The Real Truth About Our True Heavenly Parents

The man whom the Lord called to build a web site for God’s Last Call Ministries over ten years ago has asked me to write an introduction about the only two “angels” who are named in the 66 books of the Bible.

Those two are Michael and Gabrielle.

For last two decades there has been an ever increasing interest in the subject of angels. This interest seems to be generated by an accelerated number of angelic appearances all over the world. I heard a man talking about this in a church just last weekend. These supernatural events are called epiphanies, such as Gabrielle’s appearance to Zechariah and Mary, six months apart, to announce the coming birth of John the Baptist and Jesus, the Messiah. But not all of these visitations today are friendly. Some of them are from the enemy of all souls, pretending to be our friend.

This is especially true of the strange beings manning the so-called “Flying Saucers.” And yet heads of state as well as religious leaders are having secret meetings with these beings. As early as 1858 a warning was given by a 19th century inspired writer warning us of the true nature of this very phenomenon that is now taking place. Listen: “Fearful sights of a supernatural character will soon be revealed in the heavens, in token of the power of miracle working demons. The spirits of devils will go forth to the kings of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten them in deception, and urge them on to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the government of heaven. By these agencies, rulers and subjects will be alike deceived. Persons will arise pretending to be Christ Himself, and claiming the title and worship which belong to the world’s Redeemer. They will perform wonderful miracles of healing and will profess to have revelations from heaven contradicting the testimony of the Scriptures.” GC 623.

The very next paragraph of this same book describes the false coming of Jesus Christ calling it the “Crowning Act” of this great drama of deception. Yes, Satan will “personate” Jesus in different parts of the earth. Holographic images will also be used to confirm this appearance as genuine. No doubt the apostles and various saints from the past will appear in the clouds along with Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus. Through this technology she will be made to appear for the purpose of announcing the Second Coming of her son and will confirm that he (Satan) truly is the same Jesus she gave birth to over 2,000 years ago. The prophecy states that the multitudes of earth will be deceived by this over powering delusion. Only the Elect will escape the trap, Luke 21:34-36.

Now, this is why we must learn the truth about our real parents because Satan will claim to be the true and original creator of this planet who has come back to save his children. Even the angelic realm did not realize the evil nature and character of Satan until he exposed himself by leading the Jewish rulers to crucify the Son of God.

“Not until the death of Christ was the character of Satan clearly revealed to the angels or to the unfallen worlds. The archapostate had so clothed himself with deception that even holy beings had not understood his principles. They had not clearly seen the nature of his rebellion.”

Just think about that for a moment. Ponder the deep significance of what that really means in light of what Gabrielle told Daniel the prophet in Dan 10:21 re: “none stands with me in our battle against the forces of evil except Michael your prince.” When the reality of what that really meant sunk into my brain it really shocked and saddened me. I wept at the thought that Christ and His Shekinah had been alone in their battle against the forces of Satan since Adam and Eve had fallen into our dark dimension.

Ever since this same Shekinah began speaking to me personally on March 18, 2007, I have been on a crusade to exonerate her and Michael from all the lies and false charges that Satan has brought against them from the very beginning. Do you realize to what extent their names have been slandered? Once you realize even half of the lies that have been spread all over this world about them, it will stagger your mind.

For example, the Muslims claim that Gabriel helped Muhammad to begin their religion and to write the Koran. And that is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, of the false representations that have been made against Gabrielle. She has been portrayed under various names and titles since the beginning of time. The counterfeits go back to Egypt with Osiris and Isis and the Assyrian-Babylonian religions with Tammuz and Ishtar. All of these are counterfeits of the real and genuine, Michael and Gabrielle. I think that will be enough background information for now. Let’s go now to the time of Christ.

We know that Jesus warned us in Matt 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 that in this last segment of time, just before His return (2nd Coming), there would be great deceptions regarding the manner of His coming, His very nature and character as well as the specific locations, such as the desert. He warned His disciples not to go out into the desert or the secret chambers. “If any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; inso much that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lighting comes out of the, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matt 24:23-28.

I want to emphasize how important this warning really is by taking a second look at vs 24 regarding the Elect. This is a very special group of people whom the Lord will fill with His Spirit the same as He did Moses, Elijah and even Jesus Himself. And yet Christ states that the final test which is going to come upon this final generation, the Church of Laodicea, is going to be so deceitfully powerful that it will almost “deceive the very Elect.”

Paul spoke of this also in His letter to the church at Thessalonica. “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” 2 Thess 2:9.  In the previous verses, 6 to 8, Paul spoke about the “son of perdition” being revealed by a “falling away” or a “departure” that would cause the “man of sin” to be exposed. A friend of mine did an in-depth study on these verses over the phone with me and we came to some very interesting and shocking conclusions.

I would like to share the basic meaning that we derived from these verses that we believe constitutes a most serious warning to each of us. First of all, the “falling away” is not what we have always thought it to be or what most organized Christian religions have taught us to believe it is even though most theologians have been very sincere in their teaching about this verse.  I was also very sincere in my efforts to warn people that if they did not obey God He would destroy them. That was what I had been taught all my life, so of course, when I became an evangelist and pastor I taught the same thing. But in 1976 the Lord revealed to me that was not the truth. This came as the result of an intense study and memorization of the first 20 chapters of the books of Psalms, to the extent that I actually memorized each verse, repeating it over and over until the true meaning was revealed to my mind and I could repeat it without looking at it. Just try memorizing any chapter in the Psalms, even the shortest one, which is Psalm 117, and you will find out just how hard it really is. Then try doing the same with Psalm 2, 7, 9 and 10 just for starters, which have 12, 17, 20 and 18 verses.

Remember this is 15th century, Elizabethan English. But the Lord led me to memorize that version because the English language had reached it peak of power and beauty at that particular time. But getting back this predicted “falling away” and “rebellion” that Paul is speaking about there in 2 Thess. 2. What does it really mean? The key to understanding those verses is to understand the temple Paul is referring to is not a building or church but our individual temple which the church corporately represents.

Jesus is our example. Look at how He rebelled against the false system of religion in His day in order to free the people from the chains that bound them, which included His own disciples who believed the false doctrine that the Messiah would be a mighty super man who would form an army and conquer the hated Romans.   His life and death eventually caused a “falling away” from the Jewish church and temple worship to the extent that those early disciples were persecuted for their faith in Christ.

The true nature of the scribes, priests and Pharisees had to be revealed before the falling away or rebellion could take place at that time, as we know it finally did, when Peter boldly told the rulers, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Read Acts 4 and 5 to see how boldly those early disciples spoke out and rebelled against the authority of the spiritual rulers in their day. That is what brought on the crisis which led to the city wide persecution by Saul of Tarsus in Jerusalem. His intense zeal scattered the believers all over Judea. This is going to happen again because Rev 18:4 predicts that the voice of Holy Ghost will call her people to “Come out of her, my people.” But how can anyone hear that voice unless they know the voice of the Bridegroom Jesus, who always speaks through His Shekinah. That is why this study of the Godhead family is so important. This is an introduction to what follows which is an in-depth study of these two angels, Michael and Gabrielle, from the first chapter of the book of Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse.

As we begin, let's look at the last 13 words of v 1. "And He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John." The relative pronoun "He" is referring to Jesus. The first ten words of v 1 tells us that "God" gave this Revelation or Unveiling to Jesus Christ.

By the noun "God" most people realize John is referring to the Father. The original Hebrew word for God is "Elohim," which has three distinct characteristics. 1. It is plural. 2. It is masculine. 3. It is feminine. Actually, every language has these characteristics of masculine, feminine and plural.

For example, in English we have he, she, him and her as well as the neuter. So, we would expect the same would be true in the Hebrew Language with God (Elohim) or in the Greek language with God (Theos).

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." John 1:1. Vs 1 identifies the "Word" or "Logos" as Jesus Christ. "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." We all know John is referring to Jesus Christ, therefore, no further comment is necessary. More will be said about the plural and feminine aspects of God later on.

Another point that needs to be understood is the phrase "His Angel." Who is this "angel" that John says Jesus sent to Him in order to "signify" the visions of this Apocalyptic Revelation of the last days, even the last seven years?

And what does the word "signify" mean to us today? Webster's dictionary defines it as: "Signify: 1. to make known by signs, speech, or action. 2. to be a sign of; mean; portend (as in predicting the future). 3. to be of importance or consequence."

The Greek word John used here in Rev 1:1, which has been translated into English as "signified" is "semaino." Strong's 4591 does not give any other definition but "signify."

Fortunately, he shows that the word "signified" is used one other time in Acts 11:28. In that case "semaino" clearly means "to reveal, predict or foretell," which is how most modern versions of the Bible translate "semaino," in Rev 1:1, because that is what the book of Revelation is all about... "Predictions of future events."

In other places in the NT the words "signified" "signify" or "signifying" are from different Greek words meaning to "manifest," or "to tell or declare thoroughly and reveal," as in Rev 15:4 when John says "All thy judgments are made manifest." It is clear here that John is telling us that all the nations are worshiping the Lord because all His "decisions have been clearly revealed." The reason I went into so much detail on this one word "signified" is because when we read the Bible we tend to often skip over the deeper meanings the Lord has for us.

Many times in the 1611 version, the words that were used at that time have a different meaning today, as in this case. But I was impressed that the reason the Holy Ghost inspired John to use or employ the Greek word "semaino" is because that particular word means more than just an "explanation" or "communication," per se. It indicates that this angel was making predictions of future events which would take place in the earth. And these events would 1. Happen in a short span of time (7 years). 2. Would affect every human being on planet earth. 3. Only God's Elect people would survive through this 7 year period, especially the last 3 ½ when the 7 last plagues are poured out. We will begin studying this more in Rev 3 and again in Rev 11 and 12. I think you are going to be very encouraged when you find out what a glorious deliverance Jesus has planned for us.

Since 1976 the main theme of my ministry has been the "Love of God," which I believe is the final message to go to the world. Most people have not experienced the wonderful Lord David is describing in the Psalms I quoted at the beginning of this writing.

Hopefully, when you finish reading this Commentary on Revelation, you will believe everything the Psalmist has declared about God to be true. The prophet Amos wrote: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He reveals His secret unto His servants the prophets." Amos 3:7.

Notice the word secret is in the singular. What secret is it God wants to reveal to us? In Strong's 6383 Paliy (paw_lee) is the Hebrew word for "secret." It means "Wonderful or remarkable." "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psalms 91:1.

What is the "secret" place of the Most High? In one simple word, beloved , it is His heart.

Why do I say that? Because that is what the Word of God tells us. Notice: "For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, and has perceived and heard His word? Behold a whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury____ A violent whirlwind! It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. The anger (wrath) of the Lord will not turn back until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly." Jere. 23:18_20. NKJV.

The RSV substitutes the noun "mind" for "heart," as do some other translations. This is most unfortunate because we miss the true meaning of what the Lord intended for us to understand about our Wonderful Heavenly Father. And there are also other passages in which the Holy Spirit is trying to reveal the very heart of God. But we have not comprehended it.

That is why so many people, even Christians, do not think of God as having feelings like we do, even though Gen 1 tells us that we are made in His very image. Gen 6:6 tells us that God was "Grieved in His heart," about the great evil and wickedness that was taking place in the earth, which caused God's Spirit to be withdrawn.

The result was the Flood of Noah which destroyed all the then known world. God's heart was terribly grieved over this catastrophe. But most Christians believe that God sent or caused the flood to punish those wicked Antediluvians, but that is not true. He allowed it but did not cause it. I went into great detail in my book, "INTO THE FATHER'S HEART," to explain the real cause of the flood.

In Phil 2:5 Paul counsels us to have the "mind" of Christ. The purpose would be so we would learn to think like He thinks. But it includes much more than that. Here again the original Greek will help us know what Paul is trying to tell us.

The Greek word "mind" is translated from is "phroneo," which means "to entertain or have a sentiment or opinion." It is from 5413, "Phrao," which means "the midrif" (as a partition of the body), i.e. (Gig. And by impl. Of sympathy) the feelings (or sensitive nature). In Spanish the word used for mind is "sentido," which has to do with our feelings and emotions.

Actually, the Spanish is more correct than the English because they are more in touch with their feelings and emotions than English speaking people who seem to be more left brain motivated.

It is my hope and prayer that this commentary on Revelation will reveal the true heart and mind of God. The last point I wish to make on Rev 1:1 is to go back to my question regarding the identity of the angel Jesus sent to help John write out these apocalyptic predictions which will guide us through the perilous last seven years of this age. Can we identify this angel? "And He sent and signified it by his angel unto His servant John." There are only two good or holy angels who are named that God has used throughout the Great Controversy. They are Michael and Gabriel. We believe that Jesus is Michael, which means, one who is like God. Here is a study I did some time back which I will share here now with you.

WHO IS MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL?

Michael the Archangel has been a topic of interest for centuries, perhaps inspiring a recent movie by that very title, "MICHAEL," starring famous actor, John Travolta.
In this Hollywood production Michael was a grungy looking, cigarette smoking bum who shacked up with whoever crossed his path. Yet, somehow, he had a good heart even though his feathers were falling out. There was some "socially redeeming value" at the end of the film, which Hollywood often uses to cover over and justify less than kosher scenes be they sex or violence or some other unsavory example the public might frown upon. At any rate, this is certainly not the Michael we think of as pictured in the Bible where Michael and His angels fight against Satan, the dragon, and prevail. Rev. 12:7. Only Jesus can prevail.

However, even the most devout believer in the Bible seems to have a less than accurate picture of who Michael the Archangel really is. Let's see if we can take Hollywood's distortion and even the church's popular theological interpretations we have heard and set them aside for a moment as we look into the Holy Bible itself for the answer as to who Michael the Arch Angel really is. The name Michael is mentioned only 15 times in the entire Bible. Only two times in the New Testament and 13 times in the old. The name actually means, ONE WHO IS LIKE GOD OR WHO IS WHAT GOD IS. This is a first indication that Michael is not just any ordinary person or even an angel. He is one who is like God or is in essence and reality what God is. Only the Creator could be in charge of His angels.

Let's look first at Jude 9. Here we see that Michael is identified as the first angel or arch angel which means He was the leader or head of the angels. Gabriel is never called an arch angel. And in Jude 9 he has the authority to tell Satan that the Creator is rebuking him for trying to interfere with His plan to raise Moses from the grave...for the issue they are disputing about is the body of Moses. One insightful writer suggested that Satan was arguing that Michael could not raise Moses from the grave because Moses had sinned by striking the rock twice instead of just speaking to it. Now, who alone has the power to raise the dead? Only Jesus Christ. He did it when He was on earth and He will do it again when He comes as we read in I Thess. 4:15, 16. "For the Lord Himself (Jesus) will descend from heaven with a shout and with the voice of the archangel and the dead in Christ shall rise first."

Now, please notice that the title "Lord" and "voice of the archangel" are talking about the same person. Let me prove to you that it is the "voice" of Jesus Christ that raises the dead and no other. "Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in Himself, and has given him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of man." John 5:25, 26. Finally, look at Daniel 12:1 where we find that Michael is the "great Prince who has charge of your people." We know that Jesus is also called the Prince of Life. The word Prince is translated from the Hebrew word, "Archegos" which actually means "A chief leader, author, captain or prince." So, in Acts 3:15 when we read the words, "But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murder to be granted to you, and killed the Prince (author) of life." In Joshua 5:14 we find that the God of the Old Testament appears to Joshua and identifies Himself as the Captain of the Host of the Lord or "Commander of the army of the Lord." Look also at Psalm 24:10 and you will find that "King of Glory," is the same as the "LORD OF HOSTS," which, of course, is Jesus, who is also the same exact being as Michael, the Arch Angel. The name Jesus also means Saviour, Matt. 1:21, and the Michael who stands up to save His people in Dan. 12:1 is also a Saviour. Only Jesus can save. May the Lord bless you as you continue to study on this important subject. Pastor Mike Clute

#6_ This level deals with the female image of God which is the focus of this article and is what I have been researching and writing about for the last two years. This has been the hardest level yet to fully comprehend because it involves the Mystery that John speaks about in Rev 10. In vs 6 the angels cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. John was told not to write anything about what the seven thunders spoke. Then in vs 7 John was told that "In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets." Rev 10:7.

Is Gabriel A Male or Female Being?

On pages 42 & 43 of "For the Love of Angels," you find portraits of two famous angels from the book of Daniel, Michael & Gabriel. The caption reads: "The only archangel commonly portrayed as a woman is Gabriel." Why then does Dan 9:21 & 10:5 call Gabriel "the man Gabriel." First of all, "man" even in English is defined by Webster's simply as "A human being" and in a general application means "humanity" or "mankind." In Greek "Anthropos,"means "a human being although most of the time it is translated "man." In Hebrew the word man in Dan 9:21 is from "iysh" (eesh) Strong's 376 which refers you to 582 "enowah" which simply means "mortal," the same as 1397. We need to realize that when the Jewish scribes copied these texts they were influenced by the attitude and beliefs of their own society. The Hebrew word for man is "Iysh" and the Hebrew word for woman was "Iysha," only one letter difference. How easy it would be to remove the "a" so it would appear as "Iysh" which would be acceptable whereas a "female" arch angel would not be acceptable in a patriarchal society and religion in which women had no rights but have been repressed, castrated and enslaved from the Garden of Eden when Eve was blamed for Adam's fall.

Furthermore, if humanity was created in the "image & likeness" of God then when Daniel saw Michael & Gabrielle they would appear to be like us, only in an unfallen state. And "God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Gen 1:26, 27. Let us now ask this question which we cannot escape if we are going to be intellectually honest in our pursuit of the truth. If Adam was created in the image of Jesus Christ or Michael, a male, then in whose image was Eve created? The obvious answer is in the image of a female because Eve was a woman. This fits perfectly with the Hebrew word "Elohim," which has three elements. 1. Plural. 2. Male. 3. Female. This never changes. So, what we have here is a very serious Gender issue which Paul addressed in Rom 1:19_32. And is this not the same question we are facing today in this last age with the "Same Sex Marriage" issue? This is in our face every day of the week in the media. It is very obvious that there are seen and unseen forces at work to destroy the very image and likeness of God in the human race. In Rom 1:20 Paul tells us that from "Creation of the world" the "invisible things of Him (God) are "clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."

Paul was not only a master theologian but he also was like a good lawyer who goes into court with the facts to win his case. So we see him here in Romans 1 defending not only God's "eternal power" but the Godhead itself. We know that Satan has been trying to dethrone the Creator Himself from the beginning so that he might "be like the Most High..." to "exalt" his "throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north." Isaiah 14:12_14.

As Paul continues on in Rom 1 we see him going to the heart of the question re: the Godhead itself, i.e. the male/female issue. Paul is not only referring to the sexual corruption and perversion in the Roman society of his own day but has in mind what happened before the flood when men took plural wives and women were degraded to the status of a slave. And then after the flood we see further degradation in the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah in a homosexual society. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts...who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator...For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men...etc." Rom 1:19_28.

And so we see that the study of Daniel & Revelation is also a study of God's original creation via Michael & Gabrielle, our real Father & Mother, the true parents of this ravaged planet. "And I heard a man's voice (Michael or Jesus) between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man (Daniel) to understand the vision." Dan 8:16. Why would Daniel need to make a distinction between a male and a female voice by stating that he heard a "man's voice? Why? Because Gabrielle, with her feminine voice was the one who was talking to him most of the time. May the Lord bless each of you as we enter upon a new year, 2007.

Shekinah" in Hebrew is a feminine noun, It is interesting that Isaiah refers to the Shekinah using feminine pronouns. Especially in Isaiah 51. Particularly in

Isaiah 51:9 and 10 and its context the pronouns are feminine. In verse 10 the KJV uses thou and it to refer to the Shekinah. Both pronouns are feminine in Hebrew. The Qumran text makes the feminine form certain by adding a yod to 2fs. Literally feminine "you she" translated in KJV "thou it." Without doubt this is why the inter_testament Rabbis coined the word Shekinah to describe the events where the physical presence performed miracles to guide and protect Israel. In the same passage (Isa 51:9) there is a phrase "arm of YHWH" that is used exclusively for the Messiah. This means Jesus was the Shekinah presence in the Old Testament events. That is why the coming of the Messiah and the return of the Shekinah to the second temple are intermixed in the extraordinarily mystically mixed passage of Zechariah 2:8_11.

