Biblical Creation – It’s Not About Our Natural World

Biblical Creation – Being Created in the Image of God

Right at the outset of this article I want to show you the entire purpose and intent of the Bible – the meaning of biblical creation – which has nothing to do with the literal material world, including the planet on which we live, but that YOU are biblical creation, and that from Genesis to Revelation, the scriptures constitute spiritual instruction on how to be created in the image and likeness of God, contrary to the belief that man is initially created in God’s image. This should be a ride like no other that you have ever taken. Sit back, try to open your mind, and get ready for some concepts that you probably have neither heard nor understood before. This article is very Scripture-intensive, because the only way to show the intent of the Bible is through the Bible. I’d love to hear your questions and/or comments after you have read it.

* * * * *There is a great debate between science and religion that has persisted for centuries now regarding the genesis of our physical world. Did God create the physical world, or is it the result of an evolutionary process? Was the earth created in seven literal 24-hour days, was it created over a 7,000 year span, or has it evolved over billions of years? The condemnation of religion and science toward each other regarding this issue is, to put it mildly, quite intense.

But what is the truth regarding this subject? Is it even possible to come to a truth that makes sense regarding this issue? After all, this debate has been unceasing for a very long period of time. The creationists, because of their unflagging belief in literal biblical interpretation, believe the doctrine that God created the material world, and so whether or not this belief actually makes any sense, it is etched in stone in the minds of creationists. Science, on the other hand, refuses to consider anything that is not capable of scientific evaluation and experimentation.

The Letter Kills

As it pertains to the Bible, we cannot understand the things of God with our natural senses. The scriptures tell us that the things of God are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14). Thus, we must learn how to see with a different set of eyes, and to hear with a different set of ears. We need spiritual eyes and spiritual ears in order to understand spiritual truths. To read the Bible literally is to read it naturally, and this is the cause of much of the condemnation, biting and devouring of one another, hatred and killing in our material world. Most of religion sees its own beliefs as right, while everyone else is wrong. These issues alone beg the question “is man created in the image of God?” As scripture says:

The way of peace they know not … (Isa. 59:8; Rom. 3:17).

and

Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the SPIRIT: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life (2 Cor. 3:6).

The Purpose for the Scriptures

Jesus says in the book of John, “The words that I speak, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63b). Scripture also informs us that:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Here it becomes necessary to ask the question “what does knowledge of literal history have to do with the perfection of man and instruction in righteousness?” One look at the results of religion and you have your answer – not much.

Reread the above verse. Conspicuous by its absence among the things for which the Bible is profitable, is understanding of how the material world came into existence. You will not find the topics of literal history and understanding the material world among the things for which the Bible is profitable. It’s simply not there, because the Bible has nothing to do with literal history, nor with the creation of our material universe, including “planet” Earth. We simply assume this because of the “natural” way our brains are wired, and because of our “natural” understanding of the words that the Bible uses.

The Bible is Not Written for Natural Understanding

Most people, when they hear that the Bible is not to be taken literally, ask the question: “if it is not to be taken literally, then why is it written so that it is so difficult to understand?” Because the scriptural answer doesn’t make much sense to us, we categorically reject it, but the revelation, when you come to understand it, is undeniable.

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Mat 13:10-13).

This is very interesting language. Is it really intended for us NOT to understand? Who is the “them” that is spoken of here? Who is the “you?”

The “them” are those on the “outside” (those “without”), while the “you” are Christ’s disciples, the “chosen ones?” Those are the ones to whom he is speaking.

Are you a “disciple of Christ?” Do you “worship” (which simply means “asking”) Christ, or do you worship man? When you have your deepest questions, when you are in the midst of your serious trials, when life is at its darkest, do you “worship” the Christ IN YOU, or do you turn to the Internet, or to religion, or to counselors, etc., for help? In eastern mysticism there is a saying that “all power is within you.” Truer words have never been spoken, because Christ, who is the “power and wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24), is WITHIN YOU.

Further, we find these three verses, which I find fascinating as it relates to the allegorical nature of the scriptures. They are all saying the same thing:

For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them (Matt. 13:15).

He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with [their] eyes, nor understand with [their] heart, and be converted, and I should heal them (John 12:40).

For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them (Acts 28:27).

Sounds incredibly harsh and UNloving, doesn’t it? But what does it mean?

