Revelation 11:6

Did Jesus say
To the poor and the weak
Who are you to call on Me?
Did Jesus say
Yes, I know your name
You’re the thief, you’re the liar,
Then turn away?
Or did Jesus say
All who hear would be saved
All who call on His Holy name,
Should come forth into life
Eternal, holy life
Welcomed to the kingdom
Of God’s reign.

How can the clay tell the potter
Who to choose, who to turn away.
When all have fallen and are debtors
To the Father’s eternal grace.
How can the clay tell the potter
I know the truth, I’ll find my own way
When all have fallen, born in sorrow
Only God is good and without sin.
Only God is good and without sin.

On the sixth day of creation, God formed man from the dust of the ground. The first man was formed from the earth and God called him Adam. From the ground God also raised up a garden, and placed the first man, Adam, within the garden. God would call the garden Eden. In the garden grew every tree that was pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God told Adam he could eat of every tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam’s eye was single, in that his focus was on God alone. His desire was for God and he naturally obeyed God’s voice. To listen and obey God’s voice was as natural as walking in the Garden of Eden.

God declared it was not good that man should be alone, so from Adam’s rib, God created a helpmeet for Adam. Adam called his helpmeet "Woman," because she was taken out of Man. In the Garden, God’s perfect nature was revealed to Adam and the woman. But God also allowed that which was contrary to His perfect nature to exist within the Garden. God allowed the serpent. Adam and the woman were allowed to experience fullness of relationship with God in the Garden; but God did require that they obey His commandment not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field, and he was able to beguile the woman into eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The woman knew God’s commandment not to eat of this tree, but the serpent challenged God’s good purpose for her. The woman listened to the voice of the serpent and her mind, which previously kept her eyes focused on God, began to stray. Her focus began to be taken off of God, and her eye strayed from looking only to the goodness of God, to looking and listening to the beguiling voice of the serpent. As the serpent spoke the great lie, that it was alright to look away from God, and good to listen to him, the woman began to place her own desires above God’s perfect desire. Her eye strayed and her thoughts became self-focused and not God focused.

As the woman ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, she gave it to her husband, Adam, who was with her, and he did eat also. As they ate their eyes were opened to the knowledge of good and evil. Their eyes were no longer singly focused on God, but self-focused, and aware of what it meant to think on things that did not reflect God’s goodness. They were now conscious of sin. What they had partaken of would bring the understanding of what it meant to suffer. The serpent had beguiled Eve into eating of the tree of good and evil, he had convinced her to turn from God, and to listen and trust him. And because they had eaten of the fruit, because they had sinned against God, they were afraid to stand in His presence. They had sinned against God; they had turned their eyes, and their heart away from God’s good purpose for them, and now their sin would cause them to hide from God.

"By the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation." Adam and the woman had disobeyed God; they had sinned against God and would receive judgment. God’s judgment for sin would be death. God said to Adam, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Adam, had been created of the dust of the earth, and to the dust he would return. Sin had destroyed their innocent, trusting fellowship with God.

The sin of understanding and participating in evil would be passed on to future generations. Death would be passed on to future generations. Adam would call his wife’s name Eve; because she would be the mother of all living. Eve would bear children who were of her same nature and that of Adam. Adam was the first man to walk with God and Adam represents the natural man. Adam’s body was created, taken from the earth; and all who are born upon the earth, are as Adam, of the earth. All are born with a natural mind that knows good (God’s voice speaks to the conscience within all men) and evil. Adam was created from the dust and to the dust his flesh returned. All natural mankind is of the earth, and upon death will return to the earth.

Though sin was introduced through rebellion in the Garden, God would not leave mankind without hope. God told Eve she was to be the mother of all living. He spoke to Eve, before she was cast out of the garden, that He would put enmity between her seed, and the seed of the serpent. There would come a day when children of her lineage would understand and hate the voice of the serpent. His voice, his lies and deception, would be exposed. Through Eve, the mother of all living, a child would be born who would deliver mankind from the power of Satan. A child would be born to deliver mankind from the bondage that the lies of the serpent had brought upon mankind. The deliverer would turn children’s hearts, and eyes back to God. The deliverer would open the eyes of those who walked blindly in darkness. He would cause children’s desire to be for God. He would open their eyes to see the destruction that lies in the darkness of being self-focused, and not God focused. The lies Satan used to take mankind’s eyes off of God would be exposed. Because of the deliverer, mankind would again walk with their eyes being single focused, trusting in God for their lives.

