Understanding the bible, part 3: divine order

Structural figures of speech

Figures of speech are a legitimate grammatical science that has been extensively documented in how they work in precise ways.

Well over 200 different kinds are employed in the bible.

Their purpose is to emphasize what God wants emphasized in his word by deliberately departing from the standard rules of grammar in specific ways that catch our attention.

Who are we to tell God, the author of his own word, what is most important in his greatest work of all?

Psalms 138
1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

Figures of speech are one of the unique and powerful keys to understanding scriptures at a whole new level.

How many people are taught figures of speech?!

Structural figures of speech give great insight into entire bible books due to:

• their very precise, deliberate and symmetrical design
• their perfect correspondence of words, concepts and verses divine
• greater understanding can be mine
• if I give God the glory, for it is all thine

Below is an example of a structural figure of speech called introversion and how it applies to the book of Daniel and the apocrypha.

If anybody adds to or subtracts from the book of Daniel, the change would be immediately obvious, destroying the divine order, symmetry and meaning of the word of God.

Translation: they are great BS detectors!

This is just one of many reasons I do not believe the so-called lost books of the bible [the apocrypha] are inspired by the one true God.

Besides, adding verses to the bible contradicts the word of God and is one of the mistakes that Eve did that contributed to the fall of man.

Deuteronomy 4:2
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought [any at all] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Revelation 22
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Do numbers count?

In a previous article, we discussed the different ways to count how many books of the bible there are and arrived at 56 as the spiritually and numerically correct number.

With the new counting system, even though Genesis – John still has the same number of books as the traditional Old Testament [Genesis – Malachi: 39], there is an entirely new perspective here.

Let’s start with the fact that Jesus Christ was born under the law.

Galatians 4
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made [born] of a woman, made [born] under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Matthew 5:17
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Therefore, while Jesus Christ was here on earth, he was still in the process of fulfilling the Old Testament law, which wasn’t complete until his ascension into heaven.

What comes after 39?

Technically, chapter 1 of Acts is still the old testament because Jesus Christ was still on earth completing the last few things he had to do before he was ascended into heaven.

Chapter 2 marks the beginning of a new biblical administration, the administration of grace, the day of Pentecost in 28AD.

However, in practice, the truths of Romans – Thessalonians weren’t revealed until several decades later and the final book of the bible, [revelation] wasn’t written until 90AD-100AD.

Thus, in doctrine and practice, the many centuries of bondage under the OT laws were still strong in the book of Acts, along with the new doctrine and practice of grace by the apostles.

40 = 39 books of the true Old testament + 1 transitional or bridge book between the old testament and the new testament, the book of Acts.

E.W. Bullinger writes on # 40: “It is the product of 5 and 8, and points to the action of grace (5), leading to and ending in revival and renewal (8). This is certainly the case where forty relates to a period of evident probation”.

John 1:17
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

These great truths are corroborated in the remarkable meaning of the names of the 1st & 39th books of the bible: Genesis and John.

Genesis means, “generation; creation; beginning; origin” where Jesus Christ’s identity is the promised seed, the beginning of mankind’s true hope.

According to the Exhaustive dictionary of bible names, the name John means, “Jehovah has been gracious; Jehovah has graciously given” and Jesus Christ’s identity in the gospel of John is the son of God, who brought grace & truth that lead to the administration of grace.

The overview of Jesus Christ’s identity in the bible:

• OT – begins with the promised seed in Genesis
• OT – ends with the son of God in John
• BRIDGE – Acts is the transition between the OT & NT – the gift of holy spirit
• NT – begins with the believer’s justification in Romans
• NT – ends with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in Revelation

God certainly delivered on all his perfect promises!

56 – 40 = 16 books of the bible left: Romans – Revelation.

16 = 8 [a new beginning & resurrection] x 2 [establishment].

Thus the true new testament is a new beginning established, confirming the meaning of 40 which leads us to grace and renewal.

Furthermore, 16 = 7 + 9.

How appropriate to open the pure new testament with the spiritual perfection of the 7 books of Romans – Thessalonians, the first books of the bible written directly to the members of the body of Christ.

9 is the number of judgment and of finality.

This last group of 9 books ends in Revelation, the 9th book in the series, where we have the final judgments of all mankind.

It is also the 7th and final biblical administration of time where we have the new heaven and earth where only righteousness dwells.

Jesus Christ, the son of God

John 20
30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
31 But these are written, that [indicating purpose] ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

John 20: 30 & 31 contains the figure of speech symperasma, which is a concluding summary.

[It is also used at the end of 8 unique sections in the book of Acts, intertwining biblical concepts that tie the 7 church epistles together in a magnificent spiritual tapestry].

It’s ironic that the book of the bible that was specifically written for this purpose is the exact same book most often quoted to prove that Jesus Christ is God the son, a phrase that never even occurs in scripture.

In your mind, zoom out to see the entire bible.

From this vantage point, we can see this summary & concluding statement in John from a new perspective.

We can also apply it to Genesis – John now because it’s near the very end of the gospel of John, which is the very end of the true old testament.

Let’s apply this new data to the old testament and take it for a test drive!

