As a Global community and individually we have all suffered a strange and sometimes intense several months and weeks recently. We have witnessed our world go into lock-down followed by economic challenge of which we do not even know what the long-term consequences could be.
The latest wave of emotional pain from the watching of horrendous video footage of people getting murdered by Police officers or groups destroying property, jumping up and down persons on the ground until not one bone is left unbroken, dying at the scene, has hugely added to the emotional trauma.
Manipulative Political groups on all sides have jumped on the bandwagon and hijacked what has been going on to capitalize already difficult situations to serve their agenda. News Channels who call all other News media fake and state they are not alarmist, but are led by the latest science, predetermine their narrative and how they edit the footage they publish to favor the Political party that funds them. I am also sure that you are probably aware that whatever you watch online will prompt the digital algorithm giant in cyber space to give you more of what you are already inclined to watch. It is a bit like how in psychology we know that our sub-conscious mind will seek out evidence to support the view or outlook we have decided upon.
For me, I know what I am supposed to do.
When it comes to politics, I admit I am not good at it. I have not applied myself enough to fully understand it all. Of course I understand basics, but left or right wing, it is all a bit of a blur to me.
My purpose as a teacher in matters of spirituality based on the Scriptures, certainly does not involve expressing my view on politics or anything to do with affairs as they become current in the media. My task is however is to encourage people towards a scriptural view, which may help them to look at the ever changing situations in our world, in a way that will minister, wisdom, hope, peace and value for life in general.
I do believe God raises up people whose expertise is politics or addressing current issues in the world in such a way that they will encourage communities and societies towards productive and healthy change and transformation. These are going to be people of solid character, with proven credibility, and deep insight into the subject matter they will present as excellent communicators.
Which side are you on?
No matter what political party you support, no party gets it all 100% right. No matter which Political leader you support, not one of them gets it 100% right. They are people and they will make some good and some bad decisions. This is also one of the reasons why we should pray for those in leadership, even if you think they are jerks. It is irrelevant what you think of them. They are in that position and you are not. The decisions they make could ultimately affect you and me. So, pray for them that they will embrace whatever it is God tells them. If they take on board what the Lord tells them that could be good for us to. Imagine the best most ideal person in charge of the government of your country. They are the man or woman of the hour. The truth is that if they are left to their own devices and reject any of the wisdom the Holy Spirit gives them, sooner or later, they will make serious mistakes. The problem with that is that their mistakes will usually cost many other people unnecessary difficulties or worse. So, pray for them.
If the Political leader is not right for the country, and that person’s convictions could lead to detrimental decisions with dire consequences for the country, pray for them. Pray that if that be the case, God will remove them swiftly from their position of influence in a merciful way. God will do it. I have seen it happen again and again.
Sometimes people rise to the position of power with the best of intentions for their country. Here is a thought. Do we know what the consequences of any “good” decision made, with “good” intentions, will be in ten or twenty years from now? We do not. Only God knows. Again, therefore, any and every leader must hear from God. If God is not involved in their role as a leader, they will fail. When they hear from God, it will be the Lord speaking to their heart, involved in their thought processes. Whether they know God is giving them the wisdom they apply is irrelevant, as long as they take hold of the counsel He gives. So, pray for them.
The ultimate big picture of all Government policies and a countries rule of law should be one that facilitates all people to come to the knowledge of the truth. According to the verse below, the truth referred to is the Gospel Truth.
1 Timothy 2 King James Version (KJV)
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
No matter which political party or political view you hold, none of them are 100% ideal. Most Political parties each have some good in them, and they all got some bad in them. Some have more bad than good, and others more good than bad.
Sometimes I watch Political debate shows, and it is sad to see how very few people know how to properly debate anything without getting caught up in their emotions. Most people who have an opportunity to sit in with the public in a studio (before lock-down), when they are handed the microphone they loose control and seem to be more interested in their moment of fame on TV than actually making a solid point. The people in the studio start clapping (why? its distracting) and the point made is just one segment of the bigger picture. The real important element in any debate is the ability and willingness to listen to others presenting their point of view through to the end. People who know me well know that on the surface I can be a hothead and come across as very opinionated. Yet, those same people who took the time to crack through the hard surface with me also know that when we really get into a debate about something serious, I will do my best to listen and listen and to listen and ponder before presenting my thoughts. In my pondering I am comparing the subject matter presented with how I understand truth.
In healthy debates we might raise a voice and express emotions, but we remain respectful to the partakers and must never stop listening to the others. A debate is not an argument. Arguing is for people who are not listening. They are usually having a monologue not a dialogue even though they are shouting at others. That way of communication may fit other situations, but it does not belong in a debate.
There are other important qualities that could assist a healthy debate.
