To Bear Witness - John 1:6-8

John 1:6-8 ESV 

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.

He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

God sent the light into the darkness, but the darkness would not be able to comprehend the light without help. God would send a man to bear witness and prepare the people for this new thing He was doing. 

Spoken as a command in the beginning, it would be in the fullness of time before the feet of the Son would touch the earth. The light is coming and has always been coming into the world. God's rest and creation's end was revealed in the creation account. It is when His light fills the earth that we fully enter His rest. 

We, like John, give witness to that same light. We have seen what He is doing and have personally experienced the light of salvation. 

Did Not Know Him - John 1:9-13

John 1:9-13 ESV 

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

The world did not know Him. Israel was to have made Him known, but it did not receive Jesus as the Messiah. They should have prepared the way of the Holy One and made the world ready for the true light. They were not ready. 

There were some who did believe then and some that believe now. They are reborn as children of God, born of God. 

Israel will receive Christ when He returns and they will complete their mission of taking Christ to the world. After the sealing of the twelve tribes in Revelation, a great multitude without number will appear, coming out of the great tribulation. 

The Light Of Men - John 1:1-5

John 1:1-5 ESV 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Christ tells us that He is the beginning and the end. John confirms that He is God. He created the heavens and earth. God announces His purpose with the first words of creation. 

"Let there be light."

That light is the life of men, which comes from the Father of lights. That light would take the form of the flesh of man, yet would contain the life of God. There it would shine in the darkness in the midst of men, never to be extinguished. It will grow until the whole world sees and comprehends the light. 

As children of light we are to walk in the light until we cast off this mortal body and fully enter that light. 

Is Its Stump - Isaiah 6:11-13

Isaiah 6:11-13 ESV 

Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”

And he said:

“Until cities lie waste

without inhabitant,

and houses without people,

and the land is a desolate waste,

and the Lord removes people far away,

and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.

And though a tenth remain in it,

it will be burned again,

like a terebinth or an oak,

whose stump remains

when it is felled.”

The holy seed is its stump.

Isaiah asks the Lord how long will Israel lie in waste. There is hope for the nation which rests in the holy seed brought forth through its people. They were given the burden of bearing the light to all people, but the burden proved too much for them. Like Adam in the Garden, they failed to obey the Lord. 

Though Israel and Adam proved disobedient, it was through their lineage that the Holy One would come who would perfectly obey God. That seed would become the "stump" or the holy foundation upon which the will of God would find fruition. God would use them in His plan to provide a Savior for mankind, Who would in turn become the Rock of Zion. 

The seed becomes the stump of a better covenant. 

The Same Conflict - Philippians 1:29-30

Philippians 1:29-30 ESV 

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

The conflict is between light and darkness, heaven and earth, and life and death. We have moved from one sphere to the other. The conflict is the opposition between the two and how it plays out in the world. 

We are part of the conflict before we were saved, but we were at peace with the world and enemies of God. We experience the conflict from the other side when we believe God. We are at peace with God and enemies of the world. The world is turned right side up and the upside down fallen world can be seen in true perspective. The sword of the word cuts through our bindings and allows us to rise above the flood which issues from the mouth of the dragon and would cover the earth in death. 

A Great Light - Isaiah 9:2

Isaiah 9:2 ESV 

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

on them has light shone.

Let there be light and there was

The darkness parted and the light shone through 

The people looked up to see heaven open

And began to see for the first time 

The deep is not too deep for the Lord

There is no place He cannot reach

His light will find and fill every place

Until darkness is no more 

Dust To Stardust - Psalms 90:3-4

Psalms 90:3-4 ESV

You return man to dust

and say, “Return, O children of man!”

For a thousand years in your sight

are but as yesterday when it is past,

or as a watch in the night.

From dust we rise to life only to return to dust when our time is past. Though our nostrils are filled with the air of this world while we on this earth, that breath will cease. If a thousand years are compared to a day in the sight of the Lord, how brief and ephemeral is the life of a man?

It is only a man reborn from above that breathes the eternal breath of God that does not share that fate. That man does not return to the dust of the earth but rises as stardust into the presence of Jesus, Yeshua. There are no yesterdays for this one, for he has entered the eternal now of our everlasting Father. 

My Holy Hill - Psalms 2:4-6

Psalms 2:4-6 ESV 

He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

“As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

The will of God will not be denied. The word has been spoken and is set in stone, the stone of stumbling, the Rock on which we stand. 

Israel is not forgotten by God. They are the living creatures of His throne on earth. They are Zion, His holy hill. There will His King rule. 

According To Your Word - Luke 1:36-38

Luke 1:36-38 ESV 

And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

For nothing will be impossible with God.”

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Elizabeth represents Israel and the first covenant which was barren in that it was unable to save man due to our weakness. Six is the number of man. The fullness of the time of man is complete before the Savior and the bringer of a new and better covenant. Nothing is impossible for God. Jesus would say this again as the rich young ruler walked away. 

We, like Mary, have become a servant of the Lord. It is being done to us according to His word. We are reborn and live as He said we would. Christ, the angel of the Lord, has departed, but has sent the Holy Spirit to come upon us and the power of the Most High has overshadowed us. A holy child is born within us, a child of the Living God. In this way He will never leave us. The second and final covenant is appearing in the world. 

We live according to His word. His Word is Christ. 