It is critical to understand that what is spoken of here is spiritual law. The spiritual writers are conveying the “law of God” to us. It is how the law works. This law is just as real as the laws of physics and the laws of mathematics, and they function the same way as it relates to their immutability. They cannot change and they cannot be changed. We transgress them at our peril. We must, therefore, come to understand and use the law for what it is.

Who are the Chosen Ones

Most religious people feel that they are the chosen ones, regardless of what religion they profess. If one is a Christian, then he or she believes Christianity, or his or her particular denomination, to be the way of salvation. If one is a Muslim, then the Muslim faith is the ticket to salvation. It is the same with many of the other religions in the world. Their religion is their Christ (their “Messiah”), their way, their truth and their life, and you are only saved if you belong to their particular group. This line of thinking is the reason why some people in these faiths think they can do whatever they wish with impunity. Their religion gives them license to act in whatever way they desire, without regard to conscience, because their religion IS their conscience, their religion is their saviour.

But who are the chosen ones? It doesn’t even seem fair that an exclusive group of people are chosen by God. Alas, it IS a special and exclusive group, and though it is an exclusive group, it is not exclusionary. Once you have the answer, you will understand that anyone can make themselves a “chosen one” – a member of this exclusive group.

Here is the biblical definition of this exclusive group called the “chosen ones” or “disciples”:

And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them (Luke 18:7).

Did you get that? The elect are simply those who “cry day (in good times) and night (in bad times) unto ‘God.’” This is consistent with the scripture that says “all that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

The elect of God, those who are always in communion with God, are the chosen ones. Anyone can join this “group,” but very few actually do. Most religious people worship their religions. This is the meaning of the phrase “many are called, but few are chosen.”

If you have read my articles and/or viewed my videos, of course you understand that the thrust of my efforts is to show that Christ is IN YOU, and that it is Christ IN YOU that is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). Crying out to God “day and night” is an internal matter. It is a heart action:

For as he thinketh in his heart, so [is] he … (Prov. 23:7).

There is power in your tears. “Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (the inner Christ being the “Comforter”). I’ve experience so much of this in my own life that I’ve been completely reeled in, hook, line and sinker. I could never again commit adultery by looking to man for my answers. Had I continued to depend on man for my answers, I certainly would not have come to my current understanding regarding the scriptures. Man did not give me these answers. I took my requests “inside” and stayed there until I began to understand. In a later article I will explain the seventh commandment, “thou shalt not commit adultery.” This commandment has nothing to do with the relationship between a natural man and woman, even as biblical marriage has nothing to do with the relationship between a natural man and woman.

God is Love

The scripture tells us that God is a spirit (John 4:24), that love is a spirit (2 Tim: 1:7), and that God is love (1 John 4:8). Thus, love is the spirit that God is. In addition, to be born again is to be born of “the spirit” (John 3:6). From these scriptures it is clear that love is the spirit of which we must be born, or re-born, or “born again.” Love is the nature of God, or God’s nature.

To be created in the image of God, therefore, is to be created in the image and likeness of love. If you love, you are born of God (which is to be “born again”) (1 John 4:7), and if you do not love, you are not born of God (1 John 4:8). This is the very clear spiritual teachings of the scriptures.

The Bible tells us that the law of God is summarized in two commands: love God with everything within you, and love your neighbour as yourself (Matt. 22:36-40).

Is Man Created in the Image and Likeness of God

The Bible clearly makes the following statement regarding man’s creation:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (Gen 1:26-28).

We read this verse and automatically assume that man is created in the image and likeness of God. Incredibly, this is NOT what the scripture is saying. I intend to make this so incredibly plain that you will wonder how you ever believed anything else.

The assumption that man is created in God’s image overlooks a critical difference between Genesis chapters 1 and 2. Without understanding the differences (and most of religion is in a state of mass confusion regarding these differences), it is impossible to understand the aspect of man’s creation.

Genesis 1 – a SUMMARY of the Creation Process

Yes, you read that right. The first chapter of Genesis is a summary of the entire creation process from Genesis to Revelation. It is “God calling the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). It is God “calling those things that be not as though they were” (Rom. 4:17). It is God assuring you that if you endure to the end, your salvation is assured because God will NEVER leave you nor forsake you. Then, beginning in chapter 2, verse 4, the creation story begins in earnest.

