Shadowland

1 Chronicles 29:15 ESV 

For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.

Our life on earth is but a shadow of who we are in the light of Christ. Abiding is only possible when we abide with Him. When we look to Christ, we leave the shadows behind. 

When one remains in the shadows, life ends on earth as a shade. From the earth they will never rise. 

Isaiah 14:9

Sheol beneath is stirred up

to meet you when you come;

it rouses the shades to greet you,

all who were leaders of the earth;

it raises from their thrones

all who were kings of the nations.

Isaiah 26:13-14

O Lord our God,

other lords besides you have ruled over us,

but your name alone we bring to remembrance.

They are dead, they will not live;

they are shades, they will not arise;

to that end you have visited them with destruction

and wiped out all remembrance of them.

In Walking

Trusting in the name of Jesus is all that is needed to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is walking its paths which brings the fullness of its blessings. 

Consuming The Word

Prophets of old were sometimes commanded to eat a scroll that contained the Word Of God. 

In the New Covenant we are commanded to drink the wine of His blood and the bread of His flesh. He is the Word Of God. We ingest the body and blood of Christ to become the body of Christ. His word becomes part of who we are, just as we become part of the word. In this way, the wedding feast has begun. 

May our lives become an utterance of the word and a living prayer unto the Lord. 

I Will Place You

Ezekiel 37:12-14 ESV 

Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

In a sense, Adam will return to the Garden of Eden. The descendants of Adam were thrown out of the promised land, but will be restored to their “Garden.” God will breathe His Spirit of life into their nostrils and they will know that He is the Lord. 

Getting In Shape

Being made in the image of God has has nothing to do with the shape of your nose, but the shape of your heart. 

The Change

Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV 

But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Transformation leads to transfiguration. 

Except Through Me

John 14:6 ESV 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Psalms 86:11

Teach me your way, O Lord,

that I may walk in your truth;

unite my heart to fear your name.

Jesus is the way to the truth of life. We first come to His cross in repentance of sin and there we are cleansed and made righteous. 

His way is the beginning and it begins with the cross. 

His truth is present with us in the power and presence of His Holy Spirit. 

His life is the abundant life we seek. 

In the end we find the Sabbath rest of God. 

A Four Letter Word

John 1:1 ESV

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

What we can know about God is contained in His Word. He is the word. 

Our understanding and expression of creation is accomplished through the use of symbols which attempt to package our reality in abstract terms. We interact with the world through our senses, but we experience the world in the abstract. This is most often done in the form of words and language. It provides the tools for thinking in the abstract and to communicate with others. Other forms of communication include art and music. Words can be elevated to art. This is expression, which is an attribute of God and part of His image that marks mankind. 

That is why He reveals Himself through the word, and through the word we are revealed. The word is our beginning and can mold us in His image in the end. 

A Garment

Hebrews 1:10-12 ESV 

And,

“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,

and the heavens are the work of your hands;

they will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment,

like a robe you will roll them up,

like a garment they will be changed.

But you are the same,

and your years will have no end.”

God enters creation by putting on a garment woven of heaven and earth. The old heavens and the earth will be changed into the new garment that is the union of the Lord and man. This is the new heavens and earth that are combined into the creation of a new creature that is one with God. 

He has wrapped Himself in the earth of our flesh which He will raise us into the clouds of heaven above. 

Today

Luke 4:16-21 ESV 

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

We have heard that word. It is for today. The light of the world has risen into heaven and will never set. We are part of that day that will never end. 

The Meaning Of Life

Man is the only creature who seeks the meaning of life. Why?

Because we become aware there is one. 

There are many things that give meaning to life. 

There is one thing that is the meaning of life. 

We spend our lives sifting through these things and they might bring some satisfaction and may be enough, until we encounter the one thing that counts. 

It is life in Christ. 

The End Of Man

The end of man is to choose between God and self. 

If we choose self, then all good things will soon come to an end. 

If we choose God, the good is endless. 

That is the end of the story. 

Faith In God

Mark 11:20-23 ESV 

As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

The fig tree and mountain both symbolize Israel and its covenant with God. Our hope and victory rest on faith in Jesus. If we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths, we can be set free from the mountain of the Law and enter the freedom that is in Christ. 