Your Heritage - Psalms 2:7-9

Psalms 2:7-9 ESV 

I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and the ends of the earth your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of iron

and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”

This season we celebrate the birth of a child Who becomes the Savior of the world. This is God's own Son, the unique and first joining together of the Divine and humanity. He takes our humanity into the heavenly realm and leaves behind His Divinity in the earthly realm: the Holy Spirit in the heart of man. The nations and the earth become His inheritance. He becomes ours. 

"Blessed are all who take refuge in Him."

According To Your Word - Luke 1:38

Luke 1:38 ESV 

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

We join Mary as she responds to Gabriel, "let it be to me according to your word."  

It is according to His word we live and have our being. It is because of His word we are able to joyously serve Him. The word will never depart from us. 

"And the word was God".

Might Be Given - Galatians 3:21-22

Galatians 3:21-22 ESV 

Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.

But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

The law exposed sin as a photo captures a scene. We make use of light to interpret a moment exposed in that light. We can begin to see an image undetectable in the passing of a moment, but becomes plain when captured in black and white. 

It is that knowledge which leads to and prepares a people for the promise of faith. 

For Joy - John 16:21

John 16:21 ESV 

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

The earth is in travail as it gives birth to a new earth. The hour is at hand and the days filled with sorrow. 

 

But this is true of each person as well, for we are an earth and world in of ourselves. We are formless and void until the light comes to shine within us and we are reborn. We then become a human being in the truest sense, in the image of God. This happens inside of us and a new creature begins to take shape. In His light we become visible, no longer formless and void, but children of light. That is reason for joy. 

His Servant John - Revelation 1:1-3

Revelation 1:1-3 ESV 

Prologue

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

John the Baptist went before the Lord to prepare the way for His first coming. 

John the Revelator prepares the way for His second coming. 

They who listened to the first John were blessed and made ready for Christ just as those who hear and keep the words of the book by this John will be prepared and encouraged for His return. 

Your Salvation - Luke 2:27-32

Luke 2:27-32 ESV 

And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,

he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel

Simeon beheld Jesus and recognized the Son of God because the Holy Spirit was with him. The word God had given him came true and brought peace to this man who had waited a long time. God has given His word to us and it will come to pass. He has prepared a table for us in the midst of our enemies. Peace beyond understanding is already with us for the Holy Spirit is with us. He comforts and guides us into all truth. He is the light of heaven that shines within the breast of each child of God. 

Israel has not been forgotten or left behind. The time of Jacob's trouble is still to come, but so is the glory of His people Israel. 

To Be Born - Luke 1:35

Luke 1:35 ESV 

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

We have something in common with Mary. We have been favored by God. We have received the Holy Spirit Who raises us from the shadow of death into the light of the world. 

All who repent are cleansed from sin and become virgins in the spiritual sense. Our sin is remembered no more. We become like Mary, a suitable vessel for a Christ child. 

There is a child to be born in us as we grow into the man Jesus- a son of God. In the fullness of time we will be revealed. We are reborn as a new creation, in the image of God. 

Was Upon Him - Luke 2:25-26

Luke 2:25-26 ESV 

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

The Holy Spirit is upon Simeon, but the Spirit has been given to believers. Those in the kingdom of heaven have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and participate in the life of God. The least in the kingdom is greater than the most righteous man outside the kingdom, outside the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit no longer hovers over the waters of the deep, but has descended into each believer. 

We will all see death, but because we have seen Jesus we will live. 

The Spirit reveals the truth for He is the truth. 

The Secret - Philippians 4:11-13

Philippians 4:11-13 ESV 

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

The secret Paul refers to is having God in all situations which allows us to lean on His strength to live in all situations. However the world is presented to us, He is there to provide His strength and peace for every occasion. We may not face the same constellation of challenges in the world, but we are all challenged to overcome the world. We participate in the same the same battle, but our personal experience and struggle is a unique role and witness in God's creation. But our victory and inheritance will be the same. 

Paul's secret is our secret. We are hidden in Christ. We are in the body of Christ. It is the light of the world and a secret that is to be willingly shared with each other and the world. 

For Joy - John 16:21

John 16:21 ESV 

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

The earth is in travail as it gives birth to a new earth. The hour is at hand and the days filled with sorrow. 

 

But this is true of each person as well, for we are an earth and world in of ourselves. We are formless and void until the light comes to shine within us and we are reborn. We then become a human being in the truest sense, in the image of God. This happens inside of us and a new creature begins to take shape. In His light we become visible, no longer formless and void, but children of light. That is reason for joy. 

Called Jesus - Luke 2:21

Luke 2:21 ESV 

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Jesus is derived from the Greek word transliterated as Iesous which is derived from the Hebrew word transliterated as Joshua. 

The meaning is the same. Jehovah Is Salvation. 

This is the only name by which a man can be saved, for it is only God Who can save. We take His name and become children of light. 

His name was known before He was conceived in the womb because He was known before the foundation of the world. 

1 Peter 1:20-21

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you

who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

God's plan included the fall of man and includes the rise of man. He saw it all before it happened/happens and sees us as we become the crown of creation in our final form. He has rested from His work even as it continues to work itself out. 

There are seven days in the creation story. The eighth day could represent the everlasting day of eternity. We will enter that day fully circumcised into the immortal being God intended all along. We will be in His exact image, for Jesus was in His exact image and we will be like Him. 

g2424. Ἰησοῦς Iēsous; of Hebrew origin (h3091); Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua, Joshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites: — Jesus, Joshua.

