The Way of SEDUCING SPIRITS: Temptation, Enticement, False Teaching & Apostasy

Hello again friends, brothers, sisters. It hasn’t been that long since my last entry, but the Lord gave me something and it should be sobering. It’s something we all need to hear, so let’s dive in.

1 Timothy 4:1-2 warns, “Now the Spirit says that in latter times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.”

I want you to pay particular attention to a few words emphasized in capital letters below:

DEPART from the faith (to fall away from the faith). Be careful here not to minimize this because we tend to think of this as referring to people no longer believing and going back to their old ways. But this also means people who will still think they are Christians, still walking in the light!

DEVOTING themselves (this says they are intentional and purposeful in doing so)

DECEITFUL, lying, seducing spirits (demons).
Though these three words are very similar, I like the use of the word “seducing” because it implies enticement. It is a lure, a false promise, a being led astray and away because of (perhaps) something that you already desire in your flesh. It is flattering in its appeal, it is counterfeit, it is an impostor (see James 1:12-16 as an example).

TEACHINGS of DEMONS (the teachings are demonic, ungodly, false, lying, meant to replace truth)

Through INSINCERITY (not genuine, saying one thing but having an entirely different motive)

SEARED consciences (cauterized, branding, destroying dead tissue, no longer useful or fruitful, desensitized, unfeeling)

We absolutely need to take into account some examples from both the real lives of people in Scripture and the real lives of people today to get a proper and practical feel of what this means and how it plays itself out so that we can recognize it for what it is AND so we can see this is not imaginary or embellished.

Please stop now and get out your Bible or look this up online in another window. Read 1 Kings 13:1-26 in its entirety. Verse 1 mentions a “man of God,” a real prophet. Verse 6 records a miracle was performed by G-d through his hands. This shows authenticity, that this prophet was a true Christian. Verses 8-9 tell that this same prophet obeyed what G-d had commanded him in front of the unbeliever. Verse 11 mentions an “old prophet.” It doesn’t say, and we must not assume, he was a genuine prophet. Verses 15-17 reveal that the old prophet tried to lure the true prophet, but did not at first succeed. Verse 18 explains he SEDUCED him by saying he, too, was a prophet and that an angel was sent to him. This is paramount to understand that the word of the old prophet contradicted the Word given to the true man of G-d. The Lord will never tell us to do something and then change His mind or say something different. (This is one reason we know that the claim of the Muslim to have the same G-d as the Jews and Christians is untrue. A Father will not tell his one child the Bible is true and tell his other child the Quran is true. One is a lie, since there are many contradictions, incompatible teachings, and historical references; the Jews and Christians have the same Father, the former simply go no further than the Pentateuch because they have rejected Jesus as the Messiah.) Verse 18 also shares, “But he (the old man) lied to him (the man of G-d, the true prophet).” Verse 19 says the true prophet gave in and disobeyed what the Lord had told him. Verse 21 mentions that the Lord told him he disobeyed through the mouth of the lying prophet. Verse 24 says the true prophet was then killed by a lion, showing he allowed himself to be seduced by a spirit working through the old and false prophet.

There was not a stark contrast between light and darkness, one that was easily detected by the original man of G-d (at least since he ultimately ignored the opposite and false prophecy). The devil had to employ a cunning strategy to get the unnamed, genuine prophet off track, distracted and misaligned with the Father’s truth, Word, and mission. Another often-used methodology by the enemy (Satan and his messengers) is to wrongly interpret Scripture to lead us astray from obedience into doubting, or even faith in the false, demonic teaching.

Another real-life scenario which played out between a friend of mine and me involved this verse, 1 John 1:9. It says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We had a good kind of what he called—and he was right—an “iron sharpening iron” conversation, although he is a man of the Bible and conviction (so am I), so we both may not change our views. He made the following three points with the assertion that this verse does not apply to the Christian because:

• Jesus has already forgiven us of all our past, present and future sins
• Jesus has imputed to us His righteousness, so we can rest in that
• That this verse (1 John 1:9) begins in chapter one; and that chapter two is when the Apostle begins speaking to believers because, in verse 1, it starts off by addressing them as “My little children” (in the faith)

This all sounds very good and true on the surface, and there may be many, many who would agree with his/ his “pastor’s” interpretation of it. However, it is more the reasoning behind the interpretation (the cause, the foundation, the seducing by a spirit) that causes me concern. I responded to his thinking (thanks to the Spirit of G-d) either immediately to him on the phone, or later in my mind with these counterpoints:

• Yes, as far as our salvation is concerned, we are cleansed and forgiven but we are continually being sanctified, our bodies carry around sin, our flesh and our spirit are at war with each other, so we dismiss (if not confessed) our sins as if they mean nothing or we will become desensitized (SEARED) to it.
• Yes, Jesus gives us His amazing righteousness in exchange for our sin when we committedly make Him Lord, Savior and Master of our lives, but if we don’t make the effort to confess our sins, we are all but certain to trivialize our disobedience (if we can even remember) and how it offends Almighty G-d! We will take the Cross for granted. Our sins separate us from our Father at least to the point—since we are now believers and have been reconciled to Him—that our relationship with Him will suffer; we will cease to hear His voice as clearly, we will get out of the habit of reading His Word and our prayer life will falter to name just a few.
• And when you write a letter to someone or even a group of people, you don’t begin your correspondence by writing to, say, Steve, and then switch, at some point, to start talking to Allen; the whole letter is written to the same person or same collective body. Additionally, verse one in chapter two follows the greeting of “My little children” with the words “I am writing these things…” meaning the previous “things” in chapter one were written to them! Lastly, but very importantly (so much so that when I learned this from Holy Spirit the day after I had already posted this, I had to go back and add it in and update it), He reminded me that when the disciples had asked Him to teach them how to pray (in Matthew 6:12), He responded in this verse by saying clearly, “…and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” The Greek word translated here as “debt” refers to sins or offenses. The Lord who died to forgive all sin proclaimed the need to forgive and be forgiven in His famous example of prayer. We don’t receive forgiveness if we don’t ask for it, which means we need to confess our sin. And, at the time He shared this, His close followers– the twelve and more–had already become baptized believers. So, Christians need to follow and obey the word in 1 John 1:9.

He had mentioned now and, previously, on a number of occasions the name of the man whom he refers to as his “pastor,” although he listens to him on the radio or watches him on TV. I looked up this man (whom I will not name since it is not my intention to hurt or malign anyone) on the internet and came across a very informative, unbiased blog or article. Virtually everything this author mentioned or referred to were things I have heard come out of my friend’s mouth, almost verbatim on more than one occasion. But you must understand that my friend is not an immature believer, he is not new to the faith, and yet to me it seems as if he has succumbed to a seducing spirit, at least in part—and at the hands of this preacher. I have not mentioned this to my brother because I don’t think any good will come from it, and I am sure he will vehemently disagree with me. In fact, the only reason I bring it up here is because of the freshness of our exchange and how it is what I consider to be a real and very practical example for our subject. (But since I love him with a brotherly, PHILEO, love I will have to bring it up at some point. Loving confrontation is what the Lord calls us to. How can I love him if I let him go down a wrong path? Ezekiel chapter 3 talks seriously about this to the believer.)

Question: So, what are we to take away from this?

• We MUST stay in the Word! How will we recognize a spoken lie or one given to us in our minds by messengers of Satan, if we are not knowledgeable of, and grounded in, the Bible (the truth)?
• We MUST be obedient to the Word of the Lord, not turning to the left or the right. Eve knew the command of her Father. It was clear and simple (Genesis 2:16-17), “…You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 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.” It was a tree. It looked similar (like the genuine and the lying prophet) to other trees. Do not be deceived!
• Do not be content to merely get into Heaven, although this is glorious! 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 warns, “Each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation (which is Jesus Christ) survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” We do not want to be deceived. We do not want to be seduced. We do not want to think we are true believers, while we follow after myths and lies.

2 Timothy 4:3 warns, “For the time is coming when people (including many Christians!) will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears (wanting to hear what they want to hear, rather than the Truth!) they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” Ask the Lord Jesus for grace, wisdom, discernment, courage, obedience as well as endurance, and to care more about pleasing G-d than men (including ourselves). The reason the Lord Jesus led me to share this, teaching me, opening my spiritual eyes, and the reason—in this case—I prefer the better, more essential usage of the word “seducing”(KJV) instead of the rendering “deceitful” used by the other good translations (including mine, the ESV) is because of the thin-line, almost indistinguishable types of lies and implications that can lead us astray, totally unaware. They are subtle, hard to detect and nuanced, mixing Scripture with lies so as to seem credible, especially to the ignorant and biblically illiterate. It is like trying to get a child to take the medicine he or she doesn’t like the taste of, by slipping the tiny pill into a scoop of ice cream so that it will be swallowed unnoticed.

Concerning this subject of seducing spirits/ discernment, our Savior said (as the Spirit of the Living G-d reminded me first thing early one recent morning), “I AM THE TRUE VINE…” (John 15:1). Our Redeemer also recently gave me a picture in my mind. You know how in Matthew 7:13-14 it proclaims, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Now if you can imagine a funnel, its mouth is wide and round and its surface is smooth. But as you see its form or function, it begins to get smaller and significantly more thin or narrow. This is how I now see and comprehend the kingdom of G-d and its entry way to be, thanks to the Spirit of the Lord. Further, it is designed this way on purpose. To illustrate this point in the natural (as our G-d does many times, especially in the literal lives of the prophets, such as Elijah, Jeremiah and Hosea), I had to put some more transmission fluid in my car just a few days ago. In my Honda and like most all vehicles, the transmission is further down and harder to get to because of the design, and the space under the hood is limited. The opening that the fluid must be poured into requires that the funnel have a bigger mouth, which makes it easier not to spill but it also has a longer and slender portion to reach down into the entry point of the transmission. So, by design and necessity, its form is wide to begin with but—also by design and necessity—its end is tapered so that the fluid can go where it is intended, into the narrower “gate.”

By observance in both the natural and spiritual realms, Father has also startled me (probably many other Christians as well) and given me concern to know that the narrow gate that our Savior talks about has a strainer or sieve in front of it too. This means that not only do many go the way of destruction (by choice, the worldly, casual, apathetic, unbelieving, self-loving, pleasure- and comfort-seeking, agnostic, atheistic, polytheistic, sexually immoral, liars, revilers, drunkards, idolaters, LGBTQ, etc..) but even many who think they are godly or call themselves by the name of Christ, will be strained out because they will fall away or not do the will of G-d. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” He also spoke very somberly, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the one who DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER Who is in Heaven. On that Day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me you workers of lawlessness.’” He is implying that there are people doing things they imagine or tell themselves will please G-d, but are not seeking Him to find out what HE wants them to do, are not listening to HIS voice and are not, in this way, truly following Him as John 10:3-5 and John 10:27-28 tell us.

This is not a word to particularly scare us (PHOBOS, in the Greek- we mentioned that a lot in a previous post), although, for some, if this is needed to course-correct us, it is a good thing. But it is meant to jolt or shake us, to sober us up, to wake us from our sleep, so that we will “DILIGENTLY seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6), “TEST the spirits” (1 John 4:1-3), “FULFILL our ministries” (2 Timothy 4:5) and “DIE to ourselves” (Matthew 16:24-25, Luke 14:27). The time for sleep (casual Christianity, meager faith, seeker-friendly churches, weak and timid preaching, half-hearted service, staying within the walls, sugar-coating and watering down the Gospel…) is over. Romans 13:11-14 and Ephesians 5:14-20 warn and exhort us in this. Our Lord JESUS IS COMING SOON! We need to make it all the way through the wide mouth of the funnel, down the chute, past the narrow shaft and beyond the sifting point and all the way into the glorious kingdom that awaits and has been prepared and promised to those of us who truly love Him and rightly proclaim Him as the Apostle Thomas did, “My Lord AND my God!”

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit love us SO, SO, SO much with an everlasting love, an unconditional love, a self-sacrificial love—that led the Father to implement a rescue plan for doomed mankind, empowered by Holy Spirit and willingly obeyed and lived out and victoriously accomplished by the Son – that entrance into the HOLY KINGDOM for all of eternity requires the same kind (AGAPE) of love from us. It’s the kind my friend and “syndoulos” (Greek for co-laborer) preached about last night in our home church. It is summed up in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord, our God, the Lord is One. You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your might. And these words which I command you today shall be ON YOUR HEART. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

G-d speak to you, each, personally.

(Not Even) The Least in the Kingdom

I was thinking about how my anticipation and excitement of watching the USA women’s soccer team advance in the World Cup playoffs had eventually turned me completely off, to the point that I was apathetic towards the “grand finale.”

Meghan Rapinoe was very open and proud of her lesbianism, her having to have the spotlight, her prancing in front of the crowd with arms wide open to accept the accolades from her countrymen, her non-professional cussing in front of the media, then the latest intentional and attention-grabbing “wardrobe malfunction” etc. left me with little but disdain for her, despite her athletic prowess. It reminded me of the Proverb in the Word of God (11:22) which very aptly states, “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.”

I even had some initial admiration for Alex Morgan for all her athleticism on the field, her many goals, and sportsmanship towards her opponents and teammates. But during a brief interview after one of the last matches, she used the “a–” word in responding to a question from a reporter. Not the worst word to be using and she did immediately apologize for saying it, but I couldn’t help but realize the reason it came off her lips so quickly and easily on national TV was because she was used to saying it all the time in her personal, off-camera life. Proverbs 11:22 strikes again.

The Lord connected this to another instance I have gone through recently with trying to clean up and eventually sell my mom’s house. She passed away almost a year ago, but everything connected to the estate and her will has been slow-going, to say the least. She was 91 when she died and very mobile until the last couple of years. Because of this and my not living close enough to help on a regular basis, the house was not as clean as it once had been for so many years. As a result, we started to have a mouse, and even a rat, problem, especially after she passed and there was no human activity in the house to ward them off. I had some trappers come out on a few occasions over the course of a month. Some were in the attic and some in the crawl space, but we got them all.

Very recently, I had to contact another company to come out and give me an inspection and quote for some mold removal which had grown over the last 10 months. During this process, the men had to get in the crawlspace to assess its mold damage and the likelihood of it being the origin of what was inside. There, they found one or two dead rats that had died sometime after the wildlife guys had paid their last visit. So, yesterday and even more so today, Holy Spirit spoke to me in my spirit and showed me a Kingdom reality and principle that applies here, and one we can all-especially the unbeliever- gain wisdom and truth from. And it’s not a small lesson.

Just to use her as an example because we mentioned her earlier and because these events are all very recent–not to single her out, by any means– she seems to be, from all secular and worldly plumb lines, on top of the world right now! She is co-captain (the other ones don’t get much, if any, mention; I don’t even know who they are) of the best women’s soccer team in the world, she received two athletic awards, many people who had never heard her name or seen her face a month or two ago, now recognize her, she has been on the ESPY awards, has been on the cover of at least a couple of magazines, has been on a well-known, late-night TV program, has played her best soccer in front of tens of thousands of people, has a platform to advance her (sinful) lifestyle, been awarded very good prize money and more! Wow!

But in all of this, the Lord Jesus revealed to me a profound truth that is sure to offend many. That while she may be “on top of the world,” she is not even the least in the Kingdom of God. She is in a dark world, with ungodly goals and pursuits, has very questionable character and integrity, low morals, abounds with pride, and has more than a modicum of hubris at times. She seems to have it all, but she is still in the crawlspace.
There is little to no light, there are nocturnal creatures who find comfort there, it is damp, the atmosphere is ripe for and spawns mold and fungus, its spores only grow and destroy virtually everything close to it, and it smells very bad. Suddenly, all the world has to offer– even if it can be achieved and obtained, and at a young age– doesn’t even last or scratch the surface of the dwelling place of the eternal kingdom of Almighty God. The top of the heap is still the crawlspace in our Father’s eyes and in the life of the true Christian.

The holy and wonderful Word of God tells us that once we are adopted into His eternal family, we are considered a holy (clean, pure, righteous, just) nation of people, we are a royal priesthood in His eyes; priests because we serve Him and royal because we are no longer simply His creation, but sons and daughters of the King of the universe! It tells us we are a chosen people, chosen by God Most High (but our gift of a will that is free to make our own choices most often refuses what He offers), not because we have somehow earned or deserved this place of honor but simply because of His profound love for us! And this same passage tells us that the reason He has bestowed on us these lofty privileges is so that we can “PROCLAIM THE EXCELLENCIES OF HIM WHO BROUGHT US OUT OF DARKNESS AND INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT.”

In Psalm 51, which is a song of repentance that the Lord used for almost a full year back in 1999 to show me my then-present state before Him and how much I needed His grace, mercy, forgiveness, cleansing, and love, King David refers to the truth that we, as humans, are not only “born in sin” but “conceived in sin” as well. In this, he is stating the truth that from the moment we come out of the birth canal (indeed, even before) we are in darkness. So, the reality that you may not have ever known or pondered is that, either in the forefront or the back corners and recesses of our minds, this dark world is all we have ever known. We think this is all there is. We accept its limitations and faults. We have never known the Light.

God is Light. Our sinful natures and sin separate us from Him like a chasm. He made us eternal beings, so our spirits live forever. We are either with Him forever in the Kingdom of Heaven or without Him forever in Hell. This is not a fable or a myth, it is a stark truth. The only way to dwell in the presence of utter and complete perfection and purity is to have those qualities ourselves. Almighty God is holy and nothing stained, impure or unholy can mingle with Him. So, how, since we are sinful from birth ever to have the hope of dwelling with our loving and awesome Creator without being doomed to the fate our natures and subsequent daily, hourly and momentary choices have led us to? JESUS CHRIST, THE SAVIOR AND REDEEMER OF THE WORLD!

