Faith, Which Letter Significant? (Poem)

See the Faith and Pride series here

‘…when the Son of Man comes,

will He really find [persistent] faith on the Earth?’

(Luke 18:8)

Since The Lord departed Earth, faith has been on His Mind,

Perhaps since during His time here, He witnessed so little.

Yet He declared, ‘Against My church, hell’s gates will not prevail.’ ¹

To you, does it seem to strong faith, we are not inclined??

For example, what is your ‘persistent, strong faith’ level?

Have you noticed, devils upped their game, our faith to assail?

In these post-pandemic years, Christian faith is on the wane,

Just as Paul twice predicted toward the end of this age. ²

His predictions, and this reality, give us a choice:

To join many on the lukewarm and apostasy train,

Or enhance our faith before The Lord turns His ages page’. ³

On this choice, devils would love for more of us …to be poised.

While pondering this issue, I asked several friends,

‘To you, what’s the most significant letter in ‘faith’, and why?’

Spiritually, I believe words ‘mean much more’ than they mean.

Jesus said His words are spirit, and life. That’s a blend! ⁴

Words we speak are also spirit, but mostly …death on the fly!

So from the word, faith, I was curious what some friends might glean. ⁵

Two chose F as their key letter, showing trust in Father God,

Whose Son’s family and fellowship are their life’s cornerstone.

Two chose T, representing knowing Truth, a faith by-product,

And the cross on which Christ was nailed, [with Father’s strategic nod].

Faith in His sacrifice is a prerequisite and keystone.

Two friend chose A for asking, then boldly acting, all doubts bucked!

Another friend chose H for hope, which Godly faith generates.

Two chose I, the balancing middle letter, the fulcrum,

One for her personal responsibility to ask,

The other for it’s and is, noting what those words indicate:

Folks who think it’s their faith, forget where Godly faith comes from.

Others think faith creates, but it only ‘sees’ what is [masked].

Voila! This last friend’s perspective mirrors mine, exactly!!!

Here’s the lesson The Lord has anchored in my soul deeply.

I chose the letter I, signifying imagination.

Our spirit and soul twins, our immortal duality,

Are uniquely equipped to ‘see’ beyond reality.

And that which we choose to ‘see’, attracts The Lord’s keen attention!

The Bible cites the word, imagination, 25 times,

Spread across 3 ages of human history.

In not one of them is this word used in a positive light! ⁶

The word, faith, is only cited twice in the 2^nd age times--

Once each in Habakkuk and Deuteronomy.

‘…The just shall live by his faith’, The Lord told Habakkuk, to write. ⁷

With His sacrifice pending, Jesus altered that focus,

When He told His fig tree awed disciples, ‘Have the faith of God.’

I prayed about and pondered this distinction, then concluded,

Before we could have God’s faith, Christ’s sacrifice was a must!

We 3^rd age believers are thus endowed with the faith of God!

Ergo, believers who rely on their faith, are deluded. ⁸

Since spiritually, words ‘mean much more’ than they mean,

To words with an odd number of letters, I am attracted,

Focusing on their middle letter, their balancing fulcrum.

When I perceive plausible intersections that seem,

To link with Bible themes that are strategic and protracted,

I slow down and tune my ear to hear what, from The Lord, may come.

At the fulcrum of faith, imagination intersected.

Uniquely equipped to ‘see’ beyond reality,

Imagination sketches what is not seen, but is.

Beliefs are birthed, and in them, the fuel of hopes is injected.

Hopes shape molds for the substance of faith to fill fully.

When we patiently do our parts, The Lord does …His biz.

F.A.I.T.H. Acronyms

Fully Assured, I Trust Him.

Fully Anticipating It To Happen.

Forsaking All, I’m Trusting Him.

Father And I Together, Harmony.

Father Always Inspires The Humble.

Faithfully Anchoring In (T)His Harbor.

Faith Allows Imaginations To Happen.

Forwarding All Issues to Him/Heaven.

Framing All Imaginations Through Him.

