Come and See – Chapter 8 – The Men of the World and the MAN from heaven . . .

Come and See

Chapter 8 of the Gospel of John

The Men of the World and the MAN from heaven

Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. (Psalm 66:5)

For I [know] their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory. (Isaiah 66:18)

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He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about tenth hour. (John 1:39)

And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. (John 1:46)

And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. (John 11:34)

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Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; (Philippians 1:27)

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And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. (Revelation 6:1)

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. (Revelation 6:3)

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. (Revelation 6:5)

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.(Revelation 6:7)

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The House

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And every man went unto his own house. (John 7:53)

Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. (John 8:1)

   The first thing that we notice is the plurality of ‘men,’ every man contrasted with the ONLY MAN of heaven. The men of Chapter 7, verse 53, loved the world, they loved the things of the world, but the love of the Father was not in them; thus, every man went to his own house; we fail to see the Spirit’s voice and vision here. For every man is his own house, and within that house is a heart, soul, and spirit. The heart answers to the spiritual thought whether good or evil. The soul is the eternal presence of the being, not before man, but before God. The spirit is the life and light to the eternal being, and can only be divided by darkness. Darkness was what all of mankind lived in when Adam fell short of the glory of God and sin was brought into the world. All of Adam’s descendants, from the fall, have resided in darkness, however, through the history of mankind God has provided faith, and He has ministered this faith to all who have believed in His Presence and Person for His name’s sake. His glorious name’s sake is perfected as the Almighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace, and many other resplendent names allowing us to see the broad brush strokes allowing all to understand the God in whom we believe: the Lord Jesus Christ. Who not only is the Light of the world, but He who is the Author and the Finisher of ALL faith. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

   The intrinsic character of faith is part of the Lord’s inheritance. In the inheritance of the Lord, we have many facets, however, in this study, we will deal only with faith. His inheritance (which revolves around the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God) is brought forth to us in Hebrews 1:2, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; In the divine plan of God the Lord’s inheritance comes BEFORE He made the worlds. This verse shows us that not only Christ was the Creator of all things, but that His Father gave Him an inheritance as the Son of God BEFORE the worlds were created. This is a point overlooked by modern criticism, and the dividers of the Word of God. Rightly dividing the Word of God demands the work of the Holy Spirit within the heart, which these modern critics have no part of. They are empty of all spiritual thought and they roam in darkness with the minds of sinful men.

      In a house that has no light there is darkness all around. Those within are blind in heart, soul, and spirit and continually stumble and bump into God’s righteousness and holiness and can neither perceive what they stumble at, nor can they understand the presence of sin which consumes their hearts, souls, and spirits. The heart of Adam is impossible to overturn, only a divine action from an omnipotent God can change the heart of anyone. When Adam brought sin into the world, his heart was overthrown as well as his spirit and soul. Sin changed Adam into an entirely different creature. Every thing that was of God was removed, and replaced by sin. Over thousands of years mankind has tried to rectify Adam’s transformation without the supernatural work of the Spirit of God. They try man’s religion. From the beginning, Cain thought that he could change himself by obeying his own religious dictates which were the works of his own hands. Discovering all his efforts had failed, and that God had rejected him because of his disobedience, Cain’s his anger and sin was turned against his brother, a man of faith, which resulted in sin taking possession of Cain, and Cain killed his brother. It is interesting that the first sin recorded (outside of the garden) was murder. But sin didn’t begin with murder, it began with the sin of disobedience to God, and since Cain could not kill God, he instead vented his sin and anger against a child of God. This has been the story of man throughout mankind’s entire history: attempting to appease God in every imaginable way of man’s imagination, except how God had decreed.

    Adam had no way to change himself back into the man he was before sin. Covering themselves did not remove sin. God (knowing that the sentence of death was upon mankind because of Adam’s sin)  provided the first sacrifice for sin in the two animals that He sacrificed for the two trespassers. The skins of the animals covered them, and blocked their now sinful beings from the eyes of God. If Adam had been changed by God’s sacrifice then there would have been no reason for God to drive Adam out of the garden. The covering of the skins of animals was to conceal them from the flaming eyes of God’s judgment. These skins were not in any way a path to salvation. They were simply a covering to block the sin from the eyes of God. Through the disobedience of Cain we see that sin had not been removed, that the sin that was in Adam infected not only Adam’s life, but was transmitted to the life of his first earthly born, Cain. So what was the difference between Cain and Abel? The difference was faith (which had a divine authorship in the Lord Jesus Christ). Faith is one of the many facets of the inheritance of the Lord Jesus Christ which His Father gave Him BEFORE the Lord Jesus created the worlds. The only rectification for the lost sinner in Adam is a divine division of separating THAT heart, soul, and spirit from the earthly to the heavenly; therefore, removing the earthly man and replacing him with the heavenly MAN, Jesus Christ. The Supernatural act of the creation of a new being begins with belief in the Almighty. Faith is imparted and creates a new being. Old things pass away, and all things become new. The new being is transferred from the earthly to the heavenly in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1) Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2) For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3) When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)

And every man went unto his own house. (John 7:53)

   Every man went unto his own house, and this house has to be destroyed before anyone can build a new house. Old things MUST pass away, therefore, the Lord Jesus, with a divine supernatural act through the Holy Spirit of God, brings us into a relationship whereby we can say that, He is our house, He is our divine loving Savior. But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (Hebrews 3:6) Our new house has no walls that contain and limit, for we are part of the heavenly MAN, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.(John 8:1)

   The heavenly MAN went unto the mount of Olives to be in solitude with His Father. There were no walls to hide Him, nor to bind Him, only the openness of His own creation, and THERE as the Son He communed with His Father APART from mankind. Those who are bound by their own hearts and bound to the earth, they are in Adam: earthy. Those who are bound to Christ are in the heavenly MAN, and all eternity embraces Him. The Lord Jesus was the sent servant of the Father. He was the Heir (as the Son of God), He is the Savior (as the Son of man), and He is the Law of God in fulfilling all righteousness. THIS One is the Man in heaven for us, we are part of His house, and He is part of us. It is the Lord Jesus who fulfilled all the works of redemption IN Himself. He fulfilled this for others, and of those, He is not ashamed to call them brethren. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, (Hebrews 2:11) During the ministry of the Lord at the feast of tabernacles, it was revealed to us that the Jews were without knowledge.

But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. (John 7:49)

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: (Amos 8:11)

   So the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among them, He was here to reveal the mind of God and the Word of God, which they were in desperate need of. The Pharisees (John 7) had not been faithful to the Word of God. The reason for their lack of understanding was directly related to the pharisaical teaching of that day. The Pharisees themselves admitted their fault in declaring that the people were cursed because they did not have the knowledge of God and His Law. Although the Pharisees were correct in their declaration, they refused to admit that it was their responsibility to teach the Word of God, and to instruct the people in the Law of God. In Galatians 3:10, we read this, For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. The Pharisees professed the Law of Moses, yet, they would not keep the Law of Moses. They needed to begin at their own house, for it is quite evident that the Word of God did not abide in their hearts. The Lord Jesus revealed this in John Chapter 7, verse 19, Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? Once again, as in Cain, we see the religious man versus the spiritual man, and here again, in the heart of Cain, they wanted to kill the Son of God. It seems that this formula never changes, for even in our day and age, we have many religions of man, and all of them try to justify mankind with the laws and traditions of men, and NOT by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. It is interesting in the closing of John’s Gospel of Chapter 7, and in the beginning of Chapter 8 that we have such a contrast with the men of the earth, and the MAN from heaven.

   The MAN of heaven had no place to rest His head on His earth. Even the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests. His home is in heaven. He had left His home to fulfill the will of the Father, and to glorify the Father even in His death; therefore, He went to the mount of Olives: a retreat of solitude, a separation from man. This separation to the mount of Olives was just as important as His forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. For in the morning after His retreat to the mount of Olives, He returned to the Temple, where He engaged the Word of God against the evilness of men. In Galatians 3:10 we see such destitution for all mankind, for if the law was broken in one part, man was still guilty in all parts. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. (Galatians 3:10) This leaves mankind under the headstones of the Law which demands his death. He is cursed for he is not capable of keeping ALL points of the Law. Therefore, God in His mercy, by His faith, ministers grace unto man by the death of His Son. One verse does not make a chapter, therefore, we need to see the preceding verse that speaks of faith. The Spirit desires to show us the contrast between Law and faith because the Law demanded total obedience. Faith gives us grace, and belief, and is girded by trust that we trust Him, who loved us and gave Himself for us. The Spirit of God in Galatians Chapter 3, verses 8 and 9, relates to us that faith was BEFORE the Law, and the Law did NOT annul faith, for Abraham walked by faith, and he received the gospel of grace that was preached to him. In the very promises that God gave unto him that in Abraham ALL nations would be blessed.

