God's Mystery That Is Christ

God’s Mystery That Is Christ

Seok Lyun Chang Soppe

Copyright © 2012, 2014 Seok Lyun Chang Soppe.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-1594-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1595-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1593-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013921111

WestBow Press rev. date: 08/21/2014

Contents

Dedication

Introduction to the Introduction

Introduction

Who Is God?

Spirit, Soul, and Flesh

Wine

Phases of Faith

First, Second, and Third Days

Born of Water and the Spirit

Attaining the Third Day

Fourth Day

Fifth Day

Eternal Life

Samaritan, Salvation, and Redemption

Child Must Grow

In That Day, the Last Day

Trinity and the Sixth Day (Part I)

Garments of Skin and the Sixth Day (Part II)

Garden of Eden

Abomination of Desolation

Sabbath and the Seventh Day

Priests

Inheritance of Christ

Man’s Tithe

666

The Lord’s Prayer

Acknowledgments

Appendix

Figures

Figure 1. Phases of Inward Faith

Figure 2. First Phase: Approaching God through the law of conscience (eternity set in our hearts); the first-dimensional world.

Figure 3. Second Phase: Approaching God through Moses’ law; the second-dimensional world.

Figure 4. Third Phase: Approaching God through the Word; the third-dimensional world.

Figure 5. Fourth Phase: Approaching God through Spirit with the Helper; the fourth-dimensional world (New Dimension).

Scripture taken from multiple sources and the copyright notices are as follow:

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION is noted as NIV. Copy right © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible 48500.png is noted as NASB. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotation marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, by Tyndale House foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publisher, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotation marked HCSB have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible ®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, Today’s New International Version™ TNIV.® Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version are marked with NKJV. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotation marked GWT have been taken from GOD’S WORD Translation. GOD’S WORD is a copyrighted work of God’s Word to the nations Bible Society. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the nations Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the American Standard Version are marked with ASV. This Bible is in the public domain.

THE HOLY BIBLE Old and New Testaments Revised New Korean Standard Version (c) Korean Bible Society 2001 Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Pronouns in reference to God have been changed to the capitalization style throughout the entire in those translations that did not originally capitalize them. The use of He was not instituted to emphasize the maleness of the God, but rather as an act of respect. Other words that are in direct reference to God, such as Word and Truth, are also capitalized throughout the book. References to the devil are not capitalized.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to God the Father, who has guided me through my earlier life and opened doors to both write and publish this. Looking back, I realize God’s invisible hand was always with me throughout the writing of this book.

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. (Colossians 2:2 NIV)

Introduction to the Introduction

The original draft of this book was written in Korean and subsequently translated into English. Over a period of years, the English copy was painstakingly revised for clarity and the Korean version was updated accordingly. During this exercise of writing and rewriting, it became apparent to me that language has an inherent inadequacy. There is always something left unsaid; something that remains inexpressible and must be derived from reading between the lines. For this reason, patience and meditation will be needed to read this book.

I wrote this book for those on a quest to make a connection with God; for those in search for what has been present all along, but had not been seen clearly before–the inexpressible that is found only when one is enlightened. The purpose of this book is to support the readers’ relationship with Christ. In this sense, this book is meant to be read along with The Holy Bible and not in place. The intent is to stir our preconceptions about biblical truths so that we may be able to discern God’s intent with the Spirit of Truth. When people read the Bible receptively, they will find that it can give them feelings of transcendence.

The inherent design of this book may be frustrating. It may be laborious to read, like the way the Bible was intended to be read. One of the challenges of this book is that Bible verses are quoted within the flow of the text. Another challenge is the decision to capitalize all pronouns in reference to God. These artistic licenses may disrupt the natural reading flow, but they also serve a purpose. They are aimed at enhancing the experience of scriptural study, and at providing the reader pause to ponder the inner meaning of the written word.