Subj: Feminine gender in Bible and colors
Date: 3/4/2007 2:24:53 PM Pacific Standard Time

Web Results 1 _ 10 of about 20,900 for proof that mercy was in the feminine gender in Hebrew and rainbow was feminine. (0.18 seconds) Bibliography on Women and Religion 13 [DIVINE FEMININE; GENDER & SEXUALITY; PROTESTANTISM: RADICAL & SECTARIAN] ... in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew Bible, ... click here www.nd.edu/~archives/LAU013.HTM

Ingrid Daemmrich _ Paradise and Storytelling: Interconnecting ... The feminine allure is doubled by its manifestation in both the pastoral ... Concentrating on the s (sod in Hebrew), she interprets its mystery that in ... click here Paradise and Storytelling: Interconnecting Gender, Motif, and ... utes from masculine to feminine. Unlike his literary predecessors, however, the. change is also physical. Gender, sex, and paradise merge in the narrative ... click here l6) The author refers explicitly to the feminine Hebrew term to describe the ... mercy is also a feminine attribute, and so Muslims are reminded that God ... click here "Tiqqun ha_Shekhinah": Redemption and the Overcoming of ... 27_46 (Hebrew section). A useful discussion of the problem of good and evil in ... The amelioration of feminine judgment by masculine mercy is actualized in ... click here

Genesis/Need Help, please! _ BibleForums Christian Message Board ...Here are some examples of words that have feminine gender: ... I really need you now~I felt your mercy bringing truth to my soul, now I know Letting go, click here ... ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: CHASING THE RAINBOW: GENDER ... extravagance to really celebrate the gifts of forgiveness and mercy that God longs ... one of the things that have feminine gender; there are many others, ... click here

Claiming Jesus as Savior in a Religiously Plural World:
Given the feminine gender of Wisdom and thus its deconstruction ... In one Jew, a Galilean carpenter, the rainbow end becomes an intersection, a cruciform ... click here

Shekhinah, Messiah:
The Hebrew word used to denominate God in Genesis is Elohim. This word is a plural formed from the feminine singular ALH (Eloh) by adding IM to it. ... click here

The final deception will come through a false teaching about who is earth's true Mother. Mankind's True Mother is Wisdom or the Shekinah. Proverbs 8. The False Mother of Mankind is Mary Through the Catholic Church & apostate Protestantism and the exaltation of Sun worship will reach its zenith in when Mary is projected in the clouds of heaven.

In her book, "The Gnostic Gospels," Elaine Pagels reveals that according to very early records of the first century Christians, the serpent was not the devil. "And the spirit_endowed Woman came to [Adam] and spoke with him, saying, 'Arise, Adam.' And when he saw her, he said, 'It is you who have given me life; you shall be called 'Mother of the living'--for it she who is my mother. It is she who is the Physician, and the Woman, and She who has Given Birth.'...Then the Female Spiritual Principle came in the Snake, the Instructor, and it taught them saying, 'You shall not die, for it was out of jealousy that the said this unto you. Rather, your eyes shall open, and you shall become like gods, recognizing evil and good.' And the arrogant Ruler cursed the Woman...(and)....Snake." From "The Gospel of Thomas." 1_14_1.

In my book, "Into the Father's Heart," I deal with Genesis 1-3 and the Garden of Eden in much greater detail. When I first heard the idea that there is a feminine image or character (person or being) in the Godhead I did not accept the idea at all and thought the person who had been writing about it had serious mental problems. But I did have confidence in the lady who had shared the info with me. I had agreed with her in all the info she had shared with me on the Harvest, which turned out to be level #5. I did not have any levels back in the mid 90's. That just came to me one day out of the blue while I was writing about UR. The Lord just quietly explained that there were three levels and UR was level #4. I figured that was the end of the levels. Then I learned about the Harvest Cycle and realized this would be level #5. "Surely," I thought, "this is the end of it."

The coming of Jesus would fulfill the Harvest of which there would be three, Barley, Wheat and Grape to fulfill the Three Angels' messages. That made sense. But then this female image of God was presented to me and I shook my head in shock and astonishment. I had heard of this before and never accepted it mainly because I thought the individual who was promoting the concept was some kind of a nut case. It truly did turn me off. Then one day I read the following statement which totally shocked me. "When the fast westering sun should pass from sight in the heavens, Jerusalem's day of grace would be ended. While the procession was halting on the brow of Olivet, it was not yet too late for Jerusalem to repent. The angel of mercy was then folding her wings to step down from the golden throne to give place to justice and swift_coming judgment." Desire of Ages 578.

I immediately called my friend and asked her: "Is this what you were talking about? Is this the angel Gabrielle?" The answer was "Yes, Mike. This is what I was referring to." So, I began to pray about this topic very deeply. I had been sent a box of pamphlets over a year before but had thrown them up on a high shelf in the garage never expecting to read them. But now I knew that I had to begin reading them. It didn't take me very long to realize how very wrong I had been about the author of these booklets who died back in the 80's. She was a college graduate and had done excellent in_depth research on the topic. I was impressed. The Lord spoke to me about writing an article on the topic so I sat down at the computer but my mind was blank. I had no idea where to begin. The now familiar still small voice spoke to me again..... "Kneel down and pray." And so I did and that is when I received the title for the article and a text to begin with. "The Myth of Santa Claus and Mary," was the title for an article that immediately came to my mind as I got off of my knees and sat down before the computer again. And Rom. 1:19_28 was the text. The thoughts and words came so fast I could barely keep up with them. And that was my first article on the female image of God which came out in Vol 27, Number 4 issue: Oct, Nov, Dec. 2000. I wrote: "Recently the Lord has led me into another investigation, a further revelation of His character. Due to my own ignorance and prejudice I was not able to see the relevance of what the Lord was trying to tell me or where it would take me. So, I began to pray for understanding and the Lord answered my prayers. In this article I am going to take you step by step so you can see what I learned."

That was almost seven years ago. It has been a long road but little by little I have listened to the Spirit and learned. In the book of Proverbs the first seven chapters are the words of instruction from a father to his son. Then, beginning in chapter 8 Mother Wisdom begins teaching her children. In Proverbs 8:22 to 36 Wisdom identifies herself as the female consort or wife of the Creator of this earth. "The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. From everlasting I was established from the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth...When He established the heavens I was there...I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, Rejoicing in the world, His earth, and having my delight in the sons of men (or children, male & female)." Proverbs 8:22_36. Notice that she describes herself as a "master work man." NAS. It should be a master work person. Prov 3:19. "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens." The point is Wisdom was a Co_Creator with the Son of God, Jesus Christ. So, who is this female? Who is this woman who has been hidden from us for over 6,000 years? That is the all important question my friend. I truly believe this is the great Mystery that is about to be solved. Let me say here that she is the Mother of Eve just as Michael or Jesus is the Father of Adam. Just as Adam was created after the image of the Son of God Eve was created after the daughter of God. I Cor 1:24. Matt 11:19. Now, before I share with you what I have already written about the relationship between Michael and Gabrielle let me share with you a two texts I just realized fit right in here to help us under_ stand more about our real Creators, i.e. our true Father and Mother.

Paul wrote: "To those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ (Michael) the power of God and the Wisdom (Gabrielle) of God." I Cor 1:24. So, we see how they are still working together as twins the same as in the book of Daniel, Dan 10:21. The second text about Wisdom is Matt 11:19. "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinner! Yet wisdom is justified (vindicated) by her children (deeds or works). NAS & Amplified. Here is what the Commentary says: "Textual evidence is divided (cf. P. 146) between this and the reading "works." But the meaning is the same--wisdom is to be judged by its results. Thus, patently, to criticize John for one thing and Jesus for the opposite thing (vs 18, 19) showed complete lack of wisdom. Both had been guided by divine wisdom, (Gabrielle or Holy Ghost) and this was evident in the results of their labors. In response to John's labors, many repented (see Matt 21:31, 32; Mark 11:32; Luke 7:29), and in response to Jesus' ministry, multitudes heard Him gladly (see Mark 12:37)." BC 5 386.

Beloved, the incredible news is that Jesus is inviting everyone to come in and join Him and His bride, Gabriel, who is the only daughter of the King and Queen of the Universe. The King being God the Father (Yahweh) and the Queen being El Shaddai, the Holy Spirit. Two other names for the Son are Michael the Archangel and Jesus Christ. Two of the names for the daughter are Wisdom (Proverbs 8) and Gabrielle. Daniel 10 describes Gabrielle the same as John describes Jesus in Rev. 1. Almost an identical description. Then in Dan. 10:21. "But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince." The KJV states, "There is none (no one) that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince." Now, just let that last thought sink in a little bit. What is Gabriel telling Daniel? There is no one else who can stand by my side or is able to "hold with me in these things" but Michael your prince. What is Gabrielle saying? It is very obvious to me that she is telling Daniel that Michael is equal to her and she is equal to Michael. I see no mystery here in these very plain words. So, Michael and Gabrielle fought and stood side by side all through the Great Controversy in the Old Testament. And it was Gabrielle who announced the coming of the Messiah to both Zechariah in the temple and Mary in her home as well as the Shepherds the night of Jesus' birth. But when Jesus became a human being they were split apart just like Adam and Eve were separated from Michael and Gabrielle in the Garden of Eden. So, the Wedding Supper of the Lamb is for the purpose of joining together that which has been split apart by sin. But in order to do that sin must be eradicated from the Bride so that she becomes pure and spotless and her robes are without stain, spot or wrinkle.

Jesus or Michael and Gabrielle, His twin sister and spouse are soon going to reap the wave sheaf or the Barley, which is the beginning of the harvest (first phase of a perfected humanity) and the promise that all will follow in order as the Father has planned. You see Michael and Gabriel and Adam and Eve were split up when Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eve. Yes, they were separated when Adam and Eve fell into this dark dimension of sin. That is why Jesus had to come into our dimension to take on a body of flesh.

Now, this should really break our hearts. He gave up this incredible love relationship with His beloved, His sister-spouse to come on this rescue mission. Song of Solomon 5:1. We cannot know how much pain that caused them for how much closer could you be to another being than to be: 1. Sister_brother and 2. twins on top of that and. 3. Then to be married as sister-spouse or husband and wife. We do not understand this at all in our culture. But the deities (gods and goddesses in the pagan religions copied or counterfeited this with Tammuz and Ishtar in ancient Assyria and Babylon. Then you have Osiris and Isis in Egypt who were twins...sister_spouse. The same is found in Greece and Rome with Apollo and Diana or Venus his twin sister_spouse. These are only shadow counterfeits of the real and genuine.

Beloved, we need to do a lot more investigation into how and why those counterfeits existed because where there is a counterfeit there has to be a genuine or original because there can never be a shadow of something without the existence of the reality. That is how we prove the Mother image of God...because of the Queen of Heaven...Jeremiah 7 and 44....they worshiped the Queen of heaven and ate cakes to her like they do to Mary, the physical mother of Jesus. We also have Tammuz and Semiramis, the ancient pagan goddess of the Moon who was married to Nimrod, the Mighty hunter before or against the Lord. Nimrod was the first anti_Christ who built the Tower of Babel. Semiramis was a very beautiful woman...a priestess in the temple who married Nimrod. He died and she taught that he went to heaven and became the God of the Sun or Sun God and from then on they worshiped the Sun as they believed they were thereby worshiping Nimrod. Semiramis was an immoral woman like Jezebel who no doubt had many lovers and relationships. She got pregnant and had Tammuz. And then they picture Semiramis and Tammuz as having a sexual relationship in the pagan religions. This was done on purpose to blaspheme and counterfeit the relationship between Jesus and His mother and to distort the real meaning of the true family of God and the relationship we are to have with them. All this needs to be explained to the people so they will understand who God is and what this Wedding Supper of the Lamb is all about.. Ezekiel 1 and Rev. 4 and 5 reveal that the God head is not a trinity of three males but is composed of four individuals. We know for sure that the Father created all the worlds through His only Son, Jesus and that are created in the exact image of the Creator, the Father. .Heb. 1:1_3. John 1:1_3. If One man and One woman were created by God the Father through Jesus then there had to be a female Goddess involved as well in order for Eve to be created...In their exact image. Gen 1:26, 27. Rom 1:19_28.

We know that Jesus continually stated that the Father is greater than Him, John 14:28 and that only the Father knows the day and hour of His return. "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own power." Acts 1:7. My final thought here on this topic is simply this. Just as Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered so can we. We have a destiny which Jesus came to reveal to us. Will we accept Him at His Word that He is able to transform us into His image and likeness that we may be translated when He comes for His wave sheaf? That is the opportunity that is being held out to all in Jesus' invitation to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. The Father waits for our willingness to be filled with His Spirit which is the Spirit of God which includes all four members of the God head. What a great privilege is ours today to enter into this marvelous understanding and experience with our precious Lord Jesus Christ who has suffered so much for us. May the Lord bless and keep each of you as you pray and think on these great themes of salvation. Your friend always in Him, Pastor Mike Clute.

In no other sacred book is so much written about angels as in the Book of Revelation. St. John saw a multitude around the throne of the Highest. He describes them as clad in pure and white linen, having their breasts girded with golden girdles (Rev. 15:6). Very striking is the description of one of them: I saw, says John, another mighty angel came down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire ……And he cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth (Rev. 10: 1, 3).

Clothed with a cloud! Remember what the Lord Jesus said about His Second Coming: Then, said He, shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30). Thus, the clouds of heaven mean multitudes of angels. When Jesus ascended up to heaven on Ascension Thursday "He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight." Acts 1:9.

Shekinah" in Hebrew is a feminine noun, It is interesting that Isaiah refers to the Shekinah using feminine pronouns. Especially in Isaiah 51. Particularly in Isaiah 51:9and 10 and its context the pronouns are feminine. In verse 10 the KJV uses thou and it to refer to the Shekinah. Both pronouns are feminine in Hebrew. The Qumran text makes the feminine form certain by adding a yod to 2fs. Literally feminine "you she" translated in KJV "thou it," which is incorrect. Without doubt this is why the inter_testament Rabbis coined the word Shekinah to describe the events where the physical presence performed miracles to guide and protect Israel. In my research he last few weeks I have discovered many web sites and articles which document the fact that Old Testament Jewish scribes deliberately made changes, additions and deletions in regard to the gender of pronouns, as we have noticed above.

The tradition of the Jewish scribes in copying the Old Testament was that of extreme ... there is a chance for error or deliberate changes and deletions. click here

The final deception will come through a false teaching about who is earth's true Mother & Father. Through the Catholic Church & apostate Protestantism and the exaltation of Sun worship will reach its zenith in when Mary is projected in the clouds of heaven.

For proof that Gabrielle is the bride of Yashua or Jesus (Michael) go to my God's Last Call Web Site www.godslastcall.org and read the article, "The Myth of Santa Claus & Mary." Read Dan 10:21 and Proverbs 8:22_36. If Gabrielle & Michael are the original twins, husband & wife & Gabrielle is equal to Michael, Jesus, the Son of the Almighty Father, Yahweh & El Shaddai, Gen 17:1, then that means Gabrielle is also deity, the daughter and princess of the Almighty as Strongs 1403 & 1404 prove Gabriyel and Gebereth is feminine of 1376 meaning mistress, lady. In Luke 1:19 she says "I stand" not kneel in the Presence of God. That is deity. She is the Princess of the Most High. The colors in Dan 10:6 & in the rainbow of Rev 4:3 are feminine colors, Beryl & Emerald.

Shekinah" in Hebrew is a a feminine noun, It is interesting that Isaiah refers to the Shekinah using feminine pronouns. Especially in Isaiah 51. Particularly in

Isaiah 51:9and 10 and its context the pronouns are feminine. In verse 10 the KJV uses thou and it to refer to the Shekinah. Both pronouns are feminine in Hebrew. The Qumran text makes the feminine form certain by adding a yod to 2fs. Literally feminine "you she" translated in KJV "thou it." Without doubt this is why the inter_testament Rabbis coined the word Shekinah to describe the events where the physical presence performed miracles to guide and protect Israel. In the index to the writings of EGW or SOP under the word "Shekinah" there are 36 references listed. Although Shekinah is a Hebrew feminine noun EGW does not mention this. But I will mention two important clues by which we can know that "Shekinah" is the feminine face of God, i.e. Gabrielle. Notice: "In the tabernacle and the temple His (Christ's) glory dwelt in the holy Shekinah above the mercy seat." Prophets & Kings, pg 18.

First, the word "glory" refers to God's character and the "glory" of the man is the woman. So, Father Yahweh's glory is El Shaddai, the Almighty breasted One and their only begotten Son and only begotten daughter, their children, the family in heaven. I Cor 11:7. "Forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man." "In the tabernacle and the temple His glory dwelt in the holy Shekinah above the mercy seat." PK 18. "And from the holy of holies the visible token of the divine Presence shone forth." PK 367. She was above the Mercy Seat, 4BC 1139. "It was shadowed by the wings of the golden cherubim, and the unspeakable glory of the Shekinah, the visible symbol of the most high God, had rested over it in the holy of holies." Patriarchs & Prophets, pg 584. In Desire of Ages pg 829 we read about this same holy Shekinah who reluctantly departed from the first temple and later, and then at the time of Jesus' trial and crucifixion departed from her golden throne. "The angel of Mercy was then folding her wings to step down from the golden throne to give place to justice and swift_coming judgment. But Christ's great heart of love still pleaded for Jerusalem....If Jerusalem would but repent, it was not yet too late." DA 578. From these two references we may deduce, understand by logical reasoning, that the holy Shekinah was inside the Most Holy place of the first temple, i.e. Solomon's temple, but departed probably just before Nebuchadnezzar came to destroy the temple in 586 BC. This was their Mother Mercy who was their guardian Queen who was an angel, even Gabrielle the arch angel of the book of Daniel who worked with Michael, Dan 10:21. Whether a person chooses to believe this or not does not change the truth of it one iota.

And so, as we have already noted, Lucifer's rebellion began the very day the Father announced that His Son was to be worshiped and obeyed the same as Himself. "The exaltation of the Son of God as equal with the Father was represented as an injustice to Lucifer, who it was claimed, was also entitled to reverence and honor." PP 37. Isaiah 14 and Ezek 28 go into much detail about Lucifer's pride and desire for self exaltation. This is what caused him to seek to exalt himself above everyone and to become God himself. And so it was that Lucifer and one third of the heavenly host (angels) left heaven and eventually ended up on planet earth. As soon as Adam and Eve fell a rescue operation was revealed that had been put in place before the world was created. But instead of being thankful for God's love and worshiping Him Adam and Eve's first born son, Cain, killed his own brother. This first crime on planet and all of the evil deeds (bad behavior) that followed only confirmed Lucifer's original argument that the creation of planet earth was flawed and was not a good idea to start with. And that is why even the holy angels and the unfallen worlds wondered what God would do with this world. "With intense interest the unfallen worlds had watched to see Jehovah arise, and sweep away the inhabitants of the earth. And if God should do this, Satan was ready to carry out his plan for securing to himself the allegiance of heavenly beings. He had declared that the principles of God's government make forgiveness impossible. Had the world been destroyed, he would have claimed that his accusations were proved true. He was ready to cast blame upon God, and to spread his rebellion to the worlds above. But instead of destroying the world, God sent His Son to save it. Though corruption and defiance might be seen in every part of the alien province, a way for its recovery was provided. At the very crisis, when Satan seemed about to triumph, the Son of God came with the embassage of divine grace." DA 37.

And so, Satan had a "plan" from the beginning which he had devised before he openly rebelled. And in every generation he has been carrying out this plan. But through Jesus, the only begotten Son of God the Father has devised a way of escape. The four gospels, the writings of Paul and the other apostles along with the book of Revelation reveal God's plan to help us escape Satan's final trap so that we will be ready when Jesus comes to rescue us. The circle was broken in the beginning by the fear of death which Satan instilled in the angels who followed him out of heaven and down to this earth. And it was the "Fear of Death" that broke the "Circle of Life," for Adam and Eve. But through Jesus we can help Him reconnect humanity back to the Father's throne. He is our ladder up to our heavenly home and the throne of God. And when we all are finally gathered around the throne of God here is what all of God's redeemed and restored creation will be saying:

"Great and marvelous are thy deeds, O Lord God, sovereign over all; just and true are thy ways, thou kind of the ages. Who shall not revere thee, Lord, and do homage to thy name? For thou alone art holy. All nations shall come and worship in thy presence, for thy just dealings stand revealed." Rev. 15:4. In addition to that quotation let me add this one as well: "God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as coworkers with Him. Not Enoch, who was translated to heaven, not Elijah, who ascended in a chariot of fire, was greater or more honored than John the Baptist, who perished alone in the dungeon. 'Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.' Phil 1:29. And of all the gifts that Heaven can bestow upon men, fellowship with Christ in His sufferings is the most weighty trust and the highest honor." Desire of Ages, pgs, 224, 225.

