THE PATHFINDER

#56

THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD

(Part 1)

Contents:

THE FALLEN TREE
THE VOICE HEARD
THE VOICE OF WHIPS AND SNAKES

"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, let there be light: and there was light. (Gen. 1:2-3).

Oh, the depth of the riches of the origin of all things; and they came to be by a mere a Word spoken from the mouth of God. Such a word was not syllables put together to make sound; but it was His Spirit and Word together as one coming forth in divine expression.

Moreover, it was not just the moving of His Spirit as the sound of wind. And it was not His Word alone as roaring thunder. It was the Spirit and the Word in Union. Teaming together, they could take from their source, God Himself, and project that substance into expressive form. The two together as One would be called the Voice of God. You see, voice is more than the sound of words, such as what we might hear on a tape recorder. True Voice is spirit carried by sound. Sound with out the spirit can be intellectual, but it lacks the life of the sender, and spirit with out word is imperceptible. True life and its power comes when both, word and spirit come together as one. In the truest sense of the Spirit and Word is the most powerful substance to be found.

"For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him" (Col.1:16). And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist" (Col.1:17). For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will" (John 5:21). Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live" (John 5:25).

How in the world can the dead hear anything? It's unheard of! There is nothing in a dead man by which he can hear. His soul is gone, his life vanished, his eardrums are leathery and can relay nothing to lifeless nerve endings that lead to a dead brain.

The scope of the above verses are tremendous. One can surely see that they are not limited to a select few who belong to the "right" church, the in-crowd, or social club. No, it is not that way at all. The voice of the Son of God will eventually be heard by all. It takes in the whole world. When one catches the Spirit of this Word, his theological heavens will tremble a little, or perhaps a lot. His foundations will crumble upon the sandy seashores they were built. And his castles will come crumbling down.

Persuasions of "faith" are not easily surrendered, especially persuasion which concern mankind's eternal destiny. People have been known to call upon numerous verses to safeguard established creeds, regardless of how spurious they might be. Among their heavily armored batteries of defense are the eloquent words of Solomon: "If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be" (Eccl. 11:3).

King Solomon was credited as being the wisest sage of all the ages. His wisdom is surpassed by none, save Jesus. If you recall, it was this king who ordered the baby to be cut in half and divided equally between the two women claiming to be its mother. The dispute was settled when the true mother was willing to give her son to the other so he could live. Yes, Solomon possessed wisdom to be envied by any man of reason, and without hesitation, one would normally be quick to echo his wise words -- "in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be." However, if it is done, it would be best to speak with knowledge, especially after the Spirit God's purpose for all mankind is riveted to his understanding.

THE FALLEN TREE

We will not belabor the point that trees in scripture usually refer to people, but will only mention a couple of places that make this point clear.

"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and ALL the trees of the field shall clap their hands" (Isa. 55:12).

"Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness?" (Ezek. 31:2).

Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs" (Ezek. 31:3).

The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field" (Ezek. 31:4).

Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth" (Ezek. 31:5).

All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations" (Ezek. 31:6).

Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters" (Ezek. 31:7).

THE CEDARS in the garden of God could not hide him: THE FIR TREES were not like his boughs, and THE CHESTNUT TREES were not like HIS BRANCHES; nor any TREE IN THE GARDEN OF GOD WAS LIKE UNTO HIM IN HIS BEAUTY" (Ezek. 31:8).

I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the TREES of eden, that were in the garden of god, ENVIED him" (Ezek. 31:9).

Once again, we will note Eccl. 11:3, yet with understanding and paraphrased for proper context -- If a man falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place and direction where he falls, there he shall be.

Knowing that trees are people, one would tend to believe that once a man dies, in whatever state of being he in, he will remain there "forever." It is not wise, however, to take one or two verses of the Bible and build great cathedrals from them. If we do, they will come down when the thunders from God's heaven's roar against their frail frames.

Although it is agreed by most Bible scholars that the book of Ecclesiastes was written from man's perspective of natural events in the world and their effects upon his life and death, it is not necessary to take that approach to see that a dead tree (man) will not remain forever the way it falls.

