Journey Back To Eden-Passing Through The Fire

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29

Introduction: Passing Through The Fire

If you have read the message in this series, “OUR GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE,” you know that God is awesome in His ability to be whatever we need Him to be and when we need Him to be it. Our God is Love, He is Peace, He is Our Righteousness, He is Our Shepherd; and yes! He is A CONSUMING FIRE.

The Word of God is rich with understanding relating to the fire of God, a flame that was ignited in Genesis and burns with a continual burning all the way to Revelation; in fact, fire fills the Book of Revelation. One thing we must come to understand about fire is that it has a spiritual implication in scripture to reveal a side of God’s nature to change whatever the fire comes in contact with.

When we witness fire’s might and power with our natural senses we immediately perceive the fire to be destructive; and maybe when we see fire encompass an entire neighborhood of lavish homes, that would be defined as destructive when viewed through our carnal reasoning. When fire engulfs an entire forest, it too could be viewed as destructive; but from the burning ash; something wonderful comes clear to the understanding, the fire does what the fire does and that is: CHANGE THE FORM OF A THING.

Hold on for minute, before you allow your carnal mind to teach you what this means, hear what the Spirit of God is saying unto THE CHURCH. THE CONSUMING that means TO EXPIATE (make obsolete, PUT TO AN END, to extinguish the guilt incurred by – to move the offense of) SIN, has to do with a greater level of conversion or transformation in the life of THE BELIEVER (refer to II Corinthians 1:8-11):

8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, 11 you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.

Listen to Hebrews 12:28-29 from the Amplified Bible; which states, 28Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe; 29For our God [is indeed] a consuming fire.

Dearly beloved, this is a spiritual fire that comes to change, transform, renew again, reconstruct, shake up so that all that is earthly or of our carnal man will be consumed “put to an end” to deliver us, if you will, from evil. Many times as believers, we tend to put off for tomorrow what God is interested in dealing with today. Everyone is giddy with understanding referencing when they get over in the sweet by and by; singing about the laying down of this old life because over there, there will be no more crying, no more sorrow, no more of anything that pertains to the earthly experience.

Dear one we must ask our self, “Is this the change we rave about only reserved for “over there?”

The walk of the believer is an interesting one, to say the least, yet somehow it is misunderstood; for many of us spend more time obtaining a revelation of the devil than we do of God, the Son or the Holy Spirit. We see a gentle rain as being good, but when the drops of rain become too numerous and become a flood, we see that as the work of the devil. It is here that I am reminded of the line in the model prayer that states boldly: “Deliver us from evil,” or as stated from the original Greek, “And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from the evil one.”

The truth is this we cannot be delivered from the concept of evil or evil’s personal influence unless we are willing to be exposed to the fire that God is. Fire comes to change us; or to DELIVER US FROM THE OLD MAN ADAM.

Even the symbolism of the FLAMING SWORD reveals what it takes for us to be partakers of God’s Kingdom: “Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:23-24).

Unless you believe that The Garden of Eden and The Kingdom of God are one in the same, this next statement will not carry a lot of weight with you. The salvation message for most of us has to do more with pie in the sky and some level of prosperity in the Earth. But dearly beloved, the salvation message is about change; it is about becoming A NEW CREATURE and the passing away of OLD THINGS. To be fellow citizens of God’s glorious Kingdom is not accessed merely by singing and shouting; or memorizing scripture; or even our frequent attendance of Sunday worship or explosive conferences; we must pass through the flaming sword and the Cherubim, from THE EAST.

My dearly beloved, do not for one instance think that there is no way to re-enter the Garden; because it is not God’s intention to keep you out of the Garden; for the Garden of Eden was created for you; just as the Kingdom of God is yours (Matt.16:19). However you and I must re-enter via the following:

• THE EAST OF EDEN – The Divine starting point or way of God
• THE FLAMING SWORD – The purifying processing of the Lord
• THE CHERUBIM – The protectors of God’s way

We cannot continue to approach God our way, using religious methods to approach the Mercy Seat, we must come through the eternal flame: THE WORD OF GOD!

Not just any word, for if the word preached across the many, many pulpits could save us, we should be better already in our expression of all that God is. The entrance back into the Garden is not about creature comforts and endless perfection, the entrance back into the Garden is about gaining a connection with that life; the life of the Spirit housed in the TREE OF LIFE.

THE EAST OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN

“Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:23-24).

One of the necessary requirements for understanding the Word of God is to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the mystery of God’s Word. The Word in seed form will not yield unto us the total wealth it houses as long as it remains a seed. The seed, THE WORD, must be planted into the ground and die or become the germ to take root in us to bring about harvest that resides within the very seed that was planted.

The glorious symbolism of THE EAST OF THE GARDEN contains a great and wonderful truth; but it must be unveiled not just in our understanding, but being made alive in our experience.

The phrase THE EAST OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN, presents the inquisitive reader with the comprehension that this is about our approach unto God or journey back to Eden, as well as the direction from which we must approach the Lord. When a convert approaches JESUS CHRIST (THE TREE OF LIFE); he or she must do so from THE EAST.

