to [Jesus], “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”
A wife’s argument is, “I left everything for you.”
He said this because none of the disciples were getting rich from doing the chores that allowed Jesus to travel in ministry, safely and securely. Peter spoke as an intern at a law firm, where it was understood that grunt work now would pay off later. While none of the disciples ever expected to be rich and powerful like the rulers of Jerusalem, there was some glimpse of possibility that they would be given the talents to do the miracles of Jesus. That ability alone would ensure some ability to gain donations and a reputation of having graduated from the Jesus of Nazareth School of Law.
This is worthy of self-comparison also, as Peter speaking is no different than Nicodemus speaking. Peter spoke for the disciples then, just as he speaks for all Christians that do all the donations of time and money, while serving some capacity in a church organization, and allowing conscience to keep them from turning away from temptations to sin, for the most part. Those times they do backslide and sin, it is usually less than a big law broken and they feel guilt, so they confess their sins to Jesus and ask for forgiveness.
In this way, does a Christian today not ask, “I have given up more than most to serve you Jesus, so why is that not enough to assure myself of getting into Heaven?”
This means Jesus told Peter, the other disciples, and you the reader and listener: “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.”
Jesus knew who had sacrificed things, as that which is external to oneself – houses, family, property – which would be repaid “a hundredfold” forevermore. The sacrifice of people, places, and things was the destruction of all that built up external support for a self-ego, such that when those things were gone, the will to resist God’s Will would fall down. Submission to God would mean sacrifice now, for reward to come both “in this age and the age to come.” The reference to ages is then summarized as “eternal life.”
That reference then returns the focus to the question by Nicodemus, where the assurance of eternal life was repeated. Sacrifice of self for God brings that assurance. One has to lose the ego to become One with God. Sacrifice means taking a lowered position, in subservience and subjection to a higher power. The disciples had done that. The Pharisees of Jerusalem had not. Thus, Jesus ended the reading by saying, “Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
The point of his words was the sacrifice of things now meant being last. One in that position could be seen as materially poor. However, those who elevated their souls Spiritually would become first in the Eye of God, while those who claimed to have the most worldly wealth and power would be passed over as last in the entrance into Heaven line.
Nicodemus could not make the sacrifice, but the disciples of Jesus could (except Judas).
As the Gospel selection for the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for the LORD should be underway – one has been assured eternal life through willing sacrifice of the self-ego – the message here is to realize one cannot be Christian wares slung over the back of a camel and expect to get through the demanding requirement of God’s kingdom. One has to see the camel as the church (both as Christian organizations and the physical buildings those organizations own), with the church only having the ability to get one to the doorway, but not inside. Getting inside means hard work.
It is vital to understand this reading. The season called “Ordinary Time,” which amounts to half of every year, from Pentecost Sunday to Christ the King Sunday, is when the sacrifice of self means doing the work of the Lord.
It is when one stops celebrating a “house” of worship and becomes a house of worship. More than dwelling in the dogma of a house of religion, God dwells within one’s being.
Rather than letting blood be thicker than water, so “brothers” are flesh kin that need to be supported, regardless of their sins, one should become filled with the living water of the Holy Spirit, related to all of the same Blood of Christ, as “brothers” reborn as Jesus.
Rather than seeing a “sister” as a wife of Jesus Christ, a nun in some order of women, women must become females who have also been reborn as Jesus Christ (a masculine Spirit). All Christians must become the “mother” of Jesus Christ, as the wives of God. All Christians must become the home of the Father, who teaches the children of God to make the same sacrifices born of love.
Rather than seeing the land as a possession and a symbol of earthly wealth, one needs to see oneself as the fruit of the vine that grows in the fields. One becomes a puller of weeds and a planter of good seed. One works to bring in the harvest of plenty, as fishers of men’s souls.
So many Christians are just like the Pharisee who pretended to speak of Jesus as “good,” when that was nothing more than lip-service. To paraphrase Forrest Gump’s momma, “Good is as good does.”
It is a lie to say one believes in a man who died nearly two thousand years ago, whom one has never seen, simply because one thinks believing in Jesus will bring one great rewards. One can only have faith in Jesus Christ, by being the resurrection of Jesus Christ. True faith can only come from personally experiencing God, knowing His presence within one’s being, not alongside as a side show.
Without that faith, one acts as a spokesman for Christians who only have a child’s understanding of Jesus. That raises questions of doubt, when one tries to walk on water, led only by belief, and one sinks like a stone. Belief has to motivate one to do the necessary work that brings about faith. One has to see the truth of Scripture come alive, as if one was there in the words, seeing the truth unfold, rather than a story in a picture book.
One has to stop trying to be the young, rich ruler and drop down on one’s knees, prostrate before the LORD. One has to have a burning desire to be a servant of God, cherishing the opportunity that comes from being last; knowing an eternity with God is worth a lifetime of hard work.
If you do not desire that end, you will not obtain that goal. One becomes like Nicodemus, with all eggs and baskets checked at the door to Heaven. The heart is the seat of desire and you reap what the heart sows.
The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.
Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
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This is the Epistle selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 23. It will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday October 14, 2018. It is important because Paul named Jesus as the high priest sent by God to govern His people spiritually. Becoming Jesus reborn means passing the tests this reading points out.
This is a relatively short selection of Paul’s writings to the Hebrew-speaking (Jews) of Rome. That does not mean this has a short interpretation. Indeed, it turned out to be rather long; but it is an important little reading.
As is my custom, I have broken this down into the segments of words that are marked by points of punctuation (written or implied). The translations are literal English, based on the Greek that appears on the Bible Hub Interlinear presentation of Hebrews 4, with some adjustments. Because capitalization is an indicator of importance applied to a word (such as “Son” bears a higher meaning that “son”), I have not shown the capitalization cases that English blanketly applies to the first word of a sentence (while Bible Hub does). Instead, I show the case as it appears in the Greek text. Some translations are based on the acceptable alternative intent of words (such that “ho” or “tou” are shown as non-translated articles, when they can be alternative pronouns or adjectives).
I will present the literal translation as stated, and afterwards I will add comments of interpretation, based on the language written.
12. Living for the word the [one] of God ,
and active ,
and sharper than any sword two-edged ,
even penetrating as far as division soul and spirit ,
joints both and marrows ,
and able to judge thoughts and intentions of the heart .
13. and not there is creature hidden before him ;
all things however are uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of him to whom our people reckoning .
14. Having therefore a high priest great ,
having passed through the heavens ,
Jesus ,
the Son the [one] of God ,
we should hold firmly this confession .
15. not for we have a high priest not being able to sympathize with the weaknesses of us ;
having been tempted however in all things by the same ways ,
without sin .
16. we should come therefore with boldness to the throne this of grace ,
so that we may receive mercy and grace may find for in time of need help .
The first word of verse twelve is capitalized – “Zōn” – showing the importance of “Living.” The root word (“zaó”) means, “I am alive; I live; I have life.” It should be grasped that the lower case, “alive,” would reflect a natural childbirth, where the soul is received into the flesh at first breath. The soul is sent by God, as an extension of God, as the spirit of “life.”
By understanding birth is “living,” the capitalized spelling, as “Living,” is then rebirth, which comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit merging with one’s soul. Paul was then purposefully (as the voice of God working through Paul) referencing the state of being that all Apostles know, “having come alive” by service to God. “Living” is the promise of eternal life, as opposed to mortals being born to die [of death].
The word that certainly translates as “for” (“gar”) can equally act as a preposition that says “through.” This shows the direction one’s “Life” has taken, as not only is it “for the word the [one] of God,” but “Living” has been made possible “through the word” (“logos”).
Living through modern science is not the same as Living through the word of God.
While “word” is not capitalized, it has its importance reflected on it by it linking to the capitalized “Theou.” By the “word” being that “of God,” it becomes more than a simple definition of “word.” This means the language of Scripture has had an enhanced meaning in those “Living” with the Holy Spirit, more than simply “words” recognized as “of God,” written by holy people. Still, those who have become Apostles are proved to others by “the word of God” that flows through them. Therefore, the “word” is representative of “Living water” that Jesus spoke of, such that the “word” has a reflection on the surface that does not show that which lies underneath.
The second segment then states “active” (from “energēs”). This says that “Living through the word of God” is shared, through the “works” of faith. It means that God “acts” through His Apostles.
When Paul then adds to this “activity” that is “of God,” by stating “sharper than any double-edged sword,” this is metaphor for the quickness that an Apostle will be able to “act” as an agent of the Lord. The “word of God” acts like a knife or sacrificial dagger, which metaphorically cuts to the hearts of other, coming from the lips of Apostles. This imagery can then be seen in John’s Book of Revelations, where Jesus was seen descending, saying, “and out of the mouth of him goes forth a sword sharp.” (Revelations 19:15a)
Relative to that metaphor stated in The Revelations, John also wrote, “and is called the name of him, the Word of God.” (Revelations 19:13b) This means that the first three segments of Hebrews 4:12 can help one grasp the meaning of John’s Apocalypse, while also seeing these words of Paul are placing the same sharp sword of justice in the mouths of Apostles who have been reborn as Jesus Christ.
To support that conclusion, I draw again from The Revelations of John, where he envisioned: “At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” (Revelations 19:10)
Paul then said of the activity of this sword of God, “even penetrating as far as division soul and spirit” (read aloud, “piercing until it divides soul from spirit”). The word translated as “penetrating” or “piercing” is influenced by one seeing a physical sword, rather than a metaphorical one. The Greek word “diiknoumenos” also means, “passing through (to), coming through (to), and going through (to),” which is summed up in one word as “penetrating” or “piercing.” However, when this figurative sword is Spiritual, “of God,” the use of “through” matches the acceptable translation of “gar” as “Living through the word,” meaning the “word” is what “divides the soul and the spirit” by “coming through” one.
This is important to realize, as the soul is the life breath from God, which is separate from the Holy Spirit. It is the Living word that actively cuts deep into an Apostle’s being, so he or she can realize a soul is easily influenced by external, worldly distractions. It is the Holy Spirit’s presence that makes those distractions cease to matter. The “word of God” makes it clear a soul is separate from the Holy Spirit.
Again, thinking in physical terms, seeing a double-edged sword slicing through one’s being, cutting in half the soul and the spirit, one immediately visualizes how there are many “joints” in a physical body. While the Greek word “harmōn” does mean “joints of a body,” one has to grasp that “joints” are called “joints” because they “join” parts of a body together. The same Greek word can also mean that, as “a joining.”
This is then not a sword piercing joints, but the realization that having one’s soul separate from God’s Holy Spirit cannot continue. One realizes a need for the two to be “joined together,” so “both” are united as one. This is the marriage to God that one’s soul needs, which is called baptism by the Holy Spirit (not water).
Following the realization that “harmōn te” means “joining ones both,” not “joints and,” one sees how “kai myelōn” does not mean “and marrows” (the central material in bones, which come together at joints), but “through marrows.” Knowing that Paul is painting a symbolic picture, it becomes eye-opening to see how the Greek word “muelos” is rooted in “myelós,” which means “enclosed within,” from “múō,” meaning “to close, or to shut.” Thus, “marrows” is the “joining” of “both soul and spirit,” like a bone surrounds the central material that makes it grow, with the “joined ones” connected to God.
