Preface

Christendom at large, through the creeds, see the physical death of Jesus as the most important event in Christianity.

Believing it was God’s purposeful design Christ be killed at Calvary.

Because we’ve all been taught the words sacrifice, blood, death, crucifixion, etc., in the New Testament letters refer to Calvary, unaware those same terms and phrases (1 Corinthians 2:13) apply to Christ’s pioneering journey in being made complete (Hebrews 5:7-10).

That Christ had two epic events in his life, his perfection before ministry, and then Calvary.

The first one the perfect will of God, the second one the will of lawless men (the preferred will of God at Calvary was for Christ not to take arms and kill those he had just spent three plus years trying to save, but it was not a command – the final decision was left up to Christ).

The first one fulfilling one stream of prophecies, the coming and ministry of the Messiah, the second one fulfilling a second stream of prophecies, the rejection and killing of Christ.

When the Lord opens the Scriptures about his journey, who he became, fathered into perfect union, prepared as a gift to Israel to be received and not killed, “Christ’s life” becomes the theme of Scripture and not his killing.

Simply, the Gospel is about putting sin to death, not Christ.

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is about life, his life in being made perfect, offering Israel the New Covenant in him while alive, if they would but believe.

Christ came to present life (Romans 5:10), the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10 – 12), to Israel first, and then mankind through an early Millennium.

Not a picture of physical death by crucifixion – that was not the design, purpose, or intent of God, or the Gospel.

Jesus did not need to be killed for people to be saved, because he was salvation before, during, and after Calvary; he was the New Testament in flesh and blood and said so (Matthew 26:28, John 6:53-63, 11:25-26, 14:6-7, etc.).

The New Testament was not conditioned on Christ being killed.

Calvary exposed Israel’s unrepentant heart, closing the door on an early Millennium.

Christ’s death and resurrection confirmed and testified everything he said about himself, opening the door to the Gentiles through Christ without Israel.

Christ’s disciples did not see the killing of Christ as “good news,” (they did not rejoice), but there is “good news” in the killing of sin, which Christ put to death by the cross of grace through faith in repentance for his generations in being made complete (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10).

For the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10-12), to be released to Israel, and mankind, someone had to put generational sins to death to begin the new creation, not just of the Spirit, but of the flesh.

And that was Christ’s commission – to begin the new creation by putting sin to death once and for all, body, soul, and spirit, starting with him and his generations.

God predestined and foreordained the Messiah, his Son conceived by his Holy Spirit, to put sin to death completely and perfectly; and in doing so, become our King, Lord, Savior, Redeemer, High Priest, and Prophet.

The sufferings of Christ, his wounding and piercing (Isaiah 53:4-6), is not the killing of the temple of the human flesh, but the destruction of the structures of generational sins passed to him through his human ancestry (Romans 8:3; Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear; Hebrews 2:10, 2:14, 2:17, 4:15, etc.).

The “death” Christ suffered first and foremost was the death in dying to sin, raised to walk in new life, resurrection life (NIV, Romans 5:10, 6:10), the baptism of Christ (Romans Chapter 6), that’s what was offered to Israel and rejected.

Christ, having put sin to death perfectly, became the fullness of God manifest in flesh – perfect union with his Father (John 14:8-11; Hebrews 1:3; Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10, 7:16), “resurrection life,” fulfilling the promise of Isaiah 9:6.

It has been taught for centuries the killing of Christ brought life contrary to the Scripture.

What brought life, the new-birth, was not the killing of Christ at Calvary, but the putting to death of sin by the cross of grace through faith: the pioneering journey of the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews is largely Christ’s testimony to that journey).

That’s what this series is about, separating fact, what the Scripture teaches, from the iron grip of creeds and traditions.

Creeds and traditions have become so interwoven with Scripture it takes the Holy Spirit to untie the knots, and there are many.

The Bible is the most reliable and complete writing in the world; there is nothing like it in this creation; it does not need an overarching set of creeds and traditions to understand or to teach it.

The heart of God is for men and women to come into an intimate relationship with him through the unveiling of Scripture by the drawing of his Spirit in discovery, not by creeds and traditions.

Intimacy is apprehended by inspiration and discovery, relationship, not by a set of creeds and traditions.

God gave his Word to draw us into intimacy and union with him by the wooing of his Holy Spirit, not by the writing of man-made creeds and traditions.

Though maybe their intention was noble, they do not lead to abundant life.

Creeds and traditions rob Christians of the depth and intensity of Scripture, from earnestly seeking intimacy and union with Christ.

What was intended by man for good, became harmful.

God does not need man’s help through creeds and traditions to have intimacy with him.

The Bible is more than sufficient for every man and woman, educated or not, to come to an understanding of Christ because it is by the Holy Spirit we come to the knowledge of Christ, not by the works of the flesh (John 6:44).

Christ is our Savior, not creeds and traditions, and what one may or may not believe about them – they are not inspired Scripture.

When the Lord illuminates the distinction between his journey to perfection before his ministry, his first glorification, from his 40 days of testing, ministry, and Calvary, Christ’s personal journey comes out from behind the shadows of Calvary.

Our journey into intimacy must begin with the revelation of the Spirit, the illumination of God on his Word, separating the different prophetic streams in his Word which the enemy for centuries has so cleverly sewn together.

Think it not strange for over a millennium the new-birth, salvation by grace, was hidden from men and women; it took the Holy Spirit through Luther to bring it to light again.

And think it not strange for another 400 years the baptism of the Holy Spirit was hidden; it took the Holy Spirit through an African-American to rebirth Pentecost again in the Azusa Street revival.

And it took over another half century to birth healing and deliverance ministries, and later the fathering movement, to steer men and women toward the deeper things of God promised in the last of the last days in the age of Philadelphia.

This is where we find ourselves today, many being brought through the open door of Philadelphia into the third and final feast of the Christian pilgrimage, Tabernacles, the last opportunity to be made one with Christ.

Contrasts of Covenant and Death

As this series has shown, the Scriptures make a stark and distinctive difference between Christ being killed because of his faith and trust in God, versus being killed to inaugurate a New Covenant, as most have been schooled.

Jesus was not predestined and foreordained to be killed to inaugurate the New Covenant, nor was he predestined and designed to be rejected because of his faith and trust in God.

But he was predestined and foreordained to put sin to death for his generations, and to do it perfectly and completely, without sin, becoming our Savior; our substitute for something we could never do.

Grace came (1 Peter 1:10-12), so he could be our substitute in putting sin to death (Romans 6:10), not so he could be killed.

Isaiah saw his journey as wounding and piercing, having the heavy hand of God upon him, just like King David of old, who in many places in the Psalms talked about his wounding, piercing, crushing, in his journey fighting sin.

Who by the way, is probably, in my opinion, the greatest type of Christ in the Old Testament, because of the journey he foretold of the Messiah, possessing the “Ark” at the end of his journey, foretelling Christ’s union with the Father.

Jesus was the New Covenant in flesh and blood when he entered ministry, having already died to sin, becoming complete (Hebrews 5:7 – 10), walking in resurrection life “glorified” (John 12:28), testified by his victory over Satan for 40 days, and, confirmed through “miracles, wonders and signs” (NIV, Acts 2:22), for over three years before his rejection.

He was killed “because” he was the New Testament in flesh and blood (Matthew 26:28), the Jewish leaders preferring the tradition of their fathers, not the new move of the Spirit through God’s only begotten Son.

Since the beginning of time, the flesh has warred against grace and truth.

Christ began the new move of the Spirit of God with things people could see in the natural, something tangible, observable, through many, before he could begin a deep work of the Spirit in the inner man and woman.

Before Christ could do a deep work of healing men and women from generational transgressions and iniquities like he received in his pioneering journey (Hebrews 2:10, 6:20), he had to win people’s hearts with things they could touch.

He was successful in winning the hearts of many through the wonders and miracles he performed, but was rejected and killed before he had a chance to go deep in people’s lives.

That’s why Jesus said those who come after him will do greater works (NIV, John 14:12).

Imagine, having so much to give, the treasure house of God walking among men and women, being allowed only to do that which satisfies the natural; cut off before you’re able to do the deep work of the Spirit of a skilled surgeon.

I cannot imagine the heartbreak of Christ, limited to feeding the natural man and woman, cut off before “the deep truths of the faith” (NIV, 1 Timothy 3:9), could be imparted into the hearts of those who came to him.

After all, it was God the Father who promised to write his Word in the heart and mind of his children, beginning with Christ first, the firstborn, first fruit, pioneer, and forerunner of the cross of grace through faith.

We see that work completed in Christ, perfectly and completely, through the testimony and confirmation of his ministry and life: the book of Hebrews is the testimony of Christ’s journey, highlighting twice God’s promise to write his Word in the heart and mind of his children, Christ being the first.

It was not until after his resurrection from Calvary Christ was able to begin the deep work of the Spirit he pioneered in himself – Peter being the first to be chosen for deep transformation (John 21:18).

We know the “leading” Christ referred to, and the death Peter would go through, was not about physical death, but about “death to sin,” the baptism of Christ, to walk in newness of life “resurrection life,” transformation (Romans Chapter 6); what Peter later called the revelation of Christ by grace (NIV, 1 Peter 1:13).

Paul describes his journey of being made new from the inside out, the baptism of Christ, putting sin to death, to walk in newness of life, in 2 Corinthians 4:10 – 12.

Jesus represented everything the Jewish rulers did not want – a new way, revealed truths, revealed Heaven, revealed God, revealed sin; spiritual life in God apart from duty, obligation, and tradition.

The leaders of Israel had everything to gain and nothing to lose if only they had eyes to see, and ears to hear the kindness and gentleness of the Spirit of God through Christ Jesus.

They had enough sense to know everything Christ represented would replace their traditions (their hold over people), and their entire system of religion with intimacy with God from the smallest to the greatest.

Jesus brought a new system of relationship with God based on encounter and growing intimacy.

It took over a millennium after the introduction of the creeds, i.e., the traditions of what some hold as our church fathers, for the new birth to be restored in the 1500s, and another 400 years for the return of Pentecost.

Today, sadly, and tragically, creeds and traditions hold tremendous power over the hearts and minds of many Christians just like the traditions Christ and others have faced centuries earlier.

Jesus is our celebration and not creeds and traditions, nor is Calvary, or even his perfection.

No amount of good theology, creeds, traditions, works and service, and, duty and obligation, can ever be a substitute for the new-birth in growing intimacy and union with Christ.

Christianity is about one thing, and one thing only, knowing and being known by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Unless we have Christ in our lives, doing a deep work of the Spirit, we will eventually run out of gas at some point.

We are heading toward great challenges in the Spirit; thankfully, many are being equipped and prepared for what’s coming, not only for them, but to help others.

The leaders of Israel knew their system of religion would be replaced if Christ was not stopped.

They knew the new move of God would replace what they loved in their traditions.

And some may have been perceptive enough to realize the new move of God in Christ would not only take away all  they’ve come to cherish, but reveal an even deeper fear, the bankruptcy of their beliefs, and them personally.

Not realizing God’s grace in Christ was given not to condemn, but to save: to draw one’s heart in grace and love toward repentance and forgiveness; to be made whole and holy by grace through faith.

But their identities and destinies had become so interwoven with animal sacrifices, the temple, priesthood, ordnances, regulations, and traditions, they were blind to the simplicity God offered them in the gift of Christ.

Rejecting the simplicity of John the Baptist’s call to repent – to prepare the way of the Lord – the leaders of Israel (little did they know) set their hearts in motion to reject Christ.

Having rejected the time of preparation, their hearts were unprepared when the flood gates of the Spirit opened up in Christ – where traditions and the “practiced way of sinful living passed down through the generations” give way to grace, mercy, love, and humility, in repentance and forgiveness.

Where each man and woman have direct access in intimacy with God through this one, they call the Messiah, not based upon their beliefs, traditions, or works of the flesh, but based upon, as David said, “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” (NIV, Psalm 51:17, bold and italicized mine)

And if that was not enough, the leaders of Israel feared this one called the Messiah would multiply his nature and gifts in others, making others like him, completely discarding the need for a system of religion with intimacy and relationship with God on a one-on-one basis, one heart and mind at a time.

From Christ would come the means for each person to know God personally, individually, and uniquely without the need for a priesthood and traditions – where the laws of God would be fulfilled in the flesh as sin is put to death.

The stewards and tutors of the law would lose their positions of prominence and prestige as men and women began to live the law from their heart through healing and restoration.

Christ presented a completely new picture of what it looked like to have relationship and intimacy with God apart from any outward system of beliefs and practices.

Calvary, contrary to creeds and traditions, is not the start of the New Covenant, but the place where the Old Covenant was used (in a corrupt way) in an attempt to destroy the New Covenant; where unrepentant sin was publicly exposed in violence and hatred to the grace and mercy of God in repentance and forgiveness.

Calvary was the place where the kingdom of darkness attempted to destroy the kingdom of righteousness before it could heal men and women from the inside out, multiplying Christ in God’s sons and daughters.

The last thing the kingdom of darkness wanted to see was the multiplication of the kingdom of God by the power of the Holy Spirit through Christ.

The New Covenant, Christ in flesh and blood, was the transformation of the heart and mind in conformance with the nature of God (Romans 6:10, 8:19, 23, 29; Hebrews 5:7-10).

Compared to the nature of the flesh in the kingdom of darkness, the New Covenant was no match when it came to the brutal violation of the enemy to “‘steal and kill and destroy’” (NIV, John 10:10).

Though Christ could have chosen to take the kingdom by force, he decided to extend grace to the uttermost, giving men and women more time to choose.

Even in the heat of the Tribulation, men and women will have a choice to choose Christ or not.

For example, even during the fifth plague, near the end of the Great Tribulation, it says mankind “refused to repent” (NIV, Revelation 16:11, italicized mine), intimating the judgments were measured to solicit if at all possible one last attempt of repentance and forgiveness.

The practice of the Old Covenant through the traditions of men had become a harsh, brutal, and hardened force because of sin, not because of the Covenant, but because of unrepentant sin.

Israel refused the offer of salvation, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and an early Millennium.

It would take the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and the dispersion of the saints to begin the slow process of bringing salvation to mankind, one heart and mind at a time.

As I said earlier, the power of creeds and traditions hold powerful influence over the body of Christ today.

The agreements we make become a life of their own – the lens through which we see and hear the world around us.

New moves of God throughout the centuries have faced opposition on many fronts and, tragically, it will be no different in the days ahead when God breathes “publicly” and powerfully upon his sons and daughters once again.

Many who hold creeds and traditions sacred will have a hard time when God moves in new ways, through new people, in new revelation, in the days ahead.

The Scripture even declares in the age of Philadelphia, those chosen to go through the open door into the deep work of the Spirit will face opposition from their brethren ((the “synagogue of Satan” (NIV, Revelation 3:9, italicized mine), is a description of those in the body of Christ who rise up and actively oppose new moves of God).

Creeds and traditions are a formidable foe, but will be found wanting in the end-times when God pours out a fresh wave of his Spirit in revelation, wonders, and miracles.

Before this era wraps up – the two-millennium era of the Age of the Gentiles – God will give mankind one last opportunity to receive their Messiah while the day is still light and the land in relative peace.

Introduction

What I am sharing with you in this series about the Lord’s journey is not something I discovered in study or heard from someone.

There are parts of Christ’s humanity most of us have come to understand.

But when it comes to the details of his humanity most of us, me included, did not understand how much the Scripture already provided about his journey – how he lived by grace through faith in obedience to God.

That he did not “model” living by the power of the Holy Spirit, but his very life depended upon it, as did all the signs, wonders, and miracles flowing out from him.

It is that part of his journey, who he became by grace through faith in obedience to God before his ministry, I received by revelation from the Lord here a little and there a little over several years.

The Lord has been unveiling more and more about the nature of salvation, himself, and the plan and purposes of God over the last 500 years, and, in greater detail over the last century.

And the pace has picked up over the last two to three decades.

The Lord told me, “Not many know this,” and began to walk me through the Scriptures showing me not only how he lived by faith in the grace of his Father, but the journey to completion he pioneered before his ministry; fulfilling the law in his flesh, becoming our atonement, Savior. (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10).

Like many, I’ve wondered about Christ’s humanity for decades.

I knew by the Scripture God was going to do a deep work in the last days in the body of Christ, revealing more of his nature in the mystery of Christ, but had no understanding of Christ before his ministry.

As far as most knew, Jesus basically vanished from age 12 to 30, what many call the missing 18 years.

Little did we know those 18 years were filled with the journey he pioneered in being made perfect – putting to death generational transgressions and iniquities passed to him from his human ancestry.

Over the course of a few years, the great weight and body of New Testament writing shifted from pointing to Calvary as the beginning of the New Testament and salvation, to Christ’s journey to perfection – he becoming the New Testament in flesh and blood; making spiritual sense of the Word like never before.

We no longer needed the cramming of square pegs in round holes by students of the Bible.

With the New Testament came a new language (John 6:63, 1 Corinthians 2:13, 1 John 5:7-8), critical to understanding and separating the journey of Christ from the shadows of Calvary.

As the Lord unveiled his journey in the Word over several years, I felt like a young child at Christmas, filled with excitement and discovery every time he gave me a new piece of the puzzle.

An international minister I had never met spoke a prophetic word over me in the summer of 2013.

I was struggling with a lot of wounds and brokenness and spiritual battles at that time, so it was extremely comforting to hear the Lord had a plan for me in revealing more of him.

As someone who suffered from deep rejection and abandonment, and anger from that, to know God is going to do a deep work in your life goes without saying how comforting and reassuring it is.

It is not an easy journey when the Lord begins to dismantle the strongholds of sin in one’s life – the sinful structures and practiced ways of living we and our generations have used to find life apart from God.

But oh, nothing compares to being set free by Jesus from the chains of darkness and the deep wounds of brokenness when he begins healing and restoration.

Healing and restoration are a journey just as it was a journey in embracing the sins of our generations and sins in general.

Nothing in this life compares to Christ working and laboring on your behalf, fighting for you, in your journey of transformation.

Only encounter with Christ can fill the vacuum of your soul and the desires and passions of your heart for intimacy with God.

As darkness looms ever larger over this earth and America, your only hope and safety will be in a growing intimate relationship with Christ.

In the fall of 2020, on that special day when prominent ministers were praying with crowds gathered at specific places in our nation’s capital, the Lord gave me a word just as I was going to bed.

And I believe the Lord gave me this word because of my love for history, and particularly, my love for America, how she has been a beacon of light and prosperity for the world, even with all her wounds and brokenness.

What would this world look like if God had not birthed America almost 3 centuries ago?

How many more men would’ve died in World War I if the United States had not intervened?

What would have become of Asia, the South Pacific, Australia, South America, Africa, and Europe if the US had not entered World War II?

How America has been the “salt” to the earth, preserving freedoms and values in wealth, prosperity, and hope.

It is grievous to see the shift that has happened, and is happening, in this country over the last half-century.

