FOREWORD

As we draw near to the end of this age, we continue to pray as the Lord Jesus taught, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Did you realize that the Lord is busy restoring His Kingdom on earth today through His government, even as you are reading this book. How does He restore His people and build His Kingdom? Through truth that He is revealing for this end time that will eradicate the lies that are perpetuated by Satan. Truth will birth a new generation of people and truth will be the solid foundation that His end time church is built on. Hopefully the contents of this book will be of help to the body of Christ as they begin the most challenging journey that has ever been undertaken: The walk on the Highway to Holiness!

Isa. 35:8
8 A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray.

Father God promised that by His Spirit all Truth would be revealed to those who had an ear to hear and a heart to obey. He would prepare a table and serve a ten-course meal at His supper. Each course would have so much meat and fruit that it would be called a feast. Here is a sample of God’s menu:

The King’s restaurants are always open to those that travel His highway. Let us go back and look at the scripture that we used at Isaiah 35:8 and see who travels this highway.

Isa. 35:8
8 A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray.

Notice the unclean cannot walk there and yet this is the only road set before us to reach the Father.

The exciting thing is: As His chosen begin to experience His Feasts, they will slowly be prepared, step-by-step, to Tabernacle or live forever with God! They will learn to break loose from the cords of the Adamic race with its curses to be clothed in robes of separation and be born again into a new generation that are His family, the true sacred seed - children of God.

Their journey begins as they eat their first course and start their way up the highway of holiness.

THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS

The Tabernacle in the Wilderness is a perfect road map to direct our way on the highway of holiness. We will be guided to God’s restaurants where His feasts are served as we become hungry and thirsty. His restaurants are named for the feast that is served there.

The Tent or tabernacle that was carried by old Israel as they made their trek through the wilderness on the way to the promised land is a perfect picture of the walk today’s child of God must make.

Exod. 25:9
9 "According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.

Please study the Tabernacle, as I will refer you to it many times throughout this book.

For the reader that is still in the world as you read this book: It is my hope that this effort affords you a road map that will change your life forever and help direct your path to eternity and a fulfilled life in God. For those of you who have already begun your walk: May this book help you understand where you have been and where you are going. Perhaps you did not eat all of your meals as you began your journey and you will want to go back to experience the feast again. It is my desire and prayer that all who read this book are blessed and nourished by it.

INTRODUCTION

A QUICK GLIMPSE OF THE HIGHWAY AND ITS FEASTS

We begin our journey as we pass over from the world through the four posts into the courtyard. (The four posts represent the four gospels.) In other words, at the beginning leg of our journey we hear the voice of God calling to us to His Kingdom and His people through the scriptures in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. (Refer to the diagram of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness). As we begin to understand that we are sinners and that the life we are leading is not in line with God, we repent and travel on to the Brazen Altar where our sins are forgiven. We are experiencing Unleavened Bread. Then, after severing the cords of iniquity and soul ties to the accursed Adamic race that we were born into, we are ready to lose our identity to Adam in the Laver through water baptism. We die in the watery grave of baptism and from there we are resurrected into a new creature or a new generation of people. This fulfills the Feast of First Fruits in our lives.

Much of the church will allow their people to stop their journey here, but the highway is much longer, and there is so much more to experience. If we continue on, we will pass through the five posts into the Holy Place to stand in the light of the Golden Lampstand. The five posts are symbolic of the fivefold ministers that will serve the remaining meals to us. The Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher are vessels used by God to explain what is on His menu and to serve us if we choose to continue the journey and feast at the Lord’s supper. If we do walk through these posts we will be baptized in the Holy Spirit, with evidence of speaking in tongues, thus completing the Feast of Pentecost. Even more of the Church unfortunately has stopped their journey at this feast, but those that will be overcomers will continue on to the Feast of Trumpets.

It is at the Feast of Trumpets that God tells us through the prophets what He wants us to do with the rest of our life. Therefore it is at this feast that many questions are answered for us, like: How should we serve Him? What has He called us to do? What are we supposed to do after we are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit? Not until the answers to these questions are made plain to us will we have journeyed through the Feast of Trumpets. We will spend much time at this part of the road and it will take quite a while for us to eat and digest this meal. Also, as the Table of Shewbread comes into view, there is something important that we as individuals must stop and understand before we can continue any further down the road of holiness. We must make sure that we fully realize that when we experience death at baptism, we truly die to Adam’s race and are born again, new creatures, First Fruits, and a part of new Israel.

Gal. 3:27-29
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

In Genesis 14 and verse 13 we see that Abraham was a Hebrew.

Gen. 14:13
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram.

Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob fathered twelve sons, who in turn became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. Now remember, we just read in Galatians 3:29 that if we are Christ’s then we too are Abraham’s seed! We have to have this understanding to see that we are, at this point, a part of the 12 tribes of Israel, represented by those 12 loaves of Shewbread. As we continue our journey past the table of Shewbread, Jesus, through the Prophet, will not only show us which part of the Body and which tribe we belong to, but He will show us what God will do through us, or what position or job we will have in His body. God created each tribe to have its own characteristics and we too, as a new creature, will have the characteristics of one of those tribes. When our position in Christ is firmly established we will have fully experienced the Feast of Trumpets and are ready to travel on.

Even though we become born again New Israel, filled with the Holy Spirit and know who we are and what we are expected to do in the body of Christ, we do not change our thought patterns and behavior overnight. We must be molded and shaped and shown the areas of our lives that need to be dealt with so that we can be a Holy vessel: one that is prepared for the Lord to use in helping others to make their walk. A further circumcision of the heart is necessary to remove our self will and self motives as our journey continues on to the Feast of Atonement.

At this part of the journey we will lay down the desires of our carnal lives if they at all interfere with the Lord’s work that He is doing through us. We will lay our works and our personal lives on the Altar of Incense. Before we can be an acceptable sacrifice on God’s altar, however, Jesus through those He has chosen as leadership, will minister the Isaiah 61 or deliverance Ministry to us so we can die to our self will and be clean vessels for the Master’s use. We will have then experienced the Feast of Atonement. We will finally be a holy offering that can be a sweet smelling savor to the Lord and be allowed entrance into the Holy of Holies. There we fully experience the Lord and He us at the Feast of Tabernacles. Finally, by this part of the journey, God dwells completely in us and we rest completely in Him as we allow Him to live through us on behalf of others.

Heb. 4:10
10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

1 Cor. 3:15-16
15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

We just cannot do things our way any longer at this point of our journey. The Holy Spirit must guide the reins from here on. He will take us to a higher level of holiness if we will allow Him to. You see, our robes have to be white to enter this part of the highway. This means we must be wearing robes of separation by now, and they cannot be spotted with sin or wrinkled with cracks of division.

When we have eaten all of the eight-course meal, we will be ready for our dessert, or the last two feasts, Shimini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. At these feasts the world and its systems will be destroyed and the kingdoms of this world given to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and we enter into the eighth day. He will rule this planet through meek and holy ones that have humbly walked the King’s Highway to Holiness.

THE CHURCH

All the feasts must be experienced by us as individuals first. But as we come together with others that have experienced all of the Lord’s supper also, we will become one body of people (the church militant, the church triumphant) that scripture promises to mankind. When as a church we attend the feasts of Shimini Atzeret and Simchat Torah we will be given as a special treat the victory over Babylon (the religious harlot church) and the Beast (the governments of man run by Satan). We will cross over the finish line of time to sit down at the victory banquet table as we experience the final Passover into eternity! We see this prophesied by Isaiah at the end of chapter eleven and the beginning of chapter twelve.

Isa. 11:15-16
15 The LORD will utterly destroy the tongue (or the lies of Satan) of the Sea of Egypt (Egypt is the world); with His mighty wind He will shake His fist (the fivefold ministers) over the River, and strike it in the seven streams, and make men cross over dry-shod.
16 There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who will be left from Assyria, as it was for Israel in the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.

Isa. 12:1-2
1 And in that day you will say: "O LORD, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; 'For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; he also has become my salvation."

With this promise from scripture in mind, let us begin our study by understanding how to come out of the world of Satan that has been holding us back from entering this exciting race as we journey up the Highway of Holiness.

Chapters

CHAPTER 1 : COMING OUT OF SATAN'S WORLD
TO ENTER GOD'S KINGDOM

CHAPTER 2 : BREAKING LOOSE FROM THE CORDS
TO THE ADAMIC RACE AND SIN

CHAPTER 3 : APPROACHING WATER BAPTISM

CHAPTER 4 : FEASTS OF TRUMPETS

CHAPTER 5 : FEASTS OF ATONEMENT

CHAPTER 6 : ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK
(THE NEW TABERNACLE – NEW COVENANT)

© COPYRIGHT 1998 BY

TRUMPETS OF TRUTH INTERNATIONAL

REVISED 2008

CHAPTER 1
COMING OUT OF SATAN’S WORLD
TO ENTER GOD’S KINGDOM

BEGINNING OUR WALK

As we begin our walk, we can look to the wilderness of Judea and the Prophet, John the Baptist for direction.

