“I Am Not the Messiah”

I

As a follower of Christ, it is my responsibility to get a clear sense of whom Christ is. I have to get to know Him not only as God, but also as a human, since His body, and His person is of utmost importance to the redemption of humanity, and the salvation of our souls.

Here’s why: 

The other day, I was deliberating on how Jesus is fully human, and fully God. More so, I had been studying aspects of religions that do not believe God could become human because human’s shouldn’t equate themselves to God.

In a sense, this is true. We are not God. Just yesterday, I was laying at the beach, and I remembered the episode that occurs in (John 1:19-23). It goes as such: 

“This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.” 

“Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”

“No.”

“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”

“No.”

“Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say for yourself?”

John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, 

‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’ 

I identify with John here. As of now, I believe I am becoming a witness to Christ, which is astounding to me, but is happening nonetheless. It’s funny to me because for a large portion of my life, I was convinced that it was I who needed to save the world. In a sense, I convinced myself that I was the messiah, and in turn, completely deceived myself and became inflated with pride. Now, after having called on the Lord to intercede in my life, I am in full awareness that I am just another John, another witness to the world in all its spectacle. I am not the God. I am not the messiah. Jesus is. Jesus is the savior of the world and He visited us in a body. It is this Body which pays for our sins. This is why it is important to recognize whom Jesus is, as it is wonderful to see. It is a relief. As written in the Book of Matthew: 

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 12:28-30).

(Thank you, Lord.)

We cannot recognize this, however, if we cannot recognize Love. It seems in this day and age, many more people are drawing away from Love itself, and it is heartbreaking to see. For Love is possible at all moments, as we are God’s creation, and can be in God’s presence at all times. This is important to recognize. In (1 John 4:8), the apostle St. John explicates, 

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is Love.”

God is Love.

As such, Jesus is Love. Since this is so, it means that Love has existed before creation, and that everything was begot from Love as “God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him” (John 1:3). 

Love then, is the source of all creation. Since it is the Source, it is what we should drink from in order to empower ourselves and the other things around us as well. For in filling ourselves with Love, we are actually filling ourselves with God. When we are not filling ourselves with Love, we are not filling ourselves with God. If we are not filling ourselves with God, then God is set aside which means that Love is set aside, and there is no Love. What we can conclude is this: if God is not present, Love cannot be present.

This is, of course, only a puzzle piece of the entire thing. Since Love is God, and God is the Source of everything, we can safely concluded that God is the Source. From here a distinction must be made between what is connected with the Source, and that which is disconnected from the Source. This comes down to choice: we can choose to be filled with the Source, or we can choose to fill ourselves with something else. Being that we cannot know the full extent of what everything is until we’re with God, our choice is the only thing we have in this world that allows us to tap into God. But this is in our favor, for God wants us to accept His presence within ourselves. By discovering this, we can slowly learn that we are indeed His children, equal with Him in unity, and in Love (most importantly in Love!). By discovering this, we can come to the understanding that we, as His children, are to become like Jesus, and the Father Himself. But this is only possible by connecting to the Source.

What does this have to do with Jesus? What we can take from this is the fact that Jesus, as a human, was the source, while at the same time, was connected with the source. This is because Jesus had free-will. In the Book of Hebrews, it is written that Jesus had to be made in every aspect like us, in order to save us. It reads: 

“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

This provides great comfort, and actually harkens to the fact that Jesus lived. He was born of the Virgin Mary, He was a baby, as attested to in multiple gospels, and, as written in the Book of Luke, “grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and all people” (Luke 2:52). He was very much like us, and as such, faced the same trials and tribulations we did as well, “yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:16). How did He not sin? By continuously choosing to connect with the Source “because of his deep reverence for God” (Hebrews 5:7). He provides the example of what it means to live a life dedicated to God, even though Jesus is God Himself. This choice shows the humility of Christ, as well as the Love of God in its fullness, for Jesus “had come down from heaven” (John 3:13) to take the punishment we righteously deserve. This is the Good News! Jesus resurrected! In resurrecting, the power sin had over us had been broken, and we are free. As the apostle St. Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians: 

“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve on another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another” (Galatians 5:13-15).

So it is our responsibility, knowing both Christ as human, and Christ as God, to choose Him as the Source continuously. The best way to be consistent with this choice, is by being aware of what God has provided us, especially within the Word. As the apostle St. Paul writes in the Book of Romans: “Such things were written in the scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled” (Romans 15:4). 