On that Sunday evening when I was going to bed, the Lord said to me, “the United States will never again be a great nation,” “austerity is coming,” “prudence.”

I believe his word speaks for itself, and by the way, I published this word in one of my posts back in 2020.

Back to the unveiling of the pioneering journey of Christ.

Certain aspects of Christ commentators wrestle with or ignore slowly came together as the Lord put the pieces of his journey to completion in the right place.

One key was the separation of the prophetic stream of his “coming,” from the prophetic stream of his “rejection.”

That plus the new language of the New Testament plus the understanding of suffering – wounding and piercing – in putting sin to death passed to him from his generations, before his ministry, shifted many Scriptures from Calvary to his completion.

It was, to say the least, exciting to see the pieces of the puzzle come together in the revelation of Christ for what was once thought to be 18 missing years.

As I noted, the Lord said to me, “Not many know this.”

I wondered about the story of Christ for decades and out of his great mercy and grace filled the emptiness in my heart for more of him with knowledge of his journey.

Oh, how great and wonderful our Lord and Savior is to share the glories of his journey and nature with you and me.

Any crowns we receive in this life will be laid at his feet not only now, but in the life to come.

It is only by God’s generosity and grace, and the working of “his faith” in you and me, we can partake of the mysteries of Christ, beginning with the new-birth into the deeper things of the Spirit of grace.

No matter how much revelation the Lord unveils, we must never lose sight it is all about him; what he did for us in putting sin to death, made perfect, then facing the devil for 40 days and nights, ministering for over three years in the face of opposition, all the while knowing there were plots to kill him; he who is life, having entered resurrection life in his perfection, never to die.

Talk about grace.

No wonder the Scripture teaches we owe every part of our being as a life sacrifice to him.

More on My Journey

After opening the Scriptures how he lived by faith and grace, he walked me through the Scriptures of his journey of putting generational sin to death, as he was beginning to walk me through my journey of putting sin to death.

You cannot really appreciate what Christ has done for you until he begins to walk you through the journey he pioneered, the sufferings of being cleansed, healed, and restored from generational transgressions and iniquities.

We call it suffering, a loss, to lose sinful appetites and desires we’ve embraced; but it is not a loss, but a gain of intimacy with the Lord in growing relationship and union with him.

As he began me on my journey, the journey he pioneered, he opened the door to the understanding of the new language of the New Testament.

That the New Testament is not an addition to the Old’s language, or, an expansion of the Old, or, a carryover, but exactly what it implies, a new language for a new covenant.

Where words like blood, sacrifice, death, cross, suffering go beyond the natural – what we can see with our eyes and hear with our ears – into the spiritual in the New Testament. (John 6:63, 1 Corinthians 2:13, 1 John 5:8, etc.).

If we miss this key understanding of the New Testament, we end up, like Israel of old, and those who labored to establish the creeds, transferring and confusing Old Testament terminology with the New, imposing concepts and definitions on the New from the Old.

And it is in the area of Christology, the understanding of his human nature, what he inherited from his human ancestry, the journey the Father took him through in being healed and restored, suffering the wounding of generational sins, being made perfect, becoming our Savior (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10), where the errors and discrepancies are most apparent.

The enemy knows if he can remove or distort the pioneering journey of Christ in being made complete, fathered by God, becoming our Savior, with an “event” instead of a “journey,” he can cripple the body of Christ in their call to seek to be conformed to the likeness of Christ as he was conformed to the Father.

Why else would Jesus pray, “‘that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.’” (NIV, John 17:21, italicized mine)

If the enemy can get us to believe it was the physical death of Christ ushering in the New Covenant, instead of his death to sin (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7 – 10), and teach us to take certain key Scriptures literally, like Galatians 3:13 and Colossians 2:14, we will be satisfied with the “Christ of Calvary,” and not seek the “Christ of journey.”

The enemy does not fear the teaching of Calvary, after all he was intimately involved in making it happen.

What does frighten the enemy are Christians coming to an understanding of Christ’s pioneering journey – it is possible by grace through faith in intimacy with Christ to put sin to death and begin to walk in new life – this is his greatest fear because of the potential damage to his kingdom – eventually it will his undoing (Rev. 12).

The enemy, the author of sin and death, fears and hates the thought men and women by grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness in intimacy with Christ can be cleansed, healed, and restored.

Healing and restoration undoes his work and begins to overthrow the kingdom he has labored so hard for six millenniums to establish through mankind.

The enemy is not frightened with sons of God, but, he is frightened at Sonship, those who respond to the call of the Spirit for the deep work of grace made conformable to Christ’s death, his death to sin, raised to walk in new life.

The enemy is not frightened with those who will be guests at the wedding, but at the thought of the bride of Christ, one that will bear Christ’s new name, his Father’s name, and the name of the New Jerusalem.

He’s not frightened by those who do not seek the open door of Philadelphia, but at those who seek the deep things of Spirit in intimacy and union with Christ through Philadelphia’s open door; made conformable to the Lord’s likeness in the revelation of his nature (1 Peter 1:13).

Jesus is doing an unprecedented work of the Spirit today, preparing and equipping a bride he will use in the end-times to cast out the net of revival to the fatherless in one last attempt to reach the lost before this age ends and the Millennium begins.

If we believe salvation as central to Calvary (and the Scripture does not teach this), and not the pioneering journey of Christ, then it’s all about Christ sacrificing much for us, and us little for him.

No wonder the paradox: at the same time we have the greatest abundance of the Word through every manner of ministry, commentary, media, and in-depth teaching on the Internet, with access to hundreds of resources unavailable in the past, the Scripture teaches there is a great falling away in the last days.

Salvation is Not an Event

Because many Christians have come to believe salvation is an event, a one-time experience in the new-birth, as wonderful as it is, failing to be taught from the Scriptures there is a need to seek the coming of the Lord in their lives, to leave the elementary principles of Christ and seek maturity (a big part of that occurs with cleansing, healing, and restoration, 2 Cor. 7:1, Ephesians 5:26-27, Philippians 2:12, etc.).

Creeds have confused many of the foundational principles of the New Testament with Calvary instead of the pioneering journey of Christ, made complete, fathered by God, becoming our Savior (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7 – 10).

We’ve come to believe things like the death of the testator of the New Testament occurred at Calvary, instead of the testator’s (the Lord Jesus), “death to the enmity in his flesh” (Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear, putting sin to death completely, Romans 6:10), becoming the only living person to sacrifice their life, i.e., their blood (1 Cor. 2:13, John 6:63, 1 John 5:7-8), perfectly, without sin .

Christ satisfied the heart of God by fulfilling the law of God completely without sin in his flesh; restoring not only what Adam and Eve lost, but finishing the race they failed to complete.

Christ destroyed the barrier of generational sin between his flesh and the law, forming the new creation in him, the firstborn, first fruit, pioneer, and forerunner of grace through faith.

And in his pioneering journey, Christ became our sin substitute, being the only one to put sin to death without sin, the testator of a brand-new covenant filled with grace and hope – not death.

That’s why John the Baptist said he needed to be baptized by Christ, and he was “‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'” (NIV, John 1:29)

Jesus was the New Testament in flesh and blood, not a model, when he began his ministry, having all authority and power in Heaven and earth, coming in the form of a servant, yet a King, hoping to be received as King (NIV, Matthew 21:37), though in the form of a servant.

As the Lord opened more of the understanding of the New Testament’s language to me (and there are others who have this understanding), it became clear why many have struggled over the centuries trying to seamlessly weave Scripture and creeds together – forcing things to fit – because it is impossible to marry the teaching of creeds with Scripture.

When the Lord reveals his Word – opens the truths of his Word in the understanding he intended for the New Testament – you do not need to force Scriptures to fit together, add words, or, rephrase words, to harmonize Scripture.

The Bible does not need our help to understand it.

We need God’s help, his revelation, Spirit, wisdom, to understand his book and our Savior, who he became, ministry, Calvary, and the plan and purposes of the mystery of Christ in you and me.

And who better else to tell us his story than Jesus himself!

Jesus promised not to leave us fatherless; he and the Father would come, not only to reveal their nature, but to change us from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18); what a marvelous and wonderful story we’ve been invited into.

God does not withhold the mystery of his Word, but longs to delight in sharing the wonders of his Word and Spirit with his sons and daughters.

He uses the mystery and wonder of his Word to cultivate inspiration and desire in our hearts to discover the deep things of Christ.

And when we get hungry and thirsty enough for the banquet God desires to share, he will invite us to sit at his banqueting table in the revelation of his nature and grace (1 Peter 1:13).

Because of creeds and traditions, many in the body of Christ have never been inspired through teaching to seek to discover not only encounter with Christ, but the bounty of Christ, the deep things of the Spirit, believing we have all we need from Jesus in the new birth.

And this is in the face of countless Scriptures exhorting the body of Christ to seek the coming of the Lord; to be baptized with the baptism he partook; to put sin to death by the cross of grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness, seeking to be made one with Christ.

Jesus warned about the cares of this life, being lukewarm, falling asleep, and other snares of the evil one that would come after his departure.

As wonderful and important as it is, the new birth is insufficient to hold the fort against the coming darkness in the last of the last days, especially when Satan and his host are cast out of the heavens (Revelation 12, right before the Tribulation), knowing they have a short time, a very short time.

The havoc and devastation the enemy and his host wreak during their short time in the Tribulation is something nobody in their right mind would want to see, let alone experience.

God has a plan to rescue as many as possible in the days ahead before that happens through revival so profound the Antichrist world system presently forming will be stunned and halted for a short season.

No, it’s not the Antichrist or false prophet wounded by a bullet as Hollywood loves to sensationalize in movies, but a wounding so deep and profound to the Spirit of this age – the Antichrist Spirit – it causes the progression and weight of darkness to stumble for a brief period.

In years not too far distant, many will be surprised at the overflowing abundance of the Spirit of God in the revelation of the Lord as he brings his bride to fullness in preparation for a great outpouring of his Spirit.

Back to the unveiling of the pioneering journey of Christ.

As the Lord opened more of his Word to me, he led me to better understand several key Scriptures, like Isaiah 53:4 – 6; Romans 6:10, 8:3; Galatians 4:4; Ephesians 2:14 – 16 (see an interlinear); Hebrews 2:10, 2:17, 4:15, 5:7-10, 7:16; 1 Peter 1:13, 2:24, 3:18, and so many more, that he was born with enmity in his flesh from his human ancestry, contrary to commentaries, creeds, and traditions.

Commentators don’t know what to do with Ephesians Chapter 2 where the Greek speaks about the enmity in Christ’s flesh.

Some commentators imply it is dishonoring to even think Christ had to struggle with generational transgressions and iniquities from his human ancestry because of the creeds.

On the contrary, it is dishonoring to believe Christ did not have to struggle with generational sins passed to him from his human ancestry because it robs him of his greatest personal victory, putting sin to death by grace through faith, completely, perfectly, without sin, becoming our Savior.

The Scripture cannot be any clearer from numerous passages Christ was fully human and tempted in every way mankind is tempted.

The many uses of the words, “death” “sacrifice” “blood,” among others, in the New Testament letters about Christ describe his death to sin, the enmity in his flesh, putting it to death by the cross of grace through faith, using the spiritual language of the New Testament (1 Corinthians 2:13), having everything to do with his pioneering journey to completion, fathered by God, and nothing to do with Calvary.

And as I began to experience the deep work of the Spirit in Tabernacles, the age of Philadelphia, the Lord unveiled the meaning of John 21:18, 1 Peter 1:13, and other similar passages on being led by him into the deep work of grace.

It’s what Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 4:10-11:

“We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.” (NIV)

The Lord is preparing a bride from across the globe, from every tribe and people group, choosing those who desire intimacy and union with him for the deep work of the Spirit of grace in healing and restoration.

His purposes are twofold – to heal and restore those who desire intimacy with him, and, to prepare and equip them to minister healing and restoration to the great incoming of souls in the days ahead.

The Lord is not going to wrap up the age of the Gentiles until there is one last grand offering of salvation before the “day of the LORD.” (NIV, Joel 2:11, see also 2 Peter 3:10)

And as the Lord was bringing all of this together, and so much more, he walked me through the understanding of his pioneering journey, his suffering, being made complete before ministry, i.e., the baptism of repentance and forgiveness for his generations – how he put generational transgressions and iniquities to death.

When the Lord opens his pioneering journey to you, the understanding how he was made complete, perfected, becoming our Savior, our atoning sacrifice before his ministry, it brings the Gospels into perspective, the heart of God for Christ in its proper setting, new light on what happened at Calvary, and God’s plan for our journey in being made like Christ.

Jesus did not need Rome, lawless, unrepentant sinners, to become our Savior.

And there’s no need to force fit creeds and traditions with Scripture as is done in many translations, and of course, in much preaching and teaching.

He became our Savior by putting sin to death (NIV, Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10), the wrath of God against sin, fulfilling the law in his flesh perfectly (Matthew 5:17), without falling from grace and faith (NIV, Hebrews 4:15), becoming what God always wanted – a living, breathing, blood sacrifice “life” to him.

Every Scripture about the perfected Christ, in relationship to his Father, how he is our intercessor (1 Timothy 2:5), our Redeemer (Hebrews 5:7 – 10), was brought to fruition at his completion, before his ministry.

Including these Scriptures which are also pictures of Christ coming to completion before his ministry: the face of the Father (John 14:9), the “Everlasting Father” (NIV, Isaiah 9:6), the “exact representation of his being” (NIV, Hebrews 1:3), the “Word became flesh” (NIV, John 1:14).

And these “who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father” (NIV, John 1:18), “seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” (NIV, Ephesians 1:20).

In other words, there was nothing lacking in Christ when he began his ministry; he was the completed Son, the New Testament walking in flesh and blood, having all authority in Heaven and earth, seated in heavenly places – spiritually, authoritatively – he said the kingdom of God has come to you, and when they saw him, they saw the Father.

Calvary did nothing to add to or diminish Christ, other than temporarily kill his physical body, which God glorified “again.” (NIV, John 12:28)

Jesus did not need to be killed for us to have salvation, he was salvation walking in flesh and blood; had he been received, Israel would have entered an early Millennium.

At the end of the Gospel of Mark, the second to the last verse, it says, “he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.” (NIV, Mark 16:19)

This verse is not saying something new about Jesus, he began to have the authority of God, on the contrary, it is giving a continuous uninterrupted picture of Christ in relationship to his Father in Heaven, the continuity of his union with his Father just like when he walked the earth exercising all authority and dominion.

Where Is Your Watering Hole?

What do you do, where do you go, to find spiritual life?

Where do you see yourself spiritually in the future?

What is the vision in Christ who’ve been pointed toward?

Do you know, have you been taught, the Scripture speaks of the deep work of the Spirit in forming a bride in the last of the last days?

Most have been taught everybody is in the bride, and everybody goes in the rapture – but that is not what the Scripture teaches.

There’s a lot of ifs, ands, and buts, qualifying the “all’s” of Scripture.

Grace is not given in the new-birth for us to stay as children, but to transform our lowly nature – to become fathers – as we encounter Christ in the journey he pioneered.

If we feel dead inside, desolate and lost, standing on the back side of hope, unable to see the light of Christ, he knows how to stir hearts to hunger after him.

He can raise those given over to death and darkness into another chance of finding life in him.

Jesus is not cheap with grace, but overabundantly supplies more than we could ever ask, willing to search for those in the depths of sin who want another chance at life – he did that for me, and he can do it for you, because he is no respecter of persons.

The work of making the bride in the last days is a “deeper work of greater grace,” to transform our sinful natures by putting it to death, raised to walk in new life in the likeness of Christ.

It is not too late to ask Jesus to be taken into the deep work of the Spirit in the age of Philadelphia.

I believe we are more at Philadelphia’s beginning stages than at the end.

It is my opinion the Lord is going to bring another revival before the “big one” (the big one is the one that will usher in the end-times) to capture the hearts of more men and women for the vision of the bride – the journey Christ pioneered in being made perfect; to give more people another chance for seeking the deep things of God.

Likeness

Everybody has an overarching plan for their life whether formalized or not, at a minimum, through our agreements, beliefs, vows, and other spiritual choices we and our ancestors have chosen in our family line.

Everybody at some level is looking to something or someone for an image or likeness to follow, imitate, and become.

And whatever image or likeness you pursue will be your destination.

We will either be made (individually and uniquely), into the image and likeness of Christ by grace through faith by the power of the Holy Spirit, or, (individually and uniquely), into an image and likeness other than Christ.

In Revelation 13, the false prophet (the Antichrist, see 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2), makes an image for men and women to worship, an image of the beast.

(One cannot but wonder what role technology will play in the end-times when evil is near its peak.)

What We Behold:

The thoughts we receive, the images we behold, and the actions we express reflect the person we are becoming, whether it’s good fruit, or bad fruit.

What is it that catches our eyes, captures our thoughts, resonates in our heart, draws our desires and passions after it?

Is it the vision Christ lays out in the Scriptures for pursuing intimacy with him, or the vision the world lays out through the “Spirit of the Age” for pursuing intimacy with it?

Whatever makes us feel familiar, like home, how life is lived, how life is done – words, thoughts, and actions, plays a part in forming and constructing our worldview, whether Christian or non-Christian.

One thing we know from 6000 years of Bible history, without outside intervention from the Lord, eternal darkness through the law of wounds and brokenness, and the sins that feed upon them, will form and mold who we become.

The purpose of grace and the new-birth is not just to be born again, but to break and shatter the cycle of generational wounds and brokenness by putting sin to death once and for all in our generations just like Christ did in his.

Of course, this can only be done by Christ in us; he has reserved great grace for those who call on his name and seek his face in the age of Philadelphia: the promise of partaking of the new creation in a deeper way than past generations.

Other than the Millennium, the age of Philadelphia holds the greatest promises of transformation into the new creation than any other time in human history.

The world has a way of living life through the law of sin it aggressively seeks to pass on to men and women and their generations .

And other than at the end of the Millennium, when Satan is loosed for a short season, the coming end-times and Tribulation, and the season leading up to them, holds the greatest risks of being made into an image and likeness other than the nature of Christ.

It started with Eve in the Garden when she beheld the beauty of the “Tree.”

What caught Eve’s eye first was the beauty of the “Tree,” not the fruit (see an interlinear).

I speculate God’s tree (Tree of Life), was not the most beautiful tree in the Garden, but rather ordinary looking, not something to catch one’s eye, like the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

I believe God’s tree was not as beautiful in the natural as the Tree the enemy planted – he wanted his Word, his command to Adam, to become the centerpiece of beauty, a reflection of him, and not something created, like a tree.

It says of Christ in Isaiah 53, “He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” (NIV, 53:2)

(The emphasis of the first part of this passage is on Christ’s humanity, his ancestral heritage from Adam – coming from the stock of dry ground – Adam made from earth and returning to it because of sin.)

There was nothing in Christ’s outward appearance to draw people to him, he looked like any typical Jew of his day, in height, weight, and appearance.

From our conception, we enter a world system with plans and strategies to form you and I into the image and likeness of the world through our ancestral generations.

