As the wind blows and the leaves fall, the signs of the times are here signaling the terrible times to come. During these days, knowledge will not be found and wisdom will be like a never-ending drought. Amos 8:11-12 This will only be the beginning of pains.
To this day, the whole world is completely unprepared, not only because of their doing but also, because of the doing of those who never sought to prepare them for the inevitable event. Instead, these overseers have gone out of their way to make sure their faithful would not even think to get started. Some have gone to the point of exchanging words for swords causing the greater part of the world to be the audience reluctant to join the spectacle of this entanglement.
On the sidelines, men from the Academia cannot help to point at the circus Religion has built and the show being made. Several have claimed that even the God of the Hebrews is nothing but a chasing after the wind. Although their doctrine is based on an empty premise a convincing statement from them remains−one ironically adopted from a Hebrew that resonates to this very day, “Religion is the opium of the masses.” This truth has become so befitting that even religions preach that Religion is the harvest of what man has sown.
In spite of this, Religion remains the accepted source of our confusion while, at the same time, the accepted source of Truth. All too often we forget how this has been the plan of the enemy who divided us with the circus before conquering us with the show.
To get a glimpse of our predicament, let us picture this circus from heaven’s point of view. Below we see a series of puppet shows in the control of the master puppeteer. Within each puppet show, we see the puppet master hiding behind the curtains running the show. Then, when the music starts, we see the puppets helplessly dancing to the tune of the show. These puppets are the individuals who, due to their unhealthy interest, chose to tether themselves to the one who runs the show and, as a result, are no longer able to control what they say or what they do.
Once we determine the meaning of these strings, we can easily conclude who is working for the puppeteer and for the show. While we do this, let us move in a little closer to see that as the puppets dance to the tune, we also notice who is paying for the show!
Truly, the show they have been selling is the opium we have been buying. Unless we see how we are part of this problem, we cannot be part of the solution. For as long as we are partakers of this reciprocal system, the opium will not subside and our illusion will not end.
Consider this opium similar to rat poison, where the food component is to a truth and the poison component is to a lie, and thus where every different rat poison contains a different type of truth alongside a different type of lie. The irony is that, even though each rat poison is mostly comprised of food, its objective was never intended to feed its victim.
This has gone to the extent where the enemy has manufactured a full-blown menu of opiums to make sure that no one escapes his trap. Of these choices, an individual may be attracted to a particular opium while another, to a different opium. In effect, what is an illusion to one may not be the same illusion to another; nevertheless, both are victims of the same system. But why are these opiums so appealing?
How else is the half-hearted man to share the blame if he were to receive a blatant lie? This way, he can always blame it on the hired hand if what he purchased does not turn out to be true. Inevitably, the time will come when each man will be made aware of the deadly consequences but, similar to rats, it is usually when it is too late.
This is precisely what happened to Adam and Eve despite the blame they sought to share. For this reason, we ought to know that what did not work for our parents will certainly not work for us. Genesis 3:12-24 Instead, by learning from their mistake, we are to remember that, unlike rats, we have the capacity to vomit what we eat and are able to distinguish what is fatal from what is good.
So let us be careful of the apparent truths offered by Religion, the place where the deceiver comfortably resides. For we know that if the serpent was allowed to dwell in the Garden of Eden, he is most certainly allowed to dwell in the place where we have enabled the show.
Once the reciprocal system emerged, man sought to buy what the puppets knew they could sell. To date, this vicious system has grown to a countless amount of illusions that carry their respective veils. As a result, where there is more money, there are more illusions that bring about more veils to darken our understanding.
The presence of money is therefore the sign that determines the identity of the puppets and the shows. This is because no one can buy what the children of God will never sell. Proverbs 23:23 Notwithstanding, it behooves us to question everyone who claims to speak The Truth even if they claim to do it free of charge. Job 12:11
Unfortunately, there will always be someone who claims his overseer is the representative of God and Truth. Yet, one thing is certain, if every overseer claims to be different, each cannot speak The Truth. This brings us to deduce one simple conclusion out of all possible claims:
While we consider the right answer, it is important to make clear that I am not an overseer of any kind and consequently not tethered behind. I stand-alone ─ I do not answer-to or consult any man. What I am is an individual just like you. This affords me no title while it does reveal a relationship. As your brother, I am called to warn you of the weekly dose and its deadly consequences. Ezekiel 3:11
Although my objective is not to offend you, the warning must be loud enough to shake you back to your senses.Then it will be up to you to get ready or suffer the consequences. Ezekiel 3:16-19 Given the premises aforementioned, is it possible to find out which religion is right?