Until you can begin to understand and decode biblical symbols, none of this will make much sense to you. The general lack of understanding regarding these symbols is the primary reason why the masses are still unable to reconcile Genesis 1 with Genesis 2, although from a spiritual perspective, the answers are clear.

Genesis 1:26 is the “new heaven and the new earth.” It is the marriage supper of the Lamb (Eph. 5:31-32). It is when the two become one flesh. It is Revelation chapters 21 and 22, when the marriage of you and God is consummated; when Christ finally comes in YOUR flesh. This is the marriage of male (Christ) and female (man). Remember that biblical marriage is a “mystery” (it has nothing to do with human beings) and concerns Christ (the man) and the church (the woman, and therefore, YOU). He (the man/Christ) was WITH you (man/the biblical woman), but now is IN you (John 14:17). This is 1 John 4:2‑4, when Christ comes in YOUR flesh (and greater is he that is IN YOU (the post-matrimonial Christ – 1 John 4:4), than he that is in the world (the pre-matrimonial Christ – John 1:10). This completed creation effectively ends the Biblical story. Scripture fulfilled.

It is all allegory, and it is all spiritual and immutable law.

The Incorruptible God vs. Corruptible Man

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an IMAGE made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things (Rom. 1:23).

If we have eyes that see, this scripture effectively obliterates, in one fell swoop, the idea of man being created in God’s image. This scripture plainly tells us that the image of man is “corrupt,” while “God” (the spirit of love within us (1 Cor. 3:16)), is incorruptible. Well if the image of man is corrupt, then he cannot possibly be created in the image of the incorruptible God. Further, we find in 1 Corinthians:

So also [is] the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption; It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [was made] a quickening spirit (1 Cor. 15:42-45).

This is a key scripture. The “resurrection” spoken of in this scripture is man being made in the image and likeness of God, for God comes in YOUR flesh, and the resurrection is from corruption to incorruption, from the fleshly (carnal mind) to spirit (the spiritual mind – Rom. 12:2). Consider that if man were already made in God’s image, there would be no need for a resurrection, for he would already be perfect. However, natural man is NOT made in the image and likeness of God, and therefore must spiritually die and be born again. When man is born of love, he is thus born again, or united with Christ in marriage. Only THEN is man made in the image and likeness of God.

The Sabbath Rest

Hidden in the following scripture (Prov. 25:2) is a golden nugget of information that further corroborates that man is not initially made in the image and likeness of God:

There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his (Heb. 4:9‑10).

In Genesis 1, immediately after man has been made in God’s image, the Sabbath comes, and God rests, because the creation has been completed. But in the above verse, we find that the Sabbath rest is still to come, and therefore the “labor of God” continues:

And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work (John 5:16-17).

The “work” spoken of here is God’s labor of creation. And how do the scriptures define God’s labor?

Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent (John 6:29).

Indeed, from Genesis to Revelation, the work of God is to lead us to Christ, which is why Christ says in the infamous John 17 prayer:

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word … While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled (John 17:6; 12).

The phrase “thou gavest me” is revelatory of the work of God that leads us to Christ. It is only when we are made male and female that we are created in the image and likeness of God. It is only then that:

And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we SHALL(!!!!) also bear the image of the heavenly (1 Cor. 15:49).

The fact that “we SHALL also bear the IMAGE of the heavenly,” shows this event, from a scriptural perspective, to be a future event, and if it is a future event, it cannot be something that transpired in the past, and if it has not yet transpired, then man is not now “made in the image and likeness of God.” Hence, day six has not yet occurred, the Sabbath has not yet arrived, and so the creation process is still ongoing. “Creation week,” therefore, is still in progress. And if it is still in progress, then the scriptures, which speak of it in the past tense, cannot therefore be taken literally.

Yes, God is still working in all those who are still being perfected.

Further Proof that Man is the Creation

In a previous article/video I showed you that the word “sons” in the Bible does not apply to literal people, but to the “offspring of God.” To reiterate, God is a spirit, and “that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.” Because God is spirit, his offspring is not flesh and blood, but spirit. I also showed you that the “sons of God” are the fruit of the spirit, the first of which is love (the “firstborn” of God, or “Christ”). This explains the following verses regarding the creation (which I will annotate in bold and double parentheses):

For the earnest expectation of the creature ((creation – YOU)) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God ((fruit of the spirit)). For the creature ((creation – YOU)) was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected it in hope. Because the creature itself ((creation – YOU)) also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the [sons] of God. ((NOTE: This “deliverance from the bondage of corruption” is when that which is sown in corruption is raised in incorruption.)) For we know that the whole creation((!!!!!!!!!)) ((YOU)) groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now (Rom. 8:19-22).

