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TEN VIRGINS and TRUTH

Jacob Israel22 Comments


TEN VIRGINS and TRUTH

Jesus told his disciples that, “Unto you it is given to know the MYSTERIES of the KINGDOM OF GOD, but unto those that are without “Christ” ALL things are done in parable.”

Now first of all I want to point out two things.

Jesus did NOT say the things of God, or the Kingdom of God are easily, literally, and intellectually understood, quite the opposite. – Jesus said these things are a MYSTERY.

Let’s look at that word mystery, some other words for it are enigma, riddle, secret, puzzle. Mysteries cannot be taken at face value, they must be REVEALED. Now let’s look at the definition.

The literal definition of MYSTERY is: 1.Something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain 2.The condition or quality of being secret, strange, or difficult to explain — and I believe the best definition is the one they give for the MYSTERY of Christ 3.A religious belief based on divine revelation, esp. one regarded as beyond human understanding

Now those that were being discipled by Christ. Those led by the spirit of Truth, Christ (The Power and Wisdom of God) is given the UNDERSTANDING of these things. This of course, is NOT done by their intellect or soulish comprehension. This is also explained clearly in scripture.

2 Peter 1:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old-time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The word PROPHECY is a word few truly know the meaning of. People think of Nostradamus when they hear that word, they think of future events, and predictions. But a “PROPHECY of SCRIPTURE” is a true understanding of the mystery of it. And always the understanding (the prophecy) speaks of the CHRIST WITHIN YOU. Your true life which has been hidden, which some have come to realize and others have not. This in essence is what the “parable” of the Ten Virgins which I will soon get into.

So I hope by now you know, PROPHECY is merely the revelation, and true understanding of God’s Glory (hidden meaning of things, and scripture) – Remember it is the GLORY OF GOD to conceal a thing. And this hidden thing is the TRUTH that has been hidden WITHIN US, in his own SPIRIT OF TRUTH. And it is only be realizing the Christ Within that you can have prophecy to begin with, and know all things.

1 Corinthians 13:2
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge

SIDE NOTE:
I do get a kick out of all the Pastors, Bishops, Rabbi’s, Guru’s, Evangelists, and “Prophets” who give themselves these “Titles” by the way, or proudly wear them because other men have given them to them. A side note: If anyone has a “Title” before their name, Like Bishop, of The Evangelist so and so, or Prophetess or Prophet so and so, it’s a good call they haven’t received the “PROPHECY OF THE TRUTH”. No person who has a firm understanding of God’s grace, and truth, exalts themselves. Instead they humble themselves. They don’t make themselves out to be something greater, or seemingly more important than others. Scripture is clear on this as well.

Galatians 6:3
For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself

As a former Catholic (as a young child) I was forced to call the Priest Father, Kiss the Ring of the Bishop, Cardinal, etc… and when I understood that scripture forbid such actions I was quite shocked no one picked up on it. But such is the way of religion.

Matthew 23:9
And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven

But I’m not simply pointing out problems with the Catholic Church. This problem is everywhere. Every religious leader it seems, wants to be called Pastor, Bishop, Evangelist, Prophet, Imam, Master, Teacher, etc and etc… I cringe when people write me and call me some of these things, and I immediately reply, “I am nothing but a simple guy who loves to seek, loves the mystery of life, and loves to love and encourage others.” And this IS NOT OF MYSELF! I didn’t give myself this desire, it was placed in me. I thank God for it.

In any event, common sense should dictate to these men and women, that it is pride that makes them believe they need to attach a “title” or “name” to themselves to be taken seriously as a “man of woman of God” – There is no need for such pride. It sends the wrong message to those listening, and corrupts the man. As the scripture verses surrounding the above verse dictate. Carry the burdens or others and prove your understanding of God with your humility, love, compassion, forgiveness, patience, and true wisdom.

Galatians 6:2-4
2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

Not only do these men and women, boast a title, they also wear collars, outfits, and fancy jewelery, long chains, etc, to “set them apart from the people who listen”.

1 Peter 3:3-4
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Now I’m not saying it’s not okay to wear nice clothes, dress up, wear makeup, GOD FORBID you think that. I am saying those who claim to know the things of God should not DRESS UP FOR SHOW, there is no need for the fancy robes, gold chains, Bishop’s collars, etc… There is nothing wrong with wearing “your Sunday best”, so long as your Sunday best doesn’t set you above the rest. Meaning, if you are one people look to for understanding the things of God, wear humility, let compassion be your collars, and charity your jewelery.

There was nothing that set Jesus apart from his followers with the exception of his WORDS OF WISDOM. He didn’t look grand that we should be attracted to him, he didn’t have people wait on his hand and foot, in point of fact the opposite was true. The Greatest of All Is Servant to All.

Now that I got all that out-of-the-way. Let’s get back into what this paper is REALLY about.

“Unto you it is given to know the MYSTERIES of the KINGDOM OF GOD, but unto those that are without “Christ” ALL things are done in parable.”

POINT TWO:

Notice, Jesus said “to those” that DIDN’T KNOW THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD “ALL THINGS” I will repeat that, ALL THINGS ARE DONE IN PARABLE.