Matt. 3:1-2
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,

2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

Prophet John says we must repent. This is our first step onto the highway of holiness. We see this exemplified by Peter in his sermon delivered on the day of Pentecost:

Acts 2:38
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Who is Peter talking to here?

Acts 2:39
39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.

BEGINNING OUR WALK AS WE HEAR HIS CALL AND REPENT

Sadly, much of the church today is so wrapped up in religion and blinded by the traditions of men that when new ones do hear the Father’s call and they answer, they are not being taught the true meaning of repentance. Why? Because holiness is not a priority. Repentance can only come when we recognize that we are sinners and separated from God. Only then will we have the desire to turn from our sinful nature and start our walk in Holiness before the Lord. Again, if we do not realize we are wrong, how can we know to repent? And if we are not taught right from wrong, how can we be willing and obedient. Obedience and willingness to obey the voice of God must be in our minds and then to do the will of God, or obey, must be a heart condition as we hear Him call us individually to His flock. Jesus explained all this to the hypocritical leadership of His day. In fact He informed them that they were not even His sheep!

John 10:26-27
26 "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.

27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

John tells us if we love God, we will keep His commandments.

1 John 5:3
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

If we are His sheep, we will believe in Him who is truth and come to Him. We will not resist Him or His commandments. When we are exposed to the light of truth as the gospels are explained to us, our sin becomes apparent and we will want to change. We, like Adam and Eve, are naked before Him. We begin to open our eyes to our cunning ways and our sinful nature that is more like the Devil than God. The word tells us what we must do at Matthew 3:8-12.

Matt. 3:8-12
8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,

9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ (This statement is for both the natural Hebrew and the Hebrew through new birth! Even if we are born again, we must grow and mature.) [John goes on to explain:] For I say to you, that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

10 And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees (the offshoots of the tree of good and evil: Satan). Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

We must become the trees of righteousness spoken of in Isaiah 61:3.

Isa. 61:3
3 To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

So once again today the Holy Spirit, through the voice of the Apostles and Prophets is addressing the modern day church leadership and telling them to teach the new ones to repent and bring forth good fruit. The consequence of disobedience is that they will be cast into the fire and burned as chaff. If holiness is not taught by leadership, the blood of the new born will be on their hands. All must be guided at the beginning of their walk to the Highway of Holiness.

SARDIS, THE DEAD CHURCH

Many new ones will come on the highway from the world, but sadly there are actually people in the church that are not really born again!

Considering the current Revelation of Truth concerning baptism and the preparation for it, we find that most of the church is lying dead in the street. Apostle John saw a vision concerning these ones.

Rev. 11:8
8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

God has a name for the church that has members in this spiritually dead condition.

Rev. 3:1
1 And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.

The truth or revelation concerning Cords, Proper Baptism, Israel and the destruction of the church in these last days is not understood by the majority of God’s people resulting in their spiritual death. If we as individuals are one of those dead on the street then how do we regain our life? Ezekiel 37:9-10 gives us the clue.

Ezek. 37:9-10

9 Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."

10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Just as the church at the time of Jesus was told to repent through the prophet John, so today the prophets are prophesying or blowing the trumpets of warning to the church to repent and walk in holiness.

So if we want to live and be a part of this great army, we too must ask the Lord what should we do next! Jesus gives us the answer in John 3:3. But first we must understand our spiritually dead condition and have answered the call from God to come forth. Then we must repent from our sin and tell Him we desire to be a part of His great army. We have to be willing to leave our old life with its sin and iniquity and voice our desire to become a child of God. Then Jesus is only too happy to tell us how we can accomplish all this:

John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

We must be born again! Why? Here is a big key! Because Adam’s race is cursed!

John 3:5-6
5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’

We cannot do it as Adam’s descendants. We must be born over again!

The Word of God says:

1 Cor. 15:22
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Let us repeat this scripture: "In Adam all die, In Christ all shall be made alive!"

To better understand, let us go back to the Garden in the beginning of the Bible. Here we will see what we are to become as we are born again into a creature much like Adam before his fall. In fact, let us look at diagram 1 that depicts Adam in his glorified state, whole, complete and created in the image of God.

So God created man in His own image.... Then God saw everything He had made and indeed it was very good (Genesis 1:27,31)

s

Diagram 1

At this time the Lord was connected to Adam’s spirit man. So Adam was privy to God’s abilities, His authority and all knowledge. The voice of his spirit man (his conscience) was also connected to God’s will. He was not driven or ruled by emotion or his five senses.

In this state Adam knew nothing but the fullness of God. He was at One in body, soul, and spirit with the Father. He was an immortal being in the Father’s likeness, who only knew good. His thoughts were God’s thoughts, and his heart was pure. Adam had dominion over all things because he was not a slave to sin. Nothing had him bound. All belonged to him. There was only one condition or one rule that God had given him:

Gen. 2:16-17
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Upon eating the fruit from this tree, Adam fell from his glorified state. He lost his abilities and his dominion over the earth to Satan and the work of his hand became cursed. The works he would do would be his human efforts, guided by Satan rather than God. He would toil and sweat. There would be little rest. Even the ground was cursed for their sake. And, as God promised, although Adam and Eve did not immediately physically die, they did die spiritually. It was just a matter of time because of their deteriorated spiritual state before they died in the natural also.

Gen. 3:17-19
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.

18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.

19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return."

They, their children and indeed all born of their race were cursed! They were no longer trees of righteousness and they both immediately lost their spiritual lives. Instead of eating truth from the tree of life (God) as they were told to do, they ate the lies from the tree of good and evil (Satan). They broke God’s Law, became lawless, and the death sentence was passed. Now their spirit man once connected to God would die, and they, along with all their descendants would be forever connected to Satan. They entered into a timeline and would now only live a lifespan. They lost their immortality! This is sadly the state of Adam after the fall, and all of us as well, before we are born again. We are his descendants, are we not? Is it any wonder then that it is so easy for us to do wrong! Where Adam was once privy to God’s ability and knowledge, he now was a rebel, an outcast that would function through Satan’s ability and walk in his power and authority. He traded the wisdom of the Word for the Intellect of man and the intelligence of Satan!

Diagram 2

This diagram is to show Adam's condition after the fall.

We can say it this way:

Since Adam was no longer connected to God, man’s intellect, or the knowledge of Satan, was born. By eating the lies from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam’s thoughts turned to himself. He came to a place of self-awareness. Now he could see and be enticed by sin like a carrot in front of a horse. His thoughts were no longer pure, being connected to Satan and having lost the Mind of God, he was now operating in his own understanding or intellect. The creature that God had created in innocence and beauty had become perverted. Adam’s spirit, no longer alive in the Lord, was now dead. He came under the influence of the prince of death, Satan, the tree of good and evil. No longer would Adam know the perfect peace, joy, or love which are the fruits of God’s Spirit (or the Tree of Life), but instead he would carry the heavy yoke of sin from eating Satan's fruit.

Gal. 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Adam, in the beginning, was all these things. He was the law. Now he would not only feel physical pain in his body, but the emotional pain of despair and grief as well in his mind. Through his sin, mankind was cursed. Pain, suffering and misery would continue to plague Adam’s seed throughout the history of God’s people.

THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL

The good news is: even before Adam disobeyed, God began to lay the foundation of His plan to redeem His people! God Himself through the body of Jesus, would be born into Adam’s race and would take on the curse of sin and defeat death through His own death, burial, and resurrection. This sacrifice on His part would provide a way for us to Tabernacle with God, as did the original Adam and Eve, without ever dying a physical death. We see this promise in 1 Corinthians 15:51.

1 Cor. 15:51
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--

Did you realize that all this was foreshadowed by the first Passover that was experienced by God’s people while they were still in Egypt? Even as they sprinkled the blood of the Lamb on the doorpost of their house, today the blood of the Lamb of God is sprinkled on the doorposts and lintel of our hearts (God’s house). As we repent of our sin and iniquity and cry out to God that we too want out of the world, He enters our bodies and we become His home. And with the blood of Jesus covering our sin, the Angel of Death will pass over us. Just like God’s early people, if we no longer want to be a part of Adam and Satan, and we repent for the things we did as Adam’s race, He is faithful to forgive us even while we are still in the world.

Side Note : We do not try to clean ourselves up before asking God to come into our hearts. We just repent and ask Him in and He will clean us up as we begin to walk on His Highway of Holiness. Our repentance will gain us access to the courtyard of God’s Kingdom. There He will offer us the promise of eternal life, but we must continue our walk. We cannot stop here!

