Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (consciously aware). Genesis 2:7 (NASB)
Consciousness awareness is our awareness, awareness of presence, environment, and recognition in time, space and realism. The “man” was not aware of his presence (existence) before God started the physiological process in his cells, then as if awakening from sleep, the man became aware of his presence. God gave life to this construct of dust and the man was aware of himself and his surroundings, and this being who had given this to him.
I frequently use the example of a flashlight to describe this procedure. The substance of the flashlight represents the “dust” and the batteries represent the “breath of life” (spark of life). When the energy from the batteries is connected to the substance there is light, the light represents consciousness. If the power is disconnected from the substance the light ceases to exist, it is gone. So too in the case of humanity, when the physiological processes stop, all that remains is the dust. At death the consciousness awareness ceases to exist, the “breath” goes back to God who gave it, the breath is not the consciousness awareness. The consciousness is not immortal, it has a beginning and end; but at the resurrection, those who sleep “in the dust” will be awakened, their consciousness awareness will not have changed. When we wake up from this sleep we have the same consciousness awareness that we had when we went to sleep. For those who have gone to sleep in the dust (died) time ceases to exist. When they awaken from their sleep in the dust it will be as if from a sound dreamless sleep. These people lose consciousness at their death, and the next instant they are awake at the resurrection.
Life is a gift; it did not start on its own from some primordial swamp, then struck by a bolt of lightning. The Creator did not say to the man, ‘You are on your own now so, good luck.’ THEY did not say, ‘Oh, I will drop by from time to time to see how you are doing’. The Creator said (para-phrased from Scripture), ‘I have planted a garden for you, it will be your home. In this garden there are many trees from which you can eat. Because you are flesh and blood you are mortal, but I placed a special tree that will be for you a tree of life. You can eat from this tree and you will never die. I placed another tree in the heart of the garden, it is the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil. From this tree you must never eat. If you eat from this tree you will be put to death on that very day. I strongly advise you to never go near it.’
I know what you may thinking. God told the man, “You will surely die”, and you may be thinking from this that mankind (Adam and Eve) would lose their immortality. But remember, the man was not a spirit like the “angels’. The man was flesh and blood, and all flesh and blood beings are mortal. The way that we know mankind was mortal was that he needed to eat of the tree of life so he would not die, i.e., lose immortality. Why would the Creator give an immortal being access to a tree that would give him life by eating from it?
The Hebrew word used in Genesis 2 (to die), is ‘muth’, which means to be put to death (causatively), to be executed. It does not mean to eventually die of old age or disease. What we also know is that if the punishment for eating from the forbidden tree was mortality then the man and woman would have paid the penalty in full when they became mortal; there would then have been no need to have a savior pay their debt for them. Their Savior, and our Savior, was executed by His Father, taking the place of the guilty man and woman. The man and woman were guilty of disobeying a direct command from God, as are we also guilty of the same kind of disobedience. This couple listened to the lie of the serpent and acted upon it, as have all human beings that have lived on this earth.
The Son of Elohim paid the debt for disobedience, not because He was guilty of doing so Himself, but because He was obedient in full to His Father; therefore, He paid a debt He did not owe. This payment was placed in a trust to be used by those who would learn the way of righteousness, be sanctified by the truth, 100% in compliance with Elohim’s commands.
I can do nothing by Myself; I judge only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 5:30 (NASB)
Those who do the will of the Father are given access to the trust for payment of their debt, and then they are able to enter the kingdom of Elohim. The Son of Elohim was put to death for those who have learned righteousness and are righteous in fact, not in or by faith. Those who become righteous are not able to enter the kingdom of Elohim until their debt of death is paid, and this is what the kingdom of Elohim trust has been established to do.
Wasted Time-
David Cassidy, the star of the TV show “The Partridge Family”, recently passed away. Danny Bonaduce, a member of his TV family was with him just before he died. Danny said these were David’s last words to him. “So much time wasted”.
For most of us, our life is a daily routine, we work hard to “make a living”, saving for retirement, squeezing in some time with family, church etc. How much time and effort do we spend on the spiritual component of our life, or does it matter at all?