The Jews claim the Nazarene is not The Messiah to come-even less, The Son of God. They simply see the Gentiles choosing a new god with a Hebrew name. Thus, by rejecting what seems obvious to them, the Jews claim a covenant unchanged. As their hope continues, they wait for The Messiah to be the vanguard of the promise given to them by God. In all, they seek The Messiah to be the ruler for the people of Israel and to rule the nations around them with an iron scepter.Psalms 2:6-12
If the Jews are right, how do we harmonize the passages that allude to The Messiah as arriving with an awe-inspiring power? Hosea 1:7, Isaiah 53:2-12, Zechariah 9:9, Psalms 16:10, 22:16-18, Micah 5:2Does The Messiah’s return have anything to do with the striking of the rock at Horeb twice?Exodus 17:6, Numbers 20:10-12 Reason the severity of this action: Why was Moses, the most important figure of the Torah, not permitted to enter the Promised Land for a seemingly insignificant disobedience? 1Corinthians 10:3-4
If we insist the Covenant has not changed, then we must be true to ourselves by accepting that nothing else has also changed. So if nothing else has changed, why is the temple surprisingly absent two thousand years? A good Jew knows that, without the temple, nothing can be cleansed and consequently, nothing can be forgiven. Hebrews 9:18-22
So then, if the Covenant remains unchanged or unfulfilled and the temple is amiss, all sins remain even as they accumulate. Now, if for some reason we claim the temple is no longer required then we agree that something has changed; and if we agree that something has changed, why are we trying to rebuild the temple all over again?
Perhaps the absence of the temple is a sign that something is terribly wrong or that something has changed. Either God is more than disillusioned with the House of Judah or the inefficiencies of the First Covenant have been superseded by the efficiencies of the New.
Notwithstanding, if the First Covenant remains unchanged or unfulfilled, why should we care? After all, is it not true that under this premise, the God of the Hebrews remains exclusively for the Hebrews?
Well, not necessarily so. You see, Scripture records a promise given to the Hebrews for the benefit of many outside Israel, a promise that comes alive for those who believe in the Promise that has arrived.Psalms 117:1-2, Isaiah 42:6-9, 49:6, Galatians 3:28-29, Ephesians 2:12-14So then, we too have the right to cry for such hope and the right to claim such promise.
In fact, because the promise has been fulfilled, with foreign lips and a strange tongue, God has chosen to speak to His people. Isaiah 28:11-12,Romans 11:11-12 Thankfully, not in a manner that is too strange and too foreign so that you may be grafted back to The Tree that you belong to.Romans 11:23-24
For now, let us agree that you are correct in your assessment to build the temple of God due to its dilapidated condition; but not the temple that you have in mind, rather the temple that God has in mind. This is very important for you and for us given that Salvation is of the Jews; but not the Jews that you had in mind, rather the Jews that God has in mind.John 4:22, Ephesians 4:17-18, Romans 15:8-10
Similar to the Jews, the Muslims claim Jesus of Nazareth is not the begotten Son of God. However, they do claim The Nazarene was a prophet but that Muhammad was God’s last prophet.
But what exactly does this mean? If Muhammad was the last prophet, then it implies that he is the continuity of the prophets. How is this possible without any continuity, of the prophets, from Abraham to Muhammad? Genesis 21:12 Even if God had chosen someone from an Ishmaelite tribe, that prophet would point to the prophets of God who point to The Promise of God. Isaiah 11:1-3,Matthew 5:17 The dilemma gets more complicated once we recall that Muhammad claimed The Nazarene was, at least, a prophet.
If we know that a prophet is one who speaks The Truth, then one thing is certain: the prophet that Muhammad credited also discredits Muhammad.John 14:6 By Muhammad’s own admission, this religion stands without a foundation. Sure, it begins with our father Abraham but, then again, Abraham is the father of many nations.Matthew 3:9 Therefore, absent of Scripture, this religion has nothing to do with any promise.
Aside from this, Christians and Jews do not recognize Muhammad as one who has gone to Heaven.In fact, the fairytale about people dying and immediately going to heaven is just another veil that we need to remove to keep moving forward. Jeremiah 30:9, Acts 2:29-30, John 3:13, 5:28-29
As children of Abraham, we nonetheless retain some benefits. Although our selection does not come by blood, our calling may come by blood; first for the Jew, then to the lost tribes, then to us before the rest of the world.Matthew 10:5-6, Romans 1:16 In much the same way, we will be judged if we choose not to return to God. Romans 2:9, Matthew 3:8-9 In Truth, there remains a calling for a people of Ishmael, primarily to those that are here for a reason, to reason.