Father’s Amazing Imaginations Trigger Hopes.

Ponder this:

Faith uncloaks the substance of hope.

The quality of your life is the harvest of your imagination.

---------- 

¹ In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus makes this affirmation, based, not on Peter, as some may think, but on the spiritual revelation that He is The Son of God, The Messiah. 

² See: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and 1 Timothy 4:1.

³ The next historical age will be the tribulation age. See: Human History Ages (Series).

⁴ See: John 6:63.

⁵ Death on the fly signifies spiritual death. I posed my question to 38 friends. The Lord inspired 8 to reply. Thanks very much to you whom He inspired.

⁶ Check out what the KJV Bible says about typical human imaginations. In most other versions, the word, thoughts, is substituted for imaginations.

⁷ See: Habakkuk 2:4.

⁸ See: In vs. Of - A Prepositional Detour, Faith Hijackers (Poem), Faith and Pride (Series) and Faith Author, Finisher and You (Series).

Missed Insights from Matthew 27 (Part 2)

See the Missed Insights series here

For anyone who may be rather slow to believe the insights I received from The Lord in Part 1 of this series, He has stirred my spirit to pass these, His questions to you:

When I told Moses to tell Pharaoh, ‘Let My people go!’, 

did I include a numerical, percentage or adjectival qualifier?

How many (live) Jewish slaves did I leave in ancient Egypt?

Here’s what I intuit from that unexpected question. 

Through Moses, The Lord ‘led captivity captive’. Dogmatic minds that may be restricted to only believing what’s written in The Bible, might conclude ‘That’s not what Moses did, because, in The Bible, that particular expression is not clearly associated with the exodus, or in any other related books we know of.’ But effectively, historically and strategically, that is exactly what happened.

This exodus occurred long before The Lord inspired David, in Psalm 68:18, to prophesy about a very similar act He would perform in the future. David may not have had a clue about the exact nature and/or magnitude of what he wrote, although Psalm 16:10 reveals he personally believed The Lord would not leave his spirit/soul forever in sheol/hades/hell. With hindsight, thanks to Paul, we today understand The Spirit intended what David wrote, to apply to a uniquely different group of captives, namely the twin spirits and souls of all righteous people from the 1st and 2nd ages of history, who were temporarily resting in the upper region of hades. What David received, he wrote, with no qualifying adjectives, numbers or percentages. The word, captivity, in David’s prophecy, is an un-modified noun. When Paul, by The Spirit in Ephesians 4:8, affirmed Jesus fulfilled David’s ancient prophecy, he likewise, avoided any adjectival qualifiers. 

Therefore, we should be safe in concluding the following.

In both His direct instruction to Moses about the exodus, and His cloaked prophecy He inspired David to write about the resurrection and rapture of 1st and 2nd ages saints, The Lord apparently, and perhaps strategically determined to avoid ANY adjectival qualifiers that would, in some way, limit or restrict His meanings and intentions. Moses

understood, believed, then achieved The Lord’s objective. Similarly, Paul understood, believed, then by faith, emphatically associated David’s prophecy, to the strange, post-crucifixion events briefly described in Matthew 27:51-53.

So if they ‘got it’, I think The Lord intends us today to apply The Mind of Christ to ‘get it’, and to not be slow to perceive and believe His inferred intentions, simply because that Scripture passage has no qualifiers (e.g., that describe details of who, how many, what happened after folks were resurrected, etc.), or because there might not be other verifying Scripture passages or other external sources about those strange events. This is where faith should kick in!

For sure, what The Lord revealed to me is un-written ‘in’ that passage. I received and believe it because it comports with so many of His strategic patterns and tactics across the entire Bible. Allowing Scripture to interpret and elucidate Scripture, frees me to readily believe what I ‘see’, that is until He shows me more …down the road. This approach to faith-building fully accords with Isaiah 28:10 & 13, that summarize His very clear and historically-demonstrated tactic for releasing insights to us from His infinite supply of knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Check it out.

