3.1 Preamble
Let me first set the record straight, I do not profess to know much about God the Holy Spirit, except what I believe He has taught me.
In my early Christian days, apart from the experience of the Rivers of Living Water, I was still spiritually naive on the things of God. Having a genuine desire to know God more, I immersed myself in the teachings of the church, which included Christian theology and its literature; all of which certainly did not quench my thirst for God. By the grace of the Lord, He however, sustained me spiritually by my interest in the word of God through the reading of scripture. It is the Lord too, who had put it in my heart to observe this important truth, that man should not live on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew: 4:4).
Many years later, while I was in my early forties, I was fortuitous enough to attend church services where the presence of the Holy Spirit, was palpable. Having been brought up earlier with “Christian beliefs”, it was initially hard to sit in the presence of the Lord and take in truths when the Lord spoke, as it ran contrary to my earlier Christian understanding.
For instance, I had always believed that as Christians, when we ask anything in Jesus name, God will perform our supplications. The Holy Spirit, however, pointed out that Jesus in his ministry never ever uttered words to the effect of seeking miracles in the name of the Father. Instead, we see Jesus spitting on the soil to heal the blind, calling out Lazarus to rise from the dead and performing many other miracles without invoking the name of God.
Jesus did as he was instructed by the Spirit of God, who then worked through him!
The Lord also revealed to me that the name of Jesus Christ represents the authority in that name which was obtained through Jesus Christ’s victory over Satan. In olden times, emissaries of the king spoke under the authority of the ruler, sometimes appearing even with royal seal. Thus, we hear of these representatives of the king say, “I have come in the name of the king”.
When we, therefore, use the name of Jesus Christ, we as Christians use the name to denote the authority given by that name. However, we must first have the unction of God’s Spirit, otherwise though we may use the name of Jesus Christ in bouts of Christian fervor, we will still not see any breakthrough in our lives or in the lives of the ones we pray for!
With dark knowledge, I had initially wrestled with God on how the things that He did and taught were different from the practices of other mainstream churches and their interpretation of scripture. I had somehow boxed God in with my own narrow understanding of Him and His Truth, when He is beyond our human comprehension.
The Lord was good to call me out one day during church services by using an anointed vassal, He called me to the aisle and said, “You will change!”. When the vassal then pointed a finger at me, it felt like an invisible arrow (a spiritual one, which felt quite like a physical one) had pierced my chest and I was flung a few meters backwards where fortunately, ushers held my back to break the fall.
The next day, I remember sitting in the presence of the Holy Spirit without the questions and doubts that had earlier plagued me. The Spirit of God had given me deliverance from the dark knowledge that had caused me to question God, His word and His ways.
I fully understand if many who read these missives harbor doubt and unbelief to what I’ve written, as just like me we have all been fed with knowledge from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil rather than from the Tree of Life.
The bible says, one may know the tree by its fruits, for a good tree cannot bear bad fruits (Luke 6:43). If you have the Truth that leads to eternal life within you, this Truth from the Lord will give you blessings; whether salvation and even riches and honor. These are the fruits from the Tree of Life.
For the Lord says: Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding. For she is a Tree of Life to those who lay hold of her (Proverbs 3:13-18).
3.2 The Holy Spirit as our Advocate
We all have our own specific needs whether they be physical or spiritual. The people of the world have been used to quick fixes and instant gratification, but this is not how God grants breakthrough to His people. First and fore-most with God, there will be a test of our faith (Jeremiah 9:7,17:10, Zechariah 13:9).
You might disagree with the ways of God or His methods of testing all who seek Him, but there is a significant purpose behind the test, as it involves our very own salvation and to fulfil the requirements of the law in the court of heaven (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Jesus Christ said that he will send a Comforter in John 14:26 (Advocate in some bible versions) after his resurrection; and this Comforter is the Holy Spirit. Do you know that the interpretation for Comforter, means Advocate rather than someone who comforts in times of need? This Advocate is our Comforter not just here on earth, where Satan (our accuser, Revelation 12:10) demands retribution constantly for our sins, but also at that great day of Judgement, when all men and angels will be tried. When Satan accuses us of all our sins in that day of trial, our Advocate will then reveal to our accuser the time/s in which we have been tested and deemed people of the faith.
The bible records in Luke 12:7: But even the hairs of your head are all counted; how much more then will the critical tests of our faith not be recorded? In Proverbs 27:11, the Lord says: Be wise My child, and make My heart glad, so that I may answer whoever reproaches me.
In all our trials, put our faith in the Lord, and do not trust in our own strength or understanding. If we fail pick ourselves up, for God is a God who delights in showing mercy and goodness. Micah the prophet of God wrote: Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgressions of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in showing clemency (Micah 7:18).
Therefore, whenever we undergo trials and tribulations in our lives, remember nothing happens by chance. Don’t take this lightly but stand up to the test and do not waiver in our faith, but place our faith in the Spirit of God, for indeed the Lord who made heaven and earth will be there to comfort and guide us.
