Knowledge – BT10:  “The Promise” of the New Covenant was to ‘see’ God

 

 

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For the subject of discernment, see New Covenant Ways – BT16.  We already introduced the “seeing” aspect of knowledge in the last BLOG (a) that the Prophetic-Rhema page discusses further concerning visions and dreams.  Even uneducated, little children can do this as the Least Among You – BT7 BLOG speaks of.  Let’s look into this “seeing” deeper here.  <Notes> a) horao observing/perceiving-knowing/discerning in 1 John 3:6; katoptrizomai “gazing with wide-open eyes as we behold” in 2 Corinthians 3:18; aphorao “routinely turning to observing/perceiving-knowing/discerning toward another” Hebrews 12:2.

 

“The Promise” of the completely different-in-kind New Covenant was NOT for more graphe scripture of gramma letters/writing to read, study, memorize, or debate by the so-called “wise and understanding ones,” but for ‘seeing’ God.  Gramma is the ‘grammar’ of alphabets, words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or even portions/categories of writings.  The bible uses it sometimes of the “portion” called “the Torah Law or instruction” as God’s “first covenant” or “old covenant,” which is based on obedience to 613 entole commandments that are “specific, universally-binding instructions, prescriptions, precepts, charges, orders, or injunctions.”  However, “The Promise” doesn’t come from God’s grapho handwriting of dogma as “doctrines, propositions, decrees, laws, regulations, or ordinances,” nor is it gramma “portions” collected into tablets, scrolls, or books called graphe “scripture.”

 

 

 

The Jews had all this for 800 years through a prescribed, structured, authoritative hierarchy of human teachers “from the greatest to the least of them” – Moses to his brother Aaron to his sons, to the Levite priests, to Jewish men of all the tribes, to their wives in the home, to their children, and finally down to servants and Gentiles. Did any of this really work for them? The Jewish bible-expert scribes, religious teacher–leader scribes (bible-experts), Pharisees and Sadducees killed every prophet ever given to them and then finished with their own Messiah (a)!  <Notes> a) Matthew 23:37; Luke 11:47, 13:34; Acts 7:52; Romans 11:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:15.

 

After 800 years of reading, studying, memorizing, debating, and teaching the graphe scripture – “diligently searching the scripture because you suppose/opinionate that in them you will ongoingly have/hold/possess zoe genuine-life everlasting” (a) as Jesus noted, all these “wise and understanding ones” (b) did NOT experientially, relationally ginosko know or eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know God any more than the Gentile pagans did nor did they have the unconditional-love of God within them, as Jesus noted (c).  If Christians insist on doing the same things as them and somehow expecting different results, isn’t that the definition of “insanity” according to Einstein?  <Notes> a) John 5:39, b) Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21; James 3:13, c) John 5:42, 8:55; Galatians 4:8; 1 Corinthians 1:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:5; Titus 1:6; 1 John 4:8.

 

The term graphe scripture was never applied to anything but the collection of OT gramma letters/writers by any Jew or Christian church leader until 208 AD, when in desperation in argumentation against the Monarchian Praxeas and Bishop Marcion of Sinope, who the Catholic Church had branded as heretics, the Latin theologian Tertullian first applied the term graphe scripture to a very loose collection of Christian writings available at that time, and only some of these eventually ended up in the New Testament (NT).  Boy, that sure is a good reason to call the NT “scripture!”  According to http://earlychristianwritings.com/, there were at least 139 Christian writings circulating throughout the Church by 208 AD, and there was little agreement as to what was even authoritative.  Many Church fathers considered any of our current NT writings as purely “devotional” but certainly not “scripture” – see Wikipedia’s Development of the New Testament Canon.

 

However, Jesus criticized these Jews who so prized their scriptures: “You neither in-possibility eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know the [whole of] scriptures nor in-possibility the dunamis enabling-power of God” (a), in context concerning the resurrection of the dead – this dunamis enabling-power being from the Holy Spirit (b).  Jesus also accused them: “By the ear you shall actually [physically] hear but never sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ to understand, and by the eye you shall actually be [physically] seeing but never eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their ‘eyes’ they have closed” (c), and furthermore, “You eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know absolutely-in-fact neither Me absolutely-in-fact nor my Father. If you had eido mentally ‘seen’ to perceive/know Me, you would have eido mentally ‘seen’ to perceive/know My Father also” (d). <Notes> a) Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24, b) Romans 1:4; Philippians 3:10, c) Matthew 13:14-15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; Acts 28:26- 27; Romans 11:8 – all citing Isaiah 6:9-10, d) John 8:19.

 

Evidently their collection of ancient manuscripts, which we know many were lost, all their schools of interpreting and teaching the bible for over 800 years, all their commentaries on the bible with all their incredible scholarship, didn’t help them much at all!  Are we going to get different results by doing the same things?  That’s  insane!

