“Israel was Jacob’s own name. So for Jacob to call Him ‘the God of Israel’ is the same as naming Him ‘the God of me.’”
“Exactly. And throughout the Scriptures, God would refer Himself as the God of Israel. You see, it is God’s will to join His Name to the name of His people. And the Scriptures say that if you’re born again, you are also Israel. So you must also join your name to the Name of God. It means it’s not enough to call Him God. You must give Him a new name.”
“How can I give God a name?”
“He must become the God of you, the God of . . . ” he paused, “your name. The one named John must know Him as the God of John. The one named Mary must know Him as the God of Mary. It is His will that your name be in His Name and that His Name be joined to yours, just as His life is joined to your life and His identity to your identity. His secret Name is as sacred as all His other Names. It means He’s the God of your existence, your life, the God of your past, the God of your needs, the God of your wounds, the God of your heart. It means He’s the God of you and all you are . . . So it is the Name that only you and He fully know the meaning of. So Jacob asked God for His Name and then discovered it. And for those who truly know Him, this is the name they too discovered . . . the sacred Name: the God of you.”
The teacher left my room. I was now alone, gazing out the window at the star-filled sky and pondering the love of the One who bore a secret Name . . . the God of me.
The Mission: Speak God’s secret name—the God of you, the God of your name. Ponder what that means: He’s the God of all you are and has chosen your name in His.
Genesis 32:29–33:20; Psalm 18:2; Isaiah 48:1 Yeshuati
DAY 296
THE ISHMAEL MYSTERY
WE WERE OBSERVING one of the encampments, where a group of children were at play, darting in and out of the tents, hiding, laughing, and running after and away from each other.
“It was in a camp of tents like this,” said the teacher, “a camp with children, that an event took place upon which has hung the peace of the entire world . . . a mystery of two children in a desert tent camp.”
“Which camp was that?” I asked.
“The camp of Abraham. It was there, because of an ongoing conflict, that Ishmael, Abraham’s firstborn son and the son of his maid Hagar, was, in effect, exiled from the rest of the family. Isaac, Abraham’s son by his wife Sarah, remained. Imagine being Ishmael. To him, it was the end of a world, the loss of everything he had known, his father, his birthright, his inheritance, the promises of God, the covenant, the land of Israel, everything. It would be enough for the boy to grow embittered, jealous, and angry. And yet God blessed Ishmael and made of him a great nation. His descendants would end up far more numerous than those of Isaac and with far more land. But the conflict between Ishmael and Isaac would continue through the ages. From Isaac would come the nation of Israel and the Jewish people, to whom was given the land of Israel and the covenant.”
“And who,” I asked, “are the children of Ishmael?”
“They were called the Ishmaelites and from ancient times were identified with the Arabs, even by ancient and pre-Islamic Arab tribes. Mohammed himself claimed to be Ishmael’s direct descendant and, in the Koran, exalted him. The blood of Ishmael undoubtedly flows throughout the Arab world, and it is there that his identity and mantle have been taken up. Ishmael’s fury has, more than once, shaken the world, and continues to rage against his brother Isaac, the nation of Israel, and over what? Over the birthright, over the land, over Abraham’s legacy, and over Isaac’s inheritance. And so the fate of the world has rested on this ancient mystery that began in the tents of Abraham. What does the mystery of Ishmael tell you? Never let bitterness take root. Never allow yourself to live as a victim. Never dwell on the blessings you don’t have and miss all the blessings you do. And the one who is most blessed is not the one who has been given the most, but the one who has most received and most dwells on the blessings he’s been given.”
The Mission: Live today not focusing on the blessings you don’t have, but dwelling on all the blessings you do.
Genesis 17:20–21; 21:12–21; Ephesians 4:30–5:21
The Ishmael Mystery
DAY 297
THE SEASONS OF THE HARVEST
WE WERE SITTING under an olive tree inside one of the school’s gardens. The teacher bent down, picked up one of the olives that had fallen to the ground, and held it in his hand.
“The harvest is great, but the laborers are few,” he said. “That’s what Messiah told His disciples about the harvest of salvation, a harvest that every child of God must reap. On what harvest was He basing this?”
“The harvest of Israel, I would guess.”
“That’s correct. But the harvest of Israel was not only one but many. Its harvest was made up of many harvests. First came the barley harvest in the spring, then the wheat harvest, then the fruit harvests, the fig harvest, the date harvest, the pomegranate harvest, the olive harvest, and the grape harvest into the autumn. Every harvest had a season. If you didn’t reap the harvest in the appointed time of that harvest, you missed your one chance.”
He let the olive fall back to the ground.
“And so too it is with the harvest of salvation. It is not only one but many. The harvest of salvation are many harvests. And every harvest has its appointed season and time. If you don’t reap the harvest in its appointed time, its season will pass, and the time and chance you had to reap it will be gone.”
“What harvests?”
