“gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand” (Dan.1:4, NKJV)
We are currently delving into “what has already been in ancient times before us” (Ecc. 1:10), which is to say, that which existed before we were physically manifested in the flesh.
As part of the unfolding of Rev. 8:10, with which we are currently concerned, where the “great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch,” that “fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water,” we examined, in the last teaching, the depth of meaning attached to the word bitter. This cataclysmic event in the spirit, which those who are on their way out of Egypt experience on the way to the promise land, in the desert or wilderness. It calls back to the desires of the flesh.
Along with this, when the great star falls, a third of all soul dimension rivers, the fountains of imagination, carnal and natural knowledge, and oceans of worldly wisdom are contaminated with bitterness. When the un-regenerated, natural man is impacted by the immense power of Jesus and His Christ, it has an earth-shattering effect, which often leaves the believer with feelings of loss, pain, indignation, guilt, fear, uncertainty, and other similarly negative experiences. To remove all bitterness from the pilgrim on his way to the promised land, he/she is often brought into situations that manifests the bitterness within him/herself, so that the narrative with which we concluded last week, can come into action.
Th Old Testament concludes with the book of Malachi, where the wondrous promise of the Sun of Righteousness is given: “But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.” (Mal. 4:2). But – the New Testament does not begin with the Sun of Righteousnss; the wise men from the East walk in the streets of Jerusalem looking for the Wondrous sign of the promise of the Sun (Son) of Righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30). Then we read in Matt. 2:9-10: “When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” In verse 2 they ask: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East …” Take note – a star, not a sun! God is supernaturally bringing forth something new, filled with glory, as 1 Cor. 15:41 beautifully suggests: “There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.”
This major event was a natural supernatural happening that pointed to the cosmic playing out of something of great importance happening on earth, but with certain heavenly correspondences. It reminds us of what Jesus recounts about the overjoyed angels in heaven when one sinner comes to God (Luke 15:10).
It is interesting that many translations specifically refer to these stargazers as wise men from the east. The Greek word for this is magos, which Thayer defines as “the name given by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), Medes, Persians, and others, to the wise men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, augers, soothsayers, sorcerers etc”, or “an oriental wise man (astrologer)”, even “false prophet and sorcerer”. (The latter is for instance thus translated in Acts 13:6 & 8.) At this stage we know that the East can here be typologically defined as before time. Here we thus have men, typologically speaking, who have been empowered by knowledge of the period before time, or what Deut. 33:15 calls, “the best things of the ancient mountains”. Sometimes this knowledge of the period before time has the appearance of the mysteries with which alchemists and magicians work, and which Christians often oppose with good reason, without realising that it can be part of the unfolding glory of the mysteries (of which, for instance, 1Cor. 13:2 speaks). In Rom. 16:25 Paul calls this “the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began”. In Col. 2:2 it is sketched as “riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ”.
The fact that mysteries, mythologies, metaphysics, alchemy, mysticism, and even plain old abracadabra explores the unknown, and at times grasps some of its truths, does not necessarily mean that it is suspicious or demonic; it is merely explorations of cloaked truths and principles through a variety of methods, scientific or pseudo-scientific, which draws from a different way of thinking in excavating these hidden elements. We translate the unknown. The foundation of all this is the development of the human consciousness’ postmodern question concerning the ever-unfolding God. These tracings of the unknowable are often merely a charting of consciousness. Many of the methods that are employed are not necessarily verifiable as we would expect of a scientific process. I do however believe that Wols’ statement in this regard is an important anchoring point for the process (and not necessarily the product) of this search for truth:
the elusive penetrates everything
you must know that everything rhymes
This does not however mean that all things from strange religions and the occultism and secret world that is presented to us is acceptable. Acts 19:19 for instance tells the story of how, after the sons of Sceva tried to drive out demons, things went haywire, and “that many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all”. This points to the discernment of the spirits being practised, and that the sources of this hidden knowledge were found unacceptable.
Tradition tells us that it is only the three wise men from the East who came in search of Jesus, but this is not at all what the gospels say about the matter! This great event in the heavens and on earth must have been on the radar of more than 30 wise men, perhaps rather 300, or even 3000, by way of speaking. This conjecture is merely symbolic, as the number 3, 30, 300, 3000, etc. all point to the “multiplicative” (BDB) nature of spiritual maturity, the fulfilment of “His excellent greatness” (Ps. 150:2), the “perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). These wise men find a prototype in the type of wisdom that the Levitical priest had (Num. 4:30), also Joseph (Gen. 41:46), and David (2Sam. 5:4), as well as Jesus (Luke 3:23). There were indeed not only three wise men who were lurking around the city! Clearly there must have such a deluge of men, who were most probably just like Daniel’s friends: “young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand …” (Dan. 1:4). In Matt. 2:3 we read that not only king Herod was upset about the news of the birth of Jesus, but that “all Jerusalem” was troubled “with him”.
These wise man are typological of the influx of the “manifold wisdom of God” (Eph. 3:10) in the heavenly city of Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22), there where a first movement of this spectacle already appeared earlier, in the form of an angelic choir on the open fields (Luke 2:13-14), of which the shepherd spoke with abandon (Luke 2:8). The shepherds came to witness of the Lamb of God (John 1:36) who had been born! One does wonder how exactly this angelic choir appearance came about, as angels are certainly spirits (Heb. 1:4), and are thus by definition invisible. They most likely transmutated, and thus the shepherd could distinguish them, just as the servant of Elisha whose spiritual eyes had been opened so that he could see the spiritual realm (2 Kings 6:17).
Please realise – it was not the Jews who followed the star in the city; it was people from the East, traditionally those who were often treated with suspicion because of their mysterious spiritual experiences and esoteric knowledge. Now they become the discerning followers of the quintessential Wisdom that is symbolised by the appearance of this Bethlehem star.
Ask yourself – why did they associate the coming of the Messiah with the coming of a star? It’s actually quite random. Ponder this.
The answer to this mystery lies in an obscure prophesy in the Pentateuch, specifically chapter 24 of the book of Numbers, verses 15:19: “So he took up his oracle and said: ‘The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, and the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened; the utterance of him who hears the words of God, and has the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes wide open: ‘I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult. And Edom shall be a possession; Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, while Israel does valiantly. Out of Jacob One shall have dominion, and destroy the remains of the city.’”
This prophesy, like all prophesies, can be articulated through this statement in Ps. 78:2: “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old.” When Asaph says in verse 1, “Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth”, it is very important that we realise that the word word here is ’ēmer, which transliterated in Greek points to the word rhema. That which Asaph has streaming from before time, is literally the synergy of the interaction between the heavens and the earth. It is not strange then that Asaph’s name in Hebrew means “collector” (Strong). He becomes an Old Testament prototype of the prophetic stream that gathers all the words of God and streams them in the Spirit, to use a contemporary anachronistic term. He seeks out, combines, and creates a force field of words, literally an interactive book of life, or a ladder of words (like Jacob’s – Gen. 28:12) between heaven and earth, within which the messengers of God move about. This is a very powerful image of the powerful heroes “who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word” (Ps. 103:20). The next verse, verse 21, says: “Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.”
In the next teaching we will unlock more of this mystery.
• Selah: What is the New Testament equivalent of riddles, or “parables” (Ps. 78:2)?
• Read: Deut. 31-34; Jos. 1-5
• Memorise: Deut. 32:1 & 7 (what Godly synchronicity!)
