Topics addressed: What Jesus wrote in the ground, lifting up Jesus, the Two Trees in the Garden, and the Hebrew words Amen and Aman.
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10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. John 8: 10-11 There is some scholarly debate whether and where John 7:53-8:11 belongs in the Bible. A lot of bibles today either have it in parentheses or mention it wasn’t in the “earliest” manuscripts.
Personally, I am fully convinced it belongs in the Bible, though is better placed after John 7:36 and before John 7:37 (before the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles), as in some other early manuscripts. The more important question is, why was/is it suppressed? As in verses 10-11 above, it’s message is very clear… Jesus forgives sinners! As discussed, religious systems put themselves “in place of” Christ (ie. Ante-Christ) and have you rather go to them, than Jesus (eg. for weekly communion (spiritual control), confession (political gain), prayers to get loved ones out of purgatory (financial gain), fiery sermons on judgement (religious superiority/self-righteousness, etc). As we’ll see when discussing the Two Trees, this is of a different Spirit than where Jesus was coming from
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isa 1:18
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What did Jesus write in the ground? I believe this is the most concrete answer with reference to Jeremiah 17:13 (also check out Jeremiah 17:9 a few verses before)
13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
I would just clarify, the Greek word for ground here, is ge, which means, “the earth, soil, land” rather than sand. I do believe Jesus‘ wrote the names of the accusers initially, from oldest to youngest (which alone would have shocked them), likely followed by their sins. Note the parallels here with Moses giving the 10 commandments:
–Jesus stooping down and writing with His finger, like God writing the commandments with His finger
-Moses destroying the first set of tablets, and has to get a new set, just like Jesus writes twice
-How Jesus speaks his message 1st (v7, written law), but the Pharisees do not get it yet
-How God has to write the commandments a 2nd time, but this time on our hearts, just like Jesus convicts the Pharisees in their conscience the 2nd time
7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10For 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: 11And 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. 12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews 8: 7-13
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12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Another I AM statement. Connection to Revelation 21:23. As discussed, people having NDEs have described the heavenly City of Jerusalem as having no Sun, as
Jesus is the light thereof (Captain Dale Black, part 4/6,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uFunNGsU38 (I’d suggest watching all))
23 “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
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39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. John 8: 39-40
6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Gen 15:6
The Hebrew word for believe here is Aman and is related to the word Amen. John often translates it as pisteuo in Greek, which in turn was translated as believe in English, but more accurately should be rendered as trust. These Pharisees do not place their trust in Jesus (they place it in themselves), and it is why they cannot hear or understand Him.
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44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44
Although the Jews may have been genetically from Abraham, spiritually, their father was the devil (just like Cain, also a murderer and a liar).
Just like we have family trees representing our physical ancestry, the Two Trees in the garden represent spiritual ancestry… who is your spiritual Father?. The Tree of Life represents God’s Spirit, and the fruit thereof (eg. love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, unity, meekness). The Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil represents the Spirit of Satan, and the fruits thereof (eg. lusts of the flesh, envy, self-righteousness, pride, judgement). God gives Adam (man) the free will choice of eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (He does warn them though it will lead to death). God knew he would eat of it, but like a parent, true love for a child is not control, but freedom to experience, but with the ability to come back (think the Prodigal Son). God gives this ability to come back, through Jesus, living in us. When we take on the Holy Spirit, we bear the fruits thereof, including the zoe eternal life that God wanted for us in the beginning.
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42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. John 8:42
During the study, we talked about the triune God (3 persons in 1) and how that could be. Don’s wife, Darleen, had found a good answer from
gotquestions.org, which Ted, after years of praying on the subject, finally got a satisfactory answer
I believe a nice schematic representation (with Scripture backup), would be the following…
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More links related to the discussion:
https://www.citizenschurchedmonton.com/behold-israel.html (Amir Tsarfati in Edmonton, Amir starts at 34:55, I skimmed through this and actually have to say I humbly disagree with a lot of what he says… his message is commonly preached throughout
religious circles, and I’d still encourage watching it (for that purpose) but with a very discerning ear…
is it Biblical?)
“Judean Authorities”