BIG Tip: Since Adam, The Lord has been releasing insights to humanity in a ‘drip-drip’ manner. He very likely conditions subsequent insights, to the levels of faith we demonstrate in His previously released insights. Moreover, He does not expect us to ‘get bent out of shape’ when His subsequent insights modify His earlier insights. Moreover, check out what He promised in Joel 2:28-29. Just as Paul echoed what The Lord inspired  David to write, Paul also echoed what The Lord inspired Joel to write. And guess what that should signal to us TODAY?? It signals The Lord, during these closing years of the 3rd age of history, will be releasing insights NOT WRITTEN in The Bible, but that corroborate and amplify what is written therein. Are you ready for that?! 

Historically, the Pharisees taunted Jesus for not teaching EXACTLY what Moses had written many centuries earlier! Imagine that! Moreover, they reportedly put their focus on ‘the letter of The Law’, and failed at even that, while missing The Spirit of The Law! Heads up: Beware of similar pharisaical believers today who seem to deny what The Lord promised to do in Joel 2:28-29 and Acts 2:17-18.

Consider it to be like teaching an infant how to walk. Such instructions given to an infant, will differ significantly from those given to a slouching pre-teen, an over-worked adult, and a declining senior! Compris? 

The Bride of Christ (Part 2, Questions w/o Answers)

[Whether this artistic interpretation of John's description

of The New Jerusalemis correct is highly debatable,

as it misses a number of features described in Revelation 21.

I hope address this in a future post.]

~~~~~

See the Bride of Christ series here.

This lengthy post is for readers who desire to develop deeper, 

strategic insights into the bride of Christ concept.

Please take 'bite-sized' bits over time

as The Holy Spirit guides you.

Prepare to have your traditional understanding challenged.

~~~

Though there are differing opinions, it seems most Bible teachers and scholars regard the church as the bride of Christ. In my effort to understand, and then help to clarify who or what is The Bride of Christ, I offer the following list of strategic questions w/o answers, for you to ponder. My hope is that you will apply The Mind of Christ, which we have been given, to search The Scriptures for yourselves, rather than simply grabbing onto and running with what you may have heard and read; and then will seek The Lord for answers. That’s the process The Lord led me to apply as I encountered numerous writings and teachings on a myriad of topics that clearly do not comport with what’s written and strategically inferred across the pages and ages of The Bible. One problem is it seems some Christians likely avoid deeply studying The Bible, and many, even some pastors, altogether avoid the Book of Revelation. The last 4 chapters of Revelation are our best and final written insights from The Lord on this particular topic. Another problem could be seminarians and theologians might simply teach what they have been taught in universities, colleges and Bible schools. 

 

Again, the following questions are offered for you to ponder, pray about, and probe the Scriptures for yourself. Thes questions don’t indicate I do not have my own opinions on them. I do, yet I remain open to how The Lord, in Isaiah 28:10 & 13, says He releases knowledge, wisdom and understanding to us: precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little. Moreover, I am attentive to, and anticipate His promise made in Joel 2:28-29, and confirmed in Acts 2:17-18. Are you, too? 

Questions w/o Answers

 

1. Why would The Lord allow such confusion to persist on this, and a myriad of other Bible topics? Since His is the MOST strategic mind that exists, He must have a strategic reason for allowing such. Could it be related to what He said in Matthew 13:24:30? If so, could devils be joyful over such confusion? Your thoughts?

 

2. Does the church, and ergo, the presumed bride of Christ’ include or exclude 1^st, 2^nd and 4^th ages saints, or does this term only apply to us 3^rd age saints, as many Bible teachers seem to infer? Why or why not? See: Human History Ages (Series). 

3. Does the church, as the presumed bride of Christ, include or exclude Israel, or only us Gentile saints in the 3^rd age of history, as some Bible teachers seem to infer? See: Bible Raptures - Types and Timings (Series).

 

4. What do Scriptures reveal regarding the eternal role(s) for all saved Jews on the new, eternal Earth? And where on that planet will they fulfill their eternal role(s)?