Nahum 1: The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of trouble; He protects those who take refuge in Him, even in a rushing flood.
And Psalm 26:2: Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.
On a separate note about the Advocate, these key verses are found in John 16: 7-11:
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
And when He comes, He will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
In summary, Jesus spoke about his death and resurrection and how the ruler of this world has been judged. And because of this righteous work of the Messiah, the Holy Spirit is sent to believers that they may know the Truth of God.
3.3 The Holy Spirit, Creator and the Only Begotten Son
The scriptures and the word of God have been inspired by the Holy Spirit, for He is the Word (John 1:1). The bible testifies of the Spirit of God as the Creator and not Jesus, unlike what is being taught to most Christians. The basis of mainstream Christians’ understanding is that Jesus is part of the trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. With God the Son referring to Jesus, as he is the son of God.
However, let me rebut this understanding with other scripture:
Sevenfold Spirit of God
Isaiah 11:2:
The Sprit of the Lord shall rest on him (Jesus), the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Might, the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord.
Revelations 4:5:
Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the Seven Spirits of God.
Revelations 3:1-6
And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of Him who has the Seven Spirits of God and the Seven Stars. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
Let me shed more light on the trinity; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one and the same Spirit.
3.4 The Creator and Almighty
Psalm 104:30 says, When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth. The sole task of creation therefore, lay in the hands of the Holy Spirit, which is why in the first verses of the bible we are introduced to the Spirit of God at the beginning of creation (Genesis 1:1).
These verses in Genesis also align with John 1:1-3, which says through the Word, all things came into being through Him.
Elsewhere, Job 33:4 says: The Spirit of God has made me (and therefore the Maker who stretched out the heavens, spoken of in Isaiah 51:13) and the Breath of the Almighty gives me life. Yes indeed, the Almighty is one and the same Spirit who is the Breath of Life, whom the religious Jews till now quake at the mention of His name.
Now, most Christians argue that the verses in John 1:14, certainly refer to Jesus since the Word became flesh, which signifies Jesus as the Creator who became man and flesh. Let me explain these verses further, becoming flesh and inhabiting flesh have the same interpretation and meaning in the bible. The fulness of the Spirit of God certainly resided in Jesus and became one with him, which is how the Spirit became flesh.
Ponder for a moment, if Jesus is God, he would certainly not need the Holy Spirit with Him, since as God, he had full authority to come in the flesh and on his own. But instead, Luke 1: 35 reads: The angel said to her (Mary), “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High (Job 33:4) will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the son of God”.
If that’s the biblical backstory, then Jesus is the son of the Holy Spirit (God) and His creation too.
Which is why in John 1:18, Jesus said that no one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made Him known.
It is plain and clear in these verses that Jesus did not mean to call himself God the only Son, since all could see him.
Another argument put forth by others is that Jesus as the son of God is therefore, the Only Begotten spoken of in John 3:16. Jesus said: God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
This only Begotten Son, however, is the Holy Spirit and corresponds to the Savior mentioned in John 5:24 when Jesus said, ‘Everyone, who hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life’.
Now, I am not disputing that Jesus is the son of God but let me also remind you that so is Adam. If you read Luke chapter 3: 23-38, the genealogy of Jesus goes right back to the first Adam, who too was called the son of God. The sons of God refer to those who have been directly formed by the creator, the Holy Spirit Himself. This is also why God calls the angels, the sons of God in the bible. Therefore, being the son of God does not equate the created to be called God.
Then who is this Only Begotten Son of God if He is not Jesus, and where are there conclusive scriptural evidences pointing to the Only Begotten?
Let me start by asking you this, have you ever wondered the purpose of the Holy Spirit? Why does God have a Spirit who is separate from the Father in heaven? In scripture, the Father is enthroned in heaven and He resides in the heavenly courts, for Psalm 82:1 says, God has taken His place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgement.
This is no ordinary council, for within this divine council sit the incorruptible angels, the firstborn of creation and the ancients.
The Father had purposed from the beginning that all His creation will be given the free will to worship Him as Lord. Unlike the despots of the world or underworld, God is no slave driver demanding total allegiance and sacrifice from us or face terrible retribution.
God, who saw the end from the beginning, for-knew that some of His angels would in time rebel against Him. It was a ferment of revolt that was many eons in the making with its leader, Lucifer, who eventually led the angels against God. I will speak in somewhat more detail of this rebellion at another chapter which is still very much WIP.
The gist of what I am trying to say is that in the divine council, God the Father holds judgement. If God the Father sits in the divine council, then what is the purpose of the Holy Spirit?
3.5 The Beginning and the Creation
If God is everlasting (Psalm 90:2), why was there a beginning spoken of in the bible? If you understand the eternal nature of God, then God had no beginning, since He is from everlasting to everlasting which means there was no beginning for God, nor will there be an end to Him. He had existed even before time as we know it.