We can see some conflict with Ecclesiastes and some other areas of the Bible when we compare scripture with scripture. In this book the end conclusion was, everything under the sun is vanity, but in Genesis, "...God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). In another place it is written, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Rom. 8:28-29). That which man would view as useless, God says it works for good, whether we understand or not.

Nevertheless, whether we take the scholars position or not, Solomon's heart-wrenching words have been used more to pad church doctrine rather than to further the truth. More sermons than we can count have been preached using Ecclesiastes 11:3 as the cornerstone for persuading people that once a person dies -- his fate is eternally sealed. Whatever direction he might be headed, whether of life in Christ or damnation without Him, the casting die is set in steel, and there is no hope of change -- ever. So it has been pounded from pulpits and pens alike.

It is not necessary to go into all the tales the carnal mind has imagined. Anyone with a desire to know truth will hear what the Spirit of the Word is; and if we want some confirming scriptures to what the ultimate end happens to be for the fallen tree, we can begin with the following:

"Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with Thee, Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass" (Job 14:1,2,5). And "If a man die, shall he live again" (Job 14:14)?

From reading Job's lamenting words, we could believe he sang the same song people hear when reading Solomon's odes about a tree remaining where it falls. Let us, however, not stop reading just yet, for he went on to say:

"...THERE IS HOPE OF A TREE, IF IT BE CUT DOWN, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; Yet through THE SCENT OF WATER IT WILL BUD, and bring forth boughs like a plant" (Job 14:7-9).

Job resounded from the heavens of revelation the budding promise of the dead tree; but in the depression of his pain, he once again echoed the awful death knell of a man's mortal existence, and seemingly with little hope, with little at all: "But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he ? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up, So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep" (Job 14:10-12).

In Job's overwhelming state, he may have supposed he would never see a better day than reposing eternally in the grave like a dead dog. But being a Son of God, there was something that had pierced the depths of his being, and it gave him hope. He spoke again and said:

"O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me A SET TIME, and REMEMBER ME! If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, TILL MY CHANGE COME. THOU SHALT CALL, and I will answer Thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands (Job 14:13-15).

At the SCENT OF WATER a man's life will bud and bring forth boughs like a plant! THOU SHALT CALL, and I WILL ANSWER THEE! "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live!" Life from the dead comes at hearing the voice of the Son of God, at hearing the call, at the scent of water! Great God Almighty! If you can smell it, it's beginning to rain in your land, and you will live!

"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it (Isa. 55:10-11).

Who will stand and say that the Word of God is non-effectual? Are there any who will declare that the voice of the Son of God, His rain from the heavens, will not cause everything it touches to live? Surprisingly, there are many, as they must forget that there are no idle words to ever proceed from the mouth of God. That which He speaks, Spirit and Word, forms worlds, casts them down, and rebuilds them in the glory of Himself. Although the vast majority of teachers and preachers of the Gospel, or what they call the "Gospel," deny this mighty truth by what they teach as "truth" -- it doesn't make it so.

The word Gospel means Good News; but that which is often heard preached as the gospel is certainly not good news. It does not declare God's victory, but rather, a sad defeat. Their words speak clearly of another gospel, one that denies the power of God's Word to save to the utmost, one that makes God and Jesus Christ the colossal failures of all time. God sent His Son to be the Savior of the world (I John 4:14), but their "good news", so called, has Jesus as a single drop of rain coming down from heaven. This single drop waters one or two blades of grass in the enormous field of humanity. The couple of lucky blades live, while the rest of the field burns up under the searing heat of the sun -- hellfire.

What kind of "Good News" is that? It isn't! Not by any stretch of the imagination! It is another Gospel, of which we are admonished to be aware. Let us never forget, the Gospel truly speaks of Good News, and much of what was being preached then and now has been far from being Good News (rf. Gal 1:6-8).

