The Creator’s design is forming one Family. Now we will discuss the meaning of disobeying the LORD by breaking off from the one bonded Family of God by holding opposing interpretations, thoughts, sacred traditions, and worship. Sin has entered human life. Yet, the design of the one family remains permanently valid as it reflects the Image of the LORD and is created after the likeness of the LORD.
Sin angers the LORD and requires a sacrificial offering; but even if there is no sin, an offering to the LORD would be an expression that He is the supreme authority of everything. We notice this sacrificial offering is offered to gods and Satan even by their obedient comrades to express submission to such gods,
Because they have forsaken Me and have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods...and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal. (Jeremiah 19: 4-5).
Adam and Eve stood guilty in front of the angry LORD and apparently the LORD’s anger calmed after sacrificing an animal which most likely was the firstling of lambs, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.” (Genesis 3: 21). Surely, Adam and Eve noted that the LORD's anger subsided swiftly with a fatherly gentleness in making them garments from a sacrificed animal and that would be evident in the action of their children. Therefore, a future perfect sacrifice will be required for the fulfillment of the redemption. We should notice that the Creator communicates not only by His sacred words, but also by physical examples written in flesh and life of those involved. In other words, the Old Testament should be read not as a historical book, but as written in words and flesh about imperfect scenarios of the future perfected and fulfilled outcome. Therefore, keeping that in mind, we will progress to the explanation of the Creator's design of one Family and an explanation of the redemption design. The redemption design was written in flesh and in words made easy to remember because of the majestic unique writing style that reveals the Truth over thousands of years with the help of interpretation by authorized eyewitnesses. Only by interpreting these words with the help of authorized eyewitnesses can the Truth be seamlessly and wholly revealed.
We find the two children of Adam continued the one family design of offering sacrifices to the LORD. The LORD accepted the firstlings’ sacrificial offering, but not Cain’s offering of the fruit from the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and their fat portions, “And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.” (Genesis 4: 3-5).
Cain realized that the Creator bonded better with Abel and that the Creator's blessing is so important that Cain became angry and killed his younger brother Abel, “So Cain became very angry...Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.” (Genesis 4: 5-8). The story of Cain and Abel is unforgettable even before written records had been made. The Creator is writing a future perfected salvation plan and the one bonded family design. In other words, the story becomes a foretelling that the Creator will bless the younger brother and the first brother would persecute and kill the younger brother. Additionally, the desired offering will be firstlings of lambs and as we know Christ is, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1: 29) and “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1: 15). We also realize that this bonded one family lineage continues even after the death of Abel that God cursed Cain, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground.” (Genesis 4: 10-11). The Creator is communicating that killing a member of the one bonded family is killing a brother and would separate the family and that is an act contrary to the Creator's design of the one bonded Holy Family.
I find beauty in reflecting on the Creator's Design and trying to understand it. Even from these early events, we could reach into the Mind and Heart of the LORD to possibly predict most or all the future Ten Commandments and even at this early point in the discussion it should not be a surprise that the LORD would command them. We even could predict that the LORD would say, “For I hate divorce,” (Malachi 2:16) and we could predict that the perfected full Truth would reveal that Christ and His fatherly figure in the one bonded family would consistently teach this Truth, “Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” (Mark 10: 9). Additional reflection on the Creator's design thus far should give us a clue that the Creator would curse those who would cause heresy, schisms, and apostasy by separating themselves – and even worse by causing the separation of members of the one bonded Family. Thus, heresy, schisms, apostasy, or mistreatment of the bonded one family or her poorest or weakest members would be cursed. When we examine closely the Ten Commandments, we find that they are a warning against all acts that take advantage and separate the members of the bonded one family and they extend the one Family design to non-family members to encourage them to join the one bonded family. Furthermore, we find the perfected majestic teaching of the Beatitudes by Christ to be the expression of love to the one bonded family as the Creator designed and an extension to non-family members to encourage them to join the one bonded Family. I hope you noticed that understanding the Creator's design of the one bonded family should help us to weed out teachings, arguments, and religions that try to justify contrary, erroneous, and untruthful interpretations. In summary, the Creator revealed in His design of the one bonded family and revealed the redemption plan in the life of the immediate family of Adam and further readings will majestically and mystically communicate the importance and timelessness of the Creator's plan and design.
We find that abusing our fellow human and using one another purely for personal pleasure and greed while disregarding the design of the one bonded family angered the LORD to the point of flooding and killing everyone except the immediate family of Noah. The LORD saved Noah and his wife who formed, “Bones of my bones, Flesh of my flesh... and the two of them become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:23-24). The LORD also saved their three children who bonded together and with the biological parents and their “one flesh” wives formed one biological family with visible authoritative father and mother, all bonded to the Creator, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time.” (Genesis 7: 1). The LORD did not pick people from various families, but He picked one bonded family led by a righteous father and mother and He entrusted them to raise a righteous one bonded family for the LORD. Furthermore, the LORD continued to show His close relationship and blessing to His design of one bonded family in swearing a covenant on Himself for his appreciation to the one family and its obedience and faithfulness, “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” (Genesis 9: 1). And God further rewarded the one bonded family headed by a visible father and gave them everything, “I give all to you.” (Genesis 9: 7). God furthermore rewarded the one family and all its descendants and others including animals and birds in their honor, “I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9: 11).
We could conclude that being part of the one bonded family is vital and resulted in sparing their lives, blessing them, and having an intimate loving relationship with the LORD. The LORD’s Design should encourage us to remain bonded within the one Family headed by a visible father figure and a mother figure to gain more than just gifts as the LORD gives others, but to gain the Creator's treasures, blessing, and intimate relationship. Contrarily, living unbonded to the visible one bonded family headed by Noah resulted in death and no redemption. We find the conclusion repeated as it is an integral part of the Creator's design and should be expected to continue to perfection in the one bonded family that Christ would establish.
Noah showed his faithfulness in offering bloody sacrifices right after getting out of the ark and the LORD accepted the sacrifices of His one bonded family,
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man.” (Genesis 9: 20-21).
The LORD is communicating His one family design that it is not enough to offer bloody sacrifices to the LORD. The LORD avoided harming the close linkage of members of the one family by cursing Cain for killing his brother and by flooding the lawless people and warning against shedding innocent blood, “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.” (Genesis 9: 8). We could summarize the Creator’s design as building a one biologically linked family that is obedient, loving, and honoring to its visible and invisible parent and to one another.
The one bonded family was eventually headed by Abram, who became the father figure of the one family, and because of that God changed his birth name,
As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God (Genesis 17: 3-8).
In changing Abram's name, calling the leader of the one family “father,” conversing with Abraham, and showing His face to him, the Creator is communicating that he has an intimate relationship with the one Family, especially the Father figure. Thus, the one bonded family is a covenant relationship, sealed and permanent. The Creator gave a flesh and blood sign of the bonded one family related to the organ of procreation to imply the future bonded family would be genetically bonded and related,
For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised...My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant. (Genesis 17: 12-14).
Just as the visible one bonded family design for Adam required a visible mother figure depicted in Eve, likewise the design continues similarly with God blessing Abraham's wife. God renamed Abraham's wife, blessed her with a descendant, and made her the visible mother figure of the one bonded family. Then God said to Abraham,
As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her. (Genesis 17: 15-16).
Terah, the father of Abram, took the one bonded family and settled in Haran where he died, “Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife.” (Genesis 11: 33). We note that Terah did not take along his other son Nahor and Nahor's wife as the one bonded family must be headed by one son who would be Abram. Then God spoke to the new father of the one bonded family to take the family to a different land in Egypt, “So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him.” (Genesis 12: 4). The LORD accompanied the one bonded family and promised Abram's descendants the land of Canaan. Therefore, Abram built an altar there to worship the LORD. Abram and his family continued the journey to the mountain on the east of Bethel and built another altar there, “and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 12: 8).
The land was stricken by famine and Abram took the one bonded family to Egypt. The Egyptians praised Sarai, the mother of the one bonded family. Abram was afraid to be killed by the Egyptians and asked Sarai to pretend to be his sister so that Abram might find favor and his life might be spared because of Sarai’s favor, “so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.” (Genesis 12: 13). The LORD blessed the father Abram through the intercession of the mother of the one bonded family, “Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.” (Genesis 12: 16).
This majestic scenario is foretelling that the LORD of the one bonded family would not only intercede on behalf of the one bonded children through the visible father of the one family, but likewise through the intercession of the mother of the one bonded family. Blessing and intercession of both the father and the mother of the one bonded family should be expected because through them the LORD caused the birth of the descendant biological children and through them, the LORD raised, taught, and cared for the children.