Notice the scripture verse did not state SOME THINGS, but ALL THINGS. Which means, EVERYTHING you read in scripture has more than one way to PERCEIVE it. The Literal which most likely will keep you in chains and KILL your wisdom/life, and the SPIRITUAL which will bring you LIFE (ENLIGHTENMENT).

Now many will say, “NO, SCRIPTURE IS LITERAL. God wouldn’t try to confuse us.”

But please consider, if scripture was easily understood than carnal mankind would have no need for God. And he could then justify himself in killing others, raping others, stoning others, condemning others, keeping slaves, beating women, and worse. NOW DOES THAT SOUND LIKE A GOD OF LOVE TO YOU?

You see every time we see something in scripture, we must SEEK the deeper meaning. By prayerfully considering it, and allowing God to reveal it. In fact, you should EXPECT God to reveal it, if he put the desire in your heart to know a thing, you will know the thing.

Proverbs 1:5-7
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7 The respect and reverence of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

If this literal book “The Bible” wasn’t sealed up, MANKIND will never humble themselves. If our Book of DNA wasn’t sealed up, we would become immortal terrors walking the earth as well. This is an unveiling process we are all going to take part in.

Have ever done something really dumb, but at the time you thought you were in the right and had every reason to do what you did; But then, found out the truth of the situation and felt terrible that you had acted that way? Well this is why scripture has been sealed.

The good news is, the TRUTH of IT ALL, is already right inside each and every one of us. Not one single person on the planet earth doesn’t already have all the answers within them. WHICH IS WHY WE DON’T NEED TO GO DOOR TO DOOR TEACHING PEOPLE TO KNOW GOD!

Hebrews 8:11
And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

But for now, ALL things are done in PARABLE. Now let me explain what that means.

A PARABLE is a story that needs to be interpreted; it is one whose moral can only be found by uncovering the mystery hidden between the words written. To understand a parable, one must understand the SPIRIT of which the story is trying to convey. The STORY doesn’t need to be literal, it can be, but the point of the PARABLE is not that it literally happened, but WHAT IT MEANS!

As I wrote earlier, “No scripture is of private interpretation”, which means no one can read it at face value and declare the meaning of it. Our interpretation or understanding of a thing is much different from the interpretation given to us by the inspiration and revelation of it from God. (which once again, I must add, is what PROPHECY is! Not predicting future events)

The good thing is Christ has given his church the keys to unlocking these mysteries, and many of them are found in scripture itself. And when the meaning is uncovered, understanding what the parable means will indeed set you free.

The question is what are we set free from? The answer is our ignorance, our own misunderstanding. You see the reason we suffer, is because we DON’T KNOW ANY BETTER! It’s like we’re walking around in the dark bumping into things, we can’t seem to get anything right, we suffer, we cry, we DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY!!!!! If only we had a SPIRITUAL LAMP to guide us through the darkness of our ignorance, that would be something wouldn’t it? 🙂 Well the truth is, WE ALL DO INSIDE US!

And nothing speaks this better than the parable Jesus gave about the five wise and five foolish virgins. But to truly understand this parable WE HAVE to allow God to reveal it’s deeper meaning. The way I came to understand this, was not any great effort on my part. Not even close!

One day I was thinking, I wonder what that story really means. And then one day, IT SIMPLY CAME TO ME. It started with the though, “go in scripture and see what a lamp is compared to in scripture”, and “what is oil compared to” and “what does a virgin represent”… You get the idea.

So I began digging.

Ezekiel 8:7-9
8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. 9 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.

When the SPIRIT OF LIFE AND WISDOM with us, brings us to DIG DEEPER we uncover how corrupt the false teachings of the day are. We are amazed and shocked, but we are filled with JOY for all we have begun to understand.

SO LET’S TAKE A DEEPER LOOK SHALL WE?

Matthew 25
1Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

So who are these Ten Virgins, what does their LAMP represent, and who is the bridegroom? The Bible speaks many times of a Virgin, the Virgin daughter of Zion, the Virgin of Israel, the Virgin of Babylon, the Virgin who gives birth to Immanuel (The Lord).

A VIRGIN is a symbol of someone who has not BECOME ONE WITH another, sexually, which can result in offspring. So spiritually, a VIRGIN is one who has not become ONE with a BELIEF SYSTEM that would produce a bunch of ideas about God, whether true or false. Offspring are symbolic of what we create within us when we become one with an IDEA.

For example, someone tells us, it is a SIN to eat meat on Friday. Now if we take what that person says as Gospel Truth, then we produce a CHILD (thought/belief) within that will condemn us IF we do eat meat. Get it? Remember we are dealing with ALLEGORY, PARABLE, MYSTERIES here, that MUST be looked at with SPIRITUAL EYES (UNDERSTANDING).

SO, the Virgin is US before we become ONE WITH IDEAS! Once we take on a bunch of false beliefs and traditions as Gospel Truth then we are no longer VIRGINS! We become like the woman at the well, who has many husbands, and not one of them produced good seed within her. Now, unlike the natural world, we can become VIRGINS again, when we get rid of all our LOVERS (RELIGIOUS VANITY)

For those who think this is still speaking of literal virgins, let me show you in scripture that this is a PARABLE, speaking of how we MUST BECOME AS VIRGINS ready to become ONE (marry) the TRUTH. Look at what Paul said to Corinth.

