3 levels of flight
First posted: December 25, 2007
This article is the eleventh in a series of articles dealing with the spiritual events --- as prophesied by the Lord in Matthew 24 --- that are already taking place prior to the coming of the Son of Man. This article will share on the words spoken by the Lord in Matthew 24:16-18.
Index
Sticking it out on the housetop
Flight from Judaea
In Matthew 24:16-18, the Lord declares the following:
"16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes." (Matthew 24:16-18)
Notice that the Lord refers to flight in the context of 3 different places:
-
Judaea
-
The housetop
-
The field
The 3 places represent a spiritual progression, and, as the abomination of desolation becomes evident, you must reject all temptation to look back and return to the spiritual places you have left behind.
Geographically, Judaea (or "Judah") was the seat of the Jews' religious institutions and the Jews' religious activities; the Temple and Jerusalem were in Judaea. Samaria, the province to the north, was seen by the Jews in Judaea as a land of "breakaway Jews" who had rebelled against the religious structures established by Moses. The Samaritans had set up their own non-Levitical priesthood and system of worship, and they had allowed that system of worship to become overtly contaminated by pagan rituals:
"26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: 27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. 28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. 31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. 32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. 33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense." (1 Kings 12:26-33)
As shown by the following passages, those in Judaea saw the Samaritans as religiously impure people who were not worthy of their time of day. As far as those in Judaea were concerned, the Samaritans were no longer Jews.
"48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth." (John 8:48-50)
"7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans." (John 4:7-9)
One of the things held against Samaritans was the fact that their priesthood did not descend from Levi. However, as Jesus arrived on Earth, a change in the priesthood was about to take place, and those who were the real "priests", the real "Jews", and the real "temple" would no longer be discernable by external parameters but rather by spiritual ones:
"20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:20-24)
"11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. 13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, 16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. 17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." (Hebrews 7:11-17)
Because of this, it is not easy to discern who the "wayward, breakaway Samaritans" really are:
"30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise." (Luke 10:30-37)
"Judaea" has a physical temple you can go to; it has visibly-robed priests recognised by the community ministering in it, and it has religious rituals going on all about. Therefore, it appears to be the place that is right with God, and those who reject it and turn their back on it appear to be the "wayward Samaritans" who are not right with God. Therefore, those who want to be right with the Lord will be initially hesitant about leaving "Judaea". However, as the shift from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant takes place, the terms "Judaea", "Jews", and "Samaritans" begin to take on a spiritual connotation that the natural mind cannot discern. The Old Covenant is one for believers who have yet to mature, and those who make the transition from spiritual children to spiritual adults are compelled by God to operate in a New Covenant that works by principles and paradigms that natural man neither understands nor accepts. As you enter into the New-Covenant phase of your spiritual growth, you become aware of the invisible "Jerusalem from above" and become disenchanted with the visible "Jerusalem" below.
"1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:1-7)
"22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free." (Galatians 4:22-31)
If you perceive the "abomination of desolation" whilst you are in the Old-Covenant "Judaea", your initial tendency will be to remain there. As your maturing spirit begins to perceive that the visible Church you have grown up in is a spiritual "ghost town", your natural soul will continue to perceive the visible priesthood and the visible acts of worship being performed in the visible Church (the visible "Judaea"). This contradiction between the invisible reality and the visible appearance may confuse you and cause you to hesitate. However, the Lord's command is clear: "Let them who are in Judaea flee to the mountains". This means separating yourself from the earthly Judaea you have grown up in in order to seek higher spiritual ground. Thus, it means heeding God's red-horse shout and separating yourself from Cain in order to dwell in the uncovered wilderness outside. You must be willing to ignore all the audible Jezebelian voices calling you a "Samaritan"; otherwise, you will discard the inaudible shout of God and disobey God's command. If you heed the voices from natural "Judaea", you will be obeying the soul. If you heed the voice from the invisible "Judaea", you will be obeying the Spirit.
Sticking it out on the housetop
The second place mentioned by the Lord in Matthew 24:16-18 (quoted above) is the "housetop" (v17). For those who read Matthew 24 with intellectual honesty, the Lord's reference to the "housetop" should make it clearly evident that He is not talking about literal places, which means that the "Judaea" mentioned by Him in the previous verse should not be taken literally either.