As such, we can see multiple instances within the New and Old Testaments of sin, and the rejecting of God as the Source. The ultimate picture of this, however, can be seen in Satan.

The Fall

Satan, as the Devil, hates the source because he wants to be the source. Satan wants to be worshiped just as God is to be worshiped. Satan wants to be God. Satan, however, was created by God, just as we, the human race, were created by God. Therefore, Satan cannot be God, as he will always be a part of His creation. What this means is that Satan also had a choice to either connect with the source, or not. This is emphasized within the Book of Ezekiel. In the Book of Ezekiel, it is written: 

“Then this further message came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, sing this funeral song for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: 

“You were the model of perfection,

full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty.

You were in Eden,

the garden of God.

Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone—

red carnelian, pale–green peridot, white moonstone,

blue–green beryl, onyx, green jasper, 

blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald—

all beautifully crafted for you

and set in the finest gold.

They were give to you 

on the day you were created.

I ordained and anointed you

as the mighty angelic guardian. 

You had access to the holy mountain of God

and walked among the stones of fire” (Ezekiel 28:11-14).

While this is written against the King of Tyre, a man, the Spirit of the Lord helps us see beyond the words of the text to see that it is actually a message for Satan, who was in fact an Archangel before he fell. He was created by Jesus to be his servant, but this did not sit well with Satan. The Book of Ezekiel continues: 

“You were blameless in all you did

from the day you were created

until the day evil was found in you.

Your rich commerce led you to violence,

and you sinned.

So I banished you in disgrace 

from the mountain of God.

I expelled you, O mighty guardian, 

from your place among the stones of fire.

Your heart was filled with pride

because of all your beauty.

Your wisdom was corrupted 

by your love of splendor.

So I threw you to the ground

and exposed you to the curious gaze of Kings. 

You defiled your sanctuaries

with your many sins and your dishonest trade.

So I brought fire out from within you, 

and it consumed you.

I reduced you to ashes on the ground

in the sight of all who were watching.

All who knew you are appalled at your fate.

You have come to a terrible end,

and you will exist no more.” (Ezekiel 28:15-19).

This shows both halves of Satan’s life, one as the angel Lucifer, and the other, as Satan. In his pride, Satan assumed all that he had amassed was purely his own. He thought his wisdom came from him, when it really came from God. He thought his beauty came from him, when it was really given to him from God. He thought his power was his, when it was really given to him from God. He thought he became God, when really, he was given the opportunity to fellowship with the one and only Jesus. But Satan resisted. He rebelled. He decided to wage war against Jesus, setting himself up to be his equal, all the while enticing other spirits to see him as God as well. In doing so, he broke God’s First Commandment, which states: 

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

You must not have any other god but me” (Deuteronomy 5:6-7).

The god he made was himself. He deified himself, defiled himself, and in doing so, separated himself from the Source. For it was not Jesus who chose this. Rather, it was Satan himself. For it is written in the scriptures: 

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, and I will never reject them. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:35-40).

Jesus is dedicated. He is a creator, that, being as powerful as He is, still decides to serve us, His creation. A being as wonderful as this, is humble enough to show mercy, and grace, to those who accept His Son. He is a loving parent, and, as the apostle St. Paul wrote, “a life-giving Spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). He gives life both to the wicked, and to the righteous, to the rich, and to the poor; to the man, and to the woman; to the tree and to the beast; and to everything in-between. It is His Good Will to do so, and He will do so until the appointed time comes. He will do everything in His power to make sure His people, and His creation is safe. Further, “God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else” (James 1:13). Jesus never tempts anyone to do wrong. The decision was out of Satan’s will alone. 

So, it was the Devil who committed the sin, and it was the Devil who rejected Jesus. A large portion of this resides on the fact that the Devil thought his sin was not sin. I do not have a way to confirm this, but I can imagine that from his vantage point, he deliberated the thoughts in his mind, wondering about God’s plan and realizing more and more how much there was to offer in the reality God had created. Thus began his indulgence, which led to his eventual amnesia, which manifested in disobeying God. The Devil didn’t realize the effects of his sin, nor did he care for their ramifications. Everything was alright in his eyes, much like Cain in the Book of Genesis. But, from the vantage point of God, things were about to get much worse. 