Jesus Christ is the deliverer sent to rescue mankind from the penalty of sin. Jesus was sent to rescue mankind from the judgment of death, and to trample under His heel the power of the serpent over the natural man. Jesus is called the second man, "The Lord from heaven." The first man "that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual," was Adam. All who are brought forth from Eve, the mother of all living, are born as a natural man. They are of the earth, of the dust, and to the earth their flesh will return. But the second man, the man who would deliver mankind from the bondage and penalty of sin, is Jesus Christ. The second man is spiritual. Jesus was filled with God’s Spirit, and through His death and resurrection, He made available God’s Spirit to all mankind. Jesus Christ is the prophesied Messiah, the deliverer and redeemer, who restored and makes available, through the Holy Spirit, personal relationship with God.

The second man, Jesus Christ, is the Lord from heaven. Those who receive God’s Holy Spirit within their lives are born again. All children are born naturally from the womb. All children will walk naturally upon the earth. Those born again, birthed into God’s eternal kingdom through the infilling of God’s Holy Spirit, will walk with a heavenly perspective. Their eye will desire to be single, desiring to trust in God, to walk with God, just as it was in the Garden. They will begin to realize the goodness of trusting and focusing their lives on God. Before having faith in God, self was placed on throne of their heart; but after being filled with God’s Spirit, His love will be the voice of truth that rules and reigns in their heart. His voice will gain power over their lives; and the voice of the evil one, who rules the darkness, which spews forth lies and condemnation, will begin to lose power over the children of God.

Mankind, who walks in the darkness, is held captive to the sins of the flesh. They are of the earth, earthly minded, and think that purpose is found in satisfying self. Natural man, those without the infilling of the Holy Spirit, think that if the flesh is satisfied, justified, then their desire for purpose will be fulfilled. But God calls this a lie. There is no security in trusting in the flesh. Hope, peace, love is found only in God. Only God is good. The lies that Satan uses to cause mankind to live self-focused will only bring about death. Death of relationship, where they are unable to trust God, unable to find hope in God, and eternal death, where their souls will be cast into outer darkness, never to experience God’s love that exists within all creation.

Pharaoh was a man who had placed self on the throne of his heart. He looked to the world that dishonored God for purpose. He gave no honor or praise to the living God. All honor was to be directed towards him. He walked according to the darkness of unbelief, and his desire was to satisfy the lusts of his flesh. He selfishly ruled over the children of God, the Israelites. They were his slaves; and he refused to release those under his control.

God desired that His children be set free from the bondage of Pharaoh. God desired His children be set free from their captor. But Pharaoh refused to let God’s children go. Self that looks to the darkness for purpose will turn their eyes away from the living God. God says there is no good thing to be found in the flesh, and Pharaoh was living testimony to the truth of God’s Word. Pharaoh’s purpose in life was to satisfy his flesh, and he found it natural to rebel against God. The plagues that God sent against Pharaoh, against Egypt, would not change Pharaoh’s heart. Darkness promotes rebellion and refuses to submit to the Word of God.

Today many stand in spiritual Egypt, held captive to a cruel taskmaster, self. The darkness of unbelief blinds them to the good news of what was accomplished for them on the cross. Self that looks to the darkness for purpose refuses to submit to the voice of God. God’s faithful witnesses, Jesus, the Word made flesh, and the Holy Spirit, calls out freedom to those held bondage to the darkness, to self that looks to the darkness for purpose. God’s voice, the Word and the Holy Spirit, call - come out from the bondage of the world covered in gross darkness.

There has been a way prepared by God, so that all may be set free from the bondage of Egypt, it is found in looking and trusting in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. God is able to set people free from bondage, as He establishes His truth upon their heart. His voice will speak forth truth into their lives. As their eyes become single focused on God, His truth gains ground and begins to rule and reign in power within their lives. Those who hear and are filled with God’s Spirit, who are born again, are now Spiritual children. Spiritual children are heavenly-minded people, looking only to God for purpose. Their eye is single, and they are filled and reflect His light of truth. They have personally experienced God’s love flowing within their lives, which brings freedom to their souls that were held captive to the darkness. God’s love becomes their shield of protection so they are able to stand in faith whenever a fiery arrow of tribulation is shot forth from out of the darkness.