Let us look at the following and see man's feeble theology vanish as the vapor that it is:

"For YE shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off" (Isa. 55:12-13).

Look at the unfolding progression: First, the rain and snow comes down from the heavens that cause the budding of life. It is called the word proceeding out of the mouth of the Lord which goes forth accomplishing everything it was sent to do. It is then identified as YE (you & me) -- and we are going out with joy and peace, which cause the mountains (the great kingdoms) and hills (subordinate kingdoms) to break forth into singing. In our going we also see the trees of the field (every individual) clapping their hands! The rain and Snow, the Word of the Lord fit for every season, YE bring forth LIFE!

Water is the essence of life, and whether natural water or that of the Spirit, they both contain two elements. With the natural, two gases, hydrogen and oxygen, are compounded together to form a new creation called water. I remember our dear friend and co-laborer in Christ, J. Preston Eby, bring this to light many years ago, and the truth remains, of which we are ever so thankful.

In the realm of the heavens, the Spirit and the Word are the two elements coming together that make up a new creation called RAIN. It is the pure essence of God, the Water of Life! Before the joining of the Word and the Spirit there was no life -- neither naturally nor spiritually. Before the Voice of the Son of God was ever heard, the earth of humanity was void, and darkness was upon the face of their understanding. Mankind was swallowed up in death. The Light of Life was absent until the voice of the Son of God was heard.

Men have heard one portion or the other of that voice for untold ages, but not in its entirety. They heard Moses and the prophets, yet something was always lacking; and today they hear rolling sermons coming in like a flood -- but still, there is a famine of hearing the Words of the Lord (Amos 8:11). You see, flood waters cannot be drank due to the debris and impurities of the carnal mind mixed with them. Although many words are preached and taught today, there is still a famine of hearing the Words of the Lord, and they are very precious these days; for there is no open vision (I Sam 3:1).

The average person believes the Bible is the Word of God, and it certainly was when it was spoken. There are no scriptures, however stating that the Bible is the Word of God. It is a record of the Word, but it is not the Word. It is an inscription of the Voice of God, but it is not His Voice.

When the Word first came from the heavens to form the earth, it was alive and vibrant with the Spirit. It mattered not that there was no human present to hear it, worlds were still framed by what God spoke.

The writers of the scriptures heard the Word, and what they heard they wrote. In a figure, they took their ink-tipped quills and inscribed the Living Word upon the parchment of earth. The Word was sealed, as it were, inside tombs called scrolls. The Word first descended from the heavens like bolts of lightning into the hearts of the prophets, burning deep into their bones, but like another Word that the scriptures pointed to (Jesus), they were taken and buried in the graves of the scrolls. That word was written in the book we now call the Bible. That which was Life died as it passed through hollow quills. It was buried, becoming the letter that kills

Each word written upon the pages of the sixty-six books became the epitaph of the Truth contained therein. Each word is an inscription carved upon the gravestone of the Word of Life. Each word is a testimony of Life ready to be possessed by all. When men read the Bible, in effect, they read the epitaph of the One who came down from the heavens, of the One who shall come forth in due season in every man, of the One who shall come with the glory He had with the Father before the world was. The words written upon that tombstone testify of the One who has Life, but they are not that Life in themselves (John 5:39-40).

Words upon tombstones can be interesting reading, but it is common knowledge that there is no life in a tombstone. But when the revelation dawns of the One who was once buried in the grave of those pages -- what Life! The gravestone of our carnal minds is rolled away, we see Him, not in the empty tomb, but standing in the garden of our own hearts -- and we Live! Praise God -- we Live! He calls our name, and we Live! Yes, dear Saints, we hear the Voice of the Son of God -- AND WE LIVE!

When both, the Word and the Anointing of the Spirit come together, there is a brand new creation -- there is water, there is life -- and at the scent of Water the fallen tree lives again. It buds and brings forth boughs like a plant! When the voice of the Son of God is heard, when the Spirit and the Word are joined together in heaven's celestial concert -- WE LIVE!