When we enter life we start in a fallen state from the beginning.

Momentum, plans, strategies, and destination are set in motion against us when we begin our journey in the family of mankind, Christian parents or not.

The only exceptions to the predisposition to sin from the get go were Adam and Eve, and Christ; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit in grace – grace trumping generational sin, i.e., placing Christ back in the position of Adam before the fall – not automatically inclined to sin, though, unlike Adam, born with enmity in his flesh.

(See Ephesians 2:14-16 in an interlinear, and the many Scriptures which speak of Christ’s humanity and his personal journey in putting sin to death I have shared many times).

When we enter life, our fallen generations (whether Christian or not), pass sin to you and me in our body, soul, and spirit with “plans, strategies, compass, backpack, supplies, map, and instructions” on how to live life according to the course our ancestors set before us through the law of sin in transgressions and iniquities.

We are born with the appetites, desires, and passions, of the fleshly nature.

And as we know from Scripture, it only intensifies and deepens until a generation dies out or heavenly intervention.

Heaven’s intervention in the new-birth and Pentecostal experiences only go so deep in the measure of putting sin to death.

Only Christ’s personal intervention in Tabernacles – being ushered into the deep work of the Spirit of grace in Philadelphia, attends to deeply rooted sins and iniquities in the journey of being made one with Christ.

The law of sin is insurmountable in the flesh, it can never be defeated, no matter how advanced mankind becomes, or how much power they think they have within them, sin can never be defeated outside of the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And this present age, Philadelphia, provides the greatest opportunity through a greater abundance of grace to be made more like Christ than ever before – the promises have never been as targeted as they are today.

The “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” is written on the DNA of every person born of the flesh, beginning with Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden. (NIV, 1 John 2:16)

Jesus is the only one by grace through faith to put to death every transgression and iniquity passed to him by his human ancestry, before they had a chance to put him to death, and he did it completely, becoming our substitute (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10).

Our only hope to be in the bride in this great hour of history is to seek Christ for his pioneering journey.

When we’re born again, Christ intervenes to point us in a new direction and destination, with a new compass, backpack, supplies, and instructions, toward the journey he pioneered in Tabernacles (Philadelphia).

Like Abraham, we are – “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (NIV, Hebrews 11:10)

The city he was looking for was not an actual physical city, but a healed and restored body, soul, and spirit, the purpose for which Christ came, i.e., the promised to grace to come in flesh and blood (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10 – 12).

Jesus said speaking of those who are his disciples, “‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.’” (NIV, Matthew 5:14 – 15, italicized mine)

In every season of history, Christ advances the Church another step toward greater union with him.

We cannot follow our Christian forefathers who pioneered new adventures in Christ, because those adventures are insufficient for the journey we face today.

The glory cloud has moved on, and we must move with it if we are to stay safely hidden under the shadow of his wings.

The tools and instruments used in yesteryears victories against sin are inadequate today as the Antichrist Spirit of the Age builds in almost every facet of life and society.

The only safety for any Christian is to be safely in the training circle with him.

If we are to be successful in our journey toward Christ likeness in this special age of promises, we must seek Christ with all our hearts, and when we’re ready, Christ will lead us into intimacy with him.

The Long Journey of Becoming

One way of seeing how close you are to your destination is to look in your rearview mirror at landmarks you’ve passed to see how far you’ve traveled.

Scripturally we can do that with the Bible, seeing what’s behind and ahead in the plans and purposes of God in making his children more like Christ.

We know we’ve passed the age of Sardis, the Reformation and Pentecostal age, and we know we are not in the Tribulation, or deep in the end-times yet, leaving the body of Christ squarely planted in the concurrent ages of Philadelphia and Laodicea.

One will go on to become the bride, the other will have to buy gold in the fires of the Tribulation.

Philadelphia has the greatest promises and opportunities God has to offer this side of Heaven; Laodicea great risks, but eventual reward provided one does not take the mark of the beast in the darkest time of history. 

Man’s journey has been a progressive one.

Many contend Adam and Eve were created perfect falling from perfection into a state of sinfulness.

We know anything God does or creates is undefiled and perfect in what he does.

Something can be perfect in its present state, undefiled, yet require growth, maturity, learning, and transformation to complete God’s design, plan, and purposes.

Very Important

Hearts are not created perfect, but created to be made perfect.

If hearts (and minds), speaking in a broad sense of mankind’s ability to think, process, choose, and exercise one’s will, were created complete in all respects, you would have robots and not free moral agency.

We were created for journey, intimacy, and love, and all of those presuppose the exercise of free will.

Adam and Eve were designed and created perfect in every way for their stage of development, but had a long journey ahead for their hearts, minds, and wills to be made complete in learning obedience by grace through faith.

And it did not take long for the enemy to take advantage and capture them in sin.

After Adam and Eve entered the path to be made into the likeness of darkness, God’s only options were either to destroy mankind, or, design a path back to redemption in accordance with his original plan of learning obedience by grace through faith but with the added measures of repentance and forgiveness.

(The fallen angels have no options available to them because they had the full light and witness of the Holy Spirit before they chose rebellion – they sinned with full knowledge.)

We know from Scripture and our own relationship with Christ, he was God’s answer for sin – pioneering the journey back to wholeness and holiness, by putting sin to death once for all for his generations by grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness.

He destroyed the barrier of sin in his flesh, fulfilling the law perfectly, becoming, spiritually speaking, the restored tree of life for you and me.

It’s been two millenniums since Christ pioneered the journey for men and women, and five church ages, Ephesus to Sardis, have come and gone.

We know the body of Christ is closing in on their final destinations having entered the beginning stages of Philadelphia and Laodicea decades ago.

It is not by coincidence the age of Philadelphia offers the greatest promises in Scripture in stark contrast to the warnings of Laodicea since we lie on the threshold of the end-times.

The age of Philadelphia clearly and articulately reveals the greatest promises to the body of Christ for those who seek intimacy and union with Christ.

To go through the open door of Philadelphia requires a measure of preparation, and preparation requires a measure of knowledge, and knowledge requires a measure of the Vision God has for making his sons and daughters into the likeness of Christ.

And my hope is this Series sparks desire and passion for searching and seeking the deep things of Christ in these, the last of the last days.

Today we have more revelation and understanding of the plans and purposes of God than ever before.

More of the puzzle pieces are coming together now than ever before and faster.

And of course, centered in all this, the Lord is making himself known to the body of Christ in intimacy and growing union more than ever before.

Jesus has labored for two millenniums to fulfill his prayer sons and daughters would be made one with him as he is with the Father.

God designed a plan of six church ages to complete the process for the body of Christ (Laodicea, the 7th, comes in through the back door).

In other words, what Adam and Eve started in the journey toward being made perfect, Christ by grace through faith not only redeemed the sins they and their descendants fell into, but also, finished the race they started, fathered by God, completely and perfectly, without sin.

Having pioneered the journey of redemption perfectly and completely (Hebrews 5:7-10), Christ became our substitute, the means by which we can be healed and restored by grace through faith in him.

And that means has never been made more apparent, real, and tangible, than today, in the age of Philadelphia, where Christ is personally choosing those who seek after him for deep intimacy and growing union.

The Great Extremes (Fullness) Once Again

And herein lies one of the great paradoxes of this age: the stark contrasts between the natural and spiritual realms, and within the spiritual realm.

The 21^st-century, (in developed countries), provides the greatest promises (spiritually speaking, because of the Philadelphia church age), opportunities, and resources men and women have ever had.

Yet, in the time of great blessing – both in the natural and spiritual realm – lies ever deepening darkness and sin.

And within the body of Christ lies the growing separation of two different journeys, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.

It’s not a coincidence at the same time the Lord is doing the deepest work of healing and restoration ever promised he warns about being lukewarm.

Another fullness of time is approaching the body of Christ (and humanity), and it will not be understood through natural perception alone.

In our culture, and even in Christendom, the sufferings of Christ are likened to failure, and not favor.

There’s not much said these days about the sufferings of Christ, and if it is said, it is wrongly attributed to his ministry or Calvary, and not his journey being made complete (Hebrews 5:7-10) before his ministry.

In a lot of ways, the sufferings of Christ – being disciplined by the Lord, sacrificing rights and privileges, learning obedience, healing and restoration (being fathered by God) – are likened to failure, both in and out of the Church.

Whereas Scripture likens the sufferings of Christ to favor with God, cleansing, healing and restoration of wounds and brokenness (Psalm 51:17; 2 Corinthians 7:1, etc.,).

Very Important

The sufferings of Christ are not punishment for sin, but the favor of God in being cleansed and healed from sin.

Though Christ did not sin, he did have what the Scripture says was enmity in his flesh from his human ancestry, requiring the journey of wounding and piercing, healing, and restoration, to put it to death. (NIV, Isaiah 53:4-6, Romans 6:10, etc.,)

You can have enmity in your flesh and not sin, as James describes in Chapter 1.

The Spirit of grace Christ received from his Father placed him in a state of grace, with a predisposition toward grace and righteousness, not an automatic tendency to sin like everybody else born in the flesh.

He still had to wrestle with what was passed to him from his human ancestry, and not only resist it but put it to death, but he was not automatically predisposed to sin like you and me from the get go.

The cross of Christ (grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness) is not God’s disfavor, but his favor in receiving his healing and blessings!

Creeds and traditions have made the cross of Christ one to be feared, avoided, not to be sought after, but it is the power of salvation; the promise of healing and restoration by putting to death sin and darkness.

It is the path to restoration and resurrection this side of Heaven, to walk by the Spirit in heavenly places in Christ.

It is the only path to transformation and intimacy and union with Christ.

No, the cross of Christ is not to be feared, but sought with all our hearts.

In our culture, the exposure of wounds and brokenness is likened to disfavor instead of God’s great love, grace, and mercy to heal our wounds and brokenness.

The sufferings of Christ have been redefined by culture and the Church as something not to be pursued but avoided, but it is the promise to salvation.

Creeds and traditions have turned light into darkness, and darkness into light.

They’ve taken away the journey of Christ in being made perfect and given us Calvary as the journey.

The sufferings of Christ have come to mean either persecution, punishment for doing something wrong, failure, or reaping what you have sowed.

Whereas in the Scriptures the sufferings of Christ bring cleansing, healing, and restoration from sin and darkness.

It is the work of the Spirit in conforming you and me to the likeness of Christ.

Receiving inner healing is entering into the sufferings of Christ, whether it’s low hanging bad fruit, easily discerned and picked, or deeply rooted transgressions and iniquities needing intensive work of the Spirit (Matthew 15:13).

It appears many in Christendom are drifting away from Scripture, neglecting to seek cleansing and healing (e.g., Romans 6:5; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Maybe this is one of the causes of the Great Falling prophesied in the Scriptures to happen in the last of the last days.

The body of Christ wants to be seen as whole and holy to the world, as a place of refuge, and rightly so.

But first the world needs to see the body of Christ as a hospital commissioned by God to provide care, nurture, and fathering, restoring one another (NIV, Galatians 6:1; 1 Peter 5:10), by healing wounds and brokenness.

When the world sees the love of God in healed and restored Christians, it will be interested in what the Gospel has to offer – at least some will.

Many Christians want to present a picture of wholeness and holiness to the world to win the lost, which is good, but first we must receive a lot of care ourselves before we can offer care to others.

There’s more to offering spiritual care than just training, unlike becoming a physician in the natural, a spiritual physician needs a measure of healing and restoration first, before they can offer deep healing to others.

It is the sufferings of Christ, being led by the Lord into intimacy with him, having wounds revealed, cleansed, and healed, through which we are known and know.

There is no other path to knowing and being known by the Lord.

It is not going to be accomplished by decisions alone as some preach.

It is not going to be accomplished by memorizing and reciting Scripture as some preach.

The one and only path to intimacy with Christ is through the open door of Philadelphia, a deep place of grace where the secret and hidden things of the heart are revealed and placed by the cross of Christ before the Lord for cleansing.

There’s a lot of teaching today about what success looks like, the power within to change ourselves, but not much teaching and preaching about the cross of Christ, the sufferings of being cleansed and healed by the Lord.

It is tragic, but in some ways the body of Christ is resisting the call of the Spirit to earnestly seek the Lord for his coming – his coming to bring healing and restoration while the day is still light.

Many want to preach, teach, evangelize, receive the gifts of the Spirit, etc., there was a time for that, but today, in the age of Philadelphia, the call of the Spirit is to go deep in him.

And going deep in him can only happen if we earnestly seek encounter with Christ.

The body of Christ in a measure has lost its calling of being a hospital for God’s sons and daughters, to enter the deep work of the Spirit of grace in co-laboring with Christ to cleanse and heal his sheep.

Just like success, the world’s definition of failure has also infiltrated the body of Christ, in this case steering people away from their need to be cleansed and healed.

Many are neglecting to receive care and love for deeply rooted wounds and brokenness which will lead to great challenges and difficulties in the coming days as darkness grows deeper and deeper.

God’s definition of success is the sufferings of Christ, putting sin to death to walk in new life; failure is to neglect to earnestly seek Christ for encounter, to miss the sufferings of being made one with him.

Spiritual success is to submit to the discipline of the Lord by grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness – being made utterly dependent upon God for life and breath, made weak so he can be strong.

This is the opposite of Laodicea, which is dominated by strength and looking good.

The devil’s greatest fear (in this age) is Christians will seek the Lord for intimacy, to be taken through the open door of Philadelphia into the deep work of the Spirit, because, once there, they are safely in God’s provision and light like no other place.

It is God’s only safe place in the last of the last days.

That’s why there is such a fight right now in many people’s lives; they are reaching a point where they know they need something more if they are to make it in the days ahead, and not sure what that is, or, what it looks like.

The enemy has schemed through creeds and traditions to do everything possible to hide the journey of Christ behind the veil of Calvary, making salvation an event, instead of a life-long journey in Christ through deepening stages of transformation.

Creeds and traditions direct Scriptures about wounding, piercing, crushing, to Calvary; when those same words describe David’s journey under the hand of God.

The enemy knows how to shift Scripture to fit his purposes, to appeal to the natural, instead of seeking Christ and learning the language of the New Testament.

To make terms like pioneer, first fruit, forerunner, firstborn, about Calvary, or his birth, instead of the most important event in the history of mankind, Christ’s perfection before his ministry.

Christ has been robbed (made into a model) of the most important journey of mankind – putting to death generational transgressions and iniquities passed to him from his human ancestry.

He suffered the loss of the appetites and desires of the flesh, made into a new creation, something we could never do on our own, being born into sin by both parents.

The suffering he went through at times was so strong he cried out to his Father for redress, something we could never do like him, having unfettered access to God (Hebrews 5:7-10).

He’s the only one who could endure suffering of that intensity – what it took to put the enmity in his flesh to death, generational sins, along with emptying himself of rights and privileges (Philippians 2).

Christ faced everything we face in the way of temptation, remaining in his Father’s care, love, and grace, throughout his journey of being made complete.

Christ went through inner healing just like what many go through today only his was far more intensive and thorough than ours, and he did it without sin.

Unless we pursue healing and restoration, our lamps will not have enough oil to make the trip with the bridegroom to be made into brides.

The wise virgins were truly wise and surprised, because when our bridegroom Christ comes to us uniquely and individually, he comes not to invite us as guests, but to prepare those who are wise to be made brides (Matthew 25:10).

***

Finally, the world plants in our hearts we need to do this or that, anything, and everything to keep us from pursuing intimacy and union with Christ – the deep things of the Spirit of God in these, the last of the last days (1 John 2:15-17).

Your bucket list may sound fulfilling for the moment, but after you’ve done this or that, and you’re back home, the emptiness only Christ can fulfill will still be begging to receive care and nurture from the Lord.

Yes, we all need vacations, breaks, rest, etc., etc., but Jesus can even lead us in that – after all, he’s after our best interest in everything, not just what we think is spiritual – he promised to heal the whole person (Romans 8:10-11; 1 Thess. 5:23).

Our days are short, we only have so much time.

The world wants to so fill our hearts and minds with the cravings and lusts of this life, having nothing left to offer Christ.

Jesus said, “‘For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.’” (NIV, Matthew 16:25)

One thing is sure, if we move toward the Lord, he doubly moves toward us, and as we seek him, he seeks us even more – after all, he’s been working behind the scenes to get us to seek him in the first place (it is the Spirit of God that draws our hearts toward Christ, John 6:44).

Christ is searching the earth for those who desire him, who want the deep things of God, adventure, to move beyond the new-birth into new and uncharted territory.

Christ desires to truly be Lord and Savior and that cannot happen if everything is planned and unspontaneous.

Jesus desires the freedom to bring new things in your life and mine.

He loves spontaneity!

We cannot truly come to the knowledge of Christ without Christ having access to the whole of us.

There is no shortcut to encounter and journey with Christ.

If you want adventure with Jesus, then you must allow Jesus to be Jesus, to allow him to be your Savior, to allow him access to your life, family, children, and everything you hold dear.

There is no greater treasure on earth than knowing the person of Christ deeply and richly, having him guide you into the revelation of his Word in growing intimacy and union with him.

Now is the time to seek the Lord like never before – if you don’t know how, just ask him to show you, and he will.

“Do not love the world or anything in the world.

If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.

For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world.

The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (NIV, 1 John 2:15 – 17)

Blessings, Drake

I have rich and new insight coming on the Book of Revelation in the months and years ahead, as the Lord leads to formalize in posts.

Supplement

This supplement is a refresher plus some new information for study and research.

Separating the Chaff from the Wheat

The Church never loses its significance in the Kingdom of God as an instrument of evangelizing, nurturing, teaching, training, and equipping the children of God this side of the Millennium.

In the Millennium there will be changes in the way the body of Christ relates and operates and even more in the New Heaven and the New Earth.

The Tabernacle/Temple, foretelling in “type,” the Christian pilgrimage, would not have been the Tabernacle/Temple without the Outer Court, the Holy Place, or, the Holy of Holies.

You cannot have the feast of Tabernacles (summer fruit harvest), without first the feasts of Passover and Pentecost (barley and wheat harvests).

Similarly, you cannot have the deep work of the Spirit of grace in the age of Philadelphia, i.e., the fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles in the New Covenant (journey of being made one with Christ), without first experiencing the new-birth and some measure of teaching, training, and preparation.

Spiritually, the Church is like a birthing, teaching, and training center: to prepare God’s sons and daughters for Christ’s “coming.”

The coming I refer to is not his physical second coming, but the “coming,” “appearing,” “judging,” “revealing,” the Scripture refers to when Christ ushers his son or daughter into the wilderness journey of being made one with him, i.e., the deep work of the Spirit in preparing a bride.

(See Matthew 24:40, 25:6; John 21:18; Romans 8:29; I Corinthians 4:5, 11:26, 15:23; 2 Corinthians 5:10, 7:1, 13:9; Galatians 4:19; Ephesians 4:11-13, 4:21-24, 5:26-27; Philippians 1:6, 2:16, 3:10-21; Colossians 1:27, 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Timothy 6:14; 1 Peter 1:13; Revelation 3:7-13.

There are more verses, but suffice it to say these refer to the journey of being made one with Christ – the coming of the Lord to prepare a bride during the different seasons of the Church age, and, particularly at the end of the age, today.)

The Church was commissioned to help prepare men and women for the deep things of God, to point you and me toward our Father so we can be made whole and holy, healed, and restored, i.e., the mystery of Christ.

It takes two to form the bride.

Mother church cannot do it alone.

She lacks the creative and transforming power of the Holy Spirit to bring the old man to death and raise him to walk in resurrection life.

Mother church is commissioned to bring you and me into the first two feasts, Passover (fulfilled in the new-birth), and Pentecost (fulfilled in the baptism of the Holy Spirit), and to paint the Vision large for the feast of Tabernacles (Trumpets, Atonement, and Booths – the journey of being made one with Christ).

The Christian pilgrimage is a journey through the feasts – from Passover to Tabernacles (from the barley to the summer fruit harvest), and a journey through the Tabernacle (from the Outer Court to the Holy of Holies).

Unlike the first two feasts of the Christian pilgrimage, only Jesus can lead someone into and through Tabernacles, his pioneering journey.

The Lord has established various para-church ministries, like Elijah House, SOZO, Wild at Heart, Captivating, and who knows how many others, to bridge the gap and help prepare men and women to be chosen for the deep work of the Spirit of grace in Tabernacles.

A lot of things have got to come together at the right time for someone to be taught and prepared to be chosen by the Lord for Tabernacles.

Important

This website is devoted to teaching the body of Christ there is more, much more, beyond the new-birth and Pentecost, the long journey of being made one with Christ.

Many Christians are not aware the great weight and body of the New Testament is devoted not to the new-birth or Pentecost, but to the deep work of the Spirit in Tabernacles.

Many do not know why they seem to be stuck in their pilgrimage because they have not been taught and given the vision there is more than the wheat harvest, more than the Holy Place, but the summer fruit harvest and Holy of Holies.

Tabernacles is not like the new-birth and baptism of the Holy Spirit where we lead one another by the Holy Spirit into salvation and baptism.

Tabernacles is the province of the Lord.

He chooses those who seek him and are ready for the deep work of the Spirit in the journey he pioneered (Hebrews 2:10, 6:20; 1 Peter 1:13).

Important

This is where this subject gets messy because creeds and traditions have the journey ending at the new-birth.

Trying to untie over a millennium of creeds and traditions is not easy; it is a slow process; the Lord has been unraveling for some 500 years now.

For the most part, the Lord has had to work  outside mainline Christendom through new moves of God and para-church ministries to teach and prepare people for the deeper things of the Spirit.

Creeds and traditions swallowed up the journey of Tabernacles in the story of Calvary, made it disappear, as if it never happened.

They pointed the great weight and body of New Testament writings about sacrifice, death, blood, suffering, cross, resurrection, etc., to Calvary, instead of the deep work of the Spirit in being made one with the Lord.

The devil is not afraid of the new-birth, but he hates the thought of God’s sons and daughters being made into Christ’s likeness, the bride (John 17:21; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:10-21; Revelation 3:7-13, 19:7).

That is why the Dragon stands before the woman of Revelation 12 “that it might devour her child the moment he was born.” (NIV, verse 4)

He wants to devour the baby in the womb of the Church the Lord is forming in the last of the last days to be his bride.

Creeds and traditions point more to the things of Christ instead of the “person” of Christ, our Savior.

It is not the events of Calvary that save us, but the person of Christ.

It is not that Jesus was murdered that saves us, but Jesus.

He was the Messiah, our Savior, healer, counselor, Prince of Peace, God in flesh, before he was killed.

Calvary was the rejection of our Savior.

But Christ used it to not only confirm and testify everything he said about himself, but to purchase men and women even in their rejection; extending the gift of salvation even in his physical death – purchasing those who come to him from eternal death (Revelation 5:9).

In other words, because Israel would not come to him even with the witness of signs and wonders for over three years (because of deeply rooted sin), Christ rejected their rejection of him at Calvary.

He extended grace to the people of Israel (and mankind), for another chance: “purchasing” the right to convince mankind of their need for him, when he could have righteously taken power by force.

Otherwise, if he had taken up arms at Calvary, most of mankind would be lost, including many in Israel who would later come to repentance; because even in the face of signs and wonders most were too ensnared in deeply rooted sins to see the witness of God in him.

Even today, many come to Christ who are deeply trapped in sin because Jesus paid them a visit – he purchased the right to pursue deeply wounded men and women who in normal circumstances would reject him outright.

Nonetheless, the Scripture is clear, before his ministry, he wrought our salvation in being made perfect (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10), bringing an end to sin in his generations completely, putting it to death, raised to immortality (Hebrew 7:16), becoming our Savior.

He restored what Adam and Eve lost in the Garden, becoming what God always wanted, “a living sacrifice,” under a new and better covenant.

He was not groomed by God to be killed by the hands of lawless men as we have been taught.

But he was predestined and determined by God to be made perfect, our Savior, through the long journey of being made one with the Father (Acts 2:23, see an interlinear for correct Greek rendering).

Once the Church came into agreement under the spiritual authority of creeds, it lost the vision of the plan of God in Christ to cleanse and heal his sons and daughters over the long journey of Tabernacles (Ephesians 5:26).

Losing her vision, she lost her way, having no “vision” to point her sons and daughters to, other than to grow the Church at the expense of sons and daughters missing the journey of being made one with Christ.

There is a stark difference between what the Scriptures teach of Christ “becoming our Savior, the New Covenant in flesh and blood – the living, breathing, sacrificial lamb before his ministry – healing and saving for over three years,” versus, Christ becoming our Savior at Calvary. (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 5:7-10, etc.)

As if God needed the help of lawless men and Roman soldiers to bring about the greatest gift to mankind, the promised grace to come in Christ (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10-12).

God presented Christ as a living sacrifice to destroy sin, to put it to death, not to destroy him by killing him (Romans Chapters 5 (5:10), and 6, and the book of Hebrews).

It is the living Christ “before, during, and after” Calvary that saves you and me; not Calvary, but the sacrifice of his life in pursuit of being made one with the Father, completely, without sin, that saves you and me.

His life for over 33 years was a perfect blood sacrifice, never sinning, made complete, what else could God ask for?

The answer is nothing.

He fulfilled the law perfectly in his flesh (Matthew 5:17).

That is why in the parable of the landowner and tenants God the Father says he hopes Israel will honor his Son, that, it is the right choice to make (NIV, Matthew 21:37).

If Israel had received and honored Christ, we would have had an early Millennium – the preferred will of God.

In the absence of that, the preferred will of God was for Christ not to take up arms, because of the innocents that would be killed, leaving the final decision to Christ – either way God would be with him.

Jesus is our Savior; not the actions of lawless men, nor the actions of Roman soldiers, nor the actions of unrepentant Israel, but Jesus, “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.” (NIV, 2 Corinthians 5:19)

Christ did not count people’s sins against them during his ministry, saving, healing, raising the dead, having all authority in Heaven and on earth before and after Calvary.

He was the fullness of God walking in human flesh – God seen in the person of Christ. (John 1:1, 10:34-36, 14:9-10; Colossians 1:19; Hebrews 1:3-8)

Note:

In John 6:51 Jesus says “‘This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’” (NIV, italicized mine)

In other words, I am your Savior now; you are going to reject me, but in your rejection, I will continue to extend grace and continue to offer salvation, though the journey for all will be more difficult having rejected me.

Though it appears he is speaking of Calvary, he has already made known the only sign Israel will get is “‘the sign of the prophet Jonah.’” (NIV, Matthew 12:39, italicized mine, one of his first proclamations he would be killed).

Also, Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3, separates Christ’s death to sin – which Paul taught extensively as dying “to” sin, raised to walk in newness of life (Romans), and in that, “Christ died for our sins” (NIV) – becoming our Savior by putting sin to death in his generations (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10, etc.)

He separates that from Calvary in verse four.

He did not need to get into an extended explanation about the two Epic Events because creeds and traditions did not exist at that time.

***

To sum, conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, was God’s presentation to mankind of what would become a “living blood sacrifice” – sacrificing the entirety of his life in being made perfect, restoring what Adam lost in a new and better covenant founded on the promised grace to come.

And in that “living blood sacrifice,” he put sin to death in utter dependence upon God; the cross of Christ, through repentance and forgiveness of transgressions and iniquities passed to him from his human ancestry.

He pioneered the journey of a living sacrifice under the new and better covenant where fallen men and women can be healed and restored, made whole, and holy, through the journey he pioneered.

Christ brought a new and better covenant, a new language, a new way of atoning for sin, and a new journey for healing and restoration.

And the new and better covenant brought the need to receive revelation by the Spirit to understand and enter the journey of intimacy and union with Christ.

His death to sin ushered in salvation at his completion, before his ministry.

His death at Calvary voided mankind’s rejection of him by purchasing the right to save men and women who come to him.

You can say his death to sin ushered in salvation and at Calvary it continued to flow despite mankind’s rejection of him, though the road would be more difficult, challenging, and long because of his physical absence.

Before Calvary, healing and salvation came by the mere touch of his hand or the words of his mouth.

After Calvary, except for Christ’s personal appearance to individuals, an invitation to salvation is generally preceded by confession of faith in acknowledging the one they cannot see in the natural.

Creeds and traditions substitute the true cross of Christ, i.e., the baptism of putting sin to death, for what was seen in the natural, the execution of Christ.

His death at Calvary “exposed” mankind’s unrepentant sin; the veil in the Temple torn in two revealing sins heretofore hidden by the veil from the Holy of Holies.

There would now be no excuse for rejecting the grace of God – the revelation of Christ has now appeared, i.e., the wonderous prophesied promised grace has come, making known the love of God for all men and women.

The rending of the veil not only exposed mankind’s sin, but foretold the rushing of the Holy Spirit out to the Gentiles beyond Israel in search of those who would desire the favor and love of God.

Israel was no longer the centerpiece of God’s plan for salvation, the Spirit would now search high and low across the globe for those who desire Christ.

Jesus was glorified at his completion, becoming our Savior before his ministry, and he was glorified again after Calvary (John 12:28).

Hiding the Story of Christ

Creeds and traditions not only hide the story of Christ’s journey behind Calvary (pointing the suffering of Christ in putting sin to death to Calvary), but the “strength” of the promised grace to come to heal and restore to great loss.

In hiding the strength of the promised grace to heal and restore, Christ, the firstborn, his Gospel, is stripped of its power.

Paul talked about the ungodly, “having a form of godliness but denying its power” (NIV, 2 Timothy 3:5), but this can also apply to those who reject the healing and restoration power of the promised grace in Christ (1 Peter 1:13).

In hiding Christ’s journey and story, stripping the Gospel of its strength and power, – if that was not bad enough – creeds and traditions hide the journey and story the Church is supposed to point its sons and daughters toward.

To be taught, trained, “prepared,” like the five wise virgins, beyond the new-birth and Pentecost, cultivating desire and passion in its sons and daughters to seek the deep work of the Spirit of grace in the feast of Tabernacles.

To apprehend the prize, intimacy, and union with Christ.

How often is that spoken about in sermons and teaching?

But God.

Thankfully, Jesus is bringing a fresh revelation of the Feasts, their foretelling of the Christian pilgrimage.

The Lord is making known today through sons and daughters there is more, much more, of Christ to be apprehended in preparation for the coming deep waves of his Spirit.

He is doing everything possible so we do not become foolish virgins, or, the one who hid his talent, or, Laodiceans, or, like some of the Colossians who miss the mystery of Christ, and be caught in the culture of the 21^st century, “everyone did as they saw fit.” (NIV, Judges 21:25)

We do not want to be among those imprisoned by the “spirit of this age,” losing sensitivity to sensuality, the cares of this life; riding the wave of this culture right into the arms of the Great Falling Away, the Beast, and the Great Tribulation.

Diving Deep

Even in the Old Testament, the use of the term blood at times represented life, not to be taken “literally.”

The LORD said, paraphrased, about those called to be watchman, if they do not warn others when they can and people sin, “‘…that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’” (NIV, Ezekiel 33:8)

God does not take the subject of death lightly, but is longsuffering (Numbers 14:18).

He does not require the death penalty except under the most extreme situations where sin has so hardened the heart hope of repentance is non-existent; as in the days of Noah, Sodom, Exodus, Jericho, Canaanites, and others in history.

Peter said, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (NIV, 2 Peter 3:9)

At Calvary, God, after making known his preference, left it up to Christ to decide.

Christ knew, if they killed him, he would be glorified again (John 12:28), and if he chose to take up arms, his Father would send angels.

He chose to let them take his life because he did not want anyone killed who would come to him later after Calvary.

There was no reason for Christ to be killed, he was perfect, righteous, did all his Father asked him to do, walking in immortality, resurrection life, while his killers, like everyone born of Adam, were deserving of eternal separation from God.

And yet, Christ, of his own volition, knowing the heart of his Father, chose to continue his ministry of unfathomable grace and mercy to the bitter end, knowing some would humble themselves and become his sons and daughters.

Christ did not wrestle in the Garden of Gethsemane whether he would save mankind or not – the New Covenant had already been inaugurated in his completion before ministry.

He was our Savior when he entered ministry.

Please remember, unlike creeds and traditions, which wrap everything into one nicely tied package, there are two separate streams of prophecies in the Old Testament.

One, the promised grace to come in the Messiah (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10-12), which Christ apprehended and hoped to bring Israel into, even clearly stating such in a parable.

The second, another stream of prophecies, tightly veiled, hidden, prophesied Israel would reject their Messiah: foretelling where unrepentant sin leads.

We must remember prophecy does not excuse men and women from their volition to choose right or wrong.

It does not predestine men and women to failure or success.

It simply foretells a particular future situation or event changeable by the actions of men and women.

God told Hezekiah and Ahab they would die and changed his mind when they sought him.

Christ fulfilled the stream of Scripture’s foretelling the promised grace to come in him perfectly and continued in the manner of his completion no matter what Israel chose.

Israel, on the other hand, did not recognize the day of their visitation, rejecting the Son the Father hoped they would receive (Matthew 21:37).

The prophets foresaw where unrepentant sin would lead, yet God held out hope they would receive his Son (Matthew 21:37).

Just because the prophets foresaw the Messiah being killed does not mean God predestined and determined it, on the contrary, the Scripture says otherwise.

Gethsemane was a place of anguish; having lived the entirety of his life in the embrace and love of his Father, facing the prospect of being placed in the hands of raging and vicious hearts, eternal life within their grasp, but too blind to see it.

He faced physical death at the doorstep, the prospect of allowing himself to be killed for no just reason, having already redeemed mankind from sin in his perfection before his ministry, knowing, he could rightly take up arms and take the kingdom by force.

He had to wrestle with the knowledge I have done everything God has led and empowered me to do, and yet Israel still does not believe and on top of that they intend to kill me when I have given my life to save them.

What a contradiction!

There cannot be any greater iniquity in life than what Christ faced.

He was God’s perfect Son, the only begotten of the Father, walking in resurrection life, the New Testament in flesh and blood, the Redeemer, God’s lamb, and yet, after three years of miracles, Israel determined to preserve their traditions, and kill God’s new work.

No other human will ever face such a divergent spectrum of darkness against light, and light giving darkness in the hearts of men and women another chance to come to repentance and forgiveness, the story of mankind.

Translation and Other Clarifications

Translators, for whatever reasons, added a few words to Matthew 26:54 to make it conform to Calvary, i.e., “‘…in this way’” implying the necessity of his physical death. (NIV, Matthew 26:54, see Matthew 26:56 also)

We must discern by the Holy Spirit what is the driving force for what Christ is saying in these verses.

Very Important

Is he saying the Scripture is truly a script predetermining the actions and reactions of men and women – foretelling what they will and will not do, having no free will to take a different path than the one seen by the prophets?

Or, is he saying, the driving force is sin, unrepentant sin in the hearts of men and women.

And having rejected the light of God for more than three years “the free gift of salvation in a New Covenant,” unrepentant men and women are doing just what the prophets saw by the Spirit they would do if they did not come to repentance and forgiveness.

Jesus is clearly saying the later, else he would not given them the seven woes and his Father would not have hoped for a better outcome.

Jesus was also referring to the stream of prophecies of the promised grace to come in him, how he would fulfill that to the utter end, no matter what it cost him.

That he would not violate their free will to choose, no matter the cost to him.

He was determined to begin the spread of the Gospel based on free will, and not force. (Even in the Millennium, the Gospel will not be forced on one.)

He made it clear he was not going to change course and take up arms against those he had just spent over three years trying to save.

He at all cost, would fulfill the prophecies of the New Covenant in him, and if that meant the continuance of grace even in the embrace of physical death, so be it.

See also Matthew 26:56 and Christ’s discussion of what he meant by fulfillment in Luke 24:25-27, remembering, his perfection was his first glorification, and after Calvary, his second glorification.

Please remember, when Jesus is talking about fulfilling the Scripture, first and foremost, he is talking about fulfilling the stream of prophecies about him, the promised grace to come, the New Testament in flesh and blood.

And not the foretelling of lawless men and their choice to kill the Messiah, a second and different stream of prophecies having nothing to do with his fulfillment of the Messiah.

The New Testament and everything about Christ and in Christ, was accomplished by God and the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Lawless men and Rome had nothing to do with the founding of the New Testament, the ushering in of righteousness, forgiveness of sins, but everything to do with rejecting God’s offer of salvation in Christ.

Even those who hold to the creeds should take note if Calvary is a fulfillment of the Lamb sacrifices offered under the Old Covenant, lawless men and foreign soldiers were not involved in the offering of lambs in the Old Covenant.

Everything surrounding the offering of animal sacrifices in the Old Covenant was a righteous event established by God.

And God, offering his only begotten Son to put sin to death, raised to walk in resurrection life, was a holy and righteous pilgrimage established by God, in fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles, which foretold the coming of the Messiah, and his bride from throughout the ages.

God establishes righteousness, the ways of righteousness, how to apprehend righteousness, not the ways to put righteousness to death; that is the work of lawless men and spiritual darkness.

God throughout the ancients and Old Covenant periods abhorred and denounced the offering of humans as a human sacrifice.

The shedding of blood was an Old Testament sacrifice to signify outwardly inward repentance and forgiveness, by the giving of something important to sustaining life, not a prefiguring or foretelling of God’s design and desire to kill the Messiah.

The Old Covenant Lamb sacrifices were done in righteousness; everything associated with the sacrifice of animals was done in response to the Covenant God established under the law.

Calvary had nothing to do with righteous authority, or anything God established, but everything to do with spiritual darkness.

The Father and Christ were more than sufficient to birth the New Covenant without the help, strategy, and plans of sinful humanity.

The Cross of Grace Through Faith

When Jesus referred to his sufferings in Luke 24:25-27, he was not only referring to Calvary, but also to the entirety of the long journey in being made complete (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10, etc.), i.e., the putting to death of generational transgressions and iniquities passed to him from his human ancestry (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 8:3; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 2:17, 4:15, 1 Peter 2:24, etc.).

Please remember with the New Covenant came a new language.

The cross of grace through faith in dependence upon God for life is a terror to the fleshly nature, just like an actual crucifixion is to the body.

Scriptures like Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14, and 1 Peter 2:24 which appear in the natural to refer to Calvary, are revelations by the Spirit of what crucifixion of the fleshly nature looks like by the cross of grace through faith in utter dependence upon God for healing and restoration.

Just as physical crucifixion is a terror to the natural man, so to spiritual crucifixion by grace through faith to the “old man.”

By the cross of grace through faith – a terror to the enmity in our flesh – Christ put to death generational transgressions and iniquities passed to him through his human ancestry to walk in new life (NIV, Romans 6:10).

Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14 and 1 Peter 2:24, and Philippians Chapter 2 is describing the journey of putting sin to death by the cross of grace through faith, not Calvary!

The subject matter of those passages as well as the New Testament letters is putting sin to death, not Christ to death!

Christ being the firstborn, first fruit, pioneer, forerunner to put sin to death in the long journey of being made complete (Hebrews 5:7-10).

The disciples and Apostles never talked about Christ like he was an animal using terms like “hung,” or “nailed.”

Whenever Calvary is referred to, and that is primarily in the Gospels and Acts, they use terms like killed, or even murdered (Acts 7:52). I covered this in depth in earlier posts.

Also, note, Jesus refers to all the prophets (Luke 24:25), because he is explaining to them how they were in their unique and special ways types pointing to the Messiah to come, what we call “types,” of Christ.

The lives they lived and the person they became pictured the coming Messiah.

For example, David’s wilderness sojourn fleeing Saul (Saul a type of the flesh man, sinful nature) pointed to, a type of, Christ’s journey in being made complete, both possessing the presence of God at the end (David in the Ark, and Christ in being made the “exact representation” of the Father). (NIV, Hebrews 1:3, italicized mine)

Note:

The Hebrew of Isaiah 53:55 states, paraphrasing (1), Christ and us are healed in the process of his wounding and crushing – that Christ was healed as well!

And the healing is not referring to being raised from the dead after physical death, but the healing of the body, soul, and spirit through the suffering of wounding generational transgressions and iniquities passed to him.

Someone had to put sin to death as the firstborn, first fruit, pioneer, forerunner of the new creation, and it was Christ!

(1) Taken from The Hebrew-English Interlinear ESV Old Testament: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and English Standard Version by Thom Blair, General Editor, Copyright © 2014, page 1561. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org. (Interlinear used by permission from Lexham Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible copyright © 2004 by Logos Research Systems, Inc.)

The healing is not in reference to being raised from the dead after Calvary, but being raised from mortality to immortality, resurrection life, healed and restored, the journey he pioneered for himself, and for you and me (Isaiah 53:4 – 6; Romans 6:10; Galatians 3:13; Hebrews 5:7 – 10, etc.).

Wounding, piercing, crushing, etc., can mean any number of things – they are not reserved for physical death, but words used to describe the “weight” of God’s hand in one’s life; and in Christ’s case, the weight of God’s hand in being made complete, becoming our Redeemer, having put sin to death in his generations (NIV, Isaiah 53:5; Romans 6:10;  Hebrews 5:7 – 10, etc.).

King David used some of those same words in his relationship with the Father and God did not kill David, or plan his execution.

***

I explained Acts 2:23 in earlier posts: how God did not, and was never a party to the purposeful handing over and killing of Christ; his purposeful and determined plan was the making of the Christ (Hebrews 5:7-10), not the killing of him, which was the response of lawless men to the offer of salvation (Matthew 21:37-44).

Christ’s death to sin was the death of a testator, ushering in the New Covenant, a better covenant, not a continuation of the Old, or worse, the purposed killing of the only perfect human by God.

Again, when Jesus speaks about fulfilling all that is spoken of him, he is saying it is necessary for me to continue my ministry no matter what others do; I will not take up arms to kill those who want to kill me, but will continue my ministry fulfilling all spoken of me, regardless of the cost.

Very Important

“If they kill me, which they will, they will fulfill the prophecies of lawless men killing the Messiah, but that is their choice, not my Father’s, nor mine; by choosing not to accept me, they will bring to pass what the prophets foretold of the fruit of their unrepentant heart, the killing of the Messiah.

The warning, the prophets foretold, will be missed once again when faced with the presence of God just like their ancestors.

My Father has provided them with ample warning; and yet they refuse to come to repentance, and in their refusal, they will fulfill the fruit of their unrepentance, first in killing me, and second, in being cut off and destroyed as a nation.”

Important

I’ve written about this previously in this series: you don’t call those who are supposedly doing your will killers; nor, do you say “‘They will respect my son’” and plan his murder by those you hoped would receive him. (NIV, Matthew 21:37-44, bold and italicized mine)

The Lord’s predetermined will and plan was to perfect his one and only Son – to present him as a “living blood” sacrifice to put sin to death (NIV, Romans 3:25) not for him to be put to death, but to put sin to death (NIV, Romans 6:10), raised to live and walk in resurrection life, “…the exact representation…” of God (NIV, Hebrews 1:3).

If we miss the understanding Christ ushered in not only a New Covenant, but a new language to go with it, then we impose the Old Testament on the New, and miss the heart of the New Testament – Christ’s perfection before ministry.

See 1 Corinthians 2:13, the language of the New Testament: Remember what Jesus said about flesh and blood and life in John Chapter 6?

Final thoughts.

In Romans 3:25 shed or shedding is not in the Greek; it has been added by translators presumably to point the Scripture to Calvary; missing the heart of the New Testament, Christ’s journey to perfection, where blood represents the entirety of his life given to God – a symbol not to be taken literally.

Jesus is not an animal you just nail to a cross, but a Son who learned obedience by the cross of grace through faith, suffering the death of the enmity in his flesh, fulfilling the law perfectly in his flesh, pioneering the cross of grace through faith for those who would follow in his footsteps.

Jesus never said he would be killed so they could be saved, but that he would be killed because they rejected him; and out of their rejection, he would submit to their killing for some to find forgiveness.

When he said he would give his flesh “‘for the life of the world’” he said if you eat of it, you will live now – you, Israel – and he “will” also give it for the life of the world, spiritually, if Israel accepts him, as the head of nations, and if it comes to martyrdom, physically. (NIV, John 6:51, italicized mine)

A harmony of the Gospels places this Scripture well after Jesus had already told his disciples Israel would get only one sign, the sign of Jonah, knowing they were intent on killing him.

In effect, Jesus is saying,

“I’m not going to resist being killed, if I do, it will cost many lives in Israel; some need more time, another opportunity, they will come to me later after my death; after they realize the tragedy of their sin, they’ll respond to another chance at life.”

Questions to Ponder

This series dives deep into the story of Christ, probing some of the most basic questions of Christianity: Did Jesus have to be killed for us to be saved and for the New Testament to begin?

What is his journey to perfection, how is it different than Calvary, or, his ministry?

Is Calvary, as some teach, the starting point for the New Testament salvation experience, i.e., “being born-again,” fulfilling the Old Testament feast of Passover, and if so, how does that contradict those who believed on Christ before Calvary?

What about those saved, healed, and raised from the dead before Calvary – were they saved, healed, and raised from the dead conditioned on Christ being killed?

Was our salvation contingent on the acts of lawless men, Rome, and Israel’s leaders, or, dependent on Christ, his journey, made complete, becoming our Savior (Romans 6:10; NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10, etc.)?

Did the Old Testament animal sacrifices prefigure and foretell the “design, plan, and determination of God,” as “types,” of Christ, to kill his Son at Calvary, as creeds and traditions teach for our salvation?

Or, did they prefigure and foretell the heart behind the sacrifice, the willingness to give something important to life – to sacrifice something you cherish dearly – as evidence of heart repentance and forgiveness, trusting in the grace and kindness of God to provide his favor and provisions for life?

Was the Old Testament sacrificial system about killing, or, the heart behind the sacrifice, willing to give one’s life in trust, faith, and obedience to God despite what can be seen, felt, and experienced in the natural?

Was it God’s intent Christ be killed, his plan and design; to punish his Son for our sins; to appease his anger toward sinful man by killing his Son?

How does killing the righteous appease anger toward those who sin – is that what the Scripture really teaches?

Is that what the Scripture teaches about the nature of God, his relationship with Christ, and his relationship with mankind?

How do those beliefs oppose what Jesus taught, that God hoped Israel would accept Christ (NIV, Matthew 21:37), and what Jesus said, “‘Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined’”? (NIV, Matthew 12:25)

What does it mean when Paul says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people” (NIV, Romans 1:18)

Is it the “wrath” of striking people dead, executing them, or, the wrath of letting mankind reap what they sow, the law of sin, in-kind producing in-kind, until such time they come to repentance and forgiveness in this life, or, die in their sins, eternally separated from the love of God?

Was God’s wrath against the person of Christ, or against generational sin Christ inherited from his human ancestry, Christ, fathered by God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, put to death (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10)?

Did God present Christ as an offering for sin to be killed at Calvary, like an animal in the Old Testament?

Or did God present Christ as a sacrifice in giving the entirety of his life to the Father, putting sin to death by the cross of grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness for his generations, becoming our Substitute because he completed the race perfectly, without sin?

Do you put “sin to death” by killing the only man who lived a perfect life, or, by putting sin to death by grace through faith in being made complete, the journey Christ pioneered, fulfilling the feast of Tabernacles (Romans 6:10, Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear, Hebrews 5:7-10)?

How can an animal sacrifice (commonly believed in Christendom), be a “type” of Christ?

Christ is referred to as a lamb by John the Baptist (and seen in Revelation as a Lamb) “‘who takes away the sin of the world’” (NIV, John 1:29) at the beginning of his ministry.

Is the reference as a lamb to the nature of Christ in relationship to his Father, how Israel took God’s special lamb and killed it – the one he perfected through fathering, putting sin to death, raised to walk in new life, his only begotten Son?

Or is it to be taken as a literal statement Christ was conceived, born, raised, fathered, trained, and taught for the purpose of being killed, not for the purpose of bringing healing and restoration to Israel as the head of nations under their Messiah?

In other words, is the mention of Christ as the lamb to signify God’s intentional and predetermined plan to have his Son executed at Calvary, contrary to every teaching in Scripture?

For Acts 2:23, see an interlinear for the correct rendering – it was Christ who was foreordained and predetermined by God – the Messiah – not his killing.

What about all of Christ’s teaching, and the writers of the New Testament, on the new language of the New Covenant (John 6:63, 1 Corinthians 2:13)?

(King David was severely chastised for stealing another’s lamb, i.e., Bathsheba, and so was Israel forty years after Christ’s unlawful and unjust execution.)

According to the Scriptures, did the execution of Christ “put sin to death,” or, did Christ made complete through suffering, becoming our Savior, the New Testament in flesh and blood (Romans 6:10, 1 Corinthians 15:20, Ephesians 2:14-16, see and interlinear, Hebrews 5:7-10, etc.)?

If Calvary was the place of atonement, and not, as the Scriptures teach, Christ putting sin to death, being made complete, becoming one with the Father: Why then was Israel destroyed 40 years later (as Christ prophesied for “killing” the Messiah), just like the Hebrews who gave a bad report and died in the wilderness, never to enter Canaan?

How can God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be righteously angry at those who refuse to repent, receive Christ, and plan his death, and, at the same time, as espoused by creeds, say it was God’s predetermined plan to kill his Son?

And it cannot be argued Christ died for the sin of rejection, but was made perfect for all the other sins; because the Scripture does not teach that, and you cannot have him being perfected for some sins and dying for others!

How can a kingdom stand the test of time if it says one thing and does another?

Or, as the prophet Amos said, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? (NIV, Amos 3:3)

Key:

Creeds and traditions have greatly influenced the translation of certain Scriptures, conforming certain Scriptures to the teachings of “Calvary,” and certain teachings about Christ.

I found literally no discussion, in the few commentaries I reviewed, of any knowledge of Christ’s personal journey separate and distinct from his ministry or Calvary.

I believe that is primarily because the creeds hold Christ was born having no opposition in his flesh to the law of God – which contradicts the tenor of Scripture, many specific and direct Scriptures, and the plan of God in the purpose of the promised grace to come beginning with Christ first.

Translations have added words (like shed and shedding, and other short phrases, like in Matthew 26:54), or rephrased wordings, like Acts 2:23, or in some cases preferred renderings have given way to those supporting the creeds (like using “in” instead of “of,” making it about our faith “in” Christ, instead of the faith “of” Christ, for Christ lived by faith just like you and me).

Again, for example, was the predetermined foreordained plan of God, taught by creeds and traditions, to have his Son killed, Acts 2:23 (see an interlinear for Greek rendering), or, was the predetermined foreordained plan of God the completion of his Son, the “Christ, the Messiah,” into his “…exact representation…” (NIV, Hebrews 1:3, italicized mine)?

The answer is the latter, the perfection of God’s only Son; putting generational transgressions and iniquities to death, not his Son, was his plan!

Christ’s perfection is what Isaiah foretold in Isaiah 9:6 and 53:1-6 (53:7-9 speaks of Calvary).

Christ the one and only perfected Son; the one who fulfilled, by grace through faith, the law perfectly in his flesh; the only one to put sin to death by his “living sacrifice,” (Romans 5:10, 6:10, etc.), completing the journey Adam and Eve failed to complete, the last Adam (Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:45).

No, God’s predetermined and foreordained plan was not the killing of Christ by the acts of lawless men and Rome.

Quite the contrary, it was the perfection of the man who would be made one with him, becoming our Savior (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10).

This is what the prophets foretold in the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10-12), the grace to perfect the Son: the pioneer, firstborn, first fruit, and finisher of the New and Better Covenant.

Christ gave his life so intimately and perfectly in being made one with the Father it could only be described as a “blood” sacrifice, John Chapter 6, Matthew 26:28, and 1 Corinthians 11:24-25.

The rejection of the New Covenant in flesh and blood resulted in Calvary, not the other way around.

Calvary was not the beginning of the New Covenant, but the rejection of it.

It was not the place where Christ’s blood became effective.

But the place it was shed because it was effective!

So effective, i.e., his resurrection life, it cost him his physical life, because they would not receive the New Testament in him, his life, his blood.

And because they would not receive his offer of life, resurrection life, they killed him, and because of that, the Father would glorify him again (John Chapter 12).

From another perspective: Does the Scripture teach the Father and Christ were insufficient, needing the help of lawless men and Rome to birth the New Covenant, or, is that the teaching of creeds and traditions contrary to Scripture?

It is sad and tragic this must be said, and I used to believe this as well, to teach, contrary to Scripture, it took the help of lawless men and Rome to birth the goodness of God in the Gospel of the mystery of Christ – the precious New Covenant in Christ.

Creeds and traditions have wrought devastation to our understanding of Scripture.

Imposing Old Testament language and concepts on New Testament spiritual truths, contrary to Christ’s and Paul’s teaching, calling good evil and evil good.

Twisting the goodness and kindness of God, who’s plan was to put sin to death; attributing to him the execution of his Son as necessary to establish a “new and better covenant.”

What have creeds and traditions done to sound reasoning, Bible interpretation, and all the rest?

What has happened to Bible understanding and interpretation where sons and daughters are taught to be thankful Christ was killed at Calvary so we could be saved, and, to add insult to injury, his Father planned it that way.

I don’t read the Apostles are pleased Christ was killed so they could be saved!

There is no rejoicing in Scripture to the killing of Christ, but there is thankfulness he died to sin, raised to walk in new life, a life he freely offered Israel for over three years.

Peter on the day of Pentecost said you killed him and you need to repent.

And the effects of bad teaching from creeds and traditions will help fuel the Great Falling Away.

Because Christians have not been taught to seek intimacy with Christ, Calvary is all they need; missing out on the greatest opportunity and promises God has in the last days, to be made one with Christ in intimacy and journey, through the open door of Philadelphia.

And because of the undermining of Christ’s journey, many may miss the journey Christ pioneered and face a different journey; one in the wilderness being pursued by evil, when they could have been in the wilderness with Christ years earlier being pursued by righteousness (Revelation Chapter 12)!

One Last Look at a Few Contradictions

Does the Scripture teach Christ was insufficient to inaugurate the New Covenant, i.e., was the work of the Father in Christ, being made complete described in Romans 6, Corinthians 15, Galatians 3, Ephesians 4, Philippians 2, and Hebrews 2-5, among other places in Scripture, insufficient, necessitating Christ be killed?

How can the nation’s leaders be rightly called killers by the Apostles and Christ, judged by God for not receiving his Son (Matthew 21:33-46), and yet, as espoused in creeds and traditions, designed, and ordained by God to kill Christ for the New Testament to be effective and sin forgiven?

When John the Baptist said, “‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (NIV, John 1:29), was he speaking about Christ as the Messiah, who had already put sin to death, made perfect, walking in resurrection life (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7 – 10), or, speaking prophetically, foretelling the determined plan of God to have his son killed as a human sacrifice at Calvary?

When Jesus said, “‘Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’” (NIV, John 3:14 – 15), was he speaking about literally being lifted up and nailed to a tree, so people would come to him?

Or, about repentant hearts – humbled and contrite hearts before him in repentance and forgiveness, the turning of hearts, not the killing of him (Psalm 51:17; Lamentations 5:21)?

What does the Scripture teach versus creeds and traditions, i.e., does forgiveness of sins require the killing of the Messiah, or, the Messiah putting sin to death?

Were people saved, healed, restored, and raised from the dead before or only after Calvary?

Were wonders over the laws of nature done before or only after Calvary?

When Jesus said, “‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (NIV, Matthew 26:28), did he mean only if he’s killed, or, did he mean he was the New Testament in flesh and blood?

Obviously, the Scripture teaches the latter, while creeds and traditions teach the former.

He offered healing and salvation for over three years.

Even after all he revealed and did, he chose the preferred will of God (not a command), but his Father’s request not to take the Kingdom by force, allowing his blood to be shed so some could be saved who might otherwise be killed.

If Jesus had been conceived, born, raised, and trained to die at Calvary as creeds teach and songs sing, then he would not have done everything he did to avoid being killed, he would not have been angry at them for seeking his death, nor would he have cried out at his death, “‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (NIV, Matthew 27:46, italicized mine)

Weeds and more Weeds Planted in the Garden of God

If you assume Christ was perfect at birth (which is contrary to Scripture, Romans 8:3, Hebrews 2:17, Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear), he did not have temptations from within like mankind, then you have a “partial” human Christ.

You have a Messiah untainted by the effects of generational transgressions and iniquities; removed from having to face what we face – what it is like to be tempted from “within,” and all that is involved in resisting temptation and putting it to death by the power of the Holy Spirit by grace through faith.

