Alternative title could be: 

Would You Marry Someone You Don’t Know?

I strongly recommend reading, “When Did the New Testament Begin? Part 10,” in this series, “Fullness of Time” before reading this post.

And if you’re not familiar with Christ’s personal journey, dying to sin to walk in newness of life, being made perfect before his presentation to John, then I suggest starting at the beginning of this series, Fullness of Time, and skimming the posts.

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In future posts I’ll review key Scriptures, that contrary to popular opinion, refer to Christ’s personal journey, and not Calvary.

I’ll speak to those mysterious Scriptures, standing alone, in the moment, removed from the context of his life and story, seem to imply his sole purpose and life mission was to be killed at Calvary for mankind’s salvation.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The Scripture teaches, Christ, and Christ alone, is our Savior, before Calvary.

He was King, Lord, High Priest, Prophet, Savior, when presented to John to be baptized.

The Son of God was “tested” by the devil for 40 days, having already been “made perfect” by the Father before he was presented to John.

His death at Calvary did not change the nature of who he was, his offer of love, life, and salvation “connection and intimacy with God.”

What he offered before his death at Calvary did not change after his death; forgiveness of sins, healing, restoration – holy and divine relationship and care from the Father of lights (James 1:17 & 1 John 1:5).

The Holy Spirit, poured out after Calvary, would have been “poured out” had Israel accepted their Messiah, instead of killing him.

What Christ offered at Calvary was one final sign to Israel, the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:39-40), the exposure of their hidden and secret sins on the holiness of his body, hoping some might turn from sin to the pioneer and author of life.

Calvary would be the last in a long line of Christ’s testimony: what the Father had accomplished in him, healing, restoration, “resurrection life,” he had made available to them, Lazarus being the most recent example, what he said about himself is true.

Jesus had entered the promise of the Father “resurrection life,” in his personal journey, offering it and its fruit freely to Israel.

And, having not believed the works of his ministry, maybe, just maybe, one last sign, the sign of Jonah, would prove to them the indestructibility of resurrection life, the gift of God by grace through faith (Hebrews 7:16).

(Note: In Mark 8:12, Jesus says no sign will be given.

Jesus is referring to the “sign” they would like to see with the natural eyes:

• instead of being converted, having spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear – seeing and hearing the goodness and kindness of God in the lives of those touched by the hand of Christ,
• something that does not require much of them, keeping the graciousness, favor, and love of Christ at bay,
• and not entertain the possibility of God’s kindness and love to the common folk, outcast, diseased, and demonized – those they held in low esteem,
• and, something, anything that allows them to keep their beliefs, the “traditions of men,” – the hidden and secret things of the heart – from the light of God, his mercy, love, and grace.)

And instead of Israel being the head, accepting God’s gift, his only Son, they would be set aside for two millenniums until the time of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

And some living in the 21^st century will likely, according to prophecies spoken over 1500 years (the writings of the Old & New Testaments), confirmed by the work of God over the last 500 years and the present deep work of grace, live to see the age of the Gentiles fulfilled.

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“‘Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.’” (NIV, Matthew 5:25)

These words are as pertinent today as ever.

We have over two millenniums of Christian history – a stark contrast between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light – a progressive revelation of Christ and a progressive revelation of the work of darkness.

Agreements with sin, cultivated from wounds and brokenness, i.e., “judgments of others, ourselves, or God,” and the accompanying fruits – lies, vows, curses, and the like, bind Christians and non-Christians to a way of life contrary to grace.

This parable reveals the enemy’s plan and design to make men and women into his image and likeness; to be like him for all eternity (Revelation 22:11).

His desire is to trap men and women in a perpetual cycle of darkness and captivity, generation after generation, perpetrating sins and wounds against ourselves and others.

That the sins we’ve entertained, the wounds we’ve received, and the brokenness of our lives, we’ll bind us hand and foot to him and his kingdom in a life of slavery.

Destroying men and women little by little until the day they die.

The law of sin, and the fruit from unhealed wounds and brokenness are powerful foes, for Christian and non-Christian alike, but they all have one critical “deadly” weakness – grace through faith in Christ.

Christ, and Christ alone, is the way of escape from the enemy’s legal system, the carnage it brings to those held captive to his will.

This parable reveals the deep workings of the enemy, as Paul describes, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (NIV, Ephesians 6:12)

Christ’s revelation of the hidden work of darkness is the kindness of God to lead us to repentance by grace through faith, an offer of forgiveness, rescue, care, and love.  

To paraphrase, Jesus is saying, “As you begin to learn my ways, I will teach you the ways to unbind yourself from your adversary – what he uses as an advantage – the law of sin, that he, the pioneer and author of darkness, rules with an iron fist.”

“He has the authority, the legal right, to hand “those who sin” to one of his officers, who will officiate “execute” sentencing, binding sinfulness for generations to come.”

“This is the law and legal structure of the kingdom of this world, those outside my Father’s kingdom.”

“But I have good news for you.”

“As you learn my ways, I will instruct you on how to defeat your adversary, the tempter, before he can “conceive,” sin in your life, binding you into his kingdom.”

“I’ve paid the price for your entrance into my kingdom and the knowledge of my ways.”

“And as you begin to wield my sword by grace through faith, through repentance and forgiveness, in me, and me alone, you’ll render his temptations (his matters) null and void at the door of your heart.”

“And further, I will cleanse and heal areas already under his captivity, some, without your involvement or prayer, others may require some involvement on your part, and still others, may require not only your permission and breaking of agreements, but also involvement with others I have chosen to bring healing and restoration to you.”

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(By the way, for those who enjoy symbolism, “matters” may represent the enemy’s temptations to areas of wounds, brokenness, and sinful areas, desiring to cultivate and harvest deeper and deeper sin.

He exploits our weaknesses and sinful natures with temptations and “sin” cycles.

And we can exploit his weakness, our strength, by immediately running to our Savior, the grace of God, his Word, to find Christ’s path of escape he pioneered for you and me.

The judge may represent the God of this world, the law of sin – our own sinful works which testify and render judgment against ourselves – and the rulers, authorities and powers of evil, who have the legal authority to bind those entering their domain to chains of darkness.

The officer may be akin to the beliefs we embrace that are contrary to the kingdom of God, “lies,” that become the foundation for what we believe in a particular area sentencing us to the fruit of that foundation – practice ways of living that imprison us in sinful lifestyles.)

Justice

We often hear of the courtroom of heaven; Christ our advocate, our defense attorney, the Father, our judge, and the enemy, the prosecuting attorney, demanding the death penalty because we’ve broken the law of God, which is holy and spiritual (Romans 7:12 – 14), and entered into agreement with him, the father of lies (John 8:44).

Christ, our advocate, paid the price for our sin by overcoming sin, being made perfect, dying to sin to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7 – 10).

Because of his triumph over sin, wrought by the Father’s deep work of grace in him, Christ is the advocate of heaven on our behalf, releasing men and women from the law of sin (Romans 8:1).

To paraphrase, Christ, our advocate, proclaims before the judge and the prosecuting attorney, “I overcame sin, and since this one is ‘in me’ I am extending grace to them.

Father, because of the eternal work of salvation you accomplished in me – being ‘…delivered over to death for…’ their sins and ‘…raised to life for…’ their ‘… justification…’ I release them from eternal death. (NIV, Romans 4:25, Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7 – 10)

Further, just as your grace was extended to me for healing and restoration (Romans, 1 Corinthians 15, Ephesians, Philippians, Hebrews, 1 Peter 1, etc.), I extend grace to them for healing and restoration, that they might partake of resurrection life now. (Romans 6:4 – 5)

And depending on how far they travel into my grace – cleansing and healing of the sinful structures they, with the help of the enemy, have built in their life – they may, be ‘made ready’ for my bride, and become joint heirs with me in all things.”