• In Genesis, Jesus Christ is the promised seed, who was the son of God.
• In Exodus, he is the passover lamb, God’s only begotten son, who was sacrificed for us>>John 1:36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
• In Judges, he is the covenant angel named wonderful; for the verses in question in Judges, the word “angel” is the Hebrew word malak [Strong’s #4397] and means messenger. John 8:26 “I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him“. The entire book of John emphasizes Jesus Christ as the son of God. No one could speak for and be God’s messenger better than his only begotten son, a perfect man, who always did the father’s will. It’s interesting to note the parallels between Judges 13 and John – Acts. In Judges 13, Manoah, [the father of Samson] sacrificed a meat offering to the Lord, who performed wonders and the angel was taken up into heaven in the flames. Jesus Christ offered up himself as a sacrifice unto the Lord, was ascended into heaven and 10 days later was Pentecost, with tongues like as fire where people could get born again and have Christ within. The word “wonderful” in Judges, [in reference to the messenger, Jesus Christ] comes from the root Hebrew word Pala [Strong’s #6381] and means to be surpassing or extraordinary. How fitting. Ephesians 3:19 “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God“. The word “passeth” is the Greek word huperballo [Strong’s #5235] and figuratively means surpassing or transcending.
• In Job 9:33, he is the daysman; by definition, this is a mediator; 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”; Hebrews 8:6 “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises”. This record in Hebrews 8 is in the context of Jesus Christ being the high priest, which he cannot be unless he was the first-born son of God.

• In Lamentations, he is the unbeliever’s judgment; as God’s first-born son, he has all the judicial authority of God his father. John 5:22 “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son”:
• In Hosea, he is the latter rain;
• Hosea 6
• 2 “After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
• 3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth”.

Jesus Christ was resurrected in the third day and he is also called the bright and morning star.

Hosea 10:12
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Romans 5:12
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 1
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Twice in 2 verses Romans says its about Jesus Christ, the son of God.

God certainly rained righteousness into our lives through the completed work of Jesus Christ, the latter rain in Hosea.

I have not had the time to analyze all the old testament books yet, but so far, all the ones I’ve looked at fit into Jesus Christ being the son of God.

Enlightenment with the 9 manifestations of holy spirit

Below is an example of Jesus Christ exercising his power and authority over the adversary in the environment that is often misconstrued to be evidence of his deity.

Let’s dig into the spiritual dynamics to see what is really happening and why…

Mark 4
35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

I’ve heard many christians say that no person has the power to calm a storm on the sea and only God can do things like this, so Jesus has to be God.

There actually is a kernel of logic and truth here in that no natural man can calm a storm on the sea as Jesus Christ did.

A natural man is a person who consists only of a physical body and has a soul that animates that body, thus we are all born as natural men and women.

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

The trinitarian misinterpretation of these verses in Mark 4 is based upon ignorance of the 9 manifestations of holy spirit and how they work and the distinct differences between body, soul and spirit.

This can lead a person’s mind to come to some very wrong and bizarre conclusions such as Jesus, who is called a man 44 times in the bible, actually being God himself.

The only time a person can become a God is in the category of mythology, which is idolatry and not reality.

Apparently, trinitarians have been blinded by the adversary to the truth of Mark 4:41 when it says, “What manner of MAN is this”…,which decisively disproves the deity of Jesus by definition alone.

Jesus Christ was able to calm the storm by operating the manifestations of holy spirit that were available to him before the day of Pentecost in 28A.D.:

• Word of knowledge
• Word of wisdom
• Discerning of spirits
• Faith [believing]
• Miracles
• Gifts of healing

John 3:34
For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

Jesus Christ had the gift of holy spirit upon him without measure, without any limitations as other prophets in the OT had. This and its operation explain why Jesus Christ could do so many miraculous things.

All other things being equal, the simplest explanation is the best.

The manifestations of holy spirit are listed in I Corinthians 12 [+ 3 more that were not available during Jesus Christ’s ministry], which have been mistranslated and misunderstood as gifts of the spirit.

I Corinthians 12
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Let’s say they are gifts and God gave you 4 of them because you’re super special, he gave somebody else 2, but didn’t give me any because I’ve been a jerk for Jesus all my life.

Oh, well, that’s how the spiritual cookie crumbles, right?

There are several problems with this common teaching and false belief.

First off, in I Corinthians 12:1, the word “gifts” is in italic print, which means the translators of the King James Version are telling us right up front that they added this word to the bible when it did not exist in the ancient biblical manuscripts from which it was translated!

The Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest complete copy of the Greek new testament, dating back to the 4th century, translates this verse as follows:

I Corinthians 12:1
But concerning spiritual things, brethren, I do not wish you to be ignorant.

Many other ancient biblical manuscripts corroborate this correct translation.

Secondly, if you read I Corinthians 12, verse 7 indisputably and clearly states that we are talking about the manifestation of the spirit and not the gift: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal”.

This leads us to the third point.

If you look up the definitions of several words in this section in the Greek, and apply some basic rules of grammar, you will see that where it says “To another” is not referring to another person, but to the unique profit or benefit that that specific manifestation brings.

The 4th point is that the idea that the manifestations are gifts contradicts several other verses of scripture. This verse in Acts is only one.

If God gives you 4, somebody else 2 and me none, then that makes God guilty of favoritism, otherwise known as a respecter of persons.

Acts 10:34
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

They simply have to believe that they can do it, that it’s the will of God, and be taught how.

A 5th reason is look at the consequences.

Matthew 7:20
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

If God practices favoritism in giving out the wrongly-called gifts of the spirit, then you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that this belief can only breed doubt, confusion, conflict, and a whole host of ungodly things.

A 6th reason is look at who benefits from this teaching!

If I believe that God only gave me the gift of tongues, then I’m only using 1/9th of the gifts = 11% of God’s power.

This hinders the purposes of God and benefits the devil, the god of this world.

This “gifts” of the spirit teaching has been decisively defeated without any:

• Personal opinions
• Complex and confusing theological theories
• Denominational bias

The devil is afraid of us kicking his butt with all of the resources of the Lord God almighty in the spiritual competition, that is why this teaching came about.

Ephesians 6
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints