Discourse 153 – The Presence of God

The presence of God.

Where God is at home – the Tabernacle.

 Trial of Pastor Olaf Latzel.

Suspension of Pastor Olaf Latzell

Audio: Pastor Olaf Latzel of St Martin’s parish in the city of Bremen The presence of God

The new temple of God – In the spirit of the children of God.

Where God is at home – the Holiest of Holies in the Tabernacle.

In the early days of God and mankind getting to know each other – on the wilderness journeys of the Israelites – God had them erect a tent as a meeting place, the “Tabernacle”. There God was present when he spoke to Moses or Aaron. As Pastor Latzel then later explains quite superbly in his audio sermon, God was present in this Tabernacle, over the Ark of the Covenant on the “mercy seat”.

God also determined how this tent was to look inside, with the room laid out with the Ark of the Covenant, the “Holiest of Holies”, at the far end of the tent. Then, when Soloman built the first temple, this design determined by God was also carried over to the temple, just as it was with the second temple, built by Herod. That was at that time the place where God lived amongst the people. God lived in the Holiest of Holies in the temple with the Israelites, the people of God.

But that fundamentally changed when two thousand years ago the Sanhedrin – at that time the highest (religious) authority in Israel – sentenced the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, to death and handed him over to the Romans for crucifixion. In so doing, Israel broke its covenant with God, and God dissolved the covenant and made a New Covenant with all people. The proof of this is that God forsook the Holiest of Holies in the temple in Jerusalem. When the Son of God on the cross commended his spirit with a cry to the Father and died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two. That was the sign that God had left the temple, the covenant and his people.

This also brought the Mosaic religion to a temporary end. And it was also precisely this that the Son of God had prophesied to the Israelites when he said that the law and the prophets (thus the Mosaic religion) were until John the Baptist. From then the Gospel is proclaimed and the whole world can believe in this God and enter God’s Kingdom.

Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John.

Lk 16,16 ‘The Law and the Prophets (the Mosaic religion) were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. Lk 16,16;

In contrast to the Mosaic religion, in which, by virtue of the covenant with God, only Israel could have a bond with this God, this new Christian message is as follows: God wants all people to recognize the truth and be saved. The condition is that they come to believe in this God and orientate their lives in line with his commandments.

The righteousness of a person – freedom from sin – is no longer a prerequisite for acceptance as a child of God. That is what the Son of God died for, so that we no longer needed to offer any sacrifices for our sins. All sacrifices have already been made by the vicarious death of the Son of God on the cross

The new home of God – the spirit of man, the “Holiest of Holies” in the “temple” of man.

In the following commentary, an attempt is now made to prove on the basis of the Scriptures that the spiritual presence of God in man was always a reality for the authors of both the Old Testament (the Prophets) and the New Testament (the Apostles John and Paul). And then the manner in which we people can become children of God, in whose spirit our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father in heaven reside, will be explained and justified.

God no longer lives in temples, churches or cathedrals. He lives in the spirit of the children of God.

«God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.».

Jn 4,23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. 4,24 God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.’ Jn 4,23-24;

That is the presence of God, as interpreted here in Immanuel.at from a Biblical-Christian perspective. God is spirit – and indeed actually spirit, not “sort of”. And this God, who is Spirit, is also the origin of human spirit. This God breathed spirit from his Spirit into the nostrils of Adam, the first man.

The Lord God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Gen 2,7  Then the Lord God formed a man (Hebrew: "adam"),  from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Gen 2,7;

Thus it was only through God’s Spirit that man became a living being. Without God’s Spirit, man is a piece of dead meat, just like a cow or a horse. So if as living beings we have God’s Spirit itself in our spirit, why do the religions of worldly Christendom constantly want to convince us that we should turn to them to find God and to worship him?

And now the Lord Jesus says to us, Jn 4,24: "God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." We must therefore worship God in that place where he is to be found, and so in our spirit, and in the appropriate manner, that is “in truth”, and then we have contact with God.

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.

