THE ORIGIN OF THE CONCEPT NEIGHBOR
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Note: AS WE READ THIS ARTICLE, LET US BE FULLY AWARE THAT WE REACH OUT TO THE SPIRIT TO BRING FORTH THESE TRUTHS. THESE ARE NOT DOCTRINES BUT TRUTHS FOR THE EDIFICATION OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. MOST OF THESE WRITINGS ARE PROPHETIC BY NATURE AND ARE INSPIRITED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, SO AS YOU READ THEM TAKE YOUR TIME TO RECEIVE AS YOU CONNECT TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD WITHIN YOU.
The book which we all know today as the Bible starts up in the book of Genesis with the statement "In the Beginning" [Genesis 1:1]. That account in Genesis is an account of the creation of God in the very heart of God. That creation mentioned in Genesis is a spiritual creation and has nothing to do with time and space as we know in this world that we live in. God created the heaven and earth which is actually the spiritual kingdom of God where all is light with no darkness whatsoever. The bible ends up with the book of Revelation; in this chapter we see the unveiling of a new heaven and a new earth where there is no darkness at all, a place of rest and unlimited blessings and glory [Revelations 21-22]. The new creation is really the same that was created in the beginning in the heart of God which all men have lost a knowledge of in their descent into this material world. It is called new because we all lost a knowledge of that creation in the fall.
In that Original creation God created one man who was in the image and likeness of God. That man was blessed with exceeding fruitfulness in terms of Joy, gladness, peace and every good we can think of. He was also given authority over all of the creation of God to rule and to subdue every thing under Himself. The man had unlimited blessings in God. God had charged that man to be fruitful and to multiply, which talks about a continuity in that state in which He was generated in God. Multiplication has nothing to do with having babies after the flesh like religion and traditions of men has taught is in the past. It is simply multiplication in the likeness of that man that was in the beginning; it is spiritual birth and increase in that man.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
That man that was created in the beginning is Christ (Not Jesus) as we know by now; he is the one created in the image of the living God and begotten of God.
2Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
I am careful to say that the man in the Beginning was not the flesh of Jesus but Christ. Jesus as a man born in flesh and blood state who actually awoke to His true identity as Christ and paved the way for the whole of humanity to enter back into the glory of Christ. From that moment He was symbolically baptized and the spirit of Christ or God entered into Him it was no more the flesh and blood personality born of Mary in a manger, it was Christ the son of the living God, who was from the beginning with the Father. It is important we discern that Christ has no physical flesh form whatsoever, He is spirit. The more we understand this mystery, the closer we get to unveiling the mystery of Christ.
2Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
When Christ Jesus walked in the fullness of the glory of the Father, what world was beholding was actually the man that was created in the beginning walking on the face of this earth. The world beheld the glory of the man that God created in His image and His likeness. Jesus demonstrated this with His fruits of perfect love, perfect peace and faith. All beheld the authority and power that He displayed by causing all the spirits to be subjected to Him. He exhibited dominion over the creation by manipulating elements of this world all to His favor. Jesus also declared that all power in heaven and earth was invested in Him and the Father had given all things into His hands.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Read the words of Jesus carefully in Matthew 28:18-20, they are similar to the word God spoke in Genesis 1:26. Jesus spoke about all dominion and power being invested in Him being the Christ, the man created by God in the beginning. He also talked about making disciples which talks about increase and multiplication of that man that was from the beginning by making disciples of men. Jesus also spoke of teaching them (the new disciples) to observe the word so that they can be continuously fruitful the same way the God charged the man in the beginning.
Observe carefully that in the mind of God, God did not create diverse men, God created only one man in the beginning and so it was meant to remain. One might ask, "then where did the other men seen all over the world appear from?". Firstly let us observe the thing that distinguishes men, from each other; that which distinguishes men is actually their mindset. In other words all men are actually distinguished by their mindset which further affects their character and their view of life. In actual fact the thing which has brought about many men in this world is their descent into flesh and blood in their mindsets. It is the knowledge of self and this carnal world that has actually caused men to identify themselves as separate entities apart from that on man that was created in the beginning.
All men on the face of the earth actually form part of that Spiritual Body that was generated in the beginning with God. That is why men are called lost sheep, because they have lost their way that was from the beginning. If all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God it means that they once stood in the glory of God. If men are dead in their sins and trespasses it means that they were once alive before they died. So all men living that life in the carnal flesh identity are actually living outside of that man that was created in the kingdom of God in the beginning. All men now have to be regenerated from that flesh and blood consciousness into that original conscious of spirit before our descent in order to enter back into the kingdom of God which is a spiritual kingdom.
