When the true followers of Jesus Christ grasp the importance and reality that we are not a people of this world, as Jesus testified to concerning Himself and His disciples, it will not only be personally earth-shattering to us, but it will truly change the world as we know it.
It needs to be understood that unregenerate humanity on this planet are not children of God, they are the children of the enemy of God, and thus the imprint of the personality and evil of Satan is upon and within them.
This is true of the entirety of the human race, and unless and until a person is born again from above, that will always remain the same.
Even when we're born again of the Spirit of God, that imprint doesn't immediately leave, but rather has to be cleansed out of us by the working of the cross of Jesus Christ in order that what happened to us in principle is worked out within us in reality.
In other words, we may be saved, but true salvation will start to grow and bear the image of Jesus Christ in the life of a person, and that radical transformation starts to reveal another world that exists outside of this one which is the only one most people are aware of.
That means that Jesus Christ represents an entirely different humanity, a different species that has absolutely nothing to do with the humanity that has inhabited planet earth from the time that Adam and Eve sinned and brought into the world a foreign life form that was the enemy of God almighty and Jesus Christ. Consequently, Satan was invited to impress and imprint his personality and life upon and within man, which produced something that was never in the heart and mind of God when He created man. In the Holy Scriptures this is called the flesh, which is a humanity that has been judged and cast aside by God unless they call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved.
The point is that those that are born from above, a phrase that is a more accurate and complete rendering of the phrase "born again," which is mostly used by believers to describe regeneration, are in fact a new humanity; a humanity envisioned by Jesus Christ when He created, a humanity that is called to bear the very image of Christ and present it to the visible creation, as well as the invisible creation.
This new humanity is nothing other than the man Jesus Christ. He comes and indwell those that place their trust or faith in Him, and that results in the Spirit of God coming down from heaven and taking up residence in the Spirit of man. From that innermost place He then begins the work of transforming that man into the image of Jesus Christ. Fellowship between people whom have went though the same process and experience is what is the new, corporate humanity.
Not only is this new or alternative humanity called to bear the image of Jesus Christ, but also to share in His authority which He as given us to take dominion over the earth, as well as spiritual wickedness in high places.
It's tempting to get into the possibilities this offers us who dwell on the earth, but it's more important to take these concepts and realities and dwell upon them for awhile. Breath in the reality that if you're a true child of God in Christ, you are no longer of this world, and your life will reflect that in all that you are and do.
All of that is vital and crucial, but there are even more fantastic possibilities that emerge from this amazing truth.
Think of some questions. What happens on this earth if a people embrace the perfect humanity and authority of Jesus Christ and start living it out on this earth? What will begin to appear on this earth as a result? What will it cost those willing to walk this path corporately? Individually? Where will this path lead to? What effect will it have on those outside the faith?
We could go on and on. The purpose of the questions is to stir up your thoughts as to how Jesus Christ can take root in our hearts and lives in such a way that it is inevitable that His love begins to spread out in the midst of ourselves as we fellowship daily together, as well as increasingly overcome the works of the devil in the lives of the community around us.
It is impossible for who Jesus Christ is to remain hidden and anemic on this earth, no matter what some Christians are taught or believe. Christ cannot but be who He is. It doesn't matter whether He's in heaven or on the earth, who He is is the same in both environments. That's why when Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus replied by saying if he had seen Him he has in fact seen the Father. There was no difference between the invisible Father and the expression of Jesus Christ as a man on the earth. That has not changed after His resurrection and ascension, as the Holy Spirit lives to shape and form Him in the new humanity that has embraced and is taking on His nature and authority.
Whether it is Jesus Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven, or Jesus Christ taking up residence in a people on the earth for a place to dwell and be welcome, He never changes, and it's impossible to separate what He is doing in heaven from what He is doing on earth in a people, as He is always the same and never changes.
That means He must remain true to all that He is, and for us that implies unlimited possibilities when taking into consideration His life and authority being lived in and expressed out from a people who have gladly received Him as their own.
None of this is possible without the deep working of the cross in our individual and corporate lives, as only when we are broken by Him is His life able to be lived within and change us into His image, while in the same measure is then able to be displayed to the world in its beauty and authority. That is His humanity living in us.
That is not a humanity of this world, even though we may outwardly look like those in this world.
Jesus Christ came as a man, although He of course never sinned or had anything of Satan in Him, as He testified to near the end of His life on this earth as a man. You couldn't see the invisible life of the Father, but that life indwelt Jesus to the point where He could do nothing without His Father.