2 Corinthians 11
1 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure VIRGIN to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

It should be clear by now, that a VIRGIN is one who has NOT BEEN deceived.

The reason we must be AS VIRGINS is, IF we are holding onto the LOVERS OF LIES, TRADITION, AND RELIGION then we will NEVER RECEIVE TRUTH. We can only receive the TRUTH when we ARE divorced from the lies. Which is a clever way of saying, we don’t want lies no more, we want a relationship with the TRUTH.

Jesus said “he is the TRUTH” now lots of people think that “the man Jesus” is their HUSBAND. These people would be wrong. This is symbolic language, his words were TRUTH, the TRUTH was revealed IN THE MAN JESUS, as it is revealed in those God quickens today.

Truly it is the CHRIST (the power and wisdom of God), the WORD of God that was WITHIN JESUS the MAN that is our HUSBAND. The same spirit of Life that ruled Jesus the man, as he said “I can do nothing of myself” is the same spirit that is within us. This WORD is our true husband, and the HEAD OF THE BODY (BELIEF SYSTEM IN US, AND BELIEVERS AROUND THE WORLD)

This “Husband” talk is not literal, it is speaking spiritually (allegorically). Think of it this way, OUR THOUGHTS rule our lives, essentially OUR THOUGHTS in this case are the HUSBAND. This is why we must put on the MIND OF CHRIST, so we are ruled by the TRUTH, and so the HUSBAND (Christ) will lead the BODY (us). THE HUSBAND WE MUST MARRY (become one with) IS THE TRUTH OF GOD.

2 Corinthians 11:2
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.

Christ is not a SINGLE MAN. But the SPIRIT OF LIFE within ALL MANKIND! And when we marry ourselves to it. (become one with this truth) we are led by our HUSBAND and submit ourselves to our HUSBAND (truth) IN ALL THINGS.

So indeed THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS is about humanity as a whole. And it speaks of the TWO NATURES in mankind that are obedient to the truth, and carnal (disobedient).

FIVE WISE – FIVE FOOLS

Remember, the WISE are those that trust that God is in control of all things. And the Fool are those that don’t believe in God being in control. And each of us, have these natures within.

Who we think we are in this world, and who we truly are IN CHRIST.

Now that we know who the Virgins are, let’s move unto the OIL AND LAMP.

The Bible is also clear also about what the LAMP is… It is not a literal Lamp.

Psalm 119 tells us that GODS WORD is a LAMP unto our feet.

So it clear that this LAMP that WE carry is GODS WORD.

And what is GODS WORD? The answer is found in John 17, Gods WORD is TRUTH. (Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.) It is This TRUTH that saves/sanctified us. And of course the BRIDEGROOM is GOD.

1Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
But five of these were WISE and five were FOOLISH.

So now the PARABLE becomes clearer. The Kingdom of God is like HUMANITY who hold unto God’s TRUTH and waits to find God.

Let’s again who the WISE ARE: Ecclesiastes 8:5: Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment

So you see a WISE person can DISCERN, he or she can understand. They have the REVELATION of THE TRUTH hidden in parable. They have the interpretation and the understanding.

Now if these VIRGINS are ALL OF HUMANITY and their LAMPS are the TRUTH, Well this parable is teaching us that HALF can understand the TRUTH God pours out upon all flesh, while the OTHER half does not. But this is NOT about literal people here, but natures in man.

James 1:8
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Within each of us, are two NATURES at war. The Flesh and the Spirit. The EGO and the Christ. The Virgin parable speaks of these natures in man. The EGO may have the LAMP within, but will never understand it. Only the SPIRIT can ALLOW THAT LIGHT TO SHINE. As five virgins left the other five to go WITHIN and get MARRIED (BECOME ONE WITH THE TRUTH)… WE TOO, must leave our ignorant EGO in the world to be free. Our carnal mind can NEVER hear the call of the BRIDEGROOM. Because our EGO is simple, worldly, earthy (the first man = death = ignorant = unable to understand the PROPHECY of truth)

Proverbs 9:13 A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.

So we begin to see that this is not a literal story of ten literal virgins with literal lamps, instead it is a story about us. And which category we fall into.

Now watch what those with no understanding do with GODS TRUTH that is poured upon them. For it is written, his TRUTH is poured out upon ALL FLESH, but not all have the UNDERSTANDING, not all ARE WISE and become Sanctified WITH IT.

3They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

There are some of us, that are unable to take the TRUTH of GOD and because they don’t have the proper interpretation, and don’t truly understand what it means. They don’t have the very fuel (revelation/wisdom) that gives that TRUTH LIGHT! They don’t have the very ESSENSE NEEDED to LIGHT the path, to LIGHT the way around them. They don’t have the understanding and so, they don’t have the SALVATION that comes with knowing and believing in the WORD of GOD, Gods TRUTH.

4But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

But those who DID understand what God was teaching them, they were saved FROM THEIR IGNORANCE and their TRUTH was ready to BURN BRIGHT to show the world just who THEIR HUSBAND really IS. They had the OIL which you will see is WISDOM to see the truth for themselves. The others went off to try to buy it. (Sound like people in church tithing and such, doesn’t it?) But God wants us to SHINE THE TRUTH CONTINUALLY!

Leviticus 24
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. 3 Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations.