The "housetop" points to a "high place" above the enclosing limitations of the ground. Therefore, it is a spiritual reference to the "mountains" mentioned by the Lord in the previous verse (v16), which means that He is establishing a spiritual progression. In ancient times, housetops were places where people went to pray, as shown by the following passage:
"On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour" (Acts 10:9)
The word "housetop" in the verse above was translated from the Greek word doma, which is the same word used in Matthew 24:17. The word doma appears 7 times in the New Testament. Interestingly enough, it appears 6 times in the 4 Gospels, and its last appearance is in the verse above, never to appear again. There is spiritual significance to this. The number "6" speaks of human works in the realm of temporal weakness, and the number "7" speaks of resting from those human works. As we have shared before, the transition from "6" to "7" speaks of leaving the temporary tabernacles of human dependence in order to "walk on our own", ultimately depending upon God and God alone. Those who refuse to shed their childlike dependence on human ministers and structures will not make this transition; they will remain in the visible "Judaea" and never go up to the "housetop" to have unhindered and direct communion with God in the sky above.
Considering the above, it is no coincidence that Peter went up to the housetop to pray at about the 6th hour, which is the equivalent of "noon". After the first 6 hours of the day had passed, Peter felt the need to go up to the housetop to spend the 7th hour of the day there. If you read through Acts chapter 10, you will notice that, as Peter prayed on the housetop, he was challenged by God to see past the apparent "uncleanness" of the "heathen" in order to see the God-potential in them. In other words, God was challenging him to redefine his understanding of what an "unclean Samaritan" was.
The reference to the "6th hour" in Acts 10:9 also points to verse 6 of the following passage:
"4 And he must needs go through Samaria. 5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans." (John 4:4-9)
This certifies the fact that the transition from the "6th hour" into the "7th hour" requires that you reshape your understanding of who the real "Samaritans" are. As we saw above, the Lord prompted the Samaritan woman to redefine her understanding of who the real worshippers were and what the real temple was. When the disciples returned and found Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman, they were surprised (John 4:27), for it was still difficult for them to discern who the real "Samaritans" were.
The word doma is derived from the Greek verb demo meaning "to build, to edify". This reveals a spiritual principle. If your motivation for becoming a believer is solely to escape the punishment of literal hell, you will have little interest in leaving the "childhood tabernacles of Judaea". If your motivation, however, was not only to escape hell but to become all that God wants you to be, you will go up to the "housetop of scarcity" to be edified by the Lord and be moulded into His likeness. Those who go up to the doma are those who understand what God really means by "salvation".
"11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:11-16)
If you see the visible "ministers" as a "spiritual elite" chosen by God to guide the "not-so-elite", you will have no interest in going up to the doma. If you understand, however, that "the whole Body" (v16) of Christ (not just a part of it) causes the edifying of the Body in love, you will go up to the doma. If you see ministerial endowments as privileges given by God to make the "chosen ones" shine above the "not-so-chosen ones", you will remain underneath the red-tiled roof. If you see ministerial endowments, however, as gifts sent by the Lord in order to propel a propagation of those endowments for the edifying of the entire Body (v12), you will go up to the doma and seek after the Lord.
From all of the above, it becomes evident that staying on the "housetop" means abiding in the black-horse wilderness of independence from man. The housetop is a place of scarcity; it is a place lacking in "emotional wheat" experiences, a place short in "material barley". Therefore, as you stay on the lonely housetop, you will feel tempted to go back down into the house. You must, however, work to "stick with the stones". You must seek after the rock-solid spirit nature of God so that you may be deemed worthy of being a stone in the eternal Temple. In that sense, you must be willing to stay away from the temporal house of the soul in order to be inserted in the eternal house of God, who is Spirit.
The spiritual opposite of the black-horse anointing is the spirit of Balaam. This spirit turns believers into self-absorbed fornicators who use God as a "means" to obtain material and emotional blessings. In that sense, "Balaamites" (i.e.- those who stick with Cain even after the red horse has galloped through) are "Girgashite demanders of grace", demanding it as a right that belongs to them. This is the reason why the Lord says to the one on the housetop not to return to his house (Matthew 24:17). Even though the house may be "yours", you must forsake your rights and leave the house to "them". That is the only way you can cross the bridge into the next phase of your spiritual walk: the green-field phase.