EATING ALL OF THE LAMB

The Israelites were commanded to eat all of the Lamb in Exodus 12:10, and, as stated earlier, Israel must do the same thing today if they want to begin their exodus from the world. Let us read from this account in Exodus.

Exod. 12:3
3 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.

Exod. 12:6
6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.

Exod. 12:9-10
9 'Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire -- its head with its legs and its entrails.

10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.

Exod. 12:12
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

Exod. 12:13
13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

SO WHERE IS THE LAMB TODAY ?

By now we should realize that the Lamb is the Word. He is the truth, He is the oracle or prophecy, and we must eat all of the meat of this word or all of the truth we are being taught. If we are prophesied to, we must digest it fully also. As stated before, we must eat all of the Lamb. He is served at each feast. This is eating all of Jesus, or all Wisdom and Truth and not eating of the tree of good and evil.

Satan however is the counterfeit. He is the goat! He is the unrighteous tree of good and evil. We should lose our taste for goat. We must inspect the fruit and leaves of the tree before we eat from it. We do not want to attend the wrong feast! In fact, his perverted feasts are what most of the church call their holidays. To list a few: Easter, Christmas, Halloween and the like. There are more people attending the enemy’s feasts and devouring the lies of the goat than there are ones that enjoy a meal on revelation knowledge or the Lamb. How does God feel about the church’s choice of holidays, or Satan’s feasts? He says at Amos 5:21

Amos 5:21
21 "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies.

In other words, God does not care for their compromising church services, and He hates their choice of holidays. Leviticus chapter 23 lists the feasts that belong to God.

Lev. 23:2
2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.

So, the Feast of Passover is the first feast in our life. The first taste of the Lamb causes us to want to leave the world that we are in with its sorrows and woes and ask God if we can enter into His world. The second bite takes away our sin. With this second bite comes the understanding of what was accomplished on the cross for us through the shed blood of Jesus.

1 Pet. 1:18-20
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for "you"!

At this point also we begin to see the need we have to die to Adam's race and to repent of our sins. So we are at this time experiencing the second feast, Unleavened Bread.

John the prophet pointed the Lamb out to the people as Jesus appeared on the scene many years ago.

John 1:29
21 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

The prophetic is pointing to the Lamb today also.

John 1:1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Remember what John said: "Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world"? So the Word or truth is Jesus, and Jesus is the Lamb.

It is true that we want our sins removed as we experience Passover, but we want even more. We want to Passover from time to eternity, and Jesus gave us this opportunity by His passing over from eternity to time so He could be our Passover Lamb.

First, He would have to be born into the Adamic race to take on its sin even though He Himself would never be overcome by the sin. His walk on the highway was perfect. He fulfilled every jot and tittle of the law. You see He had to be born into Adam’s race to take our sins. But He also had to be born again to die in our place. Why? Because the Adamic race is not only sinful, it is cursed as well! Born through Mary, He too, like all born from Adam, was cursed! He, like us, also had to be born again.

Matt. 3:13-17
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.

14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?

15 But Jesus answered said unto him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.

16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.

17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

The sins and curses that were attached to Him from the Adamic race were removed through His born again experience. Now He could be offered up as the sacrificial Lamb (perfect in every way) for our sin and the curses on our lives.

As He has pre-eminence in all things, He was the firstborn of many brethren. We see also Jesus set the example of baptism by immersion, so we too must be immersed to be His brethren.

Rom. 8:29
29 For whom He foreknew, He also pre-destined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

We will be conformed back to the image of God rather than Satan. Diagram 3 will help us to visually see the condition of the newborn after baptism.

We are reconnected to God, but as you can see, we are still receiving flying darts from Satan. He is a sore loser and does not give up easily.

Eph. 6:16
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Many have come to the place where their sins are forgiven, and their spirit-man is alive and perfect. They can operate in the gifts according to 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, and hear from God, but they still struggle with sin. They ask themselves, “Why?” In looking at our diagram, we begin to realize there are things still present in our lives that have not been dealt with. Sometimes these are things that people want to hold on to. Many times however, problems remain because there are evil spirits that are still there in the born again individual. However, once they are filled with the Holy Spirit, most people have the desire to be rid of anything that would keep them from being all they can be for the Lord. Many will ask: “How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit and still have these problems?” It is a hard concept to grasp, but the truth is that many of the difficulties people struggle with are actually evil spirits that inhabit them. Impossible you say? Well, let us look to Scripture.

Mark 8:31-33
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.

33 But when he had turned around and looked at His disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Now Jesus loved Peter, but He heard the voice of Satan speaking through Peter and rebuked the devil. Another example is found at the Last Supper Jesus ate with His disciples before His crucifixion. We read in Luke 22: 3 that Satan entered Judas Iscariot, who in turn betrayed Jesus to the Pharisees.

Luke 22:3
3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve (He was chosen by Jesus and was in His presence constantly).

Even before the incident with Judas, Jesus said, “Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (John 6:70.) Some would say, "Well all that was before the cross." To this statement we offer the story of Ananias and Sapphira. They were members of the early Church after the resurrection of Jesus.

Acts 5:1-3
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

2 And kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?"

Ananias and Sapphira paid with their lives, not because they held back the money, but because they lied to the Holy Spirit which dwelt in the Apostle Peter about how much they had to give. We must see that this took place after the cross, after Pentecost, and taking into consideration the way the first Church did things, after they were born again, baptized, Spirit-filled believers. Here is what the early church taught.

Acts 2:38
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

All this had been experienced by Ananias and Sapphira, and yet they died! The devil killed them through spiritual law. They blasphemed the Holy Spirit. How? Because they did not see the Holy Spirit in Peter, they just saw the man, so unknowingly they lied to the Spirit of God. Now here is something we need to see: Peter said to them, "Why have you conceived this thing in your heart?" If you will look back to diagram 3, you will see that in the born again state and in the beginning of our walk, we are perfect in spirit, but still tainted in our souls and bodies. We are still very capable of sinning. Why? Because we still have a long way to go as we travel on the Highway of Holiness, and much to understand concerning the feasts of God. We still have cords of iniquity binding our thinking due to false doctrine in the church. Because the world we were born into was created by the lies of Satan, we still have cords of iniquity to the systems of man and the pleasures of the world he created. Our next chapter will help us understand these cords.

CHAPTER 2

BREAKING LOOSE FROM THE CORDS
TO THE ADAMIC RACE AND SIN

2 Corinthians 6:17-18;
17 "Come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.
18 I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

2 Corinthians 7:1
1 Therefore having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Here the Apostle Paul quotes from Isaiah 52:11 warning God’s people to separate and not touch the unclean thing. The word touch in Greek reveals that to touch means to be attached and fastened to someone or something. He even informs us of how not to touch or be attached to the unclean thing! Further on in Scripture the Apostle Paul tells us, "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit..."

What was the Apostle Paul talking about? What is the unclean thing we are not to touch or be attached to? The Word of God tells us in Isaiah 52:11

Isa. 52:11
11 "Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord."

The unclean thing in this passage of Scripture that the prophet was speaking of is Babylon and Egypt. Babylon is symbolic of man’s religion or all false religions and their doctrines and traditions. Egypt is symbolic of all that encompasses Satan’s government or the kingdoms of this world. We must understand that Satan governs through man’s intellect and the systems they have contrived. This includes the world’s banking and all of the governments it finances. Most of the religious systems of the world are a part of the governmental systems and also happily support them.

Rev. 19:19
19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

Rev. 13:18
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

Rev 13:8
8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

So we see that Babylon, Egypt and all that sustains them are what represent all that is wrong, or the unclean. We read in Isaiah 48:20 many years ago: "Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!" And again in Jeremiah 50:8 "Move from the midst of Babylon, go out of the land of the Chaldeans." Jeremiah 51:6 also states "Flee from her midst, save your life and do not be cut off in her iniquity for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance." In other words, come out from among her and be ye separate. She is the unclean thing and Israel must not share in her iniquity. If she does remain a part of their systems, Israel will also receive of her plagues when God’s wrath is poured out. Jeremiah 51:11 states "For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it.

Note: In Revelation chapter 17 you'll find the complete description of Babylon.

Rev. 17:1-6
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, (These are perverted waters that Leviathan swims in. Who is Leviathan? She is the unclean priesthood.)
2 "with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication."
3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. (The number 7 stands for perfection and 10 means completion.)
4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet (she looks royal), and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls (she appears rich), having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.
5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (In her are all the ancient secrets, religions and evil organizations.)
6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

And in Jeremiah 51 you will find the details of her destruction.