Additionally, from that scenario, we should expect, without being surprised, that one of the LORD’s Ten Commandments would be to honor the father and mother so the one bonded children would be blessed and their lives prolonged. The LORD continued to communicate the important intercession role of the mother of the one bonded family by bringing a plague on pharaoh and his house for separating her from the one bonded family, “But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.” (Genesis 12: 17). Because of the favor of the mother of the one bonded family, Pharaoh released Abram and all that belonged to him, including the nephew Lot, and they journeyed back to Bethel, “So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.” (Genesis 13: 1).
This scene would be fulfilled to perfection in the future when Joseph took Christ and Mary to Egypt and then back to Jerusalem. Abram's son Isaac is not born yet in this image, but the nephew Lot is playing the spiritual role of the future child. While the Pharaoh and the Egyptians viewed the mother of the one bonded family with sexual eyes and desires, yet the LORD and the one bonded family viewed the mother of the one bonded family as a giver of life, salvation to their lives from death, and giver of treasures in material and children. Although Abram knows that salvation, life, and security come only from the LORD, he also realized how the LORD gives visible people roles to work through to obtain His salvation, life giving, and blessing. Abram requested that Sarai play the role of his sister so that he and his nephew would have life and be saved from death by the Egyptians. This powerful image would be perfected in the future by Mary, the mother of the one bonded Family, giving us the Savior who born us anew into life, Salvation, and Blessings. The LORD did not get upset with Abram for claiming Sarai as his role; rather, He further blessed him, “Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” (Genesis 13: 17).
Abram became very rich and likewise his nephew Lot became rich while he was with Abram. This indicates that the blessing of the parents will also overflow to the one bonded children while they remain with the parents, “Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together.” (Genesis 12: 5-6). Lot and Abram separated because of strife among their herdsmen which would have further cut the descendants and cause lowliness, “So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me.” (Genesis 12: 8-9). Note, Abram addressed his nephew Lot and his belongings as “we are brothers,” rather than relatives; for in the one bonded family, although we have roles or do not know one another by names, yet we are biological brothers because we have become children of the Heavenly Father. Although Lot was a righteous man, strife and separation had negative consequences, resulting in the death of Lot's sons-in-law, his wife, and resulting in his daughters getting him drunk to get pregnant by him. Therefore, within the one bonded family, strife among the brothers will have negative or even deadly consequences if not repented and if the brothers do not return to the family.
The father Abram remained connected to Lot, risking his life and the life of his children; when he heard that Lot escaped the city for his life, Abram waged war against the King and saved Lot and his family, “He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.” (Genesis 14: 16). Thus, the Father of the one bonded family has responsibility to wage war against the enemies of the family, especially spiritual wars. War against the enemy of the physical body is dangerous, but the main war we have is the spiritual war against heresies and moral decay.
The Creator is communicating the characteristics of this one bonded family that will be majestically fulfilled in the future. The one bonded family is expected to have the same Thoughts, Desires, and worship practices. And if a member chooses not to enter into the biological flesh and blood then the bond is cut off from the one visible family and the Creator. Thus, the Creator is writing in human flesh various scenarios that would be perfectly fulfilled in the future. The LORD in human form met Abraham on His way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and stayed with the one Family home under the request of Abraham, “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.” (Genesis 18: 5). Abraham prepared finest bread for them and a tender calf. The LORD promised Abraham a son, even though Abraham was old and Sarah had passed the childbearing years. Thus Isaac’s birth was miraculous – pointing to the future miraculous birth of Christ. Before leaving to punish Sodom, the intimate relationship the LORD had with the father figure of the one bonded family prompted the LORD to reveal to Abraham His intention,
Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” (Genesis 18: 17-19).
Additionally, the LORD agreed with Abraham's repeated bargaining with the LORD to spare the city if fifty righteous people could be found and continued to agree to a smaller number until he eventually agreed to as little as ten. Then he said,
May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.” (Genesis 18: 32-33).
This intimate one bonded family relationship with the LORD is absolutely amazing – the LORD visited Abraham in a human form, dined in his home, revealed His intimate plans, and even agreed with Abraham’s request to put off His intention if ten righteous people were found in the city. Yet it is the normal design in the one bonded family. Thus, in a majestic writing the LORD is using human past events to reveal the future fulfilled plan – that the one family design headed by a fatherly figure will be intimately bonded with the LORD who would bless, visit, and dine with her as biological families would. The LORD also showed that He would visit his one bonded family even in human form. Thus, we notice that the father figure Abraham learned and discussed the LORD’s plan first and ahead of Lot.
The Creator’s design of one linked family continued to be unveiled in the story of Lot. Two angels of God came down as men to a branch of the one family headed by Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah. They stayed in Lot's home just as a one family would, whether human or angels. The LORD sent the angels to save the one family while destroying the entire city with everything in it. The angels asked Lot if his immediate family was bonded to him and obeyed him so that they could be covered by the LORD's blessing and would be saved, “The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you?” (Genesis 19: 12). Lot had two sons-in-law who must have been selected as quality righteous men suitable for Lot's daughters, “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters.” (Genesis 19: 14). However, the two sons-in-law did not trust Lot and were punished with the cities, “But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.” (Genesis 19: 14). Thus, less than ten righteous people bonded to the one family were found in the city. Even when Lot hesitated, the angels assisted the one linked family to safety, but not the sons-in-law, “When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.” (Genesis 19: 16). The LORD was drawing our attention to the fact that even when we are out of danger, we must remain bonded with our thoughts, will, and heart, faithfully gazing in the same direction as the Father of the one bonded Family, “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19: 26). Additionally, the LORD is communicating that the relationship with the one bonded family is so strong that a request by her father figure, even during the intense punishment, amazingly could be granted,
“Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.” He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of.” (Genesis 19: 21).
Lot had fatherly authority to lead in his separate land so he spoke with the children with heavenly authority. We noted that the bonded children and even the outsiders of the one family who do not submit to the authority of the authorized shepherd of the one bonded family could die or be punished. We noted that the Creator communicated with the head father figure Abraham and the shepherd Lot, but not directly to Lot's sons-in-law or his daughters or wife. This indicates that obedience to the authorized Father of the one bonded family is obedience to God. The entire city of Sodom did not receive Lot, implying that it did not receive the kingdom and salvation of the LORD. And Christ would teach the exact same thing, because the Creator's design is timeless,
Whatever city you enter and they receive you, say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, … be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city. (Luke 10: 8-12).
We observe that Lots children did not understand the design of the one bonded family. When there were no men to marry them, rather than returning to the one bonded family of Abraham to marry from her children, they made their father drunk and became pregnant by him.
Abraham’s life and words are the expression of the Creator's one family bonded design. Abraham was playing the role of the creator Father to this one bonded Family. Abraham was obedient to the LORD and took his only begotten son Isaac up the mountain of Mariah to be sacrificed to the LORD. This expressed incompletely the Creator's redemptive design of future sacrifice of His begotten Son, Christ, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” (Genesis 22:2). That was the exact mountain of the crucifixion of Christ and just as Christ had done, Isaac carried the wood of the burned offering, “Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife.” (Genesis 222: 6). Just as Christ was crossified with two people, Abraham took two servants with him, “He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac.” (Genesis 22:3). Moreover, just as Christ rose on the third day, the Creator expressed in Abraham words, “On the third day...We will worship and then we will come back to you.” (Genesis 22:4-5). The Creator was expressing the strength of the one family design and that He would go with her in every step during all her suffering, worshiping and triumphant as Abraham expressed, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.” (Genesis 22: 8). The Creator is expressing that the design of the one family gets all of the Creator's treasures and blessing while outsiders get merely gifts, “Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.” (Genesis 25: 5-6).