Isaiah 61:3:
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Indeed the Oil, is something that takes time to produce in all of us. It is a process, a difficult one, but one never the less that causes our face to shine with the interpretation of Gods word. As it did with Moses and Christ.

Psalm 104:15: And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and OIL to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.

So this OIL that we have in our VESSELS (Hearts/Spirits/Life) is the JOY and it causes our face to shine… WHY? Because we know THE TRUTH, that GOD IS IN CONTROL OF ALL THINGS, so we can rest in that salvation. And we know this GREAT SALVATION only comes through the UNDERSTANDING the TRUTH of GOD. So is there a scripture that says that UNDERSTANDING TRUTH causes our face to shine? SURE THERE IS:

Ecclesiastes 8:1:
Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a MAN’S WISDOM maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

So is it any wonder that after Christ was transfigured before them, that he was seen with ELIJAH and MOSES… Could it is be, that this was to show the disciples AS HIS FACE SHINED BRIGHT that he indeed HAD THE INTREPRETATION and TOTAL UNDERSTANDING of GOD. Both of the LAW AND PROPHETS.

Matthew 17:2: And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

So now we can easily see, that the parable of Oil, Lamps, and Virgins. Deal specifically with TRUTH, UNDERSTANDING, INTERPRETATION, JOY, AND ULTIMATELY SALVATION.

OIL causes a man’s face to shine (ps 104) – Wisdom (which is a tree of life) causes a man face to shine (ecc 8) – OIL = WISDOM gained through understanding the revelation of the Word of GOD, which is TRUTH.

Now you may not be able to receive this, but isn’t it OIL that is supposed to be LIBERALLY APPLIED to the SICK? Aren’t we supposed to ANOINT OURSELVES WITH OIL… each day. WASN’T EVERY KING IN ISRAEL ANOINTED WITH OIL, BEFORE HE BECAME KING?

Of course WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING (oil) should be liberally applied to our thinking. How else can we inherit the KINGDOM OF GOD, unless we know his TRUTH and understand the PARABLE which is a MYSTERY to those that are without.

The sad thing is both sets of virgins were waiting for God. Both thought they were going to MARRY God, BOTH THOUGHT they would become ONE with GOD. But only those who understand the TRUTH, only those who had the proper INTERPRETATION are brought in to the KINGDOM.

Only those who had LAMPS with OIL, only those who had the RIGHT INTERPRETATION of GODS TRUTH, Only those WITH WISDOM which causes our face to shine… enter in.

But too many people today, are not able to hear the things that the Lord is speaking. Too many people are unprepared. This has nothing of course to do with WORKS, as many teach, but it has everything to do with UNDERSTANDING THE TRUTH!

There is a part of you that will accept the truth and become greater than the part of you that cannot. That part IN you will INCREASE and the part that has no OIL will decrease. So even if you don’t understand it all, don’t worry, it is my firm belief that ALL WILL ONE DAY!

Ephesians 4:13
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

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Jacob
http://JacobIsrael.org
http://www.jacobIsrael.org – Check out THE CALLING, a GREAT PARABLE and a great ride!
“The Truth Will Change You”

DON’T FALL AMONG THIEVES

Jacob Israel9 Comments

DON’T FALL AMONG THIEVES

In study, the other night, I was reading Luke’s Gospel and remembered a certain verse that was quickened (saw clearly the meaning of) to me some years ago. It dealt with the story of the Man who fell among thieves. Jesus used this story to picture who “our Neighbor” was.

Years ago, when I read this story I thought it was pretty cut and dry. Some guy comes up to Jesus and says, “Hey, what do I have to do to inherit eternal life.” Jesus says, “What do you think? What does the Law say?” The guy responds, “Love God, and Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Simple right? Well, no… Because, then the guy goes onto justify himself by asking, “And just whoooooo, is my neighbor?”

Now, Jesus could have said, “Are you kidding me lawyer Man? Look around you, everyone you see is your neighbor.” However, he didn’t. In typical Jesus form, he started in with his parables… I always thought Jesus would have made an excellent elementary school teacher, as he taught things so simply using these wonderful word pictures, and stories, to make his point. A child could understand, but not us smarty pants religious adults. I, too, find myself saying, after looking at a particular verse… “Master, what dost thou meanest?” Believe it or not, that is EXACTLY how I ask… Because I like to get my old English freak on when dealing the things of the God. You can thank Mr. King James for that.

Okay, enough of the silly talk… back to the point of this essay/parable. Which is easy to understand, if you understand that it’s a parable, not so simple, if you think it be literal.

In many cases, the problem is, over the years, mankind has begun to think these stories to be literally true. In fact, a majority of scripture is looked at this way, even though Jesus taught the kingdom if a mystery, and mysteries need to be uncovered. Come on Nancy Drew Keep up!

In fact, in many parables Jesus gives, describing the kingdom, it is HIDDEN. “Treasure hidden in a field” “Seed hidden in the ground” “Leaven hidden in meal”

What I am getting at here is not everything is so cut and dry. Not everything is understood by a literal reading of it.

I often use the story of the boy who cried wolf as an example of what these parables are like. If the story is taken literally then the meaning and message is lost. It become a tragic tale of some kid eaten by a wolf… But when it is understood allegorically, the reader knows that exaggerating and lying can get you in BIG trouble… The same is true for every parable Jesus spoke.