 

5. Will the bride of Christ be on this current version of Earth during The Millennial Reign age? Why or why not? (See: Earth’s Next Versions (Series))

 

6. Consider these documented geographical distinctions:

A. What might be the strategic rationale for the clear distinctions, in Revelation 21:24 & 25, and in Revelation 22:3, between the new, eternally-lit Jerusalem on the new, eternal Earth, and nations of peoples outside that city, who (presumably in their nations) will walk in the light from that city, and who will (presumably from their nations, periodically) bring their glory into, and ergo carry it out of that city – i.e., enter into, and leave that city?

B. What, if anything, might this possibly infer about the bride of Christ?

 

7. What might the above geographic distinctions signify regarding the roles of the residents in/of these two, distinct, glorified regions on the new, eternal Earth?

 

8. In Exodus 19:6, The Lord declared Israel ‘…shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ Yet in Jeremiah 2:2, He reminded Israel, ‘I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.’ And in Hosea 2:19-20, He declared to Israel, ‘I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know The Lord.’ And later in Hosea 11:1, He called Israel, a son, yet to whom He was/is betrothed, and so much more! Though it’s somewhat of a challenge to imagine, the clear point is The Lord has numerous, deep, complex relationships with the people through whose lineage He was born, and became a man.

 

A. Do you think such varying, relational declarations were sequential over time, or might they all be overlapping, with eternal implications?

 

B. What, if anything, might such declarations infer regarding the bride of Christ?

 

9. Iteratively, across pages and ages of The Bible, especially in the Old Testament, The Lord personally attests of His exceptionally strong and undying desire for Jerusalem. (For examples, see: 2 Chronicles 6.6, 7.16, Psalm 132.13-14, Isaiah 2.2-4, Ezekiel 43.7, Joel 3.17-21, Zechariah 2.8, and Matthew 5.34-35.) 

 

Moreover, 38 times The Bible refers to Jerusalem as ‘she’ and ‘her’. Of these, 34 are in the prophetic books of the Old Testament, and 4 are in the New Testament. The final such reference is in Revelation 21:2, where, in his futuristic vision of the new, eternal Earth, John ‘…saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.’ 

 

Relative to the bride of Christ, what might be the strategic rationale for, and insights we could/should derive from these references?

10. In Revelation 19:1-4,6-7, John reported seeing/hearing a great multitude that, in v. 5, a voice from The Throne confirmed was ‘…ALL you His [The Lord’s] servants.’ As explained in Missed Insights from Revelation 20, this multitude was different and much bigger than the relatively smaller multitude he had seen in Revelation 7, the 4^th age/tribulation age saints. Later, in Revelation 20, John saw both of these multitudes reigning with Christ for a thousand years. But prior to that, in Revelation 19:7, this larger multitude makes a reference to …the marriage supper of The Lamb, and His wife. 

 

A. Do you think/believe the reference from The Throne to ALL you His [The Lord’s] servants, includes ALL saints since Adam, or only us church-age, post-cross (3^rd age) saints? Explain. 

 

B. Do the references to ‘wife’ and ‘marriage supper’ indicate the wedding had already occurred, since the word, ‘wife’, is only used, and the wedding supper event only occurs …after a wedding?

 

11. If the wedding will have already occurred, when do you think/believe it will occur?  Why do you think neither John nor his Revelation 19 angel escort, refer to this great multitude of ALL The Lord’s saints as, ‘The Lamb’s wife’? 

 

12. Revelation 19:1-9 refer to three parties: (a) the great multitude of ALL The Lord’s servants; (b) The Lamb’s wife; and (c) those who are called/invited to the marriage supper of The Lamb. 

 

Do you think/believe these 3 references are to different or the same group(s)? Explain.