The green field
In Matthew 24:18, the Lord tells those in the "field" not to turn back and take their clothes. In order to understand the meaning behind the word "field", we must consider the context in which the word "field" is generally used in the New Testament. The word "field" in Matthew 24:18 was translated from the Greek word agros, whose first 2 appearances are in verses 28 and 31 of the following passage:
"28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" (Matthew 6:28-30)
Notice how this passage speaks of the "field" in the context of "clothing", which correlates with the reference to "field" and "clothes" in Matthew 24:18. Thus, the word "field" in Matthew 24:18 has the implicit spiritual connotation of being a "grassy field". Grass, in turn, has the connotation of greenness. The Greek word for "green" is chloros, which only appears 4 times in the New Testament, in 4 different verses. Of those 4 verses, 3 of them contain both the word chloros and the word chortos meaning "grass" (chortos is the word that appears in Matthew 6:30 above). Interestingly enough, the only time that the word chloros ("green") does not appear together with the word chortos ("grass") is in Revelation 6:8 when referring to the "green horse" of the Apocalypse. Thus, because of the Scriptural connection between agros ("field"), chloros ("green"), and chortos ("grass"), we can conclude that those "in the field" referred to by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24:18 are those who have gone into the green-horse stage of their walk with God.
Interestingly enough, the word agros ("field") is derived from the verb ago meaning "to lead, to take with one". This verb appears in 71 verses that are spread out over 11 books of the New Testament. The book of Acts is, by far, the book with the greatest number of verses containing this verb; its 26 verses are almost twice as many verses as the next closest book (Luke, with 14 verses). In 17 of those 26 verses, the verb ago is used explicitly to describe specific believers being "taken" or "dragged" as prisoners before an authority ... believers who were on their way to certain death (either literally or figuratively). This correlates with the green horse, since green-horse riders are believers who voluntarily submit themselves, allowing themselves to be dragged as prisoners to places where they would rather not go; green-horse riders are willing to be dragged like sacrificial lambs to certain Death and Sheol prison.
"29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth" (Acts 8:29-32)
[The word "led" in verse 32 was translated from the verb ago]
"And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus" (Luke 23:26)
[The word "led" was translated from the Greek word apago, which is a combination of the word apo (meaning "from, away") and the verb ago. The word "country" was translated from agros (the same word that is translated as "field" in Matthew 24:18), and the word "out" was mistranslated from the word apo meaning "from", not "out". Thus, we can say that, as Simon the Cyrenian came from the green field, he came with an anointing to bear the cross of Christ and go to Golgotha, a place of death. He was dragged out of his way so that he could share in the sacrifice as a lamb.]
In Acts 20:12, the verb ago is used to refer to someone who is brought from death back to life. Just as they are led to their voluntary deaths, green-horse riders are also led back to life by the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit.
"7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. 8 And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. 9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. 10 And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. 11 When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. 12 And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted." (Acts 20:7-12)
[The word "brought" in verse 12 was translated from the verb ago. Eutychus's fall correlates with the green-horse riders' descent to the pit of Sheol.]
In Acts 21:16, the verb ago is used in the following context:
"8 And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. 9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. 10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. 11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. 15 And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. 16 There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge. 17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly." (Acts 21:8-17)
[The word "brought" in verse 16 was translated from the verb ago]
In this passage, the well-meaning believers around Paul tried to dissuade him from going to Jerusalem, especially since they could perceive in their spirits that Paul was headed for certain imprisonment and death. Paul, however, was unwilling to heed the brethren's warning, and, surely enough, he was imprisoned when he arrived in Jerusalem and was eventually killed. To the natural mind, this might have seemed as irrefutable proof that Paul was wrong not to have heeded the brethren's warning. However, the natural mind is unable to understand the logic behind someone voluntarily heading to a place of certain death. As Jesus headed to Jerusalem to die, His disciples also tried to stop Him, but, just like Paul, Jesus refused to yield to the "self-preservation pressure". This is because green-horse riders operate under a different logic, a "crazy" fractal logic that compromises nothing, for it is determined to forge the complete and unconditional victory of God's Spirit over the soul of man.
"21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." (Matthew 16:21-23)
The word "lodge" in Acts 21:16 was translated from the Greek verb xenizo, which literally means "to receive as a guest, to be received hospitably"; this verb is derived from the word xenos, meaning "foreigner, stranger". Notice also how Acts 21:17 speaks of the brethren in Jerusalem gladly receiving Paul and the other believers. Thus, the word ago is used in Acts 21:16-17 in the context of "visitation" and the hospitable reception of "foreigners" who are on a death mission. All of this points once again to the green horse of the Apocalypse. Every green-horse gallop involves a visitation during which God evaluates how well or poorly the green-horse rider is received.