Mt 6,5 ‘And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners (or before the Catholic idolatrous altars ["Mary" and the death cult of the "saints"] and the Jewish "Wailing Wall"! / FH) to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6,6,6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  . Mt 6,5-6;

And now we also recognize why the religions of worldly Christendom always insist that we come to them to encounter God. For this they also – just like worldly organizations – invented all these many church customs, tradition, liturgy, theology, etc., leading as well to the invention of the relevant governing bodies, and all the church clergy, Popes, cardinals, bishops, theologians, presidents, experts in canon law, etc.

And because this multitude of millions worldwide have a life free from work, you need members who donate money to feed this unemployed mob. Then anyone who calls upon people to “go to your room” to pray (and not to the church, parish or “kingdom hall”, where they can take the money out of your pockets) is of course a rabble-rouser and enemy of the faith in the eyes of worldly Christianity.

In order to document that we are not telling incredible tales but talking about facts, we can point to the example of the Protestant Pastor Olaf Latzel of St Martin’s parish in Bremen, also known from German and Austrian media. As a Protestant pastor, he advocates God’s word from a Biblical perspective, and thus consistently condemns homosexuality, transsexuality, bisexuality, intersexuality, queers and any other perceived form of sexuality. For him there are just men and women!

This led to an action being brought against him in the Bremen District Court, and to him being convicted on 25 November 2020 of “hate speech” and sentenced to 3 months in prison or a fine of 8,100 euros.

(Texts in a black frame are quotations from visitors to this site or from other authors.)

Then immediately afterwards, in December 2020, the Pastor was “suspended from his duties” by the governing body of the Bremen Protestant Church (BEK).


The clerk, Pastor Dr. Bernd Kuschnerus, explained: “It is our firm belief that it is not possible for a pastor who has been convicted of hate speech by a court in the Federal Republic of Germany to continue to carry out his duties for the duration of the disciplinary proceedings. This must especially apply if and as long as such a conviction has not been declared final. A credible proclamation of the Gospel is not conceivable for the duration of such a legal dispute – which could possibly last for years and involve considerable public engagement. Any exercise of duties during this time would cause serious damage to the credibility amongst the public of the perception of the clerical service and of the reputation of the Bremen Protestant Church. The Church Board asks for forgiveness from those people on whom suffering and injustice were inflicted by Pastor Latzel’s comments.”
(katholisch.de)

Injustice? In his sermons, Pastor Latzel explained some of the consequences of this “free-spirited mindset!”, what injustice is there in that? Of course, we cannot hold the judge accountable who delivered this verdict, since legal systems the world over are in any case godless. But surely it should be expected of a “Protestant Church Board” that these people would know the foundation of all Christian faith – including Protestantism – which is the Bible. Because there they will find a different verdict on homosexuals:

If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.

Lev 20,13  “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Lev 20,13;

This is God’s verdict on homosexuals: They must be killed because they do not produce offspring for the continuation of human society, and thus present a danger to the whole of humanity. This may appear radical in today’s terms, but we humans do the same, after all. E.g. in fruit production, trees which bear no fruit are ripped out, or on the stock exchange, shares which yield no return are sold off. The owner can do as he wishes with his property.

And we people are simply God’s property – according to the Bible. Whether we want it or not, he created us, so he says what’s what. Quite apart from the fact that God regards homosexuality as an abomination, and that he equates such behavior with sexual relations with animals, with sodomy.

"Men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other me.

Rom 1,26  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.
1,27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Rom 1,26-27;

(Texts in a black frame are quotations from visitors to this site or from other authors.)

Some time ago a visitor to this website wrote the following to me:

Apart from the fact that according to the Scriptures there is nobody “reborn” here on earth, because rebirth can be equated with resurrection and – as is common knowledge – only people who have already died can attain this. So, apart from this, I do not have a problem with homosexuals – but God does. That same God who will one day judge these homosexuals – and their supporters.

And you are right about this: every person, regardless of their sex, race and social background, has an expectation of salvation if he is prepared to repent, embrace a belief in God and orientate his actions to God’s commandments. And it is also absolutely correct that homosexuals too have a right to be saved. God wants all people to be saved (1 Tim 2,4). And if tyrants, mass murderers and atheists have a right to salvation and the forgiveness of sins, then of course so do homosexuals.

