In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2)
There are two creation accounts in the Bible. One in Genesis, the other in the gospel of John. When understood, both accounts shed light upon the other and as revelation compounds together a morphing takes place where the two become one. Of course the two accounts are one, yet it is revelation from God to man that is and always will be the metamorphic agent of manifested truth. To often we skirt through biblical accounts without ever unlocking the truth found within, because we fail to understand that the scriptures are more than just a rule of life put together with some genealogies thrown in; They are first and foremost the chemistry of our morphology.
When Jesus spoke of the scriptures He maintained that “These are they which testify of me”. There is, revealed in scripture, an equation for eternal life, one which contains reactant entities and product entities, these come in the form of prophetic symbols and formulae. Or as Jesus referred to them: ‘The law and the prophets’. A chemistry equation has reactant entities on the left and product entities on the right. If we look at this in a scriptural context, we may see that the symbols and formulas contained in the law are revelatory reactants, which when compounded with the product entities, who are God’s people, together combine to release the answer and final form to the equation. Jesus reminds us that the equation is the process towards the final solution, yet it is not the fulfilment or final solution.
When God spoke to Jonah about the state of Nineveh, He revealed the poor state of their condition: “They do not know their right hand from their left.” Meaning, the Ninevites had no reference whatsoever for life, Godliness or morality. They were without God and without knowledge.With the preaching of Jonah the people of Ninevah took the first step toward the true knowledge of God and themselves, that step being repentance. The city was spared. This is something Israel as a nation could not do in the time of Jesus, much of it due to wrong conclusions with the equation previously presented to them, rendering them unable to see the answer in their midst. New revelation in the earth always coincides with a message of repentance.
As I write on the Genesis account some readers may be confronted with things they have never read or heard before, and this is never an easy thing to deal with. For this reason God is leading me to take some time to discuss the nature of revelation.
First let’s define revelation. Revelation is, according to google: 1: A surprising or previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way. and 2: The divine or supernatural disclosure to humans of something relating to human existence or the world. So we see here that revelation is an essential part of our subject matter, as we will be disclosing previously unknown facts, hopefully in a dramatic and interesting way! and we are also seeking God concerning things relating to our existence and the existence of the cosmos.
Let’s open up a line of thought just to give a bit of understanding as to where we are going with this. This is an important step, as one simple revelation from God often quickly opens up thousands of other revelations. First we have the founding truth or revelation: ‘In the beginning was the Word’ This is the revelation, truth, opinion and Logic of God. As in chemistry we begin with the final product, then formulate an equation based on that final product, which is also our starting point, that is – the beginning. If our equation is formulated correctly, all the necessary components of it, both product and reactionary, should bring us back to the beginning matter. In John’s case: God. The finding’s of the Apostle Johns creation account can be likened to the process of finding what elements make up water. First, you take water, then dissect it in order to find its elementary properties, then by adding the found elements into an equation, we finally find water again. John sees God in Christ, then begins to unfold who He is and what makes Him who He is. In the process we find that in the beginning was the Word. Then we find that the Word was with God, this then ends with the conclusion that the Word was God. God reveals to John that Jesus is the Word. Then John finds the Word existing together with God and, realising the eternal and divine true nature of the two, now he can conclude that the Word is God. Because this process started with the revelation of Jesus Christ, John can now make the astounding claim concerning Jesus: ‘He was in the beginning with God’.
Morphology, a term used in both biology and linguistics, summarises perfectly what we find in John’s creation account. In biology this word means the study of the form or shape of an organism or part thereof. In linguistics, it means the study of the structure and content of word forms. In Christ we find at once the first, in between and everlasting living biological form (In Him was life) and also the full content, beginning and summary of a body of word formations (scripture, including all its linguistic forms, and prophecy – including all its symbols and dramatic tellings). Jesus often referenced these elements concerning Himself. He knew He was both the Word of God and the Son of Man. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty.” In revealing His own morphology, Jesus identifies His biological significance and Logical (word) significance. This is important, as humans need reason for existence just as much as existence itself, in order to be fulfilled and complete.
The great I AM, in all His morphology remains the same, yesterday, today and forever. One drop of H2O contains the same formula portions of Hydrogen and Oxygen as 100 000 kilolitres. This is why Jesus cried out: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38). One drop of living waters given by the Christ contains the same portion content as the waters which existed in Christ Himself to begin with. Which means, potentially, the heart of the person who is filled with the Spirit from Christ Jesus is able to gush forth the same amount of living water from which all of creation came into being. This is why revelation is so important when studying our origins, because, as I identified in my previous article, we would not search for the reason of existence if we were not the reason.