Once the verdict is rendered in our favor, Christ fights on our behalf with the sword of the Spirit, bringing justice to the wounded and broken areas of our life, evicting the enemy of our soul and cleansing and healing our wounds.

There is not enough spoken from the pulpit about the vengeance of the Father against the wounds Christ inherited in his ancestral line, and the vengeance of Christ to bring healing and restoration to his sons and daughters seeking the deeper things of God.

Peace comes after war, and Christ is warring with spiritual truths and the sword of his Spirit, delivering many from demonic strongholds and the accompanying agreements, lies, and vows that gave rise to the strongholds in the first place.

And unlike creeds and traditions, which work to keep us content and in place, the sword of the Spirit takes us on a journey with Christ, into the deep things of God.

Justice not only prevails in Christ’s courtroom, but the journey he pioneered for you and me.

That’s where the deep things of God are accomplished and where our biggest adversaries are met and conquered in Christ.

****

Agreements with the enemy are birthed out of our wounds and brokenness and thrive in an atmosphere, whether Christian or not, where the revelation of Christ by grace (1 Peter 1:13) is not preached or sought.

Many agreements are hidden and secreted away so deeply in lives only the light of the revelation of grace, a deep work of the Spirit, can bring them to the surface for healing and restoration.

That’s what the Philadelphia church age is all about.

And that’s what Christ’s deep work of grace is doing in Christendom today.

The kingdom of darkness has a deep hold in Christianity today, so much so, the Scripture speaks of a great apostasy – a great falling away – in the latter times.

We see it in the story of the five foolish virgins, the age of Laodicea, and the woman of Revelation 12, standing in the presence of a monster, a dragon, determined to kill her and her child, and she’s totally unprepared for what’s in front of her and coming.

And not only do the tentacles of the legal system of agreements imprison areas of the body, soul, and spirit, but also areas of theology, “binding” creeds and traditions to the story of Christ, mixing and confusing his personal story with Calvary.

The enemy is not just content to capture areas of our lives, but to blind us to any hope of rescue and redemption, by hiding and secreting away the story of Christ, to the truth of his journey, what he pioneered for you and me. (Ephesians 4:20 – 24)

Simply, the enemy not only hijacks areas of our lives, but he also hijacks areas of the gospel to keep us permanently imprisoned.

We face his assaults on many fronts, not only our personal lives, but the personal lives of those charged with leading and feeding the flock.

But thanks be to God!

He only lets certain things go on for so long before he intervenes, like he did in the Temple two millenniums ago, and turns the tables on the enemy by a fresh and invigorating wave of his Word and Spirit.

The Lord is not about to let the enemy ship wreck everything he’s been building over the last 500 years to prepare a bride.

No, Christ is not asleep.

He is not silent.

He has prepared, in advance, “a church age, Philadelphia,” for those who desire freedom from the enemy’s captivity, starting with a clearer understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ, who he is, his journey, that he has more for them than advertised – deep intimacy and union with him, Tabernacles.

The Lord has birthed over the last number of decades resources in the body of Christ to bring healing, deep healing, in the body of Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23 – 24)

While the enemy is working hard to cultivate and create an environment and atmosphere for the great apostasy, the Lord is cultivating and creating an atmosphere and environment for overturning his work in the body of Christ, and to choose, prepare, and mature a bride for himself.

And one of the resources the Lord is making available to the Church is a deep understanding of who he is, who he became, and the journey the Father took him through to become our King, Lord, and Savior.

That knowledge is critical in understanding the journey of the bride.

Christ is our reference point in all matters, including, most importantly, the journey he invites us on.

The journey he pioneered is the journey for the bride, Tabernacles, for those who want everything Jesus has to offer.

There’s coming a great split in the body of Christ, those who’ve gone on with the Lord into the deep waters of his Spirit, versus those content with knowing “about” Jesus, or, knowing “of” Jesus, but not “knowing him, who is life.”

This post is a continuance of redirecting our eyes to Christ, and Christ alone, what the Father accomplished in him. (Hebrews 5:7 – 10)

If we are to apprehend the promises of the Father for us in the age of Philadelphia, it is important to understand the journey Christ pioneered, the deep healing and restoration he endured, being made perfect, resurrected to walk in newness of life, becoming the source of eternal salvation.

Only then, in the context of his journey, who he became, what the Father accomplished in him, can we understand his willingness to surrender his life at Calvary, “after already ransoming his life for their sins,” (through his personal journey of “dying to sin” to walk in newness of life, Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7 – 10, etc.), submitting to those who would murder him (Acts 7:52, Matthew 21:37 – 39, Matthew 23:31 – 33), rather than fighting and killing those he came to save.

Christ was truly the Messiah when he stepped foot into Israel in every sense of the word.

He was the walking, living, breathing, New Testament, as he testified immediately before his killing, saying, the New Testament is in his blood. (Matthew 26:28)

When we begin to understand God did not orchestrate Christ’s killing, it was the result of sinners who rejected their Messiah, we begin to understand the kindness and goodness of God, that, through grace by faith he perfected Christ, the “perfect blood sacrifice,” that murder could never produce.

Christ’s death to sin was the perfect substitute for our sins, and Israel’s, because it is by grace through faith we are saved, not the work of our hands.

The promise of the New Covenant is truly new, not the continued killing of animals, and not the murder of a man, but, the perfection of Christ, what the prophets of old desired to look into. (1 Peter 1:10)

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Greetings again.

My last post was on Revelation and I will pick up again on that subject and prophecies of the last days in subsequent posts.

But two posts ago I wrote on, “When did the New Testament begin?” And will continue on that subject in this post.

I love writing about the new things God is doing.

And the new understandings he’s unveiling in his Word in these, the latter days.

He’s saved some of the best for last. And we’ll need it, to get through what’s here now, and coming.

I also know the cost and weight of bringing new things, the extraordinary amount of time it takes to explain something new when there’s layers upon layers of creeds and traditions saying or pointing to something different.

Change does not come easy in “religious” circles.

In this series, “When did the New Testament begin?” I’ll cover a lot of Scriptures.

Many Scriptures ascribed to Calvary, speak, just as much, if not more, and some primarily, to Christ’s personal journey in the wilderness, the so called missing 18 years, before his presentation to John, being fathered by God (Hebrews 5:7 – 10).

That journey brought him to the place where he could be tempted by the devil and prevail, commissioning him for ministry to Israel.

I’ve written a lot already on Christ’s personal journey in this series, Fullness of Time, and in other series.

I hope these posts give you a clearer and better understanding of Scripture.

You can make your own determination of whether Jesus was sufficient for our salvation, or, whether he needed to be killed (murdered) for us to be saved.

Without an understanding of Christ’s personal journey, his perfection, all of our hope seems to be placed at the feet of Calvary, and that’s what the Church has articulated for centuries.

But that’s not what the Scripture teaches.

If you’re new to this subject, I suggest going back to the beginning of the Fullness of Time series to read about Christ’s personal journey and what that accomplished.

Better yet, read Romans and Hebrews without the filter of creeds and traditions and you’ll see his death to sin is what produced the New Testament in his blood, not Calvary.

This is very important.

Because it paves the path to Christ clearer, and the path and pattern he has set before us who live on the dawn of the Millennium.

He’s taking many into the deep waters of grace and faith today, will you be one of them?

*** SECTION I ***

Creeds and Traditions or Fresh Manna from Heaven

With layers upon layers of creeds and traditions populating commentaries, translations, publications, teachings, etc., comes the huge emotional investment in beliefs and practices held dear to the human heart.

So much so, people are willing to endanger the lives and reputations of others over beliefs and practices.

Religion can only “birth” religion, it cannot birth relationship, deep intimacy, and union.

Intimacy and union can only come at great personal cost, in relationship with its author, and cannot be transferred through knowledge – passed from generation to generation.

And that is the crux of the matter today.

Institutions breed institutions, not deep relationship and intimacy.

That’s why God has chosen the long journey in Christ, some in the wilderness, to birth deep intimacy and union with the lover of our soul. 

Beliefs and practices can become so important they take on the nature of a “person,” to be defended at all cost, like a living person.

Every new move of God – every advancement in the kingdom of God – faces centuries of beliefs and practices passed down from generation to generation.

I’m not saying everything newly brought is “in accord with Scripture,” that one should embrace everything advertised as new, and as from God.

But I am saying God is doing new things today, opening new vistas of grace in a season of the Church he’s reserved for the last days, to take those who want more of him deeper in the revelation of him.

With all the resources God has made available to the Church in inner healing, deliverance, prayer ministry, counseling, “Fathering,” and the like, God has provided the means by which he can accomplish much in a relatively short period of time, in those he’s chosen for a deep work.

Now more than ever is a time to be sensitive to the Lord, to seek him, and inquire of him, what he would like to do in your life.

He does not force himself on anyone, but desires the deep work of his Holy Spirit in all of us.

Love breeds love, and that’s what he desires to accomplish in you and me – the love of God made flesh, fulfilling the desires of our heart, and his.

I’ve mentioned this before, in Acts 17:11, it says in so many words, the Bereans, who were “well born” into the Christian faith, searched the Word diligently whether the things Paul told them were true or not.

And the only way one can search the Word diligently, is by the leading and revelation of the Holy Spirit of God.

When we embrace “truths,” or what we’ve been told are truths or think are truths, passed down from generation to generation, we replace “substitute” intimacy and relationship with the Lord, with “practices and truths” others believed, whether they be true or not.

It is safe to say, from the general tenor of Scripture, the Lord does not want anything between us and him, and that includes purported truths and practices handed down from generation to generation.

Every generation needs fresh manna, and every person within that generation needs fresh manna by the revelation and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, because it is at the individual level the Word of God is written on our heart and mind.

Institutions are designed to replace individual intimacy with corporate beliefs and practices.

The very nature of an institution is to substitute “corporate” for individual intimacy and connection with the head, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apostle John warned about this, when he said, “As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit – just as it has taught you, remain in him.” (NIV, 1 John 2:27)

Now John is not saying to be a rebel and despise authority and institutions and those in them and make up your own hierarchy of Christian beliefs and practices.

But he is saying, something like:

“Look, every son and daughter, receives an anointing from the Holy Spirit to understand Christ, the work of grace and faith in putting to death the old man to walk in newness of life, and as you embrace Christ, do not be turned aside.

But trust in the anointing of the Holy Spirit to continue to reveal by grace Christ in you, as he ushers you into the deep things of his Word and Spirit.

Remain in him by continually eating fresh manna from heaven, and by continually drinking from the well of living water, moving when he moves, staying when he stays, becoming so intimate and connected with Christ, his heart and thoughts become yours.”

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The Scripture and the Christian journey are designed for every believer to partake of Christ, to eat of his flesh, and drink of his blood, of course, spiritually speaking, being “made” uniquely and individually into the likeness of Christ by the power of the Spirit of God.

And this this can only be accomplished on a one-on-one basis, through intensive intimacy and connection with the head, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It cannot be accomplished outside of Christ or through an institutional setting.

There comes a time in every Christian’s life, those who want the deeper things of God, where it is necessary to go into the wilderness with Christ to learn the deep things of his person and Spirit.

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Back Toward Intimacy

The Church has come a long way over two millenniums.

The Reformation brought back the most rudimentary principle of Christ, salvation by grace.

Azusa Street brought back the Pentecostal experience and the teaching rain of the Holy Spirit in worship, gifts, and in the revelation of the Word.

And today, over the last number of decades, the Lord has been laboring to put the finishing touches on the adventure and journey we call Christianity, by forming a global bride, that will one day uniquely and individually express Christ to a lost and fallen culture.

We are in the last of the three feasts, Tabernacles, which is the heart and soul of the Philadelphia church age.

The Philadelphia church age has promises unlike any other, the deepest work of grace in the body of Christ – the promise of receiving union with Christ, his name, and not only his name, but his father’s name.

The heart of Scripture, the pioneering work of Christ “fathered by God, learning obedience,” (the pattern for the Philadelphia church age), resulted in his perfection, the New Testament in his blood, from that time forward. (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7 – 10, etc.)

And that’s the pattern the Lord has reserved for his bride over the centuries and particularly in the last day church age.

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Calvary was a horrible interruption of Christ’s hands-on earthly ministry, a two millenniums detour, the Lord uses to his advantage to spread the gospel to the Gentiles.

This post will continue to show Calvary was not exalted and extolled in early Christendom, by the apostles, the Lord, or anyone else, though it resulted in the “unveiling” of sin, leading some to repentance, as on the day of Pentecost.

Simply, this post will continue to show Jesus was the New Testament walking in flesh and blood when he entered into ministry, and had Israel accepted him, he would’ve begun to usher in his “earthly reign” two millenniums ago.

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There are two major struggles we face as Christians.

One, as I’ve noted above, the agreements we’ve made that keep us in wounds, brokenness, and sins, from generation to generation.

These are the agreements, beliefs, and vows, among others, we make through temptation “for life” outside of Christ (what we wrongly think is life).

Second, are “agreements at corporate levels of Christianity,” beliefs and doctrines that also work to keep us in our individual prisons.

Because they provide no remedy or escape from the captivity of our sinful nature, other than, resting in the “knowledge” of grace, but not the experience of “actually receiving” the revelation of Christ by grace – the cleansing and healing of wounds and brokenness.

In other words, many who find Christ are camped at the entrance to his tabernacle, but never find their way of entering in, lacking the teaching, knowledge, and leaders to guide them toward the deep things of God.

The opening verse to this post captures the essence of individual prisons and the corporate ones that help keep sons and daughters from the deep treasures and richness of Christ.

Both keep men and women locked in cycles of wounds, sins, and brokenness.

Isaiah aptly reflects on the condition of God’s people in Chapter 1 by pointing out their sores, wounds, and injuries.

He saw a spiritual MRI of God’s people soul and spirit, and their bodies as well.

Individual agreements with the enemy, known and unknown, some passed down from generation to generation, as well as creeds and traditions, keep, to varying degrees, God’s sons and daughters from intimacy and union with Christ.

They have the power to take the key of David, Christ’s open-door, entrance into the Holy of Holies in the Philadelphia church age, and remove them from our grasp.

But Christ anticipated all this in advance, and has made provision within the body of Christ at large, for those who want the deep truths of the faith, the means by which his sons and daughters can begin the cleansing and healing journey through inner healing and other resources, in preparation for the deep things of God.

Many have been blessed to find relief for their wounds and brokenness by venturing outside the normal channels of Christianity, finding a measure of healing in a host of parachurch ministries.

Inner healing, Christian led Holy Spirit counseling, deliverance, and other operations of the Gifts of the Spirit, have been used to cleanse and heal God’s people in a measure.

Going Forward

But to enter into the feast of Tabernacles, the deep work of grace Christ is unveiling today in the age of Philadelphia, requires Christ’s initiation and selection.

Because, once you begin the wilderness journey with Jesus, there’s no turning back.

The wilderness journey is an intensive time in the spirit with Christ, a long journey, not one you where you can turn around and go back, just like Israel of old in wilderness.