Satan and his co-conspirators are actively involved in the support of their kingdom. Lies are as believable and effective now as they have ever been. His lies are always believable and preferred by most over the truth, because lies offer flexibility in performance. The lies of Satan concerning Elohim are more in line with how different people and cultures prefer to view “their” God.
In the garden on the east side of Eden, there was a very revealing dialogue between the woman and the Serpent.
“Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, ‘You must not eat it, not touch it, under pain of death”. Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods knowing good and evil.’’ Gen. 3:1-5.
To the woman and the man who was with her, the Serpent, the devil, said that God is a liar, He will not put you to death if you eat from the tree. God is only attempting to keep you from attaining great wisdom and becoming like the gods (for he too was one of the gods). It appears that Eve must have known who the gods were, because she desired to become like those gods, which is why she had the desire and will to eat from the forbidden tree.
Lies are the serpent’s modus operandi, and he has succeeded in deceiving the whole world (Is.14:12). The spiritual description of this condition is darkness, light is the antithesis of darkness.
If I were to propose a formula to describe wisdom this is how I would write it: K + U=W where K=knowledge, U=understanding, W=wisdom. Knowledge is the most important component of this formula. Knowledge is acquired through learning, therefore the voracity of the source effects the quality of the information/knowledge component of the formula, if the desired result is true wisdom.
The identity of Elohim is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One of their names is Truth, because they are the source of all truth, as they have been from the beginning of everything. Lies did not exist as a reality until the angel Lucifer spoke the first lie; therefore, he is a liar, and the father of all lies. All who believe his lies are subject to him, which includes the angels who believed his lies, and all who are flesh and blood here on this earth.
There are two kingdoms in this solar system, both spiritual in nature, the kingdom of Elohim, and the kingdom of the world. Both these kingdoms are spiritual constructs.
Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus, and said to Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You up to me; what have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm/kind.” John 18:33-36.
Pilate was the Roman ruler over Judea at the time. Rome was an empire in the kingdom of the world. The ruler of the world was/is Satan. All human rulers of the nations operated under the authority of the red dragon (see Revelation 12:3-4). The symbol of the red dragon represents the spiritual element of the kingdom of the world. A beast represents the nations in the physical realm. The spiritual representation of the kingdom of Elohim is a virgin/bridesmaid, and the nations who connect with this kingdom are represented as a virgin bride. We exist/live in the physical realm, flesh and blood cannot be spiritual beings, because spiritual beings are not made of the dust of the earth. A flesh and blood being can connect with a spiritual kingdom via their intellect, as the intellect is represented as the heart. The confluence of information flows into the intellect. The intellect is the library containing each person’s knowledge. The mind (consciousness awareness) is where the knowledge residing in the intellect is processed.
Truth is represented as light, therefore truth and light are interchangeable. Lies are represented as darkness, therefore lies and darkness are interchangeable.
This is what we have heard form Him, and the message that we are announcing to you: God is light; there is no darkness in Him at all. If we say that we are in union with God while we are living in darkness, we are lying because we are not living the truth. But if we live our lives in the light, as He is in the light, we are in union with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7
All that came to be had life in Him and that life was the light of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower. The Word was the true light that enlightens all men; and He was coming into the world. He was in the world that had its being through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own domain and His own people did not accept Him. John 1:4-5, 9-11 (JB)
The two spiritual kingdoms are revealed in John’s introduction. The spiritual kingdom of the ruler of this world is darkness, because it’s operating system is lies, and spiritually it is the kingdom of death. The spiritual beings operating this kingdom their verdict has already been read, they are awaiting their punishment, death by execution. All flesh and blood beings who believe these lies dwell in this spiritual kingdom in their mind/intellect. The kingdom of darkness/lies hates the kingdom of light/truth, because truth is the mortal enemy of lies.
“The great enemy of truth is very often not the lie–deliberate, contrived and dishonest–but the myth–persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the clichés of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.