Religious knowledge cannot be imparted like other information, simply by scanning the text. Discernment is an ongoing process and, rightly or wrongly, there are many ways to interpret the Bible. Enlightenment takes a lifetime of study which, at times, may be tedious. Several prophets describe the challenges they endured to discern the Word of God. For example, Ezekiel was told to eat a scroll full of pain and misery and, when he ate it, he found it tasted ‘as sweet as honey’ (Ezekiel 3). In similar fashion, John was also told to eat a scroll that turned his stomach sour (Revelation 10). The prophet Daniel endured a series of spiritual programs where he abstained from worldly pleasures over short stretches. He turned to God for guidance in order to discern the inner meaning of a passage in Jeremiah that had been plaguing him. As a result, Daniel became the recipient of a divine inspiration that enabled him to discover a new meaning in the Scripture (Daniel 9-10).

Unless you have intimate knowledge of the Bible, reading this book in one sitting, cover to cover, is not recommended. Instead, one should read a chapter or a section of a chapter, and sleep on it; then, go to the book of the Bible that are being referenced and again sleep on it. The best way to read this book is to repeat this process until you make it through, always returning to the Bible looking for fresh interpretations.

This book uses multiple versions of the Holy Scriptures. At times, the same verse will be quoted from different translations. The slight rewording between the different translations may cast light on new interpretations. Some translations are known for their formal or literal style, while others focus on producing clarity in the meaning of the text with either a thought-for-thought or word-for–word translation. As you become more versed on studying the Bible, you will realize that adding a new translation to your repertoire helps uncover new meanings in the scripture.

The structure of this book follows the narrative of the Bible, which means that there is a progression; each chapter builds on the previous one. Skipping to the end of the book without understanding the fundamentals laid out in earlier chapters may be counterproductive. Many ideas in this book are repetitive and reexamined with slight variations. The intent is to promote reflection and enhance our discernment through a process of repetition and expansion, hoping that meaning becomes more apparent when it is restated and revisited in different ways.

This book uses definitions that may be unfamiliar to the reader. It is important to note that I conceive the notions of spirit and soul as not being interchangeable. Although their definitions may appear similar, they refer to two very different things.

Spirit – an animating or vital principle that gives life to the inner man.

Soul – the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual’s outer man. It encompasses our desires, emotions and instinct. It is the part of the outer man that does not die once salvation and redemption are attained.

Other relevant definitions are:

Salvation – deliverance from the power and effects of sin.

Redemption – the act of serving to offset or compensate for the defect of our outer man; it is the salvation of our outer man.

Inner Man – a person’s spirit; also referred to as the inner being.

Outer Man – a person’s flesh, soul and conscience; also referred to as the outer being.

Word of Christ’s Truth – the discerned Word of God.

Spirit of Truth – also known as the Holy Spirit or the Helper, discerns the Word of Christ’s Truth for us.

Spirituality, unlike knowledge, is not something that we can gain from studying alone. A certain level of openness to the Bible is required to uncover the teachings that are hidden within it. As such, spiritual revelation is an ongoing process that should never end.

All of us exist in the providence of God. However, not all of us will be redeemed. Through providence, we are redeemed when we understand God’s intentions and when we choose to carry out His intentions. God’s plan includes the salvation of both our spirits and our souls. To accomplish this, first we must revive our sleeping spirits. Therefore, while we continue to live on this earth, we must transform ourselves into heavenly bodies. This process requires us to constantly read between the lines. The resulting transformation is the salvation of our souls. Only then will we have the guarantee of heaven.

Introduction

Christ, the mystery of God that the apostle Paul articulates in Colossians 2:2, allows us to completely understand God’s plan for human redemption. God prepares us to accomplish the purposes of His heart (Jeremiah 23:20) when we strive to understand His plan and discern His will for us.

The mystery of God is hidden in the Bible’s written word. God’s intent is recorded in symbols and stories within the Bible’s written word. In order for us to understand its meaning, we must discern it by the Holy Spirit. The purpose of this book is to share God’s mystery in a way that allows the reader to be open to the Helper revealing God’s intent. Although an effort is made to speak plainly about the symbolism used in the Bible, only with the Holy Spirit’s influence will the meaning be fully appreciated.