Not that one would want to go back, but the way back is lost as the light of Christ’s glorious light becomes stronger, and your relationship becomes more intimate and connected.

Who would want to go back to the “leeks and the garlic” when you can sit at the banquet table with Christ, feasting and drinking with the King of Kings?

Entrance into Tabernacles is not something we can choose, it’s a choice by the Lord to take those who desire the deep things of God.

It requires some preparation by the Spirit of God before the Lord can usher one into “a deep place of grace” – a deep work of healing and restoration personally overseen by him.

A lot of things have to come together for the Lord to set this up on an individual – by – individual basis.

But the day is soon approaching, where many will be ushered into the deep things of God, Tabernacles, because the time is short, the need is great, and the desire is there.

An outpouring of the Holy Spirit is coming to prepare many for the deep and rich treasures of Christ, an unprecedented deep work of grace is on the horizon.

The foolish virgins will not be able to enter the deep things of God.

The wise virgins have just enough oil to begin the journey of preparation.

The problem today is the slide toward apostasy in the midst of a “cry” for the wise virgins to wake from sleep, those he can prepare to be his bride.

What lacks, why the great divide?

One obstacle to the many desires of the Lord is the extent and deep hold of creeds and traditions that keep major groups of Christians bound to age old beliefs and practices.

They hide the deep truths of the faith and the wonders and promises of the grace and love of God to do miracles in our lives in an unprecedented an unimaginable way in the last days.

If creeds and traditions can keep one from knowing God’s will, the wonder of his promises, the deep revelation of grace he has for each and every son and daughter, and focus their attention on things other than Christ, they will have robbed multitudes, and Christ, from intimacy and union.

Jesus talked about the enemy planting weeds, the mustard tree that grew, the yeast – three measures – hidden in the dough weaving its way through the entire dough until it is contaminated with half-truths and lies.

These parables, and many others, refer to the corporate body of Christ sliding further and further downward, adrift from the anchor of their soul, Jesus Christ, at the highest levels of visible Christianity.

We see this also in the church ages, culminating with the dark ages, the age of Thyatira, and again in Laodicea.

Creeds and traditions do not articulate the journey of Christ, his long personal journey to perfection, described in Romans, testified in Hebrews, and detailed throughout the New Testament.

Instead, they point the great weight and body of Scriptures to Calvary, instead of Christ, hiding the journey he pioneered behind “the sign the Jews demanded” instead promulgating the journey of who he became.

*** SECTION II ***

Continued Forward, Unveiling

What I’m sharing with you is not difficult to understand based solely on the Scriptures and not from outside beliefs and traditions.

Others have this understanding as well.

What makes bringing this understanding hard in some ways is how deeply rooted creeds and traditions have become in our culture and Christianity.

That people immediately react with fear, and some, accusation at the thought something they’ve been taught all their lives could be in error with Scripture.

And the ones who are the most threatened are scholars, teachers, ministers, those in positions of authority, who over their lives have taught others what they were taught in Bible colleges and seminaries.

Over the last number of decades, we’ve come to understand the power of agreements, judgments, beliefs, vows, etc., and how strong and recurring they are in family generations.

And that goes for Christian creeds and traditions as well passed down from generation to generation.

Creeds and traditions have a power all their own, weighing heavily in what people are taught to believe in Bible colleges, seminaries, churches, conferences, Bible studies, etc.

And as soon as someone brings something new many become threatened and defensive.

It’s the story of life.

None of us are exempt from the challenges of learning something new whether it’s in the natural or spiritual realm.

Every time God moves the cloud forward, trouble begins between those who want to move, and those who want to stay camped.

Look at the heart ache and travail, and blood shed, over the last 500 years, from the Reformation forward, Azusa Street, and all the numerous and varied moves of God over the last 50 to 60 years; there’s always some resistance at some level between those who do not want change, and those who are hungering and thirsting for more of Jesus.

The nature of an institution is change comes from within, an ordered process, preserving the institution while advancing its vision and goals.

The Spirit of God does not promote the advancement of institutions at the expense intimacy and relationship.

But promotes advancing Christ in our lives to deepen the kingdom of God in us, that we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, would be “made” more like Christ, drawing others to Jesus.

It is best to let the Lord deal with those who want to camp and those who want more of him, and not to pick up stones and stone either group.

The Lord will sort things one way or the other.

A lot of change has come over a short period of time in the last 50 or 60 years and many of us believe things today unknown or frowned upon just a few decades ago.

Things like, deliverance, inner healing, “being fathered by God,” intensive prayer ministry, counseling, etc., any one of a number of tools the Lord is using to cleanse and heal his people.

Paul found himself in a similar place, having gone through a dynamic conversion.

And he noted, how the Bereans handled change as well – they were more noble than the Thessalonians, because they searched the Word.

Most of the beliefs we hold dear and true were at one time considered heresy, so much so, Christ, and others, were put to death.

Less we forget, the Lord moves the bar of revelation further and further until we come into the unity of the faith, mature, unto the likeness and stature of Christ.

As his work moves forward, there will continue to be more and more revelation from the Lord, taking us deeper in his grace and Word, the plan and purposes of God, as we approach the end time move of his Spirit.

****

I’m going deeper than my first post on “When Did the New Testament Begin?”

I hope you’re familiar with subjects like inner healing, fathered by God, moves of God, the Philadelphia church age, the feast of Tabernacles, etc.

The understanding the New Testament began with Christ, his perfection – a long wilderness journey of healing and restoration by the Father – opens up the Scripture like never before.

If you’re not familiar with Christ’s personal journey, I suggest going back to the beginning of this series, “Fullness of Time,” and skim the posts.

Important:

Once Christ’s personal journey is unveiled, you’ll see why over and over again in Scripture it talks about, from different aspects, in reference to Christ, “dying to sin,” “once and for all,” “learning obedience,” “made perfect,” “one act of obedience,” “emptying himself,” “obedient unto death,” “firstborn,” “first fruit,” etc., and how Calvary became the “default,” check the box, and how Calvary had nothing to do with those terms.

Simply, they refer to Christ’s personal journey, no more, no less.

This is why translators and commentators have had difficulty with certain Scriptures, because creeds and traditions said they must refer to Calvary, when, in reality, it was all about Jesus, and his personal journey.

For example, Scriptures like Ephesians 2:14 – 16, 1 Peter 3:18, second sentence, Romans 3:22 and Galatians 3:22, Colossians 1:16 in some translations, and Colossians 1:20, “shed,” or “shedding,” of his blood is not in the Greek.

Christ had the NT in his blood before Calvary, it did not need to be shed for us to be saved.

It was allowed to be poured out so we might believe and receive who he said he was, and be forgiven. (Matthew 26:28)

****

Why are seemingly obscure verses interpreted in light of “creeds” instead of in “light” of clear Scriptures.

Because Christians through the centuries have not been taught the deep truths of the Bible (1 Timothy 3:9).

They’ve been lost through time and events which God has been progressively restoring over the last 500 years, especially, the last half century.

Christians have not been taught, sadly and very tragically, the deep truths of the faith because many of the leaders have not been taught themselves.

We are not going to make it through the coming “press,” the end times, by having as our foundation our parents and grandparents Christianity.

Old Wine in Old Wineskins Will Not Be Sufficient

The woman of Revelation 12 has the foundation of the Old Covenant under her feet, though saved (clothed by the righteousness of Christ), she’s not radiating the inner light, we see no outward evidence of the inner work of Christ in her life.

She is unprepared for what stands before her.

There are no distinguishing characteristics about her that speak of maturity in Christ, let alone to face a monster who has only one desire, to destroy her and the baby.

Jesus is forming a bride today, in the womb of the visible church.

