“ … trying to discern three-hundred, five-hundred, or fifteen-hundred-year patterns in history makes me a wee bit nervous; sometimes the biggest picture is not really the most helpful picture. It is very hard to understand how an individual, a church, or a faith community of a specific neighborhood or town fits into such a vast historical transformation.”

In response to Bass’s statement, I recently heard a pastor ask:

“So, the question becomes, how do we help our congregations have these conversations, get them to look at the larger picture for a sense of ‘why’ this spiritual shift may be happening and thereby look for solutions that are not measured in how many people fill the pews on Sunday morning?”

This is a GREAT question! And I am thrilled to know that people are asking the question.

THE FIRST STEP: The Big Global Picture

I think the first small step towards helping average people in average churches understand why their local ministry may be impacted by some unnamed, unidentified spiritual shift, is to gently widen the local lens. I personally think ‘big pictures’ are immensely helpful—if the picture is big enough. Looking at spiritual awakenings within recent human history may actually be too small of a picture to be helpful for this particular awakening. If a big picture is too small, then it will not produce enough hindsight to be helpful.

As Bass freely admits, she is an author who is focused primarily on North American Christianity. She also acknowledges that the magnitude of this particular awakening spans all religions, all cultures, and all geographical regions. Thus the first step in widening the local lens is to help people realize that the spiritual shift they are experiencing in their local church is not the pastor’s fault, or the congregation’s fault, or the fault of their particular faith-based government. This shift is bigger than anything in their immediate control. This time around, the great awakening is a human experience. And as such it is a ‘no-fault’ phenomenon.

It is true! Small awakenings have occurred in the past. But this time around the awakening is not about a single subject such as one’s view of sacred text, or theological differences, or one’s opinion about homosexuality, one’s stance on birth-control and abortion, the remedy for a healthy environment, or one’s perspective of scientific knowledge and its relationship with faith-based realms of human thought.

It’s not about the success or failure of their local church’s ministry of music, education, or mission. It’s not about their church budget or the lack of funds to continue doing what they had done in the past because people seem to be falling away. In short this particular shift, and the chaos it seems to be causing, is not about pointing fingers of blame at anyone or anything. It’s about seeing the entire human race for the first time through a wider lens.

This time around, the awakening is caused by an acute awareness that ‘God is watching us’ as the lyrics to one recently popular song suggests. Much like the metaphoric sensing of nakedness in an earlier garden; human beings are seeing each other through God’s eyes like never before. And more importantly, God is slowly opening our eyes to the spiritual depravity of humanity and the fragile state of our earthly nest. In doing so, the entire human race is being held accountable for what we see and hear through a wider lens.

This particular awakening is largely governed by the unleashing of the human tongue combined with instantaneous global communication! As a result of the unleashing, human beings can no longer hide in isolated pockets of depravity while others flaunt lavish life styles. Dictators can no longer hold innocent people hostage by imposing brutal hierarchical governments. And the Church on earth can no longer pretend to be a place of refuge while simultaneously building walls that imprison the human spirit.

This spiritual awakening is unlike any awakening known to humanity since the recording of human history began 5,000 years ago. But the beauty of the awakening is that it is a ‘no-fault’ awakening because God is merciful, tender-hearted, and compassionate. Thus while the true picture of humanity’s spiritual condition is currently being illuminated and we who are experiencing the illumination are capturing the image of our world, God is allowing the human mind to realize that the illuminated image is not an ‘image of God’ by anyone’s standards! Hence a major shift in thinking must occur.

THE SECOND STEP: The Big Judeo-Christian Picture

That being said, the second small step toward helping Judeo-Christian congregations understand ‘why’ their local church might be experiencing unwanted change is to gently help people widen the lens of their own faith tradition. Christianity can no longer claim success as the world’s evangelist. Christians must understand that their 2,000 year-old-message has not converted the world to Jesus; that self-righteousness in combination with honest human effort was never God’s plan for the Church; and that the early Church, in turning toward hierarchical practices, was not successful in maintaining the egalitarian model put forth by Jesus.

The church on earth – the ‘bride of Christ’ — was born into the world through the pattern of the original tabernacle in the wilderness as detailed in the book of Exodus. She is in truth over 3,000 years old. Jesus was a Jew. He modeled the pattern of the tabernacle as he fed the 5,000. If the present day Church does not model this pattern then something must change because the ancient pattern is the Church’s holy garment. In other words the pattern of the original tabernacle is a pattern for a wedding gown. Jesus had this understanding. Christians do not.

If Christians are to be honest, such honesty must include an acknowledgment that the present day Church on earth is not ready to ‘bring people home to God.’ She is not ready to meet her Bridegroom. But God isn’t finished with us yet! Today the Church must claim her history and its failings. She must see it for what it was and realize that her efforts on behalf of Jesus’ message were commendable and valiant, but exhausting and expendable. Therefore the Church has proven herself, throughout her 2,000 year history, to be more like Moses in his early attempts to be the judge of his people, and less like Jesus. She has proven herself to be ineffective in ministering to the hurting world and therefore unnecessary in her present condition. But God isn’t finished with us yet!

This particular spiritual awakening has the markings of ‘transfiguration’ all over it. With the unleashing of the human tongue and the instantaneous nature of global communication, this awakening will result in an extreme make-over of the Church on earth. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindu’s, Buddhist’s, Sikh’s, and perhaps even a few agnostics’ and atheist’s will all participate in the great transfiguration of the Church on earth. Her original egalitarian pattern will become the future foundation of her ministry! She will become a Net that eventually covers the earth. The Net is her holy garment and everyone within her Net will be seen by the world as a pearl in her wedding gown! And she will be perceived as a beautiful bride – eventually!

