Friday 19 February 2010

Spirituality : Tree of life, secret of life

"The issue is not how much knowledge you have of what's good and evil, but what tree are you eating from. My primary goal is not to learn how to quit sinning. I want to feed on what will cause me to lose the very desire for sin. The biggest factor in the problem Eve had with the serpent was that she listened to his hiss. She gave attention to his words." Dr. Lynn Hiles
Genesis 3“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her: and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened…”
The Tree of life is Jesus Christ. God designed for us to live from Him. God designed for us to live from His life. God designed for us to behold His glory and to feed from Him and Him alone. This is the place where a person is one with God, in Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, as a child of the living God (John 17).
The Tree of knowledge of good and evil, is the Illuminism which Lucifer offers. It is Gnostic mysticism. It opens ones eyes to many mysteries of the universe. It helps one discover methods towards the ultimate of pure living and also makes one see paths towards the ultimate of evil. It provides secrets towards oneness with one another, oneness with the energy of the universe which God created, oneness with Lucifer himself.
Indeed this tree was enticing and still is today. It brings with it a promise, of one self becoming god. Where you yourself can determine what is good for you and what not. Where you can live independent, determining yourself what you want to receive as truth, and living for whatever thrills you. Yes, this is the place of self-exultation, the place where dependency on the life of Jesus Christ, is traded for knowledge about paths, that will bring us where we ourselves want to go.
And as the serpent was subtle in the days of the garden, so the serpent is subtle today. Imitating, lying, distorting and deceiving. And millions of people fall for his lies, in a hope towards life, but rushing towards eternal death.
Gnosticism originated in Egypt. It is the worship of Baal, the sun god. The Cabbala is found in the Talmud which was developed during the dispersion in Babylon. The idolatry that the Jewish people learned there is mixed in with Holy Scripture in it.
As per Wikipedia, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, founder of theosophy, wrote extensively on Gnostic ideas which permeate the various branches of this movement (See new world encyclopedia). Many of Christian mysticism today can be traced back to theosophy and it’s ideology.
" In On the Origin of the World, the forbidden tree is called the "tree of gnosis"..."Why did God forbid the first couple the tree not of gnosis in general but of "the knowledge of good and evil"? One answer might be that parents hope their children won't learn everything the hard way! In the haunting retelling of the story of Eden, Perelandra, C.S. Leis suggested that the issue at stake was not knowledge - which God was prepared to give, when the time was ripe - but obedience. Obedience is faith in action...." David Marshall : "The truth about Jesus and the "lost gospels""
In Cabbala, is points to Beriah which is described in Cabbala as “Beriah, the "World of Creation" also called "the Throne"”
Jesus explains in scripture that Satan is the father of lies. The true Throne of God, where His glory is revealed, is concealed in 1 Cron 8:16. "Michael, Ishap, and Joha were the sons of Beriah"
So in order to understand the roadmap towards the place where the true Throne of God is established, the secret is hidden within the names of these three sons, Michael, Ishap and Joha.
Joha (the name of the 3rd son) means “Yahweh (Jehovah) gives life”
Where the true throne of God is established, Yahweh will give life, eternal life, to those who followed the path of life. This is the only place where friendship with God can be found.
The first son we need to look at is the word Michael. It means “who is like God?”.
To the truly Christ centered Christian there is none like God. And if we want to see how the Father looks, we need to look at Jesus. "who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high". (Heb 1:3)When Christ is formed in us, the image of God are revealed through us, but we can never be equal to God. He is God. He is to be worshipped and adored. To Him alone be glory and honor and praise.
The distorted demonic answer is : “I can be like God” “You can be like God” or even worst "I am god". This was the lie told to Eve. And the same lie is being told to millions today, rushing after mysticism, Gnosticism and Illuminism. The enemy encourages us to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, telling us we will not die, but we ourselves will be like God. (Genesis 3:3,4). So when we believe the enemies lies we exalt ourselves against the knowledge of God. (2Cor 10:5). This is what Gnosticism does (and mysticism of all kinds including the Cabbala, which is Jewish mysticism). (The ancient name for Babylonian Mysticism (or finding ways to get in touch with "The One", "The All", or Satan) was called "Illuminism". The Babylonians who were initiated into the Mystery Religion were said to be in possession of Illumination or “the inner light”. Supposedly, this meant they had been “enlightened” or aware of the fact that they were gods. (See Encyclopedia Brittanica, Vol. 14, 1910, pg. 320))
It is towards this Illuminism that the illuminati is working, to bring about a new world order. And this also relates to the principle purpose of Freemasonry.
This leads us to the next word "Ishpah".
Ishpah ish-pa (male) Hebrew: Firm, steady. (Other interpretations: Bald. A son of Beriah. His brothers were Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, Michael and Joha. Variants: Ispah). [1 Chronicles 8:16] ish'-pa (yishpah, "firm," "strong"): A man of the tribe of Benjamin, of the house of Beriah (1 Chronicles 8:16). To dissect the word even more, the two nouns "ish" and "pah" will be discussed separately.