So while He looked the same as the rest of us, He was a totally different humanity completely other than that which dwelt and continues to dwell on the earth. So are those who are truly born from above, who are called to be the same as He is in His humanity (not in His being God).
I'll finish off this article with one thought. All of this will mean for those that are willing to believe and embrace this, that there will be a conflict, because these two humanities are enemies of one another, and the very fact that Jesus Christ is dwelling within us makes us a heavenly people; a people not living their lives from the source people of this world do.
There can be no mingling or mixture of the two separate races of man, as they are not only diametrically opposed, but live their lives from two entities that are opposites and enemies of one another. There can be no quarter given by the people of God as a result, and no acceptance of the life lived by those not born again from above.
Most importantly, we are to satisfy the heart of Jesus Christ by becoming the people He created us to be, while at the same time showing the world there is another life to live from, and another totally different way to live.
The time is almost here when this message will resonate with a growing number of believers, as we begin to understand this world operates from principles that are opposite to who Jesus is, and as we change and adapt, showing forth the man Jesus Christ corporately, it will not only bring us into a blessed fellowship and way of life that is full and satisfying, but also will satisfy the heart of Jesus Christ who created us for this very purpose.
Showing posts with label Adam and Eve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adam and Eve. Show all posts
Friday, December 28, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
I've noticed that some people get confused over the difference between the tree of life in the garden of Eden, and the breath of life when God first breathed into Adam to make him a living soul.
By that I mean I've recently heard some people teaching that when God breathed into Adam the breath of life, that was God imparting Himself into Adam.
Of course that generates the question of what the purpose and results would have been if Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of life in the Garden, and how it was different from the the breath of life God breathed into Adam's nostrils, where afterwards it was announced he was now a living soul.
If God had imparted part of Himself to Adam when he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, that means the tree of life would have to have had another type of life accompanying it, which would really be a stretch to believe.
Now why is this important? Because man in the state he was in after being brought to life, even though in the image of God, wasn't properly lined up with the order God wanted his being to have.
In other words, man wasn't meant to stay as a living soul, as God had more for him. When man was created, God gave him a spirit, soul and body. And while that was the image of God, the soul had yet to become submitted to the spirit in the way God intended, as something else had to happen before that was possible.
The soul will dominate unless the spirit is submitted to by the soul, and that can only happen with the life of Jesus Christ Himself being received by a person.
That's still the same today when someone becomes a believer in Christ, as the potential for the spirit of man, because he has been regenerated by the indwelling of the Spirit of God, which birthed Himself in man at the moment of belief, now can become the source of life if the soul of man will line itself up in submission the Spirit of God, which is now dwelling within the spirit of that individual.
It's vital to understand all of this because if someone confuses the breath of life with Jesus Christ, who has always been the tree of life, it can cause us to miss exactly what is that Christianity, in its essence, is.
The life of God in Christ was inherent in the tree of life in the Garden. If man had eaten of the tree of life, that's when the life of God would have entered into him, not before.
That's the very reason God put a cherubim in charge of protecting access to it so man couldn't take the life of God within himself at that time, as now the need for a Savior to come was part of the equation, and the Spirit wouldn't be given until it happened at Pentecost, thousands of years later.
All of this is significant in understanding that when the life of Christ indwells a believer, the soul, if it submits to the Spirit of God, will be changed and led by the Spirit of God.
This is the reason the scriptures mention that "Christ in Us" is the "hope of glory." It's not simply a reference to going to heaven after we die, but of an indwelling Lord who takes up residence within us in an intimate way, where we are changed into His image as we submit unto his Lordship.
The bottom line is Jesus is the tree of life, and only when we partake of Him in the Spirit do we have the life of God permeating our being.
Ultimately that leads to the soul lowering itself under the hand of the Spirit within so God can in fact, be the Lord of our lives.
To mistake the breath of life as when the life of God enters us, will cause us to miss out on the fact that man, at that moment, was only a living soul, He needed to eat of the tree of life to the very life of God could enter into and fill him, making him a spiritual man.
Remember, the tree of life was located in the center of the Garden of Eden. That means it was central to all of the eternal purpose of God. Again, it's all about the indwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ in our innermost man that Christianity is, and to miss that is to miss almost everything related to God.
By that I mean I've recently heard some people teaching that when God breathed into Adam the breath of life, that was God imparting Himself into Adam.
Of course that generates the question of what the purpose and results would have been if Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of life in the Garden, and how it was different from the the breath of life God breathed into Adam's nostrils, where afterwards it was announced he was now a living soul.
