Bringing Tongues Of Fire From The Sparks Of Faith…
LESSON 25
BOOK OF HEBREWS
By Rev. G. Evan Newmyer
INTRODUCTION TO LESSON 25
This lesson will look at the Book of Hebrews, accordingly if Jesus has called us to be priests and kings, wouldn’t it be nice to know what our priestly functions are? Yes, the Book of Hebrews is to the Christian what the Book of Leviticus is to the Jewish priest. Not all Jews are priests, only those born in the tribe of Levi, yet all Born Again Christians are called priests unto God (Rev 1:6). Jesus is our High Priest, He forever makes intercession, so what does it entail? What is our role in the function? Where do we function as priests? In the Courtyard? Holy Place? Or the Holy of Holies? What Order do we follow? Or of Levi? Or of some other Order talked about in the Bible? What does the saying, “which is first, is last, and which is last is first” have to do with our priestly duties, if anything? All good questions, all addressed in the Book of Hebrews.
The Book of Hebrews is very interesting, if one assumes it is written to the Hebrews they will miss a great importance. The Book of Hebrews is written about the Hebrews, there are many references to holding belief, then moving from the rudiments of the Doctrine of Christ, indicating the person knows the Rudiments. The comparison between the Old Covenant and the New show the Old is good, but the New Better. There were the Judaizers who were attempting to get the Gentile believers to enter the Law, based on the false assumption one must come from the Law in order to have the New. Paul explained the Jew came out of the Law by faith, the Gentile around the Law through faith, thus faith was still the means.
The first person to be called a Hebrew in the Bible is Abraham, yet neither the nation of Israel, or the Law of Moses was around at the time. The term Hebrew means a Sojourner, but Biblically it applies to one who is subject to a Covenant promise from God, but has yet to possess the promise. Circumcision was Token for the Covenant cut with Abraham, thus this book relates to “Covenant”.The Book of Hebrews also gives us insight to the strength of the newly converted Christian, as encouragement to move on to perfection. The Rudiments of the Doctrine of Christ are opened for us in this book, there are doctrines many, but there is only one Doctrine of Christ. If we are Christian, wouldn’t it be nice to know the foundation of our Doctrine? Yes, how many of us were taught the Rudiments when we were converts? Milk allows us to Grow thereby, the Rudiments are basic foundational elements for each person who accepts the Cross of Jesus.
Hebrews will also point out, “If you haven’t accepted the entire purpose of the Cross of Jesus, you caused it”. We will find the result of those who “taste” of the things of God, yet continually consume the things of the world. The thin line between Belief and Faith will also be explored, and opened further for us. All in all Hebrews can be a letter of freedom, or bondage, depending on ones desire to be free, but to the legalist it becomes a place of exposure.
LESSON 25- THE BOOK OF HEBREWS – WRITTEN PRIOR TO 70 AD
The Author of the Book of Hebrews is the Holy Ghost, who the scribe was has been debated. or questioned over the years. Martin Luther suggested Apollos may have penned Hebrews, based on Acts 18:24-28, where Apollos was referred to as a well-read, Hellenistic Jew from Alexandria; the problem is the scribe to this book had religious training in the temple, thus had to have a working knowledge in the order, rather than knowledge alone. Tertullian said the book was a letter of Barnabas, but again Barnabas had no Jewish religious training to the caliber required by the scribe for this endeavor. Adolf Harnack and J. Rendel Harris speculated it might have been Priscilla (or Prisca), but again the problem is the knowledge of the Jewish temple rites; not simply a witness to the rites, but doing them. Many felt Paul may have penned the work based on some Pauline words, knowledge, coupled with Paul’s past of being a Pharisee of Pharisees. This book was not written merely by someone who did the deeds of the old Law, but someone who was versed in the performance of the duties of a priest. Someone with profound knowledge of the Tabernacle, the children in the wilderness, the Tithe under the Law, and many other areas demanding a working knowledge of Jewish religious rites and history. Eusebius believed Paul was the scribe, as did Clement of Alexandria, who suggested Paul first penned it in the Hebrew language, then Luke translated it into Greek. Nonetheless it appears from certain Pauline phrases, along with the reference to Timothy (Heb 13:23) the scale points more to Paul as the scribe; nonetheless we find this is the only Book we could term the Priesthood Manual for the Christian. The concept of this letter being written to converted Jews who were still dong the Law lacks in light of 6:2 in reference to “dead works” and “faith toward God” both of which the writer shows the reader knows, the Law is not of faith, it’s based on dead works of self-righteousness. Those two elements tend to show the letter is written to encourage Gentiles who were being tempted by Judaizers to go back to the Law, by showing the Law of the Spirit is Better.
This book is so fitting, it was written before the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, since we find it makes references to the Temple still standing, thus the comparison between the Temple and Tabernacle, as well as the duties of the priests under the Old, and the duties under the New were presented in a visual fashion to the reader of the day (Heb 10:11 & 13:10-11). The obvious truth is how the Temple was standing, but those in charge were not. Having a building doesn’t mean we have God. The other obvious points regarding the temple still standing is the timeline, we know Paul went to the temple in Acts, which ensued in his arrest, thus he had knowledge of the rites. The time element would be perfect for Paul as the scribe of this book, as well as his background and other characteristics seen in this document relating to other writings of Paul. There is no written proof of Paul being the scribe, but there is none saying he wasn’t’ either. Although the Holy Ghost is the Author, we find there are some things regarding the scribes personality which seem to come through in the words written.
This Book also reaches back to the Tabernacle giving us a comparison of how both structures were built as “houses of God”, but one was in the hands of man, the other in the hand of God. When Aaron’s sons tossed strange fire into the Tabernacle, they died on the spot, but those who sold the Dove in the temple continued on, even after Jesus rebuked them. As a point of review, we know the Temple was permanent, it came at the request of David, but God granted approval through the prophet Nathan during the night. The one who desired the temple, was never able to build it, rather Solomon, David’s son did. God also granted Solomon wisdom in dealing with God’s people, but Solomon also had a lust for women, which led him to idol worship. The wisdom of Solomon was nothing like the Wisdom of God we are privy to. Solomon lacked wisdom in the affairs of his own life, even though he was able to deal with the people of God, clearly the temple and tabernacle are not the same.
First John tells us the first step to having fellowship with God, is to treat the people of God, as God does. The second step is found in this Book, being Godly priests unto the Lord, and unto His people. James tells us God’s Wisdom is an attribute of Faith, as our faith is an assurance in God working with us unto perfection. God’s Wisdom allows us to deal with people, and events in a Godly manner, as well as deal with ourselves in a Godly manner by the Spirit.
The soul left to its own invention will destroy itself, pure and simple. Solomon made a great temple, placed it on Zion, but it was still a place of Judgment. The Tabernacle was a place of rescue and deliverance. The Tabernacle was a sign of God’s Mercy toward the children, although in the making of the Tabernacle God gave them special talents, the fact remains they only made one Tabernacle, it was never rebuilt. Those talents were for the specific purpose of building the one Tabernacle, none of them ventured out to sale their services to other countries. Our talents are Tabernacle related, each talent is designed for the saving of the soul, whether it’s our souls, or the assisting another, our talents are not for sale. Like the Tabernacle there be a time when one day we are, the next second we can’t be found, vanished in a twinkling of an eye. The Temple was destroyed, the Tabernacle was, then was not.
The Tabernacle was a story in and of itself, God wanted a place to meet with the people, thus it was God’s desire to have it built. Moses the servant of God had his people erect the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. The Tabernacle was portable, it moved with the people, as the people moved with it. The Tabernacle held both Judgment and Deliverance, Judgment in the courtyard, but Deliverance in the Holy Place, with the atonement in the Holy of Holies. The Holy Place used the menorah for light, but the Holy of Holies was illuminated by God’s Light. The Tabernacle is a Wilderness refuge, a place of rest, our Tabernacle is Jesus.
The Holy Place was the ministering area, the place where the priests cared for the Light, Bread, and the Golden Incense. In the Book of Revelation John sees Jesus in the midst of the Golden Candlestick, thus Jesus is in the Holy Place, but John sees the feet of Jesus as if they were burned in a fire, pointing to the courtyard of Judgment, so where is the Head of Jesus? In the Holy of Holies, thus we grow up from the holy place to the Head (authority) of Christ, the place where our light does shine.
From Abraham the Hebrew came Isaac, the son of promise: from the son of promise came Jacob, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel; then from Jacob came the twelve sons, from the twelve sons came the twelve tribes. One of those sons was Levi, from Levi came Moses, thus the Law of Moses is named after the man Moses. It was a long way down the line from Abraham the Hebrew to Moses the law giver, in our case it was the Cross, Grave and Resurrection of Jesus, three days and nights.
The Law of Moses was based on the Ten Commandments, as the Commandments were designed for a people who lacked a Godly conscience. A far cry from being Born Again, yet we find the Old had a Priesthood, a Circumcision, a Law, and a Tithe. The New also has a Priesthood, a Law, a Circumcision, and Tithes, yet they are vastly different in definition and purpose. Simply because we find the word, “Priest” in the old, it doesn’t mean the Priest in the New operates under the same principles. As we will see the New Law has a New Priesthood which is are far different from the Old Law and Priesthood.
We shouldn’t need a Billboard to tell us not to steal, but the wild nature of man does. Even with laws the natural nature of man will seek the loophole; “Let’s see, it doesn’t really say this is stealing, so it isn’t”; the demonic art of self-justification is one of the main tools of the enemy. “Go ahead, there is no Law saying you shouldn’t”. The Pharisees complained to Jesus telling Him not to heal on the Sabbath, but Jesus answered by asking them, “Where in the Law does it say I can’t?”. Did Jesus find the loophole? No, the purpose of the Law was Mercy, Jesus came as the personification of the Father’s Mercy. It’s the same premise we see in some arguments regarding this letter, “well there is no written proof Paul did write it”, on the same note there is no written proof he didn’t. One has to look at the way the document was written, it’s purpose and goal. In this case the Book of Hebrews warns us of the danger of unbelief, although God is greater than our unbelief, it remains unbelief stops us from entering into God’s Rest. We also find the Rudiments of the Doctrine of Christ, plus the warnings of falling away, thus one has to be in position before they can fall away, before there is a danger.
The Law of Moses didn’t grant the Promised Land, rather it gave guidelines regarding the type of life one had to walk in order to possess the land. In order to give incentive to the people, the two elements of stimulus for natural man were added (blessing and cursing). Man will work to obtain, or work to avoid danger, neither of which require a Love for God. If someone wanted money, they knew by paying their tithe, the principle of the tithe would grant them a return. If they wanted to remain free of sickness, they knew sacrifices would grant them health. They also knew the dark cloud of the curse was hanging overhead waiting for the violation. In our case we find Faith as the answer, Faith never looks at God as the “Great Punisher”, rather it sees God as the “Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”. The Law of the Spirit is also for those who have the Seal of the Holy Spirit, indicating their promise is in hand.
The Jews sought a Promised Land on this earth, it had similar elements in name to some elements we find in the Kingdom. Connected to the Promised Land was another mountain, Zion, the mount upon which Jerusalem of the earth is built. Jesus said He would build His Church (New Jerusalem) on the Rock, which shows us the Rock is like unto Zion, the Church like unto Jerusalem, thus we are called New Jerusalem, relating to the New Covenant. God made Zion of the earth, since it’s a mountain, but man built the city of Jerusalem; however, in the Kingdom it’s different, we build the Rock (Body), Jesus builds the Church from the Rock. In order to be “of the Church”, one must first be of “the Rock”. Jesus is not going to build the Church from the earth, or the sea, or the Fig Tree, His building material is limited to those of the Rock. Just as Baptism is limited to those of the Rock, we find being Born Again is also limited to those of the Rock.
The Book of Revelation shows us Jerusalem of the earth is the place of Judgment, but New Jerusalem of heaven is the place of Salvation. Zion of the earth is the place where the 144,000 are marked, Zion of heaven is where the priests and kings of the Lord remain. Two elements with like names, but with different attributes.
From our studies we found how Moses commanded the children regarding what they were to do when they entered the Promised Land, their first duty was to go directly to two mountains within the land, then speak the Blessing from one, and the Cursing from the other. Jesus went to a mount in the same land, yet spoke only of Blessing based in the Mercy of God. A change not only in Law, but something more powerful appeared, the ability to leave the “mentality of cursing” as one enters the “mentality of being a blessing in order to bless”. The change would bring a law designed for a free people, not a people of bondage under the darkness.
The Law of Moses was designed for a people who wanted a man to stand between them and God, thus it wasn’t the “Law of God”, since the concept shows God gave the Law to Moses, who then gave it to the people, which Law separated the people from God. The Law of Moses is a Principality within a dominion, thus it has an established power to either bless or curse. The Ten Commandments are a Power, not a Principality, they stand before any person who claims “God”, yet is not Born Again, regardless of what religious order they are affiliated with. The Cross is the only place where one can gain freedom from the Power and Principality of the Old which are against us.
Before the Law of the Spirit could take effect the opportunity for us to be Born
Again had to be presented. Perhaps the biggest evidence showing no one could have been Born Again before the Resurrection of Jesus is the how the Law of the Spirit didn’t come into existence until after Jesus was Resurrected (Jn 7:38-39). We know Jesus went to the Cross as the “Son of Man”, but here in Hebrews we find a reference to the “Son of God” associated with the Cross (Heb 6:6). How is it? Hebrews 6:6 points to a person who has once accepted the Cross, yet denied the purpose then attempts to crucify Jesus afresh, thus since they have received the Son of man on the Cross, any attempt to “re-crucify” Jesus, would be attempting to crucify the Son of God, it can’t be done.
The added feature regarding the change in laws was based on the change in priesthood, thus the change caused the introduction of a New law for those who fit the new priesthood. No one under the Old could legally be king and priest, they could be prophet and priest, or prophet and king, but not legally priest and king, thus in order for us to be both kings and priests there had to be a New Law permitting it. God separated the Tribe of Levi from the Government order, then demanded for it remain so, although we know one small sect violated the principle, we also know their folly caused the nation to end under rule of a heathen nation (Rome).
Jesus was not from the Tribe of Levi, He was from the Tribe of Judah, yet He brought a Priestly Order standing forever and ever. On the same note we find the “kingdom” is much different from the Old kingdom as well. In the Old a king was over a territory, but in the New the Kingdom of God is found within the person. The purpose for a kingdom is to carry out the will of the king, if our will is conducive to the will of the Lord, our kingdom principles will line up with His, but if we insert our natural agendas into the kingdom, the day will come when we must answer to the King of kings. However, Hebrews is not about kingdom principles, it’s about priestly orders.
In order to enter this New Priesthood established by the Lion from the tribe Judah one had to be of the Spirit of God by having the Spirit that is of God, yet to be a priest under the Old one merely had to be born of Levi. Ahh, the difference, the letter to the Romans tells us Jesus was declared the Son of God by the Resurrection, it doesn’t mean He wasn’t prior, rather it was the Declaration proving Him to be the Son of God. The Resurrection Power is the very Token of the Spirit indicating we are a “son of God”, thus the Spirit of God bears witness to our Spirit that is of God, we are sons of God, the same Spirit who raised Jesus will raise us.
However, there is a Beginning place, in order for any of us to be Born Again, we must receive the death of Jesus by imputing the old nature dead on the Cross. We cannot be Born Again while we are yet Born of the flesh. A conflict God took care of when He introduced the concept of Imputing. From the death of the Cross to the Power of the Resurrection evidenced by the Spirit granting us the position of being Born Again into a different nature, no longer fleshly, but Spiritual. If we are Born Again then we have a New Nature, with a New conscience, New thinking, New visions, a Newness based in the nature of God. The obvious conclusion is we are a special people, born in a special time, but to whom much is given, much is required.
Jesus and the Law of the Spirit didn’t do away with the Law of Moses, rather the Law of Moses is Judgment based, it remains for those who are earthly in nature, or natural in thinking. If one comes into the Kingdom and remains carnal in thinking, they are still subject to the Law of Moses, as were the Corinthians, but like the Corinthians they have the opportunity to be spiritual in nature by having the Spirit. Adam proved a Godly conscience is something not granted to the natural mind of man, only the threat of punishment keeps natural man in line, yet we know the Fall proved man can transgress against the Commandment even in the Garden of God.
The Ten Commandments had many “thou shall not”, elements, but there was no Punishment for violating them, just as there was no violation for violating, “Be fruitful, and multiply”. The violation or punishment was found in the Law of Moses, as it regulated the Commandments; therefore, the Law of Moses granted one long life on the earth, but not Life by the Spirit. Since the Law of Moses was flesh based, it could not be by faith. The division and purpose between the Law of Moses and the Law of the Spirit are so great they take different Priesthoods.
Whether flesh minded or carnal minded the fact remains, natural mankind are still under the Law of Moses, not the Law of the Spirit. Regardless of the culture there are laws, one will be punished if they kill, but how did society know killing was wrong? The Commandments, yet we also find one can have the Spirit, yet be carnal, as the Corinthians proved. We must move from having the Spirit to being Spiritual in nature. We can’t remain in the “world of the carnal”, attempting to perform the duties of the Spiritual Priesthood. We can’t remain in the “world of the flesh”, yet conduct ourselves as kings of the Kingdom.
Are we now “judged”? No, not at all, we are the proclaimed Just who Walk by faith while Following in the Faith of Jesus. Progression is the name of this warfare, we never stop to smell the roses, they appear nice, but carry thorns. The Law of the Spirit cannot Judge us in the same regard as the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses identifies sin, then applies death as the punishment. The Law of the Spirit is designed to examine us, expose sin, but rather than apply death, it applies Life to free us. Sin has a power based in the lustful desires of natural man, if not, no one would do it, but the Law of Spirit removes the power of sin, whereas the Law of Moses merely points out sin, thus the Law of the Spirit is unto life, the Law of Moses unto death.
There is no curse in the Law of the Spirit, it was not designed to do anything else but Teach, Bless and Save. Of course we know the Law of Moses and the Prophets remain as the Two Witnesses who stand next to the Lord, but Lord was the only one Transfigured, as the Father said, “Hear ye Him”, not “hear ye them”, neither did the Father say, “You know what, Hear ye Him once in awhile, and hear ye them if you want”, nor did He say, “mix it up a little, if you want to hear ye Him, okay, but if you want to hear ye them, it’s okay too”. No, it was to the point, “Hear ye Him”. If we hear too many voices we can no longer function as priests, finding ourselves playing with strange fire. Can a priest of the New Testament cast strange fire? Yes, Judas did. Strange fire holds two deadly elements, it’s the misuse of the Fire of another, or using Fire designed for one thing, in a place it should not be. Example? Using the deeds of the Law of Moses to gain favor from God while in the Kingdom, another is usurping the authority of another.
Jesus is also the Bishop and Shepherd of our souls, as well as our High Priest, but He is also the Prince (Beginner) of Peace (with God). The Law of Moses didn’t bring man Peace with God, it merely stayed the wrath of God for the moment. Peace with God is the removal from God’s wrath and Judgment by placing us in the position of God’s favor. Belief and faith are the means God gave us to remain in God’s favor until we reach the Hope set before us. This is evident in the Book of Revelation, wherein we find the Law and Prophets are seen dead in the street, then comes the wrath of God, yet at the same time we are in heaven wearing our white robes.
The Book of Hebrews doesn’t discount the Law of Moses, but it does show something Better. To the Jew the Abrahamic Covenant was better than anything man had before, which would have included the Noah Covenant, thus they understood the concept of God bringing something Better. The Noah Covenant promised us God would not destroy the earth with water again, it didn’t promise the earth would not be destroyed, only not with water. Noah also had permission to eat anything he wanted, as long as he didn’t eat raw meat, or other humans. Noah wasn’t required to keep the sabbath day, Noah’s only “law” pertained to eating, yet Noah knew to take “clean” animals for sacrifices. The Law of Moses incorporated many things, but it never called for, or granted anyone the New Birth. The Token for the Noah Covenant was given by God as the rainbow. Abraham was not required to keep the sabbath, thus the token of his covenant was circumcision of the flesh. In Abraham’s case he was the one who cut the token of his Covenant with God, but God was the one who produced the Token in Noah’s Covenant. The token of the Law of Moses was the person keeping the sabbath day according to the Fifth Commandment. However, the Token for the Body is two fold, we give our Token of water baptism, but Jesus gives His Token of the baptism with the Holy Ghost, in our case it’s the cutting away of the old heart (nature of spirit) by giving us a New Heart called the New Man.
The Proceeding word came to those in the Old, but when Jesus brought the New Proceeding Word, yet they rejected it for the Old. We know the Jews who entered the wilderness were vegetarians, as they didn’t eat red meat, thus the Law of Moses really granted them more freedom, yet at the same time the purpose was to gain Obedience. The children were forced to obey in Egypt, but when they entered the wilderness the call was voluntary obedience so they could possess the Promised Land. The Law of Moses doesn’t force obedience, it rewards it. The Law of the Spirit also rewards, but the doer obeys by Love, not threat.
They had cattle and sheep and other animals to sacrifice, but they wanted “meat”, thus God sent them quail, showing “meat” to them was fowl, or fish, not red meat. Adam was also a vegetarian, thus he only ate herbs. Therefore, the eating restrictions can’t make us holy, just as the freedom to eat whatever we want can’t make us holy, food for the flesh is not a means to holiness. Adam was a vegetarian and fell, the children were vegetarians yet they failed to believe. Of course Ham, the son of Noah could eat red meat, yet he brought a curse. Jesus said it wasn’t what went into a person’s mouth defiling them, but what came out of their mouth, this defiled them.
From this we can see how the Jew doesn’t hold to the requirements of the Noah Covenant, since Noah was told to eat all sorts of meat, as long as he cooked it, but the Law of Moses changed the premise. They understand God changes not, but there is a progression of God calling for the Proceeding Word. The Pharisees missed the one lesson when Jesus came, thus the Pharisees kept doing what God told them, but they kept doing it too long. It was time for a Progression, a time to step up the ladder. In our own lives we find the same example, God is Progressive, from the Seed, to the Root, and so on. The Corinthians failed to Progress, they remained carnal, yet had the opportunity to gain by becoming Spiritual. We are a Progressive people, growth upon growth. Our priestly duties demand for us to make room for the growth in ourselves, and others. On the same note we are narrow minded, our focus is on Jesus. People with broad minds tend to allow anything into their thinking, producing confusion.
The Old and the New have like terms, but separated by definition, both have circumcision, one of the flesh, another not made with hands of the heart. Both have the sabbath, one a day, the other the Rest of God. Both have tithes, one the tithe of Jacob, where their priests were commanded to take tithes, the other tithes without Commandment by the cheerful giver, wherein the priests receive tithes. These areas and more are discussed in the this book; therefore, we begin to see how this book relates to our priestly duties. We can be a “nice” person, quote Scripture, have the concepts down, yet miss being a priest. All priests have an order, all have a high priest, even the heathen cultist orders, or heathen idol worshipers have an order. We have something much better, much better indeed.
This book will bring clarity to some areas regarding the Resurrection of Jesus, perhaps areas some of us never thought of. Simple verses which contain much Victory, areas stopping us from barking at the moon, or kicking the family cat out of frustration, or blaming everyone, including the family dog when things don’t go our way. This book will go into detail regarding the Order of our priesthood, it will cover the foundation each and every new convert should be taught. It points to the rudiments of the Doctrine of Christ, the six basic points of knowledge which keep us from chasing every wind of doctrine, the knowledge of the Rudiments protect us from the cunning words of the wicked, keep us from being enticed by serpents tongue.
If man had “life” either in himself, or through the Law of Moses, then Jesus was wrong when He said He came so we might have Life, to have it More Abundantly. Life in the physical body is “life” to natural man, but it’s really just another step of death on the road of death. Life begins in God’s Mercy, wherein we are forgiven by the Father. Life More Abundantly begins with we are Born Again, continuing past physical life to Life Eternal. It will become the revelation in this letter, the difference between immortal and eternal.
One point of the Doctrine of Christ is Eternal Judgment, if there is Eternal Judgment, then there must an eternal soul to suffer it. Immortal means without beginning or end, or free of corruption (death), eternal means without end. Man’s soul has a beginning, but no end, thus the soul of man will either be in a state of eternal death, or eternal life. Death can’t be a complete end to consciousness, since the rich man in hell called out to Abraham, we know Lazarus was raised from the dead, as he was seen by many, not as a zombie, but as a person. Jesus said hell was a place where the worm dies not, yet hell is the place for the dead. Go figure? The Book of Revelation says Jesus has the keys to hell and death, in the end hell is cast into the lake of fire, as the lake of fire is without end. Hell is a location, it doesn’t matter if we call it “hell”, the “pit”, the “grave”, or something else, names will not change its existence. If there is no hell, how can Jesus have the key to it? How can it be tossed into the lake of fire? “Well, gee, if there is a hell, yet I’m in heaven then I will forever be tormented knowing my friends are there”. No, there is no remembrance of the dead (Ps 6:5, et al), thus those in heaven will have no memory of anyone who misses it, they will only know their “family” of the Kingdom.
Why even consider this? The basic tenet of Eternal Judgment supports our hope in Eternal Salvation, since you can’t have one without the other, it’s the same Greek word for Eternal used in both areas. Knowing there is a Life in Christ, one which is Eternal removes us from fear, bringing us to a place where our hearts speak with confidence, “So we may boldly say, The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Heb 13:6). The New Man is Immortal because the New Man is fashioned after God’s true Holiness and Righteousness, thus we have the Seed of the Immortal Spirit of God in us as the Holy Spirit. We as Born Again Christians have the very unique opportunity to join to the New Man so our souls can remain “incorruptible” (Immortal). How? Behold all has passed away, all things are now New in the New Man as the proof we are in the New Covenant. What about the uses of the word Eternal?
The word Eternal is the Greek Aionios (Strong’s 166), the best way to define it is by the uses:
By Paul – Eternal Power of God – Rom 1:20
Eternal Life – Rom 2:7, 5:21, 6:23, I Tim 6:12, 6:19, Titus 1:2,
Eternal Building of God – II Cor 5:1
Eternal Purpose of God – Eph 3:11
Eternal God – I Tim 1:17
Eternal Salvation – Heb 5:9
Eternal Redemption – Heb 9:12
Eternal Spirit – Heb 9:14
Eternal Inheritance – Heb 9:15
Eternal Judgment – Heb 6:2
By John – Eternal Life – I Jn 1:2. 2:25, 3:15, 5:13, 5:20
By Jude – Eternal Life – Jude 1:7, 1:21
By Jesus – Eternal Life – Matt 19:16, 25:46, Mark 10:17, 10:30
Eternal Damnation – Mark 3:29
The uses give us two or more witnesses, just as there is Eternal Life, there is Eternal damnation (judgment). What about the rich man and Lazarus? Lazarus was in Abraham’s Bosom, an area where those taken captive by Jesus were then placed under the altar of God. There is no mention from under the altar of God of being able to see hell or even the earth (Rev 6:9-10). We have the Gospel of Peace, but there is an Everlasting Gospel. The Everlasting Gospel doesn’t speak of Salvation, Grace, the Cross, Resurrection or Jesus, but it does speak of the wrath of God and judgment (Rev 11:6-7). The Book of Hebrews gives us the six basic tenets of the Doctrine of Christ, if we can’t accept the Doctrine of Christ, how then can we accept Christ?
There are many words in the Greek helping to explain the context of this letter. Clement of Alexandria assumed the Book was first written in Hebrew, then translated into Greek by Luke, yet by the use of certain Greek words tends to show the letter was written in Greek to Greek speaking people regarding the Hebrews, showing how God moved from one point in time to another, to bring a purpose. Simply, it shows the Proceeding Word of God is found in Jesus who is Perfection. When we entered the Body a new order was established in a priesthood not associated to the Law of Moses, we are also given a kingly order not granted to Israel, yet both were in the Plan well before the Law. The context of this Letter clearly points to elements relating to being Hebrew, which we found means a sojourner, but it also holds the concept of one who has a future promise based on a present covenant.
When Abraham was called “Hebrew” he was in the land, but he hardly possessed it; yet we know from Genesis the land was really promised to the offspring of Abraham. Then we find the first time the title Hebrew was used it related to Deliverance, as Abraham was going to deliver Lot from the hand of the enemy. The basic meaning of the word Hebrew is One from beyond, or one from another place, or simply a Sojourner. Abraham was the first person recorded in the Bible as a Hebrew, but who was the second person known as a Hebrew? Joseph, it was Potiphar’s wife who used the title when she accused Joseph of mocking (raping) her. The first time was a point of honor, the second by a false accuser. Esther was the first woman known as a Hebrew, she was a Jew in a land not hers. Basically this Letter shows we are kings in a kingdom not seen by the physical eye. If we are all kings, who then are our subjects? Surely I’m not a subject if I’m a king, you’re not a subject if you’re a king. Who then are the subjects? Things, mercy, grace, peace, belief, and faith; however there are other subjects known as rulers of darkness such as anger, unbelief, self, arrogance, or bitterness. We as kings can grant permission to things to reside in our kingdom, we have the authority and power to vacate, disallow, or accept things into our kingdom.
Heb 1:1-3
This letter begins with a division outlined between verses 1 and 2, between what was, and what is. Denoting a form of Belief, which was is the basis for entering faith. In verse 1 we find three phrases, “sundry times”, “divers manners”, “in time past”. The two phrases, “sundry times”, and “divers manners” are connected in the Greek language, but they are also separated. The phrase “sundry times” is the Greek Polumeros meaning many variables, or fragmentary, or as little as possible. The phrase “divers manners” is the Greek Polutropos, comparing the two Greek words we see they are linked, they have nearly the same meanings, but Polutropos means in fragmenting terms, or even less than Paul could divulge to the Corinthians. Man being natural, even a man like Adam was unable to understand the things of God, thus God spoke to man in a manner conducive to natural man. When Jesus was confronted about Moses giving a bill of divorcement, He said God allowed it because of the hardness of man’s heart. It’s how God spoke “then”, but verse 2 shows a change taking place, a very important change; one wherein mankind was given the opportunity to have the Spirit that is of God to understand the things of the Spirit of God (I Cor 2:11-12).
The word Speak or Spoke in verses 1 and 2 is the same Greek word, it means to utter or convey words, thoughts or ideas, thus the “speaking” is the same, only the content and “manners” become different. It’s interesting how it’s “by His Son”, and not “through His Son”, but why? In the Greek the phrase “by His Son” reads “In the Son”, both are correct, referring to the manner of speaking. In the past it was indirect, now it’s direct by the Spirit. Prophecy may be in part now, but Jesus by the Spirit speaks to His own, as His own hear His Voice. Now, let’s consider the statement, if the Son is the only means God will use to communicate with man, then all communication is done in the Body. No other form of religious concept hears from God, in this Season it’s strictly by the Son, meaning “hear ye Him” carries profound conclusions. How do we hear? The New Man, Christ in us the Hope of Glory, the Spirit in us hearing from the Holy Ghost, thus we are in the position where ABBA, Father means something very special. The Holy Ghost teaches the masses, the Holy Spirit in us teaches us as individuals.
Does this mean all Jesus has to say, is said? What is the voice we hear? When someone says God spoke to them, are they lying? No, Paul said the Lord appeared to him, which time was well after the Ascension. It means the only way anyone hears God in this Season is by the Son connecting this to Mark 16:16-18, if we are in the Body, we hear Jesus by the Spirit, if we continue to believe we shall be saved.
This also connects to James, even the devils believe in one God, but they are not Born Again, they are not in the Body, thus if one Believes in One God, they will seek His Son, in order to have the Word in them of a truth, which Word is able to save their souls (James 2:19 & 1:21).
There are those who assume this verse means all Jesus has said is all Jesus will say, or better, what Jesus said in the Bible completes and fulfills this verse, but the premise negates the Proceeding Word, it also negates Paul’s comments regarding Prophecy, as well as the Spirit bearing Witness to our Spirit. If Paul wished for all to give prophecy, what then would be the source of prophesy? Or what would be the prophecy? This verse shows the Spirit of God speaks to the Spirit that is of God, thus Jesus told us we would be Told, we are also told to Hear what the Spirit Says to the churches. This verse is just another way of saying Jesus continues to speak to us, the Spirit of Truth will “speak” (Jn 16:13). John also tells us Jesus in us is the Spirit of Truth (I Jn 4:1-4). The word for “speak” in John 16:13 is the Greek Laleo, giving us the connection between these verses showing Jesus is speaking to us by the New Man.
This also relates to conscience, the New Man is our conscience, the only element in us really knowing what is right and wrong. The Law of Moses was the written conscience for those under the authority of the old nature, but there are other things regarding the Christ nature not covered in the Law of Moses. The New Man is our guide, and personal teacher. The Law of the Spirit is for those who have the Spirit, instead of seeking the loophole, the New Man seeks to remove what would destroy us, by bringing something of God into the picture to save us.
The Holy Ghost speaks to the New Man, the New Man guides us into all Truth. It’s important to see the Speaking is something the New Man does, it doesn’t take away from the Bible, rather we find the New Man takes Scripture then applies life, not only for us, but for others as well. The New Man takes the same Bible someone else uses to beat others with, to impart the knowledge of Life, Peace and Freedom. Same Bible, two different intents, two different sources. The point here shows two different types of transmitting information, but much different when it comes to the information delivered. Paul put it this way, “But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit” (I Cor 2:9-10). The New Man is not subject to, nor does He use the Law of Moses as a guide.
Neither the fathers or the prophets were “appointed heir”, this series of verses will show us Jesus is the Son of man, the Son of God, and God the Son. As the Son of man He stood for mankind at the Cross, He also returns for the Judgment, but the Resurrection declared Him the Son of God, just as the same Spirit bears witness to the New Man in us showing we are sons of God by the power of the Resurrection. As God the Son He maintains the Kingdom by having all power and authority both on earth, and heaven. The phrase “has appointed” is the Greek Tithemi meaning To set in place, which means the “place” was reserved for Jesus, not an angel, man, or man-angel. The worlds (ages) were not made for Michael, they were made for Jesus.
The phrase “Last Days” is found in many of the New Testament letters, thus the Last Days, or the Hour of Temptation began with Pentecost, but in the very latter times of the Last Days we find as Jacob’s Trouble, a Trouble centered on the House of Jacob, which Trouble we can avoid. Jacob’s Trouble isn’t the entire Night, it’s the short time after the sixth seal is opened, a time when the seven angels come forth with the plagues. Later in this letter we will find it will be impossible for someone to crucify Jesus in the Night. Today, while it is yet today is the time of Salvation.
What about the Night? Are not the two witnesses of the Law and Prophets the speakers then? Yes, they have say all to be said, but here in verse 2 we find the division again in the word “us”. Prior God spoke to mankind in small bits and pieces, because man was natural, now He speaks to us in Jesus, yet in the Night it will be the Two Witnesses of the Law and Prophets as they testify of God’s Mercy.
However, we all know we may hear things from God wherein we have no verse to support or deny what we are told. Perhaps God says, “go to the store”, yet we know there is no Commandment, “thou shall not go to the store”, nor one saying, “thou shall go to the store”. However, we will never get a word from the Lord directly opposed to the Bible, especially opposed to the New Testament. If we hear, “tell them off, they need to know they made you mad”, it’s of God. If we hear, “love them, forgive them, as I have forgiven you”, we know it’s of God. How do we know if we are hearing God? The word will be centered in the nature and character of Jesus, if its self-based we know it’s not of God. Unbelief is a strange animal, it will presume other people are not doing what God told them, while we think we’re doing all God told us. Unbelief assumes others can’t hear, while all we do is hear, unbelief is based in pride, the words we think are coming from the Lord will be coming from pride, thus we have our check and balance, is it conducive to the old nature, or the New?
There are things done today in the “name of the Lord” Jesus never did, yet because those things allow us a way to vent our anger, we do them. Barking at the devil, will not make him a dog. We will learn something in this chapter about the effectiveness of faith, we can use it accordingly gaining the Godly benefit, or misuse it causing us to miss Reward of God. The tone of the character is always a clue, “tell them you are the anointed”, where did Jesus say that? No wisdom, but tons of pride. If on one side we feel like we should tell them off, yet on the other we feel like we should show Mercy, which of those two do you think is Jesus? Which is the old man? Clarity, by the Spirit is something the fathers or the prophets didn’t have. However, after we hear “love them”, we also hear, “you will be so superior and holy if you do”, we know the old nature just added the finishing touches to trap us. We do right, reject the wrong, as proof of being of Full Age.
The nature of man is not conducive to submission, or to showing mercy while taking the blows of theological abuse. The nature of man is to lash out, or defend itself in some manner in the face of adversity. Knowing the methods of the old nature helps us divide the voices, soon the old voice becomes the voice of a stranger, one we will never follow again.
The word Worlds is the Greek Aion, it’s the same word found in Hebrews 11:3, thus the “worlds” refer to times and seasons on the earth, rather than a bunch of planets out in space, thus each Season is metaphorically known as a “world”. In contrast to the Greek Aion is the Greek Kosmos which means To take care of the world, with a primary meaning of Order. The Greek Aion used in this verse clears up much about Adam. The sundry times would be the time before the Fall, the time from the Fall to Noah, the time from Noah to Abraham, the time from Abraham to David, then the time from David to Jesus. In our Time we are privy to the Season of the Day, thus Jesus speaks directly to us by the Spirit. The Proceeding Word is in full force and effect until the Rapture, then the Night has its “time”, a “time” for the Law and Prophets to be Witnesses.
The prophets didn’t have the Brightness of Glory, they merely reported it, yet we have the glory in us (Rom 8:18). “Amen, we’re kings”. Right, but how did the King of Jews rule the Jews? Some of us think being a king means we can dictate what the world can and cannot do; however, it’s the way the world rules, not the way a king in the Kingdom of God rules. A king has authority, but how they use the authority determines what type of king they are.
We find Jesus was the purpose for the worlds being “made”. The word “made” in verse 2 is the Greek Poleo meaning To make, or To appoint, bringing the thought once the bringing forth of the thing is done, it has an independent existence. This becomes important later when we find our faith knows God has formed the “worlds” (ages). If these ages are already formed, then no man can stop their course, but man can leave the course of the “world” by entering the Kingdom.
We know All Things are of God, but there are various things, appointed to various “worlds”. One can use the phrase “all things are of God” to fill some lust, yet they would be using the wrong concept in the wrong Age. Doing the wrong thing at the right time is still wrong. Jesus brought a New World (Season) for those who desired to enter the Will of God, as they “hear ye Him”, but there are things God has reserved for those who reject the call as well. There is a thought process saying God created all things in the beginning, then allowed man to run this on his own. One of the basic tenets in the Doctrine of Christ is “faith toward God”, if we have faith toward God, then the Proceeding word is still in effect. If all things run their course, then there is no need for faith, but if there are various things running various courses, then faith is essential. We pray for God to keep us on the true path, for Him to instruct and protect us, as we obey the Proceeding Word, the same one we found “in these last days spoken unto us by His Son”.
There was a thing within the Age for Korah in the Old, a thing for Judas in the New, certainly we don’t want to be caught in those “things”. We know there are temporal “things”, and heavenly “things”, our faith is based on “things” not seen, thus the word “things” is important, as it defines the source. We can do all things through Christ which strengthens us, but is “all things” inclusive? If so, then we can sin by the strength of Christ. Doesn’t sound right, the term “all things” is exclusive to the Things of Christ. We can do all the Things Christ has set before us by the Strength of Christ in us.
The main argument the Jew would use in opposing all this is found in Proverbs 30:5-6, which reads, “Every word of God is pure (purified): He is a shield unto them who put their trust in Him. Add you not unto His words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar”. How does this relate? The Jew considered the Law the supreme order from God, the Christian was merely adding to it, but Paul shows it’s not the case at all. The verse doesn’t say “Law”, it says “Every Word”, the same thing Jesus said: Man does not live by Bread alone, but by Every Word proceeding from the mouth of God. It’s also the same thing John said in Revelation 22:19, only there it’s “Prophecy”, but as Peter points out the entire Bible is “Prophecy” (Words from God – II Pet 1:20-21). The Jewish premise of God has spoken, yet will speak no more, is the same mistake we find with those who hold the Bible as the “only Word of God”. It’s strange how anyone would hold the Bible out as the “only word of God”, yet the Bible itself never defines itself as the Word of God, it defines itself as the Holy Scriptures, it also defines the Word of God as Jesus. Restricting the phrase Word of God to the Bible alone takes away from Jesus. One might be offended if we extend the phrase to include Jesus, they may even say, “What? Are you saying the Bible is not the Word of God?”. It’s not what is being said, but if we place the rule book above the Ruler we might find ourselves in serious trouble. The Jews made the mistake of placing the Law of Moses above God, making the Law their Supreme guide and source, causing them to reject the Proceeding Word of God. The purpose often seems obvious, if we limit the Only Word of God to the written words, we can change the words as we see fit, making us god over God. However, if we see the New Man as the Proceeding Word of God, the very essence of Jesus in us, the hope of Glory, then we have the Proceeding Word to show us what the Written Word means to us personally.
Here in verse 3 the context is the Proceeding Word of God. None of us are adding to the Law of Moses, as Jesus said He wasn’t, rather He presented a New Law for a New type of person. The new type of person would have the ability to walk on this earth with the Spirit of Christ in them. The Law of Moses never made an allowance for any person to accept the death of Moses in their place. It never declared, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the Faith of the Son of God, who loves me, and gave Himself for me (Gal 2:20). It would be a proceeding word bringing the New, not an additional word to the Old. No one added to the Old, attempting to do the Old and the New would be a violation of the warning in Proverbs. To the Jew the New was merely “the Old plus One”, but to the Christian it was so New it was never before.
Verse 3 has many words explaining Jesus as God the Son; the word Brightness is the Greek Apaugasma which means To emit Light, it’s only found here in Hebrews 1:3. The context shows the Light is Jesus, rather than Jesus being a reflection of the Light, thus the Greater Light and Lesser Lights are reflections of the Light. God is Light, but God is Spirit, God is love, yet these are God. Jesus is The Light, not one of the lights, but it doesn’t mean Jesus is a result of Light, it means the Light is a result of Jesus, just as Love is a result of God. Jesus as the Self-existent Light showing Him as God the Son, for God’s Name (I Am That I Am) means Self-existent One.
This also shows us why it’s important to “divide the word”, we don’t cut Jesus into halves, rather we divide the Seasons into the two purposes for the Son of man. There is the Greater Light for Salvation, but there is also the Lesser Light for the Judgment, both are subject to The Light. Dividing the Word keeps the Day and Night in their rightful “worlds” (ages). Our faith knows God formed the Ages for purposes, all things are of God, whether those things are temporal or heavenly, but we also know we are purposed for the heavenly, not the temporal. Faith has to be the key, although we know there were Ages prior, it’s not the Ages prior faith looks at, it’s the Ages future becoming at issue. Our faith knows there is a Night, thus we work while it is yet Day, knowing the Night approaches quickly.
The phrase, “Express Image” is the Greek Charakter meaning The impression itself, not merely a likeness, rather it’s the object making the likeness. The Greek word Charakter is like the stamp making the impression, it does not mean the impression made by the stamp, thus Jesus is not the impression of God, but the Object, we are the products of the Stamp. The TR reads this phrase as “the Express Image of the Essence”, explaining Jesus saying, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father”. Jesus was not the exact “physical appearance” of the Father, since the physical really tells us nothing, rather Jesus came to show us Who the Father is, removing misconceptions about the Character and Attributes of God. Therefore, if we have Seen (perceived) Jesus, by understanding His Character, then we know who God is. Many religious figures talked about God, but Jesus showed us the Nature of the Father. In the Greek the phrase “express image” would read “charakter tes hupostaseos autou“, or The essence He, or better The divine essence He is. The word “person” is the Greek Hupostasis meaning To place or A set order, pointing to the very essence or “substance” of something. This word does not mean “person” as a human, but Person as in nature and character. Looking for Jesus to be the visual likeness of the Father misses the point by miles, when Jesus said, “if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father”, the word “seen” means To perceive the essence, or character, not the physical likeness. It’s the same mistake as thinking we will all be look like Jesus if we are Born Again. Even if we all looked like the physical Jesus, it still doesn’t mean we have His nature or character. The Book of Revelation shows our new resurrected bodies as “white robes”, not “masks”. None of us know what Jesus in the flesh looked like, also one can look like the physical Jesus, yet hold the nature of Judas.
Later we will read, “now faith is the substance”, the word “substance” is the same Greek word used here for Express Image, thus all this is giving us many of the “things” not seen pointing to the Image of Christ in us, which we know as the New Man. Faith has to have a source, thus we can tell a person’s source by the manner in which they use their faith. If their faith is self-based, they are using the measure of faith by the spirit of man. If they seek the Hope of God, their source is the New Man.
Our faith must conclude every event we enter has a Godly purpose, if not, we will turn on the event failing to gain from it. We may not like the event, but it has a Precious element designed to bring us into the purpose of our faith, even the salvation of our souls.
At times the very exposure of a lust is the purpose of the event, we grew too “self-confident” in our ability, or we confused pride as “confidence”, yet the day came when God allowed it to surface, we then discovered the deception of the lust. The nature of the old man would have taken more pride in the pride, but the Nature of the New sees pride as an enemy. Thank God for exposure, the purifying fire of God bringing us closer to Perfection.
The context of this Letter, especially in chapter six is to help us to maintain, while it is yet Today. The famed “falling away” is based on a faulty foundation, rather than Christ, it’s the self wearing a mask of holiness. This Letter will make a division and separation bringing us to the clarity of Truth.
However, even if we do fall, we have repentance unto Restoration, but if we neglect so great a salvation, we will abuse Grace, rather than allow it to save us. Neglecting so great a Salvation, and falling are different. Here it’s the context is being unworthy, thus the falling happens when someone treats Grace as some toy given for our pleasure, rather than the greatest gift of all time unto Salvation.
Here in verse 2 we find Jesus, as the Brightness of His Glory, the Express Image of His Person, formed in the flesh to die for us who are flesh, so we can change from flesh to Spirit. Okay, does it mean we just sin? No, it means the change in nature places our minds in a place where we don’t think on sin, rather we focus on the Brightness of Jesus in us, the Hope of Glory. Our mind change is the renewing Process based on the Spirit forming us into a son of God. It was once said if there were 700 people in a room, then the preacher said “all but one of you will be healed tonight”, all 700 would think they were the one to miss it. The nature change is the greatest reward of being Born Again. We gained the Spirit, but our souls must be Born into the Spirit for us to think Spiritually. We are being formed into sons of God, yet we entered this by receiving the forgiveness of the Father, making us sons of men. Jesus did it all, He made it possible for us to be sons of men to become sons of God. However, these verses not only show Jesus is the Son of man, but display He is the Son of God, but more, thus as the Express Image He is also God the Son, meaning He is fully able to bring to pass what He promised us.
The context shows the Glory comes from the Brightness, not the other way around. Looking for the Glory without having the Brightness is a waste of time, seek the Brightness (Light) to be the Glory.
The misconception between these verses and the word Enlightened in chapter six could mess us up, but if we understand Jesus is The Light, and from The Light comes the Greater Light and the Lesser Light, then we can understand how one can “taste” of the Light by being enlightened, but still reject being of the Greater Light, thus falling from Grace. A taste is a little of something, usually referring to someone who is “testing” something to see if they will accept it or not. Faith is not a dress code, we try on clothes, we do faith.
The Express Image or Greek Hupostasis also shows it wasn’t the flesh of Jesus making Jesus who He is, rather the flesh was a tent to give the Word of God a chance to experience the things of mankind, in order for the Son of man to be a proper and just judge. God is just, His integrity demanded for His Word to feel as a human, in order to Judge humans, thus Jesus will judge as the Son of man, not the Son of God.
The word Power in verse 3 is the Greek Dunamis meaning To be able, regardless of the circumstance. It depends on the circumstance, Dunamis can be limited to a particular circumstance, or realm. The false prophet has Dunamis, but it’s restricted to the realm of darkness, centered on destruction. Like the Waster, the only thing the false prophet can do is destroy. However, the New Man has Dunamis both in the supernatural and spiritual designed unto Salvation, far greater in power and scope.
The progression also shows the Testimony came through the prophets and fathers alone, but then Jesus came in the flesh as the Logos, with the Power to purge our sins as He speaks to us directly. True the prophets still speak, but we as Paul said in Romans, the Spirit of God bears witness to our Spirit that is of God, declaring us as children of God.
After our sins were purged Jesus sat down on the Right Hand side of Majesty on High, until the Night begins, then He stands. The right hand side of any majesty is a place of equal power and authority, yet God will not share His Glory with anyone. In order to have God’s Glory one must have God, which is accomplished by the New Birth. Therefore, we didn’t steal the Glory, it came with the New Man. God still isn’t sharing it, rather He is still the Glory, only the Glory is in us by the Spirit that is of God (New Man).
Paul told us there is a glory of the Sun (Israel) and a glory of the Moon (Zion), but there is a different Glory for the Stars, the first two are earthly, the last heavenly. It’s not simply having the Glory, but which one we have making the difference (I Cor 15:40-41). One can have the glory of a bird, yet think they are a fish, but they are still a bird. We have the Glory of God within (Rom 8:18), thus it’s not a matter of running from mountain top to mountain top looking for the Glory to fall, it’s a matter of allowing the Glory to work.
The word Purge is the Greek Katharismos meaning Purification, or the Sacrifice bringing Purification. Giving us two things; one is the Process, although Jesus completed the work, the Process within us is on going. Second, if it was done, why didn’t it take effect then, rather than when we receive it? Covenant, it still takes two to make a Covenant. More important it shows everything we need to win this has been granted in the New Birth. It’s the same as God resting from His works in the Beginning, only in this case Jesus sat down, the work is done, it’s now a matter of the Process working itself out by the Witness.
The warning is found in chapter six, but the wonderful thing about this Good News is the “failure clause”, failure in the Kingdom is a matter of choice, It takes a great deal of work to fail, thus they are called “workers of iniquity”, not “fallers into iniquity”. One has to work harder to fail, then to succeed in the Kingdom. What about those who draw back to perdition? They had to work at making Just, Unjust, which is a work in and of itself.
Water baptism didn’t Bring the Purification, it became a sign (token) of our willingness to enter the Purification. Our water baptism was our token accepting the principles of the grave and resurrection, as well as our acceptance of the Mercy of the Father. When we accepted the Cross, we gave our souls to Jesus. We were then granted positions, one is a king, another is a priest. It’s the priestly duties separating us from the Law of Moses.
The Word of God in us is the Purifying agent, thus the Word of God, the Word of His Power, and His Express Image are all working in us as the Word of God. This will be made plain to us when we get to Hebrews 4:12. Here it’s the Rhema, in Hebrews 4:12 it’s the Logos, but we will see the connection in a couple of verses.
The Purification is the Justification, the Justification is for the Just, as the Just still live by faith. Faith entails many things, here we see our belief foundation is knowing the work is done, the Process then calls for our faith to reach to the end of the process, even the salvation of our souls. With Godly assurance we enter our Rest, must of us need to enter the Rest of God: there does remain a rest for the people of God.
Heb 1:4-14
We started with Jesus as God the Son coming as the Son of man, now we move into an area showing angels are more than winged beings flying around heaven, yet no angel is Jesus, and Jesus is not an angel. The word “made” is the Greek Ginomai, it’s doesn’t mean “create”, or “created”, it means coming into a place, or a time coming into existence, or someone coming into their existence, as a king to the throne. We are going to see some interesting things about angels, but we want to keep in mind specifics of chores appointed by God, must remain within the specifics. Angels are fellow servants just as we are (Rev 22:9), they are equal in duty and course (fellow servant), but they are not physically like us. At times angels can do things we can’t, but rather than demand, we make requests.