To put it in perspective, if you were to write “1,000,000,000,000,000…. and continue writing it on a big-white board filling all the spaces with zeroes”, it would certainly add up to an inordinate sum, like a billion-trillion-quadrillion? What if you put that as the number of years and multiply one billion-trillion-quadrillion with one billion-trillion-quadrillion, that unimaginable total number of years would still be inadequate to gauge the years of God’s existence, because He is eternal and had existed even before then.
Some of the first angels created in heaven, the ancients, may have existed for that length of time or perhaps even earlier. But God had no beginning, nor will He have an end.
But there was a beginning spoken of in the bible, a beginning of the whole plan and purpose of the creation by God. It is in the beginning that we are first introduced to the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:1. The Holy Spirit was sent forth for this very purpose of creation of the heavens and earth as stated in Psalm 104.30. While in Isaiah 40:28, Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
There are many other verses in the bible that relate to the beginning of creation by our Maker and these verses tie-up to our understanding of who our Creator is. These verses are found in both the old and new testaments.
3.6 The Only Begotten Son
Who is this Only Begotten and why is He then the Holy Spirit? The verses in the bible giving a clue to the only begotten son are found in the old texts. Let me highlight the verses giving understanding of the only begotten, which are found from Proverbs 8: 22-36, (which I will tie-up with the first verses of the Gospel of John):
The Lord possessed Me (John 1:1: The Word was with God) at the beginning of His work (In the beginning was the Word), the first of His acts of long ago. Ages ago I was set up (begotten), at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth (begotten), when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth (begotten) – when He had not yet made earth and field, or the world’s first bits of soil. When He established the heavens, I was there (John1:1, In the beginning was the Word).
In addition, these verses below point to the only begotten as the Creator.
Proverbs 8:30: then I was beside Him (John 1:1, the Word was with God), like a Master Workman* (and speaks of the Holy Spirit as the Creator, John 1:3); and I was daily His delight.
*There are varied versions from the different bible translations. Some bible versions translate this as architect or master/skilled craftsman at His side,
It is this same Spirit who made the heavens and the earth and here are His proclamations:
Thus, says the Lord, your Redeemer (Holy Spirit), who formed you in the womb (Jesus, refer Luke 1:35): I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread out the earth; (Isaiah 44: 24).
Additionally, the verses in Proverbs 8:30 further reveal that this Only Begotten was God the Father’s delight, which is a big clue to revealing what God the Father meant when He said, “This is my only begotten in whom I am well pleased”, as recorded in Matthew: 3:16-17:
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’.
Christians in general interpret these verses to mean that Jesus was therefore, the only Beloved Son. This is the interpretation made by most of us for we only notice the physical aspect of things. In the spiritual, what the Father refers to as his beloved is the Spirit of God.
The cue lies in the verses themselves, if indeed Jesus was the beloved son mentioned, then these verses would have read: ‘Jesus after the baptism went out of the water when he heard the Father say, ‘This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased’. And after that, he saw the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove come upon him’, wouldn’t it?
Let me emphasize that only after the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus, did the Father say, “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” and these verses tie-up with Proverbs 8:30 at the beginning of creation, which says that, ‘I was daily His delight’.
The Spirit of God was tasked by the Father for all of creation and was brought forth or begotten as a ‘Master Workman’ for this very purpose, at the beginning!
3.7 The Holy Spirit in Christ the Messiah, and the Light
I’m quoting from the Book of Psalms, which provides more understanding of the Messiah and the Spirit of God in him.
Psalm 139: 1-17:
O Lord, You have searched me and know me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from far away. You searched out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even a word is before my tongue, O Lord, You know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand before me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night”, even the darkness is not dark to You; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to You.
For it was You who formed my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In Your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them has yet existed. How weighty to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Rather long verses from the book of Psalms, but first note that the Spirit was an integral part of these verses and they speak of many significant truths. While most readers will assume that these verses sum up the thoughts and experiences of the author, David, and his personal reflections of the Holy Spirit. These verses, however, were a prophecy of our savior and Lord Jesus Christ or the Messiah. The big hint being: “In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them has yet existed”. These verses were therefore, a portend of a future and prophesied about the coming Messiah and Son of David.
Yes, even the creation of Jesus was prophesied by the Psalmist, David who was under the anointing of the Spirit when he wrote these verses; for was it not the Holy Spirit who came upon Mary (Luke 1:35) who then conceived Jesus. This truth has been marvelously hidden in these verses:
“For it was You who formed my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In Your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them has yet existed. How weighty to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!”
In these verses too, we get some understanding of the meaning of the Messiah and Christ. The Jewish people in the days of Jesus looked to him as the son of David while the religious experts were very aware of scripture such as Psalm 139, which pointed to the coming Messiah.
