Elwin R. Roach

There has been a mark engraved deep into our being, a mark declaring that death shall be swallowed up in victory. Before we pass over with Jesus to Madera and the Gadarenes, let us notice that Jesus "Let US pass over unto the other side." And we can be assured there is no word that proceeding from the mouth of God, or His firstborn Son, that will not accomplish.

Let us also note that He was not alone. He boarded the ship with His twelve disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee, which in the Greek means, Circuit of the Gentiles, and this serves very well as a symbol of all those who are the chosen to pass through and over anything man's sea has to offer.

Whether it is an individual person, several joined together, or it is the corporate body of Christ, when Jesus sails in the ship with them – they will make it to the other side of the Gentiles’ circuit. It is as Frank Doyle wrote: "Once Christ begins, even in a small way being formed in you, you cannot help but be an overcomer." It is generally the same with babies. When he or she is conceived, it is a very small thing; but it cannot help from being born, unless, however, if there are complications or man interferes by way of abortion.

We have had, and may continue to have, many storms in our journey to the other side. There can be unprecedented spiritual battles blowing against us. Debilitating infirmities may be our portion. We can be plagued with heart wrenching family problems.

Of late, the Covid 19 pandemic, some call it the plandemic, has an iron grip upon the whole world with the government locking down businesses, churches, schools, recreation, and more. The people have been imprisoned in their homes contributing to the increase of depression, the lack of education, many types of sickness, cancer, suicides, child and espousal abuse, murder, ad infinitum. What began as caution has devolved into control.

For many, very many, have lost all hope, and even the elect may have thought that we could never make it to the other side of this storm ridden circuit of the Gentiles. But please know, dear friends, we will finish our course, for the Captain of our ship is in and with us, and as long as we are in that ship with Him — we will pass over to the other side!

Jesus finishes what He starts. He started this voyage with us a long time ago, and HE WILL FINISHED IT WITH US! It matters not that the storms in which we find ourselves are exponentially worse than those of days gone by, being in Him and He in us, we will make it to the other side. This, we can take to the bank!

Some of those who are attempting to cross that sea in other ships find the easy path to destruction, and are sometimes aided by those who wantonly choose to be their leaders. Among others, this can be in the perverse ship of politics, the news media, and also man's religion.

Such leaders are often esteemed as being the elite that are siting in high places of the government along with other organizations of power. They are very often considered smarter than most. Unquestionably, they especially esteem themselves smarter than the people over which they rule. Frankly, a large number of them are nothing more than self-serving charlatans. The media that is joined at the hip with one faction of the government and help a great deal in shaping people's minds and mold their thoughts with hardline propaganda. It would be wise not to heed them to any degree!

Of course there is that worldly ship of religion where many leaders minister the word who are received as the expounders of truth. However, this is not always the case. More than a few of them are not ministering the Word of God at all, but rather, the letter of the Word, and sometimes not even that; for when they minister scriptures containing mistranslated words that were never spoken by the Spirit, it is something other than "the letter of the word. For example, there is a verse in Matthew that Jesus did not say:

"And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Matthew 25:46. Both words, everlasting and eternal, were translated from the same Greek word, ai nios, and has nothing to do with "everlasting" or "eternal." but comes from the root word "ai n" which means an "age." Dr. Young's Literal New Testament has it this way: "And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.

Jesus was telling us something about the punishment and the life; namely, that those who had little or no compassion for those in dire need would receive just punishment by God's hand during the age, and the righteous would know the life of God during the age. As with all ages that have a beginning and an ending, so will be the remedial punishment, and likewise with God's Life, such as, the first stage of His Life.

You see, once the saints pass on to be adults and heirs of the Kingdom, their childhood type of life will end as it is replaced by adulthood, and so on, as there is no end to the increase of the Kingdom of God which will be for ages of ages. As each one unfolds the previous age ends; but there is no end during any age to LIFE OF GOD! Even if there are a thousand ages, or they continue forever with out end, HIS LIFE NEVER ENDS!

So, we are no longer children. Our childhood came to and end as we matured into each phase of life, but WE STILL LIVE! WE DID NOT DIE WHEN WE GREW BEYOND THAT PHASE! AND TODAY, WE STILL HAVE THE LIFE WITH WHICH WE WERE BORN!

Now that this issue is put to rest, please know that when religious leaders use the King James Version of this verse from which to teach, they are not teaching the letter of THE WORD. They are teaching the mistranslated letter of A LIE.

Remember now that Jesus is the Word, and while they search the scriptures thinking they have life; they only testify of Jesus; but they will not come to Him that they might have life. Therefore, like the Pharisees, they very often minister religious death and not Life even when teaching from accurately translated scriptures.