All men on the face of the earth were created one in the beginning in the image and likeness of God. that which we behold in this world is simply men walking in darkness; men lost in the darkness of this world and a false sense of self. Christ has been revealed from heaven to restore all men back to the kingdom of God, He has come to give back to God that which is God's.
Luke 20:24 Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said Caesar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.
Every man seen in this world is actually like that coin with the image and likeness of the living God inscribed on it from God's eye view. It does not matter what we may feel towards men in our humanity. It does not matter if He molested you or He hurt you in some way; it does not matter if He is viewed as a murderer, a thief or a fornicator in this world, the fact remains that the image of God is inscribed on every man walking the face of the earth even though they may walk in darkness not knowing whom they are at the moment. Christ who is that man created by God in the beginning is that image of the living God. The work of salvation is to restore back every soul to that man that was in the beginning.
The Bible as we know is a book that goes to show a progressive revelation of God's plan to restore the whole of humanity back to the place of glory in God. Right from the Book of Genesis to the book of revelation we are now understanding that God's only intention is to restore all things back to the way it was in the beginning. His plan finally becomes clear with the revelation of the Christ from Above to show man the way to the kingdom. All the testimonies, all the stories of old and all the laws seen in the old testament were only pointing to the salvation that God's mind is set on for our good.
The law is full of the word neighbor, why is it so? Their was no such thing as neighbor in the beginning, It was only as a result of the disintegration of the original body of Christ as a result of the descent of men into flesh and blood consciousness. The word neighbor came forth because the people now identified themselves as different entities according to the flesh. Whereas in the beginning there was no flesh and blood consciousness. There was only one man and one spiritual body which is Christ who is one with God.
The laws that say thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house are all laws that touch on the relationships with others. Jesus confirmed that all which the laws and the prophets were actually saying was to that we should be joined to God in perfect love and we should be joined to our neighbor in love and total oneness.
Mark 12:29-31 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
What Jesus meant is that the law is fulfilled in loving God with all our being and our neighbor as ourselves. For men to enter back into the kingdom of God as it was in the beginning all must have fulfilled the law, meaning all must have had the pure love of God and for His neighbors come alive in Him. The outward show of religion that we see in this world (Pentecostalism included) will never grant us entrance into God's kingdom. If we hang around the corridors of religion we will ever be like the scribes and Pharisees who have and outward form of righteousness but do not meet up to the righteousness of Christ.
Matthew 5:17-20 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
THE CONCEPT OF NEIGHBOR (A RESULT OF FRAGMENTATION OF THE ORIGINAL MAN)
If we say we were generated perfect in God before our descent it means we once fulfilled the law without being subject to law before we died in the consciousness of flesh and blood. Paul in His letter to the Romans said that He was once alive but died when the law was revived. That law working through the conscience was actually revived in His descent into flesh and blood, so it is with every man born of woman.
Romans 7:9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
The law pertains only to those who hold on to their flesh and blood identity / beastly identities. The Law seeks to put together the fragmented pieces by making it one again. The problem though is that man living in the flesh and blood consciousness can not in any way fulfill the laws no matter how He tries, but only those who join themselves to the Lord and become one spirit with the Lord are in no way subjected to that law of Moses, because they automatically fulfill the law.
The self acquired and propelled identities of flesh and blood is actually the thing that makes the law of sin and death as seen in the laws of Moses and in our minds to come alive. The more we hold on to our flesh and blood identity, the more the law becomes alive in us. When we lose that false identities we put on this this material world to join ourselves with Christ we are once more joined to that man that was created in the beginning in God. Being joined neatly to the body of Christ, the word neighbor dissolves into the word yourself because we are all one body. Any reasoning or concept that tries to rise up against this truth is simply a lie from the Devil. John says that He that hates His brother is still in the dark meaning that He that hates His brother is living in the lie because He has failed to recognize that we are one body. There is no sane man that will say He hates a part of His body no matter it's state. So when we live in hatred for others no matter the circumstances we are simply not recognizing the fact that we were generated one in the beginning. In the beginning there was no Jew or Arab, Moslem or Christian, Black or White, poor or rich, all this are concepts that were borne in the descent of men into this world of flesh and blood.