[Commencement Address at Yale University, June 11, 1962]”
― John F. Kennedy
“Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”
– Albert Einstein
Lost Sheep-
It was the time when the feast of Dedication was being celebrated in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the portico of Solomon. The Jews gathered round Him and said, ‘How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ tell us plainly. Jesus replied: ‘ I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in My Father’s name are My witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to Me listen to My voice; I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from Me. The Father who gave them to Me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father. The Father and I are one.’ John 10:22-30 (JB)
A friend of mine asked me to explain what the Son of God meant by “lost sheep”. I said, ‘you were a lost sheep’. He looked at me in total surprise, then the meaning dawned on him.
We are all spiritually sheep and the spiritual shepherd of the kingdom of God is the Son of God. Both spiritual kingdoms are operated by the spiritual beings of each kingdom. Elohim and their angels operate the kingdom of Elohim, and Satan and his spiritual beings the kingdom of the world. All humankind are born into the physical world and spiritually into the kingdom of the world – Darkness. For a person to enter the kingdom of Elohim they must be born from above, through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus answered: ‘I tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God’. John 3:3 (JB)
This statement confirms the fact that no one is born into the kingdom of God when they exit their mother’s womb. They don’t enter the spiritual kingdom of the world until they have been taught the lies upon which the spiritual kingdom of the world operates.
At this time the disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So He called a little child to Him and set the child in front of them. then He said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:1-4 (JB)
Instruct a child in the way he should go, and when he grows old he will not leave it. Proverbs 22:6
The disciples were living in the spiritual darkness, just as all the rest of the world. For example, they thought that this Man who called them to follow Him was the expected Messiah, and so He was. But they expected Him to declare Himself king and sit on the throne of David, drive out the Roman occupation rule the Jews and ultimately the world; This is the message John the Baptist was preaching. This was also the legal charge brought against Him by the religious rulers.
The people along with their spiritual teachers, the scribes, priests, Pharisees and Sadducees were in the spiritual kingdom of the world (darkness), this is exactly what the disciple John described in John and 1st John. The standard for truth had always been the “Law of Moses” this was their “Bible” as we use today for the same purpose. Through the leadership of the evil one the Law had become something it was never intended to be; the Law had been used to perpetuate the darkness.
How dare you say, We are wise, and we possess the Law of Yahweh? But look how it has been falsified by the lying pen of the scribes! The wise shall be shamed, caught out, confounded. Look how they have rejected the word of Yahweh! So what use is their wisdom to them. Jeremiah 8:8-9 (JB)
I have been informed in no uncertain terms, that the Bible is the holy, inerrant word of God. Every word was “God breathed” and is the truth, this is the same attitude displayed by the theologians who brought the Son up on false charges and demanded a quick execution. The Father has never put special protection on the way His words are used and taught. He has preserved His words, so they are able to be accessed and understood by anyone who is honest with their self and undertakes their study free of preconceived notions and paradigms. The “Law” and “Prophets” and the “Testimony of the Son of God” (as confirmed to by His eyewitness disciples, Matthew and John, and probably Mark [not one of the twelve]. Mark’s writing is consistent with Matthew and John).
Yes, as the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from My mouth does not return to Me empty, without carrying out My will and succeeding in what it was sent to do. Isaiah 55:10-11 (JB)
The devil knows how to use the words of God to his benefit. In the garden with the man and woman he questioned whether God really said what they thought He said, then informed them that God would not execute them on the day they ate from the tree. The devil has done the same with the Israelites through the priesthood and theologians. With the Bible believers through Paul and other NT writers, through pastors, theologians, evangelists, and bible teachers.
