After Adam and Eve had sinned it is written in Genesis 3:8 “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”
A couple of things I want you to notice in this verse above, first notice it was the voice of the Lord God walking, and also notice we are told they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God. Hopefully this will make more sense when I show you a few other verses of scripture.
Now notice after Cain had sinned he said he would be hid from the face of the Lord in Genesis 4:14, and then we read in Genesis 4:16 “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” Both words used, in the face (H6440) of the Lord is also the same word used as in the presence (H6440) of the Lord, which can also be shown as countenance. But notice it is written in John 1:18 “No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
Jesus said in John 6:46 “Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.” Jesus also said if you have seen me then you have seen the Father. Just as Jesus also said in Luke 10:22 “All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.” Jesus also told his disciples that the world would see Him no more, but that they would see Him. And those who can receive this saying will also understand, and will know this only happens when God the Father first reveals His Son in you by way of His Spirit.
And so by His Spirit not only do we feel the presence of His glory, but we also see His Son; as Jesus said in John 14:19 “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me:” Many will struggle with this saying, as they also struggle with understanding many of the spiritual things of God because they are yet of the world, and are yet carnal.
The reason the world cannot see Him, and why the world cannot receive the Spirit of Truth is because there is another spirit and presence working in them, which is the spirit of a lie referred to as “it” in many places of scripture. Jesus said of the Spirit of Truth in John 14:17 “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you.”
This spirit who is in the world, is also the same spirit at work in the firstborn man of sin, who is flesh, and is also carnally minded. These are those, because of sin, are also hid from the presence of the Lord.
It is written in Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Just as that sin nature working in the natural man is the red “mark” of the natural brute beast.
This first born nature of sin is shown many times in scripture in the first born sons like in Cain, Esau, and Ishmael. Pay close attention to the wording here describing Ishmael, and the presence in Genesis 16:12 “And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” This is speaking of the spirit, and nature of the firstborn working in all his brethren, or seed. That reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Paul understood this mystery of the first man being earthy, flesh and carnally minded which is also shown in the allegory he gave of the 2 sons of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac. Just as it was said of Jacob and Esau, two manner of people would come forth of them. This also shows the enmity between the 2 spiritual seeds from the beginning, the first being flesh, verses those who were of the seed of promise being born of the Holy Spirit.
So as those who are of God are transformed into the image of His Son by the renewing of their mind by His Holy Spirit, and are “marked” or sealed by that same Spirit of Promise. The same, but opposite “mark” can be said of those who are still in living in sin, and are of their father the Devil, and are in his presence and of his spirit, which is the same spirit of this evil world.
But those who are of God’s Spirit would flee from sin and evil, and depart from the presence of the serpent as shown in the woman in Revelation 12:14 who would flee “from the face of the serpent.”
So if your iniquities have separated you from God, and your sins cause his face to be hid from you as is written in Isaiah 59:2, then this next verse is some real good solid advice.
Acts 3:19-20 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. [SUP]20 [/SUP]And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you.”
A couple of things I want you to notice in this verse above, first notice it was the voice of the Lord God walking, and also notice we are told they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God. Hopefully this will make more sense when I show you a few other verses of scripture.
Now notice after Cain had sinned he said he would be hid from the face of the Lord in Genesis 4:14, and then we read in Genesis 4:16 “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” Both words used, in the face (H6440) of the Lord is also the same word used as in the presence (H6440) of the Lord, which can also be shown as countenance. But notice it is written in John 1:18 “No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
Jesus said in John 6:46 “Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.” Jesus also said if you have seen me then you have seen the Father. Just as Jesus also said in Luke 10:22 “All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.” Jesus also told his disciples that the world would see Him no more, but that they would see Him. And those who can receive this saying will also understand, and will know this only happens when God the Father first reveals His Son in you by way of His Spirit.
And so by His Spirit not only do we feel the presence of His glory, but we also see His Son; as Jesus said in John 14:19 “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me:” Many will struggle with this saying, as they also struggle with understanding many of the spiritual things of God because they are yet of the world, and are yet carnal.
The reason the world cannot see Him, and why the world cannot receive the Spirit of Truth is because there is another spirit and presence working in them, which is the spirit of a lie referred to as “it” in many places of scripture. Jesus said of the Spirit of Truth in John 14:17 “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you.”
This spirit who is in the world, is also the same spirit at work in the firstborn man of sin, who is flesh, and is also carnally minded. These are those, because of sin, are also hid from the presence of the Lord.
It is written in Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Just as that sin nature working in the natural man is the red “mark” of the natural brute beast.
This first born nature of sin is shown many times in scripture in the first born sons like in Cain, Esau, and Ishmael. Pay close attention to the wording here describing Ishmael, and the presence in Genesis 16:12 “And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” This is speaking of the spirit, and nature of the firstborn working in all his brethren, or seed. That reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Paul understood this mystery of the first man being earthy, flesh and carnally minded which is also shown in the allegory he gave of the 2 sons of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac. Just as it was said of Jacob and Esau, two manner of people would come forth of them. This also shows the enmity between the 2 spiritual seeds from the beginning, the first being flesh, verses those who were of the seed of promise being born of the Holy Spirit.
So as those who are of God are transformed into the image of His Son by the renewing of their mind by His Holy Spirit, and are “marked” or sealed by that same Spirit of Promise. The same, but opposite “mark” can be said of those who are still in living in sin, and are of their father the Devil, and are in his presence and of his spirit, which is the same spirit of this evil world.
But those who are of God’s Spirit would flee from sin and evil, and depart from the presence of the serpent as shown in the woman in Revelation 12:14 who would flee “from the face of the serpent.”
So if your iniquities have separated you from God, and your sins cause his face to be hid from you as is written in Isaiah 59:2, then this next verse is some real good solid advice.
Acts 3:19-20 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. [SUP]20 [/SUP]And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you.”