AV (975) - Jesus 972, Jesus (Joshua) 2, Jesus (Justus) 1; Jesus = "Jehovah is salvation"

h3091. יְהוֹשׁוּעַ yehôšûa‘; or יְהוֹשֻׁעַ Yhowshua; from 3068 and 3467; Yhwh-saved; Jehoshua (i.e. Joshua), the Jewish leader: — Jehoshua, Jehoshuah, Joshua. Compare 1954, 3442.

AV - Joshua 218; 218 Joshua or Jehoshua = "Jehovah is salvation" n pr m

Among Those - Luke 2:13-14

Luke 2:13-14 ESV 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Jesus brought peace on earth, but not on the whole earth. His peace would rest on those who receive Him as Lord and in doing so pleasing God. 

Many overlook or forget this fact. He came for everyone, but not everyone will go with Him. We must make peace with Him, and agree to walk together. 

The wonder of His birth is only truly celebrated and experienced by those reborn, who have experienced their own rebirth into His life.

There Was No Place - Luke 2:7

Luke 2:7 ESV 

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and 

laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Jesus was Mary's firstborn son, but also the firstborn of creation, God's own Son. He is also the last, for those who follow Him become His body. He lives in them. There is no other begotten Son. 

It is said shepherds would wrap a newborn lamb in swaddling cloths to prevent any blemishes that would disqualify the lamb for sacrifice. A baby wrapped in this way would be a sign significant to them even before the angel announced this as a sign of The Lamb that would be sacrificed for the world. They ran to see this child and returned in joy, telling everyone of what they saw and heard. 

He was laid in a manger, a food trough for the beasts of the field. This might remind us that He is the bread of heaven given to feed the world. 

There would be no place for Him to rest His head, though birds have nests and foxes have their holes. Birds of the air and foxes would be used to describe some of those in the world. Christ was from above. There was truly no place in the world to receive Him. But that was about to change. It would change everything. 

Shall Be Called Holy - Luke 2:23-24

Luke 2:23-24 ESV 

(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)

and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

This is a picture of the Church. We are no longer male or female in the body of Christ. We are a holy people, the first fruits of the seed of God to be followed by a multitude without number that will enter the house of the Lord. 1 Peter 2:5 calls us a holy priesthood to the Lord. 

A turtle dove and pigeon were part of the covenant making ceremony between the Lord and Abram in Genesis 15. Later one bird would become a sin offering and another would become a burnt offering in the Levitical system of sacrifice which would follow. 

The sacrifices would point to the ultimate sacrifice to come, not offered by man, but by God. This ends all sacrifice by man needed  to be righteous in His eyes. 

My Father's House - Luke 2:41-51

Luke 2:41-51 ESV 

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.

And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.

And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,

but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances,

and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”

And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?”

And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.

And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

Jesus was twelve years old and had reached the age of accountability, when He was of spiritual maturity and able to take responsibility for His actions. 

After three days of searching for Him back in Jerusalem, they find Him in the temple sitting among the teachers conversing with them in a way that amazed all those hearing Him speak. The three days of searching may remind us of the three days before He would rise from the dead after His crucifixion. His ministry to humanity would there after be of a different nature, not unlike this change of perspective. 

Mary tells Him she and His father had been worried sick being unable to find Him. Jesus replies that He is in His Father's house. They did not understand what He was saying. Jesus was telling them He knew His true Father and it was His Father's business that He must tend to. Jesus returns home with Mary and Joseph as their son, but now He begins preparing to fulfill His calling as the Son of God. 

Mary would remember all these things and treasure them in her heart, but the full implications of what just took place would not be understood until later. 

Yet Which I Will Choose - Philippians 1:19-23

Philippians 1:19-23 ESV 

for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.

I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

Those who believe in Christ will not be ashamed. It is an expectation and hope that is based on the promise of God which is more dependable than a promise of man because it is already accomplished. The word of God is spoken and creation came forth from beginning to end. We have been placed on this earth that we might find the tree of life. Eating it's fruit will yield everlasting life. 

We now live in the body of Christ. Living as Christ we give Him honor in our body. Paul says that to die is to gain. Now Christ is with us, but when we die we will be with Christ in a new and glorious way, face to face. To be with Christ is to gain more of the inheritance that awaits, for He is our inheritance. 

Paul then says something interesting. He doesn't know if he will choose life or death. It is a difficult decision. He has a strong desire and to leave and be with the Lord. He decides to remain for the benefit of the Philippians with helping them in their walk of faith. His decision will bear fruit for all of us. 

Does this mean we can decide whether we live or die? We have already made the decision between life and death when we chose to believe the Lord, for He is our life. We will pass from this body, but we have already passed into life. May we have the courage to honor Christ in all things as members of the body of Christ. 

 

To Stand Firm - Ephesians 6:10-13

Ephesians 6:10-13 ESV 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

The whole armor of God is for spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare only begins for the believer after rising from the grave of the world. We are warned to make the best use of our time because the days are evil. To withstand this evil, God provides protection. 

The prince of this world goes to and fro to devour man and oppose God. Satan is thrown from heaven and is the prince of the air. He rules the spiritual forces of evil fallen with him. It is here we make our stand. 