In my estimation, we are deep in the beginning stages of the Philadelphia church age.

We are in the time of the corporate fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles, the heart of Philadelphia.

Jesus is personally preparing a bride, and though, it linger, one day he’ll reveal his bride, ushering in a move of God unprecedented in modern times.

He’s using the fathering movement, deliverance, inner healing, creative works, etc., in his sons and daughters more deeply than in any time we know in church history.

We live in unprecedented times because unprecedented days are coming.

Jesus is not sitting idly by to let those who desire him be consumed by the Dragon, the seventh headed world antichrist kingdom. (Revelation 12)

You may think Revelation Chapter 12 is a little far stretched, that maybe John had a little too much wine that day.

He had a lot of wine that day, it was the wine of the Holy Spirit, writing on the tables of his heart “the day” God’s children would one day see.

That they might be prepared and be accounted worthy to escape the coming time of trouble.

By the way, from everything I know, Revelation, written two millenniums ago, has accurately foretold the two millenniums since.

We know that from Church history.

Today, the Lord is searching for those who want Christ with all their heart, will invest their lives in him, and permit him to take them on a journey like David of old, and clean them up for the Masters use.

The Lord is opening up the understanding of Scripture like never before.

And he is opening up the feast of Tabernacles, which he pioneered, a forerunner, and perfected, for us to follow.

Just like the Reformation restored Passover, and Azusa Street restored Pentecost, inner healing, fathering, and the intensive work of grace currently being experienced in the body of Christ is restoring Tabernacles.

The feast of Tabernacles has three parts, and all three parts are evident in Christendom today.

And with Tabernacles comes the putting off of the futile way of life handed down to us from our forefathers, the revealing of new and fresh revelation from God.

Jesus wants new wine in new bottles, not new wine in bottles of creeds and traditions.

Of all things, Christians should know this, and be seeking revelation from the Lord, embracing the new things of God, studying to see they are in accord with Scripture.

Have we learned nothing from the four Gospels and the New Testament letters of the constant struggle with the “traditions of men,” “historic Christianity,” which endeavor to thwart walking in intimacy and union with Jesus.

If we are to finally break the veil over our flesh, we must let Jesus teach anew the journey he took, what he pioneered, what he was a forerunner of, then we’ll see Christ come alive in our life, in newness of life.

Pentecost will not get us over the threshold of the Tribulation into the Millennium in one piece.

Tabernacles is the only option for those who want the deep things of God.

If Noah neglected to build the ark according to God’s specifications, he would have drowned like everyone else.

Tabernacles has special and unique specifications to Christ likeness.

And it requires the deep work of grace by the Lord Jesus Christ, for Jesus to build “the ark of Christ in us.”

The specifications are found in Christ’s journey and only he knows how to impart the specifications he desires into you and me.

Jesus is the only one who can teach us Christ likeness.

In the natural, a person of 70 has more wisdom than someone younger, hopefully, and generally speaking.

Spiritually, we do not want to remain Passover and Pentecostal Christians throughout our entire life, especially at a time when the Lord has opened up the door to Tabernacles in the age of Philadelphia.

So come on a journey with me in the Word and see if Jesus does not take you deeper in him by bringing new life to long misunderstood understandings.

One final comment.

We owe much to commentators and translators without exception.

Thank God for their service and love of the Word and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank God for the scholars and others who gave their life and treasure to God’s Word in the body of Christ.

They did their best in the light of their day.

Now, let’s do our best, and allow Jesus to do his best in us in the light of our day.

*** SECTION III ***

Traditions and Beliefs, “Made” in the Image of Mankind,

Making God in Our Image, After Our Likeness

Tragically, some beliefs and statements of faith, etc., have been elevated above relationship with Christ, so much so, they take on the nature of a “relationship,” a person.

This is worth repeating, beliefs, creeds, traditions, over the long-term find themselves elevated to the level of a “relationship,” a living breathing person.

We even see it in the symbolism in Revelation, the “woman” riding the beast, for example.

Isn’t that the story of religion, what Christ faced in his day, the apostles, and all reformers?

That’s why, at different levels, we all get excited and defensive about different beliefs.

Because they’ve taken on the nature of a person, become something we worship, draw identity from, seek destiny in, an idol.

Christ, and our heavenly Father, by the power the Holy Spirit, are the only ones’ worthy of worship.

Creeds and traditions can be a powerful foe, maybe even in some situations and in some people a “stronghold,” because of the power of agreements behind them, holding captive the heart and spirit.

They can be hard task masters, demanding much in obedience, offering nothing to remedy wounds and brokenness.

Possibly even making sins, wounds and brokenness more rooted “encased and hardened,” than they were before.

Theology is one of the means to Christ, it is not to replace Christ.

Godly theology brings us closer to Jesus, not farther.

It’s inviting, approachable, drawing attention to the beauty and wonder of Christ, not to the “supposed beauty and wonder of man’s theology about Christ.”

Jesus did not walk around with pamphlets on what he believed.

He was what he believed and what he did was an expression of his beliefs.

He lived and demonstrated what he believed, who he was, what he became.

His identity and destiny were evident in his words and actions.

Generally, it’s not the common folk who prize creeds and traditions, but those in positions of authority, who feel a responsibility to establish beliefs “uniformity and predictability” instead of teaching the deep truths of the Scripture.

The deep truths of the Scripture lead us into the adventure and journey of Christ, into the wilderness of his care, cleansing and healing – a way one has not gone before nor familiar, not camped with “theology,” but on a journey with a person.

****

Our agreements are not truly us, nor we them.

Jesus desires “trueness” for you and me, and to get that, he’ll clean us up of the agreements that stand in his way.

He accomplishes that through many tools, one of those is inner healing.

Creeds and traditions are often a substitute for relationship, because the absence of relationship necessitates some form of identity and destiny.

We need to ask the Lord to reveal the agreements we have with creeds, traditions, doctrines, etc., that are not in accord with Scripture keeping us from the deep truths of the faith – the revelation by grace of Christ in our lives.

All of us should be able to read the Bible and understand the most basic tenants of our faith without the necessity of creeds.

In fact, we are commanded to study the Bible to show ourselves approved.

Did God write the Bible for scholars only, or for us common folk as well?

Must we have a PhD or be a scholar or theologian to understand the foundations of our faith?

When Paul talks about the mysteries of the Gospel and the deep truths of the faith, is he talking about things only the initiated understand, or, only the learned, or, those things that require much of us – like dying to sin to walk in newness of life – the baptism of Christ?

I contend when he talks about the mysteries of the faith, he’s talking about those things that require much of us, and much of Christ in our life, the deep things of Christ, where Christ comes and takes us on a journey with him.

Does the Bible teach to accept by faith “theology” – what it teaches – or, to accept by faith “obedience” to God upon instruction from the Lord?

In other words, the Scripture does not teach us to accept by faith what we hold as teachings, beliefs, traditions, etc., but to accept by faith the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit in our lives, becoming obedient children of God.

Have you ever thought to ask the Lord, “Lord, what agreements do I have with doctrines that are keeping me from a deeper relationship with you?”

There is a stark contrast between the foolish and wise virgins, Philadelphia and Laodicea, the woman of Revelation 12 and her child, the living creatures and those martyred in the Tribulation, the treasure hidden in a field versus the pearl of great price, those who are captured by Christ, and those who lack intimacy and union with him.

How can we be fully productive and effective if we do not know the journey of our Savior?

And how are we any different than those of past ages if we cannot explain the tenants of the faith from Scripture but must rely on creeds and traditions to understand the foundation of our faith?

How have we diminished our relationship with Christ by not putting away the empty way of life handed down to us from our fathers?