Acknowledgment of the failings of the past will never happen from the top down. The church on earth cannot wait for her present institution to instigate the necessary change. Instead change will happen the way everything happens when God’s Spirit is truly in charge. It will happen through a grass-roots movement from the bottom up. Thus the average person sitting in the average pew is inescapably part of the movement! They are either feeling a call from God or holding on for dear life to the church they once knew! The grass roots movement is a movement away from sitting in church pews toward establishing neighborhood ministries!

During the movement, the Church will ‘appear’ to be dying. She is not dying. She is in the midst of a ‘transfiguration’ which involves death to her old image and birth to her new image. Those of us at the forefront of awareness must convey this concept to those who are sitting in our church pews scratching their heads and wringing their hands. We must convey this big picture perspective of the Judeo-Christian faith tradition because it is a message of hope. Not all people will be called out at once. That is not the way God works. God calls a few. God calls those who are willing and able. And the few plow the paths, remove the rocks from the soil, and sow the seeds. The many will eventually be called to tend the new gardens.

THE THIRD STEP: The Big Picture of the Human Journey

The third small step, in helping average people in average churches understand ‘why’ this spiritual shift is affecting their local ministry, is to illuminate the subject of Time. The reason for the transfiguration of the Church on earth is a time-sensitive issue. I am of the opinion that people need to see the big picture in order to understand that this particular spiritual awakening is actually a scheduled change of seasons! The change has been ordained by God – not in the pre-destined sense of thinking but in a ‘ripening’ sense of understanding. When the time is ‘ripe’ for these things to take place, they take place because God’s hand is involved in the ripening process.

Sadly, Genesis 1 has been seeped in controversy ever since the First Great Awakening brought about a swell of scientific research that seemed, on the surface, to be at odds with this foundational text in the Hebrew Bible. But the prismatic perspective of this text reveals its true spiritual purpose. The priestly author created a time-keeping method which helped ancient Israel become oriented in their own faith journey. We, like the ancient Israelites, need to become oriented in time. Their spiritual journey through time is the same as our journey. It began on a Sabbath Day followed by an Eighth Day. Today the Eighth Day Clock that emerges from a prismatic perspective of Genesis 1 proves itself invaluable in giving people the big picture of human history along with the Judeo-Christian perspective of a faith journey through time.

The Sabbath Day Clock and the Eighth Day Clock are shown above. Time on the Sabbath Day Clock has expired. Today we are approaching the conceptual Midnight Hour on the Eighth Day.

• The three conceptual hours of Dawn, Noon, and Sundown have all been realized.
• The spiritual children of Adam, Abraham, and Jesus, have been born and will continue to be born.
• The three conceptual seasons of Spring, Summer, and Fall have also been realized. The conceptual season of Winter lies ahead.
• The first three soils in Jesus’ parable of the sower have been sown. Weeds are in the wheat field but it is not yet time for the harvest. The good soil lies ahead.
• The first three coverings over the original tabernacle of old have each been experienced on the human journey. The covering of ramskin dyed red is celebrated at every Communion table. The hides of sea cows – a ‘seal-like’ covering – lies ahead on the human journey.

It’s midnight! And unlike the small awakenings that have been publicized recently by journalists, church historians, and pollster’s, this particular spiritual awakening is big enough to have been recorded in the words of Scripture nearly 2,000 years ago. And the time is ‘ripe’ for us to hear the words afresh:

“At midnight, a cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the young maidens woke up and trimmed their lamps.” Matt 25: 6-7

As these two groups moved forward into the 20^th century bible scholars began publishing their research which revealed that the bible was a collection of ancient writings that imparted spiritual notions regarding God, Jesus, and the work of God’s spirit. Moreover the writings were found to reflect many cultural biases. Many of the earliest known writings were found to be similar to other ancient texts that were written during the same time period. And the style of writing was deemed mythological, poetic, and metaphoric in nature. This perspective of the bible emphasized the work of the human mind in the creation of the bible. It also de-emphasized a divine component.

Needless to say, the perspective stood in stark contrast to the notion that the bible was the authoritative Word of God, divinely inspired in the human ear and penned without error by the human hand. Thus for a little more than a century, people have been arguing over which of the contrasting views of the bible is the ‘right’ view. Those who understand the bible to be a collection of ancient writings that impart profound spiritual truths are now labeled, “progressive,” or “liberal” while those who understand the bible to be the authoritative, inspired, infallible Word of God are now labeled “literalists” “fundamentalists,” or “conservative.”

I am certain that those who founded the Society of Biblical Literature did not intend for such polarization to occur as a result of the academic study of the bible. I am equally as certain that those who started the movement toward Christian fundamentalism did not, in a million years, think that their ‘faith’ movement would run counter to the research of scholarship. But here we are, a century later … polarized over two opposing perspectives of the bible. And I suspect that the polarization is more prevalent in the United States of America than anywhere else in the world.

A Moderate View of the Bible?

Can anyone imagine a moderate view of the bible? Does such a view exist? If so, how would one define a moderate view of Scripture?  Would it be a mixture of divine revelation and human perception? Would it be a blending of the work of God in the human mind along with the work of the human imagination in relationship with God?