Still In This Tent - 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

2 Corinthians 5:1-5 ESV

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,

if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.

For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

Adam and Eve found themselves naked after eating the forbidden fruit. We are spiritually naked until we are covered by the blood of Christ. To be spiritually naked is to be dead. 

We have been spirituality made alive, though we remain in bodies of death. Our mortal bodies will die, but we will not face the second death. We are alive eternally. 

The time will come when we will leave behind the blood of Jesus that covers our mortal bodies and don the white robes of our heavenly bodies. 

No Longer A Slave - Galatians 4:1-7

Galatians 4:1-7 ESV 

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything,

but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.

In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Before we were set free by Christ, we were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. The darkness of the world, of our world, was complete. As light continued to rise in the world, the law was given to expose sin. It did not free us, but enabled us to perceive the weakness of man. 

In the fullness of time the light of the world came in the form of the man called Jesus. It took the fullness of time for Isaac to be born. Jesus set us free from the law and sin. We are no longer slaves, but sons of God. We are children of light and heirs of the promise. 

We are the descendants of Abraham promised by God, the seed of his loins and the seed of the Word. 

Curse Of The Law - Galatians 3:10-14

Galatians 3:10-14 ESV 

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

The law is a curse. Moses delivered the law to Israel and told them it was a gift of blessings or curses, depending on their obedience. A similar choice was given to Adam and Eve. Like the tree of life knowledge of good and evil, the law became a curse as it revealed the knowledge of sin and the inability of man to overcome the reality of that sin. 

It is Christ who redeems us, for He is the tree of life. Yet He becomes a curse for us by hanging from a tree. It is from the branch of the forbidden tree He hung, replacing the forbidden fruit plucked from that branch in the Garden of Eden. 

All this was done to bring light into the world, "so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith."

Sons Of Abraham - Galatians 3:7-9

Galatians 3:7-9 ESV 

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”

So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The sons of Abraham, the offspring of Abraham referred to here are not those natural descendants of human bloodline, but those who claim the blood of Christ as their own. Through the divine blood of our Savior we are reborn into that family of God as sons of God. 

Israel was chosen to bring light into the world. Though that proved to be a heavy and costly burden, the light of the world did come through this tiny nation for all people. They are the stump of the tree of life in which we live as wild olive branches grafted in the life of God. The fruit of the Spirit hangs upon those branches. 

We are blessed as Abraham is blessed. We are his seed, the body of Christ. We are from all nations, united by the one Spirit. 

Will Declare To You - John 16:12-15

John 16:12-15 ESV 

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Jesus did not say all that He wanted to say because they would not be able to understand. They were not capable of understanding for they had not yet received the Holy Spirit. It takes the Spirit to guide us into the truth of God. His Spirit is able to declare the word of God to our spirit. Jesus spoke words our ears could hear. The Spirit speaks the word to our spirits. The word spoken is the same word, the word of God. 

Offspring - Galatians 3:16

Galatians 3:16 ESV 

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.

So are we the offspring of Abraham? Yes. Why? We are the body of Christ and have become Christ in the world. We are the one because we are one in Christ. 

Will Send Him - John 16:5-11

John 16:5-11 ESV 

But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’

But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;

concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;

concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

God the Father sent the Son. The Son sends the Spirit. The fullness of God was pleased to dwell in the Son. The Spirit is the fullness of God. The fullness of God is pleased to dwell within us even as we are pleased to dwell in His body. 

Emmanuel was God with us. The Spirit is God with us. When Jesus returns, God will be with us. 

Jesus did not come to judge the world, but the Spirit will convict and judge, and the final separation has begun. The light will make all things visible. 

The Hour Is Coming - John 16:1-4

John 16:1-4 ESV 

“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.

They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.

And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.

But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.

Their hour has come and they are with us. They despise Jews and Christians alike. They seek to kill us in the name of their god. 

They do this out of ignorance for they do not know God or His Son. The Spirit of truth can overcome the great deceiver and deliver us from the ignorance of the world. 

Light will overcome darkness, even as the darkness fails to understand.  Let the light shine in the world through us. 

Will Bear Witness - John 15:26-27

John 15:26-27 

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

God has provided two witnesses of His glory. Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 

One we saw and the other we experience. Both are present and living, just as our God is present and living, for they are God. 

They still give witness, but through us. We have the Spirit and we are the body of Christ. Others look to the Christ in us. The Holy Spirit binds us together in truth. 

As He Had Promised - Genesis 21:1-7

Genesis 21:1-7 ESV 

The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised.

And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.

Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.

And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”

And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

The Lord remembered Sarah. He did not overshadow her as He would Mary. Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah, where Jesus was the Son of God, not conceived by human effort, but by the will of God. 

Abraham would give Isaac his name. God would name His Son. 

Laughter was heard when the promise was given by the Lord and laughter was heard at the miraculous birth of the promised son. Jesus would bring much joy into the world. Many would be reborn from above. The promise of the Lord continues to be made and fulfilled with each believer. 

God Remembered Abraham - Genesis 19:29

Genesis 19:29 ESV 

So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

God did not remember Lot and save him. It was because of Abraham that Lot escaped the fate of Sodom, for Lot was part of Abraham's house. Who is able to perceive and understand the power and impact of a righteous man?

Circumcision - Genesis 17:9-14

Genesis 17:9-14 ESV

And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.