If that be true, then he cannot truly be called our brother, contrary to Scripture, nor truly teach us how to live by grace through faith and carry our cross and follow him.

He becomes a hybrid, half human, again, contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture.

Unless we forget, the Scripture teaches we can have temptations from within – the cravings of the flesh passed through the generations in transgressions and iniquities – and not sin: temptation from within or without is not sin unless it is embraced (James Chapter 1).

If Christ is not fully human, then a system of beliefs is built to justify his “partial-humanness,” having one mission, to come to earth and die as a “partial” human sacrifice; one who is not acquainted with spiritual warfare from the inside out.

One who never suffered the effects from within of generational sin and the spiritual warfare to be cleansed, healed, and restored, contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture.

You create a theology centered around Calvary, what Jesus can do for us, not who Jesus became in accord with the Scriptures (Hebrews 5:7-10).

To do this you must throw out what Christ and the writers of the New Testament taught about “Spirit – taught words” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 2:13).

Very Important

Then almost everything connected with blood, sacrifice, death, raised from the dead, cross, suffering, etc., is pointed to Calvary, in clear contradiction to the Scriptures which teach Christ was “made” complete, had enmity in his flesh, having to die to sin.

And with this theology, the journey of Christ is hidden – the greater part of his life – which scholars call the missing years, and, our “call in the Scriptures” to pursue his pioneering journey in Tabernacles is hidden.

Creeds and traditions wipe out most of his life, the most important part of the journey for him personally, the most important part of his life he did for us, and, the most important journey we can ever hope to make in this life having the greatest opportunities and the greatest promises.

All this places the great weight of salvation on Christ, an event at Calvary, and little on us other than confessing him as Savior and trying to live a Christian life, contrary to Philippians 2:12.

I am not implying we can save ourselves, but by missing Tabernacles, we rob Christ and us of the best part of salvation: cleansing, healing, and restoration in intimate journey with Christ, the deep work of the Spirit of grace.

Important

Jesus did not go through all he went through, years (over a decade at least) of healing and restoration from generational sins passed to him through his human ancestry, followed by testing of the Devil, followed by years of ministry, and then rejected, to have us confess him as Savior and not seek the full promise of the Gospel of grace in healing and restoration.

We were not created for a little meal from the Gospel, but for a banquet, not just for milk, but for meat and drink.

To miss the deep work of the Spirit, is to miss what we were created for, what Christ pioneered for us at great personal cost and sacrifice, and greater intimacy with the Lord for eons to come.

And in the end-times, missing the deep work of the Spirit comes with great risk.

If Jesus is partially human, then he cannot truly be the pioneer, forerunner, firstborn, first fruit, and author of faith, as the Scripture teaches.

Creeds and traditions shift salvation to believing a system of accepted and sanctioned beliefs, contrary to seeking intimacy with Christ.

Creeds and traditions can never bring one into intimacy with Christ.

The born-again experience begins the journey of intimacy, but it is the beginning, and not the fullness of the Gospel.

We know the new-birth is not the fullness because we are in the age of Philadelphia, past the Reformation and Pentecost, in the age of Philadelphia, Tabernacles, where the Lord is offering to take his body beyond the new-birth into deep work of the Spirit in cleansing and healing.

The Glory Cloud has moved beyond the new-birth, into new, uncharted territory, where grace through faith opens the door to a new path, one into greater intimacy with the Lord in journey with him. (Revelation 3:7-13)

We are exhorted by Paul in Ephesians, the author of Hebrews, and Peter in 1 Peter, to go beyond and seek the revelation of Christ, the fullness of his grace and work, to complete the journey and finish the race.

Luther faced the weight and power of creeds and traditions and found the Lord’s way of escape into new territory.

The Reformers who followed in the centuries did as well.

Those at Azusa Street and the early Pentecostals, and other revivalists in the 20^th century, faced the weight and power of creeds and traditions and found the Lord’s way of escape into new territory.

And those who make up the last day bride will face the weight and power of creeds and traditions, as they journey into Tabernacles, the last and final opportunity for being made one with Christ in this age.

Some More Questions to Consider

Is the New Testament a lesser testament, requiring the only perfect man to ever live be killed, or, is the New Testament a new and better covenant, as it says in Hebrews, requiring the sacrifice of the Messiah’s flesh and blood – his life! – in putting sin to death, being made new? (Hebrews 8:6; 9:23 – 10:10)

When Jesus talks about his flesh and blood, is he talking literally in all situations, or, is he talking about spiritual truths using natural words (John 6:53, 6:63, 1 Corinthians 2:13, etc.,)?

When the Bible speaks of Christ’s blood sacrifice, is it automatically referring to the shedding of his blood at Calvary, or are there passages where death to sin is the context, putting sin to death, and blood is used to represent the extent and entirety of Christ’s life in putting sin to death, being made complete, the greatest sacrifice one can make, where he became our substitute (Matthew 26:28, Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10)?

Creeds and traditions are weighty and powerful, so much so, Scriptures have been translated with added words, phrases, and rephrasing, to conform Scripture to what has been passed down as the pillars of the faith, becoming more powerful than Scripture itself – sound familiar? 

Does the Bible teach sin was put to death at Calvary, or, that Christ was put to death at Calvary?

Are the many scriptures in the New Testament (outside of those specific to Calvary), describing the sacrifice of Christ in giving his life, i.e., putting sin to death (Romans 6:10), being completed (Hebrews 5:7 – 10), sacrificing his body and blood (Hebrews 7 – 10), spiked to a tree (NIV, Colossians 2:14), “‘hung on a pole’” (NIV, Galatians 3:13), wounded, etc.:

• describing different “looks” at the killing of Christ, or
• as Paul says, “…explaining spiritual realities with the Spirit-taught words” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 2:13), the depth, breadth, and extent of Christ’s sacrifice in putting sin to death, walking in resurrection life, presented to Israel for over three years?

 

Did Christ fulfill Psalm 16, the resurrection Psalm, in being made perfect before his ministry, or, after Calvary?

Was Christ raised to walk in newness of life, his first glorification, before his ministry, or, was he raised to walk in newness of life after Calvary, his second glorification?

Is the New Testament truly a New Covenant, founded on the promised grace to come in Christ (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10-12), putting sin to death instead of a person (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10), or just a repeat of the Old Covenant, but only more severe, requiring the killing of the only perfect man to ever live?

Is the literally shedding of blood necessary for the forgiveness of sins as practiced in the Old Covenant, as it says in Hebrews, a New Testament requirement as well?

Was Christ conceived, born, raised, and matured to be killed, or, to be made complete, becoming our Savior?

Did the sacrificial killing of lambs and other animals in the Old Testament point to, prefigure, and foretell the killing of Christ, or, did they point to the heart of sacrificial giving – the giving of the entirety oneself, body, soul, and spirt – our flesh and blood, i.e., our life – in wholeheartedness to be made complete, holy?

What is the difference between Christ’s first glorification, and his second (John Chapter 12), and the wounding in Isaiah 53:4-6 versus his physical death in 53:7-9?

On the day of Pentecost, what did Peter mean when he said, “Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.”? (NIV, Acts 2:31 – 32)

Is Peter saying the “resurrected,” Messiah was raised from the dead, or, the Messiah was raised from the dead?

Peter is saying Christ, fathered by God, put sin to death, was raised from mortality to immortality (Hebrews 7:16), becoming our Savior before his ministry, fulfilling the law in his flesh, and, it was that Jesus, the resurrected Jesus God presented to Israel.

They killed the resurrected Jesus, who God raised “again” from mortality to immortality. (John 12:28, Psalm 16, and Isaiah 53:9, where death is plural in the Hebrew)

Important

Why in Luke Chapter 20 would Jesus say the obvious in the resurrection there is no death, unless he was talking about the resurrection from the old nature to the new creation (Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear), mortality to immortality (Romans 8:10-11; Hebrews 7:16, etc.,) this side of Heaven?

Is not the purpose of the New Testament to give us resurrection life this side of heaven; and what about the one who never sinned, fulfilled the law perfectly in his flesh, would he not be walking in authority and power in the fullness of resurrection life having finished the race perfectly?

When Jesus said he must fulfill, “‘how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled’” (NIV, Matthew 26:54), – was he referring to the necessity of being murdered so salvation could be ushered in, or, was he referring to his sole mission to offer Israel healing and salvation, and under no circumstances, even if it cost him his life, was he going to deviate from the stream of prophecies foretelling the coming of the Savior as the “Prince of Peace.” (NIV, Isaiah 9:6)

And by the way, the Greek does not say “‘…in this way?’” (NIV, Matthew 26:54)

The Greek does not say that because Jesus is not speaking about Calvary being necessary to fulfill the stream of prophecies foretelling the grace to come in the Messiah to Israel and the world.

Christ did not need the help of Rome or lawless men to birth the New Covenant already in his blood (Matthew 26:28); having put sin to death (see 1 Peter 2:24 in an interlinear), made complete, it was likened to a blood sacrifice (a life sacrifice), because of the entirety of his offering.

Christ fulfilled what God desired from the beginning, someone to fulfill the law in their flesh.

And Christ did that by destroying the barrier of generational transgressions and iniquities passed to him from his human ancestry, fulfilling the law in his flesh. (Ephesians 2:14 – 16, see in interlinear; Isaiah 53:4-6)

Are the Scriptures about the suffering Messiah focused on Calvary, or, primarily about the long journey over years being made perfect (Hebrews 5:7 – 10)?

Was Christ born perfect, as creeds and traditions proclaim, or, was Christ fully human, having “enmity,” from generational transgressions and iniquities passed to him from his human ancestry? (See Ephesians 2:14 – 16 in an interlinear)

How could Christ be born perfect, only having to suffer temptation from without, and agree with Scriptures that say Christ was just like you and me?

How could Christ be the firstborn, first fruit, forerunner, pioneer, and author of the faith, if he did not face temptation like you and me, from within and from without, learning to live in utter dependence upon the grace of his Father, in faith and obedience like you and me?

Did the Old Testament have two streams of prophecies concerning the coming Messiah –

• one stream pointing to the promised grace to come in the New Covenant salvation birthed by Christ’s perfection, and,
• a second stream foretelling the reaction of unrepentant lawless men to Christ’s offer of healing and restoration?

 

Did Christ have all authority, power, majesty, a name above every name, walking in resurrection life, before, or, after Calvary?

Is the person of Christ our Savior, because he is the promised one, the Messiah, the New Testament in flesh and blood, or, does it take Calvary, plus lawless men, and Roman soldiers to birth salvation and the New Covenant?

Was the promised grace about being killed, or, about putting sin to death, being made complete, entering resurrection life this side of Heaven, restoring what Adam and Eve lost, becoming our Savior, offering healing and salvation to Israel (Hebrews 5:7-10)?

Did God, the creator of all that is good and right, design the plan of salvation around the killing of his Son (Acts 2:36, 3:15, 4:10, 7:52), or, what the Scripture says, putting sin to death, raised to walk in new life (NIV, Romans 6:10)?

In the parable of the landowner, was Jesus serious, or, half serious, when he said the Father hoped “‘They will respect my son'” (NIV, Matthew 21:37)?

Christ spoke about the love between he and his Father, how a divided kingdom will not stand.

And Isaiah warned (NIV, Isaiah 5:20) to not “call evil good and good evil.”

Is it possible to harmonize the Scriptures (when God denounces those in times past who offered their sons as human sacrifices, and Christ said of God, “‘They will respect my son’” (NIV, Matthew 21:37, italicized mine)), with creeds teaching God purposely planned to have his Son killed?

(We cannot teach Christ died at Calvary for the sin of rejecting him, because there are a host of other sins that needed atoning as well.

Besides, Calvary was not a place of completion, but a place of rejecting the completed Christ, the Messiah, the New Testament in flesh and blood.)

How can Calvary be a place of atonement and murder at the same time, when early apostles and disciples referred to it as a place of killing and murder – that it was not something that was supposed to happen?

What do our creeds and traditions really say about what we think of God, being taught God purposely, intentionally, designed salvation through the physical execution of his Son?

Why do we think every time, or almost every time, the Scripture speaks about Christ’s sufferings, i.e., blood, sacrifice, death, wounded, pierced, crushed, etc., it refers to Calvary?

The Apostles and Christ use those same words, as well as the Psalms, to describe the hand of God in dealing with the weaknesses of the flesh, or, for Christ, referring to certain spiritual realities of the new Kingdom for the journey of being transformed from mortality to resurrection life.

For specific Scriptures about Calvary outside of the Gospels – how Calvary is described, see Acts 2:23, 2:36, 3:13, 3:15, 4:10, 5:30, 7:52, 10:39, 13:28, 1 Corinthians 2:8, 1 Thessalonians 2:15, on how Calvary and is described by the writers of the New Testament.

They’re in stark contrast, emotionally, respectfully, and otherwise, from the descriptions commonly ascribed to Calvary like Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14, 1 Peter 2:24 and 3:18, and a whole host of other Scriptures that describe the putting to death of sin by grace through faith, and not the killing of Christ at Calvary.

If Jesus had to die at Calvary for mankind to be saved, why did he do everything in his human power, short of violating their wills, to win the hearts of Israel, even wanting to continue to minister to Israel for another year?

Did Christ die at Calvary to forgive their sins (he had already forgiven sins in his ministry), or,

• to be an atoning sacrifice (he was already one with the father, made “one,” in his completion), or,
• to expose their unrepentant sins on the marks of his body,

 

revealing his righteousness; confirming and testifying what he said about himself and them; extending grace for some to come to forgiveness before the ax was laid to the root of the tree?

And what is the difference between Christ’s redeeming and atoning work in his completion, versus being rejected, “purchasing,” those who would come to him with the actual shedding of his blood at Calvary (Revelation 5:9)?

And with the imposition of creeds, and the institutionalization of Christian theology and doctrines of Christ, why have translators found it necessary

• to add words, like “shed,” to certain “blood” verses,
• rephrase certain other Scriptures (Acts 2:23),
• add words in other places (Matthew 26:54),
• and not use the preferred Greek rendering for the faith “of” Christ in numerous Scriptures, instead, rendering it faith “in” Christ?

 

Why is there a massive effort to establish creeds at the beginning of the dark ages, and not the same energy devoted to seeking intimacy with Christ, especially with the advent of inner healing in the last half of the 20^th century?

What is working behind the scenes, or I should say who, to keep the body of Christ at large outside the deep work of the Spirit of grace Christ is now offering in the age of Philadelphia?

Does the Scripture teach the New Testament began at Calvary, or, Christ became the substitute for our sins in being made complete (Hebrews 5:7 – 10)?

If Christ was not perfect until Calvary, what was lacking that Calvary perfected, since the Father gave Christ the choice of whether to submit to their intentions or to take up arms?

Was Jesus seated in Heavenly places, having all authority and power in Heaven on earth (NIV, Ephesians 1:20), having “the name that is above every name” (NIV, Philippians 2:9), healing, saving, performing “miracles, wonders and signs” (NIV, Acts 2:22), before, or, after Calvary?

Was the tearing of the veil in the Temple at Christ’s death a sign showing access to the Holy of Holies was now available to mankind, or, a sign there was no more excuse for sin, the veil of grace hiding the Holy of Holies was torn from them, having witnessed the Holy of Holies walking in their midst for over 3 years.

The Perfected Christ

The Scripture goes to great lengths describing the perfected Christ.

The Christ who suffered in being made perfect, fathered by God, so he could present to Israel the new creation in flesh and blood, the pioneer and forerunner of what God could accomplish in them, in Christ, and the Gentiles.

The Scripture describes the perfected Christ, such as:

• “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (NIV, John 1:14)
• “‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (NIV, John 1:29)
• “‘I and the Father are one.’” (NIV, John 10:30)
• “‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.’” (NIV, John 14:9)
• “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (NIV, Colossians 1:15)
• “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (NIV, Colossians 1:19 – 20)

 

Note:

As I’ve already discussed in a number of places in this series, the word “shed” in the previous quote is not in the Greek.

It’s not in the Greek because this verse does not refer to Calvary, but to Christ’s perfection; the offering of his life in being made complete; the “cross” (the same cross he asks all of us to bear) of utter dependence upon God for healing and restoration from transgressions and iniquities passed from his human ancestry, and for us, from those we’ve embraced ourselves.

The cross of Christ necessarily involves suffering, the suffering of putting transgressions and iniquities to death, i.e., putting to death many of our wounds and brokenness and the sins that feed upon them we’ve come to love and find life (Isaiah 53:4 – 6, Romans Chapter 6, Hebrews Chapters 2 through 5).

The use of the word blood in the preceding quote, just like Christ used it in John 6:53 – 63, is the only way to convey in the natural the depth and entirety Christ’s offering in being made complete, entering resurrection life:

• “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (NIV, Hebrews 1:3)
• ‘“‘But about the Son he says, “‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.’”’ (NIV, Hebrews 1:8 – 9)

 

Note:

Christ provided for the purification for sins in his completion (Romans 6:10, Ephesians 2:14 – 16, see an interlinear, Hebrews 5:7 – 10, etc.).

And the sitting down does not mean a literal sitting down, but a place of authority, position, kingly rule, and reign, from the right hand of the Father to you and me which began with his completion as he demonstrated in wonders and miracles in his ministry.

Jesus is “seated” eternally in Heavenly places in his Father forevermore, beginning with his completion, whether he’s walking on earth, or walking in the Heavens searching the earth.

Hebrews is about Christ’s journey to perfection; his testimony of being made perfect, becoming our Savior; where he passed through the Heavens, mortality taking on immortality, the New Covenant in flesh and blood “resurrection life,” presented as God’s sacrifice to Israel for over three years. (NIV, Hebrews 4:14)

When Christ said he came from Heaven, he wasn’t referring to Heaven spatially, but as his place of kingly rule, authority, having been made complete, one with the Father; everything that came out of him for us in words and deeds came from Heaven, his place of ruling and reigning with the Father of lights.

In reference to Christ being referred to as God, Jesus answered that question himself when questioned by the Jews:

‘“‘If he called them “‘gods,’” to whom the word of God came – and Scripture cannot be set aside – what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?’”’ (NIV, John 10:35, italicized mine)

John in the book of Revelation captures the relationship of Christ and the Father:

“and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” (NIV, Revelation 1:6, italicized mine)

Important

One reason the Scriptures go to great lengths to make it clear:

• when the disciples saw Jesus, they saw the Father,
• he was flesh and blood, the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10 – 12), the New Covenant, the “Word became flesh” (NIV, John 1:14), ,
• the fullness of everything God shares in this creation is in and through Christ,
• and that Christ is the image of the Father perfectly displayed to you and me in thoughts, words, and actions,

 

is because the authors knew Christ was fully human, “made” complete by grace through faith in putting sin to death, raised to walk in newness of life, teaching through concepts “pictures” the relationship between Christ and the Father, and Christ and us.

All the different mentions of Christ in relationship to the Father (his union) is to give us different understandings to help us picture the completed Christ as our mediator, our Savior, yet knowing he pioneered everything we go through in putting sin to death.