To understand the meaning of Jesus Christ or the Messiah clearly, its interpretation means the deliverer of believers and the anointed without measure. As Christians, we believe for instance that Jesus was indeed the spiritual deliverer of the people of God, but what about this anointing you may ask? This anointing is the fulness of the Spirit of God in a person, not just on any man, but only on the Christ and Messiah as prophesied hundreds of years before, even in these verses.
Meanwhile, Christians and the people of God have not been taught more fully that Christ or the Messiah, is the indwell of God’s Spirit without measure in the person, Jesus. Ponder over these words from Jesus, when he said: I am in the Father and the Father is in me. The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does His works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. (John14:10-11)
We read in the Gospels that the fulness of the Holy Spirit resided in Jesus and this was when he became the Messiah. During this time when Jesus spoke, it was the Holy Spirit who spoke through him. (Even a word is before my tongue, O Lord, You know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand before me). Because Jesus spoke from the Holy Spirit, the words that were spoken by him were also words spoken by the Spirit of God.
With this understanding and with regards to scripture such as John 8:58, where Jesus said: ‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am’. It was the Holy Spirit who spoke through Jesus, who referred to Himself as the ‘I am’, and this also confirms scripture in John 3:34: He whom God has sent speaks the word of God, for He has given him the Spirit without measure.
The part of these main verses that speak of being hemmed in behind and before, eludes people of the faith, as what it truly means is that of the full anointing of the Spirit in Jesus, and our Lord being under the Spirit’s total control. This is no ordinary anointing of God on man, for the fulness of the Spirit in Jesus meant that the seven-fold Spirit of God had rested on him (Revelations 5:6 and Isaiah 11:1-5).
With this knowledge, we now know why Jesus is called the Christ or the Messiah, who has the Spirit without measure.
3.8 The Antichrist
In the last days, the Antichrist will be revealed before the great day of the Lord, and this Antichrist is the antithesis of who Christ is; for he will be totally devoid of the Spirit of God. For this person will appear to have a heart for man and he will have no heart for God. Which is why his number is ‘666’, signifying the great work of the flesh, for man was created on the sixth ‘day’. There’s nothing wrong with that you might say, since he has thoughts for mankind, but the heart of man is deceiving. God has His own plans and He will raise those to do His command and anoint them for His purposes.
The devil, however, has great designs on his chosen to deceive mankind and to collect more souls for his kingdom.
Remember this truth very clearly, that God’s ways are not our ways.
Many however, will be seduced by this Antichrist for he will be a leader of no equal among man. There will even be a cult of worship for him, as man being very much of the flesh will always be attracted to hero worship or adulation of idols. He will even portray himself as a man of God and appear in a holy place, and many will worship him as the coming messiah.
So, when you see the abomination standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand). For at that time there will be a great suffering, such as not been from the beginning of the world (Matthew: 24: 15-22).
3.9 The Death of Jesus and the Light
Coming back to the subject matter, the life and death of the Messiah had been foretold in these scriptures, yes even death, with this part of scripture alluding to it:
Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night, even the darkness is not dark to You; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as Light to You.
It is therefore this Light and more importantly the Holy Spirit, that had been foretold by David in Psalm 139. This also corresponds with John 1:9-10, which speaks of the Creator appearing to the world: The True Light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him; yet the world did not know Him.
In Romans 4:22-25: It will be reckoned to us who believe in Him (the Spirit) who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification. It is, therefore, this Spirit or Light that which Psalm 139 is talking about and refers to He who came to rescue Jesus from the bowels of Hell.
Further on, in John 1: 12-13: But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of flesh or of the will of man, but of God (or being born again).
These verses speak a very important truth: that being born again is not through the works of the flesh but through the gift of God; and through the believing and receiving of this Light, who is the Spirit of God.
This is the same Light mentioned in scripture:
While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world (John 9:5). Indeed, the Spirit of the Lord was in Jesus and therefore, He appeared to the world and provided that Light.
Remember, the coming of Christ was not only during a very dark period with Jesus even saying that the kingdom of Heaven was in contention with the kingdom of Satan, this contention was over the key of David. It was this work of Jesus Christ, meaning both the Holy Spirit who worked through Jesus and Jesus the man, that paved the way for the second Adam (Jesus) to obtain victory once and for all through his death, forgiveness of sin to all who come to the Lord.
Here are some other scriptures regarding the Light:
The Lord is my Light and my Salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
The unfolding of Your words gives light, it gives understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130).
Believe in the Light while you have the Light (John 12: 36).
3.10 Christ Died for Our Sins (1 Corinthians 15:3)
God is Life; and if He is Life, how then can God die? For will it not be anathema to His very being, since He has no beginning and will have no end. It is therefore incumbent on me to state this fact, that God cannot die, and Jesus is therefore not God, for he had to die to redeem us from the sting of death.