Jer. 51:54-58
54 The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans,
55 Because the LORD is plundering Babylon and silencing her loud voice, though her waves roar like great waters, and the noise of their voice is uttered,
56 Because the plunderer comes against her, against Babylon, and her mighty men are taken. Every one of their bows is broken; for the LORD is the God of recompense, he will surely repay.
57 "And I will make drunk her princes and wise men, her governors, her deputies, and her mighty men. And they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not awake," says the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.
58 Thus says the LORD of hosts: "The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; the people will labor in vain, and the nations, because of the fire; and they shall be weary."

Then in Revelation 14:8; 18:2, 10 and 21 we read, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen!”

Now let us go back to the first scripture of this chapter, where we read from 2 Corinthians 6: 17-18, and also read verse 1 of chapter 7.

2 Cor. 6:17-18
17 Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you."
18 "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

2 Cor. 7:1
1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Taking a look at the word separate, we see that it is the act of setting someone or something apart. Remember that we are dealing with God’s people, Israel, who should be separating from all wickedness, filth and the unclean thing so they can walk God’s highway. We begin with the English definition of the word separate:

American Heritage Dictionary :

To set or keep apart, divide, disunite; to differentiate or discriminate between; to part company, disperse; to become divided.

The following are Hebrew words that are translated to the English word separate.

Strong’s Hebrew Chaldee :

Number 6504 parad (paw-rad'); a primitive root; to break through, i.e. spread or separate (oneself): KJV-- disperse, divide, be out of joint, part, scatter (abroad), separate (self), sever self, stretch, sunder.

Number 5144 nazar (naw-zar'); a primitive root; to hold aloof, i.e. (intransitively) abstain (from food and drink, from impurity, and even from divine worship [i.e. apostatize]); specifically, to set apart (to sacred purposes), i.e. devote: KJV-- consecrate, separate (-ingself,).

Here we have the Greek words for the same English word separate. Keep in mind that the New Testament was translated from the Greek.

Greek Dictionary : :

Number 873 aphorizo (af-or-id'-zo); from 575 and 3724; to set off by boundary, i.e. (figuratively) limit, exclude, appoint, etc.: KJV-- divide, separate, sever.

Number 575 apo (apo'); a primary particle; "off," i.e. away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative): KJV-- (X here-) after, ago, at, because of, before, by (the space of), for (-th), from, in, (out) of, off, (up-) on (-ce), since, with. In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation, completion, reversal

Number 3724 horizo (hor-id'-zo); from 3725; to mark out or bound ("horizon"), i.e. (figuratively) to appoint, decree, specify: KJV-- declare, determine, limit, ordain.

So we have established that we, as God’s people (Israel), must not touch the unclean thing and that we must be separate. Leviticus 19:2 says: “Speak to the congregation of Israel, and say to them; you shall be Holy, for I the Lord am Holy.” Remember, we are New Israel, and it is Israel that is being separated. Why? Because we are to be Holy as He is Holy. You will find that the Hebrew word for holy is very similar to that of the word(s) used for separation, but with more distinction.

qadosh (kah-dosh) - Strong’s Number 6918: Set apart, dedicated to sacred purposes; holy, sacred, clean, morally or ceremonially pure.

So the verb qadosh (holy) means “to set apart something or someone for holy purposes.” Holiness is separation from everything profane and defiling; and at the same time, it is dedication to everything Holy and pure. God is entirely Holy in His nature, motives, thoughts, words, and sacred deeds so that He is called Qadosh, “The Holy One” or Qedosh Yisrael, “the Holy One of Israel.” Thus in the previous scripture at Leviticus 19:2, it can say, “You shall be qedoshim [Holy ones] for I...am Holy.” As we continue our walk up the highway of holiness and partake of His feasts we will become more and more qadosh and in His image and the less we will look like Adam’s people.

1 Cor. 15:47-49
47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

In all these definitions we are given the impression that prior to being accepted as separated, we must cut off all attachments to iniquity. A separation must take place between the godly and the ungodly, the Holy and the profane. Psalm 4:3 states “Know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly.”

Since separation is the dividing or setting aside of that which is Holy, then the attachments that bind us to the ungodly are what needs to be severed for us to be considered separated ones. Let us look at some scriptures that will help us to know what will defile us or make us unclean.

Lev. 19:31
31 Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Lev. 20:6
6 'And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits (or spirit guides), to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.

Deut. 18:10-12
10 "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,
11 "or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.
12 "For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.

Exod. 22:18
18 "You shall not permit a sorceress to live."

Isa. 8:19
19 And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?

These unclean spirits are found in the New Testament also.

Acts 16:16-18
16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.
17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation." (Sounds good, does it not? But Paul worked in word of knowledge and discerning of spirits. He was not fooled.)
18 And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And he came out that very hour.

John 4:1 tells us to not believe every spirit, but we are to test the spirits whether they are of God.

1 John 4:1
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

The bottom line is : all spirits that are not the Holy Spirit are unclean and not to be touched! Above all, if you do not want evil spirits entering you, do not allow anyone that fits the description of those above to touch you! Did you realize that those that are immodest are unclean and unholy according to Strongs? So the worldly people today are certainly something to avoid, stay clear of and don't touch!

THE BEGINNING OF SEPARATION

Everything we see happening to old Israel in the Old Testament was a shadow of what God is doing for His people New Israel today. Separation of Old Testament Israel began when “God heard the cry of His people and delivered them from bondage out of Egypt” (Ex. 2:23; 20:1).

First, God separated Israel from the wicked in the world by cutting asunder the cords that held her in bondage.

Ps. 129:4
4 The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.

This was the loving act of a protective Father on their behalf. Likewise today, the same God is separating us from the wicked of the world. Remember Revelation 18:4.

Second, Israel was instructed to cut any remaining cords of iniquity that she shared amongst her own people. This was a symbolic shadow of us spiritually separating ourselves from those among us today that insist on walking in the stubbornness of their hearts and rebelling against God’s Commands and Statutes. This separating and severing of cords is something we must do ourselves according to 1 Corinthians 5:11-13.

1 Cor. 5:11-13
11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner -- not even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore put away from yourselves the evil person.

We have to physically cut off from and not even eat with the people called brothers that drink, party, are sexually immoral, lovers of the things of the world (idolaters) or those that cheat.

The 10th chapter, verse 34 through 38 of Matthew brings all this into a very personal view on what we are to do if the unclean thing is in our families!

Matt. 10:34-38
34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword (the sword is truth that has a double edge. It cuts on one side and heals on the other, depending on our heart condition).
35 "For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law';
36 "and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'
37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

God through Jesus, laid all down at the cross. All relationships, all future desires, all family, right down to His very life. Are we worthy of Him? Have we truly taken up our own cross? God has made an oath with new Israel to be their God, but just as in the Old Testament, separation had to be completed before the Covenant could be sealed. Nehemiah 10:28-29 states:

Nehemiah 10:28-29
28 Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding,
29 these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the Commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statues.”

Here Old Testament Israel separated themselves and entered into the Covenant that they might be God’s people and He their God. The truth is: God requires the same of New Testament Israel today. 2 Corinthians 6:17 says,

2 Cor. 6:17
17 "Come out from among them and be ye separate; says the Lord, do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you."

In Jeremiah 51:6 (Old Testament) and in Revelation 18:4 (New Testament), we see that separation from all that is not Holy can mean our very lives.

Jer. 51:6
6 Flee from the midst of Babylon (the harlot church), and every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, for this is the time of the LORD'S vengeance; he shall recompense her.

And we read again as a warning today:

Rev. 18:4
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

Here again God is saying that we must come out of Babylon or the religious systems of this world lest we too share in her sins and receive of her plagues. This is why we must cut the cords of iniquity attached to those who refuse to come out of the apostate church, all secret organizations, and every facet of life that is displeasing to God. It will mean our very lives if we remain connected to this wickedness. God is a Righteous and Holy God desiring to tabernacle with a people that are pure and Holy. David understood the ways of God and He is the same God today!

Ps. 4:3
3 But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; the LORD will hear when I call to Him.

He does not take pleasure in wickedness and the evil ones will not dwell with Him. Again David says:

Ps. 5:4
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You.

With today’s revelation of His desire to tabernacle or dwell within us (Col. 1:27), we surely must be Holy, for He is Holy (Lev. 19:2).

Col. 1:27
27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Heb. 3:6
6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

What is the hope? Christ in us will conquer evil, build His house and make the kingdoms of this world His Kingdom. He will destroy all that opposes His house or temple through His heavenly host. We see this prophesied at Daniel 12:1.

Dan. 12:1
1 "At that time Michael (Archangel) shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.

We see this promise again at 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

1 Cor. 3:16-17
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Again, we must ask ourselves: are we separate and holy? Are we ones He will protect? He asks no more of us today than He asked of old Israel.

Lev. 19:2
2 "Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.