He said to his disciples (those being taught by the WORD/truth) – “Unto YOU it is given to KNOW the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Unto them that are without… ALL THINGS ARE DONE IN PARABLE.” <-

Mind you scripture does not say, Jesus spoke SOME THINGS in parable … Scripture states to the masses Jesus ONLY spoke in parable. (NOT LITERALLY, a story that must be spiritually discerned, a story that uses symbols to get across a point, a story that can only be understood by revelation. Which is the revealed meaning of the hidden truth inside the parable.) And Jesus ONLY spoke to the masses in parable.

Matthew 13:34
All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them

Why did he do this?

Matthew 13:13
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

He spoke in Parable – WHICH IS WHY WE CANNOT TAKE EVERYTHING LITERALLY PEOPLE! The Letter (which means literal understanding) KILLS (makes you ignorant). You see Jesus spoke in Parable so that people would not rely on their understanding, the meaning would have to come like lightning from heaven (insight/revelation within). For years you may not understand something, and then in an instant the truth and meaning floods your thoughts. This is expressed perfectly in the nest passage where we see, Jesus having to expound these things he spoke (parables) to his disciples.

Mark 4:34
But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples

Notice the words, when they were ALONE. Now follow me, if Christ is IN you, this is the hope of Glory. That means that WITHIN YOU the spirit of Wisdom and Power (which is Christ) will expound the meaning of these things to you. And then after going up that ladder to heaven, you can then come down again and express what you have learned to those around you, and those with ears to hear will hear. And usually those that hear (understand) are those that are in his BOSOM (AN ALLEGORY for instruction/nursing/teaching).

Mark 4:11
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables

Basically, Jesus is saying, those that know the Truth will see (understand the HEART of these allegorical tales and be set free. But those who do not know the TRUTH (Christ REVEALS) will see only the literal story. And in HEARING they will not hear, and in SEEING they will not see.

The problem arises when the story becomes the important part, as opposed to the heart of the story which is WHAT THE PARABLE IS ABOUT. We need to LOOK TO THE HEART of things as God looks to the HEART of us all. If looked to the outward man (how we act, what we do) and not to the inward man (who we truly are) God would see a hot mess in his creation, but God looks to the heart, he looks to the TRUTH within the PARABLE that is US.

Okay, that being said and done… Let’s dig into this parable of the good Samaritan. Because there is something more for us to learn from it, when the eyes of our understanding can SEE IT.

Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?

What a weird question, don’t you think? Shouldn’t it be obvious? Well, no! First, consider who is asking the question.

Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and TEMPTED him

This was NOT a sincere question from a sincere man. He was TEMPTING HIM. Which means, he was trying to discredit and open the door for Jesus to sin (THINK AND ACT FOOLISHLY). As we know, “when we are tempted we are drawn away by our own lusts.” This insincere man was also trying to justify himself, which simply means, he wanted to prove he was right and Jesus was wrong.

The LAWYERS of the day, weren’t known for their sincerity in the faith. In fact quite the opposite. They were known as people who used the scriptures as a bat and not a shepherd’s staff. Know some people like that? People who always have to be right and will throw one scripture out after another to prove that our God is not a God of Love.

Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers REJECTED the counsel of God.

You see the Lawyers of that day, and the people who use the scriptures as a way to justify themselves and beat down everyone else, especially those that are unique and different, REJECT THE COUNSEL OF GOD. Which is to LOVE OTHERS AS YOURSELF, DO GOOD UNTO OTHERS, DO TO OTHERS AS YOU WANT DONE TO YOURSELF.

The Lawyers are a parabolic picture of those, who study the LETTER of the LAW and condemn those on every single point yet they themselves refuse the TRUTH OF GOD. Could the same be said for many calling themselves men and women of God today? I sadly would have to say yes.

The Lawyers are a picture of the Religious Elite who consider themselves beyond reproach because of their scrutinizing study of the mosaic Law. We have lots of them today, with their “the bible says this”, and “the bible LITERALLY says that”, and yet they don’t have the first inkling of what God is speaking through these scriptures.

John 5:39
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me

Many today don’t understand the Spirit of the scriptures which should come alive with revelation when read. Instead, they rely on the dead letter (literal) of the scriptures, which they use to condemn and justify themselves as authorities on the things of God. Much like our lawyer in the Samaritan story.

As an author, I am sad when I see this. Let’s put aside the majority of evidence in scripture that gives each of us the keys to understanding the scriptures. Let’s put aside the fact that the scriptures states clearly “God opens his mouth in parable, in dark sayings” “That it is the glory of God to CONCEAL a thing”, And Christ (The power and wisdom of God) COMES (is revealed) in the Glory of God (The hidden parable of scripture and our waking life).

In my novel, “The Calling”, I tell a thrilling story about a boy who was purposed to change the world from birth, as we are all purposed from birth. His life becomes incredibly difficult. Now, THE CALLING is a great book, but this FICTION is not meant to be taken LITERALLY… IT IS AN ALLEGORY! On one level we see a Child who suffers abuse and hardship and we follow him on a fantastic journey that brings the world hope. But on another level, a deeper level, everything is speaking of something spiritual. And only a few will see the deeper meaning of what is written, because like the scriptures I prayed to write a novel that would also need to be spiritually discerned. Hey that is what book clubs are all about, finding out what the author is REALLY TRYING TO SAY! And the scriptures are no different.

