Truth About Reconciliation 2

THE NEW COVENANT

The religious systems of the world have made SIN the center of their theology, and then formed a humanistic solution for dealing with the problem. John records for us the truth saying, “For God sent not his son into the world to CONDEMN the world, but that the world through him might be saved." Jn 3:17. The sending of the “WORD” into the world to be made flesh had nothing to do with condemnation but to giving life to all mankind.

The word “saved” used by John is the Greek word Sozo and means, to save, to deliver from both disease and also death, and to make whole. So from God’s point of view, sin certainly was not the major issue. Jesus spoke of condemnation saying, “This is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” Ver.19. It seems man is drawn to darkness when it is light we should be attracted to.

But our reconciliation is in Jesus Christ, so God is saying to us that he has sent Jesus into the world to declare to us our true origin and identity, and to demonstrate how life was intended to be lived. He did not live by any external law of do’s and don'ts, but he lived to please the Father who dwelt in him. Therefore he has no conflict within himself. Nothing was judged externally by natural sight or natural thinking as we tend to do, for our decision as to what is right or wrong is based upon an external law, that is either written or passed on to us by others. Here is the first great difference between our way of living and that of Jesus Christ.

Beloved we must learn from Christ how life is to be lived if we want to enter into peace within. Heb 10:16 says, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” So the external laws of Moses and the many laws the Church has added, are no longer to be the controlling influence over our lives. We are responsible now to obey an authority that is resident within us.

Can you not see that this concept completely bypasses the conflict between good and evil, light and darkness and all we are required to do is to please the Father who dwells within us. How wonderful it is to be free from the Law of do’s and don’ts, and no longer have to decide what is right and what is wrong by some external law. Because of this we understand that we have no right to judge one another, for the Father accepts total responsibility for his children and their discipline. This allows us to live in a family relationship with one another as brothers and sisters, and with Father being the head over all.

The Cross of Christ deals with our false identity and the influence it has had on our lives. Jesus Christ said that if we wanted to follow him, we had to do two things. One is that we must deny our “self,” because it has no existence in reality, for God did not created a SELF. All God created in the beginning was His Only Begotten Son, and the Sons of God who were within him. The imaginary “self” we thought we were came from Adam, and is a sinner that has got to die.

The word “deny” in the Greek means to totally disown. So this is the first condition we must fulfill before we can follow Christ. It is impossible to follow Christ while we have that false identity. Now the second condition imposed upon us is, “that we take up our cross.” For so many the cross consists of two pieces of wood joined together on which Jesus was crucified.

The religious world can only conceive of the cross as being that historic event that took place on Golgotha 2000 years ago. This concept has kept many Church people bound by frustration as they try to apply that historic event to their lives today. The result is a desire to do good but at the same time finding evil to be present within denying them the power to do it. To change the situation we need something more than the historic event that we call the crucifixion of Christ.

But obviously we are not intended to have to drag this literal cross behind us where ever we go. NO, the cross we must take up is a spiritual experience that will release us from all conflict and bring us into union with the Christ.

First of all, let us be clear about who died on that cross 2000 years ago. Jesus said in Hebrew 10:5,-8. that God had never desired sacrifice and offerings, or offerings for sin. So we know therefore, that Jesus Christ the Son of the living God was not offered on that cross as a sin offering. In fact, no one could kill the Christ who was a Son of God. So we must look beyond the religious ideas of man to discover the Truth that makes men free.

The human doctrines of men have hidden the truth from our eyes for many years, but now the Spirit of God is revealing that which has been hidden, thus setting us free. The generally accepted concept of the cross, is that everyone is a sinner and bound for an eternal burning hell. However because God loves us he says to us, “I will kill my son on the cross instead of killing you, and that will make me happy again. Then I can forgive you all your sins and you can go to heaven when you die!”

That is the generally accepted concept of the Cross of Christ, and I am sure that at least most of my readers would have believed that to be the true at some time in their lives. The theologians should be before the courts of heaven, charged with the defamation of God’s character.

Can you believe that our heavenly Father would demand a HUMAN SACRIFICE, even his beloved Son just to settle the debt of our sins so we would not have to die. Just think about it!! This gruesome idea of Salvation not only defies the truth Jesus said, that God did not desire sacrifice and offerings and offerings for sin. Now the matter is compounded by making God to require HUMAN SACRIFICE.