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. (Galatians 3:8)

So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. (Galatians 3:9)

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. (Galatians 3:10)

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. (Galatians 3:11)

   In these verses we have faith BEFORE the Law, and faith after the Law. The Spirit of God, thus, reminds us in verse 11 that the just shall live by faith. Verse 12 of Galatians Chapter 3, reminds us that the Law is not of faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. (Galatians 3:12) Therefore, if we keep the whole Law (which is impossible) we cannot be justified before God because there is nothing in Adam to remove sin, and to give righteousness. These qualities and actions have to come from another. They have to be imparted or imputed from above, from the very MAN who hung on the cross, and who is now sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. This does not discredit the Law, it is not the Law that is at fault, but mankind in the inability to keep the Law because of sin. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. (Romans 7:12) In verse 13 of Galatians Chapter 3, Christ has overthrown the curse of Law by interjecting Himself between us and the Law of God. He put Himself on the cross of Calvary and shielded us from the Law by taking the curse upon Himself. Therefore, it is Christ who has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, for the Lamb of God was made a curse for us. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (Galatians 3:13) Looking at Galatians 3:13, the Holy Spirit stimulates many thoughts surrounding the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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The Great Separation

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   When the joy of heaven was made a curse for us, darkness descended over the entire world, darkness veiled the Lord Jesus Christ. This was when He uttered the words, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The act of being made sin for us also caused a curse to overshadow the Son of God. He must be separated from ALL in the hours of darkness, even from His Father above.

   Sin had separated Adam from God, and by Adam going away from God sin could only be removed by a holy and righteous MAN from heaven taking sin upon Himself, and restoring mankind to God so that Christ was made sin for us. The same sin that God could not look upon in Adam was now placed on His Son; therefore, God turned His face away and the Lord Jesus Christ cried out in that moment of time, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

   We can understand more of this separation between God the Father and His Son by reading Psalm 22, and studying it to understand the depth of darkness the Lord Jesus went into for us. Psalm 22 gives us a full view of the Spirit on the hours of darkness that the Lord Jesus endured for us. Only God could go into the depth of Adam’s fall for God was IN Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. It had to be God who vanquished sin and death, only God in Jesus Christ could remove the curse, being made a curse in Himself. And yes, these thoughts are too high for man.

    God’s complete Christ is on the cross of Calvary: as the lamb of God, the offering for sin; as the Son of man, the bearer of all righteousness; as the Son of God, fulfilling the will of the Father and glorifying the Father in Himself. We should understand that sin was completely foreign to the Lord Jesus Christ, thousands of years had passed in the history of mankind, and God HATED the sin of man.

   Now this SAME sin, He (the Almighty) had to endure on the cross as Scripture tells us in His own body on the tree. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1^st Peter 2:24) This was the body that was prepared by God in heaven to fulfill all righteousness. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: (Hebrews 10:5) By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)

   Christ had to die by the wicked hands of man to show the total depravity which is IN man, and was revealed in the first murder when Cain slew his brother Abel. The depth of man’s depravity is seen in the outright hatred for God in the Pharisees, the rulers of the Jews, and in the people. As they were trying to destroy all the goodness of God, God was destroying the very evil that they were committing. He would destroy that evil on the tree, the evil that came by a tree was overthrown on a tree, and this was the tree at Calvary for it was there that the curse of evil was nullified. When Christ was made a curse for us, the sin of the whole world was nailed to that tree. The cross definitely speaks of all the evil in man’s history.

   Look how the hours of darkness ended when the holy transaction was finished, as light began to creep upon the earth once again, the Lord Jesus spoke the words, It is finished. God saw the light and it was good. The first four verses of Genesis are now fulfilled for the eternal Light in Jesus Christ has risen upon the sons of men, and it is good.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2)

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)

God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:4)

   Deuteronomy 21: 22 and 23, documents that under the Law anyone who was hung on a tree had to be removed before darkness; consequently the Lord Jesus was taken down from the cross before darkness engulfed the earth. And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: (Deuteronomy 21:22) His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. (Deuteronomy 21:23)

   The body of the Lord had to be buried THAT day, not only to fulfill the Law, but to fulfill His own prophecy concerning His resurrection, that on the morning of the third day he would rise the third day. Christ was placed in the tomb in the darkness of the earth, and would not see corruption.