Romans 8: 2: For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. From these verses, we note that God the Spirit, is Life, and if He is God and in Christ Jesus as well, how then can He die as written in 1 Corinthians 15:3?
If you have the grace of the Holy Spirit, He will show you the truth behind the meaning of Christ having died for our sins. This truth is found in Matthew 27:46-50:
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
Also read Psalm 22:1, where this prophesy about the forsaken Messiah has been fulfilled. The verses in Psalm 22, are essentially the prophesies about the coming Messiah and in fulfillment of the purposes of God.
Coming back, just before his passing, Jesus had cried out to God questioning why he had left him to die alone.
Before this, the Spirit of God had been with Jesus throughout his ministry from the time of his baptism in the River Jordan, right through to the time he was whipped at Pilate’s court and even stayed on with Jesus, when he hung on the cross. But at the very last minute, the Spirit left Jesus to die on the cross alone.
But why then did the Sprit leave Jesus at this crucial time? The answer lies in fulfilling the law; that one man shall bear the sins of all mankind. The man Jesus, therefore, died alone in his final work for God.
The Spirit of God had to leave Jesus to die alone in this pivotal moment, in fulfillment of scripture and the requirement of the law. This very act of the Spirit leaving Jesus is the death of the Christ and Messiah, for there was no longer the Spirit of God in Jesus but only Jesus the man.
As Jesus gave up his spirit, he died as the second Adam for the remission of sins for all mankind.
This is the salvation message for everyone and summarized by Paul in Romans 5: 6- 21:
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled through the death of His son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His Life (Spirit of Life). Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man’s trespass (first Adam), and so death spread to all because all have sinned, sin indeed was in the world before the law. Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses.
However, the free-gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through this one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free-gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ (second Adam), abounded for many. Therefore, just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. Just as sin exercised dominion in death, so grace might exercise dominion through justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
3.11 The Death and Resurrection of Christ Was the Key of David
For God to save mankind, He had to first triumph over the power of death and Hell, which the devil was still in full control through sin. There was an important element in the work of the Spirit which was achieved with the death of Jesus Christ and which pertains to obtaining the key of David.
Isaiah 53:10 says: It was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain when He made his life an offering for sin, through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. The sin offering had to be paid once and for all through the death of the Messiah, and because it has already been paid in full, there is now the hope of salvation for believers.
We read earlier about Jesus’ cry to the Lord mentioned in Matthew 27, but let me underscore further understanding of Psalm 22, which prophesied about the Messiah and his agony on the cross. These prophecies are found in verses 6, 14, 16 and 18:
But I am a worm, and not human, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. They pierce my hands and my feet. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint, they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.
These verses foretold the anguish and torment of the Messiah Jesus at the cross, a description of his ordeal and humiliation can be found in the Gospels. Do read them to get better understanding.
In Psalm 22, there is a curious verse of the Messiah describing himself as a worm and not human. This worm is a prophesy of the Messiah’s crucifixion and death which is wonderfully written in bible imagery.
In the time of David, people used natural dye to color their garments, and one of these natural dyes is obtained from the crimson worm. It is a worm that would attach itself on the bark of a tree, lay its eggs and then die covering it’s soon to be offspring in a red splatter, as protection. People in those times would look for the red markings on the bark of trees to collect the dried remains of the crimson worm as natural dye.
The mention of this worm in Psalm 22, is a prophesy as well as a metaphor of the eventual death of the Messiah Jesus on the cross. Like the crimson worm, Jesus was hung on the cross and his blood splattered on the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, in order that by his sacrifice as the second Adam, the Tree of Life will bear its fruit in due season.
3.12 The Tree of Life
There were two Trees planted in the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life representing God and the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the devil. After the Lord created Adam, he was told to wait for the fruit from the Tree of Life, which will be the source of life for him. God also warned Adam not to partake of the fruit from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil, which will cause him to die.
Before Eve was created, Adam was a faithful servant of God and avoided the Tree of knowledge of good and evil like the plague in his walkabouts, and even in his thoughts.
Adam and Eve enjoyed the pleasures and bounty of the Garden of Eden for many years, even then they were still curious about these two trees and what they represent. Sometimes as they slept, Eve could hear the delightful crunch of the fruit as the serpent ate of it, and there was also the intriguing and delicate smell of its fruit that wafted through the cool night air that aroused her senses. The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil was always in season; and enticed all who were to look at its low hanging fruits.
The Tree of Life on the other hand, was slow in showing signs of fruition, although it became Adam’s daily routine to tend to it and seek the grace of God that one day, he and Eve could partake of its fruit.
We are all familiar with how this story of Adam and Eve ended in the bible and how because of sin, death came into the world. But let me say that this episode of Adam has since been righteously concluded by the second Adam, Jesus. For the Tree of Life is now in season, and as the Lord had told Adam, those who eat of its fruit will live forever.