God’s mystery is hidden as early as the first story of Genesis. This book will discuss the meaning behind the six days of creation and the seventh day of rest. The inner meaning of the creation story is revealed to each us of individually. The meaning of the third day has particular significance, and that too will be discussed in great detail.

This book reveals the secret of the Trinity. It also covers the meaning of Revelation’s Armageddon war as well as the seven seals, trumpets, and bowls.

Whether or not we believe in God, humanity has been overly concerned about the end of the world for a long time. The Bible frequently refers to the end time and links it to the number 666. If this book is read with an open heart, the true meaning of the end time and 666 will be uncovered.

We do not learn God’s spiritual Word like we acquire knowledge. Our hearts discern spiritual understanding. Portions of this book are reiterated throughout to promote understanding. I pray that this book will help you to be receptive to the Helper’s guidance and that you find Truth in Christ Jesus. Lastly I pray that this book will help you find the true knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ Jesus Himself.

The purpose of this book is to share the few insights I received in the hope that it will help the reader with their relationship with Christ.

Who Is God?

Christians describe God in many ways. God is the Creator, God is Love, God is the Father, God is Truth, God is Life, God is Light, and so on.

Moses asked God, What is your name? and He answered, I AM WHO I AM (Exodus 3: 14 ESV).

In different societies and time periods, people have called God by a variety of names, including (but not limited to) Yahweh, Jehovah, Elohim, Adonai, Allah, Tao, Almighty, Jesus, and Christ. In the beginning God did not have a name; He just existed. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1 NKJV).

God Is the Word

To know God, we must know God as the Word. His Word is contained in the sixty-six books that make up the Christian Bible. His Word has been translated into nearly every language, making the Word accessible to everyone.

All the same, just reading the Bible’s written word is not enough. Hidden meanings are concealed in the written word. Their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away (2 Corinthians 3:14–16 TNIV).

Turning to the Lord means we understand God’s hidden intent in the written word. God’s law is the undiscerned written word. We have to remove the veil that covers our hearts to see the hidden, inner meaning. Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed (Galatians 3:23 NLT).

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

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

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

The rise and subsequent fall of the Roman Empire scattered the Jews to all parts of the world. Similarly the gospel was spread to those same regions by Christian missionaries. The spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ brought the translation of the Bible’s written word into virtually every language. And now, thanks to the Internet, with one click that word is easily accessible.¹

The Bible’s written word never changes; however, it has the uncanny ability to communicate relevance to each generation at an appropriate level of understanding. Through it all, the spiritual meaning of the Bible remains constant. Events over the last sixty years have brought us into a new era in which God allows us to understand His spiritual meaning with our hearts. ²

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

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

There are two ways of interpreting God’s Word when reading the Bible. The outer word includes the written words of the Bible that we read with our eyes, and the inner Word is composed of the intangible words whose meaning only our spirits can comprehend. God’s intent is hidden in the outer word. The inner Word is the discerned Word of God; it is the Word of Christ’s Truth. We must comprehend the inner Word to understand God’s intent.

The fall of Israel in AD 70 scattered Jews all over the world. Then in 1948, Israel became a newly formed, independent country. In God’s eyes, however, Israel becomes a newborn spiritual nation. The Israel described in the Bible is not just the small country located in the Middle East. The state of Israel has inner meaning and represents something greater.

Israel is an example for us of how to understand God’s Word. The nation of Israel is a parable for the outer word. Its inner meaning represents newborn spiritual people. God’s intent is His inner meaning. It is hidden in the Bible’s written word. God is always working in the background, whether or not we see it. Truth is not always visible or tangible, and not everyone will discern this. The true meaning of the word Israel in the Bible is a new creation.

According to Galatians 6:15–16, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy belong to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.

Israel is a tangible metaphor. Through historic events, God’s inner meaning becomes explicit. The new creation’s inner meaning is the revival of our spirits.

All the people mentioned in Hebrews 11:13–16 were living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had the opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God. He has prepared a city for them.

