God's Mystery That Is Christ

WHO IS GOD?

God is the Word.

To know God, we must know God as the Word. His Word is contained in the 66 books that make up the Christian Bible. His Word has been translated into nearly every language making the Word accessible everyone. All the same, just reading the Bible’s words is not enough. Hidden meanings are concealed in the written word. “Their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Corinthians 3:14-16, NIV). Turning to the Lord means we understand God’s hidden intent in the written word. God’s Law is the undiscerned written word. We have to remove the veil that covers our heart to see the hidden inner meaning. “Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed” (Galatians 3:23, NIV).

God continuously accomplishes His spiritual works. Through His spiritual works, He provides spiritual perception for all things. God reveals His secrets to the prophets, His servants. God speaks through all things in this world.

It was not that long ago when we lived in an era without televisions, cars, or airplanes. Before these modern day fixtures, knowledge and people moved at a slower pace. Now things are different and we live in world where knowledge and people move rapidly. Many believe the end is near because the Prophet Daniel was told to “conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase” (Daniel 12:4, NASB).

There are a variety of reasons why those that believe the end is near believe this to be true. Among the reasons include the Israelites returning to their homeland after their independence in 1948. Paralleling that, advancements in technology set in motion the digital age we live in. Some see man’s degradation and corruption reflected in the environmental and economic crisis the world faces. Given these occurrences, we have to understand the spiritual journey God is leading us on.

The rise and subsequent fall of the Roman Empire spread the Jews to all parts of the world. Similarly the Gospel spread to those same regions by Christian missionaries. The spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ brought the translation of the Bible’s written word into virtually every language. And now thanks to the technology, with one click, God’s words are easily accessible.

The Bible’s words never change, however it has the uncanny ability to communicate relevance to each generation at an appropriate level of understanding. Through it all, the spiritual meaning of the Bible remains constant. The events over the last 60 years bring us into a new era where God allows us to understand His spiritual meaning with our heart.

Since 1948, Jews from all over the world have returned to Israel. The return of the Israelites to their homeland is symbolic of the depths our hearts can attain with God’s Word. It’s calling for us to look inward towards our own heart.

The time for external preaching of the Gospel is over. Now is the time for us to look inward towards our own heart. Instead of preaching the Gospel externally for the sake of getting the word out, we now have the opportunity to understand its meaning for ourselves by preaching it internally. The exact meaning of this will be made clear as the book progresses.

There are two ways of interpreting His word when reading the Bible. (1) Outer word –- the written words of the Bible we read with our eyes and (2) Inner Word – the intangible words whose meaning only our spirit can comprehend. God’s intent is hidden in the outer word. The inner Word is the discerned Word of God; it is the Word of Christ’s Truth. We must comprehend the inner Word to understand God’s intent.

The fall of Israel in 70 AD scattered Jews all over the world. Then in 1948, Israel became a newly formed independent country. In God’s eyes however, Israel becomes a newborn spiritual nation. The Israel described in the Bible is not just the small country located in the Middle East. The state of Israel has inner meaning and represents something greater. Israel is an example for us of how to understand God’s Word. The nation of Israel is a parable for the outer word. Its inner meaning represents newborn spiritual people. God’s intent is His inner meaning. It is hidden in the Bible’s written word. God is always working in the background, whether or not we see it. Truth is not always visible or tangible and not everyone will discern this. The true meaning of the word “Israel” in the Bible is a “new creation.”

WINE

Wine is used in a variety of ways in the Bible. There are predominately three types of wine, old wine, new wine, and sour wine. These wines each have their own inner meaning.

New wine represents the Word of Christ’s Truth. Old wine is the indiscernible written word. One cannot accept the Word of Truth if they are full of worldly knowledge based on written words. Unfortunately, no one, after drinking old wine wants the new wine.

Old wine is the literal representation of the written word. It is the teaching of historical events based on the Bible. The figurative words of the written words are stories until the inner meaning is revealed (Hebrews chapter 9). Sour wine represents old wine that has been mixed with worldly knowledge.

There is no spiritual past tense in the Bible. For instance Israel’s history does not affect our salvation. The inner Word of the Bible does not pertain to specific historic situation, still the Bible’s written words does convey past events. We must understand the inner meaning of these words and God’s intent for us. The inner Word of the Bible gives us eternal life. Fundamental to eternal life is a revived spirit. Only when our spirit awakes, are we considered living before God. “~He is not the God of dead but of the living” (Matthew 22:32, NIV). Jesus said “yet you refuse to come to Me to have life” (John 5:40, NIV). When Jesus refers to Himself (Me), He refers to the Word.

Jesus Christ is the Lord and He Himself is the Word. We are charged with returning to the Bible’s words and discovering the inner meaning that is hidden. Before our flesh is no more, we must engrave the Bible words in our heart and discern it. God implores us each to do this.