Cain and Abel

For awhile, I was convinced that Jesus and Satan were brothers. I had no true way of verifying this. The idea was produced within me by thinking that Christ was part of God’s creation. This is a simple error I made, which confused my understanding of what Jesus actually is. What I had forgotten was that Jesus is God and therefore is the Creator. Because there is a stark difference between Creator, and created, what becomes clear is that Christ is eternal, while Satan is not. Christ is the Son of God, and therefore the Expression (the Word) of God, which “existed in the beginning with God” (John 1:2), whom was born in human form through the miraculous Virgin Birth, in order to be granted Flesh, and therefore be both fully human, and fully God. This is why it is written in the Book of John that Jesus “came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him” (John 1:10). It is for this reason that Satan is not God, although he wants to be. For he draws from his own sources, and not from the True Source, which is God. It is for this reason that Satan despises Jesus. Satan hates the Father, and therefore also hates the Son. He hates the Son because the Son draws from his Father, “For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit” (John 3:24). The Son always chooses the Father, and because of such, the Father always chooses the Son. Jesus has revealed to us that this is the same relationship we have with God. If we choose the Father, the Father will choose us. This is not the case with the Devil. 

Somehow or another, Satan got it in his mind that he was better than God. For seemingly no reason at all, he never decides to let this go. Because Satan also has free-will. For if he did not, and God had complete control of everyone one of his actions, he would have been good, but he would not be His child. Satan, without free-will, would be His slave. Thus, God gave Satan, alongside all of His creation, freedom. The freedom to choose, the freedom to think, the freedom to grow, the freedom to explore. Since everything belongs to Him, it belongs to us too. 

But Satan wanted it all for himself. He wasn’t content being a servant of Jesus, and thus jealousy arose in his heart. From this heart came a fire which has, and will, destroy him. If Satan had accepted, and rejoiced with Jesus, he would have been accepted, and would have been given a second opportunity. But Satan was not humble enough to accept this gift, and threw it away. What’s worse, he went ahead and convinced other angels to join him in his rebellion, which ultimately sealed his doom. For he not only sinned against the Son. He also sinned against the Holy Spirit. As by rejecting Jesus, Satan rejected the granting of the Holy Spirit, which, because of Satan’s immortality, was a rejection of a unity with God, which is an unpardonable offense. As Jesus states,

  “So I tell you every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or the world to come” (Matthew 12:31-32). 

If one rejects the Holy Spirit, they are also rejecting the Presence of God. In rejecting the Presence of God, you are rejecting Love. Once Love has no room to grow in the heart of a person, that person is in danger. They may even come dangerous. Satan, being so intimate with God, still turned away from Him when he was needed the most. He was meant to be the protector of the Son. Instead, he became the enemy of mankind.

So God cast him out of his presence because He had no other choice. Sin is unable to be around God because God is Holy and without blemish. God couldn’t have done anything, for it was Satan who separated himself and made it impossible for him to repent, as Satan is now unable to approach the Spirit of God. Satan cast away the presence of God, and thus God cast away the presence of Satan. Jesus cast him down to earth, to await his final judgement, which would come when Jesus returns to His creation. When Jesus came down from heaven to earth for the first time, Satan took the opportunity and killed Him. For what better to do than to kill the Leader of the flock? But his plan was mean tot fail, since “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:5). 

By dying, Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit. By giving us His Holy Spirit, He has created within us new hearts, new minds, new lives, allowing us to live within the Presence of God. Jesus took our sins to allow us to reach the new convent of which is as written in the Book of Hebrews: 

“And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says, 

“This is the new covenant I will make

with my people on that day, says the LORD: 

“I will put my laws in their hearts,

and I will write them on their minds.”

Then he says,

“I will never again remember 

their sins and lawless deeds” (Hebrews 10:15-17).

We are now allowed to walk boldly into the Throne of God, which is only because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the sins we have committed. Only when we recognize what our sin caused, and repent from it, can we fully understand what the Source truly is, and thus, come into the realization of what it means to be separated from Jesus. But this is unavailable for Satan, as Satan will not repent of his sins, and would have rebelled no matter what. Worse, he wouldn’t feel bad for what he did. For he did not ask for forgiveness, much like Cain.

Parables

In the Book of Matthew, when Jesus’s disciples ask him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” (Matthew 13:10), Jesus replies: 

“You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, 

For they look, but they don’t really see.

They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.

This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, 

‘When you hear what I say, 

you will not understand.

When you see what I do, 

you will not comprehend.