However, regardless of how clever the story telling in the The Calling is, regardless of how believable it seems to be, it is simply an allegory that I hope further a persons spiritual journey. The Calling is not a true story, sure most of it is based on aspects of my life but it is NOT A TRUE STORY that is meant to be taken literally. It is an ALLEGORY.

But consider this, what if thousands of years go by, and someone finds this book and starts teaching that all of it literally happened (which it didn’t). Then everyone will focus on the fantastic elements of the books as literal and miss the fantastic TRUTH that is ONLY UNDERSTOOD by moving past what seemed to literally happen to what REALLY MATTERS!

I don’t know about you but I want LIFE not DEATH. I want REVELATION not Regurgitation.

Back to the LAWYER… I want to point out that studying the scriptures as well as other holy books is great, but no amount of study MAKES YOU GOD’S CHILD. We are justified by our Faith, like Abraham was, not by how many scriptures we can quote.

The Lawyers of Jesus day were known for being cruel and judgmental, so Jesus knew the intent of this Lawyers heart.

The man asking Jesus, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life” … was TEMPTING HIM. He didn’t want to know the truth. He simply was testing Christ’s knowledge… He was putting Jesus on the spot. How many put us on the spot for our beliefs? They don’t really want to know what we believe to be true they want to find a crack in our beliefs to wiggle in and exploit. They want to prove us wrong, so they can prove to themselves and others they are right.

And yes, this is what has become of religion today, a bunch of people running around looking for who is with them, and condemning anyone who sees things differently. Well, I for one don’t mind being condemned if what God is revealing to me is foreign to what the local church, mosque, or kingdom hall is teaching. What about you? Do you want more than Religion? Do you want the know the Truth of God no matter what the cost? Then to do this, you need to SEEK AND FIND, and when you SEEK AND FIND as the Gospel of Thomas states, you will be disturbed. Because everything you thought you knew was never true. And like Paul, when the revelation of Christ came you too, will become BLIND (meaning you will realize you know nothing about God) and you will need to be led by a child and restored by those who God sends your way, or restored by allowing what God is revealing to you to reside in your thoughts. And when that happens you will get rid of everything that you once held dear, you will empty that ship because you know you only need Christ.

Matthew 13:44
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field

So when the lawyer tempted Jesus, in typical Messiah fashion, Jesus flipped the switch quick on him.

“He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?”

Christ was appealing to the man’s vanity. He knew the Lawyer believed he had the answers, he knew the Lawyer couldn’t WAIT to tell Jesus how everyone needs to WORK THEIR WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE…. WORKS, phewy!

And when the Lawyer answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.”

Jesus said, “You answered right. Do this and LIVE”. Notice Jesus didn’t say, “do this and have eternal life” – There is a good reason. Because ETERNAL LIFE is NOT what most think it to be.

Many believe Eternal Life is playing shuffle board in Heaven with the saints and Patriarchs and eating all the ice cream and fried oreo cookies they want without ever putting on a pound. (That does sound good, I have to admit) However, THAT IS NOT ETERNAL LIFE!

The Lawyer wanted to know what to do, TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. Jesus said, you answered right DO THAT AND LIVE.

ETERNAL LIFE = TO LIVE

And the ONLY WAY to truly LIVE is to know God and the TRUTH! We are LITERALLY told what Eternal life is, in John.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

ETERNAL LIFE is to KNOW GOD and CHRIST. There it is, in Black and White. And To know this, you MUST LOVE GOD and LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR as yourself. That alone is a revelation… For if you want to KNOW GOD and CHRIST you need only LOVE GOD and your NEIGHBOR. That is a HUGE TRUTH if you can see it… hope you can. If not, no worries, I’ll have some seven page paper on what that means soon I’m sure. 🙂

Jesus is the RESURRECTION and the LIFE, if you BELIEVE on CHRIST (God’s wisdom and power) even though you were DEAD (Ignorant/carnal) you shall LIVE (Be enlightened)

John 11:25
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in (For/Unto) me, though he were dead, yet shall he live

And if I have said it once, it isn’t enough. It isn’t about believing in a literal man from thousands of years ago, it is believing as HE believes. It is believing IN (which means literally UNTO or FOR) him. You need to come to stature of the perfect man, and full understanding as Jesus had. You need to come to the unity of the faith.

Ephesians 4:13
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ

But listening to the LAWYERS of Jesus’ day or today, won’t bring you there. Religious pride and arrogance and bias won’t help you LIVE. In fact, quite the opposite. If someone has the “it’s my way or the highway” mentality, you will never be free. You will be BOUND BY THEIR CHAINS. You will be YOLKED by their ignorance and abuse.

2 Corinthians 6:14
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

You know very well that if your beliefs don’t line up with an “unbelievers” particular beliefs they will condemn you for it. Not exactly what everyone should get when looking for peace in their life, huh?

You see, this LAWYER didn’t really want to know Eternal Life (God and Christ) he wanted to discredit Jesus. That was his motive.

Jesus then goes on to tell a story, about who is your NEIGHBOR. This ain’t no Mr. Rogers were talking about… this is JESUS people, so Listen up!