We can rivet our minds to the scriptures with blurry-eyed fervor; we can stuff ourselves with the Greek and Hebrew; we can go to revivals and Kingdom conferences until we are bursting with knowledge; but until the two essential ingredients of the Spirit and the Word become One, and we hear the Voice of the Son of God, we will remain as dead as a fallen tree, lifeless as the letter buried in the Dead Sea scrolls. But don't despair, dear Sons, even if your tree is laying dead, in ruin and desolation -- there is a season for every dry soul to be rained upon, for every ear to hear the Voice of the Son of God, and they who hear shall live.

THE VOICE HEARD

Let us regress in time and see when the Voice of the Son of God was initially heard, and ask, was it perhaps when baby Jesus uttered His first words? It would stand to reason that this might be the case, especially since the messenger Gabriel told Mary that the holy thing that would be born of her "shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). But does the "shall" refer to the time of His birth or to when God called Him His Son. From Mark's text it was the latter -- when He was baptized in the Jordan River. His record of the Good News begins there: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." "And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Mark 1:1,10-11).

The Psalmist also spoke of Him being called a Son, and this was in reference to His resurrection from among the dead, of from which Paul and the author of Hebrews drew:

"God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee" (Acts 13:33).

"For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?" -- Heb 1:5

We may wonder why Jesus was never called the Son of God until the day He became a full grown man and stood up in the midst of Jordan, or was bodily resurrected out of the grave, especially since Jesus Himself, at the age of twelve years, said, "I must be about My Father" (Luke 2:49). The answer is simple: The word for SON in these verses is UIOS. This Greek word speaks more than just being the offspring (teknon) of the father. It refers to a male child whom the father is training to be a responsible "SON," but especially once as he reaches the stage of full maturity as a result of the training. At this time, the father turns his business over to the son, along with all his power and authority. The father then says, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. He is a full grown man of proven character. He is mature -- HEAR YE HIM!" From that day on, when the son speaks, HIS VOICE IS HEARD, for it carries the same spirit and nature of his father who taught Him.

A man of maturity in any sense of the matter is an overcomer, and what this Man (Jesus) overcame was the last enemy -- death itself! Paul wrote that He was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4). And do we not know that this river typifies not only the death of the cross but also His death of being separated from the glory He had with His Father before the world was? This being the case, it is not difficult to see why, as He rose victoriously from that symbolic grave of death, He heard the Voice of His Father, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

For 30 years He was tried and proven faithful in the earthen tomb of the first Adam. He was tempted in all points as humanity, but without the corruption of sin. In maturity, He was raised out of the watery grave of humanity. The promise of Psalm 16:10 was fulfilled in part that day in the river: "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."

Jesus was as much in hell the first three days of His life as His last three. His first three spanned 30 years in the world, and His last three was 72 hours in the tomb. He was in "hell" both times according to the definition of HADES, the word HELL is translated from. HADES simply means an unseen, imperceptible, hidden realm. While he lay in the grave, he was unseen, imperceptible, and hidden from view; and He was just as unseen, imperceptible, and hidden from view before He was raised from the waters of the Jordan. His adamic form may have been looked upon, men supposing he was the son of Joseph, but the Son of God was not seen, nor was His Voice heard.

He left the glory He had with His Father when He was born of Mary in the bestial world of a stable, was wrapped in the swaddling clothes of death, and laid as manna in a manger, the feed trough of humanity. Every aspect of His birth spoke of Him being lowered into the realm of humanity's death; but He did not remain there, for His baptism into Jordan and coming straightway up out of the water, signified His victory over that death. It spoke of His dying to that world of temptation, sin, and death. The swaddling clothes of the grave failed to keep Him bound, the stable could not hold Him, and Egypt that He fled to had no legal claim upon Him. He was raised up an overcomer that day, over all things that pertained to the first Adam. This triumphant victory enabled Him to see the opening of the heavens with the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him. And then came His Father's Voice, saying, "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Mark 1:10-11). From that day forth the Dove, the Spirit, the Anointing remained upon the Word made flesh.