Those who deny Jesus access to their hearts, who are not filled with God’s Holy Spirit, walk following after the natural man, Adam. They do not walk following the second man, the spiritual, heavenly man, Jesus Christ. Those without faith, without being filled with God’s Holy Spirit, are of the earth, earthly minded. Some may think they look and act like righteous people, proper, disciplined people, but the truth is, without the infilling of the Holy Spirit, God’s love flowing through their lives, they are as white washed tombs. They may look clean and pure on the outside, their behavior and fellowship may take on a form of godliness, but without the Holy Spirit flowing through their lives, their flesh may be covering dead men’s bones. God has not brought freedom into their lives through His indwelling Spirit, so they are still held in bondage to the world, to earthly thinking.

Those who stand before God’s two witnesses, Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, and the Holy Spirit, may declare that their works prove their goodness. But God looks upon the heart, and knows man by the light that shines within them. Those who proclaim to the two witnesses, that they are walking the path of righteousness, may in truth be walking in the darkness. They do not understand the seriousness of sin. That all mankind has been born as natural man, Adam, and have walked in sin, blinded by the darkness. All of mankind must be spiritually born again, into personal relationship with the Father, through faith in the Son, if they are to walk in God’s kingdom of light.

God is no respecter of persons. He may choose whom He may. Someone may appear to walk in poverty, but they have riches beyond understanding, as God’s Holy Spirit fills their lives with great love for God and for others. Another may have been the tax collector, but as God’s Spirit moved through his life, he understood his need to repent from His evil works, and follow the voice of the Savior. He will be the one who is eternally thankful to God for His mercy toward him; he will be the one who walks with a grateful heart. It does not matter whether a person is rich or poor, Greek of Jew, male or female, God will choose whom He may. And He says that all who hear His voice, and turn to Him, are welcomed into His kingdom of righteousness. No matter where they have been or what they have done, if they will repent from their wicked ways and turn to Him, God welcomes them home into His arms of mercy.

All must repent of looking to the darkness and be baptized into relationship with the Father, through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will help them understand what was accomplished for them on the cross. God’s Holy Spirit will open their eyes to understand that self-focused thoughts hold them in bondage to darkness of worldly, earthly thinking. Through self-focused, and not God focused thinking, people are being held in bondage as surely as the children of Israel were held in bondage to Egypt. Their captor, who rules and reigns in the darkness of unbelief, is crueler, than Pharaoh of Egypt. Their captor, the evil one who rules the darkness of self-focused thoughts, is no more willing to set them free, than Pharaoh was.

When they are set free in Christ, walking in the light, as He is in the light, they will realize the importance of moving beyond outward appearances. Their minds will be quickened to the revelation of what it means to be washed and made holy in the blood of Christ. The garment that will be of great worth in their lives is the garment of salvation, the robe of righteousness, God’s Holy Spirit. If they are to be set free from their bondage to Egypt, the world, to be free to walk in a personal relationship with God, they must be found wearing the white robe of salvation.

Those who are of the earth, who walk as natural men, whose minds are set on things of the earth for purpose, will find that there is no life refreshing rain falling upon the barren soil of their heart. Because they deny the witnesses, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit access to their heart, their heavens are closed. They deny God’s voice access to their heart, so His life refreshing rain, the gentle rain of the Spirit, does not penetrate the dry, parched soil of their soul. They are of the earth, in great need of God’s refreshing waters to be poured out upon them, but they continue to deny Him access to their heart. Their bodies are of the earth, and because they deny God’s good seed, the Word, to be planted upon the soil of their heart, then God does not send the waters of His refreshment.

Natural, unredeemed, earthly-minded mankind, who walk following Adam, denying God access to their heart, bring plague after plague upon their lives. The only waters flowing through their lives have been contaminated, so there is no source of pure nourishment to produce anything of good worth. Unrenewed thinking lays their thought lives wide open to destructive behavior. No solid truth has been planted, and so no maturing is occurring within their lives. Without the good seed, the Word being planted within their lives, no good fruit will grow to maturity through which they can receive nourishment for their souls. Because they deny God’s Word into their lives, their flesh continues to be held in bondage to earth bound thinking. They are walking in the darkness, and their souls have become like a dried up wasteland, with no source of life giving waters flowing upon the barren soil.

God will continue to allow mankind to experience destructive situations, plagues, to draw men to Himself. He will allow them to realize that nothing is quenching their thirst for purpose. All idols, and pursuits that men think up to satisfy the desires of the flesh, as many will understand in time, is nothing but vanity. Situations will arise where they will cry out for deliverance. And as they cry out for release from their bondage, they will realize that God stands ready and willing to deliver them. He stands ready to lead them into the Promised Land, where relationship with Jesus will bring everlasting fulfillment into their lives.