In other words just as the Sun rises from the east and journeys toward the west, so it is with the approach of the converted heart; for the east speaks of THE DIVINE JUDGMENT for it is the place where light begins and night ceases. Even when you comprehend this understanding as it relates to the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, you will see that the priest approached the Brazen Altar (Fire) from the East beginning the divine progression in the Lord; journeying toward the Cherubim within the Holy of Holies.

Christ died so that you and I can have access to life; HIS LIFE, a life that awaits us in THE PARADISE OF GOD (see Revelation 2:6-8):

But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

Look at verse seven of Revelation 2: “To him that OVERCOMETH WILL I GIVE TO EAT OF THE TREE OF LIFE…” God clearly wants you to have life; and the life He has for us is contained in our ability to OVERCOME, that we might EAT of THE SOURCE OF LIFE; A divine life that resides in the middle of THE PARADISE OF GOD (THE GARDEN OF EDEN).

Glory to God! The life is in THE MIDDLE OF THE GARDEN, on the western side of THE FLAMING SWORD, THE CHERUBIM, and THE EASTERN entrance.

Approaching from the East is about coming to God in the way that He has prescribed: I AM THE WAY, I AM THE TRUTH, I AM THE LIFE; NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, EXCEPT BY ME (THE CHRIST). No one that has any kind of understanding will argue the point that God is a God of order. He is not the author of confusion; which gives credence to the statement, “THE LORD KNOWETH THE WAY THAT I TAKE.”

I will state again for your hearing, in John 14:6, Christ proclaimed the greatest of mysteries when He said, “I am THE WAY and THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE; NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER except by (THROUGH) Me” (Amplified Bible). This is a powerful truth; we access THE FATHER, by advancing THROUGH THE CHRIST. We are not able to approach the Father because we have gained access religiously, we must be chaperoned BY THE CHRIST.

Church attendance and religious works are often times misrepresented as the measurements for defining our progress in the things of God. Truth is God’s absolute “word” that is necessary to move us toward the throne of God. We must approach God by way of Him that is the beginning; and Christ is our beginning. The Bible states in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Our entrance back into the Garden is in association with our connection to THE WORD THAT WAS GOD!

Christ (the Beginning) is Christ (The Word), who is Christ (The Day Star) that must arise in our hearts, casting light on the path that leads back to the source of our existence. "We have also a more sure Word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19 – KJV).

Understanding that God is Fire, encompasses within it the understanding that God is light, therefore if God and the Word are one in the same, then it is clearly understood that the Word is light; not just fiery to burn away and cause things to change form, but to illuminate our way back to the Father, that blessed place of god consciousness; for we cannot access THE TREE OF LIFE while holding fast to our garment that is spotted with the flesh of self desire, self centeredness, self awareness, self achievement, self exaltation, self worth, self development, self will and self consciousness,

Oh no!

The Journey back to Eden requires that we be subjected to the feet of judgment, which is a need to change, be transformed as we enter the Garden through the burning flames of God: THE WORD! How many precious souls are deceived every day, believing that through the activity of church, they are changed?

Christ states that many of us prophesy in his name, we cast out devils in his name, yet He states, “I NEVER KNEW YOU!’ How many of us are in the press to go to heaven, and walk the streets of gold and sing on the Hallelujah Chorus as we try to make it through this terrestrial journey, with its ever changing process of death?

Precious heart, the call of God is that we return to Eden, The Paradise of God, and choose to eat of the Tree of Life. However, in order to access this life we must be touched by fire and not many of us are willing to endure this change, because the fire requires that we lose our identity of self will. Remember on the day of Pentecost what showed up: “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them” (Acts 2:3).

The journey back to Eden requires a fiery entrance because of the inner lust and desires that exist with all men. We cannot settle for the lie told that entrance back to Eden is not possible, maybe not in a natural or physical sense, however, the Eden I believe we are to reenter is through a spiritual Eden, one that comes without observation, or with the prestige of men; for this Eden is within. spiritual Eden,

Coming to God from the east requires that Christ the light shine in the darkness of man’s soul and expose our humanity that stands up in the temple professing itself to be God. Too many men woman, boys and girls are lovers of the creature (the flesh and its passions) than they are of the Creator; becoming individuals that comingle with flesh, doing that which is against the nature of the spirit. God desires many sons to be brought to glory (the mercy seat), yet like that Adam of old, many are producing seed after their own kind and not after the image and likeness of God.

The East of the Garden is not religious formality; it is heeding the call of the spirit to arise even as He (THE DAYSTAR) arises within you. LET GOD ARISE AND HIS ENEMIES be scattered!

What enemies? Are not you and I an enemy of God when we continue to live after the flesh and do the lust of flesh that we live by? The fire comes to move us beyond just the initiation of the salvation experience into the experience of salvation. If you and I are not changed by coming back to Eden by journeying from the east, we are merely just good people, who go to church.

To be continued…