Jesus the Messiah is God. As the central and living component of the Father’s amazing, loving, merciful, compassionate and powerful plan of redemption, He set in motion His rescue operation by allowing a part of Himself to become human (one of us), to be born of a woman (one of us), by the great power of the Holy Spirit (another part of Himself). He lived among us, is very familiar with the pain, tears, doubts, fears, loneliness, rejection, torture, mocking, misunderstanding and all of the other real downsides of the human condition. He has experienced all this and more from the very people He not only gave life to, but willingly subjected His human life to (instead of crushing us for our evil, wicked ways, for our disobedience and rebellion) SO THAT WE MIGHT BE RECONCILED TO GOD. He willingly offered up His life in payment as, and as a ransom for, our lives. God is life. Apart from Him, there is only death. So, the wages (consequences) of sin is death, both naturally (temporally) and spiritually (eternally). The book of Joshua says concisely and emphatically that we have set before us life and death, blessings and curses. It urges us to choose life! We can choose the dankness, darkness and disease of the crawlspace. Most do. Do most of us in this life attain what we think will make us happy, satisfied or fulfilled? Money, influence, power, sex, drugs, drink, a big house, cars, boats, celebrity, recognition, significance, limited human love? Probably not. Many who do still leave written or oral legacies of how there is yet a gaping and disappointing hole in their lives and hearts. That’s because these things are temporal and cannot satiate the need(s) which are eternal (lasting and permanent). These innate desires are only met in God, our Maker and Father.

Ephesians 2:8-9 shares the ultimate crossroads-of-life truth. It stares us in the face with an embedded, underlying question we must each answer for ourselves. It says, “For BY GRACE you have been saved THROUGH FAITH. And this is NOT YOUR OWN DOING; it is the GIFT OF GOD, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” It is not framed as a question, grammatically. But what it is asking each of us, confronting each of us with, is this: Do you want eternal life with Me or eternal death without Me? This life is not something you can obtain through anything you do– good or bad. Even what you might consider as your own “righteousness” is like filthy rags to Me. It is only through My grace, My undeserved, unearned free gift of true love and mercy that you can have this. Because Jesus came from Me, only He knows the Way–and IS the Way– back to Me. In the book of Acts, chapter 4, verse 12 I have shouted clearly to all of you, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other Name under Heaven given among men by which we (you) must be saved.”

Meghan and so many others, known and unknown, small and great (in their own eyes), rich and poor, educated and not, celebrated and overlooked, diligent and lazy, hard-working and entitled, male and female (these are the only two forms in which He made us), young and old, healthy and infirm, no matter where you find yourself on this scale, no matter how you see yourself, no matter what you hope to achieve, you will still be in the crawlspace. You can, through Jesus Christ and what He did FOR YOU on the Cross and by the spilling and outpouring of His precious blood, have the hope– not the wishful thinking or the crossing of the fingers, but the FULL ASSURANCE and PROMISE from Almighty God Himself– of forgiveness of sins and eternal life! Trust in Him alone for the salvation of your soul, acknowledge and confess your sinfulness, turn from your life of transgression to Him and His ways, be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. He will make you a new creation. Christ Jesus is that bridge that spans the chasm of where you are and where God is, of who you are and who God is. I pray fervently that you will have what I have come to call an “Isaiah Experience.”

Read Isaiah 6:1-7. Then read Psalm 51. If your heart is hearing, listening to and receiving the words and sentiments of the heart of God He has so graciously spoken to me to share with you, surrender your life to Him now, and COMMIT your life to Him. There is no halfway and there is no turning back. He gave His earthly life for you; you must do the same for Him. He deserves nothing less. He was resurrected, and you will be too. That is why, of all the people on the face of the earth, Christians do not fear death. Why? Because we KNOW where we are going and what awaits us. We have hope. We have expectation. We have full assurance. You can too, including Meghan, because we are ALL dead in our sins without Jesus.

The Magnitude of the Birthright

Hi friends, brothers and sisters! I want to talk to you about something the Lord was sharing with me and teaching me the importance of over the course of a month or more. I had heard a little and read this in the Word, but never really understood it or its spiritual significance. I hope to accomplish that in this writing and pray fervently that the Father will touch you individually about what it means overall, and to each of you in your own lives and faith walks. And, if you are not a believer, we not only welcome you but trust that the Spirit of Almighty God will allow this, in some way, to be planted within you as well.

The Hebrew word for BIRTHRIGHT is “bekorah” and it means the right to be recognized as the firstborn (son, within a Jewish family) and has to do with position and inheritance and blessing. The first time the Lord God mentions this in the Bible is in Deuteronomy 21:17, “… he shall acknowledge the firstborn… by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.”

Genesis 25:32 speaks of Jacob’s brother, “Esau said, ‘I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?’” This scripture shows that Esau cared nothing for his birthright (inheritance, blessing), but two chapters later he is shown as now desperately wanting it, “Have you but one blessing, my father?” This Old Testament choice and tragedy is spoken of by our Lord Jesus in a New Testament parable (Luke 16: 23-24), “…being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.”