The phrase, “has by inheritance obtained”, is one Greek word, showing the term angels actually means a messenger, the prophets would fit the classification (Rev 22:9), thus we are taken back to the prophets and fathers, where we find God spoke to them in divers manners, at times it included sending angels as representatives. Here we are also looking at appointment and authority, yet the inheritance was set for those who could receive the Son. Angels have an authority within the calling of their duties, but Jesus has an authority (name) more excellent than they.
The angels do not operate outside of what they are commanded to do, thus they speak on behalf of God, they often spoke as if they were God. How can it be? They weren’t God, they weren’t playing like they were God, rather they delivered the message from God as it was delivered to them. If God said, “tell them, So saith the Lord….”, the angel would begin by telling us, “So saith the Lord”. But if God said, “tell them I the Lord will…”, the angel would begin by telling us, “I the Lord will…”. In essence they read it as it’s written.
In Romans we find the Spirit speaks Through us, but here we find the same Spirit is the product of Jesus speaking to us in this present day. The New Man makes us Heirs of God, thus we don’t fit the premise of “shall be heirs”, we fit the premise of being angels. The Greek word for angels is Kleronomeo, it’s only used in reference to the friends of God, thus Jesus said, I no longer call you servants, but friends. The statement relates to this area, since it’s the same Greek word. As an example, Paul was an angel sent to the heirs in Galatia, they received him as such (Gal 4:14).
Jesus moved His disciples (including us) to a higher position based on the Cross and Resurrection, thus we find two elements linked together, angels and messengers. In times past God spoke to the prophets and fathers in one way, but to us God is now speaking by His Son, which means we have the Word of the Lord, a responsibility, but an extreme honor as well. We as the angels and ministers of the Lord now speak to those who shall be heirs. To those in times past He spoke of the Salvation which was to come, to us He speaks by the Grace unto Salvation. In the Old Testament it was possessing the promised land, yet it was still on earth. For us, it’s holding to the Kingdom of God. In order to possess the Kingdom of God one has to be enjoined in God by God through the New Man. Our soul is not the connection to God, the New Man is, but our soul is the treasure in all this, the two (New Man and soul) shall be one as our soul becomes Spiritual in nature.
The angels in heaven are creations for heaven, none of them are “Born Again”, none of them were created or formed on the earth. The devil had a tree to assist him in his dealings with man, yet he used the tree outside of the granted authority, turning a good thing, into an tool of rebellion. The devil has a nature, a realm (principality), a seat, authority, and a power, all of which can do nothing but waste and destroy. We buy a car, then get mad because it won’t fly. We buy a boat, then get mad because it can’t fly. Neither the car or the boat were designed to fly, the car can be driven, it was designed for the function. The boat goes on water, it was designed to do so. The waster destroys, it is his design and function. The devil’s deception may tell us he can save, but he can’t. The devil’s deception may tell us he can grant us the mysteries of heaven, but he can’t. The devil is based in disobedience, thus disobedience has a realm or principality known as disobedience which has subjects, known as the children of disobedience, of which we once belonged. The realm has an authority, called “the self”, a power called mind power, or will power, the prince of the power (authority) of the air uses the natural air to send suggestions of destruction (fear) into the principality of disobedience. On the other hand we have Jesus the Prince of Peace, making Peace as a dominion in the Kingdom. The Authority of Jesus is far greater than the devil’s, more excellent than the angles of God. The angels are not equal to Jesus, Jesus was not one of them, His authority has always been “more excellent”.
The question then comes, unto which of the angels “at anytime” did God say, “Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten You”?. Verse 5 asks a question as it relates to “anytime”, which would include times before the Beginning. It contains several truths to dispel any heretical thinking of Jesus and the devil being “brothers” in times past. Or any foolish notion of Jesus as Michael. Since the angels are created in and for heaven, yet Adam was earthly, created on and for the earth, but Jesus is not “created”, rather all things are created by and for Him. Since there are creations in heaven and earth it would also dispel the notion of Adam being Michael. This one verse puts to rest the foolishness, bringing us to the one point, What angel did God at Anytime say, “You are My Son”, Jesus never took on the nature of angels, the fallen angels cannot be saved (Heb 2:9). We can see how these rudiments would keep a convert from getting involved in cult systems, which may have “nice people”, but are nonetheless engaged in heretical activities.
The term Firstborn, and the term First Begotten are different, the term First Begotten is the Greek Protokos meaning To bring forth the first time. In human terms it refers to the first born to a particular family, but in reference to God it means the First before all things. When it relates to God’s activity it doesn’t mean “born” as a human is born, rather it means First brought forth unto mankind. Adam was not “born” as we know it, but he did come forth from the earth, yet Jesus came forth from the Bosom of the Father, much different.
Adam’s flesh was formed of the earth, then God breathed into him, as Adam became a living soul. Jesus on the other hand came from the Father as a Quickening Spirit to take on flesh, it was Jesus who breathed on the disciples. In essence this verse shows, “Brought forth unto appearance”, thus in human terms it means the child is brought forth unto appearance, but the same child was a fetus hid from sight. The same premise is seen with Jesus, who took on flesh to make the Appearance to man, yet prior to the same Jesus was in the Form (Equal to) of God (Ph’l 2:6-8).
None of this means Jesus is, or was an angel, since no angel has flesh, nor can they take on flesh. Even demonic possession is a devil invading the flesh, not taking on flesh of their own. Their First Estate didn’t provide them flesh, any angel who leaves their First Estate has fallen. We have two estates, one was here on earth based on being born of the flesh. The other is heaven based on being Born Again to have the Spirit. The angels had an estate, the fallen angels rejected their first estate, they are now bound in chains in darkness (Jude 6).
There is another point being made here, one we can miss it if we’re not careful. The context of what God says determines the method of how God delivers it, thus we found to the prophets and fathers He spoke one way, here we find to the angels He spoke another, but to those who are heirs of salvation He speaks by His Son as the Holy Ghost teaches spiritual to spiritual. This first chapter is about the various ways God speaks, and why.
This would seem like a Beginning, it is. Back in Genesis 2:1-2 we found God rested from His works, but then we know there is a Proceeding Word leading to the New Birth. If there is New Birth like never before, how then could the works be finished? The works for the Judgment are done, we know God worked on those elements during the Night, for the Night. The work of Salvation started with Jesus being revealed by the Resurrection. The ministry of Jesus on the earth was centered on being a Son of man, which means He was teaching as He displayed the Mercy of the Father.
There is a work of the Day, the Father worked until the Day, now Jesus works. The Father spoke, but now He speaks by Jesus. Don’t forget the phrase “Greater is He is me, than he in the world” refers to Jesus in us. This would also connect to, “all power is given unto Me, go in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost”; it’s still One Name (Authority), showing the only voice of God on the earth today is Jesus.
The word Begotten is the Greek Gennano (v. 5) meaning Direct Offspring, thus not all are classed in the term “Direct offspring” of God. Adam was known as a “son of God”, as was Seth, but they were not Direct Offspring. Adam was formed of the earth, God was not formed of the earth, so how could Adam be a “son of God”? A “son of God” in those terms refers to someone who is either a product of God’s forming hand, or in the case of Seth, someone who praised the Lord. Neither Adam or Seth were “Born Again”, neither were they Jesus. Adam was more a shadow than anything else, God begin with Adam, but the purpose was “to make man in our Image”. The prophecy came to pass by the New Man in us forming us into the Image of Jesus, but it didn’t mean Adam was God-man, for if it’s the case, then God fell as well; it would also mean there is no hope for anyone, including God. Hardly the case, we have the fulfillment of the prophecy in the New Man. Adam was the beginning, yet he lacked something, the something was the product of the creation of the Day, the Spirit of Christ. Instead of God taking our help meet from us, He put one in us.
The term Firstbegotten also refers to the Resurrection from the dead, thus Jesus is the Firstbegotten from death to life, yet He held Light, Grace, Life, Truth and Power from the beginning. The Law of Moses defines the law of sin and death, as it applies the punishment to sin, thus it’s based on dead works. On the other hand through death Jesus brought us Life. Jesus didn’t lose His flesh, He gave it up. Through the Cross we had the actual premise to impute our flesh dead, thus we also “give up” the old, to obtain the New. Without the Cross the same imputing would be a mind game, there must be a basis in order to impute; with Abraham it was his continual belief.
The angels from heaven operated in the name of Jehovah, the fathers stood in the name Jehovah, yet here we find Jesus obtained a “more excellent name than they” (v. 4). Wow, a more excellent name, does it mean the name of Jehovah isn’t excellent? No, the verse says it’s a More Excellent Authority, thus it’s not a form of identification. The problem with viewing the Name as a form of identification is we think if we pronounce it correctly we are superior over others in the Body, when the issue is really Authority. Jesus obtained a More Excellent Authority, one based on Salvation. The key is where those appointed to salvation are located, which is the Body of Christ, which means they have the Name of Jesus as their authority, yet the Power from on high is given by the Holy Ghost. The Authority of the Father, Holy Ghost and Son is contained in the Authority of Jesus; since the Son is included in the premise of “Father, Son and Holy Ghost”, is shows God speaks to mankind through Jesus, or those who have Jesus in them of a truth. It doesn’t mean if someone baptized us in the “Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost” we are not baptized, it means the combined authority of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are in the Authority of Jesus, meaning if the person who baptized us was in the Body, then it worked. The division shows Salvation is more excellent than judgment, just as the Greater Light is more excellent than the Lesser. In God’s eyes Salvation is always Greater than Judgment, it’s only in the mind of the fallen nature where judgment or revenge are greater than mercy. Real power is having the ability to do something, yet not doing it because it’s not beneficial to the overall plan. We have power to do many things, but we must consider if our acts are within the confines of the overall plan.
The phrase More Excellent is the Greek Diaphoros meaning Superior as in Different, not Superior making the other void, thus the angels and the fathers used the name Jehovah, but they were not the Name. It’s one thing to use a Name, another to be the Name. We are commanded to Believe in the Name of Jesus, thus we not only use the Name, we are also suppose to walk in what the Name stands for. There is only One Jesus, He has obtained the Highest Place and Name, He has allowed us to use His Name, but we are to use it within the granted limits of what it stands for. The Name (Authority) is coupled with a Power, the Power conducts Acts, but our Belief in the Name entails our desire to walk in God’s Love, display God’s Light, by having a Christ like character. We presume a Belief in the Name means we have the mental concept of the power behind the Name, but it’s not the meaning of Belief, rather Belief means if know what the Authority of Jesus stands for, then we walk in the Authority, we don’t abuse it, or misuse it. All this shows why we don’t write the Name of Jesus as “Jsus” as the Jews wrote JAH. They were not in the Name of Jehovah, they lacked the authority and position to use the Name of Jehovah. We on the other hand are told to use the Name of Jesus, thus for the Christian we call ABBA Father, not “JAH”. It doesn’t take away from Jehovah, but it does show our position with God is More Excellent.The word Angels is used five times in verses 5, 6, 7 (twice) and 13. The Greek word for Angels is Aggelos meaning One sent to announce or proclaim, thus it’s not limited to the angels in heaven, rather it entails us as well. We know the Law and Prophets testify of Jesus, but in a study of the prophets we can’t find them doing the Law as a requirement to be a prophet. The only prophets we find associated to the Law, are Moses and Aaron, as Aaron was the prophet unto Moses, not unto God, yet Moses didn’t do the Law, he presented it. Angels have been classed as higher than man, but here we find they are not, they have direct access to God, but so do we. Are angels important? Yes, we find them ministering to Peter when he was in jail (Acts 12:7), as well as to Paul when the ship was wrecked by the storm (Acts 27:23), but it’s how they minister becoming important, something we will see in a few verses.
Man seems to have this desire to worship things, including angels, but worshipping angels is error, even the archangel who talked to John, “See you do it not: I am your fellow servant” (Rev 19:10). The angel didn’t say, “I serve you”, nor did he say, “You serve me”, it was a “fellow servant”, thus both could be classed as “angels”.
Verse 5 has a quote from Psalm 2:7 which reads “I will declare the decree: The Lord (Jehovah) has said (past tense) unto Me, You are My Son; this Day have I begotten You”. Psalm 2:8 continues with “Ask of Me, and I shall give You the heathen for Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession”. Paul said the Spirit of Holiness Declared Jesus the Son of God by the Resurrection (Rom 1:4). This verse came to pass by the Resurrection, we were all heathens making us the inheritance of the Lord. Later we will see how we gave our souls to Jesus when we accepted the Cross, or at least we were suppose to.
Verse 6 shows Jesus after the Cross, not before. The phrase, “and again when He brings in”, is a past tense phrase showing another entry, but it’s not Judgment. This explains the Sacrifice in heaven, the time when heaven and earth were connected for those with the keys. This is after the Kingdom and House were established on earth, the effort came from heaven through Jesus, performed on earth first, secured in heaven, yet without the latter part we have no part in the inheritance. This area speaks of the seven days between the time Jesus told Mary, “touch Me not”, until He told Thomas, “Touch Me and see”. This area has direct reference to the Sacrifice, again we see the word “angels” is all inclusive, referring to the citizens of heaven.
It’s interesting how it’s a permissive call, the Father did not say, “Thou must worship Him”, rather it was, “Let all the angels worship Him”. Jesus came a little lower than the angels, for those at the time who were lower than the angels, but then by His efforts at the Cross and through the Resurrection He raised them to be “fellow servants” with the angels.
If the Father told the angels it was permissible for them to worship Jesus, then the worship of Jesus is permissible. God would never give anyone permission to worship an idol, or another creation, thus we find Jesus as God the Son sitting at the right hand of Majesty on High, meaning the Father has made the Son equal.
The Law of Moses was an extension of Moses for the people to have contact with God by deeds, it became the intercessor, but now God speaks to us by Jesus. It’s far better to have someone who is familiar with our weaknesses, then a “law” it’s not. The Law of Moses has power, what it saw, it judged, if a deed, the deed was blessed, if something fell into the realm of cursing it was cursed, thus the Law of Moses never looks at the heart, it could less about faith, it saw the actions of mankind, pronounced the verdict of death, based on dead works. However, Jesus is touched by our weaknesses, His compassion reaches out to us, His love touches us, He sees our hearts, by His stripes we were healed.
The Son was obedient, even obedient to the death of the Cross. Did the Son know the plan would work? Yes, by faith. Even the separation at the Cross between the Father and Son caused Jesus to cry out, “My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken Me?”. How then can we say our measure of faith can produce the same result? Our faith is in God, by the New Man we follow the path the Faith of Jesus left for us. The prophecy of Psalm 22 was invoked, but we also know Jesus faced death on His own, by His faith and obedience plus His sinless life He defeated death, even with the sins of times past, times present, and times future upon Him. The Father was pleased, but you can only please God by faith, thus the Faith of Jesus did for us what the measure of faith could never do, obtain the Promise (Heb 11:39).
Because of His obedience the Father gave the Son a Name (Authority) above all names (Authorities), thus Jesus told us “in My Name”, it’s by His Name we teach, baptize others, disciple, or operate within the realm of the ministry of reconciliation. By His Faith we can join our measure of faith in Him, giving us access to come boldly to the throne of Grace. However, having a Name above all names would also mean a Name higher than Jehovah. Why? What the Son did was More Excellent than what the Law of Moses could do, More Excellent than what the Abrahamic Covenant could do. Why would we do deeds of a Law sent to a people who lacked faith? If we have the Spirit we are assigned a Law pertaining to Spiritual matters, not matters of the flesh unto dead works.
The nation Israel was called to proclaim God to the world, in the role they were angels, or representatives of God. This is made clearer in Psalm 97:7 where we find those who worship idols will be confounded, but the gods shall worship Him. In Psalm 82 the gods are seen as extensions of God, here we find the terms angel and gods are equated in the same framework. It also explains the temptation to Eve, who was flesh and bone, she was not privy to being like unto the angels; whereas, God has called us to Declare His Name to the world. With Eve it was transgression because she wanted to be a “god” (angel), but attempted to use a means not granted by God, yet for us God has declared it, meaning it would iniquity not to receive it. The difference is how Eve sought a position not granted to those who were natural flesh and blood; she not only did it on our own, but she was attempting to use the wrong source. In our case Jesus did the work, granted us the Spirit to be in a position to have the proper Authority and Power as the Father declared.
We move from Firstbegotten to “Make” (v. 7), there is a difference; the word Make (maketh in KJV) in verse 7 is the Greek Poieo meaning To form, Bring about, or To cause, whereas, Firstbegotten is an exactness directly from the Source. Poieo is often used to explain an external act unto the manifestation, but Firstbegotten is an internal act. Poieo is also used to show the act came from the inward thought process, but manifested by an external event. The context shows the angels noted here were not created as spirits, thus the term angels goes much further than the angels in heaven who are created spirits. By the use of Poieo we see the New Man brings us into position by Forming our souls, rather than recreating them.
The Greek word for Ministers is Leitourgos meaning a Public Servant, or Administer, it’s spoken of in reference to a priest, it applied to Paul as a “minister of the Gospel” (Rom 15:16). This word doesn’t mean a slave, it means one Is a bondservant, or a servant by choice. It also refers to one who ministers to the wants of another (Ph’l 2:25). The quote comes from Psalm 104:4, but in 104:2 we find, “who covers Thyself with Light”, making a direct reference to Jesus coming from the Father as The Light. Psalm 104:15 gives us the Wine and the Oil to make the Face shine as the Light, as the Bread brings Strength to our hearts. The various times and Seasons are seen as the Moon appointed for Seasons (plural), but as Sun moves aside, the Darkness enters as the Night when no man can work (Ps 104:19-20).
Jesus didn’t come to identify with the Law of Moses, He came to identify with man. He didn’t come to make a religious show, He came to make an impression, one causing man to stop, look and consider the Salvation of the Lord. Jesus didn’t hate the religious rulers, nor did He come to make them look foolish, rather He came for them, just as He as the Son of Man for any of those who were Jewish.
The Cross and Resurrection open the call to “the utter most ends of the world”, but the earthly ministry was specifically for the Jews. When the disciples went out they were told to keep their efforts within the confines of the Jewish community, thus Jesus came as a common Jewish man for the Jews. If one is against the Jews, they are against Jesus. A Christian is not an extension of the Law of Moses, there is neither Jew nor Gentile in Christ, but it doesn’t take away from the Lord first coming for the Jews. Did they accept Him? We know 120 did, then 3,000 more on Pentecost, as well as many more after until the door to the Gentile was opened. Did some reject Him? Yes, which shows God grants choice, the greatest power of all is when someone has the power to grant moral choice, yet allows the choice to made, then honors it. The false prophet attempts to remove choice, God permits it.
Verse 7 is a question, not a statement. The point being God never grants anyone permission to worship anything created or formed, worship is only permissible when it’s directed at the Creator. Here in verse 7 the question is, “Who makes?” who did? God, the scribe just said, “by Whom also He made the worlds” (v. 2). Who did make the angels spirits? Could He have made them flesh and blood? Yes, but He didn’t. Who made the “ministers” a flame of fire? God, could He have made them a bowl of water? Yes, but He didn’t. This is like the phrase, “shall the clay say to the Potter, why have you made me this way?”. This verse asks us all, flesh and blood, angel, saint, or sinner, Who made you? You can only worship the Creator, any other form of worship is false: here the Father is telling us to direct our worship at Jesus, the Word made flesh for us.
Verse 8 directs itself to the Son and Father only, but verse 9 expands the concept showing the Inheritance, showing verses 10 and 11 point to the worship. Jesus told us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, here we find the Kingdom and the Righteousness belong to Jesus. It would almost sound as if Jesus was boasting in Himself, which we know could not be the case, rather we find Jesus speaking as the Son of man in reference to God the Son.
Moses was lower than the angels, he was not a fellow servant as was John, desiring to be like Moses misses the mark, since Moses was, “a god to Pharaoh”, but he was not spiritual, nor Born Again. In the Book of Revelation we find John standing on the “sand of the sea”, which means he was made higher than the nation of Israel. The man was a Jew, he came from the nation, so what makes him so excellent? Jesus. John was raised above the sand of the sea by Christ in him, he didn’t raise himself.
The Seed of God is created after God’s Holiness and Righteousness, thus we find the Father (Holiness) and the Son (Righteousness) giving us the Law of the Spirit, or the Law of God’s Righteousness. The Holy Ghost is not a creation, Jesus is not a creation, yet we are by the New Man in us. Ahh, we have the Image, the Essence of Jesus in the New Man, the Expressed Image is found in the New Man, who was granted to us based on the result of the Victory Jesus obtained, thus Victory is built into the New Man. The Seed of God is the expressed image of God in us, the Seed having the Righteousness of Jesus grants us the scepter to the Kingdom. The Seed having the True Holiness of the Father grants us the ability to apply Mercy as the Father granted it to us.
The Righteousness of Jesus put an end to self-righteousness, thus before the Righteousness of Jesus came, all man had was self-righteousness, but it changed. Self-righteousness was the basis of the Law of Moses, but the Righteousness of Jesus is More Excellent. It’s one thing to have right standing on earth, another to have Right Standing in heaven. How long is the reign of Jesus? Forever and ever, not just forever, not just ever, but ages upon ages, which is a Jewish idiom for time without end. The same premise is found in the word “bottomless”, showing a time without end.
The word Scepter in verse 8 is the Greek Rhabdou meaning A Rod, or Staff, it’s used for chastising, but it also refers to a walking staff, or a staff to lean upon, thus it depends on the usage. Here it means all three, we walk by Faith, we Lean on Jesus, if not, we are chastened. A Scepter is often the sign of the person who rules, here it’s based in the Righteousness of Jesus. One cannot be of the Kingdom yet use, or lean on their self-righteousness.
First John tells us the Blood of Jesus is cleaning us from all unrighteousness, but how? By the application of the Righteousness of Jesus, the same Righteousness which came with the New Man. Righteousness is a power and authority, if the Righteousness of Jesus grants Him a position next to the Father, the same Righteousness grants us a Position with Jesus, indicating it is a more Excellent position then standing before the Law of Moses.
Our Kingdom is for the spiritual sons of God, Born Again to have the Spirit of Christ in us. The quote comes from Psalm 45:6, known as “A Psalm of Love”. Psalm 45:3-4 tells us Jesus put His Sword on His thigh, with His Glory and Majesty He brought Truth, Meekness and Righteousness. We think the Sword is for killing, but here we find the Sword was put away, it’s the Scepter of Righteousness becoming the mark of our King. Psalm 45:10 tells us to forget the former and seek the New, for the King is our Lord, we are to worship Him (Ps 45:11). Psalm 45:13-14 tells us we are the Daughter of the King, we shall be Brought (caught up) to Him, then after the Night the Remnant will be our companions. Jesus appointed to us as the Greater Flock, the Remnant as the Little Flock. We are ten thousand times ten thousand, but the Remnant are taken from the tribes, making them less.
Verse 9 is directed at us, showing how we maintain; yet the order is just as important as the desire. We have Loved Righteousness, Jesus is our Righteousness, but we also hate iniquity, thus if we hate it enough, we won’t do it. However, the order is important, Love must rule, hate must not rule. If hate becomes the motivation we will forget the Righteousness, ending as a watch dog set to bite and devour. Our love for the Righteousness of Jesus keeps us seeking the Righteousness, if iniquity in us is seen, we hate it. We don’t hate the workers of iniquity, just the iniquity. This also shows the weapon we use against iniquity is the Righteousness of Jesus.
With the Righteousness of Jesus as the Scepter, it means the Kingdom is only maintained by the Righteousness from on High, not by self-righteousness, or the Law of Moses. Once we receive the Sacrifice of Christ, we then receive the Oil of gladness, for Jesus is our Righteousness, we Love Him above all fellows. Righteousness is the position of Right Standing, if we are told to Stand, we better stand in the proper Righteousness.
The foundations are principalities, they shall all perish (v. 10-11), the time will come when they shall be changed (to make different). However, who made them? The Lord, again we can ask the principalities, who made you? The Lord. We can ask the earth, who made you? The Lord. These things are not over the Lord, they are not equal, we were not given permission to worship them. This is another area where we find any of us can fall into the trap of worshiping the things of God, rather than God. The Gospel is important, but we don’t worship it, we preach it. The anointing is important, but we don’t worship it. Things are under the feet of Jesus, we are of the Body, we worship the Lord, not the tools He has given us.
This shows the error in seeking our own self-righteousness, since it insults the Righteousness of Jesus. Faith is not the Scepter, it’s the Righteousness of Jesus, the same Righteousness we gained in the New Man. We must move on to the Righteousness of Jesus, the earth will change into the lake of fire, those who fail to hear “Come up hither”, will be lost. It is better to hear, “Come up hither”, than face the Prince. What Prince? The prince of the power of the air? Hardly, we faced him while we were in the world, no, this points to the Prince of Peace.
Verse 12 tells us there will be a new heaven and a new earth, they will be changed, but for some reason we think “change” is always glorious. Here the change is from the outside of the earth being plants, water and the such, to becoming the lake of fire, a place without end. The sun will someday burn itself out, thus there will be an end to the sun, but the lake of fire has no end. There are some who oppose the concept of “eternal judgment”, but as we will see, if there is no Eternal Judgment, there is no Eternal Life.
Verse 13 takes us back to the angels, we began with How God said, for the last few verses we saw some of the things God said, among them were some very pointed questions. Here we find the Father never said to any angel, whether a prophet, or angel in heaven, “Sit at My Right Hand”, which is the same as saying, “You are equal to Me in all regards”. Wait, didn’t we find in Philippians Jesus was in “the form of God – thought it not robbery”, then Jesus took on the “form of man”? (Ph’l 2:6-7). Yes, it’s the point, Jesus put aside one position, to take a much lower one, to defeat the enemy, in order to bring mankind to a higher position. It was the reward given God, producing the reward for Jesus. The Intent of the Son was not to endure just to obtain the throne, rather it was to endure to please the Father, by giving mankind the route of Salvation.
Jesus could have remained in the Bosom of the Father, or commanded all to come to the Father, but He didn’t. Was it possible? With God all things are, but not all are profitable, nor are all “lawful”.
When Jesus ascended the Lucifer nature was rebuked for all time, we recall how the evil nature says in its heart, “I will ascend into heaven” (Isa 14:13). Lucifer says many things “in his heart”, but he lacks the ability to carry them out, thus he lies. Like the old nature Lucifer is based in, he uses mind games, tricks, deception, until he becomes self-deceived thinking he is much more than he is (Isa 14:12). If we didn’t know better we would think Lucifer is using “faith statements”, after all he is saying many things relative to heaven. The five I wills lack faith, since they are “I will”, which lacks a belief in “God Is”. The devil could be standing in the middle of hell saying, “there is no hell, there is no hell”, but it doesn’t change the fact, hell exists. In order to make a “faith statement”, three things must be evident, we must have a promise or premise expressly for us, we must Hear, since faith comes by hearing, then we must focus our faith on pleasing God, whether we’re pleased or not.
All five of the I Wills of Lucifer are based in self-righteousness, each denotes the Lucifer complex assumes it’s special among the special, not having something More Excellent, but being More Excellent in and of himself. The mindset of Lucifer is to be the more special, the one with all the news, the one who is far greater than the total, the leader of the band, the most important of the important. Those who have the “revelation” the rest of us are not ready for hold the Lucifer mindset. Those who have a truth, none of the rest of us are privy to, exalt themselves above the Mount of God. The Signs and Ways of a person tell us much.
Is our faith in God based on God’s ability to deliver us from this earth, so we can get us into heaven? Yes, but the first I will is, “I will ascend into heaven”. Same? No, it’s “I will”. We are made kings and priests, we didn’t make ourselves kings and priests. Do we have a throne? Yes, we come boldly to the Throne of Grace, but the second I will is, “I will exalt my throne about the stars of God”. Same? No, the “I will” is there, showing the self-promotion of being above the stars. Do we have a Zion of heaven? Yes, are not the 144,000 marked on Zion of the earth? Yes, but the third I will is, “I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north”. Same? No, not at all. It’s still I will, this is the danger in assuming our measure of faith is the same, or greater than the Faith of Jesus. Hebrews will set us straight, the measure of faith is earth related, although it can do many things, it cannot gain us the Promise (Heb 11:39). Lucifer never counts on the ability of Christ, it’s always by his own ability, words tell us much.
What is the function of the New Man? To make us the Image of God’s dear Son, meaning we are heirs of God, joint-heirs with Christ, but the fifth I will says, “I will be like the most High” (Isa 14:13-14). The wording “will be like” is the Hebrew Damah, it doesn’t mean Lucifer will be the Most High, rather it means he will resemble the Most High, or be the Image of God by natural endeavors. What did the Father say about Jesus? Sit at My Right Hand? Yes, is it the Same? No, the “I will” again, it shows the motivation of Lucifer is to be Anti-Christ in nature, rather than the Faith of Jesus, Lucifer thinks his abilities equal those of Jesus. The five “I will” areas all denote the self, the very heart of Judas. Lucifer is making these mental aspersions for himself, not for God, not for mankind, not for the Lord, rather they are completely based on his own doing without Jesus. The Lucifer mindset is lurking in the darkness, looking for the Judas heart to give it place, we hate iniquity, the Lucifer complex is the product of iniquity. Wait, I thought Iniquity was unequal, or the failure to do something we’re suppose to do. Exactly, all five areas are “goals”, even goals we seek, but the introduction of the “I Will”, is the failure to have the Spirit of Christ, meaning Lucifer uses the he of the world as his source.
Here in verse 13 the Father says, He will make the enemies of Jesus His footstool, there must be a warning before the time takes place. Wait, Sit until? Then what? Ahh, Stand, when Jesus stands the first thing to happen is we are caught up to Him, then He begins to come to the earth as “a thief in the Night”, not a “thief in the Day”. Until the time when He stands, we Stand, yet when He stands, we will be sitting in high places.
Could the Father making the enemies of Jesus His footstool, relate to Acts 1:7? Yes, the division of Seasons, we are to be Witnesses, in the Night the Father has set the course for the enemies to be made the footstool of Jesus. Now wait, don’t we come to worship at His Footstool? No, the Jew does, we find Heaven is God’s throne, but His Footstool is Earth. Ahh, the Beast of the Earth, those who remained in the Principality of the dragon, yet claimed to be “sons of God”. Right, we all began at the Foot of Jesus, then we move in growth until we meet Him face to face. The footstool is not an extension of the feet of Jesus, it’s the place where His feet rest. The enemy will bruise the “heel” of Jesus, showing they are His footstool.
Who are those enemies? Those who loved Iniquity, but hated the Righteousness. They joined to Judas by holding the five “I will” tenets of Lucifer. Therefore, we Love Righteousness, but hate iniquity. Jesus has the keys to death and hell, in the end hell is cast into the lake of fire. You can call it anything you want, “a place”, “it”, “hell”, the “grave”, whatever, it’s still a place we don’t want to be found in. Someone sees a “car”, another calls it a “vehicle”, another “transportation”, another an “auto”, another “it”, but it’s still the same element, thus whatever one wants to call hell doesn’t matter, it’s still a place referred to by Jesus as a real element without end. “Wait it gets cast into the lake of fire, so it will end”. No, it will continue in the lake of fire, the lake of fire is without end. Here we find Jesus by death, overcame death, so we who are appointed to death, hell and the grave can avoid the second death. The physical body of Jesus died on the Cross, but the soul of Jesus faced the second death, overcame it, gaining us the victory so we won’t have to face the second death (Rev 2:11, 20:6, 20:14 & 21:9).
Verse 14 doesn’t give us permission to make slaves out of angels, nor does it mean we have power over angels. The word “ministering” is connected to the same Greek word we found in verse 7, but the Greek word Minister in this verse is not the same. This word Minister is the Greek Diakonia it was used in reference to Moses, and in reference to the Apostles, Evangelists, and others who are “made” by Jesus to fit offices as they minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. This is another area where Jesus asks us, “who has made you a leader?”. Jesus, thus whether angels, prophets, or saint, Jesus put us in position, where we are to Serve.
Exodus 23:20 is a preview of this verse, where we find an Angel was sent before the children to show them the way to the Promise Land, we are sent to show the Way unto others, as we teach them how they can enter the Kingdom of God by faith. Oops, by faith, so if we are not walking in faith, how can we show others The Faith? The exact point of this letter, we will see the “attitude” of the children in the wilderness to find the answer to the age old question, “Isn’t God greater than your unbelief?”. God is greater than our unbelief, He will upbraid us with it, or leave us with it, which makes Him Greater. However, will our unbelief make the faith of God to no avail? Hardly, so He is Greater, but it doesn’t mean He will ignore our unbelief. Our unbelief hinders us, it doesn’t stop God.
We often quote verse 14 as, “sent to them who shall be”, when it reads “sent For them who shall be”, thus it refers to those being sent For those who are not yet heirs. We were those who Are heirs, instead of depending on angels, we have the Spirit, we become the “ministering spirits” who are sent to those who shall be. This connects to “how shall they preach, except they be sent” (Rom 10:15). This also connects to Romans 8:16-17, which tells us we have received the Spirit by Adoption, then comes the three steps of “heirs, heirs of God, and Joint-heirs with Christ”, but we don’t find “shall be heirs” listed in Romans. If we assume we can use angels based on verse 14, we are also saying we are not an Heir, not smart. Angels will do things for us we can’t, yet they are fellow servants, not slaves.
Chapter one laid out the course, no man, not Moses, Adam, David or Abraham was able to secure the Kingdom for us, no man was able to present Righteousness as a Scepter for the kingdom. It took the Word of God in the flesh of man to combat something none of us were able to combat, He then presented a Sacrifice none of us were able to give. Jesus as the Sacrifice, presented the Sacrifice as our High Priest, making it possible for us to present ourselves as Living Sacrifices.
Heb 2:1-4
Hebrews is our priestly order, but if a priest has allowed their foundation to slip, yet they venture into the Holy of Holies, they die. If a priest of one Order, uses the essence of another, they are casting strange fire into the Holy Place. Ever priesthood has an Order, a set of functions and duties laid out for them to follow. We are no different, but what came first the Law or the Priesthood? In our case we find Jesus was acting as our High Priest before the Law of the Spirit came, thus the Law of the Spirit is a product of the Resurrection, but Jesus as our High Priest was presenting the Sacrifice before the Resurrection (Heb 7:12). Therefore, we are not going to partake of the heavenly Sacrifice unless we are part of the Order of our Priesthood. Are we priests? Yes, Jesus has made us both kings and priests (Rev 1:6). We talk much about our Kingdom, but little about our Priesthood, we are both, we need to know about both.
God spoke in times past to the angels, God speaks to us by Jesus, now we find we are to give “more earnest” heed to the things which we “have heard”. Faith comes by hearing, so this part must be based on the Hearing. Simply saying “I spoke faith, thus it came”, isn’t the entire story, faith must hear something from God before it can act, the hearing must come by the Rhema. Back in 1:3 we saw how the Rhema was the Word of His power, but what is the Power for? Destruction? No, Salvation. Rhema ears are looking for Grace, they are seeking the Righteousness found in Grace, the ability of Grace, above all they know the answer to “Who has made you?”. Why is it so important? It keeps us from reversing the premise, or using Lucifer means, then calling it “faith”. One purpose for this letter is found in Hebrews 2:1, as it tells us to keep ourselves from falling into a self-complacent thought process, thinking we are so saved we can’t slip. The wording “let them slip” in the Greek gives the idea of a leaking vessel, one who thinks its full, but has small cracks allowing the water to flow out. What could cause those cracks? Unbelief, or perhaps a failure to ask, “who has made you?”.
We must also recall from Whom we heard, if from the New Man it was from Jesus. The Holy Ghost will bring things to our remembrance which Jesus has told us, He will bear witness to our Spirit with the Proceeding Word of God, teaching us by comparing spiritual with spiritual. However, we can fall for the illusion thinking we are the so special we can say, “Not so Lord”, and get away with it.
The word “Heard” used in verse 1 denotes Hearing with attention, as in the phrase “ears to hear” (Acts 28:26 et al), it also means to Receive to Understand what we heard. This explains “ears who hear”, showing we must not only hear, but we must have what it takes to understand what is being said. Without the New Man we will assume we can use natural reasoning to define spiritual intent, yet loss in the end.
The wording, “More Earnest” could also read More Abundantly, it comes from the Greek word Perissoteros meaning More than before, thus the Old Testament saints heard in bits and pieces, but the Holy Ghost reveals unto us the hidden things of God, those mysteries for those who are heirs of salvation. In order to hear the Spirit of God, we must have the Spirit that is of God (I Cor 2:11-12).
Verse 2 shows the Logos spoken by the angels was steadfast, then made manifest in Jesus, then all transgressions and disobedience were exposed, which produced a reward for disobedience not found in the Crown of Life. It’s the other side of Salvation, which is known as Judgment. The lesson is clear, have ears to hear.
This also shows the Law of Moses is not designed to save man, it’s designed to point out sin, then judge mankind. Just as the Ten Commandments pointed out the failure of man, the Law makes the transgressions clear. The Law of Moses was based on the Mercy of God, the Law of the Spirit on the Grace of God. While it is yet Today we hear the voice of the Lord calling us deeper into His Grace which gives our Mercy more ability.
The word Disobedience means Unbelief, the Transgressions were defined in the Law of Moses, thus the angels of old testified of Jesus as they spoke of a Salvation yet to come, but they didn’t obtain the Promise, although they did speak of it. Numbers 15:30 says, “But the soul who does aught presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproaches the Lord; that soul shall be cut off from among His people”. This also helps us understand the word Angel, this angel was Moses, a speaker of the Law. God exposed the problem, then gave man years to attempt to set it right, the evidence of man’s failure is the evidence only in Jesus can man have Peace, Salvation, and the Things of God. The purpose of the Old is clear, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, all need a Savior.
Verse 3 does not say, “so great a gift of salvation” rather it’s very careful to point out Salvation is not the Gift, it’s the purpose. Some of us read this as, “so great a gift”, but the word “gift” isn’t there. “Well, maybe it reads different in the old texts”. You’re right, it reads, “how we shall escape by neglecting great salvation”. The word “gift” still isn’t there, it’s not even suggested by the Greek. Strongholds form when we add words to the text, causing us to take away attributes of Jesus, or make up fables. This verse is clear, it’s laying the ground work to show us chapter six isn’t talking about one who has “salvation”, but who “shall be an heir”. They are in the kingdom of heaven, but they are rejecting the call to “give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard”, the result is “letting them slip” away, which causes a falling away. If we let the “things” of Grace slip, we will also slip. When the day comes when we treat the members of the Body of Christ as our slaves, we have allowed both Mercy and Grace to slip.
Here in 2:3 we find Salvation was First spoken of by Jesus, thus it’s the context, as the prophets spoke of many things, including judgment, they even spoke of salvation yet to come, but Jesus is the only one who produced the product and means to obtain salvation. This will be made clearer when we get to Chapters 10 and 11 in reference to all those who held faith, yet were not able to obtain the promise, the Promise is the Holy Spirit.
We went from the prophets, to the Law of Moses, to Jesus, to those who heard Him. It’s one thing to reject a supposed conclusion, another to reject a proven truth. The evidence of the truth came with signs, wonders, different types of miracles, and “gifts” of the Holy Ghost, “according to His own Will”. Again it wasn’t the will or man, it wasn’t man’s great faith producing the signs and wonders, it was the result of the Holy Ghost using the available people who want to be used of God.
Signs are a result of the wonders, signs are on earth, wonders in heaven (Acts 2:19). The connection between the two show heaven is opened unto the saints of the Lord. Ahh, here we find “gifts”, so this must connect to Salvation as a gift, right? Wrong, the word Gifts here is not the Greek Charis, nor is it Doma, nor is it any of the other Greek words translated as “gifts”. This is the Greek word Merismos, it’s only found twice, here, and in Hebrews 4:12. In Hebrews 4:12 it’s translated as “dividing asunder”, thus this is not the granting of “the Gift”, but how the Gift of the Spirit in us will divide by signs and wonders. In this case the signs and wonders divided the people into the believers and unbelievers, or between those who paid earnest heed, and those who didn’t. This goes to the last verses in Mark, where we found we can preach even if we don’t believe, but the signs will only follow those who believe.
The phrase, “spoken unto us by His Son” (Heb 1.2) is defined in verse 3 as we find “spoken by the Lord”, showing Jesus not only came from the Bosom of the Father, but He is the Logos, who spoke both the Rhema (Jn 6:63). The prophets spoke of Jesus, Jesus spoke, those who followed Jesus by the Spirit spoke of Jesus by the Spirit, their words were confirmed by the Holy Ghost, how can we neglect so great a salvation?
Up to verse 4 everything was “hear” or “speak”, then came the Mersimos, the dividing asunder, the separation of the Word from the words by signs, wonders, and miracles proving the point. God didn’t bear witness with a union card, or a band of angels, but with signs, wonders and miracles of the dividing asunder by the Holy Ghost, the separation, or justification process called Grace. Were there divisions? Yes, the people saw, believed, the religious rulers also saw, but failed to believe.
Heb 2:5-18
Verse 5 points changes the context more, but still connecting to the prior verses. Prior it was what God said, here it’s what God does. In 2:4 we saw how God was bearing witness, here we find the “world to come”, what world? The Night, the seven angels will bring the plagues, but the “angels” known as the 144,000 will be marked by Jesus on Zion of the earth, thus it’s still Jesus who causes the Synagogue of Satan to worship at their feet.
Now we jump to what is man? Is man the creator? No, was Adam the creator? No, was Adam the reason for creation? No, he was the start of the process, but not the reason. God picked one nation out of all the nations in the world, we know by their history they had times of obedience, yet they had times of disobedience. However, let us draw this down to one person. What greatness did we have to cause God to look upon us then grant us His Seed? Nothing, we were nothing, but God’s Love and Mercy didn’t see “nothing”, He saw “what could be”. We have the gift of the measure of faith, the element in the breath of God so we could please God. The measure did what it was suppose to do, draw our attention to the Cross. Gee, can we take credit for it? No, the measure was Given, thus it was a gift as well. “You mean all those good things I did in the world don’t count?”. You’re starting to get the idea, take away the question mark, make it a statement, then you will have the idea. Anything “good” is a direct result of God, thus we give God the glory, we don’t take credit for it.
The writer now makes another separation between man, the earthly son of man, as well as the heavenly Son of man. One in a certain place said? One what? Which man? One of the prophets who spoke as God moved them in those bits and pieces said in Psalm 144:3, “Lord, what is man, for You take knowledge of him! or the son of man, for You make account of him!”; we have two areas, man as Adam, and the Son of man, both will be addressed. Psalm 144 continues with a conclusion, “Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow passing away”, what possible connection could God, the Living God, the God of all the universe have with common man? Love, not just a Love for all the world, but a Love for the individual creation as something from God no other creation has. Even the whales were “living souls”, so why not “save the whales”? The breath of God, find a whale feeding the poor, if they are, preach the truth in love to them, get them “saved”. Oops, our measure of faith contains the Agapao love of God, plus what is called “creativity ability”, or the ability to see things not there, then form them to fit the image. However, it’s still based on God giving, not man inventing. What is man?
The prophet Ezekiel was termed a “son of man”, thus Ezekiel represented man before God, as he spoke for God to man. Jesus as the Son of man is far greater, He not only represented us in word, but in deed. Ezekiel spoke in reference to people of his time, yet he was unable to save his people. Jesus spoke on behalf of all mankind, past, present, and future, then produced the ability for man to be saved.
If God “visited” man, how did He do it? Take a train? Perhaps a heavenly bus? No, His Word came in the form of man, then we find Jesus was “made”, not created a little lower than the angels, then Jesus was Set over the works of God’s hands, what works? The fish? No, All of creation, All Power in heaven and earth was given unto Jesus, then Jesus looked at us and said, “therefore you go”. Does it mean we have all the power of universe? Can we create stars? Wow, we’re God. Not so, it was based on having the Authority based on Jesus giving us instructions, coupled with the Power from on High, but it still doesn’t grant us All God’s power. We do not have the power to judge man, or destroy the earth, but we do have power over the enemy, and all the works of the devil. By the granted Authority based in Grace and Mercy we have all it takes to reach Salvation, or preach Grace with effectiveness. We are a people of authority, but we are also under authority, understanding the premise is a key to great faith.
The word Made (madest in KJV) is the Greek Elattoo meaning To diminish or To take from a higher position then place in a lower. This adds to the concept, we find man has a glory with an honor as a crown, thus this wasn’t something Adam possessed, but something given over to him, something granted to him. Ezekiel 28 shows the prince of Tyrus as a man who assumes he is God, but then we see the king of Tyrus who was the “anointed cherub who covered” (Ezek 28:14). Adam had a type of earthly glory as a crown to show his authority, thus he named the animals, yet man still does. Man’s ability in certain areas did not change, the fall removed man from the source of Life, thus the Tree of Life for Adam was external, for us it’s internal.
The context shows, “what is man?”. Why would God take the time and effort to save man? The quote, again comes from Psalms, yet the Psalms are part of the Testimony of Jesus (Luke 24:44). Psalms for the most part are prophetic in nature, thus the writer is making the correlation between the bits and pieces spoken, and the mystery revealed in Jesus. The questions continue, to what angel did God say? To what man did God say? But unto the Son He did said. Psalms 8:5 reads, “For You have made Him a little lower than the angels (Elohim)…”. The same Hebrew word used for Angels is found in Psalm 82 translated as gods, this is not the devil speaking, but God Himself who called His appointed leaders “gods”, the word means the extensions of God as representatives, or as the ruling elders of Israel. It’s true the devil promised Eve she could be “as the gods”, but at the time the only “gods” were angels, also the devil had no authority to make or appoint gods, thus the transgression of Eve was illegally seeking a position through a source lacking the ability to grant it. Whereas the gods in Psalm 82 are appointed by God, much different, we shouldn’t confuse the two.
Jesus told the Pharisees, “Is it not written in your Law, I said You are gods?” (Jn 10:34). Why didn’t Jesus say, “our Law”? At the time the New Law was in the form of being established in the Mercy of the Father. The separation was in the making, yet Jesus didn’t say, “I am a god”, rather He said, “I and the Father are One” (Jn 10:30). Psalm 82 shows it was God who called the Jewish leaders gods (Elohim), thus the context points to God making them messengers or angels, it’s the same thought. We’re not only talking about the angel in the garden, but about the angels, or gods (Elohim) appointed by God, thus Adam was made lower than the angels, at the fall when Eve wanted to be, “like the angels (gods)” it transgressed her position, yet her husband was watching the entire matter unfold. Adam couldn’t regain his position, Adam was able to save his own soul, or regain his Life position. Why didn’t God simply kick the devil out, and let Adam back in the Garden? Because Adam would do the same thing over again, thus the ego of man looks back, sees the error, then assumes “If I had the same chance, I would win”. We would still miss it, perhaps in a different way, all have come short of the glory of God.
The time for any human to be “spiritual” was not yet, the prophecy went forth, but we found there was something missing from man to bring about the inward Godly ability. Eve attempted to gain a position not afforded to her, by a means she was warned to avoid. Psalm 8 and Hebrews 2:8 show all things in the realm of Adam were placed under the feet, his crown (authority) to his kingdom held the Glory and Honor of a living soul, but he was unable to hold to his kingdom. However, Jesus not only holds the Kingdom, His Scepter proves His Righteousness. The comparison keeps us from the false thought we could have a like start as Adam, and not fail. We would, and have, only Jesus is able to save us.
The devil is ineffective for anyone who enters the kingdom of heaven, even the Wicked who are the Tares of the field have power over the devil. Of course we know they use the authority of the Beast of the Sea, becoming workers of Iniquity, nonetheless, during the Day they still have authority over the devil. This is the very issue, if they have the opportunity over the devil, yet they use the authority of darkness, they are the enemies of Jesus. We are responsible for the authority Jesus granted us, therein lays the division, the Wicked want power, but refuse to be under Godly authority.
Often in our zeal to counter the teachings of cult systems, we toss out the Truth with the Fable. When a cult system tells us they are “gods”, we run to the Bible to find something the devil said to counter their claim. Yet, in so doing we also reject the premise of who calls who, what. In Psalm 82 it was God who appointed, we find they were still lower than those who are Born Again. The “gods” or extensions of God in Psalm 82 were not Born Again, they were people appointed to a position under the Law of Moses as Elders. If someone wants to fit the position, so be it, we have a More Excellent call and position. There is a vast difference between God calling us, and man calling us.
Verse 9 then takes us to Jesus, one must have eyes to see in order to See Jesus; therefore, we had the ears to hear, now it’s eyes to see. Wait, hold it, hang on there, if faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, yet we See Jesus, how can He be related to our faith? The context here is to see Jesus as one would perceive His nature by having the Spirit. Don’t look to angels to deliver us, don’t look to man to deliver us, don’t look for a “good word” from angels, or man, seek the Voice of the Lord, as we seek His Expressed Image in us, then we can See the Lord.
After considering “what is man”, we “see” Jesus, the purpose for Jesus taking on flesh was not to show God’s glory, it was not to expose the religious conceit of man, it was for the suffering of death to free mankind. Man holds unto to his flesh, yet seeks “life” by the flesh, Jesus took on flesh to taste of the pain of death, to free us from the flesh. It would be one thing if Jesus picked one person, then felt the pain of the one person, but we find He took on the suffering of all mankind, the sins of all mankind, yet in order for mankind to be free of sin, they must receive Jesus. Then we find “the gift” in the phrase, “He by the Grace of God should taste death for every man”. The key is Purpose, meaning Grace became the purpose. After Jesus tasted of death, He would no longer have to face death. It doesn’t mean we won’t have a physical death, it’s still appointed unto all men to die once, but it does mean the result of sin producing the second death cannot touch us, we are of Life, not death, because of what Jesus did for us.
Were all things created for man? No, how about the angels? No, but we find Jesus for Whom all things were created taking on the nature of man, to become the Captain of our Salvation, so we can be made Perfect and Complete through His sufferings. God being Spirit could never feel “sufferings”, or “death”, but if the very Word of God took on flesh, then the experience would draw God closer to man. In gaining the experience man would then be able to draw closer to God. What about the sin nature? Was Jesus born into a sin nature? The nature is in the flesh, His flesh is a reproduction from Mary, but the real Jesus was found in His Character, which He is the same as the Father’s, making them One. The virgin birth was special, the induction of the heavenly into the womb untouched means something, but it was still the flesh of Jesus. However, Jesus having flesh, and the flesh controlling Him are much different. We have the advantage by the Cross to impute the flesh dead, making it ineffective.
The word Captain in verse 10 is the Greek Archegos which is related to the Greek Arche (principalities or beginnings), the context of Archegos means the Source of the beginning, whenever the beginning may have been. Therefore, Jesus is the Beginning of Salvation, or the Source of Salvation, yet He is also the Finish of Salvation. Jesus is the Source of all things, all things are By Him, but He still suffered for us, so the Father may have many “sons” in Glory (v. 10). Without the Suffering Messiah there is no way any of us can have the Spirit, or be sons of God, or be Born Again, or walk by faith.
Then we find it’s God who sanctifies, when we who accept the Cross, yet we become sanctified in Christ by what Jesus did for us, not what we do for Him. Verse 12 gives us two areas, declaring the Name and Praise, each has a place, yet they are connected. The word Declare is the Greek Apaggello meaning to announce as an angel, indicating what an angel says. Apaggello is a compound word meaning Apo (from) and Aggello (to tell), the Greek word Aggello is the same word from which we get the English word Angel, thus it’s not only bringing a message, but Who sent the message. Jesus didn’t bring the Message, He is the Message, thus John the Baptist brought the Apaggello regarding Jesus when he said, “Behold the Lamb of God”. The word “preach” is connected to this word, thus anyone who speaks by the Spirit is an “angel”. The prophets of old spoke as they were “moved” by the Holy Ghost, we speak as we’re move by the Spirit in us in those one on one areas, but as the Holy Ghost moves us regarding the masses.