“The words that I speak, they are SPIRIT, and they are LIFE” (John 6:63b).

What is Biblical Earth

I have produced a video on this subject, which you can find here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHfSM9fMcQA)

The short answer is that YOU are biblical earth. Biblical earth has nothing to do with the literal planet on which we live. First, in the earth of the Bible, a distinction is made between the earth and the waters in the first chapter of Genesis. It is only the “dry” that constitutes earth. The “waters” are called seas, and the Bible makes a clear distinction between the earth and the seas (Gen. 1:10). Of course, on our literal planet it is both the land AND the water together that constitute PLANET Earth, but that is not what we are talking about here.

Second, as we see in the New Testament (Matthew 13), biblical earth constitutes the soil/dust from the ground. Notice:

Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth (Matt. 13:5).

It is this soil, or dust, that constitutes earth. This makes so much sense when you look back at Genesis 1:10:

And God called the dry Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that [it was] good. (Gen. 1:10).

* * * * *There is much more to this subject, and I will deal with it in future articles/videos. For now, I hope you can see that biblical creation is all about YOU, and has nothing to do with our material world. Biblical creation is about you being created in the image and likeness of God. This is the purpose and theme of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

The entire purpose of the Bible is to provide you with spiritual doctrine, spiritual reproof, and spiritual instruction in righteousness, so that you are whole and complete — created in the image and likeness of God — lacking nothing.

Until next time, this is Paul Young saying, flee from the crowd and dwell with the Christ within you. Christ IN YOU, your hope of glory.

The Fifth Commandment – It’s Not About Your Natural Parents

The Fifth Commandment:
Honor Your Father and Mother

The Fifth Commandment states:

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee (Ex. 20:12).

Regarding this verse, the New Testament continues:

Honour thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise) (Eph 6:2).

The words “honor” and “obey” could be used interchangeably here, as the scriptures are rife with instructions to “obey” father and mother (Deut. 21:18-21; 1 Sam. 12:15; Prov. 13:17; etc.). Further, Scripture tells us that there is a promise attached to keeping this commandment. In fact, this commandment is the only commandment that has a promise attached to it. The promise is “that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Ex. 20:13; Eph. 6:3).

So according to this commandment, it appears that honoring your literal father and mother is the key to long life.

But is that what this commandment is really admonishing us to do?

Consider the following fictional scenario and let’s try to make some sense out of this commandment, because on the surface, and if you think long and hard about it, from a literal perspective this commandment does not make even a lick of sense, even if you consider its moral ramifications.

Jake is a part of a huge crime ring that his wife doesn’t know anything about but, as a religious woman, would be horrified if she did. He and his cohorts devise a massive scheme to rob one of the largest banks in his state. He commands his 16-year-old son, Charlie, to take part in this scheme, but also urges him to NOT tell his mother about it. Charlie was taught biblical principles by his mother, and the biblical command to honor his father and mother is ringing in his ears at this point, despite the fact that he is diametrically opposed to this scheme and wants no part of it. Ultimately, he yields to the scriptural command and his father’s directive, and they commence with the attempted robbery. However, unbeknownst to the crime ring, the FBI has been alerted and stands ready to avert it. During the robbery, they raid the bank, completely surprising the robbers, and guns them down, severely injuring Jake, and killing Charlie instantly.

So Jake’s 16-year-old son Charlie is now dead, the result of him obeying his father. Certainly, the scriptural promise of long days upon the land for honoring father and mother did not apply to Charlie. He honored and obeyed his father, and is dead because of it.

There are all kinds of parents in the world. Hardened criminals are people, and of course many hardened criminals are also parents that have children that they would like to have follow in their footsteps. Some parents raise their children to be murderers; some parents raise their children to be angry, to be liars, thieves, etc. Oftentimes father and mother are at odds with each other, with father commanding one thing, while mother commands the polar opposite. What do you do? How do you honor both father and mother when the desire of each for you is in direct opposition to the other?