I have written many articles on the blasphemous teachings of Paul, so I will not go into detail here. I will say this one thing which I see as the clearest example of the blasphemous teaching of Paul. On the other hand, those who rely on the keeping of the Law are under a curse, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in observing everything prescribed in the book of the Law. Galatians 3:10
Paul quotes this OT verse from Deuteronomy which describes the blessings and the curses pronounced by God on Israel, just before they entered the promised land. Paul’s theme is that believers have been set free from requirement of keeping the law through the death and resurrection of Christ. Paul realized that this curse would cause some to question him about this curse. Paul had worked out a solution to this to his satisfaction, but his solution is a blasphemous lie.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed for out sake, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who is hanged on a tree! This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit. Galatians 3:13-14 (JB)
Paul takes several liberties here, as he always does in everything he teaches ‘his’ gospel. A curse was pronounced by Almighty God, so to think that Almighty God would not have known that in order to save anyone He would have to figure out some way to “free” people from the this curse He had pronounced is asinine. Almighty God knows the end from the beginning. He would certainly have known whether people were able to obey the Law or not. Paul is emphatic about his claim that no flesh and blood are able to obey the Law (Ten Commandments). According to Paul, Almighty God had painted Himself in a corner, and the only way for Him to “save face” was to kill His Son and remove the curse. So, Paul says that God killed His Son to free humanity from a curse the He, Almighty, All Knowing God had pronounced. The second lie is that the Law was never able to “save” anyone. Paul believed that no flesh can attain to righteousness through its own effort, since this righteousness is accomplished without Christ. Paul teaches that the sinner must “die with Christ” so they can be “raised” with Him. What he means is, the sinner dies to self, therefore, he no longer “lives”; and his spirit becomes a Christ spirit in Christ. The human who is now free of their sinful flesh has released their righteous spirit into Christ. Another lie is that pagans never had access to the promises of Israel.
Thus says Yahweh: As for all my evil neighbors who have laid hands on the heritage I granted my people Israel I will now tear them from their countries. (But I will tear the House of Judah out of their hands.) But once torn out, I will take pity on them again and bring them back each to his heritage, each to his own country. And if they take care to learn My people’s way and to swear by My name, “As Yahweh lives”, as My people learned from them to swear by Baal, then they shall have a place among My people. But if any nation refuses to listen, I will tear it up by the roots and destroy it – it is Yahweh who speaks. Jeremiah 12:14-17 (JB)
These are the very pagan nations that Paul would have us believe had no access to the promises of God until after the resurrection. There is another lie that involves the transfer of this curse. Paul uses a text that says anyone who is convicted of a capital crime and the executed person is to be hung from a tree, that the corpse is not to be left hanging overnight because it is cursed. Paul tries to make us believe that the wooden cross is a tree, and that Jesus was cursed because He was nailed to it. First this had nothing to do with the text about hanging from a tree, but it uses similar imagery, so it works for Paul. It is clear to see that Paul in just these few verses uses lies to promote his salvation theology and keep his believing Christians firmly in the kingdom of the world. The text Paul uses to support all his lies, he has changed also.
‘See how he flags, he whose soul is not at rights, but the upright man will live by his steadfastness (firmness).’ Habakkuk 2:4 (JB)
The context of this chapter in Habakkuk is exhortation to wait for the vision to take place, nowhere in this text is a mention of how post resurrection salvation changes from pre-resurrection requirements.
The devil used lies to remove the man and woman from the garden paradise. By believing his lies the man and woman made God out to be a liar, because they doubted that what He said He would do. The devil continues using lies to keep “believers” out of the kingdom of God. By believing the lies the devil has told through his apostle Paul, believers are demonstrating that the God they believe in is a liar. God’s requirements have never changed. God required obedience from the man and woman He gave life to and placed in His garden paradise. He required obedience from Abraham and all his descendants after him. He required obedience from the children of Israel. When they had reached the limit of forgiveness He took the kingdom away from them and offered it to all who would obey God.
God does not lie. God does not change the rules when things don’t work out according to His plan. God is patient, He knows when and how He will win the war and once again be the Elohim of all the earth. If you want Elohim to be your God, you must enter their spiritual kingdom.
But indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. Numbers 14:21 (NASB)
The God uses sheep to represent people of earth, people behave like sheep spiritually. Behavior is directed by the intellect. The intellect is where the confluence of information goes. The heart is used as the spiritual representation of the intellect; and the “innermost part” is the consciousness awareness.