Day And Night

The Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple was a square room that housed the presence of the light of God. 

The Kaaba in Mecca is the holiest shrine of Islam. It is also square, but houses the presence of the darkness of Allah. 

The difference is like day and night. 

 Genesis 1:3-5

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Your Lovers

Ezekiel 16:36-42 ESV 

Thus says the Lord God, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them, therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness. And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy. And I will give you into their hands, and they shall throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your lofty places. They shall strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful jewels and leave you naked and bare. They shall bring up a crowd against you, and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. And they shall burn your houses and execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. I will make you stop playing the whore, and you shall also give payment no more. So will I satisfy my wrath on you, and my jealousy shall depart from you. I will be calm and will no more be angry.

The lovers of Judah gather around her today. They are the nations who surround her and are immersed in the spirit of the Antichrist. They are the nations of Islam. By the hand of the Lord they come against the people of Israel in the great tribulation of the judgements of God. He will satisfy His wrath during these last days. 

Once again Cain rises against his brother with a stone in his hand and murder in his heart. This time God will intervene and a remnant will be saved. 

Across The Great Divide

God crossed the divide that separates us from His presence. With the cross He provided a way for us to come to Him. We meet Him at the cross. When we make His cross our own, we are able to come into His presence by the presence of the Holy Spirit. He is not near but within us. It is here we experience the kingdom of heaven. 

Our journey continues on the earth, yet we begin our walk in the kingdom of heaven. We meet Him as we bear our own cross, following in His footsteps with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

Though we follow in the way He has shown us, it is our journey. 

The Way To Go

Before there were denominations there was the way. 

There are many ways to go, but only one leads to the life God. 

Jesus is the way. 

Washed And Clothed

Ezekiel 16:8-14 ESV 

“When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine. Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God.

God is doing the same thing with the Bride of Christ. He has entered a new covenant for all people, not just for the tribes of Israel. Jesus has washed us from the blood of our sin and clothed us with the blessings of heaven. He has lavished His love on those who were unlovely. We return His love with joyful obedience when we consider the great things He has done. 

I Am Sending

Jeremiah 8:17 ESV 

For behold, I am sending among you serpents,

adders that cannot be charmed,

and they shall bite you,”

declares the Lord.

God did this same thing to the Israelites in their wilderness journey after leaving Egypt. The Lord sent fiery serpents into their midst for their rebellion until a bronze image of a snake was lifted up among them. Many died. This would foreshadow Christ on a cross to atone for the sin of the world. 

They will face a final tribulation at the hands of the serpent of the Garden who is revealed as the great dragon Satan. He shall open his mouth for the last time against the people of God before he is destroyed. Then they will rest in the rest of God. 

Made Like Us

Hebrews 2:10-18 ESV 

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,

“I will tell of your name to my brothers;

in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,

“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

To live as man is to suffer the frailties of the life of man, for we are a fragile creature. The Son of God entered our suffering that He might perfect us in His salvation. We answer by entering His suffering as a man when we enter His life. If we continue in His way, we will enter His perfection. 

He was made like us in every respect so that we can be made like Him in every respect. He became one with us so that we might become one with Him. He is our beginning and end. We begin in the brotherhood of man and end as the children of God. 

If We Neglect

Hebrews 2:1-4 ESV 

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Like water, we are prone to flow in the path of least resistance which is a hallmark and characteristic of temptation and sin. We will drift before every wind that blows unless we pay attention and with intention maintain our course, which is the way that Jesus has provided. 

We must make every effort to fill our sails with the fullness of the Holy Spirit who fills us according to the will of the Lord. We have heard the word and give witness to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

To neglect the gift of our salvation is to be like Esau who had so little regard for his blessing as the oldest that he gave it away for a bowl of soup. Though he wept and begged for the blessing from Jacob, he did not escape the consequences of his actions. How much greater is our transgression if we do likewise with our blessing of the Lord?

Ephesus Today

Revelation 2:7 ESV 

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

To the church of Ephesus, to the Church today, to you and me. 