The key is the word “Church”, since the Church is being built by Jesus. Who then is doing the talking? Is it Jesus declaring His own name in the Church He is building? Or is the New Man declaring the victory of Jesus? Let’s see, Psalm 22:22 says “I will declare Your Name unto My brethren”, this is during the three days Jesus spent in the grave, thus the Name being declared is the Name of the Father, but then we find the Victory, as Psalm 22 doesn’t mention the Church, rather it’s the congregation, referring to the worshipping elders of Israel. Did the scribe miss it? No, not at all, we find the result, Jesus declared the name of the Father, the New Man declares the Name of Jesus, the Name above all Names is in the Midst of the Church Jesus is building. For the House of the Lord is an established house of prayer and worship for those who worship in Spirit in Truth by the Spirit of Truth.
During the three days and nights the Church was yet future tense, after the three days and nights Jesus appeared to the disciples, then He ascended to give The Sacrifice, then He descended seven days later, then He spent 40 days with the disciples, then He ascended, then the Church was birthed by the Holy Ghost bringing the Gift on Pentecost. Jesus declared the Name of the Father to those whom Jesus took captive, but the New Man in us declares Jesus. No one calls Jesus Lord but by the Holy Ghost granting them the Seed of God as the authority. Psalm 68:26 says “Bless ye God in the congregation, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel”. How can we bless God? Through the New Man. The greatest gift of all is Grace, but it took the suffering of Jesus to gain us the gift.
Again some of the bits and pieces came through the prophet Isaiah, Verse 13 is a quote from Isaiah 8:17-18 telling us to wait on the Lord, but Isaiah 9:2 shows us why. The people who walked in darkness have seen a Great Light; they who dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them has the Light shined. The “valley of the shadow of death” is a place considered the world as a result of the Law of sin and death. However, when Jesus came the True Light shined in a dark place, when the True Light shines there are no shadows of darkness. He came among His own, yet they received Him not, but as many as did receive Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God (Jn 1:1-14). Clearly one has to Receive Jesus in order to get the Power to be Born Again, one must be Born Again to be considered a son of God.
We know faith pleases God, but back in Psalm 147:10-11 we find the Lord takes Pleasure in them who Fear Him, in those who Hope in His mercy. This is not hoping for His mercy, but hoping while in His Mercy, thus Faith must entail a Fear of God, it must also the products of Mercy, meaning it’s a Faith working by Love. What has this to do with Praise? Psalm 147:12 tells us, “Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion”. “Oh that’s for the Jew”, is it? We are New Jerusalem, we have a Heavenly Zion, thus if we are in the Faith we can’t help but Praise the Lord for “all things”, whether we understand them, or not.
The concepts of Waiting and Trust go hand in hand, it’s our lack of Trust in God producing Ishmaels. Why did God take on the flesh of man? As much as the children have flesh and blood, then He likewise “took part” of the same, so through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, who is the devil (v 14). The purpose of Jesus taking on flesh was Salvation, but in order to present Salvation death had to be defeated. How did Jesus defeat death? By the death on the Cross, which stands as our place to impute the old nature dead by the flesh imputed dead. Jesus destroyed the devil, the word destroyed means to be made ineffective. Once we accept the Cross the world, devil, demons, wiles of the devil are all made ineffective in our lives. The Process does not begin by “imputing” the devil ineffective, rather it begins when we impute our flesh (old nature) dead on the Cross of Jesus.
Verse 14 has a truth all of us need to consider, Jesus destroyed the devil through death, but wasn’t death the one thing the devil’s authority controlled? Ahh, Jesus proved His Authority of Life is greater. So, what does it do for us? Far too many of us think the devil still has the power to guide, instruct, or do to us as he will. Here we find the devil is “destroyed”, or ineffective by the Cross. The Process took us from the Cross to the Grave to the Power of the Resurrection. If we have the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, surely the devil is completely ineffective in our lives, unless we give him place (opportunity). If we did slip, or give the devil opportunity we can repent, gain the fruit of repentance by learning a lesson. However, if we ignore the lesson, or play in the devil’s sandbox, we’re going to get dirty.
The devil isn’t sitting over us running our lives, like Pharaoh he was ineffective by the “water” (mercy). The separation took place at the Cross, not the Resurrection, the Resurrection is the result; our identification with the Cross and death of Jesus is seen in our Token of water baptism. When we moved to the Cross, the devil couldn’t stop us, but he still entices as the voice of a stranger. On the other hand God is cleaning and removing, in the process there are times when God must allow exposure so we can see, what God sees. Rejoice when we fall into divers temptations, it means we don’t have to keep falling, there is hope in God’s restoration.
The deeds of the Law of Moses were based in a fear of death, but instead of removing death, Jesus removed us from the second death, we have been loosed (v. 15). Man works to rid the elements of death, sickness, disease, aging, but it’s still appointed unto all men to die once, then comes the judgment. Man wars against death, but uses the tools of death to do so. The same rulers of darkness who brought the fear of death, motivate man to fight death, in the end man dies the first death. However, we can know death of the flesh will come, but we don’t need to fear it, Jesus has won the battle, the victory is ours. Oh death where is thy sting?
Jesus faced death, but although His flesh died on the Cross, He didn’t, as He says, He is the one who was dead, yet lives, indicating death isn’t a time when the soul of man ceases to exist, if so how could Jesus defeat the devil through death? Through the defeat of death Jesus brought Life plus Freedom from the second death. It’s the second death wherein lays the horror, thus the Spirit being granted is our Seal of Hope, our Hope is in Jesus. The Faith of Jesus proves Jesus has overcome, giving us our foundation of belief. Yet, for us the Hope lays ahead, which is the premise for our faith. No one can be Resurrected unless they first die, Jesus proved it. However, by the death of Jesus we gain the ability to call death a was, making it possible for us to have the Power of the Resurrection now. Once death has been completed, the purpose of death is complete, giving us the ability to say, “death where is your sting? Oh grave where is your victory?” (I Cor 15:55-56).
Jesus is not an angel who took on flesh, nor was He an angel in some far distant time. Jesus didn’t take on the “nature” of angels, but as the Seed of Abraham He appeared as the Son of man. The process of elimination brings this done to the complexity God established, man fell, but no man could save man, yet God as a Spirit couldn’t save man, since God was not man, thus God had to be man, without being man, yet without being God. How could this be? Jesus as the Word made flesh, the purpose and answer.
Forasmuch as the children who were lost under darkness were “partakers” of flesh and blood, God also likewise took “part” of the same. Later in 3:1 we will see the word Partaker again, but they are different Greek words. Here in verse 14 the Greek word is Koinoneo meaning to participate, pointing to the nature of man being earth related. It would take someone of the family of earth to save man, yet the someone had to come from Abraham as a human who had the “righteousness” imputed to him, but at the same time the Person had to live a sinless life, show the Mercy of the Father in purity, reject any temptation either by the devil, or the workers of the devil, then die for mankind, yet have the faith to be Resurrected. Who? No one, but Jesus, thus the Faith of Jesus becomes more and more important.
Jesus has delivered us, is delivering us, will deliver us. He didn’t leave us in the same realm of darkness run by the prince of the power of the air, He moved us from there by the Cross to a place of safety, then since we imputed ourselves dead, we could then gain the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. We are then being raised daily, every day some more of the flesh dies, more darkness falls to the wayside, more worldly elements back to the Sea (world) where they came from, yet every day our souls gain more and more of the spiritual nature, until the day when we step form this corruptible flesh into the incorruptible body Jesus has for us. If we hold fast the profession Jesus has given us.
Verse 15 shows fear is associated with death, it’s the fear of death motivating natural man, yet he can’t stop death from coming. We are Delivered from the bondage of fear, then placed in the Light of Life. In verse 16 we see how Jesus became the Seed of Abraham, the very promise of Abraham. Abraham thought it was Isaac, but Isaac was just a shadow. The riches of Abraham was not the Promise of having a son, thus the shadow showed what was impossible for man is possible for God, Jesus as the Son of Promise appeared to set us free.
The purpose of the letter is then revealed in verse 17, in order for Jesus to be our High Priest He had to like unto us, He had to feel the pain we feel, if He was to be our Great High Priest, He would have to feel more pain than any of us could suffer. A high priest who has no feelings for the people they represent lacks Mercy. Jesus being a Merciful and Faithful High Priest in the things representing man before God is able to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Under the Old Covenant the high priest would enter the holy of holies with a small amount of the blood from the animals, but if the high priest wasn’t right before God, he would fall down dead before the sacrifice could be presented. The high priest had to make an offer for himself every time he entered, then he was able to present the sacrifice. After the presentation he would not say to the people, “Your sacrifice has been offered”. Jesus as our High Priest offered Himself, then He was able to say, “Your sins are forgiven”.
Verse 18 shows how Jesus suffered, yet was tempted, thus He is able to “succor” (help) those who are tempted. Jesus represents us, as the Spirit makes us holy. We may not feel it, at times we would even argue the point, but since Jesus stands for us as our High Priest, we must be holy. Our sacrifices are presented to God, we are holy because of Jesus; thus our High Priest makes His priests holy, if they follow the procedures and Order granted to them.
Heb 3:1-19
Wherefore, we are holy brethren, partakers of the holy calling, as priests we must consider the Apostle and High Priest of our “profession” Christ Jesus. This verse shows this is a manual for the priests under the New Order, everything written including the warnings about falling away pertains to the “brethren”. This becomes the center of this letter, every high priest has an Order, very priest has a high priest, let us consider our High Priest, and the Order He follows. If this pertains to priests under the Order Jesus established, it also means the letter is written to those in the Body of Christ.
Prior we found Jesus is the Captain of our salvation (2:10), now He is our Apostle, and High Priest. No one under the Old Covenant could legally be king and priest, they could be king and prophet, or priest and prophet, but not king and priest. God separated the religious order from the government order, but in the Kingdom of God it all changes. As our Apostle Jesus brought us New Commandments for the New Covenant, He also begin something in us which not begotten before. As our High Priest He continually makes intercession, yet we have duties as priests. The Bread and Wine are priestly duties, both the taking, and the offering. There are other duties as well, but each and every one of them must be done with joyfulness of heart. As priests we can toss strange fire into the Tabernacle, something none of us want to do. The Wicked toss strange fire, the fire of destruction based in their self-righteousness. We on the other hand minister the fire of the oil for the lamp of Light.
The word Partakers here is the Greek Metochos meaning someone who shares in a work, office or dignity. Since Jesus is our High Priest, as we are made priests and kings, it stands we are partakers of the office and sacrifice if we follow the Order. As priests we give sacrifices, one is to present ourselves as living sacrifices, then we offer the sacrifice of praise, yet there are other priestly duties as well. The priests under the old didn’t enter the Holy of Holies, it was for the high priest, then only once a year on the Day of Atonement, but our High Priest remains in the Holiest of All by His Blood, forever making intercession for us. The priests in our Order have the ability to come boldly to the Throne of Grace (Holiest of All) at anytime, a better Order then the one Aaron held.
The word Profession is the Greek Homologia meaning a Confession, yet a Confession is more than words, it entails a manner of living displayed by the nature and character of the person, which produces the words. Using words, but lacking the manner of life is a mind game. However, we can see how the word Profession relates, the duties of a priest under the New are not a labor of self-righteousness, rather they have ceased from their own works.
Jesus said He would build the Church, but we are His Body, thus Moses built the tabernacle after the plan God gave him, the Law of Moses was the house of Moses, but Moses didn’t build the house, rather God did, the Law of Moses became the house. On the other hand Jesus did build His House (Church), He is more faithful than Moses. Then the core of truth, Jesus is God the Son, for Jesus built His House, yet only God builds all things. Moses didn’t build his house, God did, God named it then gave it to Moses. Moses was still faithful to the House, but Jesus built His House, He is more faithful. This is important when we talk about priestly duties, the high priest under the Law of Moses held an important position, but Jesus as our High Priest holds a more excellent position.
We find Moses was a servant to the House of Moses, but Jesus as the Son is over the House of God (v. 5-6). Then we find we are the House, we begin as the Body of Christ, then we are built into the Church. Those under the Law of Moses are under the house of Moses; yet the face of Moses did shine, but not his house or body. On the other hand the Body of Jesus did shine, as did His face. The Glory of Moses was on Moses’ head, not his body, but the glory of Jesus is on His face and body. The word House is the Greek Oikos meaning place of dwelling, metonymically it means a household, as in the House of Jacob, or the House of David.
Then the requirements, or attitude of service, rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Not just holding on by our finger tips, but rejoicing of the hope set before us (v. 6). The word “end” here is the Greek Telos, meaning to reach the end of something, not the end of all things; pointing to the end of the Day at the time of the Rapture. This is confirmed in the next verse in the word “Today” which could also read “this Day”, or “Day”, it doesn’t mean today like Monday, or Tuesday, it’s speaking of a Season, since we don’t know the time this Season ends it points to the immediate time, or Now. This helps us make a most important separation in chapter six where we find the “falling away” taking place, as they discarded the procedures and policies Jesus has established.
Recalling how this letter started with the concept of God speaking at sundry times and in divers manners, we can see the Voice is now clearer, the more earnest time is in hand. Today, while it is yet Day, hear His voice. We are not to harden our hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness (v. 8). The children had the faith to cross the Sea, but left their faith on the shore, they began to question God, they were not pleased with the manner God was training them, they murmured and complained because they failed to appreciate what they had, all of which was based in unbelief. They were in a place of cleaning, and training, but they didn’t like the method, they refused to enter in, yet they kept the sabbath day. Unbelief like Belief is a choice, we can accept the presented evidence, or not. The children allowed the surroundings to dictate what they assumed God was doing, they missed the Words spoken to them, they failed to mix those words with Faith to please God, rather they sought to be pleased by God, causing them to make the choice to enter unbelief. Did God stop His work because of their unbelief? No, but He did destroy those who failed to believe, because unbelief is a weapon of the devil (Jude 5).
This is a direct warning to the “brethren” who are “partakers of the heavenly calling”. This has to connect to the last verses in Mark, it’s the same premise, once we are Identified (baptized) into the Body, it’s not a time to stop believing, rather the phrase, “shall be saved” is predicated on our continual belief. Things happen, some of us even get sand in our sandals, some, if not all of us face horrid adversity, but those are temporal, our call is eternal. A year from now, the event will be history, yet our Hope is in God. It would be an injustice not to teach these areas, they are conjoined to our priestly duties. If the priests decided to take a couple of months off, how would the menorah continue to burn? Steadfast in the faith, is a once a week activity.
We also find a paradox proving the point, these verses are telling us not to enter unbelief, by telling us how we can allow our belief to slip. Faith is vital, but so is our belief. To some it’s so impossible to their doctrine it rocks their foundation considerably. If one holds to a concept not found in the Doctrine of Christ, these verses will disrupt them, but in their intellectual endeavor to hold to their doctrine, while trying to explain away the obvious language provided here, they prove the very point of the Scriptures. Why do we think one of the six foundational elements to the Doctrine of Christ is Eternal Judgment? It’s the desire of the Lord for all be saved, but we also see the Cup of God’s wrath poured out, then the lake of fire. It would be Unequal for God to have Eternal Life, without Eternal Judgment.
When we should be teachers, we are in need of teaching, this is a teaching letter. Unbelief can be a firm belief in a false doctrine, which does sound strange, but we know it’s true. One can hold to a false doctrine, or a tradition of man they have made doctrine to the point where they refuse to listen to sound doctrine, yet they believe the unsound doctrine. Is it belief? Or unbelief? It’s unbelief, since is based in something not of Belief. They think their false doctrine is sound, but they lack a clear verse showing the soundness of their doctrine, they assume many things not supported by Scripture, yet when faced with phrases like, “fall away”, they begin with the intellectual excuses. We are priests, who are responsible to our High Priest; we better know what our High Priest believes before we can follow His Order and Doctrine.
It’s vital for us to understand these verses are written to “brethren”, they are not written to the world. The children in the wilderness were God’s children, rescued by God, given a Promise of a land of their own. The warning is not from the scribe, it’s from the Holy Ghost (v. 7). This same book will tell us the children crossed the Red Sea by faith (Heb 11:29), thus they had faith going into the wilderness, but “fell away” while in the wilderness. They didn’t fall away in Egypt, they were saved from Egypt. Jude would have us know, although we should never forget it, how the Lord having SAVED the children destroyed them who believed not (Jude 5). Why should we remember? The answer is here. Confidence in one thing, over-confidence another. We have confidence in the Truth, but some gain over-confidence in fables, it’s dangerous. They tend to excuse away the Scripture, showing the fable is more important than the Truth.
The quote in verses 7 through 11 is from Psalm 95:8-11, but there is a division between Psalm 95:1-7 and Psalm 95:7-11. Psalm 95:1 says, “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our Salvation”. What, the Rock is the Body, do we praise the Body? No, it’s not Praise, it’s a Joyful Noise, or speaking kind, tenderhearted, respecting the members of the Body of Christ. However we also see the word Salvation, thus this Psalm relates to Grace, the purpose for being in the Body.
Next we read verse 2, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with Psalms”. Now it is coming before the Lord, adding to the Joyful noise is “thanksgiving”, the one thing the children lacked. James says a double-minded person will bless God while cursing man. The children blessed God, but cursed Moses, which of course caused the curse to fall on them.
In Ephesians 5:18-20 we found the Will of the Lord is for us to be filled with the Spirit to excess, if we are filled then we will make a joyful noise as we give Thanks for ALL THINGS unto God and the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot give thanks outside the Name (Authority) of Jesus, we can’t complain in the Name (Authority) of Jesus, there is no room in the Name for murmuring.
Psalm 95:3 confirms our prior concept of God making gods, for the Lord is a great God, and a great King, above all gods. Then we find, in His hand are the deep places of the earth (kingdom of heaven): the strength of the hills (nations) is His also. The Sea (Gentile world), He made it: His hands formed the dry land (Ps 95:4-5). Hold it, something is wrong here, go back to Genesis 1:9, God didn’t form the dry lands, He spoke to the waters and they gathered together unto one place, because the dry land appeared. So what is this in Psalm 95:5? Oh, wait if this is metaphoric, the earth metaphorically is the kingdom of heaven, the wildernesses we enter is formed of God just for us. This Psalm has to do with the wilderness, so it all relates to wilderness experiences. How do we find the path out of a wilderness? Praise God while facing the exposure, dealing with those things needing to be dealt with, keeping a joyful noise and remembering, “O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand”. Who is man, we are mindful of him? Who made the angels? Who made the ministers? Right in the middle of Psalm 95:7 we see, “Today if you will hear His voice”. Wait we were doing the talking, it was our voices were doing the praise and worship, we were making the joyful noise, where did this Voice come from? The writer shows how Joy brings the Word of the Lord, while murmuring brings frustration.
Clearly Psalm 95 begins with praise, thanksgiving and worship, but then the Lord speaks, it’s evident in Psalm 95:9. This correlates with the subject matter in Hebrews, again the Book of Hebrews is written to “brethren”, not “heathens”. The word Provocation means To provoke, they provoked God, they pushed and tempted Him. Oh now wait, James said you can’t tempt God, so what have we here? James is correct, you can’t tempt God to do evil, since God has no evil in Him from which to operate. The temptation went toward God, but God was not tempted, rather God sent a test back to answer the temptation. Jesus did the same thing with the Pharisees, they tempted Him, He tested them. Jesus was not tricked into doing evil when the devil tempted Him, the Father was not tempted into doing evil by the temptations of the children. A temptation unto evil must entice a lust, or deceive us, God was not deceived by the temptations sent to Him by the children, or anyone else. When they tempted God for “meat”, He sent the “abundance of quail”, so did they tempt God and win? No, they attempted to eat all the quail in one sitting, thus the test produced the exposure of their greed. They had quail meat coming out of their noses, did they need another sign exposing their greed? Perhaps, since they failed to gain one. If they had faith, then the conviction of their greed would have taken effect, meaning the exposure would then have been beneficial to them. However, if we have a hard heart we will think the quail is “the abundant life”.
Whenever we allow unbelief or disobedience to enter we will fail to see the “signs” God is presenting us. God will not force us to take the Gift, He will not force us to keep it, this is a Covenant, He presents, we accept. He will give us everything we need to maintain the gift, everything we need to be good witnesses, everything we need to make it to His throne, everything we need, yet if we make the choice not to accept the Gift, or any part thereof, it’s up to us. We can’t force God to take us, He won’t force us to accept Him. The evidence is the children, the Promised Land was promised to Abraham, the children were heirs, yet they had to fit the requirements of the will (covenant). Jesus is the true Heir, we are made heirs, there are requirements for us as well. The children entered by faith, but allowed unbelief to rule them. How strange, since they saw what happened to Pharaoh with his hard heart, yet they allowed the same thing to happen to them. They were once slaves, but they turned right around and attempted to make God their slave.
If we are in the Hand of the Lord, can we slip? If we just brush over John 10:25-30 we would assume if someone is in the hand of Jesus they are safe from falling; however, John 10:25-30 moves to the point, it doesn’t start there. It also shows we are individuals, no one has the power to take us from the hand of Jesus, if we fall, we fall, thus failure is a choice, when one has choice, it means at least two elements must be presented in order to make a choice. Why is it important here? Fables, those who hold fables regarding Mercy, Grace, Salvation, or even our priestly Order are about to fall. They see verses exposing their fable, yet claim them to be “hypothetical”, tell the children who died in the wilderness it was hypothetical. The Holy Ghost is spending a lot of time and study on a “hypothetical”, but if we can see this book supports the concept of the “broken Body” of Christ, as it defines the difference between the Wheat and Tares, the difference between the “holy brethren” and the “wicked”, then all this makes sense. We are called priests and kings, but we know there are good priests, and bad ones, there are good kings, and bad ones. This book is giving us the key we need to be a good priest, to maintain the duties of our priesthood in such a way as to please our High Priest.
Jesus said, If we can’t believe Him, believe the Works. However, He added we believe the works are from God, it seems when we can’t believe in Jesus, we can’t truly believe the works are from God. A belief in Jesus, and the belief in the works being God based seems to run hand in hand, it’s difficult to say, “oh I believe it’s from God, I just don’t; believe it’s from Jesus”. On one hand we claim to be in the Hand of Jesus, but every time an event comes it doesn’t please us, we assume we’re in the hand of the devil, if it isn’t double-minded, nothing is. We are going to see we must maintain a “God Is” thinking, but didn’t the children have a “God Is” thinking? Yes, but we have to add God is “a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”, the children had a “God Is going to kill us” thinking, hardly a faith statement.
When we follow Jesus, He remains our Lord regardless of the event, thus we are not talking about merely believing, but believing to the point of reaching a position where we stand and hold fast to the “end”. End? End of what? Back in verse 6 we find the word End, as it refers to a season coming to an end. The element is the Day, which helps us understand how the bits and pieces to those under the Old produced the word “Today”, thus to them Today meant the day they were hearing, but to us it means “The Day of Salvation”, our Season, the Day, which comes before the Night.
The context here is not merely to believe, it’s to Continue to believe. The children are used as an example of someone who will believe to escape the world, but fail to believe in God once they enter a safe place (wilderness). All of a sudden, they are no longer pleased with what they have, they want things beyond the norm, they want “miracles” to show how great they are, to show everyone they are special, they allow their ego to overpower their faith. It’s not wrong to desire, it’s wrong not to appreciate what God has given us. It is also wrong to sit with a mouth full of quail, yet claim we are starving. There is a difference, a very big difference. Greed is never satisfied with what it has, God gave, but it’s not good enough, they want more, but when they get more, it’s not good enough, and the wheel goes around and around. Learning to appreciate what we have, and still desire, is the key to all this. However, we all know we can enter the mind game of attempting to make God think we appreciate what we have, while inside greed is reaching out for more. Whether it’s machines, equipment, position, place, or mate, greed is never satisfied. However, in order not to blame God, we will blame the person who give us the benefit, we wanted the bigger better one, so they of course were not listening to God, or perhaps they were, the test of greed was upon us, if we recognize it. The “eye of greed” is blinded to the hole in the bottom of the bag, greed ruins what it desires, the things fall apart, or slip away, or no longer work, our greed has cursed them. The children were not sick, they never needed clothes, they obtained a Law, a Tabernacle, but they were not satisfied with God, thus God was not well pleased with many of them (Cor 10:5).
The concept of Temptation is still the subject matter, even with Moses, and those who were with Moses to the wilderness (v. 3:9). Moses was tempted by the children and he acted on it, but he paid the price for hitting the rock twice. Was Moses a great man? Yes, yet he fell to the temptation as he allowed his anger to act for him. Not like Jesus, who was tempted, but didn’t fall. Moses was angry, it didn’t take much for the anger to control him when he hit the Rock twice. What did he want to hit? The Rock? No, he took his anger out on the Rock, the Rock represented the people. Anger not dealt with will always find a target, in the case of Moses he would have been better off to deal with the anger while still in the presence of the Lord. Paul found going to the Lord during those times grants him the sufficiency of Grace.
These verses also dispel the false concept of Jesus being tempted meaning He couldn’t be God, since you can’t tempt God. Who then is talking in Hebrews 3:9 and 10? Moses? It’s God, verse 7 tells us the Holy Ghost is giving us this information. The evidence shows the devil came at Jesus with the three primary temptations, but they had no effect on Him. The devil even produced a false vision, but Jesus wasn’t buying it. Everything the devil threw at Jesus had to do with the purpose of Jesus coming, yet they all had a “trick of evil” attached. We are the Bread, the devil said, “turn these stones into bread”, hard hearts? Bread? Rock? Metaphorically we can see how the devil tempted Jesus to force the plan on man, after all, all things are created for Jesus, why not make the hearts of man soft, so all can be saved. Come on, it’s the will of the Lord for all to be saved and none lost, so what’s wrong with making people accept Him? What’s wrong with using deception, tricks, or games as long as they accept Jesus? Gaining converts by using the “ways” of the devil isn’t a wise thing to do.
Why not use wicked and evil lies to trap people into the kingdom? Why not indeed, using evil to reach what we presume is a Godly result is still using evil. For some reason a heretic will always give us the hint of their folly in their manipulation. They tell us if we don’t accept their words without question we are not humble, or we are not spiritual, or the biggest manipulation of all, “you don’t know the Bible”. They lay guilt on us, before they present their opinions. We must discern their ways, but we must not use them.
When the devil was done, he left for a season, but them came his “family” of religious tempters, did they tempt Jesus? Yes, did Jesus fall for their temptations? No, Jesus having tasted temptation made Him perfect as our High Priest, we have not a High Priest who lacks the compassion to deal with us, He knows what’s it like to come face to face with temptation. This in no way means let’s all run out and fall into temptation so Jesus can have compassion on us it would be using temptation, not falling into it. This is also a reminder to the priests, we were those led around by the prince of the power of the air, don’t forget if it were not for Jesus, we would all be lost. Have compassion on the fallen sheep, just as we would the new convert.
Verse 9 also shows the children saw the works, but the key is found in verse 10, they failed to know God’s Ways. Hebrews tells us to Hear the Voice of the Holy Ghost, thus Jesus said His Sheep Hear His Voice; the warning in Hebrews is failing at the Hearing. This then is giving us the condition of “hearing”, the fundamental premise to obtain faith. The children thought God was coming at them like a great steamroller, death was coming, death was coming. Even if it was, the past experience of the Passover showed they could be spared. They saw the works (acts), but they didn’t know the ways of God, there is a difference between God’s Ways, and His Acts.
The two words Provocation and Temptation show us it wasn’t God tempting the children, but the children tempting God to do evil. This gives us another aspect, if we send a lust toward God, will He ignore it? No, He turns it into a testing unto exposure. God is not going to ignore the temptation sent to Him, He will deal with it. On the same note we could take the same test coming from God, filter it through the lust enticing ourselves.
The children entered the wilderness with the Passover behind them, but since they didn’t please God, they were not in faith, they soon found the Ten Commandments, the Law of Moses, and the Sabbath day. They kept the day, but failed to enter His rest. So, does it mean the Ten Commandments, the Law of Moses, and the Sabbath day are all bad? No, it means God gave them what they could handle, they could only handle things outside of faith; however, Salvation and Grace are based in faith. The Law of Moses will not save us, the Ten Commandments will not save us, the sabbath day will not save us.
The word Temptation is the Greek Peirasmos it has two meanings depending on the context in which it’s used. James used it to show both sides, thus he points out “tempted with evil”, and “testing of our faith”, the latter being the Good, the testing of our faith is never to destroy us, it’s always to purposed to give us strength. It is so very important to understand in order for any evil temptation to have effect it must draw the person into the act of doing evil, thus the person must have some evil in them to be drawn. The devil may have tempted Jesus, but Jesus was not tempted.
Generally Peirasmos means to Try one’s Character, or try their heart, in our case it’s our New Heart trying our character. The word “try” means rubbing two things together to bring the inner parts forward. When our faith is tested, what comes forward? Faith, or fear? Words of Grace, or words of anger? Which do we love the more? Are we fighting God attempting to save our own souls? Are we holding parts of the old nature, or do we have the Character of Christ? If we have the Character of Christ working, then the New Man can’t be tempted. The testing engrafts the Word deeper into our souls, as our souls are being grafted into the New Man, therein lays the reason for the testing.
The word Proved in verse 9 of Hebrews 3 is the Greek Dokimazo meaning a Notion to prove a thing or person to determine if they are worthy or not; however, in this context it was not God Proving the children, it was the children proving God. God proves us to make us strong in the Faith, we prove Him from our unbelief. It’s the premise found in Malachi, if were a Jew, or if we understand how the children proved God, we can understand why God said to Prove Him on the Tithe under the Law. It wasn’t a “blessing”, but a promise in advance to get them to obey. A person of faith doesn’t Prove God in any way, shape or form. If God has to get us to do something based on giving us some reward, we are not of faith. Will God reward us for doing the Law? No, the Law will, but at the same time we are rejecting the Cross, since the Law points to the Cross, it doesn’t provide it.
Why even tell us about these children who were not Born Again, who didn’t have the Cross of Jesus or Grace? Because they are an example, they were delivered from Egypt, they had signs before them, they had faith entering into the wilderness, but they didn’t know the Ways of God. The testing of our faith produces a knowledge in the Ways of God, it doesn’t mean we won’t see Acts, it means if we know the Ways we won’t misuse our faith on self-based acts failing to please God.
Verse 10 uses the English word Grieved, but this is a different Greek word than the one used in Ephesians 4:30 in reference to grieving the Holy Spirit. Here in Hebrews the Greek word is Prosocthizo, in Ephesians it’s Lupeo. Prosocthizo means To be against, or To lay a burden on; whereas Lupeo means To make sorrowful. Our words will either cause a sadness, or a joy to the Spirit, depending on our words, but all unbelief comes against the Spirit. When they came against God they provoked Him, when they came against the servants of God, they invoked His wrath. When we grieve the Holy Spirit, He turns in sorrow, if we come against the people of God, the Spirit will turn and be our enemy.
The word Rest is the Greek Katapausis meaning A time of rest from above, referring to the Sabbath Day rest. The children in the wilderness were the first to hear of the Sabbath Day Rest, thus they were the first to keep the Sabbath Day, but they never entered the Rest of God. Merely keeping the day has nothing to do with entering the Rest of God, rather we must enter by Belief.
The sabbath day was the token for the Law of Moses, circumcision of the flesh the token for the Abrahamic Covenant, being sealed by the Spirit with the circumcision of the heart is the token for Grace, our water baptism is our token for entering the Body by the Mercies of God. All these are tokens, but none in and of themselves are the Rest of God. The Rest of God comes when we Believe in God, regardless of the event.
Verse 12 goes right to the Brethren, as a warning, “lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief”. The phrase “any of you”, coupled with “brethren” seems to be clear, this is written to Christians. Exposure is a test of faith, the time when we see what we have been using, which is not conducive to the New Covenant. God exposed the unbelief of the children, but they refused to see it. This part of the letter directs itself to the premise, we must be aware, open and ready to accept exposure, to gain the healing in order to find the Perfection of Christ.
When unbelief comes off our lips, instead of saying, “it was my mouth you gave me”, we say “Look Lord, did you hear me? I am exposed, thank you Jesus, now I can be free, clean me oh Lord, make me pure as You, I submit to You”. Two different conclusions from the same exposure, one wants to protect the old nature, the other wants to be free.
When anger comes to our minds like a corruption eruption, we know something, or someone pushed our button, something is exposed, instead of allowing anger to act or speak for us, we keep our mouths closed as we submit to the Spirit; thereby defeating the temptation. Paul went to the Lord three times when he was attacked by the brethren, each time he found Grace was sufficient. The Lord didn’t tell Paul, “Now son, it was sufficient before, but you used it all up”, nor did He say, “Paul, we have been through this before, I will not go through it a third time”, nor did He say, “Paul, Paul, look at you, I wonder why I picked you”. No, this is still the Day, Grace is still sufficient, it always is. Always take Joy in the exposure, it’s time for us to be rid of some hindering element.
The word Departing is the Greek Aphistemi meaning To remove oneself, it doesn’t mean removed by another, thus this isn’t God removing us, or someone else removing us, it’s still based on choice by the person. Jude confirmed they by saying there are those who, “separate themselves” (Jude 18-19). This explains no one can remove us from the hand of God, but we can remove ourselves, thus removal can never be by an outside element, it’s something the person makes the choice to do, just as belief is by choice. There are some who say, “well I gave it my best shot, but I knew I would fail”. They made the decision to fail before they started, in essence they Predestined their failure. If we can, we can also Predestine our success in Jesus by walking in the Spirit.
Verse 15 makes a direct correlation between the Provocation and anyone in the Wilderness, including us today. We can’t discount this lesson, we receive the Word, if it takes casting out fables we have held for years, so be it. Who do we love the most? The Lord or the fable? This also shows it’s not the world who will harden our hearts, it’s not the unbelieving brother or sister who mocks us, it’s not the relative quoting the Bible as if it was some personal tool of destruction, it’s we who have the power to believe, or not to.
The phrase reads, “harden not your hearts”, has to connect to the belief issue, thus a hardened heart is the result of unbelief. Paul told the Philippians “being confident of this very thing, He (God) which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ” (Ph’l 1:6), of course he also told them, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Ph’l 2:12b). How can it be? Faith says God is working out the good work, it’s not we, thus if Faith is our pillar then we don’t fit those who hold “unbelief”. Faith must have some evidence, our belief provides the basis for our knowledge, to empower our faith unto the Hope. People “believe” many things, but it’s not how God defines either Belief or Unbelief. If we believe something not supported by Scripture, it’s still unbelief. We can hold firm to our “belief” in some fable, but it’s still unbelief, the result is a hard heart. The Philippians were nothing like the Corinthians, yet Paul called them both “brethren”. However, he never told the Corinthians, “God will meet your need”, it was the Philippians who supported Paul when he was working with the carnal Corinthians (Ph’l 4:15).
The Philippians fit the confidence of the phrase “God will finish the good work”, because they were of faith. The same phrase could fit “them who believe to the saving of the soul” (Heb 10:39). We don’t want to assume anything, especially the false concept, if we slip, we’re lost, or the false concept of thinking once we’re saved by the Cross we have completed Grace. Both of those are fables, lacking sound Scriptural support.
On the other hand we find some did not provoke the Lord, there were some, few yes, but some who knew they were in the right place at the right time, with the wrong people. There were some who came out of Egypt who didn’t come out by Moses, rather we came out by the Calling of the measure of faith, just as we came to the Cross when the Holy Ghost called to the measure of faith in us, yet the lessons those who failed to believe extend to us (v. 16). It was the children called of God who caused the grieving, not Egypt, or Pharaoh. The only reason for their failure was unbelief, yet they had the works to prove God Is, they had a history showing there were others who believed in God. We heard, believed what we heart and moved to the Cross, all this letter is telling us is to continue to believe after we enter in order to keep our faith strong.
The Tabernacle from the inside was a place of safety, but when one was on the outside it was scary. They could see the Fire, the Judgment, the Smoke, even the curtain to the Holy Place, which curtain had the great examining eye of God on it. The eye was looking toward the entrance, it was viewing the person coming to the Tabernacle. What to do? Ahh, the sacrifice went before them, yet even it wasn’t “faith”. They knew the Law provided a formula, give a sacrifice, balance the sin by the sacrifice. In our case it’s not only atonement, but remission by the Blood of Jesus. Not by the sacrifice we bring, but by the one Jesus provided. When we came to Jesus we were looking over the curtain, we were seeking the holy place, but all of us have to pass the Entrance to the kingdom of heaven, past the brazen altar, then we enter the water of the brazen basin, then we can make entrance into the holy place where the Light, Bread and Prayers of the saints await.
Verse 19 tells the whole story, “they could not enter in because of unbelief”. Enter in the wilderness? No, they were there? Enter into keeping the sabbath day? No, they did it without fail. Enter into the Rest of God? Yes, they never considered “why did God rest?”. It’s also clear, if God rested because all was complete, why then did He speak in another place? If the work was all done from the beginning, then there is no more rest, no more words, surely no proceeding word. If there is a Rest for the people of God, where is it found? In the Spirit by being Born Again. The New Heart gives us a foundation based in belief and faith to keep us from unbelief. The issue here really isn’t faith, it’s belief. The very premise based on past evidences or proofs, most of which we find in the pages of our Bible. If we continue to change the Bible based on our theology, or what we think people should or should not know we are eroding the foundation of belief. Not wise, considering the result is unbelief. It’s one thing to hold unbelief, another to promote it.
Was their unbelief greater than God’s power for them? Yes, they died in the wilderness because of their unbelief. No one closed the border to the Promised Land, their own unbelief became a “gate of hell”. Was it God’s intent? Of course not, nonetheless God was able to write their unbelief in the plan for our benefit. Let us not forsake their lesson, let us not harden our hearts as they did in the Provocation.
This issue shows they had the prior evidence as a foundation of belief, but rejected it by choice, yet by choice they held to their unbelief. The signs God did in Egypt, plus the parting of the Red Sea held a foundation for belief. Yet the best example was three days into the wilderness when bitter water became sweet. Clearly God delivered them, if God wanted them dead, He would have left them in Egypt. The sweetness of God was being presented, but they rejected it. When they failed to believe, they failed at faith. God has delivered us, we must keep it in mind regardless of the event, or we too can fall into unbelief, losing the foundation of our faith.
Moses saw the Power of the Lord almost daily, thus the Power of the Lord was there, the children simply refused to receive it, they made the choice to hold to their unbelief. Unbelief is the refusal to enter in, doubt comes after we have entered, either will harden a heart. In this area we are learning how the children were delivered from the hands of Pharaoh, but refused to believe God in the wilderness. Where their belief stopped, so did they, but the “move of God” didn’t stop in the wilderness. The Ark of God crossed the Jordan, going before those who would believe, the bodies of the unbelievers remained in the sand.
Considering the wilderness wasn’t Egypt, neither was it the Promised Land, we can see why it’s used, it becomes the Rock, the kingdom of heaven, pointing to the Body. Once we entered we obtained all we needed to finish, whether we know it or not, whether we use it or not. The children had faith in order to cross the Red Sea, they even had a Joy of Deliverance for a short period of time, but when adversity came and rubbed them the wrong way, rather than cast off the feeling, they made the decision to enter unbelief. It’s easy to believe in God in the lap of prosperity, but faith is tested in the face of adversity. It’s not to say we shouldn’t have prosperity, only we should maintain our faith whether it’s prosperity of adversity. Paul said he learned to abound and to be abased, if he “learned” it was by experience.
Heb 4:1-16
Chapter four carries on with the same premise, showing the Rest of God is the Peace of God, which is found in the New Birth, keeping us on the path to reach the End of the Race. If we enter the Rest of God, we have not only heard the Gospel of Peace, we not only tasted it, we have consumed it by walking in the Spirit. Events come to us, just as they did to the children, how they handled the event told the story.
The phrase “let us therefore fear” has to be taken in conjunction with the context of “don’t fall into unbelief”; it’s not a fear of God coming down on us, but a fear of entering unbelief causing us to depart from God. This Rest of God cannot refer to the “works of Judgment” being done, but it does relate to the works being completed. When we are Born Again we didn’t get many various spirits, as one for the seed, one for the blade, one for the full ear. Just as being born of the flesh didn’t give us many physical bodies. As we grew in the flesh, so did the same physical body we were born with. The Seed of God is fully able as a Seed, but the growth brings more strength, clarity, abilities and possibilities. If a child is fifty years old, but still has the physical appearance of new born, we have to wonder. So it is with God, if we obtained the Seed years ago, yet it’s still the “seed”, both God and we have to wonder.
Would all this connect to in the Doctrine of Christ? Yes, it goes to Repentance from dead works, the turning from doing works to obtain, is ceasing from our own works. Dead works are works of self-righteousness, thus this letter can’t be written to those who were doing the Law, since the Law is based in Dead Works. We do works based on having obtained Life, meaning or works are life based. The Law defined sin and death, thus the Law is based on dead works.
The Gospel unto the children wasn’t, “Jesus”, rather it was the promise of God’s deliverance. It was good news, they were being set free of Egypt, but as we found, it was easier to get the children out of Egypt, then the EgyptEuaggelizo which is a compound Eu (Good) Aggello (To proclaim); whereas, the second word for Preached in the Greek Akoe meaning To Hear, thus Faith came, but they didn’t mix the words spoken with their faith, rather they heard, but rejected what they heard unless certain punishment was in hand. Therefore, what they “heard” was not what was preached, thus showing why there are two words for Preached. We can preach one message, yet we will find some took it this way, some another. The faith came, but there were all sorts of “hearers”. It’s not merely “hear His voice”, but looking at the word Hear we find it means receive in the manner the speaker intends, or to hear with the expected heart to enter some premise of God. out of the children. We also find two different Greek words for the word Preached (v. 2). The word Preached in verse 2 is the Greek
The various “beliefs” in the world all come from various people hearing in different manners, some want the super special feeling of being morally correct over the world. Some seek to be the special of special, some element they think makes them greater than the rest of the Body. Some hear, but refuse to submit, they seek another way, a way which they think is superior to Christ in them the Hope of Glory. Of course the Rhema ear hears the Lord’s voice, fitting the plan of Redemption.
This goes back to the “angels” in chapter one, the angels did proclaim the freedom, but the children rejected it. What does this tell us? They lacked faith because of their unbelief, meaning their unbelief manifested in attacks against Moses, their murmurings and bitterness, more important their unbelief was evidenced by testings. Did God test them to belittle them? No, He was exposing, but their own unbelief rejected the exposure, even the most obvious of exposures.
The murmuring, complaining, wanting to vote Moses out, not wanting to hear what God wanted to say, but wanting God to say what they wanted to hear, were all signs of their unbelief. So, what came first the hard heart, or the unbelief? The unbelief produced the hard heart. Some might miss the point and think a soft head is the same as a soft heart, not so. God hardened the heart of Pharaoh, but it began with Pharaoh hardening his own heart. The word Harden is the Greek Skleeruno used in Hebrews 3:8, 3:13, 3:15, 4:7, Acts 19:9 and Romans 9:18, it means To make hard, it was used to refer to Hard Wood, it’s the opposite of Right, or Just, yet the Just live by Faith, thus Faith must grow from a soft heart.
It becomes clear to our souls we are being chastened when we have quail coming out of our noses, it’s even clearer when we go over the line and provoked God when the ground opens and consumes us. Let us not wait until then, while it is Today, let us harden not our hearts. Let us not wait until the Serpent invades our house, or we hear our own voices of murmuring and complaining, while it is yet Today, let us hear His voice.
There is another division taking place in verse 3, like Romans we find the “them”, and the “we”. We don’t want to be the “them”, but we do want to be the “we”. Here it’s, “for we which have believed do enter into rest” (Heb 4:3). This is not “we who believe”, nor is it “we who will believe”, this points to continual belief. We will believe in the face of danger, because we have believed all along. Then the key to this, “As I have sworn in My wrath”, wait in His what? Wrath? Ah gee I thought God was love. He is, but we can go over the line, as the children did, but was the Promise cast aside? No, not at all, the Promise went on, because the plan goes on, ye the unbelief of the children removed them from the Plan.
The “works” were finished from the foundation of the world, so what works, what finished? We don’t have to go back to Genesis, although we will, but first let’s go back a few pages to Hebrews 1:11. Did God create and form the earth? Yes, how about the heavens? Yes, yet we read, “They shall perish; but You remain, and they all shall wax old, as does a garment”. The wording “shall perish” is the Greek Apollumi meaning to destroy, or perish, it’s the root word for the Greek Apolluon meaning Destroyer. This word also means destroyed without a means of repair, or destroyed forever.
Since Hebrews 4:3 used the word Finished we travel back to Genesis 2:1 where we find the word Finished is the Hebrew Kalah, meaning Ready to be consumed, destroyed, or to cease in it’s present state. The works preparing to be destroyed, then the destroying by the Destroyer. The children assuming God was going to destroy them was the same as the children calling God the Destroyer. The destruction was not determined for them, God doesn’t deliver to destroy, He delivers to save. They were to consider why the world was going to be destroyed, it’s the reason for the sabbath day, not a day of “joy” or “happiness”, but a day to reflect on why God rested. God rested from the plan of Destruction, but the work of deliverance was in process. Just as the work of Salvation is in Process now, while it is yet Today, for the Night comes when no one can work.
God finished the works of Judgment, it is set, it will be, it cannot be stopped, but it wasn’t the Work He was doing with these people. He was delivering them, just as Salvation is a deliverance from Judgment. They didn’t want to believe in the deliverance, so God gave them a day to rest, in order to reflect on why God rested. God told them He would set life and death before them, but they had to choose. If choice was before them, then the choice they made was by them. Thereby showing death is the result of unbelief, life the result of belief. However, the children kept the day, but failed to believe, thus anyone can keep the day, yet never really Believe in God. Just because someone keeps the day doesn’t mean they have faith, nor does it mean anything other than a Token for the Law of Moses. The children were the first to have the sabbath day, the Law or the Ten Commandments, yet they failed to enter the Rest of God.
Then we find there has to be yet a Rest for the people of God, for God also said, “if they shall” meaning something yet to happen. This promise cannot be for the children in the wilderness, so who is it for? If we did a word search for the phrase “shall enter into my rest” we found find it only appears twice, both times here in Hebrews. So, is this guy making stuff up as he goes? No, not at all. The mystery is found in Psalm 132, where we read some information building our confidence in the Lord. There are two Zion’s one of the earth, one in heaven, the one in heaven will be defined in Hebrews. In Psalm 132:13 we find the Lord has chosen Zion, He has desired it for His habitation. What? Is Zion in heaven? This refers directly to us, the Lord inhabits us by the New Birth. Then we read, “This is my rest forever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it” (Ps 132:14). Who is talking? Is it the Lord? Or is it the people who found the Rest of the Lord in Zion? Let’s continue, “I will abundantly Bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread” (Ps 132:15). Who is the Bread? We are the Bread (I Cor 10:17). Next comes, “I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy” (Ps 132:16). The word Salvation is the Hebrew Yesha it means Liberty, as in the Perfect law of liberty, it also means Freedom, Welfare, Prosperity, Help, Salvation, and Deliverance; meaning this word can only apply to those who have Grace. Here is the Rest, the children in the wilderness couldn’t enter it, sabbath day or not, Law of Moses or not, tabernacle or not, it was reserved for those who are Born Again.
Verse 6 sums it up, Seeing therefore it remains some must enter therein, and they to whom is was first preached entered not because of unbelief. Take this back to verse 3, “we which have believed do enter into rest”. We can be right in the middle of the Rest of God, and never know it. If we’re Born Again, we’re in the Rest, it’s here now, but if we have slipped into unbelief, we remove ourselves from the Rest. What form of unbelief? Failing to believe God is able. For some reason we enter a “belief” state presuming our sect will save us, or our works will, or we will, or our theology will, or we have to force the flesh to obey, or we have to put on the mask of righteousness, these are forms of unbelief. Any belief coupling to the self, is unbelief.
There are some evident matters, the Rest of God is entered into by belief, while it is yet Today we don’t allow a hard heart of unbelief to hinder us from entering in. There are two types of “enter” in these verses, we can enter into the Rest, or we can enter into unbelief, both take a choice to enter. Another part of this is the word Today, which is the Greek Semeron, a compound word with Ho (this) and Hemera (Day), it could read Today, or This Day, or The Day, the metaphoric use points directly to those of the Day. All this comes together in chapter 6 showing the “falling away” where no one can crucify Christ twice. Work while it is yet Today, for the Night comes when there is no Crucified Christ to accept.
To think for one second no backslider can ever come back to the Lord makes James a useless document, since the entire premise of James is “brethren, if any of you do err from the truth and one convert him: let him know, he which coverts a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20). The falling away is a result of retaining the spirit lusting to envy, rather than having the Word engrafted in us. If the falling away mentioned in chapter 6 of Hebrews means we slip, we’re done for, what good is repentance? However, if we know the Night is not for salvation, but judgment, it all makes sense.
God’s Mercy will remain through the Night, but God’s Grace goes in the Rapture, as does the Spirit. It doesn’t mean we can’t say, “Christ here”, or “Christ there” during the Day, but it will be error in the Night. The Seasons are guided by the Gospel of the time, in the Day it’s the Gospel of Peace, which includes God’s Rest. The Gospel for the Night is the Everlasting Gospel, which reads, “Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him who made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Rev 14:6-7). There is mention of the Cross, Jesus, Salvation, Grace, or Mercy, rather it’s centered on God’s wrath unto the Judgment. This does connect to Hebrews, who made the angels? The Same who made the sea. Who made man? The Same who made the fountains of waters. While it is yet Today, while it is yet today.
If God’s works were finished, why did He wait so long to have the children enter in? Why didn’t God tell Abraham to enter into the Rest? Or Noah, or Adam, or Joseph? Because the believed God, they acted on what God told them. Joseph faced many hardships, yet God was with him.
The children had no excuse, they had the faith to cross the Red Sea, so they had the opportunity to maintain their belief and faith. We have no excuse, we had the faith to come to the Cross because we believed. This explains how the children used panic faith to escape from Pharaoh, but allowed their belief to fade the first time they faced adversity. The Sabbath rule was a result of their unbelief in the wilderness, yet it was before the Law, it’s the same with us, we enter the Kingdom by the Spirit to receive rest for our souls. We believe in God’s ability to deliver us from the world into the kingdom of heaven, but we must continue to believe into the Kingdom of God. Repentance from dead works is mandatory, but repentance toward the Kingdom is just as important. We can repent from sin, yet never accept the Kingdom, or we can repent from sin and join a cult; we must repent toward the Kingdom or we will enter self-repentance.
The sabbath day was not an issue until several things took place, first it was part of the Ten Commandments, thus it took place in the wilderness after the testing of the bitter waters (Ex 15:22-24), after the manna (Ex 16:4), but it was associated with the manna (Ex 16:5), but as a result of God hearing the murmuring against Him (Ex 16:7). The sabbath was not for the believer, it was for the unbeliever, thus Abraham was not required to keep it, Noah was not required to keep it, nor was Joseph required to keep it. The day when the children in the wilderness allowed their hearts to get hard, they were given a day of rest, since they refused to enter The Rest. However, why couldn’t they enter the Rest of God? Belief, it wasn’t because they were not Born Again, anyone has the ability to belief.
Why even talk about the failure of the children in the wilderness? Because the issue was belief, it was not the Faith of Jesus, or a lack of signs. What caused their failure? Their own unbelief, thus belief is based on the presentation of evidence, whether a sign, wonder, or word given us. Faith on the other hand reaches to a hope, the problem the children had was allowing unbelief to enter, causing their faith to slip, never seeing the Hope God placed before them.
The point here is knowing a fear of tomorrow is a sure sign we forgot about the delivering power of God today. Why do we take Communion? To Remember, there at times we need to reflect on all God has done, in order to gain belief for the Now so our faith has a springboard to the Hope.
What happened at the bitter waters in Exodus? Fear, they were merely three days into the wilderness, which has to tell us something. The Resurrection came three days after the Cross, where were the disciples? Hiding. What happened to their belief? Gone, they raised the dead, did healings, heard the words of Jesus about the Resurrection, yet in the moment of panic it becomes a distant memory, thus Jesus upbraided them with their unbelief (Mark 16:16-18).