According to bible scholar, Marcus J. Borg, we must resign ourselves to ‘either-or’ thinking. In his book entitled, Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, Borg responds negatively to seeing the bible as both divine and human. He writes:

“More typically in my experience, affirming that the Bible is both divine and human leads to the attempt to separate the divine parts from the human parts – as if some of it comes from God and some is a human product. The parts that come from God are then given authority, and the others are not.” Pg. 27

In my opinion, history will one day reveal that Marcus Borg, and others who share his thinking, have over-corrected the swing of the pendulum that caused biblical literalism/fundamentalism. I believe history will show that middle ground does in fact exist! I think it exists because a moderate perspective of the bible does not require the divine to be separated from the human or vice versa.

The perspective of which I speak allows for the fact that the human authors of sacred text were people – ordinary people – who perceived a divine ‘calling,’ or an ‘anointing’ that compelled them to gather, write, and preserve their human faith stories. The resulting collection of myths, poetry, visions, and prophecy, serves a divine purpose.  The bible itself is not divine but it serves a divine purpose. And it’s up to us discern what that purpose might be. It’s not up to us to separate the divine from the human.

The Weeds in the Wheat Field

Those who believe that the bible is an entirely human product miss the more moderate middle position because they are focused on the weeds in the wheat field. They know that the human authors sowed wheat, but they also know that weeds are in the same field. And the weeds are bothersome! Thus the bible is deemed a human product without acknowledging a divine component. After all – the divine would not sow weeds!

When Jesus told a parable about the kingdom of heaven, he called attention to the weeds in the wheat field. The weeds were sown by an enemy when no one was looking! Jesus said:

“The servants asked the owner of the field, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ the owner answered, ‘because while you are pulling up the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time, I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

The parable suggests that the human mind is not capable of separating weed from wheat until the time of the harvest. Obviously the time of the harvest is not upon us. Therefore the divine purpose of the bible has not been fully realized. The moderate perspective of the bible suggests that the divine purpose for the bible is still a work in progress! It’s a matter of time!

Thus the moderate middle perspective of the bible fully acknowledges and celebrates a divine/human partnership. It fully accepts the fact that weeds are in the wheat field. And it also cautions anyone from trying to pull out the weeds until the time is right to begin the separation process.

I do hope that the polarization over the contrasting views of the bible will soon come to an end because polarization is not helpful. The polarization does not teach a spiritually healthy perspective of the bible. It simply teaches people to draw lines in the sand and to adopt labels to define their positions at opposite ends of the divine/human spectrum.

I also hope that people will find the moderate middle perspective both refreshing and peace-filled because the harvest, of which Jesus spoke, is a long way off as suggested by the Eighth Day Clock below:

“Then will I (God) purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder,” Zeph. 3:9, NIV.

“At that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord,” Zeph. 3:9, NRSV.

“For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent,” Zeph. 3:9, KJ.

The different translations suggest that a purity of lip; a change of speech; or a pure language will occur at some point in time. Additionally the pure language will result in unity of focus and purpose – to serve God with one accord. Thus this divinely ordered ‘change of speech’ will have the power to bring people together!

In light of this prophetic word from the mouth of Zephaniah, I am prompted to ask some basic questions:

• What human language, currently in existence, would have the power to bring about a purification of lip or a change of speech?
• Can anyone fathom one of our human languages serving as a ‘common spiritual tongue’ for all people?
• Can we imagine a language that has the power to bring about spiritual unity on earth?
• Would such a language be the English language, Greek or Hebrew language; the Arabic; Italian; Spanish; French; Chinese; or Russian language?

If we are honest with our answers to these questions, it is doubtful that any human language could serve as the foundation for a change of speech that would bring about spiritual unity. Thus we must either ignore the words of the prophet Zephaniah; dismiss them as ancient hopefulness; or we must think outside of ‘the human language’ box!

Presently the Church is stuck inside the human language box as is evidenced by the recent work of the National Council of Churches. The Faith and Order Commission within the National Council of Churches recently published a 29-page paper following an extensive study of “The Authority of the Church in the World.” The following admission was made in an introduction written by Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, Senior Program Director for Faith & Order and Interfaith Relations, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA:

“The study noted that any authoritative word spoken by the Church is rendered less credible by the state of division within the Christian community. “There can be no doubt,” says the text, “but that visible unity among the churches would enable a more credible witness in the world.””   

The Church universal cannot possibly speak with credibility in the world because the Church is internally divided on so many spiritual issues – all involving the vast differences in interpreting the ancient words of sacred text. In the process of trying to define and clarify God, Jesus, and Spirit over the course of 2,000 years, the Church universal has all but killed any opportunity to speak with authority. Few realize however that it is the failure of human words that caused the internal divisions! Humans cannot agree on the meaning of their own words, much less agree on the meaning of sacred text written in the distant past. In short, our words—no matter how loud we speak or how long we speak—are failing us.

How does the Church of today plan to solve the internal divisions that render her voice of authority ineffective? Does the Church of today have a plan to improve or purify her own speech? No! A plan to purify the lips of the people of God does not exist within the mission of the Church on earth. But the lack of a plan is not due to the lack of desire! Many people within the Church pray for the day when internal divisions will be healed. Yet the serious confusion of lip is a problem that the human mind cannot solve by itself.

I WILL CHANGE …

Only divine intervention can change the speech of the people; purify the lips of the people; and turn the people toward a pure language. And the divine plan to intervene on behalf of the people was heard within the heart and mind of Zephaniah. God said, “I will change the speech; I will purify the lips; I will turn to the people a pure language.” Therefore, according to Zephaniah, it is God who has the plan to solve our language dilemma.

When the Hebrew word, I will change, is translated from word to picture in The Language of Creation, the result is concept #1 – or God’s divine illumination all by itself! The math is 106 – 105 = 1. The layer on which this communication is spoken is marked by the creation of the sky or God’s divine breath. It is the second layer with numeric values from 105-210. In the wheel featured below we see God’s divine illumination featured by itself, while God’s divine breath simultaneously moves into a state of spiritual freedom. I will change the speech of the peoples! Hence I suggest that a change of lip is something only God’s spiritual fire can accomplish because The Language of Creation seems to verify this notion as seen below:

I assert that the time for a change of speech is upon us. I also assert that the plan to purify the lips of God’s people has already been established within Scripture. I suggest that the only language which will change the speech of the people was attached to a wheel of light revealed to Ezekiel. I also suggest that the language was heard by John of Patmos in the form of seven thunders, Rev. 10. I suggest that the language which will change the speech of God’s people was a language familiar to the heart and mind of King David long ago. I also suggest that such a language is the universal ‘key to the house of David’ as prophesied by Isaiah – a diplomatic language spoken for spiritual peace-keeping purposes. My suggestions all point to The Language of Creation which begins with concept 52-53. When the Hebrew words, “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,” are translated from the human language to the images of nature within The Language of Creation, the result is concept #53 as seen below:

The math is as follows: 8+106+31+160+385+413 = 1103.

The layer on which the resulting communication is found is layer 10 which is between 1050 and 1155. Thus 1103-1050 = 53.

Concept #53 is the precise middle of The Language of Creation. It is the conceptual ‘middle of Eden’ where Scripture suggests God began communicating with the human mind. It is the first picture where The Language of Creation begins communicating with the human spirit. Is it just a coincidence that the words, “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples” transport the reader to the first wheel in The Language of Creation?

RECEIVING A PURE LIP

In order for the church of today to make herself ready to receive her language of purity, it would be helpful to return to the analogy of the shipwreck in Acts 27. Thinking back on the shipwreck, we learn that the stormy climate forced the passengers to willingly let go of everything they were carrying! Everything was tossed into the sea.

Will the present stormy climate force the Church to toss everything overboard? In other words, must the Church die to herself in order to be transfigured? Must the Church be willing to throw everything overboard during the passing of the midnight hour in order to rid herself of everything that is weighing down her vessel – her cargo, her tackle, her life boats, and eventually her grain, Acts 27: 13-38?

This is radical thinking to the extreme but I believe it is the thinking that will inevitably be necessary. In other words the Church must be willing to let go of her history; her traditions; her doctrines; her statements of confessions; her creeds; her dogma; her interpretations of Scripture; her views of morality and mortality; her opinions of right and wrong; her desire to control her own destiny; etc. All that has given the Church her past sense of identity and her past sense of power must drown in the sea along with the splintered wreckage of her present institution. But the lives of her passengers will be spared.

In order for the Church to undergo her extreme make-over, the Church must begin to imagine herself learning a new language in order to fulfill the words of prophecy. The purity of lip will bring life-giving water to thirsty souls; ointment to wounded minds; and an abundance of spiritual fruit to hungry hearts. Additionally the change of speech will have the power to bring about unity of focus and purpose so that all people will be able to serve God while standing shoulder to shoulder. The pure language has this power because it will be based upon the images of Creation which are common to everyone on earth.

Does it sound too good to be possible? The first two concepts spoken by the language of seven thunders are illustrated on the wheel above. This is where the language begins. It is also the wheel to which we are taken when the following Hebrew words are translated into picture form: “Then will I purify the lips of the peoples.”

It is important to understand the fact that sentence structure matters when translating the words of Scripture into The Language of Creation. Christ does not always have a value of 1480. Jesus does not always have a value of 888.

BIRDS

In this sentence, both names are spoken together for a combined numeric value of 688 + 1680 = 2368. This sum is located on the 23rd layer of the language between 2310 and 2415. The layer is marked by the image of the winged creatures or birds of the air. The math for Greek spelling of Jesus Christ is 2368 – 2310 = 58. Concept # 58 is an OMISSION within the Language of Creation.

Even though Concept # 58 leads to an OMISSION, we can learn from the layer on which the communication is located. Spiritually speaking the bird represents life in the air which in turn represents the human spirit in its state of bondage within the flesh. Just as birds cannot transcend the earth’s atmosphere by their own power, the human spirit cannot transcend its earthly home within the flesh by its own power. Thus the bird represents the human spirit and its temporal limitations while living within the flesh of the human creation.

Did Jesus Christ live the temporal life of a caged bird?

Was Jesus Christ at all times concerned with the temporal condition of the human spirit?

STARS

The math for the Greek spelling of Jesus’ name in this sentence structure is 688. This value is found on the 7th layer of the language between 630 and 735. This is the layer of Stars. The math for the Greek spelling of Jesus in this sentence structure is 688 – 630 = # 58. Again, Concept # 58 is an OMISSION within the Language of Creation.

But we can learn from the layer on which the communication is located. Starlight represents a scattering of light in the darkness. This scattering is God’s final creation of light according to Genesis 1 and as such it represents a completion in the Creation. Spiritually speaking the stars represent a state of maturity or spiritual healthiness.

Did Jesus live the life of a spiritually healthy human being?