The crux of the matter in this is that although God accepts us as we are, he does not leave us in our unrighteousness, impurity, avarice, depravity, with envy, murder, argument, deceit and malice. If we want to find true faith, God changes us, so that we recognize the cesspool we were in, from which he has saved us. But all those who do not want to recognize this, and continue to live disobedient, unrighteous and impure lives are given over by God to the lusts of their heart, to impurity, to defile their bodies amongst themselves.

However, there is one single sin which cannot be forgiven: the sin against the Holy Spirit. And in order to rule out from the start any speculation about what this sin against the Holy Spirit could be: the sin against the Holy Spirit is when the Holy Spirit is labeled as an evil spirit, a demon (in the end Satan himself). Then the “line” itself to the Savior is cut off, and there can be no forgiveness without a substitutionary sacrifice.

Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Mat 12,3And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 12,32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 12,33 ‘Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 12,34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 12,35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 12,36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 12,37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.’ Mt 12,31-37;

The evidence for this interpretation can be found immediately before the above text, in Mt 12,22-30:

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.’

Mt 12,22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 12,23 All the people were astonished and said, ‘Could this be the Son of David?’ 12,24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.’ 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 12,26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 12,27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 12,28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 12,29 ‘Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. 12,30 ‘Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Mt 12,22-30;

So Jesus performed a miracle on the possessed man, so that he could see and hear again.  The Jewish scribes, the Pharisees to whom that was reported, said to the people that Jesus had performed this miracle in the name of Satan, out of jealousy that they could not do this themselves. To which the Lord responded: “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” And there are several examples of this rule, this law.

First of all in heaven. It was Satan himself who up until two thousand years ago lived in God’s dimension amongst the angels, and who tried to eliminate God. He seduced one-third of the angels into joining him and fighting the remaining two-thirds of God’s angels in order to come into power. The angels of God under the Archangel Michael fought against these renegades and won this battle. As a result, Satan and his angels were cast down from heaven onto the Earth.

(See also Discourse 128: "The Battle in Heaven")

That means that this rule was already confirmed in heaven, where there had already been such an uprising. That is why the Lord calls on us to pray: “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”, because God’s will is already done in heaven. And here the consequences are also shown: on the one hand, if allowed: the reign of Satan. And on the other hand, how this can be prevented: the resolute reaction – combat and neutralize (while Satan and the angels are immortal, they will first be cast down on Earth into the lake of fire, in the end for all eternity).

And that is also an example for us people on Earth. The enemies of God and of human society must be neutralized, otherwise there will be no peace on this planet. Therefore this rule should also apply e.g. to Putin’s current war of aggression in Ukraine. It is a European war, and therefore the European countries – in the face of the EU’s impotence – must also combat this aggressor in the strongest possible terms and with full force with their representative, Ukraine, and not behave so hesitantly and cautiously as they have so far, otherwise there will be no peace.

But this also of course applies to the topic currently under discussion, namely homosexuals. We must – based on the Bible! – examine who is the enemy of God and of human society, and must combat this enemy in the strongest terms. Yet, although our Lord God says above in Lev 20.12 “they must be put to death”, God also says “Thou shalt not kill”. That is, we humans are not God, and so sinners are not to be killed by us, but in accordance with the Scripture neutralized in such a way that they can no longer be a danger to human society.

The best way to neutralize such denatured characters would be to convert them to Biblical-Christian faith. However, if these people do not come to the faith, and wish to persist in their perversity, they should have no opportunity to spread their attitude. Because if they were to achieve a majority somewhere they would tyrannize and dominate normal people.

We can see this in the example of Sodom and Gomorrah: in these cities all the people were gay, from juveniles to old men. And they were in the majority in all cities in the Jordan Valley, and thus had absolute power. And thus they evidently passed into law that any man newly arrived in the city must allow himself to be raped by them. Then when two angels appeared to Lot, because God wanted to save Lot and his family from destruction and have them brought out of the city, they were also molested, and the gays even rejected Lot’s suggestion that they should at least leave the two angels who had come for him in peace and instead rape his two virgin daughters.