This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring,

both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.

Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

Circumcision of the flesh is only skin deep. This prefigures the coming law which changed what was seen on the outside, but did not change the heart. True circumcision is in the heart. The sword of the word from the mouth of the Lord is the instrument of this cutting of the final covenant. 

Just as flesh precedes the birth of the spirit of man, so does the circumcision of the flesh come before circumcision of the heart. 

Old Testament circumcision was a teaching device used by the Lord to prepare the way for the New Testament circumcision, just as the sacrificial system prepared the way for the sacrifice of Jesus the Lamb of God for the sin of the world. 

The unfolding of the light of the Lord continues, bringing us to the point where we can take in the light. 

I Give - Genesis 15:17-21

Genesis 15:17-21 ESV 

When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,

the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,

the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

Using cut animals in covenant making was a common practice of that day, but there was something different about this occurrence.

It is a covenant of the Creator of the all creation. Usually a covenant is made between two parties which involves action or promise by both sides. Here only the Lord confirms a vow. Abram does not pass between the carcasses or swear an oath. The Lord has done something similar for those who place their faith in Him today. He vows salvation for those who believe. 

The Lord is signified by the passing of two representations which speak of two of the Holy Trinity. Two give witness to the covenant, but they are of the One Lord

The fire pot may signify Jesus Christ Who contained the fire of the all consuming God and would provide a burnt offering that would rise as a fragrance pleasing to the Lord. The flaming torch may represent the Spirit like the seven torches before the throne of God in the heavenly vision. Both will come and abide within the believers in the New Covenant, in the deepest part of these new creatures.

Just as the offspring of Abram would inherit the land described in verses eighteen through twenty one, the sons of God will receive an inheritance that is God Himself as foreshadowed by the priests and Levites in the Old Testament. 

How Am I To Know - Genesis 15:7-11

Genesis 15:7-11 ESV 

And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.

And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

Abram seeks understanding and assurance of what the Lord is doing. The Lord will give him a sign. 

The animals chosen for this covenant will later be used for the burnt offerings of the sacrificial system introduced by Moses. The animals were cut, the birds were not. 

The offerings to God would put the people in right standing with the Lord. They would be protected from their enemies just as Abram drove away the birds of prey that would feed on the carcasses of the covenant. The hand of Lord would be on chosen people. 

I Have Lifted My Hand - Genesis 14:17-24

Genesis 14:17-24 ESV 

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)

And he blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Possessor of heaven and earth;

and blessed be God Most High,

who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.”

But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,

that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’

I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”

Abram returns and meets two individuals in the valley of kings. These kings represent the choice between the Lord and the world. Melchizedek is the priest of God Most High, while the king of Sodom is king of that city identified with the wickedness of the world. 

Abram chooses between the two. One promises the riches of earthly gain, but it is the blessings of the Lord that Abram sees as the more desirable. He recognizes that his earthly gains are provided by the Lord and only hint at the blessing to come. 

Melchizedek points to the coming Christ just as the tabernacle in the wilderness points to the tent of tabernacle as manifested in the form of the believer, the building stones of the new temple of the Lord. 

Arise, Walk - Genesis 13:14-18

Genesis 13:14-18 ESV 

The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward,

for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.

I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.

Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”

So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

After Lot leaves, the Lord tells Abram to lift his eyes. This is different from when Lot lifted his eyes, for Abram lifted his eyes at direction of the Lord. Doing so, Abram views his inheritance from the Lord. 

He walks the length and breadth of the land. Christians also walk in the land that will become the new earth in these mortal tents which will turn into immortal mansions in the city of God. 

Then Abram moves his tent to this promised land where he will offer sacrifices to the Lord. He confirms his decision to live according to the word of God. In a sense, Abraham walks in the kingdom of heaven by entering and remaining in the promised land. We have entered the kingdom of heaven trusting in the promises of the Lord. What He has promised has already been given. We live because He lives. 

A Name For Ourselves- Genesis 11:1-4

Genesis 11:1-4 

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.

And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

The tower is under constant construction as man places trust in his own name. Empty words are empty of life, however impressive or how well they are strung together. The word of God endures while the impotent words of man fall short of lofty visions and boasts, only to crumble to the ground. 

The words of life are given by one man. It starts by the command for light to be given to the world and ends with the incarnation of that light. That light is the light of the world. 

Salvation only comes through one name, that of the one Begotten Son of the one God. He has given to us His own name, far above any other name. 

Lifted Up His Eyes - Genesis 13:8-13

Genesis 13:8-13 ESV 

Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.

Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.

Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.

Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.

Abram and Lot part ways. Lot chooses the land pleasing to his eyes, just as the forbidden fruit was pleasing to the eyes of Eve in the garden. The separation of light and darkness continues as these kinsmen no longer sojourn together. Lot pitches his tent in the land of Sodom, a city of great wickedness. 

Lot lifted up his eyes, but his vision stopped short in being lifted to God. The glitter of the here and now obscured the light from the treasures of heaven. 

Your Very Own Son - Genesis 15:1-4

Genesis 15:1-4 ESV 

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”

And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

Abram would have an heir and Abram believed the Lord, but doubt would creep in with Abram unable to see how and when this would be accomplished. This tells us that Abram was a man not much different from us. 

The Lord assures him that His word is true. 