“The harvest of your loved ones. You have only a limited time to share with them of God’s love. If you don’t reap, the season will pass. The harvest of your friends. The harvests of those in other lands who need to hear the word of salvation. The harvest of acquaintances and those you will only see for a short time. To each person in your life there is a specific time and season. They won’t always be in your life . . . and you won’t always be in theirs. Every season passes. People will pass in and out of your life . . . and then from this world, and the season is over. And then you yourself will pass from this world. And whatever you didn’t reap will be forever gone. So make the most of your time in this world. Lift up your eyes and see the fields that are all around you. Don’t miss the harvests given to you or the appointed times in which to reap them. Don’t wait to give the word of salvation to those who need to hear it. Don’t delay in showing your love, or to forgive or to ask to be forgiven. Don’t wait to bear the fruit your life was called to bear. Every season must pass. And only that which was reaped in its season will remain forever. And these are the seasons of your harvest.”
The Mission: Today is the day of the harvest. Share the good news. Show your love. Forgive. Bless. Don’t wait. The time of your harvest is only now.
Ecclesiastes 3:1; Jeremiah 8:20; Matthew 9:37; Luke 10:2
Seasons of the Harvest
DAY 298
THE FACES OF GOD
IT WAS A sunny day. We were standing next to a pool of water formed of the desert rains. I was looking at my reflection in the water when I noticed the reflection of another. It was the face of the teacher. He was standing over my shoulder.
“Imagine,” he said, as I watched him speak through the waters, “imagine seeing the face of God. In Hebrew the word for face is panim. Do you notice anything about it?”
“It has im at the end,” I said. “So that would make it plural?”
“It would,” he said. “So the word face is not really face but faces. So to speak of the face of God in Hebrew is to speak of the faces of God. And what is a face? It’s not the essence of the person or being, but the appearance. It’s how you know and recognize another. And how do you see the face of God? By the panim . . . through His many faces. You see them in His blessings, in His provisions, in every good thing that has blessed your life, in the love He wove into those who once cared for you, in every kindness shown to you in your time of need, in every good given to you by His people. In their lovi
ng you, He was loving you. In their helping you, it was He who was helping you. And in their encouragements, it was He who was encouraging you. In their panim, in their faces, was the panim, the face of God. And as Mary Magdalene looked into the face of God but didn’t realize it was His face, so too in your life you have looked into His face and not realized it was the face of God. But if you look, you’ll see it. For ‘blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’ Look always for the good, for the holy, and the beautiful, and you’ll find, and you’ll see the face of God.”
He turned from the waters. I did likewise. We were now face-to-face.
“And one more thing,” he said. “When you allow your life to be used as a vessel of His love and your heart to be moved by His Spirit, then when people look at you, they will see the face of God. Now look back at the waters. Do you know what you’re looking at?”
“What?”
“A face,” he said. “You’re looking at . . . one of the faces of God.”
The Mission: Today make it your aim to see the faces of God in all their appearances. And be one of them.
Genesis 32:30; Numbers 6:24–27; Matthew 5:8; 2 Corinthians 3:7, 13, 18
The Face of Messiah
DAY 299
BAAL ZEVUV
HE LED ME inside a cave about halfway up the side of a relatively small mountain. Inside the cave was a chamber that appeared to be a storage place for varied archaeological artifacts. He bent down, picked up one of the objects, and carried it to the cave’s entrance, where we examined it in the light. It was a strange metal figurine, a man wearing a long conical hat with his right arm raised as if to throw something.
“This is Baal,” he said, “an idol of Baal.”
“They sacrificed their children for that . . . ” I said.
“Baal was Israel’s substitute god, their anti-god, the god of their turning away from God. For whenever they turned away, Baal was always there to meet them and fill in the gap. So Baal was the god of whatever it was they chose in place of God. And thus he appeared to them in many different forms and with many different names. Baal was the god of their apostasy. To him they sacrificed their children, and because of him, in the end, they would be destroyed. One of the names by which he was known was Baal Zevuv.”
“What does it mean?” I asked.
“Zevuv means flies,” said the teacher. “So Baal Zevuv means Lord of the Flies. Baal Zevuv was later translated into Greek and became a name you might be more familiar with.”
“What name?
“Beelzebub.”
“Beelzebub? Isn’t that the name of the devil?”
“It is.”
“Baal is the devil?”
“The devil has many masks. Baal is one of them. Baal is the substitute god, and the devil is Baal. So if one turns from God, the devil is always there to fill in the gap. He’s the god of one’s turning away from God. Whatever one would choose in place of God, that’s the form in which he will appear. That’s why when a nation turns away from God, it moves not to the neutral—but to the satanic. The Baal of Russia was communism. The Baal of Germany was Nazism. The manifestations were different, but the end was the same. The enemy destroys those who worship him. So it is with all who worship Baal. So beware of idols. Beware of serving other gods, even the gods of your desires. Guard your heart, that God be your only God. For in the end, every other is Baal Zevuv. And Baal Zevuv is Beelzebub.”
The Mission: Is there anything you’re living for, serving, putting first, above God? See it for what it is—Baal Zevuv. Flee from it today like the devil.
1 Kings 18:21; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; James 4:7; 1 John 2:15–17; 5:21
The God of a Thousand Faces
DAY 300
THE DAY OF NEOGENESIS
HE HAD REMOVED the Torah scroll from the ark, laid it on the table, and opened it up to its beginning.