Since the time of Adam, to be considered part of the one family of God, a person apparently needs to be in union with the main blessed Heir or Head, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, King David, and Solomon and so forth. This is not stating that God may not save people outside that family of God and nor stating that every member of that one family is automatically saved. But, a loyalty and union to the one family appears to be essential. Suppose a non-Jew was dedicated and worshiped the Creator but was not in communion with the Jews at the time of Moses – that creates challenges for salvation. When Moses commanded the Jews to abide by the Commandments or the offering of sacrifices, a non-Jew may not be compelled to abide by the Commandments or the sacrificial offering or atonement of sins. Yet, everyone is obligated somehow to offer suitable and acceptable sacrifices to the Creator and sorrow for one's sins. In the Jewish one family who is in union with the chief one family heir leader, the means to offer sacrifices and sorrow is clear and provides a certain route; while to the outsider, the route is vague because it is left to personal interpretation. This is like heading to a certain city following a clear map with one interpretation of the various drawings and symbols compared to leaving it to personal hunch and freedom to select any route one chooses. Although both travelers may arrive at the destination, the journey would be clearer to the one following the map with the proper interpretation handed down by the map designer himself. Although any member of the Jewish faith is a Jew, yet, the chief Jew is that symbol of the Father of the one Family and the Jews in union with him are also the Family, yet not independently. This is expressed in Abram, who was renamed Abraham by God (meaning “the Father of a multitude of nations”) (Genesis 17: 5) or Jacob whose name became Israel (meaning a father of nations and kings), “Be fruitful and multiply; nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you.” (Genesis 35: 11).
Christ selected His heir to be Simon (whose name became Peter the Rock) and Simon would serve as Israel, Abraham, King David, and Moses had served before him. Yet Peter was much more powerful because Peter had received the blessing and treasure from God the incarnate, Himself, in human Flesh. Although the remaining Apostles also were blessed, because Israel previously had blessed both sons of Joseph and all his sons, one son had basically the most of the blessing and treasure expected from all the others who were in union with him. This union was expressed in Christ on multiple occasions. Christ, “I prayed that you may be one” and those who want to be in union with Christ and abide His commandments are expected to abide by the commandments of his heir and especially of the one son Peter the Rock, “if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” (John 15: 21).
Note the problem if one takes Scripture and interprets it independently without abiding and submitting to Peter the Pope and all future Popes as in Acts 15. Peter ruled against circumcision. Peter also ruled against what the Church interpreted as “unlawful marriages” (Acts 15: 20) (which the Catholic Church teaches as marriage after a divorce) without the Church's annulment of prior unions. Well, a personal interpretation by outsiders may accept marriages after divorce. How God judges a personal interpretation of remarrying without a Catholic annulment may be critical to one's salvation if a person is in that situation. However, if one is married only once and both never had any prior unions, the interpretation by Peter or the Pope may not have an impact.
Christ graced us with the Holy Catholic Church to know and follow the assured truth. God is free to will His grace of eternal life to whomever He chooses, as St. Paul reminds us, “He has mercy upon whom He wills, and He hardens whom He wills.” (Romans 9:18). We have no control over whom God will grace during life, such as giving His keys of the kingdom. Likewise we have no control over who would inherit eternal Life after the final death. But we should do the parts that we slightly control whether by faith or by hard work. Therefore, the part of our choices, responses, and actions that we can control serve as layers of sponges to help absorb and attract the Grace of God.
While the LORD is at liberty to direct His flowing river of grace to move in my direction to wash me and satisfy my thirst, yet I can and should align my thoughts, choices, responses, action, faith, and interpretation with the Desires, Heart, and Will of the LORD as layers of sponges to touch the flowing heavenly river to absorb water toward my direction. Such choices, actions, and responses, especially when they agree with the LORD's Thoughts, Desires, and Will, would help increase my faith and love so the LORD may grace me His Mercy, “Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5). Therefore, to align my thoughts, desires, and will with the LORD's, I ought to humble myself and seek the help and guidance of the authorized eyewitnesses of eyewitnesses of His holy one Family Church that Christ graced us for our salvation.
St Paul encouraged us to pay attention to our choices, responses, and actions because we must give account, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Salvation requires my faith in the unseen spirit of the visible iconic symbols. Thus I have to rely on the authorized eyewitnesses who are authorized to shepherd me to safety and salvation as the prophet Jeremiah foretold of Peter and His successors, “I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.” (Jeremiah 3:15). Belief comes first and comes before the read, spoken, heard, or interpreted words. And that requires us to rely on the interpretation, teaching, shepherding, and guiding of authorized eyewitnesses who first believed, then spoke. Their belief must be of the same Spirit – must be from the same interpretation of the one holy Family Church of God, “we have the same Spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we too believe and therefore speak.” (2 Corinthians 4:13).
God is teaching us that there would be negative consequences that could even lead to death when one leaves the one bonded family. It is essential not only to believe in Christ and interpret as one pleases and call that the spirit of Christ, but instead to believe with same thoughts, desires, and will of the one Family of God.