We are in a similar situation as Abram. The Lord has promised a new man, a son of man in a sense, that will come from every believer. This new man is the heir to the promise of the Lord and this inheritance includes every blessing of heaven. 

We have become sons of God as we become like Jesus, the Son of Man. As sons of God we become a son of man as did Jesus. God enters our flesh and we participate in the incarnation of the Word. 

Of His Kingdom - Genesis 10:6-14

Genesis 10:6-14 ESV 

The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.

The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man.

He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.”

The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and

Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.

Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,

Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.

The first kingdom on the earth is mentioned, with Nimrod as the founder. His name means "rebellion or valiant. 

A kingdom on earth replaces the kingdom of heaven. Its focus is on itself rather than on God. This is the mission and goal of Satan, to turn man from God and to elevate self as the divine. 

The rebellion of yesterday continues through the present and into tomorrow. The wicked will seem to prosper until their end is revealed to them. The righteous know the end from afar. 

Those who deny that Christ is the Son of God will be judged by Him, for all judgement is His. They trade life for death. 

Disciple's Prayer - Matthew 6:9-13

Matthew 6:9-13 ESV 

Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

My Father I call out to you. I am your son. I am flesh of your flesh and bone of your bone. I partake in the wine and bread of the new covenant, which signifies the flesh and blood of Christ in the New Covenant. 

hallowed be your name.

How awesome is your name and worthy to be praised. Holy, Holy, Holy are You my God. With joy I sing of your mercy and grace. 

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

May your kingdom grow within me and your will become my own. May heaven and earth become one in me. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

Let the bread of heaven be broken for me that it might satisfy my hunger, that I may be broken to feed those around me. 

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Help me live in your love and forgiveness as I share your love and forgiveness with others. 

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Your rod staff, they comfort me. 

Keep me from harm and let me rest in the peace your arms.

Bringing the prayer to a more personal level. It applies corporately, but we must make it our own. We enter His body, but we must also enter a relationship with Him. We must add following Jesus to our belief in Him. He has healed you. Don't remain on the side of the road as He passes by. Get up and go with Him. This is discipleship. 

I Will Show You - Genesis 12:1

Genesis 12:1 

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.

Every believer in Christ is called to do the same as Abram. We are called to leave the way of the world for the way of God. It is a journey of faith to an inheritance He will show us. 

Jesus calls us to leave everything behind for Him. We do this by putting Him first in our lives. Doing this we become the first fruits of His life. 

From his seed would come a great nation on earth, Israel. From his seed would also come a great nation built on faith, the Church; the body of Christ. 

Jesus would tell His disciples, "Come and see".

A Man Of The Soil - Genesis 9:20

Genesis 9:20 ESV 

Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.

Adam was formed and placed in the Garden to work the ground. Noah became a man of the soil, a tiller of the earth. Jesus was the word sown in the earth of humanity. 

Israel is described as a vineyard planted and cared for by the Lord. It might be viewed as a type of "garden" like Eden where God would work through man to accomplish His purpose. It did not produce the desired effect. In Noah's case it was the source of drunkenness. In Israel's case the fruit of God's vineyard went bad in the weeds of idolatry. 

Jesus would successfully work the earth in sowing the seed of heaven. The receptivity of the ground would vary, but the outcome is certain. A remnant will be redeemed. 

This Is The Sign - Genesis 9:12-17

Genesis 9:12-17 ESV 

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:

I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,

I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

This covenant is between God and all flesh on the earth. Never again would all the flesh of the earth bear the wrath of God for the sin of man. Sin would be overcome in the flesh of one man, Jesus Christ. He alone would bear the wrath of God that sin brought into world. 

The rainbow signifies an everlasting covenant never to be superseded or replaced by a better covenant, and it stands in effect to this day. It would help pave the way to the grace and mercy of the coming Son. A bow would be part of the throne room as described by John in Revelation. 

It is a significant sign from the Father. It contains the promise of mercy and the promise of a new beginning. It solely rests on God in the making and fulfillment, just as all creation and its purpose. 

Cleft Of The Rock - Exodus 33:18-23

Exodus 33:18-23 ESV 

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”

And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”

And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock,

and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

God chooses Moses to proclaim God and set His people free from the slavery in Egypt, but does not allow him to see His face. This would not be possible until Jesus appeared on earth and we choose to be like Him, as sons of God. 

Man must die to self to live in Jesus. A man that does not die to self will just die. The man that chooses Jesus will never die.  

He then hints to Moses of His coming mercy and grace that would come through the Son and would be available to the whole world. We can take comfort in the fact He has chosen to be gracious and merciful to all that would choose Him. 

He is our rock and we find safe passage to God when we enter the body of Christ which is the rock of our salvation. He covers us with His cleansing blood until the wrath of God passes by. 

We will see Him face to face and we will be like Him.

In Love - Ephesians 5:1-2

Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV 

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Love is the operative word in these two verses. To follow God, to imitate love, means to receive the love by God in such a way that love becomes our way of life. We are beloved children. As we experience and understand our "beloved" reality, our walk of life will more and more imitate Christ our Lord. 

Love becomes our offering back to God. We give ourselves up for Him as He gave Himself up for us. The perfection, or completion, of love is achieved when that connection is made, like a electric circuit made whole and allows the flow of electricity, but flowing in both directions. 

The purpose of creation takes shape and form in this union and exchange. We enter His rest and true life. 