If God had imparted part of Himself to Adam when he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, that means the tree of life would have to have had another type of life accompanying it, which would really be a stretch to believe.
Now why is this important? Because man in the state he was in after being brought to life, even though in the image of God, wasn't properly lined up with the order God wanted his being to have.
In other words, man wasn't meant to stay as a living soul, as God had more for him. When man was created, God gave him a spirit, soul and body. And while that was the image of God, the soul had yet to become submitted to the spirit in the way God intended, as something else had to happen before that was possible.
The soul will dominate unless the spirit is submitted to by the soul, and that can only happen with the life of Jesus Christ Himself being received by a person.
That's still the same today when someone becomes a believer in Christ, as the potential for the spirit of man, because he has been regenerated by the indwelling of the Spirit of God, which birthed Himself in man at the moment of belief, now can become the source of life if the soul of man will line itself up in submission the Spirit of God, which is now dwelling within the spirit of that individual.
It's vital to understand all of this because if someone confuses the breath of life with Jesus Christ, who has always been the tree of life, it can cause us to miss exactly what is that Christianity, in its essence, is.
The life of God in Christ was inherent in the tree of life in the Garden. If man had eaten of the tree of life, that's when the life of God would have entered into him, not before.
That's the very reason God put a cherubim in charge of protecting access to it so man couldn't take the life of God within himself at that time, as now the need for a Savior to come was part of the equation, and the Spirit wouldn't be given until it happened at Pentecost, thousands of years later.
All of this is significant in understanding that when the life of Christ indwells a believer, the soul, if it submits to the Spirit of God, will be changed and led by the Spirit of God.
This is the reason the scriptures mention that "Christ in Us" is the "hope of glory." It's not simply a reference to going to heaven after we die, but of an indwelling Lord who takes up residence within us in an intimate way, where we are changed into His image as we submit unto his Lordship.
The bottom line is Jesus is the tree of life, and only when we partake of Him in the Spirit do we have the life of God permeating our being.
Ultimately that leads to the soul lowering itself under the hand of the Spirit within so God can in fact, be the Lord of our lives.
To mistake the breath of life as when the life of God enters us, will cause us to miss out on the fact that man, at that moment, was only a living soul, He needed to eat of the tree of life to the very life of God could enter into and fill him, making him a spiritual man.
Remember, the tree of life was located in the center of the Garden of Eden. That means it was central to all of the eternal purpose of God. Again, it's all about the indwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ in our innermost man that Christianity is, and to miss that is to miss almost everything related to God.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Zombie Christians! Zombie Churches!
I want to mention briefly what happens when Christ within us isn't the focus of our lives.
What one of the great tragedies of Christian history has been, is the creating of structures to endure, regardless of whether the life of Christ is active within His people. This is the purpose of these structures: to endure no matter what happens.
An amazing part of this tragedy is the effect it produces. Now you have something claiming to represent Christ which is in fact dead. The horror is that even though it has no life, it walks and talks as if it does. That's what I call zombie churches and Christians.
A number of people even think this is a good development; existing and going on whether the life of Christ is there or not. This is the evil of organization and institutionalism as it relates to the people of God.
To this day the confusion and effect springing out of this zombie existence is a heavy taint on the person of Christ.
This is why whenever we look to see Christ glorified on the earth, it never lasts and eventually people turn it into an organization or stop pursuing Him altogether.
To be "organic" as the people of God, is not a testimony to a certain methodology, but to the fact that there is a current and ongoing, intimate fellowship with Christ within in a corporate manner. Anything else will simply be a horrid zombie; either individually or corporately, that names the name of Christ, but has long been out of intimate fellowship with Him.
By this I'm not saying that any type of denominational or setting in a building is good if the life of Christ is there, what I'm saying is we can throw all that away and still not have anything. We can meet in homes, live in neighborhoods together and enjoy a lot of freedom. But if that isn't coming forth from Christ within, it has no meaning other than changing a physical location or hanging out together.
Being truly organic means nothing less than sharing the fellowship of the Godhead together: both individually and corporately. Anything less is simply doing things as the "walking dead."
In the end, everything in Christ must be experiential. Anything less than that is going through motions that are completely devoid of life, and living off of something that you once or never had.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
a
I want to mention briefly what happens when Christ within us isn't the focus of our lives.
What one of the great tragedies of Christian history has been, is the creating of structures to endure, regardless of whether the life of Christ is active within His people. This is the purpose of these structures: to endure no matter what happens.
