Your doctrine of mysticism sure has a funny take on all that.afaithfulone4u said:The wilderness means wondering around trying to find ones PATH unto the RESTING PLACE of God that He has for us.
Jesus was baptized and was SENT into his wilderness for HIS time of testing of the devil AS THE HOLY SPIRIT LED him to be.
Jesus made it straight through and overcame because he knew how to WHIP OUT his spiritual sWord to fight the temptations of the devil by proclaiming to every temptation "IT IS WRITTEN". And after the THIRD RESISTANCE the devil fled from Jesus and he overcame the temptations of the devil. Then he was blessed as the angels came and ministered to him and he came out of his wilderness.
The Hebrews who had all those years of carnal way of life had to pass through the RED SEA(BLOODY DOG EAT DOG LIVING) but God helped them to escape out of Egypt crossing over to the other side. But once there they were given the 10 COMMANDMENTS to prepare them to change their way of thinking to become a people for God..
Yet they did not have the Spirit of God as we have in our BETTER COVENANT who is our helper, so many of them fell in their wilderness walk of faith for they could not measure up because the carnal mind is enmity towards God, but we now have the mind of Christ if the Word is come in your flesh.
But as for you saying there is no rapture, this is not so. There is no pret trib rapture but a mid trib rapture and you failed to see this because you began at Rev 12:6 instead of 12:5 where those who are in the image of Christ the ONE NEW MAN which is 144,000 holy ones who is the man child the body of Christ that is CAUGHT UP just as Paul said they would be. Those who go into the place PREPARED by God are the virgins who were not ready at Christ's coming for his body because he did not recognize them as holy as his body must be. Would you agree that not all who call themselves believers are ready and able to rule and reign as kings and priests? Of course not all are, so these will be the ones left to be fed spiritually and physically on the earth for they were not spiritually ready and flesh and blood can not see or inherit the kingdom of God.
There are only 3 times that the words CAUGHT UP are seen in the Bible and they all pertain to taken up to heaven and here they are:
2 Cor 12:2-4
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knowethsuch an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
KJV
1 Thess 4:17-18
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
KJV
Rev 12:4-5
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
KJV
This is not talking about Jesus who ASCENDED unto heaven only after he was 33 years old had died and was RAISED UP on the 3rd day.
As you see the heavenly womb of new spiritual Jerusalem is prophesized in Isaiah which is our heavenly mother's womb where all children of God are being birthed from being born again FROM ABOVE. And you should see that the man child is not talking about one man but many as in children of God. And that they are BIRTHED AND CAUGHT UP "BEFORE" the hard labor or wrath of God comes. They will be birthed in one day in the twinkling of an eye as they leave their frail earthy tabernacle/tent behind to receive their spiritual bodies. Now this being caught up to God's throne could very well mean as being placed in their places of authority as the kings and priest's and be on this earth on top of mount Zion safe and sound out of harms way.
Isa 66:7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
KJV
Once the body of Christ being of many members aka sons of God are birthed and caught up, the womb or ENTRANCE into heaven will be closed up by God and the rest of the churches offspring who were not yet spiritually ready will have to be further fed to edify them in the Word to burn away their carnal nature so that they will become more MATURE.
God is a consuming fire and the Word is a flaming sWord and we can not enter heaven with carnal flesh hanging off us. The flesh must be cut and burned away by the works of self sacrificing meaning submitting to Christ to allow the Word and Spirit operate within us to burn and cut to reveal our new nature, reason for this is so that the new world won't become in the same state of corruption as we are seeing today. The carnal man is bloody, always fighting and kicking or using lie's and trickery to gain it's way as a child who throws tempter tantrums to do their desires.
These will not be READY!!
That man child is not Jesus, Jesus is the one telling John of the things to COME IN THE FUTURE not going back in the past.
Rev 1:1
1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
KJV
Jesus was born of the virgin Mary but is the Seed of Israel (the Woman) and of God being the Word which the Bible says is the SEED who became flesh but the body of Christ are the son's of God whom all of creation is awaiting the BIRTH OF.
Rom 8:14-23
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
KJV
John 1:1
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
KJV
John 1:14
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
KJV
Luke 8:11-12
11 Now the parable is this: The SEED is the WORD of God.
12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
KJV
Gal 3:19
19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
KJV
1 Peter 1:24
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
KJV
1 John 3:9-10
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
KJV
I can imagine you getting ready to walk into a lamp post with someone warning you to watch out for that lamp, and you begin saying something like, "Now the light in Scripture is symbolic of... etc., etc., etc."
Though the waters out of the serpent's mouth is a symbolic metaphor, the warnings about the coming pseudo-Christ and Christ's command to not believe on that false one requires NO mysticism to understand it. Don't run into the dang lamp post!