The children saw God turn water into blood, then part the waters, now they were looking at bitter water thinking it would remain bitter. Like most of us, they knew better than to blame God, so they murmured against Moses (Ex 15:24). However, God looked at their murmuring against His anointed leader as murmuring against Him, something to think about. The Lord guided Moses to a tree, which Moses cast into the water making the water sweet (drinkable – Ex 15:25). Then Moses said, “If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do what is right in His sight, and will give ear to His Commandments, and keep His statues, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord who heals you” (Ex 16:26). Based on what? Their murmuring? No, take a look at these things, bitter water is a metaphor for unbelief, the “Tree” was tossed into the unbelief and the water became Sweet (Belief).
This is an area of Rest for the children, but God knew they wouldn’t receive the Word spoken. This was a Good Word from God, yet they missed the Good News (Gospel), just as Paul warned the Corinthians. It was spoken to them, as to us, but they refused to accept it. They could have said, “Well brother Moses, you know many of those stories are not real, just methods to show us God is able, but really this water is gone, no good, there is nothing we can do, but hang you”. The minute we listen to the doubters and pouters who question or challenge the Bible, we will slip from belief, meaning the next step is a loss of faith in the Hope set before us.
Next the children came to the “wilderness of Sin”, it was the second month after leaving Egypt, which would have been about fifty days. It’s also fifty days from Passover to Pentecost, at the time they found nothing to eat, they again murmured against Moses (Ex 16:2). God brought them manna, they murmured, yet God blessed them. A case of greed on their part, God didn’t give them the element they wanted, but God did meet their need. Their greed produced the first indication of the sabbath. They were to gather the Manna six days, on the sixth day they were to gather twice as much, then rest on the seventh day (Ex 16:5). However, then we see why Moses said, “for He (the Lord) hears your murmuring against the Lord: and what are we, for you murmur against us?” (Ex 16:7). Then the Lord Himself spoke unto the children saying, “I have heard the murmuring of the children of Israel, At even you shall eat flesh (quail) and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know I am the Lord your God” (Ex 16:12). The know they had herds and flocks tells us they had “red meat”, but it was not “flesh” to them, they were vegetarians with the added staples of fowl and fish. This quail hunt is not the Great Quail hunt, it’s found in Numbers 11:31, here they questioned the Manna, what God did was not good enough for them. The point shows the questioning of the manna connected to the required sabbath day, meaning the sabbath was not a product of God’s joy, rather it came as a result of the unbelief and murmuring of the children. It’s reasonable to say God’s rest is not found in His wrath. The children failed to see why they were given the sabbath, they thought it was a Token connected to the Law of Moses, which it was, but it was still to reflect on what they did during the last six days. Did the believe God? Or murmur and complain?
Why say “Today” if all the work was done Back when? Is the work done? Or is the plan done? Belief is gives us the information to guide our faith, by faith we know God farmed the worlds (ages), yet our belief knows we are children of the Day. Our belief knows God has the plan of Salvation complete just for us, yet we must reach toward the finish by faith to be complete in the plan. We know there remains a Rest, since after the children entered the wilderness, the next generation entered the promised land, yet David showed there remains a Day for those of the Day (v. 7). When David wrote the words the sabbath day was established, yet there remained “a Day”. We are children of the Day, thus our Sabbath isn’t a day as man knows it, but Jesus in us, the hope of glory, the Greater He. Our Rest is in our belief, part of which says the same Spirit who raised Jesus will raise us. As long as the Day is active our Sabbath is within, thus the Day is a time of rest in Christ, knowing what God began, He is fully able to finish.
In verse 8 the name Jesus is the Greek rendering for the Hebrew Joshua, but we also find a promise. Moses led the people through the Sea to the wilderness, but Joshua led them across the Jordan to the promised land, thus the Law of Moses is Good, but not Good enough to get us into the Promise. Again we find the phrase, “harden not your hearts”, this becomes the context throughout this part of Hebrews. The center thought is the Perfection of God, but if we allow unbelief to enter, Perfection is only a distance out of touch dream.
This is still to the “brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling”, who can harden their hearts by making the choice not to continue to belief. The Rest is at hand, but why? Is there a Work God is doing? Is there one we need to do in order to find the Rest? Could it be continual belief? It might be the point.
Since the children failed to enter into the Rest, yet David spoke of it, the fact then remains: there still remains a Rest for the people of God who believe. If God rested from His works, then those who enter the Rest of God cease from their own works. This is an element pointing to the tenet Repentance from dead works in the Doctrine of Christ. Dead works include any work by the Law of sin and death, or any work holding to the Age of death, or any work involving self-righteousness. We turn from our works, which were based in dead deeds, then form our belief in God, rather than our works. By belief we enter the Rest of God to allow the New Man to save our souls. We must become a servant, rather than think we are master.
If the Law of Moses defined the Law of sin and death, then the things therein pertain to death, yet it promised long life on earth? Ahh, the result was still death, but the Law of the Spirit is Life centered based on eternity. The strange thing is we have to impute death in order to gain Life, thus when we impute death by the Cross of Jesus we find the Law of Moses has served its purpose, it is nailed then to the Cross. It’s also important to keep in mind it’s “Repentance from dead works”, not “repentance from sin”. Both entail a turning, but in reference to dead works it’s turning to the Blood of Jesus to be cleaned from all unrighteousness. After the Righteousness of God was presented in Jesus all other forms of righteousness become unrighteousness, including self-righteousness.
Rest means to cease from Labor, yet we Labor to enter the Rest. What type of Labor? Jesus said “This is the Work of God, that you believe on Him Whom He has sent” (Jn 6:29). Unbelief cannot enter in, it exists because the flesh exalts itself in deeds. Wait, the Law of Moses was not of faith, yet it called for acts of self-righteousness. I think we touched something here, acts of self-righteousness are not of faith, anything not done in faith is sin. The Righteousness Jesus presented is based on the Now, thus it’s eternal, without end, never complete by the act, but remains regardless of the act. On the other hand self-righteousness is only good for the act it is applied to, when the act is complete, the act of self-righteousness is dead, thus they had to keep every sabbath day, rather than just one. To accept Jesus, then go about attempting to complete our own righteousness is really holding the Truth in unrighteousness, the same context Paul used in Romans.
Hebrews 4:12 has been referred to in past studies, the Word is of course the Logos in us as the New Man, who divides, discerns, meaning the New Man is doing the Work while we rest. The Scripture does not say the Word in us is a two-edged sword, it says it’s sharper than one. Our position is Rest is still to be alert to the division and separation taking place. The Word finds something in a corner, then says, “look here at what I found”, faith will say, “Wow, let’s get rid of it, what do you want from me?”, but unbelief will say, “What are you doing? Can’t you leave my stuff alone?”.
There is a very sound reason we move from “enter His rest”, to “The Word of God is quick and powerful”. There is an excellent reason for going from “has ceased from his own works”, to “piercing even to the dividing asunder”. Clearly the Rest is found in the ability of the New Man to secure us in our Belief. The Engrafted Word in us is forming us into the Image of God’s dear Son, it’s a work we can’t do, but one we can rest in.
There is a mighty powerful reason for going from “Today while it is yet today”, to “discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. Why put this teaching here? Did the Holy Ghost have a point? Yes, when we cease from our works, it doesn’t mean all work is done, there is yet a work for the New Man, but a Rest for us. When we Rest we understand the work is being done for us, why would we want to work, if the New Man is doing it for us? The Works God rested from are as good as completed, there is no additional effort, it’s set, no man can change it, but we can avoid it. The premise is once we are Born Again we are to submit to the New Man to become One in the Spirit.
The Word of God is Sharper than Any two edged sword, even the Sword seen in the mouth of Jesus at the Judgment, thus it’s better to submit to the working of the Word, then face the Judgment Sword on the Last Day. The Sword of the Spirit is the Rhema, here we’re not talking about a Sword, but about the Logos which is sharper, but why sharper? To divide and separate? Yes, but didn’t God promise to circumcise our hearts? Ahh, the Logos in us is Jesus in us, the Greater He, Another Comforter proving we have a New Heart which is the New Man, thus from the heart we can believe.
When a Sacrifice is presented it’s cut in half, but here we find the Logos is not cutting as if we were a Sacrifice, rather the Logos as the result of the Sacrifice, but the action is still akin to a type of sacrifice. This method is what the priest did with the doves, they didn’t cut them into two parts, rather they opened to view the inner areas, without dividing completely apart. This connects to our priestly duties, our High Priest as the Word in us is doing a sacrificial work, we must cease from our own works, then engage in the work of Him who is in us, the Greater He, the Exposure unto the Cleaning, to bring us the Salvation of our souls.
This verse will add to the concept of Faith, indicating an element of Faith is submissive. Our belief says the Word will separate, our faith says God Is, regardless of what is exposed. We must learn to bend to the Word with the confidence the future result is God based, rather than have the Word bend to our self imposed agendas we think are best for us. There are several words used just in this verse, which was a trait of Paul’s writings. The Greek for Dividing Asunder is Merismos, it’s used here and in Hebrews 2:4, only in 2:4 it’s translated as “gifts”, both are correct in the context used, as we saw. The Holy Ghost does brings the Gift, the Gift will Merismos us.
Once the Word beings the search, what was exposed will soon retaliate to show it’s supposed power. Usually in anger, at times in self-pity, whichever the purpose is to take our faith eyes off the reason for the exposure. This is not merely separating the soul and Spirit, but detecting the source for clarification. Within the saving of the soul we find three areas, all of which need clarification to separate the actions of the soul from the Ways of the Spirit. The soul is the Mind, Will and Emotions of man, each has strongholds, hurts, or fables picked up along the way. The soul is natural in nature, it came with the flesh, thus it was associated with “born of the flesh is flesh”, yet we are now Born Again, thus the process is for the soul to become spiritual in nature. We need to know if some element is fleshly attempting to counterfeit the Spirit, or is it the Spirit.
Our Mind needs to be renewed into thinking as the Spirit, it no longer can think as the spirit of disobedience. The old man has his thought process, the Spirit uses the Mind of Christ, we can’t use both; the attempt to use both makes us “double-minded”. Our Emotions need to be healed and saved. We need our emotions, God has emotions, but they don’t guide or instruct God. Think of what would happened to the children if God’s wrath became God’s guide. All the manna, and no one to eat it.
Emotions saved help us to praise and worship, they also become warning signs to assist us. When we miss the mark the New Man will convict us, but so does fear, which is an emotion. When emotions are rulers, or guides, we will allow them to speak for us, cause us to react, meaning they will get us into all sorts of trouble. Unsaved emotions run around putting wood where there is no fire, or they go about building fires, where there is no wood. Our. Emotions help us minister, but we never minister through the Emotions. Our Emotions pick up the feelings of others, but when we attempt to minister to the feelings, we are pulled into the same despair, or worse the same deception. When we attempt to minister by our feelings we will end needing more ministry, than the one we are ministering to. The saving of the Emotions brings them into a area where they work for us, rather than against us. How do we know what is what? We enter His rest by allowing the Word in us to separate asunder to bring us to a place where we know our souls are becoming Spiritual.
There is a healing of the soul, as well as saving of the soul. The healing begins when we forgive others with the serious intent of pleasing God. When we retain unforgiveness those hurts will fester, the soul will scab over causing a scare. The scare will become hard, we will then build a wall to protect our egos; the next step is a hard heart. We must forgive completely, the more we forgive the more we’re healed. We can’t forgive one person, yet transfer the blame to another. “Oh I forgave them years ago, but you, yes you knew what was going on, and did nothing”. The Word in us beings clarity, we will see how we thought we forgave, but all we did was transfer the blame to another person.
The Word is Quick, Powerful and Sharper, three areas, each with importance. The Word (Logos) is added to the Quick (Rhema), which brings the Power and Sharpness, thus we could see this as the Logos being the Word projecting the Rhema. The metaphor “sword” means the tongue, the Sword of the Spirit is speaking words of Grace to the hearer, the Sword coming from the mouth of Jesus is to separate the sheep from the goats at the Judgment, but here we find the Logos is sharper than any two-edged sword as it works within, making it akin to the groanings which can’t be uttered. There is no Sword here, the Word is sharper than any two-edged Sword, it’s not a sword. This is not the same as the Sword of the Spirit found in Ephesians, there it is a sword, meaning Rhema or Grace projected from the mouth, in this case nothing is said, the work is eternal.
The word Powerful is the Greek Energes meaning a Working or In Working, explaining the Rest and Labor. We enter the Rest by allowing the Labor of the Word to save our souls. The word Sharper is the Greek Tomoteros, it’s only used here, meaning To Cut, it is akin to the Greek Orthotomeo meaning To handle correctly, thus this is a type of cutting away of the old heart, as the New Heart becomes our nature. The old man was king of the mountain, the spirit of man guided us into disobedience. It attempted to influence us with a nature, its hope was for us to continue to use the nature when we entered the kingdom, only in a legalistic religious manner. The children left Pharaoh at the Sea, but they brought the nature of Pharaoh into the wilderness. The old man is the Egypt (worldly) mentality, the very thing causing the children to fail in the wilderness. They lacked the ability to change natures, but they had the ability to change attitudes.
Now we begin to see what God was saying, the sabbath reflected on the attitude of the children, they saw God’s deliverance as destruction, yet the work is done, the work He was doing was deliverance. Here in Hebrews we find the Law of Moses, the Tabernacle or the sabbath day could neither change the children, or make them believe. The Law of the Spirit is designed to bring a change in nature, the Law of Moses was not so designed.
Keeping the sabbath day may make one feel good inside, or even make them feel superior, but keeping the sabbath will not save their soul, rather they die in their sins. The Word is the Greater He, the old man is the he in the world, guess which one loves self-righteousness? This area of the Word working in us is different from the Wisdom of God, James will talk about. The Word in us isn’t dealing with people in this case, it’s dealing with us. Clearly if the Word in us is dividing and separating it points to Process.
Paul talked about casting down imaginations in II Corinthians, but who is going to expose the Imagination from the Truth? Our souls? Really? Or will it be the Word in us? Correct, the division between what the soul conjured up, and what the Spirit obtained from ABBA Father is a vital separation. When the imagination comes, from where did it come? Was it a thought? The intent of the thought? A suggestion? Or what? The Word in us is Jesus, thus it’s important not to limit the “word of God” to the Bible alone. If we do, we will think if we read the Bible it will become the Word in us. The Bible is the Rule Book, but without being Born Again we will not have the nature the Bible speaks of.
The Word in us is discerning the source of the intent and thought. This is the area where the Just live by faith, the place of Justification, the area where the hard heart is exposed then cut away, so the New Heart can bring the Salvation of our souls.
This also shows how the Word divides, as it rightly divides. The Word in us, is unto salvation, pure and simple, but facing the Word on the last day is unto judgment, pure and simple.
The first area defined is soul and Spirit, then joints (works or acts) and marrow (ways), then to the discerning of the thoughts and intents. Jeremiah 23:20 says, “The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He have Executed (Hebrew Asah To toil, or Form), and till He have performed the Thoughts of His Heart: in the latter days you shall consider it perfectly”, the same thing is said again in Jeremiah 30:24; therefore, the Work regarding Judgment was done from the foundation of the world. The world is moving in the work, as we are moving from the work into the Rest of God by our continual belief.
The soul looks to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the Spirit to the fruit of the Tree of Life, the Word (Logos) mixed with the Rhema shows the soul which is which. When something is Pierced it’s opened and naked, verse 13 shows all things are Naked and Manifest in the sight of God, why then do we want to hide behind a mask of pretend holiness?
The Old Testament high priest presented the sacrifice, not the person, but Our High Priest presents us; the high priest of old was restricted to the earth, but Our High Priest is in heaven. We saw the “holy brethren”; then “partakers”; then the calling, now we Consider Jesus, and the Profession. A Profession is the type of work we are known by, it’s the Confession at work, or being worked. We said, “I love God with all my heart, I trust God, and I have faith in God”, then God applied the test to the confession to gain an experience to make it a Profession. The Profession firms the Hope, allowing faith a confidence. On the other hand, we may find the test produced an exposure, indicating how our mouth moved faster than our heart.
Jesus is touched with our weaknesses, but He will not be moved by our natural agendas, or supposed greatness, nor will He submit to words, or lust based prayers. He does know our weaknesses, but He has also given us the New Man to bring Strength where there is weakness. He will move us to higher ground based on our faith in Him to move us. Verse 15 shows Jesus was Tempted in all points, there are only three points in which all temptation lays, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. The temptation came, but Jesus being without sin was not tempted, thus no one can tempt God with evil, since there is no evil in God, which we have all ready discussed.
If Jesus is the Word, and the Word in us is “working”, and Jesus is our High Priest, and Paul said we are the “temple”, or better the Holy of Holies, what is Jesus doing? High Priest activities, we present ourselves a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable service, yet a sacrifice must be examined before it can be presented. The time of presentation is yet future, the time of preparation is a Process for the Now, while it is yet Today.
We have to be careful in reading verse 15, or we will read it as, “For we have a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses”, when in fact it shows “we have Not a high priest”, thus showing Jesus has been tempted, yet He never fell to the temptation. He also knows what it will take for us to have the victory. The one phrase man no longer can use is, “You don’t know what I’m going through”. There is nothing fallen on us, which is not common to man, or nothing Jesus hasn’t faced. “Well, I don’t know, this thing is something no one has faced”, there is nothing fallen on us which is not common to man, or nothing Jesus hasn’t faced, or gained the victory over. “Oh shut up, and leave me with this pity, it feels good”. Ahh, the flesh wanting his self-nature comforted, which is a sign of unbelief in the Victory of Jesus.
The phrase “be touched with the feeling” in verse 15 is the Greek Sumpatheo from the Greek Sum meaning Together with, and the Greek Pascho meaning To suffer. This shows the Cross was more than any of us could bear, yet Jesus not only suffered, He gained the victory. Now try to say the event facing us is something strange.
Verse 16 is a Hope showing a position not granted to any man prior to Jesus, not even Adam. Adam being a living soul could not come boldly to the throne, he had to wait for the throne to come to him, yet when temptation came to him, he did partake. The Faith of Jesus is tested, proven and willing to stand as a Shield for us. Even a prophet like Isaiah couldn’t go to the altar of God, he had to wait for an angel to bring a coal from the altar. We come Boldly to the Throne of Grace (position) to obtain Mercy (condition) then find Grace (Ability in the Rest of God) to help in time of need. Like Paul we will find Grace is sufficient, it always is.
Will we fall to times of unbelief? Yes, but we have a High Priest who can clean us, and bring us back to Belief. The word Boldly is the Greek Parresia meaning a Freedom or Frankness to Speak, or a Confidence with a Plainness of Speech, it’s approaching the Throne by Words, not acts. The phrase “May Obtain” is the Greek Lambano, which we know from our study in Romans; we Lambano, Jesus is KataLambano toward us, as the Spirit is SunAntiLambanomai for us. Lambano is using the same method used to obtain us, showing we can’t use anger, when Jesus uses Mercy. We must respond in the same manner is Jesus is responding. Jesus approaches us with the intent of saving our souls, we must respond the same way by allowing Him to save our souls. This doesn’t mean some mirror, where Jesus approaches us to save our souls, and we think we’re going to save His. It would be stupid, it means holding the same attitude and conviction. When the Word begins to divide, we can’t ignore what is going on. The Word is bringing clarity, it’s our position of Rest to observe what the Word has brought to the light. The Greek Lambano also denotes one received what was offered, then used the same means to offer it back again, clarity for clarity. The word Time is the Greek Eukairos meaning Well timed or Opportune, shows we don’t wait, we move to the Throne whenever the need is there. Lambano points to the Method of the Weapons of our warfare, indicating they are mighty through God, we are given the Peace, Love, Grace and Light from God, thus we have two sets of weapons, one from God, the other waiting in the darkness, the latter is bitterness, hate, vengefulness, strife, ego infested words, manipulation, envy, lust and control, which set of weapons we pick determines if we are standing with God, or against Him.
We know God has a Will at work in the world, no one, not even a Christian can stop it (Isa 14:24-27), but we also know God has a Will for us. The Will He has for us in written on the Record in heaven, the work is being done by the Witness on earth. When we pray for God’s Will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, we are also asking God for the Witness to conduct the work. In turn God expects us to submit to the Water, Blood and Spirit to conduct the labor. We are not asking God to condone our will, which would be praying through a lust, rather we are telling God we will submit as we enter His will. Use the children in the wilderness as an example, did they pray? Yes, anyone who makes a request to God is praying, so how did they pray? Through a lust, they murmured, complained, and provoked God to the point He called their condition a Provocation. The children wanted God to carry out their agenda, they even attempted to change the Will of God by tempting Him, ye they lost what little they thought they had.
Mercy and Lambano are connected, Jesus told us to Forgive in order to be forgiven, thus our Lambano is based in a heart of forgiveness, it’s willing to forgive before there is a cause to forgive. How can we come Boldly? By the Faith of Jesus? Yes, but what is the Faith, and how does it work? It works by Love, thus when we stand in Mercy and Love we have the confidence to come Boldly. Some attempt to come Boldly, but they either want God to inflict some harm on others, or they want God to carry out their agenda, hardly faith, or Mercy. What about those we simply can’t forgive? Jesus is our High Priest, if it’s our desire to forgive, Jesus will grant us the power to complete the act. The Ingress Aires answered the question, there are times when we come to the Throne of Grace and required Breath of Christ, in order to have the ability. The “faith issue” is knowing it may not be “instant forgiveness” on our part, but faith still stays the forgiveness will manifest. It’s an aspect of our priestly duties, to administer Mercy, the Mercy of God does endure forever.
This process is only open to the New Testament priest, follow the steps, we enter the holy place where we find Mercy, then into the holiest where Grace remains. Since we are priests, we can partake of the things in the holy place, which means we can “obtain Mercy”, but only our High Priest has duties in the holiest of all, thus we Find Grace, we don’t obtain it. Wait, isn’t the Gift Grace? Yes, the Gift still belongs to Jesus, we are given the gift based on His freewill in order for us to do the things of Grace.
The thought in all is this is to “hold fast our profession” (v. 14). Don’t let it “slip”, don’t allow a hard heart to enter in causing us to fall away from our profession. We gain the strength not through deeds of the Law of Moses, but by being a priest unto the Lord, as we come boldly to the Throne of Grace to Obtain Mercy, and Find God’s Grace to help in the time of need. What time? When we begin to slip from our profession.
Heb 5:1-14
Can we have a like confidence? What manner of High Priest do we have? What manner did Moses have? The priests under the Law of Moses were “ordained for men in things pertaining to God”; however, as the Son of man Jesus was appointed by the Father to be our High Priest in the things pertaining to man by God. Here is where another division takes place, the priests of old cared for the things of the tabernacle as they pertained to God, but Jesus as God the Son is in us pertains to the things of the saint, as they relate to God. Paul explained this to the Corinthians when he said, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (I Cor 2:13), and “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; so we might know the things which are freely given to us of God” (I Cor 2:12).
This Priestly Order is perhaps as important, or more so than our Kingly positions. Priests operate under an Order which pertains to their Priesthood, any priest who operates outside of their Order is casting strange fire into the Tabernacle of God. We cannot do the duties of the Levitical Priesthood, and the duties of the New Testament Priesthood at the same time, it would be Two Orders, not One.
In reference to the earthly high priest, he should have compassion on the ignorant, and those out of the Way, since we were also human and weak, thus ignorance is a human trait; being carnal or fleshly is a human trait, but it doesn’t mean we have faced all things, neither does it mean the priests of old have faced all things. Jesus as our High Priest knows exactly what we have faced, what it takes to heal the wound, what it takes to protect us for the future, while at the same time saving our souls. The phrase “them who are out of the way” is the one Greek word Planes meaning A wandering out of the right way, or as we would term it a backslider.
The priests of Israel and the Order of Aaron all came from the tribe of Levi, regardless of when it was BC or AD. If they were a Jew of the tribe of Levi, then they could be appointed to the office, but not all Jews could say, “guess what, I want to be a priest”, they had to be born of the tribe of Levi, then appointed by man to be in the office (v. 4). In the Book of Revelation we find we were “Made” kings and priests (Rev 1:6). This does not pertain to leadership alone, it means everyone who has been Born Again. Our Order is specific, “unto God and His Father” (Rev 1:6). Truly we see Jesus termed “God” here, so this pertains to the position of the Son of God. Yet, we find the Body of Christ has “sons of God” as well as “sons of men”. Our priestly Order pertains to the People of God, not merely the “things of God”. The role of Intercessory prayer is a priestly duty, as we stand for the saints.
Christ glorified not Himself, He didn’t say, “I’m the Son of God, I must be High Priest”, rather the Father said many years ago, “Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec” ( v. 6). Six times we find the phrase “Order of Melchisedec” in Hebrews (5:6, 5:10, 6:20, 7:11, 7:17 & 7:21). This is after the Order of Melchisedec (Melchizedek), not after the man; Hebrews never tells us Melchizedek is our high priest. Going back to Genesis 14 we find the meeting between Melchizedek and Abraham then we read Melchizedek was, “the priest of the Most High God” (Gen 14:18). The word Priest is the Hebrew Kohen meaning the principle officer, or acting priest, meaning there were others, even outside of the Levitical order who held this title (II Sam 8:18, I Kings 4:5, and I Chron 18:16). How can this be? The Law of Moses wasn’t even around yet. Ahh, this Order is not associated to the Law of Moses, it is apart from it, before it, and consisting of an Order all it’s own.
We can’t use the excuse, “well Abram only gave tithes once”, since we don’t know it’s the case, what we do know is God wanted us to see the meeting, as well as the Order, and what the Order consisted of. There are some things we must keep in mind, the Commandment regarding the Tithe didn’t come until Leviticus 27:30, Abram is not said to have given a “Tithe”, nor was he termed a “Tither”, but he did give Tithes. All different things, the Tithe under the Law is by Commandment, the person who gives the Tithe by the commandment is a Tither, but the thing given is the Tithes. If there is no Commandment regulating the amount of the Tithes, then it becomes voluntary by the giver. This will be evident in the terms, “take tithe”, and “receive tithe”.
There are some who hear “tithe” in any form and go into a rage, some even make the mistake of considering the Tithe “illegal”, the Tithe isn’t since it came from God as a point of the Law, but so was circumcision of the flesh. The wrong person doing it would be illegal for the person, since the Law and Commandment doesn’t apply to them. It doesn’t make the Tithe illegal, it means the person is doing an illegal act. This was the great concern of Paul toward the Galatians, doing the “lawful” thing when one doesn’t have the lawful right to do it, thus making the effort unlawful. Of course there are others who extract Tithes, or use the tithe as a means of control, then there are others to claim the Tithe is not for the Christian. Tithes without a Commandment are monies or things given to any priest for the assistance of the “house of God”. We found several verses back Jesus is the Son over His own house, which House we are (Heb 3:6). There are two elements in which one can “take tithes”, one is by manipulation (grudgingly), or based on a promise of a return greater than the gift given (necessity – II Cor 9:7). Either one of these removes both the “taker” and “giver” from the Love of God. How can one take tithes, yet say they are against the Tithe? By manipulation, they indicated if we don’t give, we are not Christian, or if we ask for material, yet don’t give we are not Christian, it’s not only manipulation, but becomes hypocrisy if they have set themselves against the Tithe, since they are in fact extracting tithes from the person by using manipulation.
The terms are important, we reviewed them some lessons back, but for quick review, the Tithe is ten percent, based on the Hebrew word Ma’saer meaning Tithe, or Tenth, it was used in the phrase “a tenth thereof” (Numb 18:26, Ex 16:36 et al). A free will offering is something the person does without having “heard” from the Lord, nor is there any Commandment, Law or Regulation telling them to give; Alms are things given to the poor and needed. In Malachi the premise was “rob God”, but with us it’s different. If we do not have a Commandment, or premise making it legal for us to “take tithes”, meaning if we do “take tithes” we are robbing the people of God. What if our pastor says, “We are going to receive your tithes and offerings now”? It’s within the bounds of our Order, the priests are to Receive tithes. What if the same pastor said, “We are going to take your tithe now, and if you don’t give you are in danger of hell fire”? It would “taking tithes”, which would illegal for the Priest under the Order of Melchizedek. Why? We have no commandment telling us we can take tithes from people, we do however have an Order saying we can receive tithes.
The Order has some obvious attributes we will look at, but the entire meeting tells us much. Both Abram and Melchizedek respected each another, they each gave to one another, but neither received from the king of Sodom. Respect for those in our Priesthood is a priestly function, must honor the members of the Body of Christ. This meeting set the premise we find in Romans and Corinthians; many of our functions are between members in the Body. By both Abram and Melchizedek excluding the king of Sodom we find the Order was restricted between those who serve the Living God. Both gave, both men received, neither had a rule, regulation or commandment telling them to give.
If we slander a member we have tossed strange fire into the Holy Place, not real smart. How? Removal of Mercy, we come to the Throne to obtain Mercy, but how can we if we don’t apply any? Mercy is our first encounter in the Priesthood Order, we are given Mercy, we are expected to give it. We can look at the vast difference between Taking tithes, and Receiving tithes.
Not only did the Father say “You are My Son” but He also said, “You are a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (v. 6). The Greek word for After in verse 6 is Kata meaning From higher to lower, the Greek word for Order is Taxis meaning To place in Order, or in Rank, it doesn’t mean Jesus followed the teachings of Melchizedek, but there was something about the Order of Melchizedek becoming at issue. The Order of Melchizedek doesn’t mean Melchizedek was Jesus, nor does it mean Melchizedek came from heaven, it means the person did things as a priest, which display a certain Order of the Priesthood. This will also prevents the false assumption of one being a priest under the Levitical Order, and the Order of Melchizedek at the same time, they are two completely different orders. The “tithes” issue is one dividing factor, as is the Bread and Wine.
The best evidence of the Bible being Authored by the Holy Ghost is the enigma of Melchizedek, a gentile given proper notice in the Bible, who has heard of such a thing? This person who appears once is given a specific place, one so vital to the Cross we find the Priesthood being changed actually caused the Law of the Spirit to be in place. The Priest under the Order of Melchizedek has the Law of the Spirit, the Levi priest has the Law of Moses.
If Moses was the author, he would never have put this man in the text. Why? The Law of Moses was not yet when Abram gave tithes to Melchizedek, clearly Melchizedek is a “priest of the most high God”. If Moses the man was the Author two things would be evident, he would have said Abram was the priest, and it would have been Abram taking tithes, not giving them. To place another priesthood in the text would bring confusion by indicating a priesthood before the one Moses established in Aaron. No, the Holy Ghost moved on Moses, and the man wrote was he was told. The Aaron priesthood is based in the Law of Moses, the only things we know about the Order of Melchizedek are written for us. However, this Order of Melchizedek had some main elements, respect is one, bread with wine another, then the “tithes” without commandment. The Law of Moses had bread, tithing by commandment, and other similar things, but there was a major difference. In the Law of Moses the sacrifices were the main issue, but in the Order of Melchizedek the Bread and Wine were the focus. We also find cursing and blessing in the Law of Moses, but the Order of Melchizedek was based on “Blessing” (Gen 14:19). The two elements of Bread and Wine center on the Body, for we are the Bread, and the Blood of Jesus, the New Covenant, both also represent the Priesthood of Jesus. If the concept of Abram “only gave once” is our excuse, we must also consider Communion was done once, to do it again would be illegal, which we know is not right. Paul told us when we gather we are to partake of Communion, so the “one time giving” falls short in face of the evidence; however, there is an added element, the Spirit, the CharismaCharis, the cheerful giver, the mutation change from having to tithe under Commandment to being Loved of God because our nature is conducive to being a son of God. of
Jesus as our High Priest gave us the two elements of Bread, and His Blood in the Cup, we as priests partake of the things of the altar. Those two items entail much, they bring to bear the doctrine of baptisms, the laying on of hands, and many areas all within the Order we are a part of. Another issue is how Melchizedek was both king and priest, something not lawfully allowed under the Old, but granted under the New.
Verse 7 tells us Jesus offered up prayers, we could confuse this verse with 6, thinking Melchizedek was praying and offering up prayers, but it goes back to the forth element of the Order of Melchizedek. We know the prayer in the Garden was not for Jesus alone, since He told Peter, “what could you not watch WITH ME one hour?” (Matt 26:40). The reason Jesus prayed during the earthly ministry is told here in verses 7 and 8. Jesus was acting as our High Priest, even as the Son of man He offered prayers and supplications on our behalf. John’s account shows Jesus in the Garden as most of the prayer content was Jesus praying for us, but not for the world. Why? A priest doesn’t offer for those not in the House, Jesus as our High Priest was established before the Law of the Spirit.
The word Supplication means To ask for the supply, the Greek word used for prayers is Deeis meaning To make known a particular need, which would be the context of the prayer in John 17. How could Jesus stand for us, if He didn’t face the many things we face? How could He perform as our High Priest if He didn’t feel and understand our souls? On the other hand, how could any man stand for us before the Father?
The word Save in verse 7 is the Greek Sozo meaning pulled from the world to enter the process of Salvation, thus by His prayers and supplications, the process of pulling us from the world was accomplished, but what then? Leaving us in a Adam state was not the purpose, bringing us back to the Garden so we can face the tree of the knowledge of good and evil isn’t going to open heaven. The aspect of the verses here shows Death, we are delivered from the fear of Death, which is found in the second death. Freedom comes with the confidence of Life, unto the hope of Life More Abundantly (v. 7). We’re moving step by step to learn of the Greatness of Jesus.
Jesus being The Son of man learned Obedience by the things He suffered, we learn by the things we suffer for His sake. The Greek word for Learned in verse 8 is Manthano meaning To have learned something in order to understand it by experience, it goes further than learning something from someone, it means one has learned it by living it. The phrase Being Made Perfect in verse 9 is the Greek word Teleioo meaning to Mature, Be complete, or Reach the intended goal, which is really the heart of this letter.
God taking on flesh to experience man’s feelings, then God bringing us the Seed of God so we can experience the things of God are all part of Grace, the Good News. In order for Jesus to be our High Priest, He had to experience the things of man, but in order to bring us into the position, He must be God the Son, a position between positions, while being in both positions.
The writer keeps pointing to Melchizedek, making the separation and division between the two orders. If this was not important, why even tell us? It’s vital, we must make the Godly division, or we could find ourselves blaspheming the very Priesthood Jesus has established for us. The invasion of the Judaizers was a serious problem, the idea of the Gentile going back to the Law of Moses, in order to gain what they already had seems foolish to us. However, how many of us pick up winds of doctrine to make us feel more important to God? The Law of Moses is from God, but the Law of the Spirit is better, it advances one from the confines of the Law of Moses to a higher position. The point is why go back to something you are free of, just to gain a position you already have?
Our Order has ordinances, but the Order of Aaron had many Commandments. God gave the priests under the lawful established procedure in Leviticus several years after Abram talked with Melchizedek. If God called the high priest under the Old Covenant, and Jesus is called of God (v. 10), then all the priests under Jesus are called of God as well. It seems to the be point doesn’t it? God called us, we didn’t call ourselves. If God called us, He also equipped us for the task ahead. No priest was called, then not given the wherewithal to accomplish the task. Every priest called of God, has what it takes to complete the task before them. What is our task? To believe unto the saving of the soul.
Verse 11 is a rebuke, dull of hearing comes from not submitting to the voice of the Lord. Faith comes by hearing, but the hearing comes by the Rhema, without a desire to know about God, the hearing won’t come. This is different than a “hard heart”, here it’s the hearing, not the heart. Dull hearing hears some things correctly, but can’t “compute” others. It’s not intellect, as some would think, it’s allowing the Spirit to bring the clarity of Truth. The Spirit doesn’t work on some IQ, nor does He expect us to match up to His, regardless of the learning disability, or ability, the Spirit communicates on the level of understanding for the person. This is clear when we see small children receive a Truth, yet a college professor can’t grasp the same truth.
The word Dull is the Greek Nothros meaning Sluggish, or Slothful, referring to Proverbs where the Sluggard is mentioned, thus showing the Sluggard is one who is dull of hearing, not merely one who doesn’t work for a living, one can work fifty jobs and remain dull of hearing. He just finished talking about the Profession of our Faith, this is a warning about being Sluggish in the Faith. The phrase You Are, reads in the Greek as, “You Have Become”, it’s the Greek Ginomai meaning To begin to be, or To come into a state, it doesn’t mean they were always in this condition, rather it shows they once believed, but moved from belief to unbelief, which in turn removed their hope, which ship wrecked their faith. The conclusion is they need to be taught Again. The word Hearing is the Greek Akoe meaning the Instrument of hearing, often used as the Ear, but it also refers to closing the ear, or opening it. This goes right back to, “Hear His Voice”, and “the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them who heard it”. The Word came, but it needed to be mixed with faith “in them”, thus the hearing begins within.
In Matthew 13:15 Jesus said, there were those who were, “dull of hearing”, but we find a different word and context in Matthew, than we do here. Here in Hebrews it means Sluggish, but in Matthew it means a Stubbornness after the fact, thus in Hebrews it refers to the process of one who has heard, but refuses to apply it, producing a hard heart. In Matthew it refers to those who have already hardened their hearts, or those who reject the hearing. Romans 8:14 tells us as many as are Led by the Spirit are children of God, the word for Led means To lead gently, without violence or resistance, it has the same context as the phrase Obey Willingly, or better to Hear and obey without question. One can obey while kicking and yelling, but it’s hardly the obedience God desires. One can be led while complaining, but it’s not how the Spirit will led us. Someone can ask us to get them a glass of water, and we “obey”, but in the process we’re saying, “why me? I’m always the one, what? Do they have a broken leg?”, We got them the glass of water, so did we obey? Reluctantly, not willingly.
Verses 9 and 10 not only talk of the Order of the High Priest, but we find the phrase, “author of eternal salvation”. Could it mean Salvation is the gift? No, we have to put this with Hebrews 4:16, by keeping it in context. This doesn’t say we have Salvation, rather it says Salvation is Eternal, or a time without time. In Hebrews 4:16 we didn’t “obtain Grace”, we found it, Grace is the gift and tool granted to obtain Salvation. No one can do the things of Grace without Grace, yet no one has the righteousness to obtain Grace, yet we are saved by Grace through faith, not of our own. This phrase is perhaps the most important in reference to Eternal Judgment. When does Eternal Judgment really begin? At the Judgment (makes sense), so then when does Eternal Salvation begin? When we acquire those white robes in heaven, thus both relate to something after it’s appointed unto us to die once. Eternal meaning without end, or a time element, but Immortal meaning free of death, which is the reward of Salvation. To the Lord a day is like a thousand years, a thousand years like a day, simply showing time is not an element to those who immortal and eternal, it’s always Now.
The word Author is the Greek Aitios meaning The cause or source, thus showing why the Rest for those of Grace waits in Grace, the Author has already acquired our goal. Jesus is not only the Source, He is the Captain, High Priest, Bishop, Chief Shepherd, and Apostle, thus every angle, every corner, each issue, regardless of the issue is covered by Jesus. Nothing is left undone, thus Paul was confident, if we hold fast our profession, we will make it. Why? The works are done in Jesus, they are merely being played out in our lives by the Witness.
Yet, we know the Body will be broken, two parts, one goes with the Spirit in the Rapture, the other remains as the “rocks” of rejection. Hebrews lays out the choice, not the efforts. The effort to victory is done by the Faith of Jesus, it’s our faith at issue becoming important: yet, without belief our faith lacks considerably.
Verse 12 doesn’t say they were teachers, it says they ought to be teachers, yet in their present state they require to be taught again: the word “again” indicates they were taught about dead works, faith toward God, the laying on of hands, thus they are not ignorant of the Rudiments of the Doctrine of Christ, rather they allowed other matters to enter in which do not pertain to our Order of Priesthood.
The word Teachers and Teach are similar in nature, the Greek word for Teachers is Didaskalos, which is used some 48 times in the Gospel accounts, and 58 times in the entire New Testament, out of those it’s used 41 times in reference to Jesus. It means To make Disciples; the word Teach is Didasko meaning To instruct by mouth. This also shows we are instructed by every word coming from the mouth of God, as we are taught by experience of the Word working in us.
They need someone Teach them the Principles of the Oracles of God again. This is not merely teaching the Oracles of God, but the Principles, the word Principles is not Arche, but Stoicheion meaning Rudiments, Elements, or the fundamentals. The Greek philosophers used the Greek word Stoicheion in reference to the elements of the universe, such as, earth, water, air and fire, or the basics of knowledge. It’s the same context we find here, the six rudiments keep us from chasing after winds of doctrine, forming fables, joining cult systems, or beginning them. These Rudiments are not the entire Doctrine of Christ, they are the basic elements every Convert must know. There are some elements missing, Born Again, Mercy, Grace, as well as others, but these six give us a sound foundation.
The word Oracles is plural. it comes from the Greek Logion meaning One who declares something from God, suggesting the same meaning as the word Preacher. The word Time in verse 12 is the Greek Chronos meaning A period measured by the succession of events; whereas the Greek Kairos means a Season or Time, thus the people being talked to have grown, but in the growth they forgot their first position.
We also find the difference between Milk and Meat, Milk is the knowledge, meat is the doing, milk is being taught, meat is for those who teach, milk gives us strength for the moment, meat allows us to operate with endurance; therefore, one can take the Milk to grow by, but they need the Meat to help others. The word Milk is the Greek Gala meaning the rudiments to nourish babies, again we find the six elements are the foundation to the Doctrine of Christ, not the entire Doctrine.
This entire area is another example of Paul’s tongue in cheek humor, something we’re beginning to grasp. Here he tells them they should be out there teaching converts the rudiments of the Doctrine of Christ, but instead they seem to have forgotten them, perhaps because they believed in many things not worth believing in, but failed to believe in the things of Christ. He goes over them briefly, then he tells them what happens when one is in need of teaching, but refused to “eat”, they merely want a “taste”, as he says, “But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you”. What happened to “grow where you’re at”? Grow is the key, they had been at this long enough to be discipling others, but they can’t get the six rudiments together, much less teach.
We also find Meat is divided into two classes, Meat and Strong Meat (v 12). The word Meat here is the Greek Trophe, it’s not Carnal (Meat – Greek Sarkikos), rather it means one is Able to eat on their own, but unable to prepare the Food. Prior it was able to ingest meat, but not able to feed oneself, here Strong Meat means they are able to feed their self, but still not able to cook it, it still takes the Spirit to cook it. The word Strong is the Greek Stereos meaning Stable, Firm, or Solid, as opposed to Liquid, thus one can take of the Water, but not engage in the Blood of Jesus.
Verse 13 explains the difference from this statement and the one in Peter where we are told to partake of Milk. In Peter we are told to partake of Milk “as newborn babes” allowing us to grow, but here we find it’s not our growing at issue, it’s the ability to help others when they are still in the milk stage. The word Unskillful is the Greek Apeiros meaning Without Experience, showing they had knowledge, but not the experience. This gives us another insight to Meat, Milk is the knowledge, Meat is gained by the experience. This is not merely an experience, rather it’s an experience by the Spirit guided by the Holy Ghost to instill “I know, what I know, what I know”.
Verse 14 lays out the rest of the teaching, telling us to open our ears, prepare our hearts and get ready, we’re about to engage in a feast of meat. They have need to be refreshed in the six basic elements of the Doctrine of Christ. Jesus came as God in the flesh to Experience the things of man; therefore, how can one teach of God unless they experience the things of God? It was once said, and truthfully so, the Meat is found in the valley, the Milk on the mountain top, it’s when we know, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death, God is with me”, we will find the Meat of the Experience.
The term “of Full Age” is the Greek Teleios meaning The finished purpose, or What has reached the goal, it’s the same word used in James 1:4 as Perfect, thus it doesn’t mean one who has completed the effort, rather it shows they are now spiritual in thinking with the ability to discern Good and Evil without having to partake of the wrong fruit to find out. The word Discern means to judge between the two, making the firm conviction which it good and which is evil. This is not the same as having “all the truth”, this is when the soul listens to the Word as the Word discerns. The word Discern is also found in I Corinthians 12:10 as “discerning of spirits”, connecting to I John 4:1-5 as the “test of the Spirit”; the word Senses doesn’t mean the ability to touch or see, it means the ability to Judge before the fact, thus it means to look to the result before entering the event.
There are doctrines many, there are the wind of doctrines, but there is only One Doctrine of Christ. Each person in the Body should know, and agree on at least these six rudiments. The Bible tells us there is the doctrine of Balaam, as well as the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes (Rev 2:14-15). We also know there are doctrines of devils, and doctrines of men; Jezebel the self-appointed one also has a doctrine she “teaches” (Rev 2:20). Two of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation have false teachings, or teachers sitting where they should not be. However, if they had the six rudiments to the Doctrine of Christ they wouldn’t be found entering the false ones. Corinth remained carnal, they allowed and accepted false apostles into their midst. The false apostles also turned some of the Corinthians into massagers of Satan.
Doctrines of devils are not teaching about devils, just as the doctrine of Balaam isn’t teaching about Balaam, rather it’s what they teach. The devils teach unbelief, Balaam taught how to make the children curse themselves, for the purpose of making money. Jezebel’s teaching was how to control people by using “so saith the Lord”, the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes was to retain power over the people, or get the people to respond the way the leader desires. The doctrines of men are those shaky denominational or non-denominational theories founded on the winds of doctrine, or based on opinions of the winds of doctrine. Dogma is also based on Opinion, an opinion is something we think to be true, but lack the evidence to prove it so. They use illusive Scripture, secular information, leave out requirements in the Commandments, trust in suggestions or unconnected inferences, producing fables to prove the point, but it’s a fable, a stronghold in the making, and dangerous when taught to others.
We know Jesus said, “Ye must be Born Again”, we know He used the phrase twice, Peter used it once, from the three uses were a “must” making it a Commandment. What would it be if Jesus only used it once? If the wording was “ye must” it’s still a Commandment. However, the Holy Ghost made sure it was used more than once, confirming it’s still a Commandment.
If we understand Eternal Judgment, we understand Eternal Salvation. We looked at some of the uses of Eternal, but the concept of Eternal Punishment, or Eternal Judgment, although an obvious tenet in the Doctrine of Christ has been a subject of controversy. Why did the Author use “Eternal Judgment”, rather than “Eternal Salvation”? After all we read how Jesus is the Captain of Eternal Salvation. The concept of the lake of fire losing it’s fire someday does not match “Eternal Judgment”. The concept of hell being a weekend visit does not match “Eternal Judgment”. This one pillar removes the false concepts of eternal punishment, not being eternal. Why? If we think the punishment is a week or two, then we would chance it, thinking God would be so merciful He would excuse us from the lake of fire. It sounds nice, even gives God some very deserving credit, but it doesn’t match the Doctrine. The Promise shows if there is Eternal Judgment, there must be Eternal Salvation: therefore, God has provided the escape.
Justin and the Alexandrian fathers believed all those who had in this life followed the Light of the Divine Logos (Jesus, Word) then died in a state of “unconscious Christianity” would be judged separate from the “saint”. Paul referred to is those who Sleep in Jesus, as compared to those who are Dead in Christ. John called them the “rest of the dead” who lived not again until the thousand years were over (Rev 20:5). Jesus went to the Cross as the Son of man, He will judge as the Son of man, meaning the Judgment is based on Mercy, not Grace. However, both Paul and John also noted the “dead in Christ”, those who are caught up in the Rapture, a separate group from those who Sleep in Jesus. Tertullian and it appears Irenaeus felt Gehenna and Paradise were temporal places until the Judgment.
In the Book of Revelation the word “hell” is the same Greek word throughout, we find Jesus has the keys of death and hell, noted as two places not “death in hell”, nor, “hell in death”. We also see one of the four horsemen who has death and hell following him. Yet on the day of Judgment we find death and hell being judged, then “every man” was judged who came out of those places (Rev 20:13). Those who couldn’t find their names in the Book of Life were cast into the lake of fire with death and hell (Rev 20:14-15). Since the Judgment is based in Mercy, it stands the Book of Life is based on the Father’s Will, which is receive Mercy to give it. At the Judgment hell is tossed into the Lake of Fire, thus hell is a temporal place until the Judgment, but nonetheless when it gets tossed into the lake of fire there it remains forever, and ever. Perhaps this is where the “temporal view” comes from, but we must remember the Lake of Fire is the place of the second death, for those who cannot find their names in the Book of Life.
John talks about this as the second death, the first death is also called “giving up the Ghost”, or “ExPsuche”, meaning a division of the soul from the flesh (Ex out from – Psuche –soul). The second death could be termed ExTheos, or a complete removal from all the attributes of God. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus was in reference to the captive before Jesus took them captive, yet the rich man had a view of Abraham, the same Abraham God imputed righteousness to. In the Book of Revelation the Cloud of witnesses who were taken captive where then placed in captivity under the altar of God, there is no mention of being able to see hell, or talk to the souls therein (Rev 6:9). Rather they speak to the Lord, not those in hell.
The fact remains the same word used for Eternal in the phrase Eternal Judgment is found in the phrases “Eternal Life”, and “Eternal Salvation”. If Eternal Judgment is temporal, then Eternal Life is as well; yet some contend it would be a cruel God to leave people in hell, but it would be a hideous God who would allow us into heaven, with the threat of our heavenly stay being “temporal”.
Jesus talked about a resurrection unto Life, and one unto Damnation (Jn 5:29), which happens at the Judgment (Jn 5:29). Prior when talking to the woman at the well He noted the “living water” granted “everlasting life”. The word Everlasting and the word Eternal are the same Greek word, yet in Matthew 25:46 Jesus said there was an “Everlasting Punishment”. The Word Punishment is the Greek Kolasis meaning Torment, Punishment or Penalty. Whether Eternal Life, or Eternal Punishment, they are connected to a resurrection, thus a resurrected body cannot cease to exist. If it could, then Jesus is temporal, we know it isn’t the case at all.
Rabbi Akiba held a popular view among the Jews, which helps us see why some of the religious leaders were not concerned about putting the Son of man on the Cross. According to their view of the Talmud the longest any Jew could spend in Gehenna was twelve months, supposed as one month for each tribe. Then the Jew would be taken to the Bosom of Abraham, thus even if they were wrong, and Jesus was who He said He was, the longest they would spend would be one year. Of course if they were wrong, and the concept is Everlasting Punishment as Jesus said, then, well there you have it.
Some of the Jewish thoughts help us understand why Jesus talked about a place where the worm never dies (Mark 9:44-48). Jesus said it three times, a fact affirmed, the fire will never be quenched. Peter talked about two types of destruction, one where the elements shall melt when the heavens open and Jesus returns as a thief in the “Night” (II Pet 3:10-11), which John explained as the feet of Jesus like unto fine brass as if they burned in a furnace (Rev 1:15). Then Peter talks about the heavens being on Fire, with the elements melting with Fervent heat (II Pet 3:12), John equated this to the Lake of Fire.
The chief passage in Rosh Hoshanah (f. 16 and 17) indicates there will be three divisions on the day of judgment, the perfectly righteous, the perfectly wicked and the intermediate class. This was also a common view among the Pharisees, as supposed the perfectly righteous were at once inscribed to Life Eternal, as they considered the word Eternal to mean “without end”. We know the “perfectly righteous” are those who are Dead in Christ, who hold the Righteousness of Jesus, which Righteousness is Perfect.
According to Rosh Hoshanah The Wicked would at once be sent to Gehenna based on Daniel 12:2, the third group would descend into Gehenna and keep rising and sinking forever, based on Zechariah 12:10. This view is close, the first aspect would be hell until the Judgment, the second after Judgment. There was also the view of the punishment lasting a period of time until the flesh completely ceased to exist, then the person was annihilated, but it would negate the word “Eternal”, as well as a resurrection unto damnation. It also assumes the flesh ends in hell with the soul, but God said ashes to ashes, and dust to dust, from the earth the flesh came, to the earth it goes.