Such sinners can obviously no longer be dissuaded from their perverse path; they will stubbornly follow their chosen path into the abyss – reminiscent of Hitler and the Nazis. Now you can of course counter this by saying that they would be saved if they converted. Although that is correct, experience also tells us that such perversities as homosexuality or an obsession with power, as with Hitler and Putin, are manifestly not curable.

Indeed, Putin maintains that he is devout (Catholic/Russian Orthodox). But it is not just that he has ended up in the Catholic Church in the biggest snake pit in the Christian West, only the mafia would be worse. We can see that amongst other things in the cases of abuse in the Catholic Church. In recent years, tens of thousands of cases of abuse have come to light worldwide, committed by thousands of Catholic priests in almost every country on this Earth.

For this the Catholic Church has already had to pay financial penalties imposed by law amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars to the affected parties, possibly from donations. Or perhaps also from “donations”, as the Catholic Church is suspected of money laundering in its bank in the Vatican, the “Banco del Santo Spirito” – the “Bank of the Holy Spirit” (!!). This is where the words of advice of our Lord Jesus Christ hold true: “ By their fruit you will recognize them.

A bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

Mt 7, 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? 7,17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 7,18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 7,19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 7,20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Mt 7,16-20;

Here the emphasis is on the little word “can”. For it is often argued: “but the Catholic Church is so holy, just think of the Vatican!” – No, as the Son of God says “a bad tree CAN NOT bear good fruit”. And that the Catholic Church is a bad tree, bearing bad “fruit”, is evidenced a thousand times by its gay priests. Especially in the Vatican, where they are “amongst themselves” and nobody is watching them. The Catholic Church cannot bear good fruit, even if it wanted to – because it is a bad tree. Look at the documentation concerning the Catholic Popes in the Middle Ages, who robbed, murdered, cheated and whored.

And Peter reveals to us here below, in his second Letter, that this sodomitical behavior by mankind, homosexuality (or the pursuit of foreign flesh), was already in the past the cause of the great flood, where at that time the Sons of God pursued foreign flesh amongst human women. From this then the giants were born (“the sons of Anak”, around 3 meters tall, with 6 fingers on each hand and 6 toes on each foot, 1Mo 61-4; the last of which was Goliath, against whom David fought, 1Sam 17,23).

But this sin was also the reason for the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, when the people all pursued foreign flesh amongst themselves (Mt 19,5-6) – that is, woman with woman and man with man. And the third and final great wave of destruction on this planet, God’s judgment in the Great Tribulation, will also be triggered by this great sin of mankind, which is an abomination to God.

 God brought the flood upon the world of the godless, burned Sodom and Gomorrah to the ground and thus set an example for those God brought the flood upon the world of the godless, burned Sodom and Gomorrah to the ground and thus set an example for those who would be godless in the future.

2Pet 2,2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 2,3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 2,4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; 2,5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;  2,6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes,

2Pet 2,2-6;

But of course the “Christians” on the Church Board of the Bremen Protestant Church have no inkling of all this. They have never read this in the Bible, or have simply not understood it. Their like-minded brothers and sisters in Lower Austria under their gay Superintendant have then also approved gay marriage and countered critics with the view that they “have now got a little closer to God with this”. – With gay marriage? TO WHICH GOD??

(Texts in a black frame are quotations from visitors to this site or from other authors.)

In these disciplinary proceedings, Pastor Latzel then had to apologize to the gays and his dismissal was revoked. To give Pastor Latzel himself a chance to speak, here is an audio sermon by him on "the presence of God" from 2016 - before his conviction - from Bremen's St Martini Church:

The following audio message can no longer be found on the net. And because when I heard it for the first time, I immediately suspected that it would be confiscated due to some of the statements in it, I downloaded it at the time and am now posting it privately online. (Please don't be alarmed by the black screen, it's just an audio recording with a control bar in the center).

(Texts in a black frame are quotations from visitors to this site or from other authors.)

When you listen to the sermon of Pastor Latzel, you can recognise two things: he really is true to the Bible, and he speaks passionately, out of conviction. Thus it is probably also understandable that the manner in which he speaks is more like what would be expected in a barrack yard than in a church. But we must bear in mind that he is a German and he is speaking to Germans. Perhaps he would speak differently e.g. in Austria. On the other hand, I have also read that many a "gentle" preacher, e.g. in the Catholic Church, has apparently abused the altar boys in the vestry after mass.