If our agreements with sin keep our wounds and brokenness from the care and love of God, how much more do agreements with the traditions of men keep us from intimacy and union with Christ?

Some More Thoughts About Those Beliefs We Hold Dear to Our Hearts

Why does mankind insist of adding words, concepts, doctrines, to the Scripture?

Why did Eve add descriptions, concepts, to the fruit?

What is it about us that we want to make things more difficult to understand so only those in a select group can interpret for others?

Ever knowing but never coming to the knowledge of the truth, how does that apply to creeds and traditions?

Is not the common ground for all Christians an understanding of the rudimentary principles of Christ, as the author of Hebrews describes, so we may go on to maturity, each and every one of us?

Is not every Christian entitled to have an understanding of the principles of Christ, by the clear writing of the word of God?

Have creeds and traditions made it harder or easier to understand the principles of Christ?

Again, Scripture does not teach we are to have faith in doctrines and creeds, but faith in Christ alone, a real person we can have intimacy and connection with apart from doctrine.

Simply, faith in the exercise of our Christian journey and the Word of God, not faith in extra – biblical creeds and traditions.

Gifts of the Spirit and the offices of the church are not a passport to exclusivity and separateness but a commission by God to make the vision “plain” that all might run the race, and run it well.

We are all entreated to take the simplicity of Christ and make that a banquet for all, and not, add to the Word.

All are to be initiated into the things of Christ, the deep mysteries of the faith, not just a select few.

Have we not learned anything from the gospel accounts and the spiritual battle of the tradition of men, and its desire to quench the fire of God?

****

Jesus spoke in parables to shield those who would reject him from greater light and greater accountability.

But we who are sons and daughters of Christ, are favored to understand the things of God.

That everyone who names the name of Christ would understand the principles of Christ, his personal journey, and not be confused about who he is, who he became, and the major events in the life of the most important person to be born.

****

Creeds and traditions may invoke certain emotions, cause great introspection, elicit deep feelings for Christian holidays and events, like Easter, and Christmas, and the like, but they do not bring or keep us in relationship with Christ.

They may teach us things “about” Christ, or we may experience a measure of “his presence,” but, the only way to “know” Christ in intimacy is to be taken by him into the adventure and journey he pioneered.

That’s the heart of the gospel, what this battle is all about, deep intimacy and connection with Christ, healed and restored in a long wilderness journey from glory to glory to the likeness of Christ.

It is in wilderness where we learn to focus on him, where our identity and destiny become uniquely woven into the fabric of Christ, and Christ in us, becoming partakers of the divine nature as Peter describes.

In the wilderness his Word becomes the source of our life, his Spirit, drink.

It’s where we are increasingly set apart unto him, and set free from the cares of this life, living life from a divine perspective.

For our own well – being, Christ desires to capture our earthly affections and passions for him, and him alone.

By healing and restoring our wounds and brokenness, completing the journey Adam and Eve failed to complete, but pioneered and fulfilled in Christ.

He wants us to have a clear vision of the Father – that we might be one with the Father in intimacy, as he is, through him.

When a man marries a woman, generally, she takes his name, becoming one.

Often, at least in past generations, she would call his father “dad.”

That’s what Jesus desires for us, to call his father our father, and his God, our God (Revelation 1:6, John 17) that we might be one as he is one with the Father.

That’s the heart of Philadelphia, Tabernacles, so much so, Jesus not only promised the Philadelphians his name, and the name of New Jerusalem, but the name of his God.

*** SECTION IV ***

Resetting Our Focus on Scripture, and Scripture Alone

Many of you will say, okay, Drake, I can see what you’re saying how Christ is the New Testament before and after Calvary, how he was rejected and murdered, but there are Scriptures that seem to imply he had to die at Calvary for me to be saved.

In other words, that the salvation he offered by forgiving sins before Calvary, and everything he said about himself and did, was conditioned on his physical death at Calvary.

This is what is commonly taught in Christianity; everything Christ did before Calvary was “modeling” or “conditioned” or “prophetic anticipation” of his death at Calvary.

That his sole purpose for everything he did and said eventually had to intersect with the Roman cross at Calvary, that salvation rested on a divine appointment at Calvary.

But that is not what the Scriptures teach, nor what Christ said repeatedly about himself, nor what the early leaders taught or testified.

First of all, we would not be having this conversation nor reading the same New Testament if Christ had been received by Israel.

If Israel had accepted Christ, the process would have begun to usher in his reign, release the Holy Spirit, and extend the kingdom of God globally, under his earthly reign.

But as we all know, that has been put off for two millenniums.

The Scriptures are not designed to tell its readers what is not true.

All the “outside the Bible assumptions and speculation” about Christ before Calvary, have no weight or support in Scripture.

In other words, the Scripture is not designed to counter arguments for everything and anything someone can come up with that is not clearly stated in Scripture.

And Christ’s personal journey of “dying to sin, made alive in spirit,” “putting to death the hostility of his flesh,” “fulfilling the law in words in deed,” “being made perfect, the source of our salvation,” is clearly stated in Scripture, and it clearly applies to him and him alone, having nothing to do with Calvary.

The Scripture points you and me to Christ and him alone for our salvation.

The Scripture says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people…” (NIV, 1 Timothy 2:5 – 6)

Important:

It’s hard for those who have been trained to think and see naturally, in our work – based culture, and work – based Christian heritage, obligation, duty, and sacrifice being the center piece of our “faith,” (in ancient times as well), to believe and receive God’s forgiveness of our sins by grace through faith in Christ, without a visible, demonstrative expression of “death,” the natural eye can see.

God accomplished in Christ by grace through faith, in Christ’s personal journey, the cleansing and healing of Christ’s wounds he inherited from his earthly ancestors.

And in that journey, Christ was made perfect, accepted by God as the sacrifice for our sins, ransoming the souls of those who would call on him, becoming the source of eternal salvation. (Hebrews 5:7 – 10)

His blood did not need to be “shed” for us to be saved.

It was shed so we would repent of killing the Messiah, and receive forgiveness from him.

What was presented to Israel on day one of his ministry was the perfected Son of God, Savior.

And that’s what Israel rejected, demanding instead the sign of Jonah, a visible expression demanded to see if what he said about himself was true, which, in substance, today, Christianity worships as Easter – the sign of Jonah.

But a sign points to something else, and the sign of Jonah pointed to Christ, that he was who he said he was, the Messiah, ready to usher Israel into a new place in God.

****

The River of God

The Bible “accounts” from Adam to today stretch over at least six millenniums – and are “internally consistent and confirming:” creation, history, parables, prophecy, church ages, and the Epistles, spanning roughly 1500 plus years of writing and many authors.

In other words, numerous authors, numerous accounts, over more than a millennium and a half, reveal the same progressive revelation of God, in types, journey, and plan, to make men and women into the likeness of Christ.

Once this is understood, creeds and traditions are not only unnecessary, but actually obstacles creating stumbling blocks to the journey and adventure of Christ.

Over the centuries men have lost “sight” of the river of God, the mysterious, and at times, dangerous, river of God, replacing it with man designed and engineered canals, turning water from the river of God into a safe, slow moving waterway.

All the while, and this is what’s tragic, promising to take its travelers to the City of God.

The City of God can only be reached through mystery, adventure, and risk, in the white waters of the wilderness with Christ.

There are no other options to the Holy of Holies, the City of God – intimacy with the Pioneer of our faith.

What caused this turn of events, redirecting the vibrant and cascading river of life into a carefully crafted stream of stagnant and stale water?

This was certainly not the doing of the early apostles who fought to establish the early church in the foundation and principles of Christ, the deep things of God.