Luke 10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

You got to love how Jesus always starts his parable off with “a certain man” –

The reason, is that CERTAIN MAN is EVERY MAN/WOMAN – it is no one in particular and everyone in particular.

Now, upon a simple reading of this you would think this story is about some poor guy who got robbed and only one person helped him. But like I stated earlier, not everything is as it literally seems.

This parable has more to do with FAITH and BELIEF than it has to do with literally being robbed. So, let’s tear these scriptures apart and SEE (understand) what is REALLY going on.

Luke 10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves.

We can learn something from the description of where this “certain man” left, Jerusalem, which in HEBREW means “Teaching of PEACE”.

So this “certain man” left the “TEACHING OF PEACE “(Jerusalem) to go to Jericho, which means “It’s MOON” – Symbolic of the FALSE LIGHT. The MOON is symbolic of MAN’S SOUL as it simply REFLECTS the SON/SUN. The MOON is not the SOURCE of LIGHT (Truth) it is a very dim reflection of it.

The SUN is to the SON as the Moon is to MANS WAYS/TEACHING.

This is interesting to note because this CERTAIN MAN left JERUSALEM to go to JERICHO… This certain man LEFT THE TEACHING OF PEACE for the FALSE LIGHT. And this is what so many people are ignorantly doing. God wakes them up inside, they want to know God, and unfortunately they leave what is being taught within and go to “religion”. AND THEY GET ROBBED AND BEATEN AND ABUSED FOR IT!

Been there, done that myself.

This is allegorical of MANKIND leaving the TRUTH of God for the IMITATION/Religion – BADDDDD RELIGION…. And yes, most of us do this very same thing. I did it, you probably did it, or you are doing it now.

Oh, I know what you’re saying, “That’s a stretch, Jacob.. Jerusalem and Jericho are literal places, the meaning of their names isn’t significant at all… YOUR CRAZZZZZZY!… CRAZY LIKE CHRIST I SAY!

I would have used Fox, but you know, them foxes (religious/political leaders-look it up) always spoiling the vine and such… Anyway, regardless of what your thinking about the names of those places and their meanings follow this paper and see if the meanings of these names be what they be.

Lets look at the next line…

Luke 10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves.

This CERTAIN MAN left Jerusalem for Jericho and fell among THIEVES. Oh, sure you could say that he was just robbed literally… BUT, THAT DOESN’T HELP YOU SPIRITUALLY DOES IT?

Our literal possessions don’t matter to God or Christ.

Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt…

Jesus is TEACHING about how to inherit ETERNAL LIFE not about how to avoid getting robbed or some self-defense technique… I think Peter had some kind of Karate class going on with Paul for a while, but they never agreed on whether the pork dumplings and stir fry was acceptable for end of the year Karate Mixer… <-insert laugh here for bad apostolic joke.

As I said earlier, this is a story of “MANKIND” leaving THE TEACHING OF PEACE (Jerusalem) for MAN’S TEACHINGS (The Moon/Jericho).

Now we know, there is only ONE WAY to find the FATHER and that is THROUGH THE SON. This is what Jesus is telling the lawyer. He is actually showing the lawyer that the LAWYER was a THIEF to begin with.

Of course the Lawyers and Pharisees of the world could never see this because they are too busy keeping people from the Kingdom. That was their thing, all about straining for gnats and swallowing camels… Hazing was NUTS back in the day! 🙂

So, let’s say I’m right… That this story is about Mankind leaving the TRUTH for MAN’S TEACHINGS and getting robbed spiritually… If this be so, who then are the THIEVES?

Well, Jesus tells us…

John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

Look at that, Jesus says THOSE THAT TRY and ENTER THE KINGDOM ANY OTHER WAY than HIM… Is a THIEF AND A ROBBER.

Isn’t that something? This paper is about MANKIND leaving GOD’S TRUTH for MAN’S LIES and they FALL AMONG THIEVES… and Jesus says, the thieves are liars who promise entrance into the Kingdom another way, without CHRIST, without the TRUTH.

Now, let me just point out. Just because you “Literally” say “Jesus is your Lord and Savior” and go to church every Sunday and read your bible and pray… that DOES NOT MEAN you worship GOD. Don’t get angry, these aren’t my words… Take it up with the Lord!

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

That means a literal belief in a literal Man is not having the TRUTH. The hope of Glory if CHRIST IN YOU. Salvation is believing on his name (nature) … Salvation is UNDERSTANDING THE TRUTH about God.

There are hundreds of denominations in Christianity that claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior, who are as lost as those who worship the bark off a tree. This is why we MUST ask God, “Teach me the Truth, no matter what the cost” and daily seek His Face (NOT LITERALLY HIS FACE… COME ON PEOPLE :). To seek God’s face, is to RECOGNIZE the TRUTH.

And when we SEEK GOD, we MUST get rid of EVERY THING else we have held unto and believed to be true, that was not TRUE. We must let go of everything man has taught us, for what the Holy Spirit WITHIN US teaches us. Time to lets those Idols go; but not American Idol’s come on, it’s the only show the whole family agrees on. And now that Paula and Simon are gone, perhaps it’s time for us to move on.

SO, to be saved we HAVE TO LET GO OF ANY THING THAT IS NOT TRUE. We must be purged of the OLD MAN, the OLD THINKING, WE MUST PUT ON THE MIND OF CHRIST, and get rid of everything else.