But now to the content of the sermon. Anyone who followed the above sermon has heard Pastor Latzel speak of the “presence of God” amongst mankind. That was in the early days of God and mankind getting to know each other, on the wilderness journeys of the Israelites, when God ordered Moses to erect a tent for the meeting with him, God, a “meeting tent”, the Tabernacle.

That is where God lived amongst the Israelites. Then when the first and second temples were built, the Ark of the Covenant, the “Holiest of Holies” was also located at the far end of the building, as in the Tabernacle, and a large curtain separated the anteroom, the Holy, from the Holiest of Holies, where God lived amongst his people – until the death of his Son.

Von Daniel Ventura – Eigenes Werk,
CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

The new temple of God – in the spirit of the children of God.

The Temple of God in Jerusalem.

After the Exodus, during the wilderness wanderings, God instructed the Israelites to make a "tent of meeting" (tabernacle). There they were to place the "ark of the testimony" in the rearmost part of the tent and put a curtain in front of it, so that this area was separated from the front part. (Ex 26:31-34).

And in this "Holy of Holies", from the lid of the ark of the testimony, God spoke to Moses when necessary, in a cloud between the two cherubim which were placed on the left and right on the lid of this ark of the testimony, and gave him instructions.

When Solomon then built the first temple in Jerusalem, the rearmost part of the temple was equally extended there as the "dwelling place of the Almighty" and the same was the case with the second temple, which was built by Zerubbabel from 520-516 B.C. and dedicated in 515 B.C., and greatly expanded and remodeled by Herod from 21 B.C. onward.

Then, when the Israelites had condemned the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, to death on the cross and the Romans had crucified Him, on the death of his Son God left the Temple and abandoned his Old Covenant with the Israelites (Mt 27:51-52; Lk 16:16).

This was also the beginning of a New Covenant and thus the start of a new relationship between God and man. It is not just that since then no more sacrifices have to be nor can be offered for the forgiveness of sins, since in Jerusalem – and only there (Deut 12:14) – there is no more temple and no more altar of burnt offering (Jn 8:24) and our Lord Jesus Christ has already died on the cross for our sins.

Nor do we need a temple or a "house of God" to encounter God (Acts 7:48-50). For God has had mercy and now comes to human beings.

If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.

Jh 14,15 "If you love me, keep my commands. 14,16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – 14,17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 14,18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

14,19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 14,20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 14,21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."

14,22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" 14,23 Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 14,24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 14,25 All this I have spoken while still with you." Jn 14,15-25;

That God and his Son come to us and take up residence with us is at first glance astonishing and somewhat incomprehensible. But if one knows the biblical background, one can recognize the full reality of this statement.

«God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth».

Jn 4,23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 4,24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Jn 4,23-24;

As the Son of God tells us here, God, the Father, is spirit. And this now is not to be understood "symbolically", but literally! Not only is it true that God is spirit, but the mode of existence of all creatures in the heavenly dimension of God – including that of already resurrected human beings (1Cor 15:44) – is of a genderless spiritual nature. However, according to Scripture, they also possess the ability to appear in physical, human form (Lk 24:36-39; Rev 20:6) and to disappear (Lk 24:31; Jn 3:8).

(See also Discourse 85: "True and false rebirth.".)

As we can see from many biblical statements, communication between God and His Son always took place on a spiritual level. God is in the spirit of the Son, and what the Son speaks is God’s word.

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?

Jn 14,10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 14,11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Jn 14,10-11;

It is therefore obvious that it is in the nature of spiritual beings to incorporate themselves both in the spirit of a human being and in other spiritual beings. They are non-material in their spiritual form and can merge into each other, as when, on the material plane, one empties a glass of water into another glass of water, and both waters become one (consider the Trinity and Rev 3:21, where all [billions!!] sit with the Lord on his – ONE – throne!).

And just as the Father dwelt in the Son, both will also dwell in us, in our spirit, if we love the Son and keep his word. God dwelt with the Israelites in the Holy of Holies of the temple, but in the faith of the New Covenant, God no longer dwells in temples that are made with hands.