Many Christians know God by studying the Bible, meditating on it, and spreading His Word. Because they do so, they believe they will go to a place called heaven. People of faith aspire to go to heaven. They believe heaven is an external place, like our country of origin. Although there is an external heaven that our awakened spirits go to after physical death, the heaven predominantly discussed in the Bible is the heaven that is possible within us while we are living. Our spirits, when they are revived, create an inner world that is rightly heaven. This is not a country of our own or the country we left behind; it is a better one. Throughout the Bible, our revived spirits are described as heaven, sky, air, expanse, and firmament. The spirit itself is heaven on earth, and it is this awakened spirit that will go to heaven.

God Is Spirit

Ezekiel 37:14 says, I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD (TNIV).

Only when God’s Spirit is joined with our awakened spirits are we spiritually alive. This is when we can settle in our own land. Without His Spirit, we are spiritually dead. Our own land is a parable for the awakened spirit residing in heaven while on earth. This is God’s love.

In order to become an American citizen, immigrants must study facts about the United States and pass an exam. After passing the exam, they swear an oath of allegiance in order to become US citizens. In a similar manner, true citizens of heaven must understand God’s spiritual meaning—His inner Word—within their hearts. If we are to understand God’s spiritual meaning, the gospel must be preached to our inner world. This is necessary to awaken our spirits so we can live in heaven.

When God says He will put His Spirit in us and we will live, He is referring to the genesis of a new creation. At the same time, our spirits are revived with God’s Truth; we are created in His image. This is the meaning of Israel: we become citizens of heaven.

Philippians 3:20 says, For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (NASB).

Heaven’s citizenship is granted to those whose spirits are revived. The Bible’s written word demonstrates God’s love toward us. The main purpose of the Bible is to show us how to become citizens of heaven while we are living on earth. When our spirits are revived, heaven is created within us on earth, and we live with heaven until the end of our mortal lives. Upon our physical deaths, our spirits go to the external heaven as we spiritually are. Our spirits enter heaven with all the attributes they possess in our inner beings. While we live on earth, God’s purpose is to create us in His image. However, if our spirits are not revived, our inner beings are trapped by our flesh while we live on earth.

Deuteronomy 32:29 says,

If only they were wise and would understand this

   and discern what their end will be! (TNIV)

While on earth, the wise will attain heaven by preaching the gospel of Christ inwardly. The apostle Paul said that his inner being, or inner man, delights in God’s law (Romans 7:22). Our inner beings are our heavenly bodies that we cannot see.

Hebrews 5:14 says, But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil (NASB).

Along with the five physical senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch—there is an additional sense. This is the spiritual sense of perception. This sense only works once Christ’s Truth revives our spirits. Our spirits are revived when the gospel is preached in our hearts and our inner beings are made whole with Christ’s Truth and our revived spirits.

Unless our spirits are revived, the Bible tells us we are dead even though we are living and breathing. You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead (Revelation 3:1 TNIV), and just as the body without the spirit is dead (James 2:26 NASB). To revive our spirits, we must be born again with Christ’s Truth. Christ’s Truth is hidden in the Bible’s written word.

The Pharisee Nicodemus believed in God and was a teacher of Israel. To him, Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God’ (John 3:3 NLT). We who call ourselves Christians believe in God. Why did Jesus tell Nicodemus You should not be surprised at My saying, ‘you must be born again’ (John 3:7 TNIV).

As we were born to our parents, we also must to be born again by Christ’s Truth. To enjoy the rights and privileges of heaven, both internal and external, we must develop the necessary personality, character, and qualifications while we live on earth.

Jeremiah 4:3–4 says,

For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:

Break up your fallow ground,

   and sow not among thorns.

Circumcise yourselves to the LORD;

   remove the foreskin of your hearts,

     O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem;

lest my wrath go forth like fire,

   and burn with none to quench it,

   because of the evil of your deeds. (ESV)

The thorns represent our fleshly instincts, which by nature are corrupted. Our fallow ground and the foreskins of our hearts represent our flesh, which is born with these instincts. These concepts will be discussed in later chapters, but know that to become citizens of heaven, we must circumcise our corrupted instincts.