Not even Abraham was allowed to sacrifice his son, but a substitute was found instead. No wonder the world at large finds it difficult to accept the “so called” Christian message of the GOSPEL. Let us be clear in our minds that God does not require his only beloved son to be sacrificed for sin. Rev 13:8 says “The Lamb of God was slain from the foundation (Disruption) of the world.” What exactly does this mean to us today, and what connection is there with the CROSS?

The Scripture says, that the “Lamb” was slain from the disruption of the world. What is John speaking about here? The “disruption” is the correct translation of the Greek word used here, but the translators did not understand its significance so they used the word “foundation.” What is the disruption that is mentioned here? It refers to the sin in the Garden of Eden when Adam ate of the forbidden fruit and found themselves outside the Garden, living in a wilderness.

This was the disruption or the “casting down” of God’s authority in man and a change in his walk and relationship with God. The next thing we must understand is, what does the “Lamb of God” represent to us in this situation. Many imagine some sort of a religious ceremony involving a lamb that represented Christ. However that is not the Truth. The lamb, in fact represents the nature and character of God. John the Baptist saw something more than a mere man when he looked at Jesus and said, “LOOK, this is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”

He did not consider that Jesus was to be offered on the cross as the SIN OFFERING, thereby taking away sin! No, he saw the perfection of the divine nature and knew that his “LIFE” was to be poured out and become available to every man. God was not interested in any DEAD SACRIFICE such as Israel offered continually. Father wanted a LIVING SACRIFICE involving the voluntary pouring out of a LIFE that we could appropriate unto our selves. Jesus said, “You must drink my “Blood" (my life) and eat my “Flesh” (the substance of what I am) or YOU CAN HAVE NO LIFE IN YOU.

So the slaying of the lamb took place when Adam sinned. It was not God that slew the Lamb, but ADAM. How wonderful is the wisdom of God to make provision for man’s sin just when it was needed. When Adam sinned he violated the nature and character of God thus slaying the Lamb. But there is more, because every man that has violated the holiness and righteousness of God since that time has also slain the lamb. So when we see the Lamb in the book of Revelation sitting on the throne elevated to supreme authority, it is said that it is a LAMB AS IT HAD BEEN FRESHLY SLAIN. The lamb has been slain by every man, causing the blood to flow right down through the ages, taking AWAY the sin of the world.

Now we can understand why God does not desire sacrifices and offerings and offerings for sin, much less wanting his beloved son to be a human sacrifice to atone for sin. Beloved every sin has been atoned for and the only “blood” that could effect that kind of cleansing is the blood (the life) of God’s Lamb.

Of course the slaying of animals and the literal shedding of blood on Jewish altars was a literal representation of a spiritual truth. But the literal blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin, nor make those who offered those sacrifices perfect. Religion has remained blind to spiritual truth and remains committed to literal blood being necessary for the remission of sin, so keeping us under the law.

Is it not interesting that when Jesus spoke about his BLOOD it was not in connection with sacrifice, but giving LIFE. Nor was it connected with DEATH, but while he was living. John 6:47. “He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” He did not say, but you must wait until I die before you believe on me! No he said that while he was living. Then in verse 53 he says, “Except you eat my FLESH and drink my BLOOD, you have no life in you.” Jesus is not here speaking of his death on the cross with regard to eating his flesh and drinking his blood.

After saying these things we notice that many of his disciples left him and no longer walked with him. This was all too much for their Jewish culture and the sacrificial system that they were so familiar with. Thoughts of cannibalism filled the minds of some as they tried to come to grips with these strange statements of Jesus. What does it mean to “eat his flesh and drink his blood?”

Jesus said, “I am the LIVING BREAD that came down from heaven, and if any man eat of this bread he will live forever, and the bread that I will give is my FLESH which I will give for the life of the world.” Jesus went on to say, “My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” The he goes on to explain what he means, “He that eateth my flesh and drinks my blood, dwells IN ME AND I IN HIM. This is the same one who said, “I am the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE. So Jesus is speaking of receiving eternal life, by eating his flesh and drinking his blood, because by doing so we have taken into ourselves the SUBSTANCE of what he is, and thus embracing his LIFE. This is not just a mind thing, but experiencing HIS LIFE pulsating through our being.

Now my religious friends will challenge this truth, because salvation and the receiving of eternal life for them, can only be achieved at the cross. Now I am not denying the cross nor am I considering it has nothing to do with our redemption, but neither do I believe that Christ became a sin offering for us, so we could go to heaven when we die.

It is necessary that we understand who it was that died on the Cross, to release us from whatever it was that had bound us to sin and death, and not to satisfy an angry God! What is it that has dominated our lives making us subject to sin and death? The answer is simple, for it is Adam and the Adamic consciousness that has reigned as King in our lives. Because of our mistaken identity we believed we were sinners and that we are mortal, having been born and so are subject to death. We believed we came from the dust and we are going back to the dust.