It is worth noting that the spiritual connection between the word ago and the reception of a "stranger" who speaks a foreign language is also evident in the following passage:
"15 And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed. 16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. 17 Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. 18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. 19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? 20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean." (Acts 17:15-20)
[Both the word "conducted" in verse 15 and the word "brought" in verse 19 were
translated from the verb ago.
Notice how the Athenians were willing to give Paul, a total stranger, the time
of day in their Areopagus. Because of this, many Athenians were exposed to the
word in Paul and came to believe in the Lord. Paul came with a message of
green-horse
resurrection,
which was shocking to their natural minds; yet, they were willing to give Paul
an opportunity to "explain himself".]
This connection between ago and "accepting a stranger's message" is emphasised in the following passage:
"26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 28 And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem." (Acts 9:26-28)
[The word "brought" in verse 27 was translated from the verb ago.
Notice how the disciples were very hesitant to receive Saul amongst their midst.
They were all afraid of this stranger because they were unwilling to believe
that the old Saul had died on the road to Damascus and that the Saul standing before them
was a spiritually resurrected man who had
been reduced to ashes by the Lord and brought back to life as a new human
being.]
So far, we have seen how at least 23 of the 26 verses that include the verb ago are spiritually related to the green horse of the Apocalypse (17 verses that are linked to specific prisoners being dragged before authorities plus the 6 additional verses studied above: Acts 8:32, 9:27, 17:15, 17:19, 20:12, and 21:16). All of this certifies the connection between the Greek word agros (meaning "field") and the green horse, since agros is derived from ago. Those "in the agros" are those who are willing to be dragged to their deaths as shackled prisoners; they are willing to act as "living litmus tests" who test the hearts of others through their "kamikaze" visitations; their blood turns red with God's vindicating vengeance when their visitation is rejected, and it turns blue with God's kingdom when their visitation is well-received.
The field of vulnerability
Interestingly enough, the word agros is almost identical to the Greek word agra meaning "a catching, hunting; that which is taken in hunting; the booty, prey (of birds, fish)". This means that "those in the (agros) field" are like vulnerable prey roaming about in the open field, susceptible to the attack of a predator at any time. This is the reason why the Lord tells "those in the field" not to go back to "take their clothes" (Matthew 24:18). Lack of clothes connotes vulnerability, a vulnerability that green-horse riders must be willing to endure since it acts as bait that draws Korah's attack against them. After a time of roaming the field in vulnerability, green-horse riders will be tempted to go back on their vows to God and seek a less vulnerable position. Yielding to this temptation is equivalent to throwing up your hands and saying to satan, "We will not fight your dominion of the Earth's spiritual atmosphere anymore!! Go ahead, keep the air!! Just make a truce with us and allow us to have a nice little kingdom on Earth ... a nice, quiet existence in this world!!".
{"Coincidentally", one day before this word was posted, the Lord drew my attention to a news article posted on December 20, 2007 whose title reads, "Poachers on Cyprus killed more than 500,000 protected birds". This is no spiritual coincidence, considering what we said above regarding the word agra and the fact that Mnason (mentioned in Acts 21:16 above) was from Cyprus. This AP news article was posted on www.iht.com in 2007 but is no longer available there.}
As we studied above, those who are on the housetop are told not to "come down" (Matthew 24:17), whereas those in the field are told not to "turn back" (Matthew 24:18). Those on the black-horse housetop are told not to come back down to the realm of natural understanding, to the realm in which you are a slave to the "elements of this world" (Galatians 4:3). By contrast, those on the green-horse field are told not to renege on their commitment to see the full manifestation of God's purposes in their own lives and the lives of others. The phrase "return back" used by the Lord in Matthew 24:18 was translated from the Greek word epistrepho, which has a connotation of "regret" and "repentance" throughout the New Testament. In other words, epistrepho speaks of someone who suddenly says "No" after having said "Yes" for a while; it speaks of someone who regrets a commitment made in the past and who makes a conscious and deliberate decision to revert that commitment, thus dismantling the yet-unfinished spiritual building he took so long to edify. When you "epistrepho" from a commitment you made unto God, you will end up displeasing Him. If you make a conscious decision to retreat from your unyielding spirit commitment in order to please your own soul and the misjudging souls of others, you will end up displeasing the soul of God:
"35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." (Hebrews 10:35-39)
The misjudging souls will try to convince you that things are not as bad as you say they are. They will tell you that the current system does have its problems, but that nothing is "perfect" in this world, and that the "wisest" option is to work within the system to improve it and work out the "kinks". The misjudging souls will tell you, green-horse rider, that you are "overreacting" and that you are taking that "regeneration" thing a little too seriously. Through their words of "moderation", the misjudging souls will work to reconfigure your judgement system to the point that it will validate the world's system and declare it "workable". As we have said before, the "world system" is not the system that operates outside the Church's domain (as most evangelicals would be quick to say), for the world system is operating and thriving within the Church. The world system is the current arrangement of affairs that allows the soul to reign supreme over the Spirit, and the Church is as contaminated by this system as the rest of the world is, only in a more disguised way due to her "Judaean" cloak. This is the reason why the Church is so powerless to transform the world; you cannot overcome the enemy outside when you have proven yourself uninterested in overcoming the enemy inside.