It follows that the biblical Christian faith is not a religion, like the religions of this world. It is a relation, a connection or relationship with God and His Son. The believing person – as a child of God – is the temple, and his or her spirit is the Holy of Holies, where both the Father and the Son dwell in us.

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1Cor 3,16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 3,17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. 1Cor 3,16-17;

Here, however, it must be pointed out that the presence of God in our spirit does not express itself with "jumping, dancing, laughing, crying, rolling on the ground" and such other well-known phenomena. This is not the presence of God, but these people are possessed by demons, the angels of Satan, who were thrown down to earth after the lost battle in heaven two thousand years ago.

The spirit of God in our spirit is almost imperceptible. We recognize it only afterwards, when we see that we have – almost against our will – displayed a behavior pleasing to God. When we ourselves are amazed at how seemingly difficult problems can suddenly be solved.

Let us therefore also remember that many false teachings are in circulation. Worldly Christianity does not keep the word of our Lord (in Catholicism we find priests as child abusers [Mt 7:16], in Protestantism gays are superintendents/bishops [Rom 1:27]). You will know them by their fruits. They are rotten fruits from rotten trees that cannot produce good fruits (Mt 7:18)! And the Mosaic rite has come to a provisional end two thousand years ago (Lk 16:16).

God is no longer to be found in a "house of God". It has become evident that in this context the contact of the people (supposedly laymen!) with their God has been cut off and reserved for a priest, who then mostly regards it just as a tiresome performance of duty. And so there is no need for "consecration" or "communion", with which Catholicism tries in vain to establish communion with the Lord. The Son of God does not come by the "hocus-pocus" (Hoc est [enim] corpus meum / corrupted in the Middle Ages) of a Catholic priest, who then possibly abuses children after the mass.

For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

2Cor 6,14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 6,15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 6,16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?

For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 6,17 Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you. 6,18 And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me", says the Lord Almighty.
(2Cor 6,14-18;)

Therefore, in biblical Christianity, communication between God and the child of God does not take place with prayers that are mindlessly rattled off, but directly and personally. God is our Father, we are his children, so we do in fact behave as children should behave towards a beloved father. Love for God, dear brothers and sisters, still needs to be explained to mankind. They have heard enough about loving their neighbor in the last two thousand years.

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room and pray to your Father who is in secret.

Mt 6,5 When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners (or in front of the Catholic idol altars ["Mary" and the cult of the dead "saints"] and the Jewish "Wailing Wall"! / FH), so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. Mt 6,5;

Deut 4,15 You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, ,4,16 so that you do not become corrupt and make for ourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman. (e.g. a "statue of Mary") Deut 4,15;

Mt 6,6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door (Mt 10:21-22; Mk 13:12-13;) and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 6,7 And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 6,8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Mt 6,6-8;

So we are not supposed to "use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do" but then what are we supposed to do? – We are to talk to God. In our spirit, where his spirit is, if we are children of God. There is no need for any external "signs". These are used only by the hypocrites to impress the ungodly. Our conversation with God takes place in a spiritual way. And even if perhaps billions of people speak to God at the same time, the omnipotence of God and His grace make it possible for Him to be present and listening for each one of His children in their spirit. And so we have what many of us never had on earth: a beloved and loving, absolutely righteous Father. He will never separate from us, and if we do not separate from Him of our own free will, He will be our beloved and loving Father for all eternity. Amen.

(See also Discourse 1042: "The battle in heaven.".)

From child of man to child of God

The development of a child of God is in every way comparable to that of a human child. Just as the egg in the female body is the beginning of existence for a human child, so the spirit in the human brain is the starting point for the child of God (Jn 6:63).

Just as the female body – for a few days each month – is constantly ready for fertilization, the human mind is also usually ready to be fertilized. And then, if the woman allows it, the egg in the womb is fertilized by male seed. And if the human being allows it, his or her spirit is fertilized (Lk 8:11; 1Pet 1:23) by divine seed (1Pet 1:3)¹⁾ – the word of God (Jam 1:18).

