"Unless you turn around and become as young children, you will by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens." - Matthew 18:3
To the Household of God, Israel, that has ears, and those who go with them that do so, may you have peace. To all others, peace to you, as well!
I was to write this post somes days ago, but lingered in doing so in the hope of being given a way to help those who truly wish to grasp it. I have received such help from my Lord in the manner of the verse above. If you are willing to entertain it, the verse quoted above will have great influence on your ability to grasp what I am to post, for it will be written to "children." If, then, you can allow yourself to become as a "young child," what will follow here should not offend you, cite your need to ridicule, or irritate your sense of logic and rationale.
Some days ago, a friend asked me about hearing: how I know it was not me speaking to myself, etc. I did not know how to respond immediately, and knew that the usual "I just know," was insufficient to respond to such a worthy question. I was given the explanation/understanding, which I was later directed to share with you here, and so I will:
Because we are such physical creatures, drawn to the empirical, we have great difficulty understanding, believing or even imagining anything that is not physical or discernable by our physical senses. "Empirical" refers to that which is realized by the five senses: sight, touch, taste, smell, hearing. To the pure empiricalist (or, experientialist, if you will), that which cannot be seen, touched, tasted, smelled or heard... with one or more of the parts of our physical bodies that perceive these... it does not exist. Now some, of course, would say, "Well, I can't see air, per se, but I know it exists." True, you may not be able to see air, but you can see the MANIFESTATION of air by means of what air does: through SIGHT, you can see when air moves things; through SOUND, you can hear when air moves things; through TOUCH, you can feel air moving; through SMELL, you can experience odors that are disseminated into and by air. Truly, however, it is because of such physical manifestations, and others, that you "know" air exists. So that, for some, were it not for the perception of one or more of these manifestations, it would be concluded that air doesn't exist.
(Please bear with my "argument," for it might be likened to that of a child's. If my form and content do not follow the "rules," I ask that you be patient with me, for I do not intend for this information to be so academic that some will not understand it. Thank you.)
Others would say that just because one does not possess a certain sense (i.e., is physical blind or deaf, etc.) and thus cannot perceive certain things by means of such sense does not mean that such things don't exist. For example, Helen Keller could neither see nor hear, but that did not negate the food on her plate before her or the conversation of her family at the dinner table. All it meant was that she did not have the MEANS to see or hear what was in fact in existence, even right before her. (Okay, she could smell the food... and feel the vibrations of the family's presence - again, bear with me, please).
It is with similarities to this last position that I would like to proceed and try to assist those who truly wish to know, how it is that I hear... and understand that you can, too.
Because we are physical beings, flesh with its blood, many are under the assumption that that is ALL we are (i.e., head, torso, arms, legs, and extremities) along with the sensory and intuitive capabilities of such... shall we say... "form." In TRUTH, however, that is not "all" that we are. The body of flesh is, in fact, merely a vessel. (For some, you have seen me present this position before, and so I ask your patience.)
I wish now to describe that "vessel" in a more... ummmm... elementary term... that may perhaps help you to see what I am speaking about: consider a suit of armor, if you will. It is a "case", per se, designed to protect... or hide/cover... what is inside. It has arms, just as a man does, legs like a man... a torso... fingers... feet... and even a "head" or helmet. It is structured like a man... in FORM. But... the armor is nothing... motionless... useless... without the body of the man that is INSIDE it. However, it is NOT the man himself, for if you remove, say, an arm from the armor, the man INSIDE still has his arm (okay, I don't mean removed in battle - LOL! I mean, simply removing the arm of the suit itself). You can, in fact, remove the helmet... and the man inside remains intact. You can remove, say, the breastplate... the foot... whatever... and the man inside can remain intact.
Let's say that the man inside the armor was... ummmm... a leper... one whose illness was SO advanced, that he could not hide it from his neighbors. Let's say that there was absolutely NO "sound" spot on his body. And let's say that while his neighbors did not outright ridicule him, he could see either their loathing... or their pity... in their eyes whenever they saw him. And let's say that either was more than the man could bear. OR... let's say that the man himself could not bear to look upon himself, even though no one else ever said a thing or gave an unloving look. While uncomfortable, wouldn't a suit of armor be a GREAT way for the man to hide the defects of his flesh? It would conform to his body and allow him some freedom and mobility, yes?