The Scripture makes it clear Christ was born to be king through the virgin birth, and even though his Father was God, his mother was from fallen mankind, making him just like us, except without the propensity to automatically sin, he being conceived in grace, we being conceived in sin.

And he had to be conceived in grace, conceived by the Holy Spirit, to put sin to death, because no one conceived in sin can put it to death without having someone do it first perfectly.

God did not need Christ to be killed to kill sin, but he did need Christ to kill sin through the giving of his life in being made complete – the greatest sacrifice one can ever make! (Hebrews 5:7 – 10)

Christ was born to save, called to save, given the name Savior, but had to be “made” to save.

Jesus pioneered “becoming” first for himself, and then for those who seek journey with him.

Jesus did not model Christianity, on the contrary, he is Christianity.

By grace through faith, fathered by God, Christ became the marriage of truth and grace (John 1:14), by the creative and transforming power of the Holy Spirit to heal and restore the wounds he inherited from his human ancestry.

I don’t think the Scripture can get any clearer on this subject.

It only becomes confusing when we force the Old Testament language on the New Testament, taking literally many passages that were never intended to be taken literally, but to be revealed by the Spirit “spiritually.”

Many passages commentators point to Calvary about Christ’s personal journey are glossed over, and in some instances, confess confusion about what they could possibly mean.

The institution of the Church has gone to great lengths to establish uniformity in what is taught about Christ, Calvary, under the overarching principles of the creeds.

To veer from canonized creeds is to risk one’s reputation, standing, and if you’re in the ministry, even your livelihood.

The Scriptures would not go to great lengths like I describe in my posts about Christ’s humanity, his journey, and his completion, if the Scripture wasn’t emphasizing his personal journey separate and distinct from his ministry and Calvary.

Christ fulfilled the promised grace to come in redeeming what Adam lost – wholeness and holiness – and he did it perfectly without sin, fulfilling God’s desire for mankind from the beginning.

And in that journey, he was seated in heavenly places with his Father before his ministry, given the most wonderful name, before his ministry, having all authority, healing, and saving, before his ministry.

It’s who he was that got him killed by unrepentant mankind, not who he would become.

Briefly, Wounding

Here are some Scriptures on David’s fight with sin, represented by his enemies, foretelling the Messiah’s journey in putting his enemy, sin, to death – what the Bible calls the enmity in his flesh passed to him from his human ancestry.

What David experienced foretold the “spiritual warfare” Christ would face in his own life, subduing the kingdoms of darkness passed to him.

Here are some examples:

• Psalm 18
• Psalm 30:2-3
• Psalm 32:4-5 (a “type” of Christ acknowledging his sin, for Christ, the sin of his ancestors, dying to sin, raised to walk in new life)
• Psalm 35
• Psalm 38 (see verses two and eight), foretelling Christ standing in on behalf of mankind, putting generational sin to death, and glimpses of Calvary as well, just like Isaiah, 53:4-6 is Christ’s personal journey, and 53:7-9, Calvary
• Psalms 39 & 40, remember we’re talking about spiritual warfare and Christ’s personal cross of utter dependence upon God for healing from the sins of his ancestors in being made complete, changed from mortality to immortality (1 Corinthians 15), resurrection life (Hebrews 7:16)
• Psalm 44:19 does not mean death, but humbling, dependent upon God for life, breaking the strongholds of life apart from God
• Psalm 51 (see verse eight), prefigures Christ on behalf of mankind crying out to God (Hebrews 5:7-10) to be cleansed from his human ancestry
• Psalm 69:26 and 69:29, examples of the suffering of pain and affliction, not death, made low for God’s exaltation, beginning with Christ first,
• Psalm 109:22

 

And the result of Christ’s victory in subduing darkness was the fulfillment of Psalm 16, the resurrection Psalm, Christ walking in resurrection life before his ministry!

Sacrifice

In contrast to Scripture, creeds intertwine, like yeast (false teaching) in dough, words such as “sacrifice,” “suffering,” “cross,” “blood,” “crucifying,” “wounded,” “made obedient,” “death,” “raised to walk in new life,” etc., with Calvary, where the context is not about Calvary but Christ’s personal journey.

Much of the New Testament writings, outside of the Gospels, is the story of Christ’s personal journey being made complete, the back story to the Gospels, becoming our Savior, “New Testament in flesh and blood,” before his presentation to John the Baptist.

These words and phrases, unless Calvary is the subject of the context, describe Christ’s spiritual journey of putting sin to death by the power of the cross.

Here is a list of Scriptures specifically pointing to Calvary outside the Gospels.

These Scriptures clearly convey the acts of lawless men toward him, killing, betrayal, murder, etc.

See Acts 2:23, 2:36, 3:13, 3:15, 4:10, 5:30, 7:52, 10:39, 13:28, 1 Corinthians 2:8, 1 Thessalonians 2:15.

In contrast, his personal journey, his personal cross in putting sin to death, is the holy experience of being made complete, fathered by God; fulfilling God’s foreordained plan to present his perfect Son to Israel as his gift of grace for their healing and restoration, not for his rejection and killing!

Creeds and traditions define Christ’s New Testament sacrifice by punishment, dying, and death.

In contrast, the Scripture defines Christ’s New Testament sacrifice as the giving of his life, symbolized by the most intimate expression possible, his blood, showing the depth and extent of his sacrifice in dying to sin by the power of the cross.

He was fathered by God, by grace through faith, putting to death the cravings and lusts from generational transgressions and iniquities passed to him from his human ancestry – what the Scripture describes as the enmity in his flesh.

And in apprehending what God apprehended him for, he was transformed by the power of God from glory to glory, “made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation” (NIV, Hebrews 5:9).

The sacrifice of Christ was not for the punishment of him, i.e., “to punish him,” but, just the opposite.

It was the promised grace to come – to punish sin and cleanse, heal, and restore mankind, beginning with Christ first!

The beauty of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is not the punishment of Christ for our sins, but the death of “sin,” the enmity in our flesh passed from generation to generation, for healing and restoration, beginning with Christ first: Why else would he be called the firstborn, pioneer, first fruit?

Christ did take our punishment for sin, i.e., suffering a suffering in putting sin to death we could never do, in his journey of being made complete (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10).

Change in Sacrificial Systems

What the New Testament abolished, the sacrificial system of killing an animal, creeds and traditions continue unashamedly and proudly pointing to the physical crucifixion of Christ as the fulfillment of what the animal sacrifices foretold.

The problem, there is nothing about a lamb or any other animal that makes it a “type” of Christ.

Animals, like a lion, lamb, eagle, or ox, or certain created things, like the Sun, may symbolize one or more attributes of Christ God desires to reveal, spiritually speaking, but to say the killing of an animal is a “type” of Christ is to bring Christ down to the level of an animal.

What the sacrificial system foretold was not the Messiah would be sacrificed like an animal, but he would give the entirety of his life to God, under a better covenant, a “living blood sacrifice,” what God always desired, made whole and holy; cleansed, healed, and restored from generational transgressions and iniquities.

What the sacrificial system foretold and pointed to was the sacrificial giving of the Messiah’s (and those grafted into him), heart, mind, and will to the plan and purposes of God to cleanse sin from humanity starting with Christ first – the enmity passed to him from his human ancestry.

It was a life that would be in utter dependence upon God for life, light, and the cleansing power of his Word and Spirit.

It would include the sacrifice of everything held dear and cherished for cleansing and healing.

It foretold suffering in the giving up of those things where the enmity of our flesh found life in desires, lusts, and passions.

And though Christ never found life in the flesh like mankind, he was tempted in all the ways we are tempted and tempt others, having to put to death by the cross of grace through faith by the power of the Holy Spirit those things he inherited from his human ancestry.

He experienced (and much greater), the suffering we face in putting sin to death by the cross of grace through faith.

The opening, i.e., wounding and piercing, of generational wounds and brokenness require some degree of suffering as they are revealed, and the pain in them, for cleansing, healing, and restoration, just like physical healing.

The New Covenant is a “new” sacrificial system; the heart, mind, and will being laid at the altar of Christ (and I might add, over a long journey), to be conformed to his image, just like he was conformed to the image of his Father.

The purpose, to be made new from the inside out by putting sin to death, transformed, raised to walk in newness of life – to become a pearl of great price like the Great Pearl of Great Price.

This is what the Old Testament pointed to as the book of Hebrews clearly describes: God writing his Word in our hearts and minds, beginning with Christ first as the foreordained, predestined plan of God from the beginning.

To miss this is to the miss the purpose of the New Testament and to liken Christ to an animal, make salvation an event, not a journey, hide the journey to completion Christ endured to become our Savior, and, if that was not enough, hide the necessity of our journey.

And all of this is hidden behind his physical death; instead of being presented as life from his journey of apprehending eternal life, resurrection life, taught by Scripture, it is presented as life from being killed, not killing sin.

Further, the new language of the New Testament is brushed almost entirely under the rug, continuing the language of the Old upon the New.

And we miss much of the better way of killing sin, by the grace of God, the creative power of the Holy Spirit, forming a new nature “transformation,” through the humble acts of repentance and forgiveness.

What an ingenious and marvelous plan of God; destroying the structures of sin passed from generation to generation, by pulling up the stuff planted in hearts and minds by the enemy, beginning with Christ, through the power of his love and care (Matthew 15:13).

And to accomplish that process by the restraining power of the Holy Spirit – the cross of grace through faith, ushering men and women, Christ first, to experience greater and greater dependence upon God as the works of the flesh are put to death and the spirit made alive, Christ finishing the race perfectly.

God waited to release grace through repentance and forgiveness until Israel had exhausted themselves in good works, where those who were open could see the hypocrisy of “works,” when presented face to face with the love of God in Christ.

Ushering hearts into a place of desperation on the one hand, and the promised fulfilling of thirst and hunger by grace on the other.

****

Again, the glorious majesty, beauty, and wonder of the promised grace to come in the Lord Jesus Christ, was his death to sin (Romans 6:10), “‘new wine into new wineskins’” (NIV, Mark 2:22), Christ, the first fruit, firstborn, pioneer of the new creation presented and offered to Israel.

Once this understanding is revealed by the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures of Christ’s journey “before his ministry,” his journey to completion, becoming our King, Lord, Savior, in all the fullness of God, become clearly distinguishable and separate from the events of Calvary.

We know all three areas of Christ required healing and restoration because sin affects the total person – Adam and Eve fell in all three areas, as Christ was “tested” by the enemy for 40 days, body, soul, and spirit.

And we know testing comes after healing and restoration – you cannot test something that has not cleansed, healed, and restored.

The Scripture does not teach Christ was punished for sin, i.e., to exact punishment on him for our sins by beating, torturing, and killing – that’s what fallen man does empowered by the evil one.

But it does teach sin was passed to him from his human ancestry, and the plan of redemption established by God in the promised grace to come was for Christ to put sin to death, taking the suffering of “wounding wounds” so they can be cleansed and healed.

Just like in the physical realm, spiritual wounds from sin need to be cleansed by opening them up, piercing the wound, so it can be drained of infection, healed, and restored.

God through Christ demonstrated to mankind, Heaven, and darkness – his grace is more than sufficient to redeem mankind from the Fall.

Jesus had some hard words for those seeking his death, never calling Calvary a sacrifice as we understand the free will sacrifice used in the Scripture.

Sacrifice in the New Covenant is a sacrifice of one’s life to be made whole and holy, not to kill someone because of other people sins, whether it is about Christ or anyone else.

God’s righteousness to be revealed did not require a human sacrifice, the killing of a human being, but the sacrifice “O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” (NIV, Psalm 51:17, bold and italicized are mine)

Christ’s sacrifice to God was not to continue in the pattern of his generations, but to offer up to God the broken spirit and heart he inherited from his human ancestry to be made whole and holy, fathered by God, by grace through faith.

To begin a New Covenant for mankind “established on better promises” (NIV, Hebrews 8:6, bold and italicized mine), the promised grace to come in Christ (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10-12), where mankind can receive the new-birth and healing and restoration this side of Heaven.

Christ offered up the brokenness of his generations to his Heavenly Father in the revelation of grace in being made complete by the power of the Holy Spirit.

That’s the sacrifice the New Covenant describes of Christ in relationship to his Father – not in relationship to a Roman cross and lawless men.

You cannot call Calvary a sacrifice when a gun is pointed to your head and you either submit or take up arms to fight, both being righteous actions; the Father preferring submission to killing those he just spent 3 long years trying to save, but it was not a command.

Mankind would receive salvation, if Christ chose to fight, or, over an extended period, if he chose not to fight so no one else would be killed.

VERY IMPORTANT

You cannot call something a sacrifice, an offering, and in the same breath call it murder. (Matthew 21:37-41; 22:7; 23:13-39; Acts 7:52)

In many of the New Testament letters Christ’s sacrifice is referred to as a “blood” sacrifice.

Scripturally, blood (as opposed to the word “life”) as used in the New Testament, means a free will sacrificial offering by a mediator (Christ) with the intention of establishing connection, intimacy, and union between the “guilty” (mankind) through the mediator to God.

(Please remember, there are a number of NT passages where shed and shedding are not in the Greek added in translations because the context is his atonement in his perfection, not Calvary.)

When Christ put sin to death in being made complete before his ministry (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10), he provided a path (substitution, “justification”) through his perfection for mankind to come to God – fulfilling the Old Testament “type” of a blood sacrifice, “offering the entirety of his life to God.”

Christ left nothing unfulfilled; he apprehended everything God wanted him to apprehend, fulfilling the will of God perfectly, without sin, the best sacrifice any human could ever make, and in that he became our substitute, putting to death generational sins passed to him we could never do without his intercession – he being the pioneer, firstborn of the New Covenant.

When Christ was killed at Calvary, it was because of rejection and hate by the guilty voiding any use of the term “sacrifice.”

That’s why in reference to Calvary, the word “killing” is used in the Gospels and elsewhere, and not the word “sacrifice,” and “blood sacrifice,” used in the New Testament letters for Christ bringing an end to sin in his journey to completion.

***

There was nothing Christ had to sacrifice at Calvary, he had already atoned for sin in his perfection, the evidence “manifest” over three years in healing and salvation, signs, wonders, and miracles.

He was the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” when he entered ministry (NIV, Isaiah 9:6); Calvary added nothing to Christ, other than exposing Israel’s sin and confirming his righteousness.

You don’t offer Israel the opportunity of healing and salvation individually and nationally, the possibility of ushering in the Millennium then and there, and at the same time demand the Messiah die for their sins in fulfillment of prophecy.

Calvary was a continuation of his ministry of grace in one last effort to save some before the ax was put to the root of the tree.

Changing Dynamics and an Object Lesson

Christ’s completion was his “living blood sacrifice;” Calvary was his rejection of their rejection of him, purchasing (Revelation 5:9), with his “literal flesh and blood,” the right to continue to offer salvation to wayward Jews for another 40 years as a people group, to not destroy them presently by force, purchasing the right to take the Gospel to the Gentiles peaceably despite Israel’s rejection.

Calvary changed the dynamics of God’s plan for redemption; losing Israel as the head of nations under an early Millennium, having to cut them off instead, and, taking the Gospel to the Gentiles through individuals instead of the nation-state of Israel, prolonging God’s plan by two millenniums.

Very Important

Calvary displayed in Christ’s literal flesh and blood what he had already apprehended spiritually by putting sin to death, walking in resurrection life.

They would not believe he was Savior, complete, perfect, having put sin to death, walking in resurrection life, having all power and authority, so the only way to win some was to let them see visibly the sins he had put to death (on his body) by being publicly crucified and raised “again.”

Christ did sacrifice his right to fight and kill others who were intent on killing him, but that is not the one creeds and traditions teach.

The Scripture makes it clear there is only one sacrifice for sin, and it occurred at Christ’s perfection (Hebrews 5:7-10).

Note:

Some may point out 1 Corinthians 15:3 which says, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” (NIV, italicized mine)

That this death must refer to Calvary because in the next verse it says “he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to Scriptures” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 15:4, italicized mine).

It is clear from Paul’s extensive and detailed teaching in Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, etc., and other passages, in Corinthians 15 Paul is making a broad sweep of Christ’s life, from beginning to end, how he died for our sins in his completion, without getting into the details he taught extensively elsewhere.

Because his readers, unlike men and women 4 centuries later after the creeds were adopted, understand Christ was a human being, was perfected, and in his journey to completion he died to sin for our sins – mankind’s sins passed to him through his human ancestry, being made complete.

They knew Calvary was not the place of atonement, an unjust and untimely death, cruel, and the rejection of who Christ had become, not who he would become.

Paul in verse three refers to the stream of prophecies of Christ’s coming, the promised grace to come, his completion, becoming our Savior.

In verse four he refers to the actions of lawless men, the second stream of prophecies, they about Christ’s rejection.

He does not get into the detail of either because the story of his journey, ministry, and Calvary are known.

Later, in chapter 15, he does get into some detail of dying to sin, comparing it to first fruit, walking in new life, and in contrast to Adam, who failed to finish the race.

We also know he’s not talking about Calvary in verse three because the subject matter of chapter 15 after Paul’s introduction is about the perfection of Christ, being made perfect, raised from the dead, from mortality to immortality, to walk in newness of life, the resurrected Christ presented to Israel for over three years.

When Christ and Calvary are written about in the New Testament letters there’s a marked change in wording to include words like killing, murder, and betrayal, and not a passing comment where it is nonchalantly said Jesus died for our sins.

That’s because Christ’s death to sin occurred in his perfection, not Calvary.

Calvary is not a “Jesus died for our sins,” non-emotional comment in the New Testament.

Speaking about Calvary, Stephen, who would know better than any of us, said he was “betrayed and murdered” (NIV, Acts 7:52, italicized mine).

He was not handed over to lawless men by God, but was betrayed by those he came to save and handed over by them to Rome for execution.

When it comes to Calvary, the New Testament writers attach comments of significance regarding the killing and injustice done to Christ, because it was not necessary for him to be killed for salvation.

But since Israel rejected him, it was necessary for him to be killed to extend grace and not take up arms to kill those bent on killing him.

One could say, in a very broad way, Christ died for sins at Calvary to “expose and reveal them,” so Israel would come to repentance and forgiveness, but the atoning sacrifice for sins occurred when Christ put sin to death in his journey being made one with the Father.

That part is clear in Scripture.

Calvary has the aspects of another part of his story – “purchased” (NIV, Revelation 5:9, italicized mine), mankind with the shedding of his blood (his murder), as distinguished from redeeming (atoning for sin), in his perfection.

In other words, from Christ’s perspective, “If they won’t come to me, their Messiah, their atonement, and receive forgiveness of sins while I’m alive, then, rather than taking up arms and fighting them, I will “purchase” them by letting them kill me – a price so great and “public” only the foolish will refuse to accept.

Only the Messiah, having already atoned for sin, the Holy One, could pay such a price to buy those who refused to come to repentance and be saved.