3.13 The Key of David and the Messiah
It is not by chance that the Messiah Jesus will come from the house of David, for it had been prophesied hundreds of years before the birth of our Lord. To understand the verses regarding this key of David and our Lord Jesus, the cues are found in Isaiah 22:20-22:
On that day I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah. And will clothe him with your robe and bind your sash on him. I will commit your authority on his hand, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open.
Why are these verses then related to the work of Jesus and the Spirit of God, or the Messiah/Christ? The understanding lies in the name of Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. One of the ways of interpreting scripture is to comprehend the names referenced in biblical text; the name Hilkiah means “God is my portion”, while Eliakim translates to “Resurrection of God”.
Having obtained the meaning behind these names, we can now understand these biblical truths:
The Messiah/Christ will have God as his portion; whether through birthright, as Jesus is the son of God or through God the Spirit dwelling in him, from the anointing of Christ.
Additionally, the Messiah as prophesied in these verses will be the Resurrection of God.
Indeed, wasn’t Jesus resurrected by the Spirit of God and will not the Spirit of God resurrect His people?
For scripture says: If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit that dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a man, for as all die in Adam, so will all be made alive in Christ (1 Cor: 15:21-22).
What is laid down in these two scripture is essentially the message of the gospel, that Jesus gave his life for all of us as redemption for the sin penalty, and having been justified by faith, we may now experience the grace of salvation through the Spirit of God.
Let’s look further at scripture pertaining to the key of David, found in the book of Revelations 3: 1-7:
These are the words of Him who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, who has the key of David, who opens, and no one shuts, who shuts, and no one opens. (The same Holy Spirit and Spirit of Truth referenced in scripture, John 14:17).
Prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus, the souls of the dead believers in the Lord were taken to a place called paradise, which was in the bowels of hell. After the work on the cross and resurrection of Jesus, the dead in the Lord have also been ransomed from death and Hell into the heavenly kingdom of God. This is what it means to open doors that no want can shut and shut where no one can open, which is essentially the key of David to heaven and hell.
3.14 Christ Is the Rock of Your Salvation
Matthew 16: 13-20:
When Jesus came into Caeseria, he asked his disciples, Who do people say the Son of Man is? And they said, Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. He asked them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered, You, are the Christ, the son of the Living God. And Jesus answered,
Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven. Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah/Christ.
There is much debate among Christians as to who this rock represents, most Christians believe it’s the apostle Peter, since Jesus had seemingly referred to him as the rock in these verses. This also accounts for the many references of Peter to the pearly gates of heaven, even in contemporary song too!
However, when Jesus said those words, he meant that Christ was the rock upon which even the gates of Hell shall not prevail, and it is with this anointing of Christ that the church will prosper. It is not Peter, upon whom even the gates of Hell shall not prevail, in fact we read in the Gospels that he would later deny Jesus Christ three times and was close to losing his salvation, if not for the grace of God.
The meaning of this rock, however, corresponds to scripture such as Isaiah 26:4: Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock. For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and salvation, my fortress; I shall not be moved (Psalm 62:1-2).
These verses in the Old Testament were a prophecy by King David of the Messiah who was to be revealed at a future time. This is the same Christ and Messiah, who has obtained the keys of David or as Jesus said, the keys of the kingdom of Heaven and Hell. Yes, even the gates of Hell shall not prevail against this rock or the Christ.
The coming of Christ was to break the yoke of bondage that Satan had over man, which came about through Adam’s sin. It is for this reason that the Son of God appeared that He might destroy the works of the devil (John 3:8). This destruction of Satan and his kingdom includes the authority over death and hell.
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelations 20:14-15)
For believers, these verses are a rather somber reminder over our salvation and the grace of God. For the unbelievers however, let me say that God has no delight in seeing anyone cast into the lake of fire. As a righteous and loving God, He can only plead the cause of everyone in that day of trial; Satan, however, will not let go of his people whom he has sealed for his kingdom.
This lake of fire will extinguish everything, including body, soul and spirit; which is why it’s called the second death, for God will wipe out every memory of the sin of rebellion on that day.
3.15 The Contests
Christians are only aware of the victory of Jesus Christ at Calvary; there’s however, an earlier work of Christ Jesus which paved the way to Calvary. The first contest between Christ and Satan took place much earlier, during the beginning of Jesus Christ’s ministry, and it took place in the wilderness.
We read: Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1).
This contest between God and Satan which God had purposed first, was to gain back sovereignty over the earth, and the first steps to obtaining the keys of David. God had initially given control to Adam over all that was in the Garden of Eden; with Adam’s fall, not only did he surrender his birthright over the Garden of Eden, but also yielded the fate of the world into Satan’s hands. This also made death under Satan’s control through sin.
The devil thus had dominion over both the realm of the earth and that of death, which is the sting of sin. Hell was initially created by God to detain the rebellious angels until the great day of judgement. However, after Adam’s fall, not only did the devil have control over the world but also over Hell which was then used by him to confine his people and the people of God.
