Resurrection Season ~ ~ ~ Day 19for the Year of Our LORD, 4.10.2008
Forming the Church in the Heart of the Earth, Part 4
For we are members of His+ body,
of His+ flesh, and of His+ bones.
Ephesians 5:30
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For the last part of this discussion, let us look at verses in Psalm 139:14-17 through the eyes of the Church, or rather …through the formation of the Church in the heart of the earth… for we are His+ Body.
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I will praise thee;
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
or, more literally from the Hebrew:
I will thank You
for with fearful things
I am wonderful
[Hebrew text, Jay P.Green’s Interlinear]
marvellous are thy works;
and that my soul knoweth right well.
…WITH FEARFUL THINGS?
Yes, with fearful things ! Who would be in great fear when The LORD descended into Sheol ? Certainly NOT Abraham and the other saints who rejoiced to see His+ day ! See what is written in Scriptures:
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and [HE+] took it out of the way, nailing it to His+ cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, HE+ made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (Col. 2:14-15). Applying this verse to the formation of the Church in Sheol, we can see where ---and to whom--- great fear would come!
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Now then, let us return to Psalm 139:15, focusing our eyes upon the formation of the Church, His+ Body, in the heart of the earth.
My substance was not hid from thee,
when I was made in secret,
and curiously wrought
in the lowest parts of the earth.
This verse tells us something: My substance is NOT referring to the beginnings of “my” personal human life in the womb. Yes, The LORD does know our human beginnings. Yes, we are humanly conceived in secret, and yes, our human bodies are intricately formed. But… we as baby humans are NOT WOVEN TOGETHER IN THE LOWEST PARTS OF THE EARTH.
My Substance, then, refers to the human souls held captive in the heart of the earth, in Sheol, whom The LORD preached unto… knitting them into His+ Body, the Church. The dominion of principalities and powers over the souls and spirits of the dead was broken, spoiled.
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And thus, we see that my substance and the further references to my and me are also referring to the formation of the church of its various members.
Thine eyes did see My substance,
yet being unperfect…
(that is, incomplete until CHRIST JESUS descended into Sheol to knit the Church of the Old Testament saints into Himself+ as part of His+ Body);
…and in Thy book all My members were written,
Thy Book, historically, would be referring to the LORD’S Book in Exodus 32:32 and the Book of the Living in Psalm 69:28. There is also The LORD’S Book mentioned in Daniel 12:1,2. And then, there is the LAMB’S Book of Life (Luke 10:20, Phil 4:3, Rev. 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, and 21:27). All these mean those members of the living church of CHRIST.
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…which in continuance were fashioned,
when as yet there was none of them.
Here we must revert to the literal Hebrew text in order to see the picture more clearly. Thus, again from Jay P.Green’s Hebrew Interlinear:
…And on Your book
all (thy members) were written;
the days they were formed,
and none was among them.
Although more literal, Jay P.Green’s translation still adds into the English words and punctuation not found in the Hebrew. He adds his punctuation plus the words “thy members” and, like the KJV, leaves us wondering exactly what is being said.
Upon parsing the verb forms, we found again a future tense ! Therefore, we would more accurately read it like this:
And on Your Book of Life,
all of them will be written down
the days they were intensely formed
(i.e., during “THE” 3 days and 3 nights)
although they were not yet united into one.
(i.e., not yet before this time One Body).
Yes, that word “one” is the Hebrew plural one, literally meaning a unified “one”, combined or united out of many. It is used in adjective form here. Echad, the Hebrew word, is the adjective used to describe ELOHIM, the ONE GOD:
The FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT.
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How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is
the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
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What did Our LORD do after HE+ preached in Sheol, forming His+ Body the Church out of the Patriarchs, Prophets, Old Testament saints, and the disobedient ones (whom we assume had never heard about The LORD) ?
TAKE A GUESS !
(Or see Psalm 68:18 and Eph. 4:8 )
(To be continued)
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For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;
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How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is
the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
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What did Our LORD do after HE+ preached in Sheol, forming His+ Body the Church out of the Patriarchs, Prophets, Old Testament saints, and the disobedient ones (whom we assume had never heard about The LORD) ?
TAKE A GUESS !
(Or see Psalm 68:18 and Eph. 4:8 )
(To be continued)
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For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;
neither wilt thou suffer
thine Holy One
to see corruption.
Psalm 16:10
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The Resurrection of JESUS CHRIST
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The Resurrection of JESUS CHRIST
… the most life-changing event in human history.
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