We saw how Paul had those on his Prison Ship get rid of everything in the boat that was WEIGHING them down so the STORM would not overtake them. A perfect picture of how we have to get rid of all the lies we have believed over the years and allow Christ the TRUTH to set us free.

But back to our story here.

Luke 10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves.

You see, when we first enter religion… many of us, fall among THIEVES. We enter in thinking we will get closer to God but these so-called Teachers end up stealing from us. They rob us of so much, our spirit, our finances, our friends, our fun, our routines, like the FROGS that plagued Egypt (if you have eyes to see this) these CROAKING RELIGIOUS LEADERS get into everything, our food, our bedroom, every aspect of our lives these Religious Leaders try to control. This is what Jesus’ parable is about, Bad Religion.

Let’s go to rest of this verse.

…which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead

RAIMENT is a key word here people… Once again, we are not talking about some real life thugs robbing a guy and stealing his clothes. No, we are talking about a covering, “spiritual Raiment” – and all we need to do is go to scripture to find out what it really is.

Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment;

RAIMENT is another word for clothes. Clothes we put on and take off. God clothes us with TRUTH and HUMILITY.

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

You see, here is another allegory for us to uncover. Many people, wanting to have a relationship with God, ignorantly leave Godly beliefs like humility, acceptance, forgiveness, for the love for Religious pride, condemnation, judgment, and more.

So, this “Certain Man” went to Religion to find God and ended up being robbed and stripped of every good thought he had when he was in JERUSALEM (the teaching of peace)

These Thieves are bad, bad, bad, RELIGIOUS leaders, who lure you in and take, take, take from you. And they leave you HALF DEAD (Carnal and ignorant) – As the LAWYER in this story, most certainly did on a regular basis.

Whenever you leave the TRUTH OF GOD for the WAYS OF MAN, you will always find some Thief waiting to rob you.

This puts a whole new spin, however on the crucifixion. As Christ was right there IN BETWEEN TWO THIEVES…

You see, even the THIEVES can repent and find their dwelling in paradise in Christ.

Moving on:

“And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.”

By now, you should understand why the Priest and Levite passed the robbed, naked, beaten, half dead man on the other side. They weren’t going to help this “certain man” at all. For they were THIEVES themselves. If however, the man had something to OFFER THEM, they would… But at this point, he had nothing.

Bad Religious Leaders cannot help those abused by other Bad Religious Leaders. The Priest and Levite, claimed the things of God, claimed to know God, but ignored the hurt member of their faith. They can’t see the pain bad religion causes, they can’t see the damage they are doing to their blind flock. Because they are blind themselves.

Jesus said, when I was naked you DID NOT clothe me. This is a picture of the BODY OF CHRIST, being robbed of the TRUTH of God they should be CLOTHED IN!

WISDOM is what the half dead need. And this parable speaks it clearly.

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”

This is the NEIGHBOR who we must LOVE AS OURSELVES. Those being abused and robbed of the TRUTH in BAD RELIGION. And that pretty much sums up everyone, from every faith, and those without faith, bad religion has robbed the world blind!

We, are to be like the SAMARITAN which comes from the Hebrew ROOT word “GUARDIANSHIP” – We appear to the Lawyers and Pharisees of the world as “Heretics” who don’t know the God of the Hebrews, but a TREE IF KNOWN BY ITS FRUIT… And this SAMARITAN fruit was SWEET.

We are to be the GUARDIANS of the day. We are to be the bringer of LIGHT, if CHRIST be in us. There are many hurting today, many that Religion has robbed and abused, WE MUST PICK UP THE PIECES FOR THEM WITH LOVE.

The word COMPASSION, means to SUFFER WITH. We MUST ANSWER their SUFFERING and BIND UP THEIR WOUNDS.

How do we do it? You ask.

WITH OIL AND WINE! – Yes, this is another allegory. Of course, Neosporin would help a healing wound better than oil and wine, so we must see what is truly being USED TO HEAL here.

OIL is a symbol. It is used on the sick and used to anoint Kings. First consider how oil is made, it is the ESSENCE of the OLIVE, and our symbolic “OIL” that WE must pour out is the ESSENCE of CHRIST, which is TRUTH/WISDOM.

OIL is a symbol for WISDOM.

Psalm 104:15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.

OIL makes a face SHINE …Want to see what else causes a man’s face to shine?


Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine,

WISDOM makes a face to SHINE.

This puts a whole new spin on why Moses’ face was shining after coming down from the mountain of God. And why Jesus’ face was shining on the Mount of Transfiguration. WISDOM IS THE KEY, A TREE OF LIFE, OF ALL THERE IS TO GET, GET WISDOM! 🙂

OIL = WISDOM

WINE = SPIRIT OF TRUTH

This is what we use to heal the wounds of those who have fallen among THIEVES (those who try to enter the Kingdom any other way than Christ)

When BAD RELIGION steals, we BIND UP.

When they are left NAKED, we CLOTHE THEM with the WISDOM OF THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH!

This is what it means, to LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. Now go and do likewise, as the J-man says!

1 Corinthians 1:27
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;”
Peace to you and yours,

JACOB

http://www.JacobIsrael.org
For more info about my novel “The Calling.”