Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart.
There are some things that God wants to show us that can only be received in a higher place of understanding. Unlike the physical journey the disciples experienced with Jesus, you and I are being drawn to a spiritual journey. Not a geographical walk from one place to another, this journey is a spiritual process where line upon line and precept upon precept the nature and character of Christ is formed according to the divine pattern within us.
Mountains are used by the Holy Spirit to designate high and holy experiences with God. (See Author's Booklet "Voices From the Mountain Top.") This is symbolized in climbing up the mountain, so that you are leaving the earth's lower points and in the language of the Holy Spirit rising to a higher place of Spirit and consciousness free from the dead works of man made religion. As the disciples came down from this experience with Jesus they understood things about the prophetic purpose of God that none of the leaders or teachers of that day could see.
The inner, hidden and spiritual meaning of God's Word rises into view and you are able to see and understand things about God's Word you could have seen no other way and you begin to Hear His voice in ways you could not have known before. Not everything the Lord wants to show us appears on the surface or letter of the Word. It is important to have the eyes of our understanding enlightened to see into the inner hidden and spiritual meaning of the Word of God.
As we allow the Holy Spirit to minister these things to us and apply them according to God's will, the power of revelation knowledge, the voice and spirit of God's Word will lead us to an inner place of the heart, a deeper understanding, a higher experience with God, as St. Paul declared he was CAUGHT UP TO THE THIRD HEAVEN.
Acts 8: 6 ... hearing and seeing the miracles, which he did.
I would like to share a little about how important it is to understand these two faculties of the Spirit, that are at the root of our own transformation. We must not only Hear the Word o God but the Lord wants us to See into the heavenly realm.
2Peter 1:16 "... eye witnesses of his majesty..." 18) And This voice which came heaven we heard, on the mount of transfiguration St. Peter came away from this moment with a more sure word of prophesy, because he both heard and saw the glory of God.
Romans 10: 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
We know that faith is the indispensable ingredient of our salvation. We are saved by grace through faith and that not of you; it is the free gift of God. So the faith or the trust we have toward God in Christ comes into our hearts by hearing the spoken Word of God.
Hebrews 11: states that Faith is the substance.
Substance is a compound word made up of sub - (Greek - hupo) meaning under and stance (Greek - stasis) meaning to stand. This yields the word Under / Standing. Faith is understanding. Through faith we UNDERSTAND that the worlds were created by the Word of God and that the things which are seen do appear were not made of things which do appear. Now the Bible states 'Wisdom is the principle thing, but with all thy getting get understanding. (Proverbs 4:7) Understanding is an operation of the\mind or soul. This is exactly where God said He would write His law or nature, upon our hearts and MIND. (Heb 8:10) As we journey (realization) from the outer realm of flesh and carnality to the spiritual and heavenly realm of the Kingdom of God within we are going to know of His presence with us right NOW. (Crossing Over) Knowing is the realm of the Mind and UNDERSTANDING is sight.
Ephesians 1: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know... 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward...
SEEING IS BELIEVEING:
The saying, a picture is worth a thousand words has never been truer than when it comes to seeing the real and intended meaning of God's Word and its application for us today. This is why it is so important to have the inner, hidden, and spiritual meaning of God's Word rise to the top. To see the spiritual picture will bring dynamic change. The faculty of sight is as important to our change as our faith and trust in Christ.
1John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
In this verse St. John tells us that even though right now we are the sons of God it does not yet appear what we are becoming; appearing and how do we enter into the real and intended meaning? First of all, Paul states to Study the Word of God. This does not simply imply reading and learning the facts but also to observe how the Word of God is affecting your life. Like a scientist who will set up an experiment to test and study the effect of something, so it is in our walk of faith. We must study, observe be sensitive to how the Word of God is working in us. Then he said to rightly divide the word of truth. That is because the meaning of everything God has spoken is not on the surface. You have to rightly divide.
That word is a compound Greek word that opens up our Understanding. The Greek original is ortho/tomateros. Ortho meaning what is right, straight what is true. Tomateros means to cut as to cause to rise. In other words cut the Word of God so that what is right, what is straight and what is true will rise to the top. Then you can see it with the eyes of your understanding.
As an example one of the major teachings of the Church is the Coming of Christ again. The Lord is portrayed as descending out of the sky coming back to our world. This is based upon the misapplied meaning of God's Word. Without the Holy Spirit quickening your understanding it is impossible to see beyond the letter of the Word. If you look at the Greek original for the English word translated coming you will find that it is more correctly translated as presence. It comes from the Greek parousia. When you break down the meaning of this compound word it yields more understanding about His coming.
Para is a preposition we derive the word parable from. A parable is something spoken alongside to illustrate something of a spiritual nature. Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God using parables. They illustrated in a natural way the things that were happening in the Spiritual realm. Jesus said He would send us another comforter. Comforter comes from the Greek, parakietos or one called alongside to help.
The second part of this word is ousia, which means presence. It comes from a root eimi meaning I AM. Putting it all together the word coming means “I AM PRESENT.” This denoted not the arrival of one coming but rather His presence already there. So Jesus said here is how you will know I am coming or I am Present alongside you. It was not His physical reality He was speaking of but His spiritual presence in us by the Holy Spirit.
Now in the traditional church I was raised in the idea conveyed that was when Jesus begins His descent from above to the earth we would SEE Him and therefore be changed. We have already showed that His coming is actually about His presence already here. How come we do not SEE that? It is veiled by the flesh and carnal nature of our natural life.
It takes the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Meaning the Spirit takes away the cover that veils what is true, right and straight to raise to the top and you begin to SEE. That word comes from the Greek apokalupsis. Apo, meaning away from and kalupsis, to cover. Take away the cover. So every revelation takes away what is veiled from the eyes of your understanding.
Just like the disciples with Him on the mount of Transfiguration. They began to see things about Jesus and the Word of God that could have been known no other way.
but we know.... knowing is understanding and understanding is sight. When He appears... does not imply a physical person but rather His presence being made known to us and through us. Appear comes from phaneroo ffan-er-o'-to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way, make 11 actual and visible, realized. This appearing refers to His reality breaking through. As you journey in Spirit and uncover those inner and hidden things of God's Word and promise you fulfill a change into His image and likeness.
When He appears we become like Him because We SEE Him as HE is. Seeing is the faculty of dynamic change. That is why St. Paul declared we all with open face as beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are CHANGED into that same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
*For more information on this topic simply E-mail Peter Demetris at: pastorpeterd@comcast.net
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