“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” 1Peter 2:9

“… it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Matthew 13:11

HARD ROCKS OF THE SOUL

As the veil tears, the light of God, once solely contained in the small confines of the Holy of Holies is immediately released into the Holy Place. Now all the Sanctuary or covered portion of Tabernacle is filled with the Light of God. The Light of the Lampstand now seems to blend in with all the Light in the Room. It is as if the Lampstand and the Light of God from the Holy of Holies are ONE. Indeed this is so.

THE TEARING OF YOUR SOUL

As we have discussed in a prior blog, the Holy of Holies represents your spirit and the Holy Place represents your soul. In parallel with this line of thought, the Light of God enters your spirit and with the tearing of the Veil the light of the spirit can now rule your soul. The tearing of the Veil is equal to the breaking of your soul. Only through this brokenness or tearing of your soul can light make its way through the wall or veil that separates the two. For you to live a deeply spiritual life, this tearing must happen. Again this is the reason for the Dark Night of the Soul.

LIGHT ENTERS

The Light of God can now enter your light container, which is your spirit that was once incased in your soul. The breaking of the rocks by the earthquake at the crucifixion also parallels the matter of hardness of the heart and the breaking of the soul. Once again herein is the reason for the breaking you are going through or the Dark Night of the Soul and on to the Dark Night of the Spirit..

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART

One might say that a new age dawned, but only the pure in heart can see it, and in that “seeing” those few can now “see” God (Matthew 5:8). Those who are not pure in heart will see nothing. They are relegated to the outer court and they will continue to think nothing has happened, everything is the same, so what is all the fuss about? This is what the Apostle Paul refers to as the “Natural” man.

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1Corinthians 2:14

The “natural” man lives in the outer court at best and as long as he is content to live there, there will remain a screen between him and the torn veil. He will never see the mysteries hidden therein.

MYSTERIES ARE NOT IN THE OUTERCOURT

The mysteries that were once contained in the very small room behind the Veil are now visible throughout the covered confines of the Sanctuary, which is still much smaller than the area of the Outercourt most remain in. Jesus, our high priest has made a way for the mysteries once cloaked herein to be revealed to you. These mysteries, once known only to God and those He chose to reveal them to, namely the high priest, are now available to all who choose to pursue a higher spiritual plane in life.

“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.” Hebrews 9:11

That is why:

“… it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Matthew 13:11

Now that the veil is torn, the mysteries are open to all the priesthood, but only for those in the Sanctuary. It is no longer limited to just the high priest in the Holy of Holies. Thus it is important to recognize that Scripture now confirms you are a high priest and therefore have access to the Father.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” 1Peter 2:9

THE LOSS OF THE RULE OF SOUL

The darkness is now made light because the Light of the Father is now in you. This is the reason you have been able to proceed on the journey you have taken through the Tabernacle; the journey you are still on. A journey meant to give you fullness of life, by losing your life. No wonder Jesus said,

“He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” John 12:25.

The word for ‘life’ here is the word ‘psuche’ which is the root word for soul. In this entire passage Jesus is talking about losing the control of the soul over your life by allowing your spirit to rule your life. If you allow Him to do this in you, you will keep your soul and your spirit both now and in the age to come.

FEW MENTOR OR FATHERS

There are many who talk or teach about this, but the reason why you do not see more who live this type of life it that so few allow this level of breaking in their lives. Most quit before the breaking is complete. Thus there are few spiritual mentors or as the Apostle Paul writes “fathers, because there are just a few who have been wiling to trod the path before you did.

I have written about the Dark Night of the Spirit. In order to keep things in perspective, it is the next step beyond the Dark Night of the Soul. But, now with the tearing of the Veil, your soul can be submitted to your spirit and thus the reason why Paul exhorts us to, “be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” The mind is part of the soul, and with a clear perspective of the Tabernacle, it is easier to understand how the spirit can rule the soul / mind as well as the body, all in submission to the Spirit of God.

As I have written it is a journey that is not for the faint of heart.

Blessings,

John Paul

“And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove” Mark 1:10

“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many” Matthew 27:51-53.

(The Veil is torn and all of history has been impacted, including the Tabernacle of Moses, where you are standing on this journey of unequaled magnitude.)

According to the writings of Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, the veil in Solomon’s temple was 30 cubits high which is about forty-five feet (1 Kings 6:2), however when Herod added onto the temple he had the size increased in height to 40 cubits or about sixty feet high. Josephus also tells us that the veil was four inches thick and that horses tied to each side could not pull the veil apart.

TORN HEAVEN - TORN VEIL

There is a bit of irony between the tearing of the Veil and the Baptism of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. Mark tells us that all those watching the Baptism of Jesus, saw the Heavens parted, or more literally translated the heavens were “torn”. They also saw the Spirit descending like a dove on Jesus to herald the beginning of His Earthly ministry. Tied to that then, here on this blood soaked hill, all who were there heard Jesus give back to the Father, the very Spirit He had received at his baptism. This time, instead of the heavens being torn, the Veil in the Temple was torn. With the coming of the Spirit Jesus began His ministry, and with the releasing of His spirit He finished His ministry.