Old Israel would not heed the voice of the prophets. Their warnings fell on deaf ears and rebellious hearts. They liked the things of the world and its people. We do not want to be like them. So this requires our separation from all wickedness by walking in repentance and cutting the cords of iniquity from those that will not make this walk. In this way, we are allowed to continue our walk on the Highway of Holiness whereas old Israel died.

MAKING OUR ROBES WHITE
(REMEMBERING THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS)

If we remember, our journey began when we cried out from the world for God to save us and we experienced the Feast of Passover where we entered into the courtyard. Then by asking Jesus to forgive our sins, He applied His blood to the doorposts our hearts as we passed the altar of incense. It is at this point that we find we must cut the cords of iniquity and sever all unrighteous soul ties to even those people near and dear to us who are not willing to walk in Truth. We do this so that we can be baptized in the name of Jesus, and come up from the watery grave as a new creature in Christ, New Israel, without the tainted life of Adam in our blood. We do not want to die! The reason for cutting the cords first is so we will not have any connections to that old carnal man that lived within us with its Adamic nature any longer. Paul explains all this at Colossians 3:5-10.

Col. 3:5-10
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

Here is the nature of the new creature.

Col. 3:12-14
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

So, considering all these things, we should not even want to be connected to the Adamic race in any way as it has been cursed by God and is ruled by Satan. Even Jesus, who had no sin Himself, had to be baptized. Why? Because He too was born through fallen mankind. His natural mother (Mary) had the tainted bloodline with the life of Adam within her so she was cursed and passed these curses on to her son.

For this reason, Jesus Himself went down into the water of baptism and died to all connections with Adam’s cursed bloodline. He came up out of the water as the firstborn of many brethren (Rom. 8:29), experiencing the Feast of First Fruits.

Jesus was the first fruit to be born again after spiritual death had come to Adam and Eve. He was in other words cleansed from the Adamic race so He could proceed in ministry as a clean vessel. These are those God chose before the foundation of the earth to be new creatures and in His likeness or image.

Rom. 8:29
29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

To be one of these we must be free from Adam and all cords must be severed from iniquity and sin to be one that lives forever like Christ.

THE CORDS

What are cords? They are unseen attachments that connect spirits and souls to the holy or unclean. The definition for the word cord taken from the American Heritage Dictionary is this: “Any influence, feelings, or force that binds or restrains.” In the Hebrew the definition for the word cord can be found in the Strong’s Concordance:

Number 2256 chebel (kheh’-bel); from 2254; a rope (as twisted), especially a measuring line; by implication, a district or inheritance (as measured); or a noose (as of cords); figuratively, a company as if tied together); also a throe (especially of parturition); also ruin.

Number 2254 chabal (khaw-bal’); a primitive root; to wind tightly (as a rope), i.e. to bind; specifically, by a pledge; (or covenant) figuratively, to pervert, destroy; also to writhe in pain (especially of parturition).

Are there different kinds of cords? Yes! There are two different types of cords, righteous and unrighteous. We find as we study that the Scriptures mention several cords by name:

The Unrighteous:

1. Cords of Affliction - Job 36:8

Job 36:8 8 And if they are bound in fetters, held in the cords of affliction,

2. Cords of the Wicked - Psalm 129:4

Ps 129:4
4 The LORD is righteous; he has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.

3. Cords of Sin - Proverbs 5:22

Prov 5:22
22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin.

4. Cords of Vanity - Isaiah 5:18

Isa 5:18
18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as if with a cart rope;

The Righteous:

5. Gentle Cords - Hosea 11:4

Hosea 11:4
4 I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.

6. Silver Cord - Ecclesiastes 12:6

Eccl. 12:6
6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well.

7. Threefold Cord - Ecclesiastes 4:12

Eccl. 4:12
12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

8. Scarlet Cord - Joshua 2:18

Josh 2:18
18 "unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father's household to your own home.

In addition, God, through Revelation Knowledge, is also revealing to His people certain cords that are not mentioned directly. By using the Strong’s Concordance however to understand original Hebrew, we find that certain Hebrew words, by definition, mean cords but are translated differently to English. A good example of this is the Hebrew Word, tiqvah, which was translated into English as hope, but means cord also. If you would like to see this for yourself, the Strong’s number for this particular word is 8615.

8615 tiqvah (tik-vaw');

from 6960; literally, a cord (as an attachment [compare 6961]); figuratively, expectancy:

In Scripture this word is found in Job 8:13-14:

Job 8:13-14
13 So are the paths of all who forget God; and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish,
14 whose hope shall be cut off.

This could read: if the hope (cord) of the hypocrite will perish and be cut off, then the hope (cord) connected to it will be cut off as well! In Psalm 130:7 we see that Israel’s hope should be in the Lord. And in Proverbs 10:28, "The hope (cord) of the righteous will be gladness, but the hope (cord) of the wicked will perish."

Below is a brief description of the two types of cords:

Righteous:

Righteous cords link together those who walk in Truth and repentance, whose Father is God, the born again.

Unrighteous:

Unrighteous cords link together those who walk in disobedience, whose father is Satan. Even the world understands "birds of a feather flock together."

WHAT ARE WE BOUND TO ?

From these descriptions, we can conclude that cords are binding. They bind together the righteous and they bind together the unrighteous. As children of God we must make certain we are not bound to the wrong thing. Not only do cords bind, but they also feed. They function like an umbilical cord, that feeds and nourishes a baby fetus or in this case, a born again new baby Christian. So, if we think of all these different cords as being umbilical in nature, it is easy to understand why we should not be connected to unrighteous people. If we, being righteous, are connected to someone who is unrighteous, essentially we are being fed iniquity. And they, being unrighteous, are drawing out or feeding on our righteousness, literally sucking the life out of us! Life is in the blood and Adam’s life is in the blood of the unrighteous. So cords are a source of life or death!

2 Cor 6:14-18

14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?
16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
17 Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you."
18 "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

If you are intimate with a person who walks in wickedness, you are being fed the iniquity of that person and weakened spiritually by their wickedness. If you are close to a righteous person you are fed the truth and are strengthened by the righteousness of that one. According to the dictionary, intimate means: A person with whom one shares close ties of linking and trust. Cords link us to family, friends and acquaintances in the supernatural to form a camaraderie that keeps us on the highway of holiness if they are righteous, or they will pull us off the highway if they are not. These cords tie and bind our Spiritual Man to good or evil. We are not only linked to, but are bound up in these cords.

SOUL TIES

Soul-ties are just like cords. These however, link soul to soul. If we are to “walk in the spirit” and not in the flesh (which is carnality, or the soul realm) then we cannot be tied or connected to anyone who is walking in that realm. This is Satan’s way of holding us back and keeping us in bondage. Truly this plan of entrapment is ingenious! Satan uses what means the most to people: their loved ones and the pleasures of this world! Now that Satan has you bound in worldly things you enjoy doing, he also feeds you through the cords attached to people who are connected to the world, making sure you cannot break free. Let me give you an example:

The Book of Jasher (11:44-48) records an encounter that Abram had with his father Terah, concerning the idols that were set up in Terah’s home. Abram (Abraham) speaks... “Now surely it is not good for thee nor for the sons of men that are connected with thee, to do these things; are you so silly, so foolish, or so short of understanding that you will serve wood and stone and do after this manner?...Now therefore, my father, refrain from this, and bring not evil upon thy soul and the souls of thy household.” Clearly we can see that Terah, who was an idolater, would be bringing sin on everyone he was close or connected to.

THE MARRIAGE MATE

There is however allowance made for the marriage mate.

1 Cor 7:13-15
13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. (Children are holy if one of the parents is making the walk on the highway of holiness.)
15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.

So the unbelieving mate is sanctified by the righteous mate and they can remain together for the sake of the children if they can dwell in peace. If there is no peace in the home then they can separate or even divorce if sexual immorality takes place on the part of the unrighteous one. Remember, God calls those that put other gods before Him fornicators. Their god can be the world, families, entertainment or whatever.

The meaning of Sanctified in the Strongs is number 37: to make holy, i.e. (ceremonially) purify or consecrate; (mentally) to venerate: ; sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated)

What a picture God has drawn for us! Through the purity of the believer being baptized properly, born again and walking in righteousness, the unbelieving spouse, who is one flesh with the believer, is sanctified and purified as though they had gone down in the water themselves and come up in newness of life. However, I do not know that this scripture is talking about a spouse that was born again and Spirit filled: in other words, ones that turn their backs on truth. But one thing we do know is that the holy walk of the believer does allow the children under the age of accountability to be made Holy. The same is true in the church. Should the end of the age occur before the ones freshly born into God’s kingdom mature, they would be covered and sanctified through the elders in the church. In other words, God is a parent through mature leadership to protect the newborn in the personal family and in the church family.