Humanity today is no different. We have not evolved. We have more information and knowledge, but our hearts are the same. We still look for, are only concerned with, and chase after what gratifies us and gives us pleasure in the short-term. We are selfish. We have no patience. We want to be satisfied now—so much so, that our possible reward and inheritance are of no importance to us now. We only seek it, as Esau did, much later (if at all) when we actually need it. By then, we can’t obtain it because it is no longer available though, like Esau and the rich man mentioned in Luke, we seek it with tears. (That stew that the former traded his birthright for better have been really, really, really good!) In Hebrews 12:14ff the Word tells us to STRIVE FOR HOLINESS. The passage reads, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or UNHOLY LIKE ESAU, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” Verse 16 describes him as unholy. Verse 17 is very similar to what we have already mentioned in Luke 16:19-31, especially 24-28.

Romans 8:29 relates, “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He (Jesus) might be the FIRSTBORN among many brothers.” Colossians 1:15 reiterates the truth in this way, “He is the image of the invisible God, the FIRSTBORN of all creation.” And we find in Revelation 1:5 these words, “And from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the FIRSTBORN of the dead, and the Ruler of kings on earth.” So, my question was—and maybe yours is now—What does this even mean? Jesus is not the firstborn (the bekorah) physically because Adam was the first created, physical, flesh-and-blood being. Jesus is not, so far as we have discussed it, the spiritual firstborn because He is G-d and has always existed (John 1:1-4). Well…

 Father God uses these instructional words in both Exodus 13:2 and in Luke 2:23, “The FIRSTBORN child (male) that opens the womb is mine.” (It is consecrated to Him.)

 I don’t have children, I have never experienced the pregnancy and birth process firsthand, I am not an expert in human physiology and I am not acquainted with a woman’s reproductive system. So, when the Father says “opens the womb,” I thought it meant for the very first time. However, after a few days, He showed me that, biologically, the womb opens to give birth, then shuts, then reopens to give birth the next time, and the process repeats.

 So, if there are five girls and then two boys (seven children in all), it is the first male child that opens the womb that He is referring to. The principle is still sound and good. That scripture is speaking to life in the physical realm, the here and now. That scripture was given to Israel at a time when they were a young (and immature) people. They didn’t and couldn’t discern spiritual things, so G-d gave them tangible and temporal examples to live by at first. So, the first male child being given over to G-d (like Samuel was from Hannah) is a consecration. It is also, the Lord showed me (excitedly) a form of the tithe. And when any tithe is given, it is the first and not the second or last. It is the best and not the lesser or the worst (Cain and Abel, Malachi 1:1-8).

 The right of the firstborn, then, also applies. Christ is the firstborn of all creation and He is the spotless lamb—the first and the best! He is the first male child to open Mary’s womb. He is the first to open the womb of the spiritual realm also, not by existence but by coming alongside humanity in history and in His eternality past and future. This also explains why, in Ephesians 5:27, the Lord Jesus Christ is preparing us (His church) to be a clean and spotless bride, and He is going to present us this way to the Father. You see, we, HIS CHURCH, are His FIRSTBORN and we are the best of earth’s flock (because of the Cross and His blood, not by anything we have done!). That’s why we are called in Romans 12:1 to present ourselves as a living sacrifice. This is why we are called in Deuteronomy and in Peter to be holy!

So, another question you might ask is why this is important or significant? Again, we mention Romans 8:29 as it relates that our Savior is “the FIRSTBORN among many brothers” in the family of faith. He has given us salvation and forgiveness of sins in His name, we are baptized in His name, we are as dead, our lives belong to Him and He is our Shepherd—we hear His voice and follow where He leads us. Let’s emphasize His pre-eminence (His FIRST place) by looking a little deeper at what we mentioned earlier, Colossians 1:15ff (and following). We are told many things that explain He is the FIRSTBORN because…

1) By Him ALL things were created, in Heaven and on Earth
2) ALL things were created through Him and for Him
3) He is BEFORE ALL things (pre-eminent)
4) He holds ALL things together (without Him or separated from Him, things fall apart and die)
5) He is THE HEAD of the church
6) He is THE FIRSTBORN of the dead (He is resurrected!)
7) ALL things are reconciled to G-d through Him
8) John 15:4-6 states, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” Apart from Him or without Him we wither and die, and are thrown into the fire
9) John 14:6 cuts to the point, “I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. No one comes to the Father except THROUGH ME.”

And a great truth found outside of Colossians which should be linked to the above references is found in Revelation 1:5. It rings with these words which convey that He is “The FIRSTBORN from the dead.” He tells us in verse 8 that He is “the ALPHA” (the beginning, the firstborn). Therefore, the right of the firstborn has physical, temporal implications (authority, headship, a double-portion of the inheritance) but much more so spiritual and eternal ones. And the idea and practice of a firstborn, then, is more positional in both senses.