Healthy critical thinking
The famous quote: Assume nothing, Question everything, by James Patterson provides a piece of practical wisdom we must all apply. Yet the motivation behind the critical thinking approach is crucial.
Luke 1:18 King James Version (KJV)
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
The angel Gabriel had just made Zacharias a promise regarding his wife who would become pregnant with the later known John the Baptist. Yet, Zacharias’ attitude appeared to be doubtful and he ended up not being able to speak for the nine months until John was born. He was basically made to shut up so he could not express his unbelief.
Luke 1:34 King James Version (KJV)
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Mary also questioned the same angel Gabriel when he made a promise to her.
Luke 1:38 King James Version (KJV)
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
The difference between Mary and Zacharias seems to be that Mary believed the promise and submitted to the fact that what Gabriel said to her carried God’s authority.
To assume nothing and to question everything should not be practiced from a heart that just doubts everything that is said. That would suggest that the person has already determined that anything the other person says is untrue, which means that they have already judged. This is just closed mindedness. Critical thinking should assist the open minded instead.
Assume nothing and question everything needs to be practiced from an open-minded attitude. There must be a willingness to evaluate, assess and prove that which is said to either be true, part true, another piece of the puzzle or false.
“We awaken by asking the right questions. We awaken when we see knowledge being spread that goes against our own personal experiences. We awaken when we see popular opinion being wrong but accepted as being right, and what is right being pushed as being wrong. We awaken by seeking answers in corners that are not popular. And we awaken by turning on the light inside when everything outside feels dark.”
― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem
We must not just question what others say, but even more so evaluate and asses our own believes for their validity. If we practice awareness and exercise being the watcher of our own thoughts and feelings, we may be quick to recognize the biases of our own echo. We will begin to shine a light upon our own unconscious biases, and they will become less unconscious. It is then that we can examine our beliefs about anything and can make necessary adjustments, if we are willing to let go of old treasured ideas, to maybe embrace unknown terrain.
In my many years of martial arts training I learned the importance of yielding to force applied by the opponent and look for their weak spots as they do come in for the attack. Sometimes during the sparring, it would look like I was yielding too much and that I was getting myself into a difficult situation. However, the more time I had to allow the opponent to attack me, the more data I collected about their weaker areas. Then at the strategic moment I would be able to use their own force, momentum and weight against them and they would go flying. Now you can translate that principle into a debate. Listen to specific words, tonality, sentence structure, the surface structure and deep structure, understand the concepts, and rationale, and picture where their thesis may lead to. With regards to martial arts, I used the word opponent, but you must rise above that idea. There is no opponent really. Become one with them and your environment. Be flexible, like water, be like water my friend. (Bruce Lee) ha-ha.
If you approach any debate with a mentality of “I am right so therefore they are wrong” and the other party also has that same mentality, then there is no point in the debate. It has now become a matter of being right. Consequently, everyone involved in the debate is then no longer interested in the truth. Their goal has become to proof themselves as right even if the information they present is no longer of a quality that matches a highly calibrated truth. This problem always arises if we remain in dualistic thinking. It is a mindset of “right and wrong”, “us and them” and “either or”. It is divisive and therefore it becomes a matter of force against force. In that kind of conflict, the one who appears to be the strongest will come out as the winner. Yet, the winner may not have won at all if the argument was not of the highest truth. They may just be much better at articulating their ideas. Their charisma and nonverbal communication skills may also be better trained to support what they say. That does not necessarily mean they are communicating truth. An either-or, approach only provides the option to accept one side’s opinion, when really both sides may have something good to say and they both have some falsehoods. What if there were no sides?
Dualism?
Dualistic thinking still belongs with a very base level of truth. A presented truth is made up of data. Science now confirms that energy is made up of data, and so data is energy. Energy is vibration with each bit of data carrying its own vibration frequency. Our modern society has achieved many things leading us into our industrial age and now our computer age using dualistic and linear thinking. However, even science acknowledges that logic-bound dualistic linear thinking can only take us so far up the scale of vibration frequency. It seems that humanity has already reached its maximum potential with our linear approach. The “Knowledge of Good and Evil” is dualism. Before the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, mankind did not know good and bad, right, and wrong; they only knew The Tree of Life. The decision to eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil brought sin and dualistic thinking into their world, which brought a sense of separation between the creation and Creator, humanity, and God. Most religions are based on dualistic thinking.
If we can reach beyond into the realm of consciousness where we connect with the highest possible energetic frequency, we will also begin to recognize truth at a much higher level.
Astro-Theology and the Mazzoreth, with the Zodiac Signs
I can hear Christians go “o dear he’s going into all that occult new age stuff”.
No, I am avoiding that.