May the Lord bless you and everyone as we each strive to learn more about God's plan for our lives and for the humility to pray each day for the understanding and faith to know and follow the Father's will. Thank you for your prayers and support for the ongoing work of this ministry.

My personal journey in the 7 levels of God's True Character of Love

First of all, the majority of white people within the USA do not care about religion, per se. America is the most over exposed nation in the world when it comes to religion. Especially white Americans...Caucasians. This is the second hardest group of all to reach. The easiest group to reach is the Spanish culture.

In passing out my newspapers and pamphlets in Central America as well as here in the states 99% of Spanish people will accept your literature if it is in Spanish. They will accept English literature too if they read English. They are the most polite people I have met. Second to them are African Americans. 95% or more of them will accept literature. Orientals are the hardest group of all to reach. Very few will accept any kind of literature.

Now, let us talk about understanding the message...i.e. comprehension. The white or Caucasian race has the most ability to read and understand because they are the most educated. But, trying to get them to read the message is the first challenge and then helping them to understand the message is the second big task. The third is for them to accept the message, live it and share it with others. But that is the work of the Holy Spirit. Actually, without the Spirit's move upon anyone's heart nothing can be done for Jesus said, "Without Me you are nothing." Jesus & His Spirit work together with the angels who are eager to use our voices. "We are to be laborers together with the heavenly angels in presenting Jesus to the world. With almost impatient eagerness the angels wait for our co-operation; for man must be the channel to communicate with man. And when we give ourselves to Christ in wholehearted devotion, angels rejoice that they may speak through our voices to reveal God's Love." Desire of Ages, pg. 297.

The good news today is that more people are willing to accept the book and read it then ever before. The first reason for this is because the Holy Spirit is truly being poured out in fulfillment of Joel 2:28-30. So, if you ever have had the prompting of the Spirit to win souls for Christ this is the time to get involved. We must work while it is day because the night is coming when no man can work. For those who desire to get involved in the passing out of GLC Newspapers and the book, "Into the Father's Heart," an understanding of the seven levels is very important.

Before we begin our journey through these levels I need to give you a back ground of how I was prepared to accept and begin writing about the first level. Like most young people growing up in a religious home I took the Bible very seriously. "The wrath of God" meant to me that the Lord would destroy anyone who broke His law just like He destroyed the wicked in Noah's day as well as Sodom and Gohmmora, Uzzah and many others mentioned in the Bible. So, I grew up being afraid of God.

Elder Paul C. Heubach, Dean of Theology at Walla Walla college, during my years there as a theology major from 1956 to 1960 gave some relief in his classes by quoting "Christ's Object Lessons," page 84, "God Destroys No Man." He helped us all to understand that Satan is the destroyer but God is the restorer. Having that theological background gave me a certain amount of hope but I still didn't understand the Flood and Sodom, etc. So, in the summer of 1976 I began memorizing Psalm 2, having already committed to memory Psalm 1 in 1956 and Psalm 19 in 1958. It was very hard work repeating those verses over and over again until I could say them without looking. But I kept on persevering. Finally, I came to Psalm 5:10. "Destroy thou them O God; Let them fall by their own counsels." It was a hot summer day late in July of 1976. I was at my headquarters in Portland, OR, walking around in the front room repeating these verses over and over when the Lord began speaking to me in an audible voice in my mind. But I am getting ahead of myself here. Before I share with you what the Lord said to me we need to back up about 10 or 12 days to the final weekend of July 17, 1976. I was in the big tent at Gladstone Park, listening to my favorite preacher, HMS Richards, talk about how one of his former teachers had memorized the book of Revelation after he had retired. This retired professor was up in his 70's but the Lord gave him the mental strength and capacity to do it. This was very impressive. Here I was only 38, so I surely I could do it. I began thinking about what part of the Bible I should start memorizing. As we drove home that evening the Lord impressed upon my mind the importance of understanding the Psalms better. I already knew Psalm 1 by heart so decided to start working on Psalm 2 the very next day.

It turned out to be one of the most difficult jobs I had ever undertaken. It just didn't make any sense, especially the last part where it talked about "kissing the son lest you perish in the way when His wrath is kindled but a little." V. 12. I didn't like that picture of Christ. That wasn't the God Jesus had revealed in the New Testament. I had to repeat each verse over and over, sometimes 75 to 100 times before I could say it from memory. I finally finished Psalm 2 and immediately moved on to Psalm 3. It was hard work but I wasn't going to give up. Psalm 3 was a lot nicer until I got to verses 7 and 8 which said, "Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou has smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou has broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah."

Here the Psalmist draws a word picture of Jesus that makes Him out to be a very cruel and mean warrior in times of battle. Not only does Christ smash in the cheek bones of His enemies He also knocks their teeth out. But he is nice to those who serve Him. This really set me back and shook me up for a little while. I knew that Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, Matt 5-7, that we should love our enemies and turn the other cheek and He told Peter to put His sword away. So, I prayed earnestly to God for an answer but all I seemed to hear back was that I was to keep on memorizing. So, I went on to Psalm 4 which gave me some relief because it didn't have any verses about God hurting or destroying anyone. Although it was still very hard work going over each verse so many times until I could say it without looking I was finally beginning to enjoy it because something was happening in my mind. I was feeling closer to God. Somehow I was able to sense His very Presence in a new and exciting way that I had never experienced before.

Psalm 5 was a real joy because it was emphasizing the close and intimate relationship we can have with God when we meditate on Him and call on His Name with the certitude and expectation of knowing He really does hear us and answers our prayers. But He will not tolerate wickedness and destroys those who will not repent. Here again I was being confronted with that angry, wrathful God. Finally, I came to verse 10. "Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee." Psalm 5:10.

As I kept going over this verse again and again it finally stuck in my mind. And then a wonderful thing happened. Suddenly, a beautiful and heavenly light came on in my mind and instantly I understood how God destroys. "Let them fall by their own counsels." Immediately I thought of what Paul says in Rom. 1 about God giving up on people and letting them go. "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness...for this cause God gave them up unto vile affections...God gave them over to a reprobate mind..." Rom. 1:24, 26 and 28.

As I continued to repeat this verse over and over my mind began to grasp the meaning more clearly just as the pieces of a giant puzzle fall into their respective places. I thought of how God claimed that He had hardened proud Pharaoh's heart when Pharaoh actually, had hardened his own heart. God didn't do it. He just took the blame or assumed the responsibility because He is the Sovereign Creator. Nothing happens without His consent or approval. These were very awesome moments for me. Then it slowly began to dawn upon my heretofore darkened mind..."God doesn't destroy." He simply takes the blame for everything that He allows to happen. But He is not the destroyer. Then I remembered what EGW says in COL, page 84. "God destroys no man." "It is by faith that the soul beholds the glory of Jesus. This glory is hidden, until, through the Holy Spirit, faith is kindled in the soul." Desire of Ages, 392.

Suddenly my mind flashed back to the year 1969 when Charles Dart, the then president of the Texas Conf., asked Elder M. D. Lewis to speak at a worker's retreat that summer evening. Elder Dart said that there had been a lot of discussion going on about God's character among the ministers. Elder Lewis had talked to many of the ministers about this subject and they seemed to be split about 50/50 down the middle, as to whether God destroys or not. Elder Dart said that he had decided to let Elder Lewis present his case in front of all of the ministers. There were at least 50 ministers and conf. workers present. Elder Lewis stood up and went to a chalk board that had been set up for the occasion. He was a teacher, having been a professor or religion at the college at Keene for a number of years. When the Lord revealed to him that God does not destroy he began sharing it in his classes with his students. He told me what had jolted him into a correct understanding of the character of God was a statement by Ellen G. White. "There can be no more conclusive evidence that we possess the spirit of Satan than the disposition to hurt and destroy those who do not appreciate our work, or who act contrary to our ideas." "Desire of Ages," 487.

Surprisingly enough, one of the students who didn't agree with him and made quite a fuss over the matter was Gary Rustad, Elder Rustad's oldest son. Gary and I later became good friends although he never agreed with the concept that God does not destroy as long as I knew him. When Gary told his father about Elder Lewis' teaching Elder Rustad really made some strong protests. Evidently a few others did too and finally Elder Lewis was asked to resign. But they made a big mistake for they took him out of the college and put him into pastoral work where he had direct access to all of us ministers. Elder Lewis just happened to be one of the most brilliant Bible scholars in the denomination, if not the best. At least, he was the best I ever met. He knew the Hebrew and Greek backward and forward, especially the Hebrew. And when he explained it the Bible just came alive. I have a good video of him explaining the sanctuary.

One minister who had been converted to Elder Lewis' beliefs about God's character was describing to a few of us ministers at a worker's meeting a few months before how powerfully persuasive Elder Lewis' was. He told us that he had been present at a meeting where Elder Lewis described the final death of the wicked. His description was so graphic and his depiction of how the Father and Son's hearts were breaking as they watched the wicked destroy themselves that several of the ministers began weeping. So, when Elder Lewis got up to speak that night I was all ears. I don't remember everything he said but I do remember that as he was explaining how the Law of God is a flaming fire that destroys the wicked who break it and this fire is not literal but symbolic of God's love and also how it is sin in a man's heart that eventually destroys him I was convinced that he was right. So, all this began flashing through the memory banks of my mind along with this new information. The lights were really coming on and the darkness was fleeing away.

Then the Lord began to speak to me directly in my mind. First of all He said, "Michael, if you will stop telling your sob story and start telling My sob story things will go a lot better for you." I was embarrassed and ashamed. It was true. I was always telling everyone who would listen to all of the troubles and problems I had been through since the ministry began in 1970. It felt good when someone felt sorry for me. This is what the Lord was referring to when he said I should stop telling "my sob story." I understood that part of it, but what I didn't understand was "His sob story." So I asked the Lord, in my mind, "What is your sob story Jesus?" Then, he said to me, "Michael, they nailed me to a cross." And I said, "Oh, I know Lord. It was terrible. If I had only been there I would have tried to help you." And then He said to me, "But, Michael, that's not all they have done to me. They say I kill people, and I have never hurt or killed anyone in the entire history of the universe since I created it. When I heard and understood this I was so shocked I could hardly think, let along speak. Finally, I began trying to put it altogether, piece by piece. All of the Scriptures I had read over and over again began to make sense. A very beautiful and logical concept was beginning to form in my mind about my Creator God I had worshiped and adored since childhood and now was trying to serve as a minister. It was so exciting.

When Jesus was on earth He only did good. "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him." Acts 10:38. Now, according to most theologians in the past and even today, God is the one who puts sickness and disease upon people. He also kills and destroys. However, they also say that this same God sometimes heals people. And the devil sometimes kills. So, in essence what the preachers are saying is that God destroys just like the devil, only when God does the killing it is justified and when Satan does the killing it is not justified. The only problem with that line of reasoning is that it makes Christ out to be a hypocrite. Why? Because Jesus told the Jewish leaders, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When He speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." John 8:44.

So, what right would Jesus have to call Satan a liar if in fact Jesus Himself kills and destroys? Of course, He would have no right at all. As the truth slowly began to sink in I began to see the evil character of this terrible slander that had been brought against the Name and Character of God through the centuries. In fact, from the beginning of time. I was so angry and upset I just began weeping as I walked around the room. The enormity of this crime was just beyond belief. But what could I do? I was only one person. Who would believe me if I began preaching that "God does not kill?" Yet, I knew the record had to be set straight. I knew the Lord had spoken to me in an audible voice in my mind again, as He had on several occasions in the past. But I needed more proof before I could begin trying to explain it to others.

In my research for my auto biography I went back and read my diary and found that I had made a few notes about this period of time. The last Sabbath of the camp meeting was July 17th, 1976, at which time I heard Elder Richards and made my decision to begin memorizing Scripture, which I later decided would be in the Psalms. I began the very next day on Psalm 2. On Aug. 14th I noted that I was starting on Psalm 6. So, evidently from July 18th until a few days before I preached on "GOD'S WRATH" on Aug. 7th, I had memorized up to Psalm 5:10 and had my breakthrough in the understanding I just wrote about. The pastor of the Mc Minnville and Sheridan churches, Dallas Dahl, asked me on the previous Tues. afternoon if I would speak at Mc Minnville on Aug. 7th. I still have that original sermon on cassette tape, #724, "The Wrath of God." So, sometime between Tuesday, Aug. 3 and Friday Aug. 6th, I prepared the sermon which I put in my second book, "The Wonderful Truth About Our Heavenly Father," on page 363 and 364, as an exhibit in the appendix. As I said before, I seldom ever prepared notes for a sermon but this was very new for me and I didn't want to make any mistakes so I made copious notes for the sermon.

The timing here is very interesting for the Lord impressed Elder Dahl to ask me to preach just after I had received this important understanding of the character of God. In fact, I began receiving more and more invitations to preach on this subject right after the Lord led me into an understanding of his character of love. I preached at Grand Ronde, Hopewell, Newberg, Lincoln City and a number of other churches in the area during this same period of time. But the first time I spoke on the subject was Aug. 7th, 1976. I typed out the introduction word for word because I didn't want to take the chance of forgetting or leaving out an important thought or text. I was also very nervous because I didn't know how this subject was going to be received. But, no matter what the consequences might be, I was willing to begin preaching the truth. I just wanted to make sure that the message was delivered in the most factual, tactful, appropriate and acceptable way as possible so God's Name would be glorified. The sermon went very well and I was happy with the delivery and outcome. It is interesting to hear myself today on those 17 year old cassette tapes. I was 38 years old. The first thing I notice is my tone of voice. I was very confident and sure of what the Lord had given me to say. But it was basically all logic and not as much love and the sweet Spirit of Jesus. But in my spirit I knew it was true and I have never changed the principles of the message. So, that is how I came to understand basic level #1.

Level # 2 is the "Animal Sacrifice System." In this level I explain throughout my book that God allowed the animal slaughter to begin with Adam but it was not His original idea. In chapter 26 of my latest book, "INTO THE FATHER'S HEART" I go into great detail to explain this level which I learned in 1979 and 1980 during my 3 ½ years in West Virginia. Page 389. That is also where I learned about level #3 "THE TWO LORDS," which I explain fully in Chatper 27, "A STUDY ON THE CONTRASTING PERSONALITIES OF THE TWO LORDS OF THE BIBLE. WHO IS TRUE OR FALSE?" Page 442.

Level #4 is an expanded study of Acts 3:21 which I called "UNIVERSAL RESTORATION OR RECONCILIATION." This is the hardest one for many sincere Christians who cannot comprehend how or why God would or should restore and reconcile all of the Lost back to Himself in the ages to come. But the Bible is just as clear on this point as it is on the first three levels. From pages 245 to 258 of my book, "INTO THE FATHER'S HEART," I share an in_depth study on Revelation 21 & 22 in which I clearly explain how John was shown how God will restore all of His creatures back to His eternal throne after the 1,000 years. Rev 5:12; Rev 15:1_4; Psalm 22:26_29; 2 Peter 3:9; Phil 2:5_11; Eph 1:9_12; Eph 3:9_11; I Cor 3:10_15; Rev 21:25. The gates of the city, New Jerusalem, never close.

After I had understood and accepted this level I thought that was it. Surely there will be no more levels beyond this one. But I was wrong. What this revelation of His infinite grace does is open your heart and mind to the final events John wrote about in Revelation 14, especially the Harvest, which is Level #5, "THE HARVEST CYCLE or The Harvest Principle. Jesus told the parable about the wheat & the tares in Matt 13 and explained that the Harvest is the "End of the World." There are three phases of the harvest. 1. Barley. 2. Wheat. 3. Grape. This harvest will take place during the last 7 years of this age. The Barley is another name for the Elect, Matt 24:24. There are at least 24 names or designations for this group.

#6. This level deals with the female image of God which is the focus of this article and is what I have been researching and writing about for the last two years. This has been the hardest level yet to fully comprehend because it involves the Mystery that John speaks about in Rev 10. In vs 6 the angels cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. John was told not to write anything about what the seven thunders spoke. Then in vs 7 John was told that "In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets." Rev 10:7.

#7. This last level deals with the final transformation and translation of God's Elect at the close of the first three and half years of this age. The Elect will be translated at the time of the death decree which is explained in Revelation 11, 12, 13 and 14 as well as Dan 11 and 12. Beloved, it is a most sobering thought to me that before we can understand and experience Transformation and Translation we must learn to know who our real mother and father truly are. Because if we do not know them we will be willing for them to possess us and take us home to the Father's house.

With that in mind let me share with you some of my most recent findings on level #6.

Dear Friends, I have selected a few paragraphs from just one web site which is dealing with this gender issue of male and female. You can read all of the original author's articles at www.jdhigdon.net. The following paragraphs have been edited for brevity and clarity. The reader may take issue with some of his concepts on his website but I found the arguments I am sharing below regarding how the Scribes have changed the gender of the female to male in the Old Testament extremely enlightening.

The "Great Mystery" Revealed

God's Dual Gender And Plurality Of Eph. 5:31_32

As contrary as it is to what we've been taught, it is clearly biblically stated that there is a feminine gender in the Godhead. Let us begin at the beginning, Genesis Chapter 1, and work up to the more urgent present and near future. We are all conditioned to always envision and refer to God in the masculine sense, specifically and exclusively in the masculine gender. But we all need to learn and accept that God is not one gender specific, but both gender inclusive, according to our best source of divine revelation. Maybe important for some to note:

The word Spirit in Gen. 1:2 "Spirit of God" is translated from a Hebrew feminine noun. It is used variously over 350 times in the Old Testament.

I'm no Hebrew scholar but do have some resources for doing word study. And these are simple fundamentals, not some complicated grammatical peculiarities. Those who want to conceal their original meaning indicated by the context have obscured them to self_advantage. Significant or not, that Hebrew feminine noun piqued my curiosity and resulted in some other rather interesting discoveries. Some who fear and resent any careful attention to detail might refer to it disparagingly as obsessive_compulsive disorder; but I don't really care, if God's Children realize (as God knows) that it is with profound reverence and intended fidelity to God's Word that I seek truth for His advantage, not try to twist it to mine.

Gen. 1:26-27 is so simple and clearly stated that even a child, not brainwashed into unquestioned acceptance of the status quo, could easily understand. Mt. 11:25 "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." Note: Gen. 1:26_27 says, "And God (Elohim, a Hebrew plural) said, Let us make man (Adam - humankind) in our image, after our likeness." Note the plurals. God not only said "in our image" but also "after our likeness." Indicating that we are created not only in the visual image, but also patterned spiritually after the Deity. Image would mean to look like, while likeness would mean to be like. Consider it? Let us carefully read verse 27, "So God created man (mankind) in his own image, in the image of God created he him (singular group); male and female created he them." Note that "image of God" and "male and female" are synonymous here (Male + Female = Biblically accurate visual representation of God)

Those who are sincere but misguided are urged to consider the liberating truth and yield to it. Female existence alone confirms the Divine Feminine whom she's patterned after. (In other words the Mother God of Israel, El Shaddai, the Almighty Breasted One).

Now, if there yet remains an iota of doubt, stand in front of a mirror, a male and a female. What you will see (according to God's own words) is a clear physical representation (i.e., image) of the invisible God. How can anyone deny that being what is clearly stated, and why would anyone want to? Now let's continue logically. If God patterned us (male and female) after Himself and the one to whom He said "let us make man in our image, after our likeness," then our duality leaves no doubt as to God's, does it? it strongly suggests that He was addressing Feminine Deity.

Note carefully! In Eph. 5:31-32 the Spirit through Paul says, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife (woman), and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery (note "great mystery"): but I speak concerning Christ and the church (ecclesia)." In other words, the word says, Christ shall leave His Father (God) and Mother (Goddess) and shall be joined to His woman (spiritual bride) the ecclesia (called out ones or true church). So what was a mystery is now clear, right? God's Word makes it clear when the right parts are connected. And, of course, Christ and his bride (the true church - the obedient ones) shall be the one body of Christ (with many parts), with Christ/Messiah as their leader.