It is not unusual for ministers to kindle their own fires as the prophet wrote in Isaiah 50:11. Such preach and live in their own crafted doctrine along with those who receive them. These flames may warm their souls in that realm; but their spirit is left in darkness and the cold. They can easily be shipwrecked upon the rocky shoals of man’s kindled ideas rather than sailing safely to the other side with Christ in His ship of truth.

When the people's leaders, sometimes drivers rather than leaders, that are too highly esteemed, they become lords to them, and in a fashion, are worshiped. It is then that they are seen in that darkness of night as stars of heaven; but after their purpose has been fulfilled, they will very likely be seen falling. When this happens, the people can learn not to put their trust in those stars of heaven regardless of how brightly they may shine during the dark hours of night.

You see, they are who Paul called raging waves and wandering stars, indicating we should not set our course on them; for those stars are in grave error and not fixed in the heavens:

"These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever (Grk. ice aion: into age)." Jude 1:12-13.

If anyone desires not to be lost at sea, then those who vacillate and compromise the word of truth are not the ones to look to during the hours of darkness. Although the wandering stars, planets, unstable ministers, generally shine bright in the dark heaven, their light is only reflective rather than coming from within. They have no true life of their own.

Stars that herald the dawning of the new day, they who declare the Gospel, the Good News of the Kingdom, can help point the way and keep the seafarers on course; but they should never be anyone’s hope of glory. The Sun/Son of God alone is the one every soul should look to with yearning expectation of becoming the same. Even in the night He can be found if you know were to look. No other is qualified to be the Captain of our salvation but Jesus.

Sadly, many look to ministries the same way some of those in the world look to politicians, movie stars, even astrologists and horoscopes for their guidance. But the elect are members together in the same Body of Christ, and their guiding stars are not ministers or astrology. There is a star, however, they look to which is the Morning Star, the Sun/Son of God. In so doing, their bearing is straight and they stay on course while in the Sonship with Him.

It is a necessity for people to know that regardless of whether or not those they esteemed so highly fall overboard, they have Jesus abiding in them, individually and collectively, and they will continue to pass over to the other side of the storm-tossed sea of Galilee. Moreover, if one or more happens to fall overboard, they will be saved and pass over also to the other side; for Jesus said, let US, all of US, pass over to the other side, and His word, like His Father's, cannot and will not return to Him void. His word will accomplish what pleases Him and sent to do.

If teachers who appear to be blameless stumbles into deception, what is that to you and me? We should be very concerned, of course, and help in any way we can; but why should that slow us down? Should it be that they are not called into that Sonship and are not a part of the "let US pass over," if they are in their own denominational vessels and should they all fall away and be swallowed by the cares of this life, religious dogma, or anything else, or even if they succumb to death, or are buried deep by pounding waves of carnality into world's sea of darkness, we will continue our journey unscathed. Our lives should be a resounding testimony, as the man of God who passed over the Jordan river declared: "...for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."Joshua 24:15. Praise God!

Although many of those in other ships will heed the cry of the deep, and without a struggle slip into its watery grave, but not the Sons of God. For as with those in the sinking ship that day with Jesus while He slept in the boat, they awakened Him and anxiously asked if He didn't care if they drowned. He stood up and with no sense of urgency said: "Quite. Be still! Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm." Mark 4:39. He went on to say: "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Mark 4:40. Although they had heard Him say: "Let us pass over to the other side," perhaps their lack of faith was that they still saw Him more as a man whose word could fail.

Even so, have you noticed this common pattern? When the winds rage across the bow of our ship, we find Him sleeping. He is ever so clam while we may be charged with fear, worry, despair, bitterness, resentment, retribution, hate, to name a few. Fortunately, He does not remain indisposed forever.

We may not sense His presence in times of adversity, for our focus is often more on the problem than on the Solver of problems at the best time and if necessary; however, if we would recall, when we embarked upon this perilous journey — He boarded the ship with us. Therefore, since we know where He abides at all times, which is in the very midst of our individual and corporate being, and in the hour of desperation, and should our faith wane, we should especially call upon Him to set our souls at rest.

He awakens during our most hopeless hour, and hypothetically the first words from His mouth could be — "O ye of little faith, don't you know that I have been sent to the other side of the Gentiles sea? Is it so hard for you to understand that whatever the Father has told Me to do, I will do it. Don't you know that wherever He sends Me, I will go; and whomsoever I call, shall likewise finish the course? Do you really suppose this sea that I came to calm in your lives will devour you? Truly, don't you know who I am? Have I been in and with you for so long and you can't see that My Father and I, and you, are One? Can't you see that I will never forsake you?"

Hopefully our answer would not be like what the twelve might have responded with that day if He had said all that: "No, we are sorry, but we can't see this. You have calmed the sea, and stilled the storm, so we know you must be sent from God, for no one can do such things, like Nicodemus said, unless he is sent from God. We can see that you are the prophet from Nazareth, like others say you are; but the Son of God, this is not so easily seen."