I am not a proponent of the Occult. I am also not into Esoteric New Age stuff. Though the New Age movement bases its notion on the Great Year of the world progressing through cosmological cycles that can be identified astrologically. What we can not get away from in studying the scriptures and archaeology is the overwhelming evidence that once upon a time the ancients used to have the Zodiac Months and Ages as a part of their calendar. Now the Ancient Babylonians used the Zodiac calendar to try and tell the future. Again, I am not in support of Horoscope and fortune telling.
The Mazzaroth is the Hebrew version of the Zodiac. Zodiac comes from the word “Sodi”, which means: “The Way”. Many astrologers will explain “the way” as the ecliptic, the route which the sun takes as it moves through the stellar constellations. However, I believe that “the way” is the route through the twelve archetypes of the Mazzoreth, which reveal God’s plan of redemption of the world through Christ.
William Branham once stated: “The first Bible was in the sky, called the zodiac…And notice, in the zodiac, what did it start off with? The first thing in the zodiac is the Virgin. The last thing in the zodiac is Leo the lion. The first coming of Christ, through the virgin. The Second Coming, Leo the lion, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” William Branham. (1909-1965)
Each zodiac sign lasts for a month, but it is also linked to a whole Age. About every 2,160 years, the sun moves into another new zodiacal constellation, and it appears that each Age is a progressive step upwards for humanity, becoming more and more spiritually enlightened. As one Age of 2,160 years comes to an end that Age begins to descend, whilst the next Age to follow begins to ascend. The last change more than 2000 years ago began approximately 6 BC. This is also the time of the birth of Jesus. The overlap of the ascending and descending Ages can last between 50 to 200 years. There are still huge differences in opinions among astronomers and astrologers as to when one Age exactly ends, and another begins. But one reason for that is that very often what is not considered is the long overlap period. The descending Age in that first century came to its end and eventually disappeared completely around 70 AD, whilst the next Age of Pisces was coming to its full ascension.
This was also the time of the destruction of Jerusalem with its Temple and the abolishing of the Old Sinaitic Covenant. Isn’t that curious? According to the experts on the Zodiac calendar the Age of Aquarius, which comes after the Age of Pisces began to ascend around the 1960’s, which was coincidentally also a time of awakening for many. The hippie movement, the music style, the interest in spirituality and the rise of many Christian movements, reflected what was happening in the collective human consciousness. Apparently, the previous Age of Pisces has now been descending and will fully disappear around 2150 whilst the Age of Aquarius continuous to ascend to it fullness. This would be about the time when the futurist would say, “see? That just confirms that we are living in the last days and the world is coming to and end”. No, the world is not coming to an end, it is an Age that is ending. Remember when the experts said that the Mayan Calendar predicted the end of the world in 2012? (some conspiracy theorist recently made recalculations based on the 8 years lost in our Gregorian calendar and are now predicting the end of the world on 21/06/2020). Let me put you at ease. Our Earth is a world without end. If anything was right bout the Mayan Calendar then it would be the prediction of an end of an Age. The last days according to the Bible were the last days of the Old Sinaitic Covenant, which ended 70 AD. That was a change of Covenants into the fullness of the Eternal New Covenant. The change of Zodiac Ages, is a natural phenomenon as the sun moves into a different stellar constellation. It is not the end of the New Covenant. The New Covenant and the Kingdom of God will never end, they are everlasting.
The Ancient Jews recognized that the twelve-month and Ages of the Zodiac – Mazzaroth cycle had something to do with what the Creator was communicating through the star constellations. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that the Temple in Jerusalem had a Zodiac mosaic. Most Christian denominations included the Zodiac in their stain glass windows. There are many books and material on the Zodiac out there if you want to study it, just avoid, astrology, horoscope fortune telling material. Perhaps you will find E.W. Bullinger’s book: The Witness of the Stars of help.
Psalm 19 King James Version (KJV)
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
The truth is each star constellation is telling a part of the Gospel story. The stars were telling the Gospel story before the scriptures were even written down. When you look at the symbols on the Zodiac and then compare them with what you can see looking at the stars at night, the star clusters do not look at all like the symbols. That is because the names and symbols were given to these star clusters according to their brightness. The symbols were just mnemonics to remind the people of their significance. There are billions of star systems out there in space. Yet, did you know, that God knows all of them by name?
Psalm 147:4 King James Version (KJV)
4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
Why did I mention the Zodiac Ages? Well, the Age that is ascending right now is drawing humanity up towards a much higher awareness and quality of truth. We are drawn towards a much higher level of vibration frequency, otherwise described as consciousness. I understand words such as consciousness, and energy, and vibration frequency all sounds very New Agy, but we must get over that. How else are we going to codify and describe this phenomenon?