“Look,” said the teacher, “the very first word of Scripture . . . B’Resheet. In Hebrew, the entire book is named after that word. It’s the Book of B’Resheet.”
He paused to look up from the scroll, then continued.
“The resurrection took place on a Hebrew holy day.”
“The Day of the Firstfruits,” I said.
“Yes. As the resurrection was the firstfruits of the new creation.”
He turned his attention back to the scroll.
“The B in B’Resheet is just a preposition to indicate ‘in.’ The first word of the Bible is Resheet. When the ancient rabbis translated the Bible into Greek, the word Resheet became a word known throughout the world.”
“Which word?”
“Genesis. Genesis is the translation of Resheet. And the book is the Book of Genesis. Now,” said the teacher, “do you remember what the Day of the Firstfruits was called in Hebrew?”
“Yom Resheet,” I said, “the Day of the Resheet . . . It’s the same word! So He didn’t only rise on a Hebrew holy day, but on the Hebrew holy day that’s called the Day of the Beginning!”
“Yes,” said the teacher. “The day on which Messiah rose contains the exact same word that begins the Scriptures, the universe, and the creation. And in Greek, the day Messiah rose was . . . ”
“The Day of Genesis! The resurrection is the new Genesis!”
“It’s the Neogenesis,” he said. “And what happened on the first day of creation? It was dark and void. And God said, ‘Let there be light!’ and there was light. So too on the Day of Neogenesis, it was dark and void in the tomb. And God said, ‘Let there be light!’ and there was light and new life. And from that empty tomb comes the power of Genesis, the power of Neogenesis to all who will receive it. In the deepest darkness of this world and of this life, it’s the power of ‘Let there be light!’ and there is light. And in every ending, it’s the power to call forth a new beginning, the power of Genesis, the power of a new creation. It is, for all who enter it, the power to be born again. For Messiah is our Neogenesis.”
The Mission: Where in your life do you need a genesis? Take the power of the resurrection, the Resheet, and declare into your life, “Let there be Light!”
Genesis 1:1–3; Luke 24:4–7; 2 Corinthians 4:6; 5:17
The Genesis Day
DAY 301
LIVING FROM THE FUTURE
WE WERE STANDING in an open expanse. In the distance before us was a cluster of date palm trees.
“Imagine your goal is to get to those trees,” said the teacher. “So you set your mind on going from here to there. But what if you did the opposite? What if you set your heart on getting from there to here? What if you did it backward, proceeding not from the starting line, but from the finish line?”
“I’m not getting it.”
“If you do get it,” he replied, “it can change your life. Messiah said, ‘On earth as it is in heaven,’ the heaven-to-earth principle. Do you remember what it was?”
“The direction of God and His blessings proceed from heaven to earth. Therefore, we must live our lives from heaven to earth.”
“Yes. But what happens if we take it from the realm of space to the realm of time? Heaven is not just what’s above us, but what’s ahead of us. Heaven, in one sense, is that which comes at the end, at the end of earthly history and earthly life. So heaven is also what is yet to come, the future. So to live from heaven to earth, you must also learn the secret of living, not from the past, and not from the present . . . but from the future. . . from God’s future.”
“How does one live from the future?”
“Every problem you have will be answered, either in heaven or before. So the secret is to live not from the problem, but from the problem solved, from the answer, before the answer. You must choose to live not from your present crisis, but from its future overcoming, not from your present obstacle, but from its future breakthrough. You’re in a battle. In the future that battle will be won. So don’t live from the battle. Live from its future victory. As it is written, when you ask in prayer, believe you have received it, an
d in your asking, give thanks to God. Live from heaven, from the kingdom yet to come, from the life yet to be, even from the you you are yet to become. Fight the won battle, run the run race, accomplish the finished work, start from the finish line, begin from the victory, rejoice now from the joy at the end. Live now from what will one day be, and you’ll live a life of blessing, and victory, on earth as it is in heaven.”
The Mission: Learn the secret today of living from the future, fight your won battle, accomplish your done work, and live from the finished you.
Matthew 6:10; 16:18; Mark 11:24; Ephesians 4:1
As It Is in Heaven
DAY 302
THE MYSTERY SCROLL
WE WERE IN the Chamber of Scrolls when he gave me an assignment.
“There exists a scroll,” said the teacher, “in this chamber unlike the rest.”
“How is it different?”
“It doesn’t look like the other scrolls, or much like a scroll at all.”
“What does it contain?”
“The Scriptures, the Word of God, the divine revelation. It is, in essence, like the other scrolls, but possessing unique properties. It was made to be read by those who will never study and have never read the other scrolls. Even those who have no interest in reading anything, they will read this one. They will read it without even realizing they’re reading it.”
“Sounds like a pretty amazing scroll.”
“It is,” he said. “And this is your assignment: Find it.”
“What does it look like?”
“It’s covered in cloth of blue, brown, and white.”
So I went searching throughout the Chamber of Scrolls to find the mystery scroll, going through every platform, every corner and recess, and every shelf of every case. But I couldn’t find anything matching the description given me.
The Book of Mysteries Page 43