Mortal, can these dried bones be rejoined?
Through this marriage of two in one, God is infused with the Apostle’s human body. This makes the Apostle “able to judge,” as the servant of God. This is the Mind of Christ that supersedes the human brain, with lightening quick impulses of knowledge allowed by God, so the Apostle can discern the truth. This insight comes from “thoughts,” where the Greek word “enthymēseōn” implies, “inward thoughts, and reflections.” HELPS Word-studies says that this Greek word means, “literally, inner-passion, the emotional force driving meditation and reflection.” This is an ability given an Apostle (a talent) by God.
The word translated as “intentions” is “ennoiōn.” That word is clearer when understood to indicate: “thinking, thoughtfulness, moral understanding, consideration, purpose, and design.” When this is then said to be “of the heart,” this becomes the emotional center of one’s being, where God sits on His throne in His kingdom that sets the sovereign rule as one’s “intentions.” The Greek word “kardias” also means “mind, character, inner self, will, intention, and center,” and is recognized as ‘“the affective center of our being’ and the capacity of moral preference.” [HELPS Word-studies]
From verse twelve developing the makings of an Apostle, which Paul knew and the recipients of his epistle would easily recognize, verse thirteen begins with the conjunction “and” (“kai”), which introduces additional information. As the lead word in a segment of words in a new verse, it has the implied importance of introducing a new direction to take. That direction, on the whole, states, “not there is creature hidden before him (read aloud, “before him no creature is hidden”).
In the Bible Hub Interlinear translation, they capitalize “him,” although the Greek word “autou” is not capitalized. The reason “him” should not be read as meaning only God, is verse twelve introduced the joining of God and man as One, as the “marrows” of “soul enclosed in spirit.” Thus, “him” is “both” God and the Apostle, meaning verse thirteen speaks for the Apostle as One with God.
The word translated as “creature” is “ktisis,” which actually means living beings that breathe air, with all living beings a part of God’s Creation. This means the Apostle is a “creature,” in whom God dwells. There is nothing “hidden, invisible” or “unseen” about that “creature” created by the infusion of God’s Holy Spirit with a soul, throughout a Living body of flesh. There are no secrets kept from God; but there is nothing hidden from God’s Eye, whether God is within one or not. Therefore, “not there is creature hidden before the Apostle,” so that no one will be an unrecognized threat to the Apostle; meaning the inner voice of God not only gives insight of spiritual matters, but alerts as to all external dangers.
The deeper meaning of this segment comes from realizing “before him,” which in Greek is “enōpion.” That word actually means, “before the face of, in the presence of, in the eyes of, and/or in sight of,” such that “before” implies standing where one can be seen. This then relates to the word “aphanēs,” which means “unseen, invisible, or hidden (from view).” The deeper meaning is relating an Apostles adherence to the First Commandment, which is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
I have written of this at other times, but it stands to be repeated now. The literal Hebrew of the First Commandment states, “No shall have you gods other before face.” That is a statement that sets the rule for being in the presence of Yahweh. As such, one cannot wear the face of any other gods before Yahweh. The face human beings wear that keeps them from experiencing God is the face of self-ego. Only from sacrificing that image of self – a little-g god (one of the elohim) – can one become an Apostle. Once that sacrifice is complete, one wears the face of God, as did Moses and Jesus.
When God said, “No one can see my face and live” (meaning death is the only time God can be seen), the face of God is the glow on Moses’ face (needing to be shielded by a cloth) or the halo depicted in art. One wears the face of God as a Saint, which is invisible. Still, there can be no hidden ego left in anyone who truly serves the Lord. Once God resides in one’s heart and one’s intentions are known, one stops looking in the mirror and starts looking for souls who are lost and seeking help.
With that understood, Paul then wrote, “all things however are uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of him to whom our people reckoning” (read aloud, “all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account”). Keeping in mind how verse thirteen is from the perspective of an Apostle, who is One with God, wearing the face of God and having the Mind of Christ, we can see that the Apostle’s insight keeps him or her safe from threats, from listening to the inner whispers of God. Therefore, (just as Jesus always knew the Pharisees had hidden tricks up their sleeves, so he could be steps ahead of them) there is no lesser god (a creature before God’s face) that cannot be known – seen as one unworthy of treading on holy ground. All attempts to persecute an Apostle will be reckoned, good for the Apostle, bad for the creature trying to hide evil doings.
Here is where I would like to bring out my work interpreting the writings of Nostradamus. My ability to interpret Holy Scripture is based on having been shown how to read the writings of that sixteenth century Saint, which is written in a manner that makes Paul seem like a Saint who got right to the point and said what he meant. I tried to make the meaning of Nostradamus’ work, The Prophecies, publicly known. While doing that, I became acquainted with the weekly lectionary readings of the Episcopal Church, which were speaking to me in the same way as The Prophecies – as having deeper than surface meaning.
I found Christians largely reject the notion of Nostradamus being an Apostle of God, reborn as Jesus Christ. For that reason of rejection, few people know Nostradamus wrote two accompanying letters to his nebulous poems (quatrains), which preface them and explain them. Fewer people still know that in those letters (epistles) Nostradamus quoted Holy Scripture, writing Biblical quotes in Latin, mixed in with his normal (Old) French. He quoted in his preface Hebrews 4:13.
The rejection of Nostradamus has meant an inability for others to discern any true meaning from the verses, while ignoring that Nostradamus wrote about that expected difficulty. He knew no one would understand the meaning for a long time. To me, Nostradamus was a Saint that had the same natural given talent that Paul had been given, by God; so Nostradamus understood Paul’s letter to the Hebrews. Nostradamus wrote a true Prophecy that would not be found realized before many centuries beyond his death had passed. That meant his words could have only come from God, as a true Prophet, one who would be persecuted for writing predictions that no one understood.
In the preface to his book of prophecies, he explained that his words were from a “faculty divine.” He then clarified that statement by stating that eternity consisted, to human brains, three times: present, past, and future. In that sense of time, history would seem to repeat, such that his predictions would seem to fit parts of the past, when viewed in the present. However, true Prophecy is not hindsighted.
The Prophecies were told by God to Nostradamus, for him to write of an unknown future. Those prophecies would always be little more than projections of an unknown future, until “all are naked and laid bare,” meaning the truth of The Prophecies would be foreseeable and predictable. They would be understandable as extremely possible in the present, unless belief came forth and changes delayed that future coming.
Nostradamus then wrote, “c.,” which was an abbreviation meaning “et cetera” [Latin, meaning “and other things similar”], such that the remained of the verse also applies to that future exposure. By adding, “to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account,” allowing the future to unfold will bring all involved to a point of soul reckoning. This means the future told by Nostradamus could be averted by the religious of the world heeding God’s warning; but for all who would reject one of God’s true Prophets, bringing about a horrid future to “the eyes” of those in its presence [the future cycling to the present], that would be “him” who would have to “reckon” with God, when souls would be endangered by reincarnation into a toxic world.
This means the way to avert a terrible future (which the language of Nostradamus’ poems makes vividly clear) is for one to turn to God. One must receive the Spirit of servitude and have one’s soul married to God. This will then expose all the evil happenings in a world that has cycles of destruction that cannot be stopped.
The guarantee of eternal life in Heaven is available to all, but it comes at a price that means sacrifice now for that higher goal later. Being able to see the truth made bare before one’s eyes gives one the motivation to resist evil temptation, with the help of God’s Holy Spirit within one’s soul.
Verse fourteen then makes the statement, “Having therefore a high priest great.” The Greek word “Echontes” is capitalized, meaning this is an important statement of “Having.” The root word means, “to have, to hold, to possess, and to keep.” It is not a coincidence that one’s marriage vows have a priest ask both who will become joined to promise, “In the name of God, I, (name), take you, (name), to be my [spouse], to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.” [Episcopal wedding language]
In horror movies, such as in The Exorcist, one recognizes demonic possession as a common scare theme; but one overlooks the need for divine possession, where one is “Having” the Holy Spirit take control of one’s life direction. Whereas the Roman Catholic Church supposedly trains priests in the systematic removal of demon spirit that possess Catholics, they do very little “preventive maintenance,” which would be training priests how to be Apostles. If priests were capable of “Having” the Holy Spirit possess them, then they could go evangelize and pass that “Possessing” Spirit onto other Catholics. But, alas, that Church has been largely void of Saints for many centuries.
The “high priest” that is “great” is then the state of being that comes over and “Holds” dear an Apostle. This is what makes one become a Saint, where Holiness comes from on “high,” not from a school or seminary.
It is most important to realize that Moses took the children of God away from the din and distraction of common, ordinary life, so they could embark on a forty-year training program, where their normal way of life would become that of “priests” to Yahweh. While those children of Israel largely failed to transform into “high priests” (Greek “archiereus”), the lineage flame was kept alit by the Prophets, leading to God sending the Messiah, Jesus.
When one is “Having” or “Possessing” or “Holding” this “high priest” within one’s being, one has become an Apostle. All Christians are called to become “high priests,” because of the “great” name that becomes theirs – Jesus Christ.
Before Paul actually named “Jesus,” he wrote, “having passed through the heavens” (read aloud “who has passed through the heavens”). Here is repeated the word “having,” through the past historic form of “dierchomai,” as “having passed through.” Here, again, is a reference to “through,” where the sword had pierced “through” one’s “soul and spirit.” The Greek word “ouranous” should then not be seen as the physicality of outer space, but the “spiritual heaven” that is the presence of God within one’s being. This divine state “having passed through” one’s being has then brought about “heaven” on earth. This “heavenly” state” then makes it possible for one to be reborn as “Jesus.”
I’m alive again!
When the state of “Jesus” has been duplicated by the power of God, one has then been inherited as a child of God. Regardless of one’s human gender, one who is filled with God’s heavenly presence is made the “Son of God.” This, therefore, is why Paul and the other Apostles addressed one another as “brothers.” Even women who are saints are brothers in having been reborn as Jesus Christ.
When Paul then wrote, “we should hold firmly this confession” (read aloud “let us hold fast to our confession”), the plural “we” is applied to the Greek root word “krateó,” meaning all Apostles “should hold firmly” to this divine state of being, where each has become a “great high priest” of Yahweh. Keep in mind that this verse began with the capitalized “Holding,” and now Paul is stating this “Possessing” by God demands those being “Held” by the Holy Spirit should [a conditional intent, by one’s choice] in return “hold fast” to the name of Christ that each has taken on.
The word translated as “confession” is “homologias,” which is less a statement about being open about how one feels and truthful about what one has done, but is a word used to state one’s “affirmed profession.” This is not the business of religion, but the proclamation of the Good News of the kingdom of God coming near. This means one who is an Apostle should maintain “our confession” by bringing others who seek salvation to the same identification, as one in the name of Jesus, Anointed by Yahweh. One then confesses this “Possession” by “Jesus,” by calling the whole group “Christian.” Their confession was each being resurrections of Jesus making one’s flesh be Anointed by the Holy Spirit within.
Paul then wrote in verse fifteen, “not for we have a high priest not being able to sympathize with the weaknesses of us” (read aloud “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses”). This segment of words translates “not” two ways, “where “ou” means, “no, not,” and “mē” is designed to follow the word “not,” adding “lest.” While the statement can be read as, “we have not a high priest lest being able (or “being unable”) to sympathize with our weaknesses,” it should be seen as two statements in the same breath.