The reason this is not so easily seen, is that regardless of what appears, seeing Him as the Son of God comes only by spiritual revelation and not by outward observation. One cannot see Him as the Son through intellectual persuasion, or from logical deduction. During the entirety of His journey in the form of a mortal man, only three saw Him as the Son of God, which we will notice shortly, and other than these three brief occasions, He remained wrapped in the swaddling clothes of the grave, the flesh.

Every phase of His earthly walk spoke of death and His power over it; and before anyone could have that same victorious life, they would have to eat of Him. It is impossible, however, to eat His flesh and drink His blood without the revelation of Him being the Son of God. Wafers and Mogan David won't cut the muster.

We must see Him today as the Son of God, not just believe He is, but see Him as He is and where He is. Namely, He is the Lord in His people, and we must see Him there. He is also the Lord in us as individuals, and we must also see Him there. If we don't we will never be able to hear His voice. There will never be the communion of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, and when it comes down to it, we will be like those who left Him.

Many of His disciples went back that day and walked no more with Him; but when the twelve were asked if they too would leave Him, "...Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." John 6:68-69.

They knew there was something about Him that no one else had, it was Peter, however, who had a glimpse by revelation of who He truly was. In another place it is recorded again with Peter saying, "...Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven." Matthew 16:16-17.

Can you imagine how Jesus might have felt that day when He heard those charged words like lightning coming from Peter. Although He had wonderful fellowship with His Father, until then, He had no other in the whole world he could really talk to. When Peter truly saw Him, He was no longer hidden from view. To him, He was not covered by the veil of flesh.

For an instant, Peter saw a blaze of glory rising from the earthen tomb of His body! The gates of hell no longer prevailed in his mind! The key of revelation from on high unlocked the natural mind of Peter. He could see the flaming book of Life opening wide and was able to declare what he read – Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God! For an instant Jesus had someone with which to fellowship, but for only an instant. It was probably the most fleeting fellowship in the history of mankind; for shortly afterwards Jesus told Peter, "...Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offense unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." Matthew 16:23. Nevertheless, Peter did see for a brief moment who He was.

On another occasion, Martha said in John 11:27 that she believed He was the Son of God, but it is hard to say whether this was intellectual reasoning or was by revelation. We are persuaded, however, there was, "...a woman in the city who was a sinner..." that did see by revelation who He was; for she, "...Stood at his feet behind Him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment." Luke 7:38.

Although she was weeping, it is unlikely that she was washing His feet with the tears streaming from her eyes; for with her standing behind Him it would have been somewhat difficult to do so, but there is more. Let us notice this thought taken from a book concerning customs of that day: "In Psalm 56:8 we find: 'Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?'

"Saving one's tears in a bottle is an ancient custom based on the belief that these tears will be proof to God that the individual has wept righteously many times for a good cause. Unrighteous tears are not saved: tears of anger, for instance. But all tears weeped for the Glory of God are saved to be buried with the person as proof to God. The verse in Psalm 56 is saying, then, that Godly people do not need to save their tears, since the good works of God's people are written in God's book already.

"I wonder if the Western people think that this woman wept so long that she had enough tears to wash Jesus' feet. I believe that this woman brought her own tear-bottle and poured the tears over Jesus' feet to wash them. This was quite a sacrifice, since it is a disgrace to be buried without one's tear bottle. In fact, this woman was very penitent indeed, because she brought a costly box of alabaster, she gave up being buried with her tearbottle, and she lowered herself exceedingly by using her hair to wipe His feet. The hair is a woman's crowning glory; this woman was signifying that her crowning glory was only good enough to wipe Jesus' feet." Light Through an Eastern Window, Bishop K.C. Pillai, Robert Speller & Sons Publishers.

This woman no longer had a need for her bottle of tears. There was no reason for her to keep her priceless tears and have them to be buried with her — for she was seeing the Son of God and standing in His presence! He was no mere prophet to her. He was not some great man to whom she would pour her years of sorrow upon. Not at all! This was not just an anointed man of God — He was God! He was the Anointing! And she could see it! She stood before God that day, not the wrathful God of Israel, but the God of Peace who came to save her from her sins. Knowing this, she too knew that her name had been written in the pages of His book of Life.

Seeing the glory of Christ, the Son of the living God, made it an easy matter to take her highest glory, her hair (typically the glory of Adam's soul) and soil it upon His feet, the most lowly part of His glory. Once she saw His splendor, she had no glory that would serve to impress Him. She could not say, perhaps as we have all said in times past, "Look at me Lord. Look at what I have done for You. Look at the beauty of my glory." In the light of His glory, all other's pale, and are worthy only to be used as a wiping-rag upon the feet of Him who is worthy.