For the hearts of these people are hardened, 

and their ears cannot hear, 

and they have closed their eyes—

so their eyes cannot see, 

and their ears cannot hear,

and their hearts cannot understand, 

and they cannot turn to me

and let me heal them.’” (Matthew 13:11-15).

It is our responsibility then, to listen and understand. It is also our responsibility to listen, and obey. But, most vital of all, it is our utmost responsibility to recognize that Jesus is speaking to us. He is telling us plainly, that when we hear what He says, we will not comprehend. That when we see what He says, we will not comprehend. That our hearts are hardened. That our ears cannot hear. That we have closed our eyes, so our eyes cannot see, and our ears cannot hear, and our hearts cannot understand, and that we cannot turn to Him, and have Him heal us.

This is vital to understand because this is what we must repent of. 

This is the greatest sin. For if we do not recognize that we are as He has said, then we are saying that we are something else, which is a lie. We were created by God, for God, in God, in order to be reconciled to Him. This is available through Jesus Christ, immediately and fully. This is the grace and mercy of God. 

We have all broken God’s law, for we are all liars, and thieves, and murderers, and idolaters, and heathens at heart, in one way or another, in one degree or another. For Jesus died for all sins, once and for all. As it is written in the Book of Hebrews: “Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). He did this to take away all sin, small or great, violent or peaceful, for the wicked, and the righteous. For, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus wants us all to repent. It is for this reason He started His ministry with the words, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17).

It is here, reader, where I urge you to understand what is being said. Jesus died fighting a spiritual war that we are still fighting to this very day. Indeed, “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). If we fight alongside the Lord, and even if we die with, and for the Lord, we will continue to live. We will be like the burning bush that God revealed Himself with to Moses. God will protect us as we fight. As Jesus said through the prophet Isaiah, 

“When you go through deep waters,

I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty,

you will not drown.

When you walk through the fire of oppression, 

you will not be burned up;

the flames will not consume you. 

For I am the LORD, your God, 

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. 

I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;

I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

Others were given in exchange for you.

I traded their lives for yours 

because you are precious to me

You are honored, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:1-4).

We can trust that this is true. Those who die fighting for others, and fighting for Love, are blessed for dying “in the Lord from now on” (Revelation 14:13).

“Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!” (Revelation 14:13).

A break from all this: 

Reader, whomever is reading this long, sprawled out message, you are LOVED. The Presence has guided you here. As it is written in the Book of John,

“For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up” (John 6:44). 

If you listen, like listen-listen, you will be saved. This is because “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment” (Proverbs 9:10). Here’s the truth: once you begin to develop knowledge of the Holy One, it is natural to become afraid. This is because He sees as as we truly are, as “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable” (Hebrews 4:13). Once we begin to see ourselves through His eyes, not ours, we begin to see just how deep our transgressions go. Since God is “a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods” (Exodus 20:5), we become easily afraid because we think God will smite us for what we have done, instead of extend us mercy. We end up thinking of all the horrible things that may happen to us because of our actions, and then attribute it all to God, in anger and in blame. Or, at least, maybe I have. 

This fear, however, is eventually quelled by experience. Once our sins are confessed and repented of, we begin to experience the unconditional Love of God, which is proven by Jesus’s shedding of blood on the cross, blood “which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). The answer to sin, and to rebellion, isn’t punishment—it is Love. As “all sin is contrary to the law of God” (1 John 3:4), as followers of Christ, we must stop sinning in order to stay connected with God. For “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). 

But we have been united with the life of Christ, a life that will never die! What a gift Christ has given us! What a gift Christ has given to the world. It is here for you too, whomever you are. And it is completely, and utterly free. But we must be willing to turn away from sin, and, what sin is, is not up to us to decide. It is up to God. So turn to God, and turn to Jesus, for He said of His sheep, “I will never reject them” (John 6:37) and if you do the same, not rejecting His Love, then Jesus will be with you! As written in the book of Haggai, 

“Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God’s people began to obey the message from the Lord their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!” (Haggai 1:12-13).

Thus, we can confidently say that God has broken the bondage sin had over us, and has indeed given His Holy Spirit “to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32). 

I am still working on this too, alongside you, whomever is reading this. I hope you see it through, and I have faith, that “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Phillipians 1:6). Because Christ will finish the work He began within us, we can trust that although we were as He said, we will also be as He says. These words, then, apply to those whom obey God: 

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it” (Matthew 13:16-17).