All parents are human beings, and all human beings are fallible. Not all parents have the best interests of their children at heart. And of course, some parents intentionally murder or otherwise bring harm to their children. Sometimes parenting methods are so bad that children are mercifully removed from their homes to avert disastrous consequences to them. My wife and I have been foster parents since 1987, so we know this all too well.

I want you to think long and hard about this. The only command that attaches a promise to it – the command to honor father and mother – cannot possibly mean honoring your physical parents. That doesn’t make any sense at all.

Then what DOES this commandment mean?

The Law is Spiritual

When Jesus commands his disciples to “eat my flesh and drink my blood,” he loses many of them. But he explains to the disciples that remain that “the words that I speak, they are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63b).

What he is telling them is that he does not intend for them to physically eat his flesh and drink his blood. Of course not! There isn’t enough of him to go around. No, he is speaking spiritually. In fact, ALL of the things of God are to be spiritually, and not literally (or naturally) discerned:

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14).

Yes, ALL of the “things of the Spirit of God” are to be spiritually discerned.

And then we find this:

For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin (Rom 7:14).

Now if we take the principle of the eating of Jesus’ flesh and blood to be a spiritual principle, as opposed to a literal, or natural, one, then the same principle applies to ALL of the commandments, which are also part of the “law of God,” including the Fifth Commandment to honor your father and mother.

The words “father” and “mother” are code words in Bible allegory, and thankfully, the Bible explains its symbols, so we do not have to be in the dark about anything. We just need “eyes that see,” and “ears that hear.”

Abraham, the Father of us all

Therefore of faith, by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all (Rom. 4:16).

Abraham is called the father of the faithful, and scripture tells us:

But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Heb. 11:6).

Further, we find:

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God (Heb. 11:10).

This is a big scripture, and addresses the land of promise that the scripture promises to those who honor their father (Abraham). The “land that the Lord thy God giveth thee” is the “land of promise,” or the “Promised Land.”

YOU are the land (or “Earth”) of promise.

Abraham is called the “father of the faithful.” Are you faithful? If so, Abraham is your father. Otherwise:

… [i]f ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham (John 8:39b).

This is all allegorical and is for our spiritual benefit (2 Tim. 3:16). We cannot understand any of this reading it literally. The “city which hath foundations” for which Abraham was laboring to enter is the Kingdom of God, which the Bible says is WITHIN YOU (Luke 17:21).

By honoring and obeying our father (Abraham), we do what he does, which is to completely trust in the God within you and seek the Kingdom, not worrying or being anxious about anything, but simply trusting that whatever happens in your life, and despite appearances, all is well. Learning to trust in the God within you (and YOU are the temple of God; YOU are the house of God; YOU are God’s dwelling place) is how you build the ark of faith that carries you across the floodwaters of affliction and adversity.

This is a very difficult lesson to learn, and is a part of our spiritual development and entrance into the Kingdom of God. The seven days of creation (and, biblically speaking, YOU are the creation, NOT the literal material universe) involve the seven stages of faith from beginning to end. I will deal with that at a later time.

So father represents faith, as we also note in the following verse:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar (Jas. 2:21)?

This verse is also critical, and is a great segue into the biblical definition of “mother.” To honor your father, then, is to have faith in God. Faith is justified by works, and faith without works is dead (Jas. 2:26). But what are the works of faith?

Jerusalem, the Mother of us all

But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all (Gal. 4:26).

This is strange language here. A city is our mother? How do we honor a city?

Well, once again, the biblical concept of Jerusalem is – as is ALL scripture – powerful allegory, and is intended to give you spiritual instruction to help you progress toward the Kingdom of God. But remember, “strait is the gate and narrow is the way to life, and few there be that find it” (Matt. 7:14). Most do not understand the commandments because we interpret them naturally, rather than spiritually, and therefore are unable to keep them. You can never understand these things from a literal perspective, because the Bible has nothing to do with a literal history about a material creation.

As we continue to decode the scriptures to draw out their spiritual meaning and intent, it is critical, if we desire to enter into the Kingdom of God, to understand their spiritual implications.

The law goes forth from Jerusalem.

And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem (Is. 2:3; Mic. 4:2).

These words are not to be interpreted naturally, but spiritually. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul” (Ps. 19:7). The soul is what the Bible calls “Christ” and the law goes forth from our mother, Jerusalem. It is the law that leads you to Christ, and the Fifth Commandment is part of the “perfect law of God.” This perfect law is the law of LOVE.