Rumor has it no one had traveled down the river of God for so long, those encountering the Gospel in the fifth century had but a canal of stale and stagnant water; God’s adventure hidden in valleys and canyons no longer ventured by men nor women.

Instead of draining the canal, and seeking the adventure and journey of Christ, men adorned the canal with all manner of signs, posters, and directives, further turning the journey yet deeper into one that could be managed, institutionalized, and uniformly accepted.

Who knows the motives of the heart of those, over 1500 years ago, whose work is still engraved in creeds and traditions the Church bears today?

That is for Christ to decide.

Maybe some decided the river of God, was too dangerous, mysterious, and unexplored to invite the mass of humanity.

Maybe, and most likely, as noted, the way to it had been long lost and forgotten through the generations.

Revelation gives us hints of what happened, in the Church ages, but that’s a topic for another post.

So much time had elapsed since the time of the early apostles that in all likelihood the journey of Christ, the wilderness time of being fathered by God, being cleansed and healed of the hostilities of the flesh, had been forgotten and lost.

The loss of mystery and adventure was replaced by safety and management, elevating men, and women, to the forefront of stewarding God’s sons and daughters, taking the reins out of Christ’s hands.

And with safety comes structure, and with structure comes rules and regulations, doctrines, and the traditions of men.

Paul talks about spiritual wickedness in high places working and striving to place you and me under the stewardship of its authority and power with the ultimate goal of making us into the image and likeness of darkness.

And any institution or organization that has as its centerpiece anything other than Christ is subject to the influence and persuasion of those same rulers of darkness.

As I’ve written before, the absence of relationship is the breeding ground for all the ways men and women can devise to bridge the gap between themselves and the Lord.

Jesus is not allowing generation after generation to flow down the smooth waters of the futile way of life handed down from our forefathers.

No, he is personally intervening, leading those who seek him down the path he pioneered two millenniums ago, into the white waters of the wilderness, personally escorting his sons and daughters to the City of God.

Deep Truths of the Faith

The deep truths of the faith, Paul speaks about in 1 Timothy, is not about hidden “secrets” of the faith reserved for the elect, but the secret and hidden things of the heart – ours and Christ’s – the wilderness journey brings to light for our healing and restoration.

The deep truths of the faith are another way of saying the deep work of grace Christ pioneered for you and me, being the first to partake, and we to follow.

This is the deep work of God beyond Passover and Pentecost, the fulfillment of the final of the three Old Covenant feasts in the New, Tabernacles.

Creeds and traditions all but removed the three feasts from the Church for over a millennium during the period commonly referred to as the “dark ages.”

The power of creeds and traditions are not to be underestimated nor their impact and influence in the larger culture as a whole.

The power of creeds and traditions through unhealed wounds and sins, put Christ on the cross, attempting to keep Christians nailed to the cross as well.

It was not until Luther, moved by Christ, began to uncover the first feast again, Passover (born again, salvation by grace through faith), closing one era, the age of Thyatira (at least for some), and opening another age, the age of Sardis.

And as creeds and traditions have been rolled back over the ensuing past five centuries, greater light has come to the body of Christ.

Where today, the Lord is fulfilling the final and third feast of the Old Covenant in the New, Tabernacles, the age of Philadelphia.

It takes powerful moves of God to up root and bring down the kingdom of this world and its tentacles into Christianity.

Today we are blessed to live in the age of fullness – where God is revealing the last vestiges of those things keeping us from him, whether they be internal wounds and brokenness, or external, in the body of Christ at large, the weight of “theology” keeping us from intimacy and union with Christ.

*** SECTION V ***

Would You Marry Someone You Don’t Know?

There comes a time in the life of many where the things of the past are seen for what they are, and a cry ushers forth for the things that are not.

And for those in Christ, there comes a time to put off the weight and cloak of the past, crying to God for him, and only him.

There comes a time when the Eagles make their nest so uncomfortable for the eaglets, they eventually force them to stretch their wings and take a leap of faith.

At the same time the world is crying out for change, to cast off the history of the past and create a new world order, a cry is coming forth out of God’s people for deliverance as well.

There is a cry going forth from some of God’s people for the deep treasures of Christ, desiring the Lord to permeate every area of their life, to take them places in him reserved for the pioneers and adventurers in times past.

Christ is awakening many today to the cry of his heart for intimacy and fellowship in the deepest possible way with their Savior.

The Lord is choosing many today for a deep work of grace.

Are you experiencing that in your life?

Have you been invited into the deeper things of God?

****

Unless you’re dealing with arranged marriages, you would not marry someone you do not know.

The Lord’s response is the same.

In Matthew, Jesus said, ‘“‘…Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’” Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.’”’ (NIV, 25:12 – 13)

There’s a growing hatred for Christ today that will increase in the days ahead.

(An outpouring of the Holy Spirit to come, hopefully, will turn the hearts of many to the Father in the closing hours of the Gospel age.)

But tragically, there will be Christians who find themselves outside of the marriage company, having to face the “face of the beast,” in the Tribulation. (Revelation 12)

Jesus never abandons those who are called by his name, and will walk side-by-side those who will face the severest of trials in the Tribulation.

I pray and hope more would move toward God now, make the sacrifices of a broken and contrite heart now, and enter into the preparation Christ desires to be made one with him.

Important

Contrary to love, free will, desire and passion, creeds and traditions attempt to betroth us to Christ in an “arranged marriage.”

The problem is they are one-sided arrangements, not recognized by Christ.

Creeds and traditions go to great lengths and fanfare, are widely recognized, acknowledged, and distributed, in their effort to betroth us to Christ.

But they completely fail in leading God’s sons and daughters into the adventure and journey the Lord pioneered for those who would follow after him.

There is only one way to Christ, and that is in Christ, through the journey of healing and restoration he established.

Arranged marriages are no good if the other party does not acknowledge the terms, instead, desiring a long one-on-one courtship and engagement.

Where both parties “get to know each other,” like no other, over a long period of time.

No matter how hard one tries, intimacy with Christ, or anyone else, does not work through third parties.

In the natural, many get married before receiving sufficient care and love to know who they are, their identity and destiny, lacking wisdom to choose a mate after much time, prayer, and journey.

Thankfully, the kingdom of God operates differently.

Jesus prepares his “bride to be” in advance, step by step, through journey, cleansing and healing, a process of “being made like Christ” – a progressive unfolding of the revelation of Christ by grace, before she is brought into bridal union with him. (1 Peter 1:13, Matthew 25:10, Revelation 19:7)

Important – Being Made Like Christ

Isaiah 53:3, “…a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.” (NIV)

Being made like Christ does not mean erasing our stories of wounds and brokenness.

It means the healing of wounds and brokenness to live “present,” in newness of life from our story, out of love and care, peace and rest, and not from resentment, bitterness, malice, and all the rest of the stuff unhealed wounds and brokenness breed.

We become like Christ when we can grieve our losses, and out of our loss, flows kindness and goodness to ourselves, toward Christ, and others.

That’s what healing and restoration looks like for many wounds.

Christ sharing together with us the longing of lost relationships, and in the midst of our longing, he will care for us.

****

Creeds and traditions can be complicit in giving Christians a false sense of security about their relationship with the Lord, and their understanding of the Gospel.

When you replace intimacy with a third-party, you lose connection, and operate from a place of “man’s” counsel, rather than the council of God.

At the time of Christ, Jesus contended with those who claimed to be sons of Abraham, Abraham stretching back roughly 2000 years before Christ.

Today, in many respects, Christians face the same dilemma with the artifacts and relics of creeds and traditions dating back centuries.

There’s not much you can find on the subject of Christ’s personal journey because creeds and traditions have all but usurped his pioneering journey.