When we obey God, we see with eyes that actually see, hear with ears that actually hear, and have an entirely library available at our disposal located within the Word of God! It is with reading the Word that we begin to make our relationship with Christ personal, which is always beneficial, and which is always life-changing. As spoken by Jesus through the prophet Isaiah, 

“It is the same with my word.

I send it out, and it always produces fruit.

It will accomplish all I want it to, 

and it will prosper everywhere I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

It is our job to understand what we have been left behind with, in order to learn from the past, to never repeat the mistakes of our past, those of our ancestors. It is also to mature into what God has intended for us all along.

II

Genesis

In Genesis, it is written, 

“Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced a man!” Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel.

When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?”

“I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on earth.” 

Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment is too great for me to bear! You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!”

The Lord replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. So Cain left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden” (Genesis 4:1-16).

Within this passage, there are many parallels that play out in the Gospel. It is also a story that effects the rest of the gospel, and the history of humanity at large. For Cain’s murder set into motion the reason why Jesus had to manifest to us in order to be sacrificed on the cross. Drawing back on my previous assumption that Jesus and Satan were brothers, I was able to see the fall play out. It is easy to see Abel as Jesus, and Cain as Satan, as “The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift” (Genesis 4:4-5). Although Jesus and Satan are not brothers, the presenting of these two children, Cain, and Abel, become the perfect allegory to display what transpired in heaven, and the way that human history will be played out.

First, observe that it is written that Eve gave birth to Cain first. 

Eve, here, can be understood as a symbol. It is written of her, that she was named Eve by Adam, “because she would be the mother of all who live” (Genesis 3:20). 

Who is the mother of all who live? Is it Eve, or, rather, is it God? Although we commonly refer to God as a He, just as Jesus refers to God as a He, it can also be inferred that God is a being who gives birth. In the Book of Job, while the Lord is questioning Job for his complaints against Him, the Lord asks, 

“Does the rain have a father?

Who gives birth to the dew?

Who is the mother of the ice?

Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?

For the water turns to ice as hard as rock,

and the surface of the water freezes” (Job 38:28-30).

Notice here how the Lord refers to Himself as “the mother of ice.”

Similarly, when the Lord Jesus is denouncing the religious leaders of His time, He states, 

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Matthew 23:37).

Notice here how Jesus compares himself to a hen and not a rooster. There is something sacred here, for Jesus could have easily compared himself to a rooster, but instead decided to be compared to the hen because He is also the mother of the people Israel. He formed them with His hands, and, when the time comes, He will deliver the child, and protect it just as a mother hen protects her chicks. 

Lastly, it is written in the Book of Matthew that, 

“As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you.”

Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!” (Matthew 12:46-50).

Jesus saw the inherent oneness of God before He saw the divisions, and in order to challenge the way we thought, in the hopes of helping us see the oneness of God as well. He often went against the way we commonly say things so that we may begin to change our mind, and in order to change our hearts. For it is in the heart where both good and evil are produced. If we are to think like Jesus, we must acknowledge that the words we speak are not our own, and yet, are. They must therefore, reflect the perfect oneness of God, which is inclusionary and exclusionary all at the same time, perfect and true. As the apostle St. James writes, “He never changes or casts a shifting shadow” (James 1:17).  He will always be the Father, just as how He will always be the Mother, much like how we will always be His bride. If we are to accept this, we can see God at work within Eve, and see that in a sense, God’s plan for His creation clearly. For by seeing Eve as representative of God, we can compare Cain to angels.

As we know, angels are beings that are in the Presence of God. More so, we know that angels live forever. The thing that differentiates humans and angels is mortality. Humans may die, but angels cannot. Thus, if humans sin, their sin has the opportunity to be repented of, as Jesus has given “himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:6). If angels sin however, there is nothing that can redeem them, as their sin was made in heaven with God. More so, there is an order to this: humans can become angels, but angels cannot become human, just as how God can be Satan, but Satan cannot be God. This is confirmed by Jesus, “the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth” (John 1:51) and whom God had created alongside angels in the beginning. So, knowing this, God gave birth to angels first, and then, by giving birth to Adam, created humans second, in order to test the loyalties of those whom He granted everything in the beginning. It immediately became clear that there were many angels who disagreed with God, and in this disagreement, they rebelled against Love, which, because they are immortal, is sin against the Holy Spirit which “will never be forgiven either in this world or in the world to come” (Matthew 12:32). 

