Melody, Julia, and all others,
These are some fascinating questions and observations. It is easy to see how some of these issues have you stumped. I am preparing the answer, but it may take some time to put it all into writing. Therefore in the meantime, if you will do but one thing, then I will work on it as time permits.
Do this... get a piece of blank white notebook-size paper. Cut a strip of it, oh, say, an inch wide. (In other words, you should now have a strip of paper 11 inches long and 1-1.5 inches wide.)
You'll need a ruler or some way of measuring for the next step, where I want you to draw lines to divide the strip of paper into pieces, where each piece approximately measures according to the following percentages:
1. 31%
2. 25%
3. 18%
4. 26%
Now, sit down to a table or desk, and place the first piece (31% of the length) in front of you with the long end facing away from you.
Next, position piece #2 cross-ways to the left of the first piece, such that the bottom right corner is touching the upper left corner of the first piece. (So in other words, the first piece has the long edge going "up and down" and the second piece has the long edge going across, and they are touching only by the one corner.)
Piece #3 should be placed at the "top" with the long end facing away from you, like we did with #1. Its bottom left corner should be touching the upper right corner of the second piece.
Finally, the fourth piece should be positioned across from #2, with its two left corners touching the corners of pieces 1 and 3.
If you've positioned the pieces correctly there will be a square in the center.
Now... looking at the pieces of paper, what do you see?
If you answered "I see a cross," that would be the correct answer. Ok... lets continue...
Get a Bible and open it to Numbers, chapter 2. (I know, Numbers is about the yuckiest book in the whole Bible.) But humor me. There you'll read about how the Lord instructed Moses and Aaron concerning how the tribes of Israel were to camp around the tent of meeting.
As you go through it, write down the number of people in each of the twelve tribes. Also, take note of the compass direction where each tribe was to encamp. To help, I have the numbers listed as follows:
| East | | South | | West | | North | |
| Judah | 74600 | Reuben | 46500 | Ephraim | 40500 | Dan | 62700 |
| Issachar | 54400 | Simeon | 59300 | Manasseh | 32200 | Asher | 41500 |
| Zebulun | 57400 | Gad | 45650 | Benjamin | 35400 | Naphtali | 53400 |
| 186400 | | 151450 | | 108100 | | 157600 |
That gives us:
| East | 186400 | 31% |
| South | 151450 | 26% |
| West | 108100 | 18% |
| North | 157600 | 25% |
| TOTAL | 603550 | 100% |
Now you can see the significance of the numbers and their corresponding percentages.
And so now the question becomes... what did God see when looking down upon the camp of Israel?
The most important thing to consider when approaching a book like the bible is to understand there are keys to lock and unlock the meaning. In the case of the bible, it must be understood that it is not a book about metaphysics, or about the history of Israel. It is a book about two things.
#1 it is a book about Jesus Christ.
#2 it is a book about the Church, which is His Bride.
As the saying goes "In the Old Testament, Christ is concealed. In the New Testament, He is revealed."
From Genesis (the book of beginnings) the very first verse, to the last verse of Revelation it is a book about Jesus.
Note: It is "Revelation", singular, not "Revelations", plural as many people say. Read the first chapter and you will see it plainly states that it is "the revelation of Jesus Christ." The greek word for "revelation" is the word for "apocalypse." And so we see that what we call the "Apocalypse" is not doom and gloom and end of the world. Rather, the it is the Apocalypse (meaning "unveiling") of Jesus Christ.
This is reiterated in Luke 24:25-35. Specifically in verse 27 it says "and beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself."
What does it mean when Adam fell asleep?That is what got me thinking. Adam is a "type" of Christ. We can read about this in I Corinthians 15: 45 "The first man Adam became a living being, the last Adam, a life-giving spirit."
Then in verse 47 "The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven."
There are only 2 men, in the mind of God. The first one and the second. There are also 2 "Adam's"... the first one, and the last one. Notice the way it is worded. There is a first man, and a second one. Then, there is a first "Adam" and the "last" Adam. It does
not say "second Adam" for that would be to imply a "third" and "fourth" and so on.
An "Adam" is the head of a race of beings, that is, the race of mankind. As Adam is the head of the human race, Jesus, being the last Adam (there are no more to come) is the head of a new race of being. Therefore, He Himself stated that "you must be born again."