 

13. In Revelation 21, a different angel escorts John to ‘see The Lamb’s wife’. This visit turned out to be a tour of the New Jerusalem, not another view of, and visit with ALL The Lord’s servants John had seen in Revelation 19 and 20. During the tour, John noted the names of the 12 tribes of Israel were written on the 12 massive gates to the city; and the names of The Lord’s apostles were written on its 12 massive foundations. NB: Though John’s vision happened in the 1st century AD, which was the first century of the church, the New Jerusalem part of the vision included no apparent Gentile references. 

 

A. Why do you think the angel referred to the new Jerusalem as ‘The Lord’s wife’?

 

B. Why do you think the tour did not include any people?

 

14. Since The Lord is highly strategic in EVERYTHING He does and allows, deeply ponder these points: 

A. What might be the significance of these aspects (in #13) of John’s vision as the only direct Bible reference to the bride/wife of Christ? NB: The reference to The Lamb’s bride in Revelation 19 is not direct, but is indirect and un-identified.

 

B. Do you perceive any plausible correlations between this point, and The Lord’s declared approach to releasing knowledge, wisdom and understanding to us, per Isaiah 28:10 & 13? Recall, in Ephesians 5:25-33, Paul did not explicitly call or refer to the church as the bride of Christ. Rather he analogized the relationship between a man and his wife, as being like the relationship between Christ and His church. 

 

15. Might branding the gates and foundations of the New Jerusalem with Jewish names, strategically infer the city will be the eternal abode of the saved Jewish remnant, and the place where we Gentile saints will periodically enter and leave? 

 

16. During the tour of the city, John noted the nations of those who are saved, shall walk in the light of the city, and the kings of these nations shall bring into the city, their glory and honor, and the glory and the honor of the(ir) nations. (Revelation 21:24-26)

 

Could this be a strategic inference that ALL Gentile saved peoples, from every nation, people, tribes and tongues, will be eternally resident in nations outside the new, eternal Jerusalem? Explain.

 

NB: A strict, narrow reading of the above verses might seem to hint only the kings of these (Gentile?) nations will be able to enter into the new, eternal Jerusalem. This would be an incorrect understanding. In Revelation 22:14, Jesus personally clarifies that all who do His commandments [i.e., practice them in this current life], will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. This point underscores the need to (a) allow Scripture to interpret Scripture, and (b) always/ALWAYS search for the last written reference to any Bible topic, keeping in mind The Lord’s ‘here a little, there a little’ approach to releasing to us from His unlimited supply of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, per Isaiah 28:10 & 13.

 

17. Throughout The Bible, The Lord reveals His keen focus on GEOGRAPHY. Then He concludes The Bible with (1) a ZOOMED-IN focus on two glorified geographic zones on His new, eternal Earth; and (2) curiously, with a reference, in Revelation 22:15, to what’s outside these two glorified zones. The Book of Isaiah is His broadest, most significant of all Old Testament prophetic books. In it, The Lord’s final point is that we saints will see the final rewards of all sinners, possibly in a geographic zone somewhere. 

 

A. What else might we infer from the clear geographic distinctions between two glorified zones on the eternal Earth (the city and surrounding nations), especially if you think/believe the church or some group of people will comprise the bride of Christ?

 

B. For example, do these distinctions seem to infer some type of schism (e.g., in eternal roles) in the combined, great multitude John saw in Revelation 19 and 20? Any other inferences?

C. What do you imagine and perceive when connecting the dots between Isaiah 66:24 and Revelation 22:15? Might these be The Bible’s only hint about the location of The Lord’s brimstone-lit lake of fire, e.g., in a third geographic zone on His eternal Earth (See: The Lake of Fire - A Preview (Series))

 

NB: In Revelation 22:15, Jesus refers to those who are outside the new Jerusalem, as ‘dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.’ Since The Bible is a first and foremost a spiritual book, it is safe to conclude ‘dogs’ in this verse, refers to folks who, in this current life, acted and lived like dogs. Similarly, it seems safe to conclude Scriptures reveal the new, eternal Earth will comprise, not only two, but three unique/very different geographic zones:

 

o Two glorified zones (including the New Jerusalem and nations of glorified saints, per Revelation 21), and 

o The zone of the damned, the vast, eternal lake of fire, per Isaiah 66:24, Revelation 19:20, 20:15, and 22:14. I imagine it as possibly the entire southern hemisphere, since it has to be large enough to ‘host’ every unrepentant sinner across each of the 6 ages of human history on this current version of Earth! Imagine that number!!! Scientists conclude that new Earth will have to be much more massive than our current Earth in order to host such a city the size John described!!!