As strange as it seems the concept of “Eternal Judgment” is basic milk in the Doctrine of Christ, really we can boil it down to this, put “Eternal Life” next to “Eternal Judgment”, and pick which one you desire, if either are short termed and soon gone, what difference does it make? However, if they are without end as Jesus, John, Paul and Peter indicated, pick Eternal Life.
The concept of Eternity was once defined as the earth being a large steel ball, every hundred years a great bird would fly by and brush this great steel ball with a wing. When the bird has worn the great steel ball down to the size of a marble, Eternity has just begun. Do we want to take a chance the Judgment is not Eternal? We think not, seek Christ and the fullness thereof, to avoid the Judgment. We have not been appointed to the wrath of God, we are appointed to the Salvation of the Lord.
Paul talked about his doctrine (singular), but noted there were doctrines (plural) of devils, thus there is Only One Doctrine of Christ. We can’t confuse Doctrine with Theology, our Doctrine is the firm foundation from which we operate, but Theology is our study. Theology begins with a seed (thought), then grows to the Root, Blade and so on. In the process Theology changes, or the concept is discovered to be in error, meaning it is rejected. Theology is the study of areas within the Doctrine to find other mysteries, but theology must be willing to bend or break in the face of sound Scripture. However, if one confuses Theology and Doctrine, they will begin to teach immature theology as doctrine.
The Spirit is able to “discern spirits”, and there is a “spirit of antichrist”, which is also know as the “spirit of error”. This spirit errors in the perception of the ways of God, it comes against areas of the Body, as if it can make the determination of who is of the Body, and who is not. The spirit of antichrist is not “anti-God”, nor is it “anti-Jesus”, nor is it “anti-Father”, or is it “anti-the Anointing of the Spirit”, being opposed to Christ in us. Paul said it’s the spirit of the world which is opposed to the Spirit that is of God; John said the spirit of antichrist is produced by the he in the world. The word Anti means against, or opposed to, thus the spirit of antichrist is opposed to the Anointing of Christ in us.
The Spirit leads those who are willing to be led, He will not fight tooth and nail to drag us along the path. Hard hearts reject the call of the Spirit, hard ears can’t hear the Spirit. The false concept of all will be saved, misses the point of the phrase, “many are called, few are chosen”, yet All have the opportunity. Jesus gave us the Keys, He is not going to rip them out of our hands, but He will instruct us in the proper usage. The mere fact of us having the keys means the premises begin with us, we open by the keys, the Spirit takes over and completes the work while we Rest.
Heb 6:1-3
This area is not the complete Doctrine of Christ, rather it’s the principles of the Doctrine, or the basic rudiments within the Doctrine of Christ. These are areas every Babe in Christ should know. The concept here is “not laying again the foundation”, which means it was presented and accepted prior. Yet in a few verses the writer also says if one falls from the Faith they did so because they rejected this foundation, after they had the knowledge regarding it. The same context is found in II Peter, where he shows some have Escaped the pollutions of the world Through the Knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but they are again entangled and overcome, the latter end is worse with then than the beginning (II Pet 2:19-22). Just as Jude shows there are some who feast with us, but they are Wicked, they speak evil of things which they know not, they run greedily after the error of Balaam, without fruit, twice dead, separating themselves, the same context we find here. Jesus never left them, but Jesus never left Judas either, it was Judas who left the Lord.
The word Foundation is the Greek Themelios meaning What is placed, thus it’s talking about the Beginning of something, the very foundational precepts keeping us on the right track unto we reach the goal, even the salvation of our souls.
It doesn’t take long to see some things are missing, if being Born Again was must, why isn’t it listed? Where is Grace? Jesus spent a great deal of time telling us to forgive, so where is it? These areas are rudiments, not the entire Doctrine, we may have areas of Grace we teach, yet someone might say, “well it’s not in the Doctrine of Christ”, but Grace is, it’s just not listed in these six rudiments.
The first connection we will make is the word Perfection coupled with the wording, “Of Full Age”, as they connect in the Greek. The word for Perfection is Teleiotes, whereas the phrase, “Of full age” is the Greek Teleios the root for Teleiotes, thus showing we are talking about a Process, a matter of growth unto completeness. However, without these six elements they wouldn’t have a chance of reaching Full Age. Some view these as “milk”, yet they don’t know what they mean. They run off saying, “well this is Milk, I need meat”, yet the grab winds of doctrine, chase people from meeting to meeting, never gaining. We cannot stop in our venture to be partakers, we enjoy the meal, whether milk or meat, we can grow thereby. If we are Born Again we are able to become Full Age, but we need to know our Foundational rudiments.
However, here we find something in addition, how the Wicked become the Wicked, and the Believer remains a Believer. We will also gain some hope as an anchor for our soul when the sounds of the winds of doctrine arrive in our neighborhood.
Perfection doesn’t mean we are Perfect in every sense, it means we are reaching for Perfection, after we have received the Perfection of God (New Man). This shows we are in the Lambanos moving to Katalambanos. Since the word Perfection comes from the same Greek word translated in the phrase, “of full age”, we must be viewing how we become of Full Age. Is Faith toward God directional? Yes, it’s the same as “have faith in God”. This is basic, the curbing of our faith into a direction which is single in purpose and design. Our faith is not in our ability, talent, or gift, it’s not in our denomination, or lack thereof, it’s not in our faith, it must be in God. This is like the issue of putting our trust in God, if we place our confidence in people to save us, secure us, protect us, or provide for us, we are trusting in people not God.
Here in verse 1 we find the word Principles is the Greek Arche, which we know as Beginnings, yet in 5:12 the word principles is not Arche, but Stoicheion, meaning Rudiments; therefore, we find the Beginnings or Principalities of the Rudiments, the very foundation to the Doctrine of Christ. These are six steps in a vastly stepped venture, but without them we will run all over the place, tossing our faith around like a shot gun hunter looking for quail. “Oh there, no there, no here, oh well Bang, there goes another faith bullet”. From these Principles regarding the foundation we can be secure in God, our awareness will detect heresies, cults, and wrong teachings by the Spirit, because our ear will be in tune with the New Man.
The basic beginnings in the Doctrine of Christ are six in number, they keep us from reentering the nature of man. The six listed elements are; 1) Repentance from dead works (not repentance from sin alone, but turning from works of the flesh, or self-righteousness). This goes right back to enter the Rest of God to cease from your own works, it’s also noted as “dead”, connecting it to works related to the Law of Moses (sin and death); this area shows we are not talking to those who are doing the Law of Moses. 2) faith toward God (and only toward God), regardless of the event. 3) doctrine of Baptisms (one Doctrine but more than one form of baptism), the One Baptism includes parts. 4) laying on of hands (all areas, including, presentation, and acceptance of those presented to the Lord to receive the Spirit including presentation and approval for those set for ordination). 5) resurrection of the dead (which includes the First and Last Resurrection), and 6) eternal judgment , which has to be taken into context with Eternal Salvation, can’t have one without the other.
Looking at the six we must ask, where is Mercy? Where is the Spirit? Where is Grace? Where is Truth? Shouldn’t we find those elements in the Doctrine of Christ? These are rudiments, we know there is more to the Doctrine of Christ. However, we find most errors are found in one or more misuses of one of these six. These basic areas give us the foundation to understand Grace, Mercy, and many other facets and tenets of the total Doctrine of Christ.
Repentance from dead works was discussed in Hebrews 9:14 as, “purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God”. Therefore, dead works keep us from serving the Living God, rather we end serving a system, or some rite based in Death, or seeking to obtain our own self-righteousness, if we are doing any of those we are not serving God. Instead we’re serving our self-righteousness and the Commandment “Thou shall not covet” will fall on us, accounting us dead.
When God imputed righteousness to Abraham, Abraham wasn’t working for, or looking for righteousness. When one does works to obtain their self-righteousness as soon as they obtain, the act is dead, it has served it purpose, meaning the person is also accounted dead with the act.
The word Conscience in Hebrews 9:14 is the Greek Suneidesis meaning a determination in the soul regarding good and evil, by shunning the evil, but seeking the good. In this case the dead works are evil, since they don’t pertain to Kingdom principles. However, the purging must be done by obedience to the Spirit, thus it’s not possible unless the Word (Logos) in us is dividing and discerning, while being engrafted to our souls.
Faith toward God means faith only toward God, it’s not a faith in our ability, nor is it faith in the healing, provision, or salvation, it’s a faith in based in the belief or God is, faith in the Father, faith in the Son, and faith in the Holy Ghost, adding the confidence of God Is, the world isn’t, the devil isn’t, we aren’t. We can have faith in our ability to remove mountains, or faith in God while the mountain is being removed. The word Toward is the Greek Epi meaning Of a place, indicating our faith is directed toward God, thus we can have the faith to move mountains, but without love and a Godly direction it profits nothing.
In Hebrews 6:10 we find the phrase, “you have showed Toward His Name” the word Toward is the Greek Eis meaning a Motion to a place or thing, thus our faith is directed toward God, but in Hebrews 6:10 we find it’s a Labor of Love, not a matter of doing works of the flesh to gain self-righteousness.
This also fits with repentance from dead works; the statement tells us to turn (repent) from dead works, but really it doesn’t tell us to turn to anything. However, when we add the phrase “faith toward God” we can see the progression is turning form all acts of self-righteousness toward God, then putting our faith in God. This is basically the same thing Jesus told Peter, Stop thinking of cursing, rather have faith in God (Mark 11:22-25). This also shows the act of doing dead works causes us to put our faith in the work, rather than God. This in turn causes us to count on the works as our deliverance, ending with pride in our effort. Even if we use faith, we can make it a dead work by stealing the glory. Self-righteousness is so short lived, it’s dead before it hits the ground.
The Doctrine of Baptisms is one doctrine, but more than one baptism, thus it’s the Doctrine bringing us into the One Baptism. If one reads the phrase One Baptism then assumes the word One means One and only One, they will enter error. The word One used for One Baptism means more than One element to make the One. Like a car is one car, but it has an engine, body, and other components to make the One. The One Baptism also points to the Authority granted the Body of Christ, regardless we are the only Body on earth granted Authority to baptize in water.
Acts 19 shows three baptisms, one was, and two are inclusive in the doctrine. We can add another, the baptism of fire (to burn away, as in the burning of a sacrifice). “Wait, doesn’t the word Baptism mean to Immerse?”. Yes, but simply being covered in water is not the purpose, to assume so puts the burden of Immersing on the water, rather than us. We start to question the type of water, “Was it salt? Didn’t count”, “was it poured from the east to west? No, didn’t count”, “Whose name did you use? Didn’t count”. Is there a name we don’t use? Yes, Paul will told us all about it (Acts 19:2-4), we don’t use John’s name, his baptism ceased when he was placed in prison.
The word Immerse means to be covered completely, but the verb baptism means to Identify with, thus we have two elements, and both fit. If we are to be Immersed, what are we receiving? The Water? Or what the Water stands for? It better be the latter, or we just took a bath. Our water baptism is something we submit to, we allowed someone to baptize us, we didn’t baptize ourselves. What if we did? It would be illegal, the only ones who have the Legal Godly authority to baptize anyone in water are those in the Body of Christ. Therefore it takes someone from the Body to baptize us, as their acceptance of us into the Body by the Mercy of God.
With our water baptism we identified with the death and resurrection of Jesus, but it didn’t mean we were resurrected. The baptism with the Holy Ghost and Fire are conducted solely by Jesus, we lay hands on the person as presentation, but we don’t baptize them with the Holy Ghost. Water baptism is our acceptance of the Mercy of the Father, but it also shows we accepted the Authority granted the Body. The baptism with the Holy Ghost is the Power from on high to carry out the authority.
The one baptism we don’t do is the one John the Baptist did, saying, “the people should believe”, since it was before the Cross. In our case, we do believe, thus John’s baptism ended when John was cast into prison. What about those times when we may have water baptized some Whacko or heretic? We know about Philip when he was in Samaria doing the job of an Evangelist, as well as the events regarding how Simon believed, was water baptized, but was rejected when it came to the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:15). Was Philip suppose to put Simon back through the water? No, Simon said he believed the signs, thus it was all the proof Philip needed, a confession of belief. If Simon turns out to be a heretic, it’s not Philip’s fault. No one pushed Simon in the water, he made his choice, showing the importance of the person making the choice to be water baptized. Take the choice away, then it would be heretical baptism (Acts 8:37).
The Laying on of hands is our presentation of people to the Lord for some task on His part, whether it’s presentation for an office, baptism with the Holy Ghost, presentation of the sick into the stripes, the idea of laying on of hands is Approval on our part. Like the priests of old who offered sacrifices, part of our task is to offer people. In reference to appointing to Helps we are told to be careful upon whom we lay hands, but we are never told to careful who lays hands on us. To presume for one second some evil person can transfer an evil spirit to us by laying their hands on us is foolish, we have more power than the evil, Jesus said we have power over all the works of the devil. The caution is the same as we found in Acts 8, Peter and John didn’t lay hands on Simon, they were careful about whom they laid hands on, but they were not concerned about who laid hands on them. Reversing the caution is contrary to the Doctrine of Christ.
The word Resurrection used here is the Greek Anastasis referring to the last resurrection, not the First, yet it connects to the First as it connects to the concept of Eternal Judgment. The last Resurrection is in two parts, one part is unto life, the other is unto damnation; therein lays the connection to Eternal Judgment. The word Resurrection indicates Eternity, or a place without ending. The concept of the Resurrection, whether the first or the last means something exists forever, thus whether unto life or damnation it’s forever.
Our hope is to be partakers in the First Resurrection, but if we sleep in Jesus, we know we will make it in the resurrection unto Life. Luke talks about the “resurrection of the Just”, yet the Just live by faith, this Resurrection is for those of The Faith, which is the First Resurrection. Jesus is the Author of Eternal Salvation, but doesn’t He also Judge? Yes, so why isn’t He the Author of Eternal Judgment? Simply man makes a choice to sin based on the sin nature, yet man is also provided the means to escape the sin nature and the condemnation of sin. Godly Judgment is merely a division, sheep pass by, goats do not. Our faith reaches to the end of this, knowing if there is an Eternal Judgment, there has to be an Eternal Salvation.
The six points to the basics are, 1) repentance from dead works, 2) faith toward God, 3) Doctrine of baptisms, 4) laying on of hands, 5) resurrection, and 6) eternal judgment. These six are foundational to any new convert, each helps them turn from the self unto Christ, each helps them understand why they must deny the self, they help the convert from falling into false and misleading teachings.
Heb 6:4-9
What happens if we ignore the warning? What happens if we don’t go on to become of full age? What if we forget Today while it’s Today, what if we just want to be Adam like, rather than Christ Like? These verses bring to light the Broken Body; on one hand we have those who continue to believe to become full age, on the other we have those who fall back into unbelief, yet both groups are in the Body of Christ. This area connects to Hebrews 10:38-39, we are the Just who live by faith as we believe unto the saving of the soul. The group we’re going to read about here are those who fall back unto perdition becoming “sons of perdition”, meaning they are born into perdition. The division shows how the six rudiments keep the Just on the path of having a day to day belief unto the saving of their soul, but the unjust draw back to perdition, because they lack being just, or have failed to be just. The wording “draw back” is connected to a fear of exposure, they don’t want to know what spirit they are using, thus the sneak back to perdition, thinking no one knows. They would rather have power over the spirit lusting to envy, so they can use it. On the other hand we have power over the spirit lusting to envy, so we won’t use it.
Each element found in the “falling away” is associated with the above areas of the Doctrine of Christ, this is not saying they are alike, rather we find the failure to remain in one area causes iniquity. This is not simply making a mistake, nor does it mean one who backslides, rather the wording “Falling Away” pertains to one who not only holds error, but refuses to cast it away in the face of Truth. Not only do they hold the error in the face of truth, but they compound their error by teaching it to others.
There are some other insights here as well, if they tasted of these things, then they have at least taken the Milk, but were afraid of the Meat. There are six areas to the Falling away from the Faith as well, these six are, 1) were once enlightened, 2) have tasted of the heavenly gift, 3) were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 4) tasted of the good Word (Rhema) of God, 5) powers of the world to come, 6) fall away, relating to the result. Being a Partaker of the Holy Ghost doesn’t mean they are Born Again, rather it means they saw the signs and wonders provided by the Holy Ghost to draw them to the Cross (v. 2:4).
Those who fall away had the opportunity and ability, thus if one has tasted, they also had the opportunity to consume. Strong meat belongs to those who are full age, but milk belongs to all who enter the Body. They laughed at eternal judgment, they used dead works for self-gain, they gloried in their self-righteousness, they used faith to get what they wanted in order to please themselves, they denied the purpose of their water baptism, they refused to the concept of the resurrections, while rejecting the laying on of hands.
The repentance here in verse 6 is not to be confused with repentance from dead works, or the preparation of the Gospel. Here it’s repentance after the Day has passed, or at the time when they finally see eternal judgment means Eternal as they are facing it. One can deny there is a hell, even when they are in it, but it doesn’t change the truth of there being a hell.
Comparing the six items in the Doctrine of Christ, to the six areas of the falling away, we can see the connection:
| Doctrine of Christ | Falling Away |
| Foundation of repentance | Once enlightened |
| Faith toward God | Tasted the heavenly gift |
| Doctrine of Baptisms | Made partakers with the Holy Ghost |
| Laying on of hands | Tasted the Good Word of God |
| Resurrection of the dead | Powers of the world to come |
| Eternal judgment | Shall fall away |
Recalling how the last resurrection is unto life, or unto damnation verses 7 and 8 make sense; the earth which takes into it the rain brings forth both herbs and briers, it’s the same rain, same opportunity, but the seeds or foundational elements make the difference. If the Seed is God, then comes forth Godly things, if the seed is still the old nature, then comes forth corruption. If Godly, then blessing, if the old nature then cursing.
We also find an interesting statement, if Jesus went to the Cross as the Son of man, how can someone crucify the Son of God? Here in verse 6 is the only place where we find the title Son of God in reference to the Cross. In Romans we saw how the Cross related to Jesus as the Son of man, but the Resurrection declared Him as the Son of God. Did the writer make a mistake? Not at all, the point is clear, this group has accepted the Cross, thus the Son of man issue regarding the Cross is settled, this group is attempting to crucify the Son of God, it cannot be done. In the Night they will see their error in the very end then attempt to Crucify the Son of God before they face the Son of Man.
In verse nine we get to Salvation (Greek Soteria, Deliverance), the division between the last resurrection and the First is established. Verses 7 and 8 speak of the last resurrection, some unto Life, some unto damnation, but here in verse 9 we find “something better”, which is the purpose of Grace, which is of course Salvation, the very purpose for fighting the good fight of faith.
Reviewing or refreshing we can now see how once enlightened means they have seen the mystery opened to them by the Holy Ghost. Paul told the Ephesians “the eyes of your understanding being Enlightened to know what is the hope of the calling” (Eph 1:18). The same is true here, Enlightened means to render evident, to make clear. This has to indicate the person is in the kingdom of heaven, but it doesn’t mean they are in the Kingdom of God.
The phrase, “Tasted of the heavenly gift”, refers to Partaking, or to Enjoy, prior we read, “partakers of the heavenly calling” (v. 3:1). Therefore, it connects back to being Enlightened, but they simply didn’t want to die to the self. Galatians tells us one can fall from Grace, the context here is the same here (Gal 5:4), then confirmed in Hebrews 12:15. Here we see the “rudiments” of the falling away, prior we saw the rudiments of Victory.
The word Partakers is the Greek Metokos, it’s translated as Partners (Luke 5:7), as “fellows” (Heb 1:9), and as Partakers (Heb 3:1, 3:14, 6:4 & 12:8). Other than the one reference in Luke, the Book of Hebrews is the only place where we find Metokos, it means To participate, or Have access to, or Be a companion, we find the purpose and reasoning in Psalm 45.
We saw how Psalm 45 was quoted prior, but it really makes sense here. Psalm 45:7 says, “You have loved Righteousness, and hated Wickedness”, it’s the attitude of those who follow Jesus. It’s not only the fear of becoming a Wicked, but hating all the elements making one Wicked, including, but not limited to the old nature. The first point is Loving Righteousness, thus we can’t venture to “hate wickedness”, yet forget the first call is to Love Righteousness, but does this mean any righteousness? No, we entered the repentance from dead works, thus the only Righteousness open is the Righteousness of Jesus. It becomes vital, in order to understand our standing we must know the elements of the Righteousness of Jesus. What made Jesus Righteous? Doing what the Father desired. This goes right back to “seek ye First the Kingdom of God, and His Righteousness”.
There are other clues here, they tasted of the Power, but rejected the Authority. They saw the Power work, but like Simon Magus, they wanted for self-gain, not because of the Will of the Lord. They wanted to famous, or be the special among the special. This group could care less who they laid hands on, if the price was right they would lay hands on the devil himself. Perhaps it wasn’t for money, but for honor and self-glory, or the desire to control power; whatever, they desired it for their own personal glory.
The phrase “Have tasted the Good Word of God” shows they saw the Rhema working, they felt the proceeding Word, yet they failed to accept it by faith. The next phrase is the key to why they can’t repent in the Night. The idea of them not being able to repent now while it is yet Day leaves all of us in trouble, especially the scribe who wrote all this. Going back to 4:1 we read, “Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it”, in 4:11 it was, “Let us labor therefore to enter into the rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief (disobedience)”. This group didn’t labor to get into the rest, they labored at iniquity, thus it’s not merely a lack of faith, it’s their unbelief, or really believing in unbelief. The Night is for judgment, not Salvation. We saw how they desire to crucify the Son of God afresh, thus they accepted the Son of man, rejected it, then in the Night they will attempt to crucify the Son of God.
These areas also connect to Romans, pointing to those who changed the Truth of God into a lie, those who Changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image, those who Knew God, but failed to glorify Him, they become Vain by their imaginations, their foolish hearts are darkened (hardened – Rom 1:21-25). All these things explain, “we are not of them who draw back to perdition, but of them who believe to the saving of the soul”. We are in the hand of the Lord, no one can cause us to fall, yet if we refuse to deny the self, or refuse to pick up our Cross, refuse to follow the Lord by having the Spirit, we remove ourselves from the hand of the Lord. The wording “shall fall away” is the Greek Parapipto, it’s only used here and it means To move to the side, or as we just saw, to move oneself from the hand of the Lord. It shows they picked Another way, their way, they wanted to enhance their own agenda by refusing to submit the method and procedure God has established for Salvation. They made the choice, Jesus didn’t make it for them, they are not victims, in many cases they are predators. These verses don’t refer to those on the outside, but to those on the inside, those classed as “holy brethren and partakers of the heavenly calling” (v. 3:1).
The word Repentance is the same Greek word used in verse 1, but here the tense and context shows after something is in hand, but rejected, then they make some attempt to obtain it again when it’s no longer available. Later we see the allegory of Esau, who traded his birthright for the pleasure of the flesh. The phrase “Fall Away” could also read “If he lose”. All this is Hope for those who hold tight, it also explains why we must hold to the tenet of Eternal Judgment. When we hit those times of just giving up, we recall there is Eternal Salvation, but there is also Eternal Judgment. Not to frighten us, but to give us the incentive to break loose from our depression by restoring our Belief. The best way to restore Belief is to make up our mind, the Bible is real, the Spirit in us can define the Bible by using the Bible, the Holy Ghost can interpret the Bible for us, then we read and read until our souls accept the Belief the New Man holds for us.
Look how verse nine ends, it’s a classic Paul type of “them” and “us”, with the “us” winning, and the “them” losing. The We in this case looks to the You as part of the We, not part of the Them. The word Persuaded is the Greek Petiho, meaning a confidence, but it doesn’t always mean a confidence in the person, it can mean a confidence in some element influencing the person, which is the case here. The confidence is in our belief of Grace saving our souls now, as our faith reaches to the Perfection in the result. Prior it was, “for when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need for one teach you”, now it’s “things accompanying salvation”, what things? How about “believing unto the salvation of our souls”? Yes, this points to the things Accompanying Salvation, the word Accompany is the Greek Echo meaning To hold a thing, something attached to a thing, showing how vital it is to continue to believe. We will find books by Scholars who doubt many things, they feel if they can’t do, neither can Jesus. Although they are Scholars, they are still unbelievers, we are not to associate with their works.
Heb 6:10-20
Verse 10 gives us two words, Work and Labor, each has their own meaning. The word Work is the Greek Ergon meaning Employment, or what defines one’s Profession. The word Labor is the Greek Kopos meaning Lamentation or The weariness experienced to obtain. When faced with the various trials we must not allow weariness to stop us, the event has a purpose coupled with a Godly beneficial goal. We press on to the heavenly calling in Christ, it’s well worth it.
Verse 11 gives us the word Diligence which is somewhat different in usage than the word Diligently used in 11:6, here it means Eagerly toward something, or To press in with Joy. We can obey in joy, or obey in bitterness. We can get mad, complain, yet still do what we’re told to do, or we can do the labor in Joy unto the Lord, the choice is ours.
The “end” here is not the end of all time, it’s the end of some element, in this case it’s Today. We should never wait to if the Rapture is true, then attempt to join in, it’s Today, while it is yet Today. The wording Full Assurance is the Greek word Plerophoria meaning Perfect. The word Slothful in verse 12 is the same Greek word translated as Dull of hearing in 5:11, both here and in 5:11 are the only two places where we find this Greek word. Therefore, Slothful means dull of hearing, it relates to failing at the Work (Labor) of walking in belief. This goes all the way back to Today, while it is yet Today. The context adds “through faith”; therefore, the work or labor to believe will add purpose to our faith, keeping our faith in God.
How can we say we are Diligently seeking God, if we are really seeking the blessings? We can’t, if the blessing is all we’re in this for, we missed the point completely. If escaping the danger for the moment so we can feel better is the only reason we’re in this, we will fail before the race begins. We must focus on Jesus, once anyone meets Jesus, they will fall in love with Him, then follow Him willingly.
The word Promises in verse 12, and the word Promise in verse 13 are different. In verse 12 it’s the Greek word Epaggelia which is a legal term meaning To do, or give something, with the addition of having the mutual ability to possess what is given; whereas in verse 13 the Greek word is Epaggello meaning To proclaim the promise, but it doesn’t mean the person has received it. It shows we Seek God, then God adds the wording of the Promise, then we add our believe in the Promise, then we have faith in God to bring it to pass. God has proven He keeps His promises, what makes us think He won’t keep the One based in the Blood of His Son? All we have to do is hold fast in the Rest of God, knowing the Word is working in us.
Verses 12, 13 and 17 explain the phrase “who shall be heirs of salvation” back in 1:14. To inherit the promises at some future time is different than one who has Inherited the promises. It’s really simple, we obtain the Promises by being an Heir with Christ, but we can’t be the Heir with Christ if we sought the promises, and not Christ. The inheritance comes with the Family Order, the Family Order doesn’t come with the inheritance.
Between verses 12, 17 with 1:14, use different words; the wording “heirs of” in verse 1:14 and the word Inherit in 6:12 are the Greek Kleronomeo meaning To have the promise presented; whereas the word Heirs in verse 17 is the Greek Kleronomos meaning To have in one’s power, or one who has received the promise. Therefore, we are presented the promise of the inheritance if we enter the Family Order, then once entering we are no longer our own property, which is the lesson in The Ananias Experience (Acts 5:1-11). In essence the presentation is the Taste of the heavenly calling, but when we receive the Promise we become heirs, sent to those who shall be heirs.
When our souls were our own, we could do with them as we pleased, but when we accepted the Cross, we found Jesus has purchased our souls. It’s the context of 10:38-39, in the word “saving”, which means to obtain a purchased possession. Those who draw back don’t want to pay the debt, they sneak back to the ways of the world, yet remain religious.
Abraham believed God, and it was accounted (imputed) unto him as righteousness. From the position he could enter Covenant, so it might be by faith. We entered the New Covenant based on the Blood of Jesus, coupled with the Mercy of the Father. The Promise was presented, we accepted the premise, then we became heirs. When we are Born Again we received the inheritance in advance, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, showing we have the Promise, meaning we can enter God’s Rest.
We can be presented the promise, yet fail to continue to believe, which means we breached the Promise. What was more important to Abraham, God or the promise? God was, since the trying of the faith of Abraham proved he was willing to give up the promise for God’s sake.
After Abraham patiently endured he obtained, not before (v 15). After Job endured he found God was more than Fear, both examples show us the Experience brings the Understanding. The wording Patiently Endured is the Greek Makrothumeo meaning Longsuffering, correlating with James’ reference to Patience. Belief in what God said gives us standing to receive the Righteousness of Jesus to enter the Covenant. If the testing of our faith requires Patience, surely we can see this is a Process. Some define Patience as a constant attitude, but we know there are some who are constantly angry, it’s anything but Patience. Patience is the sister of faith, it means to Endure on the prescribed path without moving or derailing the effort. Patience would never get out of the boat to walk on water, it would endure to the other side, as it was told.
Longsuffering involves the exercising unto understanding, when we suffer long, it doesn’t mean someone is beating us stupid, it means we stand with God regardless of what the flesh demands. This connects to being of Full Age, and full age comes when our Senses are exercised. The exercising of our senses places them in subjection to the Spirit, rather than the Spirit in subjection to our Flesh or Emotions. The word Confirmation in verse 16 is the Greek Bebaidsis meaning To establish. The text tells us God desired to show unto the Heirs how His Counsel is unchangeable (immutability), He confirmed it to Abraham by His Oath, thus we have an example, we need not slip or fail as the children in the wilderness who had the same example of Abraham, but entered unbelief. Once we forget what God has done, unbelief will find a place to enter. We take Communion to Remember, in the Remembering we build our belief giving our faith a firm platform.
The word Confirmed is different from the word Confirmation; Confirmed is the Greek Mesiteuo meaning A Mediator, or Something between two parties connecting them, the word is only used once in the New Testament in this verse (v. 17). The Veil between the holy of holies in the Tabernacle was a type and shadow, it connected to both ends of the Tabernacle, there was only one way in or out, yet the purpose was to separate the activity of the high priest, from the activity of the priests. The curtain to the entrance of the holy place separated the people from the activity of the priest. We have a firm boldness in what Jesus has done, we can pass by without restriction into the Holiest Place to sit with Jesus in heavenly places.
The promise in the Promise is the salvation of our souls, the Engrafted Word is still able to save our souls. The Promise is the New Man, the purpose is to form our souls into the Image of God’s Son, making us sons of God. The ability to accomplish the task is still found in the New Creation, not the old one.
The Two Unchangeable things are Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you, both of which are “I Will’s” rather than “I might’s”. This points to “God Is” as well as showing Him as the Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (11:6). The word Consolation is the Greek Paraklesis meaning a Great Encouragement, it connects to the Greek word for Comforter, thus the New Man is our Encouragement, thus one Born of the Comforter, is Another Comforter. The New Man is always encouraging us to continue on, the old man is always telling us we can’t make it. Both take “ears” but only Ears able to Hear, but those who Hear the New Man. John 6:63 tells us Rhema ears seek the Spirit and Life, thus the reason for seeking the Kingdom of God, to gain the Spirit.
Verse 19 gives us the Anchor to our Soul until the Seed produces the Full Age unto the Promise. The word Sure or Secure is the Greek Asphates meaning What cannot be thrown down, or What can’t be shaken, thus the six rudiments keep us secure when the winds of doctrine come flying by.
It would seem if we are to “move forward” the last thing we need is an Anchor. However, this Anchor is keeping us firm in the Foundation, thus we move forward but on a narrow path. The word Steadfast or Firm is the Greek BebaiosProdromos meaning To run before, thus we walk by Faith, to run the race, as we Follow Jesus, by Standing in Faith, as we have our Hope Anchored in our Foundation. We have to do all of those things at the same time; only a Believer can run, walk, follow, stand while being anchored at the same time. meaning Fixed, Sure, Certain, or What one can trust in. The word Forerunner is the Greek
Jesus was not a priest after the order of Aaron, He couldn’t be, He wasn’t from the tribe of Levi. Could He have been? Yes, but the purpose was to grant us a Better priesthood, one with a perfect High Priest. Jesus is our High Priest, we’re only allowed one High Priest regardless of the order. Jesus is not of the tribe of Levi, it means the Law of Moses is not for us. If it were, then Jesus would have been from the tribe of Levi. The Father didn’t look down on Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem saying, “Hey, are you guys from the tribe of Levi?”. “No God, our connection is with Judah”. “Oh man, too bad, well, maybe we can have another law”. Not so, it was in the plan so the division would be plain, even to the carnal mind. God gave the Law to Moses to Moses, then Moses gave it to the people, the Law called for the one tribe of Levi to provide the priestly order, yet Jesus is from the tribe of Judah. God made sure none of us would end up with two High Priests, or Two Laws. Of course it’s basic in the Doctrine of Christ under “faith toward God”, since the Law of Moses was not of faith. If the converts and babes were disciplined in the basic rudiments of the Doctrine of Christ at least two cults we know of today, would not exist.
Not only was Jesus not of Levi, but we find Melchizedek was not in the order of Aaron, thus the priesthood Order of Melchizedek and the priesthood under the Law of Moses were separated before Levi was even born. Since Jesus didn’t hold both, neither can we, if we attempt to do so, we stand in rebellion, not faith. This also shows the Aaron, or Levitcial priesthood was established for the Law of Moses only; whereas the Order of the Melchizedek is for the Law of the Spirit.
This also shows, Jesus will not set up His Priesthood order on this earth, thus without a Priest there is no Kingdom, meaning the Kingdom of God is not of this world, it’s not intended to be. It doesn’t mean we don’t have authority, in fact, it shows our Authority is greater, thus we are visiting kings on this earth, yet priests unto the Lord. Not a bad deal really, if you receive it.
Heb 7:1-3
Melchizedek came well before the Law of Moses, yet it’s not the man Melchizedek, but the Order of his priesthood becomes important. When this man talked to Abram there was no Law of Moses, neither was there a Law of the Spirit, but the meeting was seen before the foundation of the world forming a complete and wonderful plan regarding Jesus.
Verse 1 shows Melchizedek was both king and priest, although there were many priests under the Law, they could not be lawfully kings, although there were many kings, they lawfully could not be priests. Only one order lawfully has both kings and priests appointed by God, it’s our Order; Jesus has made us both kings and priests. If we’re priests we should know our duties, don’t you think?
God made sure there would be no confusion over this matter, the Law of Moses obtained priests from the tribe of Levi, no king lawfully came from Levi, and no priest came from any other tribe but Levi. Moses was a “deliverer”, he was never termed “king”.
There are elements found in the Order of Melchizedek, the bread and wine, which is an obvious sign, then Melchizedek “received tithes”, which is also obvious. The priests under the Law of Moses “took tithe” by commandment they didn’t receive it. What form of request did Melchizedek use to obtain tithes from Abram? Nothing, he didn’t ask for, suggest to receive, promise a return, nor did he have a Commandment allowing him to take tithes, he received them. No New Testament priest has a Commandment from Jesus to take tithes from anyone, they can however receive.
The original meaning of the word Tithe means to take bounty from an enemy, thus Abram paid tithes after the kings were defeated. Later when the Commandment came the Tithe in the Law was set, which produced the Tither, who gave tithes of a specific amount under the Commandment. It’s important, we as Believers have two sides to this, we do not take tithes from people, neither are we under Commandment to give. We are under the Nature wanting to give as a cheerful giver, we can see why God loves a cheerful giver, they are not required to give, but one under the Law of Moses is.
Why did Abraham pay tithes to Melchizedek? Which came first the tithes or Bread and Wine? Abram plays a part in all this, but he is not the subject of concern, the Order of Melchizedek is. The Order is presented for us to know what our Order is. The meeting takes place, the respect each has for the other is obvious, Melchizedek first brings forth “bread and wine” because “he was the priest of the most high God” (Gen 14:18). Here is the beginning of our priesthood, the night Jesus gave us Bread and Wine the Order of Melchizedek was officially opened by our High Priest. If we think Abram only gave tithes once, thus it’s all we have to do, we must also take Communion once, since the signs of both are previewed for us. Next came the Blessing as Melchizedek said, Blessed is Abram of the most high God (Gen 14:19). The Order of Melchizedek has no room for cursing, it’s centered in blessing alone. We find Melchizedek is the priest of the “most high God”, now the same priest says Abram is “blessed” of the same most high God. These two were “brothers” in a sense, one of the main duties for any priest under the Order of Melchizedek is to bless those of the most high God. This priest knew many things, but one stands out, God is the Possessor of heaven and earth (Gen 14:19). The word Possessor is the Hebrew Quanah meaning To acquire, create, buy, to recover, or redeem, this will be an important issue when we get to the Just live by faith.
Melchizedek then gives God the glory, showing it was God who did the delivering, Abram was the tool used, then Abram paid “tithes of all” (Gen 14:20). There is the foundation of our Order, yet there is more. Our High Priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices, but the priests are also ordained to hand the High Priest gifts and sacrifices (Heb 8:3). What would be a sacrifice we as priests can offer? Present yourselves a living Sacrifice, which is your reasonable (logical) service.
We know Tithes are monies or things given to priests, if there is no Commandment or regulation governing the percentage or item, the tithes can be most anything, or any amount the giver’s heart presents. The vital part is never to “take tithes”, there is no Commandment, or authorization for anyone in the Body to take tithe, anyone who takes anything without authorization is a thief. What type of tithes? Money alone? No, a tithe can be a service, a prayer, a help, an encouragement, anything helping the function of the priest in the duties of the service. Are we not all priests? Yes, so this is not just for leaders, it’s for all of us. If any of us extract tithes from someone, we have taken tithes, if we use deception or manipulation to do it, we are thieves.
The name Melchizedek means King of Right (king of Right rather than Righteousness is the correct Translation coming from Hebrew Malki-Tsekek as we will see), Salem means Peace, it becomes a type and shadow of New Jerusalem, God’s City Of Peace. Two theological thoughts revolve around Melchizedek, one thought says he was a Theophany, as an appearance of Jesus in human form before the Cross; however, any appearance of Jesus in human form before the Cross makes both John and Paul in error. Also if Abraham knew this priest before the destruction of Sodom, why then didn’t he make mention of it when Jehovah appeared in the plain to announce the destruction of Sodom? The Son who is in the Bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (Jn 1:18), then The Word was made Flesh (Jn 1:14), as the Word Made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant (Ph’l 2:7). Therefore, a Theophany is not Jesus in human form, but a representation of God in some form. Not an illusion, but a representation to depict God’s purpose or nature. Melchizedek the man was a man, it’s the Order at issue. There was a real Gentile man named Melchizedek, he was a priest, he did give bread and wine to Abram: God used the moment and put it in the plan, making sure it was recorded for our sakes; however, taking advantage of the event, and making it come to pass are different.
The other thought is Melchizedek was actually a patriarch from Shem, as a Canaanite king-priest, who became a type and shadow of the coming Jesus, much like Isaac was a type and shadow of the Promise. Melchizedek appears in Genesis 14:18, after the promise in Genesis 12:3, but before Abram became Abraham, and before Ishmael, Isaac, and before circumcision, or the promise of the Seed. Melchizedek also appears just after the slaughter of the rebellious kings (Gen 14:4), and just after Abram is called a Hebrew (Gen 14:13), all become important to the Order of Melchizedek. It’s not merely the Order, but what is contained in the Order, and how the Order was established.
Melchizedek was not a Jew, or a Hebrew, since Abram would be the source of all Jews, as well as the only named Hebrew at the time. What does it mean? It shows Abraham paid tithes to a Gentile. Wow, it means before Levi, God was already laying the plan to include the Gentiles in the Promise of the “Bread and Wine”. Right, Abram was paying for the deliverance of the children from the wilderness for his sake, but the Order was being established for our sake. Abram or Abraham is not the real issue in this meeting, it’s the Order of Melchizedek at issue.
This becomes important since there is a difference between receiving tithes, and taking tithe. The Levitical order took tithe by commandment, the Cheerful Giver gives tithe based on their love of God from there new nature, much different. How different is it? The Cheerful Giver is not commanded to give, they do so by Nature. They don’t give based on some reward being greater than their giving, they give by Nature. They don’t give based on manipulation, deception, or having their arm twisted, they give by Nature. Like their Father God they so love, they give, thus one of the attributes of the Charisma nature is giving (Rom 12:8).
The title “Hebrew” stands for a people and a language, the language is used by the Jewish people. As a language we find the references in Luke 23:38, John 5:2, 19:13, 19:17, 19:20, Acts 21:40, 22:2, 26:14, Revelation 9:11 and 16:16. As a people we find the references in Genesis 14:13, 39:14, 39:17, 41:12, Exodus 1:15, 1:16, 1:19, 2:7, 2:11, 21:2, Deuteronomy 15:12, Jeremiah 34:9, 34:14, Jonah 1:9, and one reference in the New Testament in Philippians 3:5. The name Hebrew differs from the title Israelite, the latter was the patronymic derived from the ancestor of the people; whereas, Hebrew as a people refers to the common people who came from beyond the Euphrates in search of a promised land yet to be in hand.
The word Hebrew means Passage or Opposite Side, it later came to mean the Passage through the sea, thus it refers to sojourners, but an Israelite is one form the land of Israel, or who lives in the land of Israel, thus one can be a Hebrew and live in any country, and one can be an Israelite, and not a Hebrew. We know now the term “Jew” is a derivative referring to one from the Tribe of Judah, yet over the years it became a generic term referring to those of the “Jewish faith”. The metaphor Jew means one who as a position, or has the “token” to enter some Covenant with God. All this is strange if we take into account the times of these various titles. A “Jew of the flesh” is one who is circumcised of the flesh, which pertains to the Abrahamic Covenant, but Abraham didn’t know “Jew”, from “Joe”, since Judah would be a son of Jacob, who would be a son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham. Therefore, the Abrahamic Covenant was long before there was a “Jew”, thus Abraham was known as a “Hebrew”, not a “Jew” (Gen 12:1 & 13:1). The induction of these various elements became identifiable to a people we know as “Jewish”, yet we find some things Abraham received, yet he was not identifiable to the Jew. Bread and Wine for one, the Tithes of Abram without commandment another. If one is under the Law of Moses, they have no choice, if they don’t give ten percent they are a thief, yet there is only place where their giving goes, to the Temple in Jerusalem. Since there is no Temple in Jerusalem the local Synagogue became the house.
One who was circumcised of the flesh had a right to enter the Abrahamic Covenant, one who kept the Sabbath day held the Token for the Law of Moses. Both of these Covenants are not incorporated into the New Covenant, rather they are incorporated one into the other, coupled with the Ten Commandments by the Fifth Commandment as they are nailed to the Cross (Col 2:14-18). The New Covenant is so New it was never before, aspects of it are seen in the Shadow, but it is nonetheless New. Although God established all the covenants, we find it’s not Who established them, but to whom they were directed.
Now we have divided the Law of Moses from the giving of Abram, we can look into the location of Melchizedek, in the Old Testament we find the location of Salem mentioned in Genesis 14:18 and in Psalm 76:2, where it’s defined. Other than these two places, the location is not mentioned anywhere else. Psalm 76:1 asks, “In the land of Judah is God known?”; yet Jesus is the Lion from the tribe of Judah, metaphorically the House of Judah is a symbol of the Body. Psalm 76:1 then adds “His Name is great in Israel”, which gives us another division. The land was divided from the Body of Christ, the land is a physical location on the face of the earth, the Body of Christ covers the entire earth. Psalm 76:2 then talks about the Tabernacle, which really changes the context. The temple was built in Jerusalem, and Jerusalem was built on a large rock called Zion. Here we find Salem is His Tabernacle, not saying His Tabernacle is in Salem, changing the context to something other than Jerusalem of the earth. The Tabernacle was never built in Jerusalem, it was portable. This “Salem” is not Israel, nor is it Judah, nor does it have a Temple. This type and shadow gives us New Jerusalem, the place wherein one finds Peace with God. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, Salem means Peace, thus the connection between the Order of Melchizedek and the Body is metaphorically made. This gives us an Order, showing we are priests unto God.
Abram gave freely, Melchizedek received, but Levi is commanded to take, the people under the Levitcial order are commanded to give tithes under the Law of the Tithe. The Greek word for “Take Tithes” is Apodekatto meaning to Take tithes, showing the giving was not by Liberty, or nature, but commanded, thus the Tithe under the Law was a matter of Taking, not Giving. It becomes clear the only ones who were allowed to Take Tithes are those connected to the Levitical Priesthood, anyone else who Took Tithes were illegitimate, making them a thief (Heb 7:11). Why? Only the Levitical order has a God given Commandment to take tithes (Neh 10:38), anyone who takes something from another without authorization is a thief. It should be in our nature to give, just as it’s in God’s nature to give, a cheerful giver is cheerful based on the giving, not someone taking.
The basic difference between take tithes and receive tithes is not only the person giving the tithes, but whether or not the word “duty” is connected. To take tithes means one is not only forced to pay, but they are commanded to pay, the priest watches over them enforcing the Commandment by “extracting” the tithes, if they don’t pay under the order by Commandment then a curse hangs over them. Under the New we are priests, although we have Commandments and duties, giving is not Commanded. We have incentive, we have the New nature to give, thus we are Loved of God as Cheerful Givers. Really a much better deal.
What is the premise here? Levi in the loins of Abram gave tithes before there was a Law, thus Levi in the lions of Abram didn’t have the legal standing to take tithes either. Later when the Law of Moses became a factor, so did the rules and regulations regarding the Tither. We see this in the words of Jesus when He told the Pharisees they gave tithes of mint and such, but neglected the “weightier” matters. The “weightier” matters where those things Not Commanded, but nonetheless seen as things to please God. Reverse the premise, we have things we do as Commandments, but have we neglected the “weightier” matters?
There is a false premise of Abram paid tithes for the Christian, thus we don’t have to give at all. It’s far from the Truth, just as thinking we are still under the Tithe outlined in the Law of Moses. The Scriptures in Genesis don’t tell us, “the Lord gave to the priest”, thus the meeting set up the “Order”, it didn’t take our place. Abram was not an allegory for the Lord, rather we find the Order of Melchizedek was the issue, yet we can’t say “Melchizedek as Jesus paid our tithes”, since Melchizedek didn’t pay tithes, he received them. The tithes given by Abram were a free will offering as part of the man’s nature, but the Tithe under the Law of Moses is demanded by commandment. The difference? Under commandment we find “you are cursed with a curse”, thus if we give to be free of some “curse”, we have yet to receive the Cross of Jesus. What? Yes, anything hung on a Tree is cursed, Jesus took the Curse for us. If the Tithe under the Law produces a curse, thus the tithes under the Law are not of Grace. There is no curse in Grace, only blessing by those who are the Blessed of God. This is evident in the meeting of Abram and Melchizedek, there was no mention of “regulation”, “commandment”, or “curse”, it was Blessing and Blessed.
Further we find the type of person the Tithe under the Law was designed for in Malachi 3:14, as the Tither says, “it is vain to serve God: and what profit is it, we have kept His ordinance, and we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?”. What are they in this for? What they can get out of it, not love, not appreciation, surely they don’t come close to being a cheerful giver. God will pour on them the blessing out of the Widows of heaven, but they will not be allowed through the Door, in fact there is no promise for them to enter heaven at all. Paul made mention of this when he told the Corinthians a cheerful giver does not give by “necessity”, meaning they don’t give based on the return to fill their distress: neither do they give “grudgingly” meaning they don’t give based on deception, having their arm twisted by making them think they have to give. No where do we find God loves the Tither, but He does love the Cheerful Giver. Opening the window, doesn’t God loves them.
It also brings another hazard when leadership take tithe, under the Law is was not ten percent of the gross, it was ten percent of everything, including gifts. The Pharisees would count out grains of salt to make sure they gave ten percent. Why? If they were under one little bit, they violated the Tithe Commandment, causing the curse to fall on their finances. Therein lays the biggest problem, a cheerful giver is free of the curse. They give according to their heart (Spirit), based on the New nature, not obligation. The Tithe like the Ten Commandments was not “okay, so it isn’t ten percent, it can slide this time”, rather it was exactly ten percent, miss once, and you started all over again. As long as there is a regulation over the person, they are in bondage. What if we as leaders make up our own regulation, then place it on the congregation? We have no legal standing, meaning we become thieves, not real wise. What if we use the Tithe under the Law of Moses? We have no standing, the Law of Moses is nailed to the Cross, we are not given the right to extract tithes, we receive them. The Receiving entails no games, tricks, or condemnation on the giver, no personal or imposed regulation, or law set over the people, placing them in bondage. If we receive, we are blessed to be a blessing, if we take we are in bondage.
When Abram gave to Melchizedek two things were secured, first was the promise to Abraham regarding God delivering the children from Egypt, next was the Passover to get the people out of Egypt, thus Abram paid the price, but the Order of the priest delivered the protection. The proof of deliverance was in the “bread and wine”, not Communion, but Passover. Moses reenacted the scene between Abram and Melchizedek before leaving Egypt. In our case we take Communion because we have left Egypt by the Cross of Jesus to enter His Blood of the New Covenant. What then was the “lamb” in the Passover meal? The tithes, a part of the Lamb, but not all the Lamb. What then was the Blood? A sign on the “Door” keeping death from entering. The Blood was not placed on the Window of the house, thus the Door is for entry, the window to toss things out of.
The second the children entered the wilderness they were blessed and multiplied, but did they see it? No, unbelief blinded them to the Ways of God, they twisted the delivering Acts of God into some sort of punishment. In all this we must also remember it was Abram who gave to Melchizedek, and Melchizedek who gave to Abram, who was also blessed by the priest, thus there was no cursing in the Order of Melchizedek.
Melchizedek didn’t give Wine then Bread, rather it was the Bread first, then the Wine. The order is not by chance, God saw this before the foundation of the world, yet God didn’t have to worm Melchizedek into the plan, he was in the plan before God said, “Let there be Light”. The Order was established just for us, we have a great High Priest, the only one who was able to be the Sacrifice, while being the presenting High Priest.
The giver under Grace gives with “simplicity, which is the Greek Haplotes meaning sincerity, or by an attribute of their nature (Rom 12:8). Under the Law the Commandment hangs over the person like a great hammer, they are forced to give, either by direct force, or the fear of being excommunicated, or the curse falling on them. When we give under the premise of the Tithe under the Law, we are subjecting ourselves to the possibility of being cursed in our finances. However, if we listen to the New Man, as we give with delight, we become a blessing.
Not only do we find the word Salem found twice in the Old Testament, but so is the name Melchizedek. Psalm 110 is a Psalm of David beginning with, “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit You at My Right Hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Ps 110:1). This was also quoted in Matthew 22:44, and Luke 20:42, showing Jesus as the Lord sitting at the right hand of the Father, until the Father makes the enemies of Jesus His footstool. Prophetically our Priesthood was set forth, the Lord has spoken, what can we do but obey?
Psalm 110:2 shows the people will be Willing in the Day of God’s Power, and Pentecost saw the Power granted by the Holy Ghost. A willing person is willing by the manner of their nature, as Christians we have a New Nature. Psalm 110:4 says “You are a Priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek”. Where did this come from? Think of David, a king, and a Jew, but he gets the revelation of “Melchizedek”. What did the Jews have to do with the Gentiles? “Can’t be, I refuse to write it”. No, David was faithful, yet the “natural” thing to write would have been, “after the Order of Levi”. Levi was the only order David knew of, his upbringing made it clear, to the Jew there was no other priestly order other than Levi. Another example of the Holy Ghost in charge of the Bible, showing the Bible is true.