No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive – it is Yahweh who speaks. Deep within them I will plant My Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be My people. Jeremiah 31:33 (JB)
This was God’s hopeful intention, but Israel was unwilling. If God was going to change the requirements for His kingdom, this would have been the appropriate time. God could have told Jeremiah that the demonstration of disobedience had worked perfectly. God recognized that the weakness of flesh and blood beings made it impossible to the people to obey His Law and keep His covenant; this is exactly what Paul says in his preaching.
What God is saying is that this time the Ten Commandments will be written, not on stone tablets, but in the intellect, and His law will be planted in the operating system of every person, this never happened, which was the reason that the King of the kingdom of God took the promise from the Jews and offered it to all who would accomplish the requirements to enter.
As I said earlier, the people of earth are represented as sheep. All sheep live in spiritual darkness. They hear and respond to the voice of their shepherd; the sheep determine who’s voice they choose to follow.
I am the good shepherd; I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for My sheep. And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and these I have to lead as well. They too will listen to My voice, and there will be only one flock, and one shepherd. John 10:14-16 (JB)
The Jews gathered round Him and said, ‘How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ tell us plainly.’ Jesus replied: ‘I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in My Father’s name are My witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to Me listen to My voice; I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from Me. John 10:24-28 (JB)
Very simply the Son of God reveals the fact that not all sheep (people) are His, all sheep have strayed, but not all are lost, there is a difference. A lost sheep has not heard the voice of the Good Shepherd yet. When they here the voice of the Good Shepherd they follow that voice to the kingdom of God (sheepfold). The “voice” is the teaching, the information, that goes into the ears or eyes and flows into the intellect. The lies in the intellect are ultimately replaced by the truth until there are no more lies in the intellect, this is the process of sanctification. When no more lies are present the lost sheep has arrived in the kingdom.
Next in my vision I saw Mount Zion, and standing on it a Lamb who had with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand people, all with His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads… There is no lie in their mouth they are blameless. Revelation 14:1,5
The practice of truth is virtue (righteousness) and the practice of lies are wickedness (sin). The man and woman in the garden believed the lie and acted on it. They defied the command of God and lost their home. God did not put them to death on the day they disobeyed, though He said that is what He would do. If God had put the man and woman to death on the day of their disobedience, they would have paid the price (judgment) for their crime, but the serpent would have had the earth as his own domain. The man and woman were not the only humans on earth at the time, there were nations on earth and had been for thousands of years prior to the creation of the man and woman. In fact, there were two creations; the first creation is described in Genesis one. This first creation was six days with a seventh day rest. On the sixth day God created the ethnic groups (nations). Lucifer (serpent) was sent here with other angels to teach these people the disciplines they would need to know to live and thrive on the earth. lucifer and his associates lied to the nations, telling them they were their creators and their gods. God had planned That the man and the woman of the second creation would inform the nations that they had been lied to. These nations would have an opportunity to accept the truth from the man and woman and their family members or continue to follow the gods. God’s plan doesn’t change, but it has experienced an extremely long delay.
The devil, and the spiritual beings associated with him have already had their case decided in the court in the heavens. They will all be put to death. But this will not take place until the people of earth are ready for judgment. This judgment will begin when God has a kingdom on earth. It is easy to see why the devil and his angels working hard to keep the sheep-people (sheeple) in the darkness, all the while believing they are in the light. This plan the devil has used with great success, but I see the signs that it will soon end, and the final judgment will begin.
When my friend asked me to explain what a lost sheep is, I told him, you were a lost sheep. His eyes widened in amazement, he got it, He had been searching for the truth, and the truth found him. He recognized the truth and followed it to the kingdom of God, the kingdom of truth and light. If you are satisfied with your current spiritual situation and see no need to change it, then you have chosen darkness.
When the Son of God began His testimony, He chose twelve men to follow Him and listen. None of these twelve men were religious leaders, practicing priests or theologians. At the end of His ministry, seemingly none of these twelve understood his teaching, one of the twelve betrayed Him. The religious authorities who condemned Him, did so using the Law of Moses. Should we assume that He failed in His stated purpose? No, He did not fail, because we have access to His testimony today.
Then the disciples went up to Him and asked, ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’ ‘Because’ He replied ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them. for any one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. the reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. So in their case this prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled: (see Isa. 6:9-10).