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Psalm 16:10)

That he should still live for ever, [and] not see corruption. (Psalm 49:9)

He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. (Acts 2:31)

But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. (Acts 13:37)

   The Son of man would become the glorified Man in His resurrection. The victor was God Himself with the power of an endless life, and exalted higher than the heavens. Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. (Hebrews 7:16) For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; (Hebrews 7:26)

   Who is sufficient for these things? The mystery of God is divine in every way. This Man, Jesus Christ, now has an unchangeable Priesthood at the right hand of God. From the mount of Olives He descended into Jerusalem bringing His peace with Him. In returning to the Temple refreshed by heavenly light from God the Father, Christ arrived early in the morning, already, the people gathered to Him. And He sat down and taught them the Word of God. The Master of all knowledge shared the knowledge of God with the people who had no knowledge. God was sitting in their midst, what a wonderful sight. He was teaching the people that according to the priests were a people under a curse. The priests were high and holy in a false sense, and the sheep in their charge lacked knowledge; yet, their priests would not fulfill their lack of knowledge. With all this need before the priests, where did the priests go? The priests retreated to their own houses. Man likes to tower over his fellow man, even though he is in the same plight of every man, all under sin.

   The Lord set an example of sitting down in the midst of the people and teaching them with grace and truth from the Word of God. The Word was in their midst, and the very Author of His own Word expounded the Word to the hearts and minds of the people with heavenly light. The whole thought today of the man of God being elevated is foreign to God. This is such a reminder of the pharisaical position that we see in the gospel of John. The shepherd sat down in the midst of His sheep calling to His sheep, Come unto me. He was a carpenter’s son in many eyes, but to His sheep He was the Light of the world. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)

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The Perverted Justice System Fails

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Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. (John 8:1)

And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. (John 8:2)

   It is at this point (while the Lord was teaching the people) that the Pharisees approached with a woman caught in the very act of adultery.

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, (John 8:3)

They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. (John 8:4)

Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? (John 8:5)

   They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. (John 4) The Holy Spirit wants us to see that this was another deception of the Pharisees, they had brought the woman solely to tempt the Lord Jesus so that they would have another issue to accuse Him. This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. (John 8:6)

Side Note: Before we get to the court scene with the woman and the Pharisees let us muse on the Law concerning adultery.

Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)

And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10)

If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. (Deuteronomy 22:22)

In this Law there is no variation, and there is no sin offering for this sin. BOTH parties (man and woman) who committed adultery were to be put to death without exception. Therefore, in John Chapter 8 in verses 3 – 11 we see the deliberate abuse of the Law of Moses by the Pharisees in this case of adultery.

   Both parties (the man and the woman) were guilty; yet, the scribes and the Pharisees only brought the woman. It is interesting how the Holy Spirit in this particular instance draws both the scribes and the Pharisees together. Why is this important to see? The scribes (at this particular time) had the responsibility as the protectors of the written Law. They should have been the first ones to cry out that the Pharisees were not being obedient and true to the Law. The Pharisees (in this particular time) were both judge and jury. They were taking the entire responsibility of the court upon themselves without having a legitimate judge in their midst. This only adds to their perversion of the Law. God wants to show us that the holders of the Law (in the scribes) and the professors of the Law (in the Pharisees) were united together in perverting the Law. The omniscient God (who was standing in their midst) KNEW that they were without excuse. The Law, as we have shown, demands COMPLETE obedience from the nation of Israel. This obedience was under their care, and both the scribes and the Pharisees were offenders of the Law.

   The first offense was bringing the woman to the Temple, a place of worship and sacrifice, not a place of judgment. When the Lord Jesus was apprehended in the garden, they took Him to the palace of the high priest, and this is where His trial began. Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off. (Luke 22:54) In the case of the trial of the Lord Jesus Christ all the powers of darkness gathered together against the Lord and against His anointed. (Psalm 2) The Temple was NOT a court room. This was their first violation.

  The second perversion of the Law only the woman was brought, and she was deliberately brought to the Temple to interrupt the Lord’s teaching the people. (Every servant of God has experienced this same tactic of Satan: interruption.) We have the woman in the midst, but no man; and yet, she was caught in the very act. This is how the Law of God is interpreted by ungodly men. These men completely ignored Deuteronomy 22:22. There was no man, and also no witnesses; it was only hearsay from the scribes and Pharisees. The Temple was never to be a court room nor a judgment hall.

   The Romans called their final seat of judgment, The Pavement. This was where Pilate condemned the Lord Jesus to the cross on the hearsay from an angry evil mob of religious leaders and rulers of the Jews.  Not one witness was brought forth to face Pilate face to face. Only the jeering of a mob and that famous anonymous source (that we hear so much about today), without a voice, without a face, and yet, with all authority to condemn the just in lies. There is another point that I would like to bring out: when the Jews arranged a court it should have comprised with priests, Levites, and a judge.

If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose; (Deuteronomy 17:8)

And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment: (Deuteronomy 17:9)

   This was the third failure of the scribes and Pharisees (this is a theme throughout the entire book of John concerning these Pharisees), they appealed to the Law of Moses, yet, they themselves did not follow the writings of Moses.