More Than Conquerors - Romans 8:37-39

Romans 8:37-39 ESV 

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,

nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Those who conquer in this world give up everything when they die. Be it land, riches, or achievements, all things are relinquished when the grave receives the body which flowered for a short time. 

Those that conquer the world are more than conquerors. Instead of giving up everything when passing from this life, they gain everything. They are with the Lord. Their inheritance is realized in heaven. The mortal body which served them in this life will pass away, only to be replaced with a new and immortal body when He returns, when we return. Do you realize you will return with Him? We are the body of Christ. 

The love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord has joined us with eternal life. We have overcome the world, making us more than conquerors. We are sons of God. 

As Many As Came - Genesis 9:8-10

Genesis 9:8-10 ESV as many as came

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,

“Behold, I establish my covevant with you and your offspring after you,

and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth.

God makes a new covenant, but this one is with man and every other creature that came out of the ark. "It is for every beast of the earth." He cursed the ground because of man. He cursed the living that were drowned by the flood. From now on man alone would bear the curse of disobedience. 

God would carry that out in a most unexpected way through the Son of Man that would come for as many as would enter the the ark of the body of Christ. He alone would bear the sins of the world. 

It is for as many who will come to Him. 

It is the final covenant. 

Be Fruitful And Multiply - Genesis 9:1-7

Genesis 9:1-7 ESV 

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered.

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.

But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

“Whoever sheds the blood of man,

by man shall his blood be shed,

for God made man in his own image.

And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

Echoes of the Garden are in these words spoken to Noah:  “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." Here is a new beginning with new ground rules. 

Why does God now give the flesh of every moving thing that lives in addition to the green plants as food for man? It is not explained here in these verses. The fear and dread of man would now characterize the world experienced by those animals. 

The life of a man resides in his blood. This is the case for all men after the fall. When the blood of Jesus is spilled His mortal life is given for all mankind. He makes it possible for us to trade the life contained in tainted blood for His life made available in the Spirit. He has given His flesh and blood as bread and drink from heaven. The man that eats and drinks from His body finds his life resides in God. That man becomes a truer image of God. 

She Did Not Return - Genesis 8:8-12

Genesis 8:8-12 ESV 

Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.

But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.

He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark.

And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.

Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.

Now a dove is released. Unlike the raven, it finds no resting place until the third time. The first time might correlate to the time before Israel when the dove finds no where to land. The waters provide no resting place. 

The second time it returns with a plucked olive leaf. The olive tree is symbolic of Israel. The Spirit of God chooses a people to bring the light into the world. 

The third time the dove is released and does not return. This might correspond to the giving of the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ and made available to rest of the world. 

To And Fro - Genesis 8:6-7

Genesis 8:6-7 ESV 

At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made

and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.

Forty days is a re-occurring number appearing frequently in Scripture that represents a time of trial, such as the time Moses spent on the mountain, the Israelites wandering in the desert, or the temptations of Jesus during His time in the wilderness. 

Noah opens the only window which lets in the light after the rain and sends forth a raven. The raven goes "to and fro" on the earth, as Satan did in Job. This is the first of two birds released in this new world. One may be reminded that the earth was dark and formless before the appearance of light. 

It is God Who releases the birds. 

Satan will have dominion over the earth until the waters are dried from the earth and the sea is no more. The beasts of Satan rise from the waters of humanity to oppose God, but the dominion of Satan will disappear.

Breath Of Life - Genesis 7:22-24

Genesis 7:22-24 ESV 

Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

The breath of life is different from the breath of God. All living creatures have the breath of life, but only those which receive the breath of God enter the life of God. There is life on earth, but true life is in heaven. 

We who believe have received the breath of God, the Holy Spirit Who seals us in the kingdom. We breathe the air of life beyond life. We have become one spiritually with the Lord. 

The kingdom of heaven has invaded the earth. One day heaven and earth will complete that union as the sons of God receive immortal bodies that match their immortal spirits. 

No longer will the waters prevail. 

Enoch - Genesis 5:9-11

Genesis 5:9-11 ESV 

When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.

Seth's son was Enosh(or Enos in KJV) and his name means "man". The word denotes mortality and the frailty of the human condition. Eve conceived man that would be less than the man Mary would later conceive through the Holy Spirit. That man was mortal and frail, but more and completely alive. He was the only man that could die for us because He was the only man truly alive. The rest of us were dead in sin. 

Every Tree - Matthew 3:8-10

Matthew 3:8-10 ESV 

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

And do not presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Genesis 2:8-9

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Scripture often uses trees as representing people. The Tree of Life symbolizes Jesus, the source of life. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents the devil, the source of sin and death. One seed or the other will take root and flourish in the soil of a man. The fruit of the resulting tree will reveal the truth of every tree. 

The fruit sought by God is the fruit of the Spirit. That is the good fruit and it flows from the life of God. All other fruit is nourished from the damp grave of death. 

 

Seth - Genesis 5:3-5

Genesis 5:3-5 ESV 

When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.

Adam was created in the likeness of God. He then fathered his son Seth in his own likeness, which was different from the way he began life. He had fallen from his intimate relationship with God and had assumed a life further from God and a little closer to the life of a beast of the field. 

Seth means "compensation". He took the place of Abel who was killed by his brother Cain. 

Thus begins the genealogical tree to the birth of Noah. 