The Son of Elohim went on to say: ‘Happy are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear’. It is obvious that the disciples had no clue as to the meaning of the parables; although, the Son of Elohim explained each parable’s meaning to them.
Parables are spiritual metaphors, and to understand them requires the ability to discern spiritual elements. The Son of Elohim by saying, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens”, was informing them that He would give them instruction in the understanding of parables.
All the parables of Jesus were describing the kingdom of the heavens, or the kingdom of Elohim. Understand that the difference between the kingdom of the heavens and the kingdom of Elohim (God) is not specifically stated but is understood to be that the kingdom of the heavens is the kingdom in transition; the period where the people of the kingdom are being sanctified. The Israelites in the wilderness were the kingdom of the heavens. The kingdom of Elohim is the actual spiritual kingdom that is entered only when the sanctification/consecration process is complete. When the Israelites entered the promised land they were not holy, sanctified nor ready in any way to be the people of Elohim, they had not learned a thing about this God that had taken them out of Egypt: they never accomplished their God given mandate.
The kingdom of Elohim and the Marriage Feast-
Jesus began to speak to them in parables once again. ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son’s wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come. Nest he sent some more servants, “Tell those who have been invited” he said “that I have my banquet all prepared my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding.” But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them. the king was furious. He dispatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town. Then he said to his servants, go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding”. So these servants went out on the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, “How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?” And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth”. For many are called, but few are chosen.’ Matthew 22:1-14 (JB)
This parable describes the frustration Elohim has experienced with the people tasked with the responsibility of restoration. Elohim has a plan to defeat the rebellion and restore righteousness to the earth. He first offered this important responsibility to the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel. The process was simple, first the Israelites were to learn about Elohim, the God of their fathers. Then they were to participate in the process of sanctification/consecration thus they would become holy/righteous. This was demonstrated at the exodus, when Elohim gave Moses the “Law” and made a covenant with the people. The witness/testimony to this covenant was the Ten Commandments. The processes of the tabernacle, demonstrated through active participation, the process through which the people could be cleansed of sin and become righteous. The people refused to change their ways, choosing rather to continue with the practices they had learned in Egypt.
After a little over a year in the wilderness, Elohim brought them to the border of the “promised land”. They were not righteous, holy or qualified to enter the land; they refused to enter, because they were afraid of what would happen to them if they entered. If they had been prepared to enter the land they would have done so. By prepared I arm saying; had come to know Elohim, had been cleansed of all wickedness and were holy. All the adults from the first generation, except two, died in the wilderness. After a total of forty years since the exodus, the second generation of Israelites, entered the promised land. This generation was no more qualified to enter than the first, but Elohim allowed it because they had made thd promise to their friends Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel.
Do not say in your heart, when Yahweh your God has driven them before you;
“It is for my own goodness that Yahweh has brought me to possession of this land”; when it is for their wickedness that Yahweh dispossesses these nations for you. It is not for any goodness or sincerity of yours that you are entering their land to possess it; no, it is for the wickedness of these nations that Yahweh your God is dispossessing them for you, and to keep the word that he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Be in fact sure, then, that is is not for any goodness of yours that Yahweh gives you this rich land to possess, for you are a headstrong people. Deuteronomy 9:4-6 (JB)
If the kingdom of Elohim were in a geographical location then the Israelites would have entered it on the day they entered the promised land. As it is, it is not a geographical location, and they did not enter the kingdom of Elohim/God.
The kingdom of Elohim/God is not a location on a map or a celestial destination (heaven). The kingdom of Elohim is a state-of-being.
The chronic condition of the state-of-being of this world is wickedness/lies, darkness and unholiness; none of these are a destination on a map, they are the reality within each person in the world. Blame for this condition comes when the individual chooses to continue to practice these after being informed of it.
In the parable of the marriage feast the invited guests refused to attend. The meaning of the first part of this parable reveals the refusal of those who had been invited were not interested in attending this feast. The King had sent invitations at two specific times. The Israelites had refused to “attend” at the first invitation, and again at the second invitation. These two refusals represent the pre-exile and post exile periods. The refusal to attend the marriage feast was their refusal to become a righteous nation, a holy people. Righteousness/holiness is a required state-of-being for each person in the kingdom of Elohim.