 In the case of Jacob and his brother Esau, Esau was born first physically, but he “sold” or willingly gave away his birthright to Jacob, his younger brother. This act was irreversible and irrevocable especially since Jacob had already received the blessing from their father.

 Cain was born before Abel, but Cain gave his offering out of duty and obligation (not the right motive in God’s eyes) and did it whenever he got around to it (not first or immediately; like Esau, it wasn’t important to him). Yet Abel’s offering pleased the Lord (his heart and attitude and motive were right; he gave the best and he gave it right away).

 Joseph had two sons: Ephraim and Manasseh. Manasseh was the firstborn son naturally, but scripture says in Genesis 48:14, 19-20 that Israel (renamed from Jacob, Joseph’s father) made Ephraim the firstborn instead. Verse 20 says, “Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.” In birth order, Manasseh was first. But positionally and in God’s eyes, Ephraim was put first.

 What, as Christians, is our birthright? Positionally (that means our place and standing before Almighty G-d), we are His legitimate sons and daughters. This was obtained and given to us through the cleansing of our hearts by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. While our temporal, earthly and perishable bodies sin (Romans 8:10,23), G-d looks at us through the redemptive power and work of King Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). We still fight with and struggle against sin, but G-d sees us as righteous and blameless. Is Heaven our birthright, our blessing? No. The Word of the Lord says, “And this is eternal life, that they (we) know You the only true G-d and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Our birthright, our inheritance, our double-portion is to KNOW HIM. That should be all-sufficient! That should be a wonder to us!

 We must NOT be like Esau or like the rich man in the flames who see more pleasure and worth in this life and in “the fleeting pleasure of sin” (Hebrews 11:24-26). Let us pursue and obtain our BIRTHRIGHT now, and only by grace, through faith, in the Savior of the world—JESUS CHRIST! He must be our birthright! He must be our inheritance! He must be our blessing!

 My brother was the firstborn physically, but I have received the birthright through faith and redemption in Jesus. Manasseh was born first physically, but Ephraim received the birthright, the inheritance through Jesus Christ. Cain was born naturally before Abel, but Abel received the eternal inheritance through God the Father (and Jesus Christ, His Son). Esau came into the world first, but Jacob received the birthright, inheritance and blessing through Jesus Christ. Do you see that recurring phrase, that common thread—through Jesus Christ? That is the essence of the Gospel, that is what the world must decide when it comes to the eventual crossroads in their lives (is it myself and my deeds or is it Jesus), that is the plain truth and stabbing conviction in Ephesians 2:8-9.

“Bekorah,” the right of the firstborn, is often expected or taken for granted, even and especially in our American culture. What we absolutely must not overlook in our natural vs. supernatural correlation, is that the underlying, intrinsic meaning or understanding is that the receiver is to be in right relationship with the giver. A father and son who are estranged from one another, have strife among them or don’t speak to one another are not in a right relationship with each other so far as the father seeing fit to bestow an inheritance upon his rebellious son. Nor should the son expect to get anything from his father while he is contentious.

 James 4:4 says, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be (or already is) a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of G-d.”

 Birthright for the Christian, the believer, is life (intimacy with God)

 Birthright for the unbeliever is death (separation)

 Matthew 7:23 reads, “…and then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

 Romans 8:29-30 imparts, “For those whom He foreknew (before + had close relationship with, trusted in, believed) He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He (Jesus) might be the FIRSTBORN among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified he also glorified.”

In Matthew 7:23 above, the word “knew” signifies a deep relationship. The word in the Greek here is GINOSKO and, according to my Expository Dictionary from Christ’s side of the relationship rightly means He knows “our inner being in intimate, omniscient detail.” From our side of the relationship, it means we not only believe in Him (know that He is G-d, that He is G-d in bodily form, that He came from G-d, that He is coexistent with G-d, is the Alpha and Omega…) but we trust Him and Him alone for the salvation of our eternal souls. As Peter said in two instances, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living G-d” and “Where would we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

In Romans 8:29 that we mentioned earlier, this idea of foreknowledge is not a Calvinistic notion of the salvation of a limited number of souls based on the Lord G-d purposely creating some to be predestined for eternal life and others eternal death and torment. This contradicts and flies in the face of such verses as “G-d so loved the world (everyone) that whosoever (anyone) believes in Him (trusts in Him alone for the forgiveness of their sins and the redemption of their heart, soul and body) should not perish (‘depart from Me you workers of lawlessness’) but have eternal life.” And John 17:3 reveals, “And this is eternal life, that they know (that Greek word ginosko) You, the only G-d, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” But this is a detailed, loving, salvational, redemptive, personal, life-saving and life-giving knowledge of us whom He died in the place of, and for us who have been convicted of our sins, had godly sorrow for our transgressions against Him (our HOLY G-d), confessed these sins, repented from our old lives, turned to and placed our faith in Him for the regeneration of our souls (our secret hearts), for the forgiveness of our sins, and for the wonderful free gift of eternal life in Him! He is our G-d, He is omniscient, He knew us even before we were formed in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5). This is the foreknowledge the Bible speaks about. G-d is from eternity to eternity. He has no beginning and He has no end. The “fore” (pre, before) plus the “knowledge” (intimate relationship, ginosko) shows that He knew who would repent and choose life, in and through Him, in advance of our decisions and our births. And it was because of this omniscient foreknowledge that He could predestine us to be conformed to the image of our Savior Jesus Christ!