Placing him squarely on the cross, instead of coming out of the wilderness glorified by God.

Today, we face the same struggle Christ faced, and reformers past and present.

Christianity, like days of old, demands to see a sign from Christ, something tangible, that the natural eye can behold, words that tell us who Jesus is and what he did, instead of a deep, personal, and intimate relationship with the author of life, Christ himself.

Tragically, Christ was backed into a corner, the only options left, were to fight or be killed.

He used Calvary to draw men to him, when they would not believe his testimony about himself, even though, it was plainly evidenced in the lives of his followers and those he healed.

In mankind’s rejection of him – how he had already paid the price of our sins through his perfection, evidenced in his words and deeds – we inflicted our sins on the holiness of his body, giving Christ one last opportunity to make known who he was, and, most importantly, what is inside men and women that would kill an innocent person, that we might turn from our sin and be forgiven.

Calvary did not change who Christ was, but revealed who we are without him.

****

Finally, here are some reasons why this understanding is so important, Christ, and Christ alone, is the eternal source for our salvation, and not, what was perpetrated against him at Calvary:

1. We always want the best understanding from Scripture, no matter the subject, and no matter the cost.
2. It refocuses our eyes on Jesus, not on Calvary, but on Christ as our Lord and Savior.
3. We understand Jesus is more than sufficient for our salvation, he did not need to be brutalized for us to be saved.
4. It changes what we think of God as being pleased about the murder (Acts 7:52, 2:36, Matthew 23:29 – 39) of his Son as if the only way we can be saved is to have the only perfect man killed as our substitute.
5. And in changing the way we think of God as being complicit in the killing of his Son; predestining Judas to eternal separation; and, complicit in orchestrating the hearts of men and women to desire the killing of Christ, instead of healing and restoration, it points the finger directly where it belongs, mankind’s sin and agreements with the author of death.

 

Note:

There’s a night and day difference between knowing a people group will reject their Messiah, prophesying of it in advance, hiding it in obscure language, giving them every opportunity for a change of heart,

• the decision to reject and kill resting entirely on their shoulders,
• especially, after preparing his Son through an arduous journey of being made perfect, making his presentation and acceptance as attractive as possible, and,
• finally, after three years of testimonies, signs and wonders, giving your Son the choice of whether to let them kill him, or, righteously, fight those who are seeking his life, and,
• if he chose to fight, which he could have and not sinned, terminating the prophecies foretelling Israel’s rule and reign, as promised through the Messiah, versus:

 

Commonly held beliefs teaching God desired his Son to be killed, it was the purpose for which he came,

• that the killing of one person brings life to another, even though, unlike everything else pointing to Christ, there are no types in the Old Testament pointing to that,
• that God was pleased to see his Son sacrificed and killed, contrary to everything taught in the Old Testament about murder, and in the types that foretold the story of the coming of the Messiah.

 

Creeds and traditions have substituted the many references of Christ’s death to sin, for example, “God pleased to see him die,” in Romans, as relating to Calvary, when the context clearly is talking about death to sin, being made perfect, not murder.

Simply, we’ve substituted Christ’s death to sin, “made perfect through suffering,” fulfilling Psalm 16 before Calvary, for the events of Calvary, casting God among those who delighted in his Son’s death.

Creed and traditions have failed, tragically, in making no mention of Christ’s personal journey to perfection, being “made” complete, treating him as being born perfect, contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture.

And there’s a stark contrast between dying to sin, being made alive in spirit, which includes suffering in learning obedience, versus flogging, spitting, insulting, and killing someone.

There’s a huge difference between dying to the hostility of one’s flesh, and being murdered.

Jesus never sought death, nor did his Father seek death for his Son, they did everything possible for Christ to stay alive short of fighting against Israel.

If the Lord took up arms against Israel and destroyed them, then how would all the Scriptures foretelling Israel’s rulership in the Millennium be fulfilled?

That was more important to Christ than his personal life, the fulfillment of the Word, knowing he could save some later, who would kill him now.

Christ knew the promises to Abraham and his seed, and was not going to let their murderous plot against him overturn the desire of his Father’s heart for the Messiah to rule one day through Israel.

Whether one day was now or off in the future.

And Christ being perfect, murder was the farthest thing from his heart.

How could he kill those he’d been laboring all his life to save – it was not in his heart, because there existed the chance for repentance in the process, and repentance afterwards.

 

6. It takes the great body of Scripture’s talking about “dying to sin, baptized him unto his death, obedient unto death, dying for all,” etc., removing them from the scene of a murder, pointing them instead, to the journey and adventure of Christ, being made complete, where they rightly belong.
7. When one understands the revelation the many references to death in the New Testament, particularly Romans and Hebrews, are not talking about his murder, but his death to sin, his personal journey comes clearly into focus, and Calvary seen for what it is, the killing of an innocent man who had already died for our sins in his perfection, which God had already accepted in our stead.

 

In other words, his death to sin, being made alive to walk in newness of life, was the death of the testator that ushered in the New Testament flowing in his blood as he clearly stated in his ministry.

 

8. And then we can understand why there are these obscure revelations in Scripture about Christ’s “deaths” plural in Isaiah 53, being glorified a second time, as it says in the Gospel of John, and references to being raised from the dead “again,” as it says in a few places.
9. And understanding this revelation from Scripture shows the magnanimous love of Christ, the living, breathing, walking New Testament, resurrection life at their fingertips, and his continual fight for Israel, by surrendering himself again, in hopes some might find repentance and forgiveness.
10. We remove murder, betrayal, the unsaved from being a part of our salvation as if God needed that to happen for men and women to be saved and have relationship with him.
11. It restores the journey of Christ to the heart of the gospel, being made perfect, becoming the author of our eternal salvation through his perfection, and connects his journey and adventure completely and fully to the types and shadows of the Old Testament that Calvary does not.
12. We will come to understand the great sacrifice of Christ, being made perfect, the beloved son of God, the living breathing New Testament offering life and salvation to those who came to him, that even though he was rejected, and could have rescued himself, he allowed himself to be murdered in one last attempt to rescue his accusers and killers from hell.
13. We clear all the fog about Calvary, and all the guilt through the centuries placed at the feet of Christ and God as if Calvary was the high calling of God and the desire of his heart to see his son brutalized and killed, when in fact, Christ was sent to save and not destroy.
14. And again, this cannot be said enough, it frees history from seeing God as complicit in the murder of his beloved son.
15. By focusing on Christ, and our eyes off Calvary, we allow the Holy Spirit to refresh the Word of God in our hearts, redirecting us to the most important part of Christ’s story, the heart of the gospel, the journey and adventure he pioneered for you and me, being healed and restored into the image and likeness of God.
16. By taking our eyes off Calvary, and focusing on Christ, the Scriptures are opened up in a way that releases the treasures and riches of Christ like never before.
17. Now, instead of seeing a story centered around killing and murder, we are invited into a story of grace, faith, healing and restoration by the power of God into the image and likeness of Christ.
18. Finally, importantly, we remove the cords of creeds and traditions, ancient relics and artifacts of a bygone era, that hid Christ’s personal journey to perfection, and open the door to understand what he pioneered, and what the terms forerunner, first fruit, firstborn, mean and how they foretell our Christian journey he pioneered for you and me.

 

Paul’s words to the Athenians 2000 years ago are just as relevant today “to Christians,” as it was to those outside the faith, “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” (NIV, Acts 17:30)

God has provided abundant resources today in the body of Christ for healing and restoration, it is not without purpose, nor should it be ignored.

The feast of Tabernacles, the Philadelphia church age, is the heart of the season we find ourselves today, the age, if we permit Christ access, to be made into his bride.

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.™