An amazing part of this tragedy is the effect it produces. Now you have something claiming to represent Christ which is in fact dead. The horror is that even though it has no life, it walks and talks as if it does. That's what I call zombie churches and Christians.
A number of people even think this is a good development; existing and going on whether the life of Christ is there or not. This is the evil of organization and institutionalism as it relates to the people of God.
To this day the confusion and effect springing out of this zombie existence is a heavy taint on the person of Christ.
This is why whenever we look to see Christ glorified on the earth, it never lasts and eventually people turn it into an organization or stop pursuing Him altogether.
To be "organic" as the people of God, is not a testimony to a certain methodology, but to the fact that there is a current and ongoing, intimate fellowship with Christ within in a corporate manner. Anything else will simply be a horrid zombie; either individually or corporately, that names the name of Christ, but has long been out of intimate fellowship with Him.
By this I'm not saying that any type of denominational or setting in a building is good if the life of Christ is there, what I'm saying is we can throw all that away and still not have anything. We can meet in homes, live in neighborhoods together and enjoy a lot of freedom. But if that isn't coming forth from Christ within, it has no meaning other than changing a physical location or hanging out together.
Being truly organic means nothing less than sharing the fellowship of the Godhead together: both individually and corporately. Anything less is simply doing things as the "walking dead."
In the end, everything in Christ must be experiential. Anything less than that is going through motions that are completely devoid of life, and living off of something that you once or never had.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
a
When we talk of Christ in you, it of course goes beyond personally alone (although it definitely includes it) to experiencing Him corporately in His people.
There is no other place to start in reference to the purpose of God than to have a fellowship with the Godhead within a people together. Of course it has to be in each person, but from there it is meant to be shared and expressed among a people together. That's how Christ is to be seen on this earth: through a visible people with His life in them.
This obviously goes beyond just some type of general presence that feels good, just like any person we get close to will end up changing and challenging our lives just by spending time with them. It's the same with Christ in His people.
Through the ages we always get people talking of the desire to see things restored in the church, but if Christ within isn't the place we start, there's no hope that it can end up in the right place.
Christ in us is the hope of glory, and that glory can never be expressed and lived unless we give Him permission to live His live there, and we do so as a people.
Having said this, the element missing in most of this is the willingness to endure the cross over our lifetimes in order to make room for Christ. The work of the cross weakens and devastates our old man in order that Christ can be seen.
I know that our old man has been buried with Christ, but he does like to try to act like he's alive. The work of the cross ensures that we keep him dead and buried.
There is really no other place to start than this. If this isn't done, it really doesn't matter what follows, it will be off center very quickly, and will not survive long; at least as a testimony to who the Lord really is.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
a
There is no other place to start in reference to the purpose of God than to have a fellowship with the Godhead within a people together. Of course it has to be in each person, but from there it is meant to be shared and expressed among a people together. That's how Christ is to be seen on this earth: through a visible people with His life in them.
This obviously goes beyond just some type of general presence that feels good, just like any person we get close to will end up changing and challenging our lives just by spending time with them. It's the same with Christ in His people.
Through the ages we always get people talking of the desire to see things restored in the church, but if Christ within isn't the place we start, there's no hope that it can end up in the right place.
Christ in us is the hope of glory, and that glory can never be expressed and lived unless we give Him permission to live His live there, and we do so as a people.
Having said this, the element missing in most of this is the willingness to endure the cross over our lifetimes in order to make room for Christ. The work of the cross weakens and devastates our old man in order that Christ can be seen.
I know that our old man has been buried with Christ, but he does like to try to act like he's alive. The work of the cross ensures that we keep him dead and buried.
There is really no other place to start than this. If this isn't done, it really doesn't matter what follows, it will be off center very quickly, and will not survive long; at least as a testimony to who the Lord really is.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
a
This post we'll go a little deeper into understanding what it was that has so moved God's heart throughout eternity.
When God created, it came from something within Him that couldn't be denied: His love. There was no way that there could ever not be a creation, because the love of God demanded He share it beyond the Godhead. That is the impetus behind the creation.
So when Adam and Eve arrived on the scene, even though they literally saw and interacted with God, they never received the most important thing they could have: the life of Christ within. Most believers don't understand that it was the motivating purpose behind everything God meant for mankind, and specifically for those who believe in Him.
What's amazing about the time of the disciples when walking with Jesus on earth, was even after all that time, and even when He was resurrected and appeared and talked to them for a period of time, they still didn't have what Christ was fully after.
What was it? The spirit of God living within them. That's why Jesus told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Spirit to come into them.