Romans 1:18-19 King James Version (KJV)
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Well ok. Let us use the words of the Apostle Paul. Obviously, he was well ahead of his time as he had a clear revelation of the above things described. He explained that having a mindset of the Law (of Moses) was comparable to the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil. He explained in Romans 8 that this mindset was carnal and that with that mindset we would not have the ability to please God. He also stated that to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Romans 8 King James Version (KJV)
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
No matter what Age or time in history a person lived in, as per Paul’s words, if our minds are tuned into Christ living within us, we will learn to be led by the Holy Spirit. Being led by the Holy Spirit will eventually lead to the highest of truth we could ever reach in this life here on earth.
To bring this all together, I believe humanity right now is going through a transitional phase. People are awakening to a higher principle beyond dualistic thinking of just “right and wrong”, “good or bad”, or “us and them”. This is not happening without birth pains, frustration, and all kinds of resistance. People do not like change. This is one of the reasons why we have seen so much turmoil in our time. Political unrest, movements calling for revolution, all happens because of the way we apply our own interpretation on the surface to what is what is happening at a much deeper level. However, changes must occur. Humanity must wake up from her self suggested hypnotic trance by her own echo. We must begin to recognize our unconscious biases towards others, and we must recognize the all-pervasive truth. As I mentioned in another article the ancient Greek word for truth is reality. We are waking up to reality and it hurts sometimes. This is not God causing the pain or discomfort. It is our echo resisting.
Neither Dualistic – Linear or Lateral Thinking is the right answer for every situation. They are simply different ways to think. Each having advantages and drawbacks.
The Dualistic linear thinking mind struggles in a non-linear world. Because we are entering a time and new way of living where linear thinking is no longer the only way to approach a situation. We must allow ourselves to go higher up the scale. As explained, dualistic-Linear thinking is linked to the either or, right or wrong, good or bad branches of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but it is still the same tree. This was the way under the Old Sinaitic Covenant, and it is the way of the conscience, which we have conditioned to determine right from wrong, and consequently to judge others and ourselves. Learning to live by the awareness of Christ living in us is a much higher consciousness and higher truth. This way is linked to the tree of life. Living this way does not have the focus on good or bad, or right, and wrong. It places the emphasis on our identity in Christ. This means that we do not do certain things because they do not correspond with who we are, not just because they are wrong or bad. We do other things because it expresses who we are and who Christ is in us. This way of living seeks to live by the one and only commandment of the New Covenant as per:
John 13 King James Version (KJV)
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Special Note: The moment you are experiencing, living and walking in the revelation of God’s unconditional love towards you, and everyone else, you are functioning in the highest possible truth. Genuine unconditional love is calibrated as the highest energy frequency of truth possible on earth. Functioning in hatred is calibrated on a severely low base frequency.
Judgment
How you live your life in this eternal era of the New Covenant is judged by a much higher criteria. It is based on who you are in Christ. This kind of judgment looks at how we expressed the love of God in Christ through our personality and ultimately our choices and our behavior. This could be subjective and different for each person. God’s love can be expressed in 1001 different ways, in a 1001 different scenarios.
Ultimately, we must each decide for our own how this applies to our own unique life situation. Of course, I do not need to tell you that love seeks the best interest of others not only its own.
2 Timothy 2 King James Version (KJV)
19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity (immoral or grossly unfair behaviour). 20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
Whichever way we decide to steer our life’s and build our house of convictions, beliefs, persuasions and opinions, there is going to be a beautiful wide variety among all of us influenced by the Word of God, The Holy spirit and the life of Christ in us.
With Christ as the foundation of our house we may decide that certain things do not belong there. They will either fall of or we make the necessary changes to purge ourselves from those things.
Ultimately each person will stand before the Lord and give account as to how they lived their life on earth.
Romans 14 King James Version (KJV)
9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. 10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Some Preterists try to take this set of scriptures as part of the judgment during the Parousia between 66 – 70 AD. I personally do not see how the Parousia fits in the context here. This is a judgment that everyone will go through. But this is not a judgment unto punishment. This is a judgment according to the righteousness in Christ. Imagine a person dies and enters heaven and stands before God. The Lord stands up and looks at that person with an expression of acceptance and of being delighted to see that person. The Lord says during your life on earth I had given you my righteousness, my divine nature and everything that is mine was yours. In what way did you express my love and my glory?
At that point, that person will realize that whatever and however they lived their life, compared to what Christ gave them will cause them to shed a few tears or more. They will have an epiphany and realization of how merciful God is knowing they are declared just and accepted into heaven. They will cry tears of joy, because of the overwhelming love and acceptance they will experience. They will willingly fall to their knees and confess Him as their Lord and give praise to Him for His kindness and loving mercy.
I made this weird little diagram to give some visual aid to what I explained here. No, I am not trying to get you into new age stuff. Observe and understand.
Grace and Peace
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