Immediately after the Holy Spirit fell on Jesus, the Spirit sent him into the wilderness to battle with the devil. Now, this wilderness is the aftermath of the original Garden of Eden, with the fall of Adam leading to its eventual decay into a wasteland. (The rivers Euphrates and Tigris had changed course after the great flood)
It was here that after a forty-day fast, a hungry Jesus was tempted by the devil. After waiting and knowing that Jesus would certainly have been famished by then, the devil said: If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. Jesus then answered, ‘It is written: One shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:3-4).
Notice like Adam, Jesus was also tempted into satisfying the flesh first! On both occasions, the devil used food as inducement. Unlike Adam when he was tempted, Jesus rejected and denounced the lure of the devil through scripture by quoting Deuteronomy 8: 3: “It is written, that man should not live on bread alone but by every word that comes out from the Lord”.
This is a significant fulfillment of prophecy in Deuteronomy by the Messiah Jesus; and by His rejection of Satan, Christ had fulfilled the law, triumphed over the devil and obtained whatever the first Adam had surrendered to Satan in the garden of Eden. Meantime, the other two tests which the devil threw at Jesus were superfluous at that point.
In addition, there are two existential truths from Matthew 4:4, and they are: Jesus triumphed over the devil through the Word of God and by the word of God. This is the Christ, who spoke under the authority of the Lord and it was thus, the Spirit Himself who spoke through Jesus.
Note this when reading the Gospels, on most occasions when Jesus Christ spoke as recorded in scripture, it was by the Spirit who spoke through him. Let the wise understand the difference, for there is a fine line of distinction between what is said by Jesus and that which is spoken by the Spirit through him (John 14:10).
Luke 4 :14: Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.
This victory in the wilderness was over this power and authority of the devil which he had over the world and was the first key of David that Christ obtained by overcoming Satan. This was also why the Spirit of God had authority (through righteousness) to work miracles through Jesus after this.
How can one enter a strongman’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strongman? (Matthew 12:29).
God works righteously and through His anointed vassal Jesus, He obtained the authority over the devil and those he had chained with physical disabilities and spiritual defects. The miracles that God performed were among the highest levels of God’s work, since they involved the creative process; like blind made to see, lame made to walk, and the dead raised up. These creative miracles could only be performed by our Creator and Maker.
At this point of the first contest, only the power of the devil over the physical world was wrested back by Christ, but the key to the power over death and hell was later obtained in the second contest, through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The apostle Paul said this in respect to the second contest, ‘None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory’ (1 Corinthians 2:8).
Many will certainly equate the Lord of Glory as Jesus, but it was both the Spirit and Jesus (or the Christ) that had been crucified on the cross. The rulers of the world (the spiritual rulers) were deceived by the work on the cross and had unwittingly crucified the Messiah, the embodiment of God in His Chosen; since, the make-up of Christ the Messiah was both the man Jesus, and the Spirit of God in him!
Indeed, the devil and his cohorts, the rulers in high places, plotted to rid the Messiah through putting Him to death. This very act of trying to kill the Messiah was also prophesied in Psalm 2:1-6:
Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and His anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds asunder, and cast away Their cords from us”.
He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying, “I have set My King on Zion, My holy hill”.
3.16 The Creator and Savior and the Hidden Treasure
Our Creator
The God who created the heavens and the earth is the Spirit of the Lord, and it was not the ‘trinity’ that formed all of creation. And why do I say so? It’s with reference to the bible, that I boldly declare this.
For thus says the Lord who created the heavens (He is God!) who formed the earth and made it (He established it; He did not create it a chaos, He formed it to be established!): I am the Lord, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:18).
Notice the verses which speak of forming the earth to be established, this refers to the plan and purposes of God since creation or since the beginning, to eventually use man to establish them. God who could see the end from the beginning foreknew that a time will come when He will use man to destroy the works of the enemy.
There is no other god besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior: there is no one beside Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God and there is no other (Isaiah 45:22).
Listen to Me O Jacob and Israel, whom I called: I am He; I am the first and the last. My *hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right *hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand in attention (Isaiah 48:12).
*(This is the same hand of God or finger of God, who is the Spirit of the Lord, who had cast out the demon and healed the man in reference to Luke 11:20)
For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of Hosts is His name; the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called (Isaiah 54:5).
You are My witnesses, says the Lord, and My servant, whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after Me. I am the Lord, and beside Me there is no Savior (Isaiah: 43:10-11).
3.17 The Holy Spirit as Creator of the Heavens and the Earth
If our Maker is also our Redeemer and Savior, who is this God and Creator then?
Let’s first reference to Job 33:4, which says: The Spirit of God has made me, and the Breath of the Almighty gives me life.