We must see however, that in the scripture we just read in 1 Corinthians concerning the marriage arrangement, the statement is made that God has called us to peace. This means that if the unbeliever cannot dwell in peace, allowing the marriage mate to be all he or she can be in God without causing problems, then the believer can depart from that one.

Peace in Strongs is number 1515 eirene (i-ray'-nay);

Probably from a primary verb eiro (to join); peace (literally or figuratively); by implication, prosperity: KJV-- one, peace, quietness, rest, + set at one again.

Remember the Word of God says to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called.

Ephesians 4:1
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling of which you were called.

Each of us will stand before God with what we have or have not done for Him. So the peace referred to is the believing spouse to be allowed to be all he or she can be for God who is the greater husband. This must be without hindrance from the unbelieving spouse. We should live in quietness and rest. The traditional church teaches family first, service to God second. But the Bible teaches God first.

Luke 14:26-27
26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Luke 18:29-30
29 So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,
30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come everlasting life."

Matt 19:28-29
28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

CHRIST AND THE CHURCH

The relationship of man and wife has always been a shadow of Christ and His church. As men and women were instructed to leave their families and to cleave to one another, so the church is instructed to sever the cords of iniquity to their worldly families and the Adamic church, and cleave to one another in Christ as the family of Israel.

Ephesians 5:30-32 explains:
30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED

Did you know that the word flesh in the Hebrew section of the Strong’s Concordance is number 1320, meaning (rosy as fresh) and comes from a root word meaning to (preach – good tidings – message – announce and publish)?

Also, if you study the word bone, 6106 in Hebrew, it means (the selfsame body), it goes to 6105 meaning (to bind fast)! (Cords). It goes on to the meaning (make powerful, wax great and be numerous).

So we are flesh of His flesh when we speak His fresh message, His truth, and publish undiluted, non-compromising good tidings. In the supernatural the Word became flesh.

John 1:14
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Now, in the natural, we as the flesh must become the Word. In other words, we become the message as we walk out the truth as revealed to us. We are covered by the truth. We become the Word or flesh of His flesh, we become the body of Christ.

When we are bone of His bone, we are like Him. We are the selfsame body when we are bound just to Him.

1 Cor 12:27
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

This is why we must cut the cords and soul ties to all those that walk in sin. This is also why we do not want to be bound to Satan’s world. Do we want to be bone of Satan’s bone? Come out of her, My people, God calls: out of her schools, out of the governments of man, out of the apostate church. Stop singing the world’s music and looking to their entertainment as your source of joy. Cut off to the best of your circumstances, all that Satan controls and promotes. Remember, bone also goes to the word shut. If we want to shut the enemy out of our lives, we must become bone of His bone. Jesus holds the keys of David and He uses them through His leadership to open doors no man can shut and shut doors no man can open. That is IF they are bound to Him and are no part of Satan’s governments. They must be bone of His bone.

Rev 3:7
7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens":

Isa 22:22
22 The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open.

What is the key that can open and shut doors? Truth! Who can we go to that will have it? Those that are on His shoulder, or who form the neck and head part of His body. Isaiah 9:6 shows us who this is.

Isa 9:6-7
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

We should want leadership that preaches present truth or are flesh of His flesh. They should be about His Kingdom and not be bound in any way to the world’s governments. They must be bone of His bone. We should look at the fruit of their lives to see how bound they are to the world and its prince.

Matt 4:8-9
8 Again, the devil took Him (Jesus) up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."

The kingdoms of this world were Satan’s to give! Jesus did not reply saying the kingdoms were not Satan’s to give: they were! If we are a part of them, we are bone of Satan’s bone! We must bind ourselves or have cords of love to God’s kingdom, His people and the things that He created for our entertainment for us to be bone of His bone. We must speak only truth to be flesh of His flesh. No moldy bread of false doctrine must come from our mouths. No coarse talk or worldly language should pass our lips. We are to be holy and clothed in Truth. We must not be bound to things God did not create for our use. There is a difference between using something and being bound to it. Remember, we are bone of the body we are bound to, so make sure what you are bound to is a part of God’s creation and not Satan’s.

Also, did you know that if we sever off the cords of iniquity or disassociate with people walking in wickedness, we can be linked to those who are already righteous and in Paradise? We can be linked, as well as those who are walking the Highway of Holiness with us.

The Book of Enoch explains this in chapter 61 and in verses 1-3:

"And I saw in those days how long cords were given to those angels, and they took to themselves wings and flew, and they went towards the north. And I asked the angel, saying unto him; ‘Why have those angels taken these cords and gone off?’ And he said unto me; ‘They have gone to measure.’ And the angel who went with me said unto me: ‘These shall bring the measures of the Righteous, and the ropes of the Righteous to the Righteous that they may stay themselves (or in today’s language, strengthen themselves) on the name of the Lord of Spirits forever and ever."

What is actually taking place here is the connecting of the Righteous who reside in Paradise to those who are the Righteous on earth through righteous cords. This connecting feeds and nourishes those on earth, providing them with added strength so they may be stayed on the name of the Lord of Spirits forever and ever.

Enoch 61:4
4 And these cords shall strengthen the righteous.

Heb 12:1
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us (wraps us in cords of iniquity), and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

These are the righteous cords we are to have to the righteous that have gone before us. Many of us have parents or friends on the other side, pulling for us. They are perfected, and know better than to have cords to us if we will taint them! As I said, these are righteous cords. On the other hand, David’s cords of iniquity with Bathsheba resulted in adultery and murder. Samson’s relationship with Delilah resulted in soul ties that cost him his life. Cords of iniquity from God’s people to the apostate church, worldly families and the systems of this world, will also cost the Bride of Christ her relationship with the Lord. As man’s kingdoms come down, these cords, like a spider web or a net that ensnares, will also cause the church to lose her physical life. She will be so caught up in the tradition of denominations and a false loyalty to pastors, family and the like, that she will never be able to free her flesh to be one of those at 1 Corinthians 15:51.

1 Cor. 15:51
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--

They can never be changed or be made immortal. They are covered in lies and compromise, or the flesh of Satan, and are bound to the old ways and are bone of Satan’s bone as well. How sad when for years God has been saying at Revelation 18:4.

Rev 18:4
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues."

ISRAEL, OLD and NEW

Old Testament Israel started out to possess the Promised Land, but because of their rebellion and lawlessness, they died before entering it. Their journey had not progressed very far until Israel corrupted themselves while Moses was not there to guide them and was on top of Mount Sinai receiving direction for them from God. Because of this lawlessness, they were made to choose on whose side they would stand. Satan or God. Those who chose the Lord’s side were then commanded, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’” (Ex. 32:27). This is just one example of a time when Israel was instructed by God to cut off those among her who walked in iniquity and refused to adhere to His laws. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). What He spoke then, He is speaking today. He still expects us to walk in the laws He wrote on our hearts and minds. He did not get rid of the law, He made it a part of us. We must fulfill the law in following Jesus’ footsteps or example.

Matt 5:16-17
16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven".
17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

What exactly is lawlessness? Let us look at 1 John 3:4.

1 Jn. 3:4
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

Now let us turn to 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and 7.

2 Thess. 2:3
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

2 Thess. 2:7
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. (The lawless one, Satan through his body must be destroyed.)

It must have been incredibly difficult to carry out such a command as given to Moses and those that were loyal to him and God. Thankfully we do not have to slay our families or our brothers in Christ today. Our fight is not a fleshly one, but a spiritual one.

Ephesians 6:12
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

It is these wicked spirits that operate through those God wants us to cut the cords from. If we want to walk in the Light of God, upon the Highway of Holiness however, we must disconnect ourselves from those family members and brothers in Christ who oppose the Truth, refuse to repent and allow the powers and principalities to operate through them. It is either Christ in us, or Satan in us! There is no in between. The question here is, “Who are our family members and who are our brothers and sisters in Christ?” Jesus gives His answer to us in Luke 8:21:

Luke 8:21
21 my mother and my brethren are these who hear the Word of God and do it.

We need to have the attitude displayed by King David concerning his companions. In the Book of Psalms he wrote,

Ps. 119:63
63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.

If we have relatives and friends who will not hear the Word of God and do it, then we must disassociate with them so that their sins will not be imputed on us.

1 Cor. 5:9-12
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.
10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner-- not even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?

Some would like to say separation is only a heart condition, but look what 1 Corinthians 5:13 has to say:

1 Cor.5:13
13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person."

Here it becomes a physical act of separation. As Israel, we are to be set apart unto our God. Sometimes it becomes necessary to physically separate yourself in order to walk uprightly. We see this principle at Matthew 5:28-29 on a personal level, or in our physical bodies.

Matt 5:28-29
28 "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

The same principle is true for the body of Christ.