Important to note is that the Hebrew (ishshah), in Gen. 2:24, translated "wife," as the Greek (gune) in Eph. 5:31, means simply "woman," not necessarily wife, as we define wife. The English translators (as some of the ancient Hebrews) have had a field day distorting the true meaning of God's Holy Scripture, with deliberate inaccurate, misleading, and deceptive translations in which they deliberately altered the true gender of the noun from feminine to masculine.

Very important here also, is the noun Elohim (plural) translated "God" over 2340 times in the Old Testament. Why did the translators render it singular? What do you think? When God first inspired the prophet to write that word, He chose the plural 2340 times; but the translators chose to change it to singular. Were they presuming to correct God's grammar by rendering it in the singular, or were they trying to hide something? And if so, what were they trying to hide? Some sources say that Elohim is the plural form of "El," a masculine singular used around 245 times, or "eloahh," this singular with a feminine ending used around 56 times, so God did have choices. Note: There is a very important reason Satan did not want the feminine gender to come out in the translations and why he has suppressed women ever since the Garden of Eden. See pages 159, 391_400 of the book "Into the Father's Heart."

The Hebrew name for God was written some sixty-five hundred (6500) times in the Old Testament. It is a four-letter word sometimes referred to as the Tetragrammaton, transliterated into English as YHWH. Keep in mind that Hebrew was originally written without vowels. The Masoretic text has symbols to represent vowel sounds, but they were added by the Masoretes in around 800 AD, claiming it was to preserve the original pronunciation of Hebrew words. In normal writing the true definition and thus the correct vowel sound was determined by the context; for example, the English word dog written with only consonants, as Hebrew is, even today, would be dg. You would not know, except for the context, if it was dog, dig, dug, etc. Some Hebrew words, like English, have many distinct meanings depending on the context, made even more difficult by the lack of vowels.

A biased or mistaken translator might be inclined to change a few vowel sounds just a little here and there, right? By the simple change of a vowel sound, they could alter the meaning of many words anywhere from just a little to radically. By the time the Masoretes got around to adding the symbols, developed by Jewish scholars to represent the vowel sounds, they claimed that the true pronunciation of YHWH had already been lost. What a shame! Something as important as the proper pronunciation of God's Holy name that He inspired around 6500 times, lost!

They claimed that YHWH, the name of God, was too sacred to be uttered and relegated it to the footnotes, substituting the Hebrew masculine Adonai, which means Lord, and is no longer a name but a title. In the KJV (don't know how many others), that title is always written with all uppercase letters "the LORD." Every time you see that all_uppercase title, some 6500 times, remember that it is a scribal substitute for the divine name YHWH. Several other versions have restored YHWH and tried I suppose to render it with the proper vowel sounds. Some render it Yahweh and others, such as the American Standard Version, as Jehovah.

Again, I stress, the scribes changed it some 6500 times! Why would the Hebrew writers not leave God's name exactly as He originally inspired it (6500) times, if they truly revered His Word? What arrogance! How could they consider it too sacred to be uttered but not too sacred to be changed and the original meaning hidden until even the proper pronunciation of God's important name was lost? What could have been their true motive? Guess what! The final "ah" in Hebrew, as in God's name, Jehovah, usually denotes a feminine ending. It should also be noted that the variant Yahweh likewise avoids the feminine ending, and rather conveniently one might add.

Remember, the Hebrew word Adam means "a human being" (or mankind); the Hebrew word ish means "a man as an individual or a male person" (Strong's Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon). But get this, the Hebrew word ishshah (note the feminine "ah") means "woman." Could that feminine ending "ah" in YHWH (rendered Jehovah) be what caused the ancient Hebrew scribes such unbearable pain that they had to relegate God's Holy name to the footnotes?

Could it be that they just didn't want to be asked to explain the feminine ending in the name of the God they wanted the world to think that God viewed women with contempt? Jesus addressed this issue in Luke 11:52 regarding the Scribes changing, distorting and perverting God's Word. "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge (God's character); you did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered." In John 17:3 Christ, in His great prayer gives us the "key" to Eternal Life. "And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." NAS.

No true Child of God (then or now) would deliberately change God's words for any reason; and any who know that they have been changed, as well do the scholars and many world renown pastors and evangelists, yet prefer to not make waves, are likewise not true Children of God. What a shameful, careless, and self_serving handling of God's Holy name!

They have obscured God's duality, gender, and proper name, but that's not all. What else have they tried to write out of the Holy Writ? We will explore that in a later chapter. For now let us try to understand why the translators have repeatedly changed a word meaning children to "sons" throughout all Scripture.

The Children of God

The Hebrew word "ben" is translated "son" around 2250 times in the Old Testament. In many cases offspring would be more accurate. It is not gender specific. Of course, often, the gender of the subject is made clear by the context. Where there is no clear indication, as in the many times it is translated "Sons of God," why wouldn't anyone not gender biased translate it "Children of God" instead?

The Greek word "huios" translated "son" around 380 times in the New Testament can mean "child, foal (the young offspring of a donkey, mule, horse), or son." Also, of course, daughter. It can mean remote descendants or offspring; hence, posterity or children. Almost every time the phrase "Sons of God" is used in Scripture, it should be translated "Children of God." Not only is it most often not gender specific, it is almost always both gender inclusive.

Inerrant and Infallible

Most all Christian scholars and teachers claim to believe that the Bible is inerrant and infallible. Some admit that the Bible is not inerrant and infallible, being a product of man's translation and interpretation, but claim to believe that the original manuscripts were. How can they both believe that the divinely inspired Scriptures are inerrant and infallible and yet that God inappropriately or accidentally used the Hebrew plural Elohim for God around 2340 times in the Old Testament when the singular was intended? How dare those who claim the Bible is inerrant and infallible in its humanly corrupted form conclude that in the original divinely inspired form God was mistaken and needed them to correct His mistakes (over 2300 times, this single word alone)?

It is shocking to me! Shocking that we could have allowed ourselves to be so duped by them for so very long! How could they possibly claim to believe that God is All_knowing and Almighty but that He doesn't understand the grammatical difference between singular and plural, masculine and feminine, and that it was wrong of Him to include the divine name in Scripture some 6500 times?

In Mt. 5:18 Jesus said, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." The word "jot" here is of Hebrew origin and refers to the Hebrew letter Yod, which closely resembles the English apostrophe ('), the smallest Hebrew letter. Tittle refers to the finest or smallest point - the teeniest little thing. Jesus was saying that not even the smallest thing in God's inspired words should in any way be changed, that God said exactly what He intended to say. Also, the Spirit through Jesus was referring to God's laws, all of which are subsumed under the one command that we love one another; not what man has added, much in the form of the 613 Judaic commandments and endless church doctrines, some of which limit even what a member is allowed to think.

God's commands are simple; man's very burdensome and impossible to fulfill. The Spirit gave strong warning in Rev. 22:18-19, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book." When I referred to that passage in 1983, a relative wondered if that only applied to the Book of Revelation. Considered with Mt. 5:18, I would hate to take that gamble with eternity, wouldn't you? In Mt. 4:4 Jesus told Satan that "Man shall not live by bread (earthly food) alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Jesus reference was to God's words, not those of the scribes who detracted from and added to them; or of those who now perpetuate the false scribes' deceptions, for whom money is the bottom line.

As an end note, let me say that one important reason for the obscurity in Revelation, Daniel, other end-time prophecy, and just things in general, as we've discussed here, could be because God knew with certainty that if certain scribes understood them, that they would change them to support their particular agenda or remove them altogether. If they didn't understand them, they wouldn't know how to manipulate them. He pronounced woe on the scribes too many times to list here (Mt. 23:13-29). It should take but a little rational thinking to figure out why He was so incensed with them and what they did that elicited His repeated strong invectives against them. A scribe's job, among other things, was to copy, write, record, and in some cases interpret Mosaic and Judaic law.

Google Groups results for How Hebrew Scribes deliberately changed female gender to male in OT

KJVBible

The tradition of the Jewish scribes in copying the Old Testament was that of extreme ... there is a chance for error or deliberate changes and deletions. ... kingshouse.org/KJVBible.htm

JSTOR: Gender: Matched Synonymous Parallelism in the OT

The standard works on noun gender in Hebrew are K. Albrecht, ... 85 "Traditionally, male and female servants were paired with masters of the same sex,": P. ... click here

SUSAN JUSTER | Demagogues or Mystagogues? Gender and the Language ...

The answer depended largely on the gender of the prophet. Male and female prophets assumed different audiences for their texts, positioned themselves ... click here

On Faith: Guest Voices: Bible Crystal Clear on Male_Female Equality

You didn't mention the best example of male _female equality in early ... Is the "equality" of women an outgrow of and response to secular changes made to ... click here

Man as Male and Female: Created in the Image of God

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be used to refer to human beings in general, both male and female. When. translators deliberately change the text to make it "gender_neutral" instead ... click here

Barbara Newman _ Henry Suso and the Medieval Devotion to Christ ...

21 Hence in this part of his dialogue, Suso quietly changes the gender of Eternal ... For male and female images of Eternal Wisdom in the Exemplar see ... click here

Literary Terms and Definitions

Thereafter, scribes wrote them down. The Icelandic sagas take place when Iceland ... of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) produced in the third century BCE... click here

Rev. Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes _ Greek Orthodox Spirituality

Icon of Archangels Michael and Gabriel

The Holy Angels An Orthodox Perspective
Angels: Our Elder Brethren
Written by St. Nicholai Velimirovic, Bishop of Zica
Compiled by Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes
Boise, Idaho, USA
August 13th 2004

"Whom Christ loves, His angels love too." St. Nicholai of Zica (1880_+1956)

Our Holy Bible starts with this sentence: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

By Heaven is meant not an empty space beyond our space, but the living world of invisible spirits. Thus, the above sentence could be phrased in other words: In the beginning God created the invisible and the visible world, as it is said in the first article of our Creed. The Psalmist says: By the Word of the Lord were the heavens established, and all the might of them by the Spirit of His mouth (Ps. 32:6).

In this case, according to the interpretation of the Fathers of the Church, the Father is called the Lord; the Son, the Word of the Father; and the Holy Spirit, the Breath of the Father.

The Prophet Isaiah saw seraphim's (6:2) and Ezekiel the cherubim's (10:8) with some other strange creatures around the throne of the Highest. Micaiah said to the King Ahab: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left (I Kings 22:19).

Nehemiah said in his prayer: Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou has made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host (Neh. 9:6).

The great Daniel saw God on His throne_and a thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him (Chapters 9 and 10).

St. Paul speaking of the power of Christ says: Who is this image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him. And He (Christ) is before all things, and by Him all things consist (Col. 1:15_17; cf. I Pet. 3:22).

Summing up all the names of the angelic hosts, St. Dionysius the Areopagite classifies them by their ranks_three times three equals nine: "thrones, dominions, principalities, seraphim's, cherubim's, powers, sovereignties, archangels, and angels." All of them, however, we popularly call angels, or angelic hosts.

We read in the Book of Job, how the Lord gave answer to the complaints of that suffering man, saying: Where wast thou_when the morning stars (i.e. first created angels) sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38: 1_17).

And our sacred poet says:

Stars of the morning, so gloriously bright
Filled with celestial splendor and light
These that__where night never follows day_
Raise the 'Thrice Holy' song ever and age……
Then when the earth was first poised in mid space,
Then, when the planets first sped on their race,
Then, when were ended the six days employ,
Then, all the sons of God shouted for joy.

(Joseph the Hymnographer_Translation in the English Hymnal).

Our Orthodox Church has dedicated Monday to the holy angels. Therefore, every Monday in the church services we are reminded of the holy angels with praise and prayer: "Holy Archangels and Angels, pray to God for us."

The angelic hosts were created before men. That is the first reason we call them our elder brethren.

The Nature of Angels

The nature of angels is in some ways quite different from the nature of man, and in other ways similar to it. On the one hand, the differences are these: The angels are bodiless and, as such, invisible to our physical eyes. Having no body, they consequently have no bodily needs or desires and passions, no cares about food, drink, clothes or shelter. Nor do they possess the impulse and cravings for procreation. They neither marry nor are given in marriage (Matt. 22:30). They have no worries about the future either, and no fear of death. For, though God created them before man, they are neither aged nor aging, but unchangingly youthful, beautiful and strong. They have no anxiety about their salvation and no struggle for immorality, being already immortal. Unlike men, they are not faltering between good and evil, being already good and holy as when God created them.

On the other hand, the angels are similar to men in that they are personalities, everyone being individually conscious of himself. Like men, they have intelligence, emotions, free will and acting capacity. And withal they bear personal names like men. Some of their names we know either from Scripture or Church Tradition. They are: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Salathiel, Barachiel, Jeremiel, Jegudiel.

Comparing men with angels, St. Paul quoted they words of an ancient prophet who spoke of God: O Lord _ what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that Thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the Angels; Thou crownest him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands; Thou has put all things in subjection under his feet (Heb. 2:6_8; Ps. 8:4_6).

Indeed, God gave a tremendous dominion over His works to the first sinless Adam, before this man despised God's commandment and joined Satan, God's adversary. Before the sin, man was equal to God's angels in power, purity and beauty. But through sin man's dominance over God's works dwindled to almost nothing. Nature became disobedient to him who was disobedient to God. Disobedient to its former lord, nature yet livers in expectation. The Apostle speaks of that as follows: For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God, in order to be again obedient and happy, as in Eden. Until then the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, being itself in the bondage of corruption, like its fallen lord (Rom. 8:19,22).

Yet, regenerated through Christ, man will again be angel_like, clothed with Christ's glory. Meanwhile, his elder brethren, the holy and unsoiled angels, are ministering to him, as physicians to the sick, toward his health and salvation. As it is written of them: Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Heb. 14:14). Of this, however, more shall be spoken later.

The Appearances of Angels

The appearances of angels are different purposely as to different persons and occasions.

The appearance of an angel to Moses was as follows: When Moses was a shepherd in the desert, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, "Moses, Moses" (Ex. 3:2,4). Moses saw no face and no figure but the fire, and out of the fire he heard the voice calling him and instructing him as to what to do.

The appearance to whole people of Israel, when they fled from Egypt: And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, … and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light (Ex. 13:21).

This was not the Lord Himself but His angel. Moses confirms that: When we cried unto the Lord, He heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt (Num. 20:16). Here, as somewhere else, the angel is identified with the Lord, God. For My name is in him, says the Lord God (cf. Ex. 23:2021).

To Gideon an angel appeared as an ordinary man, just as the Archangel Raphael appeared to Tobias. Gideon understood that it was an angel only he saw a miracle performed by his unknown visitor. Then he exclaimed: Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face (Judges 6:12_23).

To the wife of Manoah, who was barren and childless, an angel appeared with the news that she would have a son, Samson by name. Recounting this event to her husband, she said: A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible (Judges 13:6).

When the Syrians surrounded the place where the prophet Elisha lived, his frightened servant exclaimed: Alas, how shall we do? And Elisha answered: Fear not, for they that be with us are more then they that be with them.

And by the prayers of Elisha, the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and the he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around about Elisha (II Kings 6:16_17). Of course, that was the host of God's angels sent to protect the righteous man.

To the prophet Ezekiel the angel was as the appearance of fire: from his loins even downward, fire: and from his loins even upward, as appearance of brightness, as the color of amber (Ezekiel 8:2).

The great prophet Daniel saw an angel as a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz. His body also was like the beryl and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. So much was Daniel frightened that he says: Therefore I was left alone … and there remained no strength in me … and I retained no strength (Dan. 10:8). It was Archangel Gabriel (Dan. 8:16).

The same Gabriel appeared to Zacharias, the father of St. John the Baptist. And though his appearance was not so terrifying as that which Daniel saw, yet Zacharias, when he saw him, was troubled and fear fell upon him. And the angel said unto him: Fear not, Zacharias! (Luke 1:12_13).

As to the appearance of Gabriel to the Virgin Mary at Nazareth, we presume that the appearing was in a gentle human form, unlike those terrifying forms in which the angels appeared to the prophets of old. Yet, Mary was frightened and troubled. No wonder, for not only in extraordinary appearance frightens us, but also the suddenness of it. The angel therefore encouraged the Holy Virgin by saying: Fear not, Mary! (Luke 1:29030).

When our Lord Jesus was born, an angel appeared to the shepherds at Bethlehem. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them: Fear not (Matt. 28:3_5).

The myrrh bearing women at the sepulcher of the risen Lord saw an angel: His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers (of the tomb) did shake, and became as dead men. To the women, however, the angel said: Fear not ye! (Matt. 28:3_5).

In no other sacred book is so much written about angels as in the Book of Revelation. St. John saw a multitude around the throne of the Highest. He describes them as clad in pure and white linen, having their breasts girded with golden girdles (Rev. 15:6). Very striking is the description of one of them: I saw, says John, another mighty angel came down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire … And he cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth (Rev. 10: 1, 3).

Clothed with a cloud! Remember what the Lord Jesus said about His Second Coming: Then, said He, shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30). Thus, the clouds of heaven mean multitudes of angels.

All the appearances of angels are just appearances, not pertaining to their nature; they are pure spirits, and all their power and beauty is spiritual, not material. As our sacred poet says of them: "The material and intelligent angels hast Thou created, O Lord, before the visible world; They ceaselessly cry unto Thee over there: Bless the Lord all ye works of the Lord. Sing unto Him great praises forever." (Octoechos Matins, Hymn 8, tone 3).

The angels of the Lord do not want to be worshiped. When an angel showed St. John the new Paradise in Heaven with all its marvels, St. John fell at the feet of the angel to worship him. But the angel did not allow that, saying: Do it not, for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God (Rev. 22:8_9). Yea, we worship God alone.

The Activity of the Angels

The activity of the angels is twofold: in Heaven to glorify God, and on earth to carry out God's orders concerning men. The word "angel" itself means herald or messenger. They rest not, day and night, saying: Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty which was, and is, and is to come, writes a seer (Rev. 4:8). And another writes of the ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation (Heb. 1:14).

Says St. Gregory the Theologian: "Some of those intelligences are standing before the great God, and others cooperate in holding the whole world." And Damascene: "They are powerful, and ready to accomplish the will of God, and they appear anywhere and instantly, according to their subtle nature, wherever God orders them."

The first time that an angel, a cherub, is mentioned in the Bible is when Adam and Eve are ousted from the Garden of Eden (earthly Paradise). Then God placed cherubim's _ and a flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life (Gen. 3:24).

A. We may consider the angels, in the first place, as messengers of good news. Twice there appeared an angel to Hagar, Abraham's handmaid, consoling her because her mistress. Sarah dealt harshly with her. "Behold, said the angels, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard Thine affliction (Gen. 16:7; cf. Gen. 21:17). Ishmael became the progenitor of the Ishmaelites; Arabs, who are also called Hagarenes.

Three angels appeared in the plains of Mamre with a message to childless Abraham, that he shall have a son, which indeed happened the next year (Gen. 18: 10). Thus Isaac, the progenitor of the Jews, was born.

When Abraham was ready to sacrifice his only son Isaac, according to the order of God who wanted to test his fidelity, an angel of Heaven prevented him from doing so. Said the angel: Now I know that thou fearest God (Gen. 22:12). God Himself, however, later offered His only Son Jesus Christ, to be slain like a lamb to save us (Eph. 5:2).

B. The angels of God save the men of God. In the corrupt city of Sodom there lived a man of God, Lot. When Sodom was doomed to destruction, God sent two angels to save Lot and his family (Gen. 19:1_22).

An angel saved Jacob from the revenge of his brother Essau (Gen. 32:1). And before his death Jacob spoke of the Angel which redeemed me from all evil (Gen. 48:16).

An Angel saved the three youths in Babylon from death in the midst of the burning fiery furnace, into which they were thrown, because they renounced the worship of idols in place of the only true God (Dan. 3:12_30). Every Matins service we are reminded of this strange event by the seventh and eighth irmoi of the canons. And angel saved Daniel from the den of lions into which he was put on account of his strong faith in the one God. The lions, however, behaved as lambs. To the astonished King Darius, Daniel said: My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions mouths, that they have not hurt me, forasmuch as before Him innocence was found in me (Dan. 6:16_23).