We learn from the above verse that the “law of the Lord” is the “word of the Lord.” Honor your mother, which means honor Jerusalem, which means keep the law of God, which means obey the word of God, which means love God and love your neighbor as yourself. All of this is spiritual, NOT literal, or natural. Nowhere in the Bible is this meaning more evident than the following proverbs:

My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother (Prov. 1:8).

My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother (Prov. 6:20).

Spiritually speaking, you cannot decide to honor father OR mother. You cannot decide to honor one OR the other. Father is the embodiment of faith, while mother is the embodiment of works (i.e., the law of love). In other words, you cannot have faith OR works. Neither faith NOR works can operate independently of one another. You must have faith AND works. They must work together in unity.

Faith without works is dead. It is faith AND works, working together, that bring you into the Promised Land (the Kingdom of God within you).

Go Up To Jerusalem

The phrase “go up to Jerusalem” is used 11 times in the King James Version of the Bible. This phrase does not constitute a literal history that no longer applies to us today. On the contrary, it constitutes spiritual instruction that is vitally important for us if our goal is truly the Kingdom of God. In essence, the command is to “obey your mother,” or “obey the law,” or “be a vessel of love.”

Who [is there] among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which [is] in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he [is] the God,) which [is] in Jerusalem (Ezr. 1:3).

The house of the Lord is in Jerusalem. Again, you must use spiritual discernment here. We’re not talking about the literal city of Jerusalem in literal Israel (remember, the law is spiritual), but Jerusalem above, which is the city of God within you. YOU are the temple/house of God (1 Cor. 3:16; Heb. 3:6). You build the house of the Lord by keeping the commandments, including the command to “honor your father and mother,” which is to say, exercise faith and keep the great law of love, because faith, combined with works (i.e., loving EVERYONE equal to love of self), are the keys to awakening the Christ within you, and thus leading you to the Promised Land. THIS is how you “live long upon the land that the Lord thy God gives you.”

The Law of Love (the Commandments) Leads to Christ

The law of God is the gateway to Christ. This is why it is called a “perfect law.” and the “perfect law of liberty.” It is only after Christ comes in your flesh that “the law is done away with.” This is because it takes effort to truly love divinely, until Christ, who is the power to love, comes in YOUR flesh. At that point, you love because it is a part of you, not because it is something you have to do.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes (Rom. 10:4).

Many interpret this verse as saying that Christ ended the law. However, this presupposes a literal Christ “out there.” This is the biblical definition of the “spirit of antichrist” (which is any spirit that professes that Christ does not come in YOUR flesh). What the verse is saying is that Christ is the end of the law, in the same way as a period is the end of the sentence. Christ is at the end of the law, so without keeping the law you cannot get to the end of it, where you find Christ. The law (or word) of God is the only way.

The Virgin Daughter of Jerusalem

Christ is the bridegroom of the scriptures. Man (biblically, the woman) is the bride. Thus, if Jerusalem is our spiritual mother, then we are all daughters of Jerusalem. (Can you see how understanding the scriptures from a spiritual perspective begins to bring ALL of the scriptures to life?) This phrase, then, becomes vitally important in understanding the command to honor your mother. Here are a couple of examples:

Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem (Zep. 3:14).

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he [is] just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass (Zec. 9:9).

So the question is, are we the daughters of Jerusalem? That is, are we obeying our mother?

Leaving Father and Mother and Taking on a Wife

Biblical marriage is defined as man and woman (Christ and the church) becoming one flesh. This is Christ coming in YOUR flesh. This is the mystery of biblical marriage (Eph. 5:32; Col. 1:27). This is you and Christ. For this a man needs to leave father and mother. This is the same as Christ being “the end of the law” (Rom. 10:4). Once Christ and you become one flesh, you have moved on into perfection (I will annotate the following verse in bold and double parens):

Therefore leaving the principles ((commandments)) of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection ((marriage to Christ)); not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works ((repentance revolves around the law, given by our mother Jerusalem)), and of faith toward God ((Abraham, our father)) (Heb. 6:1).

Honor your father and mother that your days may be long upon the land that the Lord your God gives you.

Hopefully, you have a better understanding of what this commandment really means.

* * * * *Until next time, this is Paul Young saying, flee from the crowd and dwell with the Christ within you. Christ IN YOU, your hope of glory.