The first statement says, “not we have a high priest,” where once again the word “echó” is written, stating “possession” and “holding,” now in the plural number. This says one should not become confused and think one has God under his or her control, such that the gift of Apostles is to have God in one’s possession, like having a genie in a bottle. Jesus is not within one’s personality to do as one’s ego demands. Thus, the reverse of this [removing the negative] says, “a high priest has us.”
With that realized, one can then read, “not is able [the high priest, Jesus Christ] to sympathize with our weaknesses.” The weaknesses of human beings are their sins. This then says that one cannot be reborn as the great high priest Jesus Christ, if one wants to pander one’s inability to cease sinning as reason for forgiveness … and, “By the way, could you make my wish come true?”
An Apostle comes from a history of failure, through sins. He or she has sincerely asked to be forgiven and promises to do good works. God sees the efforts and sends angelic help to remove blockages that would cause one to trip and fall. Once the Holy Spirit is sent to marry with the soul, all sin ceases – FOREVERMORE. Jesus Christ cannot be reborn into a fleshy form that sins. While an Apostle retains memories of past weaknesses and can sympathize, Jesus will not condone sin. God gives human beings the complete freedom to destroy their eternal souls; but He sent His Son for those who would rather not burn in hell for eternity.
For all “progressive” wolves in sheep’s clothing who stand at lecterns on altars and preach, “Jesus loves us all, even the ones who do abominable things in the eyes of the Lord, so it is okay to do abominable things and still go to heaven,” they have misunderstood this message from God, through Paul.
Apostles [the only ones who should be preaching on altars at lecterns] know we do not possess the high priest, so we cannot put words in the mouth of Jesus. Apostles know Jesus Christ will not abide the weaknesses of human beings. The weaknesses must be set aside, with one’s ego, for it to be possible to take on the name of Jesus Christ.
As a separate statement that follows this line of thought, Paul was then led to write, “having been tempted however in all things by the same ways.” This repeats the past historic, where the root word “peirazó” says, “having been tried,” “having been tested,” or “having been tempted.” The read aloud, “we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are,” misses the intent of one’s personal transformation from weak sinner to strong Apostle. It is wrong to imply that Jesus of Nazareth was ever a common sinner, who had the same weaknesses to temptations as all human beings do. Jesus was divine from the beginning and never once was swayed by the temptations and tests of Satan. That is because Jesus was born in the name of Jesus Christ.
The translation of “dekatapanta” as “however in all things” is misleading. The word “de” is indicating a transition from “having been tested,” such that it says better, “next,” “now,” or “on top of this.” The word “kata” means “in” in the sense that the implication is “throughout” and “according to” the results of “having been tested.” Finally, the word “panta” simply means “all” (from “pas”) where seeing a collection of Apostles as “things” is inaccurate. It is better to see “all” as reflecting “all men [and women]” that “have been tested,” so passing that test has brought about a strength that ignores “weaknesses in us,” “having been tested” for weaknesses to sin in “all now according to” Jesus Christ. This is due to “all” having adopted the “likeness” of him, where “in the same way” (from “homoiotēta”) means “likeness” and “manner.” This is being reborn as Jesus Christ, so all weaknesses become the ways of the past.
The last segment is obvious. An Apostle is “without sin,” just as was Jesus Christ. This is not by wanting to be like Jesus, but because one has become the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As he was ‘without sin,” so too will all who are reborn as him, via the Holy Spirit of God.
Verse sixteen then begins by stating, “We should come therefore with boldness to the throne the [one] of grace.” Again, the conditional form of “coming, approaching, or drawing near,” in the plural number, is an indication that all people who say they believe in Jesus Christ “should come boldly” in the same manner as Jesus, shown in the Apostles.
The words translated as “with boldness” (“metaparrēsias”) instead state what follows, should one come. The words imply, “after freedom,” where there is then a sense of “openness” and “confidence” that has come within one. This is then easily projected to others through speech. This means “boldness” is stating the ministry of Apostles, where their use of the “word of God” beacons that others “should come” and follow in the ways of Jesus Christ.
Rather than one being called to bow down before the throne [remembering the imagery of John’s Apocalypse, when he was told to “get up!”], one is called to be “people seated as those being gifted with the name of Jesus Christ.” This is a viable translation of “tōthronōtēscharitos.” The heart is prepared to be the throne of God, so one becomes a “suitable throne” within “those of favor [or thanks and kindness].”
To end this reading, Paul concluded verse sixteen by writing, “so that we may receive mercy and grace may find for in time of need help.” Again, the conditional in the plural number is used in “lambanó,” which offers all the choice to “receive, get, take, or lay hold of” this “mercy” that is the “compassion” of God for His children. One has to make the choice to sacrifice for God, in order to be given the blessing of being an Apostle.
When Paul wrote of the possibility of when this commitment to change “may” occur, it is when one finds oneself “in time of need,” as a personal crisis. One has to feel the need to reach out to God for help. It is at those times of deepest despair that one is most willing to offer oneself up in sacrifice to a higher spirit. Those seeking Heaven will chose to give a soul in marriage to God. Those seeking worldly riches will be more apt to sell a soul to Satan, allowing possession by a demon spirit. The choice is ours to make.
Many feel compelled to choose politicians to run their lives, but would never vote for God to rule over them. Democracy hates kings.
As the Epistle selection for the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry for the LORD should be underway [notice the conditional use of “should”] – one has made one’s soul naked and exposed before the eyes of God – the message here is to hear Paul speaking to all who beat their chests like the publican [tax collector], proclaiming, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:13c) All have the choice to surrender to the Will of God and gain eternal salvation; but one has to understand that the price is total submission to God.
It is most important to realize that God knows the weaknesses of human beings. All human beings are the creatures that stand before God with their egos written all over their faces. It is their weaknesses that forbid them from choosing to wear the face of God, allowing themselves to be reborn as Jesus, the Son of God. It is human weakness that keeps them from obeying the First Commandment; but God gave humanity the freedom to choose how they will live, as a soul let loose in a world of physical delights. Choosing to serve God over self is an impossibility by a weak soul alone.
God sent Jesus to help the weak stand and praise the Lord. God had His Son killed so his spirit would be released to serve God in countless other human beings, called Apostles and Saints. They are those who come to help those who are weak, as they too were weak once, knowing how hard it is to choose right from wrong, good from evil. God holds fast to their weak souls, so Apostles can demonstrate it can be done. They are Jesus Christ reborn because of that inner strength.
As easy as it is to say the words, few have the strength to take one step towards accepting God’s proposal for marriage. Human weakness is seen in the preponderance of addictions: opioids, heroin, alcohol, sex, wealth, power, electronic gadgetry, gambling, playing games, etc. Those addictions are like warm blankets of escapism from reality, where what seems to be reality (in the material world) is only a short-lived illusion … like a vacation to Disney World. Life on earth is the temporary fantasy realm that is bound to end; and then the reality of an eternal soul makes one open one’s eyes and see the truth.
Those who have had near death experiences (NDEs) see “the light at the end of the tunnel.” They experience death and come back. Some change with a new commitment to serve a life of good. Some change by not caring what happens in life in the flesh, because they know that is only an illusion. They abuse their bodies because they know there is no pain in death. There is only pain in trying to not die. In a way, for them, everything has become apparent and exposed, naked and bare. The truth is known, even if no one believes them.
We all have to experience that moment of truth. We each have to realize that the truth of the Word of God has been staring us in the face for decades, but we have refused to open our eyes and see the truth. We need to fear God, because God is not going to bend the rules to let sinners come home to where they first were born.
Saul fell to the ground when a flash of light came from heaven. He had a “come to Jesus” meeting. He was made blind to the world for three days. An Apostle named Ananias was sent in the name of Jesus Christ to return Saul’s eyesight and give him the Holy Spirit. Saul became Paul, a changed man. That story is not for us to marvel at what happened to Paul, but to see how we are Saul, in need of an epiphany that moves us, by fear, to change.
If we do not fear the Lord in the flesh our souls now wear, we will fear the Lord when that flesh is removed by death, and we become naked and bare before the eyes of judgment.
Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
No; but he would give heed to me.
There an upright person could reason with him,
and I should be acquitted forever by my judge.
“If I go forward, he is not there;
or backward, I cannot perceive him;
on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;
I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.
God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
If only I could vanish in darkness,
and thick darkness would cover my face!”
———————————————————————————————————-
This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 23. If chosen, it will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday October 14, 2018. It is important because Job speaks as an upright man who longs for God’s presence, but is unable to hear his voice. The voice of Job is how all Christians must prove their faith in God, without signs that go the way we want them to go.
It helps to know that these verses are part of Job’s response to one of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, who visited him, urging Job to stop trying to make contact with God. The name Eliphaz (while questioned) is believed to mean God Is Agility or God Is Skill (from El – paz), implying Eliphaz believed in a god that blessed humans at birth with innate talents; not a god that helped one realize those talents or guide them to new ones. (Job 22)
Hermes [or Mercury] was the god of agility. The Hebrew word “paz” means “golden,” as “gilded.” Some believe Eliphaz means “God Is Agile”. That could say he worshipped a god such as Hermes. As such, Eliphaz might have been a doctor friend of Job.
Eliphaz’ philosophy was that God was too great to benefit from any association with human beings, regardless of how wise they were or how righteous they lived their lives. In regard to that religious belief held by a friend of Job’s, one must recognize that Job lived in Uz, when there were multiple gods commonly worshipped. Job, like all lines in the Old Testament, was a believer in the One God of all gods, who cared for His subjects.
In Job’s response, we see the translation shows bitterness. This is somewhat misleading, as the Hebrew word “meri” means “rebellion,” although “bitter” is more found in “marah.” Job is rebellious, which means he was seeking selfish concerns that rebel against the notion that God has brought on his suffering. Job would have been bitter to that conclusion, but not bitter towards God.
When we read the word translated as “complaint,” we find that the Hebrew word “siach” means “talk.” The presentation of Job is as a poem, or a song, so it was a communication between Job and God, being done through “meditation” and “prayer” (acceptable translations here). Rather than voicing his complaints, Job was praying aloud.
The use of “yadi” is clearly reference to a “hand,” but as “his hand” (God’s) this ignores Job being a “hand of God’s.” Rather than Job complaining about God’s weight being pressing hard against him, Job was saying he physically was finding it difficult to serve God, as “his hand,” in his present condition. Rather than feeling the weight of God’s punishment, Job is “listless.” His groaning from his pains makes it difficult to tell others to believe in his God, and have them believe his devotion.
Because Job cries, “Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his dwelling,” this says he wants to be closer to God. The Hebrew word translated as “dwelling” is “tekunah,” which implies a “fixed place,” but also a “seat.” Job thought he was close to God, but his life has become so changed he wanted to tell God how much he still loved him. He wanted to bow down before the throne of God. There, Job would be the greatest defense he could have. He would tell God that his state of being was not because he had turned away from God.
The “arguments” Job would present would actually be “corrections” that Job would promise. The “case” that Job would “lay before” God would be repentance, asking God to forgive whatever he did that brought on his appearance of sinfulness. Job would offer to do more – anything God asked of him – and Job would listen and understand anything God would tell him, especially if Job had done something wrong. Job sought to please God, not challenge him with argument.