We sin because of our mortality. How then can this power generated in us by ADAM be broken, so we can be free to live as true sons of God instead of living as sinners. The tyrant that has kept us bound, is not some imaginary devil with horns and a tail, but ADAM.

Mankind has believed the lie that we came out of Adam, so we have assumed his identity. So complete is this deception that we firmly believe we are mortal and stand guilty before God as sinners.

THE PRINCIPLE OF THE CROSS

God’s master plan of salvation involved the death of the one through whom sin and death came into this world. In 1 Cor 15:45 Paul says, “The first man ADAM was made a Living Soul, the last ADAM was made a Life Giving Spirit.” In verse 47 he continues saying, “The first MAN is of the EARTH, earthy, the second MAN is the Lord from heaven.” So we have TWO ADAMS, the first one lived in the Garden of Eden and was a living soul. This ADAM, Paul says was “A Figure” or represented one that was to come, and that was Jesus Christ. Rom 5:14.

So these two Adams are linked together because one represents the other, even though the First came from the earth and the Last came from Heaven. The first man was made from the dust, but the second man is the Lord from heaven. However in Creation the MAN brought forth on the sixth day, was called “The WORD” according to John 1:1, and that “Word” became flesh and was called Jesus Christ. John also tells us that the “Word” made all things, and without him was not anything made that was made.

Therefore the Word who was Christ that was in the beginning with God and was God, was pure Spirit there being no mention of any body in his creation. It was his task to give FORM to this divine expression called MAN in Gen 1:26. So he forms out of the dust a physical form to be an expression of himself. Gen 2:7. This form is given Life by receiving the breath or Spirit of Christ, and MAN became a “Living Soul.”

It is interesting that theology has only majored on the question of S-I-N in reference to Adam and never explored his true status in God’s economy. In Gen 2: 18 we are told that, “The Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone, I will make an help meet for him.” Then the Lord God formed all the beasts and the fowl of the air and brought them to Adam for him to name them. Names in the Bible speak of the nature of the person or animal. So the man formed of the dust was The “animals” here, speak of the emotions and desires in man, all of which were given their nature by Adam. Thus in the garden of Eden the lion could lay down with the lamb and there was never any problem. However outside the Garden the animals were not restrained and death was the result. But in all that was made there was no help meet for Adam. The only suitable companion for Adam would have to come out from within him. Of course the same applies to the bride in our day, who also must come out of the bridegroom.

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he took from him a rib and closed up the flesh. The idea of the “rib” represented Rabinical folk law, suggesting that the “rib” coming from his side would make the woman equal with the man. But it was the whole female aspect of man that was taken from him, because he was created male and female. Gen 1:27. So in this divine parable of truth we see the woman now as a separate entity from Adam, functioning in her own right.

When Adam saw her he said, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, and he called her woman.” The old English word is “WOMB MAN” or the Man with the womb. Now I want you to hear this for it is very important. “Adam called her name EVE, BECAUSE SHE WAS THE MOTHER OF ALL LIVING.” Gen 3:20. From that time every person born on the earth has come out of a woman.

Now let us look closely to the unfolding of truth in Gen 3. Here we are introduced to the serpent that becomes a dragon in the book of Revelation. Modern Theology says this is the devil and lucifer because in the Hebrew it is called the “Shining one.” The name Lucifer was used first used in the translation of the Bible from the Latin, where the word really should be “DAY STAR” or “LIGHT BEARER.” Light in the Bible always represents, understanding and the knowledge of God.

How foolish to consider that the “devil” had such illumination. But that foolishness is compounded when we try to explain this “Devil’s” origin as a fallen angel. Isaiah speaks of the “King of Babylon.” Isa 14:4. Babylon was an actual city and had a literal king who overcame Israel and also Judah carrying, them away into captivity. Babylon simply means “confusion caused by mixture.”

The Truth is that Adam is the “Light bearer.” In verse 12 the Prophet says, “ How art thou fallen O day Star, son of the morning. How art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations.” It was Adam that brought sin and death upon all men, and not some fallen angel. The boasting in verse 13 runs parallel to Gen 3: 4-5. Notice verse 16 asking the question, “IS THIS THE MAN?” The answer is “YES” Adam is the man that made the earth to tremble and shook kingdoms.

