It is apparent to me that FATHER is guiding us into all Truth in preparation of freeing creation from its enslavement to the “world”. My Beloved Brother Alan wrote:
I take what you wrote to be a fitting witness to the idea that at some point in our journey, we begin to experience the ‘separating’ that starts to reveal to us that there is a ‘change of our nature’ that is happening. Just as a woman can many times ‘feel’ the conception of new life in her womb, we begin to recognize that there is something going on within us, though many times the ‘happenings’ are very subtle and/or gradual. But eventually, the ‘separation’ becomes obvious to us, and eventually to others. I believe this is the ‘subduing’ that you have written about.
I am impressed by the last four articles you have posted to your Blog. And thanks for sharing the ‘Gad’ writing. It seems to fit right into your pattern of recent articles; intentional or not. July 4th: Only Believe. July 5th: We Are The Word. July 6th: A House Being Divided. July 7th: Being Subdued. I find that a very plausible progression. And it all begins with “…if thou canst believe”.
While I admit I have some reservations about what is meant in the scriptures about ‘the end times’, I vigorously agree with the idea of the Greek word ‘telos’, translated as ‘the end’ in 1 Corinthian 15:24, which Strong’s designates as #G5056. This word is used numerous times, not only in the Greek New Testament, but also in the Septuagint (Greek) translation of the Old Testament. Most of the times when this word is used, in this form, in the N.T. it is translated in the KJV as ‘end’. However, I had never been able to find an acceptable definition of what is to be understood by translating this word as ‘…the end’. It just never made sense to me. But when I began searching and investigating many other uses of this root ‘telos’ in its varied compounds, and looking at how those other compounds were ‘defined’ and translated, the mystery was solved; at least for me. And the most glaring revelation of this idea for me was in Rom. 10:4. “For Christ is the end (telos, #5056) of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” That is when I realized that the best understanding of this word ‘telos’ is not “the end”, but rather “…the intended destination”. “For Christ is the intended destination of the law…”
The purpose, or intended destination, of the law was to drive us to Christ. Christ is our intended destination. Christ is our end. When I took this understanding, and applied it to all of the N.T. verses where ‘end’ is from the word ‘telos’, the scriptures took on a completely different level of understanding for me; a ‘separating’ (Gad), if you can hear that. ‘telos’ is not referring to a termination, or ‘end’ as we tend to think of in our English use of the word ‘end’. But rather, it is the ‘telos’ – intended destination – of one part of the journey, that the next leg of the journey may continue. It is very much like when you came to the ‘end’ of the first grade in school, but you weren’t through with school, you were simply graduating to a higher level of training and understanding. And you didn’t leave behind all that you gained in the first grade leg of the journey, but you carried that first grade learning with you to the next level of your training. And in the second grade, your were not only learning more than you could grasp in the first grade, but you were also now applying the second grade level of learning to what you had learned in the first grade. And in this context, the ‘grades’ we went through in school were very much synonymous with the ‘ages’ (aion) we experience in Christ.
The Greek word ‘aion’, Strong’s #165, is referring to the levels of Spiritual understanding we experience on our journey from ‘adam’ to Christ. And, it is also referring to when we, as believers, enter into the many levels of understanding in our Christ awareness. This word ‘aion’ is translated as ‘age’, ‘world’, ‘for ever’, etc. The word ‘aion’ is a perfect word to describe all of the many ‘ages’, or ‘dispensations’ as religion likes to think of these ages; or generations; or grades; or phases’’; or legs of the journey. Christ is the foundation upon which every ‘age’ is established. Heb. 1:2 “…has in these last days spoken to us ‘in’ Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom he also made the ‘worlds’ (aion; ages);” The ‘subject matter’ of every age, or dispensation, has always been Christ. Christ has always, and will continue, to rule and reign supreme. Christ has always been our intended ‘destination’; our end goal. And to this idea, I am completely bound.