   Their fourth omission was that they provided no witnesses. In the Old Testament and in the New Testament there are to be two or three witnesses. Where were they? It is obvious that the Pharisees were working on hearsay only, you know, that familiar famous anonymous source. Under the Law of Moses, the two witnesses were to give their testimony before the counsel or as we call it today (the court) and if these witnesses were found to give false witness then they themselves would be put to death.

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. (Deuteronomy 19:15)

If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; (Deuteronomy 19:16)

Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; (Deuteronomy 19:17)

And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; (Deuteronomy 19:18)

Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.  (Deuteronomy 19:19)

And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. (Deuteronomy 19:20)

And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. (Deuteronomy 19:21)

   In the case of this woman who was caught in the very act of adultery, there were no direct witnesses with their testimony. Therefore, the Pharisees and the scribes had no right to condemn this woman for they were operating on hearsay or again, I repeat, that famous anonymous source. We can compare this with the trial of the Lord Jesus. There were actually false witnesses who were discovered to be false, and yet, there was no penalty for this. How much the possessors of Law (whether the Pharisees and even in our day protect themselves from judgment that is due for proven crimes). Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; (Matthew 26:59) But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, (Matthew 26:60)

   In the trial of the Lord Jesus, the chief priests, and elders, and all the council recruited false witnesses against the Lord Jesus Christ; this unveils the perversion of their justice system. This same perversion is manifested in our age through the corrupt justice system of the United States of America today; false witnesses are deliberately recruited and primed. Under the rule of God, they will all be held accountable and will suffer in the lake of fire. They will have no excuse in that day.

   The same law that the chief priests, and elders, and all the council wrongfully employed against the Lord Jesus at His trial condemned these very same chief priests, the elders, and all the council.

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The Finger of God Writes

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When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? (John 8:10)

She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. (John 8:11)

   In John Chapter 8, after the Lord had dismissed the accusers of the woman caught in the very act of adultery, He asked the woman, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She answered, No man, Lord. The omniscient God (who stood in her presence) KNEW all things, He KNEW the truth, He also KNEW that the scribes and the Pharisees had appealed to the Law of Moses, however, now there were now no accusers, no witnesses, how could anyone fulfill their appeal to the Law of Moses with no evidence? Therefore, the Lord Jesus simply told her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more; thus, leaving her guilt to her own conscience.

   There is something much deeper here. The scribes and the Pharisees had staged this event to tempt the Lord Jesus. This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. (John 8:6) These scribes and Pharisees came to tempt the Lord Jesus so that they might condemn Him. Most likely it was deliberate on their part not to bring the man showing their bias by bringing only the woman. They had also prejudged her for if you listen to their conversation, you will see that they had already condemned her before that they had brought her into the presence of the Lord. This also shows another act of conspiracy by the scribes and Pharisees against the Lord Jesus Christ. When one area was not successful on condemning Him for healing a man on the Sabbath (John 5), they stretched out another evil conspiracy tentacle against the Lord. Remember that there were many people all around watching this event the Lord Jesus had been teaching in their midst, and now the moment of truth had come. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. (John 8:2)

   The Lord stooped down and with His finger, the finger of God, wrote on the ground. This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. (John 8:6) What was in question here? The Law of God was being questioned, most likely, the scribes and Pharisees had to be reminded of that Law. 

If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. (Deuteronomy 22:22)

And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10)

   Would not these two verses be likely candidates voiding the pharisaical argument? This first writing seemed to have no effect on them because in verse 7 they continued to ask Him about the Law of Moses. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. (John 8:7) I suggest this, the Lord Jesus did not refer to the Law of Moses, but to a greater Law: the law of sin and death found in Romans Chapter 7 and 8, For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2) But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (Romans 7:23)

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The Conscience -They Heard

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And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. (John 8:8)

And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  (John 8:9)

   At this point, their facial expressions must have changed. How do I know this? Over all the years that I have been preaching, wheneverrI am preaching on a particular sin, I can see the facial expressions of the guilty parties before me change. This is a great insight that God gives to His servants. (Be very careful when you are exposed by the preacher for he can read your face.) The Lord had shot the first volley across their bow, and in this, their consciences began to work.

   And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. (John 8:8) Now this second writing was different from the first writing for the Spirit of God gives us a wonder of wonders. Within John 8:9 we read of one of these mysteries of God. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (John 8:9) The scribes and Pharisees, one and ALL, HEARD the writing on the ground. Everyone (individually) HEARD this writing in their own conscience. Their conscience bore witness against them concerning their own sin.