Man - Genesis 5:1-2

Genesis 5:1-2 ESV 

​This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.

The word man is often used in the collective sense which includes male and female, man and woman. 

An example of it being used in the collective sense is the phrase, "man does not live by bread alone". It is not confined to one sex. 

The inclusion of male and female is the fundamental element of the definition of man. It implies and supports the natural and God-ordained life of man. It includes the idea of procreation and contains the essence of creation. 

God is our Creator, yet He comes to us as the Son of Man to make us sons of God. 

What is man?

Began To Call - Genesis 4:25-26

Genesis 4:25-26 ESV 

Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.

Another son is born: Seth. This name carries the meanings of "compensation" and "seat of the body, or foundation". Seth would become the foundation of the lineage from which the Christ would come. Christ would be the foundation of the church, taking our place before the throne of judgment. He would become the compensation on our behalf for the penalty of sin. 

Enosh means "man", with all the frailty implied that plagues a mortal man. It is understandable that men began to call upon the name of the Lord at this time. 

Cain Went Away - Genesis 4:13-16

Genesis 4:13-16 ESV 

Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Could this be the first mark of beast? 

Cain is as spiritually dead as one could be, as any beast of the field. As the darkness preceded the light in creation, could the mark of beast precede the mark of Christ, the Holy Spirit? 

Cain left the presence of the Lord, took the mark to enter the darkness of his father. His kind would embrace and thrive in the world, full of pride and self satisfaction. The separation of darkness and light continues. 

Humbled Himself - Philippians 2:5-8

Philippians 2:5-8 ESV 

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Following Christ means we do not hold onto the form of man, but empty ourselves to be reborn in the likeness of God. We begin evolving into the form of God, into the full measure of Christ. This is the mind of Christ, giving and obedient in love for others. 

We humble ourselves to the glory of God. Jesus died on the cross and it is at that cross we die to self. Therefore God will highly exalt the one who believes in Him and they will be called sons of God. 

That cross allows us to cross over into the divine. 

A Wanderer - Genesis 4:10-12

Genesis 4:10-12 ESV 

And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

Now a man is cursed. Cain spilt the blood of his brother. This might be viewed as a foreshadowing of the death of Christ. Christ was slain by His brothers and His blood was spilled on the ground. The earth would again open its mouth to receive the dead, only this time death would not have its way. Jesus would cross the lips of that mouth again and return, having defeated the sting of death. Like Jonah, He would escape the sea of death and bring the word of good news to the city of man. 

Cain would become the opposite of Abraham. Rather than a fugitive and wanderer on the earth, Abraham was blessed of God and led by God. He was not a wanderer, but was traveling to a promised land at the direction of the Lord. 

A man like Cain is lost and without hope and cursed from the ground. 

Worker Of The Ground - Genesis 4:2-7

Genesis 4:2-7 ESV 

And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

The fruit of the ground was an unacceptable offering to God. The ground had been cursed due to disobedience of Adam. Cain knew this, yet brought that fruit anyway. 

Doing well is following the will of God. Not doing well is doing something else. 

Am I My Brother's Keeper? - Genesis 4:8-9

Genesis 4:8-9 ESV 

Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?”

Cain killed Abel. Abel's crime? He was accepted by God. Murder and sin are the attributes of the world. It is the way of Cain. The world is hostile to the things of God. 

Jesus would answer to Cain's question with a YES! Love your brother and do unto him as yourself. In this way we show our love for God. Connecting with our brother connects us with God. We connect with our true self. 

Cain would not know that. 

The Help Of The Lord - Genesis 4:1

Genesis 4:1 ESV 

​Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”

In the sixth day of creation man and woman were created with the charge of being fruitful and multiplying to fill the earth, to subdue it. Adam and Eve were not created on that day. They were given the command to work the ground. They were not created male and female like the other men and living creatures in the world. Adam was formed alone. Eve was formed from Adam and they became one. Other men and women were two. 

Thrown out of the garden, they were given the garments of humanity, facing death like every other creature in animal skins. 

Now Eve would know Adam in a different way and from that union children would be born. The Israelites would descend from these two and so would come the Savior of the world, the Son of Man. 

All this would be the will God. It is with the help of the Lord we can at last stand in His presence. 

Let Us Wipe Them Out - Psalms 83:1-4

Psalms 83:1-4 ESV 

O God, Do Not Keep Silence

A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.​ O God, do not keep silence;

do not hold your peace or be still, O God!

For behold, your enemies make an uproar;

those who hate you have raised their heads.

They lay crafty plans against your people;

they consult together against your treasured ones.

They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;

let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”

An ancient hatred grows stronger with each passing day. The snake in the Garden continues to strike God's people with the sting of death. Cain still seeks the death of Abel. 

"They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;

let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”

Who are these people? The Psalm identifies them. Like Cain, they seek to slay their brothers. As it was with the children of Adam, so it is with the children of Abraham. 

The day will come and they will be put to shame. They will then know. 

 

At The Boundary - Job 26:10

Job 26:10 ESV 

He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters

at the boundary between light and darkness.

The earth found its form by the finger of God. There at the murky waters of man light meets the darkness and the darkness gives way to that light. We are the boundary in view. It is inside our hearts that the light of the world has risen. It meets the receding darkness of a mind and heart under transformation. The law written by the finger of God was another boundary to discern between light and darkness, to bring understanding to the hearts of man and to make way for the light.