Adam fell asleep and then God opened up his side and took from him a rib and formed the Woman. And Adam exclaimed, "Bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh, and called her Woman, for she was taken out of man. (Genesis 2:23)
But remember the story is not about Adam and Eve. It is about Christ and the Church. See Ephesians 5:25-32
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her...
... to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church, for we are members of his body.
For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery, but I am talking about Christ and the church."Adam's sleep foreshadowed Christ's crucifixion, when Jesus died on the cross. At that time, a soldier pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water ran out (John, an apostle and eye-witness of the event tells this in John 19:33-37)
See the blood and water running out of Jesus' side, and you see the husband who laid down His life for His bride, the church. She was therefore taken from His side, just as Eve was from Adam's rib. The sleep was the sleep of death, and after rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to the disciples, who had locked themselves in a room out of fear. They were shocked when he appeared (apparently walking through the walls or the locked door itself) and what did he say in response? "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your mind? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself. Touch me and see; a ghost does not have
flesh and bones, as you see I have." (Luke 24:38-39)
Ahh... there it is repeated... "flesh and bone."
And again, of course the story in Genesis takes place in the garden. Reading in John 19:41, see that it says "at the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid."
He died and rose again in the garden! And so where we read in Genesis 3:23 that the Lord God banished the man and the woman from the garden after they sinned. "After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword, flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."
WOW... the
East... referring back to the cross formed by the camp of Israel, we see the beginning of the camp is to the east... and there it is... the foot of the cross. That is man's entrance back to the Garden.
That was God's intent from the very beginning, as we read in Revelation 13:8 that Jesus is "the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world."
Therefore Adam and Eve were clothed with the skin of an animal after they sinned. They were naked and ashamed, and God killed an innocent animal, shedding its blood, to make garments of skin for them.
That is as it says in Romans 5:12 "...just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin..."
and again in Romans 8:20 "the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay, and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."
The innocent animal shed its blood to clothe the man and his wife, and in the same way Jesus, though innocent of any wrong, was slain and shed His blood to cleanse His bride and to clothe her in robes of righteousness.
If you read in Exodus about the Tabernacle of Moses, specifically the Holy of Holies, which was separated from the Holy Place by a veil. That veil is mentioned at the time when Jesus was crucified, for at the moment He breathed His last, the veil was torn in two, from top to bottom (Luke 23:45)
We read in Hebrews 10:20 to learn that the we are to enter "the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain (veil) that is,
His flesh."
That veil was embroidered with cherubim (remember the cherubim posted to stand guard to the entrance to the garden of Eden?) And so we see, the cherubim purpose was not to keep man out. Rather, just as it says in Genesis "to guard the way
to (not away from) the tree of Life."
And that veil was the flesh of Christ. That veil was in the Tabernacle, and in John 1:14 we read "the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." If you would read the original language (Greek) you will see that the word for "dwelling" is the same as the word for "tabernacle." And so, "the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us."
Now as for the hope of all who believe, we read in 2 Corinthians 5:1:
"Now we know that if the earthly tent
(tabernacle again!) we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."
Next, turning and reading in Ephesians 3:9-11, we read that the apostle Paul was commissioned...
"to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now,
through the church the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the
rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his
eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord."
There again we have the plain reference to the lamb being slain before the foundation of the world. For it was God's eternal purpose to demonstrate to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places, the riches of His grace and His unconditional love for all of His creation.
Before bringing the earth into being, God already had slain the Lamb in His mind. That is to say, He had already given His Son on our behalf. And not only that, but the Son of God is the husband, and the Father was presenting Him with a bride, to become one with him and to sit on the throne with Him, and rule with Him throughout eternity.
And so man, who for "a little while" was made lower than the angels has been lifted up and made by his very nature one with the Father and the Son.
That, my friends is the gospel, which translated means "good news."
That most of the so-called "church" has missed the truth of these things now and down through history is not my concern. Yes, the institutional church has abused its so-called "power" and there is very little knowledge and understanding of the true nature of things. But that does not make those things any less true.
He is the sum of all spiritual knowledge and understanding. He is the "mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:2-3)
He is the Light of the World, the Bright Morning Star, who enlightens every man coming into the world.