Who among us have done likewise? How many have taken our own self-esteemed glory, or the glory that others have attributed to us, and made ourselves of no reputation? It is a hard thing to do, a very hard thing to soil our glory with anything. Most will not do it, not even for the glory of Jesus; unless of course, they hear His voice and truly see Him as being the Son of the Living God.

She also kissed His feet. Smith's Bible Dictionary tells us that "...the feet are often kissed to show abject submission." Who else would this sinful woman bow to in absolute, humble submission, kissing His feet? And what soul in our ranks would do the same? Only those who see Him as being the worthy One — the Son of the Living God – and this is not by intellectual persuasion, but by revelation from on high.

She spoke not a word that day; but her every action resounded as a trumpet from the heavens of her inmost being, even the worship and praise to her Lord of Majesty. If we listen, perhaps we can hear the notes and words of her song in our own hearts — "Jesus, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

They certainly marveled, wondering what manner of man He was, but not one saw Him as the Son of God, which was His true manner, and so it goes today with many. He calms the most fierce storms in so many lives, and when it is all done and over with, they don't know who He is in the midst of them. They continue seeing Him as someone up in heaven somewhere who comes to their rescue ever so often; but very seldom do they have the insight of who He is in them and elsewhere.

After crossing to the other side, there was the other one who recognized Him, and of all people, it was the demoniac in the tombs of Gadarenes. We would have never expected it nor chosen it; but the point is, regardless of the vessel, revelation such as this comes by spirit. "And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God? art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?" Matthew 8:29.

They saw Him for who He was, and they may have known something about the end of the ages; and if so, they were right — it was before the time, but only in one sense. It was not time for the legion (2000) to be cast out. That is, the Legion perhaps representing 2000 years of demonic oppression in the world. It was not time for such to be cast out; but it was time for the 2000 in that man to be cast out, and it was time for the twelve to see what was in store for that hoard at the end of the age at the behest of the sons of God.

In the same way that the demons of the Gadarenes saw Jesus as the manifested Son of God, so shall the powers of darkness in the tombs of the carnal minds at the end of this present age see the Sons of God when the manifestation comes. They shall see and know who they are and the authority possessed by them. It will be the time, the day, the hour for 2000 years of demonic oppression upon the world to be cast out as the salvation of the world is being known.

Since the advent of Jesus, the hordes of hell have been loosed upon the earth, knowing that their days are numbered. Their end swiftly approaches, it is in sight; for have we not come near to the other side of Galilee, the Circuit of the Gentiles? Don't we know that Jesus has been sailing in His Sonship, in us? Isn't it clear that the sea of the world cannot swallow us, as it has been doing with the first Adam for 6000 years?

Although we cannot rush the day, don't we know that the hour is nigh at hand to begin the work that He gave us as a sign to do? — to root out, to pull down, to destroy, to throw down; and then to build up, to plant, to deliver; and to heal the world of so much hurt, and pain, and deprivation, even death? And can we not see where it is that this work of redemption and resurrection begins? Namely, in the same places where Jesus started — in the lowest realms of humanity, in the bowels of the earth, in the Gadarenes, in the tombs, in HELL.

Incidentally, the first work that Jesus did after His resurrection and before ascending was to descend into the lower parts of the earth, preach to the spirits in prison, and lead captivities captive. (Ephesians 4:19, 1 Peter 3:19-20)

Like the Dead Sea, the *Gadarenes is the end of man's journey as he comes to the close of the ages wherein death has reigned, and it is in this region that the Sons may begin their ministry of reconciliation and deliverance. If so, this is where they initiate the restoration of man's long journey of death. Their work starts in the imperceptible realm called hell, in the tombs of the Gadarenes. The heavy load of the fullness of death is lifted from humanity's burdened shoulders; and in its place is given righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holiness of Jesus Christ. Even the demoniac was rewarded by being delivered of the demons.

*Gadarenes: Grk. reward at the end. Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of The New Testament.

In the natural makeup of our minds, it is difficult to imagine that coming to this abode of death of the Gadarenes, the habitat of demons, could possibly be a reward; but it could be nothing else. For like the tormented demoniac, he was greatly rewarded when he was freed from those demons. Moreover, it was a great reward for Jesus and His platoon when they won the war against the overwhelming odds of 2000 of them.

Now to end this true saga of our Lord before us who is setting the pattern, we continue onward to declare the Word of Life. We walk upon the waves of the sea, passing over to the other side as we make our way to the lower parts of the earth, the Gadarenes, to free the captives as we pass over to the other side, and we will pass over! You see, all the unbelief in Israel could not stop Jesus from being born to become the Savior of the world. So neither can all the unbelief in the world, or the lack of faith, stop Jesus from taking us to the other side for this great victory and reward!

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