"19 And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. 20 And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak. 21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day." (Judges 1:19-21)
The word "clothes" in Matthew 24:18 was mistranslated from the Greek word himation, which has the connotation of an outer garment, "cloak", or "mantle". Therefore, it points to the mantle of recognised authority that you leave behind as you leave "Judaea" and head for the "green field". As you feel more and more vulnerable out in the field, as you feel more and more ridiculed (2 Kings 2:23-25) by your relative nakedness, i.e.- by your lack of recognised authority and significance, you will be tempted to return for your himation. As Jesus hung on the cross, towards the end of His green-horse sacrifice, He hung naked and defeated to the natural eye, and He watched as the soldiers cut His himation in 4 pieces (John 19:23-24). He never fought to get His himation back, because He knew that getting it back meant getting a different cloak than the one He had left behind. Had He gotten it back, He would have gotten the cloak of "Judaean religiosity", the cloak the Church disguises under to deceiver herself into thinking that she is not like the matriarchal world. Dear brother, dear sister, don't go back for that cloak, for, as you continue to expose yourself in natural nakedness, you will increasingly expose the spiritual nakedness of Korah.
The vulnerability you experience in the "green field" is heightened by a fact that is hidden in the following verse:
"The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one" (Matthew 13:38)
[The words "children" in this verse were mistranslated from the Greek word huios, which actually means "sons"]
The word "field" was translated from the same Greek word agros used in Matthew 24:18, and the word "world" was translated from the word kosmos, which, as we have said before, has the connotation of "an arrangement system". Therefore, as you heed God's trumpet sound and walk about in the green-horse field, you will appear to those back in Judaea like a "complete pagan" who is out of the religious loop, a "spiritual dropout" who is no longer part of the Church system but is now part of the "unbelieving world system". Yet, the verse above speaks of a kosmos that includes both "sons of the kingdom" and "sons of the evil one", and these two sets of sons are somewhat intermingled and difficult to distinguish one from the other, just as the wheat and the tares are difficult to set apart with the natural eye.
As we have said before, the stigmatised "world" is full of people who exhibit a mighty prophetic anointing that far surpasses the shallow "anointing" exhibited within the institutionalised Church. This is because these people of the "world" have allowed the green-field anointing to flow in their lives without the encumbrances of "Judaea" and her cloaked "ministers". Walking in the green-field anointing requires you walking amongst this "tainted" crowd and empathising with the spiritual word that is coming out of their mouths, a word that is flowing from them even without their knowledge. As you walk in the green field amongst the "tainted ones", however, you will look like an "apostate" to the "Jews" in "Judaea", even when you may be the one who is actually right in the eyes of God. You will be cloaked in shame and ridicule, and you will feel compelled to go back on your inner commitment in order to recover the cloak of "religious respectability". If you choose to abhor the matriarchal world, you will eventually be "killed" by it and sent to the terrors of Sheol, but you will unleash a restoration earthquake that will destroy the world that God abhors and forge the Kingdom of God on Earth.
"9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." (Revelation 3:9-13)
By ignoring the himation of religious respectability, you will be testifying that the world is not OK as it is, that its matriarchal system is inherently flawed and must be transformed. As you die "cloakless", you will help unleash God's earth-shaking transformation that will allow the Kingdom of God to be manifested on Earth.
"14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:14-17)
[The word "led" in verse 14 was translated from the Greek word ago studied above]
"18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." (Romans 8:18-25)
{The next article is titled "Flight of sadness"}