C. The angels are executors of God's judgments. We quote only a few instances: The city of Sodom was wallowing in most horrible vices (homosexuality, sodomy). The Lord sent two angels to save the only righteous man in Sodom, Lot. They came to Lot and urged him to get out of that city, for the Lord sent us to destroy it. And they razed Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes, by brimstone and fire from the Lord out of Heaven (Gen. 19:12_25). King David, otherwise a great glorifier of God, sinned once against the Lord God, and God sent an angel with a drawn sword in his hand _ and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men, until David repented and cried to God for mercy (I Chron. 21:1_17). Sennacherib, King of Assyria, beleaguered Jerusalem with a mighty army. He and his dukes blasphemed the Lord God, called King Hezekiah and his people to surrender. But after Hezekiah prostrated before God and prayed in the temple, the angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the camp of Assyrians a hundred and four scores and five thousand. King Sennacherib fled to Nineveh, where he was killed by his sons (Isaiah, chapters 36 & 37). The inspired Psalmist, knowing from history and from his own experience the part which the angels play in the life of a man or of a nation, speaks: The angel of the Lord will encamp round about them that fear Him, and will deliver them (Ps. 33:7). No evils shall come nigh thee, and no scourge shall come nigh unto thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. On their hands shall they bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone (Ps. 90:10_12). Bless the Lord, he His angels, mighty in strength, that perform His word, to hear the voice of His words (Ps. 103:20).

The Guardian Angels

By the above words the Psalmist confirms the common belief that angels protect and help both nations and individuals. In ancient times, Michael the Archangel was considered as the guardian angel of the people of Israel. Joshua saw him at Jericho, and heard him saying that he was the captain of the Lord's host (Joshua 5:14_15). And to Daniel, the Archangel Gabriel spoke of the Archangel Michael, saying: At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people (Dan. 12:1). The Apostle Jude writes of Michael the Archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the holy of Moses (Jude 9). As guardian of the people, he was also the guardian even of the dead body of their leader Moses.

The Fathers of the Church taught that there are guardian angels of nations, countries, churches, as well as of individuals (Rev. 2). Yea, even of elements, stars and planets. St. John of the "Ladder" testifies of his personal guardian angel: "Whenever I was longing for a greater advancement in spiritual life, the angel appeared in such a case and enlightened me."

And here is what St. Basil the Great says: "The angel will not retreat from us, unless we drive him away by our evil deeds. As the smoke drives bees away, and stench the doves, even so our stinking sin drives away from us the angel who protects our life."

Concerning the guardian angels of children, and all childlike persons, we shall hear later from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Himself.

Angels: Servants of Christ's Church

The New Testament is full of angels: They were hovering around Christ as their Creator, Lover and Lord from the beginning of His Incarnation, always ready to serve Him. They worshiped Him on earth as they worshiped Him in Heaven, and they loved Him on His Cross as they love Him in His Heavenly glory, with a glowing transcendent love. With gladness and attentiveness they supported His work, that is, His Church on earth. They are doing so now, and will do so until the end of the world. When He was born in a poor stony cave, there appeared a multitude of the heavenly host praising God (Luke 2:13). After the temptation in the desert, when the devil left Him, behold, angles came and ministered unto Him Matt. 4:11). Our genial artists were right in painting many angels around Christ, as at His baptism when the Heavens were opened unto Him, at the Transfiguration, around His Crucifixion, at the descent into Hades, at the Resurrection and at His Ascension. Whenever there appeared an archangel, or another angel, we can suppose that behind him there was a company of many angels, though invisible to human eyes. We do not think that the Archangel Gabriel was alone when he announced to the Virgin Mary the world_shaking news of the birth of Messiah; nor that the angel who appeared in Gethsemane to strengthen Christ in His agony, was without a company of many invisible angels. Wherever the King is, His soldiers are also there at hand.

Whom Christ loves, His angels love too. He loved children, and ordered His angels to be their guardians. Said He: The angels do always behold the face of my Father, which is in heaven (Matt. 18:10). He even identified Himself with little children saying: Whoso shall receive one such little child in My name receiveth Me (Matt. 18:5). He threatened terribly those who mislead, scandalize and cause children to sin. It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea (Matt. 18:6). He also said: Suffer little children to come unto Me for of such is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 19:14). (This is the very foundation of Christian education, that is, to let children come unto Christ). This is the reason the angels love and protect children. A spiritual poet says:

Angels and ministers, spirits of grace,
Friends of the children, beholding God's face,
Moving like thought to us through the beyond,
Molded in beauty, and free from our bond.
(P. Dearmer, English Hymnal)

The angels also ministered to the apostles and others of the faithful from the beginning, and throughout the history of the Church.

When the high priests put the apostles in prison, the Angel of the Lord opened the prison doors by night and brought them forth, saying: Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all of the words of this life (Acts 5:17_20; 12:7_10).

When Herod, the kinglet of Galilee, persecuted the Church, killed the apostle James, and intended to kill Peter too, then immediately the Angel of the Lord smote him-and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost (Acts 12:23).

When Philip was preaching in Samaria, an angel directed him toward Gaza to meet a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, Queen of Ethiopia. Philip taught him of Jesus the Messiah, and baptized him. That eunuch was the first Christian of his country. Thus, the angels helped the apostles in spreading the Gospel to distant countries (Acts 8:26).

A Roman officer, Cornelius, while praying at about three o'clock on a sunny afternoon, saw in a vision an angel of God, who advised him to call Peter from Joppa. After Peter's instruction Cornelius was baptized, along with his whole household. In this case too, the angel of the Lord promoted the growth of the Church among the pagans (Acts, chapter 10). While St. Paul was sailing to Rome with 276 souls, a terrible storm threatened to engulf the ship. Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar, and lo, God has given thee all them that sail with thee, which indeed happened (Acts 27:20_25).

Angels: God's Harvesters

In His parable of the sower and the seed, the Lord Jesus explained: The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels…… The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matt. 13:38_43). But before the end of the world the end of many of us will have already come. Lo, when poor Lazarus died, angels into Abraham's bosom carried his soul; and when merciless Dives died, his soul dropped into hell (Luke 16:19_23). Remember then, O man that your end is for you the end of the world. For at your death you shall be either the harvest of angels or of the wicked one. It is a good thing to trust in God's mercy, but to trust in God and to go on sinning without repentance is to mock God. Here is what our Savior says: I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth (Luke 15:10). But woe unto them that die in sins without repentance. Here is the stern warning of a great apostle: God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell ……and spared not the old world, but saved Noah bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes (II Pet. 2:4_6). Much less will He spare those who are Christians by name, but in reality are servants of the devil in the words and deeds. Like Judas, they might sometime repent but it will be too late. For the Son of man shall come in the glory of the Father with His angels, and then He shall reward every man according to his works (Matt. 16:27).

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The Whole World Is Deceived

Rev 12:9 "Whole inhabited earth deceived."

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9)

Rev. 12:9 says that Satan is deceiving "the whole world." Not part of it; but all of it, which means the everyone at one time or another has been deceived. Only the Elect in the final end time, which is not far distant in time from us as we speak...ONLY THE ELECT WILL ESCAPE the final deceptions which will come upon this entire inhabited earth, as we read in Mt. 24:24, which says, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

Certainly God is inviting some who are now deceived out of darkness into light in Rev. 18:4, "Come out of her, my people," the Spirit says to God's Children who are now deceived, of course chosen only if they are willing to heed God's call. So, those who at some point choose to comply with God's will are His elect or chosen. Mt. 20:16 "for many be called, but few chosen."

By what or by whom are God's professed people being deceived? The answer itself is shocking enough but we have already been warned that Satan performs his evil works through human agents, (2 Cor 11:14)

Satan, posing as an angel of light through his agents who are serving him, most of them without realizing it at this time. And then we have denominations, colleges, foundations, churches, small and great, as well as great institutions and powerful governments being used as instruments of deception. So, the deceptions are ongoing and many. But in the midst of such a terrible situation, God's servants have been chosen as instruments of light and truth to shine His glory into a world walking and stumbling in darkness. His agents do good works like Jesus, Acts 10:38.

For now lets talk about some deceptions that have been perpetuated by organized religion from the very beginning of the Biblical account. Religious organizations that have been deceived have an opportunity and are invited to step out of darkness into light and be God's agents (messengers) of truth, rather than Satan's minions of deceit. We will also learn from God's words where His People of Israel really are and which great presumed invincible world power may soon cease to exist.

[The author here is referring to the greatest nation on earth today. And everyone knows who that is. Enough said].

I am not certain when, but have reason to believe that it looms menacingly on the horizon. We will consider the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, and what John may have seen in the vision that inspired him to write Rev. 9:19. We will locate and identify the Rev. 12:1 woman clothed with the sun with "the moon under her feet," and more.

The Second Coming of Christ

Christ's second Coming will be most glorious and most dramatic. While at His first coming "a multitude" of angels appeared to the shepherds of Bethlehem, at His second coming all the holy angels shall accompany Him. Then He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matt. 24:31). Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father (Matt. 13:43). Thus, the angels shall be the reapers of God's harvest.

But the most striking reward Christ ever promised to the elect and righteous ones, who lived according to and suffered for His Gospel on earth, was that they shall be equal to the angels. To the sophistic Sadducees, He said: They, which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage. Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection (Luke 20:35_36). Reading these words, we are filled with awe and fear. How can we be equal to angels? Behold, it is written of the angels: God stood in the congregation of the gods, in the midst He shall stand out among gods. And a little further on: Ye are gods, and all of you the sons of the Most High (Ps. 81: 1,6). Of course, the angels are called gods, not by their divine nature but their close contact with God. How can men be equal to them? And here is what our sacred poet says of angels:

Adorned with shining beauty
All the angels of the Pantocrator
Approach the inexpressible glory of Christ
Singing to Him day and night:
Blessed art Thou, O God, forever.
(Theophane _Matins hymn, tone 6).

How can we be equal unto the angels, the glorifiers of Christ, we, who are blaspheming Him daily by our sins? First of all, Christ speaks of those who shall be accounted worthy, and, secondly, by the love of Christ which passeth all understanding (cf Luke 20:35; Eph. 3:19; Phil. 4:7).

Let us then humble ourselves, and listen to what a seer of heavenly mysteries says: Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him (I Cor. 2:9). Here is the key to the mystery: those who love God, be they angels or human beings, are equal before God.

In this sense also we call the angels our elder brethren, honoring them and praying to them from this valley of tears:

Source: The Lord's Prayer A Devout Interpretation & Three Lessons of the Orthodox Church by St. Nicholai Velimirovic, St. Paisius

Sabbath Queen...Jews had her as the "Sabbath Queen." Shekinah ... also called a Shining glistening light...a blinding light. A feminine being with silver wings ... Merkabah 4... "The Sabbath Queen"... $12.00. Barnes & Nobel

Why don't the Jews know who she really is...because they rejected Jesus.

Everywhere it said Yashua (Son) they changed it to Yahweh.

El Shaddai __ Holy Spirit.

They know there is a Shekinah Glory...they know she is the Dove....

Dr. Gene Scott referred to Mother & Father God.

At that time Lois Roden was sending her messages out to all Protestant ministers.

Dr Gene Scott. The Kingdom House...broadcasted out of Hollywood, Cal.

Mellissa Scott still broadcasts....goes into the grammar of the Hebrew.

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"The Sabbath." Abraham Joshua Heschel.

ISBN 0_374_52975_2

More important info on our God Family....who are coming to receive us home soon....

Your comments and ideas are welcome...please read all of this through.

This is the closest I have been able to come to the difference in the Greek between Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit. If anyone has any comments or ideas please let me know....this is a great question. Is the "Holy Ghost" meant to designate a person? And if that phrase is meant then who is that person? Who actually is "The Holy Ghost?"

We now know that the Holy Ghost is in the Feminine as is the phrase "Holy Spirit." Both are in the feminine.

And the Holy Ghost is on center stage with Holy Spirit making only 4 appearances.

If the Holy Ghost is feminine...a female entity, then she is not Jesus. And if Jesus has a "Spirit" .... because He says, "My Spirit," at times....then who is that "Spirit?" Would it be the same entity as in Rev 1:1..."My angel?"

There is a great mystery here and I have wanted to try and figure it out for a long time. This is the closest I have been able to come so far.

I heard a study on audio tape which explained that the word "spirit" in the Greek means "Mind" but Soul has to do with the feelings or emotions. Body, soul & spirit is referring to the physical, the emotions and the Mind, in that order.

So, if Jesus has a sister spouse (i.e. a wife) as from Song of Solomon "My sister, My spouse" then is this "Holy Ghost" His spouse who by Divine fiat now has been given the authority and power to manifest herself in creation for the first time since the fall?

If Dan 10:21 is a revelation of who Gabrielle & Michael really are....i.e. Husband & Wife and the real Creators of the human race or mankind....then we have a most important revelation here of the break through that Jesus' death on the cross won for the human race....i.e. the opportunity to be filled with the actual Spirit of their true mother....to experience the joy of Her full Presence in their lives since the fall. Could this actually be true? And was this truth lost and buried with the first generation of Christians and the passing off of the scene of the Greek language which was phased out, eclipsed by Latin?

Did the early Christian experience in their soul their true Mother and Father without realizing it in their minds? That is intellectually....that this experience of actually knowing mentally/ intellectually as well as in our emotions who are true Mother & Daddy really are is now open to humanity....and is in fact necessary to know and realize this to the fullest extent and capacity of our being in order to be Transformed and then Translated?

That is level #7. Level #6 is even now being revealed...i.e. the Revelation of the Female image of God which is this "Holy Ghost." In the OT she was called "Wisdom" but in the NT she is the "Holy Ghost."

The word "Transformed" is used only one time in a positive connotation in Rom 12:2. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your MIND (Spirit), that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Beloved, this may be the break through that is needed so that we can be Transformed into the likeness of Jesus & Gabrielle...Michael & Gabrielle.

In the OT Jesus was Michael and in the NT He is Jesus Christ the anointed Savior....Yashua in the Hebrew.

In Proverbs 30 the author....Solomon or someone he is quoting admitted that he was stupid and did not have understanding...had not learned wisdom or about Wisdom...His real mother. "Nor have the knowledge of the Holy One." Prov 30:3. So, he is being very honest here. Solomon had more head knowledge than anyone but did not have heart knowledge or Wisdom to go along with all the facts and figures in his brain.

"Who has ascended into heaven or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? /////

"WHAT IS HIS NAME, AND WHAT IS HIS SON'S NAME, IF YOU KNOW?" Prov. 30:4.

And that is all he says about that.

But in those short 4 verses he revealed that there is a Father & A Son....and Psalm 2 also speaks of this.

Gen 1:26, 27 and Gen 5:1 reveals a plurality of Gods who were involved in the Creation ... But the god of this world has blinded the minds of humanity up until now.

May the Lord help us to pray earnestly so we can comprehend and truly know all there is to know about the God family so we can join it soon when they come to receive us home to heaven.

Amen.

Your friend,

Pastor Mike

Isn't Jesus Wonderful!

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Pneuma hagion, or to Pneuma to hagion, occurs ninety_four times in the New Testament. Ninety times they translated it Holy Ghost, and four times Holy Spirit. Curiosity is inquisitive to find some reason for these four exceptions. They are found Luke xi. 13; Eph. i. 13; iv. 30; I Thess. iv. 8. In Luke xi. 13 there is no article__it simply reads, "Give a holy spirit to them that ask him." They did not say, "Give a holy ghost." Why? Is it because there is no article? We shall examine the other passages and see whether they are uniform in this. Eph. i. 13; iv. 30, and I. Thess. iv. 8 the article is found. Besides, in many other places, where the article is not found, they have Holy Ghost. Is it because what Luke calls "Holy Ghost," Matthew, in quoting the same passage of Christ's discourse (chap. vii. 11), uses "good things?" Probably it was; for they seem to use "Holy Ghost" as if by it a person was always intended; at least, this will apply to the New Testament: for we have seen they have no Holy Ghost in the Old Testament.

But then it will be asked, Are they uniform in this? Is not their Holy Ghost meant Eph. i. 13 and iv. 30 and I. Thess. iv. 8? It would appear so. But the construction is peculiar in Eph. i. 13, for the arrangement is, "You are sealed by the spirit of the promise, the holy:" and as the King's translators promised only the Holy [122] Spirit in the Old Testament, and not the Holy Ghost, they could not with propriety speak of a promised Holy Ghost: for in chap. iv. 30 they seem to have their eyes turned back to Isa. lxiii. 11, where they rendered it, "Grieve his Holy Spirit," and therefore they can not say, "Grieve not the Holy Ghost of God," the figure in Isa. lxiii. 10, 11, being the same found in Eph. iv. 30. They prefer to agree with themselves in the Old Testament, rather than with themselves in the New. And in the last place (I. Thess. iv. 8) we can find no reason, except that they found it incongruous to use Holy Ghost in reference to God himself__"Who has given to us his Holy Spirit," rather than his Holy Ghost. This is, in all candor, all we can say in their defense. There is, therefore, no good reason for preferring Ghost to Spirit ninety times to four in the New Testament.

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Even when the Spirit of God is spoken of, it does not always mean the same thing. The Spirit of God sometimes unequivocally means the breath of natural life. Thus in Job xxvii. 3, "The Spirit of God is in my nostrils, all the while the breath is in me." The four winds are in the same metaphor, called the four spirits of the heavens. (Zech. vi. 5.) The Spirit of God moving upon the face of the great deep, may also be a figurative expression; for the Hebrews were accustomed to express their superlative comparison by adding the word God as an adjective to a noun. Thus "the cedars of God," "the hills of God," "the mountains of God," were very lofty cedars, hills and mountains. However this may be, we find the phrase does not always mean the same thing.

Benjamin Lyon Smith
The Millennial Harbinger Abridged (1902)
EARNEST OF THE SPIRIT.

Having ascertained the Scriptural import of the following words and phrases, "gift of the Holy Spirit," "spiritual gifts," "the Spirit by measure," "distribution of the Spirit," "demonstration of the Spirit," "manifestation of the Spirit"__we proceed to the examination of some other apostolic phrases relative to the same subject. The phrase "earnest of the Spirit" next deserves our attention. [115]

If the reader has some preconceived system in his mind which he desires to see established by these examinations, I think it is probable he will be disappointed; for we are not seeking to establish any. We prosecute this inquiry as if we had never written nor spoken one word upon the subject. We are taking a new course of examination, and if it result as did our former inquiries by another process, it will be then confirmatory of the views already offered; just as if the working of a question by the Rule of Three should give the same result as already ascertained by the Rule of Practice, it establishes the certainty of the former solution; but if it should give a different result, then it must call for a reconsideration of the matter. The reader, then, if he do justice to himself, will place himself in the same circumstances as the writer, and, with the candor and docility of a student, open the Living Oracles, and ask, What say the Scriptures?

Arrabon, the word translated earnest in the phrase before us, found II. Cor. i. 22, occurs only in two other passages; viz.: II. Cor. v. 5; Eph. i. 14. It is a Hebrew word adopted into the Greek language of the New Testament, as the word baptism is a Greek ward adopted into the English New Testament. It is translated usually pledge, earnest. In the common and in the new version, this word is always rendered earnest. The ancient Hebrew and Phoenician word is a commercial term, and indicates that part of the price of any article which was given in hand at the time of purchase. The goods were marked or sealed, and a sum in hand paid, when the purchase was made; hence the Hebrew verb from which it is derived signifies to make sure, or to become surety. It is found three times only in the translation of the Seventy, and always adopted as in the New Testament, from which writings doubtless the Apostles had it.

Before we attempt to ascertain the precise import of this phrase, there is a word which occurs in the same connection with it, both in the Epistles to the Corinthians and Ephesians, which must be distinctly understood antecedent to a full intelligence of "the earnest of the Spirit." It is the word sealed. "God," says Paul, "has anointed us Apostles"__"Christ establishes us, God anoints us, and has also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (II. Cor. i. 21, 22). And Eph. i. 13, 14, speaking of the Ephesian converts in the second person, contrasted with the Jewish converts who before expected the Messiah, Paul says, "Having believed, you were sealed with the Spirit of the promise, the Holy Spirit [the promised Spirit], who is the earnest of our inheritance, for the redemption of the purchase to the praise of his glory."