Keeping that thought in mind, you can now see that at the Baptism of Jesus, God announced He had come to man; and here with the tearing of the Veil, God announced He had made a way for man to come to Him. All barriers had been removed and God had made a way for you and God to walk together again.

TORN FIRMAMENT

Rabbinical teaching is that the Veil represented the division between the earthly and the heavenly as well as representing the locked Gate to the Garden of Eden. With the closing of this gate, everlasting life was no longer available to mankind. Anyone with sin would die. To make sure it stayed that way, God stationed two Cherubim at the entrance to the Garden of Eden - “Lest they eat from the Tree of Life and live forever.” The two cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant also represent the two cherubim that guarded the Gate to Eden. Anyone who had sin and entered here would die.  Therefore, in so tearing the Veil, the firmament was also torn, making a way for man to once again come to the Father. The Gate to Eden had been opened.

ETERNAL SACRIFICE

With this event, many Graves could now be opened in Jerusalem. Miraculously,  the thief who hung on the cross beside Jesus, along with all those in Sheol who believed the “good News,” could proceed to enter Paradise. Thus fulfilling the word spoken by Jesus to the thief, “This day you will be with Me in Paradise.” Stated again, the gate to Eden was opened. Man could once again intimately and personally commune with the Father, through the blood of Jesus. He alone was the Passover Lamb and thus the Eternal sacrifice slain from before the foundation of the world.

THE NINTH HOUR

It is also interesting that all this happened at the ninth hour of the day. What you may not have noticed is that at the moment Jesus cried out, it is finished and died, the Veil was simultaneously torn in two. At that very moment darkness lifted from the Earth. You need to grasp that this was not the moment darkness came to the Earth. You see it had already been dark for three hours - from 12:00pm to 3:00pm, the time when Jesus died. Thus when Jesus died and the Veil was torn, darkness was lifted. Salvation had come to the Jews. It was almost as if, with the tearing of the Veil, the Light from the Holy of Holies had been released onto the Earth.

SALVATION FOR JEW AND GENTILE

We read in Acts 10, which took place just a few months later, that at the same ninth hour, an angel would come and announce to Cornelius that Salvation had come to the Gentiles as well. Hence, at the command of the angel, Cornelius would send for Peter and the rest is history. Simply said, at the ninth hour salvation came to the Jew and at the ninth hour salvation came to the gentile. (That is why 9 is the number of evangelism and salvation)

Blessings

John Paul

“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, … So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:51, 54

Standing becomes difficult, and the enormity of the chilling sound of the Veil tearing is hard to shake. The thunder of the event is still ringing in your ears, almost as if even creation itself had been torn at the same moment. The fact is - it has been.

THE FRUSTRATION OF THE EARTH

The tearing of the Veil has caused an earthquake so severe that solid rock tore in two. It almost seems as if the earth itself was preparing to receive the redemption Jesus came to bring. Just a short time later, Jesus would descend into the Earth to proclaim the good news of that redemption. The breaking of the Earth would reach Sheol -all this was part of Sheol’s response to Satan’s four thousand year grip being torn from him. Thus, in this earthquake, the earth has already begun to respond to the hope that righteousness would rule over it. The Earth’s groaning process had begun, and would last until the Sons of God are manifest. The timeless nature of the veil being torn is profound and far reaching, and a casual glance or thought of it will not capture the historical and eternal future impact this moment will spawn. A prophetic picture of the last days has been painted.

THE GRAND ALTERATION

In one moment of time God had displayed His Son, the earth had been altered, Heaven had been opened, and mockers became believers as the centurion soldier proclaimed the truth that Jesus was the Son of God. Up to this point, it seems more dark spirits proclaimed His deity than did mankind. That too was all about to change.

So you find yourself standing in a small, tented room, being impacted by an event that will not even happen for one thousand six hundred years. When this event would happen, it would transpire at the ninth hour or three o’clock in the afternoon. At this time the temple was far from empty. In fact, most of the priest’s would have been busy preparing for the Sabbath evening gathering. They too were caught by the enormity of what had just happened. They were now beholding that which was forbidden until now. You can almost hear them thinking, should they look, should they turn away; would God strike them, or is He the one who did this?

OUTSIDE OR INSIDE

It is good to make a mental note here, only those ministering in the holy place noticed anything had changed. The rest were outside the Screen that had not torn. Those ministering in the outer court had no visible clue as to what had happened. Likewise in the church today, so many are content to remain in the outer court, and never taste the deeper things of God. While the Veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies was torn, the Screen between the Holy Place and the Outer Court was not touched.

It still takes an inner resolve to have an intimate relationship with God. You must come into the Sanctuary to do so. Only in this covering of this setting can you come so close to the Father that you know when His breath and the wind of His spirit has shifted. Today, most of the church remains oblivious to any move the Father makes, because they are content to remain outside, in the Outer Court.