   There are two noteworthy events in this verse: they HEARD the writing on the ground, and they were also convicted by their own conscience. This shows a far greater law written in their conscience that condemned them. The Lord Jesus did not appeal to the Law of Moses, but to the law of sin and death. Their own conscience condemned them by the power of His Word. They HEARD their own sin. God had opened their hardened conscience by the power of God and had condemned them. Consequently, by hearing and by being convicted they went out from the Lord’s presence beginning with the eldest to the youngest. This is another point by the Spirit of God, the eldest should have had the most wisdom and should have understood the Law of Moses, however, his evil heart was ready to condemn the Lord, but his conscience overrode his heart, and he was condemned before the omnipotent God. The eldest should have been the most reverent among them. The last to leave was the least this could refer to the age or to the station of the individual. One thing this confirms that ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

   Let us look at the conscience: And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (John 8:9) This is the only place that the word ‘conscience’ is mentioned in all four gospels. It also clarifies that the conscience has an inner voice in man. This inner voice not only convicts of sins, but it is also a warning system that sounds the alarm of an upcoming sinful action. There is a law in the conscience that is not written on tables of stone. We should listen very closely to the words that the conscience speaks.

   They (HEARD) the words written on the ground within the depth of their conscience, and being convicted of their own sins went out of the Lord’s presence one by one. This also shows us that God is able to open the conscience and to speak through the conscience to every person in their lifetime. This was a tremendous miracle that they actually HEARD His writings. They knew from that voice within that they were guilty; these were hardened men, for they were there to deceive God. (Three times in Scripture God wrote with His finger: first, on tables of stone; secondly, on a plaster wall; and thirdly, on the dust of the ground. In all of these three writings, we can HEAR the voice of the Spirit.) Yet, God broke through that hardened shell around their consciences. In their deviousness and in the depth of their conspiracy attempting to tempt God, they themselves were exposed through their own consciences. Many times in one’s lifetime we are exposed by our own conscience. Does this conscience belong to us, or is this conscience a supernatural recording device that can be activated by God at any time? It is not only a revealer of past sin, but it is also a preventer of future sin. The conscience has a unique capability of instant replay triggered by the Holy Spirit of God. The conscience (I am sure) is the unknown sense (as sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch, and then within we have the conscience) a divine sense of right and wrong. Consequently, it is a law far greater than the Law of Moses. (It was their own conscience that condemned them.) The conscience bears witness of itself making every conscience different by the information of sin that it has recorded, and a mysterious law of unknown words spoken by the Spirit of God to reveal good and evil.

   A person can have a good conscience toward God as Paul described this in Acts 23:1, And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. In the case with Paul, we see a direct connection of the Holy Spirit with the conscience of man. In the Lord’s writing on the ground we see the connection of God the Son with the very sin that He was there to remove. We have a continuous connection between God and man in the conscience. In Acts 24:16 we have an area of offence, And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. We see two vital inputs of the conscience: one is toward God, and the other is toward men. How many times did the conscience of Cain warn him of his sin? The omniscient God knew Cain’s heart and warned his conscience that sin lieth at the door.

And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? (Genesis 4:6) If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. (Genesis 4:7)

   The conscience is directly connected to the mind of God. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (Philippians 2:5) For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1^st Corinthians 2:16)

   The Scriptures also tell us that we can weaken the conscience by repeated sin, and therefore, the conscience becomes weak. But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. (1^st Corinthians 8:12) We have both the testimony of our own conscience and also the witness of the conscience of others that by their testimony and by their life they have a weak conscience brought on by sin. Therefore, we are not to wound their conscience any further instead through our testimony; we are to strengthen their conscience in presenting our life before God, and before men with a good conscience and with a good testimony. Let not our actions cause a weaker brother to stumble.

   Our conscience has a testimony of its own as we read in 2^nd Corinthians 1:12, For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

   In 1^st Timothy we have a good conscience mentioned twice; a pure conscience mentioned only once, and a seared conscience mentioned also one time.

Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and [of] a good conscience, and [of] faith unfeigned: (1^st Timothy 1:5)

Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: (1^st Timothy 1:19)

Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. (1^st Timothy 3:9)

Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; (1^st Timothy 4:2)

   The seared conscience ties into the unbelieving conscience. Tit 1:15 Unto the pure all things [are] pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. (Titus 1:15) We see the conscience AND the mind both being defiled by sin. It is the opposite of a good conscience before God, and the last mention of a good conscience is found in 1st Peter 3:21, The like figure whereunto [even] baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

   In 1^st Peter Chapter 3, we see a renewing or good conscience toward God by the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is one of the elements of all things becoming new in the creation of a new born babe in Christ. There is also a purifying of the conscience. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14) The very work of the Lord Jesus on the cross brought about a capability of the Spirit of God to PURGE our conscience, this is in relationship to the blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin. Our conscience (in our new birth) sees the Lord Jesus as the cleansing action in His offering for sin and the regeneration of the new birth in the new creature in Christ. All things become new; thus, the renewed conscience does not react to past guilt, but instead it becomes a warning system in the path of faith. In a sense, the renewed conscience is a new tape in the recorder, or as a new disc in the computer drive. Now the conscience becomes a protective factor against sin, and to protect a good conscience toward God. This comes under the action of the Holy Spirit of God working within us through our conscience, through our minds, through our hearts, through our soul, and through our spirit. Behold, all things become new.

Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2^nd Corinthians 5:17)

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:24)

   This newness also gives us the capability when we are reading the Word of God to HEAR His Word in our conscience. These words of God that He places into our consciences protect us in a sinful world. Whenever we are tempted, the new conscience reminds us of the sin before us by the Word of God stored within. The Word of God within our conscience becomes the mighty Word of God. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) This is all relevant to our conscience. The Word of God is intertwined with every thread of our conscience, of our mind, of our spirit, and of our heart. We must feed the conscience with the Word of God and consequently, the conscience will do its work within us, and we will have a good conscience toward God.

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The Division Deepens

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    It was at the time that Christ was teaching the Word of God in the Temple that the scribes, and the Pharisees came to tempt the Lord Jesus. (Verse 6). They were trying to nullify His teaching for He was drawing many people under the Word of God. At one point, the utterance from their evil hearts was that the whole world would go after Him. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him. (John 12:19) These people in the Temple were drinking in the Word of God from the Living Word: Jesus Christ. Surely when the scribes and the Pharisees approached the Lord Jesus they had the attitude of victory because they were bold in not caring for the sanctity of the Temple. They brought this woman and set her in the midst of the people, and I remind you, without the man. However, mankind has a difficult time not only in interpreting the law of God, but also has a difficult time interpreting his own law that he has made for his own preservation. This total lack of regard for law has completely gone amuck in our age. This is repeated again and again in our so-called courts of justice. How many times has an accusation by a false witness been allowed to sentence a person unlawfully?

    Since adultery causes a division between husband and wife, the sin is very deep in all areas of society. It divides the man from the woman, or the woman from the man; God intended (before the sin of Adam) that man and woman would be faithful to each other.

   The great deceiver (Satan) had a plan. First, he divided the woman from the man by tempting her; she then persuaded the man, thus Satan divided the man from God. Consequently, when sin came into the world, humanity became divided into three parts: the woman was separated from the man; the man was separated from the woman; and both man and woman were separated from God. Before the fall, woman was part of man, for she was taken from man. Adam even stated, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. (Genesis 2:23) This union was a divine inseparable union. Let’s see the power of God in this: God caused a great sleep to fall over Adam, then God removed one of Adam’s ribs and from this rib God formed woman. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; (Genesis 2:21) And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. (Genesis 2:22) 　

   When sin overcame the world, Adam (as the Federal Head) bore the full responsibility for sin, for he was head of the woman. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (1^st Corinthians 11:3) Sin disturbed the order of God; woman became an opposing force to man, as man became an opposing force to woman. Even in the Church today, the headship of Christ is overturned by the sin of man.

   We have dropped so far down the funnel of history that this division between man and woman has shattered almost all godly feelings one to another. This first structure system that God established, mankind has perverted. Today, we have division of the sexes, there are individuals who can neither cope with, nor accept who they are. They cannot establish within themselves (because of sin) whether they are male or female.

Side Note: Refusing to rest on the sovereignty and goodness of God, many turn to so-called science to base all actions and believes on. Then in their rebellion, they then reject their science in their refusal to acknowledge XX and XY chromosomes. Having rejected God, and their science, then reason must also be rejected; thus, they have left themselves without any foundation: empty, without a purpose in life and without a reason to live.

   This is truly a tragedy brought on by a sinful world. In John Chapter 8, we see this division and an enmity between man and woman for the scribes and Pharisees did not bring the man showing that they had a bias against the woman.