’ish is a relational term, and a relationship by nature requires that more than one party be involved. The nature of the affiliation is often defined by what follows the noun (those who have become associated with each other). At times, the disambiguating phrase that follows ’ish stands in apposition to it.
pah "trap" most often for birds, and usually thought to be a net. Used twice in Am 3:5. Job 18:9: "a trap grasps by the heel", (cf. Jer 18:22) suggests that a pah was a kind of noose. Though the development of Ps 140:5 "The proud have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they spread a net, along the road they have set bait for me" may suggest that the "trap" can be a net It appears throughout Aramaic with the meaning “snare”. The Hebrew for pah was probably most characteristically a kind of net. Psalm 141:9 “Keep me from the hands of the snare (pah) that they have laid for me”. This clearly alludes to the “two nets or flaps of the snare, which snap together suddenly to trap the surprised bird”. The psalmist says in Ps 142:4b that a snare has been hidden in the path. In Psalm 140:6 the arrogant set a snare for the psalmist. The faithful worshiper can feel confident of not having strayed from God’s presence even though the wicked have laid a snare (Ps 119:110, Ps 22:5). In Isa 24:17-18 the author depicts the fate of all the inhabitants of the earth on the day of judgment in words whose style, including alliteration, betrays the powerful voice of an eloquent apocalyptist. “Panic and pit and snare (pahad) are upon you, inhabitants of the earth! “To set snares means to rob people of their freedom and endanger their lives”. In Ps 53:5 the workers of iniquity were in great fear, but in Ps 91:5 those who dwell in the secret place of the most High were assured they need not be afraid of the terror by night nor the arrow by day. Expressions like pahad oyeb (Ps 64:2) represents fear of the enemy. But in Isaiah 2:10 it represents fear of Yahweh “enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty”. The Hebrew verbs meaning “fear” are synonyms and antonyms of the root phd. Root: There are three roots. (i) “Experience dread, tremble” (phd) (ii) “Thigh, leg” Job 40:12 “Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low: and tread down the wicked in their place” (iii) Lamb (puhadu (m), fem puhattu (m))
To wrap this up thus, for us to be on a steady path towards life in all it’s fullness, we need to be in right relationship with God. The way God designed for us to live in His strength, we need to start, firstly by knowing that God alone is God, and there is none like Him. We should not fall for the lie of the enemy telling us that we are “little gods” and that we should ‘cherry pick’ whatever religious convictions suits us and whatever concepts are conformable to us to embrace as “our truth”. Rather we need to understand our sinful state, our inadequacy to measure up and our need for a Savior. Jesus Christ is the Truth. Apart from Him, truth can not be found. We are not God, He is, and He alone. We were created for Him and for His glory, not for ourselves. Once we realized that, we need to start with the fear of God, to set us steady on the path of Wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction”. This will lead us to Joha “Yahweh gives life”.
The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, slain for the sin of the world, is either the rock of offense that will crush His enemies in the day of God’s judgment, or He is Savior, through faith in Him and the atonement brought by His blood, for those who received Him. Friendship with the world means enmity with God. God is Holy.
For those who are not hidden in the rock, which is Jesus Christ, the day of God’s judgment will be indeed a terrible day.
Within the Illumination of Lucifer, there are knowledge of many mysteries, of good and evil, of other planets, secrets of plants, Kundalini power through the opening of ones chakras and eventually the third eye, (for more about the link between the Kundalini and the Nefilim, fallen angels, contact Eben Swart from trumpet call and refer to writings from Enoch knowledge about created energy and how to utilize it to your benefit, magic, auras, sensations, power, and a sense of achievement towards own salvation. There are black witchcraft revealing the deepest of evil, and white witchcraft presenting the highest forms of self-righteousness. There are sensual pleasures. And even a counterfeit love and peace. Yes, sensational feelings and tastes are available. All aimed to reassure the ensnared one, that all is fine. But there is no life there. Only utter deception and a snare, that will suddenly snap and trap. (On the side of white occultism, mysticism, salvation is depicted as being developed through works of love, abstinence & discipline as well as regular prayer, through various life cycles, to rid oneself, save oneself, from bad karma)
In the end, there are only two trees. Jesus Christ is the tree of life. Trust in Him, dependence on Him and His perfect salvation brought, will lead us to intimacy with the Father. All other roads leads to Babylon, mysticism, Lucifarianism. All other roads are doomed, and are rooted in the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and profess some way for a person to achieve his or her own salvation through their own working, disciplines and practices. It’s all rooted in pride. And judgment is on it’s way.
(See Reformation Theology: Eros Spirituality Vs. Agape Faith by David F. Wells for the difference between mysticism's concept of spirituality and love and that which God intended, and see Barry Hall's site for an explanation of how God intended us to daily drink from His streams of living water and to be completely satisfied in Him "How to Experience the Glory of God, fountain, river, radiance, shekinah glory!