The Pharisees loved arguing law, just like they argued their case against the man born blind getting his eyesight back on the Sabbath. That’s not right!
When Job asked rhetorically, “Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?” the word “contend” means God would be too high to quarrel with Job, who (like Eliphaz’ god) was too great to be understood by mere human beings. Job was not seeking to argue his case before the Lord. Therefore, he answered his own question, saying, “No;” but unlike the god of Eliphaz, the God of Job would listen to what Job (as small and insignificant as he was) had to say, as God’s servant.
When Job then offered the aspect of “reason with him,” that was not about Job using his brain in an attempt to logically point out how God must have missed something about how Job was an “upright man.” Instead, Job was saying that “an upright man” is “upright” (one who does what is right and proper) because the self-ego has been sacrificed, so ALL reason with him was the willingness to follow the insights of the Mind of God. Thus, he was found saying, “I should be acquitted forever by my judge,” as a statement of the promise of eternal life in Heaven he had been given, after death, for having sacrificed to God as one of His Apostles / Saints.
Job then went on to say:
“”If I go forward, he is not there;
or backward, I cannot perceive him;
on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;
I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.”
That does not mean that God has forsaken Job. Instead, it says that an upright man, one who follows the reason of God as one’s directions in life, does not act because one sees God before him, or beside him, telling him, “Go this way or that.” One who is upright by the reason of the Lord simply acts. One is the hand of God by letting His hand move one where He wants, unbeknownst to His servant beforehand. A servant simply obeys, without question. This is then Job stating his trust that God will not mislead Job in anything he does.
The reading then skips forward to verses sixteen and seventeen. We read, “God has made my heart faint.” This translates the Hebrew word “rakak” as “faint.” The word is better translated as “weak,” but best translated as “soft.” This is then Job alluding to his love of God and his “tender” feelings that have allowed God into Job’s heart. This is then the marriage of Job with God’s Holy Spirit.
When the verse continues [without the interruption of punctuation] with Job saying, “the Almighty has terrified me.” This means the fear of the Lord – the only fear one may be allowed, when filled with the Holy Spirit – was the commitment Job had to God, in that marriage. Job’s heart “trembled” at the thought of losing God. This is then a statement of absolute love in Job’s heart for God.
The final verse appears dark and dreary, as we read, “If only I could vanish in darkness, and thick darkness would cover my face!” The literal translation from the Hebrew first says, “Because not I was cut off from the presence of darkness.” If those words were spoken in a vacuum, perhaps they could project as a wish of vanishing. However, “Because” (from “ki”) is reference to the “terror” at the thought of losing God’s love.
That “fear” has meant that “not was I cut off from the presence of” God. The thought of losing God’s love would mean being “cut off from the presence,” and put into abject “darkness.” It was the fear of God that kept God from allowing darkness to become a source of fear. Symbolically, darkness (as the absence of light) is representative of death, while light is life. Job had been cut off from darkness, by the promise of eternal life.
Then, the literal Hebrew says following that: “and from my face he did hide darkness.” Here, it is important to realize that the First Commandment says (paraphrasing), “You shall wear no other god’s face [on your face] before my face.” In Exodus 20:3 the Hebrew word “panim” is written (as “panaya“), which means “face or faces.” The same root word is written in Job 23:16 (as “ūmipānay“), which links the two verses in intent. While Job existed well before God gave Moses the Commandments, to give to the Israelites as their bond of holy agreement, he knew that sacrifice of self-ego meant “hiding the darkness that comes from one’s face.”
I like the way you favor me, son.
That means wearing the face of God, just as Moses’ face shone brightly after talking with God. A brightly shining face is the opposite of a face hidden in darkness. Therefore, it was the love of God in Job’s heart that kept him from being cut off from God (being in a dark place) and kept him from wearing the face of Job, which would only project the darkness of his bodily plight and the pain of the boils.
As an optional Old Testament reading for the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for the LORD should be underway – one should be acting as God’s servant with complete faith of His presence – the message here is to be upright in the face of all darkness that can surround one’s body. The patience of Job is a virtue that all Apostles and Saints understand.
This reading from Job gives the impression that Job seemed desperate to plead his innocence before God, and get God to see how Job was unjustly being punished. We get that impression by beginning the reading with Job saying, “My complaint is bitter.” God knows all and Job knew that; so bitterness was not towards God.
Job was praying to God in the presence of his friend Eliphaz, speaking the truth of his faith, despite the groans of pain his body caused him. Eliphaz heard complaints and bitterness. Job meant devotion and faith. This dual meaning is intended, because we are all symbolized by how we react to Job. The way we respond to influences of others – the call to give up on God, because He does not serve us as we would wish to be served – is then how one lacking faith would act, if our lives were as painful as Job’s.
It is one thing to think one knows what it means to be an upright human being. It is another thing, indeed, to be upright. When Job was praying, “If I go forward or backward, to the left or to the right,” it is easy to perceive of ourselves trying to plot our courses, assuming our beliefs in God will catch us if we make a mistake and reward us when we go the right way.
It is more difficult to see how a Saint will be led by God to go against the norm, often finding him or herself standing alone, with those who serve other gods saying, “My god tells me not to sacrifice so much.” This is why being a Saint and Apostle of Christ is difficult. It demands the show of faith through sacrifice.
I am reminded of Saint Stephen, who was not one of the disciples of Jesus. He was a deacon of the early Christian assemblies in Jerusalem. Stephen probably was not his actual name, as the Greek word stéphanosmeans “wreath” or “crown.” That title then became synonymous with the depiction of halos over the heads of Saints.
Saint Stephen had become upright through the Holy Spirit, and, like Job and his covering of boils, Stephen withstood the bashing of stones against his head because his mind’s eye was fixed on Jesus at the right hand of God (“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. – Acts 7:55”). Stephen said, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60b)
One has to understand this reading of Job with the same sense of righteousness applied to Job. One has to have a similar affiliation with the Holy Spirit to see that. Eliphaz had the eyes of a believer, much like many Christians have today. He probably heard Job’s prayer and mistook it as the pleas of a man who’s God had forsaken him.
Saul stood by and watched Stephen be stoned to death. (Acts 7:58b) Saul did not think twice about that, having no clue that an upright man had just been murdered by persecution … while he held the coats of murderers. Christians who see Job as a bellyacher are just as complicit with his persecution. Still, when Stephen was arrested, the Sanhedrin was amazed by his face.
We are told, “All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” (Acts 6:15)
That was the look that was on Job’s face when he made his prayer. One has to read this prayer of Job from that perspective.
That has to be the look on the face of all Saints and Apostles. All who truly serve the Lord wear His face, having given theirs up for the grace of eternal life in Heaven.
or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,
and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.
Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,
and bring righteousness to the ground!
They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
Therefore, because you trample on the poor
and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions,
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and push aside the needy in the gate.
Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
for it is an evil time.
Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
just as you have said.
Hate evil and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
———————————————————————————————————-
This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 23. If chosen, it will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday October 14, 2018. It is important because it tells of the downfall of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) due to the people preferring sin over sacrifice.
The beginning of this song should be heard with full understanding. When the Lord flowed through His servant Amos, saying, “Seek the Lord and live,” this says eternal life is only possible through “Yahweh.”
The Hebrew root word used to say, “and live” is “chayah.” One must understand that to be able to read a verse of Scripture, or to hear one read to one, one has to be alive and alert. That means, obviously, this usage has nothing to do with the present incarnation of one’s being, or the near future ideas and concepts of “living it up” in the same body. The word implies, “continue in life, sustain life, preserve life and restore to life.” Living is the opposite of dying, which is the bane of mortals.
This, as the Word of God being spoken, is not a reference in cheating death, but the realization that the soul is eternal and for it “to live” it must be trapped within a body of flesh or freed forever to dwell in Heaven, in the presence of God. The fact that one’s soul is presently in a human body says, “You have been given another chance to get it right.” You have been reborn as a mortal that is assured of death; but the advice here is “Seek the Lord and live eternally,” flesh-free.
Under the philosophy “As above, so below,” the punishment that Amos was called to prophesy was coming, would be realized in the deaths of the soldiers of Israel and the banishment into slavery of those whose lives continues, but greatly changed for the worse. Their defeat by the Assyrians scattered the blood of Israel to the winds of the earth, with none remaining identifiable as Israelites. Israel ceased to be; the lives of those still living became a veritable hell on earth. However, that is the “below” view.
That microcosm of trauma and a lesser quality of life must be seen as applicable in the macrocosm as a soul “burning in Hell,” if one loses the comforts of God’s gift – a place to stay and call home. Beyond the clear and present danger of Assyrian annihilation, God (whose Eye sees well into the future) was not just using Amos to deliver “today’s news,” but a consistent theme that should be grasped. To gain eternal life with God, one must first “seek the Lord.”
The aspect of reincarnation is real. An eternal soul that has not lived a righteous life on earth cannot be granted entrance into Heaven (for longer than spent receiving the Judgment of a soul). The accompanying Gospel reading from Mark points out the difficulty the rich have in gaining entrance into heaven. (Mark 10:25) If one cannot get into heaven when their soul leaves their body after one life, the soul is not sent to Hell or Purgatory, any more than a first grader who fails to earn second grade status is kicked out of elementary school. A soul repeats life in a fleshy body, just like little Johnny or Sally repeats the first grade.
As above, so below. Macrocosm, microcosm.
The problem with this system is then said as “the end of the age” or when the end times come. If the worldly plane that is Earth became a place more like Venus or Mars, it would be most difficult to be reincarnated into a body that demanded oxygen [the breath of life] to live. The “end of the age” becomes symbolic of great changes in humanity.
An “age” is roughly 2,200 years, when the first day of spring occurs and a new zodiac constellation has precessed into position, so it is then behind the Sun when it rises at the equator. Precession is the movement of the earth’s wobble, which makes the backdrop of stars slowly appear changed. We now live at the end of the The “age” of Jesus [Pisces], but the earth will mosey on to having Aquarius in that position – the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.
The Fish is the symbol of the sign Pisces. It is a highly spiritual sign.
We are close to that “age” now, which means it is important for human beings to realize what Amos was saying, about the nearing collapse and destruction of the Israelite world. That foreseen destructive change is then relative to the collapse and destruction of our world as we know it. Just as the Northern Kingdom was never regained (although a nation named Israel was artificially reinstated into the world in 1948), once Christianity comes to an end, there will be no going back.
As above, so below. Macrocosm, microcosm. Aquarius is a sign that loves knowledge, with few feelings for faith-based ideas.
In the movies and television shows over the past fifty years, the fiction of zombies has been made popular. In the movie Night of the Living Dead (1968), inspired by the novel I Am Legend(1954) the concept of the “undead” gained cult status. Ghouls (spirits of Muslim folklore) are demon spirits that feed on the flesh of corpses. They act as the Universal Mind projecting a ‘what if’ into the future, as God using fiction to show what reincarnation into an unlivable planet would be like.
Like vampires (who live off the blood of living human beings), zombies are trapped in dead bodies, with souls that cannot be released from the worldly plane. Ordinary death is not part of their futures. Eternal life for such demonic souls is denied by God, making their hell be on earth. They live mindlessly, afraid of the sun, until a stake was driven through their hearts or their brains were blown out by survivors that are mortals attempting to never die. Presumably that end would be when a lost soul finally is released to the fires of Hell, because Heaven is not an option.