I am speaking of enlightenment. I am not speaking of spiritual dogma, or some rote and tradition handed down by corpses. I am speaking of the truth of God in Jesus Christ, and of being raised up with Him and being a temple of the Holy Spirit.
I am speaking of the FACT that I have in myself the
growing awareness, that is in my perception, that I am not at all what it appears. If you saw me, you might estimate me to be around 6'2" and 240 lbs. But that would be such a mistake. And it is not by rote or tradition, but by my own experience and insight that I can say that my size is more comparable to that of a constellation. This fleshly body in which I reside is a mere speck of who and what I am. My dwelling is in heavenly realms, far above all rulers and authorities.
I have already transcended space and time. I step one foot in this day and age, and the other foot in another epoch, as measured on earth. I have witnessed how infinite awareness, infinite intelligence, knows all things. Everything that is going to happen has already happened, and yet is still to come, for "NOW" is the time and "TODAY" is the day (Hebrews chapter 4).
If I wave my hand one way, it affects the life of earth's inhabitants for years, and if I wave it another, there is a different effect.
I have seen and witnessed the corporate "man" that is the the body and bride of Christ. That is a living and breathing entity, a being not known before.
I have witnessed and know of existing in multiple time/space continuums and multiple dimensions simultaneously. I live it and breathe it. I know the glorious freedom and the liberty that is found in Christ. He is the enlightenment, far beyond comparison of any other. I am rooted and grounded in His love, and am built up and established in Him. I exist outside the solar system, and this galaxy and the next.
I am not waiting to evolve... I have already far surpassed any so-called evolution. These are not things I merely spout as if from some defunct Sunday school class. These are the things I've encountered. I have wept because of the sad state of the so-called church. The world has not seen the truth about God and about His Son because the church has not fulfilled her purpose on earth. And I am no better than any of them, or any of you reading this today. I am the least of all and hardly worth a mention. I only state these things to say that there is so much more surpassing treasure of wisdom and knowledge, and I find that it is true that in Christ, God has opened up the storehouse and given out every bit of treasure and blessing in heavenly places.
That is above all astral plane and every plane that can be known or that exists, right to the very center of the Source of all things, the One, the Spirit of all life, the Original Being, the "I AM" as He made Himself known to Moses at the burning bush.
Indeed, I am the burning bush. For in me the fire burns, and yet I am not consumed by it.
I stand in the face of infinity. I have infinite supply at my disposal. I live in the arms of Infinite and Unconditional Love. I am supported by Infinite Grace and Lovingkindness. I see no lack and I know the liberty that is mine.
I do not have to wait, except for the full outward expression of it all. But it is all mine, it is true NOW, TODAY. For at this moment, I exist, sitting here in a chair, but at the same time seated in heavenly places, above every astral plane. I do not need to have OBEs because I live in other places, too many to mention. That is because, at this very moment, my life is Hidden, With Christ, In God.
That is the hidden manna that nourishes me. I rule on a throne, seated in Christ. The Seven Spirits of God, with eyes all around, seeing all things every where, exist in this place.
What I
possess is infinitely better than anything I have heard of or read about anywhere else. And I have it NOW... it is mine TODAY.
I have opened "portals" if you want to call them that. It is so simple to do. I have commanded the wind and storms to stop, and they have obeyed me in an instant. I can go anywhere and do anything that is required of me. But those are toys for children to play with, because the upward call of God is to grow in Love.
When I look to Him, I form no picture in my mind. That is very important. We should have no images of God, for He is immortal, invisible and dwells alone in inapproachable light. Therefore I form no image in my mind, but look into the face of Infinity and enter into the presence of the Invisible God, the I AM, the ground of all Being, and all that Exists.
I have discovered the center of the Universe, and have made it my dwelling place.
In that place, I find that I am Infinite. I enter His presence through the blood of Jesus Christ, the Word of God. I walk among the heavenly candlesticks and the burning coals, in the midst of angels and powerful beings.
Do you?
Does this make me anything? I am nothing at all. I am an energy, an awareness. That is all.
There is so much more. I just wanted to scratch the surface here concerning the questions about Adam falling asleep.
aspect
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