Was Jesus a star in the true sense of the word - a light shining in the darkness?

SKY

Finally the Greek spelling of Christ in this sentence structure is 1680 which is located on the 16th layer of the language between 1575 and 1680. This is the layer of God’s divine breath. It is the complementary relationship shared with the creation of the birds that fly across the sky according to Genesis 1. Spiritually speaking God’s divine breath is the ‘breath of life’ – the very entity that allows the bird to fly and the very entity that gives life to the human spirit.

The math for the Greek spelling of Christ in this sentence structure is 1680 – 1575 = 105. Thus the name ‘Christ’ when valued at 1680 lead to the entire wheel of light. It is a COMPLETION of the wheel and a COMPLETION of the 16th layer of The Language of Creation – the layer of God’s divine breath of life.

Did Christ live a life full of God’s divine breath?

Hence when the name, Jesus, and the name, Christ, are joined together to form the name, Jesus Christ, the combination of names leads to OMISSIONS and COMPLETIONS within The Language of Creation. However a great deal of communication is present when considering the layers from which the communication speaks.

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JESUS

The Greek letters for the name, “Jesus,” and the Greek words that are translated “my church” are intimately related. But without The Language of Creation it would be unlikely that we would ’see’ the intimate relationship. The Greek words are as follows:

Jesus’ name has a numeric value of 888 which is located on the 8th layer of The Language of Creation between 840 and 945. The layer is marked by the image of the fish which represents life in the water – and spiritually speaking the fish represents the thirsty soul in search of eternal waters. The fish was also the earliest known symbol of the Christian movement. The math is as follows: 888 – 840 = 48.

Concept # 48 reveals the gift of dominion bonding with the lesser light that governs the darkness or dominion in the darkness. This is the same concept that was discussed in a previous blog regarding the miraculous catch of 153 fish. The math in that case was 153 – 105 = 48. Different layer, same concept – dominion over the lesser light that governs the darkness.

MY CHURCH

But the interesting aspect of the words Jesus spoke to Peter is revealed in the words “my church.” The dissection below shows that the Greek words have a numeric value of 1212 which is located on the 12th layer of The Language of Creation between 1155 and 1260. This is the layer of the human heart where the likeness of God resides. The math is as follows: 1212 – 1155 = 57.

Concept # 57 reveals starlight entering the human heart. Concept # 57 is the converse of concept # 48. Both are featured on the wheel to the right. Thus the numeric value of Jesus and the numeric value of his church form a converse -inverse relationship on the wheel of light.

The words speak from different layers. The name, Jesus, is spoken from the 8th layer marked by the image of a fish. ‘My church’ is spoken from the 12th layer marked by the image of the human heart where the likeness of God resides. Thus The Language of Creation reveals that Jesus and his church complete each other in their relationships on the wheel of light – much like the Chinese philosophy of ‘Yin – Yang.’

I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH

When considering the phrase, “I will build my church” two OMISSIONS are discovered. The first OMISSION is the Greek word “I will build” as seen below. The numeric value is 1292 which is located on the 12 layer of The Language of Creation between 1260 and 1365. This is the layer of the human heart where the likeness of God resides. The math is 1292 – 1260 = 32. Concept # 32 is an OMISSION.

The second OMISSION is discovered when considering all of the Greek words, “I will build for me the church” as seen above. The numeric value is 2504 which is located on the 24th layer of The Language of Creation between 2415 and 2520. This is the layer of the flesh of the animal kingdom where the human creation of flesh and bone resides. The math is 2504 – 2415 = 89. Concept # 89 is an OMISSION.

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]]> http://prismatictheology.com/2012/04/jesus-and-his-church/feed/ 0 http://prismatictheology.com/2012/04/who-do-you-say-that-i-am/ http://prismatictheology.com/2012/04/who-do-you-say-that-i-am/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 02:12:14 +0000 carol http://prismatictheology.com/?p=2290 Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:15-16.

I’ve always cherished this particular encounted between Jesus and Simon Peter. I suppose I am drawn to the question, “Who do YOU say that I am?” because of its deeply personal nature of and the thought-provoking process that each of us must undergo if we are to arrive at our deeply personal answer.

Peter perceived Jesus to be ‘the Christ.’ When the Greek word ‘Christ’ is translated from word to picture, the translation results in concept #80. The total value is 1550 which is found on the 15th layer of the language between 1470 and 1575. The 15th layer is marked by God’s divine illumination.

THE CHRIST

There are two pictures to consider as seen below. The first reveals the gift of freedom entering the human mind where the image of God resides. The second picture reveals life in the water – the thirsty soul – entering into the sky or God’s divine breath. Remember also that, in the text of Genesis 1 from which The Language of Creation emerges, the sky was created to separate temporal water from eternal water. Thus the image of the fish joining the sky reveals the concept of a thirsty soul enroute to its eternal waters.

Does Christ allow the human mind to fathom the concept of freedom? Does Christ lead thirsty souls to eternal waters?

But there’s more to consider regarding Peter’s response. Peter continued with the words, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” In the Greek language the exact translation is spoken ’son – God of the living’ as seen below.

SON of the LIVING GOD

The phrase, “son of the living God” has a numeric value of 3781. The communication is located on the 37th layer of The Language of Creation. This layer is marked by life in the air – the winged creatures representing the human spirit on earth. The math is 3781 – 3780 = 1. This is circled on the dissection to the right.