This concept of evil souls returning to the earth was probably the result of fears over the threat of a nuclear holocaust. Splitting atoms and warfare inventions are the result of an “Aquarian” brain, tinkering with things best left alone. A planet earth no longer suitable for ordinary life would become the punishment of souls reincarnated, over and over again, because the “age” of religious redemption was no longer possible. This should be read into the words of Amos.
Seeing that meaning, one can then read, “[God] will break out against the house of Joseph like fire.”
Here, the verb translated as “break out” is “tsalach,” which means “to rush,” implying “advance” or “prosper.” This “rush” “of fire” has to be recognized as a sudden conflagration, which was the Assyrians burning villages and towns. However, on a greater scale, this fits the onset of a global nuclear warfare scenario.
As to the “house of Joseph,” where Joseph was given the holy name Israel by God’s angel, the implication that flows into the “end of the age” (our time) is of those who maintain the holy lineage as Christians (and Jews who believe in Jesus as the Christ). Those who will attack the West and its allies, and the retaliation released in return will then cause a burning hell on earth.
When God spoke through Amos, saying “It will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it,” one must realize there is no fire still burning in Bethel, Israel. This makes Bethel mean more than a fixed place on earth, which means the name is important.
“Bethel” means “House of God,” meaning the fire will eat away the foundations of Christianity and Judaism, until neither religion will “quench” the emotional thirst of the faithful. The “fire” will be impossible to “extinguish,” once it has started. Unquenched fire will mean the the House of God [Christianity] will be devoured – destroyed, consumed, wasted.
The song then continues by singing, “Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground!”
The Hebrew word “laanah” is translated as “wormwood.” There are eight references to “wormwood” in the Old Testament (two by Amos), but only one in the New Testament. That NT reference comes in The Apocalypse of John. As such, John wrote:
“The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water — the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.” (Revelations 8:10-11)
Comet? Asteroid? Meteorite? Or, perhaps, an ICBM?
When “wormwood” is realized to be a “bitter substance,” rather than rotted wood eaten by worms. It is the plant also known as absinthe. As such, God spoke through Amos, saying (paraphrasing) “Justice is a bitter pill to swallow.” When the House of God has been destroyed, justice is no longer associated with divine judgment. Law is based on might, not right.
The translation that says, “bring righteousness to the ground” is incorrect. It is literally written as, “justice and righteousness in the earth , lay to rest .” Each segment must be grasped individually for the impact of the words, before they are meshed together.
The Hebrew word “yanach” means “cast down, left alone, and pacified.” This then says that “justice and righteousness” will have become lowered, no longer upright. This is a picture of the cross Jesus spoke of (the stake that grapevines run along), which must be raised to ensure good fruit on the vine. It has fallen down. It falls with the destruction of Beth-el – the Church of God. Therefore, the bitterness of a fire that cannot be quenched is then the death of all who represent “justice and righteousness,” which is the foundation of societal laws on God’s Law through Moses.
All the statues of the Ten Commandments will have been removed from courtyard squares and houses of justice. As above, so below. Macrocosm, Microcosm.
Then, the song skips forward to verse ten.
There, Amos wrote in his song, while in an ecstatic trance, the verse that sings, “They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.” This relates to the keepers of the gates of heaven and hell. Neither will allow entrance into a spiritual realm once the final annihilation of a livable earth has begun.
Everyone will be alone with their souls in their deteriorating flesh, filled with “hate” towards God and Jesus Christ. They are those who “decide” the fate of lost souls. Jesus of Nazareth, the prototype of all Apostles and Saints, is known for having said, “Truly I say to you.” However, the truth always hurts when it comes in the words, “I told you so!”
This is a lack of belief. It is looking at the past and envisioning the future will remain the same.
Still, this was a prophecy of Amos being shown Jesus the Messiah, who as a body of flesh, born of a woman, would say, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9) This means Amos foresaw the time when there were no longer any Apostles or Saints, when no souls worthy of entrance into the sheepfold guarded by Jesus Christ.
Heaven is his sheepfold, and Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) One has to be reborn as Jesus Christ, in order to be resurrected as the gate in oneself. Without that name received, one will be reproved Heaven [rejected].
Amos then sang about the separation between the haves and the have nots, where he wrote:
“Therefore, because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.”
This should evoke imagery of the rich who abuse the poor. They buy island paradise homes and build palatial estates that cost millions of dollars, all taken from the poor. They own vast acres of land, on which they plant trees that require much water to grow. They not only steal the waters of the people’s aquifers, lakes, streams and rivers, but they transform the water they stole into fruits and liquids that are sold at a premium price. However, when the end of the age comes, the rich will no longer be able to enjoy the fruits of their labors, which are selfish and without redeeming credits.
It all goes to a good cause … us!
These examples of injustice and evil then led God to have Amos sing, “For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate.”
The sins of the wicked are too numerous for the poor to keep track of, but God keeps the details on his scales of justice. There are many sins that greatly affect the lives of the masses (such as those which put wicked rulers over nations). This in turn makes it most difficult to live a righteous life, as religions of all kinds are persecuted; the most prominent of which being Christianity.
Those of Christian values will be bought, such that John wrote: “Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” (Revelations 6:6)
Those Christians with money will pay the price to save themselves, but those without will be left to suffer. The entrance to the gate will be found in those pushed aside; but many Christians (like the Israelites of Amos’ day) will sacrifice the lives of others to save themselves, the opposite of what being Christian means.
Amos then wrote, “Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time.” Those who do not capitulate to evil are then said to be careful and exercising common sense, which is expressed quietly.
The Hebrew word “yiddum” means both “keep silent” and “not keep silent,” from the root word “damam,” meaning “to be still.” This means that “the prudent” will not be caught up in the hysteria that will be pervasive in “an evil time.” Instead, their hearts and minds will remain calm as turmoil breaks out all around them. The “prudent” are then Christians led by the insight of the Mind of Christ, while Big Brains demand acts of revenge.
Plotting more revenge.
At this point, Amos repeated a variation of his first verse, saying: “Seek good and not evil, that you may live.” Here, “good” (from “towb”) means to seek those others who have God present in them. This is a return to the true Church, where the gathering of others of the same mind – Apostles in the name of Jesus Christ – becomes the reinforcement for focus on God. When insanity will rule the day, true Christians must come together in support of one another. Remaining true to one’s rebirth as Jesus Christ will keep one’s soul promise of service to the Lord, in reward for eternal life.
This commitment to one’s marriage to God makes the words of Amos ring true to the faithful. The reading ends his song selection today, by singing:
“so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said.
Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
It is important to see how God has commanded His children to “hate evil.” This has been changed in today’s world, where the wolves in sheep’s clothing have infiltrated the pulpits to preach falsely, “Love your neighbor is what Jesus said. You cannot hate another who says he or she is Christian, even when they openly admit to actively practicing evil deeds that are called abominations in the sight of the Lord.” The words of Jesus have been so misconstrued to those in Christian denomination congregations that no one is able to hate any evil, simply from doubts that have been purposefully built.
Hate is a natural emotion in human beings. It is that which makes enemies. To love an enemy means to allow an enemy to hate you by afar. Otherwise, if constantly in the face of an enemy, mutual hatred will be the prevalent expression. Love is possible from turning away from evil. However, when evil refuses to leave one alone, hatred will raise conflict, and conflict comes from the love of good meeting the love of evil.
Returning to The Apocalypse of John, when Jesus Christ told John to write letters to the seven churches, we today represent all of those churches. In the letter written to the church of Laodicea this was transcribed:
“These are the words of the Amen [the Truth], the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelations 3:14-16)
The “lukewarm” taste of Western Christianity means being “tepid,” which means, “Lacking in emotional warmth or enthusiasm; halfhearted.” [American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition] One can only be “halfhearted when half of one’s heart loves self and the other half loves God.
This leads to doubts and hesitations stem from being halfhearted, exactly like those seen in Peter, causing Jesus to say, “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31b) A halfhearted Christian is lacking the faith to hate evil, by striking out against evil. It means one is too timid to overturn a money-changer’s table in the House of God. It means one is too accepting of trees that bear no fruit. It means one is too afraid to tell Satan, “Get out of my face!” much less walk on the waters of one’s faith without drowning.
Only if one lives a good life, where one has “established justice in the gate,” by being reborn as the gate – in the name of Jesus Christ – then one hates evil by not bowing down to it. One establishes the justice of God by demanding that evil gets out of one’s face and serves mankind, not abuse it. As a resurrected Jesus Christ, one allows the God of hosts to Lord over one’s body, merged with one’s soul. One is adopted as a “remnant of Joseph,” as a child of God, His Son.
As an optional Old Testament reading selection for the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for the LORD should be underway – one has no place in one’s life for evil – the message here is to see the threat of Amos’ Israel is current and present today. The sins that brought one nation’s downfall are the same throughout all times.
In my analysis of the accompanying Epistle to this optional reading, I mentioned how the prophet Nostradamus quoted Paul’s letter to the Hebrew-speaking Jews of Rome, saying “all things will be made naked and bare.” The “end times” theme of Nostradamus can be seen here in this reading selection from the prophet Amos. The mood of Christians (that I have experienced for seventeen years now, relative to Nostradamus and Scripture) is, “I do not believe.”
They don’t believe in Nostradamus being a prophet of Jesus Christ. They don’t believe in the End Times. They don’t believe in sacrifice of self. They don’t believe there can be more than one Jesus. They think that Jesus sits on a little throne next to God’s big throne, in Heaven, some day planning a return, when evil will be punished. They don’t believe they are the ones Jesus will come for, wielding the sword of justice. They don’t believe God talks to Christians. They don’t believe there are Saints (for the most part). Therefore, in general, Christians reject the Lord and live for today, not for a restricted Heaven in the future.
Ms. Cleo sent this back from the other side: “I do believe in zombies. Please help me!” From the ghoul formerly known as Einstein.
I have had so much revealed to me over the years, since two towers collapsed from fire in New York City, that I have sought to tell as many people as would listen. The revelations I have been shown can only come from God, because I certainly am not bright enough to know what I know otherwise. I try to share with others, but few demonstrate that they have received the same spirit that I have received.
Meanwhile, the news shown on televisions and I-phones is so filled with hatred and incendiary opinions that the cameras show the hatred everywhere. This is not hatred of evil, as much as it is evil hatred. We are our worst enemy. We hate ourselves because we have allowed evil to rule our hearts!
Our leaders spew hatred. Our children spew hatred. Our allies spew hatred. Our enemies spew hatred. Our television shows spew hatred. Politicians spew hatred towards other politicians and the citizens in between are caught in that crossfire.
When they go low, we kick them.
I feel the time shortly coming when I must become prudent and be silent.
I have repeated in my articles posted about how “one’s own personal ministry for the LORD should be underway.” The symbolism of a season of the year being devoted to the time following Pentecost (the Fiftieth Day) and the time beginning with Advent and Christmas [rebirth from year to year] is when Apostles should be praising God and welcoming a gathering of Saints. Christian means a ministry of works, based on true faith. However, I feel little in return that says the Holy Spirit is growing in the world.