The fountain of living water is important because we are designed as fountains of living water. The creator and His creation is important because we are designed as creators. The Incarnation is God’s equation of Himself, and, by revelation, we find it is His equation concerning us also. Whether as the Word of prophecy, a baby boy, the faith of Abraham, a crucified and suffering servant, or the many membered body. God’s equation of Christ remains the same. The good news Jesus brings is that we are invited to come into agreement of God’s equation of Himself and creation in Christ. If we are still waiting for a perfect utopia to come into the earth before finding the ecstasy of the gospel, we have not yet come to agree with God’s belief and position revealed in Christ.
The Prophet Isaiah lived in the midst of an unclean sin laden people, in a degenerate land, yet when He was taken to the throne of heaven he found the Hosts proclaiming, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts: The whole earth is full of His glory!” Heaven gave him a new and different perspective, even his scriptural prophecies were repented of in light of the new superseding revelation. Every major release of revelation into earth will require a response of deep repentance, from the least of us to the greatest. This leads to our next point concerning the nature of revelation and how important it is in our study of scripture and its morphology.
We must discuss the metamorphic power of revelation.
Before revelation can be received with gushing, river flowing fluidity, one must encounter it in the rock. Within the rock is found a river. The rock is always, firstly, an offence. A stone of stumbling. Most people never progress in revelation because they are never able to get over the initial offence that it brings. When Moses was first confronted with the rock in the wilderness God commanded Him to strike it so that water may come out of it. This He did in faith, he had to, as at the time there is no explanation given as to why he must do it this way and why what will happen will happen. Obedient faith opens sealed mysteries. Major revelation comes with a requirement. Each new revelation reveals a new requirement. The offence of the message and Baptism of John in the gospel accounts was an intended preparation for the revelation of Jesus. Yet some of those who embraced John’s revelation became offended at, and refused to believe in Jesus’s.
Many people struggle with the fact that God can and does dispose of His own previous ways of doing things. God consistently does unprecedented works. Moses, in his anger, disobeyed God when He was commanded to speak to the rock of revelation, so that it may bring forth its water. Instead He relied on past instructions and his own interpretation of events. God still allowed water to gush forth, as He cared for Moses’s, Aaron’s and His own name before the people more than Moses did, Yet Moses would not be permitted to enter the promised land. Moses would not be able to enter the fulfilment and this was a consequence of not obeying God’s revelation. Obeying revelation means you become part of the revelation. The Rock that followed Israel in the wilderness was Christ, and the Christ was only ever meant to be struck once. Moses, through his frustration and disobedience, may have destroyed a prophetic act which could have unlocked the mystery of everlasting life (as in immortality). With this in mind, let us look at the metamorphic transformation that took place when One rock spoke to another.
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt 16:13-19)
Peter’s revelation that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, was a transforming, metamorphic revelation. It changed not only the substance of His own character and growth, but that of the entire earth. All this took place because of one mans revelation of another man. While most of Moses disciples would again strike the rock of offence, Peter spoke to the rock, and found Himself transformed in the process. He trusted in the revelation he had received from God rather than take account of the offence of Jesus. Many of us are afraid to believe in revelation from God because of the opinion of others, Peter went beyond such fear.
Take note of the fact that the people of the day were more willing to believe that one of the prophets had been resurrected than accept Jesus. He obviously did not fit their supposed criteria. This is still all to often the case in the church today, People can believe in signs and wonders etc. as long is they are not done through that person who doesn’t fit into their preconceived criteria of who God can use.
Transforming revelation comes from God. It cannot be taught by men. It takes the Spirit of God Himself to communicate and bring earth altering revelation. Peter received His revelation from God and when Jesus perceived this He immediately set in motion that which He desired to build in the earth. He had found the one upon whom He would build His church. The revelatory substance which was hidden in Christ was able to embed itself into Peter, thus making Him able to have within Himself a substance which can withstand all the forces and pressure of Hell. Peter would not just become a fountain of living water, promised through contact with Christ in John chapter 7:37-38, but He would become another rock from which the rivers are released or shut up at his own will. That Peter really was given the keys to the kingdom of heaven is evidenced many times throughout the new testament. When it came to the outpouring of the Spirit on the gentiles, it was Peter who was sent for by the angel to unlock heaven, when the first Jewish converts were added to the church on the day of Pentecost, it was Peter who allowed them entrance. When Peter disciplined Ananias and Sapphira, Heaven loosed discipline upon them also. Peter could choose to withhold giving someone the Holy Spirit, but also truthfully claim that he had power to make lame men walk. It was even Peter who first equated the Apostle Paul’s writings with the rest of the scriptures.