If you follow me to the end, you will have the eternal life of God. 

Jesus 

The Blessings Of Heaven And Earth

Hebrews 1:8-14 ESV 

But of the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,

the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

And,

“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,

and the heavens are the work of your hands;

they will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment,

like a robe you will roll them up,

like a garment they will be changed.

But you are the same,

and your years will have no end.”

And to which of the angels has he ever said,

“Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

We are not God and will never be. But the Bride of Christ will be joined with Him in a unique and intimate way. He is the Son of God through whom the sons of God, that is you and me, will be fellow heirs of God. Our inheritance is the eternal life of Christ.(Rev 2:7) This is the salvation of mankind. The life of Christ includes all the blessings of heaven. We will sit at the right hand of the right hand of God.(Rev 3:21)

The garments of grave clothes will be changed into garments of righteousness for all who leave the darkness of the grave for the light of day. 

We have been doubly blessed with the blessings of heaven and earth. First we are given life on the earth and then given the life of Christ. We receive a double blessing as a favored son. They come together in Jesus Christ and are made one. 

One More

I am one among many, yet Jesus tells me I am one with Him. 

You can be the one. 

We are the one to come if we follow Him. 

You can be the one in Christ. 

There is plenty of room for one more. 

Sonship

Hebrews 1:3-7 ESV 

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son,

today I have begotten you”?

Or again,

“I will be to him a father,

and he shall be to me a son”?

And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God's angels worship him.”

Of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels winds,

and his ministers a flame of fire.”

The light of the world brings to us the nature of God. The natural man of the earth is not compatible with the nature of God. However, the natural man can choose to receive the nature of Christ who is the exact imprint of the nature of God. 

Christ has conquered sin and has received a Name above all names. This is all authority and majesty that is His. This is His Name He shares with us. 

The Lord has begotten His Son below so that we might be born from above. Just as the angels ministered to Jesus in the wilderness, so it is for the sons of God who walk in the wilderness of the world today. The wind and fire of the Holy Spirit is present in the body of Christ to bring us into the life of Christ. 

In Speaking

Hebrews 1:1-2 ESV 

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

The Son first spoke to us through the prophets, then spoke to us by His own body in the man Jesus Christ, and now speaks to each one of us by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit in our own body. 

We who are in the body of Christ share in His inheritance. We are His brothers as we are sons of God. Our bodies become His body until we inherit a body like His. 

Romans 8:16-17

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

A new world is created in us who have overcome the world as Jesus did. It is the world in which the darkness gives way to the light of God in the heart of man. A new creation. If we walk in His steps, we will inherit the blessings of heaven. 

Love Fulfills

Faith is required for something promised, the belief that it will be fulfilled. 

Hope rests in the assurance that it will come to pass. 

Love fulfills and delivers those who place their faith and hope in Jesus Christ. 

The Knowledge

Though we walk in the land of the shadow of death, we can see the light that brings the shadow into view. We can’t see the light unless we experience the darkness. We can’t know of the darkness until we see the light.

It is the knowledge of good and evil that allows us to choose between them. 

The Transformation

Habakkuk 1:14 ESV 

You make mankind like the fish of the sea,

like crawling things that have no ruler.

Mankind without the Lord are as fish in the sea and the beasts of the field. They are alive, but not alive to God. 

We are in the sixth and final day of creation, for now He is truly creating us in His image before He takes His rest. He has raised our spirits into His life and He will raise our body to complete the transformation. 

He pulls us out of the sea and places us on the dry land of His kingdom. We no longer need to labor as a beast under the burden of sin, but can stand and walk in the presence of the Lord. 

Beware Of The Water

Jeremiah 9:12-15 ESV 

Who is the man so wise that he can understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? And the Lord says: “Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it, but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them poisonous water to drink.

As Moses threw a branch in the bitter water in the wilderness and made it sweet, so would Jesus, the branch of Jessie, enter the waters of mankind to remove their sin. The water of today is poisonous to drink, made so by the sin of man. 

Be the one who understands this and drinks from the sweet waters of God’s mercy and salvation.