There are many stories, fables if you please, of the wonderful works of Jesus before the day He arose from the river of death, but let us not be fantasized by carnal tales, for it is recorded to the contrary. Shortly after the Dove descended upon Him and His final testing of forty days in the wilderness, He went to a wedding, where He performed His first miracle. He turned water into wine: "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him" (John 2:11).

Why do you suppose He never perform a miracle before this? Because He was buried in Adam's grave when the Spirit and the Word had not yet come together (the hydrogen and the oxygen had not combined to form the Living water). In the same manner the written word of the Bible has no life to give until the Spirit moves upon it, so it was with the Word called Jesus. Without the commission of the anointing, He had no water of Life to impart. He therefore waited patiently for 30 years in the imperceptible grave of mankind; but when that day of rising came the Dove of God rested upon Him, He came forth -- ALIVE -- as the Son of God! The Son of God was finally seen and the Voice of His Father heard.

There can be no Voice without the anointing of the Spirit. In the beginning there was a principle of life, and it remains unchanged today. The Spirit moving alone over the face of the deep brings no vision, and the Word void of the Spirit has no expression of life -- but when the two come together, when the SPIRIT MOVES upon the face of the waters, and God SAYS -- LIGHT -- there will be Light! The dark sea of human understanding becomes illumined with the brightness of the Sun. No longer does the mist of man's clouded logic prevail, but the glory of Christ, the Son of God, is seen and heard -- bringing Life to all who rest in the rays of His Light.

In relation to our study, let us notice briefly the word VOICE. It comes from the Greek word PHONE, from which we get our English word telephone. It carries the thought of a disclosing tone that lightens, causes to shine, or makes manifest, especially by illuminating rays. PHONE is an audible sound made by living creatures in the throat. It denotes the cry of the animal or song of the bird. The main use in the Greek, however, is for human speech. PHONE is both the "spirit" and the "sound" as one. PHONE is spoken of as the "voice" of deity. God reveals Himself through the Voice. Socrates appeals to the divine Voice as a force with direction. It is not haphazard or ambiguous, but it has the driving force of a well-trained army in battle. It is like an aimed arrow slicing through the air with piercing accuracy. The voice of God is planned and always accomplishes what it is sent to do. (Think on this truth until it slices through the air of your own mind and finds its mark deep into your heart with piercing revelation.)

THE VOICE OF WHIPS AND SNAKES

The Greeks also used PHONE in reference to the roar of water, swish of rain, rolling of an earthquake, whistling of whips, noise of a camp, rustling of wings, crackling of fire, grinding of millstones, sound of horns, the hissing of snakes, and of course, the sound of the human voice. In essence, PHONE relates to the CHARACTER and NATURE of whatever the SOUND, the VOICE, is coming from. The roar of a tornado will send the most ardent brute scurrying for cover, because he knows its terrible nature; a child will hear the threatening hiss of a viper and may not understand its potential danger, but he will know it is not an inviting voice asking to be stroked; and it doesn't take a genius, or someone with exceptional discernment, to hear the cooing of a dove and know the gentleness of its nature. The voice denotes the nature of a thing, whether of God, thunder, splashing fish, or a man. Simply speaking, the voice is individual and enables us to know the speaker; and praise God, as we hear the voice of the son of God, we know him!

We might note that in every case where the term, "This is My beloved Son..." is recorded, it always follows something to do with "Rising into a  higher realm": Those words of recognition were heard with Jesus rising out of the waters of Jordan, indicated His overcoming the world and beginning a walk in a dimension never before traveled. At His transfiguration His Father spoke the same words. And ultimately, He was declared the Son of God with power and the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from among the dead.

With Jesus being the pattern of our own walk, we can see three distinct steps of standing up in resurrection: baptism in the Jordan (overcoming the world), the mount of Transfiguration (immortality), and the grave (complete change & glorification). There is a resurrection of the spirit, soul, and body -- but none of it comes, not even the first step, except THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD is heard!

To be continued...

Elwin R. Roach

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