Spiritually speaking though, we are to be completely disconnected in our hearts and minds also. Remember, God tests the hearts and minds of His people. We can fool man by saying we are not connected to the wicked, but we will fall under the judgment prescribed for the wicked if we are unfaithful in our hearts and unstable in our minds. So, if a person that has been walking in the Truth becomes rebellious and disobedient, causing division in the Body, the scripture clearly states that they are to be marked (or noted).

Rom 16:17
17 Now I urge you, brethren, note (or mark) those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.

Once this marking has occurred, the person noted is placed in a spiritual Valley of Decision by God. Separation from people allows the Spirit of God to work on their spirit man and speak to their hearts hopefully to bring them to a state of repentance. If the rebellious one sees they are wrong and repents and the fruit of that repentance is evident, then that person may be restored. In order for these to be fully recovered however, they must cut the cords of iniquity that were attached through their rebellion and disobedience, and sever the ties that link their souls to others that walk in the same sin. How do we cut loose from all these cords?

WALKING IT OUT - SEVERING THE CORDS

We sever all cords through prayer by using the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, that divides the marrow from the bone and the spirit from the soul. All this is done through the Name of Jesus. However, many times we have soul blocks, or mind sets, that will hinder us from seeing these cords in our own lives. The Ministry of Isaiah 61 or the deliverance ministry through God’s leadership can remove the curses that sin inflicts on us. They can sever the cords that caused them, and set us free to experience the Covenant promises of God. But we must separate in our hearts from sin and from others that refuse to walk holy before this ministry can really be effective. In Matthew 10:34-37, Jesus said,

Matt 10:34-37

34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

35 "For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law';

36 "and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'

37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

To whom are you loyal and who do you fear?

Matt. 10:28
28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

If your loyalty is to your carnal family and friends, you are indeed in spiritual bondage and on the path of destruction.

That is: die to the world, its people, its governments, its church, and become flesh of His (Jesus) flesh, bone of His bone and a part of His household and Kingdom with no soul ties or cords to the past.

CHAPTER 3

APPROACHING WATER BAPTISM

Earlier we touched on water baptism as being one of the steps we must take on the Highway of Holiness. Now we will expand on the importance of water baptism and truly being born again.

John 3:4-7
4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?
5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
6 that which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again."

Much of the church today talks about having a salvation, or born again experience, but do they really understand what Jesus was saying? We just read the statement: “that which is born of flesh is flesh”, and in reading Isaiah 64: 6 we will find that our flesh is as filthy rags before the Lord.

Isa. 64:6
6 But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Rom. 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

So the scriptures show us that we are all unclean at our birth into the Adamic race! How? Because we are conceived in the womb of an earthly mother, who was born into the sin and likeness of her original parents, Adam and Eve. The forefathers of our race ate the fruit of Satan’s lies and become like him. Now all born after them would have the nature of Satan and come under the punishment for sin. What was that punishment? Let us read Genesis 2: 16-17 to see what God told them.

Gen. 2:16-17
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
17 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

But what did Satan tell her?

Gen. 3:4-5
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
5 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Notice the scriptures call Satan a serpent. This is because he is cunning, smooth and deceptive. He looks harmless enough, but in reality he is a murderer and liar. Because of him we are born cursed and spiritually dead. Again, Satan is a liar and the father of all who are born to fallen man. Sinful flesh cannot enter the presence of a holy God. Jesus explains this sad state we are in at John chapter 8, verse 44.

John 8:44
44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

So if we are all sinners and fall short of God’s glory, there is only one thing we can to. We must be born again.

John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

SO WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO TO BE BORN AGAIN ?

As we studied the chapter on cords, we came to the understanding that we must sever the cords of iniquity to the sin and rebellion we were born into, as well as to the sin and rebellion in our families, friends, and the world. We must face the fact that we need to sever the cords that are attached to our Adamic nature. By cutting these cords we are taking the next step to be taken after repenting and experiencing the feast of Passover. In other words, we express our desire to God to be obedient to His kingdom and His laws, and then sever the cords of iniquity and sin that have us bound to Satan’s world. This truth, if acted on, will set us free from the lies of Satan that have been producing the fruit of sin and lawlessness in mankind since Adam and Eve in the garden! Then the child of God can be bound or have cords of love to their Heavenly Father. They listen and repeat what their Father tells them, so their message is pure truth!!

DO WE HAVE TO BE BAPTIZED
TO MAKE IT INTO PARADISE IF WE DIE ?

No! A person can enter into Paradise the same way the thief on the cross did. Before dying, the thief acknowledged Jesus as the Savior, to which Jesus responded, “This day you will be with me in Paradise”. Even though the thief had not experienced water baptism, positionally, he did experience the Passover Lamb.

John 1:29
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

But this is a circumstance where the thief died before he had the opportunity to travel further up the highway of holiness. We however are still alive and cannot just stop here!

THE TABERNACLE’S PATTERN

Let us go back and examine the diagram of the tabernacle in the wilderness for a better understanding of this event at the cross. The thief experienced the Brazen Altar (as Jesus had already died before him), or had shed His blood for his sins. We see proof that Jesus died before the thief on the cross at John 19: 32-33

John 19:32-33
32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.
33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

So through the death of Jesus (Jesus died for our sins) the thief had experienced Unleavened Bread, but he had not experienced the Laver to be baptized and born again. So in other words, the thief still had to die a physical death also so he could be resurrected to a new life. He was not born again in this world. Adam’s race is cursed and cannot enter paradise, so the thief had to become something different from Adam to experience the Feast of Tabernacles where he would dwell with God. Do you realize that this is still the position the majority of the church sleeps in today? They too will have to die a physical death to be able to dwell with the Lord. But we who seek present Truth wonder why we have to die, and ask: “Who are those that will not sleep that the Scripture speaks of in I Corinthians 15:51-52?”

I Cor. 15:51-52
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, [experience death] but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

We should want to be one of those 1 Corinthians 15:51 people!

FALSE DOCTRINE HAS STOPPED US

You see, many have thought they were saved because they recited the sinners’ prayer (a prayer formulated to lead one to Christ) but have gone no further even though they were alive and well, and had the opportunity to do so. Then there are others that did go on to be baptized, but were deceived through false doctrines and were not baptized properly. Most fall under this bracket. Yet there is a people that will be changed without dying! We know this because we see them when we read Psalms 102:18-21.

Ps. 102:18-19
18 This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
19 For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven the LORD viewed the earth,

It goes on to say:

Ps. 102:20-21
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner, to release those appointed to death,
21 To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem,

Here is the good news: The "generation yet to be created" is here and He has released those that were appointed to death! These are the ones that are born again and different from the people of Adam’s race as the last trump blows. I point this truth directly toward the dead Adamic church of Sardis, whom the Lord speaks of when He says, ...I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. (Rev. 3:1).

These poor people call themselves Christians (they think they have a name). They also think they are alive (they do works for the Lord), but sadly, because they are misinformed concerning baptism, they are still going to die physically before they can experience the Feast of Tabernacles. These are also those who are spoken of in Revelation 11:8 as lying dead in the streets. But happily Daniel in chapter 12 and verse 4 speaks of a time when the knowledge of God would increase and the dead would arise. Also the Prophet Joel said in Joel 2:28 that in the latter days God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. With the infilling of the Spirit there comes the ability to comprehend the deeper things of God. The mysteries will be opened to God’s people through those God chooses to reveal them through, and as stated before, the Apostle Paul tells us at 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

So we see, at the blowing of the 7th and final trumpet, the Church is still here on planet earth and being called to wake up and be born again.

Side Note : In Ezek. 37:9-12 we see how God will bring all of this about. He will awaken His people from spiritual death by releasing new revelation on the wind (or blow the trumpet) to be carried to the ears of those that have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church! We see this phenomenon foretold in Ezekiel chapter 37.

Ezek. 37:9-12
9 Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."
10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!
12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.’

Like the example of Lazarus they will come forth as they hear the voice of God calling them through truth or divine inspiration. (That example is found at John 11:31-34). Let us look at the word breath in the Hebrew language by studying the Strongs Concordance. Breath is number 5397.

5397 neshamah (nesh-aw-maw');

from 5395; a puff, i.e. wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect. or (concretely) an animal:

Today, in Revelation 11:11, we see this fulfilled.

Revelation 11:11
11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

Or we could say it this way: the vital breath, divine inspiration from God entered them, they stood to their feet and great fear fell on those who saw them. (For a deeper study of these issues see our book on Government of God.) But for now let us move on so we can understand how to be properly born again into the family of God. Let us again refer to our road map, the Tabernacle in the Wilderness.