If physical fertilization does not take place in the human being, the woman’s eggs are excreted every month until a certain age. The spirit of the human being, however, remains receptive throughout his or her life. If it has not been spiritually fertilized, it will be disposed of at the Last Judgment (Mt 25:41).

If after conception in the case of the human child the period of pregnancy is nine months, then the human being, as God’s child, goes "pregnant", so to speak, throughout his or her entire life.

The further development of the human child in the womb, during pregnancy, therefore corresponds to the spiritual development of the child of God in his or her entire earthly life. Both in the human child and in the child of God, all conceivable complications are still possible during this time of growth (Eph 4:14), up to stillbirth (Hbr 6:4-6)!

On being born from water (amniotic fluid), the human child then enters into a new world, unknown to it until then, with completely different living conditions (breathing, food intake, movement) (Jn 3:5-6). And likewise the child of God will find at his or her rebirth – the resurrection out of the Spirit (Jn 3:6-7) – another, eternal dimension, with completely new conditions of existence.

And likewise the child of God will find at his or her rebirth (Mt 19:28, 25:31: both biblical passages refer to the resurrection/Last Judgment!!) in the resurrection out of the Spirit (Jn 3:6-7), another, eternal dimension, with completely new conditions of existence (Jn 3:8).

But while the human child usually grows up with its parents and later leads its own life, the child of God – as a human being – has been its own "mother", the brain the "womb" of the spirit, and now, after its rebirth, as a spiritual being, has an eternal life (Lk 20:36) and a spiritual, heavenly Father (Jn 4:24).

God will give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Rom 8,11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.. Rom 8,11;

And then – only then – the children of God, having been born again of the Spirit in the resurrection, will have reached that state of being which the Lord prophesies to us in Jn 3,8, which is the state of being enjoyed by God, the angels and the Lord himself after his resurrection and in which He was able to walk through closed doors and through walls (Jn 20:26):

"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going;

so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
(Jn 3,8)

What is born of flesh is flesh, what is born of spirit is spirit. And that, now, is also the form of existence – namely as spiritual beings – of which the Lord promises us in Jh 3:3 that this is the way we can enter the kingdom of God (heaven).

Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.
(Jn 3,3)

The human being is in its life as an intelligent mammal on earth in a prenatal phase. The rebirth takes place after its physical death and the resurrection of the spirit in the timeless heavenly dimension, as an immortal, sexless spiritual being.

(God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1Tim 2,3-4;)
 (Dan 2:20-22)

If one of my readers should be able to refute this interpretation based ontheeBible – and only the Bible – please, he or she is cordially requested to contact me by e-mail. Thanks a lot.Bible – and only the Bible – please, he or she is cordially requested to contact me by e-mail. Thanks a lot. (office@immanuel.at)

(Answers: "Where does it say in the Bible that man is a spirit being? / Comment MK, 00, 2023-06-06)

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

Jn1,6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 1,7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 1,8 was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 1,9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ,10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 1,11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 1,12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 1,13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Jn 1,6-13;

Before his death our Lord Jesus Christ addressed the following prayer to the Father for all those who would come to believe in him:

The prayer of Jesus for all human beings who believe in him.

Jn 17,1 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 17,2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 17,3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.17,4 I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 17,5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

17,6 I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 17,7 Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; 17,8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 17,9 I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 17,10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 17,11 I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. Jn 17,1-11

MAKE HEAVEN MATTER

¹⁾ The Greek word is anagegennēmenoi = rebegotten, as also in 1Ptr 1,23 (not "reborn"!!) – after fertilization, spiritually begotten again through the word of God.(See also Discourse 85: True and false rebirth.)

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

However, as it is written:

«What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived – the things God has prepared for those who love him».

these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no-one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ. (1Cor 2;)

Rabbi Chofetz A visitor came to Rabbi Chaim Chofetz one day to ask his advice. When the man saw that the rabbi’s apartment consisted of a tiny room with only a couch, a table with a chair and a row of books, he asked the rabbi in amazement, "Master, where do you have your furniture and household goods?" "Do you have furniture and household goods with you?" replied the rabbi. "Me?" asked the puzzled visitor. "But I’m just here for a visit. I’m just passing through!" "So am I" said Rabbi Chofetz.