   When we fast forward to our age, men and women are more divided then ever before. They have hidden suspicions between them; and there is no element of godly trust because they have cast God out of their lives. Even in the realm of professing Christianity we see this mistrust, not only between men and women, but between fellow Christians. The Church in many areas is so liberal that they preach not even to trust the Lord Jesus by insinuating that Jesus Christ (being the Head of the Church) can no longer keep the Church: the Body of Christ, in the realm of eternal salvation. There is no doctrine found in Scripture that a born again child of God can EVER be separated from the living God. If anyone believes in a separating doctrine, then they cannot believe in the Headship of Christ over His own Church. We fail to see the destructive force all around us. Sin divided man from woman, sin divided man from God, and sin divides husband from wife, sin divides the family, and sin fractures and divides society. The first great witness of this division came prior to the flood. It was the ‘daughters of men’ who perverted the sons of God.  This brought on the universal flood when only eight souls came through this tremendous world wide flood.

   In my life time I have watched sinful governments take the Bible out of schools trying to separate mankind from God. This was done deliberately. It was part of the plan of the ungodly driven by the same deceiver (Satan himself). Governments took man away from woman by their liberal divorce courts, and the immorality of their society, which led to the break up of homes, and with the Bible out of the schools, then they took the children away from their parents in their ungodly schools, and their scheme of separation. They desire to have an ungodly society. Why? Because an ungodly society is a divided society, and a divided and fractured society are easier to control then a godly society. If a mind is regulated by the things of God and by the Word of God it has intelligence; if a mind is regulated by sin and division then it is unable to comprehend what is right or what is wrong. Then, the ungodly separated the mother from her most noble position, this position before God is child bearing. This evil society has created a Flanders Field of abortion unmarked graves by the murder of all these children. I am sure that these murdered children cry out to God, How long will this travesty continue? Anyone remotely perpetrating or willingly joined to this apocalyptic holocaust will have to stand before God and be judged, and cast into the lake of fire where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. I believe they will hear the cries of those slaughtered unborn throughout ALL eternity. Their torment will be to listen to these cries haunting their minds and their consciences as they suffer the wrath of the Almighty God for their sin against His children. They are without excuse.

   Over and over through the annals of mankind the devil has used the same ploy: divide and conquer. What is so remarkable is that the devil has the perfect patsy: mankind under sin. I see this every day in society throughout the world: divide and conquer. If the people of all nations would just step back and examine themselves and what they are doing, then they would see the turmoil and wickedness of every society on planet earth: man refuses to believe that Satan also has an overall plan. His plan is to defeat every thing that is of God and replace it with the evils of sin. He has divided the United States of America. He has fractured it so badly that most likely it will never recover. Satan is frantically moving the world so that one day he will establish his man as the god of this world (the man of sin in Revelation Chapter 13). This man will come to the throne of this world as a complete tyrant. There will be no liberties for mankind. All government rule and law will be swiftly enforced by death. All the things of God (the God of heaven) will be cast out of the earth. All the witnesses of God during this period of time will be slaughtered by this tyrant. When the Lord Jesus told the scribes and the Pharisees, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her (John 8:7), undoubtedly their facial expressions changed for they had been found out. These same faces are all around us today. The same faces that attacked the Lord Jesus Christ are more prevalent in our society then ever before. Take it from one who can read faces, and read the eyes of evil, we are in terrible perils in our world, and in our country. Evil has been building year by year, month by month, and day by day, hour by hour. This is not a light thing. These are the same faces that the Lord looked at, and these are the same faces that Paul, Peter and John looked at. The faces of evil have merged together into a giant image of evil

   They have become a Goliath against all that is good. David stood before Goliath and saw his massive size, and heard his ungodly words; yet, faith conquered the giant when all the armies of Israel could not. Now it is our turn. There is a giant of evil looming before us: he is huge, but mortal. He is weak through his boasting, so the continual prayer of a righteous man, or a righteous woman, will prevail in the great battle over our enemies. The power of God is always greater than the power of evil. The same evil that came into the garden is the same evil facing us today. The same God who defeated evil for thousands of years is the same God who led Abraham out of Chaldees, defeated the Egyptians, and led the people out of Egypt. He is the same God who gave Israel a shepherd king. He is the same God that saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace, and Daniel from the lion’s den. He is the same God who totally defeated sin, death, and hell on the cross of Calvary. He is the same God who is looking down on us in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. When the time had come for Israel to be freed from Egypt, God heard their cries. Should not we cry out to God that He might supernaturally remove the evil so that our liberties and freedoms many abound? The greatest weapon on earth today is the prayer of the righteous with a contrite heart toward God. Join me with a repentant heart, soul, and spirit in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver us from the host of demons in our society today. Amen.

© Copyright 2020, Michael Haigh

This article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.

All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)