Hatred is killing those who call themselves Christians.
As an optional Old Testament reading selection, one which has a dark theme – darker than Job’s seeming lament – I doubt this will be preached this coming Sunday. It may never be preached. The theme of the end times has become too dark to preach about.
Christianity has become lukewarm.
The time for inward inspiration has come. Few are the priests who teach people how not to hate, where hating evil means the love of separation. We have been reborn as the Northern Kingdom that sits on the eve of doom.
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
——————–
This is the Gospel reading from the Episcopal Lectionary that is scheduled for public reading on Proper 25, Year A. It will next be read aloud by a priest on Sunday, October 25, 2020. In the numbering of the Ordinary selections, this reading will take place on the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost. It was last read aloud in church on Sunday, October 29, 2017.
I offered an opinion on this reading, which I published on this site now, from back on October 10, 2017. I stand behind those observations and welcome all to read that article. What I want to do now is connect what Jesus told the Pharisees, in this inspection for blemishes (as the sacrificial lamb on display), with the Old Testament readings. I have just recently published my views on Leviticus 19 (the Track 2 reading option), but the reading from Deuteronomy 34 (the death of Moses) also supports this Gospel selection well.
This means one must begin discerning Matthew 22:34-46 by understanding both of those readings. For the Leviticus 19 reading (which, as a Track 2 offering, might never be chosen to read), one must firmly grasp how God told Moses to tell His people, “You must be holy, because I am holy.” The only way to be holy is to be one with God, as was Moses and as was Jesus (and others like them). Then, one must realize that God showed Moses all the land the Israelites would settle in (from east of Jericho), where the only way to see the whole nation of Israel [before it was a nation] was to be one with God. From that understanding, to read that Joshua “was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him,” that was the ‘tag, you’re it’ passing on of God’s Holy Spirit, so Joshua was also one with God.
This has to be firmly grasped – AT ALL TIMES – because Christianity has fallen into the malaise of thinking it is not proper to think anyone other than Jesus can be the Christ, so everyone squats and laments all the evils in the world, while doing nothing but wait for Jesus to return. Had God let Moses die and not allow him to pass the torch onto Joshua, then the Israelites would have stormed into Canaan demanding their land, only to be outright slaughtered for being idiots. Likewise, if God had let Jesus die and not have allowed him to prepare the disciples to carry on his torch, nobody would be reading this article now or caring about anything divine as Christianity would have never been.
So, with that understood, let’s look at what Matthew 22:34-46 says.
This reading begins by stating, “When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees.” Over the past few Sundays, Matthew 22 has been read and probably preached, beginning with the parable of the wedding banquet (1-14), followed by the tax to Caesar (15-22), to now this encounter with the Pharisees (34-46); but nothing has been said about the confrontation with the Sadducees. Here’s why:
From the Episcopal Lectionary Reverse Lectionary search of Matthew.
The Episcopal Lectionary does not ever address this confrontation, as told by Matthew. It is, however, addressed from Luke’s perspective (Luke 20:27-38), during the Ordinary after Pentecost season in Year C (Proper 27). That means it should at least be mentioned here, so one does not start off lost, dazed and confused about what happened between Jesus and the Sadducees.
The Sadducees presented Jesus with a wild scenario about a woman who was married to seven Jewish men (one at a time), all brothers [a legal thing], with none ever having sired a male heir. They wanted Jesus to fall into a trap about the afterlife (which they did not believe existed), asking him which man would be the husband of the wife in heaven. Jesus sent them away whimpering, tails between their legs, by his saying, “God rules over the living, not the dead.” Besides that being a question about heavenly marriage, it is important to know the zinger about God and truly being alive. Knowing that helps when looking at this reading for Proper 25A.
So, when we see the Pharisees coming to Jesus to ask him what the most important law is he knew they also were up to no good. Thus, when they asked their question, God spoke through Jesus, saying “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” That is not a law of Moses, but a reminder from God that states one’s expected way of life. It says, “Let God tell you what is most important.” (If you are living!)
Think about that for a moment, knowing the Sadducees had just muttered themselves back into their Temple lair after having asked some male-dominated question about who gets to claim a wife in heaven. Imagine them asking Jesus, “Do wives even get to go to heaven, if they do nothing I tell them to do, the way I tell them to do it, here on earth?” The audacity of thinking women must possess souls that will never go on ego trips and power quests!
In the same way Jesus told them how God is the God of the living, not of the dead, those idiots could not even feel the cold wet slap of reality hit them in the faces that said, “You are dead to God. Wake up and live while you still have that chance!” Waking up demands all the Jews (Sadducees and Pharisees especially) marry God. It is best to marry one you love with all your heart, all your soul, and all you mind!
Marrying God, like the concept of marriage the Jews had, meant making all the necessary sacrifices of a bride. To be God’s wives, they would have to accept they were as worthless as Jewish men saw women in ancient Jerusalem [a mindset that still prevails everywhere today]. Back then, a daughter had no say in who her father gave her to. Love was never a factor in the process of engagement. Marriage was the reality of commitment, with a wife committed to serving her husband (and vice versa); offspring were a natural expectation. However, marrying God was such a foreign concept to the leaders of the Jews back then, the Pharisees were still planning on ruling heaven as they ruled Jerusalem.
If they wanted to get to heaven, they needed to accept the invitation to the wedding banquet, where they would marry God. Their earthbound egos would give their souls away, where they would become the new daughter of God the Father.
The debt their souls owed was to God, not some emperor. To return a soul to God meant to marry Him and become His wife. Marriage to God then meant being alive with the Holy Spirit, not dead (like was a soul sinning in a body of flesh).
All of that meant the most important thing Jews had to do was stop thinking they were gods (that male-dominated ego speaking) and start realizing they were totally insignificant in the grand scheme of things. To reach that point of awareness, the Jews had to “love God with all their hearts, minds, and souls.”
Now, when the reading states “the Pharisees were gathered together,” this has to be seen like some sporting match – a contest of strengths and skills, a battle of the big brains – where the last play failed miserably and it was time to regroup. Like in a football game, they all huddled together to draw up another play in the dirt.
That becomes a statement that yells, “Stop thinking!” Just like you cannot know what the greatest commandment is, because as soon as you say one, you realize, “No! Wait! Try this one!” your Big Brain is smaller than a mustard seed, when compared to God’s omniscience. Stop trying to outsmart God! Gain access to the Godhead through marrying God’s Holy Spirit.
God then had Jesus ask those great brains of Jerusalem, “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They immediately fell into his trap, simply because they thought they were so smart and Jesus was just a dumb rube from Nazareth. They forgot all the times before their mouse trap plans failed, with them instead being snapped tight. With a thud they fell into God’s snare, when they answered, “The son of David.”
They immediately gave that answer because they did not worship God. They worshiped human power. They had just showed Jesus a denarius with Julius Caesar’s image engraved on it, so they could have said, “The son of Caesar” and more honestly expressed their wish. He was the ruler du jour; but they wanted to name a king that would give them the right to claim to be heirs of a kingdom. In their pea-brains, they imagined the Kingdom of Judaism to be grander than the kingdom of heaven. However, Jesus pointed out how flawed that idea was.
When Jesus asked them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord?” The key term there is the capitalized word (in Greek) “Pneumati,” which is a statement of importance beyond normal “breath” or the “spirit” of kingly power (like a form of energy). The capitalization says Matthew knew Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit being in David when he wrote psalms. As such, Jesus said David was one with God, when he addressed God as “Lord.”
The element of “Lord” must be realized from the Hebrew of Psalm 110, verse 1, which Jesus quoted. After introducing a new song written by David (in the “Spirit”), he wrote “Yahweh ladonai,” which personalizes “LORD of lords” [Yahweh adonai] to say “LORD of my lords.” The point Jesus was making (as God speaking through him) was, “If the Messiah is expected to be the descendant of David, then why did David refer to Yahweh as LORD, and not Father?” After all, David was the son of Jesse (not a king) and Solomon was the son of David’s sins, who reigned as his somewhat illegitimate heir (after Absalom was basically murdered by David’s general’s order). That family tree had been reduced to a stump of rulers by the Babylonians.
Jesus [a descendant of David, by the way] then pointed out that for a son of David to be the expected Messiah, then David would himself have to be a son of God. That totally befuddled the Pharisees, which proved their big brains were really just the brains of simpletons. They walked away tight-lipped.
What is totally missed here is there is an answer to give. When Jesus asked, “If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” the answer is: “If David sacrificed his self-ego, giving up his title and position as king to serve God, as his Father, then he would be a son of God.” The Pharisees never could fathom anyone ever doing that. What would be the point of ruling the world, if you could not become worldly rich in that process – even have great domineering powers, as men, over all women? So, they walked away muttering like the Sadducees before them, looking for their place in darkness to hide.
The answer to Jesus’ question is found in the Deuteronomy reading, after Moses died. We read that Joshua was the son of Nun. That statement as to Joshua’s father is the only place in the Holy Bible where the name Nun is mentioned. The name means “Fish” [“I will make you Nunneries of men?”]. That father named his son a name that means “Yahweh Is Salvation” (Joshua). The name Jesus means “Yahweh Will Save.” Still, Joshua being named as a son that was not Moses says God is the Father of all who will be the Messiah that brings Salvation to the people.
The Deuteronomy reading states, “Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.” That says the Christ (Messiah) would never be the son of a human being, but the Son of God, which happens when someone with God within him or her touches another so the hands of God are laid upon him or her too. That Messiah (Christ) is then (like Jesus) God incarnate in the flesh. David was the son of God, when Israel regularly battled the evil presence surrounding them; but David failed God as a son when he let his power overtake his soul. The nation then reflected both the times of righteousness and the times of sins shown by David and all their subsequent kings [and prior judges].
Of course, we Christians all know that Jesus asked that question knowing he was the Christ of God. We giggle as the Pharisee walked away silent [flash back to the one not wearing a wedding gown being silent when the king asked him how he got in the banquet]; but Christians end this reading with silence, just like the Pharisees. Christians are equally befuddled, because they all think the son of God can only be Jesus, forgetting all about Joshua being filled with God’s Holy Spirit, in the same way Moses was filled with it AND in the same way Jesus was filled with it AND in the same way ALL the Apostles were filled with it AND in the same way ALL true Saints recognized by Christianity have been filled with it.
Moses was reborn as Jesus Christ before God made holy flesh named Jesus. Moses passed Jesus Christ onto Joshua. David was the resurrection of Jesus Christ when he was a boy shepherd. Jesus is the model for ALL flesh that is living, made so by marriage to God. The Christ is the Mind of God leading anyone who bows down before God totally – submitting heart, brain and soul completely to Him, through love.
God cannot be limited. Big Brains cannot tell God how many times Jesus Christ can be resurrected in another body of flesh that has married its soul to God. The Pharisees and Sadducees were so narrowminded they thought God worked for them, kind of like the lazy workers that showed up to the pick grapes of the landowner, but then laid in the shade all day long, still expecting to be paid wages for doing nothing.
The ones who walk away from Jesus silently just cannot fathom the entire world can be sons of God, if God so chooses. It all depends on God finding the recipients of His Holy Spirit and His Christ Mind as worthy brides to marry (like all the above named people – Moses, Joshua, David, Jesus – plus many more unnamed). The question asked by Jesus goes to ALL Christians today: How can anyone be the son of God, if one calls God his or her Lord?