The reader now perceives the intimacy between God's anointing, sealing, and giving of the earnest of the Spirit, and feels the importance of understanding the terms sealed, anointed, as well as the term [116] earnest. We shall therefore attend to them in order; and first, to the word seal:

Sphragis (seal) occurs in the New Testament sixteen times. Of these, thirteen are in the Apocalypse; and always denote a public mark or external sign, such as the seal upon a letter. The instrument by which a visible mark or impression is made is literally a seal. This seal has an inscription upon it; and therefore we have the instrument, the inscription, and the impression made by it, all denominated "seal." They are, however, all visible. The instrument, the inscription, and the impression on the wax or on the paper, are called seals. Metaphorically it denotes secrecy, and is so used in the Apocalypse. It also imports confirmation.

Let us now examine all the places in which it occurs. Rev. v. 5, "Seven seals"__visible impressions or marks indicative of security and secrecy. It is found chap. v. 1, 2, 5, 9, and chap. vi. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12; viii. 1__eleven times in this sense: chap. vii. it denotes the instrument by which impressions are made; chap. viii. 1. and chap. ix. 4, the impression made on the forehead; II. Tim. ii. 19, it seems to be used for the inscription on the seal; and Rom. iv. 11 it denotes a confirmatory mark. Circumcision was in the person of Abraham a seal or confirmation of the faith he had in uncircumcision. It is only found once more (I. Cor. ix. 2), "For the seal of my apostleship you are in the Lord." The converted Corinthians were a confirmation of Paul's apostleship. From this comes the verb,

To seal (sphragizo), which occurs seventeen times. Ten of these are found in the Revelation in the sense above defined__Rev. vii. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8; x. 4; xx. 3; xxii. 10; Matt. xxvii. 66, it is applied to the stone on the sepulcher. John vi. 27, God has sealed his Son, confirmed his mission by the Holy Spirit without measure. Rom. xv. 28, metaphorically, to secure. The remaining passages bear upon the subject directly, and are found Eph. i. 13 and iv. 30, in the sense applied to Jesus, John vi. 27. God sealed his Son by the manifestations of his Spirit. The Apostles were sealed as his ambassadors by the same Spirit; and the converts from among the Jews and Gentiles were also sealed as God's people by the manifestations of the same Spirit.

To give a ring with an inscription, or to give a seal, indicated in all ages of the world the conferring of an office. Pharaoh gave Joseph a ring (Gen. xli. 42) when he made him governor. A similar example is found Esth. viii. 2; iii. 10. The Lord Chancellor of England, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Lord of the Privy Seal, and the Secretaries of State receive their office by the king's delivering to them the seals of their respective offices.

The seal of the Spirit was then a public sign, mark, or pledge that God had sent his Son__that Jesus had sent the Apostles; and on their [117] converts it was a sign or a pledge that God had received them as his people. Every "manifestation of the Spirit" was a confirmation of the mission of the Apostles, a seal of their apostleship. The spiritual gifts bestowed upon the converts by the hands of the Apostles, was a seal of the apostleship of the persons who conferred them, and it was also a pledge that God had received the persons sealed as his property.

Connected with sealing is the figure of anointing: for kings, and prophets, and priests, on receiving their office, or on being sealed, were also anointed with oil. The pouring of oil upon the head was a literal anointing; but figuratively, the bestowing of the Holy Spirit, or some spiritual gifts, is the anointing spoken of in the New Testament. An examination of all the places where it is found makes this unquestionable. The word chrio (to anoint) is only found five times in the apostolic writings: Luke iv. 18; Acts iv. 27; x. 38; 11. Cor. i. 21; Heb. i. 9. It is four times applied to Jesus, and once only to the Apostles; and certainly alludes to "the gift of the Holy Spirit" in the ascertained sense of that phrase. Luke iv. 18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me," says Jesus, "because he has anointed me to preach the gospel." Acts iv. 27, "Against thy holy Son Jesus, whom thou hast anointed." Acts x. 38, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power." This explains the matter fully. Heb. i. 9, "God has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows"__his other public servants. The oil is the ointment or anointing, called the chrisma, found only in John's Letter, ii. 27__the gift of the Spirit__"The anointing teaches you all things." The remaining passage is II. Cor. i. 22, and is connected with the seal and the earnest: "God has anointed us, sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." As "the Holy Spirit and power" are not two things, neither is the anointing and the seal. "God anointed and sealed us" (Apostles) are not two distinct acts, but the same act presented under two figures.

Those who regard John the Baptist as pouring water upon the Messiah call that his anointing, or christening; and therefore those who sprinkle water upon the head of infants formerly called it christening, from the Greek word chrisas, which signifies anointing!

The oil, the pouring of the oil, and the head on which it was poured, are all external and visible. Hence the Holy Spirit descended on the head of the Messiah visibly, and sat upon the head of the Apostles in the resemblances of fiery tongues. Thus were Jesus and the Apostles anointed.

There is, however, a difference in meaning between the word anointing and the oil, and between the oil and its effects. Oil had sensible effects upon the person. Hence, as the emblem of the gift of the Holy Spirit bestowed on Jesus, it is called "the oil of gladness." Joy in the heart, arising from consecration to the Lord, was the natural [118] effect of this anointing. This joy in the heart is a prelude of the fullness of joy, an earnest of the inheritance. This brings us within sight of the meaning of the association of the anointing, the seal, and the earnest.

A seal and an earnest are not the same thing, though the same thing may be both a seal and an earnest. Anointing and sealing are not the same act, though the same act may be both an anointing and sealing. A sign and a seal are not the same thing; yet circumcision to Abraham was both a sign and a seal. There is this difference between a seal and an earnest: they are the same so far as an assurance is concerned; but the seal assures of an inheritance without being any part of it: whereas an earnest assures us of an inheritance, and is a part of the inheritance itself. A seal may be a pledge to others, but an earnest is a pledge to ourselves.

The seal of the Holy Spirit, as explained by Paul (Eph. 1. 13), is the earnest of the inheritance until the full possession of it. The seal may be upon my head, but the earnest is in the head and in the heart. If the head be anointed, the whole person is perfumed with its graces. The oil poured on the head of Aaron descended in its perfumes and influences to the tuft of his robe. The heart was always filled with joy when the head was anointed. All the members of Christ's body are anointed with him, and all experience the joy of that unction in their hearts; and this to them is an earnest, an assurance of the Dullness of joy. But to this subject we can not do full justice till we have examined "the fruits of the Spirit."

Thus far we have progressed__God anointed and sealed his Son and the Apostles by his Spirit, and sealed the converts made by their ministry as his people, by various manifestations of his Spirit; and these manifestations filled the heart with the fruits of God's Spirit. which constituted an earnest in their hearts of the full fruition of the heavenly inheritance.

The argument or assurance which the earnest of the Spirit in the saints gives, is thus expressed: "if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in us, he who raised up Christ from the dead will make even our mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who dwells in us."

Before we speak of "the fruit of the Spirit," and of "the first fruits of the Spirit," we think it necessary to extend our vision, and bring into our horizon what is spoken about the Spirit in the ages of the world antecedent to the Christian economy. We shall, therefore, glance through the ancient oracles.

There is not in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures a word of more diversified occurrence and of greater variety of meaning, than the word spirit. It occurs very often without any epithet, and we find it [119] in the following connections: Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, Spirit of the Lord, Spirit of the Lord God, Spirit of adoption, Spirit of antichrist, Spirit of the Arabians, Spirit of bondage, Spirit of burning, Spirit of counsel, Spirit of divination, Spirit of Egypt, Spirit of error, Spirit of fear, Spirit of fear of the Lord, Spirit of glory, Spirit of grace, Spirit of jealousy, Spirit of judgment, Spirit of infirmity, Spirit of knowledge, Spirit of heaviness, Spirit of holiness, Spirit of life, Spirit of meekness, Spirit of might, Spirit of your mind, Spirit of the Philistines, Spirit of promise, Spirit of prophecy, Spirit of slumber, Spirit of his Son, Spirit of truth, Spirit of understanding, Spirit of whoredoms, Spirit of wisdom.

We have also another class of combinations of this word; such as broken spirit, dumb spirit, evil spirit, free spirit, foul spirit, faithful spirit, good spirit, humble spirit, meek spirit, new spirit, patient spirit, perverse spirit, quickening spirit, quiet spirit, sorrowful spirit, unclean spirit, wounded spirit.

Add to these the phrases, Born of the Spirit, Earnest of the Spirit, Fruit of the Spirit, First Fruits of the Spirit, Newness of Spirit, Love of the Spirit, Mind of the Spirit, Sword of the Spirit, Demonstration of the Spirit, Manifestation of the Spirit, Ministration of the Spirit, Sanctification of the Spirit, Grieve not the Holy Spirit, Quench not the Spirit, Resist the Holy Spirit, Blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

Cruden, in his Concordance, ascribes nineteen different acceptations or significations to the word Spirit as found in both Testaments. Calmet attempts to generalize them under four distinct heads of signification, but evidently fails. Brown also makes an abortive attempt of the same sort.

Even when the Spirit of God is spoken of, it does not always mean the same thing. The Spirit of God sometimes unequivocally means the breath of natural life. Thus in Job xxvii. 3, "The Spirit of God is in my nostrils, all the while the breath is in me." The four winds are in the same metaphor, called the four spirits of the heavens. (Zech. vi. 5.) The Spirit of God moving upon the face of the great deep, may also be a figurative expression; for the Hebrews were accustomed to express their superlative comparison by adding the word God as an adjective to a noun. Thus "the cedars of God," "the hills of God," "the mountains of God," were very lofty cedars, hills and mountains. However this may be, we find the phrase does not always mean the same thing.

The "Spirit of God" in the Old Testament is spoken of thirteen times only. When Pharaoh discovered the divine wisdom which was found in Joseph after he interpreted his visions, he said to his servants, "Can we find such a man as this Joseph, in whom the Spirit of God is?" The Lord also called Bezaleel of the tribe of Judah and "filled [120] him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship." The "Lord put wisdom in the hearts of all who were wise_hearted," who with Aholiab and Bezaleel were to construct the tabernacle and its furniture as the Lord commanded Moses. "The Spirit of God came upon Balaam [Num. xxiv. 2], upon Saul [I. Sam. x. 10; xi. 6] and upon the messengers of Saul [xix. 20], and they all prophesied." The Spirit of God in like manner "came upon Azariah, and he preached to Asa, to Judah, and Benjamin" (11. Chron. xv. 1). Ezekiel says (xi. 24), "The Spirit took me up and brought me in vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea." This is all we learn of the Spirit of God from the Old Testament.

But although we have not this phrase more frequently in the Old Testament, much is said of the Spirit, in the ancient revelations. The Lord took of the Spirit that was upon Moses, and put it upon the seventy senators appointed to the government of Israel with Moses; and when the Spirit came upon them they prophesied without intermission. (Num. xi. 17, 25.) When Moses heard of their prophesying, he said, Would to God that all the Lord's people were Prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them!

Caleb and Joshua are spoken of as men possessing another spirit__it is spoken doubtless allusively to the Spirit of God. The spirit of Elijah means the spirit which God bestowed upon him, which also rested upon Elisha. The spirit came upon Amasa, one of David's captains, as the spirit of courage; and the same spirit gave a pattern of the Temple to David, according to which it was erected. (I. Chron. xviii. 21.) This spirit dwelt in all the prophets. (Neh. ix. 39.) David prayed to be upheld by God's free Spirit. An excellent spirit was found in Daniel, and God by Solomon, promised to pour out his Spirit upon all who turned to the Lord. "Turn, you sinners, at my reproof, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you."

But the phrase "Spirit of the Lord" frequently occurs in the Old Testament. It is found twenty_six times, and is always used synonymously with the Spirit of God. It, as well as the Spirit of God, sometimes signifies the wind. Isa. xl. 7, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass!" It came on the great warriors and judges of Israel__on Othniel, on Gideon, on Jephthah, on Samson, on Saul, on David, on Jehaziel, upon Isaiah, upon Ezekiel, and upon Micah, and upon all the prophets. All who had "the Spirit of the Lord," or "the Spirit of God," in this age of the world, were supernaturally endowed in some respect or other.

"My Spirit," in the mouth of the Lord, occurs ten times in the Old Testament He promises to pour out his Spirit upon all flesh__upon all who returned to him__upon all the seed of Israel__upon the Messiah [121] __upon the prophets. This, of course, will be found in the same acceptation of the phrase "Spirit of God," "Spirit of the Lord," unless we regard it prospectively in reference to other influences promised in the times of the Messiah. This, however, only applies to those promises applicable to the Christian age.

"Holy Spirit," in the first four thousand years of the world, is only found three times. David and Isaiah are the old prophets who use it. David says (Ps. li.), "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me;" and Isaiah (lxiii. 10, 11) says of Israel, in reference to God's miraculous care of them, "They rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit; therefore, he turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the Shepherd of his flock? Where is he that put his Holy Spirit within him, that led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm dividing the water before them to make himself an everlasting name?" From this we discover that the Holy Spirit is used as equivalent to the Spirit of God bestowed on Moses and Joshua, to the Spirit of the Lord which fell on the saviors of Israel.

It is here worthy of remark, that the King's translators did never use the phrase Holy Ghost in translating the Old Testament. On three occasions they ought, upon their own principles, to have used it; for it is the same phrase, which in the New Testament, with four exceptions, they have uniformly translated "Holy Ghost."

Pneuma hagion, or to Pneuma to hagion, occurs ninety_four times in the New Testament. Ninety times they translated it Holy Ghost, and four times Holy Spirit. Curiosity is inquisitive to find some reason for these four exceptions. They are found Luke xi. 13; Eph. i. 13; iv. 30; I Thess. iv. 8. In Luke xi. 13 there is no article__it simply reads, "Give a holy spirit to them that ask him." They did not say, "Give a holy ghost." Why? Is it because there is no article? We shall examine the other passages and see whether they are uniform in this. Eph. i. 13; iv. 30, and I. Thess. iv. 8 the article is found. Besides, in many other places, where the article is not found, they have Holy Ghost. Is it because what Luke calls "Holy Ghost," Matthew, in quoting the same passage of Christ's discourse (chap. vii. 11), uses "good things?" Probably it was; for they seem to use "Holy Ghost" as if by it a person was always intended; at least, this will apply to the New Testament: for we have seen they have no Holy Ghost in the Old Testament. But then it will be asked, Are they uniform in this? Is not their Holy Ghost meant Eph. i. 13 and iv. 30 and I. Thess. iv. 8? It would appear so. But the construction is peculiar in Eph. i. 13, for the arrangement is, "You are sealed by the spirit of the promise, the holy:" and as the King's translators promised only the Holy [122] Spirit in the Old Testament, and not the Holy Ghost, they could not with propriety speak of a promised Holy Ghost: for in chap. iv. 30 they seem to have their eyes turned back to Isa. lxiii. 11, where they rendered it, "Grieve his Holy Spirit," and therefore they can not say, "Grieve not the Holy Ghost of God," the figure in Isa. lxiii. 10, 11, being the same found in Eph. iv. 30. They prefer to agree with themselves in the Old Testament, rather than with themselves in the New. And in the last place (I. Thess. iv. 8) we can find no reason, except that they found it incongruous to use Holy Ghost in reference to God himself__"Who has given to us his Holy Spirit," rather than his Holy Ghost. This is, in all candor, all we can say in their defense. There is, therefore, no good reason for preferring Ghost to Spirit ninety times to four in the New Testament.

There is a saying found in the covenant subscribed by Nehemiah, the governor, twenty_two priests, seventeen Levites, and forty_four chiefs of Israel, which is worthy of attention here. The Tirshatha (Neh. ix. 20), speaking of the instructions given to Israel in the wilderness by Moses and Aaron, says, "Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not the manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst;" and in verse 30, speaking of the various prophets sent to remonstrate with Israel, he says, "Thou testifiedst against them by the Spirit in thy prophets; yet would they not give ear."

The good Spirit, the holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, thy Spirit, and my Spirit, as applied to God in the Jewish Scriptures, when not used metaphorically, always indicates the spirit of supernatural wisdom, knowledge, power and goodness bestowed upon the prophets, the kings, the priests, the judges, the artificers, the great generals and illustrious men of Israel. It was the spirit of wisdom and revelation in Moses and in the prophets: it was the spirit of might, and power, and courage, in all the heroes and judges of Israel: the Joshuas, the Gideons, the Samsons, the Davids, etc.; it was the spirit of natural science and the fine arts in Bezaleel, Aholiab, and all the ingenious artificers that erected and beautified the Tabernacle and adorned the high priest of God. It was the spirit of holiness and goodness in all the models of human excellence, which yet give a lustre and renown to the splendid names enrolled on Israel's historic page__which shed a celestial radiance around those magnificent constellations which will shine in the Jewish firmament forever and forever.

We now request the attention of our readers to one most important and prominent acceptation of this term in the New Institution. In order to this we shall carefully examine the phrase "ministration of the Spirit." [123]

Although we have the word diakonia, here rendered ministration, at least thirty_two tunes in the Apostles' testimony, we have it but once in connection with the word Spirit. (II. Cor. iii. 9.) This word is properly rendered by the word ministration, ministry, serving, service, waiting, attendance, charge, according to the connection. This is universally admitted. The most common and current acceptation of the word is indicated by the term ministry. Paul frequently uses it in this precise import.

In the passage under consideration there can be no difficulty in ascertaining the meaning; for the ministration of the Spirit is contrasted with the ministration of death; and what is called the ministration of the Spirit is also called the ministration of righteousness; and this again is contrasted with the ministration of condemnation. Now the thing that was formerly ministered is in verse 6 called letter; and the thing that is now ministered is called spirit.

No passage in the Apostles' writings abounds more with strong contrasts than this third chapter of the second Epistle to the Corinthians. We have in it Old Institution and New Institution__tables of stone, tables of the heart__letter and spirit__killing and making alive__ministry of Spirit, ministry of death, ministry of justification, ministry of condemnation, ministry of Moses, ministry of the Apostles__Moses veiled, the Apostles unveiled__fading glory, abounding glory__the thing abolished, and the thing which continues.

The Apostle seems to have fallen into this mood by the petulance of some who talked about his carrying letters of recommendation to the church in Corinth. He told them that they themselves were Christ's letters of recommendation to him, though ministered by himself and his fellow_laborers, written not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God; not on tables of stone, but on the fleshly tables of the heart.

Our present object, however, is only to ascertain the precise import of the phrase ministry or ministration of the Spirit. The contrasts drawn by the Apostle leaves no doubt on the mind of the attentive student, that, by these words the Apostle only means the introduction of the gospel, by the ministry of the Apostles, contrasted with the introduction of the law by the service or ministry of Moses.

The contrast throughout is between two institutions__law and gospel__letter and spirit__a system of condemnation, a system of justification__death and life__two writings__one on stone, and one on the heart__one killing, the other making alive__one veiled in figure, and one unveiled__the one tending to bondage, the other to liberty.

The spirit, then, here is only another name for the gospel. This is so evident that most critics and commentators of eminence assert it. The reason is obvious__not indeed because the gospel was first preached accompanied by "the gift of the Holy Spirit"__not because the Apostles [124] proclaimed the gospel with "the demonstration and manifestation of the Spirit;" for Moses in the ministry of the letter was sustained by the Spirit of God, by various demonstrations of its presence and power; but because the gospel is in part "the promise of the Spirit," and is designed to minister the Holy Spirit to all the believers. That which is begotten and born by the gospel is a new and holy spirit; or, in other words, "that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Hence by a metonymy, a very common figure of speech in the sacred writings, the gospel is sometimes called the spirit.

Illustrative and confirmatory of this, the reader has only to examine the context in which this phrase occurs. The Old Institution or Testament is as often and as variously spoken of in this chapter as the New Institution or the gospel. It is explained as "the law written and engraven on two tables of stone." It is by the same figure of speech called "condemnation"__"death"__because it ministered condemnation and death. It is said "to kill," while the gospel quickens or "makes alive."

Now, whatever gives life gives spirit. The law gave no life, no spirit, except that of bondage, because it killed__the gospel gives the spirit of liberty and life, because it makes alive. The law was not, however, naked or abstract death; neither is the gospel naked or abstract spirit. The law was death clothed in words of threatening; the gospel is spirit clothed in words of life.