 

 

 

Eido mentally ‘seeing’ to perceive/know is a common term describing a prophet’s envisioning visions (horao horasis) and dreaming dreams (enupniazomai: night visions).  Horasis comes from the verb horao that means generally to observe with the eyes, implying attention, concern, or heed, sometimes being acquainted through experience, but often emphasizing a mentally ‘seeing’ to perceive or comprehend with a discerning or ‘weighing-in’ mind (a).  Some things that the NT disciples blepo physically saw, many OT people prophesied about them via revelation, but the prophets could only long to eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know (b), having only searched/carefully-inquired-about them (c), having only been horao observed/perceived-known/discerned’ by these forefathers (d), like Abraham wanting to horao observe/perceive-know/discern Christ’s coming and he did eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know it (e). <Notes> a) Revelation 4:3, 9:17; Matthew 9:30; Luke 24:31; Matthew 20:33; Mark 8:25; Jeremiah 6:16; Numbers 12:6; Job 7:14, 20:8, 33:15; Daniel 1:17, 2:28, 4:5, 9, 7:1, b) Luke 10:24, c) 1 Peter 1:10-12, d) Hebrews 11:13, e) John 8:56.

 

Compare this to optanomai: gaze in awe with wide-open eyes upon (a) or katoptrizo that is kataptron mirror + a derivative of optanomai together meaning to gaze in awe with wide-open eyes as in a mirror at a reflected image (b). <Notes> a) Matthew 5:8; John 16:22; Romans 15:21; Acts 13:31; 1 John 3:2, b) only used in 1 Corinthians 3:18.

 

This supernatural vision is promised to ALL OF US for “now we have received . . . the Spirit who is from God that we might eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know the things freely given us from God” (a), even having “prophetic enabling-power to eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know ALL mysteries and ALL gnosis info-knowledge” (b).  This is NOT gnosis book-knowledge from reading and studying!  This is by prophetic ‘seeing’ particularly by “prophecy, horasis visions, and enupniazomai dreams” (c). Maybe the very reason the “godless nations/people” are not “in control of their own body” but are in “the passion of their own lust” is exactly because they “do not eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know God” (d) – see Knowledge – BT9.  <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 2:11-12, b) 1 Corinthians 13:2, c) Acts 2:17-19, citing Joes 2:28-29, d) 1 Thessalonians 4:4-5, cf. Galatians 4:8.

 

This eido mental ‘seeing’ to perceive/know is HOW Timothy came to trusting-relying-faith in Christ through the prophetic scriptures (a). This is also the way Paul describes his focus on Christ (b).  Paul’s proseuche conversational-prayer is that Christians will have the ‘eyes of their hearts’ enlightened/illuminated as a result of receiving the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation by-the-means-of the genuine, full, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of God, the Father (e).  The Father eido mentally ‘sees’ to perceive/know the mind of His own Spirit (f).  It’s no wonder that God promises that NOW ALL God’s people would eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know Him” (h) under the completely different-in-kind New Covenant, but NOW this knowledge absolutely will no longer be taught by any men “from the greatest to the least” as in the old covenant, but “taught by God” (g) NOW “from the least to the greatest” (h). <Notes> a) 2 Timothy 3:14-16, b) 1 Corinthians 2:2, c) Acts 2:17-19, citing Joes 2:28-29, d) 1 Thessalonians 4:4-5, cf. Galatians 4:8, e) Ephesians 1:17-18, f) Romans 8:27, g) John 6:45; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; Isaiah 54:13, h) Hebrews 8:11 citing Jeremiah 31:34.

 

It’s very misleading for many bibles to simply translate eido as “knowing or understanding,” because it has very little to do with logical, rational processing or comprehension like sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ inductive understanding requires if you read and study the bible, but eido instead has more to do with ‘seeing’ mental images in order in order to “perceive/know,” images that God can easily place in anybody’s mind, even the uneducated little children or other “least among you!”

 

If you search carefully, you find that nowhere in the NT is there a hint of more gramma letters collected into graphe scripture to be given by God. Instead, “The Promise” for both Jew and Gentile-Christians was that “they will all be taught by God,” first directly by Jesus, the living Logos “Word of God” Communicator (a), and then after His resurrection by Christ’s Spirit, the “One Teacher” (b).  At Pentecost’s outpouring of Christ’s Spirit, the first precedent-setting sermon of the Church Age “last days” was by Peter who said in Acts 2:15-18:  “This is what was spoken through the prophet Joel . . . I will pour out My Spirit . . . your sons and daughters shall actually prophesy, your men shall actually envision visions (c) and dream dreams – and [summing this up] they shall actually prophesy.”

