“For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people.” (Isa. 65:22, NKJV)
In the previous teaching we concluded that people are symbolically presented in Scripture as trees, but even more specifically, that the Bride comprises of the trees planted in Eden. We now clearly know that Man and Woman surely died, they were uprooted as it were, and thus fell in the garden of Eden. But the question remains: to whence did Man (and the other trees) fall when they fell from Eden? According to Ezek. 31:16-17 the trees of Eden fell to “the depths of the earth”, or then – the realm of the dead.
This conclusion seems far-fetched at first – the realm of the dead, to which the trees of Eden fell when they “surely died”, seems to be the earth!
Let us then examine the so-called “realm of the dead” in closer detail, within this context:
- 9:2 notes: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” This is a prophetic promise about the specific region, “the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali … by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles” (verse 1), “Galilee of the nations” (ASV) where Nazareth is located, where Jesus would live and work. In other words, Jesus appeared as light in the land of the shadow of death, namely earth! This region becomes a typology of the entire earth to which Jesus as Saviour is sent – see Matt. 4:12-16: “Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.’” It is absolutely important that verse 17 states, after Isaiah’s prophecy has been proclaimed as fulfilled, that “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Clearly this message was for all heathens (including the Jews), in other words “all who are afar off” (Acts 2:39). Eph. 2:13 thus became true: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” - In Ps. 18:4-5 David prays: “The pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.” In verse 19 we read that “He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.” Please take note – after salvation or redemption the realm of death is TRANSFORMED into a different space!
- In Job 26:6 he remarks: “Sheol is naked before Him, and Destruction has no covering.” The ACV-translation frames it as follows: “Sheol is naked before [God], and Abaddon has no covering.” The realm of dead is “naked”, like Adam and Eve were after the Fall. (Recall the equating of Adam and adama, the soil from which you were created.)
- 9:17 (ACV): “Wicked men shall be turned back to Sheol, even all the nations that forget God.” This Scripture makes it absolutely explicit – the realm of the dead is the place where the ungodly live! Take note, not those who have physically died, but those who are spiritually dead.
- David clearly understood this concept of the earth as the realm of the dead. In Ps. 86:12-13 he prays, “I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.” The realm of the dead is something David struggles with daily, in his prayers before God! He does this whilst he is alive! Also read what Ps. 116:8 suggests – “For You have delivered my soul from death”. Therefore he can state in Ps. 116:9: “I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”
It is of great importance that we come to an understanding of this – everyone who fell from before time/another reality, landed on earth, and because of its fallen nature this is equated with the realm of the dead. But through Jesus Christ as Saviour God a new space of salvation on earth is created, in which those who are saved can live their new life in the land of the living – “for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28)! Indeed “the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms …” (Deut. 33:27).
In these points we also learn things about everyday matters, when we look at this state on earth as a metaphorical realm of the dead:
- In previous teachings we devoted a lot of attention to Jonah, and it is based on his experience that we got onto this trail. But just to refresh your memory – Jonah refers to the space inside the fish (in other words the space where he was still alive, but felt forsaken by God), the realm of the dead! “Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. And he said: ‘I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice.’” (Jon. 2:1-2).
- In Job 7:9 he states: “As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up.” In the teaching of Day 1157-1158 the meaning of the cloud (of witnesses) was extensively discussed – the spiritual realm is presented under different names in Scripture: bosom of Abraham, paradise, garden of Eden, third dimension, or then – the cloud of witnesses. Please selah! Someone in the realm of the dead is now being likened, by Job, to the cloud that is disappearing! In other words: a place where the clouds disappear (where there is thus no cloud of witnesses), is likened to the realm of the dead!
- Have a look at what Job 24:19 has to say: “As drought and heat consume the snow waters, so the grave consumes those who have sinned.” In the realm of the dead there is no snow (which represents one of the manifestations of the primordial water of Bridehood) – those who sin (=miss their mark) inhabit the realm of the dead.
- David proclaims in Ps. 6:5: “For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who will give You thanks?” In the realm of the dead you cannot remember the state of before time/another reality.
- In Ps. 30:3 David makes it clear: “O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit”. Take note – David utters these words whilst he is still alive! He thus had to start there in his life on earth.
- Job 17:13-16 teaches us much about this state on earth: “If I wait for the grave as my house, if I make my bed in the darkness, if I say to corruption, ‘You are my father’, and to the worm, ‘You are my mother and my sister,’ where then is my hope? As for my hope, who can see it? Will they go down to the gates of Sheol? Shall we have rest together in the dust?” The realm of the dead is the place where worms (=rimmah-words, the counter of rhema-words) are my father, mother and brothers! In contrast to the statement Jesus makes in Matt. 12:50: “For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother”, everyone in the realm of death becomes family of the worms, those who walk in their anti-christ identities. Remember that worms live from flesh that is “surely dead”! The following is for instance said about the king of Babel in the realm of the dead (=earth) in Isa. 14:11: “Your pomp is brought down to Sheol … the maggot is spread under you, and worms cover you.”
Like Man and Woman there are various other examples of people offered by Scripture, and of whom it is said/suggested that they fell from before time/a different reality (at times explicitly metaphorised as trees). With this teaching we will only look at two examples, that of the king of Tyre and the king of Babel. In next week’s teaching we’ll look at the various other examples offered by Scripture.
- The King of Tyre, of whom is written in Ezek. 28:12-18, is such a specific example. [From the teaching of Day 1022-1024 we now know that this person is not the Satan who fell from heaven – as religious tradition argued for a long time – as it is explicitly stated in verse 2 that “you are a man, and not a god”. There is clearly a great resemblance between the “prince of Tyre” and the “king of Tyre” – both would naturally be of the same nature/status. In the original language king (melek) and prince (nagiyd) is closely related. In 1 Chr. 29:22 Solomon is for instance appointed in both positions.] Of the King of Tyre the following is said in Ezek. 28:13: “You were in Eden, the garden of God …”, but in verse 17 it is made clear: “I cast you to the ground …”
- Another clear example is the king of Babel who comes to a fall: “Hell from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming; it stirs up the dead for you, all the chief ones of the earth; it has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. They all shall speak and say to you: ‘Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us?’ Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the sound of your stringed instruments; the maggot is spread under you, and worms cover you. How you are fallen from heaven, o Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!” (Isa. 14:9-12). In the later verses it is stated even more explicitly: “Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners? … But you are cast out …” (Isa. 14:15-19).
This revelation becomes immensely important because it makes one realise that our distinction between life and death/the realm of the dead has been wrong all this time. The distinction should rather be between the other reality/before time/bosom of Abraham/paradise/third dimension/cloud of witnesses on the one hand, with the earth/realm of the dead/hell/the other reality on the other. In the former there is only LIFE, even though the people who are within it have died to their flesh. In the former is the dead, even though they may still be physically living. Selah.
- Selah: Explain the last paragraph to someone.
- Read: 11-18; Eph. 6; Ps. 47; Matt. 1-2.
- Memorise: 6:17.