From Peter’s life, we can see the power of one revelation at work, yet we must also understand that the metamorphic revelation works through extreme pressure and heat, together with friction from other substances.
Revelation invites persecution and warfare.
This is why Jesus specifically mentioned that the gates of hell will never prevail against the church – it’s warfare will aid in our transformation, but the substance of Peters revelation will forever stand strong. Peter’s revelation of Christ immediately made him Satan’s next marked man. The devil from time to time would come to Jesus, and find nothing in Him. Yet, we see that at a certain point, Satan specifically asked for Peter, but Jesus reassured His friend that He had prayed his faith would not fail. Ultimately it was Judas who Satan was given permission to enter, so that he would become the son of Perdition in accordance with scripture, but Peter was Satan’s desired choice. How hard Satan worked to put a stop to Peter because of his revelation can be seen in Peter’s vastly swinging attitudes, firstly by trying to prevent Christ’s crucifixion, then by denying Him publicly. In all of this Jesus never backed out of His promise to Peter, and prayed for him all the way. Why did satan want Peter? He was the first man to openly confess who the Son of Man really was, even in the midst of some of Jesus’s most offensive statements. Satan and his demons already knew who Jesus was, and it was for this reason Jesus did not let them speak. Jesus was waiting for God to reveal something to another man.
The Apostle Paul also knew the cost of releasing revelation into the earth, and a thorn in the flesh was given to him because of the abundance of revelation. Wherever he went, a messenger of Satan was sent to buffet him. It is as if Satan is more aware of the transforming power of men receiving revelation than men are. He fights against the church that is being transformed by revelation. Though I won’t discuss it here, I can say that when I began to release some revelatory things in a small church fellowship a few years ago, Satan began to come and go in our midst. I am not talking about demons, though they were being cast out, but Satan himself. He discussed the content of my preaching and made threats against my wife and I if we continued to do what we were doing. He also came through on His threats. Needless to say, the heat of the persecution we received was in accordance to the revelation being released. It had nothing to do with the size of our church (sometimes no one came) or its name and influence in the community. Satan came because of the revelation being released, and He did whatever he could to stop it.
The church must become aware of our morphology. Who we are and the substance that makes us what we are will always remain the same, yet there are processes that come through embracing revelation which can dynamically change our structure. This always manifests itself in life-giving new creation. There are even Metamorphic changes like Peter’s that must yet take place. For the stone which Jesus was given has several faces. Without delving into the subject, there are seven metamorphic revelations which must be realised in the earth before the full sculpture/engraving of Christ in His eternal fullness is unveiled in the earth (Zechariah 3:9-10).
Why is it so important to discuss revelation and it’s nature when looking into the creation account? Because there is no other instrument which we have that is so completely able to accurately investigate our origins. Moses and John both had far less technological and scientific instrumentation and knowledge than we currently do, yet they accurately engaged in the Genesis through revelation. Like we have mentioned, when we start at the revelation, we are able to find the correct equation of what is transpiring in our present, we will also be led back to our source, which is God Himself. All of this gives a great sense of meaning and purpose in life. Moses looked into the back parts of God when He saw His glory, and saw the creation. John was able to see the face of God’s glory in Jesus Christ and thus was able to see both our Genesis and our future. There are yet discoveries to be made as the church begins to find the glory of God in one another, which will alter creation as we know it.
As we embrace the power of revelation we will begin to understand that there is a light that shines in the darkness, which the darkness cannot extinguish or comprehend, and it is this light that gives light to all of creation. As we source this light in our studies, the world around us will unfold before us, and both the past, present and future will be made clear. We are coming to understand that it is the same word that has carried us from the beginning and the same gospel was preached to us as well as to them (Israel). The revelation of Christ is spreading over all the cosmos, till He becomes all in all, just as He has always been. May God continue to guide us along.
Joshua Kingsley
fierystones.com 