See, just like Adam and Eve, it wasn't enough to walk with God where you would even see Him with your physical eyes. That's never enough, and as Jesus pointed out, neither was it for those who physically saw Him on earth.
That's the importance of John, who beyond all others, saw that there was a life in Jesus that defied anything on earth (Paul saw this clearly too, but I'm referring to original disciples). It's why when you read his account of Jesus, it's goes beyond the simply earthly Jesus to the intimate union between the Father and Son, with the life of the Father living in Jesus.
John saw that life and expressed it so uniquely in the gospel he wrote.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
a
When God created, it came from something within Him that couldn't be denied: His love. There was no way that there could ever not be a creation, because the love of God demanded He share it beyond the Godhead. That is the impetus behind the creation.
So when Adam and Eve arrived on the scene, even though they literally saw and interacted with God, they never received the most important thing they could have: the life of Christ within. Most believers don't understand that it was the motivating purpose behind everything God meant for mankind, and specifically for those who believe in Him.
What's amazing about the time of the disciples when walking with Jesus on earth, was even after all that time, and even when He was resurrected and appeared and talked to them for a period of time, they still didn't have what Christ was fully after.
What was it? The spirit of God living within them. That's why Jesus told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Spirit to come into them.
See, just like Adam and Eve, it wasn't enough to walk with God where you would even see Him with your physical eyes. That's never enough, and as Jesus pointed out, neither was it for those who physically saw Him on earth.
That's the importance of John, who beyond all others, saw that there was a life in Jesus that defied anything on earth (Paul saw this clearly too, but I'm referring to original disciples). It's why when you read his account of Jesus, it's goes beyond the simply earthly Jesus to the intimate union between the Father and Son, with the life of the Father living in Jesus.
John saw that life and expressed it so uniquely in the gospel he wrote.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
a
A lot of people ask the rhetorical question of what would have happened if Adam and Eve hadn't eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Most the time they're thinking of some type of environmental "eden," which is the wrong place to focus, and largely irrelevant.
What's more important is what was to happen when they ate of the tree of life, which was Jesus.
The Lord is actually very clear on what was supposed to happen. When they ate of the tree of life, they would have reproduced as commanded by the Lord, and from there spread across the earth, filling it with the glory and presence of God in them.
When their children started arriving, they probably would have been born righteous, in the same way we're born into sin today: we're the wrong "mankind" at birth in the eyes of God. Those children would have been born as the "new" man, just as true believers are today.
We have to understand that eating of the tree of Life was simply another way of saying Christ was to be in us; we were to internalize Him in an intimate fellowship.
So when Jesus came to earth and said they must eat His flesh and drink His blood, in reality He was offering Himself as the tree of Life again. Again, He was widely rejected by Israel, and even His closest followers, other than the 12 apostles.
Everything in what is called Christianity today depends upon the practical and very real outworking of that fellowship Christ has offered us.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
a
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Before we get into some important aspects of the matrix of Christ, let's get a basic definition of what matrix means, as many will think of the movie and the artificial world it revealed.
First of all, matrix comes from the Latin word "mater," which means mother, essentially referring to the womb.
It's a place where something originates, takes form, develops or is embedded.
While the word and what it means can be applied across many disciplines, we only want to look at it as it applies to Christ, because it gives some valuable insight into who He is and the purpose of His church.
Now, have you ever wondered what it would have been like if Adam and Eve hadn't eaten of the wrong tree, and instead had partaken of the tree of life?
You see, Adam and Eve were supposed to be a matrix of Christ. They were supposed to internalize Him by eating of His fruit, as portrayed by the tree of life. If that had happened, they would have had children born outside of what we call the old man, the first adam, and would instead have seen the new man spread across the earth from
the beginning.
For even though Adam and Eve were without sin, they were in reality incomplete in the sense of not partaking in the most important reason for their creation: fulfilling the eternal purpose of God, which was to fill them with Himself in Christ. That's what Jesus as the tree of life in the center of the garden was there for.
Adam and Eve were made in the image of God, but they weren't in the order of God, in that their spirits didn't have Him indwelling them. To have eaten of the Christ as the tree of life would have enlivened their spirits unto God, and as such, began the fulfillment of the purpose of God in creating man.
When I say they weren't in the order of God, I mean their souls hadn't subjected themselves to their spirits because to do that they had to eat of Christ. Once they did that their spirits would have been filled with God and their beings subject to and from heaven, rather than to the earth and flesh.
Basically Adam and Eve were between two worlds. The world of God and Satan, and they had a choice of which life they were going to live by, they had a decision to make. The decision was which world they were going to allow to enter into them.
In other words, man was built to be a container, a matrix. One way or the other that will happen, that's a choice we're not given. It will either be from a higher life or a lower life. There is no middle ground.
Those that attempt to live in the middle ground end up with mixture, which is one of the more hated things in the eyes of God, as it brings confusion to those viewing and/or partaking in it. That's the counterfeit woman called Babylon, also mentioned in book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ as the Great Whore.
It's interesting to note that the offer to eat of the tree of life was rejected again when Jesus physically appeared on the earth. When did that happen? When He told his followers they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. They again decided to reject God's eternal purpose of filling His chosen matrix of His people with
Himself.
To help us understand this a little, Jesus followed up His statement by saying His words are spirit and life. In other words, quit looking at things outwardly or hearing things He taught carnally. We must learn that He lived from another life than His own, and so are we to. And the words He spoke were about and from another realm.
That's why He encouraged us to pray for His kingdom to come and will be done on earth as it was in heaven. This is one reason why what is called the Lord's supper by most, where Jesus told us to eat it in remembrance of Him, is more than likely not referring to simply remembering His name or what he's done, as that's not too hard to do for any halfway serious Christian.
Rather, I think He's referring to what internalizing Him as the tree of life means; what it means to eat His flesh and drink His blood. We are to remember as we digest food and get physical sustanence, to also digest or internalize Him, and to receive our much more important spiritual sustanence.
What does it mean? That we are one with Him. That we are to be in union with Him. He is the bread of life that we are to eat of and internalize. I think that this is much more in line with what the rest of the scriptures reveal than simply eating unto the Lord to remember Him with the idea that we somehow forgot He existed.
What being a matrix of Christ means One important aspect of all this in our practical lives is that being a matrix is much different in being a place where Christ dwells, than it is in how He dwells in the overall universe.
Christ dwells in the physical universe, which is said to be continually expanding. The universe or heaven of heavens can't contain Him.
So when He dwells in the spirits of His people, He's doing something different than simply having a general presence there. He is very active within us, and He is working to shape and form Himself within.
The only matrix or container that can hold who He is is His people. That's much more than just carrying Him around within us, it's a deep working and shaping of Himself within us: individually and corporately. It's a very practical process that happens over our lifetimes if we have a revelation of it and allow it to. It is primarily meant to happen organically within a group of believers.
What is it God wants to happen in all this? Looking at it from the garden of Eden perspective, He's bringing two worlds together, which in reality is what the garden of Eden really was. It was where physical man and the invisible God met. Both worlds at the time were able to be seen by Adam and Eve.
When I say He's bringing two worlds together, I mean that what is real in the invisible world is to be just as real or mirrored in the visible world. Eden was the invisible and visible worlds meeting and where invisible and visible beings interacted and lived; most importantly God and man, who were created in His image.
Now of course the two worlds are out of balance because of the sin of man, but the people of God are meant to bring the two worlds back together again, in the sense of His kingdom coming and His will being done in both realms. (Realms is probably a better description than worlds.)
Bringing the two worlds together as one can only be done through redeemed believers in union with Christ. Not in union theoretically, positionally or revelationally - but practically.
The amazing gift of God to His people as it relates to the realms we dwell in, is that He has made us into a hybrid creature, built to dwell in the visible and invisible realms at once.
The whole idea of the eternal purpose of God is to reveal Himself in man in two different realms, where there is nothing that contradicts one another. He does it through filling everything with Himself. That is the road Christ has given us to travel, and it's what has been in the heart and mind of God from before the beginning.
First of all, matrix comes from the Latin word "mater," which means mother, essentially referring to the womb.
It's a place where something originates, takes form, develops or is embedded.
While the word and what it means can be applied across many disciplines, we only want to look at it as it applies to Christ, because it gives some valuable insight into who He is and the purpose of His church.
Now, have you ever wondered what it would have been like if Adam and Eve hadn't eaten of the wrong tree, and instead had partaken of the tree of life?
You see, Adam and Eve were supposed to be a matrix of Christ. They were supposed to internalize Him by eating of His fruit, as portrayed by the tree of life. If that had happened, they would have had children born outside of what we call the old man, the first adam, and would instead have seen the new man spread across the earth from
the beginning.
For even though Adam and Eve were without sin, they were in reality incomplete in the sense of not partaking in the most important reason for their creation: fulfilling the eternal purpose of God, which was to fill them with Himself in Christ. That's what Jesus as the tree of life in the center of the garden was there for.
Adam and Eve were made in the image of God, but they weren't in the order of God, in that their spirits didn't have Him indwelling them. To have eaten of the Christ as the tree of life would have enlivened their spirits unto God, and as such, began the fulfillment of the purpose of God in creating man.
When I say they weren't in the order of God, I mean their souls hadn't subjected themselves to their spirits because to do that they had to eat of Christ. Once they did that their spirits would have been filled with God and their beings subject to and from heaven, rather than to the earth and flesh.
Basically Adam and Eve were between two worlds. The world of God and Satan, and they had a choice of which life they were going to live by, they had a decision to make. The decision was which world they were going to allow to enter into them.
In other words, man was built to be a container, a matrix. One way or the other that will happen, that's a choice we're not given. It will either be from a higher life or a lower life. There is no middle ground.
Those that attempt to live in the middle ground end up with mixture, which is one of the more hated things in the eyes of God, as it brings confusion to those viewing and/or partaking in it. That's the counterfeit woman called Babylon, also mentioned in book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ as the Great Whore.
It's interesting to note that the offer to eat of the tree of life was rejected again when Jesus physically appeared on the earth. When did that happen? When He told his followers they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. They again decided to reject God's eternal purpose of filling His chosen matrix of His people with
Himself.
To help us understand this a little, Jesus followed up His statement by saying His words are spirit and life. In other words, quit looking at things outwardly or hearing things He taught carnally. We must learn that He lived from another life than His own, and so are we to. And the words He spoke were about and from another realm.
That's why He encouraged us to pray for His kingdom to come and will be done on earth as it was in heaven. This is one reason why what is called the Lord's supper by most, where Jesus told us to eat it in remembrance of Him, is more than likely not referring to simply remembering His name or what he's done, as that's not too hard to do for any halfway serious Christian.
Rather, I think He's referring to what internalizing Him as the tree of life means; what it means to eat His flesh and drink His blood. We are to remember as we digest food and get physical sustanence, to also digest or internalize Him, and to receive our much more important spiritual sustanence.
What does it mean? That we are one with Him. That we are to be in union with Him. He is the bread of life that we are to eat of and internalize. I think that this is much more in line with what the rest of the scriptures reveal than simply eating unto the Lord to remember Him with the idea that we somehow forgot He existed.
What being a matrix of Christ means One important aspect of all this in our practical lives is that being a matrix is much different in being a place where Christ dwells, than it is in how He dwells in the overall universe.
Christ dwells in the physical universe, which is said to be continually expanding. The universe or heaven of heavens can't contain Him.
So when He dwells in the spirits of His people, He's doing something different than simply having a general presence there. He is very active within us, and He is working to shape and form Himself within.
The only matrix or container that can hold who He is is His people. That's much more than just carrying Him around within us, it's a deep working and shaping of Himself within us: individually and corporately. It's a very practical process that happens over our lifetimes if we have a revelation of it and allow it to. It is primarily meant to happen organically within a group of believers.
What is it God wants to happen in all this? Looking at it from the garden of Eden perspective, He's bringing two worlds together, which in reality is what the garden of Eden really was. It was where physical man and the invisible God met. Both worlds at the time were able to be seen by Adam and Eve.
When I say He's bringing two worlds together, I mean that what is real in the invisible world is to be just as real or mirrored in the visible world. Eden was the invisible and visible worlds meeting and where invisible and visible beings interacted and lived; most importantly God and man, who were created in His image.
Now of course the two worlds are out of balance because of the sin of man, but the people of God are meant to bring the two worlds back together again, in the sense of His kingdom coming and His will being done in both realms. (Realms is probably a better description than worlds.)
Bringing the two worlds together as one can only be done through redeemed believers in union with Christ. Not in union theoretically, positionally or revelationally - but practically.
The amazing gift of God to His people as it relates to the realms we dwell in, is that He has made us into a hybrid creature, built to dwell in the visible and invisible realms at once.
The whole idea of the eternal purpose of God is to reveal Himself in man in two different realms, where there is nothing that contradicts one another. He does it through filling everything with Himself. That is the road Christ has given us to travel, and it's what has been in the heart and mind of God from before the beginning.
a
Saturday, May 10, 2008
One interesting thing when reading the story about Adam and Eve and the tree of life, is God never said a thing about it. Read it and see at the beginning. It is mentioned that the tree of life was in the center of the garden, but it doesn't say God communicates anything about that to Adam - before the bringing to life of Eve, or afterwards. It only says they can eat of any tree in Eden, with the exception of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Another interesting and enlightening part of the story, is right next to the tree of life in the center of the garden, is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Both are said to be in the center of the garden, which means they were side by side.