 

<Notes> a) John 6:45 citing Isaiah 54:13 or Jeremiah 31:34, b) Matthew 23:8 – see Teach One Another – BT10 , c) horao horasis: generally to observe with the eyes, implying attention, concern, or heed, sometimes being acquainted through experience, but often emphasizing a perceiving inward ‘seeing’ of the mind to comprehend with a discerning or ‘weighing-in’ mind.  This is very similar to optanomai: gaze in awe with wide-open eyes upon used in Matthew 5:8; John 16:22; Romans 15:21; Acts 13:31; 1 John 3:2 or katoptrizo that is kataptron mirror + a derivative of optanomai = gaze in awe with wide-open eyes as in a mirror used only in 1 Corinthians 3:18.

 

There is absolutely no mention that God’s plan was to continue to include reading, studying, memorizing, teaching, and debating OT scripture or that God would write more gramma letters of it.  Instead we have Jesus earlier saying that this is ” ‘The Promise’ of My Father I am sending upon you . . . when you are clothed with enabling-power” (a), and to “wait for ‘The Promise’ of the Father you have heard from Me” and “you will receive enabling-power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you . . and/coupled you will be My witnesses/testifiers . . . to the ends of the earth/ages” (b), just as Jesus promised in John 15:26, “The Spirit of The Truth, the Parakletos (‘c), whom I will send to you, He will bear witness/testify about Me.” <Notes> a) Luke 24:49, b) Acts 1:4, 8, c) Close-beside’ caller, summoner, or inviter; helper, succorer, or assistant; encouraging teacher, counselor, comforter, or consoler; defense-attorney, judicial-advocate, or court-intercessor.

 

Earlier in John 4:10-14, 24, Jesus said this is “the grace-gift of God . . . I will give you ‘living water’ . . . a spring of water welling up to zoe genuine-life (a) everlasting . . . God is Spirit, and so those who worship (b) Him must worship by the means of [singular] Spirit and/coupled [singular] Truth,” and also: “Whoever has trusting-relying-faith in Me . . . ‘out of his heart/mind/inner-being will flow rivers of living water,’ which Jesus said about the Spirit” that would be given after “Christ was glorified” (c). This started to happen at Pentecost, when Peter says, this that was happening is “from the Father, ‘The Promise’ of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out what you are seeing and hearing” (d), and this is “the grace-gift of the Holy Spirit, for This Promise is for you and for your children and for ALL who are far off” (e). Somehow much of the Church has lost sight of WHO “The Promise” was to be and settled for more WHATs of scripture!  <Notes> a) ‘the real-thing’ as it God originally intended it, b) proskuneo: reverently kiss the hand [as a dog does] towards, c) John 7:38-39, d) Acts 2:33, e) Acts 2:38-39.

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, “The Promise” prophesied in the OT for the NT sure wasn’t more gramma writings collected into graphe scripture – the Catholic Church was the first in 208 AD to declare any NT writings as “scripture” despite the objections of previous bishops!  No, “The Promise” was instead the Holy Spirit’s enabling-power to variously ‘see’ God and His will, using words like eido, horao, horasis, aphorao, optanomai, and katoptrizomai for observing, beholding, mentally ‘seeing’ to perceive, and discerning in order to genuinely, experientially, relationally epiginosko know.  The first sermon for the entire Church age tells us God’s plan of communicating to His people NOW is for ALL of His men and women servants to prophesy via visions and dreams!  There is no mention of anything else!  Why are we adding to God’s plans?

 

If the Jews perfected bible-study for 800 years and God said it got them no closer to actually knowing God than the Gentiles did, isn’t it insane to think that Christians are going to do better still “supposing/opinionating that in the scriptures we may take hold of zoe genuine-life everlasting?”  Are we also going to miss their whole point – to have a direct, personal relationship with the Messiah?  Once the person arrived, are we also going to “ongoingly refuse to Come to Me,” but instead go back to our bible-study?  Even if Jesus said “the secrets of kingdom are kept hidden from these ‘wise and understanding’ ones?”  Why are we going back to learning ABOUT God from the WHATs of paper with letters on then, when we have the WHO of the Parakletos “One Teacher” so that we can all be “taught by God?”

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, Knowledge of God and His Will, The New Covenant Promise is NOT more bible-writings but the Holy Spirit’s teaching, 800 years of hierarchical teaching of Old Testament failed to give genuine knowledge of God, The bible-students missed the point of the bible – to have a relationship with Jesus, Bible-students didn’t know or love God, graphe scripture is ONLY Old Testament gramma writings, Catholics made New Testament writings scripture, Greek words for seeing God to actually know God, Prophecy is how we know God and His will, Conversational-Prayer is where we see and hear God, God’s original plan was directly teaching and Jesus restored this by His Spirit