I woke with a vision last Sunday (4/14/2013) in which I saw screen distortion... Non native settings. Same image, wrong aspect ratio. Took knowledge of the correct image to recognize the problem and make remedy.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about:
The image on the left might look fine if it was the first time you saw it. Without anything to compare it to, you might think nothing of the distortion. The words can still be read. The colors can still be seen. But when you compare it with the image on the right, the distortion becomes quite evident. The one on the left is now noticeably blurry and while some may have noticed the ovals in the picture on the left, it becomes much more obvious that the intended image was actually a circle when both pictures in view.
I shared about this vision in our home assembly last week and then yesterday at work, the Lord reminded me of it by sending somebody to ask me about their screen distortion on their computer. They had already asked for others to help them but the others told them it looked fine and that their eyes must just be tired or something like that. I walked over to his office with him and it was immediately evident that he was correct in seeing the distortion. It was even more obvious after opening up a computer drafting image of a round part which was showing up as an oval on his screen. I adjusted his settings and there were two choices that gave him round circles... one was just slightly blurred and the other was crisp and clear. So even within the right aspect ratio, there were pixel alignment issues which could produce a blurring of the image making it slightly harder to see.
This is what Satan tries to do with Man beginning with Adam. He wants to distort what we remember about what God makes known for faith. God had given Adam clear instruction... eat any fruit from any tree in the garden except one (Gen 2:16-17).
Let's look at how Satan used his whiles to distort Eve (and Adam's) perspective of what God had said:
Genesis 3:1-5
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
We see that she knew what God had commanded. She was not ignorant of that original communication from God which made known the outcome she could expect from disobedience. The reward for faith (obeying His voice) would be to continue in the presence of God without being separated from Him (death).
Satan took what God had said, and revised it. He did not provide a completely different image for them... but worked the knowledge God had given them to put it within his perspective instead. While God had provided contrast for testing and reward, Satan framed that same knowledge to be seen (from his perspective) as God keeping them from their true potential. As if God were in fear of them competing with Him and choosing instead to keep them in the dark to make sure they don't become a threat to Him. This is how Satan thinks because Satan views God with this same eye of envy and distrust. He didn't like it when he learned of God's plan to give far greater glory and honor to Adam than to His angels who were created first (the elder would serve the younger - Romans 9:12)
Now Eve had two images to consider... she had first generation knowledge from God and she had further generation knowledge which was an altered copy of what God had first said to them. Having received revelation from God, she was now facing a contradiction which required a choice. She could obey the voice of the Lord or obey the voice of Satan. She was facing a choice between two kingdoms. One of Light and one of darkness.
Light has to do with knowledge which remains joined to God by the power of His will.
Darkness has to do with knowledge which brings separation from Him by the power of one's own will.
Let's see what they decided to do:
Genesis 3:6-8
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
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.
When they SAW from Satan's perspective... this show which knowledge they allowed to frame their perspective. Had they chosen to reflect upon what God had said, Satan would've fled from them and had to find a new strategy (James 4:7).
As it turns out... God had given them good information. While Satan's distortion made sense to them and confirmed the logic of their newly formed thinking pattern (being framed by the lie.) This is how Satan continues operation today. He doesn't tell everybody to commit unspeakable acts of horror... he provides subtle distortions of truth to create false forms of worship... places of worship with an unsanctified priesthood or no altar at all. Or offers strange fire for the altar (Leviticus 10:1).
Notice what took place here... in verse 7 of Genesis 3... Their eyes were open. They had not been blind. In verse 6 we see that they saw the tree. What does this mean that their eyes were now opened as a result of choosing Satan's counsel over God's commandment? They were seeing everything from God's perspective and did not see by the light of the sun. For in God's presence, the sun was as a dimly lit bulb. They were not seeing the environment that God had formed them in and hadn't yet been subjected to it. It had not been dominating their thinking and their perspectives. It was all around them and they were formed from the substance of it... but they were seeing things in the Light of another Kingdom and dimension... until now. Now their eyes were opened to the darkness of this dimension which is the lowest of the heavens (and furthest removed from the Throne room of God in the 7th heaven.)
Let's look at something else that changed here now that their eyes were open... their conscience became defiled (causing spiritual blindness.) In Genesis 2:25, we see that before this time of testing and disobedience, they had a different testimony: "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."
But now they were naked and ASHAMED. Naked has to do with lacking fruit and substance to present to God. The soul of man was created to be a vessel of the substance of God's glory (His virtue). They had been created without substance... empty vessels with a hunger to gain new experience and substance. At that point, their lack of substance did not cause them shame because they had not yet taken on any substance... good or evil. So they were naked but NOT ashamed.
Now that they had considered Satan's counsel and allowed it to conceive thoughts within their minds and nurtured those thoughts until they were acted upon and thus committed themselves to working with his counsel and perspective... they were naked and ASHAMED. Still without fruit unto God but now carrying with them a strange new substance which they had not known before... death. This is the fruit of iniquity.
Now the state of their conscience was darkened and they saw all things through that clutter... causing them to become spiritually blind (or blind to God's perspective which they had originally.)
Note also that what Satan said to them made logical sense to them and was true... not truth... but true. He had simply shifted the meaning of God's words to make new connections and draw new conclusions. They did not die physically... they died spiritually. God had spoken from His perspective as Spirit and Satan had spoken from the perspective of this world. Also, while they only knew God prior to eating of the forbidden fruit, now they knew another... They had lost KNOWledge of God and gained KNOWledge of Satan. Now they were seeing everything (including God) from Satan's perspective.
How do we know this? Let's look at how their relationship with God changed. In Genesis 2 we see that God had fellowship with Adam and brought the animals to Adam who had been given knowledge to name them all. God was not creeping in the shadows of the garden but communicating with Adam who was remaining in contact with Him... without barriers. As we saw, he was yet naked but not ashamed.
But now.. as we see in Genesis 3:8, they are hiding themselves from the presence of God. Note also that in verse 7, they attempted to cover their shame with leaves severed from the fig tree. This did not work and they attempted to further conceal themselves from God.
The imagination could not join them back to God... the severed fig leaves could not restore the state of their conscience. They were now in need of a remedy which the could not find within this world or within themselves. Looking within themselves to discern between that which God had commanded and that which Satan had suggested already proved itself to produce error in thinking, not faith in the heart. That pattern is still called vain labor because it remains absent of the power God restricted to Himself to make remedy.
God made known His promise to redeem them from darkness and join them back to Himself. He promised to personally provide for this. But they would have to wait for the time appointed by Him. They would need to exercise faith with reflection upon His promise to keep themselves in mind of Him now that the word around them was dominating their attention.
"For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent." (Zephaniah 3:9)
"He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:11)
God raises up stewards of His holy ordered knowledge to reset the bone which was broken by application of His grace and truth with experienced knowledge. The breaking of the bone has to do with the severing of His knowledge from His perspective and thinking. When the bone is broken, faith stands independent and grows weary. Without stewardship we lack knowledge to navigate and find ourselves spinning our wheels and seeking direction. God gives clear direction for faith through instruction in the pure language of His Kingdom and makes known the ordered activity of the new covenant priesthood which we learn to function in by His Spirit. As we learn of Him by the preaching of His Word, we gain the perspective of His throne and stand in the fullness of His Name and no longer fight to maintain the uniqueness of every letter.
Let us instruct you in the way of righteousness: http://www.s8wministries.org/general.php?id=10