Come out of the darkness of your lairs. You know the answer. The answer is SACRIFICE OF SELF-EGO.
The answer is ACCEPT GOD’S INVITATION TO MARRY HIM.
The answer is STOP THINKING YOU KNOW MORE THAN GOD AND LET GOD LEAD YOU THROUGH LIFE.
Be the wife of God (regardless of human gender). Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Be submissive to the Will of your most holy Husband. Give birth to His Son in your flesh, becoming the Son of God resurrected. Call your Lord and Master by His relationship title – Father. Touch others with your holiness, a righteous state that can only come from God.
As far as short memory spans go, it was just two Sundays prior that Jesus ended a parable by saying, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Those conditions fit the ancient scenario of Jerusalem, just as well as they fit the scenario today of a religion calling itself in the name of Christ, when there are so few of true Christians around. Everybody is too busy taking care of self to let their egos give their flesh over to God in marriage; but that simply means they are dead of soul. So, God is not their God. He’s only the God of the living.
[2] “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
[3] Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
[4] “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
[5] Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
[6] On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone
[7] when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings bene elohim shouted for joy?
[[34] “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
so that a flood of waters may cover you?
[35] Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go
and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
[36] Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,
or given understanding to the mind?
[37] Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
[38] when the dust runs into a mass
and the clods cling together?
[39] “Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
[40] when they crouch in their dens,
or lie in wait in their covert?
[41] Who provides for the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to el,
and wander about for lack of food?”]
——————–
This is the Track 1 Old Testament reading selection to be read aloud on the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 24], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. If ta church is on the Track 1 path for Year B, this reading will be accompanied by a singing of Psalm 104, which says, “You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak and spread out the heavens like a curtain.” This pair will precede a reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” All will accompany a Gospel reading from Mark, where Jesus told his disciples, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.”
I wrote about this expanded selection from the thirty-eighth chapter of Job the last time it came up in the lectionary cycle, in 2018. That writing can be viewed by searching this site. I wrote about verses one through eleven, focusing on explaining what “gird your loins” means, with that commentary also available by a search of this site. That was posted in May of 2021, as my assessment of the reading assigned for the Proper 7 Sunday readings [the fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B]; so, it is fairly recent. Still, that was an expansion on the commentary I produced in the previous cycle of Year B (2018), when I posted this commentary here. I stand behind all of my prior postings, because there is merit in all that comes from the Word of this reading selection. I welcome all readers to view each of my prior publications and compare them to one another and what I will now add today. As always, I invite your comments, question, suggestions and corrections. Please sign up to comment to the blog, so others can see your opinions.
In the above presentation of the verses to be read, I have attached the verse numbers. I feel it is important to see where the verses are separated from one another, and to know where the leap from verse seven to verse thirty-four comes, rather than make that assumption from the brackets, which mark verses seen as appropriate to be read optionally. Also, in verse one I have restored the name appearing in the text of Job, which is “Yahweh,” replacing the erroneous translation that says “the Lord.” Further, in verse seven I have stricken out the translation that says “heavenly beings,” restoring the Hebrew written – “bene elohim” – which says, “sons gods.” Finally, in verse forty-one, the translation of “God” has been replaced by the Hebrew word written: “el.” It is foolishness, in a dialogue of Yahweh, to have Him refer to Himself [the implication of a capitalized “God”], when Yahweh is much more that the simplicity of an “el.”
Today, I want to address this reading from the perspective of all readers being Job. See it as written to each individual whose soul has married Yahweh, making it possible to long for His voice AND to be able to hear His voice when it speaks. I am reminded of a time when a mentor of religious studies asked the class, “I wonder what the voice of God sounds like, because I have never heard it.” I told him, “It would sound like your voice, as when you speak to yourself in your thoughts.” I want everyone to imagine this response of Yahweh to be to you, as if you have longed to hear the voice of God.
The Hebrew word translated as “whirlwind” is “ca’ar.” The word means “tempest,” which is metaphor for the storms of life. See this as one who has become lost in the speed of the world and the complexities of thoughts that then constantly surround one, all coming from outside sources (family, career, news of the day, etc.), Yahweh’s voice becomes the eye of the storm, where calm can be found. Thus, the voice of Yahweh is centering calm.
When verse two asks, “who here who darkens counsel by words,” this speaks of the mistranslations of English versions of the divine Scripture of the Holy Bible. It is “words” that I have amended above, from the “words” produced by the NRSV and the Episcopal Church. One needs to be “here,” in front of a reading from the Book of Job, trying to figure out how it relates to you, the reader. Your vision of the truth has been darkened, so the truth cannot become a true source of “counsel.”
It is following a comma mark (that the NRSV fails to let you be aware of) that Yahweh says of them, “without knowledge.” Just like all those false shepherds who spoke to Job had no knowledge of Yahweh, so too does any translator of Hebrew into English know Yahweh by divine marriage. They are “without knowledge” of the intent behind the “words.” All they can do is read Hebrew and make things up, because the truth is hidden from the wise and intelligent, only revealed unto Yahweh’s children by marriage.
Verse three is where I have had so many views in the past, with Internet searches being, “What does gird your loins mean?” To see this as a statement by Yahweh to Job, as a ‘man to man talk’, leaves all the women on the sidelines, waiting for the church ladies’ group to talk about Esther or some other female figure. Perhaps it is women without loins that are searching the Internet for answers? The way to read “gird your loins like a man” [from “ezar-na kegeber”] is to see Yahweh speaking to one’s soul, not one’s flesh.
The words written can equally state, “encompass yourself like a man,” where it becomes necessary to realize the Spirit of Yahweh AND all His elohim is masculine in spiritual essence. A human being, as an eternal soul animating a body of dead matter, takes on the essence of femininity (or negativity, or receptivity), such that all males and females [earthlings] are “like mother earth” and not “like a masculine deity.” A “soul” alone is like a neuter-gender child, where its puberty has yet to develop.
There is absolutely nothing that says “loins” in the Hebrew text. The Hebrew word “na” means “I (we) pray, now,” implying “I beseech pray thee you, go to, now, oh.” (Strong’s) It is adjoined to “ezar,” which means “to gird, encompass, equip,” implying “bind compass about, gird up, with.” (Strong’s again) Thus, Yahweh is saying to “bind oneself” [where a self equals a soul] to the Spirit of Yahweh, so one’s soul is a masculine elohim and not some wimpy, whiney human being of either adult gender.
As Job was already a Yahweh elohim, Yahweh was simply telling him, stop crying like a girly man and we can talk, like we used to. That says to you, the reader, if you want to hear the voice of God and know what it sounds like, then “man up.” That means both males and females need to marry their souls to Yahweh and become His elohim through Spiritual growth. Growing up means transforming from the femininity of a soul led by a body of flesh (all genders) to the masculinity of a divine soul married to the Spirit of Yahweh and led to do His Will.
When verse four asks, “where were you when I laid the foundations of the world?” it is vital to see how Job is metaphor for Adam, who was the Son of Yahweh. The soul of Job, as Adam, possessed the soul of Jesus. This makes the statement at the end of the verse – “if you have understanding [of where one was when Yahweh Created]” – that demands one be a Yahweh elohim.
The answer to the question is found in John 1:1, where he wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word.” When a soul has been merged with the Spirit of Yahweh, then it gives resurrection to the soul of Jesus, a name that means “Yahweh Saves.” In Genesis 1 is written, “In the beginning created the elohim,” which were the souls-angels-heavenly spirits made by Yahweh. So, as an elohim created by Yahweh, the answer to the question is, “I was sent by you to lay the foundations of the world in the beginning.”
This means verses five, six, and seven all have the same answer. “I did all the work you say, Father, by your direction, with your hand guiding my angelic form.” is a truthful answer by a Yahweh elohim. Thus, verse seven ends by saying, “You did these things as My Sons elohim.” All of this says you, the reader, will also possess knowledge of all times – past, present, and future – through the Godhead (or Christ Mind) – when your soul loves Yahweh so intently that He takes your soul as His bride and impregnates your soul with His Son. You then become the Word, with God from the beginning, doing all things commanded by Yahweh.
When the Episcopal Church decides to leap forward to verse thirty-four, one sees that Yahweh is still asking questions that can only be answered by the “sons elohim,” with “sons” being a confirmation of the command to “encompass yourself like a Yahweh elohim [masculine spirit].” Here, the questioning is focusing on the ethereal being made worldly, from the metaphor of “clouds, lightning, and wisdom, being applied to dust in clumps.” Again, the answer is always the same, as only an elohim of Yahweh have this capability.
Verse thirty four asks, “can you raise dark clouds with a sound that an abundance of water may cover you?” This refers back to the question, “who darkens,” where the “clouds” are the failures of mere mortals to grasp the depth of meaning in Holy Scripture. Yahweh is asking if you, the reader, can make the emotions of truth flow freely from the pages of the Holy Bible, through speaking in divine tongues and explaining from the emotion of divine ecstasy? You can with His help.
Verse thirty-five then asks, “can you send out lightning bolts that they might walk; and say, “behold!”? Imagine the scene from an old Frankenstein movie, where lightning was used to bring life into a corpse. Relive the scene where Doctor Frankenstein shouts, “It’s alive!”
This is Yahweh asking you, the reader, can you jolt life into the dead by explaining Scripture, so dry bones can prophesy? The answer is you can, with God’s help, as His elohim.
Verse thirty-six then asks, “who has set the inward parts of wisdom? Or, who has given one’s soul understanding?” Everything comes from Yahweh, through His bringing the Christ Mind through His Son resurrected within one’s soul. There is no question that cannot be answered. The truth flows forth from all Yahweh’s angels in the flesh.
Verse thirty-seven asks, “who has the wisdom to count dust particles on earth? Or, know how many jars will contain the sky above?” Again, only Yahweh knows these answers; but they are made available to those He creates through divine marriage.
Verse thirty-eight then asks, “when flows the castings and the clods to cling together?” This is a question of who joins souls to flesh [“clods”] and guides the formation of a fetus in the womb? Only Yahweh can make a body and give it life. In the same way that the miracle of life comes into dead matter, the greater miracle is the promise of releasing that soul of life to eternal life, once again with the Father in heaven. This creation comes when a soul has shown love and devotion to Yahweh, so He has made that soul His wife, to become the mother of His Son.
Verse thirty-nine then asks, “can you hunt prey like a lion? Or, give life that satisfies the young lions?” This becomes a question of ministry, where one hunts for souls who are seekers and ready to die of self and become reborn as young lions. This is when the metaphor of C. S. Lewis lion character [Aslan], seen as a Christ [meaning an Anointed one]. A “Christ” is one anointed by the Spirit of Yahweh, as His elohim.
Verse forty states the scenario of “when they crouch in their dens and lurk in their lairs lying in wait.” This becomes the courage of the heart of a lion, which has no fear. When one has married Yahweh, losing that presence is one’s only fear. Thus, the dangers of persecution in the world [which Job knew all so well] does not deter a Yahweh elohim from going into ministry, seeking those who seek to die of self and be reborn as saints.