This also shows it’s not the man, but the Order, and the Order is defined for us by Melchizedek, he gave Bread and Wine, he gave God the glory, he blessed both God and Abram, he received, he did not take, he respected the man of God. Again, if we are priests of the Most High God, wouldn’t it be nice to find out what our Order is? In essence we find Melchizedek Gave, Blessed, Received; therefore, Jesus said, “Give, then it shall be given unto you”. The incentive is not the same as those in Malachi, rather our Order is based on pleasing Jesus. There are several ways to Give, some give out of guilt, some give to be noticed, some give to look important, some give based on the return, others give out of Love, and those who give out of Love, are Loved of God.
In Mark 12:35-36 Jesus said, “How say the scribes, Christ is the son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit You on My Right Hand…”. Peter said The holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (II Pet 1:21). David was merely the voice, God the speaker, David was a scribe, God the Author. Prophecy produced the phrase “son of David” not the physical acts of David. Jesus is a result of Prophecy, thus He is the Spirit of all Prophecy.
Hebrews 7:2 shows the Interpretation of the name Melchizedek, not the translation. If it was the translation, then it would remain “king of right”, as we know the Interpretation gives us the meaning behind the name. Verse two begins by showing the man’s positions as king and priest, then how Abram gave, but it doesn’t show how Melchizedek received, which is covered later in the verses to follow. When it came to the king position we find the realm was Salem, but the man’s name Translated was “king of right”; however as a walking, talking breathing prophecy Paul sees the interpretation of the Position as “king of righteousness”, extending the right to right standing, which of course he had to have in order to pronounce the blessing.
Having Right standing is the meaning of Righteousness, but was Abram “imputed righteous” at this point in time? No, it didn’t come until Genesis 15:6. If it’s the case, then Melchizedek is the first person in the Bible linked to “righteousness”, not saying he had it, rather his name by Interpretation reflected it. Paul, or the writer of Hebrews shows how Melchizedek was the king of Salem, meaning Peace, but the name interpreted means Righteousness, thus Peace and Righteousness are connected, if we have Peace with God we have the Righteousness of Jesus, the basis of our Peace.
If all this is the case, why use “Abraham”, rather than “Abram”? It’s clear from the Genesis account how Abram was still Abram when he came face to face with Melchizedek, it wasn’t until Genesis 17:5 where his name was changed to Abraham, he was still Abram when God imputed righteousness on him (Gen 15:6). Could this be linking all this to the righteousness issue? Yes, it’s the point. The human man Melchizedek was a priest, yet he had a kingdom making him a king as well, thus becoming a symbol of something yet to come. The Holy Ghost was making a point, like the change from “king of right” to “king of righteousness” we find a change from Abram to Abraham, explaining how the meeting did take place, but it went much further than two guys who loved God sharing gifts.
This premise continues, from Matthew and Luke we know the genealogy of Jesus, but here in verse 3 we find this Melchizedek had no genealogy. What could this mean? Melchizedek came on the scene before Abram made the change to Abraham, and before God said, “I Am your shield, and your exceeding great reward” (Gen 15:1). Jesus as the Son of man and as King apparent had a genealogy based in mankind through Mary, but Melchizedek as a type and shadow of the Son of God who doesn’t have a “beginning” as being the Word made flesh to be visible to man. If one holds the Aaron or Levitcial priesthood they must also have a genealogy, or name showing they are of the tribe of Levi, but for us to enter the Melchizedek priesthood we must leave our old genealogy behind and connect directly to Jesus our High Priest by having the Spirit. This Order is so different from the Levi order there is no way anyone can hold both Orders. This is also apparent this Order does not mention Jesus as the “Son of man”, but as the Son of God, giving us the requirement, we must be Born Again in order to be a king and priest.
The genealogy of Jesus was to prove He was Jewish, and He had a right to the throne of David, both of which pertain to the position of the Son of man. Jesus as the Son of God has no earthly genealogy, rather He gave us the opportunity to change from the earthly to the heavenly, by the Spirit we call out ABBA Father. Jesus said, “he who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt 10:37). To a Jew this was a radical statement, to say the lease. How can one claim the king position unless they can prove their genealogy went to David? How can one prove they are a Jew unless they can follow the genealogy of their mother? How can one pass on the hope if they love less their son or daughter? As the Son of man Jesus saved us from the world, as the Son of God He is saving our souls.
The Aaron priesthood had duties restricted to the earth alone, the heavenly priesthood has authority on earth and in heaven. Our priesthood “seat” is found at the Table of the Lord, how do we know? What were the items presented by Melchisedec? Were they skins of animals? Were they animals? Were they grain offerings? No, Bread and Wine. The Bread and Wine are symbols of the greatest Sacrifice of all time, we as priests maintain the table as we Remember. Jesus has made us Both kings and priests, as kings we rule the kingdom, but as priests we have duties given us by our Order. We as priests can minister the Bread and Wine to ourselves, just as we as kings regulate what elements we allow into our kingdom, and what we won’t allow, we have the keys.
Just because Melchizedek doesn’t have a “recorded” genealogy, it doesn’t mean he came out of the ground somewhere, it means he was a Gentile, without a recorded Jewish genealogy. There are only Jew and Gentile, there is no third hidden element. A Jew is a Jew based on the genealogy of their mother, a king based on the genealogy of their father, yet Melchizedek is without mother or father. Yikes, the guy was from outer space, no. Yikes, the guy came from a tree or something. No, this is a type and shadow pointing to Jesus as the Son of God after the Resurrection, not before, this takes us to the Power from On High, a position of Victory over the world and over the he in the world. This shows Melchizedek was a Gentile, thus Levi still in the loins of Abram, he through Abram paid tithes to a Gentile. Wow, he was a king without genealogy, and a priest without genealogy and the father of the Jews paid him tithes, based on the blessing granted by Melchizedek, meaning the lesser is blessed by the greater. To the Jew this is unheard of, yet here it is recorded in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, going further it’s recorded in the first book of the Law.
This same writer just told us the Father said to the Son, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a Scepter of Righteousness is the Scepter of Your Kingdom” (Heb 1:8). God does not have a father or mother, and no recorded genelogy. Jesus as God the Son and the Son of God maintains the Kingdom as King of kings and our High Priest.
In Jesus we find the Godhead in Body form, Father, Son and Holy Ghost in the One Authority, but it doesn’t take away from the Father or Holy Ghost, it merely adds. All authority was given to Jesus, He is the Word made flesh, thus He said, if we have seen Him, we have seen the Father. Whether Jew or Gentile, they still have to come through Jesus to find the Father. If the Porter is the Holy Ghost and we can’t come to Jesus except by the calling of the Holy Ghost. From the Bosom of the Father came Jesus, from the mind of God came the Holy Ghost, yet it’s One God all in all.
The word Beginning in verse 3 is the Greek Arche (principality), since Melchizedek has no recorded beginning, he can have no end, but it’s not the man, but the Order this is speaking of. The word Order is the Greek Taxis, as we found in verse 6:20, it’s not the Greek Tagma meaning a group of people arranged in some orderly fashion, rather it shows a quality of Character, removing Jesus from any association with the Rank of Aaron.
Heb 7:4-10
The word Consider in one form or another in the Book of Hebrews consists of four different Greek words. The Greek Katanoeo means To contemplate from above, it’s found in Hebrews 3:1 and 10:24. The Greek TheoreoAnakigizomai means To consider accurately and distinctly again and again, it’s used in Hebrews 12:3. The English word Considering comes from the Greek Anatheoreo meaning To consider attentively, it’s used in Hebrews 13:7. It depends on what we are asked to Consider, as to how we consider it, here we determine the difference between Melchizedek and those who follow in the Order, as opposed to Aaron and those who follow in the succession. There are differences in the people who follow the order, it’s what we are to consider. We’ve looked at the differences in the Orders, but what about the people? The Jews are the chosen of God for a purpose, the purpose? Judgment, all those who have attempted to overcome the Jews will have to face the judgment seat, it’s the overcoming of the 144,000 bringing all this to an end. The Christian is also chosen of God for a purpose, the purpose? Salvation, therefore we are sent to the world to bring the Good News of Grace, the Jew is not. It doesn’t mean one group is better than the other, it means God has purpose. The Romans knew this, but used it in a manner causing them to be judgmental. Don’t let us fall for the same error, Amen? means To look closely, or observe as an investigator would looking for clues, it’s used in Hebrews 7:4. The Greek
Abram Gave “the tenth” to Melchizedek, but why a Tenth? The growth of the Seed is thirty, sixty and a hundred, why not give Thirty, or Sixty? The first time we find the word Tenth is in reference to Noah, it was the Tenth Month on the Tenth Day when the tops of the mountains could be seen, meaning God’s deliverance was obvious (Gen 8:5). What did this Tenth deal with? Deliverance. We also find the word Tenth in reference to Jacob, the Third in line for the promise, as he set a pillar and called “God’s House”, and vowed “I will surely give the tenth unto You” (Gen 28:22). For what reason? To be protected and delivered. Abraham gave what he had, Jacob said he would give part of what God would later give him (Gen 28:20). The differences? Great, Abraham had to give, and did so without any strings attached. Someone once said Abram gave exactly a tenth, but here we find the Greek word Delkate which means Tenth, so did he? (vs. 7:2 & 7:4). However, we find a mystery, in verse 2 it’s “a tenth part of all”, but in verse 4 it’s a “the tenth of the spoils”. Differences? Yes, in verse 2 it’s a tenth of all, but in 4 it’s the tenth, not a tenth. One argument used by the Jews inference to the tithe was based on this issue, was it a tenth of all? Or the spoils? Does it matter to us? No, the issue is not how much Abram gave, it was the receiving of Melchizedek, thus the Order is not the Order of Abram, it’s the Order of Melchizedek. This is an area pointing to Paul as the scribe, in his great wit he shows the amount wasn’t the issue, the receiving was.
Jacob had nothing, yet used the premise regarding something his grandfather did, only used it in a manipulative manner. God was Abram’s God before he gave, but Jacob said “If” God would deliver him, then he would make God his God. Jacob knew the tithes related to deliverance, proving the premise was to deliver. We can see how the Jacob Tithe became the one under the Law, yet the tithes by Abram became the issue under the Order of Melchizedek. If Levi had a Commandment to take, and we don’t what does it mean? The Responsibility transferred, it’s no longer up to the priest to extract or take tithes, it’s up to the giver to listen to their Heart (New Man). Another form of obedience, as we learn to listen, since faith comes by hearing.
The word Tithe (not tithes) is first found in Leviticus 27:30, where we find the Tithe is the Lord’s. The word Tithes is first used in Genesis 14:20 with Abram and Melchizedek, but the second time it’s found is in Leviticus 27:31, where a man is told to add “a fifth part thereof”, thus we find the tithes is not based on percentage, since this would be fifteen percent. The big objection of “how much do I have to give”, is moot, really it’s what does the Cheerful Heart say?
All this may not seem like such a big deal, but the moment we use the Law of Moses, we are subject to the entire thing, which means we are judged guilty. The Tithe under the Law is commanded to the children of Israel, not the “sons of God” (Lev 27:34). The only ones who can Take a tithe are the priests from the tribe of Levi (Heb 7:5 & Lev 27:30-34), anyone else is a thief. Wow, if we take the Tithe under the Law, yet we are not of the tribe of Levi, we have stolen from the people of God. Adding, the priests under the Old could take tithe from their brethren (Heb 7:5), in our case it’s receive from our brethren. If we could see the difference, it would set us free indeed (Heb 7:6).
Which came first the priesthood or the Law? Under the Old it was the Law the established the priesthood, but not so under the New. We find the change in priesthood brought about a change in Laws. Only Jesus could do this, and do is so perfect there is nothing left undone.
The word Descent in verse 6 refers to the mother of the person only, thus the writer shows Melchizedek was not a Jew; therefore, the he and the Order stood for the Gentile, not only a shocking revelation to those of Israel, but we find the writer is pointing to Gentiles showing the Better Covenant. Considering at the time Abraham was still Abram the Hebrew, as well as the “Jews” still future, we can see what was first became last. Even today the tribe of Levi can trace their descent by their last name, but who can be traced to Melchizedek? Under the Law of Moses one had to be born into the tribe of Levi to become a priest, under the Law of the Spirit one has to be Born Again.
Not only was this Melchizedek not a Jew, but he blessed him from whom all Jews came, without contradiction the lesser is blessed by the greater, never the other way around. Again the writer is pointing to the Better Covenant, since the premise is the New Covenant is greater than the Old.
The tithes belong to God, and from Abraham came Levi, yet in reference to the Jews, God said “You only have I known of all the families of the earth” (Amos 3:2). Melchizedek represents one who has given up their earthly genealogy, changed positions and natures to be adopted into a family order higher than all the family orders on earth, thus they also moved to a higher and better Law, one not provided for those of the earth, but for those of heaven.
Then we find from Abram came Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob then Israel, then Levi the third born to Leah (Gen 29:31-34), thus Levi was never first place, but came third from Leah who was transposed as the wife of Jacob in place of Rachel, it was Rachel Jacob loved (Gen 29:21-27). From Leah came “double the effort” to obtain the promise (Gen 29:27). Judah was the last (fourth) son born to Leah, thus Levi was before Judah, but became last, as Judah being last became First. Since the names from Abram to Jacob are five, and Leah was the transposed one, with Levi the second we find the order of Levi is double the labor, lacking rest, thus doing anything pointing to Levi (Law of Moses) produces Labor upon Labor, absent of rest, yet while it is yet Today we are to labor to enter the Rest of God, rather than labor to hold to the Law of Moses. The first step is Belief in the New Covenant being better than the Old, the second is acknowledging we are not of the Old, but of the New.
While Levi was still in the loins of Abram, Abram submitted unto Melchizedek, took of the Bread and Wine, received the blessing, then gave tithes as a sign of his submission. Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life” (Jn 6:48), He told the Pharisees, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham” (Jn 8:39), not only did Abraham (Abram) believe God, but he submitted to the most high priest of God. Abraham (Abram) submitted because he believed this Melchizedek represented God as the most high priest, as well as being the king of Salem, thus Jesus told the Pharisees “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts (works) of your father you will do…because I tell you the truth, you believe Me not” (Jn 8:44-45), they failed to believe, yet belief is a choice; they were also under the Order of Aaron.
Where did Leviticus come from? The Lord called unto Moses, and spoke unto him “out of the tabernacle” thus the Tabernacle was first, the order of Aaron second; therefore, the order of Aaron must submit to the Tabernacle. Again don’t go “Roman” (Judgmental and Legalistic) with this, just know God has purpose and division. The premise is not to mix laws, thinking we are doing a greater service, we’re not. If we hold to the New, yet do deeds under the Old, we are in rebellion, not obedience. We can’t present Grace through Faith, if we hold to Judgment. This division is not only in tithes, but in circumcision, they type of rest, kingly functions, priestly duties, and the manner in which we perform.
How does this relate to us? This is a key to understanding the Order we are to follow. If our leaders have to “take” tithes from us, we are still under the Law, or we have not received a change in nature. The change in Nature to the New produces a like Nature of Christ. If we’re still using the old nature we will trust our own righteousness, and miss the Righteousness of God. If our priests Receive tithes from us, we are blessed, but our purpose of giving is not to invest, nor is it so we won’t look cheep, it’s because we are pleased to bless someone, because they have blessed us. The Order of Melchizedek consisted of how many people? Six thousand? No, two hundred? No, ten? No, two, the giver and the receiver, no one else had to be involved. Melchizedek didn’t promise Abram a special plate in his honor, or to write his name on the wall in Salem, nor did Abram give based on a promise of the return, he was motivated by love.
As leaders, we need do nothing more than teach this concept, then leave the giving between the person and God. If being a Cheerful Giver means one is loved by God, it means they are doing what God wants them to do at the time. When we as leaders step between the Union, we have violated the purpose of the Office, and negated “perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and the edifying of the Body of Christ” (Eph 4:12). Not real wise.
The test comes when the offering comes in empty, not even an IOU, and someone took the pencils, but are we in this for the money? Or for Jesus? Tests have many sides, when we use force to extract funds, it means we are not trusting God to move on His people. Yes it gets close, at times Real Close, but faith grows in those times. Not a very popular teaching, but the Order for the New Testament saint is there, the wording is there, the verses are clear, we do not “take” tithes, we “receive” them.
This also changes the definition of the word “tithes”, from “ten percent” to simply giving to the ministry. How? Paul never mentioned “ten percent”, it was “lay up for him in store as God has prospered” (I Cor 16:2). Of course God will increase us, of course “he which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly: and he which sows bountifully, shall real also bountifully” (II Cor 9:6), and of course, “As it is written, He has dispersed abroad; he has given to the poor: his righteousness remains forever” (II Cor 9:6); however, the truth also remains, “every man according as he purposed in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver” (II Cor 9:7). II Corinthians 9 was written one year after the Corinthians said they would give, Paul is giving them incentive, without “taking”, very difficult, but the purpose was to keep them from cursing their own selves, they said they would give, and had not. It’s far better to receive the New Nature, and allow the New Heart to guide us, as we obey what we hear.
We must also consider those who rob widows, or use the tithe or some other “offering” simply to make money, they are like those who sell the dove, or run money changing booths. Godly leaders receive Tithes, those who have the Spirit also have the attributes of the Spirit, and one of those is “giving” (Rom 12:8 & 12:13). Jesus gave to the
Romans, thus it’s not the responsibility of the giver to see how the money is used, but it is to the receiver.
Heb 7:11-15
The word Perfection in verse 11 is the Greek Teliosis, it means Completion or Fulfillment, the only other place it’s found is in Luke 1:45. In Luke 1:45 it shows Perfection (Performance) is determined by Belief, not works. Teliosis then is associated with Belief, thus if the Levitical priesthood was of Belief, there would be no need for another priesthood, but the Levitical order came to perform the Law, and the Law of Moses was a result of unbelief. The Levitical priesthood was dictated by natural birth, thus one was appointed depending on their genealogy, not their faith. In our case it’s being Born Again by the Seed of God, with our genealogy in God, by Christ.
The words for Changed and Change in verse 12 are interesting; the Greek word for Changed is MetatithemiMetathesis meaning Translated, or Removed from one place to another, thus the priesthood was completely changed and put in another place, making the first void. Does it mean the Law of Moses was removed? No, it means we were. If we are bound to the earth and want to be in a priesthood, there is only one God has granted for the earth, the priesthood of Aaron. Of course, it leaves us under the Law of Moses, and subject to the ordinances placed against us. However, if we are loosed of the earth, then the heavenly order is the one we follow, giving us a whole new set of duties as priests. Not one of us would think of going around killing sheep, or ripping the heads off of doves, so why do we pick other things from the same Law, then claim holiness? Ahh, we want what we want, thus we make any excuse to get it. “Oh it passed through the Cross”, yet the Scripture says it was nailed to the Cross, because it was Against us (Col 2:14-18). meaning To put in another place, the Greek word for Change is
When the New Law came, it called for a change in performance and conduct; therefore, the Law of Moses remained where it was at, we were moved to the place where the Law of the Spirit was at. The Law of Moses was lateral, it moved them from one place to another, but not up, but the Law of Spirit moves us upward, above the darkness where the prince of the power of the air has authority to a place where we are in the highest of all Authorities.
The Law of the Spirit is not an addition to the Law of Moses, it’s a New Law, but which came first the Law or the High Priest? Ahh, when Jesus presented the Sacrifice the Law came by necessity (v. 12). Each Law has it’s own priests, each priest has a duty to the Tabernacle, and answers to the High Priest. So it is with us, we Minister the Bread and Wine, Bless, and receive, and answer to our High Priest. The Order of the Levi changed from high priest to high priest, but our Order changes not, it’s everlasting (v. 24).
In verse 13 the other Tribe is Judah, but the word Pertaineth is the Greek Metecho meaning By association or Conducted with others. A synonym for Metecho would be Koinoneo meaning To participate, or Fellowship, thus when the priesthood changed, so did the manner of Fellowship. In order to fellowship with God, the first order is to treat the people of God as God does.
The Law of Moses has Operations, but so does the Law of the Spirit, they are nothing alike in performance. We can stay away from pork, close all the eye gates, then attempt to follow the Ten Commandments, yet never do the Operations of the Church. The Operations of the Church are, Miracles, Gifts of Healings, Helps, Governments, and Diversities of Tongues (I Cor 12:6 & 12:28). All this still shows the Law of Moses is against us, it points out how we have all sinned and come short, but the Law of the Spirit is for us, giving us the means to leave the old nature behind, as we are joined to our Father who art in Heaven.
So does it make the Law of Moses is “illegal”? No, it has a principality, or place of performance, and a purpose of God. It would be illegal for a Christian to do the Law of Moses, just as it would be illegal for a carnal person to attempt to do the Law of the Spirit.
The Greek word for Similitude is Homoiotees, and it’s translated as “Like” (similar) in Hebrews 4:15. The only place we find this Greek word is in the Book of Hebrews in verses 4:15 and in 7:15. The word “Like” means Something Like unto, it doesn’t mean the Exactness, this verse shows Jesus is Similar to, but not the exactness of Melchizedek; therefore, attempting to make Him the exactness is a waste of time, it’s the Order, or the Procedure we are to look at.
Prior we found the priests under Levi were picked of men, for men, but the word Rise (Ariseth in KJV) is the Greek Anaistemi meaning To cause to appear, or To stand again, it’s the same word used in the phrase “shall rise again”, regarding the Resurrection of Jesus; therefore, we find the Resurrection granted us the ability to be members of the new priesthood by the Spirit. John agreed with this and said “..made us kings and priests unto God and His Father” (Rev 1:6). We are not kings of the earth, but kings unto God while on the earth, we are not priests for the earth, but priests unto God. Assuming we are kings of the earth changes our position from heavenly to earth, yet the Earthly are still soulish and devilish.
Heb 7:16-28
Simply God would have never brought up the issue of Melchizedek if He didn’t have the Order in the Plan. God not only wanted us to know about this meeting, He confirmed it the Psalms. The word Made in verse 16 is the Greek Ginomsi meaning To begin to be, or To come into existence, thus the actual Order of Melchizedek couldn’t come into being until Jesus gave the Sacrifice in heaven. The Shadow gives us the signs of the Order, but the High Priest of the Order was not Melchizedek, he was a “priest”, thus when the High Priest made the offering, the Order Opened.
Jesus was born according to the Law, of a woman, but here we’re talking about the Priesthood, not His birth, thus His Priesthood was not carnal, or earthly in nature, nor was it made for the earth, rather He sits in heaven as the Administer of the Order.
What recorded sacrifice did Melchizedek give? Well, he gave Abraham bread and wine. The symbols of the Sacrifice, not the Sacrifice, there is no record of the man giving any sacrifice, thus he became the “book of the Order”, or the living example of what the Order consists of. Leviticus is a document telling the priests under the Order of Aaron how to operate, but one can have the document, yet no priests. The Order of Melchizedek was in what the man did, but it was “written” for our sakes.
There was a purpose for this heavenly Priesthood, a Sacrifice correlating to something on earth, yet was centered in the highest heaven. There is no provision for a heavenly sacrifice in the Law of Moses, thus any attempt to use the Law of Moses as a basis for receiving the Cross would be illegal. Using the Law of Moses to impute the old nature dead would be illegal as well, since there is no provision granting the right. So it is with tithes, those under the Order of Melchizedek have one right concerning tithes, to receive. There is a no regulation governing the giver, other than listen to their heart, but there sure is regarding the receiver. Some of us are concerned about the giving part, but it’s the receiving we need to pay attention to.
The old commandment under the Law was weak, it called for ministering by humans, who are weak in nature; however the New is Spiritual in nature, calling for the person to be Born Again. The wording “Going Before” is the Greek word Proago meaning To lead to, but holds the thought, once it has led to something, it no longer is in effect. Jesus as our High Priest gives commands to the New Man in us, we hear, we obey, thus we are priests by proxy, and the proxy is having the New Man.
The Bread is representative of the Body of Christ, the Blood representative of the New Covenant, so where is the Water? The wine is not all grape of the vine, it contains water, giving us the Witness of the Blood, Water and Spirit as the guiding factors of our priesthood. All our rights are in two areas, the Authority of Jesus, and the Power from on High which we means we are Born Again. The Spirit of God bears witness to our Spirit, it’s not the other way around. The priests under the Levitcial order gained position by their “birthright”, we gain by a “New Birth Right”, something at issue when we talk about Esau shortly.
The Law of Moses made nothing Perfect, since it was designed to show imperfection, not perfection, but it did blaze the trail to bring in a Better Hope. The Law of Moses placed deeds and sacrifices between man and God, but this New Hope places man before God. The priests under the Law were born into a position to take the office, but none of them had an Oath going before them, yet Jesus as our High Priest had The Oath from the Father, “You are a Priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek”. This doesn’t say High Priest, it says Priest. The word Priest is the Hebrew Kohen, meaning priest, or prince; the phrase lacks the Hebrew Gadowl, which is found in Leviticus 21:10 in the phrase “high priest”, or Gadowl Kohen. This shows the Order is at issue, the Promise is to us, we are forever called priests in the Order of our High Priest.
Melchizedek didn’t tell Abram, “take this is My body”, he simply handed the man the elements, thus communion was not instituted until Jesus said, “Take”. This meeting is a type and shadow of the Order we follow, thus we are priests serve unto the Sacrifice of Jesus. When Jesus handed us the Bread and Cup the Order was opened to those of faith, thus Melchizedek was not under the Law of Moses, neither are those who are after the Order. If one seeks the priesthood of Aaron and Melchizedek they are surely double-minded. We then find the Old was good, but the New Better because it offers a change in position as well as a New Nature. Also if the New is Better we are assured the Tithes under the Melchizedek order are also Better. Nothing in the Law of Moses was “illegal”, nor was it illegal for the doer as long as they were under the Law in the principality restricted to the Law of Moses. On the other hand if one was not in the principality, yet attempted to gain favor from either the Law of God by doing the deeds of the Law of Moses it made the Law illegal for them. Once we accepted the Cross we lacked standing to do the Old, yet those under the Old lacked authority to do the New. Each has an Order of procedure, each has requirements for the “priesthood” assigned to the Covenant, yet they are very different in performance. The Jew came out of the Law by faith, the Gentile around it by faith.
We will continue to see the word Better in reference to the New Covenant, the word Better is the Greek Kresson meaning More useful, Greater in value, More Excellent. The Greek word is found 13 times (1:4, 6:9, 7:7, 7:19, 7:22, 8:6 (twice), 9:23, 10:34, 11:16, 11:35, 11:40 & 12:24), yet the number 13 is the number of Rebellion; however, this shows the Better Covenant breaks rebellion, it doesn’t cause it.
The priests under the Old Covenant died, they were sold under sin and death, and ministered to the Law of sin and death, but Jesus Lives Forever, remaining High Priest for all time, meaning we are forever called Priests. Under the Old there high priests many, but no one take the place of Jesus as our High Priest, yet He has appointed priests under Him. Ahh, as priests unto the High Priest we have Life, and live forever more with Jesus. Right, all this shows something Better came, it doesn’t mean the Old is evil, it’s not the point, rather it shows the New is Better. This also shows there is a division between Eternal Salvation, and Eternal Judgment. Why did the Author use those terms? Why not “Eternal Life” as we find in many other places? Another example of the Holy Ghost in charge, the opposite of Eternal Salvation would be Eternal Judgment, they are presented to remove any thought of Judgment being short termed. Serious business, thus the Old ministers under the shadow of Judgment, we minister in the Light of Eternal Salvation.
The Law of Moses defined the law of sin and death, yet it was not designed and could not defeat him who had the power of death. However, Jesus destroyed the devil, who had (past tense) the power of death, then Jesus brought the Law of the Spirit, which opened the Order for those who are Born Again by the Power of the Resurrection of Jesus. Therefore, one can’t hold both priesthoods, one is unto sin and death, the other unto Life (v. 25). The word Destroyed means To make ineffective as we know, it’s the Greek Kataargeo which is a compound word from Kata (down from), and Argeo (to be idle, or ineffective, or void). This also shows us the concept of destroyed does not mean to cease to exist, since the devil is still around, if not why even bind him at the beginning of the Night? The same word was used by Paul in I Corinthians 6:13 in reference to God destroying both the belly and meats, and in II Thessalonians 2:8 in reference to Jesus destroying the Wicked. All this adds to our premise of Eternal Judgment, showing how hell will be sent into the lake of fire, but it doesn’t mean it’s consumed, it means existing eternally in Judgment.
Verse 25 lays out the purpose of the Priesthood under the Order of Melchizedek. The word Save is the Greek Sozo, the word Uttermost is the Greek Panteles meaning Complete, referring to Time. Panteles shows “things haven’t changed” or “passed away” they are the same as written here. As long as it’s the Day, then the Things of the Day remain. The purpose of the Life of Jesus is to bring us to God (Othoes, Father), then we find the Qualifications for one to be in the Order of Melchizedek are Holy, Harmless, Undefiled, Separate from sinners, and Made higher than the heavens (v. 26). Does this mean the man Melchizedek filled these qualifications? Wow, what a guy, but Melchizedek was before the Law, he only provided the Order, not the Qualifications, Jesus provided the Qualifications, yet how do we fit them? By being Born Again, thus our priesthood is found in the Spirit, since it’s the Law of the Spirit.
The high priests under the Old Covenant had to offer up sacrifices daily, even the high priest had to offer sacrifices for his sins first, before he could minister for the people, yet by giving a sacrifice under the Law of Moses he admitted he had not only had sin, but sin was still master over him, thus we needed Someone who didn’t have to sacrifice for His own sins, One who was sinless to bring a self-less Sacrifice.
All have sinned, and sin brings a weakness (infirmity), but the Word of the Oath for the Order of Melchizedek makes the High Priest a Son, and the Son as a High Priest is Consecrated for evermore (v. 28). The word Consecrated is the Greek Teleioo meaning Completely Perfect in order to make Perfect, so are the priests perfect? Yes, if they are Born Again, since the Spirit is perfect. In order to be perfect, we need a product from God which is perfect, thus imperfection can never make perfection, but perfection found in the New Man is forming us into the perfection of Christ.
The wording For Evermore is the Greek word Aion Aionios referring to an Age or Time upon an Age or Time, then to another Age or Time, in the Book of Revelation we find the Greek EisAionas Aionon meaning Unto the ages and ages (Rev 14:11), thus we have a Season, when the Season ends there is silence in heaven for the last half of the Hour. The silence comes in the Night, showing the silence is in heaven, yet we know whenever someone comes to Jesus there are shouts of joy in heaven; therefore, during the Night Salvation is stayed, as Judgment begins (Rev 8:1 & 15:8). Really in the Greek there is no certain word for “Eternity”, rather they used an idiom showing an age piled on an age, piled on an age, piled on an age, reflecting something without end, which is not governed by time. The term “bottomless” means the same, it refers to something without an end. Many of those who oppose the concept of “Eternal Punishment”, use the exactness of the Greek, yet leave the meaning of the words out. Usually they say, “It only means a time or an age”; however, we find it means an age on an age, on an age, without end. The Doctrine of Christ will always remove false doctrine from our midst, bringing us into the security of knowing there is Eternal Salvation open to all who desire to believe and have faith toward God.
Heb 8:1-13
In Acts Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the Right Hand of God” (Acts 7:56), yet we just read how Jesus is seated at the Right Hand, could Stephen be wrong? Hardly, Stephen gave a prophecy regarding the Judgment. Jesus returns as the Son of man, not the Son of God, thus Stephen saw the time when the heavens will be open and the Son of man returns. Therefore, Stephen also said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” (Acts 7:60), an act of Mercy when faced with death. If we believe we have the Mercy of God, then we can impute Mercy on others in those difficult times.
The Book of Hebrews gives us the clarity of the shadow found in the Old, it explains the Tabernacle. The writer now looks at the Tabernacle, but why the Tabernacle? Why not the Temple? Paul used the Temple in speaking to the Corinthians, why not now? Why go all the way back to the wilderness? These are all good questions, and need to be explored. The most obvious is this connects back to the comments regarding the Rest of God, there is a Rest found in a position wherein there are no lay-offs, since the position is maintained by the authority of a High Priest who lives forever more.
There are various words used for Temple, House and Tabernacle in the Hebrew and Greek. The term House of the Lord uses the Hebrew word Bavith for House meaning A place of dwelling. The Hebrew Heykal was used for TempleShiloh. The Hebrew for Tabernacle is Mishkan or Obel Moed meaning A portable sanctuary. Another Hebrew word for the Temple is Bet Hapmikdash in I Samuel 1:9, the last time we see the Tabernacle is with the priest Eli in meaning Sanctuary as a place of refuge, or an asylum from danger.
There are three words in the Greek for house, depending on usage. The Greek Oikos means Home of dwelling. The Greek Oikia means The whole of a person’s possessions, i.e.: his entire household. The Greek Oikeids means A certain household, i.e.: the House of David. The Greek for Tabernacle is Skene meaning A Tent. The Greek phrase He Skene Tou Matrutiou means The Tabernacle Stood For A Witness; however, the Tabernacle was a Testimony, not a Witness, unless of course we see it as a type and shadow of Jesus (Numb 1:50 & 9:15). The Greek for TempleNaos meaning Inner Sanctuary, explaining the term Tabernacle of the Temple. Jesus used the Greek Naos in reference to the Temple of His Body, thus the Body being the element leading one to the Blood, as the Blood is the New Testament, indicating the Body without the Blood is the Temple, but when we add the Blood of Jesus we move to becoming a Tabernacle. The Greek word Hieron means A temple, whether for God or idols, thus it’s a general term. In First Corinthians Paul used two different words for Temple: in I Corinthians 3:16, 3:17, 6:19, as well as in II Corinthians 6:16 he used the Greek Naos, in the same manner as Jesus did, but in I Corinthians 9:13 he also used Naos in the phrase “Do you not know they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple?”, which is a direct reference to the Jewish temple, now we can see why Jesus cleaned out the Temple, but the Tabernacle remained clean and holy. The Tabernacle was, then was not, thus it’s a type and shadow of the Rapture, yet the Temple was destroyed, rebuilt, destroyed again in 70 AD, but will be rebuilt again for the time of Judgment. is
Paul’s usage in I Corinthians in reference to the phrase “Know you not know you are the temple of God?” could also read “Know you not you are the Body of Christ?”; since Jesus used the same Greek word in reference to His Body, but on the same token Paul showed the Body will be broken, thus the Temple will be destroyed, the Tabernacle will be translated. The natural assumption is the Temple was always holy since God honored it, but if it’s the case why did Jesus clean it twice? We also find anyone who defiled the Tabernacle was destroyed immediately, as was Aaron’s two sons, yet there were many who defiled the Temple and were not destroyed. There are major differences between the Tabernacle and the Temple, the most important is God told Moses to build the Tabernacle, then gave Moses the plans. Whereas, the Temple was a desire of David’s, built by Solomon through the plans of Solomon, yet honored by God; however, we also find the Temple was in the hands of man, the Tabernacle in the Hand of God. Jesus cleaned the Temple, but it was up to the priests to keep it clean; whereas, the Tabernacle was always kept by God. In I Kings 5:5 we find Solomon built the Temple, yet it was not by a commandment from God, but a request of David, based on the permission granted him by God. I Kings 6:1 shows it was the Second month when Solomon began to build the Temple, thus the Temple was Second, and remains Second to the Tabernacle, or one could say the Tabernacle is Better. When the prophet of David was told of the temple by God, it was Night, when the orders came for the Tabernacle it was Day, the differences show us the Temple is one of Judgment, the Tabernacle a symbol of Salvation. In the end there will be no more Temple, but God will Tabernacle with His Tabernacles.
God giving honor to the Temple of Solomon gives us three things, first it was the Desire of David’s heart to do something for God, second the Ark is a type and shadow of the Throne of Grace, lastly it was the “Temple of Solomon” not the “Temple of David”, or the “Temple of God”, yet God honored the presence of the Ark among His people, He even avenged it among the heathen. This hope shows God is not looking for perfect people (thank God), He is looking for people who are easily molded into perfection. Perfection is in the eye of the Potter, not the clay. Some of us have our opinions of perfection, but they don’t mean a thing, what counts is how the Potter calls the clay perfection at the moment He is forming it.
The Desire of David’s heart was not to have a bigger house for David, but to give God a House. David said unto Nathan, “See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains” (II Sam 7:1-2). The ark wasn’t sitting in the open, it was still behind the “curtains”. Nathan told David to take the desire to the Lord (II Sam 7:3). It’s here where we find God came to Nathan in the night to answer David’s request, but Moses heard of the Tabernacle during the Day, thus the Temple is for those of the Night, the Tabernacle for those of Day (Ex 24:16 & II Sam 7:4).
When David told God of his desire, God said, “Shall you build Me an house for Me to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt” (II Sam 7:5-6). Wait a minute, the Tabernacle was with Eli in Shiloh, here God says, He stopped dwelling in the Tabernacle when the children left Egypt? What gives? We found God sent His glory and an angel would go with the children, but God Himself did not go with the children. Therefore, Moses was granted a Law to give to the people, as a barrier between them and God.
When Eli was in Shiloh “the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision” (I Sam 3:1), having the “temple of God”, and having God in the temple are two different things. Wasn’t the Glory in the Temple? Yes, but there is a glory of the Sun, a glory of the Moon, both are for the earth, yet there is a Glory of the Stars for heaven. God told Moses the Glory would go with Moses, but God would not, thus we can have the Glory of God, yet not have God.
The Tabernacle was a Shadow of something in heaven, the Temple a plan of man to honor God, the latter was a type and shadow of something to come, it was honored of God, but not constructed by His Will. If we don’t understand this, we will never understand how God can bless an Ishmael, yet the Ishmael is out of the Will of God. The House God was waiting for someone to, “establish His Kingdom. He shall build an house for My Name” (II Sam 7:12-13), Nathan took this “He” to mean David, but we know the He is Jesus; therefore, the Son of David did establish the Kingdom, the House can’t be destroyed, but the physical son of David (Solomon) built another house, one which was destroyed more than once.
When the Tabernacle was yet standing the only person allowed in the holy of holies was the high priest, only once a year. If anyone attempted to enter the holy of holies, they died. If the high priest failed to make sacrifice for himself, he would die after entering the holy of holies. As we recall the priests would tie a rope around the ankle of the high priest, if the bells stopped ringing, they would pull the high priest out, then appoint another. This same premise was carried over to the days of Judas, the method for death was to tie a rope around ones ankle then jump for a high place, causing ones bowels to burst asunder.
The Temple was a different story, any priest could venture into the holiest of all at any time. However, if one was not a priest, or the high priest the other priests would stone the person who made the illegal entry. However, in our case the Holy Ghost made a “way” for both Jew and Gentile to come Boldly to the Throne of Grace to Obtain Mercy and Find Grace in the time of need. Not one day a year, not one day a week, but at anytime, it was truly the first “24-7” ministry. Whether the Jews build another Temple or not isn’t the question; rather it’s our understanding of the Tabernacle. We also find a progression of events leading to the Tabernacle. Exodus 25 shows the Ark of the Covenant was to be built first, before the Tabernacle, then the table for the Shewbread, then the Candlestick, all of which were elements inside the Tabernacle, thus the first items had to be within, before the structure could be termed holy. So it is with us, the work is internal, making a change on the external. This also shows in our positional authority in our Priesthood is based on the New Man. We are being formed by the New Man into sons of God, but the premise is the change in the soul from the flesh to the Spirit, since the flesh is imputed dead.
Exodus 26:33 shows the Veil in the Tabernacle was between the holy place and the holy of holies, which metaphorically became a Veil of separation. Both places in the Tabernacle were holy, but one more holy than the other, thus the Head of the Body is more holy than the Body, but both are holy. The concept of more than one holy is found throughout the Bible, the angels say, “holy, holy, holy”, denoting three holies, of course the most obvious clue is “the holy of holies”. Therefore, one can be judging all sorts of people and “feel” holy, but it’s the wrong holiness in the wrong season. Judgment is holy, if not Jesus wouldn’t do it, but it has a Season.
Exodus 27 talks about the Court of the Tabernacle as the place around the Tabernacle which was fenced in, but separated from the Tabernacle proper. Exodus 27:14 then talks about the Gate into the Court of the Tabernacle. The outside curtain separated the Tabernacle from the world, entry was always based on the sacrifice, not the person. However, entry into the holy place was based on position, coupled with a sacrifice, as was entry into the holiest of all. We have boldness because of Jesus, not because of our “good works”.
What about the garments to the priesthood? They were to be a symbol to the Tabernacle, not the other way around, thus the error the Pharisees had was assuming the Temple was built for them, rather than they for the Temple. Exodus 25:8 says “Let them make Me a Sanctuary; so I may dwell among them”. In the New Testament Jesus became the Tabernacle, Dwelling In His people by the Seed of God. We are the Body of Christ, we are not the Head, we are not Lord, we are not God, but we do have God in us by the New Birth, yet to assume the New Man is servant to the soul is a very big mistake. Those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God, those led by the flesh, follow the mandates of the flesh, yet both groups are found in the Body. There are also the wicked; the enemy planted tares, God didn’t, but they are allowed so God can show His Favor and Mercy on the vessels of honor. When we are attacked we should rejoice, an opportunity to apply mercy to the unmerciful is in hand.
The kingdom of heaven is akin to the outer court, the Kingdom of God akin to the holy place coupled with the holy of holies. The Tabernacle Tent had two rooms, not one, yet it was One Tent of the Tabernacle. The Holy of Holies was foursquare, meaning it was equal on all sides showing God is equal. The Holy Place was different, it was twice as long as it was high or wide, or better it was like the length of the Holy of Holies doubled. The Holy of Holies was ten cubits by ten cubits, but the Holy Place was 20 cubits by 10 cubits. The context of the teaching here is to keep the priests focused on the High Priest. Throughout history when tragic events have fallen on man, man seeks to find someone to blame. History shows us when the black death broke out the “flagellators” appeared, they whipped themselves until blood ran supposing God would see their repentance, and lift the plague. When it didn’t work they began to seek someone to blame, they killed Jews and others by the hundreds, yet it didn’t stop the plague. No one prayed for the sick, or laid hands on the sick as “priests of the Most High God”. As priests we must maintain our Order by keeping our focus on our High Priest.
The kingdom of heaven is the place to obtain and hold to Mercy, the Kingdom of God is the place of Grace, yet they are joined because the partition is removed (Eph 2:14). Although the Tabernacle in the wilderness had the Partition of Separation, not only between the holy place and the holy of holies, but as the Law itself was a separation between the people and God, we find our Tabernacle has no such Partition, thus we in the Holy Place can come Boldly into the Holiest of All.
The Tabernacle had not stones (other than precious jewels), but the Temple was constructed of stones, some very large, some very, very large. The Ten Commandments were written on Stone to show the hardness of the hearts of the people: yet we are told, while it is yet today, harden not your heart as in the day of provocation. We also know stone was not the only substance Moses had, since he also wrote the first five books of the Scriptures, yet they were not on stone, the point being the stones the Ten Commandments were written on represented something. The Tabernacle went with the people, the people had to come to the Temple, two different operations, with many differences in purpose as well.
After all the plans for the Tabernacle were established, then came the priesthood, thus the priesthood was a ministering element for the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle was not an element to support the priesthood. Each element of the Tabernacle had a shadow, but none of the physical elements could produce the Image. The old nature is not privy to the things of the Tabernacle, the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God, not through the old nature. We will not find Peace in the old nature, but we will find Peace in Jesus.
After the Ark was lost, the Jews put a stone in the holy of holies, calling it Even Shetiyah (Foundation Stone); therefore, when Jesus spoke of the Stone, He was also speaking of the Ark of the Covenant, the place where God sits, where the two Cherubim bowed, thus we come Boldly to Jesus (Throne of Grace). Everything in the Temple talked about the Jews as a people, it was a witness regarding the Jews; however, everything in the Tabernacle talked about Jesus, becoming a Testimony of the Lord.
We wonder where the Synagogue came from; the first recorded use of the Synagogue was during the Babylonian Exile, it came about as the people were meeting in homes. It was the use of the Synagogue brought about the Darius’ Royal Statute meaning no one could worship any God, save king Darius for thirty days (Dan 6:5-10). The term Synagogue today referred to by reform and conservative Jews as “Temple”; however, the only Temple was in Jerusalem, the Yiddish speaking Jews call the Synagogue Shul. The meaning of the word Synagogue can be found in three different Greek words. The Greek Aposunagogos means Separated from the synagogue, or Excommunicated. The Greek Archisunagogos means Ruler of the synagogue. The Greek Sunagoge gives us the definition meaning A gathering, Congregation or Assemble, and has a root meaning of Led together, which explains the term Synagogue of Satan as the gathering of the Wicked who claim to be true Jews (circumcised of the heart), but are really self-transformed. The Synagogue of Satan is in the field, it consists of those who entered, but became covenant breakers, they took God’s Mercy, but paid back slander. They are seen in the Day, as well as the Night, thus they are the workers of Iniquity who are left behind as the drunk who go into the Night. On the other hand the Church consists of the Called Out Ones, which has two aspects, the Jew who was called out from the Law by faith, then the Gentile who came around the Law by faith.
Since the Tabernacle is a Testimony, we should know the elements. The Tabernacle was known by other names as well: The Tabernacle Of Jehovah (Lev 17:4); Tabernacle Of The Testimony (Numb 1:50); Tent Of Testimony (Numb 9:15); Sanctuary Of Jehovah (Numb 19:20); House of God (Judges 18:31), and House of Jehovah (I Sam 1:9), giving us Eight names in total (including the term Tabernacle itself); all pointing to the New Beginning in Jesus. In the New Testament it was known as the Tabernacle in this part of the Book of Hebrews, as the Tabernacle Of The Testimony in Acts 7:44, and the most interesting term, “A Sanctuary Of This World” in Hebrews 9:1. Hebrews 9:1 separates the Tabernacle from the Night, placing it in this “world”, or better in this Age, thus in the Night we find the Temple, not the Tabernacle; in the Day we find the Tabernacle, not the Temple. The sign? Do the Jews have their Temple? No, it was destroyed in 70 AD and has not be rebuilt yet, but they will rebuilt it, when they do, the Night will be upon man.
The “garment” for the high priest was his “covering”, yet the high priest had duties to perform before he could enter the holiest of all. The high priest knew his “mind” couldn’t be clean and holy, but the garment and rites of the Order gave him the imputed image of being clean. The priest trusted in his “garment” to protect him, but in our case it’s the Unction of the Holy Ghost protecting us. Jesus is pure through and through, by His purity and faith we gain entrance.
Jesus didn’t fight to give the appearance of holiness, or morality, His character was embedded with those attributes. The Pharisees gave the appearance of morality, as many today do, although immorality and sin are connected, we find someone can be morally correct, yet spiritually corrupt. When the Pharisees brought the woman caught in the very act of adultery they felt Jesus couldn’t accuse them of adultery, but what they heard was not what they expected. If Jesus would have said, “Any of you who have not committed adultery cast the first stone”, there would have been all sorts of rocks flying, but Jesus expanded the concept by saying, “sin”, which included much more than adultery. Our priesthood is a cleaning process, the priests of Old would wash before entering the holy place, we are cleaned by the Blood of Jesus, as well as the washing of the Water by the Word as we enter the holy place.
There were 14 different kinds of materials used, each Seven gives us Two Seasons of Completeness in these last days, the First Season for the Firstfruits of Christ, the next for Remnant, or those who will finish the Remaining aspect, which is Judgment. The Cloud covered the Tabernacle (Ex 40:34), we are covered in the process of our Tabernacle being constructed by the Anointing of Christ. The metaphor Cloud points to a Witness, since this Cloud Covered the Tabernacle it becomes a type and shadow of the Unction of the Holy Ghost. The building of the Temple was at the hand and direction of Solomon, but the Tabernacle was directed by God.
Before the Tabernacle was built the children gave a Heave Offering. The Heave Offering is a type and shadow of the Rapture. There were also fourteen components of the Heave Offering. Gold, yet Gold without being purified by fire is not worthy, but Gold through the Fire becomes Pure and Refined; however, in the Heave Offering the gold had to be fired twenty-one times, or Three Sevens. This doesn’t mean we have to go through the fire 21 times, but it does show the progression from the Blade (one 7 of completeness), the Full Ear (second 7) then the Full Corn In The Ear (third 7 of completeness). Silver is next, Silver is mentioned 21 times in connection with the Tabernacle, metaphorically Silver stands for Redemption. It was thirty pieces of silver paid for the redemption of the Female (Bride – Lev 27:4). Brass was used in the Courtyard: Brass means Bronze which is Brass cured in fire. Brass is a sign of Judgment, Jesus returns with His Feet as like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace (Rev 1:15). At the Feet of Jesus one finds a “footstool”, but His Body and Head are places of Glory.
Blue was used in the Tabernacle as a symbol of the heavens, not simply one heaven. Purple also shows Kingship and royalty, we recall the close friend of Paul, a woman by the name of Lydia, a seller of Purple (Acts 16:14). Scarlet was used giving us a symbol of the Blood of Jesus, it’s mentioned 27 times, or 3 nines, showing the Holy Ghost taking us from the Blade, to the Full Ear, to the Full Corn in the Ear. Byssus was also used, which is a very fine linen cut in one inch lengths, holding 71 threads, even today it’s considered the finest cotton. Goats’ Hair from long hair goats was used, the Hair was used in the coverings of the Tabernacle. Paul used Hair as a type and shadow of the anointing in his letter to the Corinthians (I Cor 11:1-10). Rams’ Skins were dyed Red as the Second Covering to the Tabernacle, as a type and shadow of the Bride of Christ hidden under the Covering of Hair (Anointing). The term Badger’s Skins comes from the Hebrew word Tachash, which was translated as Sealskin in Ezekiel 16:10; but the rendering here is Badgers’ Skins, the term is used ten times in conjunction with the Tabernacle, showing a Testing. Acacia Wood or Shittim Wood which is a dark and hard type of Oak, it’s very durable, it’s able to withstand the storms of the wilderness, is was known as “incorruptible wood”. The pillars were covered with Gold showing the Incorruptible Seed of God in us is able to withstand anything as it accomplishes the task at hand. Oil was used, this Oil was the pure Oil from ripe olives, the Olive Tree was a type of the Anointing connected to Mercy. Whereas, the Fig Tree was a type referring to the religious order of the Jews, thus Jesus spoke to the Fig Tree based on it’s failure to produce any viable fruit, but the Olive Tree becomes the symbol for the New. Adam used “fig leaves” to cover his flesh, not olives, thus the Fig Tree is a covering for the flesh, the Olive Tree a means to be free of the flesh through God’s Mercy.
The Spices were the four best spices for the anointing oil (Ex 30:22-25). Myrrh from the sap of the balsam bush, this sap was known to “run like tears”. Cinnamon from the bark of the tree known in the Latin as “Cinnamomum Cassia“, it was taken from the leaves of a very beautiful tree, symbolic of the healing in the leaves of the Tree of Life. Sweet Calamus is a pink colored pith from the root of a Red Plant, out of which comes perfume, it becomes a type and shadow of how the Branches obtain their beauty, from the Root. Cassia comes from the fired flowers (not the leaves) of the cinnamon tree, as a “sweet-smelling” ointment, like the sweet-smelling savor the Flowers of God’s Tree produce, which Flowers we are.
There were also four spices used for the Incense (Ex 30:34-38) Stacte was a powder obtained from the hardened drops of the myrrh bush, it was rare indeed, just as we are rare in God’s eye. Onycha came from the shell of a type of clam which is found in the deep parts of the Red Sea, as a type and shadow of how the best are hidden until the last. Galbanum is a rubbery resin from the roots of a type of ferula, it was pungent and only pleasing when mixed with other spices, like unto us, who are only pleasing to God when we Mix our Faith with the Word. Frankincense is a White resin showing the purity of Jesus, as well as the first element to the Wisdom of God (James 3:17). The Frankincense was placed on the Shewbread and burned in a Lamp, thus we find the type and shadow of Jesus as the Bread of Life, we as the Lamp and the Spirit as the Oil (Frankincense). We can see why the Three Wisemen brought the gold, myrrh and frankincense to Jesus, each represented one of the three sevens of completeness, meaning we are Complete in Jesus.