Barry Hall summarizes the problem with mankind by referring to Jeremiah 2:13 "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water". Mysticism can hold no water. It brings a promise of life, but nothing more. It can not satisfy the thirsty soul. Only true intimacy with God can. And worship, in spirit and truth, is an essential part of true intimacy with God. God is raising up a people who will fear Him, and who will worship Him in spirit and truth, living for His glory, not their own.
Without the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, no remission of sin is possible. And in our sinful state, no fellowship with the Almighty Holy God is possible. Knowledge about good and evil will not rid us of our sin, neither will any self-improvement program.
To eat from the tree of Life, is to live and move and have our being, in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is only possible via the blood of Jesus, which opened the door to a new and living way. This kind of life was what the apostle Paul meant when He said, “for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”.
The law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). When a person climb to the utmost and perfect knowledge of good and evil, it will bring him eventually to the law, which is the perfect knowledge of good and evil. And then, if he is honest, he will find, that he can never maintain that standard, and in God’s eyes, even failing in the least item in the law, is to fail in all of it. God requires utmost spotlessness and perfection. And this realization, of the absolute holiness of God, will bring us to grace, to the Lamb that was slain, to achieve and do for us, what we ourselves could never do. We can not save ourselves. We need Jesus Christ as our Lord and as our Savior. This is the good news, of the gospel, of Jesus Christ, and His death that brought us life.
When we think we are god, and do not have the fear of God to start with, we go astray. Elizabeth Gilbert is a shining example of a seeking soul, that ended up in the occult, by relying on her own understanding, to find the path of life. In part 70 of Elizabeth Gilbert's book "eat pray love" she explains how she has every right to cherry-pick when it comes to moving her spirit and finding peace in God and that one is free to search for any metaphor whatsoever which will take you across the worldly divide wherever you need to be transported or comforted. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. She advises people to take whatever works for wherever them.
And so Elizabeth explains how she ended up in a Hindu temple in India, having dreams of snakes at nights, meditating and chanting, till at last she had some kind of supernatural experience, which she believes was with God.
The bible says that there is a path that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death. How sad indeed, that so many follow the examples of Oprah and Elizabeth, on a highway to hell (Proverbs 14:12)"one needs a touch of humility to find truth. We must not cut and paste the facts we like to fit our personal philosophy. The key is to let Jesus rebuke my philosophy, along with my sin" David Marshall : the truth about Jesus and the "lost gospels"
Jeremiah 35:15b-17"Turn now everyone from his evil way, amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them; then you will dwell in the land which I have given you and your fathers". But you have not inclined your ear, nor obeyed Me..."Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold I will bring on Judah and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the doom that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them but they have not hears, and I have called to them but they have not answered".
Where is wisdom to be found? Job 28 explores and then in the last verse concludes: "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding".
Eastern ways are evil and the Holy God of Bible has no part in that. Isaiah 2:6 "For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with eastern ways; They are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they are pleased with the children of foreigners."
Mystics also tend to want to lean on quantum physics to see what they want to see and prove what they want to prove, but Christians can also use quantum physics to prove the validity of the bible.( See link about quantum physics used in apologetics)
Max Lucado wrote: “We have to see the mess we are in before we can appreciate the God we have. Before presenting the grace of God, we must understand the wrath of God.Many don't understand God's anger because they confuse the wrath of God with the wrath of man. The two have little in common. Human anger is typically self-driven and prone to explosions of temper and violent deeds. We get ticked off because we've been overlooked, neglected, or cheated. This is the anger of man. It is not, however, the anger of God.
God doesn't get angry because he doesn't get his way. He gets angry because disobedience always results in self-destruction. What kind of father sits by and watches his child hurt himself?
What kind of God would do the same? Do we think he giggles at adultery or snickers at murder? [Or witchcraft and occult practices?].....
God is rightfully angry. He is a holy God. Our sins are an affront to his holiness. His eyes "are too good to look at evil; [he] cannot stand to see those who do wrong" (Habakkuk 1:13).
He is angry at the evil that ruins his children. The question is not, "How dare a loving God be angry?" but rather, "How could a loving God feel anything less?"
It is therefore understandable, why God was so very angry, when Israel began to worship Baal (Numbers 25). And still today, who follow the ways of Babylonian Mysticism, is angering Almighty God. Idolatry is to make anything but God, the highest priority in our lives.
“You were intended to live in your Father's house. Any place less than his is insufficient. Any place far from his is dangerous. Only the home built for your heart can protect your heart. And your Father wants you to dwell in him”. Max Lucado (The Great House of God)
The labor of self-love is a heavy one indeed. Think for yourself whether much of your sorrow has not arisen from someone speaking slightingly of you. As along as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal, how can you hope to find inward peace? A.W. TozerThe constant thing is not that my life will always work out the way I think it should and that God is to blame when it doesn’t. The constant thing is rather that God will never leave me nor forsake me when I put my trust in Him, and that he may use some very uncomfortable ways to rid me from things that is keeping me away from His fullness. That does not mean that He is not loving, nor good, nor faithful, but mostly only that His ways are higher than mine and His thoughts are higher and mine. God is too

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