Concept # 1 features God’s divine illumination as seen on the wheel below. “Son of the living God!”

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I began the journey into the subject of language by displaying the entire set of wheels that make up The Language of Creation which emerges from a prismatic reading of Genesis 1.

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/01/the-language-of-creation/

I quickly followed up with a series of blogs delving into Ezekiel’s vision of wheels. I defended the notion that The Language of Creation and Ezekiel’s vision of wheels were inter-related. I tried to show that Ezekiel’s description of wheels intersecting with wheels that didn’t turn but moved straight ahead as the wheels moved up and down, was actually a logical vision considering how The Language of Creation functions.

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/01/ezekiel-wasnt-crazy-part-i/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/01/ezekiel-wasnt-crazy-part-ii/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/01/ezekiel-wasnt-crazy-part-iii/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/01/ezekiel-wasnt-crazy-part-iv/

I wrote several blogs on the connection between The Language of Creation in Genesis 1; Ezekiel’s vision of wheels in Ezekiel 1; the Little Scroll of Seven Thunders in Revelation 10; and the Key to the House of David in Isaiah 22:22 and Revelation 3:7. I quickly followed those blogs with a-self-proclaimed admission that my thinking breaks the current rules of responsible biblical scholarship because the books of Genesis, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Revelation were written hundreds of years apart from each other.

As a result of the historical difference in textual dating, scholars would frown upon making such connections. However biblical scholarship does not account for the notion that God can impart different pieces of the whole of something to different people at different times in human history. Only through hindsight can we look back and put the different pieces together to make the whole of something.

Therefore I defended my thinking by making the claim that the priestly author of Genesis 1; Ezekiel; Isaiah; and John of Patmos received different pieces of The Language of Creation. And only through hindsight are we now able to look back in time and pull together – the wheel of light; the images of Creation; the notion of a diplomatic, peace-keeping language as a key; the systematic movement of wheels; and the hearing of seven thunders. Each piece, by itself, does not a language make. But when the pieces are joined together The Language of Creation finds its image, its numeric structure, its purpose, and its voice.

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/01/the-sound-of-thunder/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/01/the-key-to-the-house-of-david/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/01/breaking-the-rules-of-scholarship/

I then proceeded to introduce a variety of spiritual concepts that are spoken through the images of Creation:

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/01/relationships-and-concepts/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/01/horizontal-eyesight-and-vertical-vision/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/01/perverting-the-gift-of-vertical-vision/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/01/healthy-eyes-and-the-midnight-hour/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/02/listening-to-the-lines-of-the-language/

I introduced the spiritual concepts spoken in the numeric middle of The Language of Creation. I likened the numeric middle of the language to the spiritual concepts within ‘Eden’ that all of us must learn in order to enjoy spiritual health and well-being.

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/02/visiting-the-garden-of-eden/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/02/the-worship-of-knowledge/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/02/the-gravity-of-the-situation/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/02/living-in-the-garden-of-eden/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/02/the-subtlety-of-deception/

I then introduced the idea that some of the numbers in Scripture may be related to The Language of Creation.

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/03/forty-days-and-forty-nights/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/03/666-and-the-language-of-creation/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/03/276-passengers/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/03/a-miraculous-catch-of-153-fish/

And finally I introduced the possibility that the words of Scripture may be supported by The Language of Creation. I followed that claim with one Hebrew translation and two Greek translations as examples.

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/03/let-there-be-light/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/03/let-there-be-light-part-2/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/04/with-me-in-paradise/

http://prismatictheology.com/2012/04/he-was-raised/

This brings me to the present time and my concluding remarks. I have no doubt that Genesis 1 was written as a circle of information supported by the seven colors of the rainbow. I have no doubt that the resulting circle of light was intentionally created to reflect the number 7. I have no doubt that the resulting wheel and its 14 images of Creation is the wheel that Ezekiel saw in his vision of wheels.

I do not doubt that the prophet Isaiah was inspired to write about “a key of David” that was to be placed on Eliakim’s shoulder which enabled the key to relate to the words spoken by Eliakim: “Please speak to us in Aramaic since this is the language we understand.” And I have no doubt that The Language of Creation spoken through the wheel of light in Genesis 1 is a fulfillment of Ezekiel’s vision of wheels and Isaiah’s words of prophecy regarding the key of David.

I also have no doubt that John of Patmos heard The Language of Creation when he heard the revelatory roar of seven thunders. But he could not put the language into writing because The Language of Creation was not to be revealed 2,000 years ago.  It was to be a language that was revealed at a future point in time. And finally I have no doubt that the time of revelation is upon us.

But I have questions.

Why me? Why not me? Those are two of my personal questions. When will the information that I am currently sharing with a small audience ever become known to the masses? I know that the power of God’s holy, all-knowing, Spirit will carry the information forward. I know that I do not need to ‘market’ this information or ‘sell’ the information to anyone. In God’s time – everything that I have written will find its way around the globe and into the hearts of people. And where I’ve made mistakes in my own thinking, the wheat will be separated from the chaff. But I do wonder when these things will take place as I know that I am an older adult and will not live long enough to be a witness to these things.

And lastly I freely admit that I do not understand how the words of Scripture can be translated into The Language of Creation and consistently reflect pictures and relationships that make sense when the language is understood. How is that possible??? And to what extent is it possible? I only randomly selected 300 verses of Scripture. My study was a small sampling of verses, phrases, and individual words from the bible. In such a selective study is it possible that I saw what I wanted to see? Perhaps! But that is something only a full and comprehensive study could determine – someday.