1 John 2:7-11
8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. 9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
What darkness has covered the eyes of the stumbling bother who manifests hate? It is the wisdom of this world that we all have received from the day we stepped into this world. It is the wisdom of this world that exalts the flesh and it's desires, a wisdom that has totally blinded men from the source of their life. That wisdom of this world identifies men with their flesh bodies so that men see each other as separate entities.
In Christ we come to realize that the term neighbor dissolves because we once more become consciously joined together by the spirit of Love. The only thing the saints are told to do is preserve themselves in the knowledge of their true identity from the beginning which is Christ. It is important that we grab this message; religious procedures and doctrines are only part and parcel of the wisdom of this world. If any thing does not lead you to your true identity in Christ, it is not of God. If you read the laws of Moses with unveiled faces you will understand that all things written points to our reunion to the Christ Consciousness that was from the beginning. On the other hand if you read it with veiled faces like is done in the religious realms then expect to just go round in circles in the wilderness till you come to your senses.
GATHERING OF THE SAINTS BACK INTO THEIR PLACE IN THE MAN CHRIST
The good news is that all men have been given the opening and the possibility to enter into God's kingdom which is the new creation, which also is actually the creation that was from the beginning in God. This is good news to all men who are living outside the reality of God's kingdom; it is good news for those living in the pain and anguish that men suffer as a result of their annihilation from the favor of God. Discovering ourselves in that man from who is from the beginning (Christ) means discovering ourselves in God's kingdom where ALL THINGS are freely given for our pleasure.
Those who hear this message, understand it and apply to to their lives by shedding off the man of the flesh and taking a hold of our true identity in Christ will be saved from the powers of death working in this dark age. Apostle Paul had a revelation of this thing when He says I have left all that I might be found in Him (IN CHRIST) [Philippians 3:7-11]. Every child of God should have this vision of being joined in one with the body of Christ which is that spiritual body that was from the beginning.
1Corinthians 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
In the fall we were scattered but the time has come to be gathered once more into Christ, this is the will of God. This gathering is the gathering of the saints which Jesus talked about several times [Matthew 23:37, Matthew 24:31]. Paul mentioned this in a letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:9-10 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
That man created in the image and likeness of God (Christ) in the beginning [Genesis 1:26] is a many membered body [Romans 12:2-5, 1Corinthians 12:12-28] that operate as one. We have bodies with many parts which have different functions, but they harmoniously work together for the overall betterment of the body. As long as the body stays together and is managed well by the owner of the body, we expect that body should be healthy and sane. If certain parts of the body don't function properly it affects the body. From all these points, it is obvious that the body is better together in one than in pieces.
The body that is from the beginning has been in pieces and We all had been scattered abroad among the nations in our descent from glory, with each man going His way but God is gathering us once more into the harmonious unity of the Body of Christ. The purpose of the ministry is to bring about the perfection of those that are being gathered unto the Lord; the ministry causes all to come to the harmonious unity of the faith in Christ, so that the day comes where every member of the body from the least to the greatest will know the Lord.
Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Ephesians 4:11-13 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
God's intention is to bring each and every one of us to the maturity of the faith where every single member of the body is united with the spirit of the Christ. This is the only way in which the Body can achieve that unity and perfect love we have sought about all this years. Organized religion and traditions of men that teach unity and love by trying to gather people in the flesh will never achieve that absolute oneness that is seen in the body of Christ. They may seem united outwardly but it is all an outward show. The unity of the Body of Christ is achieved only as each and every member individually marries the spirit of Christ within.
No wonder that the man created in the beginning was a union of male and female. That male is actually the spirit of Christ while the female is the souls of men. The one flesh that is widely talked about today is only and I repeat only achieved in the union between the souls of men (the Church) and Christ. There is no way flesh and blood entities can truly become one, that one flesh the bible referred to in the beginning is the body of Christ. When we are united in one with Him we become the flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. In that day He becomes our head with His name inscribed on us so that it is no longer us but Christ living and working in us. When we unite with Him it is only then that the word neighbor dissolves into myself. This union is only achieved on the spiritual peak of Zion which is God's exalted realm in the heavens. We must ascend with Christ from the dark places of the earth into the heavens where Christ is seated at the right of the Father, the place of pleasures and all blessings.
How lovely is it when brethren dwell in unity in Christ, it is the place of life, victory and peace for all who find themselves in Christ be blessed. The Psalmist prophesied about this reality.
Psalms 133:1-3 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
Let us grow in the knowledge of the love of God, as we fellowship with one another, so that we can all see our dreams fulfilled in Christ.
God bless
Trevor Eghagha