Job 2:4 says, Satan replied to the LORD, ‘Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life’ (NLT).

Genesis 3:21 says, The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them (NASB).

Skin is our flesh; it is a part of our outer man. Garments of skin refers to our flesh and the external truths of God, which will be discussed in detail in subsequent chapters. Our flesh is made up of the natural instincts that we are born with. Our flesh is like fallow ground that must be prepared to receive seed. It needs to be broken up. By the sweat of your brow / you will eat your food / until you return to the ground, / since from it you were taken; / for dust you are / and to dust you will return (Genesis 3:19 TNIV).

Our souls are also part of our outer man. The soul is analogous to the heart and mind; it resides in the outer man’s most inner place. When we were banished from the garden of Eden, God clothed us in flesh. The inner meaning of the garments of skin is God’s external truth. External truth represents truth for outer man. It is in God’s Word that we are clothed. The garments described in the Bible represent the Word of God.

If a corrupt person eats from the Tree of Life, his spirit will never awaken. Even those who currently have a relationship with God and hear His voice in their spirits can become depraved if they follow the instincts of their flesh. For this reason, the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and Eve before sending them out from the garden of Eden to cultivate the ground from which Adam was taken (Genesis 3:23).

God want us to cultivate the ground, which represents our flesh. By cultivating the ground, we can restore our relationship with God and return to the garden of Eden. The book of Leviticus offers detailed instructions on how to cultivate the ground and offer sacrifices to God. Externally, Leviticus shows us its inner meaning through the use of symbols. Leviticus’ inner meaning, which is discussed throughout this book, explains how we can restore our relationship with God. Simply put, it shows God’s love for us and that God is love.

God communicates intimately with us through our spirits. However, our spirits must be revived and awakened to communicate with God because He is Spirit.

Some Christians testify that they receive the gift of tongues or other spiritual gifts. These gifts are witnesses of spiritual experiences that happen to the flesh. They are physical proof of our experience with God. Although such experiences are good, in and of themselves they do not give us spiritual life. Through spiritual experiences of the flesh, God tries to awaken our spirits so our inner and outer beings can live in harmony. Only through God’s love can our spirits awaken, joining our inner and outer beings, so we can reach heaven.

Clothed with garments of skin, the corrupted were sent out from the garden of Eden. To return to the garden of Eden, we must take off our garments of skin and acknowledge our sin.

In order to return to Eden and revive our spirits, we must cultivate our unplowed ground and sow not among the thorns (Jeremiah 4:3–4). We must take off the garments of skin. The act of circumcision symbolizes the removal of our garments of skin. We must remove the garments we were born with. When we remove the garments of skin, we become the new creation, Israel.

There are two ways to interpret the words in the Bible. The first way is on a physical, fleshly level. This results in external understanding used by the outer world. All of us have the ability to interpret the Bible’s words in this way. The second way is to interpret the Bible’s written word on a spiritual level. This is God’s level, which is internal and applies to the inner, spiritual world. These two ways are notably different.

God reveals His hidden meaning to us through the physical world based on our ability to understand parables and symbols. Rarely is God’s Word spoken plainly, as His Word is not for everybody. It is only for those determined to know Him. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7 TNIV). The open door represents the opening of heaven’s secrets. It is the meaning of the Word of Christ’s Truth, His inner Word. After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this’ (Revelation 4:1 TNIV).

1 Corinthians 2:16 says

For:   who has known the Lord’s mind,

         that he may instruct Him?

But we have the mind of Christ. (HCSB)

Who can understand God and grasp His mind? The first step in understanding God and His intent requires us to remove our garments of skin. Our inner state cannot understand God if our flesh in control. Our spirits must be in control for our inner state to understand God. Without awakened spirits, we are incapable of having the mind of Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 2:14, it says, But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (NASB).

Natural man refers to those who are ruled by their garments of skins. Their spirits are asleep and they are unable to understand and discern God’s Truth. The metaphors in the Bible’s written word are pointless to the natural man because he cannot comprehend the things of the Spirit of God.