The Christians claim Jesus of Nazareth is The Son of God, The Messiah promised to come for the children of Israel and then for the rest of the world. They claim The Messiah is the fulfillment of the First Covenant and the perfect continuity to the New. They further claim The Messiah did not come to free the tribes of Israel from oppression but to save many from Sin.Hebrews 9:28
Unfortunately, there is something terribly wrong; either these statements are not true or none of these Christians are true. There are two reasons for this incongruity. The first is obvious to the Arab and Jew and is as follows:
Imagine if the peoples of the Far East were to declare themselves Christian. What if they clamored The Messiah’s name but went on to honor Him with their pagan rituals? How would you place them within this professed Christianity? Well, this is precisely how the physical children of Abraham see their supposed counterparts.
As Gentiles, we should know, before we claim adoption, we need to go through the process of that adoption.Acts 2:38 This process, although simplified under the New Covenant, remains to ensure a binding adoption. After all, to claim that a child of Abraham cannot be a child of God due to his willful disobedience is to admit that our adoption cannot take place based on ours.Galatians 6:7-8
The second reason is not obvious to anyone, more so to those that have been divided by the circus of confusion to be conquered by the puppet show. Revelation 6:2
This is the verdict: The Light has come to lead the way out, but many like living in Darkness and many more like living under the illusion of Righteousness.Isaiah 66:4, John 3:19, 2Timothy 4:3-4 This brings The Father to search the hearts of those who seek the way out. Psalms 14:2-3 Regrettably, soon after they are shown the way out, they encounter the men that prevent them from finishing what they started.Psalms 14:4, Jeremiah 29:13
The Messiah expresses this predicament through the following parable: Matthew 23:13 “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” Due to the many veils, we need to know how these men shut The Kingdom of Heaven.
Before The Kingdom of Heaven (The Promised Land), there is a journey unto holiness, and before this journey, there is a road unto Righteousness. Romans 6:19,1Corinthians 1:30 In effect, these men shut The Promised Land by blocking the road unto Righteousness. There is a reason the puppets are paid by the adversary to block the road unto Righteousness.
You see, where the road unto Righteousness meets the journey unto holiness, there is a gate. This gate cannot be seen unless we enter the road unto Righteousness and subsequently, cannot be opened without our Faith. 2Corinthians 3:16,Job 38:36 For this reason, we need to overcome the men that block the road unto Righteousness to face the Gate. Micah 2:12-13, John 10:7-10
The Messiah expresses the same predicament through a different parable: Luke 14:27 “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.”
Here we see once again how Righteousness precedes holiness. In this case, how the foundation of Righteousness comes before the structure of holiness. Psalms 89:14, Hebrews 12:14 Otherwise, if we build the structure of holiness before the foundation of Righteousness, the temple we are called to build will inevitably crumble the moment we fall. Matthew 7:26-27 Therefore, our objective is to focus on the phase of Righteousness before the phase of holiness. So where do we stand?
Let us use a menacing illustration to see the likely whereabouts:
In this scenario, we see how the adversary manipulates the puppets that block the way while, on the other hand, manipulates the puppets that lead the masses away; so far away that even the term of Righteousness is ever hearing but never understanding. Matthew 13:14 Sure, we hear that Faith is the wherewithal to Righteousness, but how are we to understand Faith if we do not even know the meaning of Righteousness?Job 34:33, Hebrews 5:13
Now it may appear to some, the individuals being detained seem to be in better shape than the masses wandering away but let us remember, this is only part of the illusion. Matthew 23:15
This is the consequence of the verdict:
As long as you are living in Darkness, you are dying in Sin─dying every day towards your first and second Death. To put it bluntly, if you think you can Sin after God saves you from Sin then, you should know that, when you do this, you will be returning to eat your own vomit. Proverbs 26:11, 2Peter 2:21-22 “For as long as you live according to the Sinful nature, you will die, but if by The Spirit, you put to death the misdeeds of the body, then you will live.”Romans 8:13 Perhaps your preacher never told you that unless you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you owe a second Death. Ezekiel 18:24, Romans 6:20-23 Evidently, what he was told to say, by his puppeteer, in various twisted words, is that you can Sin over and over again and you will not surely Die. Genesis 3:4
The illusion of Righteousness is by far the most successful opium the enemy has devised. It is so successful that even logic no longer makes sense. 1Timothy 4:1, 1John 5:19 Reason this, how can man be free from Sin while being a slave to Sin? John 8:34, Romans 6:18 Can a man be dead to Sin and be alive in Sin? Romans 6:2 Can this be any more clear?