This is not the only passage in which the Apostle thought and spoke in this manner of contrast. We find him using the same leading contrasts and giving the same designations to law and gospel. In Romans, seventh chapter, he contrasts the state under Moses and under Christ__under the letter and the spirit. In the beginning of the 8th chapter he asserts, "There is no condemnation to them under Christ;" because under Christ he has before shown, "we are not under law, but under favor." But here he adds, "Because the law of the Spirit of life"__i. e., the gospel coming by Jesus Christ, "has made me free from the law of sin and death"__i. e., the letter. "We now serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of the letter."

In the same context he speaks of living according to the flesh, and according to the spirit; of living in the flesh and in the spirit; of having both "Christ" and "the spirit of Christ" dwelling in us; of being "led by the Spirit," and "having the Spirit of God dwelling in us."

In his letter to the Galatians he speaks in the same language: "Walk by the Spirit," says he, "and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh." "If you be led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." "Since we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." And it is in this connection, when contrasting law and gospel, the walking by the flesh and the walking by the Spirit, he speaks of [125]

"THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT"

This is opposed to the work of the flesh, the offspring of that principle, which under the law works death. The phrase "fruit of the Spirit," in the connection in which it stands, is equivalent to the fruit of the gospel. The gospel obeyed works out "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance: against such fruit there is no law" (Gal. v.). Again, says Paul (Eph. v. 8). "Walk as children of light." (Now the fruit of this light [the Spirit] consists in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth.) "Be filled with the Spirit." "Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you," "singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs." Thus the phrases "Being filled with the Spirit," and "Having the word of Christ [gospel] dwelling richly in the heart," are explained by the same injunction to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, with grateful hearts to the Lord. Compare Eph. v. 18, 19, and Col. iii. 16.

If, then (as I presume the intelligent will perceive), the phrase "ministration of the Spirit" mean the introduction of the gospel by the ministry of the Apostles; and "the fruit of the Spirit" mean the practical results of the gospel in the heart, or the gospel obeyed; and thus the term "spirit," in the style of the Apostles, occasionally means no more than the gospel, may it not be said that receiving the gospel into the heart, is, in the Apostles' sense, receiving the Spirit?

This question at least deserves a careful and devout examination. It is obvious that Christ is received by receiving the gospel; and if Christ be received by receiving the gospel, why not the Spirit of God also?

But where is the proof that Christ is received by receiving the gospel? "He came to his own people, and they received him not__believed not in him; but to as many as received him to them he gave power to become the sons of God," etc. To receive a person, is to receive him crediting and cordially recognizing him in his own proper character. "As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord," walk by his directions. Thus they who credit his word, receive him; and are therefore said to "have Christ in them." "If Christ be in you," says Paul to the Romans, "the body is dead as respects sin." "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." "Christ liveth in me."

There was, then, a receiving of Christ, familiarly spoken of in the age of the Apostles; and there was a receiving of the grace of God, and a receiving of the Spirit also, in receiving the gospel. There was a dwelling and living of Christ in the heart; nay, there was an inhabitation of God himself in the hearts of the believers. For "if a man love me," says the Messiah, "he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come and make our abode with him." [126] "Behold," says Jesus, "I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will enter and sup with him and he with me." "Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord."

But besides this indirect and figurative reception of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, by the gospel; these gracious influences, suggestions, illuminations, consolations and invigorating impulses of the good Spirit of God, by and through the gospel in the heart, making the heart a cistern, a fountain whence living waters constantly flow; is there not a substantive, a real and unfigurative reception of the Holy Spirit himself, in the sense of the question Paul asked the Galatians (iii. 2), "Did you receive the Spirit by works of law, or by obedience of faith?"

Such a reception of the Spirit there certainly was; and of this "gift of the Holy Spirit," this "demonstration of the Spirit," this "manifestation of the Spirit," these "spiritual gifts," we have already spoken as conferred upon the first fruits in the last days of the Jewish age__in the setting up of the kingdom of the Messiah; but of such a reception of the Spirit since the LAST DAYS of the Jewish age, since the creation of one new man of believing Jews and Gentiles, and the breathing into him the holy spirit of this new life, there has been no substantive, abstract and literal communication of the Holy Spirit to any man. Such is the experience of all the catholic congregation of Christ. There has arisen no prophet, no originator of new ideas, no worker of miracles, no controller of nature's laws, no person having any manifestation of the Spirit, or showing any divine power among men.

Now these manifestations of the Spirit were for the benefit of the community; but the Holy Spirit as now promised and received through the gospel, is for the benefit of the subject himself. There are, however, other phrases and terms found in the Christian Scriptures which require our attention, and when correctly appreciated farther illustrate and confirm the preceding.

Although with respect to various misconceptions of what is written on this subject, we have enlarged our remarks beyond the limits of literary investigation, still we aimed at no more in this essay than a fair and full examination of the phrases "ministration of the Spirit," one acceptation of the word "Spirit," the "fruit of the Spirit," and "receiving of the Spirit." If we have ascertained these, it is all the merit we claim for the present essay.

The following Scriptural phrases are worthy of special consideration, in attempting to understand what the Scriptures teach of the influence of the Holy Spirit, in the hearts of believers:

"The Spirit bears witness with our spirit."__"Grieve not the Spirit."__"Quench not the Spirit."__"Led by the Spirit."__"Walk in the [127] Spirit."__"Live after the Spirit."__"Strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inward man."__"Sanctification of the Spirit."__Immersing into the name of the Holy Spirit."__"Communion of the Holy Spirit."

That the Spirit of God does influence believers, or work in their hearts, to think, will, and do, according to the good pleasure of God, is a proposition that no person, who has paid an ordinary attention to the writings of the Apostles and Prophets, can reasonably deny.

But concerning the nature, manner, and extent of this influence or operation, real Christians have differed and may differ again, in their apprehensions and communications. Our province is to understand and teach the meaning of the words and sentences, which the inspired writers have used on this subject, judging that when these are fairly and fully, that is, grammatically and logically understood, we are in possession of the ideas which God designed to communicate to us.

We have clearly seen in the examinations already completed, that the Spirit of God was the author of all the supernatural intelligence, wisdom, and power, which appear in the writings and doings of all God's messengers to men:__and that he is the author of all genuine goodness in the human heart, is quite apparent. We have also discerned, that all the converting power__or saving power, which the Spirit of God exerts on the human mind, is now in and by the word written, read or heard; for that where this word has never been heard or known, not one supernatural idea exists;__not one ray of spiritual or celestial light has shone.

"'Tis midnight with the soul, till he,
Bright Morning Star, bid darkness flee."

But whether this influence is direct or indirect; in the word only, or without the word; abstract and naked, or clothed with light and motive; have been, and still are, questions undecided by many. To assist such persons, is our supreme object in instituting the present investigation of words and phrases; and as we have already affirmed, we are now only concerned to know and communicate the true intent and meaning of the Scripture style, as though we were examining 'a matter, on which we had formed no opinion ourselves.

Before we resume our philological labors in the phrases now before us for examination, it may be expedient to remark, with a special reference to the difficulties of some of the more thoughtful on this subject, that, the whole work of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles' time, was not to originate new ideas, nor to clothe men with supernatural and extraordinary powers;__such as speaking foreign languages, and tongues unknown before, and in controlling or suspending the laws of physical nature; but in strengthening the mind and memory, and in reviving the recollections of things said and done, in [128] time long past,__and in reproducing the exact images of things which had vanished from the mind. This is now simply premised, in reference to some phrases shortly to be examined; and to furnish to the curious speculators on this subject, some data, which at least are entitled to their consideration.

But we proceed to the phrase, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Rom. viii. 16__Com. ver.). "Also the Spirit itself beareth witness together with our spirit, that we are the children of God."__Macknight. "Also this Spirit bears witness together with our spirit, that we are children of God."__New version, fourth edition.

The preceding verse, which reads, "You have received the Spirit of adoption, by which we cry, Abba Father;" seems to present the argument thus, "But this Spirit of adoption is not the only proof that the believing Gentiles are the adopted sons of God: for in addition to this, the spirit which has thus breathed into our hearts the Spirit of adoption, has also borne, and still bears witness to our son ship, by the spiritual gifts bestowed on the believing Gentiles.

Two witnesses are adduced by the Apostles, concurring in the establishment of the fact, that believing Gentiles are divinely constituted sons of God. The first is the Spirit of adoption, which they had individually received; infusing into their hearts the cry, "Abba, Father;" the other, the extraordinary gifts, or the manifestations of the Spirit, bestowed equally upon the Gentiles, at, and after, their first calling into the kingdom of Jesus.

As Dr. Macknight well observes, "God is said to have sealed the believing Gentiles as his sons, by giving them the Spirit" (II. Cor. i. 22; v. 5; Eph. i. 13, 14). "By the Spirit's witness, we are to understand a particular revelation to individuals," the same translator distinctly affirms.

I have learned from Prof. Stuart's version of the Epistle to the Romans, and his notes on this passage, which appeared since my dissertation in 1830, on the twenty_sixth and twenty_seventh verses of this chapter, that I was not alone as I then apprehended, in supposing the Spirit of adoption to be "the Spirit that intercedes for us, in sighs which can not be uttered;" for he testifies, page 324, that those who regard the Spirit of adoption spoken of in the fifteenth verse, to be the same with the spirit spoken of in the sixteenth verse, "compare this with verses twenty_six and twenty_seven, which they construe in the same way."

"For a long time," says the Professor, "I preferred this interpretation;" that is, making the Spirit of God (verse 16) the same as the Spirit of adoption (verse 15). "But," he adds, "repeated and attentive study of the whole passage in the connection, has of late brought [129] me to a pretty full persuasion, that auto to pneuma (verse 16) is the same as pneuma theou (verse 14);" or that the Spirit of God, rather than the Spirit of adoption, is intended in verse 16. I may add, that Professor Stuart in his version, renders the verse in examination, thus__"The same Spirit beareth witness to our spirit, that we are children of God." This may be sustained by Rom. ii. 15; ix. 1; but is not in so full accord with the word summarturei, according to the grammatical construction of the Greek language, as in the new version. The Professor's version would, however, better express my views of the passage than the new version, if it could be as well sustained. For it is to our spirit the witness is offered at last, read it as we may. I would paraphrase the passage thus: "The Spirit of God by his demonstrations or seal vouchsafed to the believing Gentiles, as well as to believing Jews, bears witness to our understanding in conjunction with the Spirit of adoption, which we have individually received, that we are children of God.

When we speak of testimony or witness, there are two things always to be taken into consideration;__the fact or proposition in support of which the testimony is presented,__and the person or persons to whom the testimony is offered. There is something to be proved; and some person to whom or for whom it is to be proved. Now, a person can not be both the subject and the object of the same testimony himself. For example. Let the question be, "Am I a child of God?" This is to be ascertained for my own satisfaction. I am the person to whom it is to be proved. There is something represented by the pronoun I, which is constituted judge in this case. This then can not be both witness and judge. A witness in me must be something distinct from me. Well: what is the witness in me distinct from myself, unless it be the Spirit of adoption breathing in me all filial dispositions? Now if Paul and his companions rejoiced in the testimony of their own conscience, why may I not rejoice in the testimony of this witness? But as this is but one witness, and as everything of importance requires two witnesses; and especially as this witness may be suspected of being under the influence of near relation and not easily cross examined, it requires a concurrent testimony. Now this is that which the Spirit of God has presented in the written word__sealed by its own demonstrations. An exact correspondence between these two witnesses begets full confidence, or satisfactorily answers the question, "Am I a child of God?"

But it must be observed, that the testimony of God in the authenticated word, and the testimony within, are both necessary to the full assurance of our son ship. Hence, John says, "If our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence." By loving "not in word only, but in deed and in truth," says the divine Apostle, "we know that we are [130] of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him." Happy frames and good feelings are no evidence of our son ship, unless sustained by the testimony in the Holy Scriptures. And this calls for unreserved obedience to all the commandments of Jesus.

But while this and much more may be necessary to illustrate the testimony borne to our spirits by the Spirit of God; the fact that such a witness exists, and the bare meaning of the phrase, are all that fairly lie within our present object. The Apostle's design in the connection in which the phrase occurs, clearly ascertains its import. His proposition is: "As many as are led by the Spirit, these are the sons of God." "To be led by the Spirit," or to be led by any person, is simply to be guided by what they say. Those thus led, are children of God. That they are the children of God, is proved to themselves by two witnesses;__what the Spirit has testified in the written word, and sustained by miracles,__and by the filial dispositions, called the Spirit of adoption, which it has inspired into the hearts of all the believers, whether Jews or Gentiles.

In ascertaining the import of the phrase, "The Spirit bears witness with our spirit," we quoted Dr. Macknight as asserting that "by the Spirit's witness we are to understand;" whereas it ought to have read, "By the Spirit's witness we are not to understand a particular revelation to individuals." This typographical mistake was not noticed till after we sat down to write the present essay. It was implied, if not distinctly stated in our last, that the phrase "spirit of adoption" indicates those filial dispositions which are engendered in the believers by the Spirit of God, and that to be "led by the Spirit," is, in our style, to be guided by what he says to us.

The phrase now before us is, "Grieve not the Spirit." In the common version of the Scriptures, God is said to have been grieved for forty years with the manners of the Jews in the wilderness. (Ps. xcv. 10; Heb. iii. 10, 17.) Again, the question is asked (Ps. lxxviii. 40), "How often did they grieve him in the desert?" Jesus also is said (Mark iii. 5) to have been "grieved at the hardness of their hearts." From these Scriptures we may easily perceive the meaning of grieving the Holy Spirit. As Israel of old grieved God in the desert, so Christians may grieve the Holy Spirit by suffering corrupt communications to escape their lips, or by disobeying his precepts.

Children grieve their parents by their foolish behavior, and Christians are figuratively said to grieve the Spirit when they act in a way unbecoming his presence with them. The Lord was present with the Jews in the wilderness, therefore they could grieve him. His Spirit is in the congregation, and therefore Christians may grieve him. The Spirit when grieved with Adam, forsook him__when displeased with the Jews, it forsook them. David, when conscious of his faults, prays, [131] "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me!" and the command, "Grieve not the Spirit," implies that Christians may also be forsaken by God.

"Quench not the Spirit." This phrase, like the preceding, is found but once in the New Testament (I. Thess. v. 19). The gift of the Holy Spirit having been like a flame of fire, this figure is most expressive and beautiful. Referring to those gifts extraordinary, enjoyed by many of the first converts, Jewish and Gentile, the Apostle could, with all propriety of metaphor, say to them who had any spiritual gift, "Quench not the Spirit," "Despise not prophesying," etc. And to Timothy, in the same style, he could say, "Stir up the gift which is in you." The word used in Timothy is anazopurein, blow up this fire__quench it not__put not out this sacred fire in yourself or in others, but rouse it to a flame.

To "walk in the Spirit," and "live after the Spirit," are, in effect, the same as to be "led by the Spirit." Christians who think, speak, and act according to the gospel, are walking after, or according to, the Spirit__living according to the Spirit__led by the Spirit. Thus the Platonist was led by Plato__walked according to Plato__lived as Plato directed.

"Strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. iii. 16); or, "Mightily strengthened by his Spirit in the inner man." Paul implores this blessing from God upon the Ephesians. There is much to be learned from the prayers of the Apostles, both for themselves and their brethren, as to their views, their practical views of the influence and aid of the good Spirit of God. That they expected some help from God of same sort, is clearly and fully expressed in all their petitions, both for themselves and for one another. Let the reader, intent on understanding the Apostles' views and style, carefully examine their prayers, as if to learn what they expected to be yet done for them. The following specimens will be sufficient to our present purpose:

"On this account I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and upon earth is named, praying that, according to the riches of his glory, he would grant you to be mightily strengthened by his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that being rooted and grounded in love, you may be completely able to apprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height__even to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think, according to the power which works effectually in us__to him be glory in the congregation by Christ Jesus, during all the endless succession of ages. Amen." [132]

That the Apostle expected the strengthening of the faculties of the mind, by the Spirit of God in the hearts of these saints at Ephesus, can not be doubted; but that this was to be effected by faith__by Christ dwelling in the heart by faith, is not to be questioned. If such petitions were necessary in the age of spiritual gifts, they are no less so in the present time; and that the Spirit of God does in some way by faith work in men both to will and to do, and that he does and may do for us above all that we ask or think, is not to be questioned, if Paul in this passage is to be understood according to what we call common sense.

The thanksgivings, as well as the petitions of the Apostle Paul, imply all this and more. When he heard of the faith and love of the Ephesians, he said, "I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers__that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in. the knowledge of him; that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance among the saints, and what the exceeding greatness of his power in relation to us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far above all government, and power, and might, and lordship, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come," etc.

The Apostles taught the Christians by precept or example to pray for the following things:__for eloquence and boldness for those who labor in the word and teaching; for wisdom for themselves; for favor, mercy, and peace for the brotherhood; for the healing of the sick; for an offending brother; for being filled with. the knowledge of the will of God; for their own strength and that of their brethren; for the good behavior of the brotherhood; for the protection and salvation of kings, governors, and all sorts of men, for every promised blessing, and for every necessary thing, either for the present or the future; for themselves and for their brethren.1

These apostolic prayers are full of edification: they are, in comparison of mere didactic communications, as experiment to theory, or as example to precept. The views of the Apostles on the subject of divine influences will be found in their petitions, supplications, acid thanksgiving. That they expected much in answer to their prayers, and that they and their converts did not ask in vain, need not be argued to those who will carefully examine this matter. [133]

But the phrase "communion of the Holy Spirit," will still more fully illustrate their views. It is koinonia, fellowship, joint participation. We have this word twenty times from the day of Pentecost to the close of the Epistles. It is twice applied to the Holy Spirit__II. Cor. xiii. 13; Phil. ii. 1. It is applied to the Father and to the Son__I. John i. 3_6; I. Cor. 1. 9. We have the communion of the Father, the communion of the Son, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, or the fellowship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; for it is the same term uniformly in the passages quoted. The communion of saints; of the blood of Christ; of the body of Christ, denote their joint participation of the influence, presence, and comforts of the good Spirit of God.

We have communion with one another when we mutually give and receive consolation, whether in sentiment, in sympathy, in communication, or in any of the blessings of society. Man was made for communion with God and his fellows, but he lost it in Adam the first. In Adam the second he is restored to that communion; but while in his mortal body his communion with God is only by his Spirit through Jesus Christ our Lord.

But we have not yet caught the precise idea expressed in the Apostle's benediction - "The communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all"' There is suggested in this phrase a participation of the Holy Spirit common to all the members of the body of Christ. It is not some gift or special influence of the Spirit, imparted only to a few; but that fellowship of the Spirit which, under Christ, is common to the many--to all the family of God - of which the Apostle spoke. The best definition of the word communion which I can give, is, union in that which is common. Wherever there is union in common, there is communion. As the glory of the Lord equally filled all the tabernacle and the temple, so the Spirit of God animates, consoles, and refreshes the whole body of Christ. These consolations, joys, and refreshments from the presence of the Lord, the Apostle imprecated upon all the Corinthian converts. He wished them a full fellowship, an equal participation of those measures of the Holy Spirit which belonged to the body of Christ as such. The three greatest blessings which Paul could invoke on the Corinthians, were, "the favor of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit." These are not one and the same idea; but three distinct ideas- -as distinct as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He that enjoys the favor of Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, has all the fullness of God, and is as blessed as mortal man can be.

Into these relations to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit we are immersed; for the Lord commanded the believers to be immersed into the name of the Holy Spirit as well as into the name [134] of the Father and the Son. To be immersed into the name of the Holy Spirit, prepares for the enjoyment of this communion; as being immersed into the Father, introduces into the enjoyment of the love of God; and as immersion into the name of Jesus Christ, introduces us into the favor of the Lord Jesus. This love, grace, and communion are the superlative glory of the Christian institution. They are equally apprehensible, though in their nature and modes of development incomprehensible. It is the duty, honor, and privilege of Christians to enjoy all that into which they are immersed. There is as much wisdom or folly in disparaging the communion of the Holy Spirit, as in undervaluing the love of God or the favor of Jesus Christ.

There is also as much reason, and Scripture, and honor in being immersed into the Holy Spirit, as into the name of the Lord Jesus. Should any one think that the communion of the Holy Spirit has ceased, he may as well imagine that the love of God has ceased and that the favor of Jesus Christ is extinct. If he can not comprehend the one, he can not comprehend the other. But as we are immersed into the name of the Holy Spirit, we must look for and constantly expect the communion of that Spirit, as well as the love of God and the favor of Jesus Christ our Lord.