Step one: we cried out to God to save us. He heard and allowed us access to His courtyard. Step two: We repented of all our sins only to find out our whole race is cursed and sinful! But God forgives our personal sin at step two of our journey and gives us the opportunity to sever the cords that have us bound to our sinful race. At this part of our journey we experience the feast of Unleavened Bread. Our sin is covered over by the blood of Jesus at this feast, as was the sin of the thief on the cross with Jesus. To understand how all this happens we must understand His blood.

UNDERSTANDING HIS BLOOD

The truth surrounding how the blood of Jesus would one day cover our sins was foreshadowed by the children of Israel as they prepared to depart from Egypt. God, through Moses, directed them to slay a lamb and sprinkle the blood on the doorposts and the lintel of their homes. By doing this, the Angel of Death, upon seeing the blood, would pass over their homes.

The innocent life of the little lamb that was in the lamb’s blood would be sacrificed for the sinful lives of Israel. We see in Leviticus that life is in the blood.

Lev. 17:11
11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul for it is the life of all flesh.

So the importance of the blood in God’s eyes was that it represented the life of whomever or whatever it flowed through. For Israel to despise it would cause them to despise the life that was in the blood and therefore risk being separated from God forever. All this was taught to show us how precious the blood of Christ (with His innocent life in it) would be when shed for the atonement of our sins. Also, now we can comprehend how His life (that was in His blood) could conquer death by Him dying in our place. His pure and holy life was exchanged for ours. God paid the death penalty for mankind through Jesus and now mankind can take step three.

As we take the third step and are lowered into the water at baptism, (one must be completely submerged) we enter into the death of Jesus and die to our old person (Adam).

Rom. 6:3
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

We are then born again or resurrected into His life.

Rom. 6:4-6
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

In other words, our old Adamic person, with all cords severed to the rest of Adam’s race dies in the watery grave. The life of Christ then enters our blood when we are born again properly through Him and we are resurrected a newborn creature.

1 Cor. 15:45
45 And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

THE WATER

Numbers 24:5-9
5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel!
6 Like valleys that stretch out, like gardens by the river's side, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters.
7 He shall pour water from His buckets, and His seed shall be in many waters, His King shall be higher than Agag, and His kingdom shall be exalted.
8 God brings him out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox; He shall consume the nations, His enemies, He shall break their bones, and pierce them with His arrows.
9 He bows down, He lies down as a lion; and as a lion; who shall rouse Him? Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.

This prophecy was foretelling a time when Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah, would bring forth his first born, Israel, to be Trees of Righteousness planted by the River of Life. These first born (or new born) will be the seed of Abraham, walking in the new Covenant and the blessings given to them by God. This seed shall be in many waters. This is fulfilled in baptism when the blood with the life of Christ and the water come together.

Let us refer again to the Tabernacle in the Wilderness for a better understanding of this part of baptism also. Even though the Priest offered the animal sacrifice and sprinkled its blood on the Brazen Altar (experiencing Unleavened Bread), he still had to go to the Laver (water) before entering the Holy Place. He had to become a type or foreshadow of what we know today as the born again. At the Laver the Priest, who had put some of the blood from the sacrifice on the Brazen altar on his finger, dipped it in the Laver’s water so the water and blood mixed. Thus the water became cloudy. You see, the bottom of the Laver was lined with polished metal or mirrors. As the Priest looked into the Laver he would see his own image, but now the bloody water would no longer allow him to see his reflection. [This caused him to lose his identity.] Much of the church acknowledges that this same thing happens when we go down in baptism. They will even quote the Scripture passage to you found at Romans 6:4.

Romans 6:4
4 Therefore we are buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

They read this, but the problem lies in the fact that the church does not really understand what actually takes place in the watery grave. Jesus gave us a glimpse of what happens through His first miracle.

A MARRIAGE

At the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, Mary the mother of Jesus came to Him and said, "They have no wine." To which Jesus replied, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come." John 2:3-4

Most would say, "How could Jesus speak to His mother like that?" In looking at the time frame, we see that this conversation took place after Jesus was baptized. He was now walking as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He had cut the ties to His carnal (Adamic) family (experiencing Unleavened Bread). At his baptism, when He emerged from the water, He heard the voice of His Father saying, " This is My beloved son in whom I am well pleased." (Matt. 3:17). He was the first born of a new generation: one born of God. It was as the Son of God, not the son of Mary, that He would begin His ministry. Also the miracle itself of turning water into wine has a far greater significance for us than we ever imagined.

John 2:6-10
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.
7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.
9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.
10 And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"

This miracle is symbolic of the spiritual water of Christ entering the earthen stony vessel of man’s heart, where God would resurrect, birth and bring forth His Bride filled with the new and best wine. A blood transmutation is caused as the life of God, which is already on the doorposts of the heart of one that has passed the to Brazen Altar, is covered by the pure water of God. The result of this miracle is the creation of a new generation of people.

Let us look at the word water in Strong's Concordance for the understanding of this mystery. We will see that a whole new meaning emerges.

Definition of WATER

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance number 4325 mayim (mah'-yim); dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense); water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen:

What we see through this definition is the possibility of water reacting in two entirely different ways. When we studied the section on the cords, we learned that we must cut the cords of iniquity. With cords to Adam severed, we can go down into the water where the semen of God is, totally free from our past, and be born again through God as a new creature.

1 Pet. 1:23
23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

1 Jn. 4:7
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

John 3:6-7
6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

If we go down into the water with cords still attached to Adam and his world, however, the water becomes urine for us. We come up bound in grave clothes and as filthy as before and certainly not born again through God.

THE IMAGE OF CHRIST

With the understanding that the blood-type is determined by the Father: once His seed covers us and His life enters us, we come up as little gods (elohim) born again and in the image of Christ. This is the meaning of walking in newness of life. The life is in the blood, His life! Now we can realize the fullness of what Jesus' blood and the water that was loosed from His side on the cross means to us. It symbolized the rebirth of Israel.

John 19:34
34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

As Eve came from the side of Adam, who was in the image of God, so the church or the Bride of Christ was taken from His side.

THE REBIRTH OF ISRAEL

Acts 17:26
26 And (God) has made from one blood (Christ’s) every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth...

As Jesus was The First Fruits of many brethren, we can truly call God our Father and become Israel. This is true for all mankind, both Hebrew and heathen or Gentile. Let me explain:

Jer. 31:9
9 ...for I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Ephraim represents the ten lost tribes of Israel that have been scattered through every nation of the world. Since they married into the nations, the blood of old Israel is intermingled with all the people of the world.

You see, when the Hebrews married into the nations (by the law of God), the people of the nations became Hebrew. If you married into a family, you were counted by God as part of that family. Thus the saying: "mother in law", "sister in law", or "father in law". The irony of this situation is that Satan meant to lose God’s people, but the fact is, as they dispersed throughout the lands, the family of God was growing! Thus the promise that "all Israel would be saved" could be fulfilled.

Rom. 11:26-27
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."

Heb. 8:8-10
8 Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--
9 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.
10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

However, blood lines to Adam and the old Hebrew race must be severed and we must be born again to be saved. Why?

Rom. 2:28
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh;

Gal. 6:15
15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

We see this truth again at Romans 9:6-8.

Rom. 9:6-8
6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,
7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac your seed shall be called."
8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

You see, once we are born again in Christ regardless of our known bloodline, we become the seed of Abraham as well as the protected children of God.

Gal. 3:26-29
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Is this good news to us, or what? Now look at this!

Heb. 2:16
16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.

Now that we are Abraham’s born again seed and have taken on the name of Jesus Christ, we are identified with Him rather than Adam.

HIS NAME

All the above must be done in His name however, before death and Hades will bow their knee allowing us to live forever. Now it becomes clear why the devil wanted us to buy the lie that being baptized in the titles (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is good enough! But here is what scripture says:

Acts 4:12
12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Is that scripture not about as plain as you can get? It is through the name of Jesus, not who God is, that we are saved. Peter explains in Acts 2:38 how we are to be baptized.

Acts 2:38
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

God is faithful to tell us exactly how He wants us to do things.

Col. 3:17
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

You see, we are forgiven of all sins through His blood but we are released from death because of the name, and that name is Jesus.

Phil. 2:10
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

Even death must bow its knee at the sound of His name! Is it any wonder that Satan wants us to be baptized through titles rather than the actual name “Jesus”? You see, Jesus is the Word. The Word is Truth. Truth or divine inspiration is the life or breath of God that is in the blood. But it is the name of Jesus that holds the authority of God the creator to cause the rebirth of humanity. Again let us look at Acts 4: 12.

Acts 4:12
12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

John 1:1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Now let us look at the third and fourth verses:

John 1:3-4
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

So you see, the new, born again ones are created through the authority of God that is in the name of Jesus to create things. Now let go back and read Colossians 2:9-10. It is very important that we see this.

Col. 2:9-10
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.