(Read Isaiah 5:1-7)
‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.” So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will believer the produce to him when the season arrives’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures: It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the chief cornerstone (head of the corner). This was the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see? I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. When they heard his parables, the chief priests and the scribes realized He was speaking about them, but though they would have liked to arrest Him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on Him as a prophet. Matthew 21:33-46 (JB)
In this parable vintage time is when the fruit is ripe. The tenants are the scribes and priests who have the responsibility to produce good fruit; the fruit in this parable is the condition of the people of Israel. Twice the priests failed in the God given requirement to produce a holy people. The Son, in the parable is the one telling the parable, the Son of Elohim. The scribes and priests rendered their own verdict by stating what should be done to the tenants.
The King of the kingdom of Elohim took the kingdom away from the children of Israel; because they refused to carry through with their part of the agreement.
The invitation was then open to anyone who would comply with the requirements to attend the marriage feast. The requirements are described in the testimony of the Son of Elohim (Jesus) and the “Law” and “Prophets”. Nothing changed about the invitation except who it is addressed to. What I am saying is, the requirements to attend the marriage feast remain the same. All attendees must be righteous, holy and truthful. The guest without the required wedding garment was included in the parable to demonstrate the fact that the same requirements apply that have been required from the time when the first invitations went out to the Hebrews in the wilderness.
(The parable of the darnel explained);
Then, leaving the crowds, He went to the house; and His disciples came to Him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us’. He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send His angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen anyone who has ears! Matthew 13:38-43 (JB)
This parable, as with all parables the Son told, pertain to the kingdom of the heavens. The kingdom of the heavens is the kingdom in spiritual transition from spiritual Egypt (world) to spiritual marriage feast (kingdom of Elohim/God). The invitation to the marriage feast went to the world. The Sower of good seed (truth) was/is the Son of Man (Son of Elohim/Jesus). The sower of the darnel/bad/weed seeds is the evil one (Satan/devil). The harvest time is judgment; not judgment for the world, but judgment for the kingdom; note the darnel is removed from the kingdom. This removal is represented in the marriage feast parable as the unclothed guest.
THE FINAL JUDGMENT-
The judgment at the end of days has three parts. The first part involves the servants the prophets (144,000/equivalent to the priests). The second part is the kingdom of the heavens (10 bridesmaids). The third part involves all who live on the earth: every nation, race, language and tribe (first angels message Revelation 14:6-7).
Beginning with the faithful and wise bond-servant feeding his fellow bond-servants at the proper time, the judging process becomes active. Before this time the judgment process was passive. The time between the delivery of the testimony of the Son of Elohim to His disciples and their work and writing until the appearance of the faithful and wise bond-servant, Elohim did not have a select people for their kingdom. The Woman described in Revelation 12 describes the Holy Spirit (the promised Helper/ see John 14:16-18). The wilderness is the world in darkness. The darkness is the absence of light/truth, this has come about because the devil has deceived the whole world (see Revelation 12:9).
The kingdom of the heavens appears at the conclusion of the 2300 years (see Daniel 8:13-14). In 1843-44 a group of people dubbed Millerites/Adventists believed the “Bridegroom would come”. They were wrong, the Bridegroom did not come as expected, but this “great disappoint” had been foretold by none other than the Bridegroom Himself.
‘At that time the kingdom of the heavens will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was delayed, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out”. But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves”. They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you”. So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour. Matthew 25:1-13 (JB)
What the foolish bridesmaids did sounds ominously like what was said by those described in Matthew 7:21-23.