That seems to speak to them being competitive in nature, and opposing possibilities.
I've heard some say that the reason it was sin to partake in it was because mankind prematurely reached for knowledge before partaking of life. I think that's completely wrong and false. Those who assert that are intellectuals who attempt to justify their way of thinking and interaction with the scriptures. They're wrong.
How do I know they're wrong? Look at the last part of the book of Revelation. Along with the throne being in the center of New Jerusalem, there is also the tree of life and the river. Where do you see the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? It's not there. And it's not there because it doesn't belong there.
Inside this city, which is the people of God, there is only one tree, and that tree is Jesus Christ - the tree of life. To say the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a separate part of God is ridiculous to assert.
That would mean that Jesus Christ as the word of God really didn't contain the full thought of the Father. When Jesus said He and the Father were one, He was saying if you see Me you see the Father. To make it look like there was something more to the Father that was kept from Christ wouldn't make any sense, and would make Jesus a liar, or minimally confused. We know that isn't true, so these types of assertions are wrong, and the people making them confused.
When Jesus is referred to as the word of God, it means everything that God had to say in and through Him was represented; that's why Jesus is called the Word of God. He was the full representation of who the Father was. So to have a second tree being something of God but not represented by the life of the Father in Christ would be complete confusion and contrary to what the scriptures reveal throughout them of Christ.
The trees were two competing life forms, or rather, two ways of living. Life is defined by Christ as fellowship with the Godhead and man, so life in that sense can't be ascribed to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Just like Satan exists, but he's not life, but rather murder and death. Because something's alive doesn't mean it gives life. That's why Adam was commanded by God to guard the garden, which he immediately failed to do.
So here we are in the garden of Eden where God put Adam and Eve, and we have all this abundance available as expressed by God through trees to eat, with only one guideline: that they refrain from eating from one tree. That was it!
In the middle of paradise where mankind was placed, we have the history of man about to be decided, as the great enemy of manking attempts to immediately move them off of the eternal purpose of God, which as we know now, he was successful in doing.
It all centered around what man was going to internalize. God was saying we have to be careful what we eat, and He wasn't talking about natural food for the body.
Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life Series
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
a
Another interesting and enlightening part of the story, is right next to the tree of life in the center of the garden, is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Both are said to be in the center of the garden, which means they were side by side.
That seems to speak to them being competitive in nature, and opposing possibilities.
I've heard some say that the reason it was sin to partake in it was because mankind prematurely reached for knowledge before partaking of life. I think that's completely wrong and false. Those who assert that are intellectuals who attempt to justify their way of thinking and interaction with the scriptures. They're wrong.
How do I know they're wrong? Look at the last part of the book of Revelation. Along with the throne being in the center of New Jerusalem, there is also the tree of life and the river. Where do you see the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? It's not there. And it's not there because it doesn't belong there.
Inside this city, which is the people of God, there is only one tree, and that tree is Jesus Christ - the tree of life. To say the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a separate part of God is ridiculous to assert.
That would mean that Jesus Christ as the word of God really didn't contain the full thought of the Father. When Jesus said He and the Father were one, He was saying if you see Me you see the Father. To make it look like there was something more to the Father that was kept from Christ wouldn't make any sense, and would make Jesus a liar, or minimally confused. We know that isn't true, so these types of assertions are wrong, and the people making them confused.
When Jesus is referred to as the word of God, it means everything that God had to say in and through Him was represented; that's why Jesus is called the Word of God. He was the full representation of who the Father was. So to have a second tree being something of God but not represented by the life of the Father in Christ would be complete confusion and contrary to what the scriptures reveal throughout them of Christ.
The trees were two competing life forms, or rather, two ways of living. Life is defined by Christ as fellowship with the Godhead and man, so life in that sense can't be ascribed to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Just like Satan exists, but he's not life, but rather murder and death. Because something's alive doesn't mean it gives life. That's why Adam was commanded by God to guard the garden, which he immediately failed to do.
So here we are in the garden of Eden where God put Adam and Eve, and we have all this abundance available as expressed by God through trees to eat, with only one guideline: that they refrain from eating from one tree. That was it!
In the middle of paradise where mankind was placed, we have the history of man about to be decided, as the great enemy of manking attempts to immediately move them off of the eternal purpose of God, which as we know now, he was successful in doing.
It all centered around what man was going to internalize. God was saying we have to be careful what we eat, and He wasn't talking about natural food for the body.
Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life Series
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
a
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