God knows everything. He knew which angels would rebel against His decision, “For Jesus knew who would betray him” (John 13:11). God also knew that creating humans, and giving them free-will, would be good. His own creation, however, cried out, even though they knew the Holiness of the Lord, calling His decision bad, and thus rendering themselves unable to become friends of humanity. 

There is nothing but hostility between God and demons (angels who rebelled against Love and became corrupted), as demons will try everything to destroy us, whether that comes in the form of spiritual attacks, or temptation, or physical harm. To put it bluntly, demons will do everything in their power to separate us, and to make us curse God, so that we too will be fallen with them, relegated to the same suffering, making themselves equal to us, which is not what is ordained by God. For “God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives” (1 Thessalonians 4:7). As such, we cannot have an unclean spirit, which is what demons possess. We must be clean, and we must be Holy, which means we must obey the Voice of Christ, in order to do the Will of God. And God has not called us for our own selves, but has called us to serve everyone. If we are not willing to Love, then we are not worthy of being in the Presence of God. 

Can you imagine how much it must hurt to have your original creation, who has seen you, and understood you, and was created by you before the creation of the earth, reject you? Moreso, how much it must hurt for them to eventually hate you? Demons disagree with God. They disagree with God and everything that is in accordance with God’s plan and purpose, which is Jesus “who was slaughtered before the world was made” (Revelation 13:5). Jesus, being the Son of Man, can be thought of as the son of Adam, the First Man, who “is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come” (Romans 5:14). Yet, He is also The Word, who “existed in the beginning with God” (John 1:2).  What we see here is a timeline: since Jesus was in Adam when Adam was created, Adam existed with Jesus in the beginning. Thus, both humans (in their God-form, and in their mortal-form) have existed since the beginning. What God gifted to humans was the Blood of Christ, as through His blood, we would be purified, and thus be able to stand before the Judge of the Entire Universe, boldly, and in Love. Only those who die in God can truly live.

Angels were not granted death. They were not given the opportunity to become mortal. They were not given the chance to repent. They were not given the opportunity to be given bodies, and those that were not able to accept this, resented God. Those angels who did accept this, however, who were able to see the value of putting humans above their own nature, were granted into the glory of God, and were not rejected, but became friends of humanity, being entertained by humans without humans “realizing it!” (Hebrews 13:2). Humanity is a song. We are permitted to enjoy God, alongside His angels. This is the greatest pleasure of all. For in God, all is found. You are found. We are found. Nothing could ever destroy this. 

But as the story of Cain and Abel shows, God favored Abel (who can be seen as a symbol for humanity) over Cain (who we can see as a symbol of corruption). This was because Abel gave his finest crop, willingly, while Cain presented whatever he grew. This created hostility and envy between the brothers, and, already drawing on the sinful nature Satan had planted into humans themselves, Satan was able to push Cain to murder his brother, a sin which Cain does not think is wrong until judgement is cast upon him. Even after judgement is cast, however, Cain doesn’t care about the evil his actions brought into the world. Rather, what he cares about is his safety, and shows no sign of repentance (which is often a tell-tale sign that he would be willing to murder again). He ignores his brother’s blood, which “cries out” to God Himself. More so, he doesn’t think his action is wrong, as to him, his anger-fueled murder was justified. Rather, what was wrong in Cain’s mind, was God. He, Cain, human, is saying that he is right, while God, Creator of everything, including Cain, is wrong. It is for this reason that God gives him a mark, as a warning to others that this person has been judged. It is this mark that will be the ultimate testimony of where a person’s loyalty lies. 

The Mark of the Beast

“Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching. And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on the behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.

He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666” (Revelation 13:11-18).

As we know, the unholy trinity consists of the Beast, the False Prophet, and Satan. The second beast, which is in the same nature of the first beast, is the False Prophet, whom gives everyone a mark, a number, trying to imitate the power of God, when He engraved a mark upon Cain.

Unlike God, however, the mark of the False Prophet will be engraved upon those who worship Satan-incarnate, which is the First Beast. Who this individual is, I do not know. But his mark will be a sign that the individual has accepted Satan as their lord, and therefore have rejected God and His Son. This number is widely known across the world and is known as the Devil’s number, which is 666. This mark, and the subsequent name it represents, will be contrary to the name which is written upon the foreheads of the 144,000 saints that are ransomed from the earth. The Book of Revelation reads,

“Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together.