The final verse is then where the presence of “el” is found. Here the question is, “who provides ravens as game when the children of el cry and wonder about lack of food?” Here, the metaphor is of “eating crow,” which becomes synonymous with the “darkened counsel” of bad translations of Scripture into English. One big “crow” or “raven” is seeing the word “elohim” and translating it one time as “God,” then another time as “gods,” and still another time as “heavenly (sons).” You cannot feed the children so they grow up to be “el” material, seeking to marry their souls to Yahweh, crap that is untrue, misleading, and full of errors.
The word translated as “lack” is “taah,” which actually means “to err.” Only when one is filled with the Spirit of Yahweh, can one then fill one’s “children” with the same heavenly bread. This is how Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,” so to become a Yahweh elohim, one must consume Jesus. One consumes Jesus by being reborn in his name.
As a reading possible for the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson is to stop cry babying about a little difficulty here or a little pain and suffering there. Everything in one’s life will have meaning, if one can die of self-ego and be reborn in the name of Jesus, as a Christ. All questions can be answered. All things are possible with Yahweh’s help. Yahweh wants wives who will go forth and multiply on the face of the earth, making more become Jesus reborn. Thus, you, the reader, need to hear this reading as Yahweh talking to your soul.
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
[8] By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
[9] They made his grave with the wicked
and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
[10] Yet it was the will of Yahweh to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of Yahweh shall prosper.
[11] Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
[12] Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
——————–
This is the Track 2 Old Testament reading to be read aloud in churches following the Track 2 path on the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 24], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. On the Track 2 course, an accompanying reading from Psalm 91 will come, which says, “Because you have made Yahweh your refuge, and the Most High your habitation, There shall no evil happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.” That set will come before a reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.” All will accompany the Gospel reading from Mark, where we read, “James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. … Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”
I wrote about these selected verses the last time they came up in the lectionary cycle (2018). I posted those observations on my website then, which is available on this website and can be viewed by searching this site. I stand behind that commentary as they are still valid opinions today; and, I welcome all readers to view my commentary and then and compare it to the additional thoughts that I am inspired to write now. I welcome any comments, questions, suggestions or corrections to be sent via email. You can sign up to post directly on the article posted.
You will notice in the above English translation provided by the Episcopal Church that I have added the verse numbers. The NRSV – the source of the translations – would not think of presenting a writing of Scripture without the verse numbers; but the Episcopal Church [obviously] does not think numbering the verses [in this case] is necessary. I feel it is important to know these transition points, so I have added them within brackets. Also, three times I have restored the proper name written in Isaiah 53, which is “Yahweh” [in bold type]. This replaces the erroneous translation as “the Lord.” Using the proper name says one has an established relationship with Yahweh, so he is not some “lord” that might be “the lord” of others, but “I didn’t vote for Him.’ The truth of Scripture can only be seen by those whose souls know Yahweh by name. Finally, in verse four is found the word “elohim,” which I have restored, replacing the false translation that says “God.” The word is plural, not singular, and there is no capitalization involved in understanding the meaning of “gods.”
In 2018 I was not focused on the mistranslations, so I used “Lord” and “God” routinely in my writings. In the years since, I have come to see that bad translations lead people to have poor faith. To call Yahweh a “Lord” is to generalize Christianity. It gives the impression that Christians have some war with Jews; so, it is ‘off limits’ to use a Jewish name for God, because Christians are not Jews. I hope you can see the racism of such a rejection of the name Yahweh.
In the element of the plural “elohim” [plural of “el”] being elevated to be “God,” that is basically the same generalization that forbids anyone from demanding an explanation how the writers were so stupid. It blocks one from the realization that Yahweh is not a “god,” but THE GOD, who is the creator of “gods,” in all manner, like, shape and form. Verse four of Isaiah 53 speaks of one type of “gods” that have been created by Yahweh and allowed to exist in the worldly realm.
Verse four needs to be read in the same light of the complaints of Job, as this is the core of belief that says, “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken.” That says a soul married to Yahweh has the sureness of knowing Yahweh, knowing it is His presence that has helped a soul maintain the health of its body. This is why the Jews saw the afflictions of skin-born disease as a sign that Yahweh was not married to such a person’s soul. That was why ‘friends’ of Job had come to advise him to curse Yahweh and be done with Him. However, Job knew the truth of Yahweh’s presence within him; so, all his ‘friends’ can be seen as referencing it was demonic “elohim” that needed to be turned away from.
When verse four says [NRSV], “struck down by elohim, and afflicted,” the truth of the Hebrew says, “touched smitten by elohim bowed down to.” In that, the Hebrew word that ends the verse is [transliterated] “ū·mə·‘un·neh,” rooted in “anah.” That word means, “to be bowed down or afflicted” (Strong’s Definition), with Brown-Driver-Briggs adding meanings relative to: 1. Be occupied, busied with; 2. Be bowed down, afflicted, as “be put down or become low; be depressed, downcast; and humble oneself.” When one realizes that Yahweh [who was named by Isaiah in verses six and ten] is more thanan “elohim,” being the Creator of all, including “elohim” [angels, souls, spirits eternal], then “to bow down and be afflicted by disease,” one’s soul is then married to Yahweh [as was Job’s, as was Isaiah’s]. That means such problems of the flesh are brought on by the same source as was Job’s ailments – Satan. To “bow down” to a lesser “god” or “gods” means one was never a soul married to Yahweh in the first place.
Verse five can then be read as a series of tests that bring a soul to realize serving lesser “elohim” will not be tolerated by Yahweh. The Covenant is the vows of divine marriage; and, the first rule is, “You will have no other “elohim” before My face,” which means, “Do not come around me stinking like you have been sleeping with self-pleasure and expect me to meet you at the door with anything other than the rolling pin.” To prove to Yahweh your soul is marriage material, you need to see the wounds of your sins, feel the pain of your wrongs, and accept any punishment the world gives (because your soul is not married to Yahweh). Without receiving those stripes of punishment, one’s soul will never see how powerless a soul alone in a body of flesh is, being insignificant. Satan enjoys leading souls away from Yahweh, knowing they will squeal like pigs, agreeing to do anything Satan says, just to stop the sufferings of his afflictions.
Verse six says a “sheep” of “Yahweh” is a member of a flock to the ultimate Good Shepherd. Lost sheep take their souls into all the most dangerous places. Once those dangers have become part of one’s being, they cannot be returned to the fold visibly filthy dirty, or else the other sheep will think a dangerous place is safe. The stench of all transgressions has to be removed first.
Baaaah. I have some confessions to make. Baaaah.
This is why verse seven sings of being sheared. The lost sheep is silent before its shearer, who cuts away all the filthy hair that has rubbed against Satan’s wolves. To even get to this point of having Yahweh cut away one’s sins, brought on by evil “elohim,” making an innocent lamb need a spiritual washing, the lamb has to willing to be led to slaughter. That means the killing of self-will, to be replaced by the Spirit of Yahweh, marking one’s soul as His own. Washing sins with water is not enough. One needs to be washed by the blood of the lamb: Out with the bad blood, in with the good.
The NRSV is using some mishmash translation that strays from the truth. The literal translation of the Hebrew into English has it saying, “from restraint and from judgment [the lamb] was taken , and its dwelling who will complain it was cut off from the land of the living , for the transgression of my people it was stricken .” In this, the first word (“oster”) also means “barren, coercion, opposition, prison,” where the flesh is a condition that “coerces” a soul to sin. It keeps a soul from doing as it told Yahweh it would do, before birth into a prison of flesh. Death, as a willing sacrifice, becomes a release of a soul for “judgment” (“mishpat”).
To sacrifice one’s soul [a “self”] to Yahweh means to be accepted by Him in marriage. One is no longer the name one had, as one becomes in the name of Yahweh, as His Son [males and female alike]. That means being “cut off from the earth,” no loner a soul animating dead flesh, but as “the living,” as a soul promised eternal life. All prior afflictions were because of following the accepted ways of “the people,” who claimed to be promised Salvation because they were born into a certain race.
In verse nine, the words of Isaiah are singing of the people from whom a righteous soul has departed. The death of the wicked are marked by tombs that declare how much wealth from the land had been possessed by one in life. Their “god” is worldly, so it is their tombstones that become their altars of worship. Those who sacrifice their souls to be judged worthy by Yahweh say nothing in prayer for worldly things. They do not perform acts of violence that steal from the people, so others will suffer. Instead, they teach the truth through mouths led by the divine Spirit.
Verse ten is then where Isaiah named Yahweh twice. Here, it says “Yahweh took delight in crushing him to weakness.” This is not Yahweh taking delight in the crushing of a human body of flesh, a poor lost lamb soul; but it is a reference to the crushing o an “elohim” that would attempt to bring danger upon a soul that had given itself up to be Yahweh’s wife. The delight taken is in the soul having turned away from the “elohim,” as was the case with Job. The fear of losing Yahweh makes one turn away fro Satan’s “gods” of influence. Instead of selling a soul to Satan for the right to sin, the soul sacrifices that offering of transgression, staying focused on Yahweh. That love and devotion is what pleases Yahweh; and, that will bring the soul greater profits than land and field animals. It will bring the reward of eternal life.
In verse eleven, when Isaiah sang, “the labor of a soul shall be satisfied,” that can be seen in the light of the works of faith that James wrote of. To then say, “by his knowledge shall righteous and just many servants” of Yahweh, this “satisfaction” is then based on mutual love and devotion, so a soul no longer does the works of sin. Instead, a soul chooses to instead do the works of faith. In that trust, Yahweh becomes the bearer of all challenges from Satan, casting them aside effortlessly.
In verse twelve, Isaiah then says, “I shall divide a portion to him to be great.” That speaks of the “two-edged sword Paul wrote of, which divides a soul, so the Spirit can become adjoined with the soul. This is the meaning of Isaiah, as his soul became a saint by receiving the Spirit of Yahweh in divine marriage. Isaiah became one “el” of all the many Yahweh elohim, all of whom have been given eternal life as Yahweh’s wives.
The division of a soul means death, much like Adam was made to sleep so Yahweh could duplicate his body of flesh to create Eve’s DNA. Likewise, Jesus had to die and be freed from the limitations of only one body of flesh, so he could become the servant of Yahweh to possess all his wives, the mothers of His Son reborn. This is the meaning of Isaiah singing [NRSV], “yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” This was Isaiah singing praise to Jesus in prophetic means, as his soul had become where Jesus’ soul was resurrected, well before Jesus was born into the flesh, from a womb of a mother.
As an optional reading for the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson here is to see the truth of “elohim.” The world is full of lost souls sold into slavery to Satan, from marrying his “gods” of evil. As an alternative reading to Yahweh’s response to Job – a “blameless and upright man” – one needs to see Isaiah as one who followed in the same path of righteousness as did Job. The lesson to learn it is the expectation for a soul to be washed clean of past sins and enter ministry for Yahweh. That sacrifice of self is done for the promise of gaining freedom from the prison that is a body of flesh. A soul can only be released by death, at which time the souls of transgressors will be sent back into a new body of flesh, forced to re-live lives of sin, over and over and over again. The lesson is to stop that madness. One needs to marry a soul to Yahweh by dying of self at a time when the flesh can then pay for sins through service to Yahweh, as a saint. That means being reborn as Jesus, as His Son.
Explaining the Readings 