These verses speak of the Holy Spirit, who is acknowledged as the Creator and the Almighty, in scripture.
In addition, Psalms 104:30 says: When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created.
Elsewhere, in Isaiah 40:12: Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hands and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord or as His counsel or instructed Him?
These scriptures aforehand, acknowledge the Spirit of God as the Lord behind all creation.
3.18 The Hidden Truth
But why have Christians not been taught about the Spirit of God as their Savior? To cut a very long truth short, this is due to both the work of man, and the work of God.
Why do I say the work of man? Regular readers of the bible, religious scholars and teachers rely on their own literal understanding of scripture and not on the Holy Spirit of Truth for knowledge, understanding and wisdom of God’s words.
And the work of God, because it’s the nature of God to conceal Himself for His glory and purposes as stated in Isaiah 45:15: ‘Truly, you are a God who hides Himself, O God, the Savior’.
In the book of Proverbs 25:2: It is the glory of God to conceal things.
The Lord Jesus Christ also spoke in parables when He appeared to the Jews. There is a reason for God concealing Himself and His words and its due to the contest with Satan; who also searches the scripture for God’s proclamations and prophecies in order to hinder the Lord’s work.
Alas, the Lord has even concealed Himself in the Messiah as Christ, until both Jew and Christian alike have not grasped and understood this truth!
3.19 Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus
God wishes to bless His people, and in the last days the Holy Spirit says: ‘Shower, O heavens from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness, let the earth open, that salvation may spring up, and let it cause righteousness to spring out also, I the Lord have created it’ (Isaiah 45:8).
For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit upon your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring. They shall spring up like a green tamarisk, like willows from flowing streams. Thus, says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides Me there is no God (Isaiah 44:3-6).
These end time prophecies will be fulfilled in our life-time, dear readers.
Rather sadly, even bible thumping Christians have overlooked the importance of having the Holy Spirit in their lives. Christians all over the world continue to worship Jesus but ignore the Holy Spirit, who is the Hidden Lord and Treasure in Jesus Christ; and the Lord God, Creator and Savior.
To re-emphasize this truth, wasn’t Jesus under the direction of the Spirit during his ministry and therefore under the Spirit’s total control. It was God’s Spirit who led Jesus to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1) and continued to lead Jesus until his death on the cross. When the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus after his water baptism, it was at this moment that Jesus came into his ministry; which is that of the Messiah or Christ, who had the anointing of God’s Spirit without measure.
This anointing was the fulness of the Spirit which enabled the Lord to perform many miracles through Jesus. Not only that, the Messiah with His appearance had fulfilled prophecy regarding the coming of the Lord.
This fulness of the Holy Spirit also meant that when Jesus spoke, it was the Spirit who spoke through him. (For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure, John 3:34 and John 14:10).
I hope like Paul, the apostle, these revelations will cause ‘scales to fall from your eyes’ for both Jew and Christian alike. Jesus said: Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to Life, and few find it (Matthew 7:14).
3.20 Hidden Lord and Treasure
While writing these missives, the Lord revealed to me His truths regarding the parable about the hidden Lord found in the Gospel of Matthew, where the Spirit of God spoke through Jesus, about treasure hidden in a field.
I recall when I first experienced the Living Water and Joy of Salvation it felt like all the money and the riches of the world could not be exchanged for that sole-experience. It was truly a wonderful and most precious gift of God.
By His grace, the Lord re-acquainted me with scripture in Matthew 13: 44: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field’.
What this parable means is that the ‘hidden’ treasure is the Holy Spirit and the Joy of Salvation from Him, for it pertains to the Kingdom of Heaven. In addition, the Kingdom of Heaven has always been associated with God’s salvation and the righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)
God had purposed to hide this treasure in this field, which represents the spiritual battlefield where God and the devil contest for the souls of all people. This priceless treasure that has been hidden in this field, (It is the glory of God to conceal things; but the glory of kings is to search things out: Proverbs 24:2) and awaits to be found and experienced by believers who seek the Lord with their hearts.
For those who have found this treasure, indeed that Joy of Salvation shall flow exceedingly great; which will be their stronghold of faith in God. Scripture says, even all our precious earthly possessions will be counted unworthy in comparison to this treasure, that’s ‘hidden’ by the Lord.
I’d like to make a small comment of what it means of ‘someone found and hid’ which is written in wonderful bible imagery; this refers to believers finding the Holy Spirit who will then conceal Himself in us.
Before I close this chapter, let me quote Matthew 7: 7-8, these verses were the sermons of Jesus on how to ask the Father for the Holy Spirit:
Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
At this juncture, let me say that it is not everyone’s dream to know the Lord, and I can understand why. For most of us have our own dreams and we seek after the glory of the world rather than that of God. Being a person of the world, I too understand the attractions of power, money and the fulfilling of the lust of the flesh, rather than seeking after God.
However, the Lord reminds us: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).