The next area will be the Precious Stones, which consisted of twelve stones, one for each tribe, all telling a story of the testimony of Jesus. The Breastplate held these 12 precious stones with three stones across in four rows. Although the stones each represent something, we will wait until our study in the Book of Revelation to examine the meanings; however, for this area we find Three stones in Four rows giving us two areas; Three and Four are Seven showing the completeness of God, Four the number of the World, Three the number of the Trinity, as God’s people were to be examples of God to the world.
The Outer Court is the area inside the fence, but outside of the Tabernacle. At the entrance to the Outer CourtOuter Court, thus the Outer Court is like unto the kingdom of heaven, the place where the good and bad make their choice. Psalm 65:4 says “Blessed is the man whom You choose, and causes to approach unto You, so he MAY dwell in Your courts”; this is permissive, thus the calling brings us into the Outer Court (kingdom of heaven) where we make the choice to submit, obey, and give our souls in order to enter the Kingdom of God. Psalm 84:2 says, “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh cries out of the Living God”. Both Psalm 65:4 and 84:2 reflect on Courts (plural), but we all begin in the Outer Court (kingdom of heaven). The exterior of the Outer Court held the Gate which was the only entrance, thus there was only One Way to enter, not several. The Door or Entrance faced West toward the Night, which shows the feet of Jesus facing the direction, but the Head or the place of the Holy of Holies faced East, toward the Raising Sun, showing the Beginning of the Day. This is important when we look at the meaning of the name “Lucifer” which means “son of the morning”, thus showing Lucifer is a man who began in the “morning”, as did Judas. were two people called Porters; Jesus told us about The Porter in John’s account (I Chron 9:17-23 & Jn 10:1-5). Jesus said He was the Door, but the Porter (Holy Ghost) guides the sheep into the sheepfold, which sheepfold is akin to the
The width of the inviting side was 20 cubits, four times five. Some early Bible teachers connected the number four to the Creativity of God, based on the forth day of Creation (Gen 1:14-19). Adding to the premise we find the four pointing to the New Creation, with the number Five pointing to Grace presenting us Rest for our souls. Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all you who Labor and are Heavy Laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). The Rest of God is when we have Rest for our souls, not comfort, since the soul can be comforted by the old nature, but not at Rest.
The Curtain or Hanging had four colors with eight Palm branches pointing to a center point, eight being the number of New Beginnings, plus the use of Palm Branches gives us the entry into Jerusalem. The Temple had openings surrounded by Stones, thus it’s the Tabernacle, not the Temple giving us the Testimony of Jesus.
Once someone entered the Outer Court all they saw was White on the Hangings surrounding the entire court, the reminder of the Purity found in Jesus, thus the Blood of Jesus makes us White as snow. The Pillars holding the Hangings were sixty in number, six times ten, or the testing of man by God. Each Pillar was fitted with two silver hooks to hold the hanging, a Brass base representing the Feet of Jesus, they also had a Silver top piece appearing as a crown, representing the Crown of Life. The height of each was Five Cubits, representing Grace. Between the Brass and Silver was one piece of solid wood, but with the addition of the two hooks on each side we find a symbol of the Cross.
The Anointing Oil was made, and used once, becoming a very serious violation to ever make it again. This is a type of the New Man, since it’s impossible to crucify Christ twice, it’s also impossible to receive two New Men. This shows how the Spirit is taken in the Rapture, if we have given our souls in submission to the New Man, our souls go with the Spirit, if not our souls remain, as the Spirit returns to God.
There were five offerings under the Law, three were voluntary and two were mandatory. The Burnt Offering, Grain Offering and Fellowship Offering were all voluntary, but the Sin and Guilt Offerings were mandatory. The Burnt Offering is a type of the baptism with Fire, the Grain Offering is a type of the Growth of the Seed of God, the Fellowship Offering is a type of treating the people of God as God does. The Sin Offering points to our entrance into the kingdom of heaven, as we asked God to forgive us, in return we vowed to forgive others. The Guilt Offering is a type of Remission, thus showing the two positions of forgiveness of sins, and the cleaning by the Blood. It’s our location making the difference, since both offerings were mandatory, we find Hope in our Position. If we make entry, we will be forgiven, if we continue on, we will receive remission, God is no Respecter of persons.
The Sacrifices were conducted within the Outer Court, which is the Courtyard area. Accordingly, the first fire came from heaven, it was never allowed to be extinguished (Lev 6:5-6 & 9:22-24). The Baptism with Fire is represented in the various sacrifices, as fire burns away the “flesh” we find the baptism of fire will burn away our “fleshly tendencies”.
The morning sacrifice was a lamb of the first year, as a type and shadow of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world for those in The Day. The sacrifice in the evening is a type and shadow for those in the Night who endure, better known to us as the 144,000.
Acacia wood formed the edging or the framework of the Brazen Altar, then the wood was overlaid with brass (a sign of Judgment). The Grating was concealed in the Altar and looked something like a barbecue grill, it was also made of brass. The height of the sides were Three Cubits, pointing to the Trinity, although the Jew didn’t know it. The horns of the altar are a symbol of Strength, or Power.
The Brazen Altar was in a place ordained by God, a place between the entrance to the Courtyard and the opening to the Tent itself. Between the Brazen Altar and the Tent opening we find the Brazen Lever, the place of washing. The progress shows the acceptance of the Sacrifice, then the place of slaughter, then the Brazen the Altar, the place where the Sacrifice is offered, then the Washing Lever, then entry into the Holy Place. In the case with the children in the wilderness they brought the sacrifice, in our case we accept it. Once we accept the Sacrifice, we make an exchange, one vital to our position of being among the “Just” who live by faith, as we will see when we get to Hebrews 10:38-39.
The Brazen Lever contained the water the priests washed in, it was not a “baptism” for them, but the Shadow leads us to the “Doctrine of Baptisms”. It’s one Doctrine for the One Baptism, but the One Baptism has many baptisms included therein.
The Tabernacle Tent Proper, or the Tent of the Tabernacle sat inside of the Courtyard, it was within, yet separated. The first curtain had One Eye in the middle, as the Eye of God looking into the heart of man. The Tabernacle didn’t have solid ceilings, nor walls of stone, but it was covered. There were four coverings over the Tabernacle, each represents Jesus in some time and Season. Each covering measured Three times Ten cubits. The first covering from the top down, was the Badgers’ Skins which were not comely in nature: Isaiah said, “He has no form nor comeliness…” (Isa 53:2). This covering was dyed Red representing the Blood of Jesus. Next were the Rams’ skins, the Ram would lead the flocks, thus the Rams’ skins are a type and shadow of the Spirit, “as many as are led by the Spirit, these are the sons of God”. Next was the Goats’ Hair, which represented the Prophet position; Jesus was called the Prophet 15 times in the New Testament, He is also the spirit (reason or purpose) of all prophecy. Lastly was the hidden four colored cherubim covering with the cherubims wing tip to wing tip with their wings over their heads, representing praising the Lord. Each curtain also gives us a type of growth, the first represents the Root, those who know their sins are forgiven, they look upon the Blood of Jesus with understanding. Next the Blade is they are led by the Spirit, then the prophetic position, knowing the Holy Ghost interprets prophecy, lastly the angels, then the place where we understand our souls are being formed into Spiritual by the Spirit.
The Entrance to the Tabernacle Tent had Five Pillars supporting the curtain, the number Five points to Grace, but there were Four Pillars separating the holy place from the holy of holies. The Curtain between the holy place and the holy of holies held three cherubims with their wings held upright, representing the Report in heaven, as the Father, Word and Holy Ghost. Adding the three cherubims and the four pillars we find the number Seven. The Entrance Curtain was known as the Gate or Door into the Dwelling Place. Recalling we are “partakers of the heavenly calling” explains the entrance (Heb 3:1); those who made entry through this Door were called Partakers.
The five pillars were covered with Gold, but stood on Brass stands, the stands represented the Feet of Jesus on His footstool; the Gold Post, His Body; the Crown, the Head of the Body. Once we make entry we see the Three items of Glory, the Golden Candlestick, the Shewbread, and the Altar of Incense. The Table of Shewbread, like the other items had handles by which they could be carried.
Jesus said He was the Bread from heaven, but if we look at the children in the wilderness we find two types of bread, the Shewbread, and the Manna. The Manna came from the ground, the promise from heaven, but the Shewbread was called The Pure Table, it’s mentioned 21 times, or three sevens. The Jews look at three times seven as “Divine Perfection”, to us it’s the same; The Full Corn In The Ear.
The Shewbread was not made from Manna, it was made from fine flour. Jesus said He was not typed with the Manna, but He is typed in the Shewbread. There were twelve loaves of Shewbread which sat on one table. Accordingly the Jew presumes the twelve loaves represent the twelve tribes, which they do, but they also show us the twelve positional aspects of the Apostles with the sure foundation. There were 12 loaves, but in two stacks of six, which also gives us The Firstfruits of Christ, then those who belong to Him. Each in it’s own order, we at the Rapture, then those who belong to Him when He returns, both stacks also give us the type and shadow of Life so we may have it More Abundantly. This shows us the difference between those who Sleep in Jesus through the Night, and those who are among the Dead in Christ who go at the Rapture. Paul told us the Rapture will not take away any reward for those who Sleep in Jesus, but it is far better to a Partaker in the First Resurrection.
There were two small oil lamps on each stack of bread wherein incense was burned. The table itself had a border like unto a Crown and it was “a handbreadth round about” which is a type and shadow of the hand of Jesus, “Neither shall any pluck them out of My hand” (Jn 10:28).
The golden candlestick or Menorah had a Main Branch, with Seven bowls. The Main Branch referred to by many of the prophets as “The Branch”, or Supporting element, the Main held one of the Seven bowls. Paul said Grace will illuminate our hearts with the Light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ (II Cor 4:6). The branches of the candlestick came out of the branch, yet it was one piece, not many pieces welded together, thus it represents the Oneness of Christ in the One Witness. The light of the candlestick was fed from pure olive oil, beaten until the oil ran freely. Thus it was not just having the Lamp, but also having the Oil to get us through the last Door.
The Incense Altar was the golden altar, the last item before one enters the holy of holies. Within the Tent itself there were no Sacrifices, the Sacrifices were outside, not inside, but the presentation of the blood of the sacrifice was inside, and outside, thus the Word in heaven shows the Sacrifice given and accepted by the one who holds the Water, Blood and Spirit on earth. The Altar also had four horns on the corners, with a crown round about, much like the shewbread table. This holy place is a type and shadow of the Bride of Christ, hidden in the Bosom of Jesus. Didn’t Moses have an altar before the Tabernacle was built? Yes, but it was stone, Moses called the Place Jehovah-nissi (Jehovah is my flag – Ex 17:15, 20:25 & 24:7).
Next comes the Holy of Holies, the Curtain separating the holy place from the Holy of Holies was known as the Veil. The Veil had three cherubim on a four colored base, with four pillars holding it. With all this we find the Law of Moses is a testimony against the people, thus those who are under the Law must pass the “books” before they can find if their names are in the Book of Life. The Law of the Spirit is for us, it’s based in the Logos, thus we have the Word (Logos) of our testimony working for us, rather than the Witness of the Law of Moses against us.
The colors of the Veil give us Jesus in the form of God (Blue); Jesus the Sacrifice as the Son of man (Scarlet), Jesus the Son of God by the Resurrection (White, Matt 17:1-3), and Jesus as God the Son (Purple, royalty). The Veil was also known as the Oracle (Ps 28:2), and looking from the holy place the four pillars were hidden by the Veil. The pillars are a type and shadow of the four accounts of the Gospel, each ripping the Veil, and revealing the mystery behind the Veil.
Now the Ark of the Covenant, which was also called the Ark of the Testimony (Ex 25:22), The Holy Ark (II Chron 35:3), and The Ark Of God’s Strength (Ps 132:8). The two Cherubim were over the Mercy Seat, each with their head bowed toward the Seat, their wings reaching out to each other the center of the Seat. They are representative of the Two Seasons, one for the Firstfruits of Christ, the next for the Remnant. The covering of the Mercy Seat is called Kaporeth in the Hebrew, this noun comes from the verb Kaphar meaning To cover the sins, or To reconcile. Paul said Christ has Reconciled us to God, as we are called to the Ministry of Reconciliation (II Cor 5:17-21). The temple didn’t reconcile man to God, as Jesus pointed out by having to clean it twice, finally the evidence of the temple being destroyed by a drunken Gentile proved the point, thus Reconciliation is to enter the True and Holy Tabernacle, which is Christ.
We spent this amount of time on the Tabernacle to show the difference between the Tabernacle ordered by God, and the Temple approved of God. The Tabernacle will be referred to here in Hebrews, and other books, such as James, Peter and the Book of Revelation, it’s important to know the difference or we will look for the Temple to be built, and neglect the finishing of the Tabernacle.
The Greek in the text also helps us understand where the writer is going. The word Sum in verse 1 is the Greek Kephalaion meaning Summary or Chief of Head, or bringing it down to what it really means. Verse 1 shows Heavens not heaven as many, thus it’s not just the far reaches of space, but according to all heaven holds. In all of heaven there is only one Minister of the Sanctuary.
The phrase “somewhat” in verse 3 means something of value to the person, thus we find God gave His only begotten Son, the Son gave of Himself, what could we possess to equal it? We are asked to give our most treasured possession, our souls. “Well I did dot it, yet the old nature still yells at me”. The old man may speak, but it doesn’t mean he has the power to make us do anything. Paul died daily, but said he was Crucified with Christ, do the two relate? Yes, it’s a process, one we must enter daily, while it is yet Today we give our souls to Jesus.
The Law of Moses and the priesthood were ordained by God, they are good and lawful in their principality, but they are not designed for heaven. If they were designed for heaven, then ordaining a priesthood for heaven would be illegal (v. 4). These same priests under the Levitcial do not serve the heavenly, but they do serve the Shadow of the heavenly. They lack the one element granting them position, being Born Again.
Moses was admonished regarding the construction of the Tabernacle, thus Moses didn’t come up the design, neither did he have the authority to change anything. The Design was in heaven, it pertained not to a tent, but to Jesus. Moses constructing the Tabernacle didn’t mean God lives in a tent in heaven. The entire Tabernacle was a type of Gospel, a shadow, or image of something in heaven (v. 5).
The word Pattern is the Greek Tupos meaning Something caused by blows, or The mark of the impression left by something, thus it was a shadow of something yet to come, but complete in God’s eyes, although not complete in man’s realm. The Pattern came to Moses on the Mount, yet on the Mount of Transfiguration we find our Image of Christ in the process of Transfiguring. We are Transformed and Transfigured in order to be Translated to become Tabernacles unto God.
The phrase More Excellent in verse 6 is the Greek Diaphoros meaning To be different, yet superior, thus the Old is a Pattern, the New by Jesus is the more excellent. The Tabernacle pointed to something, it was not the something; therefore, it was different from the Something, yet held types and shadows to help us understand the importance of the Something. We could call it a Mystery, clues but not the actual image.
The title Mediator is the Greek Mesites meaning Middle, which describes the Cross. Jesus as our Mediator stood in the Middle, with us on one side, the Father on the other, He joined us by “Father forgive them”, allowing the Mercy of God to come from heaven, in order for us to be freed from the confines of the earth.
The word Covenant always means a unilateral enactment to secure an agreement, but a Covenant takes a giving and receiving by both sides in order to be a Covenant. If one side only takes, yet never gives, the contract is broken, making the person a Covenant Breaker. What do we give? Our souls, Paul also said, “For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”. What, I thought you said our soul was what we gave? Paul didn’t say “with our body”, but “In your body”, by the Spirit, showing he understood his soul belonged to Jesus, thus Jesus gave him the Spirit in order for his soul to be saved, thus we are God’s property.
The word First in verse 7 is the Greek Protos meaning Former state of condition, it doesn’t mean the Second is like unto the First, rather it means the First was prior to. This is clearer when we see the word Second is the Greek Deuteros meaning After the prior, both are Laws, but they are much different in duty, ability and result. The word for Second is the same Greek word used in the Septuagint for the “Book of Deuteronomy”, it means After the prior. The word Faultless is the Greek Amemptos meaning Blameless or Without blame, it not only means Innocent, but it means one can’t accuse the person of anything, written or not written.
If the Law of Moses was from God, but the ministration of the Law was given solely to man, and since all have sinned, the very act to perform projected the person in sin; however, Jesus being Sinless can minister a Sinless Law for those He has confessed as Sinless by the Seed of God. If our High Priest and the Law He ministers is Sinless, what fault could God find in it?
Verse 8 shows a division into two groups; the word Fault is the Greek Memphomai meaning Finding obvious error, thus it pointed to the administration of the Law of Moses was to find the obvious error. The fault was not in the Law, but in the people, thus the purpose for giving the Law was based in the unbelief of the people; therefore, the Law of Moses is appointed unto those in unbelief, the Law of the Spirit for those who have the Spirit and continue to believe. This was Paul’s point in Romans 7, although the Law was holy, it was given to a people who lacked inner holiness. They were called holy because God was dealing with them, but it didn’t mean they held holiness, they failed to enter into the calling, thus they ended with a holy Law for the unholy.
The house of Israel, and the house of Judah divides the premise, but we find the last shall be first, and the first last. The Head of the House of Judah is the Lion from the Tribe of Judah, the House of Israel will bring forth the House of David, the Head of the House of David is the Root of David, yet it’s the same Jesus (Rev 5:5); however, the difference is found in the Tabernacle appointed unto the House of Judah, the Temple unto the House of David.
The quote in verse 10 comes from Jeremiah 31 wherein we find verses 31 and 34 pertain to the New Covenant, meaning the New is not according to the Old. The Covenant with the House of Israel is “After those days”, which Days? the Days for the House of Judah. Two positions are noted in verse 12, God being Merciful, then Remission denoting both Mercy and Grace. As soon as the New came, the former became Old. The Promise of God not remembering our sins is based on the Sacrifice of Jesus, we as priests receive the Sacrifice, thus the Sacrifice makes us holy, not the other way around.
Heb 9:1-10
The Old had certain Ordinances based in the Order given to it, the priests under the Order administered the ordinances by the Law granted them; however, those were carnal ordinances for carnal people. The New also has Ordinances, we as priests must administer them in a legal fashion as well. We can’t mix Orders, or Priesthoods, it would make us Law-Less.
The word Ordinances is the Greek Dikioma meaning Dogma, or The product or result of the Legal rights performed. The word Service is the Greek Latreia meaning a Service by either a slave or one for hire. The “worldly sanctuary” is again the Tabernacle on earth, since it was a shadow, it remained in the darkness; whereas, the Image is the Light.
The word Made in verse 2 is the Greek Kataskeuazo meaning An implement prepared from above to below, this is an important word since it shows the tabernacle was not Created, but formed, just as Jesus was not created, since He is the source of all creation.
The area noted here is the holy place inside of the tabernacle, but not the holy of holies. The one element not mentioned in verse 2 is the golden altar of incense, thus we find the Candlestick representing the Light, the Table representing the Table of the Lord, the Shewbread representing the Body. The golden altar represents the prayers of the saints, it remains with the Lord in heaven. Neither do we don’t find the Blood until we enter the Holy of Holies; therefore, this also explains the phrases “sleep in Jesus”, and “dead in Christ”; the holy place is a type and shadow of Jesus the Son of God, the holy of holies a type and shadow of Jesus as God the Son, the court to the tabernacle for those who have yet been Born Again, making the tabernacle a type and shadow of the Body and Head of the Body.
Verse 3 moves from the holy place to the holy of holies denoting the Second Veil. The Veil of entrance into the yard of the tabernacle, the Veil of entrance to the holy place and the Veil into the holy of holies have significance. The first veil held the palm branches, a type and shadow of Jesus riding into the holy city, thus this veil is the calling unto the kingdom of heaven. The second veil to the holy place had the Eye of God, the viewing point where all things are naked and open before Him, the place of Merismos and division, a type and shadow of the entrance into the Kingdom of God, or being Born Again with the Fruit to prove it. Here in the Law of Moses we find Veils of separation, in the sense of keeping things divided, but in the Merismos the idea is to open the items so one can see them placed side by side.
The third Veil is the entrance into the holy of holies, each veil has a name and type and shadow, the first is called the Way, the second the Entrance, the third the Door, and in the Book of Revelation and in Matthew we find the Time of Doors is the time of change from this generation to the next, thus it becomes a time when we enter the Holiest of All to meet the Lord in the Air.
The Golden Censer was carried by the high priest with the cup of the blood offering, the high priest would stand behind the Ark and minister facing the entrance, a type and shadow of Jesus waiting for His Bride to enter. The coals for the lamp of incense were obtained from the golden altar just before the entrance to the holy of holies. The Ark contained a pot with some of the manna, Aaron’s rod appeared dead, but brought life in the buds, and the second set of tables of the covenant, each a type and shadow of the Promise of the New Covenant. The Pot is the Vessel, the contents show the miracle of God. Aaron’s rod is a type and shadow of being dead, but yet life springs forth, or better a type of resurrection. The Two tablets are a type and shadow of Jesus as the Son of man, and Jesus as the Son of God, each is representative of “we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another” (I Jn 3:23).
The two angels represent the two seasons, Gabriel delivered the Message of the coming Christ, Michael is assigned to the Jews as the warring angel. Therefore, Gabriel is representative of the Day, Michael of the Night (v. 5).
The holy place was the place where all the priests had right and entrance, to accomplish the things of God, but it’s not the same as things unto God. Once a year on the Day of Atonement the high priest, after he offered blood for himself, and the errors of the people entered the holy of holies (v. 6 & 7). Then the real key, this the Holy Ghost signifying the way into the Holiest of All was not granted by boldness, but rather by fear and trepidation. The word Signifying in verse 8 is the Greek Deloo meaning To make manifest, or To make understood. The shadow was a shadow, all the gifts and sacrifices offered could not make the high priest or anyone else who offered those gifts and sacrifices perfect (v. 9). There remained the “sin conscience”, the sprit of disobedience. Even if they wanted to serve God, they had to use the flesh, causing the Commandment to fall on them.
The word Figure means a Parable, or something of a truth relating to a truth. Everything they did pertained to the flesh, meats, drinks, divers washings, and carnal ordinances, for the carnal people. The Old stood is the only means, yet it was designed for the carnal, thus it could never make imperfection, perfect. The design doesn’t mean the Designer was imperfect, rather the Designer is Perfect, it’s the problem, the one doing the Law was not (v. 10). The word Reformation is the Greek Diorthosis meaning a Correction, or Setting things right, or A time of a New and Better dispensation, it’s only used here in Hebrews 9:10. It’s like a test being corrected, the close answer is changed to the correct one, yet a close answer is never the right answer, it only alludes to the right answer.
Heb 9:11-28
Verse 11 begins with a conjunction, But Christ having become a High Priest of Good things, yet there is none Good but God, of a Greater and More Perfect Tabernacle, not of the earth, not constructed by the hands of man, but formed and made by the Hand of God. This is not the Tabernacle Moses built, this is what God saw, when He gave Moses the plans to build the “metaphor Tabernacle” on earth.
The word By in the phrase By a greater is the Greek Dia meaning Through a place, the word Greater is the Greek Meizon meaning More perfect than what was before it. It was used in John 5:20 showing Greater Works we will do, thus the Greater Works pertain to the capability we have in the New Birth.
The word Once in verse 12 shows the effort was not one to be repeated over and over as in the Old, but Once was more then sufficient. Does it mean we can only expect to be forgiven Once? Hardly, it shows the Sacrifice is timeless, given by the Alpha and Omega, always ready and always able to forgive us, while it is yet Day. This helps us understand the word “Today”, which is the Greek Semeron meaning This Day, it separates the Now from Tomorrow, or the Day from the Night, the opposite words would be “formerly” or “afterward”, showing the Day is the middle, just as the Veil was the Middle Partition, or the Point of Separation between Two things much different from the Day.
The writer is still making a division in priesthoods, here we find the greatness of our High Priest, as compared to all the high priests under the Law of Moses. All the blood of animals was still the blood of a creation, although the animals were innocent, they were a type and shadow of the innocence of Jesus, but they were not Jesus. Although the Tabernacle was great, it was nonetheless a type and shadow, something inferior pointing us to the superior.
There are some who find the sacrifice of the animals in the Old disgusting, they see the innocent animals, but they neglect to consider how Jesus was more than innocent, yet was sacrificed for us. Adam named the animals, he didn’t worship them.
The Ashes of the Heifer goes back to Numbers, today we find the quest to recover the ashes of the Red Heifer in Israel. Numbers 19 tells us the Red Heifer was a type and shadow of the Blood and Water of Jesus on the earth. The Red Heifer had to be without spot or blemish, and never subject to a yoke. Jesus said “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I Am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest (sabbath) unto your souls” (Matt 11:29). The Red Heifer was slain before the high priest (Numb 19:3), just as Jesus was crucified before all, including the high priest. The blood of the Red Heifer was sprinkled before the Tabernacle seven times, not in the holy of holies, thus the Red Heifer’s blood was without, just as Jesus was slain outside of the city. The high priest would then take cedar wood, a type and shadow of the Cross, with Hyssop and Scarlet, which were also seen at the Cross (Numb 19:4-6). Then the high priest would Wash his clothes and flesh in water, a type and shadow of water baptism (Numb 19:7). The Ashes of the Red Heifer would then be deposited (lay in KJV) about the camp as the Water Of Separation, and Purification for sin (not a Purification of sin), thus the ashes were a type and shadow, not the actual product of the remission of sin. In Hebrews we discover the wording in Numbers is really God calling something a not, as if it was a were. This tells us just how the premise works; God saw the Cross, Resurrection and Sacrifice of Jesus, then formed a similitude to prove it was all in the Plan, truly the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. Of course it’s based on what God saw, not a guess of the future, or an attempt to change it.
In all this no one is saying the Law of Moses is evil, illegal, or sin, rather we find it was given by God, but it was given as preparation, it was never intended to take the place of the Law of the Spirit. The Law of the Spirit wasn’t intended to take the place of the Law of Moses, rather each has a place, realm, and purpose. Each also has a priesthood, specific to it.
If the people of Old found refuge in the Law of Moses, How Much More shall the Blood of Christ, Who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without Spot to the Father, purge our conscience from dead works? Right back to the dead works along with Eternal Salvation and Eternal Judgment, if either Salvation or Judgment are not Eternal, neither is the Spirit. Accepting the Sacrifice of Jesus does away with any effort on our part regarding those dead works unto death. Jesus gave us Life, we do deeds pertaining to the duties of Life in our Order (v. 14).
Verse 15 points out the Cause, or Purpose of the Cross, as Jesus is now the Mediator of the New, whereas the Law of Moses was the mediator of the Old, the Law of Moses merely mediated between good and evil, not between man and God.
Here is another reason why we can’t be found doing any deed of the Old, Jesus is not the Mediator of the Old, but of the New (v. 15). In actuality we find the person did a deed under the Law, it was presented in the Law, the Law had the power to bless or curse. God gave the Law the authority, thus the deed would be seen by the Law, then blessed or rejected by the Law. However, the cheerful giver is loved of God, meaning they are face to face, without the Law standing between them.
Verse 16 is a legal reference, pertaining to the Will of a person. The Will of any person is only in effect when the person dies, before the time it is a promise of what will be. The Law didn’t die, although Moses did. The Law gained it’s strength in the death of Moses, but since Moses was unable to raise himself from the dead, the Law remained as the Mediator and Wall of separation between man and God.
The Order of Melchizedek, and the New Covenant could not take effect until three things were accomplished. There had to be a Testament, something left to show what the inheritance consisted of, as well as who had a right to the Testament. Next it would take the death of the testator, giving the Testimony power to grant the inheritance. In our case there remained a third, the Resurrection to prove the Promise and Inheritance were real (vs. 16-17).
The Law of Moses was dedicated with blood, not the Blood of Christ, nonetheless we find some evidence regarding the Blood of Jesus (v. 18). Moses as a type and shadow spoke the entire precept to the people (v. 19), the word Precept is the Greek Entole meaning the Orders or Commands. Jesus also gave us Commandments in the New by giving them to the Apostles as the various letters by the Apostles show.
Moses took the blood of animals, with water, and scarlet (purple) wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the Book and the People. All these elements are reflective, the Witness is the Water (Mercy of the Father), Blood (Of Jesus), and Spirit (Born Again). Not only did Moses sprinkle the people, but the Book, showing the Book was not written on stone, nut the Commandments were.
Translations are translations, but if God uses any of them to bring someone to the Cross, how can we call the work “corrupt”. However, it’s the issue here, the word Book is the Greek Biblion from which we get the word Bible. From the Bible we gained knowledge to form our belief, from our belief we set a foundation for our faith (v. 19).
Moses didn’t stop with the Biblion and the people, he also sprinkled the Tabernacle and the vessels of the ministry. Peter agrees, telling us we are the Elect of God, who “through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Christ” (I Pet 1:2). The shadow tells us what our High Priest did, we are sprinkled with the Blood of Jesus, but there are conditions. We must have the Spirit and be obedient.
We find we have a Better Sacrifice; again it isn’t saying the Old is illegal, it says there is a change from the Law of sin and death, to the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
Verse 19 begins the comparison, Moses said, “this is the blood of the testament”, Jesus said, “this is My Blood of the New Testament”. The word Purged in verse 22 means Cleansed, without the shedding of blood there is no remission. So, did the blood of animals gain “remission”? No, it’s the point, the Law of Moses was the shadow, not the Image. John will show us the forgiveness of sins, and the cleaning by the Blood are two things, and here we find we are Purged to be Purged. The heavenly being Better than the pattern had to have a Blood far greater than the blood on earth (v. 23).
The word Figures in verse 24 is the Greek Antitupon implies a Resemblance, but not the actual item, the same word is used to describe the spirit of antichrist, who appears on the outside to be Christ Like, but inside Satan still reigns, thus the Figure is an outward shadow, a resemblance, but not the actual item. The Law of Moses was so wanton because it was in the hands of man it required constant sacrifices, but Jesus was offered once. Although the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world, the actual event in the natural happened when Jesus went to the Cross, thus before the event became physical in nature man was given a type to point to the actual, but once the actual came into the physical, the shadow was no longer the issue, or the means. This would be God calling something a not, as done, based on the Plan.
The shadow being the shadow had to be redone over and over again, but the actual event happened once, and once it happened something else took effect. To remain in the shadow is to remain in a principality, yet Jesus created the principality, but He also made an open show of it, nailing it to the Cross, thus if one holds to any aspect of the principality, they are saying Jesus didn’t raise us above it, or they are saying the Cross was a vain effort on the part of God, not a very good position to be caught in.
Verse 27 is a clue to all end time thinking, it’s still appointed once for all men to die, then comes the judgment. With the Cross came both Salvation and Judgment, thus the First coming of Jesus was to establish a means for man to avoid the Judgment, but the Second coming is for Judgment. Only those whose names are found in the Book of Life will escape.
Verse 28 could cause us some problems considering God desires all to be saved and none lost, but we find it does connect to the Doctrine of Christ. Jesus was once offered to bear the sins of “many”, so what happened to All? Truth, not All will take advantage of the Sacrifice. Those “many” will see Jesus when He appears a Second Time unto Salvation; the wording Second Time could also read, The second as the other of two, this has to connect to verse 27, in respect to putting away sin. Jesus descended, then He ascended to give the Sacrifice, then was seen of the disciples forty days, then He Ascended on High. The Many see Jesus Resurrected in their hearts, evidenced by the change produced by the Holy Spirit in them. The Seal of the Holy Spirit is the authorization of Grace being placed in us, but we can still grieve the Holy Spirit when we use the rulers of darkness, more so when we use unbelief, claming it’s belief.
Heb 10:1-13
We go back to review the Law as a shadow of Good Things yet to come, but the Law itself couldn’t produce the Perfection. If we received an invitation to a great and wonder event, the invitation would be the shadow of what was to come, but it would not be the event itself. The Law pointed out sin, Jesus does away with it. The Law would be the invitation, but it was not designed to rid us of the sin nature, neither was it designed to grant us the Spirit, or Life more abundantly. It’s almost as if the writer is beating a dead horse, but the importance of the issue is great, we know there are times when the horse looks dead, until we turn our back, then it jumps up ready to fight again. The division between Covenants was an important issue, the Old has a place, the New a better one. Mixing them is never wise, one pointed to the Cross, the other delivered it. This still connects back to Hebrews 9:28, all we have to do is compare the two concepts. On one hand we find “Christ was Once offered”, but under the Shadow we find, “they offered year to year continually”. The Law of Moses could not provide remission, for if it did, then Once would be enough. It also shows the Law of Moses could not provide Victory over sin, since it called for a “year to year” offering. The offering is the key, all of us miss it from time to time, but we don’t attempt to crucify Christ twice, we accept the First as sufficient.
What else would this relate to? The Rest, for there remains A Rest, not many rests, for the people of God. One can keep every sabbath day, yet never enter the Rest of God. How? By the doing, the sabbath day is only good for the sabbath day one is keeping, there remains another, then another, the bondage was planning for the next, but in the Rest of God it’s a continual Rest. The Rest of God would be having the internal Sabbath everyday, rather than one day a week.
The Cross is a present tense issue, the Resurrection is present tense, with a future tense Hope, thus Hope is future tense. The giving of sacrifices year by year shows the inability of the earthly, but the Once offered Sacrifice in heaven shows the ability of the New. The people continued in giving of sacrifices showed the inability of the sacrifice to purge their sins (v. 2-3).
The blood of any creation of the earth is still earthly, but the earthly cannot remit sin (v. 4). This shows how the blood of men cannot remit our sins either, giving our blood is still an “earthly” sacrifice based on the formation, not only is if foolish, but it really attacks the Blood of Jesus.
The quote in verse 4 comes from Micah 6:6 wherein we find the Old even tells us sacrifices of animals didn’t Please God, but what the Lord requires is for us to do Justly (the just live by faith), to Love Mercy, and to Walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:7-8). Something the old man is incapable of, but something the New Man is fully able to do.
The quote in verse 5 relates to Amos wherein we are told God hates the feast days and sacrifices, yet we know God ordained them. What gives? (Amos 5:21-22). When Jesus came the Shadow was still the Shadow, but Behold the Image has come to set us free, bringing to pass all the Shadow could not do.
Amos 5:24 shows Judgment and Righteousness are the goals, each relates to the Commandments of the New, judgment in this sense is Godly by discerning to benefit, rather than accuse. The Righteousness is the Righteousness of Jesus which flows as a Mighty Stream of Living Water.
In the Old it was a remembrance of sin by the continual keeping of the day, with the continual giving of sacrifices. In the New it’s a remembrance of being cleaned from sin (v. 3). The Word became flesh is the context in verse 5, once the Word became flesh it was no longer Logos void of Rhema, and no longer the Logos restricted to God alone, thus from the beginning Was the Word, the Word Was with God, and the Word Was God, all past tense issues, but when Jesus came we find the Word became flesh, so man in the flesh could have the Word in them.
Verse 7 shows the Testimony of Jesus, the Volume of the Book speaks of Jesus, the Holy Ghost gives Witness of Jesus, we need both in order to understand what the Volume speaks of. Verse 9 shows Jesus came to Take away the First by establishing the Second, yet we know Jesus said, “Think not I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matt 5:17); by fulfilling the Law became something complete, if complete it was no longer effective to those who have completed it. Therefore, the doing of the deeds of the Law by those who claim to be under the Law of the Spirit is saying Jesus didn’t complete His goal.
Verse 10 doesn’t say “by our will” rather it shows “by which Will” showing the Will of God is for us to move from the First to the Second, by leaving the First behind. Under the Law of Moses the priests worked daily on the sacrifices, yet the sins of the people remained, but Jesus offered One sacrifice, then sat down on the right hand (equal power and authority) of Majesty on High, waiting to say “It is done”.
How many sacrifices do you suppose were made under the Law of Moses? All those added together, even if we times it by fifty can’t come close to the One Sacrifice of Jesus. Like the Love of God we don’t earn it, we receive it, in order for us to have to give. If one keeps the Day what do they have to give? Nothing, since the Day was for the person keeping it.
As priests we give ourselves as a living sacrifice, the living part has to include our souls. The nature of man was incapable of, rather the nature of man wants to take the Sacrifice of Jesus then use it to enhance the self, rather than deny it. Like the children in the wilderness, the nature of man desires to control his endeavors, thus the Law of Moses allowed it, but the Law of the Spirit demands for us to live in Christ today, as we trust God for tomorrow.
Heb 10:14-39
The various high priests, beginning with Aaron all failed in one way or another, it was Aaron who made the golden calf. All priests under the priesthood followed in his Order, thus all had a history of failure in Aaron, but our High Priest never failed, He was perfect in all ways, without sin, thus there was no need for Him to present a sacrifice for Himself. The Sacrifice of Jesus is selfless, so selfless we can receive it in our place, meaning we are free of the second death based on what Jesus did for us. The Law of Moses was not designed to do any of it; therefore, the Aaron priesthood had fault from the beginning, but the Order of Melchizedek was without fault, no one is saying the man Melchizedek was without fault, rather there is no recorded event showing a fault in the Order, thus the Order itself is the issue, not the man Melchizedek.
Prior the Holy Ghost Signified through the prophets of Old, yet now we find the Witness to Us showing the Image of the shadow (v. 15). Perhaps this wisdom was the encouragement Paul’s held to in his great concern for the Gentiles, the same Gentiles who didn’t have the history of suffering waiting for the Promise, or perhaps it was the touch of God giving man the concern, whatever, it was there as his motivation.
Perhaps it was the calling, and the desire in the calling. Whatever, he was able to show how God laid out the plan in the Shadow, and it all came together in Jesus.
Jesus perfects the sanctified, it’s not to sanctify the perfect, thus He views the result of the work, far too many of us view the event, ending giving credit to the devil for the work of God in the process of sanctification (v. 14). Sanctification is a work of separation and division Justifying the Just, there are times when we find what we are fighting to hold unto, is what the old man favors. It’s far better to submit and believe “God Is”.
There were more than two covenants, but only two contained a “law”, out of those two, only the New contains the promise of, “their sins and iniquities will I remember no more”. This is evident by the continued sacrifices given in the Old; therefore, to use both, or attempt to use both denies either making the doer double-minded. There is no more offering for Sin, only the cleaning of unrighteousness unto the saving of the soul.
Once the offer of the true and living Sacrifice was made a change took effect. Prior an animal was killed, thus it became a dead work, reflecting to the law of death, but the animal didn’t regain life; whereas, Our Sacrifice is alive forever more, thus our Sacrifice is unto Life, not unto death. Each of who have the Spirit have the Boldness through the Blood of Jesus to enter the Holy of Holies, the place under the Old where one person, once a year entered for the entire nation. We as a nation in a nation have boldness by the Spirit through the Faith of Jesus to make entry in the time of need.
The key to verse 19 is found in 3:19 when we recall, “so we see they could not enter in because of unbelief”. It wasn’t because of a lack of works, or a lack of self-righteousness, or even a lack of faith, but their unbelief was a hindering factor; for us it’s the same, our continual belief promises us “shall be saved”. The New and Living way is far better than the Old and Dead way. The Body of Jesus is a Veil, thus we make entry by being a member of His Body. When we enter the Blood we find two steps, not one, the Blood is cleaning us from unrighteousness, but it’s also bringing Remission by the Justification. The Body and Blood are found in our Communion, the Bread representing the Shewbread in the Holy Place, the Blood representing the Holy of Holies, all pointing to the purpose of our Salvation, even the saving of our souls.
The word Way in verse 20 is the Greek Hodos meaning a Street, and Jesus repaired the Street, just as Daniel prophesied (Dan 9:24 & 9:26-27). Our High Priest is Over the House of God, which House we are. We find the House of Israel, House of Judah, and House of God, but the “House of God” was the term used for the Tabernacle; whereas the House of Judah represents the Body; whereas the House of Israel points to the House of Jacob, then the House of David to the Remnant. Houses many, but one becoming the goal of the reason for all the houses.
Verse 22 gives us more than one element, yet all of them point to Belief. The wording Full Assurance is the Greek Plerophoria meaning Full conviction or Complete understanding of past information, meaning much more than an intellectual conclusion. A True Heart is one open and centered on The Faith of Jesus, it knows the Faith of Jesus is proven successful, Jesus by His Faith accomplished what no man was ever able to do.
The phrase, Sprinkled from an evil conscience points to, “purge your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God”, thus giving us the sprinkling of the Blood (9:14). The word Purge is the Greek Katharizo meaning From the Attic or In the Attic, holding the concept of being Free from filth. The Attic is a metaphor pointing to the mind, but it’s the method drawing our attention. The Blood of Jesus is fully able to bring us into the Perfection of Christ.
Here is the Conscience again, the term “dead works” includes any work of self-righteousness, when Jesus presented us with the Righteousness of God, all other forms became unrighteousness. If we hold to the old mind, then works of self-righteousness is all we have, but they are dead, since they always pertain to the law of sin and death. On the other hand, through the Mind of Christ we are Purged of those works, enabling us to Rest in the Lord.
Our “bodies washed with pure water” indicates the flesh is dead by the Mercy of the Father; however, the water didn’t save us, God did. The water our Token of accepting the Mercy of the Father to enter the kingdom of heaven. The Blood is found in the baptism with the Holy Ghost as we gain the Seed of God. All this gives us the Witness, the Water representing the Mercy of the Father, the Blood representing the Word, the Spirit granted by the Holy Ghost(I Jn 5:8). Expanding our Vow in water baptism to receive the washing of the Water by the Word, then we can enter the cleaning of the Blood of Jesus from all unrighteousness. The Rest of God is entered into by Belief, we must believe the Mercy of the Father forgave us, we must believe the Spirit in us is our Seal, we must believe whatever the event, God has a Reward for us if we diligently seek Him.
From Belief to Faith, the Profession of our faith is not what we do, based on what Jesus has done. The Street was opened for us by the efforts and Profession of Jesus, not by our efforts. A Profession is a Confession at work, it’s living the words we speak, in many cases it’s the result of the trying of our faith. Without wavering means without doubt, the same context as James uses. Our faith is centered in His faithfulness, if we attempt to use our faith in a manner not purposed, we will fail to enter in. Good Works are not works of the flesh, they are works generated by the Spirit in us, yet it begins with a continual Belief in Jesus. To provoke good works, is not the same as making people mad, the word Provoke is the Greek Paroxusmos it does mean to bring an irritation, but in the sense of doing what we should, as an example to others to cause them to do as they should (vs. 23-24).
Verse 25 doesn’t mean, “go to your local church”; rather it means gather together for the purpose of Exhorting one another. We can be in group of five thousand, yet all they want is to be exhorted, with none of them exhorting, thus they would fail to fit this verse. On the other hand we could be in a group of two or three, all exhorting one another, and fit the verse. Let’s face it some gather not for Exhorting one another unto Love, rather they are there to see signs, be exhorted, hear the latest gossip, feel religious, or whatever, but it’s not to exhort unto Love. Those who gather week after week, yet don’t exhort are the subject here as the “some”.
The Approaching Day is the Day when we enter the Holiest of All at the Catching Away at the End of the Day. To “sin willfully” points to the remaining in unbelief, when our unbelief has been exposed. We make the decision to believe, although our belief is based on evidence, there are some who demand more evidence than necessary, or mix bad reports of unbelief into their thinking. To sin willfully is to allow the sin which so easily besets us to remain even after exposure, or to do it willfully. There is no ministry of “unbelief”, yet there are those whose entire ministry is based on teaching people not to believe. Soon we read a great list of people who were not Born Again, yet they held faith, thus they will be witnesses either for or against us. We then find what “provoke” means, the witnesses didn’t hold the faith to make us look bad, rather they focused on God. If we make the decision not to believe, we will fail, but if we make the decision to Believe, we will win (vs. 26-27). Without knowledge and belief our faith has no hope, faith without hope soon turns into witchcraft, attempting to satisfy the self.
With the Day of Salvation came the Night of Judgment, it’s far better to be rebuked of the Lord, than hold unbelief. The scribe uses the Law of Moses showing the “two or three witnesses”, but we must have the witness of the Water, Blood and Spirit. If our mind is full of unbelief we reject Belief, then the Spirit will turn and become our enemy. If we are enemies of the Spirit, we are the enemies of Christ. If the Law of Moses was the inferior, yet punished the evil doer, what then would happen under the Superior?
Our biggest battle is against unbelief, checking our words, our theology and position to determine if we picked up some aspect of, “I don’t believe”. Whether we listened to the words of the doubters, or just refused to reach beyond natural reasoning, doesn’t matter, what does matter is putting it behind us, then making the firm decision to Believe. Where to begin? The Rudiments of the Doctrine of Christ, make up our mind to believe and accept them as Truth.
Vengeance is in the Hand of the Lord, not ours, wanting Jesus to return to punish the world is the wrong attitude, since the Lord will first Judge His own. Think about the two edged sword when vengeance comes to mind, reject vengeance down, seek Mercy. It’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, yet we know we are in The Hand of Jesus. Here it’s Hands, not Hand, those on the Left Hand side hear, “I never knew you”; those on the Right hear “pass on good and faithful servant”, to be in The Hands, is the result of being double-minded. Fight the good fight of faith, but never fight against The Faith (v. 32).
Two aspects are found in verse 33, the attacks from the world, and the joining in tribulation with the brethren; both are important, both require Love of God to endure. Paul was being Used of God, yet at times he was found in the hands of the ungodly, yet those who knew God had compassion on him, those who didn’t used his event to belittle him as they exalted their selves. Using the misfortune of another to exalt ourselves, is rejoicing in the iniquity or sin of another, not real wise.
Verse 35 tells us “cast not away” our Confidence, which has great recompense of reward. This fits with “Now Faith is the substance (confidence)”, with “a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (vs. 11:1 & 11:6). Verse 36 points to Patience, which we know means holding the course until the finish, or to maintain without moving from side to side. Then the wording, “might receive the promise”, what is this? This goes right back to, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a Promise being left us of entering into His rest” (vs. 4:1). All these things are leading to the point. It’s a “little while”, often we think it’s a “great while”, but it’s really a little while.
Then two of our foundational verses, these are very interesting, and we waited until here to really dig into them. God says, “Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him” (vs. 38). This is quoted from Habakkuk 3:4 which reads, “behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by His faith”. The wording “is lifted up” is the Hebrew Aphal meaning presumptuous, or swelled, or prideful, and pride is like an evil curtain, it hides things, thinking no one knows. The Greek word in verse 38 for Draw in the phrase Draw Back is Hupostello meaning to withdraw oneself, it has nothing to do with a person being rejected, it has to do with someone pulling back based on a fear, usually a fear of exposure. In verse 39 the Greek word for “draw back” is Hupostole, here is the only place it’s used, it refers more to “them” connecting to a position, giving us insight the workings within the sons of perdition. The most interesting element is the fear issue, exposure is a very good thing, the Word in us will divide and separate bringing us to the cleansing of the water by the Word, so we can be open before God. It’s the key, those who draw back to perdition have a fear of exposure, or a fear of letting go of the spirit of envy, since now they found they can dictate to the spirit because they have authority over it. We have authority over the spirit lusting to envy to reject it, they use it. The meaning of the Latin word for Perdition means to toss away, or cast away, often it refers to reentry into the world. This makes them a son of Perdition, or born again into the world system, only this time they have authority over the spirit lusting to envy. Paul said they have an outward appearance of righteousness, but inside Satan still reigns.
Verse 38 is one of the few places we find God has a Soul, yet God is Spirit, thus the soul is not spirit, the spirit is not the soul, but God has a Soul, He is Spirit, and He took on Flesh. What other verse goes with this saying? Psalm 11:5 reads, “The Lord tries the righteous: but the Wicked and him who loves violence His soul hates”. In any regard we find God has a soul, meaning He has emotions, yet His emotions don’t dictate His choices
This verse is a classic in translation and purpose; JP Green reads it as, “The Just by faith will live, and if he draws back, My soul is not pleased in him, But we are not of those drawing to destruction, but of faith to preservation of the soul”. The word Believe is the same Greek word translated as Faith, so did the translators make a mistake? No, it fits perfect, this points to the future, while still talking about today based on past information; thus this word combines our belief to our faith, indicating the Now. This is made clearer by the word “saving”, which one would think would be the Greek Soteria (Salvation), or Sozo (Saved), but it’s not, rather it’s the Greek word Peripoiesis, meaning the redemption of a purchased possession. Paul used the Greek Peripoiesis in Ephesians 1:14 in the phrase, “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory”. The saving of our souls is possible, because Jesus paid the price to have our souls. He takes, He breaks, He saves, then He gives back. Our soul is in the process of being Spirit by the Spirit, bringing to pass our souls being formed into Spirit.
Those who draw back are thieves, they entered this by making a vow to give their souls to Jesus, but they refuse to, within they are sneaking back to perdition in order to save their own souls, an impossible task. Do they appear to be afraid? No, they are prideful, boasting, hard, attacking, but those are all facades covering the fear of exposure.
God will honor their decision, but He will also form then into vessels of dishonor, but it doesn’t mean it pleases Him. God won’t leave them, rather it’s God who does the forming process, yet the forming is based on their unbelief coupled with their devilish, soulish attitude they desired to retain. The fact remains, he who attempts to save his soul, shall lose it, but he who allows the Spirit to save their soul, shall find it.
Heb 11:1-5
All these elements are connected to the Doctrine of Christ, in this area it’s faith toward God. The first five verses show us the attitude to faith, we must remember a majority of those talked about were Old Testament saints, yet we don’t find one example of any of them keeping the Law of Moses by faith. Adding, we know they were not Born Again. The conclusion we must come to is, if they held to the faith looking for the promise, then these examples shame those who fall from the Faith. These examples are not to scare us into believing, but to shame us into believing, as it points out how the Jews of Old held to something vague, something as a shadow, yet we have the Image. This is a provoking unto good works, all good works begin when we believe and faith toward God.
The word Substance is the Greek Hupostasis meaning Which underlies the apparent, or the Clarity of the event, or circumstance, not the event or circumstance itself. It shows the ability to look beyond what does appear, to the real purpose for it appearing. It defines the clarity the Spirit gives us, we see the event, or person, but clarity exposes the real driving force, or motivation.
The word Hoped is the Greek Elpizo meaning To expect with desire, it connects to the phrase “Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”. The essence of Hope is to look for the Rapture, but it entails looking for the Good and Purpose in all things, rather than looking for the evil. We have many hopes along this path we walk, yet a hope seen, is not hope, thus hope is one of the unseen things our faith is based in. In the case of Abraham it was the child, the evidence said No, God said Yes, thus Abraham believed what God said, God then imputed righteousness on the man, to enter Covenant, so it might be by faith.
The word Evidence is the Greek Elegchos meaning The things inside or concealed, not the things outside, it shows how our faith is the evidence of those things in not seen. We can’t turn this verse around and presume our faith will produce the unseen, rather it shows our faith is the product of the unseen. This is not “calling things a not, as a were”, it’s shows what is unseen in us produces the type of faith we have. Mainly our Hope is found in the New Man, yet if we are making up hope the source is the self. By the way a person uses their faith, we can detect the unseen source. If the Just live by Faith, their Faith must have a Hope, as well as being projected from something unseen. Faith then knows Jesus purchased our souls, the main Hope is the salvation of our souls, the means is the New Man. No one person can hold up a card and say, “see I’m Sealed by the Holy Spirit”, although the evidence of having the Spirit is seen. In essence the evidence is seen, not the Spirit, the same is true with Faith, the Faith is seen, not the source.
We can also see the two elements of the present tense stand, pointing to the future tense blessing. Our faith stand in the Now holding “God Is”, but it must also reach to the “Rewarder” aspect which is in the future, once the Reward is in hand, it’s not longer Hope. Therefore, our faith is how we maintain favor with God, showing it’s by Grace, through Faith, not Grace alone, or Faith alone.