Now, let's say that such armor was not hard, not made of restricting, unbending metal, but of a soft pliable material that, for the most part, served the man as he wished. He could eat in it, without removing the helmet, sleep in it without discomfort, etc. Indeed, for the most part, he had absolutely NO need whatsoever to remove it.
But... what if he WANTED to remove it... but could not? What if he WANTED to expose himself (because he did not fear what others might think, nor did he consider himself to be... unattractive... because of his illness), but could not? Would you say that he was FREE? Most probably you would say that he was free in all other respects EXCEPT with regard to this suit of armor. Yes?
Dear ones, the body of FLESH... with IT'S blood... is like such suit of armor: we are BOUND to it. We received such binding as the result of a DEAL... between Adam and Satan. God GAVE it to Adam... to HIDE what Adam could no longer look upon... because of HIS (Adam's) inability to look upon himself. That is why Adam and Eve... HID. Adam hid because HE saw his own "nakedness," not because God couldn't look upon him and told him to hide. God permitted him to "hide"... perpetually... by giving him a "long garment of skin" which was designed to hide/cover... the "man" that Adam now saw he was... the man he became AFTER his error.
Prior to his error, Adam who was created in GOD's "image"... did not have flesh as we now have. How do we know? Because flesh... with its blood... CANNOT enter into the kingdom. And yet, Adam was able to enter into the kingdom (Paradise - Garden of Eden). How do we know? Because Adam... was created... OUTSIDE the Garden... and later placed IN the Garden. Had he the flesh WE have... he could not have entered. And it was not until he sinned and was thereafter CONFINED... to "a long garment of skin,"... flesh... with IT'S blood... and cast OUT... that his ability to enter was restricted: had he made it to the Tree of Life BEFORE being cast out... he would have eaten... and reversed the effect.
Adam existed, however, BEFORE being bound into that long garment of skin. But what WAS he before such binding? He was as he was created: "in the image of God"... a SPIRIT... which spirit was given a FORM... from the earth ("and God proceeded to FORM the man from the dust"...). Thus, God created a "form"... from the dust... and then blew the SPIRIT that was Adam... into that form. That is how the man Adam came to be IN... his original "suit of armor," a SPIRIT body... which suit does NOT bind. So, it (the spirit body), so can be PUT OFF and PUT ON. Later, he was ensconced in a FLESHLY "suit of armor," which suit DOES bind... and cannot be put off... except through its death.
What does this have to do with us? It has to do with understanding that you are NOT the man that appears in the flesh... the man on the OUTSIDE... the "suit of armor" that is flesh with its blood... but are TRULY the man that exists... INSIDE it! So, now, let's go back to the suit of armor discussed at the first... and the man INSIDE the "suit:"
Imagine, if you will, that because of his uncleaness (his "leprosy," if you will), your original progenator was unable to look upon himself. He even tried to hide his uncleaness, his "nakedness," from HIS father. His father, in discipline, cast him out of the house. Why? Because the man did not only sully himself, but sold his entire descendency into such sulliness as well. So, although he was cast out of the house, he was also mercifully given a "suit" of armor... to hide such uncleaness... from his own eyes, as well as any who would look upon him.
But such "suit" was not limited to him: in making the "deal" that led to his "leprosy," the man also made the deal for his entire descendency... for HIS oath... to come upon THEIR heads. (People today swear on their parents or ancestors, on their PAST. People BEFORE, used to swear... make an OATH... on their children... their FUTURE. Adam made a deal... on the lives of his children... and their children... and their children...)
So Adam... was given another "suit of armor," this time, one that bound... flesh with its blood. But Adam was STILL the man he was INSIDE that "suit." We, too, today... are NOT what we are in the flesh... but what we are INSIDE it.
Back to a metal suit of armor: suppose you are now bound in a suit of armor, but on your person, which is inside the suit, was a speaker and microphone? You know, like the Secret Service have. Wireless. If you were able to speak softly but clearly, and hear quite well, would you not then be able to communicate with someone on the other "end," without others knowing, where others would/could not hear you or the person on the other end? That INSIDE the suit such person would be speaking to you... and you to him/her? And what if INSIDE, say, the "visor" of the suit, there was a means for you to even see the person on the other end? Could those OUTSIDE your particular suit see what you see? Most probably not.
