15 REASONS NOT TO READ THE OLD TESTAMENT "BY THE LETTER!"

I have provided 15 reasons, starting a few paragraphs below, why we MUST rethink the way we read the Old Testament. But let me first make a few introductory comments.

Here is the pivotal issue. The Old Testament's view of God and Satan was UNDIFFERENTIATED. The Old Testament saints had developmental limitations due to their lack of indwelling by the New Covenant Spirit. Galatians rightly says the OT saints were spiritual children in need of a tutor. Jesus also warned the disciples, pre-Pentecost, that they couldn't "bear" to hear all the truth about Satan until their later indwelling. John 16:12.

Because of their developmental limitations, they simply could not grasp the spiritual realities of the Satanic grounding of evil. They wrongly thought Satan was God's left hand, His angry voice, His official minister of wrath, His obedient death angel who simply carried God's presets of destruction on the disobedient.

We now know, because of the indwelling New Covenant Holy Spirit, that Satan is the agent of destruction, not God. Jesus' entire ministry was focused on casting out Satan's influence wherever He went (Acts 10:38; 1 John 3:. From healing demonic oppression, to casting out unclean spirits, to rebuking Satanic impulses, to delivering the afflicted from devilish disease, Jesus revealed Satan was no "left hand of God." Satan was a cosmic rebel whose enemy works Jesus came to destroy.

So, we, as New Testament believers, must ADJUST, and CORRECT the Old Testament passages by inserting Satan BACK INTO the passage as the true REBEL author and source of evil, death, plague, destruction, depression, oppression, wars and disasters. If we don't see Satan imbedded in every wrathfully destructive Old Testament passage, then we aren't reading with New Testament light.

The cure for the Old Testament is simple. Read it with Jesus' New Testament Spirit looking over your shoulder and speaking light into your spiritual ear. Let Him explain where both the sinister Satan and His loving Abba are in each passage. Jesus will show you where His Father of Lights shines and where the Prince of Darkness lurks hidden in the destructive shadows.

Let Jesus re-divide each Old Testament event for you by differentiating which part of it is OF God and which part is OF Satan. Like the old children's game "WHERE'S WALDO?", Jesus wants to reveal every Old Testament page with New Testament precision of where He is and WHERE WALDO/SATAN is. He wants to replace the Old Testament "letter" with the New Testament "better."

As you read the reasons/verses below, ask yourself who is this PASSAGE really describing-- Jesus or Satan. Ask the Spirit to "bear witness" to your inner man just "who is who" here, and He will! The Deuteronomy 28 curses listed below which "come on" disobedient Israelites, when read with NT light, just warn us that our increasing and willful unbelief can give Satan greater and greater access to work various destructions in our lives. As for me, I will never agree that the Jesus I know, through both the Holy Spirit and the Gospels, would ever, could ever, perform the below atrocities. Satan, yes, but Jesus never! Jesus saves is from destruction, He doesn't "delightfully" bring it.

So here are the 15 reasons we must not read the Old Testament literally, "by the letter"in other words, but instead read it "by the Spirit" as 2 Corinthians 3:6 instructs us:

1) "The LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nothing." Deuteronomy 28:63. WHAT?

2) "The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee." Deuteronomy 28:21. YIKES!!!!

3) "The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption , and with a fever , and with an inflammation , and with an extreme burning , and with the sword , and with blasting , and with mildew ; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish." Deuteronomy 28:22. OUCH!!!!!

4) "The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust : from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed." Deuteronomy 28:24. GULP!!!!!!

5) "The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies : thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air , and unto the beasts of the earth , and no man shall fray them away." Deuteronomy 28:25-26. EEEWWW!!!!

6) "The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt , and with the emerods, and with the scab , and with the itch , whereof thou canst not be healed." Deuteronomy 28:27. GROSS!!!!

7) "The LORD shall smite thee with madness , and blindness , and astonishment of heart : And thou shalt grope at noonday , as the blind gropeth in darkness , and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways : and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore." Deuteronomy 28:28-29. OMIGOSH!!!!

"The LORD shall smite thee in the knees , and in the legs , with a sore botch that cannot be healed , from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head." Deuteronomy 28:35. SHEESH!!

9) "The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known ; and there shalt thou serve other gods , wood and stone." Deuteronomy 28:36. HE MAKES ME SERVE OTHER GODS??!!

10) "Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed ; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God , to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder , and upon thy seed for ever." Deuteronomy 28:45-46. ON MY CHILDREN FOREVER AND EVER??!!

11) "Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness , and with gladness of heart , for the abundance of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger , and in thirst , and in unclothedness , and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck , until he have destroyed thee." Deuteronomy 28:47-48. HE CONTROLS MY ENEMIES??!!

12) "The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far , from the end of the earth , as swift as the eagle flieth ; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand ; A nation of fierce countenance , which shall not regard the person of the old , nor shew favour to the young : And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle , and the fruit of thy land , until thou be destroyed : which also shall not leave thee either corn , wine , or oil , or the increase of thy kine , or flocks of thy sheep , until he have destroyed thee.... And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body , the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters , which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege , and in the straitness , wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee." Deuteronomy 28:49-51, 53. HE WILL SEND AN ENEMY WHO CAUSES ME TO EAT MY OWN CHiLDREN!!!

13) "The LORD will make thy plagues wonderful , and the plagues of thy seed , even great plagues , and of long continuance , and sore sicknesses , and of long continuance . Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt , which thou wast afraid of ; and they shall cleave unto thee." Deuteronomy 28:59. WONDERFUL PLAGUES!!

14) "Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt , which thou wast afraid of ; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness , and every plague , which is not written in the book of this law , them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed." Deuteronomy 28:60-61. DESTROYED BY GOD!!

15) "The LORD shall give thee thee a trembling heart , and failing of eyes , and sorrow of mind : And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night , and shalt have none assurance of thy life : In the morning thou shalt say , Would God it were even ! and at even thou shalt say , Would God it were morning ! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear , and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see." Deuteronomy 28:65-67. THE LORD MAKES US FEARFUL AND MISERABLE FOR NOT LOVING AND OBEYING HIM??! !

OR, could it just be that Satan is the REAL one inflicting these crippling curses listed above, curses through which WE give him access to inflict by our unbelief and subsequent quenching of God's protective presence?

When we welcome Satan's spirit of fear, neglect, unbelief, and mis-belief toward Jesus, we thereby open a Pandora's box of potential destructions. But, as we yield our hearts of faith back to God, the Lord's protective presence is able to quickly manifest to rescue and protect us from all harm.

This then is the pivotal point to glean from the above passages: BE AWARE OF WHAT CAUSES THE LORD'S PROTECTIVE PRESENCE TO WAX AND WANE! Our fear, neglect, unbelief, and mis-belief causes it to wane, while our faith, hope and heart focus causes it to wax. There are certainly OTHER factors which can allow greater Satanic access into our lives as well, many of which are the equivalent of "second hand smoke" from other nearby parties which have blown various oppressions our way. But God's waxing presence can even help reverse those.

"22 Mistakes I Made As A Senior Pastor:

Putting church over community.
Putting orthodoxy over love.
Putting certainty over wonder.
Putting teaching over conversation.
Putting polished over real.
Putting answers over questions.
Putting membership over friendship.
Putting Christianity over Christ.
Putting knowledge over action.
Putting style over substance.
Putting appearance over authenticity.
Putting functionality over beauty.
Putting religion over spirituality.
Putting numbers over individuals.
Putting holiness over humanity.
Putting accountability over acceptance.
Putting heaven over earth.
Putting meetings over relationships.
Putting reputation over risk.
Putting charisma over compassion.
Putting the Afterlife over the Herelife.
Putting thinking over feeling."
- Jim Palmer

Our souls are as deep as the universe is wide
But our heads keep us trapped in a small box inside
Our possibilities are as pure as the great Divine
But our heads keep us thinking in ways that divide

Our hearts want to love like the sun wants to shine
But our minds are afraid that they’ll become blind
Our spirits can transcend this place and time
But our minds only want what they can define

But what if we rebel & let our hearts lead the way?
What do you think the heavens would say?
What if fear grabs our chest, demands we face up and fight?
What if God makes us heroes for standing up for the light?

And it’s me, and it’s you
So tell me love, what shall we do?
Should we protest or sing along with the band?
Should we sit down when we’re destined to stand?

RIDDLE ME THIS: WHAT DID THE FOLLOWING THREE GROUPS OF "WOULD BE" KILLERS HAVE IN COMMON?

1) James and John wanting Jesus to call down killing fire on the Samaritans for rejecting them in Luke 9:54 (just like Elijah did to the rebellious Samaritans in 2 Kings 1:10, 12);

2) The Pharisees wanting to execute Jesus' disciples to death for Sabbath-breaking in Matthew 12:1-7 (just like Moses commanded all Sabbath breakers stoned to death, no exceptions, in Exodus 31:14-15 and 35:2, and who in fact stoned a man to death in similar circumstances for just picking up sticks on the Sabbath in Numbers 15:32-36);

3) The mob seeking to stone the woman to death who had been caught in adultery in John 8:1-11 (just like Moses commanded all adulterers to death in Leviticus 20:10, no exceptions);

WHAT did these would be killers all have on their side?

ANSWER: The Bible.

All these bloodthirsty people were relying on well known Scriptures, established Scriptures, clear Scriptures, compelling Scriptures. I cite all the passages above.

These mobs thought they all had the spiritual high ground. But you know what? They didn't.

Jesus told James and John they "knew not what spirit they were of, because He came to save life, not to destroy it." Luke 9:55. He told the Pharisees seeking to execute His disciples for Sabbath-breaking that He Himself was "Lord of the Sabbath" and that His disciples were "blameless" and "guiltless" because He "wanted mercy and not sacrifice." Matthew 12:5-8. After scattering the mob seeking to stone her, Jesus told the adulterous that He Himself did NOT condemn her. John 8:11. He cleaned all their plows of wrath with His Spirit of rescuing love.

The point here is that we all need more than JUST the Bible on our side. These people all may have had the literal Bible on their side, but they did not have Jesus on their side. They did not have the Holy Spirit on their side. And they did not have the Heavenly Father on their side.

Time and time again, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said the Scripture may literally SAY this, but I spiritually SAY..... This is all I am advocating here, to let Jesus' nature, Jesus' presence, and Jesus' wisdom have the FIRST and BEST say when it comes to us reading Scripture.

These three mobs had ALL had read the Scriptures literally, all had thought they clearly understood them, and were all confident they were serving God. What a chilling prospect!

Do we commit the same error today when we believe we can understand Scripture without first putting primary reliance on Holy Ghost interaction? Do we think that our "natural understanding" of Scripture is always automatically right, especially when the book of James warns us that the wisdom from "below" is "earthly, natural and demonic." James 3:15.

SATAN HIDES IN OUR NATURAL UNDERSTANDING!

Did you now there are worldwide demonic powers whose sole function is to lure you into reading the Bible "by the letter," WITHOUT the aid and illumination of the Holy Spirit in other words?

"So with us; when we were children, we were slaves to the ELEMENTAL SPIRITS of the universe." Galatians 4:3.

"Formerly, when you did not know God, you were in bondage to beings that by nature are no gods; but now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly ELEMENTAL SPIRITS, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days, and months, and seasons, and years! I am afraid I have labored over you in vain." Galatians 4:8-11.

"Christ DISARMED the PRINCIPALITIES and POWERS and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him.... If with Christ you died to the ELEMENTAL SPIRITS of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, 'Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch' (referring to things which all perish as they are used), according to human precepts and doctrines? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting rigor of devotion and self-abasement and severity to the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh." Colossians 2:15, 20-23.

"Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, NOT of the LETTER but of the SPIRIT; for THE LETTER KILLS, but the SPIRIT GIVES LIFE." 2 Corinthians 3:6.

Scripture calls these "by the letter" devils "elemental spirits," demonic powers which continually keep us in bondage to legalistic "by the letter" reading and "by the letter" thinking. Don't let yourself be manipulated by them!

Satan is always in the over, under or mis translation. Galatians 4 and Colossians 2, in the RSV, speak of elemental spirits which seek to mislead us into literalism and legalistic interpretations which cause us to under, over or mis translate the divine impulses. They are always the real enemy. The letter always kills, and wants to make both God and us into killers as well.

THIS is why we must let the Holy Spirit mediate all Scriptural meaning to us.

THIS is why reading the Bible "by the letter kills."

THIS is why the New Covenant isn't written on tablets but on the human heart.

When Jesus illuminates our reading through the Holy Ghost, THEN Scripture glows bright in each and every verse. Mercy manifests, ideas coalesce, hearts burn, minds renew, mysteries unveil and faith explodes.

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