The description in Ezek 28 :13 fits Adam who walked in perfect fellowship with God during the time he was in the Garden. Verse 18 is God’s judgement upon him would be “A fire that would be generated WITHIN HIM to devour all that is not God leaving him again clean and pure.” There is much more that could be said about those prophesies but this is not the main thrust of this study.

Now let us look at the setting for Genesis 3. We discover that Eve represents the soul of man, that is the womb in which we birth what we perceive ourselves to be. If we feel rejected or unloved, or have no self image, then we will birth that very person in our soul and actually become what we have birthed. How does an insecure person know how to behave as an insecure person? Because that person is birthed within us. A lack of love will result in a life size manifestation of that lack expressed as you. Of course it works in the positive just as effectively.

The “soul” consists of three things, the mind, emotions and the will. On its own, the soul has no access to the knowledge of God, for it has no ability to know God. 1 Cor 2:14. So we find Eve out there in the Garden activating her mind over God’s prohibition concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She considers perhaps the reason for not allowing them to eat of that tree is because they may discover a knowledge that would make them as Gods. The mind is likened to a shining one or a bearer of the light and therefore wisdom and understanding. However we are told that the shining one is more subtle that all the beasts of the field. The word “subtle” means crafty, shrewd, sly and is also translated as prudent.

But Eve convinces herself that she would not die but would gain great benefit by eating of the fruit of that tree. So she reaches out and takes of the fruit and eats. Now it is important to note that Adam who represents Spirit, was not involved at all in what Eve was doing. The whole incident was conducted by Eve alone. However now she has actually partaken of the fruit of the tree of good and evil, she returns to Adam and offers the fruit to him also.

Now Adam is forced to make a decision as to what he should do. First of all he could have said to Eve, “You have really been very foolish and you will have to bear the consequences yourself but I am not touching the fruit at all.” But consider for a moment what would have been the result. Because these two, the spirit and the soul, the male and the female, are inseparably connected, if Adam refuses to join her in her disobedience, she (the soul) would have been eternally separated from God and mankind could never have been redeemed and so fulfill the divine purposes of God.

Adam realizes that there is really only one path for him to follow, if there was ever to be a reconciliation, and that was to deliberately, and with his eyes wide open share in her disobedience by eating the same fruit. This is amazing Grace and unbounded love, declared in the darkest hour of man’s history.

Let us be sure about this for Paul says to Timothy, “Adam was first formed and then Eve, and ADAM WAS NOT DECEIVED, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 1Tim 2:14

How few have ever considered these facts concerning the sin in the Garden of Eden. Remember that God did not call them “Adam and Eve.” God CALLED THEM ADAM, because they were one. I believe it is important for us to see the picture clearly concerning the way in which sin entered into the world. Now, having seen the reason for Adam deliberately eating of the forbidden tree, we call to mind the fact that Paul says Adam was a type or figure of Christ who was to come.

John on the Isle of Patmos was commanded to write concerning Christ, “I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA the beginning and the ending saith the Lord, which IS and which WAS and IS TO COME the ALMIGHTY.” “I heard behind me a great voice saying I am the FIRST and the LAST. Rev 1:8-11 The Prophet Isaiah said, “In all their afflictions he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them, in his love and pity he redeemed them, and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. Isa 63:9.

Paul makes an interesting statement in 2 Cor 5:21. “For God has made him, Jesus Christ to be SIN for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” God did not make him to sin, but to be SIN for us!! Remember Adam did not sin, but willingly embraced the consequences of sin for us, in order that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Heb. 2:14 says, “For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that has the power of death, that is the devil.” Surely beloved we ought to bow before such love and grace that has been bestowed upon us, that he would stoop low enough to become identified with mortal man, lifting us again to become the Sons of God.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ, shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword? For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, now any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Gen 2:24 says, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be ONE FLESH.” I do not think this verse is simply for wedding ceremonies. If we are to move out of our duality and see the soul united and made one again with the Spirit, we must LEAVE our natural parentage, and understand our true origin is in Jesus Christ. Then the soul like the woman in the Song of Solomon, sets out to find her lover. She says I am black but beautiful as she makes herself ready.

She runs through the town seeking her lover, asking the city fathers if they had seen him. They wanted to know what her beloved had more than any other! But at last she found the one her soul loved, (the Spirit – Christ) and he took her into the conception chamber and there they made love. The separation was over and what God had joined together in the beginning no man can put asunder.

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ, and now there is no more Jew or Greek, neither bond or free, and neither is there MALE OR FEMALE, for you are ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS.” Gal 3:27-29. So the long journey is over and the soul and Spirit have been united in love, that there may be birthed within us, the Incorruptible seed which is Christ. Hallelujah!!