18. If Exodus 19:6 is intended as an eternal priestly designation for all saved Jews, does it infer their eternal residency will be inside the new, eternal Jerusalem, where they will be forever up-close and personal with The Lord, or possibly something else? Explain.

 

19. What, if anything, might this implied distinction between the two declared glorified geographic zones, infer about the concept that we Gentile saints are ‘spiritually grafted into Israel'? (See: Romans 11:17-24)

 

20. Revelation 19:14 mentions ‘armies of Heaven’. Presumably, this is a reference to ALL The Lord’s angels and saints. This remarkably comports with Psalm 149:9, Zechariah 14:5, Matthew 25:31, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, and 2 Thessalonians 1:10. (Does this infer Heaven will be literally emptied onto Earth for The Millennial Reign??) 

 

An Old Testament principle/practice was for a newly married man to be exempt for a year from serving in the army/military service, to allow time for the marriage to settle into a comfortable, happy groove. (See: Deuteronomy 24:5)

 

A. In light of this, and especially of insights from your answers to questions #s 13 and 14 above, will the bride of Christ be on this current, temporary version of Earth during His Millennial Reign? Explain.

B. If the bride of Christ is something other than a group of people, where might it be during The Millennial Reign? Explain.

21. In the parable of the 10 virgins, in Matthew 25, what do you intuit was/were their planned/intended role(s):

(A) During the wedding ceremony,

(B) During the traditional marriage supper following the ceremony, and 

(C) Thereafter??

22. Finally, regarding your answer to #5 above, if/IF you might conclude the bride of Christ is likely the new, eternal Jerusalem, and not any group of people (whether only all us 3^rd age saints, only all Jewish saints, or all saints since Adam -- from across the first 6 ages of history), we know that 2.7+ billion cubic mile city, with its MASSIVE walls, gates and foundations, cannot possibly fit onto our current, tiny, temporary version of Earth, unless The Lord totally restructures either this Earth to withstand such a physical load, or restructures that massive city to fit this Earth, or possibly both! That is presuming the new, eternal Jerusalem will be a physical facility! (See: Consider the New Jerusalem, in What If?...(Subsequent Creations.) During The Millennial Reign, both Jerusalem and Israel will be greatly  e-x-p-a-n-d-e-d. Zechariah 14:10 predicts Jerusalem will be raised up high, the possible result of one of the predicted global earthquakes during the apocalypse, the last one of which will be like NOTHING ever experienced since the global flood, even knocking down every wall on Earth! (See: Ezekiel 38, Global Judgment Parallelisms (Part 3A) )

 

A. In light of that, what do you imagine might be the physical facility headquarters, in Jerusalem, for The Lord’s Millennial Reign??? An earthly facility? The temple described in the last chapters of Ezekiel? A heavenly facility that will somehow accompany The Lord during His/our alien-like invasion of Earth?? C’mon, s-t-r-e-t-c-h your creative imagination based on your Bible insights.

B. If The Lord's bride is the new Jerusalem, and it will not be featured on this current version of Earth during His Millennial Reign, would that infer He will be ‘away from His bride’ for a thousand years??

C. Given how The Lord feels and thinks about Israel, and His promise about a Jewish remnant group who will be saved, why do the last 2 chapters of Revelation not have any explicit references to Israel and Jews?? They must be subsumed in the general pronoun references, they and them, in those chapters. 

D. Could the bride of Christ possibly be, integrally, the un-mentioned Jewish saints in/and the new Jerusalem??? Now that's food for thought... 

 

Peace and many blessings as you continue to allow

Scripture to interpret Scripture~