There yet remains the phrase "sanctification of the Spirit." This understood, I presume the whole New Testament phraseology on the subject of the Spirit will be easily understood by every attentive reader. The original phrase is hagiasmos pneumatos, and is found only in II. Thess. ii. 13; I. Pet. i. 2. In both places it appears to refer to the sanctification of the spirit of believers. It is literally rendered "sanctification [or holiness] of spirit." There is no article in the original and no epithet that suggests the Holy Spirit in either passage. God has chosen men to salvation through (or by) holiness of spirit; not through the holiness of his Spirit, but through the holiness of their spirit. When Jesus prayed (John xvii.) for the sanctification or holiness of his disciples, it was through the truth: "Sanctify them through the truth; thy word is truth." The belief of the truth is, therefore, by Paul associated with this holiness or sanctification of spirit. The Spirit of God is frequently denominated in these days, "the Sanctifier." Let it be granted that it is the Spirit that sanctifies or sets apart men to God, still it must be argued from the Record that he sanctifies them only through the truth or gospel believed. A sanctified unbeliever is inconceivable; and, as "without holiness [or sanctification of spirit] no man can see the Lord;" so, without faith, there can be no holiness, and no action acceptable to God.

All persons sanctified to God to any high office or function, were anointed, and thus consecrated to his special service. So all Christians, being priests, are anointed or sanctified by the Holy Spirit [135] through the obedience of the truth, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus, cleansing their consciences from dead works to serve the living God. In this we find the secret of the most usual epithet of the Spirit. It is the Spirit of holiness, because it is the Spirit of truth. It is the Holy Spirit, because by its influence it makes us holy; and these influences which sanctify are always by and through the truth. When God chose men to salvation, it was through sanctification of spirit; and as a means to this, it was through the belief of the truth.

The KJV states, "There is none (no one) that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince." Now, just let that last thought sink in a little bit. What is Gabriel telling Daniel? There is no one else who can stand by my side or is able to "hold with me in these things" but Michael your prince. What is Gabrielle saying? It is very obvious to me that she is telling Daniel that Michael is equal to her and she is equal to Michael. I see no mystery here in these very plain words. So, Michael and Gabrielle fought and stood side by side all through the Great Controversy in the Old Testament. And it was Gabrielle who announced the coming of the Messiah to both Zechariah in the temple and Mary in her home as well as the Shepherds the night of Jesus' birth. But when Jesus became a human being they were split apart just like Adam and Eve were separated from Michael and Gabrielle in the Garden of Eden. So, the Wedding Supper of the Lamb is for the purpose of joining together that which has been split apart by sin. But in order to do that sin must be eradicated from the Bride so that she becomes pure and spotless and her robes are without stain, spot or wrinkle.

Jesus, who is Michael and Gabrielle, His sister spouse and the wave sheaf or the Barley, which is the beginning of the harvest (first phase of a perfected humanity) and the promise that all will follow in order as the Father has planned. You see Michael and Gabriel and Adam and Eve were split up when Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eve. So they were split up when Jesus came into our dimension and took on a body of flesh. Now, this should really break our hearts. He gave up this incredible love relationship with His beloved, His sister_spouse. We cannot know how much pain that caused them for how much closer could you be to another being than to be: 1. Sister_brother and 2. twins on top of that and. 3. Then to be married as sister_spouse or husband and wife. We do not understand this at all in our culture. But the deities (gods and goddesses in the pagan religions copied or counterfeited this with Tammuz and Ishtar in ancient Assyria and Babylon. Then you have Osiris and Isis in Egypt who were twins... sister_spouse. The same is found in Greece and Rome with Apollo and Diana or Venus his twin sister_spouse.

Beloved, we need to do a lot more investigation into how and why those counterfeits existed because where there is a counterfeit there has to be a genuine or original because there can never be a shadow of something without the existence of the reality. That is how we prove the Mother image of God...because of the Queen of Heaven...Jeremiah 44....they worshiped the Queen of heaven and ate cakes to her like they do to Mary, the physical mother of Jesus. We also have Tammuz and Semiramis, the ancient pagan goddess of the Moon who was married to Nimrod, the Mighty hunter before or against the Lord. Nimrod was the first anti-Christ who built the Tower of Babel. Semiramis was a very beautiful woman...a priestess in the temple who married Nimrod. He died and she taught that he went to heaven and became the God of the Sun or Sun God and from then on they worshiped the Sun as they believed they were thereby worshiping Nimrod. Semiramis was an immoral woman like Jezebel who no doubt had many lovers and relationships. She got pregnant and had Tammuz. And then they picture Semiramis and Tammuz as having a sexual relationship in the pagan religions. This was done on purpose to blaspheme and counterfeit the relationship between Jesus and His mother and to distort the real meaning of the true family of God and the relationship we are to have with them. All this needs to be explained to the people so they will understand who God is what this Wedding Supper of the Lamb is all about.. Ezekiel 1 and Rev. 4 and 5 reveal that the God head is not a trinity of three males but is composed of four individuals. We know for sure that the Father created all the worlds through His only Son, Jesus and that are created in the exact image of the Creator, the Father. .Heb. 1:1_3. John 1:1_3. If One man and One woman were created by God the Father through Jesus then there had to be a female Goddess involved as well in order for Eve to be created...In their exact image.

I believe that Gabrielle was with Jesus throughout His earthly life. The Bible reveals special times when she came to him like in the desert when He fasted and then in the Garden of Gethsemane when He sweat blood. She came to comfort Him. The SOP tells us in "Desire of Ages," that she encouraged and strengthened Him to go through with the sacrifice. Just think of the suffering they were going through, each of them, as well as the Father and Mother. I believe only the Father knows all things from the beginning to the end and the Son has had to learn as He has gone along just like we do along with His Sister Spouse. "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him." Heb. 5:8, 9.

We know that Jesus continually stated that the Father is greater than Him, John 14:28 and that only the Father knows the day and hour of His return. "It is not for you to know the times or the season, which the Father has put in His own power." Acts 1:7. My final thought here on this topic is simply this. Just as Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered so can we. We have a destiny which Jesus came to reveal to us. Will we accept Him at His Word that He is able to transform us into His image and likeness that we may be translated when He comes for His wave sheaf? That is the opportunity that is being held out to all in Jesus' invitation to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. The Father waits for our willingness to be filled with His Spirit which is the Spirit of God which includes all four members of the God head. What a great privilege is ours today to enter into this marvelous experience with our precious Lord Jesus Christ who has suffered so much for us. May the Lord bless and keep each of you as you pray and think on these great themes of salvation. Your friend always in Him, Pastor Mike Clute.

El Shaddai _ the Breasted One, or Who's that Lady?

Psalm 87; Galatians 4:26; Revelation 12

DEFINITIONS

The Hebrew word shaddai comes from the root word 'breast'. Literally translated it would mean 'many_breasted one'. click here

There are two roots for the word: first is to be powerful and second is breast or nourisher and sustainer. The O.T. uses this form 48 times. click here

The word "Almighty" is translated from the Hebrew Shaddai, which, according to Hebraists, is a plural word.

Thomas points out in Phanerosis that the Shaddai plunged Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, whilst protecting and caring for Abraham ( Genesis 17:1 ). The word is derived from a Hebrew root which, according to the vowel points, can signify either nourisher (breast _ Heb. shad) or destroyer (shadad).

The Almighty nourished Abraham, but destroyed the wicked people of Sodom. Yahweh can be to us either a Nourisher or a Destroyer, according as we treat Him and His Word (see Psalm 18:24_27 ); a "savour of life unto life or death unto death" ( 2 Corinthians 2:16 ). click here

The term is usually explained as a cognate of the Akkadian word sadu, "mountain," but not in the sense that 'El Shaddai would mean "G_d the Rock" (cf. zur, "Rock," an epithet of G_d, e.g., Deuteronomy 32:4,30,37 ). Rather, 'El Shaddai would mean "'El_of_the_Mountain," i.e., of the cosmic mountain, the abode of 'El; for the Patriarchs the term would mean "the G_d of Heaven." (The Jewish Encyclopaedia) click here

The Hebrew and Christian scriptures have been dismissed lately as patriarchal texts with little or no God imagery for women to identify with. The criticism is accepted, yet there remain traces of maternal imagery that have not been overridden by the patriarchs and their mythographers. This includes breast and nursing imagery, of which even the title of God used in Exodus 6:2_3 , El Shaddai, traditionally interpreted as the Almighty, may be interpreted as the Breasted One from the Hebrew word shad, meaning breast, instead of using the Akkadian word shadu meaning mountain.

Mountains have peaks and Mt. Sinai and Mt Zion are two mountains from which law and light like milk and honey have flowed for the betterment of mankind. When Israel entered Canaan, they were divided into two camps on Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. These two mountains symbolized the blessing and curse attributes of the Covenant God made with Israel. Hence the "nourisher" and "destroyer" aspects of the name, El Shaddai.

We know who this person is. The "breasted one" with "peaks" is a real person, not a mountain as some assert, although mountains are part of the allegory. "El" is a reference for God. "Shad" means the breast. All mothers use them to suckle their young. When God said, "Let us make man in our image and likeness," He was communing with His Wife! El Shaddai refers to Her oneness with Her Husband and Her position as co_head of the Family. Mother is revealed in Proverbs 8 and the first part of Proverbs 9 . Mother Wisdom is the Mother of the living. Wisdom is an initiate in the creations, Wisdom of Solomon 7:21_29 . Enoch wrote about Her in Secrets of Enoch XXV. There She is parabolized as "Adoil" having a belly full of "children of light". All infants are housed in the mother's womb where development takes place. In Psalm 87 where God says of Mother Zion, "This man and that man (any man and all men) was born in Her", He is referring to what happened to Her as "Adoil". He concludes in that Psalm saying, "All my (off) springs are in thee" meaning all my sons and daughters were created in your belly. One of Her works is to exalt Her sons, Sirach 1:1_15, 4:11_18 . All of this happened before God rested from His labors in the beginning. Once upon a time, all of us were little spirit nursery_mates waiting for our time and generation to be salted in the clay! Mother has more children now than the 12 pairs of angelic beings She saw in the beginning. God had a joyous surprise for Mother, too. Joy is His way of concluding things. Look at this: Isaiah 49:18_22, 54:1_8, 60:1_14.

KJV Isa 54:1 Sing, O barren, thou [that] didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou [that] didst not travail with child: for more [are] the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. 2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; 3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. 4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. 5 "For thy Maker [is] thine husband; the Lord of hosts [is] his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. 6 For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. 7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. 8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer."

KJV Isa 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at [thy] side. 5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. 6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. 7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. 8 Who [are] these [that] fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? 9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. 10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. 11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that [men] may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and [that] their kings [may be] brought. 12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, [those] nations shall be utterly wasted. 13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. 14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

KJV Isa 49:18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, [and] come to thee. [As] I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them [on thee], as a bride [doeth]. 19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. 20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place [is] too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. 21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where [had] they [been]? 22 Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in [their] arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon [their] shoulders.

KJV Isa 25:6 And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. 7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken [it]

Commenting about this in Psalm 82:6_8 , the Creator states, "I said, Ye are gods and all of you are children of the Most High". Because we know the way we go and our destination as exemplified in Jesus' crucifixion, when He adds, "but ye shall die as men", we no longer view death as an intimidating threat. Death is the designated door leading to eternity. It has no sting and the grave is a sign of a man's personal VICTORY! Hosea 13:14 So … "What is man that thou art mindful of him"? We are placed on the lesser Earth and "crowned with glory and honor", Hebrews 2:6_8. We are the little "images" of the Most High God, His beloved sons and daughters, the apples of His eyes and clay_bound angels! Our Father is El Jah and our Mother is El Shaddai!

Why is this El Shaddai document significant? Not only because it establishes important facts about Wisdom's name and God's wife. Consider the abominations going on out there in the world _ the homosexuality, the lesbianism, the transvestite behavior _ people do not believe that "what God has created is forever", Ecclesiastes 3:14 . Male and female roles are fixed eternally. The world of spiritual "Babylon and Sodom and Gomorrah" does not believe this and mixes genders indiscriminately. Christians add to the problem by claiming that ultimately "we will become like angels", ie. NEUTERED. This is due to their ignorance about angels. They hide behind Paul's own personal ignorance and "knowing in part" where he says in error, "There is neither male nor female", Galatians 3:28. That which is perfect is here NOW, and you must let go of Paul's two_day_old darkness, I Corinthians 13:8_12. Beware of 2000_year_old (manna) doctrine! But if you are a chicken, you will love the worms! Remember, Colonel Sanders (founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurants ) is upstairs now, and he is on our TEAM! If you hold on to that darkness you may end up "finger_licking good"!

Wisdom/Shaddai is the first Being of God's creations Proverbs 8:12_34 and is the form and pattern for all of Her daughters. God will not undo Her, neither will He undo any one of Her daughters! Therefore it is important to establish Her identity for all time (and each woman's), as God must do as stated in Psalm 87 . (This is the daughter who says in Proverbs 8 that she was with the Creator when He laid the foundations of the earth (Jesus Christ or Michael, whose name means God like or One who is in the image or likeness of God, Heb. 1:1_3).

Since God will not undo what He has created (male and female), just what is He going to reject, destroy, and throw out (since El Shaddai is both nourisher and destroyer in one of the definitions above)? Here is the answer! Check out our Omega site (The Robot), where we discuss what will be destroyed and thrown away. If you're wondering what God has planned with respect to our male and female roles ( Gospel of Philip verse 65 ) take a look at our Heaven site (The Wedding Feast) .

In one of the definitions above, Thomas points out that the Shaddai allowed or permitted Sodom and Gomorrah to be destroyed while protecting and caring for Abraham. We did not elaborate on why El Shaddai withdrew her protection from Sodom and Gomorrah! Sodom is an ancient rendering of the name _ Satan. Lucifer had caused that ancient city to be named in his glory and honor. The story of Hagar and Ishmael was designed by El Jah to tell us what happened in Heaven long ago. Shaddai caused or permitted Lucifer and Babylon to be kicked out and plunged to hell below, saying, "That bondwoman (Babylon) and her son (Lucifer) shall not be heirs with me and my children". Therefore to affront Shaddai and create a stink in Her face, they decided to turn the nature of Her children living in that city backwards. They attempted to reverse the sexual order and orientation Shaddai designed for us while in Her womb. Mother will tolerate only so much evil. She does not want Her sons and daughters made over by demons as a slap in Her face while She is watching it! Yet we are allowed by El Jah to experience even this degree of backwardness so we can understand perfectly that only "good" order is expected from and respected by His children as we go through this learning phase. We are made in the image and likeness of El Jah and El Shaddai, not the likeness of Babylon and Satomail (Sodom or Lucifer); check out Babylon, the Other Woman.

When Gabriel visited Mary to tell her of Jesus' birth, he said, "The power of the Almighty will overshadow you". Mary birthing Jesus is the image of Adoil (El Shaddai) conceiving us ( see "You Must be Born of a Virgin Like Jesus"). Over_SHAD_owing ... God/El "over" Shaddai to birth us. Male and Female forever. But bastard robotic natures that pervert the male/female relationship can be easily destroyed because they are non_living forms. A mother protects her own children and worries about her daughters and sons _ Shaddai is not an unmindful ( Job 39:13_15 ) mother to lose any one of her children. "Robot" spirit Sodomites cannot and will not remold us to be what God did not intend us to be! Demons are miserable "potters". have a rendezvous with the Great Claymaster and Potter/Pater _ Isaiah 55:8_11; Jeremiah 18:1_6; Ezekiel 20:32_38. Welcome to the ultimate, glorious Wedding Feast for all. God makes His dreams come true and fulfills all of ours (see the true Dream Team site).

If humanity was created in the "image & likeness" of God then when Daniel saw Michael & Gabrielle they would appear to be like us, only in an unfallen state. And "God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Gen 1:26, 27. Let us now ask this question which we cannot escape if we are going to be intellectually honest in our pursuit of the truth. If Adam was created in the image of Jesus Christ or Michael, a male, then in whose image was Eve created? The obvious answer is in the image of a female because Eve was a woman. This fits perfectly with the Hebrew word "Elohim," which has three elements. 1. Plural. 2. Male. 3. Female. This never changes. So, what we have here is a very serious Gender issue which Paul addressed in Rom 1:19_32. And is this not the same question we are facing today in this last age with the "Same Sex Marriage" issue? This is in our face every day of the week in the media. It is very obvious that there are seen and unseen forces at work to destroy the very image and likeness of God in the human race. In Rom 1:20 Paul tells us that from "Creation of the world" the "invisible things of Him (God) are "clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."

As Paul continues on in Rom 1 we see him going to the heart of the question re: the Godhead itself, i.e. the male/female issue. Paul is not only referring to the sexual corruption and perversion in the Roman society of his own day but has in mind what happened before the flood when men took plural wives and women were degraded to the status of a slave. And then after the flood we see further degradation in the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah in a homosexual society. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts...who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator...For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men...etc." Rom 1:19_28.

And so we see that the study of Daniel & Revelation is also a study of God's original creation via Michael & Gabrielle, our real Father & Mother, the true parents of this ravaged planet. "And I heard a man's voice (Michael or Jesus) between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man (Daniel) to understand the vision." Dan 8:16. Why would Daniel need to make a distinction between a male and a female voice by stating that he heard a "man's voice? Why? Because Gabrielle, with her feminine voice was the one who was talking to him most of the time. May the Lord bless each of you as we enter upon a new year, 2007.

Here is a very important quote which gives important and vital insight into how the "Holy Spirit" was changed from a feminine gender to the masculine gender. Muy Importante! I will try to find the source.

“The gospels of the bible were called the Greek gospels not just because they were written in Greek but also because they entertained Greek philosophy. Either both are from heaven or both are pagan. If the former, then revelation and paganism mean the same. If the latter, then Christianity is pagan. Applying the title "Word" or "Logos" to Jesus is a pagan amalgamation with Essenism, and was not fully accepted until the middle of the second century. The Trinity is a pagan doctrine.

Divine Trinities were male Gods. No female was admitted into the triad of Gods composing the orthodox Trinity. Plainly there can never be males without females, so the whole idea is an obvious Patriarchal variant of an earlier belief in which one of the spirits in the Trinity must have been female. The truth is that he Trinity grew from a belief in the feminine principle as the mother and therefore creator of everything. The Patriarchs imposed a male Supreme god relegating the female principle to the role of his assistant as, his spirit, Word or Wisdom. That was not sufficient however and the divine son was introduced. Finally the female principle, now reduced to the Holy Ghost, the Word having been allocated to the Son, had a sex change and became masculine or neuter.

The Trinity was constituted of males simply because under the patriarchs women became mere tools of man''s convenience. Instead of having a place among the gods she became a servant, but the time is coming when she will rule both heaven and earth with the omnipotent power of her love nature. Then we shall have no war in heaven and no conflict with the earth.

The Trinity

The Trinity of Christendom, as defined in the creed of Nicea, is a merging of three distinct entities into one single entity, while remaining three distinct entities. Christians must regard the three gods as one god because they are co_eternal, co_substantial and co_equal, though only the first had a life of his own! The others emanated from the first.

This Neo_Platonic doctrine is, of course, pagan not Jewish and, since the Jewish scriptures form part of the Christian bible, it is heretical (Isaiah 43:10) to imagine the Trinity as three separate gods. This mumbo_jumbo arises clearly and precisely because the first bishops opportunistically tried to merge Judaism with paganism. Most ancient religions were built upon some sort of threefold distinction. Deities were always trinities of some kind or consisted of successive emanation in threes.

The oldest and probably the original form of the Trinity is that found in Indian religion. Classical Hinduism dates back to at least 500BC, with roots extending as far back as 2000BC. The Hindus had a doctrine of the divine trinity called Tri_murti (Three_forms) consisting of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva: Brahma, the Father or supreme God, Vishnu, the incarnate Word and Creator, and Siva, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit or Ghost. It is an inseparable unity though three in form. Worshipers are told to worship them as one deity.

The Real Truth About Our True Heavenly Parents An Introduction Into The Godhead (Bear with us, we're all learning this new subject matter.)

The Real Truth About Our
True Heavenly Parents
An Introduction Into The Godhead
(Bear with us, we're all learning this new subject matter.)