1John 3:7 “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. 8 He that committeth Sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit Sin; for His Seed remaineth in him: and he cannot Sin, because he is born of God.” “So let God be true and every man a liar,” for “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:34-36 Do you believe this?John 11:25-26, Luke 1:37
How can we, unless we hear the Gospel that saves? Romans 10:14 But is it not true that we have already heard this? Romans 10:18 “Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.”So then, what happened? 2Peter 2:19, 2Corinthians 11:3 Can God find my innocence within my guilt? John 8:24
The time has come for a longstanding wish to come true. Luke 12:49, 2Peter 3:10-11 Thankfully, not before we get ready to leave this world and prepare others to endure the terrible times ahead. Romans 13:11, 1Peter 4:17, Revelation 18:4, Matthew 9:37-38, Isaiah 42:16 And not before we undergo a similar Baptism with the same eagerness to complete it. Luke 12:50
In order to overcome the puppets that led us astray and the puppets that blocked the way, The Word of YHWH is coming to us in the form of two analogies that, when fused together, describe the perfect process of our refinement. Luke 8:10 The first analogy is similar to the Hebrew transitory day, which begins in darkness and ends with the light. In much the same way, man begins his life in Darkness until God calls him to the protection of The Light. Genesis 1:5, Ephesians 5:8
This process begins when The Word of God bestows a man the Lamp of Truth to guide him to the protection of The Light where, upon exiting Darkness, he will never see another night. Psalms 119:105, 1Peter 2:9, 1Thessalonians 5:5-11 While the journey continues, the night never comes because the day never ends. John 8:12 What does end is the journey that prepared him to leave this world. Because this destination is out of this world, a spiritual road must come from above to guide us where no man has ever been before. John 3:13
The Road that leads to Heaven is The Ladder that came from Heaven and revealed to the patriarch Jacob in a dream. Genesis 28:12 “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.” Today we know the meaning of The Ladder: John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 1:51 “And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”
The analogy of the Ladder is a process that is similar to a ladder.The similarities are as follows: as a ladder has a series of steps, the Ladder has a series of steps; as an effort is required to move up a ladder, an effort is required to move up the Ladder; as a ladder is inherently one, the Ladder is inherently one; as a ladder is personal, the Ladder is personal; and as a ladder is narrow, the Ladder unto Salvation is so narrow that only a few find it.Matthew 7:13-14
Because of this, we cannot carry any baggage as none is required or even allowed. Instead, we are to move spiritually naked with only a humble and Repentant heart. The time will come when The Father will suit us with the ensemble that is befitting to the journey at hand.Galatians 3:27,Ephesians 6:13-17, 2Corinthians 5:3 Then, at the appointed time, our Father, who stood above the Ladder, will accomplish the last step for us.Psalms 68:20
These are the steps of the Ladder:
Step 1 Truth: The calling by The Truthgiver through the Lamp of Truth
Step 2 Faith: The outcome of accepting step 1 as one
Step 3 Repentance: The Road to Righteousness
Step 4 Baptism of Water: The point where the Gate separates us from Darkness (Death to Sin)
Step 5 Baptism of The Spirit: The point where man enters the protection of The Light (birth to Righteousness)
Step 6 Work of The Spirit: The journey with The Light (Righteousness leading to holiness)
Step 7 Salvation: The moment where The Father reaches for us (Death to all sin/birth to holiness)
The Ladder is YHWH is Salvation: first when The Savior (The Son) saves us from Sin, and then when The Savior (The Father) saves us from all sin. Mark 12:32
To understand the premise of the Ladder, we need to recall the premise of a ladder. That is, if a sensible person knows that once he moves up a ladder he ought not to look back, why would he even think to take a step back? Luke 9:62,17:32
The analogy of the Tree complements the analogy of the Ladder in a very special way. This analogy comes from the parable of The Sower. This parable regards the Seed to be like the word of God, and The Sower to be like The Word of God. The parable goes on to show that only the good soil, which corresponds to the good heart, accepts the good Seed. Matthew 13:3-23, 13:37
Brothers, the only reason a soil is considered to be, “good” is because it chose to accept the good Seed. Luke 8:15 Otherwise, the same analogy reminds us that as long as the soil does not accept the good Seed, it remains only as good as dead.
The process of the soil accepting the good Seed from The Sower brings the Seed to life. In essence, the presence of the Seed is the evidence of our calling where the soil coming to life is the evidence of our acceptance.Mark 4:20 Consider the following narrative that explains the full process of our refinement, from the moment The Sower plants the good Seed to the point when the Harvest takes place. Notice the correlation to the seven steps of the Ladder:
The process begins when