The context of this parable is a wedding, so to understand the meaning it is necessary to understand the context. At the time this parable was told the marriage process worked like this. The offer of marriage was made by the bridegroom to the one whom he had chosen if she accepted, and her father agreed, the bridegroom would go to his father’s house and prepare a room (see John 14:1-3). The date and time of the wedding was determined and set by the father of the bridegroom; no one but the father of the bridegroom knew the date and time until the father made it known (see Matthew 24:36). When the father told his son he could go get his bride, the son would tell his servants to go ahead of him and inform the bridesmaids he was on his way. This was important because the bride had to be ready to go immediately when the bridegroom arrived at her door. By sending his servants ahead of him, and the bride having her bridesmaids on the lookout for the servants of the bridegroom, the bride would have time to prepare so she would be ready to go immediately to the marriage.
In the parable, the bridesmaids have made two mistakes. First they thought they were the bride. Second, they fell asleep and were awakened by the servants of the Bridegroom. This parable also reveals the three-part judgment: the servants (144,000), the kingdom (bridesmaids), and the nations (bride). The Son of Elohim says these bridesmaids are “the kingdom of the heavens.” This is the term used for the kingdom in the wilderness between Egypt and the promised land. The Woman in the wilderness (Revelation 12) is working with people in the wilderness and will help them accomplish the requirement to enter the kingdom of Elohim (promised land).
There is so much more I could say about this subject, the plan for restoration, but that would be book length. The Plan for Restoration is represented by the Daniel 2 image, and stone cutout without hands. It continues in Revelation 10:7 with the Seven Thunders and the end of the delay, and its relationship with Daniel 7 in the altering of the set times, and the as yet unknown prophecy for the end of days. The important part of all this is the kingdom of Elohim. The reader needs to know and understand what is intended by Elohim in respect to the marriage feast and wedding.
The marriage feast is the kingdom of Elohim. To attend this feast, one must read the invitation very carefully and comply with every requirement to enter; it is not come as you are. The invited guests are not the bride, the bride is not invited to attend her own wedding. The wedding takes place after the guests have all arrived. The bridesmaids and the servants of the bridegroom prepare the bride for her wedding.
Then a voice came from the throne; it said, ‘Praise our God you servants of His and all who, great or small revere Him’. And I seemed to hear the voices of a huge crowd like the sound of the ocean or the great roar of thunder answering, ‘Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun; let us be glad and joyful and give praise to God, because this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb. His bride is ready, and she has been able to dress herself in dazzling white linen, because her linen is made of the good deeds of the saints. The angel said, ‘Write this: Happy are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb’, and he added, ‘All the things you have written are true messages from God’. Revelation 19:5-10 (JB)
The book of Revelation is the instructions for preparing the bride so she will be ready to meet her bridegroom. The bride represents all those who were not in the kingdom at the time the door was shut. The foolish bridesmaids were not ready to meet the bridegroom, so they were cast out into the outer darkness and will be put to death along with the wicked at the coming of the King of the kingdom of Elohim in the “clouds” (see Revelation 6:12-17 and Matthew 24:29-31).
The sealing of the 144,000 has not happened yet, although I expect that it will soon. The kingdom is still open to any who agree to participate in the sanctification process and become righteous in fact, not in faith. I am not endorsing any denomination or church; all such institutions are controlled by the ruler of this world, as were the Israelites in the wilderness. Those who will ultimately be among the “first-responders” aka 144,000 will have no miraculous signs, other than that of the emergence of the truth. All who accept the truth when it is offered in evidence will be one of this select number. The preparation of the kingdom is a much quicker matter, these will have to be ready shortly after they are awakened, that is why the oil is critical. The oil represents the Holy Spirit, the presence of the Holy Spirit allows a nonresistant movement to righteousness.
In conclusion; the kingdom of Elohim is entered through the cleansing process of truth (sanctification). the intellect is what is symbolized the physical heart. When the Word of Elohim is in your intellect, Elohim is in your heart. When Elohim is in your heart you are one with them, because your intellects have joined perfectly, truth is singular and absolute. It is the truth that joins us with Elohim. When we have no lie in our intellect we have entered the kingdom of truth, the kingdom of Elohim.
You know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. If you know Me, you know My Father too… John 14:4-7 (JB)
Why has Elohim waited so long? What is the reason for the delay? The answer is simple; They are waiting for us to comply with their requirements, we are responsible for all of this, we must wake-up and complete the required process.
Rick Sterling