Our Belief is founded on past events, but faith is future tense; therefore, many of our past experiences with God produce reasons for us to Believe, but Faith is looking into nothing, as it sees something of God. It’s true, experiences with God give us Hope for things yet to come, thus the Hope is still future tense. To hold hope in the confines of the present will hinder our faith, not build it. The Bible gives us things to believe in, but some of us make the mistake of putting our faith in the Bible, just as we make the mistake of putting our faith in the anointing, or in people. We are told, “have faith in God”, thus we believe the Bible, we walk in the Anointing, we love people, but we put our trust and faith in God.
The other verses in chapter 11 give us the elements of Faith, as well as how we can determine if it’s Faith or Presumption. From the many verses we find the Faith of Jesus is the element wherein we gain access, but here we find our measure of faith can produce many earthly things, it’s keeping it in the confines of the Commandment. “in God” matters. We can put our faith in our ability, expecting God to honor us, or we can seek to honor God.
We find the measure of faith was also granted to the elders (ancients) held, showing it came with the soul. However, the Faith is Jesus is spiritual in design, we follow the path of the Faith of Jesus, we don’t control it. We will also see “in faith” and “through faith”, indicating the same as we found in Romans. Yet, all the faith of these elders proved one thing, they couldn’t obtain the Promise, it would take a faith much greater to obtain the Promise. What Promise? The Promise of the Spirit, thus our faith is looking to become Partakers in the First Resurrection, but the Belief is knowing Jesus is Resurrected. These people didn’t have the Resurrection, but they held faith in God through many events, some good, some bad.
Verse 3 explains our faith knows God has times and seasons, as we find the worlds were framed, not created, thus we are not talking about various physical planets, but about times and seasons. This element of Faith shows we know God is in control, we entered His Rest knowing the Works are done, God saw the finish then He begun the works. The word Framed is the Greek Katartizo meaning To put something in its appropriate arrangement, or the Order of events. One Season before another, not one on top of the other.
The word Worlds is the Greek Aion, not Kosmos, Aion means An age or time. The word “Word” in the phrase Word of God is the Greek Rhema, thus the physical was created by the Logos, but the Order of the creation is found in the progressive Rhema. The word Made is the Greek Ginomai meaning To come into any state; it was used to explain the Coming of the Messiah. What does all this show? The Seasons are arranged in a order God has determined, each in its own time, no man is going to change them, make them come faster, or slower, but one can avoid them by changing positions. Faith says the Plan is in motion, who can disannul it? (Isa 14:27).
In each case there was something in the future keeping these people centered on God, some things were great, yet they didn’t take the credit, they gave God the glory, some things were not so great, yet they didn’t blame God, they gave God the glory. Faith in God is still a reliance on God’s ability based on the knowledge of God always working for the good of His people in the Promise. This aspect of our faith keeps us from mixing ages and seasons, the very warning Jesus gave us in Acts 1:6-8.
Our faith can’t go beyond the Promise to a time not promised to us. Paul said we are not appointed to the wrath of God, thus our Hope ends at the Rapture. Holding a Hope to be among the 144,000 is not faith, it’s a fable.
We will also see some events were Through faith, and some By faith, and there is a difference. Through faith means To pass unto, or around, but By faith means to enter, then come out of. There will be examples of our faith bringing us to a point of entry, examples of the endurance of our faith after entering. This gives us the reason we see these people of faith, yet they couldn’t enter into the Promise but they held faith.
From the framing of the worlds to Abel’s sacrifice, which in and of itself shows how we are not to seek an Adam like condition. Since Adam’s faith is never mentioned, either before or after the fall, it stands faith was never an issue with Adam, wanting the Adam Like condition is an excuse to avoid faith. In fact, the first human we find with Faith, died at the hands of his brother, showing his brother was run by envy. Cain was mad at God and killed his brother, rather than repent. Cain will be used by Jude as a type of the Wicked, and for good reason. Of course the paradox is how the religious rulers killed their Brother Jesus based on their envy.
Abel’s sacrifice pleased God, but was it the sacrificed items? Or the attitude of the man making the difference? We can’t assume Cain was demon possessed, nor can we assume he was an off-spring of the devil, he was subject to the fall nature, but so was Able, both had the choice to bring their sacrifice with a willing heart to please God, or give their sacrifice out of a sense of duty. When Cain saw Abel’s sacrifice pleased God, he never thought his heart was in error, rather he got mad at God, then made the decision to kill his brother. A classic example of envy, by removing the person they think they can remove the envy, yet the envy is in them, not the other person. Cain listened to the wrong voice allowing his envy and anger to rule him to the point of killing his brother. When we allow anger, or unbelief to rule us, we will end killing the Just based on our envy.
Cain’s attitude was one of competition; whereas Abel’s was “I want to please you Lord”. Cain was doing a duty, Abel was doing something he desired to do. The allegory is clear, some love the Lord, they are willing to serve Him with a heart of Joy, others, serve because they think they have to. This issue of Faith is the difference between the “I want to” attitude with a willing heart to give to God, as compared to the “I have to” heart which is still seeking self-pleasure.
Cain held envy toward his brother, the envy moved to murder, just as Jesus said “whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment” (Matt 5:22). James will tell us, “where envying and strife is, there is confusion, and every evil work” (James 3:16). Envying? The spirit lusting to envy? Ask of faith? Give your prayer of faith? Do they all relate? Yes, James isn’t fifty little letters, all unrelated, it’s one letter very related. If James begins by telling us to ask in faith, then ends talking about our “prayer of faith”, it stands the entire letter centers on asking God for something by faith, and if by faith it means there will be experiences involved.
The Scriptures show Cain wasn’t the off-spring of the devil, nor was he devil possessed since God said “sin lays at the door” (Gen 4:7). God didn’t say sin was in the house, we also know God offered Cain a route of escape, a method to change his heart, but Cain rejected it ending killing his brother over a sacrifice to God. God also warned Cain if he continued with the same attitude, sin as “a he” would enter, thus this also relates to the “he in the world” (Gen 4:7 & I Jn 4:1-5). Cain then did sin willfully, he rejected the exposure, ignored the escape, and followed the voice of envy.
The next aspect of faith gives us an example of our Hope in the Rapture. The Rapture is not seen in the lifting of Elijah, it’s in the Translation of Enoch. Elijah knew when he was going, the act of taking him was seen, thus he left a counterpart; however, Enoch was and was not, and couldn’t be found. The word Translated means moved from one place to another, it’s different from Transfigured and Transformed. We are Transformed to be Transfigured to enter the Translation. John says our New Birth moves us from death to life, it doesn’t mean the flesh won’t cease, it means even a physical existence on earth without the Spirit is still death, thus the Law of Moses is called the “law of sin and death” but the Law of the Spirit is the “Law of Life”.
Enoch had a Testimony, not a witness, we will be told in the Book of Revelation about holding to our Testimony, thus our Testimony is Faith based. The “Word of our Testimony” is not what we say, it’s what others say about us. We can define ourselves as most anything, the proof comes when we know what others say about us. Enoch had this testimony said by others about him, it’s not what Enoch said about himself. Enoch was taken before the “days of Noah” not after; therefore, he becomes the shadow of the time of Doors before the Days of Noah appear in the Night.
Heb 11:6
Verse 6 verse demands space for view, the Law of Moses or the doer didn’t please God, they appeased God. Without Faith it’s impossible to please God, anything not done in faith is sin. It’s the pleasing of God placing one in the Translation. The original Greek reads, “for it is right the one drawing near to God should believe He is, and He becomes a Rewarder of the ones seeking Him out”, which says the same thing. However, it also shows the first step is to Believe God Is, which is Now, based on information gained from past experiences or evidence. This combines belief to faith, just as we found in “believe unto the saving of the soul”, The “Rewarder” aspect is future tense, thus the point shows between God Is and the Rewarder stands our Faith. If we have the Reward, it’s no longer Hope, but fact. This mandates a trust in God to complete what God promised, although it may appear impossible at the time. This connects back to the defining of faith, the basis to begin must be our belief, showing the importance of the Rest of God based on belief. The Hope is the Reward, the saving of our souls being the main factor, between the two stands our faith, centered on God’s ability by the New Man to reach the goal.
The word Rewarder is the Greek Misthapodosa, it has two meanings, it’s found in the word “Good” in Hebrews 10:35, it also shows God rewards those in disobedience as well (Heb 2:2); therefore, the Reward depends on the Belief or Unbelief, indicating why it must begin by Belief. This verse doesn’t tell us the Reward, only it’s going to be a Reward.
Faith and Truth are sisters, thus Truth says God is not the devil, neither is God using our faith to punish us, these thoughts are vacated by the Reward. Truth knows there is a devil, but Faith only looks at one side, thus Faith sees the Precious. Truth knows the devil goes about as a roaring lion, but faith knows Jesus is a Deliverer. Truth knows the devil goes about, but it doesn’t mean we go about with him. We know the devil isn’t God, but it’s a matter of fact, not faith. Faith must still hold “God Is”, never the “devil is”. Instead of putting our minds on what the devil can do, faith looks to God Diligently.
Now there are “things”, and there are “things”, so what Things will our faith evidence? Second Corinthians 4:18 tells us there are “temporal things”, yet there are “eternal things”, we are to mind the eternal. The eternal are “not seen”, the temporal are, thus faith isn’t moved by the temporal. If we are using our faith on temporal things, we are not using our faith as purposed. Philippians defines the unseen things as True, Honest, Just, Pure, Lovely, Of a good report, An virtue, or Any praise, thus if we can’t Praise, it’s not an eternal Thing (Ph’l 4:8). We can do all Things through Christ, Which gives us the Strength, but does it mean we can do the things of darkness through Christ? Of course not, we know better, thus we can do the Things of Christ, through Christ in us, the Things unseen become the Things of Christ, not “things” in general.
Colossians 3:2 tells us set our Affection on Things above, not on Things on the earth. We are to “make known” to the “sons of men” God’s mighty works (Ps 145:11). Ahh, “sons of men”, a metaphor explained. As sons of men we hold to the Mercy of God, showing our Mercy toward others. As sons of God we stand in Grace, showing Grace is God’s great and wonderful gift.
The faith issues show us Enoch who was, and was not, then we find faith defined, then Noah, thus the days of Noah come after “faith defined”, indicating this is the Season of Faith, as such this is the Age where one can follow the Faith of Jesus by the Spirit.
Heb 11:7-22
The next area of Faith entails the faith of the fathers, as they looked to a promise yet to come. The faith of these people shows how faith reaches to what God said, knowing God Is able to complete what He has promised (Rom 4:21). This is not the testing of their faith, rather it’s the beginning of their faith, the testing will be explained by James. God does test our faith, but He tests it with elements of faith, steal sharpens steal.
After the issue of faith translating us, we move to Noah, whose faith was based in the fear of the Judgment of God, yet it also held a Reward. This has to connect to the Everlasting Gospel which is based in Judgment, indicating the division between the Day and Night (Rev 14:6-7). What element of the Doctrine of Christ gives us a Godly fear? Eternal Judgment, knowing it’s Eternal keeps us seeking Eternal Salvation.
The Fear of Noah was knowing God must do, what God must do, thus Noah worked to build the salvation boat, the promise given him by God in order to escape the destruction. We build on our Faith, remaining secure in our knowledge, knowing the Just still live by faith, faith in God being our escape from perdition.
The ark of Noah is a type and shadow of the Cross, Resurrection, our Baptism, based in our continual belief. Noah didn’t stop part way and invent water wings, nor did he practice swimming, he did as he was told until it was done. The Ark was made of Wood, a symbol of the Cross, it carried two by two, a symbol of Following Jesus, it delivered eight persons, a symbol of the Eighth Day, they were raised above the destruction a symbol of the Doctrine of Baptisms, something Peter will refer to.
Next we move to Abraham, from the deliverance of Noah, to the calling of the man who be used to form the division from the Gentiles. The faith of Noah knew deliverance was the promise, the faith of Abraham knew a son was the promise, yet the faith of both knew it would be by God, not man. Noah’s works of faith were based in obedience, just as Abraham’s works of faith were based in obedience, the obedience was a result of hearing, but the patience of both saw the Reward.
Abraham Obeyed (v. 8), his faith didn’t have to know the outcome, it didn’t have to know where he was going, it merely knew to obey the call to reach the purpose. Abraham didn’t need to see pictures of where he was going, he didn’t phone ahead, he heard, then obeyed. Although Abraham was in the land of promise, he was nonetheless a stranger, the land was promised to his seed, and to his seed it must go, just as the Kingdom of God is promised to the Seed of God.
We as children of God are on the earth as strangers, the meek shall inherit the earth, but they must remain meek on the earth to hold the inheritance. The term Tabernacles is a direct clue to the Body of Christ, we find Isaac and Jacob, but not Israel (v.9); therefore, the reference is for us, not the nation Israel. We are those who love the brethren as the true Tabernacle of the Tent, not the courtyard of the Tabernacle, but the place for the priests of faith. The Holy Place where the Candlestick, Shewbread, Table and Golden Altar remain.
The City in our case is New Jerusalem, we Look Diligently to the Reward, a reference to how we set our hearts on pleasing God by a Faith working by Love, rather than look for God to serve us by presumption and unbelief. Abraham didn’t know where he was going, but he did know God was a Rewarder (Gen 12:1-2).
We now move to the phrase “Through Faith”, rather than “By faith”, showing the conception in Sara was something out of her ability, a product of God; therefore, it was by faith Abraham moved, it was Through Faith God brought the promise (v 11).
This adds an attitude to our faith, faith must judge God Faithful. Sara judged God faithful, it was her attitude moving God to reward her, the promise came Through Faith. She did mock Abraham, she tested the promise through Hagar, but in those experiences she found God is faithful. Her experiences show what happens when we move from patience to manipulation. Sarah’s faith didn’t bring about the result, rather her faith in God’s faithfulness activated God, thus Through faith she conceived. When she laughed her focus was on Abraham, but the Lord brought it back to “is anything too hard for the Lord?”.
This is still “faith toward God”, although we don’t see the phrase “she had faith in God” in the Scriptures, we can see the concept was there. This area is merely showing it was not the doing of the Law, it was the doing of faith pleasing God.
Through faith came Isaac the symbol of the promises, the promise to the Stars of the Sky, which we are, and the promise to the Sand of the Sea, who belong to the nation Israel, two groups from One, a type and shadow of the Firstfruits of Christ, and the Remnant who belong to Christ (v. 12).
Ahh, wait, Through Faith, By Faith, does this give us a clue to the scribe? Yes, the same premise was used by Paul in Romans. In Romans the Gentile came to Jesus Through faith by going around the Law, but the Jew came By faith as they came out of the Law (Rom 3:30). Here we find the same, there are some who by faith came through the event, others through faith avoided the event.
The phrase “these all” in verse 13 refers to all those noted up to this point, we also see “promises” rather than Promise, which included the Promised Land, thus this verse clearly shows we have promises in the Promise, elements of hope along the way. Do not cast aside the hopes God grants us on this path, they have a Reward.
The concept of Through Faith also entails a power not our own, or an ability to get us around something promised. Through faith we understand there are ages (v. 11:3), through faith we obtain the Seed (v. 11:11), through faith we keep the Blood of God’s Passover (v. 11:28), through faith we subdue kingdoms, stand in the Righteousness, obtain the Promise, stop the mouth of the devil who goes about as a roaring lion, quench the fire darts of the enemy, escape the Sword of judgment, through weakness we are made Strong (vs. 11:33-34), and through faith the Bride will receive Life from death (v. 11:35). The connection is also evident, all this is by Grace Through Faith, not of ourselves.
We should speak plainly, make it clear, we seek a country and Kingdom not of this earth, we are only here to persuade others to join us, rather than we joining the world (v. 14). They had to put away the country they came from (world), just as we have to put away the “cares of this world”, or we will find ourselves returning to the world, as a dog to its vomit (v. 15). Longing for the old was the sin of Lot’s wife, looking back at our beginning and longing, “for the good old days” will bring the very last days upon our heads. It’s hard to follow a path walking backward, better to look for the footprints of the Faith of Jesus.
Desiring a Better country shows they sought a land promised, but we seek a Kingdom based on a Better Covenant, thus it’s not a matter of rejecting the Old, but a matter of not doing the Old since we have the New. Here we see their faith did produce things in the present as rewards, but it was nonetheless looking ahead, thus our faith will produce present tense Things, but it must be seeking what is ahead.
This aspect of Faith looks forward, not looking back at the things there were, but counting on the heavenly; therefore, a lack of faith is proven by fleshly attempts to change the world, or a desire to see the earth as a heavenly kingdom, rather than seek the Higher city, New Jerusalem. We are the Peace of the world, as long as we’re here it’s still the Day, a time when man can make Peace with God, rather than face His wrath.
Verse 13 shows they had not received the promise, but what about the time when the promise is in hand? It was by faith Abraham offered up the promise (Isaac) when God requested it back. Two things must be considered, first God said, next Isaac was not killed, rather it was the heart of Abraham being tested, not the promise, but at the moment Abraham didn’t know, rather he was willing to give the Promise back to God.
God doesn’t kill the promise, He tests it, in the testing we find one of three things, we either find we are not as high as we thought, we are higher than we thought, or we are right where we thought. God told Abraham “In Isaac shall thy seed be called”, it was the hearing bringing faith, not works of the flesh, or acts of presumption, thus Abraham knew from the seed alone God would do the work, thus Abraham believed God, so it might be by faith. If it was Isaac alone, no other, no second son, Abraham knew God would bring it to pass, even if He had to raise Isaac from the ashes. The test was the obedience of Abraham, would he rather obey? In truth Abraham still held the promise, this verse shows he knew God would do it, even if He do it from the ashes of the promise.
The offering is a type and shadow of the Seed of God doing the work in us, our faith in God’s faithfulness to complete than which He started (v.18). Abraham Accounted God faithful, since he believed, God accounted him righteous (v. 19). Abraham didn’t believe he was capable of bringing Isaac back from the ashes, rather he knew the Promise came from God, the request to sacrifice the child came from God, the ability to complete the Promise was also in God’s hands, one way or the other, it would be done, thus he put his faith in God, and didn’t attempt to place his faith in anything else.
By faith Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph, this one move brought about 13 tribes, allowing for one to be removed as the religious leader making 12 governmental tribes. Jacob knew in his heart the split blessing was right, he moved by faith, believing God had a plan and purpose, although the sons of Joseph were both born in Egypt, and they were half Egyptian. The key to verse 21 is the combination of Worship with the blessing, it was the Worship gave him confidence for his faith. Ishmael was also half Egyptian, but he was of Abram, and not subject to the promise.
Verses 21 and 22 explain another aspect of By faith and Through faith; by faith is looking ahead from the event. Through faith we obtain what we held By faith as we move around the obstacle.
Deeds didn’t grant Abraham favor, belief did. Deeds didn’t grant Moses favor, God did. Moses did nothing to gain standing before God, rather than obey God after God persuaded him to be a leader. Moses didn’t make himself a leader, Egypt never prepared him to lead the people of God, it was God who trained him to be a leader. The same is true today, Jesus makes leaders for the people, not the other way around. All leaders are nonetheless members of the Body, the Body isn’t given for the leaders, the leaders are given for the Body.
Heb 11:23-40
The parents of Moses didn’t have a Word from a prophet, how then could their faith come by hearing? They Saw, the eyes can hear as well as the ears, they looked and knew this child from the tribe of Levi was special. Their seeing was coupled with something in their heart, we find God placed the desire to keep the child safe. They placed him in the river, then later Moses would again cross water (Red Sea) to bring the people of God into the wilderness.
It would almost appear as if verse 23 is giving us permission to fight the powers of society, but it’s not the case at all, rather it’s still a matter of faith and preserving the called of God, rather than competing against the fleshly desires of man. The commandment of the king was not to the Jews, but to the midwives (Ex 1:16), it was the midwives who feared God, and did not as the king ordered, thus the parents of Moses saw the sign, they didn’t create it; therefore, it became a matter of faith, not a matter of self-desire.
The name Moses means Drawn Out, he would live up to his name and Draw out the people of God. Exodus 2:10 shows it was the daughter of Pharaoh who made the claim of Moses being her son, not Moses, thus by faith Moses didn’t receive the title of man, but sought after something associated with his birth; just as we reject the title of “man” to seek after than which comes by the New Birth.
All this began by telling us “Hear ye Him”, then the majesty of Jesus, then belief, then our priesthood, now faith, all elements connected to the Doctrine of Christ. We are not hearing of the faith of Paul, or John, or even Peter, but of the saints who were not Born Again, who were not partakers of the New Covenant, but they heard, believed, then applied their measure of faith in God.
Did Moses know Jesus would be the Christ? (v. 26). Hardly, the reference is to the Anointing, pointing to the promise yet to come, the reference is to our promised Partaking in the First Resurrection. Do we really choose to suffer affliction from the world to join to the people of God, or do we fight to make the world some kingdom while mocking the people of God? Did Moses really see God? (v. 27). When Pharaoh said, “see my face no more” (Ex 10:28); the face of God moved on the land, and Moses saw the Acts of God, he also saw the shadow of God, thus we can see many things, yet fail to equate them to God, or miss the Ways of God while searching for the Acts. God the invisible produced evidence of Himself in the visible, Moses knew beyond the voice he heard, and beyond the burning bush, God Is.
It was Through Faith Moses kept the Passover, thus the Passover held a present tense event to a future tense happening. The meal it self was not going to save them, but it was a reminder God would. The faith was evident, they were not in the event, it passed around them. The Passover was an act pertaining to something what was about to happen. Jesus is our Passover, thus Moses was told if he held the Passover, then death would pass over, thus Moses heard, obeyed and faith came to maintain him through the event.
In this case Moses obeyed knowing God Is, and God would reward both the doer of the commandment, yet inflict the non-doer. The doer (Moses) was spared since he sought God, Pharaoh’s house suffered, since he rejected God, types and shadows, since the context is the “first born” of both houses. The First Born of the house of God was spared, the first born of the house of Egypt was rejected, could a just God do that? There are two sides to the Sword, which one we pick is our choice, the result in the hand of God.
Paul also told us how Pharaoh was a vessel of dishonor, yet God raised him up for a purpose; to show the wrath of God (Rom 9:16-17); therefore, the wrath of God is a part of the Doctrine of Christ under Eternal Judgment (Heb 6:2); we are not looking forward to it, rather we strive to enter in the Rest of God to avoid it.
By faith Moses passed through the Red Sea, which shows just seeing the sea part was not the faith issue, crossing on dry land not knowing if it the same sea would swallow them was. The Passover was Through faith, the crossing By faith, in both cases Moses placed his faith in God, based on what God told him.
After the wilderness faith didn’t stop, Joshua heard the command of God and obeyed, then the walls of Jericho came down (v. 30). It took seven days, and seven trips on the seventh day, but God was faithful. This lesson of faith shows it may not come today, but if we stand with God, surely it will come to pass, He is faithful.
The key to Rahab was the peace in which she received the people of God, thus her nation was not of peace. She saw something in the spies, like the parents of Moses, her seeing was coupled with something she heard moving her to faith. Rahab will be the second person James will use in explaining the work of faith, Rahab’s faith was tried when she saw those who believed, yet her own nation believed not, she made a choice by rejecting the disobedient to followed the obedient, giving her a place in the inheritance.
Verse 32 begins a list of others, most of whom we studied in Old Testament History, yet there is something given here, something giving us a help in those times of battle. Placing Gedeon, with Barak, Samson, Japhthae, David, Samuel and the prophets gives us seven subjects. It’s interesting how we don’t find Saul, the prince called to be a king, oh it’s right, he was the one who failed for a lack of faith, yet he was called to be a king. On the same note we do find those who Through faith they endured; looking at what they endured, we find ten items listed. The number 10 is the number of testing, the number 7 is the Rest of Completeness of God, thus the Testing brought the completeness Through Faith.
In the middle of verse 35 the context changes from overcoming to enduring, which is almost backward. After all don’t we endure to overcome? The phrase “And Others” gives us a division, yet both groups held faith (v. 35). Some overcame, some were able to endure, but it was still faith, not deeds. Verses 35, 36 and 37 list 12 items, thus we have 7, 10 and 12 all numbers of importance showing Faith covers the entrance, but it continues to bring the endurance, the endurance takes patience, when patience has had her perfect work the result is the Order God has established for us as the Reward.
The world wasn’t worthy of these saints, but both the world, and their own killed them, was their death in vain? Nay, their efforts are written for us so we can have Belief. Of course if we listen to the doubters we would assume maybe some of these things didn’t happen, then we move to unbelief, and unbelief is the destroyer of faith.
God has provided something Better for us, verse 40 shows they had faith, they obeyed, they endured, yet they were not Perfect. They trusted in Him who is Perfect, the same premise is the attitude of faith we must possess. We in the flesh are not perfect, since the flesh is not perfect, yet we are obtained by Perfection, the New Man is the evidence of the Perfection, thus the New Man is saving our souls unto perfection.
These verses also show faith is not mountain top to mountain top to avoid the valleys, rather some held their faith in horrid events, as well as good events. Through Faith they received a Good Report, but the Good Report was not good enough to obtain the Promise (v. 11:39). Why tell us this? Several reasons, the measure of faith isn’t going to obtain the Promise, it will place us in a position where the Faith of Jesus brings the promise to us, but man in and of himself is incapable, it’s the point.
If we allow pride to mix with faith, it ends in religious conceit. In all this we find faith is the evidence of our Hope, as Hope becomes the evidence of the eternal things not seen. The Promise we have wasn’t presented to them, they didn’t have a High Priest like we do, but there is another lesson here as well. We put our faith, trust and belief in God, thus we are not going to win this if we use our faith to please us. James will tell us the sign of God’s Wisdom in our life is the proof of our faith, but here we are finding out how to test our faith to determine the source. Using our faith to make us happy, is not the premise of faith, rather we have faith in order to please God, we begin with our belief in God Is: connecting this to the Doctrine of Christ as “faith toward God”. The false concept of “well I’m happy, so God must be, thus it was faith” really falls apart when we see some were sawn asunder, yet they held faith.
Heb 12:1-29
From those who had faith, yet could not obtain, to Him who is Faith, and did obtain for us. What “cloud of witnesses”? The ones he just talked about, it was the same cloud who received Jesus on Pentecost, but when Jesus returns, He comes with Clouds. Ahh, a mystery, the metaphor Cloud means a Witness, thus we meet the Dead in Christ, then we meet Jesus in the Air. Wait, this is a Great Cloud, not Clouds, hum. Now I get it, this is the Cloud who received Jesus on the Day of the Ascension, right? Right, then when Stephen was killed another Cloud was formed, which makes Clouds. Therefore, when Jesus returns it’s with Clouds, not Cloud. Therefore, Paul doesn’t say we meet Jesus in the Clouds, but the Air above the Clouds, since we will be among the Clouds.
The word Cloud is the Greek Nephos means In the sky, thus it refers to those who were taken captive by Jesus. It also stands, if Jesus took those in captivity captive, He took them from one area in captivity, then placed them captive in another. Doesn’t sound like much of an escape, unless we know they moved from the old Paradise, where they could view hell, to the Third Paradise under the altar of God far from the view of hell.
Now let us Consider Jesus, as we set aside the sin which so easily besets us. This is “the Sin”, not Sins as many, but one specific sin, which is unbelief. The entire context up to this point has been how the sin of unbelief hardened the hearts of the children, yet there were others who held faith. This shows it wasn’t impossible for the children to mix the Word presented with faith, it was a choice on their part. Once they allowed Unbelief to rule their minds, there was no hope for faith, they began to complain, question, become bitter and failed to see the Precious, even when it was obvious. They were left without excuse, as anyone who allows unbelief to rule their minds. Therefore Jude shows God destroyed them because of they failed to believe (Jude 5). They had the faith to cross the sea, but allowed it all to fade by failing to believe. For this reason we find the premise “shall be saved” is attached to the concept of continual belief (Mark 16:16).
If this is Sin, and it is, then how does it fit with Iniquity? We recall how Iniquity is not the failure to do anything, it’s the failure to do the will of the Father, which is Mercy, while doing other things, or better being Unequal in our duties. However, it does seem unbelief is a failure to believe, but is it? Or is it believing in what we should not? Most areas of unbelief are found when a person believes fables, or things they should not. Cult members believe all sorts of things, most of which are fables, thus they believed, but in what they should not. The children believed God was going to kill them, when God was really saving them.
Paul told the Ephesians how we were all the “children of disobedience”, when we walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2). The word Disobedience is the Greek Apeitheia meaning without persuasion, but the context in Ephesians is added to by Colossians 3:6 where we read, “for which things’ sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience, in which you also walked some time, when you lived with them”. All this shows unbelief is part of the old nature as the spirit of man, yet we left the realm to enter the kingdom by Belief, so it might be by Faith. Therefore, this is a “sin”; or a transgression back to the thoughts of the old man.
This connects back to “believe unto the salvation of our souls”, showing we must believe what Jesus promised us in the Bible. A little leaven still leavens the whole, a little unbelief is not healthy, it will begin to erode, soon we will be more consumed with unbelief, than belief. Let us set aside the sin which so easily besets us, then let us run (forward motion) so it might be by faith; looking unto Jesus (forward) the Author and Finisher of faith (12:1-2).
The word Witnesses (or Witness) is the Greek Martus which means One who holds information, or can confirm something. The word Compassed also means To Surround, it’s the Greek Perikeimai, which is a compound word made up from Peri (about) and Keimai (To put), thus this group was Put in a place. Paul didn’t tell us “if it’s translated correctly”, or “I think some of the old manuscripts may not have the crossing of the Sea”, rather he held to God’s integrity, believing God is fully able to protect His own. Paul also didn’t limit the “author” to man, or assume God was not able to use men as scribes or editors. It still takes the Holy Ghost to interpret the Scriptures, and the Spirit in us to affirm them.
The wording Easily Beset is the Greek Euperistatos, which is another compound word with Eu (Easily) and Perlistemi (To surround), the context could read “the sin so full of peril which so easily subjects one to calamity”. The sin is the one hindering us from being partakers in the First Resurrection. Simply running the race isn’t enough, it’s running with Patience, thus one can run legally, or illegally. We want to run the race lawfully, but if we run what goal do we look for? If we are running by judging our faith on the temporal, we are running illegally. If we are running while holding to the Law of Moses, we are running illegally. Not saying the Law is illegal, only we are not privy to it, since it’s nailed to the Cross. Our Hope is in Jesus, our Faith is the evidence of the eternal things, we are running in Faith looking to the Author and Finisher of faith. What then is Patience? Staying the course, not running off in various directions, or chasing every wind of doctrine. If we believe unto the saving of the soul, we stay the course.
This also explains why it’s blasphemy to preach against the Rapture, rather than simply being a heresy. The Rapture is our Hope, it’s the God granted escape for the children of the Day, so they will be free of the Night. If anyone can remove our Hope, then our faith has nothing to reach for. Faith keeps us on course, knowing God Is, and He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Would seeking our own desires, be seeking God? Not hardly, but we could fall into the illusion of thinking God’s agenda for us, and our agenda for us are one in the same. Does this mean God doesn’t want us Happy? Not at all, but we will find when we use our faith to please God, we will be pleased, but if we use our faith to please ourselves, we will end miserable, simply because we misused the measure of faith. Jesus is the Author, or Father of Faith, our faith must be interlocked with His by the Spirit in order to finish this race.
Verse 2 explains how Jesus is the purpose, the reason, and the goal, if we are seeking to be pleased of God we are not running the race, we are demanding for God to run it for us; however, if we truly love the Lord, then we run to Him. The word Author is the Greek Archegos meaning the Originator, the root word is the Greek Arche meaning Beginning or Principality. The issue here is faith, we know of the measure of faith, and the Faith of Jesus, thus we find Jesus is the beginning, or purpose of faith. Faith is great, but Jesus is greater.
The word Finisher is the Greek Teleiotes meaning A Completer, or One who reaches the goal, or One who has reached the goal. This shows the New Man is leading us on the path the Faith of Jesus left for us. Unless we recognize the Faith of Jesus we will make up our own path, the Path has been set, thus we follow Jesus.
Discerning our words is just as important as discerning the event, determining what our heart is really saying will determine where our soul is. We Look unto Jesus as we Consider how and why He endured (v 3). He endured for us, so why can’t we endure for Him? Ahh, some of us fall into the thinking we are enduring for ourselves, which is shaky at best, soon we will fall into bitterness, or anger. We will take things personally, feel hurt, rather than offended. Rather than discern, we will attack, or seek self-justification. However, if we’re in this based on Love, then we stand for the sake of Jesus, motivated by the New Man. The secret, if there is one, is to have faith toward God.
The wording Wearied is the Greek Kamno meaning To be weary from constant work, taking us back to, “for he who has entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His”, plus, “there remains therefore a Rest to the people of God” (Heb 4:9-10). There remains a Rest To the people of God, but it takes belief to enter in, yet unbelief keeps us from entering (Heb 3:19). Patience keeps us from becoming weary, our Patience keeps looking to the target, the goal just ahead, the place where our victory awaits.
The word Faint is the Greek Ekluo meaning To loose out, it holds the thought of being despondent. This same Greek word will be used later in reference to the chastening of God, but here it’s because of evil doers coming against us. We never weary because Hope is the anchor to our soul, thus if we do weary in well doing, it’s because our “anchor slipped”. If Hope is not seen, then it’s the target of our faith, thus the Anchor to our soul keeps us from chasing winds of doctrine, or getting out of the boat before we reach the other shore. Take away our Hope, and our faith has no goal, and soon slips.
The evil doers bring the temptation to make us fall into some evil thought process, some false thinking which is opposed to the Doctrine of Christ. However, it’s also true, there is no temptation falling on us which is not common to man: God with the temptation will make a way for us to escape. What is the Way? Ahh, belief and faith will get us through this, the just still Live by faith as they believe unto the saving of their souls.
Verse 4 gives us the battle plan, the word Striving means the same as Wrestling, it’s the Greek Antagonizomai meaning To fight against, it’s the same word used by Paul in Ephesians 6:12 in the phrase, “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood”. The battle here is directly against unbelief, we fight unbelief by holding to the evidences Jesus has given us, whether they are written in the Bible, or experienced, they are still bricks of support in our foundation of belief. It’s one thing to keep saying, “go away unbelief”, another to make up our mind we’re going to believe God, by refusing to follow the questioning disobedience of the old man to enter our thinking process.
There must be a means God uses to bring us into awareness, or to bring the Faith He has authored to its purpose. The word Despise in verse 5 is the Greek Oligoreo meaning To care little, thus it becomes an Order of priority. Like Paul told us in Romans, where do we put our mind? On questioning the Bible? Or on the Author of our Faith? When we blind ourselves to the obvious, God will chasten us. Not to punish us, rather the chastening is we can see what the spiritually minded see. There is a far cry between punishment and correction. Perhaps we are touting unbelief, yet we can’t see it. God will use someone to rebuke, or correct us, so we can see what they see. What we do with the Information is up to us. We can take it to the Lord and gain the clarity, or we can blame the person, or attack them, or reject the chastening. Pride refuses the chastening, it considers the correction a personal attack. Discernment is always the key, for even if it is a personal attack, we can always gain something “if” we are seeking the Precious. An example some are aware of is when we go about full of pride and ego, then do something completely stupid, so much so our pride takes a devastating blow. Of course we could ignore it, or make excuses, but in so doing the pride is being exposed the more. This shows the chastening was not punishment, but exposure unto correction, so we can be formed into perfection.
The word Chastening is the Greek Paideia meaning Instruction or Discipline, Jesus didn’t make leaders, He made disciples through proper discipline became leaders. Chastening is also different from Revelation 3:19 where Jesus Phileos those He scourges, here the context is Agape, with the chastening. The word Receive in verse 6 is the Greek Paradechomai meaning To admit, it includes looking unto Jesus in the time of exposure, rather than blaming the devil; therefore, the chastening is not Evil, rather it is exposing evil, meaning it will show if our thoughts are “God Is” or not. Therefore, the chastening could be exposing areas of Unbelief we have picked up, phrases we use which are not Bible based, traditions we hold as Doctrine, methods which are worldly in nature, associations taking us in the wrong direction, or any number of things based in Unbelief or Doubt.
In verse 7 we find the words Son and Sons, thus we are not alone in this, God deals with us all as sons, yet in the same manner He deals with us as individuals, what method and manner He uses on one, may not be the method and manner He uses on another, thus we Follow Him, not each other.
The word Sons is the Greek Huios the complete opposite of Nothos (bastards). A bastard is an illegitimate son, one who considers their self to be a son, but who lacks the proper family line to prove it. A bastard is nonetheless born, they just don’t know who their Father, in this context it shows a bastard is born, but has rejected ABBA Father, thus rather than have the Spirit that is of God, they accepted the spirit of the world. Their “faith” will determine the source, often their words or methods they use determine the source as well. However, all this still doesn’t tell us the Why? Could it be the chastening of the Lord is to keep us from being Esau minded? To keep us from falling? To keep us on the right track? Yes, don’t forget we are still in a body of flesh, the old nature is imputed dead on the cross, but it doesn’t mean it won’t call out to us.
Verse 9 begins by telling us there is More for us connecting Reverence. When Job was being chastened he began with the proper attitude, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord”, but Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly (Job 1:21-22). Who gave Job his possessions? Who did Job belong to? Didn’t Abraham prove his faith by his willingness to give back to God, what God gave him? Did either Job or Abraham blame the devil, or charge God with anger and disappointment? No, yet neither had the Spirit, the Faith of Jesus, or the Power of His Christ, a small cloud of two witnesses, but large enough to wake us up.
The word Partakers points to the First Resurrection, it’s our Hope, to bring us to the finish of this by the Rapture, rather than floating through the Time of Comfort and find ourselves in the midst of the plagues hearing blasphemy pour out of our mouths.
Using the “chastening of the Lord” as some excuse to remain carnal or in unbelief, is not the purpose either. If the Lord has been chastening us for years over the same issue, we need to carefully consider our ways. There is a purposed result for the Lord chastening us, it’s for us to go around in the pit of self-pity. Hebrews 12:11 tells us the purpose is so we will Yield the Peaceable Fruit of Righteousness. Hebrews 12:12 tells us to Lift up our hands, get our feeble knees in order, then “follow Peace”. Peace and Righteousness run hand in hand, James tells us the Fruit of Righteousness is sown in Peace, of them who make Peace (James 3:18). Peace is a state of tranquil bliss, a place where one has no fear of pending danger, rather they trust in God for what lays ahead.
The word Lift is the Greek Pariemi meaning To loosen, it’s only used here in Hebrews 12:12, the word Hands is the Greek Cheir meaning From finger tips to the shoulder, not merely the hand below the wrist, thus this is a sign of surrender as an act of praise; a time when one simply “gives up”, to “give themselves over to God”.
This is the same context James will use in the phrase “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray” (James 5:13). The word Feeble is the Greek Paralo, it also means Loosen, the context takes us to Isaiah 35:3-4 wherein we read, “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees, say to them who are of a fearful heart, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you”. God will take vengeance, not we, the purpose for us is not to “add to the burn of anger”, but to be free indeed. Could all this be talking about “binding and loosing”? Yes, we can either bind ourselves to the earth, by failing to bind the strongman, or loose ourselves by surrendering to God. If God is going to deal with the “vengeance”, then we can be at peace, as we refuse to concern ourselves with those issues.
The word Healed in verse 13 is the Greek Iaomai meaning To restore body, or gain mental health, the root word is Iatros meaning Physician, relating to “Physician heal thyself”, we heal ourselves when we submit to God, and allow the process to have it’s full effect. A Crooked Path is one with some belief, and some unbelief produced by a double-mind, thus we make the Paths straight by belief.
The phrase Looking Diligently in verse 15 points to “diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6), this points to Faith toward God in the Doctrine of Christ. The purpose is to bring us back to Peace with God, but it’s clear if we continue, the day will come when we will fall from Grace. The evidence? Backbiting the brethren, walking in slander, being filled with bitterness and hate, laying traps of deceit, all of which show we are following the old man, and not submitting to the New.
The two sides of we and they as displayed, as well as the connection back to Hebrews 6 and those who fall away. The phrase “fail of the Grace” could also read “fall from Grace”, both have the same meaning, both fit the Greek text. Grace is the vehicle we use to reach Salvation, thus if one can fall from Grace, the question, “can one lose their salvation?” is moot, and not associated with the Doctrine of Christ. Clearly if we are saved by Grace through faith, yet we enter unbelief, then the faith is defeated before it has a chance. If we fall from Grace, then Grace is our of reach, this goes right back to the those who draw back to perdition, but if we hold to our belief, stand in Grace, follow Peace then we fit the “Just” who live by Faith.
The root of bitterness is not the Seed of God, but what comes from the old nature; however, if we reject the corrections, the root of bitterness will grow until it chokes out the Seed of God, the Ground is still ours. It’s a sad note, but here we find Many are defiled because they reject the purpose for the chastening of the Lord (v.15). Jesus said Peace unto you, but we can reject the Peace for war, ending with a battle of hate, using the weapons of bitterness from the old nature. The context in verse 14 is to Follow, which means to chase after Peace and Holiness, it doesn’t mean the person has it, rather they are seeking it, if they do, then they will See (perceive) the Lord.
We now come across another Old Testament example, but this person is not listed in the “faith” listing, yet he had the birthright and promise at hand. Esau is a type and shadow of the natural, self-based soul, his brother Jacob from whom came Israel is a type of the change the Spirit can make, not saying Jacob was changed by the Spirit, only the change from the man Jacob, to the nation Israel was by God as a type of the change the New Birth brings us. We are a people, but the Kingdom of God is within, making us a nation as well.
Anyway, Esau was born first, Jacob second, yet the younger shall rule the elder. Esau had many things, although he gave up his birthright, thus unless our souls prosper, we have not prospered at all. The prosperity of God is only beneficial when our souls have prospered in the saving process.
Esau sold his birthright to satisfy the flesh for the moment. Afterward? afterward of what? (v. 17), after it came time to receive the promise, then Esau knew his decision to honor the flesh cost him his birthright. When it came time to Inherit, not even repentance with tears could change the outcome, there will be those who seek Adam Like conditions who also reject the Rapture, yet seek the pleasure of life, they will live a 1,000 years in peace and safety, but then sudden destruction comes they will say to Jesus “Lord, Lord haven’t we”. However, God has a better plan for us, He brings us into the plan by various methods, one of which is by His chastening. Did you ever notice, how it appears some are never chastened of the Lord? Yet, they are prideful, ego infested, full or religious conceit, so self-willed it’s obvious? Could it be, just perhaps they are the bastards, who are claiming to be sons? Beware, lest we fall to the same example of unbelief.
Our mount is not the one from which came the Law of Moses, nor is the one under the earthly city of Jerusalem. The mount from which the Law of Moses came was one the people couldn’t touch, but our Mount is heavenly Zion, the Mount of Transfiguration, the place where the Seed of God on the inside is transforming us to make a change seen on the outside (v 18). The First Trump was heard, then the Voice, but they rejected the Voice, they couldn’t endure the Commandment, thus the mountain was “out of reach” to those of unbelief, although they stood at “the foot”. The same Mount would provide the children in the wilderness their freedom, yet it became the Mount to cause their death, not because God desired it, but because of the unbelief of the children.
Here we find what one might call a “mistake”, or they could call it a “mystery”. We prefer Mystery, Zion of the earth and the mount where Moses obtained the Law are not in the same location. Yet here it appears as if our Zion and Sinai are one in the same. Perhaps for us they are, we receive our Law of the Spirit in our Mount Zion (Body of Christ). Jesus used the Mount of Olives for the commandments of Mercy, but the Mount of Transfiguration for the Change unto the spiritual, but it isn’t the Mount here. The Mount here is heavenly in nature, it’s the place from which Jesus will build His Church, making this Mount the foundation for New Jerusalem, or the Rock, or Body of Christ, the Law it holds is the Law of the Spirit.
Verse 22 makes it sound as if we are already New Jerusalem, but it’s faith speaking isn’t it? We have come to the Mount, we haven’t come to the Top of the Mount, yet our faith looks to the Top, knowing we can come Boldly to the throne to obtain Mercy, and find Grace. Ahh, Mercy the Rock, Grace the Church, if we come to the Throne of Grace seeking vengeance, we missed the point by miles.
In these few verses we have much to consider. The word Assembly is the Greek Paneguris meaning Those in the public square, the word Church is the Greek Ekklesia meaning The called out ones, or Free citizens, the wording Firstborn or Firstborn ones is the Greek Prototokos meaning Firstborn from the dead, making a direct reference to the Power of the First Resurrection, as “the same Spirit who raised Jesus is raising us”, the purpose “having been perfected” relates to the result of Justification, the Just still live by Faith.
Jesus is The Mediator of the New Covenant, a Living Mediator, One who brings the Sprinkling of Blood which Speaks better things than the words of Abel’s blood from the Ground. If the blood of Abel spoke, how much more will the Blood of Jesus speak as our Mediator from heaven? We simply can’t refuse Him who speaks, for if we refuse, we also reject “faith comes by hearing”. All the way back in the beginning of Hebrews we found, “has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son” (Heb 1:2). Here we fine we must Listen to the Voice from heaven (v. 25).
The Voice of God shook the Mount, the same Voice will shake all that can be shaken, so what cannot be shaken will Stand, the only things to shake are those things of the enemy (v. 26).
The “things made” are not Things created, yet “all things are of God”; confusing? Not really, there are things God allows in order to bring us from one point to another, other things God has seen from the foundation of the world wherein He uses them as lessons for our benefit, it’s still God Is. The old question “why didn’t God just make everyone perfect?”, is a prideful soulish question lacking the truth of Moral Choice, and Desire. We tasted of the world, if we still love the things of darkness, we really don’t love God who is Light.
The Better Covenant has a Better Promise, a Kingdom which can’t be shaken. We are of the Body of Christ, all things are under the feet of Jesus. Therefore, all things are under our feet as well, but it doesn’t mean we can stomp them to death. Rather it means they have no authority over us, more important it means none of them can stop the plan God has for us.
If God is a consuming Fire, what happened to Grace? We are baptized with the Holy Ghost and Fire, the fire in our case burns away wood, hay and stubble, by exposing them. The word Consuming is the Greek Katanalisko with the prefix of Kata, meaning from a higher source to a lower, thus this doesn’t point to the lake of fire, which is from a inner source. Katanalisko is only used once, which is of course here, it’s a compound word, we know the Kata part, the other part is the Greek Analisko meaning to Use up, or Destroy. It’s from this word some have assumed the lake of fire is temporal, but this verse is not connected to the lake of fire, it’s connected to the chastening of God. The burning bush burned, but was not consumed, it’s an example of the lake of fire, burning without ceasing. Here we have a promise, God is a consuming fire, it’s not saying God brings a consuming fire, or God starts a consuming fire. Just as God is Light, Love, and Spirit, He is also a fire burning away the wood, hay and stubble.
Heb 13:1-25
What does God being a consuming fire, brotherly love and Strangers who come as angels have in common? Much, the wording Entertain Strangers is the Greek Philoxenia with the prefix of Philo, which we know as “brotherly love” connecting this to verse 1. Therefore we hold brotherly love, since the person we’re talking to could be brethren. If we treat the brethren with bitterness, slanderous words, or malicious manners, we are in danger of the root of bitterness springing up to defile us. God will send a Fire to our souls to save us, but rejecting the fire is very dangerous, very dangerous indeed.
Verse 4 gives us two elements, first is the marriage bed between husband and wife being undefiled, but so is the marriage bed for the Bride of Jesus, but in both regards, whoremongers and adulterers God will judge, we don’t. We already know what makes adultery in this case, it’s when we tell Jesus we love Him, but then turn over and kiss the old man goodnight. This is an interesting area, this is not fornication, but adultery, showing the person knows they are espoused, but they cheat on their Betrothed by dating the old man. The whoremonger is one who continually seeks idols of the mind, one who knows they use unbelief, but they don’t care. They lay traps because they enjoy springing them on people; they play mind games with the brethren, they abuse their priesthood as they toss strange fire into the holy place, yet they think it’s funny.
We watch our words, our conversation, and how we conduct ourselves; this doesn’t mean to put on a mask of holiness, it means to put on the New Man. If Love is the motivating product, then Love will be expressed, if it’s the spirit lusting to envy, it too will be evident.
Being content doesn’t mean we don’t desire, rather it means we do desire, but don’t reject what God has given. It’s all important, don’t confuse desire with greed, or need with greed. All of us will go through the valley where God defines the difference between need and greed, often what we thought was a “need” becomes exposed as greed. The example is of course the difference between taking tithes, and receiving them. The division and chastening bring us to holding the proper Order, so we can say, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (v. 6). The word Fear used here connects back to those who draw back based on the fear of what man thinks, or can do, thus they are man pleasers.
What does “being content with the things you have”, have to do with, “He said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you”? Ahh, the real treasure we have is contained in the New Man. Be content with Christ, seek the Kingdom and His Righteousness, the things shall be added.
Verse 7 means those in the Body, since the context is, “spoken unto you the Word of God”, we Remember in prayer as well as in taking the Bread and Wine. This also shows one method of the Son speaking to us in these last days.
The phrase “Jesus the same”, shows He is Patient, if He took care of His disciples during the earthly ministry, He can still care for His own now; however, if He cleaned out the temple then, He will clean it now. This also shows how the Doctrine of Christ doesn’t change, there is no New Revelation, only knowledge regarding what is already written.
Beware of strange doctrines, hold to The Doctrine of Christ, yet allow our theology to be worked by the Spirit (v. 9). It’s a Good Thing for our hearts to be established in Grace, come Boldly to the throne to Find Grace in the time of need.
We now go back to the Tabernacle, but to the Brazen Altar in the courtyard, the place where the sacrifice is offered (v. 11). The bodies of the various beasts didn’t make it to the holy of holies, only the Blood, although we are the Body of Christ here on earth (Mercy), let us not forget the Blood (Grace). The Body is not the New Covenant, it’s the place for us to be tested as the Espousal period, thus we must continue into the place where the Blood rests. The Cross was not within the Gate (Door), but on the outside, thus the Reproach or those who hold it are in the Courtyard, not in the Tent of the Tabernacle, therefore one can enter the Body, but deny the Blood.
Let us bear His reproach, not our own (v. 13). On this earth we have no continuing city, they all be as Sodom, but we seek the heavenly Jerusalem and the uncountable number of saints (cloud or angels – v. 12:22 & 13:14).
The Sacrifice of Praise comes when our natural minds and eyes see nothing to praise God for, yet we give Thanks, rather than charging God foolishly, even if it’s the devil, don’t give him honor, Honor Him who Is, the Lord our God (v. 15). Praises unto God, good words producing good works are two premises, Grace and Mercy working together produce praises and good works (v. 16).
The five fold ministry watches over our souls, not our Spirits, or our flesh, if they assume they are in control of the spiritual, they do err greatly (v. 17). Verse 18 is the leader speaking, Pray for us, Remember and Watch as the leaders hold a good conscience as they do things honestly before man and God. The context also shows it’s For our souls, rather than the leaders being Over them. Verse 19 is another clue to the pen being in the hand of Paul, he desired to be restored, yet he was content with such things as he had, thus the context of verse 5 is looking forward, but thanking God for what we have.
It’s God doing the work, unless we have failed to cease from our own works (v. 20), thus the work is Through Jesus, not instead of Him (v. 21). The purpose of chastening? To make us Perfect in Every Good Work.
Verse 22 shows the letter is one of Exhortation, one written to stand us upright before God and face the sin which so easily besets us, unbelief. This letter is an example of edification among the brethren, the very reason we gather together.
This also connects to verses 7 and 17, Obey the word of Exhortation, the reason we gather together. Now we ready to venture on to James, John, Peter and Jude.
By Rev. G. E. Newmyer – sbiles25rev7/ © 2003