The disciples and early apostles of the faith new Christ was fully human, had been perfected before his ministry, had atoned for sin before he stepped into ministry, was the Messiah (Peter by the revelation of God said so), the New Covenant in flesh and blood (Matthew 26:28), who ministered over three years to Israel.

And they were horrified Israel killed their Messiah, rejecting the salvation God had brought to them, knowing Christ could have ushered in the Millennium if only Israel had received their Messiah.

No one was glad for their salvation Jesus died at Calvary, because it is a contradiction we know even in our heart of hearts.

You cannot die to sin, being made perfect, becoming the source of salvation, revealed in signs, wonders, and miracles for over three years (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7 – 10), and then die for sins again.

Christ was the New Testament when he entered ministry, during ministry, and at Calvary, and after Calvary, having fulfilled the law in his flesh perfectly, being made one with the Father before his presentation to John at the river Jordan.

Wrath

The wrath of God against sin was not a punishment directed at the person of Christ – how could we think, and why would we think, the only way to atone for sin is to punish the Messiah cruelly and brutally, kill him for other people sins?

The Scripture does not teach Christ was killed to atone (as a substitute) for our sins!

The Scripture does teach Christ was wounded, pierced, crushed, for generational transgressions and iniquities passed to him from his human ancestry. (Isaiah 53:4-6, Romans 6:10, Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14, 1 Peter 2:24, Hebrews 5:7-10)

And the wounding, piercing, crushing was directed against the enmity in his flesh passed to him (Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear), bringing death to sin, eternal life, resurrection life, to Christ, before his ministry!

And entering resurrection life in his completion (Hebrews 5:7-10, 7:16), he became our substitute Savior, apprehending what he was born to apprehend, putting generational sin to death, completely, perfectly, without sin, in intimate union with God.

It sounds noble in the natural, someone commanded they must be killed for someone else, but what does it say of the one commanding the other be killed?

Simply, God did not predestine Christ to be killed, he did not foreordain Christ to be killed, and he did not command Christ to be killed.

The final decision was Christ’s: he could have chosen to take up arms and God would have been with him in it.

And if he had, salvation would still have come to mankind.

But there would have been a lot of killing in the process, and frankly, the thought of killing another human being after trying to save people for over three years was not to be found in Christ’s heart.

He knew men and women needed more time; he was not going to take any risks that those he loved would be killed in the process.

But after giving mankind two millenniums to choose, and, seven plus years of Tribulation to repent, if after all that, men and women refuse to come to him, then destruction must come to man’s union with darkness, just like the flood, Red Sea crossing, Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, and Roman destruction of Jerusalem.

The promised grace to come was not to kill the Messiah, but for the Messiah to be perfected and to graft into him those who come to him.

Creeds and traditions teach, and Hollywood’s blockbuster movies, the flogging and cruelty against Christ leading to his murder was God’s foreordained plan, accomplishing God’s purpose for salvation.

The Scripture does not teach God was involved in the murder of Christ.

It does teach God’s preferred will was for Christ not to take up arms; but if he chose to fight, God would be with him in it, because he would be justified and righteous in taking up arms.

Important

The wounding, piercing, crushing, etc., of the enmity in his flesh (Isaiah 53:4-6, Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear, Colossians 2:14, 1 Peter 2:24, Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10), is no different than the enmity in our flesh and the journey of putting it to death by the cross of grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness; putting to death the appetites and desires of the fleshly nature.

It’s a part of who we are, our members, body, soul, and spirit; we will, and Christ did, feel the effects of putting sin to death; suffering the discomfort of the undoing and healing of the enmity of the flesh passed from generation to generation.

Christ experienced the suffering of his body, soul, and spirit as generational transgressions and iniquities were wounded and pierced, cleansed, and healed.

The important distinction is the creeds have the punishment for sin directed toward the person of Christ, and not toward the enmity in his flesh.

Whereas the Scripture has the punishment of sin directed towards the structures of sin and the power behind them, i.e., the suffering involved in the destruction of the enmity in Christ’s flesh – the spiritual battle and journey it took to put sin to death by the power of the Holy Spirit by grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness for his generations.

King David was wounded, pierced, crushed in his journey with God to birth righteousness in his heart as a type of Christ.

It should not seem strange then, Christ, the antitype, experienced likewise; only his journey was done perfectly, completely, without sin, through the grace to come, becoming our Savior. (1 Peter 1:13, Hebrews 5:7-10)

Sin is powerful; it is a battle to put it to death.

All we have to do is look at our lives and this world to see that.

But it is not more powerful than God’s Word and Spirit when God sets his sights on cleansing and healing his Sons and daughters.

There’s a night and day difference between the two – the creeds and the Scripture, and the Scripture is superior.

Forgiveness

The hidden spiritual battle at Calvary was not the need for Jesus to be killed so mankind could be forgiven and saved, but the exposure of unrepentant sin so men and women would seek forgiveness.

Calvary did not atone for sin; he had already atoned for sin in his completion.

But it did do what he was unable to get them to do in his ministry – expose it – it was exposed in his arrest, trial, and crucifixion, giving them no more excuse for sin.

It was visible for all to see on the marks on his broken body.

There would now be no more excuse for sin, either they would repent like Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah, or they would die in their sins, having received the only sign Jesus would give them – Jonah.

When Jesus preached repentance and forgiveness, he wasn’t preaching repentance and forgiveness for some time in the future, but repentance and forgiveness then and there.

The New Covenant was in force when Jesus began his ministry, he was the New Covenant (Matthew 26:28); many entered the New Covenant with his preaching, becoming believers during his ministry.

The notion Jesus did everything in anticipation of Calvary is not in accord with Scripture.

He held “church” wherever he went, and in those “services” people came to the altar, so to speak, and received healing, salvation, and teaching.

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about being born-again, he wasn’t talking about some future time, but that it was available now, in him, the New Covenant Creation in flesh and blood.

Jesus did not need to die at Calvary to offer forgiveness.

He was forgiveness in flesh and blood, and it was that forgiveness, the Jews rejected, demanding a sign, which Christ ultimately gave.

Christ entered Calvary to break the spiritual darkness of unforgiveness imprisoning God’s sons and daughters, to expose their sin on his body, so they would have eyes to see and ears to hear the forgiveness of God had offered through him.

The Apostle John said, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (NIV, John 1:12 – 13)

There were many in Israel who experienced the revelation and power of the new-birth during Christ’s ministry; receiving healing and salvation by grace through faith in their Messiah.

Many came to the knowledge of Christ and even a limited understanding of prophecies being fulfilled in their very presence (Matthew 16:16).

Many experienced the love of God in Christ for them and were ushered into the New Covenant, the promised grace to come, inviting others into the treasure they found, like the 72, Luke Chapter 10.

It was not a powerless Christ, a weak Messiah, a “model” of Christianity, but a powerful moving of the Holy Spirit changing lives, converting hearts, healing minds and bodies, destroying and disrupting the powers of darkness over Israel so much their rulers went mad with anger to plot his death.

It was because the new-birth in the New Covenant was beginning to spread and take root, sprouting leaves, getting ready to bear fruit, and spread seeds, Israel chose to chop down the tree of life before the tree of the knowledge of good and evil could be uprooted.

If Israel had come to Christ as a nation, the Holy Spirit would have come upon the nation as a whole setting in motion the beginning of the Millennium.

Calvary was not the need for forgiveness to occur, but for repentance to occur, so forgiveness could come into force.

Jesus was recorded by Matthew as saying, “‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (NIV, Matthew 26:28)

Jesus made it clear: the New Covenant of the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10-12), resided in him; his life (Romans 5:10, John 6:63, 11:25), and being rejected, he allowed the vessel of his body to be poured out so many could come to forgiveness in one last effort to save the lost even with the cost of his immortal life.

If you were perfected, walking in immortality, restored to what Adam and Eve lost, knowing you would never die, would you give your life – of course, an impossible question, since we all fall under sin, but what a choice he had to make!

He’s saying, “I am the Covenant; if the only way you’ll come to me, the New Covenant in flesh and blood, is by spilling my blood so repentance will pierce your heart and reveal your wounds and brokenness, then so be it.

On the day of Pentecost Peter did not say, “Thank God Jesus was killed, so you and us, his disciples, can be forgiven of our sins.”

No, he said, in contrast, in so many words, “You killed the resurrected Jesus, the one Psalm 16 foretold – he, who would apprehend eternal life this side of Heaven – it is that Jesus, the resurrected Jesus – you killed.”

“Now repent, so you can be forgiven and enter the kingdom of God.” (Paraphrase, NIV, Acts 2:36-38)

Peter, if he had more understanding of the Scriptures at that time could have added:

“Christ has not only ‘redeemed you from your sins,’ (your atoning sacrifice in being made perfect), but with the spilling of his blood, he went the extra mile, by ‘purchasing you,’ paying a price not required by his Father, because you chose to keep your hearts closed, imprisoned in sin.” (Paraphrase, NIV, Revelation 5:9)

A Better Covenant

What do these Scriptures mean:

“‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (NIV, Matthew 26:28)

“He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

In the case of the will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living…

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with the sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.” (NIV, Hebrews 9:12 – 24, bold and italicized are mine)

Are these verses speaking about the killing of Christ at Calvary, or the killing of sin by Christ, offering the entirety of his life – symbolized by his blood – to God in being made complete – fulfilling what the Old Testament animal sacrifices foretold, doing of the will of God from the heart?

Was Christ the mediator between God and man, the spotless lamb, the perfect one, the Messiah, offering healing and salvation, having all power and authority, only after Calvary, or before?

Did Jesus have a name above every name, one with the Father, at his Father’s right hand, only after Calvary, or before?

And what about these verses:

‘“‘Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them’”– though they were offered in accordance with the law.

Then he said, “‘Here I am, I have come to do your will.’” He sets aside the first to establish the second.

And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

“‘This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.’”

Then he adds:

“‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’”

And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.’”’ (NIV, Hebrews 10:8 – 18, bold and italicized are mine)

Are these verses referring to the killing of Christ at Calvary, what Stephen calls his murder (Acts 7:52), or, is it referring to a better covenant, one where through the process of a journey of transformation the laws of God are written on the fleshly tables of the heart and mind, Christ being the first fruit, firstborn, pioneer of that journey?

When Jesus offered healing, salvation, forgiveness of sins, raising the dead, etc., before his killing at Calvary – where those acts dependent on his killing, or, was he already walking in resurrection life, authority, and power, having all of authority in Heaven and earth – the New Covenant already flowing through his veins?

***

When did Jesus die, what the Scripture refers to as “death” to sin, at Calvary, during his ministry, or before?

When did Christ’s one act of obedience occur? (Romans 5:18 – 19) (Commentaries agree this refers to Christ’s life and not one thing.)

When did he sacrifice everything “once for all”? (NIV, Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 9:26, 10:10)

Is this speaking about Calvary, or does it refer to his completion, where he entered Heaven itself, perfected, resurrection life, eternal life, having the power to transfigure himself, walk on water, order the elements to obey, and even walk into Heaven.

If Elijah, Moses, and Enoch were translated one way, and Moses and Elijah could talk to Christ, what about the mobility of the perfected Christ, the Messiah, and his ability to come and go as he pleased?

When did Christ pass through the heavens? (NIV, Hebrews 4:14)

And what do these verses all have in common about the story of Christ?

Are they all referring to the killing of Christ at Calvary, or his personal story of death to sin, resurrected to walk in newness of life, made complete by the Father?

***

Was the perfection of Christ, the New Covenant flowing in his blood (life) sufficient for salvation, or was the shedding of his blood mandatory for our salvation?

Is the heart of the Old Testament about killing, or, the sacrifice of what was important to them for life, there is a cost to sin, and you can sacrifice your most cherished possessions to God and he will provide for you?

In other words, was the Old Testament focused on the shedding of blood to atone for sins, or was the heart of OT the lack of trust and faith in God to provide for needs which leads to sin?

Is the heart of the New Testament about the killing of Christ, or the killing of sin so Christ could fulfill the law in his flesh, the first person of human ancestry who defeated sin completely, perfectly, being made one with the Father?

In other words, was the requirements for a New Testament satisfied in Christ’s death to sin, resurrected to walk in newness of life by the power of the Holy Spirit, sufficient to satisfy the heart of the Father as an atonement for mankind’s sin through the perfection of his Son?

The Scripture clearly gives us the answer.

Christ’s obedience to the Father, being made complete, putting to death the deeds of the flesh, raised to walk in resurrected eternal life by the Spirit of God, fulfilled the heart of the Father for the perfect sacrifice.

Why else would the Father hope Israel would receive his Son? (NIV, Matthew 21:37)

***

Here are some related questions:

When did Jesus offer a blood sacrifice to cleanse us from our sins; to establish the New Covenant?

Are the words sacrifice, death, blood, etc., literal interpretations in all instances, or, in the New Covenant, do they embody a new language – stretching the heart to the things of the Spirit? (John 6:63, 1 Corinthians 2:13, 1 John 5:8)

When was Christ the first fruit, firstborn, seated at the right hand of God, given a name above every other name?

When did he die to sin to walk in newness of life?

When did Christ crucify his flesh, his cross?

What is the cross of Christ we are asked to pick up – the cross of Calvary, or, the cross of grace through faith in dependence upon God for healing and restoration, the cleansing and purging of our sins?

When did he become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross?

Did God command Christ to die at Calvary, or did Christ chose to die because he was not going to start killing men and women he tried to heal and save for over three years?

Why does the Scripture go to such length and descriptions to communicate different aspects of Christ’s death to sin, the cross, etc., in the New Testament letters, if it was simply a story about Calvary?

Did Christ pioneer Calvary for us, or did he pioneer being made a new creation?

Why all the different angles and expressions about “Christ” if the center of the story, the Gospel, is about Calvary?

Why does the New Testament point us to Jesus, his life, the journey of dying to sin, being made complete, becoming our Savior (NIV, Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10) and yet, creeds, traditions, point us to his ministry, and Calvary, instead of, who he became by grace through faith in the hands of his Father?

Bypassing Christ’s journey and jumping quickly to Calvary misses the most important message of the Bible – love, care, and intimacy with the Father – the Father’s pioneering relationship with Christ and Christ with him – the pattern for you and me.

It is tragic, but the creeds teach you and me God’s plan was to kill his Son.

The Scripture teaches God’s plan was for his Son to be received, Israel refusing, fulfilling the prophecies they would reject – they were prophecies of rejection, not God’s heart nor design – a stream of unrepentance sin from the author of sin.

The focus of the Scripture is first and foremost desire, passion, and intimacy with God – the story and journey of Christ – not his murder at Calvary.

The Gospel is the story of love, an invitation into intimacy first and foremost, and Christ’s perfection journey is the high point, not Calvary.

The belief the killing of the Lord Jesus started the New Covenant sounds eerily reminiscent of the Old Covenant and animal sacrifices.

Suffice it to say the New Covenant means something completely new, not an elevation from animal to human as a means of sacrifice.

If God withheld judgment of Nineveh because there was much livestock there, how grieved do you think he was to see his Son die because Israel rejected the New Covenant in Christ?

It takes the revelation of the Lord to understand his Word, he made that clear in his teaching and so did the writers of the New Testament letters.

Everything in the New Testament is to be looked at in relationship to Christ first, his journey, who he became, everything else flows out of that.

Hebrews:

What’s better, a dead animal with shed blood under the Old Covenant, which was required under the Law, or, God’s Son putting to death the hostility in his flesh to the laws of his Father, by grace through faith “perfected” under the New Covenant, living a resurrected life?

 Very Important

That’s the distinction in the Book of Hebrews: shed blood under the Old Covenant, required by the law, versus, living blood under the New Covenant, death to sin, resurrection life, offered by grace through faith in obedience.

“…he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” (NIV, Hebrews 2:9)

“…should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.” (NIV, Hebrews 2:10)

When was Christ made perfect – before, during, or at the end of his ministry?

Did he offer salvation before, or, only after Calvary?

***

“…so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (NIV, Hebrews 2:14 – 15)

When did Jesus display his authority over death and the devil – before or after Calvary?

If it was during his ministry, then what is the meaning of the words, “death” in this passage?

***

“that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (NIV, Hebrews 2:17 – 18)

When did Jesus display mercy and faithfulness, offer forgiveness of sins, and help those who were tempted with sin?

***

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,^f Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.”

^f14 Greek has gone through the heavens (NIV, Hebrews 4:14) 

When did Jesus, the Son of God, go through the heavens – before or after Calvary?

***

“…he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest” (NIV, Hebrews 5:8 – 10)

When was Jesus made perfect, becoming the source of eternal salvation – before his ministry, during his ministry, or, after Calvary?

***

“It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever” (NIV, Hebrews 6: 19 – 20)

When did Jesus enter the inner sanctuary, i.e., go through the heavens on our behalf becoming our High Priest – before, during, or after his ministry?

***

“one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.” (NIV, Hebrews 7:16)

“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Such a high priest truly meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.” (NIV Hebrews, 7:25 – 28)

When did Jesus demonstrate the power of an indestructible life, saving those who came to him manifesting the authority of one sitting at the right hand of the Father, having sacrificed himself by offering himself to the Father, made complete – before, during, or after his ministry?

***

“…he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation….he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant…now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (NIV, Hebrews 9:11 – 15)

When did Christ pass through the heavens, i.e., enter the most holy place, by his own blood, offering himself unblemished to God, dying as a ransom to set men free from sins – before, during his ministry, or, at Calvary?

Was Christ unblemished at Calvary, having the marks of their sin on his body, or was he unblemished in his completion, becoming our Savior, having put sin to death perfectly, without sin, our spotless lamb sacrifice?

What death did he endure, physical death, or death to sin, offering himself unblemished to God, the sacrifice of his blood, entering heaven’s Holy of Holies on our behalf, paying the ransom for our sins, that allowed him to offer salvation and forgiveness of sins during his ministry?

Why do we equate the sacrifice of Christ’s blood – the offering of his body, soul, and spirit unblemished to God – with his killing and murder at Calvary, and not being made perfect, the source of our eternal salvation?

Is it because of the creeds, or because the Scripture teaches it?

Why is Calvary not mentioned in Hebrews, or for that matter, outside of the Gospels other than a few specific instances in Acts and elsewhere, and Stevens clear proclamation that it was an act of murder?

Why is Calvary not spoken of in terms of joy and fondness if that is when the New Covenant and the offering of forgiveness and salvation began?

And why does Hebrews spend chapter after chapter describing the journey and testimony of Christ in detail and from different perspectives if it’s all about Calvary and not about Christ?

How many different descriptions of Calvary do we need?

Have we misunderstood the meaning of Scripture when it talks about Christ offering himself unblemished to God, i.e., the blood of Christ, like those in ages past who were repulsed when Jesus said,

“‘…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.’” (NIV, John 6:53 – 55)

***

And lastly,

“‘Here I am, I have come to do your will.’” “He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (NIV, Hebrews 10:9 – 10)

When was the will of the Father accomplished in Christ – before, during, or after his ministry?

Blessings, Drake

(NIV) Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblical, Inc.™