More on the Torn Veil in the next post.

Blessings,

John Paul

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Matthew 27:50-52

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.” Hebrews 10:19-20

THE SOUND OF TEARING

A huge, and all encompassing sound that is coming from far above you and behind you has shaken you. The unusual nature of this sound seems to not only shake you, but to also shake Heaven and Earth. In a strange and holy way the shaking seems to transcend and echo through time as well. It is as if some spiritual something that existed before time had entered time and disrupted the time/ space continuum.

Remarkably, the shear enormity of this tear in time does not last long, but it still shakes you to the core of your being. Though the sound is short lived, you cannot seem to shake the feeling that nothing will ever be the same again. Because your spirit recognizes and responds faster than you body, you already have this eerie feeling that the wall between Heaven and Earth has been demolished. Yet by the sound of it, you know it is far more than that and by the time you get turned around and oriented to what you see the sound has stopped, none-the-less what you behold will take an Eternity understand.

Part of the reason you were so startled is due to the fact that the sound began at the ceiling of the Sanctuary where the Cherubim are woven into the scarlet, blue, purple, and white of this tapestry. No one could reach that high and tear the thick, dense, and heavy Veil that divided the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, yet you stand there amazed and looking at the veil in two pieces that are now dangling from the Golden rod that suspends them. There is no doubt, from the feather-esc threads stretching out beyond the torn material and now wafting in the non-perceptible breeze, that it has been torn from the top to the bottom. The impossibility of this is heralded by the scribes as they have have written that two teams of horses, tugging against each other, could not have torn this Veil, let alone torn it from the top down, but here it is, torn in such a manner that only the hand of God could have done it.

TORN BACK THROUGH TIME

Though the tearing of the original veil occurred in the Temple during the time of Jesus, it is as if the event wove its way back through time and tore the Veil here in the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle of Moses, where you stand. What happened in one, happened in the other, for the sake of all man-kind. In effect that really did happen, this is why Jesus could descend into Sheol, after His crucifixion and preach the “Good news” to all who had died prior to that day. All humanity was there, under the dark, dictatorship of Satan who Adam and Eve had given control of this Earth to some four thousand years earlier. All humanity would be impacted forever because of this one event, so in effect the torn veil did transcend time and it transcended so much more.

From the moment the Veil was torn, Jesus had access to Sheol, where all who had died were being held in captivity. When He presented Himself to Satan as the “sinless one” or the one who had never submitted to Satan, Jesus was given access to all who were there. There in unimaginable time, Jesus would explain to those who would listen to Him that He was the eternal, sacrificial, provision for all of humanity - including them. They would hear what they had not heard during their life on earth. The good news of who He was would be explained, and they would come to understand that all things written in the Torah pertained to Him, and in so knowing they would be given the chance to accept Him as Messiah, the one spoken of from the beginning of time.

He would go on to explain that all that was written on the tablets of stone referred to Him. He would help them understand that from this point forward, everyone would have the opportunity to have Him written on the tablets of their own heart, tablets of flesh and not of stone. It would be clear to all that He had fulfilled all that was prophesied and written about Him in the Law. It was also clear He would lead them out, for He had proven, in the most clear manner possible, that He was the way, the truth, and the life.

In this short period of time, Jesus would go on to explain that He was the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world, therefore the Passover feast, in fact all the feasts of Israel were about Him. Even now, if you listen closely, with the ears of your spirit, you can hear His words echo through time, and if you are deeply, spiritually attuned, you can almost feel the relief of those who listened to him. They were about to have their chains broken, and Paradise was waiting. However, for the sake of the testimony of this moment, several would make a stop on the surface of the Earth, in order to tell everyone they met of the great things they had heard from Jesus and to verify that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead and set them free.

There are many interesting facts that you need to know about the purpose of the Veil.

THE VEIL WAS JESUS

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.” Hebrews 10:19-20

The writer of Hebrews, probably the Apostle Paul, tells us that there is a direct representation of Jesus being the Veil, and the Veil being torn at the time of His death on the Cross. In the sacrifice of His life, and taking the sin of mankind on His shoulders, Jesus had removed the Veil that separated God from man and at the same time kept mankind from boldly seeking intimacy with God, an intimacy that had been hidden from man for the four thousand years since the “fall.”

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Matthew 27:50-52

Why was the Veil rent from top to bottom? Because, God the Father wanted to display, in an unparalleled, and unquestionable manner, that He is the one who tore the Veil. He was making a clear and decisive statement that He was the one who recognized the blood of His Son covering the sin of mankind and therefore mankind had the opportunity to commune with Him again. In effect, the gate to Eden was opened and mankind could walk intimately with God anytime they wanted. Just as in the Garden you could eat from the Tree of Life and live forever, now if you will eat of His flesh and drink of His blood you will live forever, for in Him dwells the fullness of life.

There is much still more to the tearing of the Veil than one might think.

Blessings,

John Paul

“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, … .” Hebrews 11:32-34

The theme of the Dark Nights is not going draw a crowd. You may have noticed this in the number of responses to each post. It takes a near “special forces” mentality to even listen to this type of message. Thus, in a day when numbers are equated to anointing, pastors find it difficult to teach on the deeper, more substantial matters of the normal Christian life.

The unfortunate result is that the current church culture has lost its grip on victory in the midst of darkness. They have forgotten that Satan’s greatest defeat occurred at the moment he thought he had gained his greatest victory. I wrote to you before, this journey is not for the faint of heart. One can stop at any time. In fact few, very few have completed the journey. Yes, Jesus paid the price for us, but that price was the price for Everlasting life, not the price to save us from difficulty. In fact Jesus said to us that in this world we would have difficulty, but we are to fear not. Fear is the enemy of God’s plan - which requires faith. That is because fear is a belief that something bad is going to happen, where faith is the belief that something good is going to happen. You cannot have fear and faith on the same topic. Nervousness is not the same as fear.

CULTURAL PROPAGATION

I am afraid that our culture has propagated fear at levels we simply do not recognize we have. As I have often said, “Little bitty battles produce little bitty victories and result in little bitty champions. Great battles produce great victories and result in great champions. Which one do you want to be?” Battles do not occur because we failed to win the war, battles are a part of winning the war. Yet, we are taught that if we experience battles we somehow failed to make a right choice. There is no place in the Bible where this is true.

I am writing to help you make it through this difficult journey that no one wants to tell you about - because it is not popular! If it is too hard, I understand. Just remember, in the future you will more than likely come to this point again and you will face the same issues you face now, only what defeated you before will be seven times stronger the next time you face it. Quitting only infuses the dark side with greater boldness, a boldness you will later encounter.

TO GIVE HIM ALL THINGS

To those who want to find the deeper spiritual roots and live at levels where nothing Satan throws your ways sets you back nor overcomes you, then journey on with me. You will make it through the darkness to a point where you trust God at levels you have not experienced in Him before. At this coming level you will be able to give Him all things, even the things no one but you knows about today. You will easily lay your Husband, your wife, your children, all afflictions, all quandaries, all of your shame, along with all of your desires, at the feet of the one who brought you out of darkness into the Kingdom of His most marvelous light.

ESCAPING THIS COCOON OF DARKNESS

When you emerge from this cocoon of darkness, you will become a destroyer of Evil. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead will dwell in you more deeply, more completely, and more powerfully than ever before. The Holy Spirit will indwell you, endue you, and infuse you. Jesus overcame Satan in Sheol, but even Jesus did not raise himself from the dead, it was the Holy Spirit that raised Him from the dead and that same spirit dwells in you. He will raise you up, both in this life and the life to come.

I know some of you feel you cannot take any more - if that is you, take a rest and read these posts later, when you are stronger and full of faith. Though not biblical there is a statement of Vince Lombardi that is true, “Fatigue makes cowards of the bravest men.” Be at peace, rest and gain strength - then fight again.

WHY DID GOD ALLOW IT?

Diane and I have gone through many dark times. Like many of you some of them had to do with children. We adopted a child who it turned out had “Tourette’s Syndrome.” Though Diane and I did not know the child had this when we brought him home at birth from the hospital, we both know it was no accident. If nothing else good happened from this, and there are a myriad of great things, I have found it was God’s hand at work to change me. I am a better man, a better father, and better husband and a better leader, all because of this wonder child. Yes, Diane and I have also shaped the life of that child who is now a young man. We have never lost sight that we are all part of God’s wonderful plan, but there were some very dark times.

We parents seem to get stuck on the idea that we are placed here for our children, we fail to comprehend that our children might just be sent from God to shape us.  What if it is by the shaping we are given through our children that we actually impact more lives than we would have had God not sent them from Heaven. We think we are to shape them, but what if God sent them to shape us? You see, the benefits of life, in all its forms, is omni-directional and is never just a one way street of mono-focused, exhaustive efforts to form the child for adulthood. We are always better off because of God’s choices for us - even in the children He chooses to give us - even the ones who have special needs. We would never become what we were created to become if it were not for them.

In spite of all the pain and anticipated pain, it is in the midst of dark times that the brilliant light of the miraculous occurs - you see you do not need a miracle until you need a miracle.

But, wait … there is a sound from above and behind you. Something unexpected is happening. It is as if Heaven … .

Blessings,

John Paul

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:4-5

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46

“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” John 19:30

“And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.” Luke 23:46

Scripture says that children are the glory of the father. If that is true on Earth how much more so is it true in Heaven? Thus when the Scripture states, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:4-5) we find that when the Light of the World was put to death, the Father’s heart was broken, the glory of the Son had been put to death, and the result was that the visible nature of the darkness of sin was exposed.

The above verses represent the three stages I am about to write about. I have no fascination with darkness. I do have a great desire to present the truth. Sometimes truth is uncomfortable, sometimes truth is delightful, either way to ignore truth does not change the reality of that truth. Many say you want a new day, new wine, new spiritual outpourings. For that to happen, the old must pass away. In this journey death to self must happen. Self must pass away. As Scripture states, every new day begins in darkness; sorrow comes in the night, but joy comes in the morning; and in creation the evening then the morning were counted as a day. There has never been a new day without darkness and chaos.

Here are three stages you will need to know so you can traverse the darkness and emerge into the glorious light prepared for you. Remember, you are the light of the world I am trying to help you come to place where you believe it. If you do not understand darkness, you will think you are losing. If you understand the matter of light and darkness - in time - you will shine.

THE FEELING OF BEING ABANDONED

The beginning of the Dark Night of the Spirit starts at the demarcation line of the Cross. If you decide to take Jesus at His word, and pick up your cross, you have volunteered for this journey. The deep darkness at the crucifixion was found between the sixth and ninth hour of the day, when for three hours, just prior to the death of Jesus, God darkened the entire Earth (Luke 23:44). An eclipse did not cause this triad of time. It was true, unexplainable darkness. It was during this moment that Jesus uttered three very important statements, the first being, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Why did Jesus say this? Because, the darkness He felt at this moment was more than the physical darkness everyone saw. He could tangibly feel the increasing morass of sin taunting Him and claiming victory. You may have heard the same taunt. The stench of the decaying demonic beings surrounding Him, jeering, and touting their own prowess would have overcome most of us. Hanging there in abject darkness, the natural spoke of the invisible. This painful statement was uttered with the full realization that Darkness was gaining an apparent victory and the Father’s Light seemed to be no longer present with Him. The Glory had departed. Jesus knew the Father had turned His face away. For the first time Jesus felt totally abandoned and helpless to accomplish the task for which he came.

Up to this moment, Jesus would see the Father acting on something and then He would do the same on Earth. Suddenly, the spiritual atmosphere changed, the Father was doing nothing and Jesus immediately felt it. With this you now understand more concerning the prayer of Moses and why it included the phrase, “May God make His face shine on you.” You may also be gaining greater revelation on the cost of taking up your cross. Very few take up the Cross today, they mistake the Grace of God as a substitution for carrying the Cross. However, if this perspective is true, why did Jesus say that if we want to follow Him we’d have to take up the cross to do it?

THE RECOGNITION OF INCAPIBILITY

While the Dark Night of the Soul is about being purged of the misguided thought that your agenda is God’s agenda; the Dark Night of the Spirit is about knowing God’s plan and finding that you are incapable of fulfilling it. This second phase, the recognition of your incapability, is depicted by the words Jesus spoke next when He said, “It is finished!” These words indicated that Jesus realized he had done all He was capable of doing. He had manifested all of the Father’s names to those He had been given (John 17:6). The human part was done. As He hung there on the cross, incapable of moving, or walking away, with all His disciples except John no where to be found, Jesus must have asked, was this enough? Yes it was, but hanging there the question must have lingered - was it enough? There was absolutely nothing left He could do, as a man He could do no more … Jesus was one breath away from dying, a plan that had been in place since before time began.

GOD MUST FINISH THE TASK HE SENT YOU TO DO

Jesus would take one more breath and whisper the third, and final phrase, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” This was the recognition that the Father must be the one to finish what He began. If, like Jesus, you pick up your cross, He must do the same in you, evidenced by this third dying statement of Jesus. In spite of what the enemy wants you to believe, death to self is not bad.

After this final saying, Jesus breathed His last and gave up His spirit. Herein, Jesus recognized that it was not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of His Father that the conclusion of the task would take place. It was in the Garden that the soul of Jesus was broken, but it was on the cross He gave up the rule of His soul over His spirit. There He gave that rule to His father. Thus, if the Father did not back Him up in His coming decent into Sheol to confront Satan, Jesus would stay in Sheol with the rest of humanity who had died … and the world would remain lost.

This decent was not a journey that flesh and blood could take. This journey in the stench of gross darkness would have to be done in the context of a greater reality - the Eternal reality of the Spirit. Here, before Satan, the Spirit of the Father would attest to the sinless life Jesus lived. As a result, all who had been imprisoned in Sheol, and believed the good new Jesus spoke to them, would have their chains taken off. But, for that to happen, Jesus had to believe the Father would turn His face toward Him again and resurrect Him. At that final moment on the cross, Jesus in essence said, “Father, I am helpless, take me, you will have to take it from here … and He died. Notice, Jesus did not say Father in to your hands I commit my soul - He said “Father in to your hands I commit my spirit.” God, who is Spirit revived spirit in the Dark Night of the Spirit.

Again, I remind you, it was the Spirit of God who raised Christ from the dead and that same spirit dwells in you. You can stand with courage and faith in the midst of great darkness knowing you will not fail and the Spirit of God will raise you up.

DARK NIGHTS

Dark Nights are all about feeling helpless, and directionless, incapable, and that combined with the lingering question of failure or success can be quite daunting. However, this last Dark Night of the Spirit is the hardest of the Dark Night series. In fact, after it is over, you will most likely feel you never completely left this moment - you will seem to have one foot out of the Dark Night and yet one foot seems to be stuck there - a reminder that it is only through Jesus you can accomplish the impossible and become a truly spiritual person.

This lingering knowledge that darkness is lurking all around you is what true light is all about. If you are the brightest light in the room, when you look around at the room it will seem pretty dark. There is a paradoxical “Spiritual Law of Light and Darkness” and that is this, “The greater light you contain and radiate, the darker the room around you will seem so be.” Thus you feel you never quite leave the darkness. Please do no equate darkness to pessimism - they are not the same. Hope eliminates pessimism and there is always hope in God.

Think about this, if it were possible for the world to even try to descend and save themselves, they would immediately find themselves stuck in Sheol.  Why, because they have already submitted to Satan and the sin in their life would trap and keep them there. There would be no advocate for them, the Holy Spirit would not do that. They would join the chained and imprisoned. This is why salvation comes only through Jesus. It impossible for a sinful being to save you from the captivity of another sinful being. This would be called a transfer, but the darkness would be the same.

By now you know that it is impossible to live a truly Spiritual life outside of God who is the One, True, Pure, Spirit. It is also impossible to approach God without coming to Him through Jesus, the sinless, only begotten son of the Living God. He made it all possible.

In God’s justice, those who emerge from this greater darkness, will find a greater glory, become a greater light, and demonstrate the names of the Father to a world who dwell in darkness. The scales of Justice will balance on your behalf and God will be all in all. The world is waiting for your victory through the blood of Jesus.

There is more ….

Blessings,

John Paul Jackson

“Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.” Matthew 27:45

Standing in the splendor of this light that is not only thick, but pulsing with life, it is hard to imagine that a time of darkness is coming. But darkness must come, even if it is for a little while. Jesus told His disciple that a time was coming when it would seem like He had deserted them, then His presence would return to them (John 16:16).

The disciples, like you, wondered why? Things are going so well. Whether you have entered the Spiritual Dark Night, just entering it, or have yet to enter, things will seem to be going pretty well right up to the time darkness begins to over shadow you. You must remember, the same people who waved palm branches, and shouted Hosanna as Jesus rode into town on the back of a donkey, three days later shouted “crucify Him.” Things change pretty quickly in  the world and if you do not understand what this coming darkness is for, it can be an enormous set back. Yes, there is still a time and a purpose for all things under Heaven.

DARKNESS BEFORE GROSS DARKNESS

There is a deeper reason for the manner in which the crucifixion events happened. In the heavenly protocol of the Crucifixion, for three hours, before Jesus died, the Sun was darkened. This darkness was not caused by ash from some distant volcanic eruption, as some scholars have surmised, nor was it darkness brought about by a solar eclipse as other scholars have implied. Think about it, that would have been a three hour eclipse. What’s the longest eclipse you have witnessed, five minutes?

Truth be told, this darkness was not even caused by the Sun, it was caused by the Glory of God lifting from the Earth. Most of us see light and we think all light comes from the Sun. Yet, it is God’s Glory that keeps all matter from drifting apart - it is part of the creation in so much as all that exists comes from Him who is light. God’s Glory is light and when it lifts darkness is the result and yet many choose to believe something happened to the Sun. Much of the Light we see today is “Glory Light” and we do not have the eyes to see it …. yet.

NON-NATURAL DARKNESS

So for three hours Darkness came over all the Earth. It was only then that Jesus cried out. It was then He felt the Light of the Father depart, it was then He knew His mission and life on Earth was finished, it was then that knew He was about to face a greater darkness than this. This coming darkness was a darkness no man or woman had ever overcome. This approaching darkness was not found on the face of the Earth as was the three hours of darkness He had just gone through. The darkness found in the place Jesus was going to was the vilest, grossest, darkness that exists.

Where Jesus was going was the very seat of Satan, it was his home. Here, in Sheol, Satan had kept all mankind from Adam to John the Baptist imprisoned. All of that was about to change, but Jesus had to conquer the darkness Himself. He had to get the keys to death, Sheol, and the grave. He could only do this if there was found no darkness in Him. He could have nothing in common with Satan, nor could He have submitted Himself to the world in any way. If He did He would be captured in Sheol, along with the millions who had come there before Him.

THE TIME OF TRUTH

This was indeed a time of truth and a time when anything done in darkness or behind closed doors would be made known. This was the hour when all Jesus had gone through in His life would make sense. It was here in this gross darkness that Jesus would shine. He would proclaim the good news of who He was and invite all who would believe to come with Him to Paradise. However, before many of them would arrive in Paradise, many of those who went with Him would make a stop on the face of the Earth to publicly proclaim all they had heard Jesus tell them, how they had been witness to Jesus taking the Keys from Satan, and that Jesus was truly Lord. Indeed, for all who would believe, His Kingdom had come and defeated the power of the evil one. It is still true today - all it takes is faith. Sometimes that kind of faith comes by understanding the word - thus faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

VICTORY IN THE DARKNESS

Going into darkness is not something that we look forward to, after all it is very hard. But like Jesus, in the midst of your darkest hour, you will shine and great victory will come - you will over come that which was designed by the evil one to take you out and you will have new power after God regenerates you.

If the Son of God had to trust in God the Father to lift Him out of this darkness, don’t you think you will too?

You might remember that before you entered this last Room of Mystery you were in the Holy Place, a room full of Light that came from a Lampstand that God lit with His spoken word. But, here, in the last room, you are in the midst of the greatest light possible - the Light of the Creator Himself.

THEN DARKNESS COMES

In this last room, the light is the brightest light that exists, but if the Light is not present, this Last Room of Mystery will also be the darkest room in the Tabernacle. So you are grateful for any light especially this particular light. However, you are noticing that the Light seems to be dimming and your heart starts to pound. Then, as quickly as it came, it is gone. It was so bright - it is now so dark, so very dark. All you are left with is the dim circles of light left in the cones and macula of your eye, but that is physiological and has nothing to do with spiritual things. You are alone. You cannot even see your hand in front of your face, let alone find your way out of this tent. Panic sets in and you must get out … now!

Between gasps that come in rhythm with the pounding of your heart, you try to calm yourself by remembering the room is small, it is only three steps to anything, but those three steps seem to take a life time - and they will. It is far too soon for you to be able to see the light that was deposited in you by Jesus, so much fear still clouds your spiritual eyes - however, in time, at precisely the right time, you will shine and others will not only know it they will see and feel your presence before you even speak to them or touch them. There is a spiritual touch that can happen without touching.

Remember, I wrote on this over a year ago? It is here that you learn to touch someone without physically touching them. Up to this point, you thought you were ready, you are much, much, closer though it will still take some time and there are some significant spiritual matters you still must learn.

Next post I’ll write more on the three phases I mentioned in my last post. You’ll need to know these …. and more.

Blessings,

John Paul

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1Thessalonians 5:18

“You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.” Ezekiel 28:15

“I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.” Daniel 5:14

In this last vestige of the Dark Nights there is one temptation that must be avoided and you are the only one who can address this, the most rigorous and hard to kill of all temptations. This temptation is a master of disguise. It appears as humility, and touts what you have been through as proof you are broken. It often masks itself as righteous, mature and recognized by those who are spiritually disciplined.

What is this temptation? It is the temptation to be prideful in our brokenness. It makes us feel that somehow we have paid the price to be where we are rather than Jesus paying the price, a price that allows us to take a journey of purification through the Tabernacle, a journey that we do not deserve. Pride in our brokenness is still pride, no matter how hard we have tried, no matter what we have gone through or given up. Further, this level of pride can result in going around the mountain yet another time. This small level of pride is what made Moses strike the rock instead of speaking to it, which by the way was not the real sin, it was the manifestation of the sin.

MUST WE BRING WATER OUT OF THE ROCK FOR YOU?

The real sin was the underlying pride that made him angry when the people came to him wanting him to get them water from the rock when they were thirsty. Moses forgot that he never was the one who did any of the miracles. It was God. Pride has a sad way of making us forget who the true source of all we do actually is.

Be careful that the new wine you are becoming does not turn to vinegar before the bottle is even opened. All it takes is one wrong particle of bacteria, one small crack in the cork, or one unaddressed moment of pride.

THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SPIRIT

So, here you are in this small golden room so that you might understand how small you are. You can also deceive yourself in this room. How? First, by thinking you actually get to stay here. One day you will, but not just yet. In this room you experience the Light of God for a variety of reasons, but one reason you may not have considered is this; you are experiencing the true, pure, light so one day you can comprehend what it is like to be away from that light - which you will soon find out. Dark Nights are truly dark, and this one is the darkest of them all.

You may be thinking that God might actually leave you. No God is not going to leave you - and we will talk more on that shortly - but it will feel that way. The fact is, this God forsaken feeling will become so prevalent that, even in knowing this before hand, you will still feel He has turned away. Only by the process of being in the Light can you deeply feel for those in darkness, who have no access to this Light, to its beauty, its comfort, its penetration, its illumination, nor the security one has when the Light is present.

LIGHT AND HOPELESSNESS

To be without Light, is to be without hope. When the light departs, the glory departs and all thoughts of a good future vanish. As thoughtless as you may think this process is, God must allow you to experience this darkness, so you can fully comprehend that without Him, you really can do nothing. His presence holds all matter together. It is only with His presence that you, without reservation, know that with “full” faith you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Notice this verse does not say you can do all things because of Christ, but “through Christ.”

The only way you can grasp the depth of this subtle difference is for God to lift His light from you for a season. When He does this, things will get very, very dark and you will not only notice the absence of His presence and His light, you will feel the loss of the Light as you no longer feel it penetrating you, nor do you feel yourself absorbing it.

THE SOURCE OF ALL MATTER

It is in this darkened place that you eventually and unfeignedly understand the absence of His presence and your resultant inability to do what He has asked you to do. This is where “death to self” is actually experienced - the death of any thought that you actually have the capability to do anything or have any merit in yourself that is worth while in the Kingdom. You will no longer think God is fortunate that you are on His side.

THREE PHASES

The Dark Night of the Spirit does not speedily come and go. There are three long phases of the Dark Night of the Spirit and you must go through them all. First, you will feel abandoned by everyone, and at times, even abandoned by God. Second, you will recognize you are incapable of completing the task you were sent to do and you will battle with the deepest sense of low self worth and sense of failure you have yet encountered. Third, you will recognize that only God can finish the task He gave you. Eventually, you will find that He will still use you to do it, but in His strength, not yours and in a manner you least expected.

It is in the Dark Night of the Spirit that you will learn what it means to be able to give thanks in all things for this is the will of God through Christ Jesus concerning you. Without this experience, it would be extremely difficult for you to consistently do this, especially to do it by grasping why the Lord allowed your deepest pain to come to you. By then end of the Final Dark Night, you will grasp this and like thousands of others before you, weep with gratitude as you marvel at God’s patience with you.

We’ll look at these three phases of the Dark Night of the Spirit and more in the next post.

Blessings,

John Paul Jackson

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Holy Rooms are full of Light due to God’s presence. After all nothing can be holy without Him. This last Room of Mystery is so full of that Light it is hard to fully notice its’ smallish dimensions. The tapestry of the Cherubim hangs ten cubits or fifteen feet above your head. This Mysterious room is the Room of the Spirit. It is much like your spirit, which is held in an area within you that is much smaller than the rest of you. God, who is Spirit, who is also Light, radiates His Presence through His Spirit here, both in the Tabernacle and within you.

WHAT IS GOD AFTER IN THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SPIRIT?

To make it into this room, you had to crucify your flesh in the Outer Court. Next, you trudged through the Dark Night of the Soul in the Holy Place. However, you have yet to experience the more formidable Dark Night of the Spirit.

The grip sin once had on your life was broken in the journey through the Outer Court, the grip of personal agendas through emotions, intellect, and stubbornness was broken in the Holy Place. But, here in the Holy of Holies, there is one more breaking that has to take place, and that is the breaking of the deep seeded root of your own personal capability. In other words, up to this point you actually think you can accomplish what God called you to do.

This root of self-sufficiency runs deep in you. You are programmed with it from a very young age. What is the evidence of this root in you? Well, the thought is deceptive because when you have it, it actually seems to be a holy thought, at least at first. What is this thought? It is the thought that you actually have the ability to accomplish what God has asked and called you to accomplish. Personally said, it is the “I can do it” syndrome.

THE ART OF BROKENNESS IS FOUND HERE

Some errantly believe that brokenness brings the onset of each of the Dark Nights. This is not accurate. Truth be told, all Dark Nights bring brokenness and true brokenness does not come from just one experience of the Dark Night, it come in layers of experiences that prepare you for the next experience. Said another way, we can take a look at the pruning process spoken of by Jesus.

THE COST OF NEW WINE

Jesus is the branch; you are the vine coming from that branch. If the branch does not bear fruit, He cuts off the branch. Why? Because He is not looking for beautiful branches, He is looking for lots of fruit or grapes. This is parallel to the Outer Court. If the branch does bear fruit He still prunes the branch; again to produce more grapes. We tend to think that this pruning is brokenness, but not so. It is parallel to the Holy Place of the Sanctuary.

Some think that when the grapes are gathered brokenness has been achieved, once again this is not so, it is simply the harvest. However, it is the joy of harvest that makes the depth of the Dark Night that much more effective in working its work within you. None-the-less, there is one more process that perfects the deepest form of brokenness.

“And now my soul is poured out because of my plight; The days of affliction take hold of me.” Job 30:16

For those of you who are up for it, God is actually looking for much more than grapes. God will look over all the grapes for the choicest ones and those He selects will then be thrown into His wine press and slowly turned into wine. Here in the wine press of God, you will lose all shape and form of who you once were. You will be crushed, pulverized, and beaten to a point where no shape, not even the semblance of you is left, and what is left is culled off and discarded. Only the bare essence of who you once were remains, and that lies formless in the vat below. God will then pour you into a barrel and store you in darkness until the perfect time for your release.

At that most perfect of all moments, God will then pour you out on the people He takes you to. And those He brings across your path, will drink from you and be filled with God’s goodness, the rich goodness that God took so much effort to produce in you. At this time in your life you can be poured into any shape of container the Lord desires you to be poured into. This moment is worth the wait for both you and them.

There is a wine whose quality only comes through the Dark Night of the Spirit. Some of you, without knowing it are nearly ready to be uncorked. Others of you are just starting this process, still others are in the barrel and are on hold. Be patient. A few of you are not sure you want to take up this cross at this time. We’ll address that in a later Dark Night post.

There is much more to come.

Posts will come faster from this point forward, so please look each week.

Blessings,

John Paul Jackson