But Of God - John 1:12-13

John 1:12-13 ESV

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.

Believing is not an intellectual exercise, but an appropriation of that reality that manifests in one's life as trust and faith in the Lord. These are born of God. 

Just as Jesus took on our flesh, though born from above, we wrap ourselves in the divine righteousness of Christ when we are born from above. We become one with Him, the bride of Christ. 

We are sons of man who have become sons of God. This is possible because the Son of God became the Son of Man. 

Here I Am - Exodus 3:1-4

Exodus 3:1-4 ESV 

​Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Moses keeps a flock of sheep before he shepherds the flock of the Lord. He is familiar with the wilderness. 

Horeb is another name for Sinai, the mountain of God. 

The angel of the Lord is another name for God. 

The burning bush is actually a thorn bush, which may portend the crown of thorns worn by our Lord at His crucifixion. God speaks through the bush and through the Son. It is holy ground, even as He is holy. The fire can symbolize the Holy Spirit. Moses speaks with the Triune God. 

The most appropriate thing to say is, "Here I am". 

Also With Him - Isaiah 57:15

Isaiah 57:15 ESV 

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,

who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

“I dwell in the high and holy place,

and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,

to revive the spirit of the lowly,

and to revive the heart of the contrite.

He is with us, we are seated with Him on His throne. Both are incomprehensible, but true. To be lowly and contrite is to be high and lifted up, just as He. Growing up into Christ means we ourselves must get smaller and become more like Him. 

This is so for us if we are in the body of Christ. 

Just As He Told Them - Luke 22:7-13

Luke 22:7-13 ESV 

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

Jesus tells Peter and John to prepare the Passover, but Jesus has made preparations of His own. He is preparing for the ultimate Passover that we may eat from the tree of life. The disciples are part of that preparation. 

The man carrying the jar of water could be symbolic of the living water that flows from the throne of God. He enters the house with that water. 

The upper room could remind us that Jesus has gone ahead of us to prepare a room for us in His Father's house. There we will eat at a banquet prepared in advance. 

It will be just as He told us. 

Close But Far Away - Luke 19:29

Luke 19:29 ESV 

When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,

Bethphage means "house of unripe figs"

Bethany means "house of misery"

Both apply to the house of Israel, which did not not bear the fruit of God and was thus a house of misery. Jesus will weep for the city on the hill which did not shed the light of God. Israel will enter the time of the Gentiles, reaping the fruits of their unbelief. 

Israel was at the foot of the mountain of God, but was turned away due to their disobedience. 

The two disciples will give witness to the will of the Lord. 

The Last State - Luke 11:24-26

Luke 11:24-26 ESV 

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”"

How often does an unclean spirit leave a person voluntarily? It would seem to be desirable for a demon to continue resting in that fallen house it has mastered. 

Once that spirit is ejected, the house can be cleaned and put in order. This is what God is doing as He proceeds with the creation of a new heaven and earth. 

Sadly, this parable speaks of the return of that unclean spirit, even bringing others with it. That house is worse off than before. Knowing God then turning away is like a dog returning to its vomit. 

Yet all things are possible for God. He is stronger than the numberless demons that seek to destroy His work. The current state does not mean the last state. He is faithful when we are not. 

His love endures forever. 

And Drowned - Luke 8:30-33

Luke 8:30-33 ESV 

Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

Revelation 18:21

Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, 

“So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence,

and will be found no more;

Genesis 1:1-2 NETS

​In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. Yet the earth was invisible and unformed, and darkness was over the abyss, and a divine wind was being carried along over the water.

The Septuagint uses the Greek word for abyss in Genesis for the deep, the waters of darkness, which is symbolic of man. 

Jesus brings the light to this man and orders these creatures of darkness to leave him.  They beg to enter the swine nearby, unclean animals. The swine then race to the sea. The demons have successfully taken life into the awaiting deep, the destination of all who choose not to be washed in the blood of the lamb. 

This foreshadows the destruction of Babylon. Babylon and the sea will be no more.