But we must now explore the CROSS in the light of what Father is revealing to us today. We know that Jesus Christ was NOT a Sin Offering, for it would have been impossible for him to be killed. But Jesus himself throws some light on the subject for us, in John 3:14. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, in exactly the same way (even so) must the Son of Man be lifted up.”

So to understand what this means we need to go to Num. 21 and discover what happened there with the children of Israel. The people were becoming weary of the journey and discontent began to rise amongst them. They spoke against God and Moses saying, “ Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread (like we were used to) and we are sick of this manna.” Remember they could have gone into the Promised land three weeks after leaving Egypt but they refused to go in at Kadesh Barnea.

God sends amongst them, fiery serpents, which bit the people and many died. Now our imagination brings up hundreds of poisonous snakes which our God of Love sends among the people so that many die. But wait a minute and think this through clearly as the Spirit gives us understanding and revelation. What are these “snakes” or flying serpents?” The Hebrew word translated “Fiery” is “Saraph,” and the plural is Seraphim, that are found in the Temple of God.

Isaiah saw them in Chapter 6 above the throne of the Lord in the Temple. They are described as having six wings, with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he could fly. The sight of the Lord lifted up in glory in the temple so affected Isaiah that he cried, “Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips.”

This brought a response from one of the Seraphim who flew to the altar and brought a live coal in his hand and laid it on my lips saying, “Lo this has touched your lips and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is purged.” So this would indicate that the seraphim are associated with purifying the saints, and guardians of God’s glory.

The word translated “serpents” is the Hebrew word, “Nachash” and is used a number of times in the Old Testament. It is used of the serpent in the Garden of Eden, also used to indicate Dan’s future would be like a serpent that would bite the heels of the horses causing the riders to fall. Horses in the Bible generally refer to the anointing or spirituality, so the serpent would affect the anointing in a person causing them to “fall.”

I want you to understand, this word is not simply used to refer just to snakes, for we see the same word used of Aaron’s rod, that became a serpent when he threw it on the ground in Ex 4:3. On the ground and unrestrained it was a serpent but in Moses hand, brought under control it was a “ROD.” The word “Rod” is used to represent a TRIBE as the “branch of a nation. It is also used for the branch of a vine.

How important it is to search out a matter before we defame the character of our God by considering he would kill people because in their ignorance they spoke against him. What could be better for Israel in their state of uncleanness before the Lord than to have the seraphs there doing their job of purifying them. However, even the “branch” of the vine, exploring its earthiness will become a serpent that will rob us of the life of God.

So God said to Moses, make out of brass, one of those things that are biting the people and put it on a pole in the midst of Israel, and any who have been bitten will not die if they LOOK at the serpent on the pole. Salvation is presented here for us as “LOOK AND LIVE.” Now to be able to look at something we need Light, or we will never see it if it is in the dark. So Light, or spiritual understanding is necessary for salvation. In God’s wisdom he has put the light of Christ in every man allowing us to “SEE” those things that are invisible to the natural mind.

The question is, what does the serpent on the pole represent? It is a type of the one who died on the cross. This means that the one who died on the cross must be the one that had been poisoning us, robbing us of life and bringing us into death. Many of God’s people in their ignorance would consider that one to be the “devil,” meaning in effect that there is some external power that is to blame for all our problems!

This is the result of the subtlety of the serpent that functions like a magician, who directs our eyes away from what he wants to do on to something else, leaving him free to deceive us. The real truth is that within the human heart, is all the energy and desire to create every evil known to man.

Here are the Words of Jesus himself, “It is not that which goes INTO a man that defiles a man, but those things that proceed out of the mouth and come forth from the heart, they defile the man! For out of the HEART proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness and blasphemies.”

So no external “devil” is required to commit adultery or murder, for all evil is already resident in the human heart. How can this be? It was through Adam that Sin entered into the world and DEATH by sin, so death was passed upon all men. This is because the Adamic consciousness is passed on to us through our natural birth, because EVE is the mother of all living. To escape its destructive effect we must be “Born from Above.”

It is therefore evident that responsibility for our mortality and consequently our sins, all belong to Adam. For this reason the serpents in the wilderness are a “type” of Adam, because both brought death to the people. In answer to the cry of Israel for mercy, God told Moses to make a BRASS REPLICA, of whatever it was that was biting and killing the people, and put it on a pole in the midst of the people. Salvation would be available to all those who LOOKED at the serpent of the pole, by canceling death and giving them life.

Des Walter