• That’s why King David was able to shout in wonder the words recorded in Psalm 139:3-6 which exclaim, “You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is high; I cannot attain it.”

• Apart from the Messiah, we have no “rights.” We have no liberty, control, authority or power. We come into this world with nothing but a stained, blemished, wickedly- and sinfully-disposed nature. We leave this world with nothing less and nothing more without the intervention, the seeking and saving of the lost by Him who loves us supernaturally. On the other hand, once we have been reborn by the Spirit of G-d, John 1:12 states emphatically “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in (and trusted in) His name, He gave the right to become children of G-d.” This is the BIRTHRIGHT of the Christian! It is his or her blessing, inheritance and double portion! It is only through this intimate knowledge of our Savior and this trusted relationship with Him that we can have our “bekorah,” our birthright.

How do we so easily, apathetically and eternally dismiss or cast off this wonderful thing known as a birthright, as Esau did? As Cain did? As Manasseh did? What do we sell or trade it for? Why is it so meaningless to us while it is available, yet so paramount to us once it is no longer within our grasp? The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (it is here), Jesus said. He also said He is coming soon. Take hold now while it is within your reach. Lay hold of your birthright! Grasp it! And when you get it, embrace it. Do not let go of it; it is only given once. Almighty G-d will not take it back from you, but you can lay it down and walk away from it. Hebrews 6:4-5 talks about this. A birthright is given upon the death of the one who bestows it. An inheritance is only procured upon the death of the Trustor and it is only done once. That is why Hebrews 6:6 warns that it is impossible if we “then have fallen away, to restore them (us) again to repentance, since they (we) are crucifying once again the Son of G-d to their (our) own harm and holding Him to contempt.” The Messiah willingly laid His life down for us and, just as a man can only die once, our Christ will not die again because HE IS RISEN AND ALIVE! Esau later sought his birthright with tears. The rich man in torment later sought this birthright, but an impassable chasm separated him from Abraham and Lazarus.

Don’t be a fool. Secure your birthright while there is still time. He will come at a time and hour we do not know. And, for the believer, do not take it for granted. Don’t trample it under your feet. Do not feed it to the dogs. Embrace it and treasure it, and tell others how to obtain it. Help them. Do not hide it; hang it around your neck. Do not walk away from it; walk in it. Share your inheritance, your riches, with others. Scripture says that you have freely received, now freely give. Amen and amen! Glory and praise and honor to the Most High Jesus Christ!

Again, as we mentioned in the very beginning, the “bekorah”—the (Hebrew) birthright—is important. By definition, it means “the right to be recognized as the FIRSTBORN.” And this is significant because it places upon us a certain position and inheritance. It is also extremely noteworthy that “the firstborn son of a king inherits the throne.” This is not only true in Jewish history and the Bible, but in the kingdom of G-d. He, being King of all creation and the universe, gave Jesus Christ reign, power and authority over all of Heaven and Earth (Matthew 28:18) AND, since He is King of kings and Lord of lords, our birthright from Him is to reign with Him as sons of His kingship (Revelation 20: 4-6, Psalm 8, 2 Timothy 2:12 testify to this).

 So Cain was born first (natural), but Abel was the FIRSTBORN (supernatural) in our Father G-d’s eyes and he received the birthright

 So Esau was the first out of the womb (natural), but the right of the FIRSTBORN (supernatural)—the birthright—was Jacob’s

 So Manasseh came into the world first (natural), but Ephraim inherited the BIRTHRIGHT (supernatural)

 So my brother was before me physically (natural), but I have been given the gift of the BIRTHRIGHT (supernatural)

 So Ishmael was born through Haggar first (natural, the seed of the flesh), but Isaac came through Sarah and was chosen by G-d to receive the BIRTHRIGHT (supernatural, the seed of the promise)

Of course, it is not always this way in the world and with every pair of brothers, but the Lord G-d chose this manner and explains why in Romans 9:11, “Though they (Esau and Jacob) were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that G-d’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of Him who calls.” Like our salvation, it is a GIFT OF GRACE! Praise His holy name!!!