This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed form the earth. They have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb. They have told no lies; they are without blame” (Revelation 14:1-5). 

We see here a difference. The mark of the beast is a number representing a name, while the seal of the Father is His name. A number, a name. Two words that begin with n, one with six letters, the other with four.

In the Holocaust, Jews had numbers tattooed onto their bodies. These numbers were given to them in order to identify them when they were dead and stacked upon other corpses. The numbers were dehumanizing, objectifying, and served a wicked purpose. There are sill Jews alive today that bear those markings, and ultimately, they are proof that even through destruction, God will prevail. While we can be marked by the Beast, we forever belong to God. As Jesus said, “No one can snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28). 

Jews who were tattooed during the Holocaust have the name of their Father written on their foreheads. Jews who have died during the Holocaust are resting in heaven. Jesus, whom we crucified, is sitting in heaven as well, and it is all tied together. Jesus was the first to receive God’s Ultimate Name, and when the time comes, we will see whom else shares in His glory. For those with the name of the Lord on their foreheads will be like Abel, who was accepted by God for being righteous, and for showing reverence to the Presence that exists. 

Satan despises people like this. He especially despises Jesus. It can be seen in what he tells Jesus to do while he is tempting Him. Satan tells Jesus, 

“If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you

and they will hold you up with their hands

so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone” (Matthew 4:6). 

To this Jesus responds with the Word of God, stating: 

“The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”(Matthew 4:7). 

Satan basically tells Jesus to commit suicide, which means he wants Jesus dead. He wants Jesus dead for the same reason Cain wanted Abel to be dead: Cain received The Mark of the Beast, while Abel received The Seal of the Father, which is His name. Satan, whom is the Beast, received Cain’s mark, and Jesus, Abel’s seal, which He testifies when He states, “For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval” (John 6:27). When the time comes, it is up to us to choose the name of our Father, as He has always chosen us. It is in this knowledge, that we can see Jesus for who He is, and just how often He comes to try to wake us up.

God Was Rejected By His Own People

Jesus was Jewish. Born in Bethlehem, conceived by the Holy Spirit, Jesus, whom is “the Anointed One” (Daniel 9:25), is the person whom God chose to bring us back to Him. Jesus is the bridge between that which is mortal, and immortal. This was because God chose this to be so, and Jesus agreed. It was always in God’s plan that His Son would become the Savior of the World, and thus the King of the world as well. Once King, and, “when all things are under his authority,” Jesus, “the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere” (1 Corinthians 15:28). Satan had always planned to kill Jesus, but “it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief” (Isaiah 53:10). Jesus had accepted God’s plan since the beginning, knowing that God was good, and that His Father would bring many to glory through Him, as He would crush the serpent, and help us break apart from our sin. It is only by breaking away from sin that we can finally come into repentance, which is the first part of turning to God. 

This much is true: without repentance, there is no Love. No Love means no God. Life without God is no life at all. Rather, it is a life “like the grass” which “fades as quickly as the flowers in a field” (Isaiah 40:6). Here today, gone tomorrow. Better yet, not even here at all.

Thus, when God decided to take up the Flesh of Jesus, to visit His people Israel, whom He created, He went to see whom was really living, and whom was really dead. He saw who would be able to accept the Holy Spirit, and whom would not. More so, He came to reveal Himself to those who believed, and those He knew would come to Him, to heal them, so they may be restored to God. 

Unfortunately, not many people believed Him. They were caught up in what He was saying, rather than looking at His works, which included miracles such as raising Lazarus from the dead, and restoring the sight of the blind, to name a few. But here is the thing: it’s not that people didn’t see and recognize what Jesus was doing—it was the fear of their societal leaders (Jewish Religious Priests) who violently distorted the message, as “no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders” (John 7:13). What the leading priests did was make it dangerous to acknowledge God as God, in the name of keeping their power, and not their religion. For here is another truth: Jesus accomplished everything the Law was set to do. Not only did He follow every rule and regulation, He even introduced a new Law, which is the Law of Love. In the Book of John, Jesus says, 

“Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:33).

The new Law of Love renews the Law of God given to Moses at Mount Sinai, as, when compared, it can be seen that they are the same thing. By Loving, we accomplish God’s Law. As the apostle St. Paul writes, “love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).