In the meantime I fully support the idea that the whole of Creation continually speaks its own language for those who have ears to hear.

This communication is located on the second layer of The Language of Creation between 105 and 210. The sky is the image of Creation that marks the second layer. The sky represents God’s divine breath, the heavens, a separation between the temporal and eternal waters, etc. Thus the Greek word for, “he was raised” comes to us from the sky!

This single Greek word translates to concept #28 as seen below. Number 28 is found in two locations on the wheel. It divides the wheel of light in half featuring the life support system on the left side of the wheel and the living forms of life on the right side of the wheel. Concept #28 features God’s divine light bonding with starlight – a final form of light in the Creation text. Simultaneously the fish – the thirsty human soul seeking an eternal source of water - enters into a state of freedom.  ”He was raised.”

The second wheel features the gift of dominion bonding with God’s divine light. Simultaneously the sky – God’s divine breath, the heavens, the separation between temporal and eternal waters – enters the human heart where the likeness of God resides. “He was raised.”

Think on these things …

]]> http://prismatictheology.com/2012/04/he-was-raised/feed/ 0 http://prismatictheology.com/2012/04/with-me-in-paradise/ http://prismatictheology.com/2012/04/with-me-in-paradise/#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:50:04 +0000 carol http://prismatictheology.com/?p=2109 One of the criminals, executed along with Jesus, said “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise“ Luke 23:43. This promise – given to an ordinary criminal who simply acknowledged the fear of God and the kingly nature of Jesus’ identity - is a promise that Christians count on in their own spiritual journey. Thus I thought I would translate the Greek words, “with me you will be in Paradise” into The Language of Creation and examine the translation. I think people will like what they see even if The Language of Creation isn’t fully understood yet.

THE ENTIRE PHRASE

The Greek words, “with me you will be in paradise” lead to the following two pictures when the words of Scripture are translated into The Language of Creation:

One of the two pictures appears to suggest the gift of freedom entering or bonding with the human creation of flesh and bone. Thus the words, “with me you will be in paradise” brings freedom to the body. The other picture reveals the image of a bird – the human spirit, like a caged bird within the human body - entering into a state of freedom by bonding with the gift of freedom. Hence the words, “with me you will be in paradise” provides us with two concepts of freedom – one brings the gift of freedom to the body and and the other transports the trapped human spirit to a state of freedom. In other words, “with me you will be set free?”

Additional insights can be gleaned when examining the layer on which this phrase is located along with the entire dissection of this phrase. For anyone wishing to understand how the translation from words to pictures occurs I will proceed with a detailed study.

The Greek Alphabet 

The first thing to consider when translating the words of Scripture into The Language of Creation is the numeric value of each letter in the Greek alphabet. The values of each letter are added to create a numeric value for each word in the New Testament. It is important to realize that translating words into pictures creates a movement from left-brain thinking to right-brain thinking. The resulting pictures provide spiritual concepts to consider which will be appreciated by the eye of the beholder just as the words of Scripture are appreciated by some people but not others.

Again, I want to stress the fact that I do not believe the bible contains a code. I don’t encourage the practice of numerology. The fact that numeric values were assigned to ancient alphabets simply allows the words of Scripture to be translated into pictures within The Language of Creation.  Thus the numeric values of the letters function solely as a means of transportation in the translation process. In other words, no meanings are assigned to the numeric values. The numbers are just numbers.

It is important to mention that the Greek alphabet contains no number 6 or 90. The letters that had been assigned to these numbers became obsolete and therefore are not found within the sacred texts of the New Testament.

This study focuses on a single phrase in Scripture rather than an entire verse in Scripture. The phrase consists of 6 Greek words as seen below. The exact translation reads: “with me you will be in (the) paradise.” As shown the numeric values of each letter (blue) are added together to determine the numeric value of each Greek word (red) in this phrase.  The Greek word preceding ‘paradise’ is a Greek article translated as ‘the paradise.’

The entire phrase can be translated into The Language of Creation as follows:

THE DISSECTION of the phrase

When looking at the dissection of this phrase several things are immediately noticed:

The phrase contains an ‘omission’ with the numeric value of 58 and is marked by a circle with a diagonal line through it. Therefore the words, “With me you will be in“ lead to the omission.

The phrase also contains a ‘completion’ of Layer 11 – the human mind where the image of God resides. The completion occurs with the words “in the” but the completion follows as set of ’twin’ concepts or ‘repeated’ concepts. This is a common occurrence when translating words into The Language of Creation.  The twin concepts are 23, 98, and 3.  The words that cause the repetition and the completion are “in” and “the” because together their numeric value is 1155 which is the completion of the 11th Layer in The Language of Creation.

For this study, I will focus on just a few of the concepts featured in the dissection. The numeric value of the entire phrase is 3429. This value is found on layer 33. Remember that The Language of Creation repeats itself in layers of 105. The layers are stacked like pancakes on a plate and their is no end to the language. It is an infinite system of communication. Thus 3429 is located between 3360 and 3465 which is layer 33. The image of Creation that represents this layer is the greater light that governs the day. Thus the phrase, “with me you will be in paradise” is spoken from the 33rd layer and the presence of the greater light.

PARADISE 

One concept is associated with the word, “Paradise,” and the words “in the Paradise.” The concept is #46 as seen to the right. It features the human creation bonding with the spiritual gift of dominion. Scripture suggests that human beings lost a right relationship with the gift of dominion during the passage of time on the Sabbath Day.