Dear ones... we... each of us... have on such a "suit": flesh... with its blood. We ALSO each have... INSIDE that suit... another body... our TRUE bodies... the TRUE man that we are... that which is of SPIRIT... which has ears to hear... and eyes to see. However, since THAT body is SPIRIT... what it can see and hear are things OF spirit!
What, though, if you thought the only things that existed were those that were OUTSIDE the suit? For instance, you reached your hand out to touch, say, water. Now, while the water will indeed flow over your "suit"... and perhaps your suit has the means to EXPERIENCE such flow... would not the suit stand between your body INSIDE being able to experience such flow? Could the fingers of your body INSIDE the suit FEEL the water? Most probably not. True, it might perceive the temperature of the water, IF the water is either very hot or very cold. Most probably, however, there will be no sensation at all.
But does the fact that you cannot feel the water... because you are encased in a metal suit... mean that the water does not exist? Perhaps you also can't hear the water through your suit... or see it, because your visor is down. Does that mean the water does not exist? Of course not! But for you to truly EXPERIENCE the water... you would either have to SHED the suit... or find some way for its manifestation to PENETRATE the suit. Yes? Some way to get PAST the suit so that your body INSIDE can experience it!
It is the same way with the body of flesh... and the body of spirit: one... the spirit... is encased in the other... the flesh. And just because one DOES not experience things with the body of flesh... does not mean that one CANNOT experience them with the SPIRIT. Just because one does not PERCEIVE things with the body of flesh... does not mean that such things don't exist.
Dear ones, when you realize that God, through Christ, deals... NOT with the man that is on the OUTSIDE... the man that is the "suit of armor"... flesh... with its blood... but rather, deals with the man that we are on the INSIDE... the SPIRIT... then you will begin to know how it is that we are to listen... and hear... and see... and taste... and touch... and smell. It is INSIDE the suit... not outside of it.
If, then, your speaker is turned down... ASK... that it be turned UP... OR... LISTEN HARDER. If, then, you feel your microphone might not be working... SPEAK UP... and SPEAK OFTEN.
But you must ask... and listen... and speak... IN FAITH. For FAITH... is AMPLIFIER. It is through FAITH... that you are heard by Christ... in turn, heard by God... and FAITH through which you hear God, through Christ, speak to you!
And it is NOT the faith of your flesh (i.e., attending meetings and sermons, field service, going to church, etc.), but the faith of your SPIRIT (i.e., loving God, Christ, your neighbor, and even your enemy, as yourself, so that you do "works" of faith) that counts. The faith of your spirit... as MANIFESTED... by the WORKS of the spirit! The man you are INSIDE... commanding the man you are... OUTSIDE.
However, if you are looking and wishing and hoping and waiting to receive some "manifestation" from OUTSIDE your suit, so that you can "experience" it with your FLESH... you most probably won't ever get what you are asking for, at least not from God.
True, you may get it from the Adversary and those spirits that "follow" him, those whose appeal is to the flesh... but not from God. For God... is a SPIRIT... and those who worship Him must worship... IN SPIRIT. For you cannot "please" God with or through works of your flesh (i.e., adhering to the Law so as to observe festivals, etc., not eating, drinking, etc.) as the flesh... is of no use... at all.
It is with your SPIRIT, then... that you must seek Him... that you must speak to Him... hear Him... touch Him... see Him. And all of it... by going through the Door, Christ.
May the eyes and ears of the man you are... on the INSIDE... be opened, excavated... if you so wish it... so that you may hear and see that which you cannot with the eyes and ears of your flesh, the "suit" that covers and binds the man you truly are.
May the undeserved kindness and mercy of my God and Father, the Most Holy One of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose name is JAH of Armies... and the glorious peace of His and Christ, my Lord and Master, JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH, be upon you... you and your entire household... if you so wish it.
I bid you peace.
Servant to the Household of God, Israel, and those who go with them, and a slave of Christ,
SJ