This is exactly what Satan does not want you to hear. He does not want you to believe that you can get right with God, at all, and especially does not want you to Love others, since Love is the Presence of God, and where God is, Satan has no control. Just as I have said above, Satan makes the differences between God and humans palpable. Jesus, however, makes the similarities between God and humans palpable. In doing so, Jesus brings us to the Eternal Rock, God, which is what had been planned from the beginning. But of course, we humans have free-will, which makes this returning pretty complicated. The hard part about this is that humans have to choose to believe. More so, they have to let their beliefs turn into actions to prove that they indeed understand who Jesus is, and who God is, to bring glory to God. So this brings up a question: who was God, in the flesh, going to visit first?

The answer is obvious: He was going to visit His own people. But God knew from the beginning that He would be betrayed. Thus, Jesus was crucified by His people, the Jews. Since Jesus is God, it was actually God who was crucified by the Jews, and thus rejected, just as He was before in the wilderness, after He had freed them from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Instead of worshiping the Lord, they turned and worshiped idols, things they believed were Gods, but were actually just themselves. God came at just the right time, because He knew that there would be a great falling away as technology and science began to develop and many would begin to think they were gods of nature, banishing the very thought of God from their minds. 

Most importantly, He knew what people would make of this. He knew that Christ would be misused. He knew that Christ would be used to fit antisemitic narratives which would condemn His own people, by putting the blame of Jewish people for the Blood of Christ. And although the people stated, “’We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!'” (Matthew 27:25), as well as “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (Luke 23:21), the Blood of Christ spilled all over the people of Israel, cleansing them from all sin. It is for this reason that Jesus stated, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34), which is a prayer that God answered because He has forgiven everything through the Blood of the Lamb. Yet, Jesus was still murdered, but this was because His message, and the subsequent gift of the Holy Spirit, was distorted and blasphemed by the oppressors in the name of their own glory and pride. As Jesus says,

“Practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. 

“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’”

“Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father’, for only God in heaven is your Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:3-12).

What we can see here is that religion is not bad. Rather, it is how religion is used which can have catastrophic consequences.

To be clear, I am not antisemitic. I have a deep respect for Judaism, because it was the religion of my Savior. If it is good enough for Jesus, it is good enough for me. And I think Jesus would say the same thing about me. While I am a Christian, I am also Mexican, which means my origins are Aztecan, which is a society that was destroyed by colonial forces centuries ago. Unfortunately, I only have shades of knowledge of what my people used to worship, or what their holy scriptures were, and whatever religious customs they might have had. I believe the same can be said for many people. Black people in the United States can share in this pain as well, as they were removed from their land for the profit of the United States, and Western Society. Since Jesus is God, Jesus would see Himself in our religions, and would never turn us away from whatever religious customs and beliefs we have. Rather, He would instruct us in how to find more of God in ourselves, and our culture, so that God could obtain more and more glory. He would also do this so that Love in the world may grow, and so that the Light could prosper. 

But there are evil forces in this world which do not want this Light to proposer because it will expose all their evil works. And so Jesus was rejected by His people Israel because they couldn’t recognize Him. They had been too manipulated by the nation Israel, and by Satan, to not realize that God was indeed among them. There are many societies that do so today.

Ultimately, while Jesus is of utmost importance to me, because I owe Him my life, I understand how others could not feel as pressed about the issue. In a sense, Jesus might not want the recognition, but rather wants the recognition to go to God, who will glorify Jesus anyways, and who is always calling us towards Him. While Jesus only came once to the Jews, God has come to us many times, in the form of many people, always declaring the same thing: “Love.”

It is this Love which we must cultivate until we die. This Love is Love that humanizes, and that always provides the absolute best, for it is Love that ushers in the Presence of God, and Love which creates the universe. For if we die in Love, we die in God. And, as Kendrick Lamar says in his song Alright, “if God got us, we gon’ be alright!”

Jesus was rejected by Jews, but He is still being rejected by people all over the world. Jews are rejected by Western society, and they too, also continue to be rejected by people all over the world. God has been rejected by His children, and, tragically, He is still being rejected across the world today. But if we do not reject him, and recognize what has happened, we can be filled with peace even when the world around us seems to crumble and fall apart. We must be faithful to keep declaring His sacrifice, His Body, His resurrection, and His Father, so that we may begin to feast and drink on his blood to be cleansed and reconciled to God once and for all. Let us not reject God when He comes. For if we do not, then we will be in His family forever. It is in this forever, where I want to be.