Job 11:7 says,

Can you fathom the mysteries of God?

     Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? (TNIV)

Job 38:4 says,

Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?

     Tell Me, if you understand. (TNIV)

Creation scientists believe that human history is no more than ten thousand years old. This estimate is based on the written word of the Bible and is a meaningless human calculation. It does not reflect the inner meaning of God’s Word. Moses is said to have authored the book of Genesis, but he was not there when the events described took place. Can anyone completely understand God’s mystery? From the human perspective, no one can understand God’s purpose.

Job 36:26 says,

How great is God—beyond our understanding!

     The number of His years is past finding out. (TNIV)

God’s purpose and intent is not revealed though our knowledge alone. The only way to understand God is through our spiritual perception. Solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil (Hebrews 5:14 NASB).

The blowing wind is analogous to the Word of God. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit (John 3:8 NASB). Those with spiritual perception know the sound of God’s voice. Those who are born again in Christ’s Word and have spiritual perception understand where the spiritual voice comes from. The Lord God is Spirit.

At the height of Jesus’ ministry, He had many followers. A lack of basic understanding of Jesus’ intent caused many of His followers to desert Him. So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘You do not want to go away also, do you?’ Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life’ (John 6:67–68 NASB).

Jesus’ twelve disciples followed Him for three and a half years. They saw His miraculous works and heard Him preach about eternal life firsthand. Yet after Jesus’ crucifixion, the twelve returned to the lives they had led before Jesus. Some left for Emmaus (Luke 24:13), some went back to fishing (John 21:3). Even the twelve disciples did not understand God’s true inner meaning when He was on earth.

Then, as promised, Christ Jesus returned as the Spirit of Truth (John 14:16–18). The Helper came upon them, and they finally understood the inner meaning of His Word.

Acts 2:4 says, All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (TNIV).

In this passage, other tongues are not the meaningless utterances acknowledged to be a holy language. Words spoken with the Spirit of Truth are the discerned Word of Christ Jesus. The discerned Word is veiled within the Bible’s written word. Other tongues refers to enlightened words.

John 16:13 says, When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into the full Truth. He won’t speak on His own. He will speak what He hears and will tell you about things to come (GWT).

The Spirit of Truth came to the twelve disciples, so they could understand the words Jesus spoke to them. After the Spirit of Truth came upon them, they spoke enlightened words. The disciples taught and proclaimed these enlightened words to those who spoke different languages. The word of the Bible is the word of law from which God’s hidden intent is discerned.

Isaiah 28:11 says,

Indeed, He will speak to this people

Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue. (NASB)

The Bible’s written word contains Truth. However, the discerned Word is hidden in the written word’s meaning. The discern Word is as foreign lips and strange tongues. With the Bible’s written word, we learn and teach. However, our understanding of God’s Word is dependent on whether we decipher its meaning through external or internal means. That is to say, it is dependent on whether we understand God’s intent based on human knowledge, which is full of flaws, or through spiritual perception, the way God intended.

In order to take off our garments of skin, we must understand God through the Word because God is the Word. We have to know God through His intention, which is revealed through the enlightened Word. The enlightened Word does not come through intentions or thoughts of men. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one know the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11 NIV).

As previously stated, skin is flesh, and garments of skin refers to God’s law that is the external truth He gave us. When man became corrupt, he lost the ability to communicate with God through spirit, as Adam did in the garden of Eden. God allows us to recognize the meaning of our garments of skin through His law. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are (Romans 3:20 NLT). We realize God’s love for us through our knowledge of sin by the word of law.

Nascent Christians gradually learn about God by studying the Bible’s written word and are surprised by all His amazing works—He cured diseases, He led armies to victory, and so on. These words come to be engraved in our hearts when we study the written word. Only after these words are engraved in our hearts are we capable of rebirth with the Spirit of the living God. And only then are we able to discern the inner meaning of God’s intent and have our spirits rule over the natural instincts of our flesh, which are sin.

The law is the Bible’s written word. Alone it cannot transform our hearts and revive our spirits. Only when the inner meaning of the Bible’s written word is