Could a return to Paradise be perceived as a return to a right relationship with the gift of dominion? Perhaps, but take the time to notice that the gift of freedom simultaneously enters the image of the bird – the human spirit in a state of bondage within the flesh. Thus the body comes into a right relationship with the spiritual gift of dominion at the same time that the spiritual gift of freedom is given to the human spirit.

One #46 concept is found on the 12th layer between 1155 and 1260. This layer is represented by the human heart where the likeness of God resides. The other #46 concept is found on the  23rd layer between 2310 and 2415 which is represented by the image of a bird – the winged creatures.

“With me you will be”

Another concept to consider is reflected by the words, “with me you will be.” This concept also appears two times because it is part of the completion within this dissection. The layers that contain the concepts are layer 11 which is the human mind 1050 – 1155 and layer 22 which is life in the water or ‘the thirsty soul’ looking for a secondary source of water.

Notice that concept #23 reveals the human mind where the image of God resides bonding with the human heart where the likeness of God resides. An image and a likeness, together! “With me you will be.” 

Again, the converse shows the gift of dominion entering the human creation. Over and over with amazing consistency the gifts of dominion and freedom bond with the flesh or the human spirit as the words, “with me you will be in Paradise” are studied.

“You will be in Paradise”

Lastly I draw your attention to concept #49. This concept is located within the middle of The Language of Creation. The concepts near the numeric middle of the language seem to represent a place of spiritual health and well being. Concept #49 is the concept that contains the two trees. Thus the words, ”You will be in Paradise” lead to the middle of The Language of Creation and once again two trees come into view as seen below.

This communication is located on the 25th layer between 2520 and 2625, which is represented by the human mind where the image of God resides. Notice that the human mind bonds with the vertical image of seed-bearing, fruit-bearing vegetation. Also notice that the same vegetation bonds with the human flesh. This is the picture that best represents Eden and the two trees. “You will be in Paradise.”

May the words and the pictures provide the reader with much spiritual meat on which to chew.

The layer suggests an earthly or worldly understanding of speech. The idea of uttering sounds is an earthly or human thought. The idea of God speaking to or with the formless, empty earth, covered in water is a right-brain concept – a spiritual idea. But this is one of many, many words in Scripture that leads to an omission within The Language of Creation. There is no picture to correspond with the words – “And God said.”  All we have is the layer on which the communication is located.

The second word in Genesis 1:3 is the name of Israel’s Creator – Elohim. The numeric value of the name is 86 which is located on the first layer of the language or the layer of divine light. The numeric value leads to the following picture:

The Language of Creation reveals the human mind, where the image of God resides, bonding with the fish or life in the water. This is a picture of intelligence bonding with life on earth. Elohim is Creator! Life begins in the water. Elohim is the image of God within the human mind. Elohim is the source of light and life! Elohim is the source of the illumination in Genesis 1:3 that eventually brings life to the waters. Thus we see a picture – not of God – but of the place where the image of God resides! God’s image cannot be captured in pictorial form. But the image of God within the human mind can be captured. And the idea of intelligence can be captured! This is right-brain thinking!

The third word in Genesis 1:3 is the word, “Let there be” or “Let him be” in the masculine. Again this word is located on the first layer of communication because its value is between 1 and 105. Hence this word is spoken from the layer of divine light. Notice that Concept # 25 leads to two pictures within The Language of Creation.

The first wheel reveals the human heart where the likeness of God’s divine light resides, bonding with the gift of dominion. “Let there be”

The second wheel reveals the dry land – the whole earth – bonding with starlight. “Let there be”

These two images combined help us to realize the purpose for God’s light – for the initial act of illumination that brings all things into existence. The purpose is to have the likeness of God in a state of dominion so that every human being made from the earth can become starlight in the darkness. The initial act of illumination sets all future illumination into motion. “Let there be”

At this point, I’ll skip to the Hebrew word, “And there was” or “And he was” in the masculine.

This word is located on the first layer because its value is 31 which is between 1 and 105. But it also leads to an omission.

And now we come to the word “Light” which is located on the second layer of The Language of Creation because its value is 207 which is located between 105 and 210. The Concept is #102 which also features two wheels for our consideration. But neither wheel will provide a picture of ‘light’ because this light is an ‘act of illumination.’ It isn’t a body of light.

The first wheel shows God’s divine light bonding with the sky – the layer from which this communication is spoken. Thus we have God’s divine light and God’s divine breath in relationship with each other. This further supports the fact that this ‘light’ is not a body of light or a celestial luminary in the sky. This light is divine light – the light that provides illumination for all other aspects of Creation and the first entity to be created following this act of illumination is the sky.

The second wheel reveals all fruit-bearing, seed-bearing vegetation in union with the sky which is God’s divine breath. Remember that the communication comes from layer 2 – God’s divine breath. So what are we to understand from these relationships? The word is ‘light’ and we know that this is an act of illumination. Why do both wheels show two different aspects of Creation bonding with the sky? Is the entity of the sky where divine light is encountered? Are the vertical growth habits of vegetation pointing the way toward divine light?

These are interesting spiritual concepts to ponder when considering the word, ‘light’ as an act of illumination. However the entire verse indicates that this initial act of illumination brings divine illumination to the human heart; attracts life in the water to itself; and sends the image of God in the human mind into the dark of night as scattered starlight.

So God said, “Let there be light” and it was a glorious act of illumination!